The Blue

by exmruniverse

Luna is under the shadow of her past, and seeks the answers. But when things don't go as planned, a new future presents itself. The only question is: can she achieve it?

The Blue

By: RLApplejack AKA, exmruniverse

A mix of blue and white blanketed Canterlot. The Night was dark, clear, and empty. I was Alone in the city, as I was everywhere else, and I couldn't fight my thoughts. My mind raced to make sense of it, but I couldn't. The mysteries of my own past haunted me. My sister had accepted and forgiven me without hesitation, but I couldn't Forgive myself. I couldn't even remember what I had done to forgive, but I heard the stories. The legendary betrayal that had almost ended the day. Guilt flared inside me, filling my being until I had to stop and steady myself before continuing. The Earth was soft and sank under my hooves. The houses were so quiet. They lined the streets in perfect lines, each the same as the last except for a door mat or a sign. Everypony was asleep, and they should be. It was late. Late for them, I had been asleep for a thousand years. I could stay up late one night.

What time was it? I looked toward the moon. I had about five hours until I had to lower it. Five hours to think. Why was I back, and why did I, or Nightmare, even return to earth? What happened on the day of the summer sun celebration? Was it the elements of harmony? Did they release me, see the good in that monster that Celestia did? I remember Twilight had used the elements again, so why was I still here? This isn't what happened last time, what was different?

I was out there for hours, just thinking. I needed to know why. I could go to Celestia but I doubted that she knew more than me. Then again, there were the six ponies, the ones who had defeated Nightmare. If they knew how to use the elements, maybe they could tell me more about them. I looked up again, 30 minutes. Alright, I decided. I would ask Celestia first, then go to Ponyville.

I walked slowly up the winding stone path to the castle in Canterlot. The moon sank behind me, because I made it. As I approached the great front doors, they opened. The white figure that strode out had her head high. She looked upon me, and I lowered mine. She sighed and looked back up. I felt the beam of light on my neck as she brought up the sun. When she turned back down to me, I could see only compassion on her face. How had I earned this?

"Big sister?"

"Yes, little one?" Ugh, the guilt was unbearable, her voice was so… soft. I don't know if that's the right word, but I lack a better one. How could anyone fight this? How could I have?

"I ..." I paused, gathering courage to continue the sentence. "want to know what happened when you defeated Nightmare Moon." I didn't look up; I never looked people in the face anymore.

"And why would you need know such a thing, you're no longer her, what happened then shouldn't concern you."

"I know, I know, but… I want to know why I'm still here. Why didn't the elements just banish me again when Twilight used them?"

"I don't know." She let out a sigh. "The truth is, when I used them, I had no idea what they would do; no one did. They'd never been used before. I didn't even know if they would even work. In the end, they sent you away."

"Then, why didn't they do that this time?"

"I don't know, no one knows how the elements work."

"Twilight did…" I looked up, and she met my gaze.

"Yes, I suppose she did. Go to Ponyville then, if it pleases you. But know this, whatever you find, this time the elements chose to save you. They destroyed Nightmare Moon, and saved you. The only reason I can think of is that you were worth saving. Don't take that for less than it is."

"Yes…" what else could I say? She had so much faith in me. Faith that I didn't have.

She strode into Canterlot, and I shadowed her, walking between the houses. The first lights shone through a few windows. We walked through the entire city silently, but when we got to the outskirts, she turned.

"You're sure you want to go?"

"I have to."

"Then now would be the time to fly, little sister. I wish you luck, and peace."

My wings felt small, I had spent the last thousand years in a different body, but I stretched them and took off.

...

The air was warm, and the breeze felt good. But I wasn't flying for fun. I picked up speed. I wanted to know the answers as fast as possible, which meant I had to get to Ponyville quickly. It was a day's journey, but if I hurried I could get there before it was too late to talk. With one forceful push of my wings I passed into a new level of speed. My mane blew back and I squinted. All I could hear now was the rush of air past my ears. I closed my eyes and pushed.

Around noon I had to land to eat. I found a good pasture on a hill, next to an old abandoned house, so I landed and began to graze. When I finished, I turned and spread my wings to take off again but became aware of a set of eyes upon me. Slowly bringing my wings down, I looked over my shoulder to see a very elderly pony. He watched me, unblinking. Not abandoned, I thought. When our eyes met, He bowed low in a fast, jerky movement. He was shaking.

"I'm sorry princess; I didn't mean to stare…" He was practically crying.

He was scared of me, and I didn't blame him, but it hurt none the less.

"It's alright I just needed some grass" I tried to set him as ease.

He didn't respond, just continued bowing.

I blinked, then sighed. I didn't want to deal with this right now. I spread my wings and took off.

It was another hour or so before anything happened. I was flying when I saw a spot in the distance. As I grew closer, I saw it was a griffon. Strange, she seemed to be coming from Ponyville, but I didn't know of any that lived there. As she got even closer, I could see she was obviously angry about something, and flying very fast. She locked eyes with me and spun around so that she was now right beside me.

