//------------------------------//
// Climbing 
// Story: Luna Rising 
// by AstonMartinLover 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 9: Climbing

Luna looked up at the great white mountain standing tall before her.

And she looked to the spirit that stood next to her, making no imprint beneath her hooves.

"Dost thou thinkest I can make it?" Luna asked timidly.

"I know we can." Nightmare replied. "Just imagine life after me."

Luna looked over at her. She could tell that these words hurt the spirit to speak. 

"I wish only for us to be happy." Nightmare said, answering her puzzled expression. "And we will be happier once I am gone."

Luna nodded. "Very well. Onward."

The beginning of the climb was uneventful. She flew as high up the mountain as she could go before the cold forced her to fold in her wings.

Then came the actual climbing. That was when conditions became brutal.

Every step felt uncertain, every foothold slippery, every gust of wind threatening to blast her from the surface.

The spirit was gone for now. Luna was surprised. Considering how little time she had left, Luna would have thought she'd want somepony to talk to.

So she trudged on, the wind biting at her purple coat. She ached a little from her fight on the frozen lake yesterday. But here, in the cold, frozen morning, she was being mentally tested by this great mountain.

She could only see a few feet ahead. The snow was almost blinding. And as great as it felt, hitting her face, she knew that even an alicorn could not handle being in this cold for too long.

Of course, Luna had been in this cold for three days now. Perhaps, after all this trouble, she would return home and drop dead of hypothermia. Luna strangely felt amused by this idea. She laughed out loud.

She was halfway up the mountain now. And all of the sudden, it all went wrong.

The cold was freezing her bones, making them rigid. She could feel the snow threatening to consume her, and then, finally, she collapsed into it.

Her whole life seemed to flash before her eyes. Never a good sign.

And of course, almost half of that life involved sitting upon the surface of the moon, plotting how best to kill her sister, and take her rightful throne. She had never quite forgotten the agony of one thousand years of purgatory. It was something she would never, ever forget. 

And while she tried to refrain from blaming Celestia normally, up here on this mountain, with the cold threatening to drive her mad, her mind instead turned to spite.

"You...you left me with a fate worse than death Celestia. You left me alone. You left me with nothing but my own thoughts for amusement. Nothing but some moonrocks, and a view of your precious nation, from millions of miles away."

Two dark, armored hooves landed next to her. She looked up into the face of Nightmare Moon.

"Normally, I would be thrilled that you are finally rightfully blaming your sister. But this is neither the time, nor the place. Get up."

Luna shook her head. "I'm done night devil. I cannot climb any farther."

"Look into my eyes!" Nightmare shouted, bringing herself to eye level with the weak princess. "You can climb this mountain. And you will."

Luna grimaced. "I feel so cold..."

"Do it for your subjects."

Luna shook her head again. "My subjects condemn me..."

"Do it for your sister's love." Nightmare commanded.

Luna sighed. "I betrayed my sister. She despises me..."

"No she doesn't. She loves us. Even I can admit that. She may be a tyrant, and a fool, but she loves you dearly. And she will forgive you. But not if you die here. If you die here, there will always be doubt."

Luna felt a surge of energy. She lifted herself up, but only managed a few steps before collapsing back into the snow.

Nightmare Moon groaned. She looked down at Luna as the purple alicorn desperately tried to catch her breath.

And she came up with the perfect motivator. She leaned down and spoke softly into her ear.

"If you die here, on this mountainside, nopony will ever remember Princess Luna. But everypony will Nightmare Moon. If you die here, I will be your legacy."

Luna let out an enraged roar. The spirit smirked. That anger. If Luna could learn to control it, it could become a powerful strength.

Luna shook herself free of the snow and spread her wings. She flew up a few more feet before collapsing down again. But she did not stay down. She continued charging onward, up the mighty mountainside.

The snow did not slow her down. It energized her. The cold made her feel alive once again. She let out a roar as she continued onward. From behind, Nightmare Moon watched proudly.

Luna felt her muscles begin to ache as she continued climbing. But she cared not. They were muscles. They were meant to be challenged. They were meant to be honed. She spat her mane out of her face, the messy blue thing continually getting in her way.

And before she knew it, she was not climbing any longer. The earth began to even out beneath her. And then, within minutes, they had arrived.

"I...I've done it!" She shouted.

"You have." Nightmare replied, a bit of sadness in her voice. "I am so proud of you Luna."

Luna looked around. "Pray tell, fair spirit, where is the fountain?"

"It is over there. Tis frozen." Nightmare Moon pointed to a frozen pool of water, the size of a small pond. 

Luna collapsed before it.

"You look like you could use a nap." Nightmare pointed out, a smirk on her face.

