//------------------------------// // Moving In // Story: EoH Evolution: Recovery // by Bahamut0 //------------------------------// Nightmare Moon hadn't been sleeping well lately. Luna kept pushing her aside whenever she entered the dreamscape, so she couldn't fully perform her duties as Princess of Dreams efficiently. But that was more of an annoyance than a genuine trouble. No, what truly disturbed her attempts at slumber was the fact that she would wake up without her beloved. 'Celestia probably knows he's gone to a better place if my eavesdropping is any indication.' Moon thought to herself as she dragged herself out of bed. 'But that doesn't make this hurt any less. Burst Stream, I miss you so much. All of us do. We're all moving on in our own ways, but I just can't seem to move on as fast as everyone else seemingly has.' 'Maybe that's because I'm still staying here. In your house.' Nightmare Moon sighed as she changed into her usual outfit. 'I know that I should probably leave this house, but this is where I first felt like I had a home. The first place where I felt acceptance. But most of all, where I fell for a third time. Where I fell in love. You gave me so much. Things that I never thought I'd never have or deserve. When everyone else was so quick to condemn me or celebrate my defeat, you expressed sorrow that reasoning with me hadn't succeeded.' "And now that you're not here. . . I feel like I'm back in my lunar prison. Alone" Tears began to fall from Nightmare Moon's eyes. Loneliness. It was a feeling that Nightmare Moon had grown to despise throughout her entire existence. She was far less alone now due to having made good friends out of those who had bested her. However, the departure of Burst Stream made her feel more alone than she had on the moon. "It hurts so much to know you're gone. But in the end, it's good I have this pain. It means that I loved you. And I could see in your eyes during your last moments that you loved me too." A sudden knocking on the door snapped Nightmare Moon out of her thoughts, and she went to answer it. When she opened the door, Nightmare Moon was met with the sight of Unityville's mayor. The mayor had an uneasy look on her face as she locked eyes with the fallen princess. "G-Good morning Princess Nightmare." She said in a nervous tone. "I-I've come here because the current owner of the house is-" "You're here because Burst Stream is no longer with us, and his house is therefore no longer claimed. Correct?" Nightmare Moon asked. "No need to be so tense. You act as though I'd give you nightmares for a week if you came to take the place back." "Well, I understand that you might not want to let go of this place." Mayor Mare said as she calmed down. "This house does hold many memories for you." "It does." Nightmare Moon said as she crossed her arms. "But it just isn't as dear to me without Burst Stream. I'll be gone shortly. Just, let me remove Burst's possessions first?" "Of course." Mayor Mare said with a respectful bow. "If you need any assistance-" "I already have some people in mind." Nightmare Moon answered. "I could easily take care of this by myself, but I think it would do us all some good to do this together." And with that, she texted a few of her friends about the task she was undertaking. Inferno Flare and Twilight Sparkle arrived mere seconds later. "We came as soon as we got your text Moon." Twilight said as she and Inferno headed inside. "So. Where do we begin?" "His consoles." Nightmare Moon answered. "We can gather everything outside after packing it." And so, the three Avatars set about packaging Burst Stream's belongings. With their combined efforts, it took little more than a couple hours to complete their task. "Hey, Inferno?" Nightmare Moon asked. "Do you have an extra space at yours and Rarity's place? You were Burst's best friend. I think it's only fitting you hold onto what was once his." "Burst always joked that he'd entrust his consoles to me." Inferno said. "Unfortunately, Carousel Boutique doesn't have enough room because Rarity's supplies take up a lot of room." "We could store it all at my castle." Twilight suggested. "I've got plenty of space that I'm not using, and I'm still finding some rooms there. I'll just send it there with a teleport spell." Twilight fired the spell from her hands, and the belongings of Burst Stream were "poofed" to her castle. However, Twilight soon came to an unfortunate realization. "OH NO!" "Twilight?! What's wrong?!" Nightmare Moon asked as she got into a defensive stance! "I just realized something!" Twilight gulped. "Now that you're no longer living in Burst's house, you've got nowhere to stay!" And she slipped into another one of her signature freak-outs. "How are we going to fix this?! Everyone in town would probably kick themselves