Moon & Memory

by TwilightSnarkle

Eight

Her dreams were better now, if fleeting.

Every morning, she would lay down to rest. Every morning, before sleep took her, there was that momentary surge of fear: fear that when she woke, if she woke, she would be...

Well, it hadn’t happened. Not yet. Still, she was wary. Everyone had been so warm, so cheerful at her return. That was the wrong word. Her arrival. This world did not know her; she would need to begin anew.

Rumors were wild, of course, as they often were: Celestia battled to free her from the clutches of a madmare. Celestia was defeated before a ragtag group of fillies intervened. She, herself, had appeared in Equestria’s moment of need - from the moon! - and battled the Night Mare. All with a grain of truth, of course. Some grains were more painful than others.

Still, this world was new to her. A whole realm, in the literal sense, of possibility. She spent so long on that lonely island, and yet she could remember only fleeting glimpses of her time there. It was a small mercy.

Her sister trusted her, that much was sure. Her sister loved her, even if she, at times, felt unworthy of her love. And... she thought these ponies might love her too. But first, she had love herself. To do that, she would have to remember who she was.

It would be difficult. That, too, was the wrong word. Agonizing. Soul-crushing. But it had to be done. She was sure that she had done great wrongs, in her state. Great evils. While this world did not remember, she would have to, if only to prevent history from repeating.

That evening, before her sister settled in for bed, they had spoken - at length - about how best to tap into her past, and how to begin her future. Celestia had given her several good ideas, but the last was most interesting. She had suggested a visit to Ponyville.

Her sister’s suggestion made sense. After all, without the ponies who lived there, she would not be back to her old self. She owed them her thanks, at the very least, and her apologies for her actions as Nightmare Moon. The same six ponies had also been instrumental in Discord’s second banishment. Finally, Nightmare Night was fast approaching. What better opportunity was there to improve the image of that distasteful holiday?

It was settled, then. She would confirm her plans with her sister at dawn, and set off for Ponyville after moonrise the next evening.

She would have to seek out the mayor, of course. It was only proper. Before then, she would need a costume, as would her charioteers. Her crown and regalia would need to be polished, her chariot examined, and a thousand smaller things. There was much work to be done.

She stood, retrieved writing supplies from her nearby desk, and focused her magic for the exacting task. Humming a quiet lullaby into the silent night, she began writing orders for ponies throughout the palace.

For the first time in ages, she held hope for a happier future.

Comments

[toafan]

A great ending to an excellently-written sequence. I'm only sorry I read them all in one sitting.

I'm glad I found this. I've been fiddling with my own Nightmare stuff recently. Good to see top-notch interpretations of the character.

[TwilightSnarkle]

2330108
I'm happy to hear it. Please let me know when you've put up one of your Nightmare pieces?

[toafan]

2331656 Haha... Ooh... Sure, if I ever get it done (and if I remember...).

Trouble is, I tend to think of these big huge things, which of course require not less than weeks of writing, and while I don't mind at all thinking about such things for that length of time I'm less optimistic about my follow-through. (Although another perspective would probably be useful, if you're very interested.)

[TwilightSnarkle]

2331705
Start with a word. Imagine how that word would be communicated without saying it directly. How does the word feel? Look? Smell? Do you know? Once you do, write a sentence. Or a paragraph.

Does that word need other words to make sense? Add them to the paragraph. Or add another paragraph.

Soon enough, you have a scene. Keep this up. Make a bunch of scenes that make sense in themselves. Then order them so they make sense together.

Writing is not a formula. Writing is pouring your thoughts out, then finding the ones you need to tell the story at hand.

Best of luck.

[Rocket]

That was magnificent! I'm glad I ran across this story. I'm sorry it took me until now.