A Dance Between the Sun and the Voice in Her Head

by MistOverMoon

Chapter Five - Dark Omen

The Canterlot castle vault was usually merely a container for things best left in the past. Old weapons, racks of forgotten laws and orders, and various magical artifacts that didn't belong in the hoof of just anypony. Accessible only by the horn of Celestia and located in the deepest reaches of the palace it was as secure as a place could get. Not to mention the place was laid thick with magical wards that Celestia had put into places years earlier, even she would have a hard time breaking in with her diminished strength.

It was where Celestia stood inside of now. The elements of harmony were contained within in this place. Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and in the center of them all, Magic. It was here where Celestia had them stored. She stared at them from their place in a cushioned box. She had them retrieved from Twilight and her friends for safe keeping, but now that she was face to face with them once more a question came to mind.

"Why did you abandon me?" Celestia stood over the elements. "Once my sister and I were able to use the power of the elements. You even allowed me to use all of the elements together on my own. What happened?"

The only answer Celestia got from the gems was a faint gleam from the element of magic.

"They clearly don't want you anymore. Too hypocritical and manipulative for their tastes." Void said.

"Hypocritical? I am not-"

"You preach about the magic of friendship, but you have no friends. Tartarus, even I have friends! And I'm just a voice in your head!" Void laughed.

"I can assure you that I have friends." Celestia closed the box to the elements or harmony and reapplied the ward around them.

"Who?"

"Cadence and Luna." Celestia trudged through piles of gold as she walked deeper into the vault. Priceless ancient artworks and historical artifacts passed her by as she went deeper. She really needed to clean this place up one of these years.

"Those are family, and Luna just came back from a thousand years, so she doesn't count."

"Luna still counts. Also, Twilight is my friend."

"She is your student, just admit it, you have no friends."

"What do you want Void? My position does not make it easy to create such bonds with ponies." Celestia thought back to her friends from all those years ago. Their faces were blurry now though she could still recount their names. She shook her head as her throat tightened. There wasn't a point in thinking about it anymore. She had Luna and Cadence, she had Twilight, and that was all that mattered.

"Dust in the wind am I right? They will be dead long before you are." Void said. "No point in making any friends with non-immortals. The only mortals you make friends with are ones you plan on turning into an alicorn."

"Please, I am not in the mood for this right now." Celestia ignored the sucking feeling in her chest and turned it into seething anger. "You gave me time with Luna, and I thank you for that, but I will not tolerate such words!"

"Simmer down Tia. Don't you think I deserve to poke a little fun with what you are about to do?"

"Don't call me that, that is reserved for Luna alone." Celestia nearly froze at the nickname. It had been so long since she had heard it and to hear it come from Void's mouth was more infuriating than she would have thought. "And what do you think I'm going to do?"

"I know that wicked gleam in your eye. You are going to hunt down my poor little friend. How could you?" Void sobbed extremely loudly and annoyingly. "She was only trying to help!"

"Give me one reason to not hunt down your dark magic ridden spawn." Celestia reached the end of the treasure hoard where another door was deeper into the vault. A similar horn keyhole to the first door was on this door as well.

"Well, if you really want me to give you a reason..." Void trailed off. "She is a gather good friend. Especially to Luna!"

How had she forgotten about that? If anyone knew anything about Void's 'friend' it would have to be Luna. She was the one who was on the moon with it after all. The idea had slipped her mind somewhere amidst her reunion with her sister. How was she supposed to bring it up to Luna without being confrontational?

"Why are you helping me root out your friend?" Celestia paused just before the inner vault. Behind it was all the tools she would need to face any conflict. It had not been opened in over a hundred years.

"I want to extend the hoof of friendship first. Ill prove to you that I am not so bad after all. I will reveal my friend to you when you meet with Luna. I can promise you no one will be harmed, infected, or afflicted with disease in any way. So, what do you say my beloved sun?"

"I..." Celestia stared at the inner vault. She didn't want to open it, not after all this time. Behind that door was her spear and armor, things best left behind. "I will meet with your friend."

"I knew you would come around eventually. We are meant to be together after all." Void said.

"I am not doing this for you, I am doing this for Luna." Celestia strode away from the vault and let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Now I just feel underappreciated." Void sighed. "My life never seems to change, I guess some things are just meant to be."

Celestia ignored the whining and closed the vault behind her as she exited. The royal guards stood to attention as she made her way through the castle. Day court had already been canceled and now she wasn't even going to go anywhere. At least it gave her time to speak to Luna.

