Diamond blinked while she slowly snuck up behind Acrylic. “Hey,” she whispered softly.
The stallion didn't respond, instead he remained in his sitting position, his head collapsed into one of the many books that he was now drooling over while sleeping.
The alicorn grinned and moved up directly behind him, leaning into his ear. “HEY! ACRYLIC! MORNING!”
The stallion shrieked and jumped up, flailing his hooves about and whipping around, looking wildly before narrowing his eyes on her. “Dang it, Diamond! What the buck are you doing?”
Diamond snickered into her hoof. “We're going back to the Spirit World, wanted to know if you're interested in coming with us. Or would you rather keep eating your book?”
The stallion's face turned red. “I-I wasn't, I was just, s-shut up!” he squeaked.
“What is that on, anyway?” Diamond asked, trying to peek over him to see. He shoved her back and turned, growling.
“None of your business. And no, I'm not interested in coming. I'd rather stay here with Button. He... is staying, isn't he?”
“Yes,” the alicorn said quickly, before sighing. “Honestly... he says he's fine after what happened, but... well...”
“But what?”
“Luna isn't. At least, he says he isn't. He says he still feels weak and drained after what happened, whatever the Smooze did to them. So... I think Button might be feeling that way too, and is just trying to hide it. So for now... they're just going to wait here and rest. Celestia isn't coming either, she wants to be near her brother.”
Acrylic nodded. “Can't blame her. So... just you and Sunset then?”
“No, Daring, Silver, Prism and Ironwing are coming too. Rainbow said she'd come, but she can't do things properly there so she decided it'd be best if she stayed out of the way. I think she's pretty mad about it, though. She made some vague threats to Prism and Ironwing if they let anything happen. I think Silver is dragging along one of the healers, too.”
“You're bringing Silver again? What if she--”
“She insisted,” Diamond interrupted. “I... didn't want her to. But I couldn't really tell her no. She... well, has just as much right as any of us do. She got her wings fixed, too. Hopefully...” She closed her eyes. “We'll be more careful this time. That's all there is to it. We'll be more careful. Are you sure you don't want to come?”
Acrylic was silent for a few moments, staring down at his book. He then slowly shook his head. “I'm sure. Good... luck.”
“Thank you,” the alicorn said before walking out of the tent, leaving him before.
Acrylic sighed before glancing back down to his book and reading over the pencil summoning spell again. It didn't look too complex, he was sure he could get it to work.
------
Sunset paced back and forth, before finally letting out a growl of frustration when Diamond came into view. “You're late! We've been waiting for you!”
“Sorry,” the alicorn said quickly. “I just had some things to take care of. Well, let's go see about getting Twilight out, okay?”
“No, we're going after the amulet,” Sunset said. “Going after my mother just... isn't a possibility.”
“What? Why?”
“I tried,” the unicorn said with a sigh, before turning towards the forest. “I went there last night and... there was nothing I could do. Whatever the Smooze is, it is more powerful than we could--”
“Well, I still want to try,” Diamond said firmly. “Whatever that thing is, I think it might be what's making the connection between the two of us so... strange. Besides, I'm a full Avatar again, I have all the elements. I might be able to do something. Maybe.”
Sunset ground a hoof into the ground, before nodding. “Very well. As you wish, Avatar.” She started walking forward, her teeth grounding together.
Ironwing trotted up besides her, glancing over. “You went to the Smooze after I left?”
“It's none of your concern.”
“You could have been hurt, or killed.”
“It's none of your concern.”
“You should have asked one of us to come with you, to watch your back. What if the spirit had attacked?”
She didn't respond, she just walked ahead and made him give a soft, annoyed sigh as they made their way through the forest.
------
Diamond gulped when once again the Smooze came into view. The purple gunk was as disgusting and ominous as she remembered, like giant homicidal jello. She stepped closer to it, gulping nervously before she held out a hoof towards it. “O-okay. You, Smooze, I want you to open up right now and give us back Twilight, you hear me? Or... well, her body!”
It bubbled dismissively.
