To Fix a Broken Soul
Chapter 6: Chapter 5 - The Mare on the Moon
Previous Chapter Next ChapterLunamoonlit8: here you go :3
This chapter is different. When my story got denied from Equestria Daily, the backstory wasn't established enough.
I hope to change this. Not gonna try to enter for EQD again though.
Chapter 5: The Mare in the Moon
Celestia sighed, pink mane floating lower than usual.
Her sister, Princess Luna, had grown more jealous day and night, only growing worse. It was not helped by the fact that Celestia refused to create a nocturnal colony of ponies.
Celestia now stood in front of the door to Luna's quarters. She had to help her sister, before Luna caused too much damage.
She pushed open the door and peeked into Luna's room. Said pony was on her bed, shaking with sobs that filled the rooom with the sounds of sadness.
Celestia pushed the door open slightly more. She took a sharp breath in and said, "Luna, are you o-"
"GET OUT!" Luna roared in the Royal Voice, baring her teeth. Her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks stained with tears, and her hair was in a mess.
Celestia flinched, and said back, "I just want to help you!" Luna stepped off the bed, and stormed into the middle of her room.
"THOU DENIED OUR REQUEST TO HAVE PONIES THAT LOVE US!" Luna screamed, tears falling down her face, "YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME AT ALL!"
Celestia was breathing raggedly, taking deep breaths. "Luna, please!"
"If thou truly don't care about us," Luna said, "then thy ponies won't care about us refusing to lower the Moon."
"Luna, no!"
Luna slammed her hooves against the ground, lighting up her horn. The doors of her chambers were coated in her teal aura. The doors forced Celestia out, slamming into her nose.
Celestia rubbed her nose as blood began to trickle out of it. What had she done?
Luna collapsed to the floor, the magic she outburst took a chunk of energy from her.
Let me out. That stupid voice! She let it grab a hold of her and now she rejected her own sister!
I can fix this, said the voice. Luna felt her mind slipping, as if she could see but she was not in control her own body. She tried to grasp on as much as she could as the evil spirit laughed maniacally.
Luna screamed as her entire physique changed. Her body grew to the size of Celestia, her once light blue mane grew to a purple astral mane akin to Celestia's, but hers reflected the night instead of the day.
Her fur coat darkened to a black color. Luna's eyes also changed, iris growing to fill the whites and pupils narrowing like a cat's.
She had become what she feared would become. She internally cried as she felt her horn light up. She watched as her mouth laughed with a voice not her own. Her moon, her own namesake, rose up in the sky, floating to the sun. It covered the sun, leaving only a bright ring around the moon.
She tried to scream, "What art thou?" But no voice came out.
Celestia watched in horror as the moon crawled up the sky, blotting out the sunlight. Dark shadows were suddenly thrown around her room, which grew only darker.
Celestia lit up her horn and she winked to Luna's room. She forced open the double doors.
Standing on the balcony was not her sister. Standing there was a monster.
"No… Luna…" Celestia staggered and nearly fell. The black monster turned to the white princess. "And what do we have here?" The thing cackled.
"You… you won't get away with hurting Luna!" Celestia stood and spread her wings. She walked up to the tall pony. "Lower the moon! It's what you were born to do! Luna, you can't let yourself do this!"
'Luna' laughed, her voice echoing slightly with the voice. "Luna, who is Luna?" Celestia's eyes widened as the being said, "My name… is NIGHTMARE MOON!"
Celestia leaped into the air as Nightmare Moon shot a beam of pure magic where she stood. Celestia sped off, her pink mane trailing behind her as Nightmare gave chase, firing at Celestia.
Celestia fully unfurled her wings, stopping herself in the air, and her horn glowed bright. She magically sped at Nightmare Moon. The black alicorn just had enough time to put up a magical barrier as she was slammed into, magic sparking as the two collided.
"I don't want to fight you, Luna!" Celestia yelled. She retreated as Nightmare broke through her barrier.
The two sparred without magic, Nightmare Moon using her hind legs to slam Celestia's stomach.
Celestia crunched in pain as she shot towards the ground. She flipped and landed expertly on her hooves, and shot off, leaving one of her gold slippers on the ground.
The two clashed for what felt like hours, Nightmare Moon's power rivaling Celestia's own.
Within the body of the moon deity, Luna kicked and screamed as she tried to free herself. She let her anger take over her, and she worried she was going to kill Celestia!
She had to watch as the two shot magic at each other, creating an impasse fight. The magic built up in a ball, moving closer to Nightmare.
She screamed against her will as she felt a burning heat. The impasse shot towards Celestia.
Celestia saw the ball of magic approaching her. She let go and put up a weak shield as she was struck.
That shield saved her life as she shot through the air towards the castle. Celestia crashed through a wall, hearing a sickening pop as her wings dislocated.
She looked around. She was in a chamber with six stones resting on a pedestal. Standing up and crying out in pain as she magically relocated her wings, she picked up the gemstones.
The Elements of Harmony, the one way she could defeat Nightmare Moon. The elements started circling her as she painfully flew out of the hole she made in the wall.