She made her way straight to Luna's room. It was unlikely that she was awake, but she couldn't resist the urge to check in on her sister. Especially not when she had something to ask her.

As she approached the door, she could have sworn she heard whispering on the other side of it. Luna must have been speaking to herself in her sleep. Celestia smirked wickedly to herself. It had been far too long since a proper prank between them had been done. Maybe she would magically record her mutterings for use a few weeks later.

"Luna?" Gently Celestia cracked open the door.

Sitting on her bed with her horn glowing was Luna. As Celestia entered Luna nearly jumped out of bed, her hooves fought for purchase on the sheets before she fell onto her stomach. The next moment she was standing up again.

"Are you alright Luna?" Celestia scanned the room, there was nothing of note. "I'm sorry for waking you but I couldn't help but hear whispering."

"Tis quite alright. We are merely speaking to ourselves." Luna yawned heavily and rubbed her eyes.

Something was off. Luna refused to meet her eyes.

"Did you have breakfast yet? Were you able to control the moon well last night?" Celestia had immediately let Luna go back to her old duties in controlling the moon. Despite wanting to allow her sister to relax, Luna had been adamant about the task. The thought of it filled Celestia with pride. Her sister had always been strong of will and heart.

"We set the moon without trouble to make way for thy sun. As for breakfast, we have not left the room yet." Luna said.

Celestia scanned the room once more. What was that feeling?

"Let's have breakfast then." Celestia smiled as she stepped into the room. "It has been too long."

"We- We agree sister." Luna leapt off the bed with a smooth movement. "Let us depart with haste!"

"Wait just one moment Luna." Celestia lit her horn with magic. "Something is here."

"We do not-" Luna started to speak before Celestia stomped forward.

She looked to the top of the dome-like roof of the room and ripped the curtains open with her magic. Immediately light filled the room with the blinding intensity of the morning sun. Yet still, the darkness at the top of the ceiling remained. It clung there like a gelatin, shifting smoothly in a smoky form. From it, two glowing yellow eyes stared back into her own.

Rage unlike anything she had felt in a hundred years filled Celestia. How dare this creature reside near her sister? How dare this monstrosity stalk the halls of the palace she thought safe for Luna?

Immediately she surrounded the dark cloud with her magic. In a moment she ripped it off the ceiling like a loose bur. The thing squirmed in her grasp, so she tightened her grip with a surge of magic. As it struggled, she slammed it onto the floor before charging her horn. All it would take was one precise blast to banish this dark spawn.

"Wait sister, thou do not understand. Do not hurt her!" Luna jumped in front of her horn.

"Luna! Why are you standing in front of that thing? Get away from it, it's going to hurt you!" Celestia directed her horn away from her sister.

"This hath been our friend for a thousand years! She is the one who hath taught up spells and been there in our time of need. Lower your horn, Tia!" Luna spread her wings as she stood in front of the cloud with burning eyes. The remnants of her booming royal Canterlot voice echoed in the room. The sound of it used specifically at her shocked her.

At the sound of the old nickname Celestia hesitantly held her spell instead of blasting the cloud into a scorch mark. She grit her teeth. This was clearly Void's friend, a servant of the thing that had been tormenting her forever. Yet, Luna was defending it, and she did agree to Void to at least meet the friend...

With an unheard curse Celestia let the spell in her horn fizzle into the air. She still held the creature in her magic in case it tried to get away.

"Would... would you explain this, Luna?" Celestia took a step back. "What is that thing?"

"When we were lonely amidst the dark days this creature approached us. We confided in it, and it in us. It... it gave us the power to face you. When we were banished, it was there for us, when we returned it was with us. It is something that we would call a friend." Luna sighed and stared at the ground. "We were scared of what would become of it, so we didn't tell you. Would you forgive me Tia?"

"I- of course I will forgive you." Celestia said, she couldn't stand seeing her sister staring at the ground like that. "What do you mean it gave you power, how did you confide in it?"

"It would be best that we show you." Luna turned to the shadow. "Please release her, no harm will come to us."

Feeling as if she was mortaring the seal to her own casket, Celestia hesitantly let go of her hold on the shadow.

The shadow swirled on the ground. For a moment nothing seemed to happen then it formed into the shape of a pony. It built itself from the ground up and appeared with a flash of sharp fangs.

