The Life I Once Had

Chapters

Winter Solstice
The Darkness Within
Nightmare Night
Epilogue

Winter Solstice

PLEASE NOTE: There will be several instances in this story where Luna will have a flashback about a particular event. Flashbacks will be indicated by four, centered asterisks (*). This should help you figure out when Luna is having a flashback, and when she is back in reality. Please enjoy!

A lone wolf silently crept in the ankle deep snow, sniffing the ground trying to find any kind of scent. After a few minutes of searching, the wolf suddenly perked its ears up and lifted its head towards the clear, night sky. Up in the sky, it saw a long chariot being pulled by two pegasi guards, silhouetted against the sky; the chariot quickly and silently dashed across the sky. As it passed, the wolf let out a howl that traveled all throughout the frozen landscape.

The chariot was colored a midnight blue, with stars decorating the sides; it was carrying one tall pony who was wearing a black hooded cloak that completely covered her body; the pony's name was Princess Luna. Luna looked over to her right and pointed towards a long valley a few hundred feet away. The guards looked over and turned towards the valley. As they approached the valley, they started to descend towards the ground; slowly coming into view.

Their coats were gray and they wore light blue, plated body armor; two black chains connected their armor to the chariot. Their eyes were yellow and their pupils were almost animal like; their faces had a stern, determined expression.

At seventy feet from the ground, the guards started flapping their dark blue, bat-like wings at a slower pace.

At fifty feet, they stopped flapping their wings and simply held them out as they rapidly glided from the sky.

At thirty feet, they lowered their legs; they braced for impact should something go wrong.

At ten feet, they started galloping in the air; ready to land.

With a stumble and a near fall, the guards landed on the slippery terrain and continued galloping; the chariot landed with a loud thud which caused Luna to stumble, however she soon regained her balance. Slowly but surely, the guards and chariot started to slow. Eventually, they slowed to a brisk trot, easily pulling the chariot and its precious cargo.

The valley continued going straight for a quarter of a mile before making a wide turn to the right. It then angled left slightly before finally ending. The guards followed this path until the valley completely opened up to reveal a hidden kingdom built on a frozen hill. The guards slowed to a walk and then stopped about twenty feet from the main gate. As the chariot rolled to a stop, they unhooked themselves and walked towards the main gate. Luna remained seated on the chariot and looked at gateway; her mind started to fade away to the past.

* * * *

Princess Celestia stepped off of her chariot with an excited smile on her face and her pink mane blowing gently in the wind. She turned around and gently grabbed Princess Luna’s hoof.

“Watch your step,” Celestia said in a motherly way.

“Tia,” Luna complained, “I can’t watch anything with this blindfold on! Can you please tell me what is going on?”

“Just hang on, you’ll see in a second.” Celestia moved her younger sister into position. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“Of course! I’ve been ready about thirty seconds after you put this thing on!”

“Okay then….take off the blindfold!” Celestia said, hardly able to contain herself.

Luna sat down and used her forehooves to slide the blindfold off of her eyes, which then fell to the ground as she opened her eyes. What she saw in front of her was breathtaking.

Luna stood in front of a massive stone archway, which was connected to an equally massive stone wall traveling around a city. Several torches decorated the sides and top; a thick, iron gateway was resting firmly on the ground, blocking entrance into the city. Several guards who were stationed on the archway couldn’t help but smile as they saw Luna’s eyes grow wide and her jaw slowly drop.

“Woah…” was all Luna could say.

“It is pretty impressive isn’t it?” Celestia said.

“So what is this? Another kingdom you had built?”

“It is.”

“Very impressive! But how are you going to rule two kingdoms at once?”

“Oh, well, I’ve thought about that and I came up with the best solution I could think of; I’m not going to rule over two kingdoms. I'm staying at Canterlot.”

“But if you're going to be at Canterlot-” Luna looked back at the gate “-who’s going to rule here?”

A huge smile came across Celestia’s mouth as she excitedly whispered, “you are.”

It took a few seconds for Luna to fully realize what her sister had just said as she continued to stare up at the towering archway. Suddenly, it hit her.

“W-what did you just say?” Luna asked as she turned to face her sister.

“You heard me! You are going to rule this kingdom; I had this place built specifically for you.”

