//------------------------------// // Laughter or Darkness // Story: Laughter or Darkness // by Starlitomega //------------------------------// A humid breeze danced through Luna's mane, setting it aflutter in the wind. Breaking waves upon the shore tickled her ears as waterfowl crowed and cawed in the sky. Opening her eyes, Luna found herself at the beach. Sand, sun, and ocean stretched as far as her eyes could see. Truly a picturesque setting. "Do you like it, sister?" The hair on Luna's back raised in equal parts fear and anger.  "You're no sister of mine, Nightmare Moon." The night-black alicorn, dressed in her regalia, shook her head admonishingly. Nightmare's shoes left light indentations in the sand as she paced around Luna. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Your words wound me. They are not without truth, however. I suppose the truth is, I'm less of your sister, and more like your shadow. I am the embodiment of everything you reject. Still, it would be nice for a little appreciation. I thought you might like your final struggle to be in a more inspiring place than the darkness." "It's a bit premature to call victory before the battle starts, don't you think?" Luna taunted. Nightmare Moon's cackling drowned out the entire world. There was no hesitation, no doubt in that maniacal laugh. It chilled Luna to the bone. "Oh, I don't think it's premature at all. In fact, it's been a long time coming. You see, you've denied, thrown away, and disowned what makes you most powerful. You're afraid of the darkness. I thrive in the darkness. That is why my victory is already assured." Gritting her teeth, Luna fired a beam of energy straight for Nightmare's heart. The villain retaliated, meeting the beam with her own. The two streams of energy connected, sizzling in the air. The smell of ozone cut into the wind as their struggle raged on. "That won't work, 'Princess'," Nightmare taunted. "We are one and the same, which means our magic is also evenly matched." Both ponies ceased their attacks, ending the stalemate. An uneasy silence built between them as they stared into each other's eyes, looking for a moment of weakness. "I suppose there's only one way to resolve this then," Luna said, lowering herself into a fighting stance. "That's right... no magic, no tricks. Just you and I, and our iron hooves to settle this battle. I hope you brought an ice pack, sister!" In a flash, the black alicorn closed the distance between them in a long stride. With her hoof outstretched, she aimed right between Luna's eyes. Luna sidestepped the attack and grabbed Nightmare's hoof. In one fluid movement, she turned shifting her weight low, and threw Nightmare over her shoulder to the ground. "Urgh!" Nightmare looked up in time to see Luna's hoof coming straight for her head. She rolled to the right and jumped, latching onto her opponent. Holding Luna's left hoof in place, she pounded Luna in the face with her free hoof, landing three harsh blows. Dazed and stunned by the shock to her head, Luna barely found the strength to lash out with her other hoof, striking Nightmare square between the eyes, causing her to cry out. Both ponies stumbled back, trying to shake the pain from the vicious blows. Touching her lips softly, Luna looked down at her hoof and saw a streak of crimson, fresh from her mouth. Dream or not, it still hurt quite badly. "Take this!" Luna looked up in time to see Nightmare leaping into the air, headed straight for her. Luna rolled to the ground and kicked out, connecting with Nightmare's ribcage. A satisfying crack let her know the attack hit home. Nightmare didn't stay down long, however. She rose to her hooves and smiled at Luna. "Not bad. Not bad at all. I wonder how long you can keep it up." Luna wiped her lips, and spat onto the sand. "As long as I have to." The fight continued unabated. The raging alicorns swapped blow for blow, yet, only Luna showed any sign of slowing down. Lashing out with her right hoof, Luna realized she had made a mistake. Nightmare grabbed her foreleg and pivoted on her hind legs. With a short windup, she tossed Luna several yards away, head first into the sand. "Uggghhh," Luna groaned. She spit out a mouthful of red sand and rolled over, shooting a glare at the maniacal villain sneering down at her. I don't know how much more of this I can take... The sound of crunching sand made Luna's ears perk up. She craned her stiff neck around to see what could have made such a noise. "H-huh?" Behind her stood an earth pony with a long flowing mane and tail. With her pink coloring and blindfold, Luna had no trouble identifying the pony. Nightmare Moon shook her head, a bemused smile gracing her face. "Well, well, well. You seem a bit