Chapter 9
 
>You cough, sending grey dust everywhere.
>It flies to your opening eyes, thus blinding you longer.
>You cringe as you taste it in your mouth, and proceed to push yourself up.
>You give your head a firm shake, and get to your feel.
>A dreadful low boom rings in your ears, as you blink multiple times to push out the dust in your eyes.
>The boom is suddenly cut off, replaced with what sounds like a light scratch on plastic.
>You vision finally returns, and you see what seems like an endless valley of dull, dead grey.
>The scratching suddenly dies off, replaced by a soft tune of music.
http://youtu.be/O1YK2a-B9zk
>It seems distant, echoing over the valley away.
>Having no other option left, you begin to make your way to the source of the noise.
>You know this tune.
>It is definitely familiar, something you’ve heard of before.
>Stumbling awkwardly through the empty, vast desert.
>But there is no sand here.
>Just… dust.
>Nothing but dust.
>And it is cold.
>Very cold.
 
>The ocean of sky blue hair splits slowly, giving way to the brush.
>It slowly flows down and touches the creature underneath, gently startling it.
>”Anon, you’re doing it again.”
>The hand freezes in place, as if time stood still.
>With a sigh, she turns around, the hair going through the brush once more.
>Her disgruntled frown melts into a smile, as she looks at the person behind her.
>Putting up a hoof on his cold hands, she slowly guided it to her mane.
>Her horn glowed, and his hands began animating.
>”Just do it like this. Brush down, brush down.”
>Like a mother teaching her child, continuously showing how it is done.
>Her expression bears kindness and warmth, patiently waiting for him to learn.
>But as soon as her grasp ends, the hand freezes once again.
>Pouting, she gives up and slides onto his chest.
>Both hands up and ready, he sits still, like a statue.
>Slowly dragging his arms around her, Luna sighs happily.
>She rocks back and forth in his hold, enjoying his presence.
>But he is so cold.
>So, so cold.
 
>You trudge on, not growing tired or bored.
>Hypnotized by the tune playing, you begin to climb the valley.
>It is a steep climb, but you manage.
>Fingers digging into the odd soil, hands upon rocks, you continue to climb.
>Dust is flying everywhere, and you almost trip on the rolling rocks.
>You finally reach out your hand into what feels like the ending groove of the supposed hill.
>Upon lifting yourself up, you see what you’ve been climbing.
>The vast, hollow opening almost called out to you, echoing any noise you’ve made.
>You stand on your feet, perching yourself on the edge of the crater.
>Looking over to the other side, you estimate it must be at least two hundred meters wide.
>But something else catches your attention.
>Above the dull horizon, behind the radiant orange light- lay a single shape.
>Placing a hand over your eyes, you try to shield the light.
>Your vision improves, and you spot green and blue.
>You see small lines of white on the planet, presumably clouds.
>You fall to your knees, silent over your realization.
>You knew exactly where you are now.
>You were on the moon.
 
>Prancing happily in her yellow dress, Luna moved through the gardens.
>Having a certain person in tow (and having made much distance between the two), Luna enjoyed her walks.
>She was beginning to understand why many ponies preferred the company of the sun.
>No offense taken, of course- she had all the nights she needed.
>She passed a sultry gaze towards the hunched, dull body.
>If you knew what she meant.
>His eyes are still wide open, just the way he was left.
>Luna might have adjusted it a bit.
>His lips were still like a statue’s, fixed in place.
>”Come on, Anon, smile!”
>His lips slowly curled into an awkward smile, as directed by Luna’s magic.
>Taking a few steps back to admire her work, Luna continued her path.
 