out of their own homes just to try and accommodate you!" "Actually, I've got a place that I'm considering staying at." Nightmare Moon chimed in. "Care to help me pack my bags?" "Oh thank Celestia!" Twilight said with a sigh of relief. "So! Where to?" "Funny that you mentioned Celestia." Nightmare Moon said with a smile as she and Twilight packed up her clothes and hygiene items before using a teleporting spell to arrive at the gates of Castalot Castle. "I actually need to talk to her about any vacancies she has in her castle." "Want me to try and help appeal to her?" Twilight asked. "No." Nightmare Moon shook her head. "This is something I've got to do myself." And with that, she entered the castle and headed towards the throne room. Needless to say, Celestia was surprised to see her of all people. "Oh. Nightmare Moon." Celestia hid her shock quite well. "What brings you here?" "Burst Stream's house just got repossessed." Nightmare Moon began. "And I figured it wasn't healthy for me to just shut myself away there. Especially since I've had more than enough alone time on the moon. So, I was wondering, if you had any room here in the castle. I'm not expecting anything luxurious. We might not be enemies or at each other's throats anymore, but we're not really friendly with each other either. So I'll take what I can get." "Come with me." Celestia said in a serene tone as she rose from her throne. The solar princess lead the former fallen through the castle's halls and came to a stop near her own chamber. "Here we are. This is a recently built room. It's nothing too fancy, but I do hope you'll find it comfortable." Nightmare Moon's eyes went wide as Celestia stepped out of the way to show the door to Nightmare's new room. On the door was a symbol that looked exactly like her Talent Crest! "Celestia. . . that's my emblem on the door." Nightmare Moon said as she pointed to the door before hesitantly opening it. She gasped when she saw the inside. Her new room looked every bit as fit for a princess as Celestia or Luna's room would. "Why? Why did you have something so nice made for me of all people? I don't-" "Thank you." Celestia said as she wrapped both her arms and wings around Nightmare Moon in a warm, comforting embrace. "Because of you, Luna and I have a stronger bond than ever before. While it's true that you were why I was separated from her for a thousand years, it's because of that separation that I realized how much Luna meant to me and how she had been ignored. And that I had contributed to that issue without even trying to make her happier. I thought that as long as she had my love and recognition, that was all that would matter. But most of all, I never would have been reunited with Luna or met the love of my life without you. So thank you." "I. . . really don't know what to say." Nightmare Moon said as she processed all of what Celestia had told her. "I forgive you, Nightmare Moon." And at hearing this, it wasn't long before Nightmare Moon broke down in tears. "I-I only dreamed of ever hearing those words from you." Nightmare Moon sobbed as she held onto Celestia tightly. "Especially since you used to only see me as Luna's worse side. As a monster born from her negativity." "The Nightmare Moon I see before me isn't the same creature that took Luna from me." Celestia said with a kind smile as she tightened her embrace. "I see a proud warrior princess who has stood to defend her home and the people she cares for. Even if the whole land thinks bad of her. A goddess who worked to prove that not all who come from the dark are wicked. Rather, you are the darkness that guards the light and paves the way for it to shine." "Any more compliments, and I might start thinking you're trying to woo me." Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle as she dried her tears. "Thank you, Celestia." "Call me Tia, please." Celestia said with a small smile. "I do hope you'll join me for lunch." "Just let me get some of my things unpacked." Nightmare Moon said with a smile as she set her bags down in her room. She had unpacked a few of her outfits, and took great care in setting her princess regalia on her dresser and storing her old armor in her closet. "I'll take care of the rest of my things later." Nightmare Moon hadn't even left her room for a minute when she ran into Luna. And the lunar princess had a far less welcoming look on her face. "You don't belong here." Luna said coldly. "I could always crash at Twilight's castle." Nightmare Moon replied calmly. "I mean, you don't belong in this world." Luna said as she glared at Nightmare Moon. "All your existence has ever wrought is pain, isolation, sorrow, and regret." "Funny. I have a few people that seem to think I belong very much." Nightmare Moon replied with a frown. "What's your point?" "You