lost, Pinkie Pie. You thought you could just march in here and save your petty crush? If you're offering me your life, I'll have to take it." "You're making a big mistake," Luna said, rising to her hooves with a smile of her own. The pink pony took off like a shot, her hooves digging into and kicking out sand. Nightmare lowered her horn, preparing to skewer the charging mare. Less than a foot away, the pink pony jumped neatly over the dangerously sharp horn. As she sailed over Nightmare's head, she latched her back legs onto the alicorn's neck. Using her momentum, she did a front flip, lifting Nightmare off the ground and sending her sailing into the air. Luna and the pink pony watched as the alicorn flew through the air, flailing like a windmill. Luna flinched as Nightmare finally hit the ground, nearly thirty yards away, head first into the sand. The pink pony slowly raised her head at her opponent, still recovering from the throw. "My name is Pinkamena." "What in Equestria are you doing here?" Luna asked. Pinkamena turned, looking directly into Luna's eyes. "I'm here to help." "You have to get out of here! I don't know how, but she's gotten stronger!" Luna urged. Pinkamena shook her head. "No, she hasn't. She's weaker now than she's ever been. She knows you're getting better every day. She's making her move while she still can. Together we can defeat her." Pinkamena's words made sense. The desperation in Nightmare's actions only served to reinforce her claim. With renewed strength, Luna stood up and walked over to Pinkamena. Together, they stood defiantly at Nightmare Moon who had just extracted herself from the sand. "Let's stop her, once and for all," Luna said. Pinkamena nodded, and lowered herself to ground in a combative pose. "Thank you for coming on such short notice," Celestia said to her guests, leading them into Luna’s quarters. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity stood around Luna and Pinkie's comatose bodies lying on the bed. "How long have they been like this?" Twilight asked. "I'm not sure," Celestia replied. "I found them like this yesterday morning when Luna failed to lower the moon. I've never been proficient at dream magic, so I could not break through to see what exactly is happening, but I believe Luna has subconsciously called upon Pinkie's help to defeat Nightmare Moon." A collective gasp spread throughout the group. "Nightmare Moon? But I thought we already sent her butt packing!" Rainbow objected. Applejack pushed the hovering pegasus aside. "Yeah, how in tarnation could she come back?" "You did indeed defeat her physical form, but a spiritual form still resides in her heart, looking for the right moment of weakness." Celestia left her seat and placed a hoof upon Twilight's shoulder. "I called you here for an important reason. If Nightmare wins out, she could inhabit both of them.” “Both of them? How?” Rarity asked. “By calling Pinkie Pie into her dream, she’s opened a conduit that Nightmare Moon could travel through if she is victorious. I need all of you here to cleanse Pinkie Pie in case that happens, so that we may use the elements to remove Nightmare Moon once again." Twilight nodded and gently touched Pinkie's hoof. "I... I understand, princess." "Urgh!" Luna fought for air after a vicious body blow forced the oxygen out of her lungs. She had only  split-second to look up in time to see another hook headed straight for her head. "Not this time!" Pinkamena stepped in and grabbed Nightmare, bringing her front right knee into the villain's midsection and causing her to grunt in pain. For what felt like hours now, the three ponies engaged in a visceral fight, none of them backing down, yet all bearing wounds from the struggle. After many successive strikes, Luna's left eye had swollen shut from the painful hooks to the face. A crimson trickle played at the corner of her lips, staining the sand in several spots. Nightmare Moon fared no better. After a particularly nasty blow, the villain's helmet had shattered, cutting her right eye and blurring her vision. Were it not for her dark coloring, the bruising on her chest would have been obvious. Of the three, Pinkamena had the least damage, but a few stray blows here and there had opened a cut on the mare's cheek. The multitude of strikes had taken its toll on Luna's balance. She struggled to stay on her hooves, until she felt a strong hoof grab her. "We cannot afford to keep fighting like this," Pinkamena said. "I-I know," Luna replied, catching her breath. Both ponies watched as Nightmare Moon stood up, ready for another round. "Luna, when the time comes, do not hesitate," Pinkamena said, letting go of the alicorn slowly. Luna didn't know what the guardian meant by her