"Yo pony, you wanna race? I need to blow off some steam." her voice was shrill and aggressive, not the type I wanted to carry on a conversation with.

"Uh, no thank you. I need to get to Ponyville."

That triggered a reaction; I saw her face light up, and she scoffed.

"Nothing but lame-o's in Ponyville."

"I need to speak with a pony named Twilight Sparkle."

She tapped a talon on her chin.

"Twilight... Twilight… yeah, I think that's one of Dash's friends."

"Please, it's very important that I get there as soon as possible."

"Alright, alright, you're in a hurry. I get it, no race, whatever. I guess I'll see around when you're feeling fun."

I hope not.

"Yes, goodbye."

She started to fly off, but then came back.

"I don't know pony, maybe it's the blue or the moon mark, but you just seem cool. I'm Gilda."

"Fine Gilda, but I really need to go."

"Well, what's your name?"

She… didn't know who I was? I thought everypony knew who I was. I suppose I had been gone a thousand years, and she didn't seem the type to remember.

"Luna."

"Well hey Luna, when you get tired of Ponyville, and you will, you come meet me in Cloudsdale.

"Fine."

This conversation was over. I couldn't get to Ponyville fast enough, and she was just slowing me down. I stretched my wings as far forward as I could and threw them back with a powerful blast. A new wave of air hit my face and I closed my eyes again. After a while, I opened them and turned my head back. No sign of the griffon, good. I let up on my speed, slowing to a more comfortable pace. There was a vast stretch of green under me. I must be flying over the Everfree Forest. I couldn't see where it ended. I looked behind me again, couldn't see where it started either. I dove down, just above the tree tops and lowered one hoof to skim the leaves. They brushed aside easily, like skimming water. But then something caught. I screamed as the catch ripped on my hoof and swung me down below the trees. I must have fallen 20 feet before I crashed into the wet soil. Carving a path through the earth, I slid until I hit the bottom of a large tree. The hit knocked me unconscious, and I just laid there, eyes closed, for I don't know how long. It could have been a minute, could have been hours. When I came to, I opened my eyes slowly and tried to stand. Ah! My leg! I collapsed back to the ground letting out a grunt of pain. I looked down at it. It didn't just hurt, it felt wrong. That's when I heard movement. I felt my eyes dilate, and my heart pounded in my ears. Not 50 yards from me lay an ursa minor. The giant bear lay still, but his eyes were open. I stayed down and shut my eyes. I was so scared. I opened them again to see that he was in the same place, no change. I had to get out of here! I propped up on my back two legs and pushed up with my good front one. With a hard burst, I flapped down and took off, but the ursa just laid there, it's eyes fixed on the spot where I was, and now I could see why.

It was dead. A fire drake was tearing into its side. His dark scales glinted under his bat-like wings. His dragon like figure tore at the flesh of his meal, and red flame rose from his neck.

This was very bad.

The drake looked up from his meal and spat a stream of fire in my direction. I was out of range, but it was a warning. Fine by me I thought as I sped away as fast as I could. I don't think I'd ever gone faster. I looked up at the sky. The sun was almost down, which meant I had to bring up the moon soon, but it could wait until I got to Ponyville. I had to focus on getting there first.

I finally saw the collection of buildings that marked the town, but which house was Twilight's? I needed her magic to fix my leg. I thought for a moment. I'd just have to ask around. I flew to the first house in sight, then collapsed as I tried to land and forgot about the leg. Ah! It hurt so much. From my place on the ground I knocked with my horn. Only now that I relaxed did I realize how tired I was; I could barely move. There was no way I was standing back up.

The door opened.

"Do you have any idea what time it…" The colt stopped when he looked down at me. "Hail Celestia! Are you alright?"

"Twilight…" was all that I could manage.

"No, I'm Mr. Cake. Twilight lives in the tree, uh, and do you need help?"

I stretched out my good hoof before passing out.

When I woke I was in a bed, and it was bright out. I guess Equestria could go one night without the moon.

"Ah good, you're awake."

The purple pony crossed the room sat by the bed.

"Celestia's been sending messages all night. When she didn't see the moon, she was worried sick." She smiled. "I told her you were ok, banged up, but ok."

"Thank you." I said weakly.

"What happened?" As she said this she leaned forward and put a hoof on my leg.

"Ahhhh!" My heart accelerated at the unexpected pain.

"Ah yes, your leg, let's see what we can do about that."

She rolled the covers back and stared at the leg.

"Now, does it hurt when I do this?"

I let out a grunt.

"YES!" Why did she do that?

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't do it while you were sleeping because I couldn't know what was wrong. Now I do." She paused and stared back at the leg before continuing "You may feel a little pain."

Her horn started to glow and a spark flew from it to my injured leg. I let out another grunt; I could feel the bone snap back in place.

