At this moment, all that can be heard in the stadium is the swell of orchestral music as Spitfire and Soarin dance above the band in a synchronized dance. All are transfixed, left in awe of what’s being performed. Dancing in the sky isn’t uncommon, but Spitfire and Soarin are doing something else entirely. They’re dancing as if they’re standing on glass.
There’s little to no wing movement from either of them as they hold hooves, twirl about, and step in line. It’s an aerial feat few have mastered and is so beautiful that many can’t believe what’s before their eyes. Yet they cannot turn away. Despite such skill on display, there are a select few who find themselves busy with their thoughts.
Pinkie and her friends haven’t been able to concentrate after what happened. Not too long ago, an eerily familiar explosion occurred. None of them could see where it came from, but there was something about it that resonated with them. Spike and the Crusaders were none the wiser, simply enjoying all the events, as many others were. Pinkie though, couldn’t shake the ache in her heart.
Her Pinkie sense didn’t give her any inclination that something was off, but there was an almost unbearable weight that came over her when it happened and hadn’t gone away. She notes that neither Twilight, Anon, nor any of the Princesses have returned. She can’t help but assume that something happened. Why else wouldn’t they be here?
She can’t bear the weight of it all anymore as she rises from her seat.
“I have to use the little filly’s room,” she says, excusing herself.
Applejack and Fluttershy give her a nod in response as they stay back to watch over Spike and the girls. Exiting into the hallway, Pinkie scans for anyone familiar, but no one is in sight. Trotting around, she hopes she’ll bump into someone. Maybe she’s overthinking things? It could just be her nerves about talking to Anon about helping her friends. Yeah! That totally makes sense!
Just as Pinkie is feeling better about the situation, she spots Twilight’s brother up ahead. He looks busy, but she might as well ask where the others are, to be sure.
“Um... Shining Armor?”
Shining turns around and finds one of The Elements of Harmony. Pinkie Pie, if he recalls correctly.
“Do you need any help?”
“Kinda. I just noticed that Twilight and the others haven’t shown up yet. Are they busy with something?”
Shining’s expression falls to the typical stoic guard. “I believe something urgent came up.”
That weight is back now more than ever. She doesn’t want to believe it, but one thought came to her when she felt that explosion.
“That explosion earlier... Was it Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie is forward with her suspicion.
Shining takes a breath in before sighing. “I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, you’re an Element of Harmony.” He stands up straight, no longer holding his stoic expression. “I can’t go into detail about what happened, but no one has been hurt. You’ll have to wait for someone to tell you everything that happened.”
“Should we go to the castle?”
Shining shakes his head. “Celestia will deliver her closing speech for the Festival soon. If no one comes for you before then, I’m sure she’ll speak with you herself. Again, no one was hurt, so try your best to enjoy the Festival while you can.”
Pinkie can only nod as Shining returns to his patrol. Everything is silent now as Pinkie takes a moment to calm herself before returning to her friends. There’s nothing she can do right now but wait. She just hopes the pit in her stomach isn’t related to what Rainbow did.
Celestia stands resting her head against her chamber doors. This day is the longest she’s had in recent memory. Not a single moment of rest is given as time after time something else comes crashing down onto her already heavy withers. All she wants is a moment of peace to process everything but that appears to be a seldom given privilege. A sigh leaves her as she finds the strength to open her door and step inside. Entering, she pauses as her eyes rest on Anon as he sits on the bed.
The weight of her day lifts, but only momentarily. Instead, a chill taking its place as something about him is off. He is gazing blankly at a wall, oblivious to her presence. Her first thought is that he’s emotionally exhausted, but something else is wrong. There’s a cold aura that’s hanging over him, it’s familiar and yet so foreign at the same time.
She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. Those things don’t matter right now.
“Ano-” She stops as Anon jerks violently, facing her in surprise. It’s as if he was startled awake. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were so deep in thought.”
“N-No... I um.” When he glances down at the floor, she notices his knuckles are white from clenched fists.
She’s not sure what to make of this. If Anon is in the same shape as her, he’s well past his breaking point. Walking over, she takes a seat beside him and drapes a wing on his back.
“Are you tired?” she asks.
“...Yeah.”
“You may rest if you want. Other than my ending speech, there’s nothing more expected of us.” Anon is grinding his teeth as he’s lost in thought over something. “Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”
Anon isn’t sure how to bring this up as he’s long since lost his edge. “Tia... What would make you stop loving me?”
That’s a heavy question to come out of the blue for her but one she’s sure of.
“I think the tough thing about loving someone with all your heart is that you never really stop loving them. So, if you were to do something horrible, it would hurt all the more for me to punish you, but I’d still love you.”
“That’s not...” Anon massages his temples a few times before sighing. “What if I’ve been keeping secrets from you?”
“I think it’s expected to keep a few things to yourself in a relationship,” Celestia admits. “However, if these things are becoming a burden, perhaps that would be the time to be upfront. Have these secrets become a burden to you?”
