//------------------------------// // 2. Reluctantly // Story: Within the Night Bringers // by Twilight_Crow //------------------------------// Within the Night Bringers. A fan fiction by Twilight_Crow Edited by PhilomenaSage All My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is property of Hasbro, Inc. 2. Reluctantly. Nightmare Moon landed in front of the ruined castle. Seeing it in such condition hurt Luna deeply. However, she had decided to confront this battle with her consciousness on the line, so she faced the sight of her atrocious acts. Nightmare looked around. The forest was not in good shape either. The sight of the remains of the houses that used to surround the castle would have made Luna whimper, if she could have. She... I left nothing on hoof. As Luna faced her deeds, Nightmare Moon searched for a sign of Celestia. The guard said she was waiting. “Where is she?” she wondered aloud as she grew impatient. Was she preparing a trap? Or maybe she would attack by surprise. Being in that place, Luna’s mind couldn’t avoid remembering her sister’s pranks from when they were young. She used to fall for them all the time. She imagined Celestia surprising her and scaring her out of her wits. She then would laugh to tears, after telling her how easy it was. I... used to hate that so much... I miss the old you. Luna wanted to pay attention to what lay in front of her, but Nightmare was getting really angry. She was tired of that feeling. She wanted to stop being angry, but no, that was the strongest emotion between her and herself. Luna was still angry. Nightmare Moon screamed out of rage. “SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD, OR DID YOU JUST CALL ME HERE TO WASTE MY TIME!?” “SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING.” Nightmare Moon looked up, and there she was graciously hovering above the ruins. Celestia didn’t seem so well. She had a couple of bandages and scars from the last encounter, but she still looked regal and the aura that surrounded her only spoke of her power. Tia... um... Celestia, please don’t die. Nightmare Moon laughed at her. “My dear sister, I’m so happy to see you “well”. I find it ironic that you choose this,” she used her hoof to point at her surroundings, “a place where we grew up together, for our last meeting.” She grinned. “I love it.” Celestia flew down and faced Nightmare Moon. Her face showed no emotion, but her eyes betrayed some sadness as she intently stared at her opponent. It called to Nightmare’s attention that her sister wasn’t wearing her horseshoes, collar, nor crown. “Luna,” she spoke with a solemn tone. “This is your last chance. Lower the moon and return to me. I don’t want to do this, little sister.” Luna’s mind struggled one last time... nothing. I don’t want to do this either, big sister. I wish I could stop, but I can’t. Please stop me. Save Equestria. You are not the best sister, but you are my sister. I-I guess I still love you. Good luck Celestia... you are going to need it. Celestia was already hurt, and she had been away from her power source, the sun, for far too long. Nightmare Moon’s cackling echoed through the forest. “Oh Celestia, you were always so good with jokes. Wouldn’t you love that? Get little pathetic Luna back,” Hey... “so she can go back to doing everything you tell her like a nice servant. So you can scream at her and tell her how unimportant she is, just to relieve your stress.” Okay, you got a point there... “Sorry Celestia, that foal is gone. I’m Nightmare Moon, bringer of the eternal night, and from now on, it will be me and my night who all ponykind will adore. They won’t have any choice. They won’t dare ignore us ever again. Mwahahahaha.” Er... you lost my support. Celestia closed her eyes a moment, then glared at Nightmare. “Very well, as you wish... Nightmare Moon.” Celestia flapped her wings once. Jumping a few steps back, she landed in a fighting stance, her legs slightly open, her horn already glowing. Nightmare Moon felt amused as she too changed her stance. “Hmhmhm, this will be fun!” They glared at each other for a moment. Then came the first attack, a powerful wave of magic from the white horn. It took Nightmare by surprise. She wasn’t expecting Celestia to fire first. She used her wings to protect herself, but received some damage. Ouch... so you are serious now? You took your time... Nightmare Moon grinned again. It wasn’t that powerful. She prepared her own attack. Oh my... please avoid this... “Behold my real power!” Nightmare jumped in the air as she threw a big ball of black magic towards Celestia. The white combatant avoided it, but she received some damage from the magic waves it expelled. That’s how powerful it was. The black magic waves hit the forest as the attack continued its travel long after missing its target. Many similar attacks followed that one. Celestia struggled to avoid them all before she flew through the sky and teleported behind and above Nightmare. She had no chance to avoid Celestia’s magic direct hit. Ah!... Nightmare you are being reckless...  