Chapter 8: The Future Begins
Celestia screamed. Her body was being torn asunder, muscle and bone turned to mush under flayed skin. The Elements were blind in their justice, and for Celestia, she was experiencing the death penalty of their force.
The Nightmare was furious. Never had he guessed Luna would use the power of the Elements against him, against her own sister even! He felt no discomfort from their presence. He was beyond them, literally, since he was of a world the Elements had never touched before. And in this world, much like most things, they barely affected him. Celestia, however, is another thing altogether.
If he truly did remain within Celestia once the Elements were finished casting their judgement, he ran the risk of suffering through any punishment the Elements deemed worthy to wipe away the blight of disharmony. It wouldn’t kill him, but since he lived within his host’s body, he’d be vulnerable to whatever cruelties they suffered. And the Elements, for all their harmony and friendship, were plenty cruel.
Worst of all, if he lost Celestia, he lost his one chance to acquire the sun. His chance for the perfect ending. All wasted now, all because of her.
Her…
HER!
If he was going to lose Celestia, then he’d be damn well sure Luna would be able to witness it!
Celestia smacked Luna’s face, bringing her back from the verges of the unconscious back to the land of the awake. Luna blinked several times, a gale kicked up by the Elements disorientating her due to all the sand being kicked up in the air.
“We’ll both lose something precious here!” the Nightmare screamed in Luna’s face, shaking her shoulders. “You your sister and my light! You can’t sacrifice her just for justice! You can’t!”
Luna was still trying to gain her bearings as she heard the screams of the Nightmare ringing in her ears. She winced as she looked into Celestia’s eyes.
“Celestia?” Luna blinked away some sand, but her memories came back to her suddenly. Her eyes widened as she saw the Elements, still floating in the air, though she didn’t remember the ground trembling beneath her the last time she had seen them.
“I…” Luna grimaced at the Nightmare. “If… if that is the cost of keeping this land safe, then I will suffer it. I can harness the sun, if need be.” She wheezed as her lungs struggled to take in more air. “I know that Celestia would do the same were the situation reversed. That is the sister I know. You are but a pale imitation of what Celestia is.” She chuckled weakly, though tears began to run down her cheeks. “I… I love Celestia, but I also love Equestria… even if the love is not fully returned.”
Luna closed her eyes, taking in a few slow breaths. When she opened them once more, they held no anger in them. Just serenity, and perhaps sorrow.
“You seem to be at a loss, shadow. Did you think I wasn’t capable of going to such extremes to keep our land safe?” She chuckled again, only to cough up a bit more blood. She groaned in pain, but continued to smile. “The mighty always seem to underestimate those beneath them, don’t they?”
Celestia smiled, her teeth rosey white. “And you underestimate what extremes I’ll go to have what’s mine. Without Celestia, there’s only one other worthy of me. And we both know who that pony is.” The entity within Celestia hummed with delight, the Elements overhead releasing violent surges of power, waiting for the moon to reach its zenith for their full power to be released. “I’ll claim you for myself. I’ll make you but a puppet to my will. What I put Celestia through will seem like a day at the spa in comparison to the endless existence of pure hell I’ll have you experience. Not even death will take you away from me. I’ll mend myself with your soul and make it so that any afterlife you end up in I’ll be there with you.”
A childish giggle erupted from Celestia’s lips, that same sickly smile never leaving her lips. “With you under my power, I’ll freeze this world. If I can’t have the sun, no one will have it. Eternal night shall reign in Equestria and the entire world over. I’ll make this realm a never ending existence of agony and ice for all those who reside in it. And you’ll be responsible for it. You, you, you!”
A lead weight settled in Luna’s stomach. Could the Nightmare do such things, even after the Elements purged Celestia’s body of it?
If it were true, and if Celestia was to be killed by the Elements…
There would be no one to defend Equestria when the Nightmare took over Luna. She was in no state to fight back. She could hardly draw breath as it was. Fighting back against some otherworldly entity would be next to impossible for her.