“Oh yeah? Well, I'm the Avatar and you're going to do what I say! Do you know why?”
Silver moved up near the lake, sighing softly before leaning in while the others focused on Diamond.
“Because if you don't, I'll have to make you. I am one of the strongest benders around and I will force you to release the body of the last Avatar if I have to.” Fire formed on the tip of her horn. “I don't know what you did but--”
The Smooze withdrew, making her yipe.
“Y-yeah, that's what I thought! You better back off!” Diamond said, eying the purple gunk as it slowly withdrew, creating a small path for her to walk through.
“Don't go,” Sunset warned. “It's probably a trap.”
“I-I know that!” the alicorn said quickly. “I'm just watching for now!”
She stared at the slowly opening path, watching the ground appear. The ground was stained purple from its presence and filled with stones. However, after a few minutes, near the island where Harmony's corpse rested, a small purple body appeared.
Sunset and Daring gave a soft intake of breath, before the latter took to the air.
“Daring! Stop!” Sunset screamed out, but the other mare ignored her. Prism and Ironwing flew after her. The mare dove down, grabbing the body and flying back out a moment later. Once she was clear, the Smooze quickly fell back into place, collapsing in on itself and filling the path back up. “You idiot!” the unicorn snapped while the pegasus made her way back. “What if it had collapsed on you? You would have been... you...”
Daring ignored her, instead landing by them and gingerly dropping the purple body on the ground.
Diamond stared at the corpse, a hoof moving to her mouth. It was Twilight, there was no doubt about that. She looked like the pictures she'd seen. The striped mane, though now it was slimier than before and missing a lot of hairs. The dark purple coat, though she imagined the Smooze had something to do with that. The one thing off was the gaping hole through her chest.
Daring didn't even try to wipe the droplets of Smooze off herself, she just stared at the body. “Mom...” A few tears welled up in her eyes.
Sunset eyed her. “Did she... die before the... before she landed in that...”
“We'd need to do an autopsy to determine that,” their healer said. “But it may have been too long ago. To be honest, the body looks to be in astounding condition for how long it has likely been dead. The wound looks extremely deep, however. It was probably instantly fatal, or at least close to it. If we--” The bender's mouth was covered by Ironwing's hoof.
“We should take her back to the town,” Ironwing said. “She deserves a burial. A proper burial.”
“... Right,” Diamond said with a nod. “We can--”
“N-no,” Sunset choked out. “You can take her back, but the Avatar and I need to keep looking for the Alicorn Amulet.”
“Sunset,” Daring said softly. “Mom would understand, she--”
“She wouldn't want us to waste--” The unicorn choked on those words, closing her eyes. “Wouldn't... want us to w-waste time grieving. She's dead. We knew she was dead for a long... long time. Come on,” she said before turning.
Diamond sighed and looked at the body. “Sunset, there's no need to--”
“Mom would keep looking, so I will. I'll do it with, or without you.” Her voice was thick with sadness and she kept her back to them.
The alicorn gave a sigh before nodding, then looking to the others. “Can you guys take her back? I don't... well... I don't want to leave Sunset on her own.”
“I'll come with you,” Silver said quickly.
Diamond blinked. “Silver, you don't--”
The earth pony walked up besides her and grabbed her hoof, dragging her off quickly. She then leaned in. “Listen, all three of them have a history with the last Avatar, in one way or another. Especially once they meet up with Rainbow. I think it's best to give them a bit of privacy.”
The alicorn sighed. “I... guess, but what about--”
“I'll be fine. I've got my armor, I've upped its capabilities for shocking things, too. If that monkey tries to grab me again, bam, he won't know what hit him. Okay?”
Diamond nodded, before glancing back towards the body. “Okay...” She then turned and trotted after Sunset. To her amazement, none of the others raised any objections to Silver's decision, instead just continuing about their duties. Before long, the three were going through the woods again. “So, uhhh, any idea where the spirit would have gone?”
“South,” Sunset said firmly.
“South? Why that way?”
