Chapter 8: Nightmist
“Sombra….wake up, Sombra.”
“Hmph…Luna?” Sombra groaned and rolled carefully onto his side. Everything was dark, and he felt like he was lying on something sharp that threatened to pierce his flank. He rocked onto his folded legs and gave his head a tiny shake, trying to drag himself fully into consciousness.
“Shhh, rest easy, Sombra. You are safe.”
“Luna?” Sombra asked again.
The voice sounded…vaguely like hers, but not entirely. He frowned and lifted his horn, trying to shed light into the cave. A small green orb floated into the air, revealing him to be trapped in a circular room full of crystals that reflected like mirrors. He looked around sharply, but he could see no sign of Luna, just himself.
“Luna? Luna!” he shouted and clambered to his hooves. He started to walk the length of the room, staring at his frantic image in the crystals. His mane and tale were disheveled, his coat dirty from the fall. There were a few scratches along his face, but otherwise he looked unharmed.
Had Luna escaped? Had she fled while he fell into the pit?
“Can you fault her for leaving you?” the voice asked.
Sombra spun, but there was nothing in the faint green glow surrounding him. “Who are you? Who is it that speaks?”
“She’s magnificent, isn’t she?” the voice came to him again. It was a chilling sound, one that tickled his ears but never lingered long enough for him to swat it away. “Any stallion would be proud to claim her as his own.”
“She is not a prize to be won,” Sombra said defensively. He shuddered and stopped near one of the crystals.
What am I thinking? I’m talking to nothing. Maybe I am still asleep.
“Oh yes, perhaps that is all that it is. In sleep, your Luna will come to sing you a soft lullaby and whisper her love into your ear. That is what you want, isn’t it?”
Sombra tried to ignore the voice, but the questions were tempting, disturbing. He swallowed and glanced down. “I want her to be happy...”
“Come now,” the voice laughed in his ears. “You can be honest with me Sombra. After all…”
Something flickered out of the corner of Sombra’s eye. He turned to face a reflection of himself.
Only, this reflection did not look disheveled or frightened. No, this one stood regally before him, an elegant horn that was larger than his own, protruding from his handsome brow. A flowing cape of crimson fluttered over his shoulders and down his back. Majestic silver armor glinted on his legs and neck. Upon his head rested a coronet that was worthy of a King.
“I am you,” the voice—a darker version of his voice—continued with a harsh echo.
Sombra gaped at the figure and took a tentative step backwards. “No….no, that’s not me. Who are you? Show yourself!”
The image cackled and started to circle around Sombra. “No, I am what you can be if you seek to reach your full potential. You already doubt yourself. You wonder how someone like Luna could possibly look at you as anything but a commoner, as a failure. She is an alicorn, a royal Princess of the moon who could have any stallion in Equestria. Why. Choose. You?”
“Stop it,” Sombra begged and flinched away from the crystals as the image of himself drew closer. “I want us both to be happy together. She…she says all that she requires of me is my love. I don’t have to be a King.”
“Don’t you?” the voice asked. His reflection stopped in the mirror and slowly another image appeared beside him, that of Princess Celestia. “What will her dear sister say if Luna told her that she wanted to wed someone like you? No filthy, broken unicorn will ever be allowed to claim the hoof of a Princess. But as a King, oh, Sombra, you are meant for far more than this life that you have chosen to lead.”
Sombra blinked in surprise, hearing his own words echoed back to him. Hadn’t he told Luna that he hoped he was meant for greater things? He rubbed his leg and closed his eyes. “If I was a stronger unicorn, then maybe I could protect her.”
“You can be stronger…more powerful than any unicorn. You can save Luna from those who would seek to destroy her, just because she is an alicorn. I can give you that power if you join me, Sombra.”
“How?” Sombra asked before he could stop himself. He moved a little closer to the figure and licked his muzzle. “What magic could you possibly possess that could make me such a powerful unicorn?”
His reflection smiled and took a step forward. To Sombra’s horror, the figure stepped out of the crystal. The image was not solid, no, but it still looked very real, and it was enough to send Sombra skittering backwards into one of the other mirrors. A blackish-purple mist rolled around the image and followed it towards Sombra. A few smoky tendrils reached out but never quite touched him.