As she stared into the Elements, though, an idea struck her. An odd, perhaps even crazy, idea. If it didn’t work, though, then Equestria, and the rest of the planet, would be doomed.
Still, she had no other alternative.
“W-wait…” she croaked. Celestia’s ears flicked, and it gazed upon her with a knowing smile. “Celestia… she is innocent here.” Luna let out a shaky breath. “If… if I were to offer my…” Luna swallowed hard, knowing that what she was about say might bring about her own demise. “If I were to offer my body as a vessel for you… would you surrender your control over my sister?”
The Nightmare grinned.
“Please, just… promise that you’ll spare Celestia. Offer her a chance to leave. She… she will find a way to survive, I’m sure of it.” Luna let out a ragged cough, “Don’t kill her. Take… take her power if you must, but I beg of you, don’t kill her. Please…” Luna looked into the eyes that were not Celestia’s, hoping that perhaps the Nightmare would grant her some sick form of mercy. “Celestia… if you can hear me… I’m sorry.”
“My, my how very… selfish of you.” The Nightmare, not Celestia, never Celestia, smiled again. “You’re willing to allow me to torment your sister’s body while you’re forced to watch for all of eternity now. Instead of allowing her the sweet embrace of death. I must say, Princess, your priorities are just in tune with mine. I’m sure we’ll get along wonderfully.”
The Elements were spinning rapidly, a rainbow of light surrounding the pair in a brilliance whose radiance was unmatched. But Luna disregarded this sight, her eyes only for Celestia, and the puppet she had become.
Celestia’s mouth opened, a single tentacle poking out like a demonic tongue, sniffing the air. It was followed by another sickly appendage, the rest of the body crawling out of the broken vessel of the host body, a tide of black oil washing ashore on beautiful white sands. Luna thought the Nightmare’s form would never end, the inky black substance it was made of having no distinctive shape but definitely too big for Celestia’s body to hold. Or was supposed to hold, anyway. Luna didn’t want to imagine how it managed to fit itself into every nook and cranny in Celestia’s body, like she was just some second—or rather, only—skin the Nightmare could wear as he pleased. He left Celestia to fall like a bag of meat on the ground, knocked out. But now that he was out, in all his terrifying glory, Luna truly understood why he was a Nightmare.
He was alien. Disturbing. A thing that shouldn’t exist. Not in this world at least. He was the puddle in the middle of the street on a hot day, the lone flower in a field of ash, a single ink blot on a canvas on white. Not evil, not malicious, just… not right. He wasn’t right for this world, but he fit himself in here anyway. The universe itself shuddered at his presence. It stood clear, like students avoiding that one disruptive classmate who the teacher always scorned. A field of emptiness surrounded him, like he was a black hole where nothing could escape. Looking into his eyes—if soulless holes could be described as eyes—Luna felt all emotion drain from her. Like a container being emptied, every last drop of what made her equine, whole, Luna, somepony, was being pushed to the back of her mind, with only unexplainable nothingness to remain. She was staring into the abyss, and in turn, she became the void.
“You seem to be at loss for words, Princess,” the Nightmare spoke, words that shouldn’t have belonged in any language but did drifting from his lipless mouth, floating into Luna’s ear but being lost the moment it registered in her brain. “Are you not pleased with my form? My true self? Surprising to see what I am? Who you’ll become, soon enough?”
Luna forced down the terrified whimper that threatened to escape her throat, and got up from the ground. She wanted to run. Flee. It was a deep, instinctual fear from the back of her mind, telling her that to stay was wrong, not an option.
Still…
Celestia’s prone form lay on the ground now. Unmoving, aside from the slow rise and fall of her sides.
She was alive. For now, at least.
