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by Neutron Alchemist

Celestia's Sister

"Thou, coward!" Luna said gasping "Next time I will show thee!"

Celestia, standing up and trying to compose herself, looked at the exhausted mare that was lying on what was left of her bed, gasping for air, and giggled. Poor thing. Given her present conditions, it had been a cruel and inequine punishment that she had inflicted to her sister, although, recalling the magic propelled pillow blow that had thrown her right to the ground, stopping her tickling attack, Celestia had to admit that, all things considered, Luna had fought back pretty well, and the huge mess of pillows, blankets, curtains and upholstery that once was Luna's bedroom was there to prove. But Celestia was a fair ruler, an hers was just the right punishment for Luna, for making her wait for a thousand years. An entire millenniun without being able to let herself go even once, was something that cried out for vengeance. Moreover, Celestia had more than enough of the regretful and apologetic version of her sister that had been staged all that day. She wanted back the cocky and competitive one, and, if she had to make her angry to have it, all the better. But, above all, it was her sister's filly coat, that Celestia had not seen in a so long time, and that perhaps she could no longer see again, that was irresistible in triggering her will to torment her.

Little she cared for the room. That shrine erected to the memory of her sister, mute witness of all the lonely tears that she could not have let anypony see, had no more reasons to exist now that her sister had returned. Celestia would have rather liked to destroy it even more. It was a pity that Luna was not in condition to last a couple of rounds more, to get rid of all that was still left intact. Celestia wanted Luna to get a bedroom to her taste, not having to sleep in what had been, for a thousand years, the tomb of Celestia's feelings.

Cause Celestia was so proud of her sister that she felt like her heart was about to explode.

No one had seen it coming. No one knew who she was. Not even the old Starswirl had been able to predict it. Nightmare Moon had been a bolt from the blue. But later, after being forced to fight the monster in which her sister had turned, and after having had to exile her to the Moon, Celestia, not believing that the reasons of that creature could be those of her sister, not believing that she could be her, had searched for decades the cause of of what had happened. And finally she understood them.

Everypony had magic. Not only unicorns. Unicorns are the ones who own the device to project their magic outside their bodies, but is magic that gives earth ponies strength and resilience, and that gives lift to the pegasi wings, as their weather abilities.

But a normal pony has not a real magic core. He has like a thin magic field, charged at a low energy level, as the pony has nor the power, nor the need to boost it to the higher ones. That way his magic is stable and harmonic.

An alicorn is different. An alicorn, as a base, owns all three the basic forms of magic. But different kinds of magic cannot occupy the same space at the same energy level. So, to contain them, an alicorn has to store different magic fields at different energetic states, as shells one over the other. That way a magic core appears, even without the alicorn noticing it. Then, as the alicorn grows up and gains experience, she incorporates others, more advanced forms of magic, and store them at increasingly higher energy levels. The radiance produced by the highest magic energy levels can hardly be hidden. It shapes the very external aspect of the alicorn, as it was so evident in Celestia's case, but, on the other hand, in the depths of the magic core, at the lower energy levels, things are far less lovely. There, the base of the magic of the alicorn struggles to avoid being crushed by the pressure of the higher levels. What seems to the alicorn the increase of her magical powers, is actually the increased consumption of them, required to maintain the balance between the energy states of her own magic, to fuel the lower levels to resist to the pressure, and the higher ones, to not increase it, losing energy.

Alicorns do it instinctively, but they are far from perfect.

The Nightmare is the result of the fall of an alicorn. Her degenerate state. Only an alicorn can become a Nightmare, as only the magic core of an alicorn is dense enough to risk to collapse on itself. For an Alicorn, to fall, is a physical phenomenon.

For an alicorn of the level Luna had reached a millennium before, it actually needs very little.

It could be a broken heart, it could be a temporary depression, it could be a burst of anger. But something can break the balance, the ability of the alicorn to maintain stable the energy levels of her magic core. Much more easily, since she does not even consciously know the need to maintain them.