"All better!" She sounded quite pleased with herself. "Whew! That one was a doozy. Do you mind telling me how you got that in the first place?"

"I was flying, over the Everfree Forest, and… a fire drake." I could have said I tripped on a tree, but I liked this explanation better.

"Wow! Taking on a fire drake! And without even a single burn."

"Well, I didn't fight it, I just ran."

"Wait, it's still in the forest?"

"Yes, but it was pretty deep, I don't think it's a threat. Plus it had an ursa minor, so it shouldn't be hungry for a while."

"Well, that's still impressive."

I needed to get back on track. I was here for a reason.

"In those letters Princess Celestia sent, did she say why I was here?"

"No, actually. She said that I needed to hear it from you."

Typical.

"I'm here to find out what happened when you used the elements of harmony on Nightmare Moon."

"Oh, well I don't know. I just brought them together and sent a spark into them."

Yes, I remembered this. I could see Nightmare's final moments, the battle with the six ponies.

But that didn't help me. That was the same thing Celestia had said.

"I think we need to get your friends, they have been infused with the elements."

"Of course, I'll get them soon."

"And... there's one more thing."

"Yes?" She cocked her head to the side. It felt crazy; people avoided it for a reason. But I had to know.

"I think I need to head back into the forest and take a look at the elements."

"What! Are you crazy! It's dangerous, not mention there's a drake on the loose. Somepony could get killed!"

"No, not somepony, just me. I'm going alone."

"Not going to happen Luna. I can only speak for myself, but I doubt any of the others will let you go alone either."

This pony had met me twice, and the first time I tried to kill her. she would throw her life away that fast?

"I won't let you, or anyone else, risk their life for me. I'm going alone."

"Why do you even want to go?"

"You of all ponies should understand the importance of study. I want to try to figure them out, maybe it will help me understand myself."

"Let me get the others here first, then we'll talk."

"Enough ponies have been hurt because of me!" That seemed to work. She stopped in her tracks, but then she turned back.

"That doesn't mean you have to get yourself killed."

She walked out the door and used her magic to shut it softly behind her. If I was going to leave, now would be the time to do it. Never even give them a chance to follow me. But I knew I couldn't, I needed them to trigger the elements. Her friends had part of them inside. I rose from the bed and tested my leg on floor. That was powerful magic; it didn't even hurt anymore. I had settled in front of the window when I heard snoring upstairs. Was someone else here? I walked up her staircase and saw a small green animal asleep on a pillow. Oh, of course she had a dragon. Why not? I went back downstairs and sat back in front of the window.

After about 20 minutes I heard the door open again, and she came back in with her friends. The six of them stood side by side and I could feel the bond they had. Just the way they stood around each other. It was amazing.

"And this," Twilight said, apparently continuing a conversation they were having outside "is Luna."

As their eyes fell upon me, I lowered my head, and took a step back.

"She really got away from a fire drake?"

I looked up. A blue pony with Rainbow hair was waiting for an answer.

"That's right, Rainbow."

She was beautiful. They all were of course, but she had something about her, they way she carried herself. Her voice was high and sweet, but strong.

"Luna, this is Rainbow Dash. She's the element of loyalty."

Rainbow Dash looked over at me and I blushed. It could have been mistaken as shyness, for which I was grateful.

"And this is Applejack. Her element is honesty."

"Howdy." Her accent was just barely noticeable.

I tore my eyes off Rainbow Dash.

"Hi." I managed.

"This is Rarity. She embodies the element of generosity."

"It's a pleasure." She bowed her head.

Twilight continued.

"Fluttershy, kindness."

"Oh, umm… hi." she mumbled from behind her hair.

That made me smile. She was very timid.

"And this…" She was interrupted.

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie bounded over and sunk to her knees, looking up at my eyes.

"Umm, hi Pinkie Pie."

"She's the element of laughter," Twilight giggled.

Pinkie smiled and bounded back to the others.

"And my element is magic." Twilight said.

The ponies waited for a response.

"Do you mind if I take a look at you?"

"Not at all." Twilight said.

I walked up to Applejack and looked at her cutie mark.

"Tell me what happened right when Twilight used the elements."

"Well the shards on that ground that you broke…"

I cut Applejack off mid-sentence.

"No." I stepped over to Rarity.

"Beg pardon?"

I didn't look back over.

"Nightmare Moon broke the elements, not me."

"But, uh, you are Nightmare Moon." Her tone wasn't accusing, but it made me defensive anyway.

"No I'm not, she lives inside me, but we're different."

There was pause as the ponies thought.

"You said she lives inside you? As in, present tense?" Rarity's voice cracked as she finished her sentence.

"Yes."

"But I thought the elements destroyed Nightmare Moon." Rainbow Dash looked right at me, and I could hear the twinge of caution in her voice. Fluttershy started backing out of the room. Even Pinkie looked nervous. Twilight seemed the only one not affected by this news.

