//------------------------------// // 113. Demons... (Songfic) // Story: Short Shorts // by Coranth //------------------------------// Gently, Celestia knocked upon her sister's bedchamber door. "Luna? Lulu? Are you here?" she called. There was no answer. Pressing a hoof against the door, the Solar Princess was surprised to find it ajar. Inhaling a soft breath, she entered the darkened room. Her sister's bedchamber was decorated like the night sky, with dark blues and purples accented by moons and stars. Standing beneath an intricate fresco of the moon on the ceiling, a perfectly circular bed set in the dead center of the room, easily large enough to comfortably fit four alicorns her size. The walls were lined with the rest of the room’s furniture: a fireplace, a vanity mirror, a set of dressers, a few tables, a bookcase, a door to a small exterior balcony, another door leading to a private bath chamber and a writing desk. Before her eyes Celestia beheld the Dread Mare, Nightmare Moon, and prepared for a fight. Standing in front of the vanity mirror, Moon had her back to the Solar Diarch and so Celestia prepared to take her by surprise--but then, Nightmare Moon turned to face Celestia and the Sun Princess saw that something was deathly wrong. Before her was not the Nightmare Moon she knew. This Nightmare Moon sought not to challenge her, sought not to bring upon Equestria Eternal Night. Instead, utter despair suffused the dark mare as she slowly sat upon her haunches, opened her mouth, and began to sing. The song she sung was one of those new 'rock' songs that Celestia had heard about... but the lyrics... oh, they were so very, very sad... "When the days are cold And the cards all fold And the saints we see Are all made of gold When your dreams all fail And the ones we hail Are the worst of all And the blood's run stale I wanna hide the truth I wanna shelter you But with the beast inside There's nowhere I can hide No matter what we breed I still am made of greed This is my kingdom come This is my kingdom come When you feel my heat Look into my eyes It's where my demons hide It's where my demons hide Don't get too close It's dark inside It's where my demons hide It's where my demons hide At the curtains call It's the last of all When the lights fade out All the sinners crawl So they dug my grave And the masquerade Will come calling out At the mess I've made Don't wanna let you down But I am, hell bound Though this is all for you Don't wanna hide the truth No matter what we breed I still am made of greed This is my kingdom come This is my kingdom come When you feel my heat Look into my eyes It's where my demons hide It's where my demons hide Don't get too close It's dark inside It's where my demons hide It's where my demons hide They say it's what you make I say it's up to fate It's woven in my soul I need to let you go Your eyes, they shine so bright I wanna save that light I can't escape this now Unless you show me how When you feel my heat Look into my eyes It's where my demons hide It's where my demons hide Nightmare Moo--Luna's voice cracked upon the last verse, as she shivered, and trembled, raising a forehoof, warning, begging, pleading, her eyes glistening with unshed tears... Don't get too close It's dark inside It's where my demons hide It's where my demons hide..." Tears glistened within poor Celestia's eyes, then; she knew what Luna was trying to tell her: that some part of the Nightmare would always be with her - that she could never truly escape her "demons" - and atop that her beloved sister was warning her to stay away... But she could not, would not. "Oh, Lulu..." Slowly, gently, Celestia approached her sister and gathered her into an embrace. Luna, hesitant and unsure, tried to push her sister away - she could deal with her troubles on her own - but Celestia held firm, folding her wings about the so-called 'Dread Mare' and rocking her. And Luna... At last, Luna finally let go and wept into her sister's coat.