Luna struggled to know her own mind. She seemed caught in a confused fugue, not really knowing where she left off and Nightmare Moon began. From the beginning, Nightmare Moon had been in control of everything, and Luna wondered how much she really knew about everything that had really happened. Parts of her knew. She understood that now, freed from the cage within her mind. Nightmare Moon had been there since the very first encounter, the wet dream where Rookwood had been discovered. Luna realised her own nature had struggled against Nightmare Moon’s nature, with Rookwood caught in the middle, both of them fighting over a prize, each for very different reasons.

Luna thought back to the moment where she had surrendered control, with Rookwood taking her from behind. The act of trust and the loss of control had allowed Rookwood inside, in more ways than one. Nightmare Moon hadn’t been able to seize control of that situation. Part of Luna’s nature had manifested strong enough to allow it to happen. Luna letting go had been a vital aspect of Nightmare Moon’s removal. Luna shuddered, remembering Rookwood letting go, and then sinking into the blackness. He had done so willingly.

“Luna…”

Luna started, her heart racing, her horn flaring to life, flooding the room with light. Her eyes were wide, her ears folded back against her skull, her barrel heaving, expanding and contracting rapidly. There was nothing there. Her ears strained. She could hear Violet’s wet raspy laboured breathing as she slept, now in her own room, an addition added on to Luna’s own, knocking the wall down and expanding into other rooms. Violet’s room was comfortable and warm, and she had toys. She had everything a foal could want, and most of it had gone ignored. What Violet needed was love… And she had plenty of that, at least as much as Luna could give. Violet ignored most of her toys, but had latched on to a small brown stuffed rabbit which was her constant companion. Violet fretted whenever the rabbit had to go into the wash and had to be cleaned up, when it became crusted with blood and lost hairs, Violet’s constant slow state of decay taking its toll.

Luna unclenched her nethers and dimmed her horn, still panting, nearly pissing herself from fear. She rose from her bed, exhausted, and went into the bathroom. Her belly ached and cramped. She had grown larger.

Luna relieved herself, her belly cramps relaxing slightly, her breathing slowed somewhat. Her pucker was still tightly puckered however. She stood in the dim bathroom, the moons on her cutie marks glowing faintly, lighting the way. Celestia had been most disturbed by this development, as was Twilight Sparkle, as it meant that Luna’s destiny had been changed. Altered. And then there was the odd glow, a perpetual night light that did not seem to be extinguishable. Even when in shadow, Luna projected an odd silver light, illuminating the darkness with a moonlit glow. Something had changed her that night in the library.

It was almost comical. The moon now literally shone out of Luna’s ass.

Luna and Violet huddled together in the dim room, Luna’s teeth clattering together in fear. They had been sitting in the dark together now, holding on to one another, Luna fighting back her fear. She felt nauseous and hot, her tongue tasted of copper and an odd metallic twang. The inside of her cheeks clung to her chattering teeth, and it was a constant struggle not to bite the inside of her own mouth.

There could be no doubt, there was a voice in the dark.

His voice.

Violet waited patiently, her breathing wet and bubbly, her excitement causing her to squirm. The little purple pegasus foal seemed exceptionally animated tonight. Luna brought herself under enough control to plant a careful kiss upon the foal’s head, on the soft spot between her ears. It was a place where Violet still had a great deal of sensation. It made her squirm ecstatically.

“Rookwood? I know you are there. I’ve heard you. Please talk to me.” Luna said. Luna swallowed, gulped, her mind reaching a conclusion as to what she must do.

Luna plunged the room into darkness, the only visible light coming from the moons on her hips. She sat in a faint silver sphere of light. The darkness seemed alive. Oppressive. It pressed in from all sides, she could feel it thrashing against the sphere of light her cutie marks created.

The darkness was alive.

Luna waited, her ears straining.

“Rookwood, we’re lonely. I know you’re there.” Violet pleaded. “You promised me the other night that you’d try to sing to me again.”

Luna’s blood froze and she struggled to breathe. Something brushed up against her belly, trailing along the soft flesh between her belly and the soft webbing of the inside of her thigh, the place where Rookwood loved to tease most. It trailed down slowly, something brushing over her skin, brushing over her curves, down into her intimate places, lastly trailing over a nipple.

