//------------------------------// // Chapter 23 - The End // Story: Taming Nightmare Moon // by Leafdoggy //------------------------------// “Wh—” Celestia groaned as she woke up to blurry eyes and a pounding headache. “Where…” She felt a hoof gently touch her side. “Tia? Are you back?” “Unh…” Celestia blinked a few times, and the smiling face of Luna graced her vision. She tried to push herself upright, but the splitting pain in her head quickly put a stop to that. “Luna?” “It’s me, sister.” “Luna, don’t…” Celestia took a deep, exhausted breath. “Don’t make an eclipse, Luna.” Luna stared at her blankly for a moment. Then, she started to chuckle. “Tia, do you know where you are?” Celestia moaned and struggled to take a look around. She was in a bed, that much was certain. It wasn’t her bed, though. Luna was there, but they were alone together. The lights were bright and fluorescent, and the room around her was small. Only room for a couple chairs, and only one of the chairs was actually usable, because the rest of the room was filled to the brim with flowers, cards, balloons—lots of balloons—and anything else ponies might’ve thought to send telling her to get well soon. There were even boxes of chocolates, although based on the similar boxes sitting empty in the trash, there was no telling how many might actually be left. Slowly, Celestia was getting her bearings again. “What happened?” “Quite a bit,” Luna said. “How much do you remember?” “Mm…” Celestia went quiet for a moment, searching her mind. “Not much… It’s all fuzzy. I remember being mad, and… Scared. A fight? Luna, were we attacked?” Luna pursed her lips. “In a way, yes.” Celestia focused back on Luna. “What does that mean?” Luna took a deep breath to prepare herself, then locked eyes with her sister. “Celestia, we were attacked by… By you.” Celestia gasped, and her eyes went wide. “What? But… But how? I don’t understand.” “It’ll come back to you in time,” Luna said. “Suffice it to say, it seems that whatever brought about Nightmare Moon must run in the family.” “What do you—” Celestia stopped short as snippets of memory started to come back to her. “Daybreaker…” Luna nodded in silence. “I’m… Luna, I’m so sorry.” Celestia reached out a hoof, and Luna took hold of it. “After all the awful things I said, for me to be the one who… Did I hurt anypony?” “Aside from me and Applejack?” Luna shook her head. “Nopony even saw you. The pies were a bit upset about their field at first, but I guess the obsidian is selling better than whatever quartz they had out there, so they’ve settled down.” “Applejack?” Celestia’s face got dark. “Is she…” “She’s fine,” Luna said. “She would be here too, but she’s incredibly busy learning the ins and outs of leadership.” Celestia looked down, then slowly shook her head. “I don’t understand,” she said. “How could so much have happened overnight?” “Over—” Luna was giving her a curious look, but it shifted to a bemused understanding. “Tia, you’ve been in here for a week.” “What?” Celestia tried to push herself up again, only to once more be hit by the shooting pain. “What about my job? My responsibilities?” “Everything’s fine, Tia.” Luna gently ran her hoof down Celestia’s side. “Applejack and I have been more than enough to cover it.” “Oh…” Celestia sighed and relaxed again. “Well, thank you. For that, and for… Stopping me.” “Well, I can hardly take credit for that,” Luna said. “Almost everything I did was done by Nightmare Moon, and even then most of the work was actually done by—” She was cut off by the opening of the door. They both turned to find Applejack sauntering casually in, looking exhausted but happy.  “Howdy, Moonlight,” Applejack said quietly as she shut the door behind her and walked over. “How’s she doin to—”  Applejack’s eyes went wide when she finally noticed that Celestia was awake, and looking her over with a strange look of amusement. “Well, I’ll be,” Applejack said. “About time you came back to us. Although, I suppose this means I ain’t gonna be able to nab any more of your candy.” She looked down at Celestia with a wide, friendly smile. Celestia laughed weakly. “And here I thought Pinkie Pie had been coming to see me.” “Oh, no, a lot of it was her,” Applejack said. “I just figured I earned myself a few of em. You know, what with you killin me and all.” Celestia’s face sank. “Wh-What?” “She doesn’t remember what happened,” Luna explained. “Whoops. Guess that was a lot to drop on ya, then.” Applejack rubbed her neck sheepishly. “I don’t understand,” Celestia muttered. “Well, it ain’t all that complicated. Nightmare Moon was winning, so you decided to threaten me, and then you killed me.” Applejack shrugged. “For what it’s worth, it seems to have worked.” “What worked?” Luna frowned. “I, um… I can’t find her. I