“Join me,” the voice said. “Let me bind my power to you, and you will never have to fear being alone. You and Luna can be together. You can rule a Kingdom; no one will ever laugh at you or shun you again. You will no longer be a misfit. You will be a King, worthy of the Princess.”
The figure had come nose-to-nose with him now, his wide smile spread across his large muzzle. Sombra had nowhere else to run, and he was so tempted….oh so very tempted. What price would he have to pay to earn such power that this creature before him offered? Could he truly become a King and rule as Luna did?
He bit his lip and reached out to the incorporeal—
In a flash of white light, the crystals burst around him, sending the reflection screeching into the shadows.
~*~
“Princess Luna, the night awaits.”
Luna moaned and pressed a hoof to her muzzle. Her head hurt something fierce, and her wing ached. She remembered falling through the floor and reaching for Sombra, but then everything had gone black as if something had struck her upset the head. She rubbed her brow against her front leg, but didn’t feel any sticky dampness.
I’m not bleeding…good, but where am I?
She took a breath and released a blue and white orb above her head. Slowly, she opened her eyes so that she could see and not strain her vision. She found herself in an enclosed room filled with the lovely crystals. She stared at her reflection and swallowed hard.
Where was Sombra? He had fallen with her, hadn’t he? Luna stood up quickly and flared her wings. She took a step forward and swept them back and forth, despite the pain, but when she tried to rise, she met only resistance as more crystals closed above her, trapping her in the little prison.
“Fair Luna, do not fear. You are safe here,” a silky female voice spoke.
Luna fluttered her wings then landed carefully on the ground. “Who speaks to the Princess of the night?” she practically growled.
The voice laughed, and Luna caught a glimpse of something blue in the crystals. She tried to focus on it, but it kept jumping from crystal to crystal, leaving Luna spinning in place until she grew dizzy. She sat down quickly and shook the mane from her eyes. “I would thank you to release me and tell me where Sombra is being held.”
“Yes, Sombra, your beloved, is he not? The only one who knows your night?”
Luna frowned and glanced over her shoulder, but still she could see nothing in the room save for herself. “What have you done with him?”
“Oh nothing, dear one, but what would you do if he was to…disappear? Would you return to your lonely nights of rejection?”
Luna bristled, her eyes taking on a white tint. “’Tis no concern of yours. Where is he?!”
“Hush,” the voice whispered in her ear.
Luna spun sharply, but the voice and a flicker of blue escaped her again.
“It must be lonely, raising the moon with no one to share it with. Celestia always receives attention at the celebrations. The ponies love her for she brings warmth to their day. What do you bring save the cold and darkness of night? They fear it, as they fear the monsters that lurk beneath their beds.”
“That….that’s not true,” Luna said defensively “I walk in their dreams and they welcome me.”
“Hah!” the voice crowed. “They welcome you until they have no need of you, Princess. Even Prince Agate Shield fell asleep at your hooves after you calmed his fears. Who has ever been there to chase away your daymares and the darkness that plagues your heart?”
“My heart is pure,” Luna argued.
“Oh? Is that because Sombra says so? And who is Sombra to you but a lonely little pony like yourself who has been rejected from the world that he loves? Perhaps he insists you have a pure heart so he can convince himself that his heart has not grown as frozen and dark as your own.”
“I will not stand here and let you berate me when I do not know who you are!” Luna shouted, though her voice quivered. The creature, whatever it was, did indeed speak the fear in her heart, but she would not listen. She would not let it toy with her mind or imprison her here! “Free m—”
She turned and froze as she finally caught an image in the crystals before her. She knew that this being, whatever it was, must be her, but not the way she was now. No, this pony was taller, like her sister, with a coat as black as night. Armor with the mark of the moon adorned her body and head, as if the mare was ready for war. An ethereal blue mane and tail floated around her, a brighter shade than Luna’s.
Luna frowned and took a step back. “What are you?”
“Do you not recognize yourself? This is what you can become, Luna, if you truly take your place as Princess of the night. For too long, precious Celestia has stolen the affections of your subjects. She tells you to be patient, that one day they will understand you and the moon, but you have waited so long, Luna.” The mare stepped forward and part of her blue mane swept through the crystal and cupped Luna’s chin. “How much longer must you wait until you no longer feel rejected and alone? Why should the sun rule the day eternal and not the moon?”
