Applejack and Luna have been dating for some time, and in that time Applejack has watched as Luna tore herself up inside over long held frustrations that never waned. Luna does her best to control those emotions, locking them away in the recesses of her mind, but that may be doing more harm than good.
Applejack wants Luna to air her frustrations before they air themselves, but after so long, Luna simply isn't able to. Every part of her that could, all assertiveness and confidence and anything else that made Nightmare Moon who she was, is locked away too deep to dig out. As she is, Luna has no choice but to bottle it all up.
So, it's time for Nightmare Moon to make a return.
This is set in the same universe as my short story anthology, but it'll stand entirely on its own. There's no need to read any of those other stories, but they are there if you're interested!
Rare Luna ships always are a treat, and this story looks like it will be one too! I hope to see more.
this sounds interesting
I am intrigued.
I hope Celestia talk with NM herself.
Without any help.
I really want to know what questions come to Luna’s mind when bored and mildly peeved.
Moonbutt wants to talk, Sunbutt wants to fight. Quite a reversal from a thousand years ago. I do hope someone can talk Celestia down before she goes full Daybreaker.
Glad to see more up so soon!
Nightmare Moon learning how to Princess. Never gets old.
Ok, I'm loving this so far
Wonder what the last one was.
Wonderful! I literally can’t wait for the next one!
Dammit! You can't leave me like this!
So the question is did they quietly levitate her or bring in a ninja construction crew.
Well that sucks. No arresting Luna!
It's treason, then.
No really, since Luna is a ruling princess, imprisoning her without reason is treason. I hope she presses charges.
Huh. You know, I would have thought Luna of all ponies would still have some degree of external awareness while in the dream realm.
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Honestly she probly could but girlfriends can be very distracting
This is quickly becoming a favorite. Well done so far!
This escalated quickly.
They both need a time out it seems on their respective orbital bodies...
i think it would be funny if Celestia was chained to Nightmare
Boy, that escalated quickly. Not sure how I feel about that.
This story's getting better with each update~
Hmm. That was probably very cathargic for Luna, but ultimately contrary to her goals of convincing Celestia.
Still, nice irony that Celestia herself did all the bad things she accused Luna of.
Meanwhile in Ponyville, Rarity finds herself screaming and doesn’t know why.
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I was going to post something clever and quippy, but this is actually perfect.
Well, it’s nice to see everyone calming down and wait wut.
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Thank you. I aim to entertain.
This is fun. This is good.
Princess Applejack... hmmm....
Millennia from now some astrological researcher using technology that would humble ours to a nigh unbelievable degree will have a nervous breakdown trying to figure out why there is a pillow on the sun.
I’m still struggling to reconcile the kind, if somewhat oblivious, Celestia from the show with this paranoid, possibly delusional, shadow of her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the story as a whole, but it’s hard for me to see past this cognitive dissonance. Maybe I’m being too harsh, but I really hope there’s a good payoff at the end of all this. /rant
I’m beginning to think Celestia’s mind broke when she banished Luna. She can’t except the actions she took against Luna and so separated Luna from Nightmare Moon in her head. If she acknowledges Nightmare and Luna to be the same being then she has to own up to the guilt of her actions.
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"You said Darth Vader betrayed and murdered my father."
"Your father... was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. He ceased to be the Jedi Anakin Skywalker and "became" the Sith Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So, what I told you was true... from a certain point of view."
It's like pottery.
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I’m more a fan of lies by omission. Mostly because my DM won’t have me make a bluff role for those.
Golly... Celestia is salty when she hasn't slept.
Could always bring out Celestia’s inner rage thus forming Daybreaker. Sympathy is more common than empathy.
The crack begins to widen. Also somewhere Trixie found herself turning toward Canterlot with a look of adulation.
Celestia is finally beginning to think about it. But first, a nap.
I’m beginning to think Flim and Flam should just give up whenever AJ enters whatever room they are in.
Next chapter: Rarity and/or Sassy gives AJ the frou-frou.
Alright Applejack, I need you to hold this staff, put on these two amulets, and wish to become a princess while holding this desiccated hoof. With any luck the various curses will burn themselves out fighting against each other while releasing enough energy to convey you to the astral plane. Be forewarned you may become the Princess of cursed artifacts or incredibly convoluted plans.
And here I thought the point was to convince Tia that Nightmare wasn’t going to doom Equestria.
I've heard of drowning your sorrows in applejack, but this is the first time I've heard of drowning Applejack in your sorrows.
Finally, some progress! Overcoming one's own biases and prior beliefs is never easy, especially when they are backed up with intense emotions. It's good to see Celestia finally looking at the situation in a more rational light.
Kinda egotistical Tia. I’m pretty sure Luna know Nightmare better than you do, and that’s kinda the point.
Well everything appears to be poised to tumble downhill.
Can't say that I enjoy the amount of willful miscommunication though. When a story's characters refuse to talk with each other on important topics (or when entirely unrealistic 'coincidences' prevent them) it always ends up feeling like I'm watching some budget romantic comedy.
Luna really should consider consulting Tia. If for no other reason than to prevent the inevitable death battle in the castle.
Taking the power of the Moon out of Luna's control, yeah that's going to go over well.
Yes NMM, that is exactly what you should say to someone who doesn't trust you.