//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Prelude 
// Story: Nighttime Harmonies 
// by Belgerum 
//------------------------------//

	“I’m sorry this had to fall upon you, Octavia, but it had to be done. I wish you luck, and pray you will be successful.”
Those were the final words Octavia heard from anypony before she was sent away from her home in Canterlot to a place where very few had ever ventured. They echoed through her head as she felt herself falling through space towards the night sky above her, a brilliant magical aura propelling her upwards.
The stars looked so close, and Equestria so far. It felt almost wrong for the grey pony to see the land she had held dear and close to her heart fall away, as the menacing darkness of the unknown swallowed her up into it’s dark embrace
The pale moon grew larger and larger, no longer outshining the stars as a simple shape in the sky, but as a full landscape of grey matter, quickly approaching as Octavia fell towards it. The colorful globe of green and blue now took it’s place as the secondary object in the heavens, a distant point to look upon, but not return to. The pony braced herself as the sun’s light grew dimmer, it’s edges slowly being eaten away by the edges of the massive world she was approaching. Darkness came... and soon enough, she could see nothing but the magic surrounding her, propelling her figure into the shadows, towards the place that would be soon be her home, and towards the only pony, mysterious as she was, that could possibly hear her screams as she fell into the darkness.






~N~

Nightmare Moon looked up to the starry sky, and sighed. Her most recent visitor, apparently appointed by the sister she so despised, had died of old age a few months back, so now it was yet another day in the lonesome void, gazing into nothingness, and pondering the coming days with Luna. The two mares, though locked together in the same mind, still spoke every so often, but she could tell the mare within had grown more distant. It pained her that this had been their fate, to be trapped for so long on this desolate landscape. She'd never thought Celestia would have done something like this, despite her past actions. When she and Luna had acted, they did it under the assumption that they would either win or die, not be sent off to some space rock to suffer a millennia of loneliness.
The visitors helped somewhat, but they were never enough to keep loneliness and misery at bay. She felt no real connection to them. Nothing special. Nothing like what she had with Luna... It didn’t help that most of them feared her with a passion, for she was even known as a 'nightmare'. They all could not see through this false premise and see that Luna was kind, caring, and even meek at some times, and while Nightmare was cold, vicious, and cruel, she craved company and social interaction, and could feel the chilling loneliness of solitude just as much as anypony. They never would not be dissuaded from these thoughts, and since Luna had opted to spend the majority of time locked inside the very back of her mind, the only pony they could see in this alicorn body was the one they feared and hated. Suffice to say, it didn’t work out well at all.
A small glint of light flickered in the darkness between the stars, as Nightmare sensed the new mare approach the moon. Another visitor. Another inevitable failure... but there was always some hope in her heart. As the light in the distance slowly grew larger, she thought to Luna the same thing she always did upon the arrival of a new ‘friend’ as she caught the mare in a gentle magic grasp, bringing her down to the moons surface below.
‘Maybe this one will be different, sister.’ she spoke inwardly, ‘Maybe this one will make us both happy...’






