In The Still of the Night
by dashie04
Prompt: Difficult Castle
The moon is a lot further than anyone would think.
If you were to go, it would take a days just to get there. It’s a long way for any single pony.
And Luna was a single pony.
All she could see was Equus hanging in the distance, illuminating her solitary figure, although almost nopony would know that. Nopony but Nightmare Moon, of course.
She didn’t know how to make amends with doing such a thing. But, being so far away from society had given her plenty of time to think, and plenty of time to wonder.
“How long has it been?”
“I know, Nightmare, I know…”
“Is there anything we can really do at this point, though?”
The voice was silent, as Luna watched the stars. She wondered if she was going crazy— or if she already was. She may be essentially immortal, but that didn’ make her less equine.
“Do you want to walk the moon again?”
“Far too many, but do you have any other ideas?”
Luna lied down on the cold moon dust, and checked the skies for anything of interest.
“Can I even do that?”
“Except go home apparently…”
“Do you want to?”
Even Nightmare Moon had limits, it turned out, as Luna was gracefully spared a few seconds of silence. The acrid tinge of cosmic radiation beat down on her, as she even considered Nightmare Moon’s angle.
Would it be so bad to start a kingdom?
“I suppose every kingdom needs a castle?”
“…Yes?”
Luna heard what she could only describe as the most exhausted groan she’d ever heard. She momentarily wondered if Nightmare had a physical form she just couldn’t see.
As Luna processed the groan, she heard Nightmare add with a mutter.
Luna beamed, cracking her first genuine smile in the years she had been nearly alone. “Let’s get building then!”
“What do you want?”
Nightmare was silent for a second, gears turning in her mind as Luna started grabbing nearby moon rocks to build with.
Luna started piecing the castle together, brick by brick, rock by rock, building across endless time that seemed to blend together. She got more competent, Nightmare got louder, bolder, and after a while, they started working together.
Even after 200 years, the castle was halfway done.
“I have no idea.”
In front of them stood a half-finished castle, covered with uneven bumps and ridges, colored a sterile white— built with moon rocks and an alicorn’s magic.
“It’s hard when we have to keep restarting over and over just to get something right… maybe it’s just too hard to build in the depths of space.”
“It’s not nearly as grandiose as I want! It keeps falling apart…”
Nightmare gave a long sigh. Luna lied down, and examined the castle. It was roofless, massive, and rough. If this was the glorious kingdom Nightmare Moon wanted… well… it wasn’t quite done, was it?
“I’m gonna keep at it.”
Nightmare Moon muttered something incomprehensible to Luna, something that seemed like more and more of a rarity these days. When you’re alone with someone for hundreds of years, that tends to happen.
“This castle will get finished before the thousand years is up.” Luna promised, and she immediately started piecing more moon rocks together into the castle she needed to make.
It had been nearly a thousand years, of working, and the castle was nearly complete. Luna was proud of it, but Nightmare Moon’s patience had simply worn as thin as the atmosphere.
“Thank you. It’s almost done… I promise.”
Luna looked up at the castle, which was larger than ever, and only missing a few key pieces.
“I… don’t know.”
Luna looked down at the lunar surface, kicking some of the dust that had already been massively displaced over the course of years and years. “I swear, I will do my best.”
Luna laughed weakly, gathering more moon rocks with her magic.
“Is a thousand years not long enough to get over a grudge, Nightmare?”
“She’s fine! I’m sure she doesn’t mean anything by it.”
Luna started arranging moon rocks in a shape she liked, not being able to come up with a response to Nightmare.
“So that’s how it happened, huh? We were just… sent here.”
“But what?”
Nightmare Moon was so silent that Luna momentarily wondered if her thoughts had ever been this clear. Nightmare Moon seemed averse to answering the question.
“You didn’t have to be so vicious, you know.”
Luna smiled, and started building the last few pieces of the castle. The last decorations, and the last walls, trying to complete the massive undertaking this project was.
But, she was on a time limit, and after nearly a thousand years, that time limit was up. Luna was unceremoniously ripped away as she tried to put the very last piece on, taken back to Equus to end her thousand-year confinement.
She had never cried as much as she did in the last few seconds of consciousness she had.
Nightmare Moon remained true to her word also. She truly unleashed Tartarus upon Equestria, and especially Celestia, she simply couldn’t stand seeing Luna cry, by any means possible.
But, even as Luna managed to take over and calm her down, the castle remains unfinished. But a single piece remains to complete the castle Nightmare Moon never got.
The moon is a lot further than anyone would think.
If you were to go, it would take a days just to get there. It’s a long way for any single pony.
And Luna was a single pony.
All she could see was Equus hanging in the distance, illuminating her solitary figure, although almost nopony would know that. Nopony but Nightmare Moon, of course.
She didn’t know how to make amends with doing such a thing. But, being so far away from society had given her plenty of time to think, and plenty of time to wonder.
“How long has it been?”
”It’s been entirely too long, Luna…”
“I know, Nightmare, I know…”
”Perhaps what I did was somewhat deserved.”
“Is there anything we can really do at this point, though?”