“Because we're already almost as far north as you can go. You see, the Spirit World... it doesn't work like most places,” Sunset said before glancing back. “There is an end, but it's not really an end so much as you just...” She shuddered. “I was there, once. Mother and I went there. She'd heard stories and wanted to see it for herself.”
“What happens when you get there?”
“You just... stop going. If you walk forward, you'll end up turned around and you won't know how you got turned around. You can walk on a straight line, and you'll still end up turned around. Mom even made a giant twenty foot pole to make sure she was going straight. She STILL ended up turned around. It's just the way it works. To the south, however, are the other lands. We never traveled all the way to them, but mom said she'd been to a few of the other locations.” She tapped the ground a few times. “Here, it's bleak and desolate. But she always told me the other places weren't like this. There were so many spirits. Though... well...”
“What?” Diamond asked softly.
“She said... it kind of reminded her of the Fire Tribe and Water Nation lands. She said it was nowhere near as bad as here, but both regions had low spirit activity. They were recovering, of course, but it took time. The Spirit World and our world are connected. For example, during the war and immediately after, the Spirit World was frozen over in the Water Nation lands. There were great, icy spirits she called windigos that traveled there, casting their ice over the world. When she'd first gone, they were the size of buildings. However, when she'd left there the final time, she said they were still there, but the ice was thawing. They were far smaller, only the size of normal horses and other spirits were appearing as well.”
“Really? Why?”
“Mother didn't really know. But she had her suspicions. Namely, that us ponies are directly tied to them in one way or another,” Sunset said before glancing over. “When the Water Nation was cold and merciless, those spirits of ice were fed, strengthened. As they grew more powerful, they may have even fed the pony lands as well, sucking the warmth from them as well. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. She often told me about how ponies seemed different there, after the war and once the ice began to melt. Even a single decade was enough to create drastic changes in how the ponies there lived.”
Diamond nodded. “That's fascinating. But... it's also worrying. You see, the Spirit World is... a lot like this. In Harmony. At least what I saw. I only ever encountered one other spirit and I'm pretty sure it was a changeling.”
“A changeling? Truly?” Sunset asked. “My mother told me of them, but I've never seen one. If... the spirits have abandoned that city, it does not bode well. There could be any number of reasons for it.”
“What kind?” Diamond asked softly.
“Well, the most obvious is there could be a danger to them. Perhaps something stalking or capturing them. That, however, is unlikely. Discord is probably the only creature for the last millenia that could hope to pose a real threat to the spirits and I doubt he would.” She waved a hoof. “Another... possibility is that they are dying.”
“Dying?”
“Yes. Spirits don't age and are supposed to be immortal. At least, to an extent. But, well... it's just possible they aren't. There is very little information on what they are, so it is completely possible that they are, somehow, dying off. Some great disease or even the great shifts in our world having negative effects on theirs. Perhaps even the final destruction of Discord or the Elements of Harmony.”
Diamond shuddered. “I... I never thought of...”
“You're the Avatar, are you not? Perhaps you should visit the other countries and see how they are doing. Perhaps it is not quite as barren and bleak as you worry. It may be they are abandoning the area because of you.” The alicorn cringed. “Harmony is composed of all the countries, as well as all the different races that live in our world. The connection between our world and the Spirit World must be quite erratic there. Since my mother wasn't there, she was unable to settle whatever problems could have arisen. It's likely the spirits there left, heading off towards the four countries and less turbulent areas.”
“H-how is that my fault?” Diamond asked softly.
“It is the Avatar's job to act as a... go between the spirits and the pony world,” Sunset said with a shrug. “You seem to be quite behind on your training, at least in that field. Were you not, perhaps you could have discovered what the problem was and stopped it in time. Or at least have approached the spirits in the other countries and found out what was going on.”
“It's not her fault,” Silver said firmly. “Diamond's doing her very best, you can't blame her for stuff that's out of her control.”
“She is the Avatar, she--”
“Yes, she is the Avatar. But you know what? There's no set guide lines or rules she has to follow as it. There have been hundreds of different Avatars and they all do things their own way, including your mother. Her ways may not always seem like the right ways and I'm sure she makes a ton of mistakes along the way, but she's doing her best. And she's doing a dang good job of it, too.”
