My ponies are starving. My adoptive sons, Counter and Anti, are barely fed, and I am doing my best to feed them. My Guard skip two meals a day to ensure everyone gets at least one meal a day. But the vast majority of the populace is emaciated at best. Many have sickeningly clear ribcages sticking out under their skin. Hundreds are flightless because of this, as their aerodynamics are thrown off. And at the center of it all, I watch. I can do nothing to help my ponies.
Moonfruit is the primary food source in the capital, Noc’tren, where the suffering is worst. It grows by moonlight, which normally was plentiful in the winter where nights are long. I help the moonfruit trees grow by bringing out the moon each night, collaborating on a pre-decided schedule with my sister. But as of late, she has been tardy in her duty of lowering the sun. And since I cannot raise the moon until she lowers the sun, I cannot provide the moonlight needed for the moonfruit to grow.
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“Is there mail from Equestria?” I asked the messenger who’d just flown in. “With the Royal Seal?”
“Nay,” the messenger pony replied.
Damn it, Celestia, I mentally cursed. “It is time. Alert the Guard. Send in Counter and Anti.”
“Yes, Mistress,” the messenger answered, taking off after a salute.
I felt my knees shake violently in the aftermath of the order that I’d just sent out. There was no turning back. My sister had to learn. My people had to eat. I had an obligation to my ponies to provide for them as best I could, and I’d be damned before I let them starve.
“You sent for us, Mother?” the grown voices of my adoptive sons called as they opened the door to my chambers. “What is the matter?”
I turned to face them. Both were gray with charcoal manes. Their ears had adorable little tufts of black fur, and their eyes were a gorgeous amber. Anti, on the left, had wings like a bat, and Counter, on the right, had a forward-curved horn.
“Our kingdom is in dire straits. Everywhere I look, there are starving ponies. Thestrals and thestricorns alike,” I murmured. I turned to face my sons, “I know the cause of our food shortage. And knowing this, I can no longer remain dormant while my nation starves.”
“Then what are we to do?” they asked.
“I have issued a declaration of war on Equestria–”
“Are you sure that is the wisest decision, Mother?” Anti inquired. He looked stunned, eyes widened, and head craned back. “I mean, do we even have enough food for enough troops to actually win?”
“We need not win a long war, for we are not suited for it,” I began. “We need only a few large strikes. If we take towns like Wheatfield or Meadowsborough, then we will have enough food to survive a longer war.”
“But what happens if we can’t capture a food source?” Counter proposed.
“Then we die. All of us. By sword or starvation,” I answered gravely. It was a terrible but powerful motivation. To do or to die ensured two outcomes: success or failure. I could see that they did not like the prospect any more than I, but they knew as well as I that there was no middle ground to negotiate. This matter was clear as night or day, black or white, no gray twilight to connect the two. And truth be told, I was frightened. I knew I needed a miracle to make this a success.
“I have a bad feeling about this…” Anti murmured.
I replied, “As do I, my son… As do I… Go. Spread the word. We need soldiers.”
With that order, they left. I stretched my black wings, anxiety making my feathers feel out of place. Now alone once more, I trotted to my mirror. My ethereal mane flowed, imbued with the night sky. My black fur and wings seemed to radiate darkness. My eyes seemed more alluring, almost glowing. So it’s finally come to this. My worst nightmare, finally unfolding… I never wanted this…but damn it ‘Tia you forced my hoof.
I stamped my hoof against the obsidian floor of my chambers, cracking it with the forceful impact. A deep fissure spread from one side of the room to the other, separating the space into two distinct halves. On my side, there was a ponniquin that bore my armor, and the darker half of my bed. The windows looked out onto the city of Noc’tren. On the other side, was the lighter half of my bed, my writing desk, and a ponniquin that wore my favorite silver dress.
To you, ‘Tia, may I no longer be known as your dear sister, Luna Moon. For bringing about my nightmare, may I forever become yours. For this, may the wrath of Nightmare Moon befall you every night you sleep. May every Moon be your Nightmare.
I donned my armor, using my magic to fit everything properly. My back and chest were fitted with enchanted plate armor that felt almost weightless. My legs bore tall greaves, and on my head was a helm that helped amplify my magic. On my wings were a custom piece that acted as both a weapon and armor. The frontal part was sharpened and jointed just properly, enabling me to use my wings as a weapon, and the top and bottom parts were plated to protect my wings from damage.
I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror once more. Darkness radiated from me, black mist surrounding me. My eyes glowed intensely with hatred. I was scary. I was something to fear. I was something to run from, hide from, never let close to. I was something out of a nightmare, and I loved it. I felt powerful. I felt strong. Strong enough to save my ponies.
I walked out onto my balcony.
I am strong enough.