Convergence Series: Journeys

by TheGreatEater

Chapter 33: Luna: Fears pt. 1, Birth of a Nightmare

Luna walked through the fog with great trepidation. She felt the unnatural aspects of the fog, and how it twisted her magics. It made her skin crawl being in here and she knew that it would only end poorly. After all even though Twilight said that things would go right after she conquered her darkness.

She knew that she had more darkness than the others would ever know. But she did this not like her sister who did it out of love of her marefriend, nor like Twilight’s friends who did it out of an obligation to atone for their actions. She was doing this purely because she trusted Twilight and would show that she was a true friend to one of the few ponies who ever showed her any friendship since she escaped her nightmare.

Just like those before her she saw the fog shift. And like many of those who walked these halls she was shown not an apparition of her fears first, but a memory both true and twisted of what once was. A reminder of wounds past that still haunted her, shaped her, gave birth to the darkness that plagued her soul.

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Luna was sitting in a moonlit field with her sister. It had been years since their parents left them, and Tia promised to look after and protect her. Still they never came, and Luna thought that it was her fault. After all if they didn’t come back than it must have been because she wasn’t good enough of a daughter, at least that was Luna’s opinion.

As her way of making her parents where ever they were, and her sister proud of her. She had been working on this moment for a while. Looking at the night sky, getting a feel of the stars and moon, and preparing for this one moment. Putting her magic into the background magic of the universe and shaped it to what she thought was a beautiful night, and it was. That connection to the night, that beauty gave birth to her Cutie Mark, as well as her Moon Form. But unfortunately good things can never last.

As she looked upon her sister she saw not joy of her accomplishment, nor did she see appreciation for her night. What she saw was fear. She was confused to why her sister was looking at her with such fear in her eyes, “Sister what’s wrong? Why are you frightened?”

She saw her sister’s iris’s turn to pin pricks as she glared daggers at her, “What did you do to my sister you monster?” Celestia screamed at her.

“But sister, we are your sister!”

“No your not!” She yelled before slamming her front hooves into Luna knocking her over.

Luna lay on the cold unforgiving ground under her first night sky. Weeping to herself as her sister’s words ran through her mind.

What’s wrong ...

“Your a monster!”

I’m your sister ...

“No your not!”

“Your a monster!”

But I’m her sister why won’t she love me?

“Your a monster!”

No I’m not! I’m Luna! I ... I ... I won’t show this form ever again. I don’t want my sister to hate me.

“Your a monster!”

This circle of thinking kept playing in her mind until she eventually cried herself to sleep. There was no one to comforter her. No one to protect her. After all no one goes out at night.

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Luna wept at that memory. Remembering the moment that caused her decent into Nightmare Moon. It was a time that most Ponies see as a moment of extreme joy, seeing their special talent emblazoned on her flank. For her there was no celebration, only misery and the start of event that would lead to decent into darkness.

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One of the things that Luna gained from her lunar connection was the access to the “Dream World” a vast connection of dreamscapes that allowed her to see the dreams of every sapient being on the planet. But this world also held Nightmares. It was here that Luna saw the deaths of the founders of Equestria. She witnessed them in many different angles, and felt the horror attached to them.

As she woke up with a fright she ran to her sister. “Sister! I have been walking through the Dream world looking at the dreams of others, and I have seen something that I think is more than just Nightmares!”

Giving her a hug Tia tried soothing her with comforting sounds before saying, “It was a Nightmare nothing more. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

“But it’s more than that! There are many of the same nightmares between many different ponies. This is more than just a coincidence. Please we must save them! I ... I can’t get the deaths they witnessed out of my mind Tia. So much death, so much horrror! We need to do something.”

“Listen Lulu. I know it may have seen bad, but nightmares aren’t real. They are all in your head. Nothing more.”

“NO YOU LISTEN!” Luna said using the Royal Voice. “This was real! We need to go and save them. Please!”

After Celestia got the ringing out of her ears. She sighed and held Luna close. Feeling like she had to check under the bed to show that the Boogiecolt wasn’t there, “Fine we will go to where you think you saw these bad things than you’ll see that there is nothing to fear.”

The fog around Luna shifted as time skipped to when they finally reached Equestria. There is no words to describe the atrocities that Discord lay upon the land. It would’ve been worse if he was evil. But the fact that he was chaotic neutral made his actions so much worse. He was like a child pulling wings off of butterflies, not because he wanted to be cruel, but to see what would happen.

The skies randomly shifted from ask covered skies that rained actual cats and dogs, to clouds of fire that rained liquid rainbows and napalm. To having the sky fall like shards of glass. The land was warped in chaos so powerful that it shifted on a whim and the ponies within the land were tormented with actions that represented the polar opposite to who they were. If they weren’t killed, transformed into monsters, or serving in Discord’s Army.