"The elements didn't destroy Nightmare, they pushed her back inside Luna, giving her control again. But don't worry. It would take a massive force to bring her back out." That seemed to calm them. A little. Fluttershy still seemed flustered.

"A-are you sure? I mean, what if she comes back out?" She looked at the exit again.

"I'm confident in Luna's ability to keep her suppressed. Princess Celestia trusts her, and so should we."

It was easy to see why Twilight was the leader. She was sure, and she had a great deal of control over her friend's emotions, whether she knew it or not.

"Thanks" I needed their help; it wouldn't help if they thought I could turn on them any minute.

"If we're going back through the forest we should leave soon, it's safer during the day." Rainbow Dash sounded anxious.

"Simmer down pony," Applejack cautioned her. "We don't wanna rush into anything."

"I agree," Fluttershy backed her up, "there's still a drake, and who knows what else out there."

I was getting slightly irritated.

"I already told you, I'm going alone. Nightmare Moon hurt enough people. I refuse to let anyone else get hurt because of me." I thought about Rainbow Dash. Even though I had just met her, I knew I wouldn't be able to stand it if she was hurt, And with her attitude, that seemed very likely.

"We're not letting you go alone, you'll get yourself killed."

So now that they were present Twilight could speak for them? I let out a sigh of defeat, I could see it was pointless, they were coming.

"I guess we'd better get going."

"Yay, adventure!" Pinkie bounced out the door.

Did she not understand the danger? I had made it about as clear as I could. The only sensible one in this group was Fluttershy; she looked the same way I felt about this. As if to prove my point she squeaked in fear as she backed away from the door.

"C'mon girly, you've been out there before." Applejack was comforting her.

I walked out the door and looked at the houses. The ponies inside would be going about their lives like any other day. The sun was shining on the town. Was it really worth it? I didn't really need to know why I was back, not if it risked their lives. The life they could have in Ponyville was perfect. If I took that away from them…

"Maybe we shouldn't."

"Luna, darling, if this is important to you, we're going." Rarity reassuringly placed her hoof on my back.

"Yeah! Besides, with us here, nothing can touch us!" Rainbow flew a loop in the air, and Pinkie ran back to us, apparently impatient.

"Are we going or not?" she sounded annoyed.

"Ohhh, we're going." Rainbow said with a smile as Applejack looked back over toward me.

"C'mon Luna, too late to back out now."

Seemed my mind had been made for me. We walked to the edge of town, and kept walking. Even with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash overhead, I chose to walk. The outskirts of the forest reached out just past the last house in Ponyville, and I stopped at the line the shadows of the trees made. I looked into the dark. Even on the brightest day, the sun couldn't reach the bottom of this forest. From the front, Twilight turned around.

"Luna?"

I breathed in, and stepped across the line. Swallowing fear, I walked with the rest. The day was bright before, but as we walked it grew dimmer and dimmer. After a while it could have been mistaken for night. The overcast of the trees blocked all the light, and they no longer looked green, they were black. As was the dirt and the brush. The scene was daunting. As we walked, the leaves rustled and the trees would sway from time to time. The sound of small creatures bounding away from our group would sound, and every time, Fluttershy would fly a little closer. But the farther we ventured, the less frequent these animals became, and the taller the trees grew. Ahead of me Twilight pushed past a bush and disappeared behind it. I followed cautiously. When my head stuck out the other side, Twilight was standing very still, looking ahead. The others quickly met her mood as their eyes, and mine, followed her gaze. A Minotaur lay asleep in the clearing. The brown fur on his back rose and fell as he breathed. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked at each other. Twilight just stayed at the front, her eyes fixed on the beast. I tried to bring her back to us.

"Now what?" I whispered as quietly as I could.

Twilight leaned her head in acknowledgment of my question.

"Now," she whispered "we go around."

She turned to walk around the circular clearing, and we followed. At about the half way point, I heard a snap behind me. Turning my head, I saw that Rarity was looking down at a broken twig under her hoof.

Holding my breath, I turned my head back to the beast in the middle. Its back had stopped its rhythmic rise, and though I couldn't see them, I knew his eyes were open. The beasts head rose with his ears pointed and twitching. I turned back toward Twilight.

"Run" she silently mouthed.