Luna shook her head. "I shall still need to make the journey back."

"Tis unnecessary. I am certain our sister is near. You need merely fire off a distress signal. She will come."

Luna shook on the ground, and began coughing violently.

"Are you alright?"

Luna nodded. "I am fine. Thank you." 

There was a silence.

She turned to Nightmare Moon. "Is this it then?"

Nightmare nodded. "It is time we part ways, my dear Luna. It has been an education knowing...myself."

Luna chuckled. "It hasn't been nearly as bad as I expected, having to know you."

Nightmare smiled. "I trust you will face some kind of reprimand upon returning to Equestria. I hope whatever it is, you aren't returned to the moon. We don't want to go through that again."

"No. Not at all." Luna replied. They stood there awkwardly for a moment. "So...this is goodbye."

"Oh please child, do not get sentimental." Nightmare said, staring into the frozen fountain.

Luna looked up at the troubled spirit, unable to imagine the fear that must be running through the creature at this very moment. "Thank you."

Nightmare Moon shook her head. "You don't have to thank me."

She turned and floated towards the frozen pool.

"Do you wish for me to blast it open for you?" Luna asked.

Nightmare shook her head. "No need."

She became a starry cloud. The cloud passed on through the ice. Luna wondered whether she would feel pain. She hoped not.

There was a tiny flare from the water below. Then nothing. After a few more moments, the fountain remained lifeless.

Luna sat back. She was free. Nightmare Moon was gone. 

They had known each other for only about four days. But, as much as Luna hated to even think about it, they had somewhat bonded over that time. They were of the same origin, after all. 

Somehow, the world felt a little incomplete with the spirit gone. A feeling Luna hoped would soon disappear just as the spirit herself had.

And now all she had to worry about, was Celestia's wrath upon finding her.

Which she hoped would be minor. Wishful thinking. However, after a thousand years on the moon, any punishment seemed minor to her.

She began crawling away from the fountain, unable to lift herself up any longer.

There was a loud crashing sound behind her. Her ears perked up.

"W-What?"

There was a splashing sound that followed it. She forced herself onto her hooves and turned around.

She was received with an armored hoof to the jaw. 

The punch knocked her into the snow. She tried to lift herself, watching blood run from her mouth, creating a ghastly pattern on the white snow.

That hoof had not been that of a spirit.

"Like I said, don't thank me." The venomous voice teased.

Luna tried getting up to no avail. Her head was ringing from the hit she had received, and her vision had become fuzzy.

"When an empire reaches the peak of success, a reshuffling of government is necessary. Celestia has ruled Equestria for far too long now. Once I have brought our moon into her permanent orbit, the new Lunar empire will rise from the ashes of her sister. Equestria will be mine THIS time."

Luna closed her eyes and shook her head, unwilling to believe. "T-Tis impossible..."

Nightmare let out a bone chilling cackle. "My dear Luna. Nothing is impossible. The genesis fountain was created for a spirit like me. It is from this pool that the pony species was created. To give life to the lifeless. A shame you never researched it."

Luna was sending the mental messages to her legs to move. But they simply would not. She let out a groan of exertion.

"If it helps, my greatest regret was betraying you. I do love you Luna. How could I not? We are the same."

Luna shook her head. "No...no we are not..." She turned to face the creature of her nightmares.

Nightmare Moon, in all of her glory, stood before her. No longer a floating cloud, but a solid, dangerous creature, staring at her with those devious eyes. The afternoon sun glinted off her blue armor, which matched perfectly with her shiny black coat.

"It is our destiny Luna. To take control. To shape Equestria in our image. We will be ignored no longer."

Luna shook her head. "No. There shall be no 'we'. This is only you now. And I...I will stop you..."

Nightmare let out a built up sigh. "Pity."

There was a silence.

Luna powered up her horn. Nightmare fired hers quicker. Luna was blasted back.

She landed in the snow, pain shooting through her aching body again. She looked up at her smiling alter ego.

"I HATE YOU!!"

Nightmare Moon grinned deviously. "Congratulations Luna. You have unleashed Nightmare Moon on Equestria. Again."

With that, her horn began to glow with a dark fury. Luna put up her hoof.

"Coward." Nightmare hissed.

With that, the night demon fired a blast that sent Luna flying backwards. Before she knew it, she had cleared the mountaintop, and was falling down the side, towards the ground. She extended her wings to slow her fall. 

She used up every last bit of energy she had, and powered up her horn. As the ground continued to approach, she fired a blast into the sky.

There was a flash. Then, her cutie mark, a massive crescent moon, emblazoned itself upon the afternoon sky. It was the last thing she saw before hitting the ground.