Sunset scowled. “I'm sure she's passable, but--”
“No, she's not. She's amazing,” Silver said with a shake of her head. “She had a bit of a rough start, but she swung right into it. She's growing at an amazing pace and she is going to be a great hero one day. The kind... ponies will really look up to. She's not Twilight, but she doesn't need to be.”
“My mother was a great Avatar, she'd be lucky to be half as good as--”
“Then maybe the world doesn't need another Twilight. If it did, somepony like her would have been chosen. Instead--” The earth pony stopped and blinked. She looked around, before turning back to see Diamond, standing and staring at the sky. “Diamond? What's wrong?”
“Does... anypony else see that? Am I imagining it?” the alicorn asked before pointing up and ahead. Her companions looked up at well, quickly finding their argument evaporating from their minds.
A small trail of smoke, faint but still clearly visible, could be seen off in the distance.
“Let's go!” Sunset yelled, before galloping ahead through the trees.
------
Diamond gasped when they finally broke through the trees and came to the source of the smoke. It was a cottage. A small, tiny cottage with a long table outside it, with a few dozen chairs. More importantly, there were spirits sitting at the chairs. At least, she was pretty sure they were spirits. They came in all shapes and sizes, some as big as minotaurs while others were barely the size of the tip of her hoof.
However, when the three burst through the trees, the spirits turned to them, before letting out a dreadful ruckus that made them pause. Two blurs burst from the house, making her gape. It was Celestia and Luna. Except, they seemed older.
“Who are you?” Luna asked, glaring at them and standing between them and the spirits. “Have you come to threaten these spirits as well? Know that if you attempt any such harm, you shall not pass.”
The other pony, however, eyed them. “Sister... I... do believe these ponies are friends.”
“Luna? Celestia?” Diamond asked, staring at them. “What happened to you? How did you get here? I thought you were back at camp?”
“How do you know our names? Who are--” Luna asked, before pausing. Almost instantly she calmed down, her eyes widening. “Avatar?”
Diamond nodded slowly.
“My apologies. We believed... please, do join us for tea,” the mare said before gesturing a hoof towards the table.
“S-sure. But... again, what happened? I mean... I thought...” She cocked her head to the side. “Huh?”
Silver gasped softly. “Diamond... I think these may be Luna and Celestia. Not the ones we know, but their predecessors. The original. As in the last Nightmare Moon.”
Luna cringed.
“W-what? But how? They should be dead! They'd be like... ancient by now,” Diamond said. “Oh, sorry.”
Celestia sighed. “Yes, we are quite... aged in years. But that is one of the reasons we came here,” she said with a gentle smile. “Please, join us for tea. It is not often we have guests from the real world. In fact, it feels as if many life times have passed. Tell me, how many Avatars have come since young Twilight?” She turned and trotted to the table, slowly pouring a glass of tea with her mouth.
The three slowly moved to sit, looking over them. “I uhhh... I'm the one right after Twilight,” Diamond said softly.
“I'm sure you have plenty of questions,” Luna said with a small smile.
“Uh huh. Namely... well, how?” Diamond asked. “I mean, are you spirits?”
“In a manner, yes,” Luna said, before glancing to her sister. “And in others, no. You see... the Spirit World is different from the real world. Here, aging and such does not occur in the same way. However, we are no longer true ponies, nor are we spirits. We can no longer use our magic, nor travel to the physical world. However, we do not age very quickly and are quite difficult to harm.” She gave a soft smile. “Our bending is gone as well. Though we are still... quite dangerous. To those who would wish these spirits harm.”
Diamond nodded. “W-wow. How?”
“I can answer that,” Celestia said before slowly sliding the cups of tea forward. “We lived long... difficult lives. Both of us had quite a few things to make up for, but it was quite apparent that we would never be able to do it in the physical world. At least, not before we passed on. So... I decided that I wished to travel here, to one day become a guide to the ponies of the world. I will admit I was... frightened of the ordeal.” She then glanced to her sister. “At least, at first. However, when my dear sister realized what I intended, she offered to come with me. I was able to train her on how to enter the Spirit World. Once here, it was quite simple. We abandoned our earthly forms and ascended to this new state of being.”
