My Friend, Nightmare Moon

by evanim26

Regret and Truth

After a long ride, they arrived at canterlot and landed in front of the castle where many guards stood by as Luna and Twilight left the carriage with Amber in a magic bubble. Luna then had a few guards follow them as they took Amber into the castle

"Princess Luna, please. listen to me and Moony, you need to understand." Amber pleaded

"Do not make me repeat myself. I will not be swayed by Nightmare Moon's words. you are simply wasting your breath." Luna said as she levitated her through the halls of the canterlot palace

Twilight had been looking nervous for quite some time but went unnoticed by Luna until she finally spoke up "Princess Luna, I believe we should at least hear them out to get the full story." she said

Luna stopped completely making everypony else stop as well "Twilight, you must understand that I respect you as an equal, but this matter is beyond your comprehension. Nightmare moon is not a being that can be bargained with, nor redeemed. she is nothing like discord, nor your own pupil Starlight. she is pure evil incarnate and will be destroyed for the betterment of Equestria. do not let her words tempt you, Twilight. she is merely using the filly as a front to fake her own innocence, but I can see clearly through the facade. no matter what she says, she will be destroyed and you must not let her words get to you again, understood?" she said and Twilight nodded slowly

"Good, now let us continue."

Amber turned to Twilight "Thanks for trying, Twilight." she said though Twilight didn't respond

"Amber..."

"Don't worry, Moony. I'll get us out of this and prove to them that you're not bad anymore." Amber said

Nightmare sighed "No, Amber." she said then she took control of Amber's body

"Luna!" Nightmare shouted making Luna look back at her

"what is it now?" Luna asked

"I surrender. I'll release the filly from my hold as well." Nightmare said

"This had better not be one of your lies," Luna said

"It isn't," Nightmare said then a cloud of mist left Amber's head

"Hm, interesting." Luna said then she manipulated the bubble to allow Amber to leave but Nightmare to remain inside "Do not think this will allow you to escape your punishment. telling one truth does not excuse all the lies."

Amber looked around then up at Nightmare "Moony? what are you doing?" she asked

"I am accepting what happens to me."

"You're giving up? you can't give up. we can still convince them you're not bad." Amber said

"No. there is nothing more we can do. my fate has been decided." Nightmare said

"Not yet. I made a vow on our friendship tha-."

"We're not friends!" Nightmare shouted cutting Amber off

"M-Moony? what are you talking about?" Amber asked

"You heard me! I have explained this plenty of times. you were a means to an end, that was it. we were never friends. I merely used you to further my own goals. you were nothing more than an object I used to just throw away in the end, you stupid filly." Nightmare said

"Y-you don't mean that!" Amber shouted

"I do, now leave my sight. you and your friendship disgust me." Nightmare said turning away from her and what she said left such an impact that Amber began crying

Luna moved Nightmare away from Amber as she trotted over to her and put a hoof on her shoulder "Now you see Nightmre's true face. she doesn't do friendship, and only uses others for her own gain. she truly is an evil being." she said as Amber sat there and cried

Luna turned to the guards "Escort Amber back to ponyville." she said then she turned and continued trotting to the throne room

Amber turned and followed the guards as they escorted her back the way they came. she kept her eyes to the ground the entire time as she thought back to her time with Nightmare moon. she thought back to when they first met, and how scared of her she was at first but later came to have an understanding of her. she remembered how Nightmare helped get rid of her nightmares, and the copy of the night sky they enjoyed together. she remembered how Nightmare helped, in a way, convince some fillies that what rumors were false. she remembered all the things Nightmare taught her about when she wanted to learn magic. she remembered the vow she made to Nightmare that night and the talk they had before she saved her from Luna.

Amber stopped in her tracks 'Wait a minute.' she thought as she thought back to all the things Nightmare has said to her

"I merely used you to further my own goals."

"We're not friends!"

"you were nothing more than an object I used to just throw away in the end."

"you and your friendship disgust me."

"if I am to leave this world for good, then I would leave without a single regret left on my mind."

Amber's eyes went wide as she turned around "No! Moony!" she yelled as she opened her wings and flew towards the throne room

"Hey wait!" The guard shouted as they chased after her.

Luna had reached the throne room and brought Nightmare with her as Celestia trotted to both of them "Nightmare moon. I had hoped to never see you again." Celestia said

"I can say the same for you, Celestia. and yet, here we are." Nightmare said

Twilight trotted to Celestia "Princess Celestia, now that we have Nightmare Moon. how will we destroy her without the elements?" she asked

"I am sure my and Celestia's power will be enough to destroy, Nightmare Moon. we won't need the elements this time." Luna said as she trotted to the middle of the throne room and set Nightmare between Celestia and herself.

