LEGEND OF THE GODDESSES
Clovenshire, 1,003 years ago
Luna paced back and forth in a small room. Outside the window was a warm midsummer afternoon—but within the room, it was chill and icy, for it was a snowmaking workshop.
"I just can't take it anymore," Luna whispered, her hooves carefully clacking on the ice floor. "I'm at the end of my rope. I've proven myself, time and again, as her superior. I truly care about the everyday pony, while she cares about nothing but herself. It was said when we ascended that we would be two heroes sitting on two thrones, so why is she the only one anypony ever talks about? And I'll admit that it makes sense for one of us to become more prominent than the other in the collective consciousness of the world, but why couldn't it have been me? If somepony has to always be the 'main one', why, WHY, can't it ever be ME?"
At the workshop's table, a pegasus mare delicately chiseled the details on a tiny snowflake. Her mane was white and smooth, her coat and eyes were both an incredibly pale shade of blue, and her cutie mark a long-stemmed flower shaped like a snowflake. She worked on sculpting her snow without looking at it; the pupils of her eyes were covered in a milky film, and they were pointed only vaguely in Luna's direction.
"Princess, you mustn't preoccupy yourself so much with what ponies think," she said in a high, breathy voice. "Regardless of who receives recognition, you make a valuable contribution to all of Equestria."
"It matters to me, Snowdrop," Luna said in a pained, strangled voice. "I'm in a position where my heart should be connecting to many others, and it doesn't. I just want to be known. I've seen ponies at prayer to Celestia. Prayers reach the ears of a goddess, always… and yet I hear nothing. All I get is fear. I've done nothing to deserve being feared!"
Out the window, lanterns were lit in the streets as the sky became golden and shadows started to lengthen.
"Look at what Celestia has accomplished, in the time she's spent as Equestria's one princess," Luna said bitterly. "Everypony knows the story of how she discovered the Elements of Harmony; the tale of her first foe, the black ruby wyrm… and how she brought down Discord… I was there too! Always at her side! Always! Why doesn't anypony seem to know that? I did all of the work, and yet she managed each time to be the one to deliver the final blow, without doing any work at all! I try and work and fight, and… she's the one who gets the job done, without even trying, or caring, or wondering why."
Luna hung her head miserably. "For all my efforts, I accomplish nothing. All I've truly done was turn the night sky from a void of black with white dots in it to something gorgeous. And the only pony who understands how much the night means to me is you, and you can't even see it."
Snowdrop smirked. "I wished upon your stars, even though I couldn't see them. Never forget it. One light in the darkness is very different from no light at all… or am I mistaken?"
"No, Snowdrop, you are not mistaken," Luna said softly. "Ever have you been my friend. Meeting you was the thing that kept me going, a perfect way to recover from the solid year of bitter disappointment I had experienced in my first year as princess, realizing that my sister would continue to overshadow me. When we met… I knew I could continue if I had you."
"And you have had me ever since," Snowdrop said graciously. She smiled sadly. "It's not enough, is it Princess?"
"It pains me to say this, and forgive me, but it is truly not enough." Luna's lip trembled, and tears started flowing. "I just want to be respected!" she sobbed. "Or at least my work to be respected."
Snowdrop stepped away from her worktable. "Winter was like the night once," she said. "Something to fear, something that held an association with death. But sometimes things change, if you can only decide where to begin." She held up the finished snowflake and presented it to Luna, balancing it atop her hoof.
Luna beamed. "Flawlessly crafted as always," she said sincerely. She stared off into the distance again. "But if I could invent something as miraculous as the snowflake, I'd have done it already. I've tried everything to make the night sky wonderful, and yet, ponies rise and set with the sun, in honor of Celestia. If I create anything new now, it will never be seen.
"It was the… recently deceased Star Swirl the Bearded who started that practice," she said contemptuously. "He says that such devotion to Celestia promotes good health for all ponies! As if I needed another reason to hate him and his decaying bones. Do you remember the tale of how Equestria was born? The three races of pony living, not in harmony, but in a bitter sort of symbiosis?"
