Pinkie Pie trotted down the street, barely paying anything else any attention. Except when she slowed down to cheer up some foals, or when she stopped to help keep a fire stoked, or when she stopped and gave out all the candy and food stuck in her mane. Other than that, though, she kept on course for Sugarcube Corner.
Her gait slowed as she approached her home. Her hair flattened slightly at the dilapidated condition. Like all buildings, Sugarcube Corner had seen better days. There were several hastily-patched holes in the roof, and the second floor balcony wobbled in the breeze. The windows were dirty and shuttered, but a dim light could be seen through the blinds and film.
Pinkie cantered back and forth in front of the door, her nerve failing her. More than one passerby stared at her antics, but she paid them no mind. She could tell from the barest visual glance that the door was unlocked, and smells wafted out, tickling her nose. Without even thinking about it, she pushed the door open and walked in.
The interior was a bit dim, but in relatively good repair. The shelves were bare for the most part, but were mounted onto the walls straight and strong. Pinkie continued inward, nose in the air and sniffing. One ear flopped down before saloon-style doors in the back swung open.
Cup Cake backed out, a tray of plain muffins balanced on her head and another on her back. A pair of foals – Pumpkin and Pound Cake – floated around her legs, managing to barely keep out of her way as she left the kitchen and entered the store itself. Like almost everyone else, she and the foals wore layers of clothing. But even those could not hide her being a bit thinner than the one Pinkie knew and loved like a mother. She spun around, gasping at the sight of Pinkie. The tray on her head bounced, the muffins hopping on the steel before settling right back in their place. “Oh, my!” she said, eyes widening. “Hello, there!” She leaned forward and squinted. “Wait, who are you?”
Pinkie's hair flattened slightly at the lack of recognition and she kicked at the floor slightly, taking care not to scuff it. “My name's Pinkie Pie. I'm just from... out of town.”
Cup Cake sucked in a breath in shock. “Wait, out of town? You're with the group that just arrived, right? The ones from another Equestria?” At Pinkie's small nod she continued forward, passing by the counter. “Nightmare Moon, will she be able to help us?”
Pinkie tilted her head back and forth. “It's a work in progress, but she's a lot better than when we first met her.” She suddenly dropped down as Pound and Pumpkin toddled over. “Oh, oh!” she cried out, reaching out with her forelegs at the foals. “Hi, there! You have no idea how good it is to see you two!” Her joy was squashed as Cup Cake prodded them back behind her. “Hey, hey! What's wrong?” she asked, darting to and fro, even as Cup Cake blocked her. She looked up at the older mare. “Wait, you don't think I'm gonna hurt them, do you?”
“Calm down, calm down!” Cup Cake said as she cantered back and forth, finally slowing down along with Pinkie. “Please, I don't know what it's like where you come from. I'd like to think it's what it was before, where we didn't have to fear most strangers. But nowadays, you can't be too careful of those coming down the road.”
Pinkie rubbed her poll, trying not to wince. “Yeah, we got that impression outside.”
Pumpkin and Pound Cake both scampered around Cup Cake's forelegs, each opposite of one another. They crowded around Pinkie's forelegs, grabbing onto them and cooing.
Cup Cake swallowed. “Oh, my. Come on, dearies!” She looked up at Pinkie. “I'm very sorry about this. They're normally not so clingy around others.” Her brow furrowed. “They actually do seem rather taken with you.”
Pinkie knelt down to the twins' height. “It's okay. I'm good with foals, especially these two.” She nuzzled Pound, who wrapped his stubby little arms around her muzzle. She raised her head and he hung on, tiny little hind legs kicking the air. Pumpkin floated around her head, circling around and cooing.
Cup Cake's mouth quirked up at the sight. “It looks like the twins trust you. There's a Cake family in your Equestria, too?”
Pinkie lowered her head, gently placing Pound Cake onto the floor before shooting back up and bobbing her head up and down. “Yup! You and Mister Cake are like second parents to me!” Her head suddenly stopped. “But not here. Maybe I never left the rock farm.”
