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5 Days Since Silent Dusk’s Resurface

Canterlot Castle

Princess Celestia

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I paced around in circles, unsure of what my actions may have wrought. I was positive that my hooves had begun to put a rut into the floor of my bedchambers. I stopped and looked around. “I have to stop pacing like this, not sure this poor floor of mine can take much more.” I sighed as I made my way over to my bed and plopped myself onto its soft cloud-like covers.

I thought about what transpired between me and Twilight’s friends five days ago. Their reactions differed obviously, but I also did not give them the whole truth. They were very scared about who Silent Dusk was, since they all heard her outburst. Rarity fainted once I revealed that Twilight had another, more violent-side to her, and that I had to suppress it with a powerful sealing spell to keep it in check. I could feel my wings rustling in agitation for that lie.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash did not say anything, oddly enough. I was sure they would have been the first of Twilight’s close friends to ask questions over her condition. Applejack explained that she cancelled her trip to Appleloosa when she heard Twilight collapsed. And then there was Twilight’s odd but hyperactive friend Pinkie Pie, asked so many questions, and so quickly, I couldn’t keep up with her until I only heard gibberish coming from her mouth.

Spike was, for the most part holding up the best. He did everything he could to make Twilight as comfortable as possible, such as bringing fresh water for her whenever she awoke for a short time before passing out again.  Such maturity for such a young drake.

My dear sister, Luna, has not left Twilight’s side since I brought her to Canterlot. I could only guess that she was very concerned over her friend/daughter. Oh I was such a foal for using that forbidden spell on her daughter, If only the Elements of Harmony hadn't abandoned me when I banished Nightmare Moon. I could’ve used them on…

“NO!! I will not think about such a thing. We know very little about the true power of the Elements, who knows what might have happened if they were used on Silent. Luna would not forgive me if anything worse happened to her daughter.” I shuddered at the thought. Rolling under the covers, I summoned my magic to bring down the sun after it’s daily route across the sky. “I will make this right one way or another, dear sister. You, your daughter, and my student must not suffer for my own failures anymore.” I stated before letting sleep over take me.

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Twilight’s Tower

Princess Luna

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She was so beautiful, my little filly; so full of life, so determined to keep me happy and proud of her. Dusk was always like that, even during nights when I was elsewhere, of course she always had my Night Guard or Duskclaw, a dragon who had pledged himself to me, to watch over my daughter when the need arose.

When she learned Elemental magic one night, she accidentally froze half of my garden and an unfortunate gardener pony. Turns out her affinity for Ice Magic was a little more than her young mind could comprehend at the time. When I returned she almost tackled me and broke down for “ruining” my private garden. I smiled at the memory. She was so cute back then.

She did not deserve to be sealed away like I did. “Oh Dusk, can you hear me young one? Mother is here. I want to hear your voice again, to hold you in my hooves once more.” I almost didn’t notice my hooves reaching out to Twilight’s prone form in the bed, so I pulled back immediately. “No I must not, Twilight is unaware of her true nature...but” My hooves reached out again and I began to pet Twilight’s mane lovingly.

“We were so close back then...the Moon and the Stars”

“Yes we were, weren’t we?” I heard another voice call out from somewhere unseen but didn’t pay much attention to it. “Silent Dusk”

“...Yesss. My beautiful Daughter.” My vision began to blur and only seemed focused on Twilight.

“All together, together forever, forever...FOREVER…”

My eyes shot into focus as I gazed into the mirror that sat across the room.

They were reptilian.

I held my hooves over my mouth to a screech, so as to not awake to Twilight. “No...Th-this cannot be…”

“Luna...there you are”

“N-Nightmare...n-n-no you’re gone, the E-elements destroyed you!” I exclaimed quietly.

“Oh, how quaint. But surely you are more worried about our daughter than me right?”

“Y-Yes but how does that-”

“Ah-ah, we will get there Night Princess.” I shivered as a large apparition trotted out of the mirror and came toward me. It was Nightmare Moon “How I am here you ask? Well I am you after all.”

I remained silent as possible in hoping that this was just a nightm- a bad, a very bad dream.