And I was going to, but then Rainbow did just about the stupidest thing possible; she attacked. Flying toward the Minotaur with great speed, she spun and kicked it. The beast let out a great growl and rose to his feet, swinging at the Pegasus as though she were a bothersome fly. As he took in the scenery, his eyes focused on us and he bent down and picked up a massive axe from beneath him. How had I missed that? Had he been sleeping on it? A bit of dust left his nose as he snorted. Rainbow Dash was flying back again, and Applejack ran off to help her. Twilight's horn was glowing, and the beast rose into the air, but he threw the axe at her. It stuck in the ground in front her, blocking her view. Her spell had been broken, and as he fell back to earth he reached up and grabbed Rainbow. With his other hand he scooped up Applejack. He stood tall, and held his hands far apart, both ponies struggling to get free. The smile that crept upon his face was unmistakable. This was going to kill them. Without a thought I rushed the beast. My horn lit up the clearing. Just as I saw his muscles tense, his face relaxed. His fingers began to open, just enough for the ponies to crawl out. His knees buckled, and he dropped to them. He was now face to face with me. I focused all the energy in my body into my horn. It grew even brighter and began to spark. The beast's eyes closed and he collapsed where he was. He was asleep again. I turned to the others who were standing much closer than I thought they had been. I gave them a weak smile, then collapsed from exhaustion.

When I awoke, I could see the stars above, and my ….friends… they were my friends, weren't they. That made me happy, were asleep around me. I got up and walked to the base of a nearby tree. We were no longer in the clearing. They must have carried me away from the danger. How far? I heard breathing behind me and turned to see that Pinkie Pie had joined me.

"I didn't know you could do that." she said. The happy joking tone you she usually spoke with was nowhere in sight.

"Put creatures to sleep? I usually can't"

"So you've done it before." it wasn't a question, she was just thinking out loud.

"Never on purpose, until today."

She nodded then turned to me.

"You like Rainbow, don't you." Again, it didn't quite sound like a question. Nothing got past this pony.

I turned to her, and apparently my expression answered her.

"I thought so," She walked back to her resting place then turned back to me.

"I'd let her know sooner rather than later, but I won't tell".

She lay down and rested her head on her front legs.

"Cross my heart… hope to fly." She was asleep again.

I looked up at the stars.

"Night."

The moon settled in its place, and I lay back down.

...

The sun rose overhead, but we were still deep in the forest and little of its light reached us. My eyes opened and I saw the ponies grazing. Rainbow looked up from her meal.

"Hey, she's awake!"

Rarity came to me first.

"We were so worried!" I could hear the compassion. Only Pinkie Pie kept eating.

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy peered out from behind Rarity.

"Yeah, I'm alright." She smiled at me.

Applejack exhaled.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again sugar cube."

Twilight walked beside me "I'm glad you're ok." She said quietly.

Rainbow flew up in the air.

"It was amazing, the Minotaur had us, but then you ran up, and you horn was glowing, it was awesome!"

I blushed.

"We'd better get going" Pinkie said. All the color that had vanished from her voice last night was back.

"She's right. It's hard to tell, but it is morning. We should head out."

Twilight led the group through the trees, so that only Fluttershy and I remained at camp.

"You're really brave." She said softly. Then she turned to join the others.

Was I? I knew if it hadn't been Rainbow Dash in its hands, I couldn't have done that. I trailed the group thinking. The rustle of bushes as we passed were calming, and the dew on the ground felt good under my hooves. As we walked, a boulder across from the path grabbed my attention. Silently I walked over to it while the others kept going. I remembered this boulder, it was familiar. I walked around to the other side and saw a sloppy sketch of Celestia on the side. I had made that, when I was younger. A slew of images filled my head. I remembered running and flying with her, before we had any responsibilities, before we fought. I was so lost in the memories I barely heard Twilights voice.

"Luna?"

I blinked, as my vision returned and I remembered where we were.

"We're close." I said as I returned to them.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Fluttery's head tilted to the side.

"I'm fine, let's keep going."

The trees stopped abruptly and a wide grassy field lay ahead of us. The ruins of stone lay scattered and stuck in the earth. I walked on the stone and looked at my house. I wanted to tear up. There was no stopping the memories now, and they flowed like water. How we used to play, and how we destroyed the castle. Images I'd never seen before rushed in to replace memories, and I saw Nightmare Moon battle with my sister. The beams that shot from their horns collided and erupted in sparks and light. The stone castle crumbled beneath them.

As I walked the grass that stuck up from between the cracks in the stone eased my mind. Even after so much destruction, life grew. My head rose as the others walked up the path to second housing, where the elements were. I trailed them with hope on my mind. Maybe now I could finally understand why I was here. What my purpose was. That hope only boosted the despair when Rarity's voice echoed from inside the housing

"They're gone!"

What! I ran up the path into the building. They can't be gone! They've been here a thousand years! But they were. The empty pedestals where they should be were flat and bare. No elements, no answers.I stared at the emptiness

"It's not possible…" I was aghast.

"Luna, I'm sorry," Twilight's voice sounded but I couldn't focus on where. I was tearing up.

"They can't be gone. Not when I was so close."

Rainbow walked up to me, and turned my head so we were eye to eye.

"Hey, it's ok. We got this far together, and we can go a little further."

The smile she gave me then was so calming; I couldn't help but feel better. I turned toward the others.

"You'll keep going?" I was so thankful; I already knew their answer.

"Yes!" they said unanimously.

"Thank you" I looked up at the sky.

"But where do we go?"