good. The attack threw her towards the ground, but she recovered after barely hitting the trees. She looked around trying to find her opponent and her magic. Then Celestia appeared from the trees below and surprised Nightmare by hitting her in the muzzle with her left hoof. Ow!... that... was a good one. Celestia didn’t let her sister recover. She rapidly casted a spell that hit the black mare’s chest at close range, and she fell to the ground. As Nightmare Moon slowly raised to her hoofs again, Luna could do nothing but be amazed at how resilient this body of hers was. It hurt, but she knew her other self was still in good condition. Celestia landed a few yards away and immediately charged towards Nightmare. Her horn was glowing full force with bright magic. The black mare accepted the challenge with a smirk, and charged as well, creating her own black magic field. I don’t wanna see this. An explosion engulfed the Everfree Forest as the two alicorns’ energies collided. As the light of the explosion subsided, the two alicorns kept the struggle against each other in the middle of the newly created clearing. The magical energies wove into and through each other. Sun magic field and dark magic field competed, their masters pushed with all their might. The touching horns send sparks all around. Nightmare Moon started winning; her opponent forced to give a few steps back. “Foal, I’m gonna crush you like an insect!” Come on Celestia, you are not putting it all in... unless... In an instant the sun Princess dissipated her magic field and stepped aside. Rotating her body on her hind legs, she ended with her back towards a Nightmare who had lost her balance, stumbling a couple of steps ahead. “What... !?” As Nightmare tried to turn around to face her opponent, Celestia was already readying herself to buck with her back legs. Nightmare Moon received the blow full in her flank. Nightmare slid a few feet, just to find a newly teleported Celestia ready to repeat the blow in the opposite direction. “No you won’t!” This time the evil mare managed to flap her wings and avoid the buck by taking some altitude. The white Princess was fast though; she turned and reached up with her own wings, connecting a direct uppercut into her enemy. Nightmare readied a magic attack as she was being hit, and managed to throw another black sphere as she was flying backwards. Celestia barely had time to avoid it; the waves emanating from it hurt her again. Forced to land, she panted heavily, trying to recover. That was clever. But... uh-oh... you better run. Nightmare Moon flew higher and gathered a giant quantity of magic in her horn, an evil grin on her face. “Time for a little payback.” From the black aura surrounding her, a multitude of smaller black spheres flew towards Celestia. As she ran from them towards the shelter of the trees, the assailant kept shooting. Sensing her opponent’s magic to locate her, Nightmare kept sending the flurry of attacks over the forest. “Keep running if you want, you coward. There’s no place you can hide! Mwahahaha!” Her movement. She is teleporting, forcing Nightmare to throw away tons of magic pursuing her. Interesting. She’s also saving magic. Her more powerful blows have been physical. Nightmare trusts too much in her raw power. Hmm, I used to be the brains and you the brawn. When did that change? Whatever you are setting up, I hope you have a good grasp of how powerful I am. Or else... Luna felt how Nightmare Moon’s blows slowed down. Now. As if on cue Celestia teleported in front of her, using her own magical power to block herself from the weakened attacks. Then she body slammed Nightmare, hurting the left shoulder with her horn. Nightmare tried to counterattack, but Celestia teleported rapidly behind her and bucked her. She followed that with another teleport below and hit her in the ribs. The sun Princess kept teleporting and hitting with a barrage of attacks. Nightmare could only defend herself. Whoa! This more than hurts... but... it is not enough!? Why? Oh why do I have to be this strong? Dark magic gathered around Nightmare Moon again. “Ah ah... How do you like this?” What the...?! Suddenly the physical shape of Nightmare changed; where a