Burden
“And we just pop these babies right into the Pinkie Patented Super Deluxe Falvorizor Oven to bake! Guaranteed to optimize all moisture, flavor and whatever else in nearly a fourth of the time required for a normal oven!” Pinkie declared as she eagerly took all the cupcake trays holding the few dozen pastries from the three girls, closing the door and setting the heat appropriately, “Oh, I can feel it already! These cupcakes are gonna blow your socks off! Just a sec, I gotta tell Twilight that her awesome treats are almost done.” With that said, the pink party pony zipped away, leaving the four other ponies to begin cleaning up after themselves.
Absentmindedly, Applebloom glanced at the clock, her eyes going wide. “Oh shoot!” she exclaimed, dropping the broom with a crash, “I promised Applejack that I would help her bale the hay today! I gotta go girls!”
“How about we go with you?” Scootaloo suggested, interested, “Maybe we got a future as hay balers!?”
“But shouldn't we be helping Diana clean up?” Sweetie Bell asked, gesturing to the assorted bowls, spoons, forks, spatulas, trays and other assorted tools still lying about, dirty and caked in leftovers, “I'd feel really guilty if we didn't help her a bit with the mess we all made.”
Nightmare chuckled, “It's fine. I can really handle this myself. Go ahead girls. You've already helped me enough really. I'm really thankful.” She waved them off, lightly pushing the trio out the back door, “I'll see you three fillies later. You girls have fun!” Applebloom opened her mouth to voice her concern, only to be stopped by a soft hoof. “Nope. No 'ifs' 'ands' or 'buts'. Go.” The three girls nodded, smiling from ear to ear as they hopped out.
“Alright! Thanks Diana,” Scootaloo said as she hopped onto her scooter which had been parked in the back, her two friends jumping into the red wagon behind it, “You know....You're pretty cool. Too bad we couldn't try out those cupcakes we made.”
Diana chuckled, waving goodbye as she watched the three girls speed away to Applejack's farm, and she turned, double checking to make sure Pinkie was still away before igniting her horn. All of a sudden, the flour lifted itself up from the floor, depositing itself in the trash while all the tools and bowls were cleaned magically. Ingredients were put away and countertops were washed, all in a matter of minutes. She smiled.
Any normal unicorn would have had trouble lifting all of the tools and bowls at the same time while also manipulating them to do specific tasks, and that didn't even include the amount of control needed to levitate every single grain of flour individually off the floor and into the bin. Luckily, it was a cakewalk for Nightmare.
The kitchen now spick-and-span, the dream goddess waited for the cupcakes to finish baking, wondering how they would look and taste. She hoped they would turn out well. Nightmare would hate for all of their effort to go to waste, especially since the treats were for her mistress and the occasion at hoof.
Regardless, she didn't have long to worry, because the tell-tale sign of the oven ringing alerted her to the fact that the cupcakes were already finished.
“Oh yippee! They're done!” Pinkie interjected as she instantaneously reappeared in the kitchen, “Diana would you mind taking them out for me?”
“Oh sure thing Pinkie,” Nightmare answered as she grabbed the now-exposed trays with her magic, placing them on Pinkie's cooling racks, “They look and smell delicious.....”
Perfectly golden, the smell alone was enough to make her head spin; it was simply intoxicating. The disguised alicorn was sure they would taste just as good as they looked.
“Hmm....lets see here....Icing....Pinkie Patented Cupcake Carrier....” Pinkie rattled off as she got to work, deftly decorating each of the cupcakes and placing them into the plastic container, “Alright! Two dozen and counting. Hmm....there are a few left. How about you take the rest, Diana?”
The dream goddess took one look at the batch of perfectly crafted cupcakes, and before she could answer, her belly responded for her, rumbling loudly. “Sure. Thanks Pinkie.”
“No problemo! I'm going to go give these to Twilight and Luna. You enjoy!” she declared leaving the mare alone.
“That's right...” Nightmare muttered to herself as she placed the leftover cupcakes in a spare box, an unknown sadness hidden in her voice, “This was for Twilight and Luna's date...” Idly, she looked out to the kitchen window, noticing the two mares mentioned walked down the path, laughing and smiling, treats in hoof and nearly attached at the hip. It was starting already.
Shaking her head, the dream goddess reminded herself of her goal. This was her job, her duty, her promise.