Luna let out a soft cry.

“Tartarus is a terrible place, even if you are there on business.”

Luna began to worry that she was squeezing Violet to hard. Her body jerked. It was getting difficult to control. Her muscles burned with a freezing cold and she swallowed repeatedly, fighting back a scream, struggling to face her fear, as she had told so many others to do.

“Luna, I’m so sorry, it has been so difficult to pull everything back together. I’m trying.”

“Rookwood!” Luna cried. “You’re dead! Go rest! You’ve earned it!”

“No Luna. I cannot do that. I made a promise and then I made a choice. I chose to make a deal. I have a task that I must do, and I am the only one that can do it. I am still struggling to figure out how to come together however.”

“But you are dead!” Luna whimpered. “Dead dead dead. I watched you die.”

“I know. I’m sorry for that. If it is any consolation, I never felt it.”

Luna began to weep, clinging to Violet, fearing for her own sanity, knowing that she was having a conversation with a dead pony in the dark.

“Just before hitting the window, I dove into shadow, and finally managed to do something I’d been trying to do for a long time Luna. I left my body behind when I went under.”

“You what?” Luna gasped, tears now flowing freely.

“The body only got in the way. It was holding me back. I left it behind. Violet collected me and we went home together.”

Luna screamed, suddenly wanting to hurl Violet away from her, struggling to hold back upon her dreadful urge.

“I am having some trouble making my self real again. My master is becoming frustrated. He expects more of me.”

“I loved your body.” Luna cried bitterly.

“It was just a body. In time, I will make myself a new one. And we can be together. If you still love me. If you will have me. This is exhausting.”

“You said you have a task, that you have a master… You made a deal?” Luna worked to bring herself under her usual level of control, her mind whirling.

“I did. I do. I have been tasked with dealing with Nightmare Moon. The nightmares must continue, but she is not to be their master. She has become sick, twisted, and is no longer fit for service. I am to destroy her and seize her mantle. My master has faith in me and has promised me a great reward. I found myself in a position where I could not say no.”

“W-w-what?” Luna stammered.

“Suicides suffer a dreadful fate Luna. It is perhaps the worst sin. My master had my essence seized and I was tested. My soul was tested in ways that I cannot describe to you. The testing… was unpleasant. My master asked me how much more suffering I was willing to endure and then offered me something in exchange for the continuation of my suffering.”

“Rookwood no…” Luna begged, unable to hear anymore.

“He offered me all of the time I could ever want with you in exchange for one task and an oath of service. His terms were simple and I accepted.”

“No…” Luna cried, clinging to Violet, who had been silent this whole time.

“Once I figure out how to make my self real again, we’ll have all of the time we could ever want.”

Luna nearly fainted.

“All I have to do is take Nightmare Moon’s mantle and become the new master of nightmares. And then I must make sure that I do my job and do it well, and not fall into corruption as she has. Master says that Nightmare Moon has nearly broken the scales and that the balance must be restored. And we can do it together Luna, if you will have me.”

Luna lifted her head, her eyes peering into the darkness. There was no visible sign of Rookwood. Something brushed against her ear, nearly causing her to scream, her bowels nearly turning into water. “Rookwood,” she began, “you stupid lovesick fool. Do you not understand the burden of immortality?”

“I am starting to see it Luna. I saw forever a few times now. Once the night I died, the second time when I was tested, down in the deepest depths of Tartarus, where they flayed my essence and determined the nature of my soul.”

Luna swallowed, hard, her eyes squeezing shut. “I still love you. That has not changed.”

There was a deep sigh from the darkness all around her. Something brushed against her lips, Luna found herself pressing forward, but touching nothing.

“Rookwood, who is your master… I must know.” Luna said, her voice wavering, low, husky with emotion and fear.

“Death. I have become part of his mantle, just as Violet is one of his children.”

Luna shrieked, unable to help herself, but to her credit she did not shove the foal away.

“I am to torment the souls of the living and drive them back into the light so that they will not have to endure what comes after in the dark. And I’ve been to the very bottom of that darkness. I have plumbed its depths and experienced its horrors as punishment for my hubris. I am to carry what I have endured as a message to others so that they might be spared, as was Nightmare Moon’s original task. Now, she brings the horrors of that darkness to the living for her own pleasure, as she has done with you. I am tasked with dragging her back to that place. If I fail, then I shall be returned, and I will continue to suffer until such a time that I have learned my lesson. My hubris runs deep. And there is much I must learn. It will take a long time.”