mare once stood there was only a cloud of purple mist. Celestia’s last blow just went through it, and she lost her balance for a moment. The cloud grew and started to rotate itself, faster and faster, until it formed a giant purple twister dragging everything around it. Celestia put all her might in trying to fly away from it, but the winds were too strong, and she was getting tired. For a moment it appeared to Nightmare that she had given up, letting herself been absorbed by the tornado. But before Nightmare could celebrate and Luna could worry, she noticed Celestia riding the winds within the tornado. The ancient alicorn showed amazing flying prowess. She went as fast as the winds, climbing them on a spiral until she finally reached the center and flew up, extending her wings just as she came out from the top. Her silhouette could be seen over the moon as she hovered above the eye of the storm. Within the storm Nightmare went back to her solid form and stared up at her sister. For a fleeting, almost mystical moment, Nightmare’s mind and Luna’s mind achieved perfect synchronization. “Show off!” Show off! The purple storm squirmed around Nightmare Moon, reforming itself as her mane. Celestia kept hovering higher in the sky, panting heavily. I can feel my other self getting tired and hurt, but you are far worse, Sis. What are you gonna do now? The evil mare laughed. It started low, and then it grew in intensity, as her mane began to grow and swirl as a stormy cloud. Thunder and lightning started resounding from inside it. “This has been quite a show, hasn’t it? But now I have you just where I want you!” screamed Nightmare Moon. Liar. You thought of using the lightning just now. I was wondering when were you going to do it. Celestia stood in place trying to recover some strength. She narrowed her eyes at her enemy. Then came Nightmare’s attack. Several thunderbolts shot directly at her hovering opponent. The white mare tried to avoid them, but the thunderbolts zigzagged erratically through the air, making it impossible. Celestia got hit several times and fell unconscious. Nightmare followed her sister on her fall, ready to hit her at high speed in the middle of the air. Oh Nightmare, you didn’t noticed... As the black swift shadow got closer, Celestia opened her eyes and avoided the attack. … that she protected herself with a bit of magic. Huzzah! Go Tia!... er I mean, not bad. In an instant momentum changed and it was the big sister who tackled the young one, pushing her at high speeds towards the ground. As they both were falling, the alicorns charged their magic. The sun Princess however put what looked like absolutely everything she had into her magic casting. Her horn and full body started gleaming white and yellow while both mares got closer and closer to the ground. Nightmare looked at Celestia with anger, her horn covered in a purple shade. “This... just won’t work... on me!” Call me silly, but I think she knows what you are going to do. The following events happened in the blink of an eye. Desperate to avoid Celestia’s takedown, Nightmare Moon transformed into a purple thunder cloud, ready to release a giant lightning bolt attack. The white alicorn went through the cloud without losing speed, and as she came out of it from below she turned her body up and released her spell just an instant before Nightmare Moon released her attack. A bright, round, shield of fiery magic surrounded Nightmare Moon’s cloud form as it released its lightning bolts. Inside the gleaming sphere, the crashing electrical attacks illuminated the night sky in an explosion. For a moment it seemed as if a small sun were burning in the sky. Meanwhile, Celestia struggled in the air, but somehow managed to pull up before hitting the ground. The brightness of the sphere grew dim, revealing the smoking figure of the black mare in its center. She was panting, angrily watching her prison through one eye. She tried to touch the yellow energy field surrounding her only to get a magical discharge to her hoof. Nightmare Moon cursed under her breath. Now, that hurt, and still hurts bad... Ugh I’m still this powerful?... I give up. I’m invincible. Celestia flew heavily towards the magical prison holding Nightmare and stood face to face with her sister. The prisoner recomposed herself, stood tall, and then grinned at her captor. “Very impressive. This is made of full solar power. However...” Nightmare focused her dark magic again and attacked at her prison. “This...” She attacked. “Won’t...” And attacked. “Stop me!” While Nightmare kept hitting the magical sphere, Celestia just stared at her undaunted. “It won’t,” she said calmly, “but it will delay you.” The black mare stopped and stared at her sister with narrowed eyes. It was just a moment, then she angrily restarted her attack barrage. You know? She has a point, you are kind of weak. With this level of power it will take you... an hour to break free... Oh goodness! Well played...  