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
“It was really nice of Pinkie to make some treats for us on the spot like that,” Luna commented as they finished their tour around town, setting out the picnic blanket underneath the shade of a small glade near the edge of town.
“Yeah. She's like that,” Twilight answered as she unloaded their treats and afternoon snack onto the checkered red and white cloth, making herself comfortable as she placed herself down next to her companion, “So what do you think? Do you like it here?”
“It's wonderful! Everypony made me feel like I've been living here my entire life almost,” the lunar princess gushed, happily munching on the apples provided by Applejack and her family, “I understand why you like it here so much.”
Twilight grinned. “It took me a while to actually warm up to this place though. I thought it was just some backwater town filled with crazy ponies the first time I arrived.”
“Seems like you fit right in,” Luna answered cheekily, earning a playful shove from Twilight and a small laugh, “But you're right. I thought the same the first time I was here.” She was referring, of course, to her first appearance as Nightmare Moon, wicked mare of darkness and death. That got Twilight's curiosity running as she remembered she vowed to find more about the mare who was currently walking around as her cousin.
“Luna. Can I ask you something? If it's not too personal?” the lavender mare asked, wanting to know more about Luna's time with Nightmare Moon. Any information would be better than none, but she was afraid Luna would take offense.
“Go ahead Twilight. If anything, I don't want you to hold back talking to me,” the princess of the night responded kindly, taking a sip of her apple juice, “Fire away.”
“Well....I'm just kind of curious about Nightmare Moon. What was it like? How did that whole...'thing' happen in the first place?” Twilight asked quietly, waiting for Luna's response, hoping it would be positive. She knew that they were bad memories for her friend, but she had to know.
Fortunately, the night alicorn only smiled, expecting a question along those lines. Usually, she would shy away, refusing to even discuss her fall, but now, she was in the company of a friend, a friend she trusted entirely.
“It all started about a millennium and a half ago. After the second Great Civil War, as mentioned in modern day Equestrian history, where ponies from all three of the tribes were feuding in the frozen wastes, starved and bitter, I and Celestia united the three tribes under one banner,” Luna began, leaning back, “While there is the legend of the windegos in the cave, the much more realistic truth was that we simply told them all to get along or the sun would never rise again.” The night alicorn grinned, earning a head-shake from Twilight. “Luckily, that got their attention. Over time, Lessons of friendship and understanding were spread, and genuine care began to sprout between each tribe. For a few decades, there was a tough but peaceful transition. Equestria began to form. Celestia handled most of the public affairs, construction processes and general law enforcement. I, on the other hoof, handled the military affairs and foreign affairs as the griffon and dragon kingdoms back then were not so friendly or keen on the idea of a united pony kingdom.”
Luna waited for Twilight to ask a question, but the mare remained silent, simply listening. So she went on.
“Things seemed to be perfect for a while. Ponies respected me and Celestia equally, thanking us for pulling them out of the miniature ice age. However, as decades passed, false stories of atrocity from my exploits in foreign lands as well as my dealings with rebellious ponies began to circulate and fester among our subjects. It didn't bother me at first, and I ignored them for the good latter of the century. However, I soon developed the habit of remaining out of sight rather than dealing with the falsehoods, a grave mistake on my part. I was so young then...naught but more than a few centuries. I held the idea that by simply ignoring the rumors, they would go away like a bad dream....” Luna sighed, pawing at the ground as she recalled her painful past, “Unfortunately, ignorance is not so easily stamped out. Soon, those rumors began to grow and twist themselves. Ponies began to believe I brought about nightmares, night terrors that would drive ponies mad within minutes, and hellish creatures born of shadow in the night to those who defied me. They claimed I was a spawn of the very hells below, my wings made of leather, sleek and demonic in form, my eyes, gemstones of fire, able to look into the souls of ponies with one gaze. Everything they knew about me from generations ago had changed into a monster....”
“That must have been hard....” Twilight muttered, feeling a bit worse now that she had brought the subject up, but Luna pressed on bravely.