Celestia and Luna charged their horns "Before you are gone, Nightmare Moon. do you have any last words?" Celestia asked

"I have many things to say to you, Celestia. but I will take my death in silence." Nightmare said

"Very well."

Celestia and Luna continued charging their horns while Twilight stayed off to the side and watched, and as they charged their horns Nightmare only had one thought left in her mind.

'Forgive me, Amber.'

Luna let down the bubble that was holding Nightmare, but just as they shot their magic, Amber burst through the doors and flew right to Nightmare's floating mist surprising every pony in the room. When Amber grabbed Nightmare, Twilight quickly put a shield around them to protect them from Celestia's and Luna's magic as they crashed into the floor away from them. then the guards started running in and surrounded Amber and Nightmare as they pointed their swords at them.

"That was too close. how did that filly get back here?" Celestia said

"that doesn't matter. what does is getting Nightmare back to destroy her." Luna said trotting to Amber and Nightmare Mon who were still inside of Twilight's shield "Twilight, lower the shield."

Twilight hesitated but shook her head "No, not yet."

"What? what do you mean not yet? we must destroy Nightmare before it is too late." Luna said

"Princess Luna, please just wait a moment. that filly just willingly risked her own life to protect Nightmare Moon. I think we should see what happens." Twilight said

Before Luna could argue Celestia trotted over "Luna, I think we should listen to, Twilight. she hasn't been wrong about these things yet." she said

Luna looked at Celestia then to Twilight "Fine, but if it looks like something will go wrong, I will not hesitate." she said

Nightmare opened her eyes and looked at Amber "Amber! Are you crazy?! you could have been hurt!" she said

"I don't care, just as long as I made it in time to stop you," Amber said

"Why would you want to stop me? I have already said you were nothing more than a means to an end. you were a tool, Amber. what don't you understand about that?" Nightmare said

"I know you don't mean any of that!" Amber said

"But I d-."

"STOP LYING!" Amber shouted cutting her off "I didn't realize it until now, but I know why you're saying all of that. it's because you don't want to leave regretting our friendship. well, I'm not gonna let you leave thinking our friendship was a mistake. our friendship was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. you helped me so much these past few days."

Nightmare turned away "Hmph, now I know you're the one lying. nopony would ever willingly be friends with me, let alone want me around." she said

"It's the truth! you know that! after everything we've been through, can you really say I'm lying?" Amber asked but Nightmare remained silent "Moony, look into my eyes and tell me I'm lying."

Nightmare looked back at Amber and tried to say it, but the more she looked in her eyes, the more she realized just how much Amber believed her own words.

"Why? why do you want to be my friend so much?" Nightmare asked

"It's as I said before. you were the first pony to not turn me away and leave me alone. even when your power was charged enough for you to leave, you stayed with me and helped me. you may not want to admit it, but I can tell you want to be friends with me to." Amber said

"I..."

"Moony, what's stopping you?" Amber asked

"I...I'm not sure. I've never had another pony want to be friends with me, nor risk their own lives to protect me. I don't know how to react, nor what to say." Nightmare said

Amber smiled and hugged Nightmare close "Just follow your heart, Moony."

Nightmare stayed completely still then a small smile crossed her lips "Amber Night, will you become my friend?"

Amber giggled "we were already friends, Moony." she said then Nightmare began entering her mind and as she did Amber began transforming as a black ball swirled around her

Luna gasped "Stop her!" she shouted as she charged her horn

"Princess Luna, wait!" Twilight said but was too late to stop her as Luna shot the shield with her magic causing it to break and releasing Amber and Nightmare Moon

The guards and the Princess both backed away as the swirling ball grew bigger. as the ball grew bigger they heard maniacal laughter and big black wings extended from the ball. when the ball had disappeared, Amber had become completely different. Amber was now the size of Princess Luna, her wings were just as long as well. she had sharp fangs and her eyes were slit and the same color as when she last transformed. Amber's mane was also flowing and had multiple Amber stripes going through it and her tail.

Twilight hesitantly took a step forward "Amber? is that you?" she asked

she opened her eyes "Amber is no longer here. now, I am Nightmare Amber!" Nightmare said as she laughed loudly

Luna ran in front of Twilight "You fiend! praying on a filly's weakness just to take over her body! I knew you could not be trusted!" she said

Celestia also stepped forward "Nightmare Moon, I will only give you this one chance. release the filly." she said

"Alright, Moony. you had your fun. it's best not to let them think you actually took over." Amber said

Nightmare smirked "Very well."

