//------------------------------// // The Desolation of the Moon // Story: Softening the Stone // by TheMyth //------------------------------// Everything was different. The world around her had changed in an instant. No longer was everything cold and dark like she was familiar with. All around her were new colors, bright and vibrant. A cool breeze blew through the mane upon her head, bringing with it a variety of foreign smells and sounds from the world outside. The voice that was not hers was speaking as it often did. Though this time, there was no anger in its sound as it had been a few moments before. It was happy now, almost giddy in fact, as it mocked the purple unicorn lying across the hallway. Below its hooves, the remnants of precious stones laid shattered by her own design. Was that what the voice was so excited about? Between the fits of laughter, new sounds filled the room. These ones weren’t like the voice which wasn’t Luna’s. They were more like the purple one’s, much kinder and gentle. As they continued to grow louder, the unicorn reacted to them. Within a few moments, new ponies arrived, standing beside the first. As she began to speak, the fear in her voice had seemed to disappear. She stood up tall and proud, speaking with confidence as she turned back towards the voice that was not Luna’s. The shards sitting beneath Luna’s hooves sparkled as the purple unicorn spoke. The voice that was not Luna’s spoke again, but the laughter in it was gone. Though it wasn’t angry either. There was fear in it now as it spoke back. Glowing with an unearthly light, the shattered pieces flew into the air, encircling the different ponies that had appeared and stood beside the first. The two talked for a minute more, confidence still radiating from the one, while the voice that wasn’t Luna’s was filled with more and more dread. The purple unicorn, still standing firm, spoke confidently as a light, far brighter than Luna had seen in ages, began to fill the room. The air swirled around them as the light enveloped the six ponies across from her, lifting them into the air. In an instance, the light shattered, streaming forth in a majestic burst of colors which shot across the room towards the location Luna was sitting. It twisted and circled about her as the voice that was not her own screamed out in terror. As the air around her spun faster and faster, it seemed to pull against the darkness within her. Its voice continued to cry out as she felt the shreds of darkness being eradicated from the heart in her chest, until the light dispersed and there was nothing. As the light subsided, the six friends laid against the floor exhausted from the magic that had just taken place. Rainbow Dash was the first to stir, rising up with a groan. “Ohh… my head…” she moaned. Applejack was the next to her hooves. “Everypony okay?” “Oh, thank goodness!” Rarity cried out in joy, looking at her fully grown tail that was shining. “Why Rarity, it’s so lovely,” Fluttershy spoke softly. “I know! I’ll never part with it again.” Fluttershy shook her head. “No. Your necklace. It looks just like your cutie mark.” She pointed towards the necklace on Rarity’s neck that had a diamond shaped gem in the middle. “What?” Rarity looked down on her necklace and gasped in awe at its beauty. “Ooh,” She looked up to Fluttershy and pointed with her hoof to her neck. “So does yours.” Fluttershy gasped, looking down on her necklace that bore a butterfly shaped gem. Pinkie Pie jumped towards the group with a large smile. “Look at mine! Look at mine!” “Aw yeah.” Rainbow Dash grinned smugly, showing off her necklace that had a lightning bolt shape gem in it. “Gee, Twilight!” Applejack turned Twilight, surprised by what just happened. “Ah though’ ye were just spoutin’ a lot of hooey, but Ah reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship.” “Indeed you do.” The group of pony looked around for the source of the new voice; a regal, maternal voice. A new source of light shined from the window, momentarily blinding the mares. When the light subsided, a white alicorn stood before them. With her ethereal rainbow mane and her golden crown, she smiled proudly down upon the ponies who immediately bowed to her. Save for one. “Princess Celestia.” Twilight gasped and trotted towards the princess, nuzzling her as though she were her own mother. Celestia continued to smile as she held her student close. “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it.” Twilight cocked her brow slightly, looking confused for a second. “But… you told me it was all an old pony tale.” “I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more.” She looked up to the mares of the