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The Stars of Nightmare Moon

by Mysterious Stranger

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The return

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As the giant spider finished wrapping up the rest of his body, Night Mist had nothing but regrets. He wondered how everyone would react if they found out what happened to him. Sharp Wing and Frazzle Spark would grieve of course, as would many others. Or they might find out his secret and be glad that he was dead. Would some one else come along and prevent the return of Nightmare Moon, or would Equestria be altered forever? Night Mist's agonized thoughts were interrupted as large mandibles tore through the webbing. Night Mist flinched, and a sensation that felt like electricity passed through his body.

For a moment he thought he had just felt death, until his blurry perception picked up on the fact that he had no legs or body. Instead, there was only a dark gas shifting and flowing around the inside of the cocoon. The spider's mandibles gnawed viciously, searching for something solid in vain. With great concentration, Night Mist willed himself to flow through the opening in the webbing the mandibles had made and drifted out into the forest again. In the same way he had unintentionally changed back ten years ago, Night Mist shifted into pony form again and landed ungracefully on the ground.
The Spider spun about to face the stallion. Night Mist, in turn, found himself paralyzed by fear and unable to get up as a result.

Without any warning the spider shrieked as a freak wind current blew it sideways into a tree. The monstrosity wavered on its legs, but before it could go after him again, another wind struck it from underneath and launched it high above the treetops of the Everfree forest. Night Mist watched in awe as it tumbled down, hit the ground with a sickening crunch, and moved no more. Night Mist listen for a moment, but no sounds came the spider. Then, four purple legs calmly walked into his vision. Night Mist wearily glanced up and beheld that the legs belonged to a purple unicorn with a bright red mane, who looked down at him with a expression of mild interest.

"You must be Sun Binder," she said with a smirk.

"It's Night Mist," the stallion muttered half-heartedly.

"But you're also Sun Binder right?"

"I guess so."

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

"You're welcome, I'm Shooting Star, thanks for asking," the unicorn said sarcastically with a faint trace of a scowl.

"Thanks for saving me. What's your name?" Night Mist said weakly.

"Too little, too late."

"Nice to meet you, too little, too late."

"You can drop the sarcastic cool guy act. I heard you screaming like a filly earlier." She said as her smirk quickly returned.

"To be fair, I thought I was going to die a tragic and pointless death."

"Yeah, whatever, can you get up?" Shooting Star asked without a trace of sympathy.

With much effort, Night Mist rose up to his hooves again.

"I honestly don't see the point of being able to turn to gas if it only lasts for a few seconds," he said bitterly.

"All the cloud types I know can do it for much longer," Shooting Star shrugged. "If I had to guess, Nightmare Moon hasn't been making you stronger like the rest of us because you're not devoted to the cause."

"Then why can I do it at all?"

"You were born with your gift," Shooting Star explained. "It goes from parent to foal, or parents to foal."

With a start, Night Mist remembered that his real parents would be with the Stars. Inwardly he wondered what he would do if he ran into them again.

"So what now?" he asked.

"I imagine I'll have to take you to Eclipse and let him deal with you."

"Eclipse?" Night Mist questioned, "Don't you mean Nightmare Umbra?"

"Umbra isn't the Nightmare anymore. He died a few years ago."

Night Mist blinked in surprise. It seemed almost surreal that the unicorn who had haunted his childhood was truly gone.

"Died? He wasn't even that old, how did he die?"

Shooting Star studied Night Mist as if deciding how much she should tell him.

"Just come with me, and maybe you'll find out," she offered as she turned away with a flick of her tail, not waiting for his response.

Night Mist frowned slightly as she walked away. It had been the plan, of course, to contact the Stars, but now he was wishing he had planned a little further ahead.

"I'll come," he sighed, trotting quickly to catch up with her.

Shooting Star didn't bother to talk to Night Mist any further as she led him the rest of the way to the cave that was home to the Stars. As Shooting Star started walking down the incline into the mouth of the cave, she made a lazy gesture with her hoof. Two doors blew open, revealing torchlight coming from inside. Night Mist continued to follow her in silence as they went through the doors into a familiar circular room, and then down a tunnel. Night Mist honestly had no idea how he was going to stop the Stars. The entire plan had been a stupid idea from the beginning. He shouldn't have come on his own. But there wasn't any turning back now. Night Mist got a weird sense of déjà vu as Shooting Star lead him around many twists and turns.

Finally, Shooting Star opened another set of wooden doors with same lazy gesture as before, politely stepped to one side, and motioned for Night Mist to enter. The room was rectangular in shape, with intricate stone columns lining the sides. The number of torches were sparse, but at the end of the hall Night Mist could see the silhouette of a pony seated on a throne. Night Mist trudged into the room, his head hung low as his mind raced to come up with something to say.

"For the last time, Shooting Star, go easy on my doors," an unfamiliar voice complained. "You really- oh!"

Night Mist glanced up again in surprise and got a much better look at the throne and its occupant. The throne was made of stone, with comfortable looking red cushioning on the seat and back. It was also at the top of a stone slope, positioned so that it was centered in front of a giant etching of the symbol of the Stars. But sitting on the throne itself was a pegasus both familiar, and at the same time, a complete stranger. Eclipse was still a pegasus with a dark green coat and a long pure white mane that cascaded over his neck and shoulders, but that was the only thing he had in common with Night Mist's memories.

In addition to the fact he was now a grown stallion, one difference was that Eclipse had a black medallion hanging around his neck, identical to the one Umbra had. Night Mist figured the medallion must have been one in the same, based on what Shooting Star had told him. But even more curious was that Eclipse also had black patches strapped to the outside of each of his flanks, both large enough to conceal a cutie mark. Indeed, hiding a cutie mark was the only apparent purpose the patches served, although Night Mist couldn't imagine why a pony would do such a thing. But the most foreign part about Eclipse were his eyes. The were still the same metallic gray as before, but now they glowed with a fierce intelligence.