“Something like that.” Anon looks at her, and for the first time, she can see how wounded he is, even if just through his eyes. “So, you’ll love me, no matter what?”
“No matter what.”
Looking into Celestia’s loving eyes, Anon has never wanted to lie to her more than this moment right now. If only to spare her the pain of the truth.
“N... Nightmare Moon is in my head.” He forces his gaze to the floor before seeing her reaction. “The Elements of Harmony didn’t destroy her. This entire time, she’s been imprisoned inside Luna’s mind.” Anon wrings his hands as his legs fidget. “I’m not sure how but Nightmare has merged with my consciousness. If this wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t have even told you.”
It’s subtle, but he can feel Celestia tremble, but he’s far from done. “This is a lot to take in, and you’re probably scared out of your mind, but...” He doesn’t want to say this, but he can’t stop. “I don’t think Nightmare is evil. I know she did a lot of horrible things that hurt you and Luna, but... but something isn’t right here. She’s never been what the stories said she’d be.”
Anon rests his head in his hands. “Were all those good things just some kind of nefarious plot? I don’t know, and I don’t know why this happened to begin with! The only thing I know is that I couldn’t keep this from you. I swear I’m not under her control, and I’ll do anything to prove I’m still me.”
There’s nothing more that can be said as silence takes the room for what felt like an eternity to them both.
“N-Nightmare Moon is inside your mind right now?” Celestia asks. “The creature that tried to bring darkness eternal? The being that forced me into banishing my sister to the moon for a millennium?”
Anon looks from the floor to Celestia, and dread washes over him. That look, it’s the same as the one Luna had, sheer terror. For Celestia, all the pieces fall into place. The reason she didn’t pay any mind to the aura hanging over Anon is that she had become accustomed to it on her sister. So, the entire time, this coldness was some kind of manifestation of Nightmare Moon?
How did this happen? Why has Anon become involved? Celestia notices white spots in her vision as she’s almost overwhelmed to the point of passing out, but she swallows her emotions and falls back to her princess mask to keep her calm. Though it does little to ease the terror of that creature being inside Anon’s mind. Taking a moment to look Anon over and think logically, she finds it strange that he would even tell her this.
If he was being controlled, what would Nightmare Moon gain by revealing her existence? Nothing, because biding time would allow the greatest amount of success for a being in her situation. So it begs to question, what has she done to make Anon trust her as much as he does? It’s clear to Celestia that Anon is not only scared by how she’ll react but what she’ll do to Nightmare Moon.
This is complicated beyond comparison, but she can’t understand without some inkling to go on. She must remain calm, as she’ll require all of her wits to take the next step. She rests both of her hooves on Anon’s cheeks to keep him facing her.
“I’m going to look through your memories. I have to confirm that no magic has been used to alter your mind or emotions.” Anon looks unsure as his body trembles. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Do you recall what my specialty is?” Anon shakes his head. “Anti-magic. If she is controlling you or has altered your memories, I’ll find it and protect you. Your safety is all I care about right now. After I know you’re safe, we can talk more about this.”
“O-Ok...” Anon takes a breath to calm himself and closes his eyes.
Celestia hesitantly rests her horn against Anon’s head before casting her spell.
When Celestia opens her eyes, she finds herself in an empty void.
“Welcome,” a voice calls out to her.
Whirling around, Celestia comes face to face with another alicorn, but this isn’t the Nightmare Moon she remembers... A being of pure darkness in a mockery likeness of her sister. No, this creature is far different when compared to the past. Not only in appearance, but power as well. Even without casting any spells, Celestia can see how much mana is pouring off of this creature.
“Who are you?” Celestia asks.
“You already know the answer,” Nightmare responds as she sits and closes her eyes. “I will not stand in your way. Search as much as you like.”
This isn’t what Celestia expected, but if she is not being met with hostility, then she will take this time to ensure Anon is alright. Casting her spell, she’s bombarded with all of Anon’s memories of this creature, including the heated argument between him and Luna that happened not too long ago. She remains focused as she scans for any signs of tampering, but nothing is there.
Taking in what she saw, she decides to move on to this void. She extends her magic out and instantly finds the latent magic of the Elements of Harmony. The age of the magic is directly from when Anon first came to Equestria. This isn’t new to Celestia, but the fact it appears to have changed recently is what gives her pause.
Was this truly The Elements doing? Celestia turns her gaze back to ‘The Mare in the Moon’ as she simply sits in wait. Even with Anon’s memories, she doesn’t understand why Nightmare Moon is acting like this, but there’s one thing Celestia is sure of... If she wanted to escape, she could do so easily. With the power she has right now, it appears Anon is a match made in heaven for her. All his negative thoughts and emotions are only building on her already ludicrous amount of power.
Yet, why does she remain here? Why has she helped Anon? How could this monster be so kind?