Tia. Luna felt curious about her sister’s next movement. Nightmare just kept trying to break the barrier, still trusting too much on her raw power.  Celestia flew to the ground, landing in what was left of the Everfree Forest. Luna wondered if the forest would ever recover. It looks pretty bad, too much dark power. Her other self incessantly attacked the magic shield. She seems to be doing nothing to it for now.  The spherical prison lowered itself as if following its master. It hovered gently a few inches from the ground. Celestia looked exhausted. She stood still, breathing deeply with her eyes closed. After a moment and a deep sigh, she turned towards the magic golden sphere and its captive. The princess seemed perfectly calmed. Nightmare Moon stopped her attacks; she was panting again. She stared at her sister. “What? You think you won? I don’t know what you are planning, but you are too weak. There is no power you can use to truly stop me,” she spouted. Then why are you so nervous? Celestia’s horn started glowing. A summoning spell. A humming sound told the mares something was coming. Some objects appeared above the few tree tops, reflecting the light of the moon. Nightmare stared at them speechless. No way...   Six crystals were softly floating in the air. They approached slowly before finally descending towards their summoner. The dull yet colorful crystals surrounded Celestia and gently kept floating around her.   The... Elements? Nightmare stopped staring and suddenly grinned as she regained her confidence. “You are kidding, right?” she giggled. “You cannot be serious.” … Look at her face. She IS serious.  Celestia took a deep breath and closed her eyes in deep concentration. “Hmm, who do you think you are? No matter what you try, you can’t use them alone,” said Nightmare in a matter-of-fact tone. “You just can’t use them... not without me... so maybe if you ask politely,” she mocked. Ha ha and now you tried to be funny... But was there a possibility? Luna wondered. The Elements of Harmony. The powerful crystals embedded with the very essence of Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter and the Magic that sparkles when the rest shine together. No one had used them in centuries. Luna doubted she herself could connect with the Elements she used to bear. Could Celestia do it? Could she use her Elements and Luna’s? “It’s been so long,” Celestia said to herself. She put on a stern face and spoke in a very serious tone. “Nightmare Moon, there is something very important I should tell you, now that I have captured you.” “Oh really? And what could that be?” Nightmare seemed intrigued by her sister’s tone. The Princess drew herself closer to the barrier, face to face with black mare. She raised her hoof and pointed at the imprisoned mare. “Gotcha!” Celestia said, with a big grin on her face. Nightmare’s jaw fell and her face became petrified. If Luna could have put a hoof in her face, that’s exactly what she would have done. Celestia just laughed at the sight of her enemy. She covered her mouth with her hoof at first, but then she just guffawed at her without restrain. Suddenly, the blue crystal drifting around the white alicorn started glowing. Luna noticed it through the corner of Nightmare’s eye. Her other self didn’t notice. She stared at Celestia with murderous eyes, and restarted the melee of attacks towards the magic shield with new vigor. Yeah, very funny. Laughter... one of your Elements... I can see why you had to do this silliness. How long has it been since the last time you laughed like this? At least three hundred years? Luna felt something completely weird. She wanted to smile, yes. She wasn’t sure why. Then there was Nightmare Moon, angrier as ever; and with good reason. That joke had been just ridiculous. Ignoring the emotions. Lalala...  