Nightmare released control and allowed Amber back her body while using her magic to make Amber appear her normal self. this also surprised every pony in the room since they did not expect Nightmare to simply follow their order.

Twilight took a step forward again "Amber? is it really you this time?" she asked

Amber nodded "Yeah, it's me this time." she said

"And, where is Nightmare Moon?" Celestia asked

Amber put a hoof to her chest "She's still here. she finally accepted my friendship to." she said

"Impossible. Nightmare Moon would never-."

"She did!" Amber shouted cutting off Luna "I tried to explain this to you so many times. Moony isn't the same being as she was before! she's changed!" she said

Before Luna could argue again Twilight totted next to Amber "I think we should believe, Amber." she said

"Why is that, Twilight?" Celestia asked

"Amber had been working so hard to keep us from discovering Nightmare Moon. she stopped Luna from finding out about her when Luna first found her dream, she even hid her away from me. not only that, but she just risked her own life to protect her, and she did all of those things of her own free will. if Amber is willing to go to such lengths to protect Nightmare, then she must truly see her as a friend." Twilight explained

Twilight then turned to Amber "And seeing how Nightmare had willingly given Amber her mind and body back. I believe Nightmare sees Amber as a friend as well."

Celestia nodded then turned to Amber "Little filly. would you allow us to speak to, Nightmare Moon?" she asked

"Okay. Moony?" Amber said then a black ball swirled around and transformed her back

"Nightmare Moon. do you truly consider yourself a friend to, Amber?" Celestia said

"I do. I trust Amber." Nightmare said

Celestia nodded then looked at Twilight "Twilight. I believe you should be the one to decide as the Princess of friendship." she said

"Oh, okay." Twilight said then she cleared her throat "Nightmare Moon, as the Princess of friendship. I, Twilight Sparkle, will allow you and Amber Night to continue your friendship, but you will have to attend friendship meetings with me every week to discuss how your friendship has progressed. understood?"

Nightmare groaned "Must I?" she asked and Twilight nodded so she sighed "Very well."

Twilight nearly jumped for joy "Oh, I can't wait to see how your friendship progresses. reforming Discord is one thing, but Nightmare Moon is something else entirely." she said to nopony particular

"I don't trust this." Luna said making everypony turn to her "Nightmare Moon is, and always will be, a dangerous being. I will never trust, nor forgive her." she said then she left the throne room slamming the doors behind her

Celestia shook her head "I will talk to her later. I'll try to convince her that what's happening is a great opportunity to learn how friendships can extend beyond just normal ponies. for now, I believe both of you should return to ponyville, and I recommend keeping this a secret. the less who know about Nightmare the better." she said and Nightmare nodded as she transformed back to Amber

Amber and Twilight returned to ponyville via the carriage they arrived in. once they were back, Amber was escorted back home by Twilight, and once there they saw the Cmc standing in front of her door. once the CMC saw her they ran straight towards Amber.

"Amber!" all of them shouted as they ran towards her

"Hey, guys!" Amber said

"Are you okay?" Sweetie asked

"I'm fine," Amber said

"And what about, Nightmare Moon? is she gone?" Applebloom asked

Amber shook her head "Nope, she's still here. we were able to convince Princess Celestia." she said

"And she let you keep her?" Scootaloo said and Amber nodded

"Why am I being spoken of like I'm a pet?"

Amber giggled "Sorry, Moony." she said

The CMC looked confused until they put it together "Oh, you're talking to, Nightmare Moon." Applebloom said

Amber nodded "You can just call her Moony. Nightmare Moon is a mouthful." she said

"Okay, sure," Sweetie said

"Amber, I allow you to call me Moony because of what we have. but please don't tell others to call me that as well, it's embarrassing." Nightmare said

Amber rubbed the back of her head "Sorry, but it's fine if it's just them, right?"

Nightmare sighed "Very well. if it's just these three then I can live with it."

Scootaloo gasped "Oh yeah, you still have to come to the treehouse for what we have planned." she said

"Yeah, now that everything is fine. this is a perfect time." Sweetie said

Before Amber could speak up, Twilight stepped forward "Sorry, girls. but Amber and I need to explain the situation to her parents. you'll have to hold off on that plan until tomorrow." she said

"Aw." all of them said

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to come to the treehouse first thing in the morning. if my parent will let me." Amber said

"Alright, we'll be waiting then. come on girls, we got crusading to do." Applebloom said then they ran off while Amber and Twilight went into her home.

As soon as they entered Amber's home, Lucy and Onyx came from down from upstairs and ran to hug Amber.

