//------------------------------//
// Poison Envy 
// Story: Winters Night 
// by WinterRose Frost 
//------------------------------//

It was not just the feeling of a resentful longing aroused by my brothers glory that caused me to turn into Nightterror Nebula. There was something else that caused me to turn. It was time for the truth to be revealed. My hatred against my brother drove me to disappear into the Ever Free Forest, just outside the Castle of the Colt Brothers. I found myself exactly where I wanted to be. Isolated and alone. I had never wanted to cause my brother any harm and the worst I had ever done before simply involved cursing his name.

"I hate you Solaris!"

I repeated that into the night over and over and over again. No other words could leave my mouth.  Even if I wanted to say something else, all that left my mouth was that.

"I hate you!"

The more I said it, the darker and colder the forest got, until i found myself surrounded by darkness. I finally stopped and let the pain flow with the tears out of my eyes. I suddenly began to feel the darkness grow closer and closer until it engulfed my body whole. I began to feel it seep into my body and feed off my envy. It overwhelmed me and caused me to collapse to my knees. There were voices in my head shouting at me: too many voices. I felt a searing pain shoot throughout my body like electricity. The voices wouldn't stop. I couldn't understand a single one; there were just too many voices.

And then in a quick moment,  it all just stopped. The pain, the voices, the cold, all gone. I stood up breathing heavily. I stayed there for a while just waiting to see if the pain would return. I felt nothing, nothing but the darkness around me. I looked up to the moon, for it always had comforted me, even when my father would rise it in the evening and lower it in the morning. I thought of my father for just that instant. Then I went back to my current situation for I still had no idea what had just taken over my body. I looked down and examined myself for any change. I saw nothing. I decided to return to the castle and for it was almost morning now.  As I walked back, I felt a deep feeling of a still present moon, and that feeling only grew stronger the closer I got to the castle and along with the envy for my brother.  As I entered the castle I felt chills throughout my body as the darkness grew within me. After all that had just happened, for some strange reason I was not afraid. In fact I enjoyed the presence of the new darkness within me. It was some how comforting. I reached the end of the throne hall and sat myself  on my throne. I looked up through the skylight at my beautiful moon. It was time for the sunrise but my moon was still up. The thought of that caused me to grin some what of a demonic nature. I sat there anticipating the arrival of my brother. It would only take minutes before he would confront me about the still risen moon. I was content to keep it so.  I started to hear the cries of panic ringing thought Canterlot. This pleased me so but not nearly as much as the newfound darkness now running through veins. I felt it filling me with its power. Something inside began to churn in my chest. Suddenly, I heard foot steps coming from the hall. With that, the voices began to speak as one. They whispered to me.

"Kill him."

This echoed in my mind. The voices repeated this over and over again and the more they did the more I wanted to do it.

"Never will you have to set your moon again."

"You can live in your eternal night." 

"Never have to hear the praises of day light."

"Just kill him."

The voices spoke back and forth until my head was overflowing with their words. They voices grew louder and louder the closer the foot steps got. They were outside the door now and the voices hushed in my head. A guard opened the door and in stepped my brother. He had a concerned face once he saw me in my condition. He walked toward me, his ginormous wings dragging behind him. He wore his hair back, his helmet secure on his head. He wore his armor as if knowing the events that would soon follow. The guard closed the door and I found myself with my brother standing on the other side of the room. I looked at the sun crest on his chest and it reminded me just how much I hated my brother. The energy inside me began to race through my body and the churning in my chest became wild. The voices returned abruptly, shouting back and forth. My head became packed and my body ached. The voices were driving me to the point of insanity. I couldn't understand a single one. My head felt as though it was being crushed. My brother began to walk closer.

"Not another step!"

We stared at each other for a brief moment. I felt the envy hate grow stronger.
"Did you really expect me to sit by while they all basked in your precious light? There can only be one lord in all of Equestria, and that lord will be me!" 

The power of my cries caused the wall behind me to split in half dividing the sun and moon banners that hung over our thrones. All of the windows in the room shattered and I began to feel myself changing. I was becoming one with the darkness. It raised me high above my brother. My wings grew larger and I shed my feathers reveling bat wings. My teeth grew sharper. Sharp enough to rip through my brothers body and let his blood slowly drip from my mouth. My hair grew longer. my hands began to bare claws. I began to laugh to an evil laugh. All the power I needed to finally destroy my brother was racing through my body. The crystal on my forehead began to glow as I used my power to destroy my brothers statue and the room we resided in. My brother began to saunter forward with a look of regret on his face. He looked up at me as I walked closer to him. He then launched himself in the air with his powerful wings. I shot a beam directly at his crystal that he then dodged. It impacted the roof with such power that it crumbled into pieces. 

"Artemis, I will not fight you. You must lower the moon. It is your duty!"

"Artemis is dead dear brother. I am Nightterror Nebula! I have but one royal duty now, to destroy you!"

I shot another powerful beam at him which he escaped by flying out of a hole in the ceiling. 

"Is this truly the Lord of Equestria? A man who would run away from battle?"

I flew after him, beating my wings as hard as i could. The closer I got the more my rage grew. He stayed there waiting as I shot another beam at him. He started to float and flew through the castle as if it would be an obstacle for me. I flew after him shooting one beam after another. I was determined to make him grounded. Finally one of my beams struck him right on his chest plate as he crashed in the throne room. I laughed for this so called lord was obviously weak. Solaris slowly picked himself up and gazed at me from below.

