“You can ask.”

Luna blinked, having grown accustomed to the silence. “What?”

From behind enchanted bars, Nightmare Moon lay prone on the cold stonework floor and stared at the wall. Without turning, she said, “You want to ask me something, don’t you?”

Luna was immediately on edge. “And how did you come to that conclusion?” Her voice bounced off the walls; tense, guarded. “You cannot know my thoughts anymore, demon.”

“I’ve spent enough time in your head to know all the little tics you give when you’re unsure, anxious, or afraid. Look – you’re grinding your teeth on the left side even now.”

“That would be from anger, not fear, or what have you.”

“If you say so,” Nightmare Moon moved her head the smallest fraction in Luna’s direction. “I don’t want an argument; I am simply saying that if you want to ask me something, then do it now while you still can.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s obvious that you’re going to have me killed once Vinyl’s funeral is over and done with. I’m no fool – I can see that’s the consensus of the majority.”

Luna pursed her lips. “Judgement has yet to pass; I will speak no more of this matter.”

“So be it.” Nightmare Moon returned that tiny fraction and lapsed into silence once more.

Luna wished that her mind would.

She was angry with Celestia for being so lenient and compassionate; it was the same with Discord, but this was more personal. In fact, she felt betrayed. How could Celestia not want to kill Nightmare Moon after all she’d done? To Equestria? To Twilight?

To her?

‘But I am to blame for all of this, too. Had I not let my envy cloud my judgement, perhaps Equestria would have not had to deal with this demon in the first place.’

Demon.

This demon that she had let into her mind, and ultimately given it her very body; a body that it changed and moulded into something terrifying, something more befitting of a princess that held dominion over the night.

She hated it. She hated looking at it. She just wanted it gone, so nopony else could see what she had allowed herself to become.

Nightmare Moon was a living testament to her gravest mistake.

And yet…

“What was it like?”

Nightmare Moon turned her head. Slightly.

“The moon.”

Nightmare Moon turned her head more. “That’s what you want to know about?”

Luna grumbled to herself for a second. “It is something that I have pondered since I returned to Equestria. Though I am the princess of the night, I cannot lay one hoof on the moon under my own will and power. It is my magic that guides it, and it is my destiny to do so, but in a way, I have little else to do with it.”

She pointedly glanced at the cutie mark on her flanks.

“I have wondered what it would be like stand on its surface and see the world from there,” She paused, then furrowed her brow, the corner of her lip curling. “Tch. It is maddening to ask this of you, but now that we are not at one another’s throats-”

Nightmare Moon blinked.

“-literally, not figuratively – the temptation to ask is too strong.”

Nightmare Moon regarded her. With the scarce light provided by a lantern hanging on the wall of the dungeon’s entrance, her eyes reflected the orange hues, hiding her pupils.

It was unsettling. Mostly because, for some reason, it bothered Luna that Nightmare Moon’s eyes were reflecting instead of glowing on their own; it was like the life had been drained out of them, leaving opaque glass.

“What was it like on the moon, hm?” Nightmare Moon turned her head – thankfully – away from the light. “Well…”

Luna leaned forward without really noticing, breath held.

“It was dull.”

Luna waited.

Nightmare Moon returned to staring at the wall.

“That’s it?!”

The lantern’s flame flickered in the sudden breeze and died out.

Luna cursed under her breath. Her eyes immediately adapted to the darkness, and she could see Nightmare Moon look over in what she could only call befuddlement.

There was banging on the door behind Luna. “Princess?! Is everything okay?”

“Y-yes, We are- ah, I am fine,” Luna told the guard, mumbling another curse as she strode over to the lantern. “‘Tis nothing to be concerned about. Remain at your station.”

The guard gave an uneasy ‘understood.’

“Perhaps he believes I’m trying to possess you again.”

Luna snorted as she lit the lantern again and turned back round, scowling. “Do not even jest about that. Now, what in Faust’s name was that answer?”

“An answer,” Nightmare Moon’s eyebrows went up. “Clearly not the one you wanted to hear.”

“I expected something more. You spent a thousand years there.”

“Exactly. No matter how beautiful a place may be, if there is no change, a thousand years will suck any semblance of wonder from that place. And the moon is hardly an attractive locale to begin with; it is nothing but rock and craters.”

