//------------------------------// // A Mother's Love // Story: The Moon Worshiper After the Fact: Dream Wedding. // by CreatureofTheNight //------------------------------// Tonight is the night. Months of planning, of preparation, of skill and of time and patience have all come down to this. One event, one love finally given the ultimate recognition as it shakes the heavens. The wedding of Princess Luna and her knight, her beloved first coltfriend, Dark Sidewinder. She could not have been happier for today than any other day of her entire life (which considering her age) had been a pretty long night. Dark and her had worked so hard to get to this point... They had tried trial, after trial, after trial with each other. There were some times she wanted to smack Dark for allowing some of those trials to turn into a mountain. However, she didn't care. This was her day, with her stallion. Tonight was the ultimate night. Celestia had agreed to take over on moon duty for this one night, just so Dark and Luna could have their moment. Luna smiled as she remembered how lucky she was to have Celestia. While she isn't looking forward to it, her sister's advice on how to deal with Dark's eventual demise had helped her become a better mare. She had a long life ahead with him, and that long life would create so many memories and so much joy that their father would be smiling down from the sky above proud of his youngest daughter. However, with one thought of a parent, came the other. The Queen of Dreams... It had been so long since Luna thought about her mother. Her mother, the pony who raised her. Her mother, the pony who had trained her to raise the moon. Her mother, the kindest Queen Equestria had ever had. Her mother...the pony who tried to put all of Equestria to sleep with her foul magic. Her mother who tried to kill her fiancé in a fit of mad ideals and darkness. Her mother...the lunatic. Luna's demeanour changed noticeably as she sighed to herself. However, she instantly slipped, an (albeit fake) smile onto her features when she heard the door open and Dark came trotting in. He smiled. "I can't believe that tonight's gonna be the night! he said excitedly. "We're gonna be married!" Luna smiled. "Yes." The single word was authentic; she couldn't wait for tonight either. Tonight would be the greatest night of her life. Everypony who's anypony would be there. Well...all but...one... Remembering her thoughts, Luna's mood dipped so much that Dark took notice of it. "Luna,"he asked, concern building his face. "Are you gonna be okay?" "What?" Luna asked. She shook her head and paused. "Oh, no...I'm fine." Dark raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I was just thinking about something." "Thinking about what?" He had to ask. Not wanting to lie to Dark, Luna sighed. "I was thinking about mother." Dark immediately paled and Luna bowed her head. "In times of old," she began, "when a Stallion proposed to a Mare, he asked the permission of her parents, getting their approval before he...pops the question." Dark blushed and swallowed. He had asked Celestia if it was okay to marry Luna. She said yes and looked at him like he was strange when he had done so, telling him that he was already family to her in any case. It was a nice feeling. Dark gazed at Luna who smiled wanly. "As a filly, I always thought that when I got married, Father and Mother would throw the grandest of balls to celebrate, Celestia would be my Maid of Honor, and I would dance with my handsome prince while my parents looked on, thinking about how happy I was, and how incredible it would be to have a new member of the family" She let out a deep sigh as Dark tried to say something, but she simply continued. "However, it was just a dream wasn't it? My father is dead, my mother is in a permanent sleep, deep in Tartarus..." She bit her lip. "It took a thousand years to get to this point, and the only thing that stayed the same was my sister; at least she's my Maid of Honor." She kissed Dark on the cheek. "Though honestly...I think I got a better trade off than the handsome prince" Dark smiled dreamily at her words...when suddenly, something occurred to him. "Princess Luna...can you create a shared dream? " "Yes why?" Luna asked, pausing at the seemingly random question Luna asked "Well, if you're missing your mom...why don't we visit the sleeping Queen in her dreams?" Luna blanched. "Are you crazy!?" she yelled. "Don't forget what she tried to do to Equestria...what she did do to you!" Dark paused...it wasn't as though he could forget. He winced in pain as suddenly, the memories of battle burned into his skin. However, he shook his head. Luna needed this. She rolled her eyes."I...I know she's my mom but..." "Luna..." Dark interrupted "Perhaps that's why we need to do this. Don't you think that your mother should know that you're moving on with your life, and that you're gonna be happy? As evil as she is, she needs to know that." Luna hesitated, then lowered her gaze, relenting. "Will...will you come with me?" she whispered. "Of course," Dark said softly. He offered his hoof to her and Luna held it in returned. "I always will be with you." Luna merely smiled as she lowered her horn to Dark's head. Immediately, the two fell asleep. In Luna's dream realm, they walked past door after door. The line was long and Dark began picking out which doors belonged to which pony. He smirked as he looked at his own and realized how meta the experience was. However, Luna called to him and he ran up to her. She was looking at a door that was as red as lava with a handle as black as night. She clenched her teeth...she wasn't unsure. Dark placed his hoof on the door as she placed her hoof on his. "Ready?" he asked. "No," she replied quietly. Slowly, they opened the door. Inside, they found something they had never expected to see... It was beautiful. The sun was shining, the birds chirping, the weather was...even in the dream...warm and inviting. It was quite the contrast to what Dark and Luna were expecting. Luna looked on as the dream-filly version of her trotted to her mother. "Momma," she said, "there's some strangers here. One of 'em looks a lot like me." Nuit paused and turned her head upwards."You don't say," she hissed. Her eyes shifted to a glare. "Why don't you go play with in your room with Celestia?" "Big girl stuff?" The filly