Only shadows of the past...

by Phoenix Quill

Ch.5 2/14/1011 Predictions and Prophecies

Princess Celestia and Luna sat across from each other in the dining room. There was an awkward silence between the two of them as they ate their meals.

Luna paused mid bite from her breakfast as she looked over to Celestia and saw that she was signing papers as she absentmindedly ate her dinner. After waiting for a minute Luna felt the need to speak up, "Sister, can I speak with you?"

Celestia looked up from her paperwork, a fork halfway floated to her mouth, "Luna, what have we told thee about using common language?"

Luna sighed, "That we are a princess, and we must show our status not by power, but intellect that is above the average pony." She droned with a frown before taking a breath to speak again, "But it is just you and I sister, why can't we just-"

"No. Our little ponies are very accustomed to the way we speak and act. Tis a tradition older than ourselves, or even Equestria itself. Now, speak thine mind little sister, but make haste for we are falling behind on work just to speak with thee."

"Well," Luna started, "We have been hearing the voice of a specter as of late, she speaks words that tell me to do dark things, and comes to me in our own reflection."

Celestia paused for a moment and thought about it. Finally after what must have been an entire minute she spoke, "Sister, we know that thou is lonely as of late. But art thou not too old for imaginary friends?"

Luna felt an eye twitch before she heard the voice again, this time whispering in an ear, "I warned you she wouldn't listen. See how she is too important to even continue this conversation. Go on be more insistent if you really wish to be rid of me."

"Sister, we must insist that the voice is as real as you and I! She claims that she can help me, but we think-"

"Well if she can help thee then let her do so, I don't have the time to listen to what you come up with in your spare time. Imagination is healthy, but we have a kingdom to run." With that Celestia stood up and trotted to the door out of the dining hall, "It was wonderful to see thee sister, but we must go finish our work before we may slumber. Enjoy night court."

The doors slammed shut, leaving Luna alone with her eggs and pancakes.
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Celestia woke up from her hotel room bed, and found that the pillows were wet with tears. Quickly she ran a hoof across her face to wipe them away.

She looked out the window to the horizon and saw her sister's moon glare back at her. The face imprinted upon it looked almost accusing. "Forgive me, Luna, for if I had only listened to thee, this disaster could have been prevented"

After taking a few more moments to look at the sky, She lit her horn and lowered the moon to it’s place beyond the horizon, making way for her morning sun..
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Nightmare Moon sighed as she looked around herself. Over the course of a month she had built a small home for her new friends and herself.

Skippy and Knowledge were now accompanied by a set of stone friends, Rocky and Squishy. The tell-tale sign of her magic enveloped the statues to make them hop up and down as multiple voices were emitted from them one at a time.

"Oh this new home is simply divine!" Knowledge shouted she hopped around the room.

"Yeah, what she said." Rocky grunted in an eastern accent as he stood in the corner, scowl on his face.

"I really like how you made this lovely glass window by melting some of the sand outside." Star Wishes said quietly as her stone eyes looked out the window.

"It's okay Nightie, but I think you could do better after a few more years." Skippy quipped as he bounced over to a corner and stood there.

Nightmare Moon grinned as the iris in her eyes were shrunk to pin points. She moved the statues about and did voices for all of them and responded back, "Oh well thank you everypony. I'm glad that you all like our new home. Now, beds are a bit on the hard side, but I did what I could with what I have available."

Nightmare turned about and looked outside the window and saw the massive landscape before her, "Yeah," she said without thinking why she did so. then turned back around and looked at the statues.

She stopped moving them, "I'm sorry everypony, but I can't do this... It's just not real."

The statues did nothing but bare the expression that she carved into their faces. She shivered a bit before walking out the doorway and looking around herself.

Other than the changes that she had brought to the area of the moon that she called her home, nothing was different. The stars haven't changed, the world above had not changed, and the stone around her was still the same.

The black alicorn began again to start another long trek across the moon, to finally go and check the new crater to see if any water might be within.
_______________________________________________________________________________

In order to become more approachable to our little ponies, I shall no longer use the royal voice. I also think that in order to be more relatable to our shared subjects I will drop the royal we, and speak Common Equestrian, and not the High Equestrian royals of the past had used.