The trees disoriented me. They looked the same from every angle. I had no idea where the elements could be. I didn't even know which way Ponyville was. The other ponies looked around, as they sank to my feeling of helplessness. There was no way to find them. Just as I gave up, the sun began to set behind me. A single dim beam of light fell in a circle right in front of me. The dew glistened with light and sparks of color poured out the sides of each drop. The grass wilted under the weight of the water and sprang back up as the drops dripped into the soil. I leaned in and my shadow broke into the circle of light. I looked down at it, and she looked back. She didn't seem evil right now, just different, darker. The trees shifted, and my shadow turned its head. But I didn't. I just kept watching it.

"Luna, what do you see?" I didn't look up, but whoever was talking sounded anxious.

"Shhh."

The shadow extended further into the circle of light, and began to disappear as it walked past where the light reached. I knew what to do.

"This way" I said following her.

I walked slowly up to the tree line, and they seemed to part to let me through. I knew the shadow was still here, the trees darkened as she passed them and brightened when she moved on.

I followed the shadow for a very long time until she stopped on a stone. Her head was pointed forward, and I scanned my eyes over to where it pointed. Between the trees there was a stone gateway covered in vegetation. The wooden door that had once been in place was long since decayed. These ruins were even older than my old house. I didn't know anything older than my sister and me. The six ponies trailed behind me as I passed under the arch. The vines that hung over the door brushed aside and I was faced with a giant open room, overrun with plants and missing a wall. it looked like a very old ballroom. The pattern that had once been on the floor was just a mix of grays now. I walked to the back of the room and up the stairs that had somehow survived. Walking up I saw the black shadow skim over the gray stone up ahead of me. Running to catch up, and with the sound of hooves behind me, I got to the top. The stairs led to a large open platform with no ceiling and no walls. The shadow then shot off to far side of the room, and disappeared into mist upon contact with the elements. They were cluttered in a pile across the room behind what looked like a gray log. My eyes widened as the log slid out from in front of them. A Drake was coiled around the six elements. It was still asleep, but there was no way we were getting the elements without waking it up. The spiked end of its tail whipped in the air in its slumber. The flame that rose from its neck was a transparent blue, with stars scattered in the fire. This drake had recently eaten an ursa. Smoke left its nostrils when it breathed out and its chest fell. I knew I had come too far to let the elements slip out of my grasp when I was this close. I could see them on the other side. I only saw one way out without somepony getting killed.

"I'll try and keep it asleep, while you grab the elements".

I lowered my head, pointing my horn right at the drake. Bending my legs, and with a grunt of effort, my horn lit up and an aura of blue mist collected around the drake's head. Twilight's voice sounded behind me.

"Alright, let's go"

They approached very carefully, and began to pick up their elements. Applejack picked hers up first, then Rainbow Dash, and Twilight, but as Pinkie was bending down, she stopped.

"Uh-oh" she said nervously.

"Pinkie, what's wrong?" Rainbow anxiously whispered.

"My knee is pinchy, that means something scary is going to happen."

What? How did Pinkie's aches matter right now? As she was fearfully backing away from the massive creature, the sleeping behemoth raised its tail again. Twisting on its back its tail came down and it stretched its back. It wasn't waking up, it was just moving in its sleep… but only I knew that.

"Run!" Rarity's shrill voice sounded like an alarm as she turned to leave.

No! They were going to wake it. I focused harder, and my horn grew brighter, but it was too late. The drake snapped an eye open. It rolled over and the mist around its head dispersed. Rising to its feet, its eyes glazed over us, then narrowed.

"Thieves" it said in very deep, very angry tone. Just then, a stream of flame left its mouth and a defining roar erupted from its entire body. The earth ponies jumped and ran for cover. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and I flew up to avoid the fire. The drake shook his head back and forth, sending the stream in all directions. Rainbow flew off around to flank it and started an attack run from behind. Below me, Applejack was running toward its feet, lasso in mouth. Twilight appeared to be trying to shoot rubble at it, and Pinkie was weaving in and out from under it. Fluttershy stayed near me, and Rarity was still avoiding the fire. Rainbow flew in and kicked it in the back of the head. Applejack had her lasso around two of its legs and was running for a third when the drake flexed and broke the rope. As Rainbow flew in for another attack, the drake saw it coming, and its tail raised and struck so fast I could barely see the movement. The spikes pierced her skin and I could hear the crunch of bone as the weight behind the tail smashed her into the ground. The tail rose, and Rainbow lay limp in an unmoving pile on the ground. A pool of blood was forming around her. All the ponies stopped and stared for a half second before the drake made them run for cover again. My eyes were glued to beautiful pony on the floor. I flew past the drake and landed by her. Her eyes were closed. Falling to my knees, the tears fell from my face. Her broken body had me in emotions stronger than I knew possible. All the despair in world was upon me, along with more anger than should exist. And also love. Love for the pony whose life was dripping out before my eyes. Time was slow, and the drake was still preoccupied with the other ponies. I could see in their eyes that they matched at least one of my emotions, the despair. Applejack and Pinkie both retreated from their spot under the drake, and Fluttershy's eyes widened. Then time stopped. The drake wasn't moving, and the ponies were frozen in their positions. Fluttershy's wings very slowly moved downward in her flap, and the dark lines in the fire from the drake's mouth slowly swirled. The blood from my love was slowing to a drip, and as I rose to my feet I realized my knees were soaked in it. I think that's what did it. The idea that her life was all over the floor, and on me. My eyes focused on the face of the drake that had killed the only thing in this world I had ever cared about. With that image in my mind, I let go. My vision faded, and I felt myself lose control of my limbs. I had just enough time to see my wings change to black as I turned over all control to her. I had promised everyone I was safe, that I would be strong enough to keep her down, but I didn't care, because she would kill the drake, and without Rainbow Dash that's all that mattered on this earth. And so I let go, and fell into the abyss.