think Nightmare Moon might be gone.” There as a beat of silence. None of them seemed to be able to meet each others’ eyes. The air around them grew stiff and cold. Celestia broke the standstill. “How? How can she just be gone?” “She thought it was the only way to stop you,” Luna said. “But she was you,” Celestia replied. “How can she be gone if you’re still here? She held so many parts of who you are, are they all just gone?” Luna shook her head. “I don’t think that you or anypony else could have actually forced her away, but… She just let go of it all.” Luna stared blankly at the cold tile floor. “None of those things are part of Nightmare Moon anymore. They’re all just… Luna.” “Sister, I’m so…” Celestia reached out to hold Luna’s hoof, but Luna pulled it away. Applejack rubbed Luna’s back, and turned to look at Celestia. “Uh, that does bring up kinda an important point, though. Is Daybreaker still there?” “What? I don’t know,” Celestia said, suddenly nervous. “I hadn’t even considered that she might be. I don’t think I feel her, at least.” “Well, if you start to, will you actually go to Luna instead of flyin around yellin at nobles?” “I… Of course,” Celestia said with a slow nod. “I don’t know how I’ll ever make up for any of this, but… I am so, so sorry to you both.” Luna sighed. “You already said that.” Applejack patted Luna’s back reassuringly. “I know,” Celestia said, “and I’m going to do better. I promise.” Luna nodded. “Thank you, Celestia,” Applejack said. “I think… We should head home,” Luna mumbled. “I’m not feeling well.” Applejack nodded and helped her up, and they started moving towards the door together. “Oh, um, one last thing,” Celestia called out. “When’s the coronation?” “Tonight,” Luna replied. “I’ll be there,” Celestia said. “And I love you, Luna.” Luna took a deep breath. “I love you, too, Tia.” “Honestly, not even I knew there were that many of us,” Applejack mused as she glanced out a window overlooking the courtyard. It was an incredible sight, to stand high above a sea of cheering ponies, at least a third of whom she was related to. The whole place was covered in frilly decorations, warm oranges and reds all sporting Rarity’s delicate touch. Cameras flashed all over, pegasi flitted around through the air, and the entire crowd was bursting with energy. The VIP area was nestled in the back, out of the way and propped up to give the best possible view of the balcony the Princesses would be on. Most of her friends were there, barring those in the castle with her, scattered around a huge table alongside ten or so of Applejack’s closest family members. Applejack desperately wished she could be down there with them, but it was far too late for that. Rarity pulled tight on a knot on Applejack’s dress and knocked the wind out of her. “Do focus, dear,” she said softly. “You must be absolutely ready for this.” “Rarity, I’ve been in front of crowds before,” Applejack wheezed out. Somehow, despite being one of the puffiest dresses she had ever seen, it was still so tight on her she could hardly breathe. It was all wavy orange and white, and accented with wisps of an autumn pink that made it look like she was wearing a sunset. All in all, Applejack had to admit that it did look good, even if she’d much rather it look good on a different pony. “Not like this, you haven’t,” Rarity told her. “You may have been up on stage with Coloratura, but those ponies were there for her. This crowd is here for you, and you’re going to know it.” “I think I can handle myself.” Rarity huffed and gave the dress one final tug. “Fine, then. Ignore my expertise. We’ll see who has the better coronation in the end.” “It ain’t a competition,” Applejack said dryly. “Oh, it is absolutely a competition! One that I am going to win!” Rarity stormed off dramatically without waiting for a response. Applejack sighed as she walked away. “What was that about?” Twilight walked up to Applejack with a puzzled look on her face. “Just Rarity bein Rarity,” Applejack told her. She looked Twilight over, taking in her sleek green and black gown that looked far more comfortable than Applejack’s. “Can’t believe she let you wear green.” “Right?” Twilight laughed. “I think at this point she’s given up on having the Princesses actually match.” “Wish she’d give up on me,” Applejack muttered. “Would make all of this—” She was interrupted by Vim, who rushed up and started jumping anxiously in place in front of them. “Balcony! Balcony time, go, go!” “Already? Hoo boy, that was quicker than—” Vim started pushing her along. “No time!” Then, before she knew it, Applejack was standing over a roaring mass of ponies. For now, at least, she was still standing behind Celestia and Luna as they addressed the crowd, so she had time to prepare herself, but it suddenly