The War Within

Chapter 3 - Darkening Shadows

Woohoo third chapter up! Sorry for making you guys wait so long...Anyways enjoy!!!

___________________________________________________________

“Luna? Where are you??? WHERE ARE YOU?!!” Celestia searched frantically for Luna, but no matter how hard she looked, Luna was nowhere to be seen. She was still worried, and the dream…it had been her worst fears for ages now.

Celestia spread her wings and took flight, flying to the balcony where she stood with Luna just a day ago. There she finally found Luna, staring wistfully at the hazy horizon beyond. “Luna! There you are!” Luna’s head swivelled towards her sister, who was looking at her. Such a relieved expression, she thought to herself as she hung her head. Maybe what the nightmare said was wrong, after all.

A tiny tear sprang from her eyes, and she blinked it fiercely away. How could she have doubted her own sister? How could she have hated her? She was Tia, who was always there for her, Tia who had always loved her, unconditionally, and she who was always the brilliant one.

But she had cast you in her own shadow, the evil voice haunted her again. Luna shut her eyes, and another silver tear coursed down her cheeks…and that was so true.

“Luna?” An edge of worry crept into her sister’s voice. Luna was brought back out from the dark musings, one that could have drowned her in its dark pulls. “Tia?” she whispered. “I’m scared. I don’t know what’s actually true, and what’s actually false.” Luna started to sob. Her twilight-coloured mane hung limply on her shoulders, which trembled as she sobbed.

Celestia closed her eyes and raised the sun. Her own heart wrenched as she heard her little sister's sobs, each one piercing her heart that had somehow become a pin cushion.

The sun rose bit by bit, and bathed the land in a warm, golden glow. The misty haze rolled back to reveal a fertile land, green and fair. Ponies started to stroll out from their cottages, and busied themselves in their daily works. As a ray of sunlight fell upon Luna’s face, it tickled her gently and caused her to wonder why have she hated the sun in the first place.

The shadowy-quality of the voice echoed in her mind. “Remember the humiliation you suffered.” Luna found herself sinking into the darkness again.

“Luna?” The worried voice of her sister snapped her back to reality. Blinking back the few tears in her eyes, Luna stood up stiffly in the most dignified manner she could manage, and faced her sister. “I am fine, Tia. Do not worry.” She faked a cheerful tone that she hoped would fool her sister.

Studying her sister, Luna could see the worry in her eyes ebb away swiftly and replaced with one of reassurance. And also a hint of exasperation. “I have to go now, sister, although it pains me to do so. The ambassadors from Saddle-Arabia had arrived and I have no intention of being late.”

And with that she hurried away, so quickly that Luna doubted if her words were, in truth, sincere. Luna walked back into her room, and brooded over what had happened over the past few hours.

So many things had happened…all had brought forth the dark memories she sought to hide and forget.

She could well-nigh remember the horrors of the Night, as if those images had been emblazoned in her mind.

In her minds-eye, Luna shivered when she saw again those ghostly spectres that she had saw lurking in the shadows, just at the edge of the Everfree Forest. A group of timbre-wolves, growling and gnashing their teeth, hunting for stranded ponies that had returned to their homes late, though they had feared her as the Princess of the Night and had left her unharmed, searching for other prey instead.

Luna doubted that she would ever forget that night, may it be well eleven years already. It could not have been but four years since she took up her duties as a Princess and ruled beside her sister.

Shaking off those dark memories were harder than she thought that it could be. Luna found herself standing up uneasily and walking in the direction of the dungeons, a haunted place that she and Tia would usually avoid.

She managed to stop herself before she reached there, and turned back, shuddering and shivering. What was it that made her to do so? She could only hope that it was not the Nightmare.

Unbeknownst to her, an evil purple haze had hidden in the shadows and followed her, slinking into her room…and take on the form of a full grown mare…

It lingered for a moment before dissipating back into the shadows…

_____________________________________________________________

Tadaa! Oh well please R/R as usual thanx for reading!

Luna

P.s.: Forgot to say again...I may not be updating any of my stories for the next three weeks, prime cause is that exam is here again. So the next update may take a long time to write but I hope that you guys will stick around! =)