Repercussions Part 2
Luna stirred lightly while her senses returned to her. As she groggily opened her eyes, they were met with the unforgiving brightness of the sun which ignited a throbbing migraine. While her vision readjusted to the light, she spotted the smoking shards of blue armor. Memories of Nightmare Moon’s terror flooded her mind, but were soon quelled as the sound of sniffling grabbed her attention. On the far side of the room, she spotted her sister and five others huddled around the body of a purple unicorn.
The mere sight made her bite her lip and lower her head in shame. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as Celestia’ knelt beside the unicorn, her own tears staining the ground beneath her. Her wings hung limply at her sides and her mane, which normally flowed majestically behind her, lay motionless on the ground. If that wasn't bad enough, Celestia's emotions were etched clearly on her face; she was heartbroken and sick with grief.
The only other time Luna could remember seeing her sister in such anguish was the night Celestia had been forced to banish Nightmare Moon, and Luna along with her. Celestia had been on the verge of breakdown that night. This time, however, the breakdown was in full swing.
“Star Swirl wasn’t enough for you, Nightmare?” Luna flinched as the anger in Celestia’s words cut deep. “You had to take Twilight away from me too!? Curse you, Nightmare Moon! Curse you and that damned spell!” Celestia paused for a brief moment. “I will make sure that your evil never sees the light of day ever again... no matter what I must do.”
Luna’s heart sank. Forgiveness was out of the question. Only one thing was clear in her mind: she needed to leave. With the little magic she could muster, Luna cast a silencing spell on herself to deaden the sound of her movement. She silently rose to her hooves and retreated to the shadows of the ruins,- then made her way out of the castle. As she reached the exit, she glanced back over her shoulder and mumbled, “I’m sorry,” before running off into the forest.
Blinded by tears, and not caring where she was going, she ran, and let her hooves take her wherever they wanted to go. The morning’s events haunted her as she ran. They played out mercilessly in her mind, as if she were reliving them. She could see the tears and pain in Twilight’s eyes as the corruption spell took hold.
Even though they weren’t her own, the emotions she’d experienced were sickening. The sadistic pleasure Nightmare Moon had taken in torturing not only Twilight, but her friends as well, lingered in Luna’s mind. Her stomach churned wildly, as if her body was trying to physically purge the surviving negative emotions
She shook away the tears that trailed down her cheeks, only to have them replaced with fresh ones. She quickened her speed as she tore through the forest, as if trying to outrun the guilt she felt, but with no matter how fast she ran, her tears caught up with her.
The last time, Nightmare Moon’s treachery had forced Celestia to banish her. There was no doubt that that the punishment this time would be far more severe. Luna’s mind swam with the various scenarios, too numerous to list. She felt her gorge rise, and her pace slowed as she hyperventilated, until eventually she stopped, heaving for breath in the middle of the Everfree forest.
Another word entered her mind as she rested, one that chilled every pint of blood in her body: death. They would call for her death. If not the citizens of Equestria, then Twilight's friends and family certainly would.
A droplet of water landed on her head, snapping her from her thoughts. She glanced upwards just in time for another drop of rain to land in her eye. She winced and rubbed it gently to ease the pain. “Great,” she muttered. “Rain. Just... perfect.”
Luna sighed heavily and wiped the tears from her eyes. She scanned her surroundings and gasped as she recognized them, even after all these years. This is where I always went... when I needed to be alone. That night that I... I– The world around her spun, and she struggled to maintain her balance. Her vision blurred rapidly and faded away as her head collided with the ground.
*-~-*
The aura around Luna’s horn faded as she released the moon. It would travel it’s course from the east until it was time to set. Satisfied, she smiled to herself as she surveyed her work. Even if no one else appreciated her night, she could at least find peace as she basked in the sights and sounds of her night.
Sadly, her peace was broken by a pair of guards as they walked beneath her balcony.
“It sure was a beautiful day,” one of them said.
“Hah. You can say that again. We sure are lucky to have Princess Celestia bringing us the sun every day.”
“I know what you mean. Though I can’t help but feel sorry for the guards on night duty. Can you imagine being forced to work during the night like that?”
“You can say that again. I can’t imagine having to stay up all night. All that gloom and darkness? Hah! No thanks!”
“You got that right. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The guards went their separate ways, and Luna was once more left in silence. She stared at the ground, tears welling in her eyes as she reflected on what she could possibly be doing wrong. “Is one compliment too much to ask? Is my night so unremarkable? Have I not made it beautiful enough? Am... am I just not good enough? Am I not worthy of being worshipped like ‘Tia is?”
“Of course you are, Luna.”
Luna jumped as her sister spoke from behind her.
“Then, why?” she demanded. “Why don’t they appreciate me like they do you? I deserve respect, too.” Luna turned around, facing her sister directly. “Is my night not worth worshipping?”
“They do respect you Luna, and they do appreciate you. Your night–”
“–lets them sleep and rejuvenate their tired bodies. I know, I know.” Luna sighed and returned her gaze to the sky. “I just don’t understand why those guards would associate gloom with my creations. I created every single star in the night sky– every single constellation is my own work. Is it not beautiful?”
Celestia gently pulled Luna into a hug. “It’s very beautiful, Luna.”
Luna stepped away from her sister’s embrace. “Just once, I wish I could hear that from a pony other than you.” Luna took huffed and flared her wings. “I’m going to go out for a bit, ‘Tia. You know where to find me.”
“Luna?”
Luna paused and turned her head around to face her sister. “Yes?”
After a few seconds of silence, Celestia said, almost pleadingly, “Be careful. Okay?”
Luna turned around and eyed her sister curiously. “Careful? What do you mean?”
“I... I’m not sure. Just... please be safe.”
“I will, sister.”