~O~

Octavia opened her eyes. After half expecting to find a crater around her spot of impact, Octavia was pleasantly surprised to find that the surface around her was actually quite flat. Her hooves felt the ground about her, feeling the grey surface of the moon,and picking up a few bits and sending them flying as if they were grains of sand on a vast, lunar beach. She sat up, raising her head to look around her, seeing only mountains of grey on all sides, with no signs of anything close to life anywhere.
This was to be her home... for who knows how long.
The landscape was full of rocks. Lots of them. And dust. The grey landscape was bland, boring, and for a first time visitor, unbearably cold, but if other ponies had survived here, it must be something she could get used to with time.
An imposing alicorn mare stood about twenty paces away. Coated in a coat of the darkest black, with ancient armor, glowing with magical power, covering her face, hooves, and much of her body. A long, dark horn glowed in the middle of her forehead, as leathery wings folded themselves at it’s sides, more like those of a bat or dragon than those of a pony. Her mane floated like a mist about her head, filled with shining stars just like the night sky around her.
The silent figure wasn’t shivering, or even moving at all. It just looked at her from it’s stance, as if it were expecting some reaction of her.
Slowly, Octavia pulled herself to her hooves, feeling bits of grey dust pick up, and fall back down at a fraction of the rate that it would have on Equestria. The silence was almost overwhelming, so as she and the figure faced each other, Octavia spoke her first words from this new, alien world.
“Hello, I’m Octavia.” She said. Her words left no echo, and fell dryly into the bland air around her, and quickly dissipated into the darkness.
The figure raised a brow, “...Greetings. I am Nightmare Moon, guardian of Luna, sister of Celestia, and ruler of the moon.”
The dust around Octavia settled as she continued to stand still, bravely facing the nightmarish alicorn facing her. Guardian of Luna? Weren’t they the same pony? Octavia kept the thought in the back of her mind as she tried to remain calm and polite.
“I cannot boast such titles, being a mere earth pony,” She said, “but I am here nonetheless. It is an honor to meet you.”
“An... honor. Yes, it is. Finally somepony acknowledges such.” She stood tall, raising up her head, horn pointed toward the world above.
“...” Octavia remained Silent for a few moments longer afterwards. This Alicorn was very much higher than her in class. Magical prowess beyond any other, and the ability to fly... Those were powers Octavia could only wish and dream that she had. Not sure how to proceed in fear that she might offend this goddess of shadows before her, Octavia maintained her stature, ready to flee or serve the alicorn, depending on what would happen next.
“...” oddly enough, the alicorn was in very much the same position, not knowing what to say, not because she might offend, but because she might frighten the pony away.
“Thank you.” She said simply.
Octavia was surprised by this reaction herself. She had never expected that Nightmare Moon, whom legends made out to be a villain, might express gratitude to her for merely her presence. Perhaps... things were not as bad as she thought they might be. Still, she remained polite, however, if only to be sure not to ruin the moment.
“Anything for one so—”
“There is no need for flattery or modesty here. I wish us to be as equals here. It is far easier to hold a decent conversation without that droning ‘I worship you with elegant words to win your favor’ nonsense," Nightmare moon said plainly, as if bored already. "Yes, I am your superior, but we are each others only company, and such things make for naught but meaningless babble.”
Surprised once again at Nightmare Moon’s speech, Octavia bowed her head respectfully, acknowledging the request.
“As you wish, Nightmare Moon.”
She sighed, “So... what makes you different from the others? Why have you not run away? Or even so much as trembled in fear? You don’t bow down deep and kiss my hooves either...”
“Well, if you so desire, I might do as such.” The earth pony responded, raising a hoof and waving it across her chest as she lowered her head in an exaggerated, grandiose bow.
“No. This is my preference. I just wish other ponies had not acted so...” she trailed, and clicked her tongue, “superficial with myself.”
“Very well.” Octavia said simply. With  the matter settled, she raised herself from her lowered stance, once again standing up straight, though she still wasn’t nearly as tall or intimidating as the alicorn Princess of the night.
“But you never answered my question. Why AREN’T you scared, running, groveling... why did you address me so casually in the first place?”
Octavia sighed, looking to the stars, tho only beautiful thing about this place that she could see. She reflected upon Celestia’s words. She had told her to try and be honest and kind, and to tolerate the alicorn... She’d never imagined it might be used in this particular context.
“If you must know... I merely thought it would be best not to simply panic right away, considering I am to be stuck here for however much time it will be, with you as my only company. Not the best introduction, screaming is.”
“At any rate, I am thankful. I am not sure if, right off the bat, I am prepared to reveal to you the true story of how things played out so long ago. I have a feeling that sick, revolting, tyrant of a leader you ponies have has told some rather convincing, and misleading stories about Luna and I’s past, and why we live up here now.”
“I assure you that King Sombra no longer rules in—”
“I meant Celestia. Don’t be a dimwit.”
That quickly shut Octavia’s mouth. Taking the insult very seriously, she bowed her head apologetically, looking back down at the ground.
On the other hand, she never knew anyone to so openly appose Celestia in such a way. To call her sick, and revolting... That was unheard of in Equestria. Thinking logically, Octavia thought out her next response very carefully.
“I’m sorry. But surely Celestia isn’t that horrible. She sent me, and other before me, merely to keep you company, correct?”
Nightmare Moon was silent for a moment, before sighing, “To keep Luna company. I’m sure...” she trailed, “She doesn’t care about me. She wants me destroyed. She thinks I’m some demon in Luna that makes her do bad things. She doesn’t understand... she doesn’t... she won’t.... GRAH!” in a fit of anger the mare blasted one of the large rocky mountains with a beam of dark energy, causing an explosion of dust particles to fly forth from the center, coating the landscape in more particles, as nothing remained of the peak but a crater now.
And that was when Octavia realized that the alicorn before her was not like Celestia at all. Celestia’s presence had been calming, reassuring, and emitted a feeling of security to those around her. The dark power she had just witnessed, the sheer emotional hatred, and the way she spoke about herself... she seemed unstable, like a bomb just waiting to go off. And Octavia knew she would be like a grain of dust, hopeless to resist what explosive power might come forth from her.
And so she ran. Across the grey landscape where there was nowhere with any bit of privacy, nowhere she could be free from the grey dust that was settling in her mane, her tail, and her fur, and nowhere where she could ever hide from the goddess of the night, trapped just as she was in this horrid landscape. She missed her cello. She missed her family. She missed her home, and soon, tears streamed from her eyes as she realized that she might never see any of them again. And so she ran through the grey desert of craters and mountains, to nowhere in particular, knowing that no matter what she did, there was no escape now.






~N~

Nightmare Moon suddenly froze, instantly ending her rage as she saw the earth pony flee. She did not chase after the pony, nor not levitate her up and forcefully bring her closer, nor fire magical dark energy bolts to harm her, or do anything to pursue her.
This new pony... This 'Octavia' had been one of the only ponies who had been willing to give her a chance to show her true colors, and she had wasted her chance to make a good impression. She wishing now that she could have controlled her temper, and not scared the pony so much that she might flee, but what was done was done.
‘That pony was reasonable... sane... and now she’s running... she’s running away... from me... I... made her run... I...”
From deep inside of her mind suddenly came the voice of Luna. Bitterly, she lashed out with her thoughts, adding yet more shame to her actions.
“Of course you did. Making ponies run and hide and tremble in fear is all you do! Haven’t you noticed? This is what you are, and this is why we’re here.”
And so, that powerful goddess of the night, alicorn of immense power, and ruler of darkness, fell to her knees, and cried. It started as a sniffle, and grew to a trembling whimper, before turning into full, raucous wails, as the alicorn bemoaned her actions.