struck her that Rarity may have had a point. Even with the other Princesses talking, so many eyes from the crowd snapped to her when she walked out that she instantly felt hot. In front of her, Celestia put her hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “I do have one final thing to say,” Celestia said to the crowd. Luna looked at her quizzically. Back inside, Vim almost fainted at the sight of Celestia going off script. Celestia nodded to Luna, and Luna nodded back and stood tall beside her. “I had considered leaving this until after the coronation, but I’d like for that to be the last focus of the night,” Celestia continued. “As you all have no doubt noticed, my rule as of late has been… Turbulent. My sister, Princess Luna, has been forced into hard situations trying to pick up what I dropped, and while she did a fantastic job, she never should have been put in that position to begin with.” Celestia took a deep, slow breath. “However… You do not know the entire picture, and I’m afraid that what you know puts me in a better light than I deserve. I shan't go into detail, as I’d like to keep much of what happened private, but suffice it to say…” Celestia looked down and closed her eyes for a moment, preparing herself. When she looked back up, her gaze was steely and determined. “I am no longer fit to rule Equestria.” The crowd went into an uproar. Camera flashes filled the air. The Princesses all looked at her in shock, and Twilight’s jaw fell open. Back in the castle, Vim actually did faint.  Through it all, Celestia stood there, stone-faced and composed, until the crowd settled down enough for her to speak again. She cleared her throat. “As of today, I am stepping down from my seat on the throne. I know this may be distressing, but please, remember how excellently Luna ruled in my stead. Plus…” Celestia moved aside and waved Applejack up. “While we may lose a Princess today, we gain one as well, and I have the utmost faith in Princess Applejack to surpass me in every way.” The crowd was quiet as Applejack moved up to stand between Celestia and Luna. She looked out to her friends, who waved to her and cheered, and smiled. Then, she looked over the rest of the crowd, and her smile only grew. Seeing this, the crowd erupted into cheering. The Apples were by far the loudest, hooting and hollering and stomping their hooves, but even with all of their fervor they didn’t drown out the rest of the crowd. The pegasi zipped around in excited circles, the unicorns showered the sky with sparks, and everypony cheered as loudly as they could. All of Equestria, in that moment, stood with Applejack. It felt like ages before the crowd settled down enough for Applejack to talk, but eventually it did. She cleared her throat and raised her voice as loudly as she could. “Thank you, every—” Far too loudly, it turned out. Apparently, as Applejack was now learning, becoming a Princess had improved every part of her, and that included her voice. It boomed out at a deafening volume, making ponies in the crowd clutch their ears, and several of the windows in the castle shattered. She quickly lowered her voice back to a reasonable level. “Uhh, sorry ‘bout that,” she said. “New body and all. Anyhow, thank you all. This is more amazing than I ever would’ve thought.” There was another wave of cheers. This time, knowing she could, Applejack simply spoke over them. “I’m, uh, as shocked as you all to hear about Princess Celestia steppin down, and I don’t know if I can really live up to all that she said about me, but uh… I’ll try. You can believe that.” She paused for a moment as the crowd grew ever louder. “I dunno what all I’m really supposed to say here,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her neck. “I guess somethin about what I’m actually gonna do? Which is tough to say, really. I mean, Canterlot’s got a Princess, and Ponyville’s got a Princess, so I ain’t really sure where that leaves me.” Applejack shrugged. “I wasn’t all that keen on the whole castle thing anyway. For now I figure I’ll wander around a bit, see how Equestria is, and maybe find a place that could use the Princess of, uh… Honesty? Apples?” Luna laughed and put a leg around Applejack’s shoulders. “Thank you, everypony,” she announced, “and please, join us in welcoming Applejack, the Princess of The Land!” The crowd erupted into cheers so loud they shook the balcony. The Princesses stood there for a moment, smiling and waving, and eventually they took their leave and went back into the castle. Twilight rushed up to Applejack and gave her a hug as soon as they were inside. “You did so good! They really loved you.” “You think?” Applejack grinned. “Thanks.” Luna nodded. “You did fantastically. I couldn’t imagine a better sendoff for my sister than to have