Luna jerked her chin away and lowered her horn defensively. “Because there must always be balance in Equestria. The moon cannot provide the nourishment that the plants need to survive…plants that will feed the ponies and give them life.”
“Then what good is your moon?”
The question struck Luna like a blow to the heart. She stared at the figure, her mouth opening and closing.
What good is my moon?
Indeed, no one saw her moon as anything but an orb in the sky. It did not bring them warmth in the middle of the night, nor did it sustain the plants of Equestria. Yes, it could bring in and out the tides, but ponies had to be awake to witness that and it happened so infrequently, since they were mostly landlocked, that they never would notice anyway.
What good is my moon...
A tear slipped down Luna’s cheek, and she glanced away, her heart aching with the thought. No one appreciated the beauty of the night, no one save for Sombra.
“There, there, it does not always have to be this way,” the voice said as it tried to stroke Luna’s cheek. “We can join together and become the Queen of the night, the pony that Equestria will bow to. Lovely Celestia has stood in the sunlight for far too long, and you in her shadow. It is time for you step forth and show Equestria the beauty that an eternal night can bring.”
“What?” Luna gasped and pulled back again. She stepped away until she bumped into the crystals. “An eternal night? But that will kill everything and everypony! Life here cannot survive without the sun! No, that is not what I want. I want respect and adoration, but not at the cost of ponies’ lives!” Luna’s eyes darkened and she squared her legs, her horn pointed directly at the image of herself. “Where. Is. Sombra?”
The night mare in the crystal narrowed its eyes. “You are not ready…but in time, you will come to me. In time you will see that all Equestria will not revere you until you give them something to fear!”
The mare cackled, and Luna lost her temper. She reared back and unleashed a blinding flash of light that cut through the crystal and seemed to explode into another room, causing somepony to shout. As the dust settled, Luna saw that she and Sombra had stood in the same room the entire time, and that her magic had only served to shatter the crystal just in front of him. Sombra lay on his side, coughing and brushing crystal fragments from his face.
“Sombra!” Luna cried and ran to his side. She brushed crystals off of his pelt and helped him to his hooves worriedly. “Did I hurt you?”
“No…no, where is he? Where has he gone?” Sombra looked around wildly, his hooves stomping the crystals beneath him
Luna frowned and reached out to catch his cheeks between her hooves. “Sombra, look at me. There is no one here; just voices. We have to leave before those unicorns find us.”
And before that voice returns to taunt me again.
“But he…it…” Sombra shook his head in a daze and looked down at Luna. Slowly, recognition came to his eyes, and his shoulders slumped. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
“No,” Luna assured him then looked up when she heard something grind above them. She watched as the crystals that had trapped them slowly withdrew and revealed the opening that they had fallen through. There was no sign of the unicorns; perhaps they had fled after she and Sombra had fallen.
Luna swallowed. “Can you guide back to the Empire if I can carry us out of this prison?”
“Yes…yes, my…I can think clearer now,” Sombra told her.
Luna nodded and moved to his side. Without waiting for him to protest, she wrapped her hooves around him and flapped her wings. A nudge of magic leant her strength, and she carried them both out of the hole and up onto the steady floor. Sombra staggered a little when he landed and he started forward, guiding them down the hall.
Luna followed, looking around frantically for signs of trouble. She glanced over her shoulder, and in the depths of the darkness, she swore she saw two reptilian turquoise eyes staring after her.
Luna shuddered and picked up speed until she and Sombra were finally clear of the crystal caves.
~*~
“What were you thinking?!” Celestia exploded not for the first time since Luna and Sombra had returned to the crystal palace. After their flight from the unicorns, and their encounter in the caves, Luna had thought it wise to go directly to the palace to inform her sister.
She had not expected to be berated until sunrise.
Luna stood in the Great Hall with Sombra hovering just behind her. Gemfyre and Agate Shield had both been roused upon Luna’s return. Celestia, herself, had already been awake. Quill had informed her that she’d seen Luna and Sombra leave the Empire. Luna tried to hide her annoyance upon learning that Quill had been one of the ponies spying on her and Sombra.
I have to wonder if Celestia was the one who asked Quill to watch us in the first place, she thought bitterly.