“You... can do that?” Diamond asked. “So it's a form of immortality?”
“In a way,” Celestia said. “We are far from it, however. It is likely that one day even these forms will fade. Or perhaps we will change and become true spirits. There is really no way for us to know.”
“But this is the path we have chosen and we do hope it can help to make up for our past sins,” Luna said with a nod. “We... have not met any others like us, however. So we cannot say how long these forms will last.”
Diamond nodded and sipped her tea. To her surprise, it was good.
“Did... you ever meet my mother?” Sunset asked softly.
“Your mother? I do not know, child,” Celestia said. “Who was she?”
“The last Avatar. Twilight Sparkle.”
Both of their eyes widened. “Ah,” Luna said softly. “We had... met. Though not in this form. I'm afraid our appearance in these areas are quite new. Once the barriers came down, we decided to come here and see what had happened, as well as help new spirits come to inhabit these lands.”
“We... cannot deny, we were stunned to see the state of this place,” Celestia said with a frown. “We had imagined it to be far more vibrant and filled with life. Instead, we found this... almost barren, empty land. We couldn't find any spirits to tell us what happened, either.” She looked down at her tea and swirled it slightly. “I wish we could have met with Twilight and asked her opinion, but alas, it was not meant to be.”
“We are not far from my mother's resting place. She was... killed near here. In a great tree to the north.”
Celestia froze. “A-ah. The... Tree of Harmony. We have seen it, but rarely do we go to such a place. If... you do not mind, Twilight was a dear friend. How did she...?”
“Stabbed through the chest,” Sunset said bitterly. “Likely by Trixie.”
“Trixie is here?” Luna asked, her eyes widening.
“Was here,” Silver said quickly. “She's... gone now. Her body was... it's gone now. It was destroyed when that monkey took the amulet.” Every eye fell on her. “W-what?”
“Trixie's body was there?” Sunset asked.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell us?”
“We were fleeing from the area, some of us had almost died. I just hadn't really thought about it at the time, sorry,” the earth pony said.
“But--”
“Wait,” Diamond interrupted. “Celestia, Luna, you have been here for a... while then, right?”
“Indeed.”
“Then, do you by any chance... well, have you seen a blue monkey spirit traveling through here? It would have an amulet with it.”
Celestia shook her head. “No, we haven't seen any such thing. However, if you would allow us a moment...” She turned towards the opposite end of the table. “Friends? Have any of you seen such things? A great monkey spirit?”
The spirits made all kinds of strange, weird sounds that the alicorn couldn't begin to understand. Though the two elder ponies merely nodded along, before finally turning towards them.
“I'm afraid this spirit passed through well over a day ago and he did have some sort of amulet with him. He's headed to the south but...”
“But what?” Diamond asked.
“I do not believe you'll be able to catch him,” Celestia said with a shake of her head. “If you wish to have him, you'll need to draw him out. What did he have that makes him so valuable?”
The alicorn groaned. “He stole the Alicorn Amulet. We need it back.”
Luna nodded. “We could ask the other spirits to look out for him, but... well, he is one of them. We could promise nothing. They may not wish to aid you, after all.”
Diamond sighed and shook her head. “Wonderful. Well... I guess... this might be it, then,” she said before looking to the others. “If he is heading south, there's no telling if we'll be able to find him in time. Especially with that big a lead on us.”
“I told you we should have gone immediately,” Sunset muttered.
“Maybe. But my friends were hurt and I couldn't risk them,” Diamond said before her eyes widened. “W-wait. You two, you went to the Spirit World before, right? I mean, in your bodies? Could... you teach me?”
The two blinked and looked at each other, before looking to her. “You are already there, child,” Luna added.
“No, not like... well, this. I mean... See, I'm physically here. This is my real body. I can't separate myself from the physical world, though. I need a special zebra potion in order to do it.”