The last ingredient, which makes the fall more or less easy, is the very same kind of magic that the alicorn owns. Her unique ability. Celestia's powers were radiant, warm and expansive. Naturally more resistant to the fall. Luna's powers were gravitational, cold and attracting. Naturally more prone to the collapse. Luna had walked all her life on a thin wire, until it has broken.

When the balance between the energy levels of the magic layers is broken, they collapse one onto the other in a chain reaction. The pressure arise on the basic levels, trying to overcome the exclusion principle, until they merge, decaying in their most basic form, neutral, undifferentiated magic. When this happens, the chain reaction can not be stopped, as can’t be stopped the collapse of a building that has lost the pillars of the first floor. In the meantime, the layers of magic, collapsing on lower energy levels, release their potential energy, giving the Alicorn a power beyond her possibilities to manage it, overcoming her already broken conscious mind, and fuelling her fears, her obsessions, her nightmares, forcing the Alicon to become the worst of them. That way the negation of all the alicorn had previously been, a Nightmare, is born.

Celestia had been devastated by the discovery. For decades she had hoped to find that her beloved sister had not betrayed her. And, when this hope was fulfilled, it was only to reveal that, for decades, Luna's mind had been constantly tortured, living her worst nightmares, and, each passing moment, she was continuing to live them.

Celestia also had been on the verge of collapse at that point. Only the hope to find a cure had sustained her, but, as he had feared since she had used the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon, there was not any cure. The Elements of Harmony had been useless in giving back Luna to Celestia. They had only been able to exile her. All the magic power of the universe, injected inside the magic core of a nightmare, cannot save her. The increased magic energy can only accelerate the fall. And the outcome was fixed. The collapse would have continued, fuelling the Nightmare, until the last magic field had not fallen and merged in the undifferentiated field. Then, with nothing to distinguish her, the bearer of the power herself would have dissolved. Only the timing was in doubt. Time has little significance for an immortal being. Maybe it would have taken a day, maybe a millennium, but Luna was condemned to live the nightmare until her last day.

Only a tiny, tiny hope remained. Celestia was not even sure it was possible, but maybe there was a reason if the Elements exiled the Nightmare on the Moon for a fixed time of a thousand years. Not giving the Nightmare the possibility to use her magic energy and her twisted will to conquer the earth.
All the magic power of the universe could not stop the fall of a Nightmare. But maybe Luna could do it. Using not an external source of magic power, but a millennium of magic generation of one of the most powerful magicians of the universe, herself, to put back together the pieces of her shattered mind, to not fuel the collapse, to not give in to fear and madness, to regain sanity, to reconstruct her magic core, to find a new balance between her magic levels.

For a thousand years Celestia raised the Moon every night, and, at every sunset, at the moment to raise her, she felt guilty, guilty of her horrible, selfish hope. The hope to see once again the Mare on the Moon. The proof that Luna's torture was still continuing. But the proof that her sister had not dissolved yet. That she was still fighting. That Celestia was not yet totally alone.

And she succeeded.

What Celestia had exiled on the Moon was a sadic slayer. Something she couldn't recognize or understand. Something completely alien to her. Something that could not have place in Equestria. What had returned after a thousand years was her sister, with a bucket on her head, and a gigantic grudge against her. Desperately calling for someone to defeat her, to revert back to her old self without losing her face. Barely more serious than a Nightmare Night disguise. Something the Elements of Harmony would not have had problems to manage. Celestia knew that she would not become Nightmare Moon again. For one who had climbed from hell with her own strenght, to fall was no longer possible. Luna had won.

Luna turned to Celestia, and made a questioning expression, realizing that her sister was still staring at her.

Celestia could not stop to look proudly at her sister. So righteous to fight for a thousand years the most impossible of the battles without even realizing it, and so stubborn to hold a grudge for a millennium. So strong to defeat the most cruel of the enemies, and so insecure to need someone to ring the bell to know that the fight was over.

