Luna stood stock still, supporting the full weight of the alicorn who was hanging onto her for dear life. Every couple of seconds, the black mare would whimper or let out another sob. Luna herself was in shock what she saw, the voice she could hear. It led to a conclusion she just couldn’t accept: Celestia had fallen to the Nightmare.
Slowly, and ever so carefully, Luna bent her knees and slowly sunk to the ground. Celestia, or whatever she now was calling herself, simply sank down with her as if all of her bones had vanished. Luna closed her eyes and allowed her horn to flare, pushing down the moon and forcing herself to ignore the remnants of the Nightmare’s magic. She paused, glancing down at the mare still clinging to her. Broken… She reacts as if she’s broken. Momentarily, she opened her mouth to request her to raise the sun, but shook her head. Something was clearly wrong, but now was not the time to figure it out. The sun needed to be raised.
Luna glanced out the window, trying to remember the last time she had raised the sun or even if she ever had. She squeezed her eyes shut and reached tentatively for the sun waiting right under the horizon. Slowly, she felt the sting from the heat as if it were testing her. Luna wasn’t surprised though; ever since attempting to bring eternal night, she and her sister’s charge hadn’t been exactly on speaking terms.
I know I’m not who you were expecting, but please, you must rise. There is something wrong with your warden. Once things with her are better, I swear to you that she will happily return to her duties, but, until such a time, I beseech thee. Allow me to warden you.
After a few moments, Luna felt the stinging sensation pass and the sun began to peek up over the horizon, a sight which had Luna slump even as she was relieved. Oh, Tia, what have you allowed to happen? Why, Sister…?
Luna gently reached back with her magic and pulled her sister’s forelegs from around her neck and laid her down upon the cold marble floor. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the sight before her. The black alicorn mare was no larger than her elder sister, though that was not so surprising. After all, Nightmare Moon was roughly the same size as Celestia. Her wings were still roughly the same shape, a fact that mildly surprised Luna. After all, when she had been within the Nightmare’s grasp her wings had been changed into a form even more frightening than what Luna normally thought her wings were, not that she felt that way anymore. In fact, she had become quite fond of them, but seeing Celestia’s swan-like wings dyed a deep black... It was disturbing.
Like a fallen angel…
Ever so slowly, Luna kicked one of her shoes off and ran the bottom of her hoof over Celestia’s fur. It was soft; it even felt new, like the fur of a foal. Luna shook her head, taking in Celestia’s cutie mark. A bit darker in color, but no huge change. Finally, her eyes took in the crackling mane and tail waving around; no longer as if in a celestial wind, but as if an out of control blaze. Taking a deep breath, Luna reached a hoof out and placed it upon her mane. It was warm, but, to Luna’s relief, there would be no chance of even a mortal being burned upon it.
Luna suddenly stopped as she felt somepony—or creature—watching her. Ever so slowly, she looked down and caught the gaze of Celestia. Her eyes glowed with a golden light, though the pupils she retained were that of a normal pony and not the serpentine ones which Luna had worn as Nightmare Moon. Luna swallowed hard as she gazed into them; these were not the eyes of a monster, a being which needed to be defeated. No, she knew this look. It was the same one she saw whenever Celestia saw Luna struggling with something she had missed in the past one thousand years. Grief and pain... Oh, Tia, what have you done…
“Tia? Tia, can you hear me?” Luna’s hoof began to gently stroke Celestia’s mane. “Can you answer me, Celestia?”
The mare blinked, new tears trailed after the dozens before them to stain the fur under her eyes. “Lu…”
Luna smiled, refusing to allow her sister to see any emotion but love from her. “Yes, I’m here, Tia. I’m here.”
Celestia closed her eyes and turned her head away from Luna. “Leave me…”
Luna shook her head. “Never! Do you think I don’t know? Celestia, I know better than anypony else what you are feeling. Let me help you, and, together, we can defeat the Nightmare. I am cer—”
“There is no need…” Celestia interrupted, her voice quiet and hoarse from the sobbing.
“What do you mean there is no need? Celestia, you are not invicta, and I am not Umbra anymore! Let me help you!” Luna choked back a sob. “You are not alone. I’m not going anywhere; not now, not ever.”
“I… I know that, Luna... It is just that there is no Nightmare to defeat…” Celestia slowly sat up and looked into Luna’s eyes as her own once more filled with tears. “There is no Nightmare to defeat. I killed it.”
Luna stared as the two tears escaped her sister’s eyes. “Killed it? But if that is true, th-then why?”
“Do I look this way?” Celestia replied, her voice as quiet as a whisper. In fact, Luna wondered if her sister could speak any louder. She doubted it.
“Yes. Do you know, Tia?” Luna placed her hoof on top of Celestia’s and was startled as she quickly withdrew it. “Tia?”
“D-don’t touch me….p-please Luna, I don’t want to infect you.” Celestia held her hoof up and away from Luna as if it was on fire.
“Celestia, you know now as well as I do that the Nightmare does not work like that, now please talk to me… What is going on?”
Celestia bowed her head, staring at the hard, cold ground. “She… it, I suppose, tricked me. The Nightmare made me think that if I gave it control then I would have the strength I needed to defeat whatever threatened my… our ponies. What a foal I was to believe her…”
Luna placed her hoof under Celestia’s chin and lifted her head so she could look into her sister’s eyes. “Shhh... She is or was a manipulator to you. She offered strength when she came to me, she offered the love and recognition I wanted from our ponies. Do not bear shame at falling for her sweet lies.”