Luna sighed and shook her head. “Sister, we were not expecting to be attacked. The caves were so close to the Empire, that we did not think the unicorns would seek us there. I was able to beat them back before we fell.”
Celestia snorted and stormed back and forth, her hooves clacking loudly on the crystal floor. “You should have told someone you were leaving at the very least. I understand your desire to explore, but now is not the time for childish antics.”
“Do not speak to me as if I am a foal,” Luna snapped, hearing the tone in her sister’s voice. “Had certain ponies kept their noses out of our business,” she added, shooting a glare at Quill, “then perhaps Sombra and I would not have sought a private place to train.”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am sure training is all that you were doing.”
Luna’s eyes darkened. “Do not presume to think that we—”
“If you want me to stop treating you like a filly, then perhaps you should act like a Princess and stop neglecting your duties,” Celestia interrupted fiercely.
Luna ground her teeth. “I have not been neglecting them. I have visited ponies in their dreams, and I have taken control of the sky. If my actions so displease you, Sister, then you can—”
“Luna speaks the truth,” Agate Shield came to her defense, interrupting her before she could say something she’d regret. “She visited me several nights ago to help me endure my fears regarding the throne and the attacks. Had it not been for her, I think I would still be having those nightmares.”
Celestia’s outer anger cooled somewhat, but she continued to pace the Hall.
Luna glared after her.
She has no right to scold me like this, especially not in front of Sombra, Gemfyre, and Agate Shield. I am a Princess! She should show me more decorum.
But no, Celestia was acting the part of the mother rather than the sister.
Gemfyre cleared her throat when the tension grew palpable. “Luna, dear, tell me more about this voice you heard in the crystal caves.” She looked over Luna’s shoulder. “You as well, Sombra.”
Luna moved to the side, urging Sombra to step forward and stand beside her. He was reluctant at first, but he did as she bade and stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with Luna.
“I do not know how to describe it,” Sombra said quietly. “There was a voice in the caves that spoke of…my fears. It tempted me, saying that it could help me acquire everything that I ever wanted.”
“And what is that?” Gemfyre asked.
Sombra stiffened and glanced briefly at Luna. “Acceptance. A better standing amongst ponies,” Sombra said quickly. “I no longer wish to be a misfit…the thing offered me a way to become a stronger unicorn.”
“So it offered you power,” Gemfyre replied bluntly.
Sombra’s silence was answer enough.
Luna touched his side sympathetically until Gemfyre turned her attention on Luna. Suddenly, Luna did not want to speak about the crystal prison. She did not want to admit to Celestia that the voice’s words were true, that Luna did indeed fear that ponies did not like her, and that her night would never be understood. “It spoke of how I was lonely, and…it showed me a way to have companionship, but I did not want to indulge in its temptations, so I used my magic to blast the image away, and thus, freed both of us from our prisons.”
Gemfyre nodded slowly as if she believed every single word that Luna said. The Queen breathed out and glanced at Quill. “Take note of this, Quill. I think this is a story you all need to hear.”
Quill nodded eagerly and quickly began to scribble down the Queen’s words. Gemfyre held out her hoof, motioning for them to all sit, as foals might before a storyteller. Luna did as was ordered and rested beside Sombra. Celestia joined them after a few terse moments, but she did not look pleased. Agate Shield moved from his mother’s side and sat near Celestia, looking just as perplexed as Luna felt.
“Back when Discord ruled the land, as you and your sister both well remember,” Gemfyre began, looking first to Luna then Celestia, “disharmony spread throughout Equestria. There was no peace, only chaos and hatred. You and Celestia harnessed the Elements of Harmony and sent Discord to his stony rest, but,” she held up a hoof, “a chaotic darkness remained. Some say that he created it, and others think that it came into existence when the other alicorns fell.”
“What…is it?” Luna asked nervously.
Gemfyre sighed. “There are many names for the essence that you faced. Some call it the nightmare force. Others refer to it as miasma. We, here in the Crystal Empire, call it Nightmist. It’s an embodiment of your deepest, darkest desires, a mist of chaos that can turn the purest hearts black.” She looked at Luna softly. “The fact that you, my dear, were able to stand your ground against the Nightmist and shatter its hold on you is commendable. Very few are able to stand up to that essence.”
Luna glanced up at Celestia who shared a grim look with her. “What of those who cannot resist it?”