Cup Cake slowly reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “Carrot and I never met you, Pinkie. Not here.” She bit her lip. “But right now, I wish we did.”
Pinkie placed a hoof over Cup Cake's. “Thank you.” Her eyes darted about. “Say, where is Carrot Cake, anyway?” she asked, voice hitching slightly with nervousness and anticipation.
“He's out with the logging crews,” Cup Cake responded, sighing. She cantered to the front window, staring out. “He leaves before the twins are awake, then usually gets home after they're asleep. Then he does what he can in the kitchen before nodding off. He's missing their childhood. And I miss him.” She knelt down and nuzzled the twins, her eyes closed and expression downcast.
Pinkie's gaze went to the kitchen. “Back where I come from, you two had your hooves full running this place, and that was before the twins were born.” She looked to the twins, then to Cup Cake. “Okay, I know you don't have much of a reason to trust me. If I was you I wouldn't trust me either. If I was me, half the time I wouldn't trust me. But right now you need help, and I'm offering both forelegs to you.” She held out her forelegs and waggled them.
Cup Cake swallowed. She looked at Pinkie's forelegs, then down to the twins, then to the kitchen. “I want to, Pinkie. I want to be able to-to trust again. It's just been quite a while since I could, since a stranger outside Ponyville was a blessing instead of an extra mouth, or worse.”
Pinkie sighed. “I understand, Missus Cake. Well, I don't, but I do. I kinda do.” She turned and walked to the door, mane and tail hanging down near the floor. “I'm sorry for taking up your time, Missus Cake.”
Cup Cake's eyes tracked Pinkie. She bit her lip, finally raising a foreleg. “Wait!” she cried out. “I-I-I I'm sorry, Pinkie. I do need the help, here. I have to remember the good, not just the bad.”
Pinkie spun around, trotting up to Cup Cake even as her mane and tail sprung back up. “I won't let you down!” She hopped up and tossed Missus Cake a salute. “We'll have everything ready in no time!”
Pumpkin and Pound Cake suddenly raised their stubby little forelegs and waved them about, gurgling and spitting up a bit. Pinkie and Cup Cake both lowered their heads to them, nuzzling the twins. Cup Cake gently swept them up and onto her back. “Okay, you two. Let's get back to the kitchen along with our new helper.” She glanced to Pinkie. “Thank you.”
Pinkie smiled, not one of mirth but of relief. “No, thank you.”
Nightmare Moon sat on her haunches in Mayor Mare's office, the chairs too small to accommodate her large frame. Twilight and Luna were to her left, and the mayor herself darted from various filing cabinets to the desk, each time with a manila folder to add to an ever-increasing pile already piled haphazardly on the desk. “Now here are the reports on crop returns. This one is on the culling of Whitetail Woods. Here is a report on border activities.” She suddenly stopped and looked up at Nightmare Moon, who was staring up at the wall behind her. “Your highness, are you all right?”
Luna stood up and walked over. She floated a folder off the top of the pile and flipped through its contents. “Hmm, expertly done, Mayor Mare. I commend whoever compiled this data.” She sent it over to Nightmare Moon. “Wouldn't you agree?”
Nightmare Moon's head suddenly shot up and darted about, her eyes blinking rapidly. “What, yes! Of course!” She ripped the folder from Luna's telekinetic grip, sending pages scattering across the room. Her cheeks turned bright-red as the papers flew about in the air. She bared her teeth as she snagged each one, bringing them back to her. She glanced at them, putting them back into proper order before placing them onto the open folder and looking at the first page. Her eyes narrowed and the folder floated closer, stopping only an inch or two from her muzzle.
Silence descended upon the office as Nightmare Moon continued to read, flipping from page to page. Finally, she set the folder down on the desk and locked a penetrating stare onto Mayor Mare. “Thank you, Mayor. That was a most informative report on crop production. So, what is being done to increase yields and better distribute them?”