Celestia stared into Luna’s eyes which showed naught but love for her elder sister, and smiled the barest bit of a smile. “I… will try not to blame myself, but that is all I can offer, alright Luna?”
“For now it will suffice. So, once she convinced you to give her control you found yourself locked within a cage, didn’t you?” A small nod was Luna’s only response as she sighed, rolling her eyes. “Well, at least she was consistent... So tell me, how did you escape?”
“You helped me.” Celestia licked her lips, “And Cadance, even Twilight... you all helped me.”
Luna nodded. “Visions of us? Your mind truly surprises me, Celestia.”
Celestia’s ears pinned back as a small hint of red graced her cheeks for a single moment. “You always find some manner in which to tease me, Luna.”
“But of course, Celestia. After all, I am your dear baby sister. Now what happened next?” Luna urged Celestia to finish with a soft nuzzle of her cheek.
“Twilight, she had a key. Once I took it the cage I was held within exploded in a flash of sunlight. It was then that the Nightmare noticed me. She stated she was going to destroy the Elements... th-that she planned to remove Twilight’s horn.” Celestia’s mane seemed to crackle more as her hooves pressed more firmly into the marble, causing a spider web-like crack in the floor. Luna cooed gently as she leaned in for another nuzzle. “I… I’m sorry, but remembering that…”
“Nothing to apologize for, Tia. If it had been me I most likely would have reacted in a similar manner. Please go on?” Luna pulled back from the nuzzle but took one of Celestia’s hooves into her own.
“I was just so very furious, Luna, then I remembered the key Twilight had given me. The bars had exploded into sunlight when inserted into the lock of the cage the Nightmare had fabricated, so I… I thrust it into her eye socket.”
Luna blinked once or twice before nodding. “The sun destroyed her, didn’t it, Tia?”
“It did, but as she or it was dying, it laid a curse on me that my ponies would never see me as they once did, as I would wear this form the rest of my life.” Celestia released a shaky breath. “Luna, what am I to do? Nopony will believe I am me looking as I do.”
Luna opened her mouth then stopped, her ears pinning back. She knew Celestia was right. She herself had been healed of the Nightmare over a year prior and ponies still viewed her with suspicion. “We’ll figure it out, Celestia, I promise you.”
Celestia nodded, lifting a hoof to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Crying will do nothing to help me through this.”
A knock sounded on the door, causing both royal sisters to look up in surprise. Celestia swallowed hard. “Luna, you must answer. My voice is different, even I can tell that.”
Luna nodded, walking closer to the door. “Yes? Tis something the matter?”
“Not at all, Princess Luna. It is simply that Lady Twilight Sparkle wishes to spend some time with Princess Celestia before her scheduled departure this evening,” a muffled voice replied from the other side of the door.
One of Tia’s guards, obviously … but how am I going to be able to keep Twilight Sparkle from Tia? “I’m afraid Celestia is a bit under the weather and unable to receive guests.”
“Princess Luna? It’s me, Twilight. Please let me in, I promise I won't stay long or even make the Princess, er, I mean Princess Celestia get out of bed! I-I only want to see her.”
Luna could practically see Twilight’s ears pinned back against her head, worried for her teacher. Luna winced and turned to look to Celestia. What do I say? She mouthed to her to see Celestia peer around as if in a state of panic, before finally slumping and giving a single nod.
“Alright, Twilight Sparkle, alright... but only you may enter, is that fair?” Luna asked, her magic reaching out to unlock and open the door just wide enough to allow the small mare entry.
“Of course, Princess Luna. Thank you for the escort, Sir.” Twilight carefully pushed into the room, shutting the door behind her with a soft click, and the smile fading from her muzzle as her eyes took in the image of the large black mare where Princess Celestia should have been.
Twilight wordlessly gaped for a few moments before taking a step back, her pupils quickly shrinking. A whimper escaped her mouth as she looked into the glowing eyes of the black mare.
“T-twilight?” Celestia called in the most gentle manner she could. Unfortunately it was not gentle enough, as Twilight howled and backed into the door, her mouth opening to scream and her heart racing.
The door burst open, pushing Twilight away from the door as two unicorn guards raced in to stop and stare at Celestia. One of them gasped while the other snarled. “Nightmare Moon…”
“N-no I’m not Nightmare Moon! I’m not, please...” Celestia begged, taking a step back towards her bed. Her eyes darted back and forth as she saw their horns begin to glow with a stun spell.
“Stop!” Luna cried out in the royal canterlot voice, forcing the guards to slide backwards a bit. Twilight stared from where she had been tossed, curled up in a corner. “Think loyal guards, use the brains you were blessed with. How could she be Nightmare Moon if I, Princess Luna, stand here whole before you?”
Twilight looked up and took in the sight of the tall black mare. “N-no, Princess Celestia, not you…”
Celestia glanced back, wanting to reassure her precious student, but she stayed where she was. The guards had not paused in their preparation of a stun spell. She chewed her lip, carefully considering her options.
Option one: I try to flee and am brought down before I can move three feet. Option two: I plead my case. Unlikely to work with how much of a deceiver the Nightmare is known to be. Option three: surrender myself. No choice, no choice at all.
“I surrender.” Celestia whispered.