“I am not a judge of appearances, shadow. I know not where you came from, but at least now I know that what I see is…” She swallowed hard. “You are clearly not of this plane of existence. That is apparent.” She closed her eyes, and let out a shuddering breath. “I will surrender to you on one condition. Leave my sister be.” She stared into the two dark holes that gazed back at her. “Those are my terms. Otherwise…” She looked to the Elements. “I could trigger the Elements, even from where I stand. You realize that, of this world or not, you still will feel some sort of effect from them. We both know that won’t be pleasant. For all you know, both Celestia and myself will perish. That would leave you without a vessel.”
She gave the faintest hints of a smile. “After all, I have committed crimes this day myself. My actions were far from what the Elements would deem to be harmonious. We cannot determine what they will do, in the end.”
She took a step back, and nodded to her sister’s body. “Step away from Celestia, shadow.” Her horn lit up, her eyes drifting to the Elements. “I’ve given my offer, and those are the conditions.”
“Such bravery in a being so dark. How unexpected.” The Nightmare lifted up an appendage, touching Luna’s cheek. All feeling to that spot he touched was lost, like her cheek had been torn off and she was in too much shock to feel the pain. “What is expected is how pathetic your emotions are. Though, not without a good deal of fun twisting to my advantage.”
The Nightmare smiled. Luna’s mind shriveled up and her throat clenched shut.
“So expected. So very, very expected.” The Nightmare tapped her chin, releasing his hold of her, and finally Luna could think straight without her thought scrambling. “But I have conditions of my own. Not terribly hard to do, but it will hurt. Oh yes, indeed, it shall.” The Nightmare laid a single tentacle on Celestia, her body immediately shivering while an open mouth produced a screamless sound. “To save your sister, you must beg. You must beg for me to possess you. You must beg to be my vessel, as shoddy as your body is compared to your sister. But most of all…” The Nightmare turned his head to her, a faint twinkle in his empty eyes that was purely from the other world he resided in. A world that knew nothing about love, hope, or happiness, and was empty, just like him. “I want you to admit that you were never fit to rule Equestria. I know a lie when I hear one, so from the bottom of your black heart, this must be truthful. Admit to me, your sister, and your entire nation, why you are unfit to rule.”
“Unfit… to rule?” Luna echoed.
She turned away from the Nightmare, her eyes resting on Celestia.
Celestia, who had nurtured her since Luna was but a foal. Who had taught her most, if not all, of what she knew about being a ruler… or what little she knew of it, perhaps.
Celestia would do the same for me.
Luna felt her breathing hitch as she nodded slowly. For Celestia and Equestria, she would do this. She had let it come this far. It was only right that she end it.
“Shade. Shadow, blackness, whatever you may be…” Luna slowly prostrated herself on the ground. “I beg of you…” She felt her lips tremble. With every word she spoke, she was closer to losing her freedom, possibly for the rest of eternity. “Take my body and make it your own, as ill-suited and weak as it might be to my sister. She is stronger, yes, but she deserves a chance to live. She has ruled this country well, even before you did.”
Hot tears trickled down her cheeks now. It was true. Luna knew it, deep down, she knew it to be true. She had done what she could to help lead Equestria, but in the end, after the wars that had happened centuries ago, she had become useless to the land. She was a soldier, a fighter. Not a leader in government. She was a relic from a time that no longer was. Equestria had been at peace with her neighbors for well over four hundred years now.
She was a leader that been striving to keep up with a nation that had lost its need for her.
“All that I know is to act on instinct. Celestia guided me through the beginnings of creating Equestria into what it is today, but…”
Memories, from a time before Discord flooded her mind. Celestia, patiently reading to a younger Luna. The soft candlelight was their only means of reading the pages, for Luna had yet to harness her magic properly yet, and Celestia had been tired from a day of practice in the use of her own magic. Luna stumbled on words, but her sister coaxed her to continue, despite the difficulties.
“Celestia was the force that spurred Equestria forward. There…there is a reason she is admired by all of Equestria. She sought peace and knew how to achieve it. I…” Luna bit her lip. “I only stood and watched.”