Equestria that excited for a new Princess.” “Oh, right, Celestia!” Twilight spun around, looking for her, and saw her sitting in the corner of the room with an ice pack on her forehead. She ran over to her frantically. “Princess, what’s going on?” Applejack and Luna followed close behind. Celestia shook her head. “Just Celestia, now.” “Tia, why didn’t you say something?” Luna asked. “You didn’t have to step down, you just made a mistake.” “I made a lot of mistakes,” Celestia said. “I ignored you, I ignored Twilight, and I ignored the ponies of Equestria. I think I really did get too used to ruling alone.” “I didn’t really mean that,” Twilight said, “I was just upset. Equestria needs you, you’re our Princess!” “I haven’t been your Princess in quite a while, Twilight,” Celestia said. “That’s precisely the problem. It put myself above everypony else, convinced myself that I knew best no matter what, and after this… I just can’t trust myself not to fall right back into that.” “Are you absolutely sure about this, Tia?” Luna asked. Celestia nodded. “Completely. I hope you can all understand.” “We understand,” Twilight said, “it’s just… It’s a lot. I mean, what now?” “Now,” Applejack butted in, “I’m gonna go get outta this dress. I’ll see y’all lat—” “Oh, no, you don’t!” Rarity rushed forward, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabbed Applejack. “It’s your coronation, Applejack! You have to go mingle, and you certainly can’t do that without your dress.” She started pulling Applejack towards the door. “Come along, now, I’ll make sure you don’t get lost on the way.” Twilight laughed as Applejack disappeared down the hallway. “Hopefully Rarity gets it all outta her system today. But, yeah,” she turned back to Celestia, “what are you gonna do now, Pr—Celestia?” Celestia shrugged. “I’m sure there’ll be a lot of work before I can actually leave, but after that… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just go live quietly in Ponyville. Or, well, Ponyville-adjacent.” “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Luna said. She smiled warmly. “You’ve earned it.” “Come on, Moonlight, focus. You’ve got this.” Applejack and Luna stood in a white room, a white floor and white walls and white ceiling. There were no doors, no windows, just the two of them. Luna was on one side of the room with her eyes clenched tight, fighting with everything she had. Applejack, meanwhile, was in the middle of the room, watching over her with worry and cautious optimism. Luna nodded and looked up. “Alright,” she said. “Give me another one.” Applejack dug into the recesses of her mind to shape the dream around them, and a tiny flame lit across the room from Luna. It grew, slowly and steadily, until it had the shape of a pony, and then just like that, with no change at all, Daybreaker was standing before them. “How many times do you plan to lose to me?” Daybreaker yelled. She swiped her hoof, and a wave of fire knocked Luna off her hooves. “As many as it takes,” Luna growled as she pushed herself back up. She concentrated, then lobbed a ball of blue flames through the air.  It petered out into nothing long before it reached Daybreaker. “Ha! Pathetic. You’ll never be able to—” With a thought, Applejack turned Daybreaker back into nothing, and turned to Luna. “Anything?” Luna shook her head. “No.” Then she spun around and slammed a hoof against the wall. “Come on! Where is she?” A tear fell and splashed onto the floor. “I miss her so much.” “I know, Moonlight,” Applejack said. “We’ll find a way to bring her back out.” Luna wiped her eyes and turned back around. “Again.” Applejack nodded and conjured up another Daybreaker. “Impetuous woman, at least let me finish my sentences!” Daybreaker glared at Applejack. She kicked up a hoof and sent a spray of flames in her direction. Luna gasped and launched herself at Daybreaker. She crossed the room in an instant, then swiped a hoof through the air, and a wall of flames erupted out. They burned straight through Daybreaker, then further, burning through the wall and the air and the dream itself, and when it finally sizzled out all that remained was the inky blackness of Luna’s dreamscape. Applejack blinked. “Uh… So, did that…?” Luna stood silent for a moment, panting as she caught her breath.  Then she shook her head and started walking out into the dreamscape. “Nothing.” Celestia splashed water on her face and shook her head. She could still feel the headache, even weeks later, but that was hardly a surprise anymore. At this point, it would be more of a surprise for it to go away. She lifted her head back up and stared into the mirror. She glared at her reflection, at the hateful eyes that stared back at her. “Get out of my head,” Celestia growled. “Make me,” Daybreaker sneered.