"Oh, Amber. I am so glad you're alright!" Lucy said as she tightly hugged Amber

"When your mother told me everything that happened. I thought we were gonna lose you to that monster." Onyx said

Lucy looked behind Amber and saw Twilight "Oh, Twilight. I didn't notice you were here." she said then she trotted to her and took her hoof in her own "Thank you for saving our daughter. we are very grateful."

"Um, actually. we didn't exactly save your daughter. you see, Amber wasn't in any real danger to begin with." Twilight said

Onyx let go of Amber "What do you mean?" he asked

Twilight cleared her throat "You see after we took a second to listen to Amber and Nightmare Moon. I have determined that Nightmare Moon can be redeemed if Amber keeps pointing her in the right direction." she said

Lucy and Onyx remained silent for a few minutes "Wait, are you telling me that Nightmare Moon is still inside of our daughter?!" Lucy asked and Twilight nervously nodded

"And you think our daughter can redeem her?" Onyx asked and Twilight nodded again

Lucy shook her head "Forgive me, princess. but are you crazy?!" she shouted

"I understand why you're upset, but Amber has proven to both princess Celestia and me that Nightmare Moon has changed. I believe if Amber can continue to point Nightmare in the right direction then she'll be able to do some good for Equestria." Twilight said

"No, I can't believe that. how do you know that Nightmare won't just take Amber away from us?" Lucy said

"I...don't."

"I'm sorry, but we can't just take your word for this, Twilight. we need to be sure Amber is safe with Nightmare Moon." Onyx said

"Amber, allow me to speak to them." Nightmare said

Amber nodded then stepped forward "Mom, dad if you can't take Twilight's word. then maybe you can take Nightmare's." she said

"Amber, what-." Lucy wasn't able to finish her sentence as Amber transformed into Nightmare and Lucy almost fainted from the shock

"Greetings, Amber's parents. I am sure I don't need an introduction." Nightmare said

"W-what have you done to Amber?!" Lucy asked

"There is no need to worry. Amber allowed me control so that I can speak with you." Nightmare said

"How are we supposed to believe you?" Onyx asked

"When I am done speaking, I will allow Amber control again. Twilight will ensure I do." Nightmare said

Lucy looked at Twilight and saw her nod so she sighed "Okay, I'll listen to you." she said

"Thank you...I'm afraid I never got either of your names." Nightmare said

"My name is Lucy Light, and that's Onyx." Lucy said

Nightmare nodded then sat down where she was "Your daughter, Amber, is a special filly. she knew who I was and what I had done, but despite all of that she chose to want to become friends with me even though I have tried to push her away. I had never met a filly quite as determined as her. she would even risk her own life just to save mine. and for that, I must say that I would gladly do the same."

"...Are you saying that you would do anything to protect Amber? do you really mean that?" Lucy asked

Nightmare nodded "I do. you do not need to worry about me harming Amber. for I would never do such a thing, you have my word." she said

Lucy and Onyx looked at each other then Lucy looked back at Nightmare "Can you let us speak to Amber?" she asked

Nightmare nodded then transformed back to Amber "Mom? Dad?"

Onyx took a deep breath "Amber, let me just say that this is the craziest thing to ever happen to any of us. never in my life would I expect you to become friends with Nightmare Moon. I mean, it's just insane." he said

Lucy loudly cleared her throat making Onyx nod as he stepped back "That being said. I'm still not sure about Nightmare Moon being inside of your mind." she said and Amber nervously looked down "Though if she has given us her word that she won't harm you then that's probably the best we'll get."

"Wait, does this mean...?" Amber said as she looked between them

"Nightmare Moon can stay as long as Twilight keeps her in check, just in case." Onyx said

Amber jumped for joy "Yes! thank you! thank you! thank you! Moony and I will have so many cool adventures together! and I'm sure that given enough time, you'll come to trust her to." she said

"Alright, settle down. I'm sure you and "Moony" will have a lot of cool adventures. but I'm sure you're both exhausted from such an eventful day. why don't you wash up and I'll get dinner started?" Lucy said

"Okay!" Amber said then she flew upstairs

Lucy and Onyx turned back to Twilight "Twilight, please make sure Amber stays safe." Lucy said

Twilight nodded "I give you my word that I'll keep Amber safe should anything happen." she said

"Thank you. now, I'm sure you'll be heading home as well?" Lucy said and Twilight nodded

Onyx shook Twilight's hoof "Feel free to visit anytime. our door is always open to you." he said

"Um, alright." Twilight said then she left their home

Onyx turned back to Lucy "Are you sure we're making the right call?" he asked

"We'll just have to wait and see...but something tells me that we won't have to worry about Nightmare Moon harming Amber." Lucy said

"Oh? is this that motherly instinct kicking in?" Onyx asked

Lucy shrugged "Maybe." she said then she headed to the kitchen

Back at canterlot, Celestia had finished her royal duties and was currently trotting to Luna's room. once she arrived she was about to knock on the door until she saw one of her royal guards pass the corner and had her way and as soon as he saw her he seemed to stiffen up for a second.