“Find anything interesting?” Nightmare breaks the silence as she locks eyes with Celestia.
“Why haven’t you escaped?” Celestia asks.
“So direct.” Nightmare takes in Celestia’s glare for a moment before answering. “What would await me if I did? An epic fight between myself, The Elements, and two sisters? That doesn’t interest me.”
“And Anon does?”
Nightmare smirks. “Jealous?”
“Concerned.” She corrects without batting an eye.
“You know, I’ve always admired your mask. During our battle all those millennia ago, you never let it down for a single moment, not even when you had to banish your sister. Can’t say the same about your dreams, but it’s impressive.”
“What are your plans?” Celestia continues, ignoring Nightmare’s attempts to rile her up.
“Plans?” Nightmare chuckles. “I don’t have any. I’m perfectly content with staying here.”
Celestia is wary. Nightmare Moon is being uncharacteristically civil, or at least as civil as she’d expect from a creature that wanted to bring night eternal. Have The Elements altered her after she entered Anon’s mind? There are too many unknowns, and wasting time pondering is pointless. For Nightmare, she’s finding it difficult to not say anything snarky to the Princess.
After all, their only interaction was brief all those millennia ago. Still... She doesn’t want to make this situation worse for Anon. So while the thought makes her sick, she’ll try to be nice.
“I get the sense that an outside force has locked me in with Anon. Though I can’t say for sure, my specialty lies with dreams, so I couldn’t get many details.”
Celestia lets out a huff of bemusement. “I would say that your social skills are that of a foal, but at least foals are enthusiastic when talking to others.”
“Well, as time goes on, I’m finding that I’m not as skilled in many things.” Nightmare grins. “I can’t even claim the crown of most cruel anymore... No, that title belongs to your sister now.”
Celestia’s fur stands on end. “Do not talk down about my little sister.”
“I’m not one to downplay what she’s done.” Nightmare’s smile is gone as her eyes hold a fire that is matched only by Celestia’s. Just as things couldn’t get any tenser, Nightmare suddenly peers off into the void. “Your spell is straining his mind. It’s time for you to leave.”
Celestia is hesitant, but she knows she can’t stay here any longer as her spell is mentally intensive, and Anon was already well past his limit.
“I will be keeping an eye on you,” Celestia warns.
“Fine by me,” Nightmare responds. “One last thing. Your hate for me is justified. I don’t intend to spin a cutesy tale for Anon about how I’m an innocent mare put in a bad light. All I will offer him is the truth.”
“Why bother telling me?”
“Because you hate me. I care little that you see me as a being of pure evil, but do not direct that hatred onto him as your sister has.” Nightmare locks eyes with the sun goddess. “Do not give me a reason to leave this void.”
Celestia is taken aback for a moment. She saw these glimpses from a few of Anon’s memories, but experiencing it herself is shocking. Nightmare Moon is worried about him... Celestia turns away before lighting her horn.
“I’m not my sister.” With that said, Celestia disappears.
Nightmare’s tense body relaxes as she’s left in silence. “... I know.”
When Anon opens his eyes, he finds Celestia staring back at him with uncertainty.
“Did you find anything?” He asks.
Celestia shakes her head. “I found no signs of tampering.”
That is relieving for Anon to hear, but he’s still worried about how Celestia will take this.
“Tia... Am I wrong about Nightmare?”
Celestia can’t stand to see him like this, afraid of what she’ll say. So she reaches out and embraces him.
“That is not something I can answer. The Nightmare Moon of my past is evil, but something is different... I found traces of magic from The Elements of Harmony. I haven’t the faintest clue as to why but it gives me pause on what to do.” Celestia squeezes him. “Why has it spared that creature not once but twice? What role do you play in all of this? I do not know, and that’s what scares me... At the very least, I did not sense any malice towards you from her.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Anon states.
“That doesn’t mean I trust her.” Celestia leans back to face him. “Anon, no matter what happens, come to me if you need help. Our relationship will face hardships, but it’s our responsibility to work together to solve them. Alright?”
Hearing her say that puts Anon at ease. It’s hard for him to trust so blindly, but Celestia has done enough to prove that his trust in her is anything but blind. The weight of this entire day hits him at once as he leans heavily on Celestia. His eyes becoming impossible to keep open.
“Alright.” He answers. “I... I think I’m tired.”
“Go to sleep. I’ll take care of everything else. I love you, Anon.”
“I love you too.” He mumbles before passing out.
Celestia takes a moment to watch him rest before laying him down. She closes her eyes and lets out a long sigh. There’s so much for her to take, but she must give her closing speech for the Festival. After that, she must proceed with caution, not only with Nightmare Moon but Luna as well. It’ll be in everyone’s best interests if she lets Luna focus on the Changelings... After that, hopefully, she will have calmed down, and then they may begin discussing Nightmare Moon and why she kept this a secret for so long.
When will today end?