“It was....though, I know why they imagined me as such. It was a time of darkness and uncertainty. Our borders were constantly strained and attacked; whispers of beasts and demons thriving in the dark were popular tales back then. Unfortunately, a tale to one pony is the absolute truth to another, and naturally, as it is in pony nature, a pony will always find something to pin their fear on. Without a cause, how can they purge it and be safe once again?” Luna mused sadly, “Regardless, during this time. I had been worn down enough by constant looks of mistrust and fear. I kept to myself in the castle mostly during this time, only the guards, a few nobles and my sister remembering what I actually looked like. I fell into legend among the common folk, doing my job from the shadows, refusing to be looked upon by those who held fear for me in their heart. And thus, as generations passed and ponies died, only one princess came to be known as the ruler of Equestria even before my banishment.”
Luna sighed, taking a deep breath, finding a comforting hoof on her shoulder, causing her to smile in thanks.
“I began to grow restless and angry in my seclusion. Eventually, I even gave up my royal tasks altogether. I talked to no pony for months on end, only seeing my sister every now and then. She was too busy of course, taking over for me. The only duty I stayed faithful to was to my moon and night sky. I raised it faithfully, and each night I cried out in fury to them, wondering why I was hated and why my work was shunned. In only a few centuries, I had gone from the illustrious Princess of the Moon, co-founder of Equestria, to a mare of legend shrouded in darkness and fear. Even my own guards began to fear me after I refused to see even them. I was alone, surrounded by a blinding darkness of lies, fear, my own self-hatred, and pity.”
“I remember my sorrow, sharp ever-persistent, and like most untreated sorrows, it transformed into hatred. I began to hate everything and everypony. I cursed the ponies of Equestria for their unfair treatment and spurned my sister who began to worry for me. By then, it was already too late. I had fallen too far. No pony understood me, and no pony, I believed, cared for me,” Luna whispered, squeezing Twilight's hoof harder while trying to recollect herself, “Then, I remember it clearly. I was at my breaking point, and in my raising of the night, I threw the stars in my fury, watching them burn and disappear, imaging them to be those who hated me. And then....I cried. I bawled my heart out to the heavens, wondering what cruel hand of fate had lead me to this spot, alone and friendless. I wished, pounding my hooves against the cold stony floor of my room which had become a prison of my own making. I wished for somepony to come help me and save me from my never-ending nightmare. And that's when Nightmare showed up.”
“Wait. Showed up? What happened to all that stuff about how she was a creation of your mind?” Twilight asked in an attempt to sound less informed. She found Luna's situation to be quite similar to her own, and it only further validated the things Nightmare had told her.
Luna laughed, “Twilight you should know above all ponies. Power doesn't just come from nowhere. Anger cannot truly grant you power, it only concentrates what you already have. Either you learn power, or you gain it. No pony truly knows, but Nightmare is her own entity. The reason this is not known is because ponies would begin to panic, considering how I used her power last.....but she is not a bad....pony? Whatever she is. I never figured it out.”
“Not many would believe that...” Twilight said uncomfortably, recalling her second meeting with the playful goddess, “But I'll take your word for it. I trust you. What happened next?”
“Well, it was unusual really. She didn't come to me in any kind of form. It was a voice, and she simply told me to imagine myself as victorious and powerful enough to do what I wished. At that moment, the entity you now know as Nightmare Moon was born. I imagined myself with a coat as black as the night itself, an ethereal mane of power and an unmatched stature of beauty. The next thing I knew, I looked in the mirror, and it was there. She stood next to me, towering over my small frame. But in a sense, I did create her, her image, but her power does not originate from me.”
“Wait wait wait. She suddenly appeared in the mirror?” Twilight asked for confirmation, remembering her unfortunate bath encounter.
“Yes. And I still remember the first thing she did in that mirror...”
“And that was?” Twilight asked dubiously, imaging something along the lines of harassment and touching.
Luna smiled at that, “She hugged me, took me in her wings and told me it would be okay.”
Twilight was silent, unable to see the crass and brazen Nightmare actually do something like that. It was just so....motherly. Still, by her eyes alone, she could tell Luna wasn't lying.
“And from there. The rest is history. The rebellion. The uprising. We schemed everything. Building a new kingdom of utter darkness. Yada yada yada. But for the first time in a few centuries, I laughed and smiled.”
“She became your first friend there,” Twilight summed up, smiling and mentally cataloging that.
“Yes, but not only that. When we ultimately failed to take over and were sent to the moon, she became my beacon of hope and understanding. She told me I had done nothing truly wrong. The only thing she reprimanded me about was using my anger and hatred to try to force change. She taught me friendship, and centuries passed as I slept. In our dreams, we always joked about our eventual return where we would go out with a bang.”