room. “I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your hearts.” She continued to smile and looked to a mass of dark shards at the back of the room. “Now if only another will as well. Princess Luna!” Sitting among the blackened remains of armor laid a dark blue alicorn. Her wings were sprawled out to her side, and her head hung against the floor. Her eyes were wide open as Celestia trotted over to her. “It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this,” she began as she approached. “It is time to put…” She paused. Something wasn’t quite right here. Luna did not react as she approached. Her eyes were open, but she wasn’t looking at anything. They simply stared forward, glazed over and unmoving. Her head was lying limply, craned at an awkward angle though she didn’t seem to protest. “...Luna?” Celestia asked, hesitation evident in her voice. Twilight trotted over towards her mentor, stopping just a few paces away from the pair. She looked down at the fallen alicorn with fear in her eyes. “Is… Is she?” she began to ask. Celestia leaned down, pressing her head against Luna’s chest. She was still breathing and there were signs of a heartbeat, but both were irregular and faint. “Luna!” she cried out, leaning back. Grabbing the blue alicorn by the shoulders, she began to shake her. “Luna! Luna!” she continued to cry out. “This wasn’t supposed to happen! What’s the matter? Please get up.” Yet despite her pleas, Luna remained unmoving. “Please say something!” Celestia continued to cry, tears forming on her already moistened eyes. “What’s wrong?! Please tell me, sister!” The other six looked at each other in surprise. "Sister?" No matter what she said, Luna remained completely immobile, not even responding to the dread that began to fill the room. Twilight looked to her mentor and to the navy alicorn with her eyes wide in shock. A part of her was shocked to hear from Celestia that she had a sister, who was Nightmare Moon no less. She shook her head correcting herself, Luna was her sister and not Nightmare Moon. She was also saddened to see her mentor in tears, anguish and despair on the proud princess’ face. The others were also dismayed; their short term celebration forgotten by the pyrrhic victory they had accomplished a few moments ago. Applejack couldn’t help but lower her hat in shame, feeling that she was responsible for what happened. “What do we do?” Pinkie whispered in her ear, her mane strangely straightened and losing some of its colour as her smile vanished. Applejack placed her hat back on her head and turned to Rainbow Dash behind her, a look of determination on her face. “Rainbow, go get the doctor right now!” she ordered her cyan friend, making sure she wasn’t heard by Celestia. “What?! Me?!” Rainbow pointed to herself, flabbergasted that her friend would ask her to get help for somepony that was her enemy earlier. “Ya heard me. We need all the help we can get!” “But-” “Please Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy pleaded with her friend, her eyes becoming moist from the withheld tears. “Please Rainbow, we need to help the Princess…” Rainbow bit her lower lip and sighed in defeat. “OK,” she spread her wings and hovered above the ground, saluting her friends. “I’ll be back in a second!” With that, she was gone from the ruins, leaving a rainbow trail behind. Once Rainbow Dash was no longer in sight, Applejack turned back and walked over towards Twilight and the two alicorn princesses. Celestia had scooped up her sister, holding her delicately in her forehooves. As she cradled the younger alicorn, she rocked her gently back and forth. She was quietly humming a simple lullaby that Applejack was not familiar with. Yet despite all this, Luna still remained completely impassive. Applejack leaned over to Twilight, who was busy watching the scene with a mix of fear and confusion on her face. “I don’t get it. What do ya think is wrong with her?” Twilight bit her lower lip as she looked over to her friend. “I have absolutely no idea.” “She’s appears to be in some sort of catatonic state,” the doctor explained, pointing towards the various charts and figures hanging on the wall. After Rainbow Dash had returned with the doctor, he took one look at the unmoving princess and demanded that they bring her to Ponyville hospital at once. Somehow managing to convince the downfallen Celestia, she carried her sister there as quickly as she could, while the others raced back through the forest. As soon as the princess arrived, the doctors and nurses immediately set to work, examining Luna to determine exactly what had happened. The others managed to arrive just as the examination was coming to an end. Applejack