Without another word, Luna took to the skies. The anger inside her was simmering, and slowly rising. There was always one place Luna could turn to whenever she needed to clear her mind. One where she could see her night in its true light: a meadow by the river in the Everfree Forest. With the moon lighting the forest around her joined by the cool night air, the atmosphere was perfect for stargazing. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m going to drive myself insane.”
Luna descended from the sky with an irritated sigh. “Great,” she groaned, “another headache...” Lying down on the bank of the river, she casually dipped one of her hooves in the water, stringing it along the surface as she stared up at the sky. This place is always so beautiful at night. The shadows take on a new life in starlight. Luna sighed heavily as she swirled her hoof in a circle, causing the moonlight to ripple along the surface.
“This is when the world is at its most beautiful! Why doesn’t anypony see that?” She splashed the water with a grunt and pushed herself up.
“They shun my artwork while lying in wait for sister’s perfect day! She manipulates one star, while I conjure hundreds of thousands every single night, yet she gets all the praise!” Luna scoffed, beginning to pace back and forth. “I mean, am I so wrong to wish that they would see things like I do?” Her voice softened. “...That they might love me, too?”
Her breathing quickened as something snapped in her mind, and her sadness shifted to jealous hatred. The shadows of the forest around her rippled.. “And why shouldn’t they? I’m tired of being overshadowed by my sister! The day is not greater than the night!”
Luna brought a hoof her forehead, rubbing it lightly as the headache evolved into a migraine. The shadows became warped, and slowly bent towards her. She stomped a hoof in the ground, leaving an imprint in the grass. “I’ve waited long enough for them to come around. I don’t care what Celestia says! No longer will they sleep in peace and shun the night as if it doesn’t exist.”
In that instant, Luna’s envy and anger sparked a rage within her. The shadows converged and swarmed over her. The pain in her head shot through her entire body and she fell to the ground, unable to move.
A voice she did not recognize escaped her mouth. “Well well well, little Luna. Finally snapped, I see.”
Luna tried to speak, but no words came out. What’s going on? Who are you?
The voice chuckled. “Don’t you worry. I’ll help you get us both what we desire. You can have your endless night, while I will have the throne.” Luna’s body stood of its own accord, and flared her wings. With a mighty heave, she catapulted into the air, heading back towards Canterlot. “And if those foals choose to fear the night they know nothing about, they will learn what it means to fear true darkness.” Wicked laughter echoed in Luna’s ears as her entire world went black.
*-~-*
A loud crash of thunder snapped Luna awake. The small drizzle she had fainted during had escalated into a full scale storm. Rain pounded away at the forest around her, and the wind lashed at the trees so fiercely, it threatened to uproot them. The storm raging around her was miniscule compared to the whirlwind of emotions blaring through her body.
Even with Luna’s emotions running wild within her, her thoughts came to rest on one pony: her sister. More than anything else, she wanted to be reunited with her beloved sister, but her fears and doubts constantly turned her away. Celestia could never forgive her for what she had done. How could she? They could never be happily reunited, even if Luna’s actions weren’t her own.
The memories of her transformation lingered as she rose from the muddy ground and walked over to the pond and glanced down at her reflection.
“You killed her,” her reflection said.
“I... I didn’t want to. I tried to stop, but–”
“But?” it interjected. “But what? You weren’t strong enough? Take a look at that purple unicorn. She was under a corrupted curse and she managed to fight it enough to save those she cared about. You’re an Alicorn and you couldn’t break free from your own hatred and jealousy.”
Lumps rose in Luna’s throat, each one harder to swallow than the last. “But I... I...”
“Face it. This is the punishment you deserve for alienating your sister all those years ago whenever she tried to help. It’s what you deserve for allowing yourself to be enslaved by Nightmare Moon. And it’s what you deserve for being a murderer.”
Luna averted her eyes as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “No,” she whispered, “I’m not... a murderer. I’m not a murderer! It was–” She returned her eyes to the water and saw NIghtmare Moon staring back at her. “It was you! It’s always been you. You did these horrible things!”
She threw back her head and let loose a bloodcurdling scream. “No more! You’ve controlled me for a thousand years, but no longer! I’m free from your wretc–”
Luna's stomach gave only one gurgle of warning before erupting. She barely had time to hunch over and brace herself before she vomited a black, tar-like substance into the lake, dispelling the illusion and silencing Nightmare Moon.
As she tried to recover, another voice came from behind her, one that chilled her more than the rain or wind ever could.
“Luna?”
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RUN, BITCH! RUUUN!
Hmm... I hope Celestia can catch her. Really we need to get these misconceptions out of the way.
2736584 What do you mean "misconceptions"?
2736588 as in Luna thinking that Celestia wants revenge on her personally, but Celestia is really angry only at Nightmare. also I'm still hoping Twi makes a comeback, like a savior.
More is needed & the chances that twilight is dead is 1 in 10 to the power of 10 to the power of 100 AKA googolplex
2736876 So are you saying you think she's dead or she's not dead?
2736938 Well, if I read that right, he says the chance of Twilight actually being dead is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
So, at a guess, he doesn't think she's dead, or believes she's likely to come back.
2737069 Ah. I see.
to short, need moar.
2739991 More is coming, don't worry. The next chapter is actually nearing the final run of edits. I found a section that really bugs me, so it may be a few more days, but it's almost there.
2736938 no she isnt dead is my guess simply because
2771737 Haha. I see. Well, you'll find out soon enough, as the next chapter is almost finished.
Black tar like vomit? Lovely.
I see what you did there...
2930468
Same
So twilight is dead?
um okay.
This might just be the tiniest bit repetitive.
3814031 Hehe. Nice catch. fixed.
sorry, you loss me with going the parasite route.