words. She watched as Pinkamena marched forward against Nightmare, heedless of the danger. "Hey, you!" Pinkamena shouted. "I'm talking to you, you half-grown child!" A growl escaped Nightmare's lips as she opened her wings in anger. "What did you call me?" "I called you a child, an infant, an impudent adolescent who never bothered to grow up. Only a child could be stupid and petty enough to continue fighting for such a senseless cause as 'eternal night'," Pinkamena ranted. "Watch your tongue, peasant!" Nightmare shouted, venom dripping from her voice. "Why? Do you believe I have something to fear from you? I don't. I don't fear children who throw temper tantrums. I don't fear you." "You shut your mouth, you insolent flea! You will fear me!" Nightmare shouted. Her horn burst into a dark aura, grabbing Pinkamena by the neck. The pink pony struggled in Nightmare's grip, trying futilely to break the magical grasp. With a forceful slam, Pinkamena hit the sand. Raising her still body into the air, Nightmare smiled and tossed her to the side. "Worthless figmen—gah!" Nightmare cried out as burning pain enveloped her. She struggled through the powerful beam, and saw Luna bringing the full force of her magical capabilities to bear. Craning her neck through the agonizing pain, Nightmare fired a counter spell, nullifying the beam… but the damage had been done. Luna's lips curled up in satisfaction as she surveyed her nearly-broken opponent. Whatever armor she had left was severely cracked and damaged. Nightmare's own form had actually shrunk, diminished of its power. "A most impressive strategy, sister. I do have a little something planned, however, just for you." The sand, the sun, the sky… all of it vanished. A chill ran down Luna's back as a howling wind started. Snowflakes fell in sheets, and cold air stung her eyes. In just a few moments the beach had transformed fully into a blizzard. "What's the matter? I thought you liked it here," the voice taunted her. Luna held a hoof up to her eyes, squinting, as she tried to peer through the darkness. "I did like it here, but I was misguided… naive… just like you!" "Naive? Me? How dare you! I just showed you what you failed to see! These ponies hate you! They hate your night, they hate everything you are, and they hate everything you stand for! Oh sure, it's a thousand-year-old pity party now, but give it a hundred years or so. Things will go right back to the way they were. Face the truth, dear sister; we are creatures of the dark. This is where you belong." Those words rang in Luna's ears. Suddenly, it struck her. She closed her eyes and focused on the voice. In the midst of the chaos, she zeroed in on the venomous tongue, dripping with hate. "You're right." "What did you say?" Nightmare asked through the veil of snow. "I said, you're right. I've been so frightened of the darkness, so fearful of what I might do... what I might become." Cackling echoed around Luna. "That's strange. That almost sounds like you're starting to see the truth." Thinking back to the meditation lessons Celestia had given her, Luna drowned out the wind and snow. In her world, only two entities existed: her, and the shadow which stalked her for so long. "I have seen the truth. I am the ruler of the night. For far too long I've stood idly by and let you run rampant, terrorizing innocents. This is my domain, my throne, and I'm through shirking my responsibility." Maniacal laughter cut through the blizzard, tapering off into a smug tone. "You're joking, right? Now you're ready to take back the night? It's too late. That power is now mine." Luna turned and fired a beam of light from her horn into the blizzard, nailing her target square in the chest and pinning her in the air. Nightmare Moon screeched, her voice reaching the far ends of the void as she struggled against Luna's onslaught. "Then I shall take it back!" Luna shouted as she closed the distance between them. "You see, Nightmare Moon, when I wake up, I'll be in the hooves of the one I love. That's what gives me the strength to fight, and what will allow me to banish you once and for all. Intensifying her beam, Luna put all her power behind the spell. Nightmare Moon cried out in agony as her form washed away slowly, becoming much smaller until she was just a few inches tall. "That pink meddler won't live forever! Just as before, something will separate you two! One day, when you're most vulnerable, I'll return, and then—" Luna put all her strength into the spell, sending the last pieces of the wicked mare drifting into the wind with a howl. "And then I'll defeat you again. I'll push you down every time you come back, because if there is one thing I am certain of, it is that the world has no need