Always in the background. Riding the coattails of her success.
“Like I always have.”
She looked up to the Nightmare, who continued to watch her with twisted amusement. “You chose her as your vessel because she was clearly the better choice. There was a reason I could not stand against you in battle.”
Luna looked up to the night sky, taking in the view and imprinting it to the back of her mind. Would she even remember these things when she was taken over by the Nightmare? She did not know. Would she remember Celestia? Equestria?
Would she even remember herself?
“I beg of you; take my body for your own, shadow.” Her head drooped back to the ground. “It is only fitting that a shadow like myself become one with the dark. I cannot serve this land as a ruler. At least…” She took in a shaky breath. “At least Celestia will have a chance to live, the cosmos willing. She deserves that much. I have destroyed so much already. If I can give her that chance, then I will give it to her.”
“How very admirable.”
The Nightmare shoved a tentacle into her mouth just as she released a breath, her air choked off as his inky appendage was stuffed down her throat, along with the rest of him. It was like swallowing a tasteless substance that was the opposite of water, filling her to the brim with unbridled contempt for not only the thing entering her, but herself as well. It was a befitting fate, she thought, to become what was had deemed herself all along to her own people. A Nightmare, caught in splendid glory under the full moon.
Her insides wriggled with the Nightmare’s alien presence, poking her organs, slithering across her bones, melding with her muscles. Oh, but it went much further than that. It injected its essence like a disease into her bloodstream, staining her entire body in only a few short minutes with his being, turning the two of them whole. And, in turn, Luna unwhole. She was no longer herself, just a home for the Nightmare to move into. He tore down walls as he seemed fit, redecorated her body as he desired, and twisted and shaped her soul into a comfortable armchair for him to recline in. He even wriggled into her mind, an icy dagger into her brain that kept on twisting and never letting go, deeper the only direction.
“I must commend you of being a mare of your word, Princess. Many in your place wouldn’t have the gall nor loyalty to protect their kin at all costs, even if that price was their own freedom. Have that last note of dignity with you before you are completely mine. It might make the experience more… pleasant.” A chuckle rippled from the Nightmare using Luna’s throat, nearly causing her to sputter and cough. But she didn’t. The Nightmare was using her body. She couldn’t even vomit as the idea sent a gut-punch of disgust to her stomach.
Her—no, the Nightmare’s—eyes shifted to Celestia. Her body so battered, her spirit so broken, her mind’s condition unknown to Luna, though she could only guess the worse. However, faintly, she caught her sister stirring, most likely awakening from the traumatic experience of the Nightmare leaving her. A glimmer of hope sparked in Luna’s heart, with the Nightmare being there just in time to stamp it out.
“You know, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Princess,” the Nightmare spoke, using neither her voice or throat, speaking directly to her mind, or what was left that was still hers. “I never did absolutely do away with Celestia’s mind. I left some untouched, just a sliver that was still her. Something leftover so that she could see what she was doing, what shall happen, and who is responsible. The utter despair poking that little sliver each and every day was worth the patience of turning this world into what I find befitting. Though for you, Princess, I have something special planned.” A laugh crept out of the Nightmare, Luna’s entire body encased with chills. “I’ll destroy you, piece by piece. I’ll make the process as agonizingly slow as possible. You’ll be shattered whole, and then I’ll build you back, only to break you again until nothing can be put back together again. You’ll be dust. Oh, but not until the best part, that is.”
The Nightmare stepped forward, Luna’s foreleg forced to follow. “I promised you I would not harm Celestia.” Another step forward. “But you, Princess…” Another step forward, closing in on Celestia. “You were perfectly willing to harm your sister before. That will prove in my favor, since it’d be relatively simple to convince you further.” Another step equaled only a few more feet from being directly over Celestia. “Once I take her back to the castle and rid myself of those troublesome Elements once and for all, we’ll have all of eternity with each other. And Celestia as well. In that time, I’m sure we’ll agree upon some new subject matters.” The Elements of Harmony were so sickeningly bright that Celestia’s coat flashed brighter than the whitest snow, even past all the bruises and blood. “Who knows, maybe you’ll teach me a thing or two as well. Already some dark corners in the recesses of your mind are becoming apparent. Oh, what fun it’ll be to explore them!”