Luna’s head drooped. “I see.”

Nightmare Moon shrugged one shoulder half-heartedly. “You already know this, but Equestria’s sun and moon is but a magically-constructed impersonation of the real celestial bodies that the rest of the world knows, all localized in an immense magical barrier that surrounds our continent. Even if a pegasus were to attempt to fly to Equestria’s moon, they would simply breach the barrier, and then suffocate in the stratosphere.”

“I am aware,” Luna said. “That is why I was so curious; you are the only creature that has been on the moon. An imitation perhaps, but an accurate one to be sure.”

Nightmare Moon regarded her again. “You wanted your moon to be something more than what it seemed, didn’t you?”

Luna didn’t reply.

“You don’t have to say anything. I already know the answer.”

Luna didn’t reply.

“And believe me on this: you should be grateful to the Elements for putting you to sleep for those thousand years instead of being awake and conscious as I was,” Nightmare Moon sighed. “Those thousand years… Very dull.”

“You’ve said that twice now.”

“It describes it perfectly.”

“I would think you’d a more expressive opinion on such a long period of complete isolation.”

Nightmare Moon shrugged again. “I tried countless methods to escape for the first ten years. Then, I paced the entire surface five times in the following two years. When that lost its appeal, I sat down in one spot and waited.”

Luna blinked. “For a millennium, you just waited?”

“Yes.”

“And did nothing else?”

“Yes.”

“But you could not have known it would be a thousand years before you could escape. Did the thought that you might have been there forever not occur to you?”

“It did. But I did not care. I would have waited forever.”

“You did not…?” Luna shook her head. She didn’t like admitting weakness, but how could anyone keep their mind intact for so long? If she had to spend a thousand years at Rainbow Falls, the beautiful scenery would be just be a cruel mockery to her madness born from loneliness and stagnation.

“At that point in my life, all I needed was a desire – something that I could strive for,” Nightmare Moon said. “So long as I had that, I would endure anything.

“Now? I have nothing. I want for nothing. It is only out of respect for Vinyl that I am even attending her funeral. Once that is done, I am content to wait for my destruction.”

“… You do not fear death?”

“I used to fear fading into obscurity; that no one would remember me, nor my actions. I sought to leave an impression on the world. But now that I am without ambition, I no longer care enough to fear it.”

Luna said nothing.

“Hm? What’s that look for?” Nightmare Moon’s brow rose. “Don’t tell me you’re going soft like your fool of a sister.”

Luna smiled hollowly. “No. You are too great a risk to let live, even in the state you are in. You, demon, are unlike any creature I have faced; how am I to know you will not one day come out of this stupor and return to your nefarious ways?”

“Smart thinking. Then, why do you seem so solemn?”

“I have roamed through the Dreamscape more times than I can count. I have seen many, many ponies’ dreams, and I understand the significance and the importance of having desires and wants. There are few things more disheartening than to see a dream die.”

Nightmare Moon was quiet for a little bit. “You… pity me.”

“Yes.”

“Even though you hate me.”

“Yes.”

Nightmare Moon huffed. “Emotions are fickle and needlessly complicated things. It was better when I did not feel them, and I could use them to control others.”

Luna sighed and decided to find her own spot on the wall to stare at, lest her curiosity lead into another conversation that would only make her head and heart feel leaden.

“I think it would be easier for all of us if you did not have emotions.”

Author's Notes:

Note 1: Dreamscape - a metaphysical plane accessible only by certain spells. Luna, the princess of the night/moon, is able to freely enter this realm without use of a spell and traverse it easily.

The Dreamscape is thought to be the collective unconsciousness of all those who sleep and dream in Equestria. It is believed to be a byproduct of the land's immense magical energy interacting with ponies, who themselves have more magical aptitude than most creatures their size.

Interestingly, denizens visiting Equestria from elsewhere will also link to the Dreamscape provided they remain in the continent for a certain period of time.

Although a fascinating phenomenon, the Dreamscape is not a field of research that appeals to many scholars, who prefer the more active and immediate results of magic in the waking world. Particularly the magic that causes big, colourful explosions.