“Ahhhh, I see,” Celestia said with a nod. “Something like that would be easy for me to teach you. I used to teach quite a few ponies growing up, of course.” She looked to the others. “If you like, I could teach you as well. It's a good art to have, though some ponies cannot do it. It requires a... special bond with this place.”
Sunset blinked, then looked away. “I'm... afraid I'm not capable.”
Celestia blinked. “I'm sorry?”
“My mother... tried teaching me. But I was never able and I just...” She got to her hooves. “Time is of the essence. I will head south, perhaps I can catch this creature. If I can't, I'll return. Just learn what you can, Avatar.”
The alicorn shook her head. “What? Not a chance. We can't separate now, if something happened to you--”
“I'll be fine,” Sunset said with a small smile. “I've been here dozens of times. Maybe not... this deep, but I know how the Spirit World works.”
Celestia and Luna shared a look, before the latter nodded. “Very well, if you wish to go while my sister trains the Avatar, that is fine. I'll have to come with you, however.”
Sunset frowned. “There is no need for--”
“I insist. There are plenty of places where a pony could get lost in this place. Passages between spaces. Areas where up is down, down is up. Or even where it may be a foot in distance in one area, and miles in the other. You could leave for a few hours, and take days to return. For your own safety, it is best I come with you.”
Diamond gasped. “Is... that true? Are there really places like that?”
“Indeed. You are quite fortunate not to have fallen into such areas.”
Silver coughed, sipping her tea. “I'd uhh... like to join in the spirit thing. If that's okay. I think it would be fascinating seeing how the process worked. If... you don't mind. I mean, I know I'm not a bender... but...”
“That's quite alright,” Celestia said with a nod. “Many ponies who can do it aren't benders at all. Though it normally is unicorns who have the most success. I have heard of some earth ponies and pegasi who could do it as well.”
Sunset sighed and sipped her tea, cocking an eye. “What do you make it out of, anyway? The tea, I mean. I haven't seen any tea leaves.”
Luna chuckled. “Oh, child. Trust me, in matters such as this... you would rather not know.”
The three guests paused, before turning to their drinks with looks of horror.
------
“The first step is clearing your mind,” Celestia said softly. She, Silver and Diamond sat in front of the small cottage, relaxing as best they could. “I suggest counting, slowly. One. Two. And so on. After that, comes trying to separate your mind from your body. It is not a simple thing, especially for ponies who are attached to the world.”
Diamond nodded, keeping her eyes closed. “I... know that part. But there's more to it, isn't there?”
“Well... no, not really,” Celestia said with a shrug. “We all have little tips and such that work for us, but it can vary by pony. One thing I like to do it... well... move my shoulders slightly.”
“Huh?”
“I like to focus on slowly moving my shoulders the tiniest amount. Such a small amount that I can't tell if I'm actually moving them, or just imagining them moving. Then I do it in small, tight little circles and focus on that. I sometimes try doing it with the rest of my body, too.”
“That's... strange,” Diamond said.
“We all have different methods. The important thing is clearing your mind and focusing. Letting yourself drift off, abandon the physical world and focus on the next. Also, there is never a need to rush it. It can take a few minutes, or even a few hours.”
“I need to sit here for hours each time?” Diamond asked, whining.
“Sometimes, yes. At least when learning. There is no telling how long it may take until you finally understand what you need to do.”
Silver just sat there in silence, focusing on the task at hoof. It didn't seem that hard to her. Separating her body and mind seemed almost too simple, she couldn't imagine why Diamond was having so much trouble with it. She wasn't having any actual success in transferring herself, though. “Will we be able to enter the Spirit World while we're already here?”
“No, sadly,” Celestia said with a shake of her head. “But you may find this helpful for other reasons. Perhaps as a means to contact your past lives, as well.”
Diamond's eyes shot open. “You... you know about the difficulty I've been having? How?”
The unicorn smiled. “I talked often with Twilight during the time of peace. She told me much of her own difficulty contacting her old lives after the destruction of the Elements. I imagine it is much the same with you, correct?”
The alicorn nodded. “Uh huh.”