Luna’s body now stood over Celestia. One of her front hoof slowly lifted off the ground until it was just above Celestia’s neck.
It would be so easy. She’s not even awake. She wouldn’t feel a thing…
The small part that was still Luna felt a terror rise up as she watched with her eyes that were not her own anymore.
She never cared for us. Not really.
“N-no…”
Luna watched the metallic sheen of her armored hoof gleam in the moonlight. Celestia was powerless to her.
She would be no more. Celestia, the one constant in her life, would cease to be.
The venomous whispers in the darkest depths of her mind went quiet.
“Sis…ter…” Luna’s lips moved, trembling at first. She choked a sob as her leg muscles tensed, ready to crush Celestia’s neck in a single blow. “S-sister…”
No more visits late at night, no more walks through the forest, no more talks late into the night and into the dawn.
No more Celestia. Gone. Gone forever.
The darkness quivered around Luna. She fought. She thrashed, bit, and screamed.
“Celestia, open your eyes! Please!”
Celestia’s pupils opened. The light of the Elements… they hurt. She hasn’t seen the light for so long… so long without the light. Not when he saw through her eyes. Then, there was only darkness. But now, she could see, and the first sight she saw was the one she had missed most of all when lost in the void. Her sister, Luna.
“L… Luna?” Celestia coughed out weakly, her vocal muscles unused to taking directions from the Nightmare and not her. “Sister, wh-what has come over you? Where is—” Celestia cringed, just the tiniest glance at Luna’s eyes already like an experience of looking at her reflection in the mirror. “No… not you too.”
Luna’s hoof paused. It twitched, then shook.
“No,” Luna growled, her voice harsh with anger. She wasn’t addressing Celestia, though. “You… may have my body…” She pulled her hoof back, and with deliberate movement, forced it to the ground, grinding the grass beneath it to a green pulp. “You may have those… but… but I will never let you harm… her…”
Luna staggered back, and her head shot up, as though she had awoken from a bad dream. She shuddered, and felt sweat run down her coat. She looked to Celestia, and spoke, frantic and hurried. “Sister. It’s inside me. I-I had to! You… the Elements…”
Her head flung back, and she let out a pained scream. “Make it stop! Make it stop, make it stop!” She banged her head into the ground, not even concerned with the bruises she had gained. “Sister, it’s clawing at my mind! I-I can’t hold it back!” Her expression shifted suddenly into a venomous glare.
“You think you can stop me, Princess?” She cackled like a madmare. “Ohhh, this is too rich.” She approached Celestia with a sinister grin. “No, Luna, I intend to make you suffer.” She lifted her hoof up over Celestia’s head. “Sorry, Celestia. You can thank your sister for this, should you two ever meet in the hereafter. I’ll be sure to visit you often!”
Again, Luna halted. The grin vanished, and her eyes closed. Luna stumbled back and shook her head. “C-Celestia… use them. The Elements. Please.” She opened an eye and tears of inky black ran out from it. “Y-you have to. Now! I cannot hold it back for long!”
She finished with a growl, and lashed out at the air, like a rabid beast. “Stop it, you wretch! Stop it now! Your mind belongs to me, Luna!”
“But you’ll be destroyed! Discord only survived because of his god-like might.” Celestia blinked away the tears, already fresh and coursing down her cheeks. “I can’t lose you, Luna! I nearly lost you once already. I… I gave up everything to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.”
Luna blinked. “Y-you… for me…?” She shook her head. “I-it matters not! Celestia, if you do not stop me, there will be nothing left! This shadow, whatever it is, will swallow this world in darkness!”