Celestia looked at Luna and held her close. “We do need to save them, I owe you an apology. But it’ll have to wait until after we do something about this.”

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Luna’s coat had grayed at reliving those nightmares. Having the wounds that had never fully healed opened again caused her to fall to the ground weeping. Especially since she knew the horrors that were coming. Worse of all she knew that these were the events that lead to the perfect storm that led to her fall.

“Please no more! Who ever is in charge of this fog, no more! I don’t want to relive these memories.” She cried before whimpering, “No more!”

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It was a month later and after the failed attempt to fight Discord. They had faced Discord’s Army when they entered and they twisted their magics while assaulting their mind. The fight lasted for three weeks and converted a beautiful forest into a desert wasteland. The very land was so soaked with magic and chaos energy that the land twisted reality for those who would enter it, even to modern days nopony would enter it on their own accord.

While it ended with Discord and them fighting head to head, it caused them to retreat with their sanity barely intact. As they teleported outside of Equestria’s borders. They regrouped and thought of what was needed to defeat an entity that was the essence of chaos and disharmony. Eventually it was Luna who thought of finding the Elements of Harmony. The Alicorn’s birthright and the object lost to the realm of stories after the great war. All they had to do was go on a quest to find them.

The fog shifted as time skipped ahead three years later. After they found the Elements of Harmony in the Everfree forest. The only place where Discord’s power didn’t have a hold over. It being as chaotic as he was a was protected by ancient magics of the earth and Alicorns. As they made it too face Discord in what was modern Canterlot, he used his power to separate them. He target Luna first, her being the youngest. He corrupted her generosity into envy over her sister’s power, her kindness into cruelty feeding off her jealousy of her sister’s accomplishments and beauty, and her laughter into wrath.

Just as Twilight was assaulted by her friends during their corruption. Luna was turned against her sister. But where Discord was playing with kiddy gloves with the Elements of Harmony, He wasn’t pulling his blows with Alicorns. He was made with Alicorn parts after all, and after witnessing the sisters’ power knew better. He knew that they were a threat to his power and after three weeks of battle the last time he was going to make sure they suffered.

Luna was at the head of a force of monsters and soldiers going after Celestia. The only thing on her mind raped mind was how much better her sister was than her. How much better things were for her. How she didn’t have to hide large parts of who she was to keep the only family she had left. Celestia never had in Luna’s mind to worry about being alone, and now she was going to crush her. Her and every bit of hope she held dear.

It was a long and grueling battle. With Discord laughing as Luna had given into her darkest emotions and her coat pale white fought violently against her sister. It was pure luck that Celestia thought of a memory spell. She having listened to all the hate and anger in her sisters voice used memories to show the love and friendship she held towards her. It was those memories that returned Luna to Celestia and in that moment they turned upon Discord and released a world healing wave that undid all of Discord’s influences. Just as Twilight and her friends later accomplished.

But just as the Elements of Harmony never fully healed the modern Elements of Harmony from the scars of Discords actions. The damage done to Luna was already done. Even though it was a nightmare for her, a small part liked it. The feeling that she was no longer a lesser pony, that she mattered. The feeling that she didn’t need to hide parts of herself just so she could be loved. And that part she shoved down into the dark part of her mind brewed drawing in the things she repressed. The formation of what would one day become Nightmare Moon.

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Luna found herself in a slightly older body. She was standing next to Celestia thinking about what went wrong as they sat in the outer border of what was once the Crystal Empire. But was now rechristened Sombra’s Empire.

Sombra was like a younger brother to Luna ever after they found him orphaned in Stalliongrad, running through the streets stealing food to survive. He was also her companion through the lonely nights, being the only pony that stayed up with her while the others locked themselves inside. She took him as a protege’. Teaching him all she knew including her vast knowledge of the Dark Arts. Which he was obsessed with, it should have set off red flags in her head that he took to those magics like a fish to water, while struggling with the less darker magics.

It also should have set off red flags that he was obsessed with the power of the Crystal Empire, and the power of the Crystal Heart. But she didn’t want to be alone, and decided to ignore it so she could have company. But as he grew older, they grew more distant, until he struck out against the empire and took control over it. Threatening to throw Equestria into an age of eternal darkness.

So now they stood with the Elements of Harmony and used it’s power to seal Sombra away. But just as they did three things happened. A shard of Sombra’s power embedded itself into Luna in an effort to empower her dark side so that if he couldn’t win they’d still loose. Second he sent out his Alicorn Amulet, something he had attached a part of his soul as well as power enhancing spells. So not only could he become powerful when he retook control of the Crystal Empire, but while he was sealed away he could possess any entity that found it. So that he could always have a way to win should he be defeated. And lastly, he took the spells that bound the Crystal Empire with himself so that as he did fail, it was taken with him.