Mayor Mare's mouth opened. She slid the folder closer to her and picked out a single sheet of paper closer to her. “B-but, your majesty, everything that can be done is being done. There's nothing more we can do without increased solar output and the temperatures rising. It's right here.” She leaned forward. “Did you... miss that?”
Nightmare Moon shook her head and waved Mayor Mare off. “W-what? Of course I didn't! I saw it on the page. It's simply that as mayor, you're the leader of the community and must direct those under you to accomplish the tasks set before them.”
Luna spoke up. “Mayor Mare is doing the best she can under these extremely trying circumstances, Nightmare Moon. All the ponies here are. There is simply nothing more they can do. No amount of ordering or shouting can change those cold, hard facts.”
Nightmare Moon locked eyes with her counterpart. “What are you implying?”
Luna stared right back, not flinching or moving. “I am not 'implying' anything. I am stating facts that Mayor Mare had already said. You understand that, yes?”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop even more than it already was. Before Nightmare Moon could open her mouth, Luna continued. “I think you and I need to have a full conversation, Nightmare Moon. And I think if we do it while conscious, half the town will be leveled before we're done. Therefore, I propose we talk things out on in more 'neutral' setting.”
Mayor Mare blinked. “Excuse me, 'while conscious'?”
Nightmare Moon paid her no heed as she nodded. “Very well, Luna. I see your wisdom in that, at least.” She looked to Mayor Mare, then Twilight “I shall see you in a minute or two after I'm proven right.” And with that, she stood up and turned to directly face Luna. Her eyes rolled almost into the back of her head, her eyelids closing until only a sliver of faintly-glowing white could be seen.
Luna mirrored Nightmare Moon's actions, but before she closed her eyes, she looked to Twilight. “This won't take long here,” she said before turning her head to face Nightmare Moon. Within seconds her own eyes closed.
Mayor Mare stared at the two alicorns. She trotted around her desk up to Nightmare Moon, stood up on her hind legs and waved a hoof in front of her muzzle. She swiveled around to face Luna before repeating the hoof-waving. She dropped back to all fours before looking to Twilight. “What is going on between them...” She suddenly stopped. “Oh, I'm terribly sorry, but I never did catch your name.”
Twilight straightened up. “Oh, that's all right, Mayor. I don't think it came up in conversation. My name is...” She paused and leaned back, eyes widening. “M-my name is... Dewdrop Dazzle!” she suddenly blurted out, sweat forming on her brow despite the cold. Her hood tugged down over her forehead and eyes, casting the rest of her face into shadow.
Mayor Mare arched an eyebrow, but waved her off. “No skin off my muzzle.” She waved to the two alicorns. “So as I was about to ask, what are they doing?”
Twilight slid off her chair and cantered around until she stood between the pair. “My guess is they're dreaming. Princess Luna can enter into the dreams of ponies in my Equestria, so I'd bet they're both dreaming right now, talking to each other through them.”
Mayor Mare nodded. “I shall take your word for it. How long would this take? Is this safe for them?”
Twilight shrugged. “I don't have an answer for either of those questions, Mayor. The only thing we can do right now is wait and hope for the best.”
Nightmare Moon flew through the nothingness of the dreams, an inky-blue void with scattered white dots and fog floating through it. The fog thickened, turning from a mist into a thick bank. Nightmare Moon's eyes glowed and the tip of her horn sparked, but the fog remained around, cutting off the range of her vision to a few feet. She snarled and stomped her hooves, spittle flying from her mouth. “Luna, where in Tartarus are you?”
Two huge moons suddenly appeared in the sky, shrinking and changing into eyes. They blinked and Luna's face appeared around them, followed by her body. She walked forward, the fog parting in her wake. “Ah, excellent. You're here.”
Nightmare Moon stared at her. “A bit dramatic, even for us.” She looked about the fog, eyes narrowing. “What does this represent? Whose dream are we in?”
Luna's right ear waggled back and forth. She tilted her head up. “Can you not hear them, Nightmare Moon? I can, and you are me, after all. It's not loud, but it's there.”