may have won over Twilight Sparkle and the Element Bearers." Luna began. "You may have made Burst Stream fall for you. And you may have even gotten my sister to forgive you. But you will NEVER win me over. I will NEVER accept you." "What makes you think I did any of this for your approval?" Nightmare Moon asked as she returned Luna's glare with even greater intensity. "I don't have a damn thing I want to prove to you. Not like what caused us to be banished to the moon for a millennium. All that I've done since my revival, I've done for myself. How self-centered are you to think that I still make my entire life revolve around you? I have my own life now. And before you try to bring up whatever point you think you have, let me tell you this: I'm not you, and you're not me. So don't try to say we're the same. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to grab a bit to eat. Maybe some food will lift me out of the bad mood you're starting to put me in." And with that, Nightmare Moon walked away. Leaving Luna alone in the hallway. She wasn't alone for long as Blitz Surge slid up to her. "Are you troubled by Nightmare Moon's presence dear Luna?" Blitz asked in a concerned tone. "All I need is your word, and I shall expel her from the castle." "No." Luna said with a shake of her head. "Perhaps I can convince my sister during dinner to not harbor the nightmare within these walls. But what sickens me the most is that she stands as an eternal reminder of my mistake. The very fact she still walks this earth. . . maybe it means I haven't been truly forgiven. That I haven't truly paid for my mistake." "You endure a thousand years of isolation and exile, and yet it doesn't seem to be enough." Blitz Surge said as a smile slowly crept across his face. "But perhaps, there is a less extreme form of penance for your past sins." "What is it?" Luna asked as she turned to face Blitz Surge. "Whatever it may be, I shall endure it!" "You've made it your duty to ensure that your subjects with pleasant dreams." Blitz Surge answered. "It would only be a fitting punishment were you to deny yourself what you bless your subjects with." "Blitz Surge." Luna said as she shuffled towards her champion. Embracing him with her arms. "Only my beloved would be so willing to do this for me." "I'll assist you as much as I can." Blitz Surge said as he slowly put his arms around Luna. "My love." Meanwhile, Nightmare Moon was sitting with Celestia in one of the gardens. "This is pretty good." Nightmare Moon said as she scarfed down her sandwich. "I can only guess how good the desserts are here!" "So it looks like I'm not the only goddess with a sweet tooth." Celestia said with a smile. "Wait a moment please." Celestia teleported away, and soon returned with two plates of cake. "Consider this a little welcome gift from me to you." "Mmmhh!" Nightmare Moon's wings fluttered a bit as she took a bite of cake. "This is heavenly!" "Glad to hear you're a fan of my handiwork." Celestia said with a warm smile. "So, one princess to another, how is it watching over the dreams of Unity each night?" "Well, I really can't tell you much." Nightmare Moon sighed. "Luna usually blocks me off before I can enter a single dream. I thought she'd be appreciate getting a lot more free time since she'd be able to enjoy a full day with you. But, I guess I can understand where she's coming from. Maybe she thinks I'm trying to steal part of her life." "That's troublesome." Celestia said with a concerned look on her face. "I suppose that I'll need to have a word with her about that." "You're sticking up for me?" Nightmare Moon asked with a smirk. "That's something I never thought would happen in a thousand years." She then took a long look at Celestia. "You know, you were kind of an inspiration to me when I was taking form." "Really?" Celestia asked. "How so?" "Well, Luna always wanted what you had. Your stature, your power." Nightmare Moon smirked. "And especially your beauty. So, taking your appearance in mind, I formed myself into what you see before you. And, well, I kind of wanted to impress you. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." "You and I do contrast quite nicely." Celestia said with a giggle. "I'd love to spend more time with you, but my royal duties call to me. But before I go, know this: you will always have a place here. Never let anyone else tell you otherwise." "Thanks Celly." Nightmare Moon said with a smile. "That means a lot coming from you." "Celly?" Celestia asked before smirking. "Funny. I didn't think we were close enough for nicknames yet." "Let's just say we will be. Soon." Nightmare Moon replied with a smirk. "Then I guess I'll see you around Nightie." Celestia said with a smile as she walked away. 'Perhaps things won't be dull around here for much longer.'