...

The first thing that happened was I felt air in my lungs. The second was that I realized that I could think about feeling the air. Neither of these things should be possible. When I gave up control I was ready to spend eternity with nothing. No thought, no emotion, no pain, no joy. That's how it worked... No grief. The last thought sent my mind racing. How long was Nightmare in control? How far in the future was it? And what did it matter? Without Rainbow I didn't have a reason on this earth. Was there even an earth left? Or did I destroy it? And why was I back again?

I opened my eyes and was shocked to see Twilight standing over me. I rose to my feet, and looked back where Rainbow Dash had been lying. A pool of blood was still on the ground, but she wasn't there. I looked around and only four ponies trailed Twilight.

"Where is she?" I was beginning to panic.

"Behind you." Pinkie said with a slight grin. What was she smiling about?

I turned and saw her sitting at the edge of top floor. She was staring up at the moon.

I walked over to her. She was wrapped in white bandages splattered with brown blood stains. I sat down beside her.

"What happened?" I asked her.

She didn't look back at me, she just kept staring up, but she answered me.

"I remember getting hit," She said with a hesitant voice. "Twilight said you came to me, when I was under, and then turned into Nightmare. She said you killed the drake."

I hadn't even thought of the drake. I looked behind me on the roof and saw it lying on the ground. There was a massive red hole in its back.

"Flew right through it." she said with a chuckle, then she coughed.

I became self conscious then; I was covered in blood, gross.

"When you came out, you flew back to its head and Twilight said it looked like you were pulling the life from its eyes. The display of power on the drake was unlike any she'd seen."

Of course, Nightmare was the most powerful thing I had ever known, even Celestia needed the elements to fight her.

"And then?" I inquired.

"Nightmare flew to me, and at first Twilight was worried, but then she dropped to her knees and wept. She stayed next me the whole time Twilight tended to my wounds. That's when I came to. Nightmare was the first thing I saw." She paused and tore her gaze from the moon, turning to me.

"What was it like in the moon?" She asked me.

I could tell I wouldn't be getting anymore answers until I answered.

"Similar to being inside Nightmare, it's like being asleep. Time doesn't have meaning, and you can't think or feel. It's just nothing."

She nodded in understanding.

"When I woke up I was scared." she continued, "But Nightmare didn't move, she didn't say anything." She was looking in my eyes now. "She just watched me, and her expression was…hard to comprehend. It was like a mix of happiness and fear. She smiled at me after a while, and when I asked why she was happy, she said because I was ok."

This was headed in a dangerous direction. It made sense that Nightmare would love her too, but what if I had scared her? Rainbow pretended not to notice my reaction.

"She would do whatever I said, and talked only to me." She was deep in thought too.

"So when I got my strength back, we used the elements on her to get you back. She even brought me mine. She just stood silently as we activated them."

"You know why don't you?" I asked her fearfully.

She moved closer to me.

"Because I lo-"

Her lips met mine, quickly and intentionally. It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening. When I did, I closed my eyes and was lost in the moment. I tilted my head to the side and let the bliss fill me. I had the only thing I cared about in this new earth. And as her hoof traveled down my back I knew I belonged here. In every aspect. When we finally separated, she looked into my eyes and wrapped her hooves around the back of my neck.

"I love you too." she whispered.

Rarity used this opportunity to bring me back down.

"Ehem , Luna, the elements…"

Yes, the whole reason we were here, right... right… They could wait. I turned back to Rainbow.

"Now!" she said behind us.

"Go," Rainbow said encouragingly, with a smile.

"I'll be here when you get back."

"Promise?" I asked her.

"Forever." she said.