Luna felt her heart beat faster and faster as her excitement grew. Unable to contain herself any longer, she started giggling and jumping up and down in a circle singing, “I get my own kiiiingdom! I get my own kiiingdom!”

“Luna,” Celestia interrupted.

Luna stopped jumping and looked at her sister, “Yes?”

“I know it isn’t for some time still, but let me tell you now: Happy Birthday.”

Luna giggled like a schoolfilly as she embraced her sister in a tight hug.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” Luna let go, and then started to jump around again, throwing all proper princess behavior out the window. “I just can’t believe that I finally have my own kingdom!”

“Well you know, it’s not officially done yet; this place still needs a name, but you can think about that while you get ready for your coronation,” Celestia said smiling at her sister.

Luna stopped jumping and looked at Celestia with wide eyes, “m-my…coronation? But we already had that remember? A long time ago back in Canterlot.”

“In Canterlot, yes but here your subjects are going to want to remember and celebrate when their princess officially came to power.”

To say that Luna was overjoyed is an understatement. She quickly ran over to Celestia and gave the biggest hug she could give. Celestia returned the affection by wrapping her left foreleg around Luna’s back.

A few seconds later, Luna broke the hug and looked back at the gate, “So can we go in?”

“You tell me, this is your kingdom after all; you tell the guards to open the gates.”

Luna looked up to see several guards smiling down at her, ready and excited to obey her command at a moment’s notice. All she needed to do was speak.

“O-open the gate,” Luna said in a quiet voice.

Celestia leaned down and whispered in Luna’s ear, “louder.”

Luna cleared her throat, “Open the gate!”

Without another moment to spare, the guards disappeared and several shouts could be heard, repeating Luna’s command. Soon after Luna spoke, the gate in front of the two sisters let out a moan and shook. With loud, multiple clangs, the gate slowly lifted up, then dropped an inch with a loud thud; it then rose up higher, and then dropped another inch. This continued until only the bottom parts of the gate showed at the top of the archway.

As soon as everything had settled down, Luna immediately grabbed her sister’s forehoof and ran through the gateway. Celestia had to hold her crown steady as she found herself being pulled through the city by her younger sister. Together, the two ran towards the castle, forgetting that either one could simply fly and/or teleport there.

The guards on the archway couldn’t help but smile and laugh as they reflected on how excited their soon-to-be-princess was. Some of the guards even held their hoof to their chest and pretended to have a heart attack on how adorable Luna was being. This only made the guards laugh some more.

* * * *

Luna blinked a few times as her mind rushed back to reality. Her two guards had just reached the gate as she stepped off her chariot and made her way to the archway; which had multiple cracks in the structure, and was frozen over. The once thick iron gateway now lay rusted at an awkward diagonal position in the archway, allowing Luna and her two guards to slip through with a little effort.

Luna stood staring down the main street with a guard flanking both sides of her. Together, they slowly walked down the street, looking at their surroundings. Everything was dead. The only source of light came from the full moon which hung high in the sky. Multiple structures that were once beautiful homes to all kinds of ponies were now collapsed and frozen under snow and thick ice. A cold, arctic wind blew throughout the city causing hanging signs to squeak, shutters to gently tap against walls, and wooden beams to creak.

The three came across to what looked like the last sturdy structure in the entire city, aside from the castle itself. The sign on the front was barely readable thanks to thousands of years of torment by the unforgiving ice, but Luna knew what it was called: ‘The Pony’s Pub.’ One of her guards pushed against the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He then backed up and turned around.

BANG! He bucked the door with one hind leg, but again, it wouldn’t budge.

BANG! He bucked it again, this time with his two hind legs which made the door start to give way.

BANG! The door splintered and cracked and allowed some of the moonlight to shine inside the dark lobby.

BANG! With one final kick, the door broke in two; the half still connected to the wall on rusty hinges grinded open, while the other half fell to the floor with a loud thud, stirring dust and snow into the air.

The guard entered the pub, followed by Luna, then the other guard. It took a while, but their eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness. The entire interior was twisted and warped from wind and melted snow. Some chairs were overturned while others were upside down on a table. It almost looked as though the previous owner had closed up one night and didn’t bother ever opening back up.