The voice was silent, as Luna watched the stars. She wondered if she was going crazy— or if she already was. She may be essentially immortal, but that didn’ make her less equine.
“Do you want to walk the moon again?”
”How many times have we done that already?”
“Far too many, but do you have any other ideas?”
”…I would like a kingdom to rule.”
Luna lied down on the cold moon dust, and checked the skies for anything of interest.
“Can I even do that?”
”We can do anything we want.”
“Except go home apparently…”
”Have you tried?”
“Do you want to?”
Even Nightmare Moon had limits, it turned out, as Luna was gracefully spared a few seconds of silence. The acrid tinge of cosmic radiation beat down on her, as she even considered Nightmare Moon’s angle.
Would it be so bad to start a kingdom?
“I suppose every kingdom needs a castle?”
”Is that a question Luna?”
“…Yes?”
Luna heard what she could only describe as the most exhausted groan she’d ever heard. She momentarily wondered if Nightmare had a physical form she just couldn’t see.
As Luna processed the groan, she heard Nightmare add with a mutter.
”Better a castle than a populace to rule, as far as magic is concerned…”
Luna beamed, cracking her first genuine smile in the years she had been nearly alone. “Let’s get building then!”
”What’s the plan then?”
“What do you want?”
Nightmare was silent for a second, gears turning in her mind as Luna started grabbing nearby moon rocks to build with.
”Something to match my splendor, I suppose.”
Luna started piecing the castle together, brick by brick, rock by rock, building across endless time that seemed to blend together. She got more competent, Nightmare got louder, bolder, and after a while, they started working together.
Even after 200 years, the castle was halfway done.
”How much longer is this going to take, Luna?”
“I have no idea.”
In front of them stood a half-finished castle, covered with uneven bumps and ridges, colored a sterile white— built with moon rocks and an alicorn’s magic.
”My patience is wearing thin, Luna.”
“It’s hard when we have to keep restarting over and over just to get something right… maybe it’s just too hard to build in the depths of space.”
”We’ve figured out something, but it’s not nearly as grandiose as I was imagining.”
“It’s not nearly as grandiose as I want! It keeps falling apart…”
Nightmare gave a long sigh. Luna lied down, and examined the castle. It was roofless, massive, and rough. If this was the glorious kingdom Nightmare Moon wanted… well… it wasn’t quite done, was it?
“I’m gonna keep at it.”
Nightmare Moon muttered something incomprehensible to Luna, something that seemed like more and more of a rarity these days. When you’re alone with someone for hundreds of years, that tends to happen.
“This castle will get finished before the thousand years is up.” Luna promised, and she immediately started piecing more moon rocks together into the castle she needed to make.
”Hmm…”
It had been nearly a thousand years, of working, and the castle was nearly complete. Luna was proud of it, but Nightmare Moon’s patience had simply worn as thin as the atmosphere.
”Luna, how long must we wait?”[/smcaps]
“I swear, Nightmare, I’m almost done!”
[center]”…This has just irritated me beyond reason, Luna! But yes, I suppose we have to keep going.”
“I swear, Nightmare, I’m almost done!”
[center]”…This has just irritated me beyond reason, Luna! But yes, I suppose we have to keep going.”
“Thank you. It’s almost done… I promise.”
”Our time grows short, Luna. Are you sure it’ll get done before then?”
Luna looked up at the castle, which was larger than ever, and only missing a few key pieces.
“I… don’t know.”
Luna looked down at the lunar surface, kicking some of the dust that had already been massively displaced over the course of years and years. “I swear, I will do my best.”
”If Sister interrupts our process, she will not hear the end of this. I will let her know.”
Luna laughed weakly, gathering more moon rocks with her magic.
“Is a thousand years not long enough to get over a grudge, Nightmare?”
”If Celestia hurts you, prevents you from completing this project, or does anything else, it’s not a grudge anymore, is it?”
“She’s fine! I’m sure she doesn’t mean anything by it.”
”Then how come we’ve been here so long?”
Luna started arranging moon rocks in a shape she liked, not being able to come up with a response to Nightmare.
”She didn’t even try to talk to me…”
“So that’s how it happened, huh? We were just… sent here.”
”I did threaten to dethrone her but…”
“But what?”
Nightmare Moon was so silent that Luna momentarily wondered if her thoughts had ever been this clear. Nightmare Moon seemed averse to answering the question.
”…The point is, she better not hurt you again.”
“You didn’t have to be so vicious, you know.”
”I just wanted to protect my friend.”
Luna smiled, and started building the last few pieces of the castle. The last decorations, and the last walls, trying to complete the massive undertaking this project was.
But, she was on a time limit, and after nearly a thousand years, that time limit was up. Luna was unceremoniously ripped away as she tried to put the very last piece on, taken back to Equus to end her thousand-year confinement.
She had never cried as much as she did in the last few seconds of consciousness she had.
Nightmare Moon remained true to her word also. She truly unleashed Tartarus upon Equestria, and especially Celestia, she simply couldn’t stand seeing Luna cry, by any means possible.
But, even as Luna managed to take over and calm her down, the castle remains unfinished. But a single piece remains to complete the castle Nightmare Moon never got.