"Yes," Snowdrop said curiously.
"Star Swirl the Bearded, scholar and advisor to the unicorn king, was the mastermind behind that. He suggested that the unicorns be paid a full quarter of the earth ponies' spoils in exchange for raising the sun. And they could back up the threat because Star Swirl offered Celestia an immense cut of those riches to live with their nation and give occasional demonstrations, such as making the sun backtrack a bit if a tribute was tardy or regarded as too slim."
"Hmm," Snowdrop said thoughtfully. "And do you think Celestia would have actually done it? Stopped raising the sun if the earth ponies hadn't paid?"
Luna snorted. "I don't know. Perhaps. And what if she had? The earth ponies would have been doomed, but so would the other races. Though Celestia certainly is short-sighted enough that such a thing would never occur to her…"
Snowdrop chuckled and set her new snowflake down on her worktable. "I think if the sun was withheld, they soon would have realized it wasn't such a bad thing."
"The sun has a power without which plants cannot grow."
Snowdrop leaned her body against Luna's. "Moonlight has a power of its own, does it not?" she said, her sightless eyes staring up at Luna and glittering intensely. "I think you would have come in to rescue the three races, used your magic to find a way to grow plants by the light of the moon. Because you're a kind soul who would have been happy to help."
Luna smiled and lifted a hoof to tenderly stroke Snowdrop's mane. "We speak of an elaborate fantasy. That seems to be a bit of a waste of time." She paused for a moment, continuing to stroke Snowdrop's hair contemplatively. "But yes, I could have helped breed plants that could grow without the sun. And if we could survive that way… all those ponies out there who worship Celestia because she brings the sun… what would they do if all of a sudden the sun simply didn't rise anymore, and they were bathed instead in life-giving moonlight? If the sun vanished from all corners of the globe, and it was nighttime for all eternity…"
She stopped, reflexively tightening her embrace with Snowdrop. "I could do it," she realized. "My power exceeds Celestia's. Surely they'd respect my night if they had to look at it all the time…" She laughed and reached her head down to nuzzle Snowdrop's forehead with her nose. "Am I being insane? Be honest with me, am I falling down a slippery slope of unthinkable musings?"
Snowdrop frowned thoughtfully, her eyes quivering. "Eternal night? Forever in the dark and cold and under the twinkling stars?" She thought for a moment, then nuzzled Luna's neck. "Why, no, Princess, I honestly don't see any problem with that plan." She beamed. "I suggest you go through with it."
"Go through with it?" Luna said blankly. As she seemed to process that statement, she recoiled. "No, I-I-I couldn't. I aim for respect, but it is not something I would force upon my subjects. Forced respect is no respect at all."
"It's just something to think about," Snowdrop said innocently, walking to the door of the frosty workshop and stepping out into the summer air. "It is, after all, a gorgeous summer evening. Though I love winter with all my heart, I appreciate a summer breeze. Part of the joy of winter is that it only comes to visit, it doesn't stay. A moment like this, though…" She raised a hoof into the air to feel the breeze and inhaled deeply. "This is a moment I wouldn't mind lasting forever."
Luna stepped out the door as well and wrapped a wing around Snowdrop's shoulders. "Don't tempt me, my friend," she chuckled. She closed her eyes and ignited her horn, causing the moon to rise over the horizon.
"Well, I for one shall honor you by working deep into the night," said Snowdrop with a light bow. "You're welcome to stay with me."
"Thank you, but no," said Luna, pulling her closer. "I have much to think about, and I'd like to be alone to do it. I shall see you soon, my dearest friend. Hopefully to talk about less bitter things, if you don't mind."
Snowdrop leaned in and touched Luna's hoof with her own. "But of course."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Luna flew from Snowdrop's workshop to the castle, over the streets and buildings of Clovenshire.
As night was falling, most of the ponies in town were in their homes. Those few who remained in the streets looked up in horror as Luna passed overhead and sped their progress home, locking their doors and slamming their windows shut frantically.