“Well you certainly accomplished that,” the lavender mare mused, remembering the panic that had spread throughout the kingdom when Luna had reappeared as Nightmare Moon.
“That we did. But when I look back now, I can say with confidence that Nightmare wasn't evil.”
“And why is that?”
Luna grinned, looking out to the darkening blue sky above. “Everything she did was for a reason: me. It was like she had planned the entire fiasco all along from the rebellion to the whole 'Nightmare Moon' event. She made her image mine and became the villain so I wouldn't take the fall. She used my hatred and sorrow to fuel my drive towards a world that would accept me. Granted, we did get stuck on the moon for a thousand years, but during that time, I slept while she kept me company in my dreams. She kept me alive, and when I finally returned and awoke, Nightmare Moon was the villain not Luna. I opened my eyes after a thousand years to find myself back in the arms of my older sister and in a world that would accept me.”
“Jeez...What a way to clear your name....” Twilight muttered, “Let's not start by simply introducing ourselves and clearing away the lies. Nah. Let's just take over the whole world.”
Luna chuckled, “That is very much like her. She goes to extremes. But in the end, she fulfilled her promise to me. I found a place where I could belong. I found my respite, and without a trace, she disappeared. You know the rest.”
“Wow...” Twilight murmured, starting to understand, “I just have one more question. Did she ever harass you? Like saying you had a sexy plot or something?”
“Huh? No, not that I remember....” Luna squeaked, blushing a bit as Twilight referred to her flanks, feeling a bit self-conscious. “What brought that on?”
“Nothing!” the lavender mare answered quickly, flushing in return while muttering something about stupid alicorns and inconsistencies, “Just....just forget I ever mentioned that...”
Instead of pressing the issue, Luna just laughed, “No I think I'll hold that one over you for a while Twilight.” The purple mare groaned, covering her face with her hooves. “But thank you for listening Twilight. It actually made me feel a lot better. I hadn't told anypony the whole real story yet, not even Celestia. It feels good to finally get that off my chest and tell the truth...”
“You're welcome,” Twilight answered, blushing as Luna nuzzled her, “I know it must have hurt a bit to tell me all of that.”
“Hmm...a little bit. However, I am over that now. The only thing I regret is that I couldn't thank Nightmare or say goodbye before she left....” Luna said as she picked up one of the custom cupcakes, “But still, I thank you for that and for today. It's been wonderful.”
“Maybe one day you'll be able to thank her,” Twilight responded, picking up a cupcake of her own, “A toast perhaps?”
“To future happiness and future friendships!” Luna declared, gobbling the entire pastry in one chomp, smearing a bit of icing on her face, earning snickers from Twilight. Once she figured out why Twilight laughed, she simply took another cupcake and wiped all of the icing on her face in return, popping the decapitated cupcake into her mouth afterward while sticking her tongue out in jest.
And thus, the cupcake war began, each one being slowly consumed after the icing was deposited on their faces.
Behind a bush, a solitary mare sat there, smiling as she too joined the toast, tossing the delicious cupcakes into her mouth. She had heard, and she had listened.
“To future happiness and future friendships,” Nightmare whispered, watching her two charges play underneath the afternoon sun. She wished she could be there with them, but this was her job, her duty, her promise....her burden.
Well...that was a lot more of a feels chapter than I anticipated. 
The shenanigans are for sure coming next time!
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2797697
Just made my week
Loved it.
2765512 one of the reasons the OLD version of Fruitcake lasted so long was every once in a while to help preserve it you wiped off the last coating of alcohol and powdered suger and wetted down the outside of the cake and added yet another coating of powdered suger and alcohol. I think it was about ever three or so months between coatings, it might have been up to six though
nightmare is awesome
It's true. Luna's butt just doesn't compare to Twi's.
Oh, and why must you use "plot"? It's a joke term coined by the fandom and shatters my immersion whenever a character uses it.
That was deep.
I really hope Moony gets Twilight.
Interesting to see a (relatively) happily nostalgic Luna for once. Enjoying looking at the opening to the series as Nightmare's overly theatrical return.
Yay, Nightmare! Such a sweet, kind friend to Luna.
..such a lacivious slut to Twilight
. Too bad I can't thumbs up again.