tried deciphering the notes the doctor was showing the group, but it was well above her head. “And just what exactly is that supposed ta mean?” she asked in frustration. The doctor sighed as he pointed towards a very specific chart. “What that means is that she’s suffering from a severe mental disorder, one that is directly affecting her motor functions and comprehension.” Applejack stared at him for a moment with a deadpan expression. “In Equestrian, please.” Rolling his eyes, the doctor began again. “It means that she’s suffering from something that is preventing her from thinking clearly. Her mind is still in there, but she just can’t focus on the things that she needs to in order to behave normally. Because of that, it’s preventing her from moving, speaking, or reacting in anyway.” “Well, we kind of gathered that much already,” Applejack said with a huff. “But what does that mean for her?” “Let me put it to you like this,” the doctor inhaled before slowly exhaling. “Imagine you are standing in front of ponies, but you can’t say a word nor move a muscle at all. When a pony comes to greet you, you can’t greet back. When a pony bumps into you, you don’t feel pain and don’t react on reflex at all,” he looked back to Luna who was still staring off into space. “In other words, you are just a spectator and can’t be a partaker in life…” Applejack’s frustrated look turned to horror as she backed away in shock. She looked back at the princess and saw there was no motion coming from her at all. “What do you think could have caused this doctor?” Twilight asked, both curious about Luna’s condition and desperate to find a solution. The doctor sighed as he closed his eyes. “I am afraid I don’t have the answer to that, Miss Twilight Sparkle. I only have several theories.” he titled his head as he started to count down the theories to the group of mares. “The Elements of Harmony could have affected Luna’s heart that by using it on her, it not only cleansed her heart and soul, but also erased all that made Luna herself…” He spoke on, not seeing the looks of guilt and shame on the group of friends’ faces. Twilight especially was gobsmacked and repulsed by what they might have done to the princess, having only the best intentions for Equestria when they used the Elements. “Another theory could be the guilt of what happened over a thousand years ago with Nightmare Moon trying to cover the land in eternal night. The last theory, the most likely one would be, a thousand years of solitude on the moon’s surface. Either way it’s quite likely the shock of whatever happened in that castle scared her mind into remission causing her current state.” “So what can we do for her?” The doctor looked over towards the bed Luna was lying in. “The best thing that you can do for her now is to simply stay with her. We haven’t been able to find anything physically wrong, so there is a very good chance that she will come out of it eventually. For now, simply take care of her, talk with her, and share your love with her. Though I can’t guarantee how long it will take, doing so should help her to start to get a grasp on reality again much more quickly.” Twilight nodded in approval. “Alright. We’ll do our best,” she said, her mind already starting to form a list of things she would need to prepare. She also turned to look towards the resting alicorn, though more specifically her mentor seated next to her sister. Since they had come in, Celestia had not left her sister’s side. When the doctor’s demanded that Celestia leave the room for the examination, she had apparently threatened them with a royal decree that she had to stay. Even afterwards, she still sat gently stroking her sister’s hoof and not taking her eyes of her. “And what can we do for Princess Celestia?” she asked unsure. The doctor looked stoically at the regal alicorn as he pondered the question. “Let me talk to her privately first, then I’ll let you know if there’s anything you should do for her.” Twilight hesitated. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to leave her mentor at this time. Still, the doctor knew much better about these situations, so she reluctantly agreed. Moving through the room, she told the rest of her friends what was going on, and escorted them outside with her, quietly closing the door behind. The doctor watched as the door clicked shut, before turning back and trotting towards the regal alicorn. If it wasn’t for the tears in her eyes and her ability to sit up, he’d almost have assumed that she was catatonic as well since she didn’t react to his approach. He thought for a moment about what to say, but Celestia cut him off before he had the chance. “Tell me honestly.” she said with her eyes moist and her lips dry from crying. “How bad is she, doctor?”