Luna tried to brush it off every time she saw or heard such a thing happening, and the first two or three times, she managed to maintain a calm demeanor. After a dozen more occurrences, by the time she flew in the window of her personal chambers of the castle, she was devastated and enraged.
She sat down on her bed and breathed heavily, her wild expression slowly beginning to soften, her wings relaxing, and finally, her breathing coming in a slow and even rhythm.
"Yes," she said to herself. "I… am… at peace. For another night, at least."
"Another night?" someone blurted.
Luna's head snapped in alarm toward her window, where a tiny white pony was standing, brushing his ratty silver mane out of his eyes as he gaped at her in alarm. "Well, that can't be right, can it?" Fork said to his bracelet. "That doesn't…" His eyes widened, and he turned back to Luna, who was still staring at him in shock.
"Oh," Fork said with a small grin. "Oh, of course. Heh… heheheheh…"
He fluttered over to her, still cackling wildly, and stood on the floor at the foot of her bed.
"Ehehehehehe…" he kept chuckling, gazing deviously up at Luna. "Do I have to do everything?"
He spread his wings, broad insectlike things of a vibrant red, outlined in purple and with hypnotically-blue eyespots in their centers. Luna recoiled at the sudden burst of color, and the jolt managed to sober her.
"It's you," she said with wonder. "When last we met… why, it was four hundred years ago. You directed us to the Elements of Harmony."
"I did, I did," he said smugly. "I'm Fork. I'm a pixie pony."
"I remember," she said quietly.
"Good," he said, smacking his lips with eagerness. "So, I gave you pretty good advice back then, didn't I? I'm about to do it again right now." He flapped his wings rapidly, and brought his six-inch-tall body up to hover in front of her face. "That jealousy that's buried in your heart, threatening to turn into outright hate? Hate for your sister, and for everyone, and everything? …Don't fight it. Give in to it."
"What?" Luna exclaimed.
"Give in to the darkness inside you," Fork whispered seductively. "You know it's not bad. Night, and winter, and shadows, and death—through your own experiences with yourself and your loved ones, you know these things are not as bad as they're made out to be. You must give in to the darkness in your heart so that you can prove that darkness is not evil."
"No, I… I… I WILL NOT!" Luna bellowed, raising a hoof and batting him aside, sending him tumbling to the ground. "I will not!" she declared again, leaping off the bed. "I need to get all of this jealousy out of me!"
Her eyes glowed white intensely, and a clawed hand made of blue magical energy slowly seeped out of her horn, reached into her heart, and pulled something out.
It looked like a heart, but black and shriveled, pumping and throbbing, and with each pulse, giving off a little flicker of blue light.
When the blinding light coming from Luna's eyes faded, she did an alarmed double-take at the heart, surprised to see that it was actually visible and not merely an allegorical image in her mind. She had less than a second to try to comprehend this before the heart lunged at her, expanding into a lengthy shroud which wrapped around her flailing, struggling body, surrounding her in a cloud of darkness.
Fork, crumpled on the floor, lifted his head and gazed at the swirling black cloud in wonder. "Meh, that works too," he muttered to his sapphire, before holding it aloft, his hoof pointed toward the vortex.
The swirling black cloud molded itself into the shape of a pony, then cleared away, revealing a strange creature that looked quite unlike Luna. She was an immortal, black-furred with sharp-edged wings. Her mane and tail sparkled like the night sky, were transparent, and flowed in a manner that strikingly resembled Celestia's.
All that remained of Luna was her cutie mark, a splotch of night sky with a moon at the center, and the deep teal of her eyes—though the whites of her eyes were a cold blue and her pupils vertical slits. The pony fell to the ground as soon as the black smoke faded away, then staggered back to her hooves and examined herself in the mirror. She opened her mouth, revealing a pair of sharp fangs, and felt their shape with her tongue.
"How very interesting," she said softly.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Hours later, Celestia stood on her balcony, looking up and casting her magic at the sky. After a few seconds, she frowned deeply, and attempted to cast her spell again, gazing uncertainly at the eastern horizon. "What in the world…?" she muttered.