And of all that, Celestia could not speak to her. She know her words would have been meaningless for her sister. Worse, she would have mistaken them for commiseration. Celestia had to give her time to figure it out alone.

Celestia turned her back to Luna. "Now I'll let you rest, if you think you can still do it in this mess. I'll wake you up for setting the Moon, if you'll be still in bed by then."

"Whew!" Luna sighted, looking at the entrance of the room. "I thought I laughed so hard to shatter the doors. Hope I have not scared anyone."

"Don't worry sister," Celestia said without looking at her, "they are accustomed. The Royal Canterlot Voice is still used on official occasions. And it's better you make sure to dust off your Royal We. Subjects love the Princesses to put them at a little distance."

"Good to know," Luna said, yawning behind her. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Celestia replied, smiling.

Luna’s head was already sunk in the pillow "And thanks, for the train too."

Comments

[Neutron Alchemist]

Feel free to point out every mistake. Every help to improve this story is welcome!

[SirScribe]

I liked it. Your interpretation of how Luna spent her time on the Moon made a lot of sense to me. Her inner demons waging war inside her each and every day for a thousand years is what got me. I think I can imagine Luna with a bucket on her head. Hehe, but this was well written. Good work

[Neutron Alchemist]

5686536 Thank you for the appreciation!
I'm pretty happy with how this explanation of the fall of an Alicorn / rising of a Nightmare has came out (with a little help of Kazushi Hagiwara explanation of the fall of an angel in "Bastard!!"), but in the end I was afraid that might result too long and boring to read, so I'm very glad you enjoyed it.

[Whinifree]

I has a bit of a weakness for stories like this. *clapclapclap*

[Neutron Alchemist]

5687043 Thank you for all!

[Neutron Alchemist]

5702094 Thank you for the appreciation!

(God know if I tried to avoid mistakes, and to find an editor... )

[Sun Dial]

The explanation for Luna's fall was a little winded, but the result of Luna reaching and out and grabbing ahold of herself was brilliant.

[Neutron Alchemist]

5716193 Many thanks for having appreciated it!

For the explanation, oh, well, is what I was afraid it could seems, so I think the critique is fair. I have a lot to improve, and to keep in mind that, everytime someone tries to mix hard science with a world full of colored unicorns, a breezy dies. (joking)

[Multithread]

This story needs more people reading it, cause it's great.

[Neutron Alchemist]

5729606 I'm flattered.

[Pankrazius]

I knew I saw your cat-face before...
It's above a story on my "Favorite Fics"-panel on my profile.
So the guy who wrote Trixie's Night, takes on another blue(ish) horned pony?

*grabs Popcorn* *adjusting shades*

Bring it on!

[Pankrazius]

Ok... Tell me two things..

Why the hell does this story have so little recognition?
And why do you have so few followers?

Besides a few typos (You wrote Elements of Armony once near the end... although I appreciate reading things in Prance once in a while...)
The story is fine.
And again you managed to give a complete different angle to something we saw in the show.
Your take on the Alicorns magic is intriguing. You manage to explain magic and keeping it the same time.
And...
tickling? No, I never ever did see this coming. Kudos.

So. I hope you know what you did here. Feel ashamed for cluttering up my Fav-stories-panel once again, cat-face.

Have a like a fav... And I am stalking you now!
Oh and this handy moustache you truly earned.

[Neutron Alchemist]

5894451 Happy to hear of you again!

Why the hell does this story have so little recognition?

To know it... I'm always in search of more recognition.

Besides a few typos

Ops! Fixed. Thanks!

Feel ashamed for cluttering up my Fav-stories-panel once again, cat-face.

It's a sin I love to commit.

Jokes apart, thanks. That's a story I'm proud of. I will try to live up to your expectations.

Oh and this handy moustache you truly earned.

I will take it with honor

[HapHazred]

After considering this story for the Goodfic Bin, I'm afraid I'm rejecting it from the submissions folder.

Details are here.

[Neutron Alchemist]

6657630 Thank you for reviewing it anyway.