“It changes them forever,” Gemfyre said coldly and glanced at Sombra. “It may give you the power you desire….or whatever is in your heart, but it will corrupt you, and it will come at a price.” She flexed her large wings then settled them along her sides. “For every good there is evil; for every evil, there is good. The world must be in balance, just as you,” she looked at Luna, “and Celestia rule over Equestria, the dark and the light, the moon and the sun. Without both…there can be no harmony.”
Luna felt a chill race up her spine. She was the darkness to her sister’s light….the shadow behind the sun’s rays. Didn’t the Nightmist say something similar? She looked away and found her eyes settle upon Sombra who looked even more worried than she did. Luna reached out and touched his hoof gently. “Neither of us succumbed. We should be pleased with ourselves.”
“But we could have,” he whispered. “If we’d given in…” He shuddered. “What happens now, Queen Gemfyre? If we were able to defeat the Nightmist, will it leave us be?”
Gemfyre sighed. “This, I cannot say. If you ignored the temptations, then perhaps it will seek a weaker target, perhaps not. You two should be on guard if it chooses to attack once more. Now that you know what it is, you can better protect your heart against it.” The old mare leaned forward. “The magic you both possess can help shield you from that darkness. I assume Luna taught you to create a shield?” she asked Sombra. When he nodded, she went on. “Very good. If you should feel those temptations, create that shield, and try to wrap it around yourself to chase out the Nightmist. Luna, you must do the same.”
“I will, Gemfyre, I promise.”
Gemfyre glanced at her son and smiled faintly. “I had hoped that none of you would face the Nightmist in your lifetime. It is a cruel thing of nature.”
Celestia spoke quietly, “Were you ever tempted by it?”
“Once,” Gemfyre replied. “When I first ruled over the Crystal Empire, it came to me and urged me to take hold of the rest of Equestria.” Her gaze grew sad. “I tell you this now, so that you may know how deceitful it can be, and that even the strongest of us can falter under its tempting words. It told me that you, Luna and Celestia, were not ready to rule Equestria. Through my guidance, I could shape you into wonderful ponies that would bring joy and life to Equestria.”
Luna frowned in confusion. “That does not seem so terrible.”
Gemfyre’s eyes glinted. “The cost was too much. It swore to give me the power of the night and day, so that I might become sole ruler over Equestria. And yet, if I did that, what would become of you two, the two little fillies that were destined to be the Princesses of the sun and moon? ‘Well, then,’ the Nightmist reasoned, ‘Luna and Celestia might become a threat to Equestria. Only one alicorn should rule all. Only one alicorn should have the power to control the astral bodies. It would be cruel to let them wander the land without a destiny. In that case, perhaps the eternal sleep would be more fitting for them than leadership.’”
Luna’s mouth fell open, and Celestia drew in a gasp. Both sisters huddled closer together, and Luna thought she saw Celestia’s horn give a tiny flicker of gold light.
Gemfyre quickly raised a hoof, her expression tired but calm. “Such are the tempting thoughts of the Nightmist. It turns chaos into reason. I recognized the temptation, however, and so I distanced myself from you two. If I did not take you under my wings, then I would not risk fulfilling the Nightmist’s desire. That is why many years passed before you knew of my existence.”
Celestia shook her head. “That is why we had to learn under unicorns and the ponies of Equestria rather than you. You were a threat.”
“A liability,” Gemfyre corrected. “I tried to seal the Nightmist away in the crystals of the mountains, but,” she gave Sombra and Luna a look, “it seems that somepony else stumbled on my secret.”
Luna winced at the reprimand. It wasn’t as if they had gone into the cave to look for trouble. She thought about all that Gemfyre had revealed to them, and a sudden thought came to her. “Could….the Nightmist influence more than one pony at a time?” Both she and Sombra had been attacked, but neither taken.
Gemfyre shrugged. “I believe it could be possible, or the Nightmist may lend more power to one host than another. Why do you ask?”
“What of the unicorns?” Luna asked. “They found us in the crystal cave. What if they were the ones that awakened the Nightmist, and that essence is what is driving them to stand up against the alicorns?”