"Eclipse," Night Mist said in awe, saying the first thing to enter his mind.

"Technically it's Nightmare Eclipse now, but yes, that is my name," Eclipse replied, still shocked at Night Mist's return.

"You've certainly changed since I last saw you."

"As have you."

An awkward silence came over the room as Night Mist tried to think of something to say.

"What happened to Umbra?"

"Umbra... died a few years ago," Eclipse said carefully. "An earthquake collapsed a large portion of the caverns. A lot of Stars died with him."

"A cave in? How could he have be killed in a cave in? I thought he was a cloud type like myself."

Eclipse stared at Night Mist for a moment as if trying to think of the best way to explain it to the earth pony.

"Suffocation."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Are... are my parents still here? With the Stars I mean?"

"No. They were among the ones we lost that day," Eclipse said bluntly.

Words failed Night Mist. He hardly knew them, yet at the same time the news still hurt deeply.

"They always hoped you would come back, you know." Eclipse said, a little bit of anger seeping into his tone. "But you never did."

"Don't try to tell me they cared!" Night Mist snarled. "They easily could have paid me a visit without giving away your precious little secrets!"

"What do you mean, they could have visited?!" Eclipse said indignantly, "No one knew where we brought you from, and no one knew where you went after you ran away!"

"That's a lie! Umbra came into my house, so you all knew where I was!"

Night Mist glared at Eclipse, but then realized that the pegasus looked very surprised.

"Umbra... what?"

"He came into my house," Night Mist repeated. "My home. Told me what would happen if I ever told the world about the Stars."

Eclipse was silent as the information sank into his mind.

"That devious old fiend," he finally said softly.

"He never told anyone where I lived?"

"No he did not."

Night Mist sank into a sitting position as the implications churned in his mind. He had always assumed his real parents were too devoted to the cause of the Stars to risk visiting him, but clearly this was not the case. In a sick and twisted sort of way, it was almost convenient that they were dead. Now he wouldn't have to pick between them and his adopted parents, whom he still loved very much.

"This is too much," Night Mist confessed, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

Eclipse rose from his throne and walked towards the broken stallion.

"I'm sorry for what you've gone through, I truly am," the pegasus said sympathetically. "But I have to ask, why did you come back?"

Night Mist was in no state to think clearly, so he simply told Eclipse everything. By the time he finished, Eclipse's face was impassive.

"You've came to stop Nightmare Moon from returning?" he asked coldly.

"Yes," Night Mist cringed, unable to meet Eclipse's gaze.

"You realize that I can't let you do that."

"I know."

"Why would you even try?"

"Because it's wrong."

"Look at me, Night Mist. I want you think about this very carefully. Who decides what's right and wrong anyway?"

"Princess Celestia does I suppose," Night Mist said weakly.

"What gives her that right?"

"She's an alicorn."

"So is Nightmare Moon."

"The majority of Equestria wouldn't want eternal night," Night Mist tried.

"So if everyone but the Stars were to die right now, morality would suddenly shift into our favor? That doesn't make any sense."

"Well, who do you think decides right and wrong?"

"Nightmare Moon."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it really? Let's be honest here. If you decide it’s wrong for me to free Nightmare Moon, and I lock you away and bury the key, what good does that do you? Maybe morality is decided by who wins. If what you've told me is true, the Stars will win at life in two days. You have a choice few ponies have the privilege of getting, Night Mist. Either join the Stars and move up in the world, or be one of the ponies beneath us. Either way, the life you once had is gone. The world will know about the Stars, and everyone else but the Stars and Nightmare Moon will hate you."

Eclipse’s words felt like a blow to Night Mist as he lowered his gaze to the cold stone floor. The pegasus had thrown his deepest fears right out into the open. Somehow, Night Mist had always known deep down inside that the life he lived wouldn’t last, but he hadn’t wanted to face it. The rejection of his peers was the last thing that he wanted, but it was clear to him now that it was inevitable. Eclipse had been very blunt about the fact he wouldn’t keep Night Mist’s involvement secret. He was forcing him to go in all the way, and why shouldn’t he? There was no neutral position, his silence about the existence of the Stars was already an aid to them. He was already in. So what was holding him back? Why settle for rejection from everyone? Why shouldn’t he grab hold of a new future? Why shouldn’t he take advantage of the opportunity life had given him?

Slowly, Night Mist looked back up at Eclipse with a fierce determination shining in his eyes.

"I'll do it," he decided with complete and utter conviction.

Eclipse leaned back in his throne and let out his breathe, clearly relieved that Night Mist had saw things his way.

"I’m very glad to hear that,” Eclipse admitted. “But now I want to hear you say it."

"But I just did."

"Don't just tell me what you're going to do. Tell me who you are."

"My name is Night Mist."

"And who is that you serve, Night Mist?"

"I serve Nightmare Moon."

"Now say them at the same time."

"My name is Night Mist, and I serve Nightmare Moon."

"Again!"

"My name is Night Mist, and I..." Night Mist faltered as he felt something inside his soul shift. He close his eyes briefly, and when they opened again they glowed with an unnatural white light.

"...am a Star of Nightmare Moon!"

Eclipse smiled down upon the convert as he placed a hoof on Night Mist's shoulder.

"On behalf of the Stars, I, Nightmare Eclipse, welcome your return. Now, I would suggest you get some rest. There's going to be an eclipse tomorrow, and that's not something you want to miss because you overslept."

Next Chapter: Chapter 7: The Sun Binder Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 18 Minutes
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