of a creature like you." The wind ceased its vicious howling and the snow came to a halt. Slowly, the blizzard faded as a white light engulfed the world. Luna's eyes scanned the void, searching desperately for her compatriot. Spotting a pink figure lying on the ground, she galloped as quickly as she could to the mare's side. "Pinkamena! Are you alright?" Luna asked, gently shaking the mare. The earth pony smiled and shakily rose to her hooves. Her mane was a mess, frizzing in every direction, and a few light bruises showed on her side from their struggle. "I-I'm fine. I knew you could defeat her." Luna pulled the mare close and nuzzled her softly. "Thank you. If it weren't for your aid, I don't know how differently these events may have transpired." Pinkamena smiled. “We should return before we are missed.” Luna nodded. “Right." Luna's horn burst into a blue aura. The dreamscape washed away, leaving the battlefield behind. Thump thump thump A rhythmic pounding caught Luna's attention as she roused from her sleep. She focused on the sound, letting it draw her back to the corporeal world. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw—most prominently—pink. At some point during their struggle, Pinkie Pie had laid her head on Luna's chest. I knew I wouldn't wake up alone. Not this time. A flash of purple made Luna's head jerk up in surprise... and what a surprise it was. Twilight Sparkle, her friends, Celestia, and Cadance had apparently decided to take up residence in her quarters. The thumping, which had awoken Luna, came from none other than Twilight, as she nervously trotted back and forth in front of the bed. Twilight's nervous pacing aside, the other ponies were sound asleep, sitting in chairs brought from the assembly hall. Fluttershy in particular wielded an impressive line of drool, which stretched from the corner of her mouth onto Rarity's shoulder. Suddenly, Pinkie raised her head. Through bleary eyes, she stared at Luna for a moment as a smile flashed upon her face. The pink pony threw her hooves around Luna's neck, nuzzling the alicorn like a stuffed animal. "Pinkie, we are not alone," Luna whispered. Pinkie turned and looked at the ponies in the room, still oblivious to the fact that they had awoken. "Is this a surprise slumber party? I don't think I've ever had one of those." Twilight's head jerked up and she ceased her pacing. With a speed that would make even Rainbow raise her eyebrows, Twilight zoomed over to Celestia and shook her vigorously. "She's awake! C'mon, get up!" Twilight's shouting caused the other ponies to stir, as well. Before long, Luna found her bed swarmed by the crowd of anxious ponies. "We were so worried!" "Is Pinkie Pie alright?" "Did you two kick Nightmare Moon's flank?" Luna’s raised her hooves to silence them. "Okay, okay, one at a time please. I swear, you ponies act like fillies sometimes." "Sister," Celestia began, pushing the others aside. Her brow was creased in concern. "are you well?" "I'm fine, sister. Nightmare Moon's power was dwindling. She thought to make a final stand against me. As you can tell, though, she failed." Pushing through the crowd, Rainbow hovered over the bed. "What about Pinkie Pie?" "She helped me fight back against the tyrant." Pinkie's ears swiveled, her face scrunched in confusion. "I did?" Luna nodded, bringing her nose to Pinkie's. "Yes, you did. I am forever in your debt." Pinkie's eyes lit up in pride and happiness. A moment later, she opened her mouth wide, letting out a yawn. "I'm still kinda sleepy." Luna nodded, giving a yawn of her own. "Me too. That fighting really wore me out." "More sleep it is, then!" Pinkie announced, letting her head fall upon Luna's chest once again.   "Sounds splendid." "But... you two have been asleep for two days now! It's time to wake up!" Celestia protested, pushing forward a box of pastries. "I even brought doughnuts!" Using her magic, Luna grabbed one of the doughnuts from the box and tossed it onto Celestia's horn. "Later, sis." Without another word, Luna closed her eyes as the audience of ponies gathered round stared in confusion. As they started shuffling out the door, something hit Luna. "Sister, wait!" Celestia and the others halted in their tracks. "Yes?" Luna raised a hoof and pointed between her wardrobe and the balcony. "When I awaken, have the guards bring in a bookshelf and place it there. Something… pink." Celestia smiled and with a nod walked out the room. "Are you gonna eat that?" said a voice from outside her room. "Rainbow Dash! There's a whole box of doughnuts here! Why do you want the one on Celestia's horn?" Twilight shouted. "I dunno." Luna gripped Pinkie just a little bit tighter. “And they all think you're weird…” she muttered.