He had always been one to plan five steps ahead, planning for any failure or success. Making sure that if he ever lost a fight, those who won would lose more than he did. And he would be damned if he wasn’t going to survive after death to ensure that all of Equestria either bowed to his might, or was crushed by those who swore to protect it.

So as it ended. The seed of Discord’s corruption, and the final assault of Sombra did what both failed to do separately. And that was give form to the darkness in her heart. Now with Luna truly alone. She had only one companion. A voice in her head that talked to her, comforted her, and let her know that she wasn’t alone. A voice that slowly gained a body that would stand beside Luna while feeding off her inner darkness.

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“No! No more! You hear me! I don’t want to see any more! I’m no longer that pony! I don’t want to see anymore!” Luna cried. Her coat graying even further, as she lost her little brother again, and knew that what was coming was going to be the turning point of her greatest sin. The one thing that destroyed many lives and dreams. The birth of Nightmare Moon. But just as before the fog didn’t listen to her cries.

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Luna charged into the throne room where Celestia sat surrounded by the Council of twelve. Four ponies of the three races that came from the four corners of Equestria and made sure that all races were equally looked after. They were the ambassadors of the races and came in every few months to ensure that everything was going smoothly. Other than one little problem. That was that they only dealt during the day while Luna usually slept, and no pony. Even after over two thousand years bothered to deal with Luna or stay up for her night other than a select few who saw it as a punishment. Or were unwanted by the day shift. Even then few of those did more than was required for them.

It had gone on long enough in Luna’s mind. She had tried talking to her sister about her loneliness, had made festivals and celebrations during the night to draw ponies out to see her beautiful night sky, and had even tried to do things to make the night shifts seem enjoyable to draw in more members of her court. But to no avail. Nothing worked, and ponies only looked at the night as a time to sleep and hide from the dark, rather than love the beauty of the moon light.

“Sister we shalt talk to thee immediately!”

“Not now Lulu, We are having court with our subjects.”

“They are our subjects as well! We won’t be ignored any longer!”

Looking at the council she sighed softly, “We are sorry out subjects. But we shan’t be long,” Looking at Luna, “What is it now dear sister?”

“Two thousand years! Two thousand years we have waited for our subjects to embrace us as they do you! Two thousand years we have been alone, looking for others to give us the same love and adoration that they dost give thyself! But thou refuses to help us, thou are given adulations and are adored while we wilt in thy shadow! We wish for thou to stop ignoring us and help us have what thou taketh for granted!” Luna yelled. She wanted to talk civily, but with her friend that only she could see. She was egged into no longer hiding her feelings.

“Listen to thy self Lulu! Thou are acting like a foal. Thou knoweth that are days are busy trying to keep our lands safe, and that we have been working most hard trying to bring thou subjects. But the times are trying and the land is dangerous at night. Would thou suggest that we shalt endanger our subjects?”

“I AM NOT A FOAL! AND STOP CALLING ME LULU TIA! I AM LUNA, AND THOU SHALT ADDRESS US AS SUCH!” Luna roared. The throne room of the royal sisters castle rattling from the force of Luna’s royal voice. Taking a deep breath she cut off her sisters reply, “It has been two thousand years. Thou doesn’t know what it’s like! All the ponies enjoy thee days, and either sleep through thy nights. They liveth for the light of the sun, but treat thy moon like the lesser light. When good things happen they bless thou, even for good dreams that we are responsible for. But they never once mention thy name other than to damn, or curse at others. Shalt it be another thousand years before they change their minds? Two thousand? Three? When will it be before we are no longer alone?” She said her eyes glistening with tears.

“We are sorry Lulu, but thou are acting like a foal yelling at everypony. As for how long? We don’t know. These things take time, thou knows this. We can’t change the minds of others. Thou knows this. You need to go and calm down, when you are ready to talk calmly we can try going over your grievances.”

“We shalt go, but hear me sister. We will no longer wilt in your shadow. The time will come soon when you shalt wilt in ours. Then we can see how thou likest it.”

Luna it is time. We have told thou that thou sister would ignore thee. Thou has lived in her shadow long enough, it’s time that the moon stands it ground and all come to love us.

Yes. Dear friend it shall. All will come to love Nightmare Moon. And all will come to worship our beauty as they once worshiped our sister. Now is for the age of eternal night.

Comments

[Deathpony45]

Fantastic. That's all I can say this wa amazing again bravo loving you version of Luna