Nightmare Moon looked around, ears flapping. “Hear who?” She lurched forward, coming within inches of Luna. “Who else is here, Luna? Speak up!”
Luna's horn lit up and the faint murmurs of voices were now audible. “Can you hear them now, Nightmare Moon? These are the thoughts of Equestrian citizens, little ponies sleeping.”
Nightmare Moon smirked. “My future subjects?”
Luna shook her head. “Your future victims.”
The fog suddenly disappeared, leaving the pair standing in a field covered in snow. Gravestones, little more than stone slabs with inscriptions, poked out at haphazard intervals as far as either could see. The voices increased in number and volume, now comprehensible to Luna and Nightmare Moon.
“So cold, so cold.”
“Why did Mommy and Daddy have to go away?”
“When will it be warm again?”
Nightmare Moon flapped her wings and stumbled back, kicking down some of the tombstones. For every one she destroyed, though, two more sprouted. Her head darted back and forth. “What is this?” she cried out. She planted her hooves into the ground and glared at Luna. “What trickery is THIS?”
Luna matched Nightmare Moon's glare and walked forward. “This is no trickery, Nightmare Moon. This is their future, either under the Tyrant Filly's reign or if you usurp her as you are now. I know from personal experience how difficult–“
Nightmare Moon fired a beam of magic from her horn, enveloping Luna and vaporizing her. “You will CEASE this prattling! I want their love and adoration, not their demise!”
Luna suddenly reformed next to Nightmare Moon. She let out a sigh as Nightmare Moon cantered to her right in shock. “As I was saying before being interrupted, I know how difficult it is to accept this, but it's true. This is Equestria's fate with Eternal Night.” She waved a foreleg at the graves. “Are you really so surprised? Even I had some inkling before learning the full truth.”
Nightmare Moon rounded around to face Luna once more. “N-no! I have no intention of doing this! I will ensure all of my subjects are well cared for! They will love me for what I do for them! This is some fantasy, concocted by someone who has no idea of our true powers!” She chuckled and shook her head. “Perhaps the Elements removed more than you think they did, my dear counterpart.” She craned her head up and around. “Tell me, is it my imagination, or is your horn a little shorter than before?”
Luna turned and looked to the graves. Snow had begun to fall. “They removed my blindness to plain facts and the truth. This world barely exists with the sun on the horizon. Do you really think it could last without it?” She looked to the sky as another moon rose into the sky, a pale-gray orb. “Our magic is great, but it cannot substitute for the sun.”
The wind kicked up. Nightmare Moon flinched slightly while Luna stood, not even her mane or tail ruffling. “The cold, the dark, all closing in on them. On you. The plants would die, depriving the animals of the base of the food chain even worse than how it is now. They would die, and then the ponies themselves would pass.”
Nightmare Moon suddenly turned and lunged at Luna, but Luna's body wavered, turning translucent and allowing her counterpart to pass through her. Luna turned even as Nightmare Moon skidded and stumbled in the snow, solidifying once more. “And on a throne of ice would sit a beautiful, terrible princess, her heart almost as cold as the frozen wasteland she ruled. The land will be covered in snow, the only sounds the wind as it howls, sounding more like the cries of the dead. All that the ponies built would fall into decay and ruin, swallowed up by drifting mounds of snow and ice. That will be the result of Eternal Night, Nightmare Moon. That will be your legacy, if the word 'legacy' can be applied.”
Nightmare Moon stood and turned, lunging at Luna once more. She passed through Luna again, this time striking the snow and falling through the snow. She plummeted through space, flapping her wings but unable to gain control of her fall. She suddenly landed on a stone floor, the breath driven from her body.
A few minutes passed before Nightmare Moon stirred and raised her head. She saw a snow globe on the floor in front of her. Curiosity overtook her and she floated it over. Even in Nightmare Moon's telekinetic grip it felt heavy and wobbled around. Inside was a miniature version of Canterlot. The water surrounding it was frozen solid, the flakes suspended in mid-float. Her eyes lost their focus and the globe dropped to the floor, shattering and sending shards of glass spraying out.