Luna was starting to win the fight. She didn't have much time left before Celestia would win the fight. She was purposely weakening Nightmare Moon so that she wouldn't kill Celestia.
She saw Celestia emerge with a swirling rainbow around her. Oh no. The Elements of Harmony would surely imprison her in stone!
She felt herself grip on as Celestia yelled, "In the name of Equestria, I hereby banish you from Equestria!"
As Celestia charged the Elements, she saw the enemy change. She shrunk, her mane shortened and her eyes returned.
Her eyes widened. It was too late to stop the energy.
"Celestia, wait-!" Luna began. But she saw the beam and she horrified look on Celestia's face as it hit her.
She felt herself breaking apart. "Celestia! Help me, please!" She screamed as Celestia sped towards Luna to free her from the Elements.
Luna felt herself being flung away from Celestia. She watched as the whole of Canterlot came into view, then the entire Mount Canterlot, then the entirety of pony Equestria, then the entirety of Equis.
She slammed into something. Feeling gravity take place, albeit much less, she moved her head around, then her eyes bulged out of her sockets.
She was on the moon.
Celestia felt tears welling up as Luna screamed, her voice slowly getting quieter. An echoing thud reached her ears, and she watched as spots appeared on the moon, taking shape of a unicorn mare's head.
Celestia had just banished Luna to the moon. She thought she could rid of the parasite that plagued Luna's mind, but she conquered it herself right before Celestia banished her.
"Sister, why…" a voice whispered across the wind, taking shape of Luna's voice.
Celestia lowered herself to a balcony. She felt her tears spill over as the Elements of Harmony dropped around her.
"LUNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Celestia wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks, staining her fur. She screamed the princess' name as she grieved for her sister.
Celestia looked down at her chest, tears already spilling into the ground. Her hair had changed from a loose short pink to multiple colors, the hair falling down her shoulders now.
Staring back at the moon which was now lowering in the sky, letting the sun return, she saw the mark on it. The mare on the moon, as well as the hair she got from using the Elements, lived as a constant reminder that she banished her own sister.
Three months later.
Luna sighed as she threw the large rock breaking apart a small structure made out of smaller moon rocks.
The only other things besides her on the moon was rocks. Lots of rocks. It was getting to her. She felt the sinking in her heart, she feelings that turned her into the antisocial wreck she was: loneliness, regret and an unpardonable guilt.
She tried to contact Celestia, but such a long range was impossible for even alicorns.
Luna cried as she cradled a rock tight to her body, imagining as if she actually had someone there with her.
But it was cold. It felt nothing like the warm embraces that Celestia gave Luna every night as a small filly to lull her to sleep. She remembered Celestia's warm smiles, the chuckles that Celestia made when Luna played with her toys.
Now all she had was rocks. An empty expanse of rocks that gave no feeling.
She collapsed and tried to close her eyes and sleep.
Celestia smiled warmly as Lulamoon made cute filly noises.
Lulamoon smiled as she held two small model alicorns. She drove them together, and watched as the head snapped off one of them.
Lulamoon sniffled as her eyes watered. Celestia was quick to her side when Luna burst into tears, holding the broken pieces of the alicorn toy.
Celestia picked up the pieces in her magic. "Ssh, it's alright, Lulu. Let Auntie Celestia fix it for you."
Celestia fused the two halves together, fixing the toy. Lulamoon's crying died down as she saw the fixed alicorn model. She squealed in delight and grabbed it. "Thank you, Awntie Cewestia!"
Celestia suddenly felt the vision fade. She was staring at the floor in her room where she took care of Luna after both their parents were killed. The toys were still strewn about, as Celestia never wanted to clean up the happy reminder of how much her sister had grown.
But now, it only served as a reminder to what she had done. Solemnly pulling out a brush and dustpan, she cleaned the toys into a chest and cleaned the floor. She opened the closet doors and floated the toy chest inside. Celestia walked out to the balcony and began the chore of raising the moon and lowering the sun.
Eight hundred years later
Luna let her mane flow as she stared at the note before her.
Celestia had finally sent her something after years of pooling enough magic into the antechamber. Luna was eager to rip it open as over eight hundred years had passed with rocks.
Luna felt herself staggering at the physical effort. The lack of gravity had far damaged her bone structure, putting numerous holes into her bones.
That Nightmare Moon pony had kept talking to her. Luna, four hundred years ago felt so desperate she started conversing with her evil alternate personality.
There was a huge difference from before she became Nightmare Moon now. Luna felt not much emotion except anger, sadness and guilt. Her personality had changed from a sweet but sad princess into a cold and calculating shell.
She peeked into the capsule. Inside was a note on top, she read it:
Dear Luna,
If you're reading this, it means I was able to send something to the moon. At my time of writing this it has been four years so far of pooling up magic.
I put some items in here so you won't go fully crazy. I look forward to when you are able to come back home.
Celestia
Luna peeked into the box and gasped. Inside was a book, specially enchanted by Celestia to contain quite a few of the books in existence in Equestria.
There was also three small toys. One was a small pink alicorn with a blue mane, one was light green with a darker green mane and one was white with a flowing rainbow mane. The fourth one looked oddly familiar.