With that I turned to the elements, but it didn't matter anymore. Whatever truth these elements could reveal to me couldn't make me want my life more than with Rainbow. Because of her I had reason again. The elements seemed so insignificant now. They lay in a pile, each shaped like the cutie mark of the pony they belonged to. I bent over and came close to what we had all worked so hard to get, and touched one with my hoof. Upon contact the elements gently rose into the air and formed a star, then began to spin. A mist formed between the circle they created. I looked down into the mist and my reflection slowly formed staring back at me. I tilted my head to side, and so did she. But then, my reflection began to darken. It turned the color of Nightmare Moon, but stayed the same size, with the same face. It was still me. And then it made sense. No matter how much I didn't want it to be true, and no matter how much Celestia believed otherwise, I was her. We were, and are, one and the same. That realization broke down a wall in my mind. All of Nightmare's memories came flooding in. She wasn't a person, she was all my anger and jealousy, my hate, overpowering my mind, in my body. As I watched all the memories I never thought I would see, I also had to fight the overwhelming guilt that came with knowing exactly what I had done. Every detail. And then, an even more haunting thought entered my mind. If we weren't two, as I had thought, then I had done the monstrous things I was reliving right now. And I could do them again. Who was to say otherwise? If the monster inside me wasn't anther being, but just my emotion, then I myself was capable of great evil. I took a step back from the mist, and the dark pony on the other side stepped back too. My thoughts terrified me.

"What do you see?"

I shut my eyes hard, to stop tears, and crouched to fly away. I couldn't be around anypony anymore, I had to leave. Go far away, where I couldn't hurt them. As my wings shot up to begin flight, I opened my eyes and Fluttershy was in front of me. Her eyes locked with mine, and involuntarily, I relaxed and started breathing slower.

"It's ok" she muttered softly, taking a step closer. "It's alright."

I lowered my wings slightly.

"Fluttershy, what's wrong? Why did she try to run?" Twilight was very worried.

I lowered my head, whether for embarrassment of not being strong enough to stay, or fear of what they would think when I told them, I didn't know.

Fluttershy ignored them, and put her hoof on my shoulder, at which point I broke down. My wings came all the way back in, and I sobbed. My friends stayed around me, and when I regained composure, I rose again.

"I'm sorry" I said looking at them.

"What did they show you?" Twilight asked.

"It doesn't matter!" Rainbow cut her off, "And she definitely doesn't have to talk about it!" She was getting defensive. And now that we were… together… she was probably scared, because whatever was wrong with me, it included her too.

"No, you should know." I explained what I had discovered, what the elements had shown me. And why I had tried to run. When I was done, it was silent for a moment. Strangely, Fluttershy was the first to speak.

"But, you tried to run. You didn't want to hurt us. You didn't want to be evil. So it's not you, it can't be."

"It is." It was simple. When there was another being inside me, it was easy to put my past on her, but now that I was alone...

Rarity spoke her mind next.

"But, the only time you're dangerous is when you transform into Nightmare, and now that she doesn't exist, that can't happen, so there's no more danger right?"

"Nightmare no longer exists, but she didn't disappear, we merged." I looked up so that my next statement would be as clear as possible.

"The danger is still there." Rainbow Dash had been looking uncomfortable for a while, and now she spoke up.

"I don't care!" She turned to the other ponies.

"She's your friend! And I know I'm sure not going to bail just because a rock decided she was dangerous." She turned to me.

"I know you Luna, you're kind, you're sweet, and there's no way you could be any kind of evil, especially as much as you seem to think you are."

"But I am dangerous."

"Not to us," Applejack said, "Now look here sugar cube, we've come this far together, and we're not going let you leave us now. We stick together!"

I knew what I had seen in the elements, and I knew what it meant, why did they think so differently? They stood around me and stared in with compassion. And it's hard to fight so much faith. It seemed like everyone believed in me, in my redemption, so how could I not? I walked over to Rainbow Dash, and rested my head against her.

"Alright." I said, giving up. "I'll stay."

We walked back the way we came, to avoid any more encounters. After what we had been through, the forest seemed incredibly tranquil. The soil under our feet was soft, and gave as we trotted over it. Rainbow stayed near the back because of her injuries, and I stayed with her. After a while we finally saw some lights in between the trees. Ponyville was close. As we walked out from the trees the sky opened up to us. Some of the houses had their lights on, it must be early morning. We got to Twilight's house first. As she walked up the path, she turned and spoke.

"That was an amazing adventure. You all are the best friends a pony could have." They all nodded in agreement. "Rainbow, I'm sorry you got hurt."

Rainbow shrugged.

"But come back over every day for about a week and we should have it good as new." Twilight yawned, and made realize how tired I was, which in turn, reminded me I had no place to sleep.

"Wait, Twilight?" she turned. "Where do I sleep?"

Rainbow spoke up.

"With me of course."

Of course.

…...

The sun rose and a beam of light splashed across my face. I opened my eyes and slowly lifted my head off the cloud. Rainbow was lying next to me, her head resting on my chest. I looked up at the stars that would become invisible in a few short minutes. But that was alright. I looked back down. The beauty wasn't in the sky. Yet.

THE END