>Looking over her sister, Celestia let out a loud sigh, not wanting to see anyone like this.
>She was alone in her dark room, unsure if she was to bring her sister out of her stupor or not.
>Probably it would be best if she left things as it were.
>It is disheartening, but it kept Nightmare Moon in control.
>At least it seemed to.
>For the sake of Equestria, it was enough.
>Just enough.
>But, if things were to arise again, she would need to take drastic actions.
>She wasn’t even sure if Anonymous was dead, last time she checked, he was still breathing.
>It would appear he was asleep, but nothing would wake him up.
>Celestia decided it would be best to keep him confined to a bed.
>Until Luna started losing it.
>By then, she was somepony Celestia never knew, somepony completely out of it.
>She dared not get in her sister’s way, afraid of some sort of a breakdown.
>But as she stood now, she wished she stood in her sister’s path.
>Maybe some amount of her sanity would’ve been preserved then.
>She would’ve been heartbroken, saddened- of course- but at least she would get over it.
>But this madness is simply put- absurd.
>No respect for both sides.
>Celestia then studied Anonymous, who has been reduced to a husk since that attack.
>He seemed responsive enough; he could walk when given the prompt, and ate a little.
>But his eyes stared into nothing; it felt as if his gaze went through the pony if she stood in his line of sight.
>Luna might try to contort his facial expressions into her liking, but it always reverted back to the blank look.
>His body was here, but his mind?
>Even the all-knowing goddess was rendered silent at that.
>She could only sit by and hope for the best.
 
>Letting out a long sigh, you stare into the planet.
>You fucked up now, Anon.
>Bam, poof- straight to the moon.
>It was a great run.
>Maybe if you-
>Is that song still on?
>The tune keeps tickling into the back of your head, in that same volume you’ve been hearing.
>You turn and look into the crater, the gaping valley on the surface of the moon.
>The walls of the crater set a wide blanket of shadow over the opening, masking whatever the crater would have.
>Oh gee, what might be there?
>Probably rocks and more rocks.
>Exciting.
>But the music is still coming from there.
>And you don’t find aliens likely.
>So, either you find something down there, or someone.
>Neither of the two could be bad.
>You perch yourself by the tip of the wall, and look down one last time.
>With a small step, you begin to slide down the curve.
>Dust and moon flakes fly everywhere, as you slowly near the bottom.
>You don’t pick up much speed, thanks to the low gravity and the shape of the crater.
>The song is definitely louder now.
>The noise echoes through the walls, the voice of the singer getting scratchier every boom.
>Your footsteps also make quite a noise, pebbles crushed under your weight.
>Considering your weight here, it must be quite brittle.
>Your eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, and you spot a small shadow in what seems to be the centre of the crater.
>Once you are closer, colours begin to show.
>A hint of bronze yellow… and brown?
>Something is also moving on the mid-section of the shape.
>Only after a few more steps you realize it is a record player.
>The song is clear as day now.
“Giant steps are what you take-“
>Son of a bitch.
>The Police.
“Walking on the moon.”
>Your moment of realization is suddenly halted with another noise.
>The record player switches off with a disc-scratching noise.
>Was that another cough?
>A small cloud of the all-too-familiar particles fly up.
>You quickly look over the record player to another figure laid behind it.
>You also notice another detail.
>The tar-like liquid is present around the figure as well.
>Actually, it seems to be seeping out of it.
>You take a few steps back, knowing what this is a source of.
>Nightmare Moon.
>Your calm back-track quickly devolves into frantic running.
>You try running up the walls, but the curve is too steep.
>Why didn’t you see this coming?
>It was all a trap to reel you in.
>You feel something pinning your left wrist.
>Panic clouds any rational thought in your mind, even forgetting to quip your last words.
>”Ah, I knew you’d come.”
>A chill runs down your spine.
>That voice.
>A tight grip is on your chest, and you are quickly pulled away.
>The distance you travelled zooms past under you in a blink of an eye.
>You gasp, and it was the only thing on your mind to do.
>Say, how were you breathing here the whole time?
>Nightmare comes to a halt right by the record player, right back where you found her.
 
>”It will be fun, Anonymous! I even got the song and all!”
>The blue princess skipped towards the old record player.
>Age claimed most of its colours, it would suggest it wasn’t given enough attention.
>With a quick tap on the arm, the song starts right away.
http://youtu.be/ZX14TMvBGFw
>She moves in with a specially well-dressed human, and begins to move in tune.
 