Can you ignite the rest of the Elements... Sis? Celestia was already composing herself. She kept wearing a gentle smile though. She spoke to her prisoner again. “You should stop that. The solar power splashes when it is attacked. You are hurting yourself.” Nightmare had been feeling the stinging sensation every time she attacked. She just now realised how powerful her sister’s spell was. “You are such a hypocrite. Caring for me just before you try to destroy me. Typical Celestia.” Luna just listened intently; something in Celestia’s words soothed her. “I’m not going to destroy you.” The Princess’ words were still gentle. “No, you won’t. I’m not going to let you. Not without a fight,” answered Nightmare Moon. Her attempts to destroy the barrier had gone from dark magic to simple telekinetic magic. “I assure you, I’m not even going to try to destroy you.” Celestia lowered her head, and turned it away from the sphere. “From the moment I faced you the first time, I knew I could never do such a thing.” Nightmare relaxed, then laughed at the white mare. “If that is the case, then you might as well let me go, sister. If you do, perhaps I could let you live, and you could enjoy my eternal night too.” Celestia raised her head and her voice. “And let you run free to harm anyone and anything you please? Never! I will never let you hurt anypony again!” “Tsk tsk. Celestia, Celestia. You should really make up your mind. I’m telling you, if you are not going to finish me, there’s no way you can protect everypony from me.” “I will do everything within my power to protect both my little ponies...” the sun Princess shouted, “and you, Luna!”   Luna felt as if Celestia was talking to her directly. Then, as she had yet another emotional clash between her and Nightmare, she saw it; that green glow. Kindness... Your second Element. You are... serious. “Luna? Oh, so you still think you can get your little pet back? Hahaha, that insignificant whelp is gone. Mind me, it is not much of a loss. She was so weak and...” Shut up! “Shut up!” The black mare got quet. Luna felt confused for a moment. Did Nightmare hear her? No, that was... Celestia’s angry face was right in front of Nightmare’s. “I know Luna is not gone; she’s too smart for you. Luna is everything you are not. She is dependable and caring... She would never, ever betray Equestria. “She tried to do something about the weather, the food... me. But most importantly, she brought the night, day after day, even when she felt that nopony cared. “And I... I was the one who betrayed Equestria, being a silly princess and forgetting my most important responsibilities. But now I know what I must do.” Celestia gave a step back and stood tall, spreading her wings. “I am the Goddess of the sun, and I promised everypony the dawn will come. That is my... no, is our real duty to Equestria!...” Our duty... To bring day and night! “To bring day and night!” Luna’s feelings collided again. This time it hurt her bad. Nightmare's anger and hate were all over the place. Then she felt a foreign magic calling for her. Desperate, she focused on it, held to it with all her diminished mind. Her sister’s passion mingled with hers, and something else... Loyalty... Then she saw it, the red crystal was glowing. This time, however, the evil black mare noticed it too. That was the reason of her renewed anger. “It’s impossible. That is my Element!” Ehem, actually... it’s mine. Luna could feel it, the power of the Element of Loyalty; they were sharing it, Celestia and her. Its magical tendril delicately avoided Nightmare Moon’s mind and connected only to Luna’s. The black alicorn started feeling nervous. She was so sure her sister could not use the Elements, but there were three of them glowing now; gently hovering around Celestia. Nightmare tried to reassure herself; that soft glow was nothing compared to the real shine of the Elements. Luna knew her other self was right, but she had more confidence now; she would share her sister‘s. “I’m not going to fall for your speeches,” spat the evil mare. “The power of the Elements is as low as can be.” “I know,” answered the sun Goddess, lowering her head again. “I can’t fully use the Elements. I’ve become unworthy of wielding them. I’m sure they know of my deeds.” “I tried to create my own kind of harmony, and forgot about its real ways. The truth is that I’ve been a terrible princess, a terrible Goddess, and a terrible sister. I’ve failed. You were right, Father would be disappointed; as I am.” Tia... you can change all that! The truth is... that you have the potential to be the best Princess, the best Goddess and the best sister. Deep within, I’ve always believed that. That is why I followed you into ruling Equestria. I-I never stopped admiring you. And below the envy, below the bitterness, I kept believing in you. You failed. Try again. Celestia raised her head and curiously stared at Nightmare. Could she hear Luna? The moon Princess was not sure, but the new magic she felt filled her with hope. Honesty... Celestia turned her head to watch the glow from the yellow crystal and smiled softly. Nightmare was speechless, how was this happening? The wielder of the elements recovered her calm. “Surprised, Nightmare Moon? It seems If I put every single bit of my magic, and every single bit of my will, the Elements listen to me once more. And if they concede to lend me just a little of their power...” “What!?” Nightmare was starting to panic.