Centuries

by Moterius

Hearts' freezing eve

Author's Note:

This story originally was a ONESHOT. This is a addition I decided writing for christmas. Happy holidays to all of you!

Nightmare Moon

“Luna?”

Nightmare looked up, looking at Celestia.

It was hearts warming eve, a day before an annual festival that Nightmare only recently got aware of. However, thanks to what it represented, she could not find any pleasure in it.

“You have to go out more! Especially at hearts warming eve!” she urged, but Nightmare shook her head.

Hearts warming is a holiday, dedicated to the founding of Equestria – and the banishment of spirits known as ‘the Wendigos’ through earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns working together in harmony and friendship.

And harmony was represented by six virtues: Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, Kindness, and Magic.

Three of which she opposed while being supposed to be the one who once embodied them: Loyalty, Honesty, and Laughter.

It only served that much more of a reminder that Luna should be here today, not her.

The black mare looked down again, remembering how Luna was the only one to understand her. Nightmare had not seen Luna since she left the moon, even not when she tried visiting her via the dream realm.

Was this the time for Luna to return? No. It was alone Luna’s decision, and she was probably still scared. Alicorns changed and acted slowly. When she was ready, she would come.

Though...

“Where are you going, Luna?”

Nightmare never reacted to Celestia calling her as her sister. It felt wrong to do so. She was an alicorn in the body of Celestia’s sister, but she was not her sister.

“We – I do plan to visit an old friend,” she responded, carefully concealing key facts about her planned visit to the moon, only reminding her further of her being essentially the opposite of an honest being.

Celestia, in turn, smiled widely.

“That’s wonderful, Luna! Will you tell me who it is?”

She shook her head.

“Not yet, she requested me not to mention her name,” she responded.

“Has it something to do with the enormous rune below your carpet though?”

Nightmare blushed slightly.

“Yes,” she admitted, picking up her present for Luna.

“Long-range teleports aren’t easy, even for us. May I ask for privacy about this, Celestia?”

“You may,” Celestia responded, leaving the room and knowing she wouldn’t get more information from ‘Luna’.

Nightmare’s horn lit up in a dark cobalt blue, and she rolled up the carpet. She then stepped in the rune and activated it, creating a passage only she could enter, connecting the room to the moon.

---

“Thou didst return!” the blue cloud exclaimed before condensing in a slightly smaller pony.

“I am not one to break my promises,” Nightmare responded, looking at Luna.

“And? How doth thou fare down there? Better than ten centuries ago?”

“There was no conflict in quite some time, it is peaceful,” she said, looking to the ground. Peaceful, yes, but harmonic?

“Why art thou looking like that? Is it not hearts warming eve, a time of celebration?”

“I am doing nothing more than living a lie...” Nightmare said, trailing off and falling down.

“Mayhaps. But we are, too.”

Nightmare looked up.

“How do you mean that?”

“Follow us,” Luna solemnly responded, turning around and walking (floating?) back to the castle she built during the time they were banished to the moon.

When they arrived in the throne room, Nightmare was there for the first time, but she immediately noticed the two thrones. It was a near-perfect replica of the throne room in the castle of the two sisters. However, the big throne bore Luna’s mark, the other one held the symbol Nightmare Moon once choose for her campaign against Celestia. Only she and Luna knew about it.

“Why?” she asked, her voice suddenly dry.

“Because our moon shant be ruled by those connected to the light,” Luna responded, sitting down (?) on the big throne.

Nightmare grimaced at that thought. She had enough of politics, at least for the time being.

“Now, we doth believe you have a present for us?”

“Right,” Nightmare said, levitating over the deep blue crystal.

“I made this crystal to amplify your magic. It should bring you back part of your former strength and allow you to visit the dream realm again,” Nightmare said, carefully placing it down.

“We can already access the dream realm again.”

Nightmare looked at Luna, shocked.

“Then why did I never find you? Felt you, for that matter?” she asked, wondering why Luna would stay back that much from the world.

“We wished not to be found,” Luna admitted, looking at the crystal.

“But... why?”

Luna gave Nightmare a sad smile.

“We still art not ready to return. So, we choose to observe thou and the world. We believe you could reveal thyself, too.”

“Would they really believe me when I told them the truth? When I would tell your sister? Would they stay my friends?” Nightmare asked, nervously scrapping along the ground with one hoof.

“Of that, we art sure. Though, thou said they art your friends, no?”

She could only nod.

“Then we believe you should spend hearts warming with them, as well. No matter what thou tell thyself, thou have no frozen heart. And Celestia is your sister, too.”

“Neither I nor her think so,” Nightmare responded, looking away.

“Because sister sees thou as us! Spend time with them, tell them!”

“And if they reject me?” she responded, a lone tear escaping her eye.

“No matter what I do, it can’t possibly end well for me!” she cried out, starting to wish it was all just a dream.

“That is not true, Nightmare!” Luna responded, moving close to the black mare.

“Doth you know why? They art thy friends! They have to understand!” she said, raising Nightmare’s head to look her in the eyes.

“Then how should I do this?”

“Thou do as it follows...”

Hearts Warming – 1001 ANM

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight was surprised when princess Luna requested to be with her during hearts warming but accepted instantly. She did not know why the princess would prefer spending that specific day with her instead of her mentor but saw no reason to decline.

Of course, her parents were slightly shocked when a princess appeared – Twilight only said a guest would come – but they soon enough opened up.

Currently, they were sitting in their living room, and she was looking at the fire in their chimney, mesmerized by the flames.

She was reminded of the ponies around her when she heard the princess asked her something.

“Princess? Did you say something?” she asked, hoping princess Luna wouldn’t get mad at her inattentiveness.

“I just asked you what you think my full name is,” came the quiet response.

“Uhh... princess Luna Nightbringer? I think?”

To her surprise, Luna shook her head.

“No, it isn’t. It’s something different.”

For a moment, the princess was quite, then she spoke again.

“My name is Astral Nightmare Eveningstar.”