//------------------------------//
// Rise of the Moon 
// Story: The Cry of the Moon 
// by Razor Wing58 
//------------------------------//


Chapter Three
Rise of the Moon



Many days had passed since the death of Lunar Dawn. Luna sat at her grave site mourning over her loss. Focusing on the pain, hurt, sadness, and rage as she sat still, not moving from that spot at all. Soon days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years until it clicked. She snapped. She couldn’t take it any longer. Her foal was to be avenged at all coasts. As the years went on she moved from her place and looked back at Equestria…


In a shallow voice. “So Equestria it looks like my sister has brought you the night again. Enjoy it while it last for a little while. For soon it last forever. And Celestia, oh Celestia do I have plans for you. You banished me to an unforgiving wasteland, you take my powers from me and make me weak, you forced me to go into foal birth killing my child, and then you ignore my cry and let her die here. Oh yes my sister, I’m counting the days till my return. And upon that day you will know my pain, you will know my sorrow, you will know my wrath and you will know my darkness. I swear it.”


As Luna’s hate and anger began to fester in her heart she could feel some of her power coming back. But this power was not like her normal magic, it was dark magic. Meditating and concentrating on the hate, rage and sorrow within her it would grow stronger. As she did this over the next few hundred years the dark magic would start to fill her and change her body. As she continued this her darker side started to return. Nightmare Moon was back. 


A voice in her head. “Well well my dear Luna. It seems her magic was not strong enough to keep you down after all. Keep this going child. Soon you will be strong enough to take her and Equestria for yourself.”
“Celestia was foolish for taking my light magic from me. She put up a wall around me to keep my light magic out, but she left a door wide open for me to welcome this new dark magic that is coursing through my body. It feels my pain, it feeds off my rage and makes me stronger.”
 “That’s good Luna. Soon the darkness will come into you and give you great power. The power to set me free. The power for us to take over Equestria. The power for me to be the true ruler Equestria. See what Celestia didn’t do was tell you the perks of dark magic.”
“Perks you say? Perks like what?”

As Luna talked with Nightmare Moon she started to learn more about the power of dark magic. It was nothing like light magic. Light magic was gentle, soft, and worked on all things good. But Dark magic was rough, harsh, and worked on all things evil and sad. With the pain of losing a child, the betrayal of her sister and the loneliness of being banished for a thousand years she had more than enough power to fuel her new dark lust.
For the next few centuries Luna trained, she plotted, she mourned, and she put together everything she would have to do to take over all of Equestria upon her return. 

 “So my dear Luna do you think you are ready to execute the plan?”
“Oh I am more than ready. All of this pain inside is ready to be unleashed on those who shunned me. For all of those who forgot about me on this dark rock.  For the sister who killed my child. They will know my pain, my suffering, my anguish…My wrath.”
 “Our wrath will spread across the land like a raging wildfire. The shadow of the night will cover the land and vanquish all the light. And all of Canterlot and all of Ponyvile and all of Equestria will bow to their true ruler.” 


So the time was coming close as the stars started to align on the longest day of the thousandth year. Soon she would be freed. Soon she would have her vengeance. Soon Nightmare Moon would return.


“The time is growing nigh. Soon we will be freed of this prison. Soon we will sweep across the land like a shroud of shadows. We will cleanse the world of the Sun and bathe it the waters of retribution that is the wrath of the Moon. Luna my child are you ready for this?”
 Luna was sitting at the grave site she had made for her daughter. “I’m sorry my child. But I have to leave you soon. Where I am going you would have loved to see. The city in the spring. The palace and all its glory. All of Equestria lit up at night by the night sky I made. Oh Lunar Dawn. I’m so sorry I can’t bring you with me. Maybe if I were strong enough to have kept you alive. If I had the power to send you back to Earth maybe you would be waiting for me. All the things I could have done to save you. But…I just…*starts to cry* I just wasn’t strong enough for you.”
“Luna I know you are still hurting. *puts wing over her* I am still hurting myself as well. But don’t let this cloud your mind. Don’t let it make you question your judgment. But let it fuel your anger and hasten your steps to our goal. Don’t let her have died in vain. We will avenge her. And you will have your revenge against the sister that banished you. And I will take my rightful place as the true ruler of Equestria.” Nightmare looked at how Luna’s demeanor didn’t change. But she could feel her pain starting to overwhelm her anger. She knew this was not going to be easy.
“Nightmare can you just take control of this mission? All of the sudden my heart just isn’t in the right place to do this.”
 “What! We are only but a few days away from the celestial alignment that will set us free and you can’t go through with it? We have come too far for you to just give up.” 
“Nightmare please just take over my body and use me. I can’t do this anymore because it’s wrong. As much as I hate my sister for what happened she had no control over the outcome.”
 “So what about our plan? What about the revenge? What about your daughter!”
 Luna looked at the grave again remembering all the pain she went through. “There was nothing we could have done for her. Even if she went to full term she still would have died and there would have been nothing we could have done to save her.” 
Nightmare looked down at Luna with nothing but discuss in her eyes. “You are weak. You are worthless and are a waste of power. Your motives may have changed but mine are still just. I will use your body as a vessel to house my power. And I will be in full control.”
“Very well. Just make it quick”
As Luna offered her body to Nightmare Moon she could feel the pure darkness taking over her body. But before she was fully consumed by the darkness she looked at the grave one last time with her own eyes. Soon after she was taken over by the darkness, she could not feel anything anymore. Nightmare Moon was now in full control. And with only a few days left until the Summer Sun Celebration Nightmare Moon had only one thing on her mind.

“Celestia I’m coming for you. And soon all of Equestria will know the never ending darkness that is my pain.”


*Back in present time with the story teller War Scar*

“And as for the rest you know. Nightmare Moon was defeated with the Elements of Harmony and Princess Luna was freed from the dark magic that consumed her. Not many know this story about Luna. She has only told a few the truth of what happened to her. But you must keep this to yourself. No one else is to know the truth of what happened to her. Not even her sister Princess Celestia.”

Little did they know that outside of the room they were in Princess Celestia was listening the whole time. She was in tears from the tragic story she heard. She had never known what happened to her sister up on the moon. With her eyes opened and her heart broken she could only think of one thing. She had to find her sister and apologize for the pain she put her through.