Intra In Nocte (The Night Inside: A Luna Story)

Chapter Three

Four Years Later

        Luna walked alongside her father in the moonlight, fear gripping the corners of her soul. Her father had said that they needed to talk, that he had something to tell her. Luna didn't want to be alone with him, but she knew that she didn't have a choice. If Father wanted her to talk to him, she had to. It was as simple as that.

        "Luna," he began once they were a long distance from the house, "there is something I must explain to you, but you must understand that this is not easy for me, and I never wanted this for you. You must promise to hear me out entirely before you judge me, and that you will never repeat any of this to Celestia. Can you do that, my darling?" he asked.

        Luna felt a chill down her spine. "Okay," she responded, the fear in her soul growing. She didn't know if she could keep a secret from Celestia, but she promised anyway.

        He nodded. "Very well," he said, "I'll begin." He took a deep breath, steadying himself. It was clear to Luna that he was just as afraid of this moment as she was. "When I was a young colt, I didn't grow up this isolated, as you and your sister have," he continued. Luna looked at him curiously. She had known of other civilizations of ponies, and she knew Father didn't want her near them. Was he about to tell her why? Luna concentrated even more on his words, anticipation building. "I instead grew up with a community of ponies, a kingdom under the rule of one of these ponies. However, none of these ponies, myself included, were ponies like your mother and your sister." He closed his eyes briefly. Luna could sense a deep pain in his heart, but he went on. "We were a different kind of pony, the Somnum Exterreri.  We were the Nightmares."  Luna paled a little. She didn't want to be a scary nightmare, like the ones that had hurt Celestia in her sleep night after night, the ones only Luna's cuddles could remedy. Luna wanted everyone to happy, not scared. Her father didn't seem to stop and mollycoddle her, in the way most parents would. Instead, he continued, letting Luna's fear and discomfort grow. "We belong to the night, rather than the daylight like your sister and your mother do." Luna's dark blue complexion paled to a sky blue. She wanted only to be like her sister. Tia was her everything, and she couldn't stand to be different. Father went on, ignoring his daughter's fear. "We are more powerful in most ways, but our power is not that of happiness or good, rather that of hatred and fear. When used for purposes of evil, our power can be a destructive, horrible force. You must learn to suppress this power, keep it locked away. If you do not, your power could destroy all."

        Luna stared, unsure how to comprehend what she had just heard. If what her father had told her was true, it would change her life. She would always be different, not truly normal. She would be evil, a destructive monster who could only hurt those she cared about. And that was too much for Luna to bear.

        Luna began to cry, and she could feel the hatred taking over again. As she felt her eyes begin to change, she turned away from her father, refusing to look at him. It was was his fault that she would never fit in, his fault she would always be different. As she felt her wings grow with her power, she took off into the night. She flew much faster than she ever had before, she stars and moon whizzing past her. She felt her father's takeoff behind her, and she only flew faster. Luna didn't know where she was going, or if she would ever stop flying, and she didn't care. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. Nothing but the night.