H.V: I know people don't read my fics anymore. But whatever, I'll keep writing for the heck of it.
~Chapter 2~
For the seventy-two hours Luna had watched the preps with an impatient air, another was having her own spell of hastiness for the festivities to start. Of course this event included flight competitions, ones this individual pony in particular was sure, as always, she would win. After all, she had to keep the image of fastest Pegasus in Equestria.
Taking a break from flying laps around Ponyville, Rainbow Dash had been trying to get Fluttershy, another Pegasus to cheer louder for her again. But the pale yellow Pegasus was usually never known to shout about anything.
"Come on! Louder!" Dash snapped.
Fluttershy drew a silent breath, "Yay!" she mewled softly.
"Louder!" Dash urged,
"Yay!"
"LOUDER!"
Fluttershy drew in a deeper breath, and cried, "Yay!" not much louder than before. The rainbow-haired Pegasus growled in frustration. Fluttershy blinked at her, "Too loud?" she murmured. Dash shook her head and a new idea made its way to her, although it wasn't very possible.
Rainbow Dash asked her: "Hey Fluttershy…why don't you join the flight competitions this year?" she offered.
Fluttershy took a step back, the image of her alone in the sky, all those faces tipped up to watch her, the many eyes, not to mention pressure…she shook her head, banishing the thought, "Oh no, Rainbow Dash, I couldn't." she mumbled, "I'm just not a competition kind of pony…"
"Oh come on, please?" Dash asked, "You'll have fun, and if you win they have awards and stuff." Fluttershy wanted to ask just what was so fun about being stared down at in the sky by a massive audience, but Dash went on, "Maybe at least try flying faster than two miles an hour." She eyed her slyly, "If you can."
Fluttershy blinked. Dash was skeptical that she would take the bait, and her expression withered as the pale golden Pegasus declined again, "I really don't want to, Rainbow Dash." She murmured, "It's gonna be scary…"
"It won't." Dash insisted, "Why don't you try racing me, right now? You might find it fun." The blue mare offered her. Fluttershy dropped her gaze without confidence,
"But…"
"Look," Rainbow Dash said, "Just this one time, okay? You'll see if you like it or not. And there's just me here."
The yellow mare gazed around, and gave an almost invisible nod. Dash smiled widely, "Great!" she said, and immediately took to the skies. Fluttershy followed less certainly.
"Okay," Dash said as she hovered next to the shyer Pegasus, "Fly as fast as you can toward that cloud over there." She nodded at a low-lying fluff of a cloud in the distance. Fluttershy's gaze locked onto it, and a thin veil of uncertain determination glazed over her eyes. Dash smirked, "Ready, set, go!" she called, and both Pegasi shot through the sky.
She had to admit, Fluttershy was speedy, and her wing beats were pretty much silent, like an owl's. Dash felt much louder by comparison, and soon she found her purposely easy clip being outrun by Fluttershy. Dash put on a boost of speed, and shot ahead of Fluttershy, reaching the cloud before her. When she arrived, panting and huffing, her eyes were brimming with joy, "Again! Again!" she begged in her normally soft voice.
Dash smiled, "Told ya it'd be fun, didn't I?" she said, "So you wanna enter the race in the festival with me?"
Fluttershy nodded eagerly, "Oh yes, that was fun! I'd…" she paused, her bravado fading a bit, "I guess I can try…the race." She murmured.
Rainbow Dash looked at her, "We'll have a few more practice rounds. Tomorrow's the festival. It'll be awesome!" she said jubilantly. The two flight ponies began racing once again.
…
Luna watched as the sun was herded over the horizon. She had watched this scene but three times, counting the days until her release from the castle. Today was the day, at last.
The young princess made her way to her mirror that she had hanging on the wall. Her horn glowing, she summoned the hairbrush from her desk and ran it through her soft, blue mane, untangling the knots and twisted locks of hair. As she set the brush down, she glanced at her reflection, and her heart skipped a beat. She blinked once, twice, to make sure she was truly seeing this, and when she realized this was no hallucination, she shrieked.
Staring her back in the mirror was a jet-black alicorn, wings tapering at the tips, a lavender helmet worn on the head…Luna stumbled backwards, and the black alicorn did as well. Its face was a mask of horror, but seemed to have a demonic twist to it. No…Luna thought, her aqua eyes widening.
Oh yes…
Luna found herself struggling for breath. She crept up to the mirror slowly, and the black pony in the mirror matched her move-for-move, "Y-you're…?"
I am. The voice was vaguely familiar. The mare moved her mouth as Luna heard the words spoken in her head, not out loud.
"No…why…I thought…" Luna stammered. A low chuckle was heard,
You thought you were rid of me, sweetest? Indeed, that was what you thought? Silly girl…
Luna found herself shaking, and a cold sweat prickled the nape of her neck. She fought back tears of panic, and stood her ground before her transformed image in the mirror, Nightmare Moon, "What…do you want?"
Why, to give you another chance, my dear! Nightmare Moon's voice echoed in her head, This couldn't be the end of us, could it? I mean…don't you want power, dominance over your kingdom?
Luna dropped her gaze, "My kingdom is my sister's. We share it. And…I don't want to turn into a monster like you again!" she fixed a piercing sea-green stare at her supposedly-defeated alter ego.
I am no more a monster than you a princess. I don't find interest in eternal night anymore. I come to you to tell you what you most need to know.
Luna hesitated, listening.
Ah, you are curious! Very well. Haven't you noticed your inferiority around the castle?
Luna waited.
Yes, dear. You are only needed to raise the night, a time no one heeds, an often feared time. After we tried to take what was rightfully ours, we were sentenced to a long millennium in the moon. And who, dear, has been doing your job for centuries now?
Luna's shoulders sagged, almost afraid of admitting. She sensed where this was going.
Celestia has the power to raise the sun and moon, whereas you can only raise the moon. She has more power, she is the dominant sister, and she takes advantage of this privilege of power. She places you, dearest, at the lowest rung of power a monarch could have. The more inferior, the less dominant, the less powerful you are, Luna, the higher she becomes.
Well…It was Luna's thoughts now; she has been excluding me from a lot of things…
Exactly dear! You may think this was just to make her Majesty's-the word was sizzled with contempt,- image look better. The once embodiment of both day and night didn't need her less important sister tagging alongside her. You see, dear…that is a flaw of yours: After the incident, you became quieter, humbler. You took full responsibility for what happened, though you know, deep down, what we did was right.
Luna blinked, staring at Nightmare Moon. She felt guilty, knowing this was the truth. Often times Luna felt her actions as Nightmare Moon was eventually for the greater good, but she never let herself dwell on these thoughts. Such negative energy could invite nightmares, such as the one that spoke to her in the mirror. I can't turn on my sister… she thought sadly.
The Nightmare Moon stared at her with an acid calm, Very well, dear. Think about it. This doesn't need to be done right away…we'll start with baby steps. Gain your reputation back, gain your sister's trust back.
Luna blinked, and in that split second, Nightmare Moon was replaced with her own reflection. She sighed, eyeing the rising sun wearily. She felt sick with fear, but she knew that she had to attend the ceremony today. She looked back at the mirror. It…could have been a dream. The whole encounter felt so dream-like, and left Luna so dazed, she had to wonder if she really did imagine all that. She shook her head, and pushed her way out of her room, not seeing the lingering feral gleam in the eyes of her reflection.
…