“Your master will let you stay with me?” Luna asked.

“That was explicit in our bargain. You are the carrot. I chose the carrot. I had already experienced a great deal of the stick. I had to learn why the carrot was so valuable and precious. I had to truly desire the carrot and discover why it was the preferable option. I endured my lessons and have been made wiser. At least I am honest now when I say what I will endure to be with you. I was young and foolish before, and full of weakness. The master has reshaped my will.”

Luna felt queasy.

“You of course, still have your free will. You are not under obligations to choose me or even accept me back. I chose, not caring of this outcome. The master says I still have much foolishness to carve out of my essence, but for now, my youthful optimism amuses him.”

“Enough!” Luna cried. “Enough. I cannot bear to hear you so glibly talk about your torture. I would not send you away, not after what you’ve done.”

“I am like Violet now. I need love of the living to draw me back. It will make me real. Give me substance and form. It will draw me back into the lands of the living and give me vitality. Nightmare Moon was once like this, but love died and what she craved, what she needed, was cut off and so she sought other ways to draw vitality and sustain herself. She has become corrupted. She is to be a lesson for me, a warning of what I must not do, or else one day, I too shall share in her torment. I cannot force or take this love, cannot coerce it, it must be given freely. Much as I loved Violet when she was little more than a shambling pile of rotten meat. Violet became my first test. My dreadful attachment to self was my second. And destroying Nightmare Moon will become my third.”

“You loved me.” Violet said, finally saying something. “And that pleased our master.” Her voice was odd. “Master did not expect for you to love so readily after what you had endured, when you witnessed my creation. You genuinely surprised him, not an easy thing to do.”

“I still love you Rookwood. I have been sick with grief.” Luna confessed. “The darkness has been difficult to face.”

“I know.” Rookwood acknowledged. “And to be honest, it will get darker. Nightmare Moon is without a body at the moment, desperate, and dangerous. And she has the means to reenter the world. Even now, she works to have what she so desperately craves, a body with flesh and bone, she mistakes carnal pleasures for love, believing them to be one in the same. I grow weary Luna. I fear I cannot keep this up much longer. I will return again, and we shall talk soon once I regain my strength. I love you.”

“Rookwood, don’t leave me again, I love you…” Luna begged.

There was no answer from the darkness, just a final brush against her ear.

“Your heart’s desire is dependent upon learning to love the darkness Luna.” Violet said cryptically. “It is your choice. No one can make it but you. The one who loves you has offered you a boon to light your way, you have no idea what the cost was to his own essence, as there is no currency where he resides, only an exchange of pain, which leads to wisdom and understanding. He chose wisdom to give you light. What you desire is within your reach, should you choose it.”

Luna felt bile rising in her throat.

Violet yawned, and cuddled against Luna’s side, wrapping her foreleg around Luna’s own foreleg. “I’m sleepy.” Violet announced.

Luna nodded. “Let’s put you to bed little one.” Luna’s teeth clattered together as she spoke, her fear now a living thing crawling around inside of her guts.

Luna was still terrified of the dark.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay. This stupid body of mine has physical needs. Silly needs like sleep and food.

I do hope the story is enjoyable and that I haven't lost too many readers.

This is merely the first act. Now, we shall begin the second act, where the world will expand a bit, outside of Luna's bedroom and the library, we shall visit Tartarus, go further into the realm of dreams, and time shall have to pass so that Luna's foal might be born into a very messed up and strange family, with a living mother, an undead sibling, and a dead father that haunts the one he loves. Celestia is going to have to learn how to accept the darkness as well... A tough thing to do when you are the embodiment of light.

Things have been dark up to this point. And now, you, the reader, must make a choice. This is a good stopping point. You can walk away knowing that Rookwood and Luna are together again, at least in a sense, and that there was a bittersweet reunion.

If you choose to go farther, things will become darker. Unpleasant.

The choice is yours. I hope you will keep reading. But dark fiction isn't everybody's thing. And I understand that.