She lurched forward and coughed, moaning in pain. “It… it’s too powerful for us, sister! I can barely hold it back, let alone talk to you…” She coughed again, this time flecks of blood staining the ground as she did. “You… you are strong, sister. Give me this chance… to keep our land safe. If I can do this, if I can ensure Equestria remains… it will have been worth it.”
“No… no, Luna, please, don’t force me to make such a choice,” Celestia begged. The hum of the Element’s power reached a new crescendo, the moon nearly at its zenith. The time for the end was drawing near, and every second was another wasted until the world came crashing down. “You being safe was the only thing that kept me sane with the Nightmare inside me. Without you, I would have given up long ago. There’d be nothing left. Without you, I’m nothing.” Celestia gritted her teeth, unable to stop the fresh tide of tears to pour out of her eyes. “Y-you’ve always been there for me, my beloved sister. The one I protected. The one I cherished. The one who completed me and left me whole in this world. Out of everything in this world, in this life, losing you was the worst nightmare I could ever imagine.”
Luna smiled, though it wasn’t Luna at all. “Ironic how things have changed, isn’t it?” the Nightmare cooned, shifting Luna’s neck to the left as if he meant to turn, Luna’s body not following. He managed some more twitches and fumbles using Luna’s limbs, never succeeding in moving Luna’s body out of the zone of the Element’s range. “How—ngh—how in the end, it never really ends. We just start at a new beginning. A beginning where I’ll rise from the ashes of your sister’s body and turn your entire world into a burning crater. I swear to you, Celestia, I swear it by your own blood of which I owned for so long, regardless of your choice, Equestria shall suffer.”
Luna’s neck snapped to the right, at such an odd angle it appeared almost broken. But she was still smiling. He was still smiling. “Is killing your sister now really that much worse than me ending her later on? Are you really so selfish that you are the only one fit to know when her end shall c-c-co—AGH!” The Nightmare bit down on his tongue, half of it falling in a bloody puddle on the ground. But didn’t deter him from speaking. Not one bit. “THE LANDS SHALL BURN! ALL OF EQUESTRIA, ALL OF IT! BURN UNTIL THEY ARE LEFT FALLOW AND BARE! BURNED UNTIL YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL, EACH AND EVERY SECOND OF MY WAKING EXISTENCE IN YOUR WORLD! BURN! BURN! BURN! BURN! BUUUUUUUUUUURN!”
A bloodcurdling scream escaped her throat, only to be cut off as Luna delivered a swift hoof across her face. She spit out a globule of blood and inky black, and let out a wheeze. Her tongue quickly mended itself as black tendrils stretched out from her mouth, pulling the bloody piece back into her mouth. After gagging and spitting up more of the black, bile-tasting fluid, Luna took in a few steady breaths.
“D-do you see, sister?” Luna sniffled, gazing into Celestia’s eyes. “Ponies will die.” She walked forward, stopping just a foreleg’s length from her older sister. “You can raise the moon. I’ve seen you do it.This land will be in good hooves when I am gone. It always has been.” She was trembling in place. Her eyes twitched every few seconds while her tail thrashed in clear agitation. “When I can no longer contain this thing… if you cannot stop it, Equestria and the rest of our world will be done for, Celestia.”
Luna shed more inky tears, and whispered. “Celestia… if you truly care for this land… if you care for me as much as I care for you… then use the Elements. I have no regrets… other than never thanking you for giving up so much to keep me safe…” She smiled. “So… thank you, Celestia.”
Luna took slow, shaky steps away from her sister. Her head thrashed from side to side, pausing to gaze at the Elements. “Now! Do it, sister! Now!”
“YOU’LL LOSE HER! YOU’RE KILLING YOUR SISTER! YOU’RE KILLING HER IN COLD BLOOD, YOU SELFISH, HEARTLESS WITCH!”