A few seconds later, her jaw dropped. Instead of the sun, a second moon was rising. Alarmed, she flew off her balcony and around to the other side of the castle, where she could clearly see the first moon sinking below the horizon.
"Two moons," Celestia said in horror. "How is this…? This is wrong… this is so very wrong…" She scowled. "Luna…"
The pink princess flew back into her bedroom, then out into the hall, preparing to march purposefully into Luna's room, but skidded to a stop at the sight of a figure at the end of the hall.
The huge black pony slowly strolled toward Celestia, staring at her intensely. She was now armored in a periwinkle helmet and breastplate, and she was wearing deep purple eyeshadow and eyeliner.
"Oh, yeah, real great prank, Luna," Celestia snapped. "Where's the sun?"
"Gone," she replied.
Celestia leaned back in alarm and squinted at the approaching figure. "Wait… you're not Luna."
"No," she agreed. "You may call me… Nightmare Moon. I am princess of Equestria now."
"Luna is within you," Celestia realized. "You're some sort of… consciousness. Wrapped around Luna's consciousness…"
"Well, look who suddenly has a basic understanding of magic!" Nightmare Moon sneered. "Bravo."
"Oh, you're definitely Luna," said Celestia. "Or rather… she's definitely in there somewhere. Fight her, sister! Push yourself out of that mental cage you're in and let me bring the sun back."
"Your words will not reach her," Nightmare Moon said emotionlessly. "All that's left is me. And even if she could hear you… do you really think she'd fight me on your behalf?"
Celestia recoiled as Nightmare Moon came closer, and it became clear that the creature towered over her.
"Just whose idea was it for this arrangement to be a diarchy?" Nightmare Moon mused. "It just seems so very mean. You'd think the one who could beat the other in a fight would get to be… a monarch." She grinned, displaying her fangs.
"Luna…"
"Not Luna," Nightmare Moon sang.
"Fine then, Nightmare," Celestia said calmly. "You've come to fight me for the position of Equestria's ruler?"
In an instant, Celestia was pinned against the wall, Nightmare Moon's hoof to her throat and a wildly sparking black horn pressed against her chin, sapping the life out of her. Celestia went limp and slid down the wall, hitting the floor in a heap.
"If you call that fighting," Nightmare Moon said dryly.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Nightmare Moon flew out the front gates of the castle, cradling the unconscious Celestia in her arms. At the sight of her, the armored pegasus stallions guarding the gates gasped and took to the air in pursuit. Nightmare Moon glanced over her shoulder and shot a beam of magic at the entire platoon of them—turning their armor deep purple, and transforming them into bat-winged monsters with eyes and fangs just like hers. These creatures quickly started flying in formation, escorting Nightmare Moon instead of pursuing her.
When Nightmare Moon reached the city limits, a great stone wall rose from the ground, encircling the city. The corrupted goddess and her entourage stood atop this wall, and she pressed her horn against Celestia's heart, zapping her with blue lightning.
Celestia's body jerked as she woke up forcibly, crying out in fear and pain. "HAAA!"
"For you… exile," said Nightmare Moon, unceremoniously dropping Celestia off of the wall to the outside. "I am princess now."
Celestia shakily tried to stand up, and peered through the barred gate, where she saw a few bleary-eyed ponies, confusedly stepping out into the streets, staring at the still-dark sky and the wall with a mix of wonder and fear.
"Here I am!" Nightmare Moon declared to the city. "The one, the only, princess of the eternal night! Look now to your goddess, ponies. See how little she's good for now that the sun is gone forever!"
Celestia looked up at the same moment as Nightmare Moon looked down, and the two held eye contact for a few brief moments.
"Run, and I will show mercy," Nightmare Moon said calmly. "Take a single step closer, and I will not."
Celestia was motionless and tense for a few moments, then turned around and flew away, disappearing into the night. Lightning crashed as Nightmare Moon laughed triumphantly, rising higher and higher over the city and its inhabitants.