She recognized the first two immediately. A tear came to her eye as the memories flooded her. These toys were her favorite in her childhood.
But what was the third one? Luna looked closely at it and gasped. It was a very accurate representation of Celestia, but her mane wasn't pink. It was a mix of light pastel colors, it was much longer and seemed to flow in the air.
The other alicorn looked like a young version of her! Luna felt tears form as she looked at the young filly alicorn.
She put the toys aside and looked inside more. She levitated out a small envelope and opened it. Inside was multiple photos which made Luna cry openly.
One was of her as a filly, playing with blocks as she smiled widely.
Another showed Celestia and Luna, with Celestia flying indoors and baby Luna squealing in delight. She remembered back when her wings were too small for her to fly, and Celestia would harness Luna onto her and take her flying.
The next photo she dropped and started weeping.
Luna was wearing a cute little dress with little moons on it. Celestia was wearing her own dress as Luna and Celestia smiled with hooves around shoulders.
Wracked with sobs, Luna remembered that day. It was a week after the Grand Galloping Gala, and it was a photo taken the day of Luna's coronation as a princess.
Luna held the photo against her chest as she sobbed, the tears falling slower due to the lesser gravity.
The last photo was touching. It was a photo of Celestia wearing a sad smile. She had that wavy hair, and her eyes were soft and warm.
'Come home soon', read the text in Celestia's writing on the bottom of the photo.
Luna quickly put everything back into the box and rested her head on it. She felt extremely tired, probably because her body was put into a preserved state when any and all food supply got cut off. She hugged the small Celestia doll as she fell asleep.
The guilt had built up until this moment. Luna could never forgive herself for bringing fear upon the ponies, and so she decided to finally bring punishment upon herself.
In her dreams her horn lit up bright, and a blue mist began to seep out of her horn. It formed a teardrop shape and floated in front of her.
Suddenly it expanded and covered the sky of Luna's dream. She sighed as the horror began.
Tantabus, a creature made by Luna, to punish herself for becoming Nightmare Moon. It gave her horrible nightmares every time she slept, to the point where sometimes she couldn't get any sleep at all.
Luna accepted this all. She thought it was the best way for her to be punished for good after what she had done.
Meanwhile, when she created Tantabus, something shattered. She never noticed, but Tantabus only caused more pain. Her soul was twisted beyond comprehendible repair, putting herself in such a depressive state she wished she could take her own life on the moon. But moon rocks can only do so much in low gravity. It only caused pain, no loss of life.
She felt delusioned. Luna broke herself, in creating something to punish herself for something that took advantage of her.
Luna was a broken soul.
The day she escaped.
Luna dragged herself along the ground, using what little magic she had left to drag herself towards the spire that appeared.
The stars had aligned that night, and she took the chance, using her last energy to escape the thousand year torment.
The tattered box on top of her back, with not much left inside, came along for the ride. Inside was the tattered photos, with the color faded slightly, the alicorn toys missing legs, wings and one even was missing it's head, and the book had worn corners and a few pages were ripped along the bottom.
As Luna dragged herself she felt the presence of Nightmare Moon.
"NO!" She roared, trying to keep herself from turning back into her.
She failed. Nightmare Moon resurged, standing up as if Luna wasn't hurt at all. Luna watched in vain as she stepped onto the box (crushing it) and moved to the spire, entering and escaping from the moon.
The day Nightmare Moon was defeated, after the imprisonment
Luna felt Nightmare Moon dissipate into thin air, screaming as she went.
Once she regained control she felt a few key things.
One, her horn was too rounded.
Two, her body couldn't hold herself up in the stronger gravity, and her legs buckled from under her.
Three, her box of photos was no more.
Luna looked up to find a familiar white horse looking at her. Celestia was so much taller than Luna last saw her.
Celestia approached Luna. She crouched down and hugged Luna, who noticed that there were six young mares behind Celestia, wearing odd necklaces and one wearing some tiara.
"I missed you," said Celestia, "I'm so sorry…"
"Thou art forgiven, Celestia," Luna said quietly, "But we'd like some help walking, please."
Celestia looked at Luna. A beam of light shot out of her horn, scanning Luna's foreleg.
Celestia's jaw dropped. "What the fuck?" She touched her horn to Luna's, and Luna saw that her leg bone was full of holes.
Holes, holes in her body, holes in her soul that were yet to be filled.
Celestia and Luna both leaked tears as they reunited as sisters.
"I love you, Lulu."
"We love you too."
Shining Star stared at Luna, who had a huge bandage wrapped round her chest.
The nurses were injecting her with all kinds of stuff after her heart monitor went beeping like crazy, trying to put her back to safe sleep.
Luna started screaming at the top of her lungs, "STOP! PLEASE STOP! NO, PLEASE!" Luna screamed, letting out the shrill sound until her voice was lost.
She finally stopped struggling, and a small smile adorned her face as she went back to safe sleep.
Star sat by her side, staring at her with a worried look on his face. He sighed and resting his chin on the edge of the bed, he fell asleep.