“Were you just about refer to my namesake?” Nightmare sneered. “Well in any case, this is Celestia’s doing after all. She imprisoned us in our own Moon and sealed our beloved daughter within her own body and mind. She’s no sist-”

I smacked the dark visage of myself with a forehoof and glared with a gaze that could burn metal. “Do. Not. Speak of my sister in such a fashion, monster. I was you once but not anymore, and Celestia was at a loss for what to do since MY daughter was so utterly distraught due to my banishment. She acted, so that Dusk could return to me after I regained my sanity. It was for our best interests.” I stated while stomping my hoof down quietly, but firmly on the ground.

Nightmare Moon growled at me, but opted a cruel smirk. “Hahahaha. I see, so that is how you chose to view things. Very well, Luna we will meet again.”

“What?” Nightmare vanished into the darkness as I stood there frightened, worried about what she had planned. “So she still exists then. I should go inform Celestia about this.” As I turned to leave Twilight’s room I heard a faint murmur from behind me, I peaked over my shoulder and noticed that Twilight had awoken.

But something was wrong. Her eyes were not the usual cheerful purple eyes of Twilight’s, but instead were the sad grey reptilian eyes of my Daughter.

“Mother, I can see you while she sleeps. Where are you going? Are you going to leave me here alone? Is she more important to you now?” Silent Dusk kept her gaze upon me, but I couldn’t summon the strength to respond, so she continued. “Our Eternal Night, what about that? Have you forgotten? I love your night more than any of these foals.” She got up and tossed off the blankets covering her and stood in front of me.

“Are you disappointed in me? Do you hate me? Am I not a good enough daughter anymore?” Snapping out of my cloudy haze I spoke up.

“Silent, stop daughter. I am not disappointed in you, I could never be, you are too important to me.”

“Than why am I still imprisoned?! It’s that traitor Celestia isn’t it? She’s convinced you that I’m evil, hasn’t she?!” Dusk almost yelled right to my face.

I softened my gaze, and hugged her the best I could. “No, no she hasn’t. You are still my daughter Silent, I would never condemn you to such a fate.”

“Then why?” I could hear her begin to sob against my shoulder, I only tightend our embrace.

“Because... the spell my sister used on you was only meant to seal you within yourself, not bring about another personality. And we are trying to find a way to free the both of you from the same body, safely so nothing bad happens to neither of you”

She broke away from me. “That is a lie if I ever heard one Mother.”

“Silent?” I asked, my voice quiet with shock and hurt.

She did not say anything. She seemed ready to run out the door any second, so I pressed further. "What's wrong my daughter? You can tell me."

Still, my daughter remained quiet, she stared at me while her wings fluttered nervously. After about fifteen minutes she finally spoke. "I'm afraid, very afraid actually, being stuck in this fake mare's soul and mind is...torturous. Also my fears are mostly with you..."

"Me? Silent, I can understand your fear of being imprisoned like I was, but-"

"Mother, you don't get it! There is something very wrong with you!"

"Like what?! Silent you're not making any sense." I backed up as she flared her wings. 'What's going on? She was never this irate whenever we argued about things before.' I thought with a grimace.

"Why do you look like that?" Silent's eyes narrowed at me with a scrutinizing gaze.

'Yes Luna, why do we look like this? Are we not the Queen of the Night? Nightmare grinned from the mirror behind Silent.

"I-I c-chose this..." I whimpered, as I shook my head to drone out Nightmare's voice.

"Chose?! This isn't you! You are not Luna mother! You said so yourself! Your true name is Nightmare Moon!!" Dusk yelled.

My eyes widened at that. "What!? That's not tru-"

“Mother Moon. You are under a powerful mind control spell. A geas!”

“What? How did you come to that conclusion?” My eyes widened in shock widened even more.

"Ponies do not change overnight!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Please, calm down. I was always Luna, Nightmare Moon was nothing but a-" A pain shot through my head as Nightmare yelled.

'I do exist! Don't you dare deny it!'

“I plan to break this false mare, and free you of Celestia’s manipulations.”

“Silent! I am not under any form of spell or geas!”

“You are! And I will not stop until you are free!” Her eyes rolled back and she passed out after climbing back into bed.

“Silent...no, you don’t understand . . . ” Next Chapter: Chapter 6 - Morning and Dreams Estimated time remaining: 4 Minutes