Princess Celestia read Luna's journal to herself privately, and smiled at the idea she had already enacted from her sisters journal. The smile was a rare one these days, as the guilt of losing her only sister had been eating at her since the banishment took place.

The Sun Princess had been looking through Luna's personal journals for a month now in hopes of finding the cause of her changes, and a possible way to reverse and bring her sister back to her.

"Your Majesty!" Her chamber door burst open as Starlight came rushing to her, "Your majesty, through the efforts of our best astrologists we have found that Princess Luna will return!"

Celestia let the book fall from her magical grasp as Starlight brought forth the report, "According to what we have determined, The Stars will aid in her escape, and on the longest day of the thousandth year the ruler of night shall be freed from her prison!"

Princess Celestia closed her eyes and nodded, "Did the prophets say anything else?"

Starlight shook his head, "No your majesty," he unrolled a scroll and read the exact prophecy word for word, "Of the Night Princess's imprisonment it is written that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars shall aid in her escape. Princess, what do we do?"

The monarch sat with her eyes closed as she carefully weighed things out in her mind before speaking, "A prophecy should never be taken at face value. We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst to avoid surprises.”

The stallion nodded, "What are your first orders on this matter Princess?"

"I want this to be archived with other prophecies that are yet to happen," The white alicorn began, "But do not make a general announcement about this, we do not need a panic from misinterpretation. Only a scholar would search for its true meaning. The wisest of ponies will unlock the secrets, hopefully before the time is over."

Starlight bowed before departing, and in her mind Celestia moved her queen out onto the battlefield.
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On the moon, Nightmare kneeled as she looked to the stars, miles away from the home she built for herself.
And prayed to the only power higher than her.

"Mother, I know I wasn't the best Princess, or even a good sister, but I beg of you, please... Don't let me suffer like this forever. Let me go home. If I can just leave now, maybe I can change. I won't try to force my night on ponies any more... I'll just leave. I just wanted to be loved. But maybe if you can see it in your heart mother, help me.”

Nothing......

Nightmare Moon gave off a sigh, "What should I do mother? Should I fight on my return, or flee away to another haven? Should I beg for forgiveness or force my wrath upon them? Surely after what I have been through this far, I should enact vengeance, right?”

The alicorn drew circles in the dirt with her hoof and breathed a heavy sigh. "I don't care anymore if everypony hates me forever, I just want food, and water."

At that moment a comet streaked across the vast sky above her, and she smiled, it was as if an answer had come.

She watched the comet pass, and a small piece broke off and fell down from the sky. Nightmare jumped back in fear of being hit.

The piece smashed into the crust a few yards ahead of Nightmare, and she ran forward in hopes of something, anything that could be consumed. When she arrived, there in the center of the small crater was a chunk of pure ice.

"Thank you, mother for blessing me with a small way to ease my suffering."

Comments

[Phoenix Quill]

Sorry for the delay,
After a couple of hectic days I had a bit of trouble getting into the write frame of mind to do this. (get it? Cause write and right... Ah I am so funny.)

Anyhow, For those interested, I need an editor to help me!

EQD keeps denying me for my punctuation and they say my dialog is... weird. So I need an editor, anyone that wishes to do so let me know in any way that you can!

Also, as I write this story I will be in need of OC ponies for different scenes back on Equestria, if you have one, or wish to make a cameo, let me know in the comments, or PM me!

Thank you,
P.Q.

[Low-quality memes]

media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m50637uF691qj3ir1.gif
I think this was already used on a previous chapter by someone else, but
SCREW THE RULES

[Monk With No Name]

Tragic Nightmare Moon is best pony

[Cawfee]

Ahem

really good chapter as usual, but the corrections xP

But are thee not too old for imaginary friends?"

art thou xP

she lit her horn and lowered the moon down before bringing her sun over the eastern horizon.

Either just 'lowered the moon' or 'brought the moon down' should do, I think even 'lit her horn and lowered the moon far below the horizon to make way for her sun to rise over in the east' but that's just a stupid suggestion

Also, "tale tell" - tell-tale is mostly used but that's not really a big thing.
"knelled" -
(of a bell) Ring solemnly, esp. for a death or funeral.
Proclaim (something) by or as if by a knell.

I suppose you were going for kneeled

Once again, awesome chapter dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_dealwithit.png