“If they concede you that miserable quantity of power, what? You are not going to destroy me, and there’s not enough power to dispel the dark magic in me. Admit it, Celestia, you’ve got nothing.” “But I do. You are powerful, Nightmare Moon, more than I am. But not more than the Elements of Harmony. Used wisely, even a small part of their magic is enough to render your powers useless while under their influence.” “You are going to momentarily disable my magic powers?” The black mare raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Then I’ll take all those idle powers, and fuse them back with their inert source.” The source of my powers?... the moon? Nightmare open her eyes wide. “But... but you can’t tear me apart from my powers, even if they are not at work!” Celestia stared sadly at her sister, confirming her fears. The meaning of the statement finally settled in the mare’s two minds. You are going to... FUSE ME WITH THE MOON! Nightmare Moon looked at her sister in shock. “You are planning to imprison me in my own moon!?” “Yes,” said Celestia with all the calm she could muster. The black mare panted for a moment, then tried to gather herself once more. “How dare you, using my moon against me? Again? Wasn’t your little eclipse enough? “Wait... Ha, but you can’t do it. There’s still one vital Element that has not answered to your call. Generosity. Something you have not... at all!” The Princess closed her eyes, and spoke with all her passion. “I, Celestia of Equestria, promised my little ponies dawn and peace will come, no matter the cost; and I mean it. I’d even give my life, if that could help.” The pink Element flickered softly for a moment before growing dim once more. Nightmare just laughed at that. Luna felt angry at this. … I-I would willingly give up on my freedom, so my sister can fulfil her promise. Celestia sighed. “How about the fact that I’m willing to lose the last of my family? My eternal companion and friend...” The crystal ignited, glowing just with the same strength as its companions. Its magic flowed through Celestia and reached for Luna. Generosity... As her grin transformed into shock and then into utter panic, Nightmare desperately went back to attacking the magic surrounding her. The time had come. The white alicorn closed her eyes, and reached for the last of the Elements, her last. Owing to their connection, Luna could sense it too. It was eager to answer to her bearer’s call, waiting for her to feel it: The spark that the rest of the Elements had plunged into the princess’ heart. Harmony. Friendship. Love. Celestia started crying. “I love Equestria, and all of its ponies.” Me too... “I will always care for them. But no matter what, you will always be my best friend, Luna.”   The evil, imprisoned mare kept struggling; she was not paying attention to her sister anymore. A total feeling of dread was consuming her, which only worsened when she noticed the purple crystal had started shining. Magic... the magic of friendship... The Element of Magic stepped out of the circular formation of the other Elements, floated up, and finally stopped just above its bearer. The crystal glowed brighter and transformed into a beautiful golden tiara, with a purple star crowning it. It gently set itself on Celestia’s head, while the rest of the Elements swirled around her at an increasing speed. Nightmare felt helpless. She abandoned her magic and started ramming at her prison with all her might, tiring herself to exhaustion. She managed to made a crack on it. But it was too late. A rainbow of light erupted from the Elements, small but brilliant. It wrapped around the sun magic that served as Nightmare’s prison, transforming it into a multicolored sphere. The black mare felt all her powers fade away into nothingness. “NIGHTMARE MOON,” boomed the sun Goddess’ voice; she opened her eyes, they were pure white light. “AFTER THE TERRIBLE CRIMES YOU HAVE COMMITTED, YOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE BUT TO BANISH YOU FROM EQUESTRIA. “YOU WILL BE SEND TO THE MOON, AND WILL REMAIN THERE, WHERE YOU SHALL BE NO HARM TO ANYPONY.” “Celestia,” begged the trapped mare. “Celestia, you can’t do this! Without me, there won’t be anyone capable to break that spell. You are condemning me... Luna, to a permanent exile!”   