Celestia closed her eyes, blocking out the noises from both her sister and the Nightmare. Just her, and her decision to make. The Nightmare was obviously adamant about knowing she wouldn't use the Elements against Luna. And if she didn’t, that’d be all the Nightmare needs to clear away from the Element’s presence, the only chance at stopping his rampage lost and gone. But if Celestia did use the Elements, what would she be preventing? The Nightmare from controlling her sister, for one. But that could possibly result in Luna’s death, and only an insignificant deterrent for the Nightmare. She’d be killing her only sister just to put off the Nightmare’s inevitable reign of Equestria. But really, could she say that was such a bad thing? Preventing Luna from experiencing all that suffering… it could be the last gift Celestia gave her. Or it could just be her signing on her sister’s own execution.
Celestia opened her eyes. She looked up. The moon reached the center of the ring of light formed by the Elements of Harmony, the light of the heavens unequal in their resplendence. It was one of the most beautiful things Celestia had ever seen. Celestia had always loved the graceful silver luster of Luna’s moon, and now, standing under its light surrounded by the Elements, she truly understood just how divine it was. Just like Luna.
“Luna… I love you. I love you so much, what I do now hurts me more than you could ever imagine.” Celestia looked back to Luna, a smile on her face, even as tears streamed down from her eyes. A smile Luna hadn’t seen in years. A smile brighter than the sun itself, lighting up every room it entered, drawing the attention of everypony in the nearby vicinity to watch and be amazed by. A smile Luna had missed dearly, and knew with a sickening feeling she would miss even more now. “I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me, my one and only sister, the light of my life.”
Luna growled and hissed as the Elements came to a slow halt. “NO, YOU DESPICABLE FIREBUG! YOU’LL LOSE EVERYTHING! SHE’LL BE NOTHING BUT ASH! YOU’LL KILL HER, KILL HER, KILL—”
Luna’s screams came to an abrupt halt. Luna’s head drooped as her black wings sagged to her sides. When she finally looked up once more, she was was smiling, tears flooding her vision.
“Goodbye, Celestia. I will never forget you… big sister. I… love…”
The twinkle of light vanished from Luna’s eyes as she whispered those final words. An unearthly scream filled the air as she leaned her head back, stomping the ground and fighting with herself.
The Elements, unphased by her actions, remained floating in the air, awaiting the release of their built up magic.
“YOU THINK THIS THE END? THIS IS NEVER THE END! THERE NEVER WILL BE AN END UNTIL I SAY SO! ME!” The Nightmare stared up at the moon, Luna’s eyes filled with black tears, his only filled with… fear. For the first time ever, the Nightmare felt fear. The taste made him nauseous. “Ten years, a hundred years, even an entire damn millennium. It matters not. I’ll be back. I’ll be back for you, Equestria, and your… the light.”
The Elements began to pulse, the ground resonating with their power. Pebbles began to lift up in the air, gravity no longer in consideration. Luna’s image became fuzzy, like static had drawn over her. Already bits and pieces of her body flaked off like old paint, the blackness of the Nightmare and Luna combined being absorbed into the moon, the Elements merely acting as a tunnel for the trip.
“I’ll use the stars to escape from wherever the Elements take me. And once I’m back, the light will be mine.” The Nightmare looked at Celestia with a stare not of malice, nor hatred, and not even bitter contempt. He was just curious. “Why… why did you laugh at me, when we first met? Why… why me?” The Nightmare gulped. “Why?”
For a solid moment, there was nothing but silence between the two. Celestia blinked slowly, confusion spreading across her face. “Laugh at you? What?”
Her eyes widened, a faint, distant memory surfacing to the forefront of her mind.
Celestia, a young filly, barely old enough to use her magic properly, running through the fields of some yet-to-be named valley. She saw something, hunched over in a fallen tree, hollowed out by years of decay.
A shapeless shadow, no bigger than her, with two bright, white eyes that stared at her with confusion. It looked frightened, but at the same time, excited to see her.