An eerie silence passed through the room. Gemfyre leaned back, intrigued, while Celestia looked at her sister with respect in her eyes. Quill paused with her quill above her parchment and frowned with worry. Luna, herself, was starting to believe more and more that these unicorns who had attacked them were as much the victims as they were the enemy.
“It could explain how they were so powerful,” Agate Shield offered. “They were able to stand up against three alicorns, albeit, two were weakened, but still. If the Nightmist is so strong it can change a pony, then perhaps it also has the magic to defeat an alicorn.”
“It is possible,” Gemfyre agreed. She motioned Quill forward. She looked over the unicorn’s notes and tapped the parchment. “Add in Luna’s suggestion so that we may have it for later consideration. But yes, maybe that is why those ponies are attacking as well.”
“In that case,” Celestia said and rose to her hooves, “I think that it would be prudent if Luna and I take your son and Princess Nebula to Canterlot after sunrise.”
“What?” Luna cried. “We’re just going to leave?”
“Yes,” Celestia said sternly. “That…thing already tried to attack you, Luna, and it could leak into the Empire and try to take any pony here, including Gemfyre and, no disrespect to her majesty, I would rather not have it turn her against us as it tried to do so long ago. Our duty is to keep the Prince safe so that, once all is at peace again, we may bring him home.”
“But how can Equestria become peaceful again if we run away!” Luna cried. She rose as well and faced her sister. “The ponies here need our help as well. Yes, we must bring the Prince and his wife to safety, but we cannot leave the crystal ponies undefended.”
Gemfyre cleared her throat. “If we activate the crystal heart again, it may give us time to keep the Nightmist, as well as the unicorns, out, before they threaten to hurt anyone else.”
“For a time,” Luna commented. She looked up at her sister. “Please, Celestia. Once we bring the Prince to Canterlot, allow me to return to help defend these ponies, at least until the Nightmist and the unicorns are subdued. So long as Gemfyre is here, she will remain a target.”
“No,” Celestia said bluntly. “I will not let that mist toy with your mind again, Sister.”
“I defeated it!” Luna cried. “If I could fight against it once, I can fight against it again. At least I know what it feels like! You do not! It would be better for me to return.”
Celestia’s eyes hardened, and she glanced sharply at Sombra who took a quick step back. “If this is about him at all—”
“Celestia!” Luna cried, appalled. “This is about Equestria! About the Crystal Empire! I can push my emotions aside so that I can defend the land and the ponies that need my help!” She stomped her hoof again. “Do not belittle me, Sister, I am stronger than you think.”
The words came out harsher than she expected, and there was a tone….a dark tone that she did not expect.
Celestia lifted her head slowly and stared down at Luna with harsh eyes. They darted briefly to Sombra then back to Luna. “We will discuss this further once we are in Canterlot. For now, we can lend our magic to help defend the Empire, at least until we decide whether or not to send reinforcements.”
“Ugh!” Luna cried and stalked away from Celestia.
Gemfyre gave a tiny chuckle. “I feel as if I should not be part of this conversation.”
“Forgive us,” Celestia said. “We did not mean to decide for you, I just feel—”
“Celestia, I agree with you,” Gemfyre interjected. “Go to Canterlot and bring my son to safety. If we come under attack, I will send a letter your way to ask for your aid.” She tapped Quill’s parchment again. “Make a note of that.”
“Yes, your highness.”
Gemfyre grimaced and slowly rose. “For now, I think it would be best if we fetch breakfast since the sun is about to rise.”
“I think I’ve lost my appetite,” Luna mumbled as she stalked from the room. “Come, Sombra.”
“Luna,” Celestia called.
“What?!” Luna cried so loudly the sound echoed through the crystal hall.
Celestia reddened. “You still must lower the moon,” she said, quieter.
Luna blinked a few times, letting the sudden anger fade. With an embarrassed nod, she used her magic to send the moon back to sleep beyond the horizon. That done, she turned on her hoof and stalked out of the room with Sombra at her side.
As they walked, she could not help but wonder at her sudden change in attitude. She normally never raised her voice to Celestia, even when she was frustrated. She’d felt angrier at her sister than usual….a sensation that both surprised and worried her. She thought of the mare in the crystal, remembered the silky words that had dared to make her stray from her sister’s side.
Perhaps I was afflicted by the Nightmist, Luna thought nervously to herself. I only hope I left it in the cave from whence it came.