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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
No Time For Regret
Princess Luna winced as a bright blue light filled her bedroom, holding up one hoof to shield her eyes as powerful magic swirled around her and mad cackling filled the air.
“Halt! Who goes there?” Luna shouted.
“I am called Nightmare Moon,” a female voice answered.
Luna narrowed her eyes. “Begone, spirit of the night. I will have no truck with thee.”
“I am no spirit of the night, but a pony like yourself,” the voice said melodically as the magic began to congeal into a diffuse field of stars. Fur black as midnight and feathers that would do a raven proud formed out of the mist. Armor that looked like it had been forged from the moon itself was next to form, wrapping around the figure’s hooves and the shape of its head – a pony, tall as Celestia, but far more fearsome. A long horn stuck out of the alicorn’s forehead, and behind her hung a thin swirling mist of stars in the vague shape of a pony’s tail and mane. A moon hung on her flank, and a second on her chest, glittering silver against her plate’s dull gleam.
“Thou darest mock me with mine own mark, Nightmare? Begone!” Luna’s horn flared, magic blue as the sky pouring out of her horn, only to strike a barrier glowing with the same blue magic.
Luna staggered. “How can this be?”
Nightmare Moon laughed. “‘Tis your magic as well as mine. Come, Luna. We have much to discuss.”
Luna stamped her hoof defiantly. “I will go nowhere with thee ‘til you answer my questions, spirit!”
“Spirit? Do you not recognize me?” Nightmare Moon grinned, sharp teeth glinting in the diffuse light that filled the room.
“I know a monster when I see one,” Luna said, snorting.
“Monster, am I?” Nightmare Moon leered. “No more than you. You want to be loved – I am loved. You wish respect? All kneel before me. You wish adoration? All bend themselves in supplication before my night!”
“The night is not thine, it is mine!” Luna cried out defiantly.
“And their love? Admiration? Respect? Are those yours as well?”
Luna ground her teeth. “Thou hast nothing to offer me.”
“I have everything to offer you, fool. I know all that you do. I have seen all that you have seen. And I know that as long as Celestia sits upon her golden throne, you will have nothing.”
“And what would thou hast me do?”
“Embrace your power! Call forth the shadows and cloak yourself in the power of the night! Find your true self and strike down your sister, that you may stand alone, and bring about nighttime eternal!”
“Only for you to strike me down in turn.”
Nightmare Moon cackled. “I have no need for your kingdom, Luna. After all, I already rule Equestria.”
“Equestria belongs to me!”
“Who do you think I am?” Nightmare Moon’s horn flared as she began to shrink in on itself, black coat fading to blue. Eye to eye with Luna, she bent forward to spit a set of false teeth.
Luna gasped as she stood beside herself. “How?”
“Someday, you will know, and you will understand. Now begone! Confront thy sister, and claim the night for you – for us!”
Luna’s other self cackled once more as the room was engulfed in another almighty flash of blue light; when the torrent of magic subsided, her other self was gone.
“Princess Luna?”
Luna started, nearly fumbling the scroll suspended in her magic. “Twilight Sparkle. I was not expecting to see you here.”
“I could say the same thing,” Twilight said, chuckling. “What were you reading?”
Luna shook her head. “Tell me, Twilight; have you ever wondered what it would be like had I not challenged my sister? Do you think my sister would have taken such interest in you had she had me to rule by her side?”
Twilight blinked. “I… never really thought about it.”
“Had I not, my sister would have been spared a thousand years of solitude. But it would only be for Tirek to break loose and steal all the magic of Equestria without you to stop him."
Twilight’s eyes softened as she glanced at the scroll. “Luna… That spell doesn’t work. It can send you back in time, but you can’t change anything. Everything turns out exactly the same.”
Luna smiled sadly as she rolled the scroll up in her magic and placed it back onto the shelf. “I know.”
“Halt! Who goes there?” Luna shouted.
“I am called Nightmare Moon,” a female voice answered.
Luna narrowed her eyes. “Begone, spirit of the night. I will have no truck with thee.”
“I am no spirit of the night, but a pony like yourself,” the voice said melodically as the magic began to congeal into a diffuse field of stars. Fur black as midnight and feathers that would do a raven proud formed out of the mist. Armor that looked like it had been forged from the moon itself was next to form, wrapping around the figure’s hooves and the shape of its head – a pony, tall as Celestia, but far more fearsome. A long horn stuck out of the alicorn’s forehead, and behind her hung a thin swirling mist of stars in the vague shape of a pony’s tail and mane. A moon hung on her flank, and a second on her chest, glittering silver against her plate’s dull gleam.
“Thou darest mock me with mine own mark, Nightmare? Begone!” Luna’s horn flared, magic blue as the sky pouring out of her horn, only to strike a barrier glowing with the same blue magic.
Luna staggered. “How can this be?”
Nightmare Moon laughed. “‘Tis your magic as well as mine. Come, Luna. We have much to discuss.”
Luna stamped her hoof defiantly. “I will go nowhere with thee ‘til you answer my questions, spirit!”
“Spirit? Do you not recognize me?” Nightmare Moon grinned, sharp teeth glinting in the diffuse light that filled the room.
“I know a monster when I see one,” Luna said, snorting.
“Monster, am I?” Nightmare Moon leered. “No more than you. You want to be loved – I am loved. You wish respect? All kneel before me. You wish adoration? All bend themselves in supplication before my night!”
“The night is not thine, it is mine!” Luna cried out defiantly.
“And their love? Admiration? Respect? Are those yours as well?”
Luna ground her teeth. “Thou hast nothing to offer me.”
“I have everything to offer you, fool. I know all that you do. I have seen all that you have seen. And I know that as long as Celestia sits upon her golden throne, you will have nothing.”
“And what would thou hast me do?”
“Embrace your power! Call forth the shadows and cloak yourself in the power of the night! Find your true self and strike down your sister, that you may stand alone, and bring about nighttime eternal!”
“Only for you to strike me down in turn.”
Nightmare Moon cackled. “I have no need for your kingdom, Luna. After all, I already rule Equestria.”
“Equestria belongs to me!”
“Who do you think I am?” Nightmare Moon’s horn flared as she began to shrink in on itself, black coat fading to blue. Eye to eye with Luna, she bent forward to spit a set of false teeth.
Luna gasped as she stood beside herself. “How?”
“Someday, you will know, and you will understand. Now begone! Confront thy sister, and claim the night for you – for us!”
Luna’s other self cackled once more as the room was engulfed in another almighty flash of blue light; when the torrent of magic subsided, her other self was gone.
“Princess Luna?”
Luna started, nearly fumbling the scroll suspended in her magic. “Twilight Sparkle. I was not expecting to see you here.”
“I could say the same thing,” Twilight said, chuckling. “What were you reading?”
Luna shook her head. “Tell me, Twilight; have you ever wondered what it would be like had I not challenged my sister? Do you think my sister would have taken such interest in you had she had me to rule by her side?”
Twilight blinked. “I… never really thought about it.”
“Had I not, my sister would have been spared a thousand years of solitude. But it would only be for Tirek to break loose and steal all the magic of Equestria without you to stop him."
Twilight’s eyes softened as she glanced at the scroll. “Luna… That spell doesn’t work. It can send you back in time, but you can’t change anything. Everything turns out exactly the same.”
Luna smiled sadly as she rolled the scroll up in her magic and placed it back onto the shelf. “I know.”