“You… you were…” Celestia gasped. “That… that was eons ago…” She shook her head. “I… I had thought you were nothing more than a childish creation of my mind. I… will admit, a part of me wondered if you were real…” She frowned. “I was but a foal, no more than a few years in age. If I had laughed at you, then it was not out of spite…but from amusement. I was young. Naive. Much… much like Luna…”
The Nightmare stared at her blankly. Then, a little giggle erupted from his lips, his entire body shuddering even as larger bits and pieces floated up to the heavens, the rest soon to follow. “Childish creation. Heh. Just… just amusement. Haha! Naive! NAIVE! Ahahahahahaha!” The Nightmare laughed, the first real laugh Celestia heard from him. The first time he ever seemed… happy.
He stopped now, staring at Celestia with an amused smile on his lips. Luna’s smile. Both were there, one she would miss dearly, the other she had never witnessed before. “Thank you, Celestia. I haven’t had a good laugh in a long time.” The Elements became blinding. “I… want to go home now.”
He chuckled, one final time. Then he disappeared. The world stood still. The universe grew silent.
And with the last laugh echoing in the lands burned black by fire and sin, Celestia was truly alone.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Yip · 2.2k words · 28 2 · 298 views
- Burraku_Pansa · 2.4k words · 23 2 · 772 views
- Yip · 1.7k words · 56 11 · 1.4k views
- overlord-flinx · 1k words · 74 3 · 1.3k views
- overlord-flinx · 1.4k words · 71 7 · 1.6k views
- Flint Sparks · 2.7k words · 79 16 · 2.8k views
- Marshal Twilight · 7.6k words · 96 6 · 2.5k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.125 seconds
Total duration
912 users online
454,381 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
You know, halfway through this fic, I had this creeping suspicion that you had decided to write a New Lunar Republic story. Oh, look, Luna had done nothing wrong during the Nightmare Moon incident. Celestia's the one who was pushing her. Of course. You see what happens when you let royalty rule a nation? They turn into a sunfire-blasting tyrant. Clearly, Luna will purge this evil Celestia, and solve everything with a mighty dose of democracy. Oh and the Elements of Harmony will help too. I guess. Thank you, sincerely, for not going that route.
It's an interesting take on that part of Equestrian history. I like that you are able to present the theme of sisterly love, with all the good and tragic that emerged from it, without overpowering it with "badass Celestia/Luna" or "Celestia/Luna is blameless and it's the other who should be banished to the moon".
However, I think your fight scenes lack some impact. You're too wordy at times, as well as too technical and distant. I would suggest that you replace any instance of "oxygen" with "air" for starters.
I know that they're princesses, but come on. "Luna, aid me!", "Luna, I need aid!" or "Luna, help!" all sound more urgent, especially with Discord trying to kill her.
Again, too much. Bordering on "Talking is a Free Action" too much. Try saying all that while trying to catch your breath.
Too wordy. It saps the emotional impact when you're so formal in saying "Luna didn't notice her,".
An enjoyable read nonetheless.
...More
This was pretty excellent. You made me a bit nervous early on, but it turned out what you did was pretty clever.
You should write more stories like this. Crackfics might be fun, but this? This is something worth writing. Fantastic stuff.
Really nice work on this, Bob. Any more stuff in this vein would be more than welcome.
5138691 I agree with all of that except the last one. There is a time for some lengthy descriptions, you can't pare everything down to a bare minimum.
That was fuckin' epic. :D
It was confusing, it was messy and honestly, just plain boring. I didn't honestly feel anything about the characters and the plot was... just weak. So, so weak.
Face The Thing That Should Not Be.
Never read a fic like this. Like C² said, I thought you'd lost the plot around the middle, but then it all came together.
Perhaps the whole thing was too wordy, though. There was a lot of talking during the action scenes, something I get told off for myself.
Good read, though. No doubts there.
You can has review!