"Princess Celestia. I was not expecting to see you over here." The guard said

"I had come to speak to my sister. is there something wrong?" Celestia asked

"No, nothing at all. you just surprised me is all. I will continue my patrol if you don't mind, princess." The guard said as he trots away

Celestia watched him as he passed the corner and disappeared then she knocked on Luna's door and entered after only a few minutes.

"Lulu, are you alright?" Celestia asked

Luna was standing on her balcony gazing up at the night sky as she rose the moon "Celestia." she simply said

"Luna. is everything alright?" Celestia asked again

Luna took a deep breath "Why did you allow Nightmare Moon to leave with that filly?" she asked

"You and I both saw how Amber risked her life to save Nightmare, and we heard their conversation. after seeing and hearing all of that, do you truly believe that she isn't capable of change?" Celestia asked

"I am unsure. we saw and heard a lot of things, but after being stuck with that monster for so long. I am not sure if I can see her capable of change." Luna said

"We knew Discord for a long time, but he was able to change. we heard all about what Starlight Glimmer had done, and she had changed as well. how is Nightmare Moon any different?" Celestia asked

"You weren't with her on the moon for those thousands of years. for all of that time, she kept berating me with reasons to hate you, why I should hate you, and what we should do to you when we returned. it was driving me insane to the point that I nearly let myself go for good just to bring harm to you." Luna said

Celestia hugged Luna "But you didn't."

"Yes. I was able to just barely hang on, just long enough for the elements to purify me. so you see why I can't see Nightmare changing. she is the one who changes others, she never changes herself." Luna said

"I believe this is a perfect chance to see how the magic of friendship can extend beyond ponies. Amber and Nightmare will show everypony that any creature can become friends if they just try, and I believe you can become friends with her as well. once you see that Nightmare has indeed changed then maybe you and her can make amends, and you will forgive her." Celestia said

Luna sighed "Tia, I want you to understand that I will always trust your judgment. but I will never trust Nightmare Moon again." she said

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't. we will just have to wait and see." Celestia said as she released Luna then left the room

unbeknownst to Celestia, two guards were watching and listening from around the corner "It would seem that what the others have said is true. Nightmare Moon has returned." the first guard said

"This is something we cannot allow. a monster like her roaming around freely in ponyville. this must be stopped." The second guard said

"And we shall be the ones to stop it, for the good of ponykind and Equestria." The first guard said then they left the corner.

Comments

[Ali della Morte]

We got us some rogue guards!!

[Loganic]

Yay rouge guards the best antagonists in these kind of stories besides the Main characters.

[Tempest_Flare]

Welp it's time for Shining to come down and show these ponies why he is still the captain of the royal guard even as a prince.

[hmaf43]

Luna stopped completely making everypony else stop as well "Twilight, you must understand that I respect you as an equal, but this matter is beyond your comprehension. Nightmare moon is not a being that can be bargained with, nor redeemed. she is nothing like discord, nor your own pupil Starlight. she is pure evil incarnate and will be destroyed for the betterment of Equestria. do not let her words tempt you, Twilight. she is merely using the filly as a front to fake her own innocence, but I can see clearly through the facade. no matter what she says, she will be destroyed and you must not let her words get to you again, understood?" she said and Twilight nodded slowly

discord is a pure chaos incarnate.....

Luna looked at Celestia then to Twilight "Fine, but if it looks like something will go wrong, I will not hesitate." she said

this fic is trashing my fav princess so hard.

"Oh, okay." Twilight said then she cleared her throat "Nightmare Moon, as the Princess of friendship. I, Twilight Sparkle, will allow you and Amber Night to continue your friendship, but you will have to attend friendship meetings with me every week to discuss how your friendship has progressed. understood?"

friendship meeting. dreadfully like some shits heartless corporations pulled for sake of PR

"We knew Discord for a long time, but he was able to change. we heard all about what Starlight Glimmer had done, and she had changed as well. how is Nightmare Moon any different?" Celestia asked

starlight the communist leader :)

10859626
isn't that for political purpose?

[Yubella]

I'm am not taking these fake ass friendship lessons