Luna emerged from the shadows. “And that is Equestria's fate, as well as your own if you continue down this path.” The tip of her horn glowed as she slowly approached Nightmare Moon and kept her eyes locked on her counterpart.
Nightmare Moon slowly rose, keeping her head down. Her mane hung straight down, covering half her face and neck. “I just want them to love me, to admire me like Celestia.” She closed her eyes and her body shook. “It's not fair, not fair! She got all the love, all the attention. I want that, too. It's not right!” Her head shot up and she locked eyes with Luna. “You know what I'm talking about, too! Don't try to deny it, either. You're me. You were THERE!”
Luna nodded. “I know your feelings, Nightmare Moon. They are mine, yes. Or rather, they were.” She placed a hoof on her barrel and stared off to the side. The floor faded, leaving them hanging in the ether once more. “Jealousy and hatred blinded you. The ponies hid during the night because of the dangers just outside their homes, not because they feared you.”
Nightmare Moon scoffed and shook her head. “I fought those dangers. We fought those dangers. We did our best for them, but it meant nothing.”
“So they deserve to freeze to death?” Luna retorted, her gaze sharpening. “Their worst 'sin' was, what, neglecting us? Hardly one that calls for their slow, tortuous demise.”
Nightmare Moon bared her fangs and snarled. “Will you stop that? I will not kill them!”
Luna nodded to her. “You're right. You won't kill them. The cold will do that instead. They will suffer lingering, slow deaths because ponies a thousand or so years ago stayed inside during the night. That seems quite fair to me. Does it seem fair to you?”
Nightmare Moon opened her mouth, but closed it. She slowly shook her head. “I won't kill them,” she repeated. Her eyes narrowed and flashed white. She raised her horn and fired a beam of magic at Luna. “Stop saying that!”
The beam enveloped Luna and she suddenly turned to ice. It shattered and blew off in a sudden gust of wind. The ice shards flew about before spiraling about and compacting together into Luna again. “I say it because it's the truth, a truth you need to hear and understand. And please don't try that again. We both know physical attacks are meaningless here.”
Nightmare Moon stomped on the ether. “I will not be talked to like a foal!”
“Then stop acting like a foal and listen to me!” Luna said, an edge to her voice. “What I am telling you is the truth, whether you wish to believe it or not. Eternal Night will destroy this land and leave it full of corpses. We've seen how much suffering has happened with the sun mostly taken away. Things would be worse with its total absence. So stop plugging your ears and listen!”
Nightmare Moon growled. “All right, fine. I will bring back the sun. Then all here will flock to my sister once more. I'll have gained nothing!”
Luna shook her head. “No. You'll have gained perspective, as well as the maturity to put others before your own desires. You'll have saved countless lives – neigh, the planet – and you'll have proven that you can see beyond your own muzzle.” She paused for a moment. “Please, show that you can look beyond your own ego, to those you swore to protect. I know how you felt, how you feel now. I've been there, as much as you.”
Nightmare Moon closed her eyes, and responded.
“The only thing we can do right now is wait and hope for the best.”
Nightmare Moon's eyes suddenly snapped open, sending Twilight skittering back in shock. She waited for Luna to open her eyes before bowing her head. “Very well.” She looked to Twilight, who was sitting on her haunches. “What are you doing on the floor?”
Twilight scrambled to her hooves. “W-well, I was just expecting whatever it was you were talking about would've taken longer.” She looked to Luna. “So... what did you talk about?”
Luna pointed a hoof at Nightmare Moon. “Please ask her.”
Both Twilight and Mayor Mare turned to Nightmare Moon, who shifted ever so slightly under their expectant eyes. “The time for talking is past,” she finally said, stomping a hoof on the floor and sending her audience hopping into the air by nearly a foot. “I know what must be done. The Tyrant Filly must be stopped... and the sun must rise once more over Equestria.”