. This was the part of the job that he hated the most. He knew that he could try and sugar coat it for her, but the princess was smart. “She’s not doing very well,” he responded. “I don’t know what happened to her, but there’s very little activity in her brain right now.” “I see,” Celestia stated flatly, still not taking her eyes off her sister. “Then tell me, doctor. What can I do for her? How can I help her through this?” The doctor sighed again. “Right now, the one thing that she needs more than anything is you. You’re the only thing that she is familiar in the world right now. If you want her to get through this, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time with her.” Celestia’s pupils shrank as panic started etching its way to her face. “But, my duties! I can’t—” “Celestia.” the doctor cut her off, stepping hard on his forehoof to silence her. “Excuse the insubordination, but you have to decide on which is more important, your duties as a princess of Equestria, or your duties as an elder sister?” he asked her rhetorically, not giving her time to answer. “Why don’t you take a good long look at the pony lying down next to you and say that she doesn’t need you right now. For over a thousand years, we have had you in our lives and we are grateful for that. But now, a pony that has not been in contact with you for over a millenium needs you the most.” He placed a hoof to her shoulder and sighed. “I trust you will do what is right for your sister.” With that, the doctor was off from the room. As the words sank into her brain, Celestia looked back to her non-responsive sister and started to stroke her mane. Celestia’s lips started to quiver as her eyes turned moist, anguish still present in her features. She slowly closed her eyes and nuzzled her sister as tenderly as she could, humming to her softly as tears escaped Celestia’s eyes. When she removed herself from her sister, she opened her eyes wide to reveal absolute determination in them. She gently placed her sister’s hoof back onto her lap and got up from her chair. She held her head high, though no happiness was found on her face. Celestia made her way outside, where she was greeted by the worried Element bearers. “Princess…” Twilight started off, pausing when she saw Celestia’s stoic expression. She blinked and opened her mouth, only to be silenced when the princess turned her head sharply to her. “Twilight, please come with me.” Celestia told Twilight, with a strict tone Twilight had never heard her mentor speak before. “Y-yes Princess!” “The rest of you, remain here until I return. Understood?” The others nodded vigorously, both surprised and frightened by Celestia’s new attitude. When the princess and Twilight left the room, they all turned to each other as their brows were furrowed in concern. “What do y’all think that was about?” Applejack asked. “Beats me,” Rainbow Dash interjected, hovering in the arms with her forelegs folded. “It’s been a pretty crazy day for her though.” “I can’t imagine how the poor dear is coping with all of this,” Rarity added. “To finally see your own sister after one thousand years apart and have this happen… I shudder to think of it.” “Yeah,” Pinkie Pie sprang in. Although she wasn’t as perky as she normally was, a lot of her energy had come back after hearing that Luna wasn’t going to die. “She’s probably really, really sad right now, and if she’s sad then that means we should help her, and if we help her then maybe that will make her happy, and if we make her happy then we can have the most bestest party ever!” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah don’ think righ’ now’s the best time to be planning some party Pinkie, but Ah do agree, we should probably do somethin’ to help out.” The remaining girls all nodded their heads in agreement, save one. Sitting back and away from the others, Fluttershy kept her head bowed hiding the tears that were falling from her face. Although she wanted to help, she couldn’t get the same repetitive thought out of her head. I did this… “Are you sure about this princess?” Twilight exclaimed in surprise. Celestia had just finished explaining her plan for Luna’s recovery, and quite frankly it shocked the poor student completely. “I mean, this is—” “Please, Twilight,” Celestia chimed and lowered her head to her student’s level. “I need to do this.” Twilight scrunched her lips and closed her eyes, nodding slowly to Celestia’s plan. “Alright, I hope this works out…” Celestia raised her head slowly, looking out at the window to see the sun high up in the air. For Luna’s sake, I hope so too.