“Connecting with your past lives and with the Spirit World function in much the same way. You must clear your mind. However, to enter the Spirit World you must leave your body behind. To meet with your past lives, you must instead go deeper within yourself. The same principle, but going in different directions.”
Diamond nodded, closing her eyes again. “Then... I guess I can try that.”
Celestia nodded before sipping her tea. “Take your time, I'm certainly not going anywhere.”
------
“You met my mother, right?” Sunset asked as she trotted besides Luna.
“Of course, she was quite the mare. I... do wish I had spent less time trying to kill her, though.”
The unicorn nodded. “Yeah, she told me quite a few times about you. How dangerous and deadly you were. She told me every time she fought you, she just felt like she was going to die. That you just had this massive killing intent that made it hard to breath.”
Luna chuckled coldly. “Y-yes. I was... quite the pony back then. Fortunately, your mother managed to save me. Twice, in fact.”
“So... what was it like?”
“What was what like?”
“Discord's... influence. She told me that... well, you were a completely different pony under it. How... did it feel?”
The unicorn sighed and closed her eyes. “To... be honest it is not something I enjoy speaking about. But... I suppose you are her daughter, you would have questions. She was always the inquisitive one. Discord's corruption was... subtle. I believe that was the best word for it.”
Sunset chuckled. “Really? The way she talked about him, I didn't think he'd know the meaning of the word.”
“Oh, he was a spirit of pure chaos, there is no doubt about that. But he was also quite... brilliant. He knew exactly where and how to poke a pony to do what he wanted them to do. I... often wondered if his powers over chaos allowed him powers of precognition as well. Perhaps he was able to see where the pieces would fall, so he knew exactly where to put his own. But, as I was saying. He knew where to poke and prod. I... did not become the Nightmare Moon feared by all, overnight. It started small and subtle. One poor decision here, another there. Annoyance turned to anger and then hatred. Mercy was slowly snuffed out, piece by piece. Until eventually I became a pony who was so proud and hate filled that I was willing to ignore my own daughter in order to maintain my glory.”
“But that was just Discord, right?”
Luna sighed and shook her head. “If only. No, while... his influence made the decision easier, nothing I did was something I was incapable of doing on my own. Even now, though I am free of his taint, I occasionally have those same thoughts. Killing, destroying, pride and anger. All of those flow within me and, if I let my guard down, could return. Discord's taint didn't turn me into a pony capable of those atrocities. They only made the decision easier to ignore and justify. Now I find it horrifying how easy it truly was, to shut off those morals and push myself that extra little bit. To justify what I did just because I didn't see those ponies...” She shuddered.
Sunset nodded. “I... see. But mom always said how... nice you were. Once you were free.”
“I can still feel my sins crawling on my back, young mare. As much as I wish I could say that it was just his taint, and as much as my sister and your mother tried to tell me otherwise, I know what I am and was capable of. Denying it will do nothing aside from easing my conscious, but it would be a lie. Frankly, I am done with such things. I have sinned, greatly. But I will not deny it. Instead I will face my faults and do whatever I can to redeem myself, to fix the damage I have wrought.” She glanced to Sunset. “If there is one thing your mother has taught me, it's that no pony is beyond redemption. I... may not be able to ever truly fix the mistakes I've made. But as long as I try, and never give up, maybe one day I may be able to make up for some of it.”
Sunset nodded. “Huh. Yeah, my mom was pretty awesome. A shame she didn't know you were here. She probably would have introduced us. Maybe you would have been able to help her when it came time to... face Trixie.”
The elder spirit sighed. “Perhaps. But I know not what I could have done against Trixie. Without my bending, I was no where near as dangerous a threat. She... was something likely only your mother could face.” She glanced off towards the horizon. "Perhaps not even her..."
Sunset lowered her gaze. "I... suppose if... that is how she met her end, then you are right." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "But I cannot hope but wish that..."
"Do not let your wishes consume you," Luna said with a shake of her head. "Unless you have the capability to change them. What happened in the past... none of us could change."
Sunset nodded slowly, moving a little closer to the mare in silence.