//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Let It Go // Story: Frozen in a Nightmare // by Nerdz //------------------------------// Luna didn't know how long she had been flying. Her wings ached and she was starting to feel light-headed. Still, she pushed forward; onward towards what she prayed would be her safe-haven. The Everfree Forest would be dangerous, but with her powers, she could handle it. The young mare glanced around, reminding herself of the way. Then, she thought of the book. It was an earlier time, back when she was a filly. She had woken up late at Night, having had a nightmare of ponies discovering her secret. She had sneaked out of her room and down to the library. It was a big book, leather-bound and cracked, pages yellowed with age. It had been years since she'd last opened it. She remembered her younger days spent flipping through the ancient, brittle pages. Her sister preferred fairy tales, and they were entertaining, but this was her favorite book: Equestrian Geography. She paged through, looking for something to catch her eye. Different regions appeared and disappeared before her eyes as she skimmed the paragraphs; Saddle Arabia, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, White Tail Woods, and so on. Then, she came across the Everfree Forest. She read about how the forest took care of itself; nopony changed the seasons, nopony cared for the wildlife, nopony controlled the weather, and, just till the edge of the forest,the Sun and Moon moved on their own. That's when she got her idea. She'd spent years perfecting the spell. A spell that would cause eternal Night. The Everfree operated differently, and Luna hoped that it would be able to survive under an everlasting Moon. She knew, deep down, that someday her secret would be found out, or that the horn cover just wouldn't cut it, and she would need a back-up plan. She told no one, and left one Night, placing the spell upon the forest. She'd planned to return to see how the forest was fairing, but she'd never gotten the chance. Now, all she could do was hope that the forest survived. Soon, Luna touched down at the edge of the forest. It'd survived, alright; thrived even. She glanced back upon the kingdom before allowing herself to be engulfed with the darkness that was the forest. She walked in silence for a while, the foliage being too thick for her to attempt to fly at the moment. She soon couldn't take the quiet any longer, and began to sing softly to herself. "The Moon glows white in the sky tonight. Not a hoofprint to be seen. A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the queen." she paused, looking around, before lowering her ears and blinking back tears "No stars are glowing in this inky black inside....I couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I tried..." she walked, chiding herself with the song "Don't let them in; don't let them see. Be the good mare you've always had to be. Conceal, don't feel. Never let them know..." She paused, glancing up at her horn cover. She glared at it for a moment, this cloth that caused her so many problems. "Well, now they know!" Her horn flared, and the cover was tossed to the wind. She whirled around and fired a beam of stars, letting the black aura swirl them in the air. "Let it go." and another beam "Let it go. Can't hold it back anymore!" she continued to fire the beams. "Let it go, let it go. Turn away; slam the door! I don't care what they're going to say. Let the Night go on." she unclasped her cape and released it to the wind. "The cold of dark never bothered me anyway." Luna walked through the woods for a while before coming near a ravine with a meadow. She continued her song. "Funny how some distance," she turned to face the way she came "makes every thing seem small. But the fears that controlled me...they can't get to me at all!" she reared on her hind legs before turning and running to the edge of the ravine. "It's time to see all I can do. Test my limits and break through." she fired a beam at the ravine, creating a shimmering outline of a bridge. "No right or wrong. No rules for me." she laid a hoof on the first step and it hardened into some black rock substance. She grinned. "I'm free!" Luna spread her wings over the rails and cantered across the bridge. "Let it go, let it go! I'm one with the starlit sky! Let it go, let it go!" she stepped off onto the other side with a flurry of stars. "You'll never see me cry!" she cantered a few steps before rearing up and slamming back down. "Here I stand, and here I stay." an intricately designed star made of the colors of twilight spread out from her hooves. She grinned, looking around. "Let the Night go on..." Luna flared her horn and threw her head back. Slowly, a castle took form around her. It was made of the same stuff as bridge, complete with a chandelier made of polished and carved moonstone. She stayed standing on the star, which rose up to create the top floor. "My power soars through the air into the ground. My soul is spiraling in Moonlit fractals all around. And one thought crystallizes like a starry blast." she paused, lifting her crown from her head and settling it on her hoof. She stared at her reflection in the decorative crystals. This frilly, fearful foal staring back at her...it wasn't her. "To protect them...I can never go back..." She wasn't afraid; not anymore. She was born to protect the citizens of Equestria. And now, she was more a threat to her kingdom than anyone. But, it was for the best; she couldn't let it bother her. "The past is in the past!" she threw the crown across the room. "Let it go!" she flared her horn and ripped a bobby pin from her mane. She whipped her head around, letting her hair fall almost messily atop her head. "Let it go! And I'll rise to the Moon's dawn!" she flared her horn once more. Her magic spread across her body, glowing bright and blinding her for a few moments before receding. In it's place was a dress seemingly made of starlight itself. "Let it go, let it go! That perfect mare is gone!" she spread her wings and sashayed towards a balcony. "Here I stand, not movin' for the day! Let the Night go on!" she carried the note out across the forest. When she paused for a breath, she tucked her wings to her sides. "The cold of dark never bothered me anyway." and with that, she whirled around, slamming the doors shut behind her.