Luna asked quietly. "Really big mare stuff" Nuit replied as she slowly stood. Luna bit her lip. "Oh don't worry there are still fifty foot statues of me everywhere, and everypony still calls me the super goddess of awesomeness," she noted sarcastically. The filly glared reproachfully at her, before turning on her hooves and running out of sight. Nuit glared at Dark behind Luna as Luna gulped slightly. "Well...he's unexpected...is he here to rub it in? That with all my god-like power, all my strength, and all my glory...I had problems with an insignificant thestral fly." "Mother," Luna said. Dark had expected fear, but her tone was stronger. Gentler...protective. "Please do not talk about my special somepony like that." Nuit paused as Dark smiled. Sure, hehe had heard the term used to describe him before, and from Luna's lips at that...but his heart still fluttered every time she heard it. "Your special somepony?" Nuit commented 'Well...you certainly have been a busy girl while I've been out." She glared at Dark. "Congratulations." Her tone was appropriate for speaking to a rather large pile of crap. "Mother..." Luna started. "Don't you "mother" me, Luna, " Nuit snapped. "I was this close, this close to having a better world, a peaceful world, a world where nopony has to fear a changeling impersonating their spouse, where no pony becomes power mad and tries to create eternal night, where no centaur could suddenly awaken and steal magic, where there are no problems because nopony or any creature can hurt one another." "I admit that does sound nice," Dark started. He sighed and lowered his gaze. "But all you'd be doing is dooming them to a lie. It's great to get what you want too, but peace can't be achieved through lies and illusion." Luna nodded. "Not to mention basic survival needs." "You sound just like your father," Nuit said bitterly. "Always telling me that I'm wrong, that I'm going crazy, that I've lost my mind. No...for once, everything in my life is clear. There never was an example of true peace in the waking world. Look here..." The flash of a silloutte in the dark made Luna shy away in fear. "In the waking world...he's no longer there. Here...he's alive and well." Nuit said. Dark frowned. Was she really talking about Luna's father. Luna's lip quivered. "Daddy..." she stumbled. Dark's heart twisted...she sounded like a little filly. Dark's eyes blazed. "Stop it, Nuit. You're playing mind games with her! She's my special somepony too, and I will not allow you to toy with her mind like that." "I'm just showing her the perfect world...a world without pain," Nuit responded, watching Luna as she gazed at the shadow of her father soaring in the sky. She than saw her little filly self flying towards him along with a filly Celestia and the three of them started playing in the sky like they had done when they were young. "A world where there are more than just four alicorns...Luna, Celestia, Twilight, and Cadence are the only ones left now." A tear rolled down Luna's cheek. "This world..." Nuit continued. "That pain has ended" "Well, who says pain's a bad thing?" Dark countered. Nuit to glared at him and Luna turned to him in shock as she snapped out of her trance. "Pain can be a motivator. If I was truly content with being in a dream-like state, I would have stayed in the Everfree forest only talking to Luna with letters, blissfully mumbling to the moon. However, I never was happy...I was in pain with that choice I had made with my life. It motivated me, along with six brave ponies, to try to meet her. Now look at us...we're about to get married. The world can't be without pain, it needs it!" "It...needs it? How so?" Nuit asked, amused. "Look at what we're doing now. The only reason why we are here was because Luna's pain over missing you was too strong. Pain makes people grow and get better and your daughter is living proof of that," Dark hissed. A slow smile spread across Luna's face. "My pain caused me to love my sister more when it ended. It made me appreciate what I did have. It made me let go..." Nuit glared and said "You lie..." "I don't lie," Luna said quietly. "Mother...I was hoping that maybe your time here would ease your mind. But it's clear that my sister's right...you're too far gone" Nuit paused as Luna continued. "Yet it was still nice to see you again mother. It was nice to see Father again too...I miss him..." Suddenly the Queen of Dreams asked a question that surprised Luna. "How did your father die? You keep saying it was an accident, but...what are you talking about?" "Celestia and I were playing in the garden of our castle and there was a loose gargoyle that our servants failed to notice. Father did, but only as it fell towards us...Celestia and me, I mean.He reacted quickly and pushed us out of the way, taking the gargoyle himself." She brushed tears from her eyes, tears suddenly mirrored in her mother's. "He...died telling us...how proud of us he was..." Nuit closed her eyes in visible pain. "Lightwalker....thank you. You always did put the kids above your own needs," she muttered. Dark smiled slightly as the dream world came crumbling down. Luna glanced around and saw that they were now inside Nuit's cell in Tartarus. Her mother was curled up pathetically in the corner. Luna realized Dark that they were floating outside and then paled as another realisation hit them. Luna wasn't using her dream walking spell anymore. "Shock," Dark said quietly "That's how you break that spell...your mother...shocked herself." Luna paused, seeing Nuit placed her head against the cold ground. "I see..." She sighed as she realized that she was now looking at them. "Have a wonderful marriage you two." For the first time since Dark had known her, and for the first time in a while in Luna's eyes, Nuit slowly smiled a genuine, happy smile that wasn't of sadistic intent. "I'm proud of you, daughter of mine." "Celestia keeps pictures of all the wedding's in Equestria" Luna said with tears of joy slipping out of her eyes. That tone...this was her mother, not some crazed lunatic. Dark placed a hoof to his mouth as Luna wept three, simple, beautiful words flooded with tears: "I love you!" "I love you too" Nuit said replied softly. And then, The Queen of Dreams laid her head on the cold, stone floor, remembering her husband, her daughters...and a life forever lost to her broken soul.