The white horn glowed, and the moon moved just on top of them. A single beam of moonlight reached for the colorful sphere. It felt as if the moon wanted to grab everything Nightmare Moon was, including Luna. The moon is calling... Luna felt calmed; it had ended up well. You did it Tia, you beat my evil twisted version. I’m proud. I hope you do better on everything else too. From now on, I leave Equestria in your hooves. “STOP! You don’t want to do this, sister!” “... NO... I DON’T, BUT I WILL.” For the tone Celestia had used, the doomed pony was sure there was no escape. Battling the spell was impossible. For a moment Luna did feel her sister hesitate. She understood, and reached for the magical tendrils of her Elements still lingering in her mind. The night princess forced her thoughts through them with all her will. Celestia, it’s alright... Do what you must. Below the brightness in her eyes, new tears had appeared on the older sister’s eyes, but her resolve returned. The moon magic strengthened her grip, immobilizing her victim completely. Nightmare Moon screamed. Celestia closed her eyes and whispered something. It was too quiet to be heard over the last of Nightmare’s screeches, but Luna did listen. “Luna... I’m sorry.... for everything.” The younger sister wanted to answer. She wanted to say she was sorry too, but she didn’t have the time. Nightmare Moon was already flying upwards, faster and faster, higher and higher; pulled by the moon’s power. Luna’s magical connection with the Elements snapped and her other self emotions flooded her mind; those were all but happy. Everything was chaos, overwhelming emotions and sensations. Anger, hatred, cold, dizziness and a distant glance of the stars. As she tried to block herself, everything faded into darkness. With her last thought, Luna thanked the moon for it. o-o--o-o--o-o--o-o--o The Moon. Luna woke up thanks to the noise. She was not sure if awakening was the correct term for the way she became aware. Quite possibly, it was not. She felt as if she were still unconscious, and yet she was awake. It was more like being on deep meditation, or it would have been, if it weren’t for the noise. The Night Princess focused on it, trying to understand what it was. She had a pretty good idea, but wanted to be sure. Ah yes, there she is... Nightmare Moon was angry, for a change. She was screaming curses Luna didn’t even know she knew. Well, she was not properly screaming since they didn’t have a body now. No, that’s wrong, the mare had become the Moon... which didn’t have a mouth. So all the screaming was just in her mind. And Luna could listen to her because they were still one and the same. It was not different than when she had become the evil mare. All the proof she had about being Princess Luna was her piece of mind. All the proof she had that she was still Nightmare Moon was Nightmare’s mind. Noisy Nightmare’s mind. And there were the memories of the Moon. Those were quite simple: being moved over and over. She remembered moving the Moon, while simultaneously remembering being the Moon moved by Luna. Head. Hurt. Of course, the Moon couldn’t move itself, nor use its magic for that matter, so Luna couldn’t do anything either; but she was already used to that. Her other self didn’t like it one bit though. More curses.  All there was, all that she was, was rock; cold, lifeless rock. As the Moon was not aware of anything else, Luna did not feel space, nor Equestria, nor the stars, though she knew of them. So... this is how it’s going to be... for all eternity... Luna recoiled as Nightmare Moon screamed again. It was something about making Celestia pay once she found a way to free herself. Cursing Celestia. Cursing Equestria. Cursing the Moon. And... more random cursing. Trapped forever as an immense senseless rock, listening to this crazy mare’s loud mind, which can’t listen to mine. I guess I deserve it. Then she moved. That is the Moon moved. No, she was being moved. Clumsily. The “eternal” night was over. Celestia? Wow you... are terrible... You just pretended that it was easy to move it that time, didn’t you!? And I fell for it! Why you... Then came Nightmare Moon voice, even more angry about Celestia moving the Moon. No, no more anger. Luna calmed herself. Go ahead, bring the dawn Tia. Let your sun shine. You are going to need to practice with the Moon though... a lot. The evil voice kept roaring. The Moon Princess plain ignored it. She was not going to be angry as well. She was not going to hate anyone. She was not going to plan an escape. Luna let herself gently drift out of Equestria’s sky. It was quite relaxing. The Moon had not a problem in the world.