My little Pony:Spider And Magic

Chapter Thirteen "Alone in the Gala, Part III"

Chapter Thirteen "Alone in the Gala, Part III"

"Nightmare Moon!"

Luna winced at the name shouted at her before she recoiled, backing away from the frightened mare with a saddened look in her eyes, However, as if Nightmare Moon had reemerged, Fluttershy's screams increased in volume, matched only by the vice grip her hooves had around Peter's body. Baffled and confused by the sudden behavior change, Peter shifted his sight from Luna to Fluttershy in hopes of spotting an explanation.

"Nightmare what? What're you talking about?" he managed to ask as Fluttershy's grip tightened. Peter attempted to squirm free from the mare's sound grasp as well as the ground, managing to balance his way upfront to two hooves (albeit with Fluttershy latched unto him). "Do you know what she's talking about?" he directed to Luna.

Through a pained voice, Luna gave a simple response. "All too well."

Her time as Nightmare Moon was still as fresh of a memory as her time freed from the dark entity, and Luna had over a thousand years of exile to thank for that. Even though all of Equestria knew of Luna's return, many could not forget of the being that nearly threw the land into eternal night. Luna understood why ponies like Fluttershy reacted the way they did whenever she appeared, but evident by the ache in the heart, it only made the truth more difficult to accept.

Adults and foals knew of the legacy that was Nightmare Moon. It had been documented into many books ranging from biographies, fantasy novels, and filly stories. Much to Luna's dismay (to an extent), there was even a holiday named after her evil alter-ego, but that quickly became remedied into a positive thanks to Twilight Sparkle. Sadly, in a world where she was vastly feared by many due to a thousand-year-old legacy, that day proved to only be a tiny victory.

Ponies ran at the sound of her name and trembled at the hint of her voice, despite the utter lack of her usual Royal Canterlot usage. Though Luna never told her sister, she could sense an air of uneasiness around the Canterlot Guards, knowing deep down they still feared her somewhat. If only for a moment, Luna was happy being able to converse with somepony oblivious to her infamous past, even if he came off as a completely intellectually backwards pony.

However, her duty as divine co-ruler of the land meant for Luna to be honest to her subjects and that included the outworlder among them. Knowing what reaction was bound to occur, Luna turned her back to the stallion and fixed her gaze upon the large, milky object centered in the sky that she swore to raise every night. Once the truth was learned, he'd run away like many before him. That much Luna knew.

"Nightmare Moon..." she said, her voice trembling with resentment, "is a name bestowed upon me. Long ago, my jealousy for my sister turned into darkness, corrupting my very essence until I became an embodiment of evil."

That was the best answer the princess could give as well as the simplest. There was so much more she could have revealed, but Luna felt there was no need to continue. At any moment, like everypony else, the outworlder would flee for his life and not give Luna a chance to explain. She remained still with her eyes open, expecting screams of terror or cries of anguish to ensue, but Luna furrowed her brow when neither sound was heard outside of Fluttershy's whimpering.

'Perhaps the outworlder had crawled off and left Fluttershy to fend for herself?' her mind thought.

Such an act was cowardice but not unheard of from Luna's personal experience. She finally turned around, expecting only one pony, but her eyes widened at the sight of both the outworlder and Fluttershy in their same position. However, instead of showing immense panic like Fluttershy, Peter merely raised his brow at Luna while his hooves awkwardly and hesitantly tried to push himself free from the mare's grasp.