>Nightmare turns you around, and holds onto your shoulder with her hoof.
>A joint curls over your shoulder, keeping her steady.
>The phonograph whirrs into life, playing a different song.
>As soon as it plays, Nightmare begins to move with it.
>And more importantly, you too.
>As you slowly turn your gaze to Nightmare, you notice she had lost her armor.
>With her eyes locked on to yours, you cannot resist the allure to stare back.
>If you stare at the abyss long enough…
 
>The phonograph to their left, the couple slowly danced to the music.
>Nothing special, just a few steps back and forth.
>Encompassed by the steady melody, Luna came to a realization.
>No matter how away, Anonymous, Anon- will always be special to her.
>Her special somepony.
 
>With the machine to your left, the two of you moved in unison.
>For a while, the two of you were silent, simply looking at each other.
>You were more cautious on the things she might do, but Nightmare seemed calm enough.
>Her irises gleamed with a hint of life, although unblinking and unmoving.
 
>”Come on, Anonymous, you have to participate!”
>Luna brought up his hands, and placed it on her hips.
 
>You unwillingly position your hands where her hips would be, as if you were dancing with another person.
>You half-expected her throw some sultry comment, but she kept her lips shut.
>You finally manage to break the silence.
“Did you bring me here?”
>She blinked slowly, still keeping up her movements.
“What’s going on?”
>No answer.
“Will you-“
>”Shhhh…”
>She stops you, trying to savor the moment.
>It works for a moment or two, but you rebound as quickly as you were brought down.
“Luna, I know you’re in there, snap out of it.”
>Her calm look twitches slightly, cracking under those words.
“Luna, Luna? Please…”
 
>”Will you tell me you love me, Anon?”
>Luna whispered at him, her head buried on his chest.
>She was met with a stoic silence.
>”Please?”
>Still nothing.
>”Just this once, I’ll never ask again.”
>She looked up to him with hope, the bags under her eyes showing for the first time.
 
>Nightmare simply cocked her head by an inch, looking curiously.
>A soft smile hung on her face, uncaring.
“Luna! Get me out of here!” You shout, shaking her slightly.
>Her face is still frozen in place, looking at you with the warmest smile.
>You are beginning to get worried, something is wrong.
>You land a slap on her, to snap her out of it.
>She recoils at the hit, her expression finally changing.
>She stares back at you, with a completely different emotion.
>Her smile is gone, replaced with a stoic straight line.
>But her eyes.
>Her eyes pierce into you, radiating hatred.
 
>”Please?”
>Her words bounce off the figure.
>”After all we’ve been through…”
 
>Her form begins to crack, revealing the Luna you knew so much.
>Her sky blue mane was a mess, her coat coming dirty.
>But most importantly-
>She seemed to leak out the black liquid, it slowly dripping out of her mouth and eyes.
>You try to back away, but her hoof holds you tight.
>”After all we’ve been through…”
>Her voice sounds like static, something like a broken recording.
 
>Bringing up all her energy, Luna blasted Anonymous, hurling him across the empty room.
>His body landed with a dull thud, giving her no more satisfaction.
>”WHY?! WHY WON’T YOU SAY IT?” She shrieked, eyes beginning to water.
 
>You feel a sharp pain as you land on the ground.
>Your shaky vision can only make out the distance you’ve travelled.
>”Please, why, why, why…”
 
>Luna breaks into sobs, falling over the floor.
>She wants him to comfort her.
>She needs him to say the words.
>But she knows.
>She knew it all along.
 
>You can only feel pity for the creature before you, so desperate for someone to comfort her.
>Being alone for so long… You can only imagine the crushing feeling.
>Slowly making your way to her-
>You know.
>You knew it all along.
>As you crouch next to her crying figure-
>As you look down and hold out your hand-
>As you see the pain in her blighted eyes-
>As you realize the only way to escape-
>And you knew it all along.
>You knew-
 
>…You had to love her.