I don't feel it's necessarily a burden to NMM. Unsure why she feels that way, even if it was a promise.
Promises shouldn't be a burden.
2803209 I'll thumbs up for you!
Luna's going to keep that "sexy plot" comment in her brain, talk to Twi's friends, find out the whole sleepover episode with NMM calling Twi mistress, then Luna will start thinking...
Nice chapter, hit me right in the feels.
Can't wait for Luna to realize she was basically on a dating gameshow this entire time, and the mystery host was Nightmare the entire time...
That reunion will be a feels nuke the size of the Czar Bombe
I like where this is going, and I expected it, but the way you describe Nightmare's growing unease feels a little forced.
It's really sort of blunt toward the audience while not actually conveying anything that makes sense for Nightmare. What's unknown, her sadness? Why doesn't she realize that she's sad? And how can it be hidden in her voice if anyone is aware of it? The sentence should show us what's going on, but instead it tells us with very flowery and indistinct wording.
This is much better. Both she and the readers understand that she wants to be out there sharing the cupcakes but she can't because that's not her place. The ending of the sentence let's us know that she's not very happy with the situation while leaving her still somewhat in the dark about her own feelings. She still has yet to fully figure it out.
2803118
I agree. Using "plot" to refer to actual anatomy makes me groan every time I see it. It's hard to stay "in the story" when characters use a joke term with all seriousness.
*eats cupcake* *begins feeling tipsy*
I feel conflicted here; I want Luna to be getting some love here but the same goes for Diana.......crud.
Of course there's always the triangle relationship thing and then everyone's happy, kinda rooting for this option.
2803395Thanks!
This chapter was very good. I loved the way you described Luna's past.
The feels, that was excellent. Now I will sit back and wait for all the brilliant shenanigans to ensue.
Also sounds just like the CMC. They come, cause chaos, and then leave without a trace leaving their victim's completly surprised and with no idea what went wrong. That's what I love most about them.
Small typo:
I think the problem should be self evident.
Brilliant. Loved the new chapter, can't wait for more!
Excellent chapter mekon,
One of the best thus far
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Great chapter. Can't wait for the consquences of the alcoholic cupcakes!
2803517
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Aaaw... I had hoped that Twilight would tell Luna about Diana being Nightmare Moon
At least... Please promise that Luna will find out who exactly "Diana" is at some point. She deserves to know.
Where is the shit-meet-fan chapter? I look forward to it!
2804836 I lost what is left of my vision.
2808668
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Excellent
2804861 nah, If you cook with liquor, wine, or similar, the alcohol will evaporate, leaving only the flavour...
that is, unless you add it AFTER it has been baked
2810403 You know I'm more than half blind already, so it isn't that big of an accomplishment.
2814273 3.bp.blogspot.com/-EivLs1cgT9E/Too2BQr7wrI/AAAAAAAAAdY/nwDMbTyD2E0/s1600/cheshire-cat-5.jpg
2765512 New Recipe: Zap Apple and Hard Cider Cupcakes!...
Zap Apples plus Alcohol... plus Twilight Sparkle... plus Princess Luna... plus Nightmare Moon... plus Pinkie Pie... plus the Cutie Mark Crusaders...
... there will be nothing left of Equestria.
Hehe.....soooo Update will probably be sometime this week. This last 4th of July week made me kind of lazy.
Sorry!
Edit*
Ugh. Upon editing and reviewing, I didn't like how the chapter turned out so I'm going to rewrite. Sorry guys, but I hope you understand! Quality first of course.
2833464 Fine by me. You're a lot faster than some authors I watch.
that was awesome. next chapter: drunk as hell mares enter sexy time.
Nice interpretation of Nightmare Moon plan, and it makes perfect sense, I mean, Nightmare Moon in Luna body could easy kill Twilight and her friends, it took her only three seconds to knock out three guards with her spell, but instead she set up challenges to ensure that EoH would work, and than waited patient-fully until they charge the attack ( it took elements to reunite with bearers around two minutes, plenty of time to escape or attack ).
I hope that in one of the chapters, Twilight will ask Nightmare did she went easy on them during summer sun celebration.
felt a bit out of place and random considering twilight's earlier caution.
2833464
Take your time, man. I'd much rather have to wait for when you think your work is ready rather than have you think that you need to mechanically pump out chapters.
...
...
All the same, I will be waiting all too eagerly!