"Oh dear brother, I am sorry but you have given me no choice."

The crystal on Solariss' head began to glow as his magic flowed out of the crystal to open the floor.  Out came a stone pedestal with five gems revolving around one pink crystal. The sight of them sent a shiver down my spine, for I knew of the power of the elements.  Solaris's magic flowed out and collected the gems. They began to revolve around him as he flew to to my level. Before I could stop, I shot my magic at him before he had the chance to use them, but I was too late. The magic met but the elements were too strong for me. I collapsed under its power. I awoke in a daze and found myself alone.  Not by Solaris, not even by the voices. I thought I knew loneliness when my parents died but this, this was a loneliness I had never experienced before. Not only was I alone but I was afraid, for when I looked up searching for my moon, I only found earth. I had been banished, not to the Everfree, not to the dragons land but to the moon. My moon. I never knew my beautiful moon could be so cold and dark.
~~~~~

It's been five hundred years and I am near the point of insanity. I have had no human contact since my battle with Solaris. It was today I would find a way to end this madness. Either by returning, or by death. But, it was also today that the voices returned to me.

"It has been long Artemis."

When I heard their demonic sound I had become outraged with them, for it was their fault I was banished, and it was their fault I am alone.

"How dare you! You promised me power and eternal night but instead had me banished! You have no right."

"Your eternal night shall come. For in five hundred years we shall be able to return to Equestria, and  will take revenge over your brother and bring your eternal night. And you Artemis, shall rule all of Equestria."

Their words echoed in my head. All of Equestria? Mine? This sounded quiet promising but something inside felt wrong about taking revenge over my brother. Something inside wanted to refuse. I tried to hide this feeling deep inside me, but over the years the feeling only grew stronger until I no longer knew what do. I no longer wanted revenge over my brother, I souly no longer wanted to be alone.          
~~~~~
"The time has come Artemis. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Little did they know that I had planned to betray them once we returned to Equestria. I no longer desired to rule over the eternal night. My magic began to pulse and once we returned to Equestria I saw nothing but darkness. 

"What's happening?"

The voices began to chuckle

"Do you really believe we are so foolish? We knew of your guilt and your plan of betrayal. You are now ours. Your body is now your prison. Enjoy eternity in darkness."

I sat the alone in the dark prison that was my body. I sat there and began to weep. How could I have been so foolish? How could I betray my brother, the only family I had left. My only hope now was not to escape, but to be forgiven. I began to think back to when we were children and he let me raise the moon for the first time on my own.
~~~~~
"Are you sure you don't want me to help?" said Solaris. He looked at me as if I was a helpless abandoned animal.

"Noooo, you said I could do it myself!" I whined.

"Alright, alright." He said.
With that I began to frown. Thoughts of failing began to race through my head. I began to shake.

"But...you could stand next to me...just in case."

"Just in case."

With that my brother stood up on the soft grass and slowly walked next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and he gave me a big grin. This caused me to smile. I turned back to the moon. I used all the magic in my body and flew with my moon as I raised it higher and higher into the sky. Before I looked I raced to my brother and tackled him to the ground trembling. A light shinned through my chest.

"Is it there?" I said in a shaky voice.
My brother knew what had happened.

"What, the moon? Or your cutie mark?"

I stood there frozen, my brother then gestured toward my chest. I then quickly began to unbutton my shirt and looked around on my chest and there it was. Just atop my left chest, a black cloud with a white crescent moon in the center. I was overfilled with joy.

"Aren't you going to do the stars?"

With that all my joy had just flown out and was replaced with misery

"Do I have to?"

"Most nights, yes."

"All of the?"

Solaris put both his hand on my shoulders and looked me deep in the eyes with a sincer look.
"Tell you what, I'll do the stars tonight if you help me with the sunrise in the morning."
I smiled

"Okay"
~~~~~
What have I done? I wept harder and as I whispered to myself.

"Please brother, please please please forgive me. I am sorry. I'm so so sorry."

I repeated this over and over again in the darkness. Suddenly the darkness began to crack and light began to sneak in. The darkness began to shatter around me and I was engulfed in the light. I slowly began to open my eyes. My vision was blurred but once it cleared I saw my brothers face. I began to weep at the sight of it and embrassed him tightly.

"I'm so sorry brother I'm sorry I'm sorry." I said in a trembling voice. 
He embrassed me back. When I released him, I found us in our palace surrounded by six other men. I knew none of them, but I noticed that five of them had strange amulets around their necks and one had a crown with what looked like the element of magic imbedded in it. It was then that I realized they were the holders of the elements. This must have been how I was restored to my natural form. They were all quite surprised to see me. The long lost brother of Lord Solaris has returned to Equestria.
~~~~~
It was now time for the moon to rise. Solaris was there to watch as I rose the moon just like old times. I gently flew down and began to walk back to the palace. I heard my brother pick himself up off the ground. 

"No stars tonight?"

I stopped and looked over my shoulder at him.


"I...uh...I guess I'm a little out of practice."
Solaris smiled at me innocently.
"Tell you what, I'll do the stars tonight if you help me with the sunrise in the morning."
I turned toward him and smiled.

"Okay."