Where there was once a shadow, Nightmare Moon remained. It had her wild starry mane, her wicked fangs and teeth, her ancient armor, her black as death fur. Yet, it was only as tall as Luna. It was smaller than it was before. The nightmare smirked at Celestia as it appeared, the manifestation of all her failures standing in front of her like a dark omen.

"My most sincere apologies for not announcing my presence sooner your majesty. My name is Nightmare Moon, friend to Luna, and hopefully will be a friend to you." Nightmare Moon bowed. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, I have heard much about you from Luna."

"I hope you like my friend; she is quite the charmer. Not a parasite mind you, but a separate entity entirely."

Celestia was dumbfounded.

"You- you infected my sister, didn't you? How did you survive the elements of harmony?" Celestia tried to prevent herself from smashing the shadow with her hoof then blasting it through a wall with her magic. It was barely working.

"We know that she did no such thing! She has the ability to grant us power through assimilation. It was in my own bitterness that I asked her to empower me." Luna said. "She survived the elements of harmony because she is not corrupted as we were, she has always been a friend to us, willing to be with us even on the moon. Please, you have to believe us sister!"

"I can assure you your majesty that I mean no harm." Nightmare Moon didn't rise from her bow.

Patience frayed as her magic, Celestia was just able to maintain a facade. She could hear the guards lining up behind her at the commotion. They didn't say a word, but she could feel the tension in the air. Looking down at Luna standing in front of the deeply bowing Nightmare Moon made her feel like a tyrant.

"Go back to your posts. There will be no violence today." Celestia said.

"B-But princess, that's Nightmare Moon!" One of the guards said.

"Thank you for your commitment but I have this under control." Celestia's eyes never left the nightmare.

"Yes princess." Hesitantly the guards began to disperse.

The two groups stared at each other. There was little that Celestia wanted to speak of other than a quick eradication but for her sister she would persevere. Slowly, Nightmare Moon opened a single eye from her bowed position only to meet Celestia's own. Immediately it closed shut.

Celestia mentally shook herself off and soothed her ruffled feathers.

"Rise. There is no need to bow even for a shadow." Celestia said.

"Thank you, princess." Nightmare Moon rose. "My back was starting to hurt."

"So... you are... friends?" Celestia felt like the word was strange to her now after what Void had said.

"We are friends." Luna said.

"The best of friends, until the end!" Nightmare Moon chimed in. "Wouldn't you agree Luna?"

"Indeed, thou knowest me so well." Luna said.

"What do you call yourself then?" Celestia said. "You look like Nightmare Moon, why do you look like that?"

"My name is Nightmare Moon. It was the name Luna gave me when I appeared at night in her window. She thought that I was some kind of nightmare come to life!" Nightmare Moon nudged the mare next to her.

"This is true sister. We named her that phrase when first seeing her. Ever since then it stuck." Luna said. "We took her name when... changing. We did not wish to be Luna anymore."

Those words stung her heart. Celestia walked until she towered over the two. She looked deep into Nightmare Moon's eyes. How was she supposed to trust this shadow not to hurt her sister? She had just come back; she couldn't lose Luna. Then again, Celestia couldn't just eradicate somepony Luna cared about.

This had to Void's friend as well. Was this all part of his game, or was this something genuine?

"I will allow you a chance to prove yourself. If I see any sort of maliciousness...." Celestia couldn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

"Yes! Tis a day to be remembered for us!" Luna hugged Nightmare Moon. "She will show thee sister, she is good of heart."

"I aim to please." Nightmare Moon returned the hug.

"Would you join us, Tia? A hug to commemorate this great occasion. To show that our friendship shall last forever more from this moment on." Luna extended a hoof towards her.

Awkwardly Celestia moved into the hug, it was impossible to resist that nickname. The two hugged her more than she hugged them. Celestia wrapped her massive wings around the two. While Luna's embrace was more than welcome, the coldness of Nightmare Moon chilled her side. She towered over them. A giant amongst little ponies. The taller she got, the more distant she felt. In a situation like this though, she was glad for her size. If only so that she could hold more of her little ponies beneath her wings to shelter them.

"Isn't the magic of friendship just wonderful?" Void chuckled.

It was a shame that Celestia had to prepare for her sister's welcoming celebration otherwise she would be asking Void some very pointed questions within the next hour. That could wait for the moment though, there was much work to be done still and very little time to do it. For now, Celestia took what joy she could out of the hug and forced a smile.

Void would answer for this.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone, I changed the title and description to better reflect the story and its contents. I hope you like it!

Comments

[Salkitsune]

so daybreaker would also be a separate entity,