“You two wait here,” Luna said as her horn lit up. Two dry, thick logs, and a flint and steel appeared in front of her; the logs floated to the fireplace, while the flint and steel floated to one of her guards, who grabbed it in his hoof. “I’m going to take a walk,” she then turned and headed out the door. She was already outside when one of her guards approached her from behind.

“Your highness, are you sure you will be alright? We can come with you.”

“No thank you, I will be fine. You two stay here and stay warm.”

The guard bowed and retreated back into the pub; Luna turned and walked towards the center of the city.

The first guard inside had just started the fire as the second guard walked in. For the first time in thousands of years, a warm, inviting fire filled one of the town’s pubs. The second guard walked up and sat next to his comrade; a shiver went up both of their spines as heat hit their bodies for the first time since arriving in this frozen wasteland.

“Do you think she will be alright?” the guard on the left asked.

“What do you mean?” the right guard replied.

“Princess Luna; this place is where it happened. Do you think she will be alright?”

“I think so; she probably just needs some time to herself.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Meanwhile, Princess Luna arrived at the center of the city. The shadow of the massive, Gothic-like castle covered over the entire circle. She looked up at a balcony on the castle, which overlooked the center of town; once again, she felt her mind wander.

* * * *

The entire city had gathered into the circular center of the town. The large pit, that would normally have held stacks of wood for a bonfire, was emptied and covered with a flat stone to make room for more ponies for this memorial event.

Banners, streamers, balloons and other decorations were all set up and scattered around the town; all of them having the picture of a crescent moon against a dark blue background. The city glowed like a beacon light as every torch and lantern had been lit for this special occasion. The city could be seen for miles around.

Row after row of tables had been set up in the town center; all of them filled with all kinds of food: from loaves of hot bread, to a vast array of cheeses; from steamed vegetables, to a beautifully assortment of fruit. The most important part, of course, were the stacks of barrels filled to the brink with the best kind of beer and ale from all over Equestria.

Even with all of this food ready to be eaten, nopony would eat a bite until the coronation was finished. Because the city was in the arctic zone, Celestia had put an enchantment on the food that kept it deliciously warm for hours after it was made.

While nopony on the ground saw it, a curtain blocking a window next to the balcony moved slightly, and an extremely nervous Princess Luna peeked through.

“Oh dear…” Luna said to herself. “There are a lot of ponies down there…” Luna gulped a lump down her throat and walked towards the fireplace in her bedroom. She stared at the flames popping and hissing at her. She looked absolutely beautiful in the dim light.

Her light blue mane was bundled into many elegant curls with black and dark blue gems clipped into her mane. She was wearing a light blue, glitter-like eye shadow that sparkled in the light whenever she closed her eyes. A diamond necklace, that had a white crescent moon at the center, rested comfortably against her chest. She wore a dark blue silk dress, decorated with stars, and crescent moons; a black silk sash draped over her right shoulder, it then seemed to melt into her dress around her hip and combine with the rest of the colors at the bottom near her hooves.

“I don’t think I can go through with this…”

“Now what makes you say that?” Celestia said with a smile as she walked into Luna’s room.

Celestia looked just as beautiful as her sister. She was wearing a cream colored dress with a golden sash draped around her left shoulder. She wore a pearl necklace with a golden sun attached to the center. Her pink mane was also made into elegant curls; however instead of having gems clipped into her mane, Celestia’s head adorned a deep purple crown that had a golden frame.

Luna walked back to the window and peeked out again. “I mean just look out there Tia; all those eyes watching me, silently judging me, expecting me to slip or stumble.”

Celestia walked over, shut the curtain, and gently turned Luna’s face to hers, “That is only your nerves talking. Once the coronation gets started, everything will fall into place.”

“But why wasn’t I this nervous back at Canterlot?”

“You were at home; you recognized practically everypony that stood underneath the balcony. This is a new town, filled with new ponies who you don’t know.”

Luna turned from her sister, “Tia, that last part didn’t make me feel any better.”

“Sorry,” Celestia said with a light laugh.

“W-what if I forget parts of my speech. What will I do then?”

“Just speak from your heart; that’s all they want to hear.”

Luna looked at the floor, unconvinced.

“Here,” Celestia said, “I found this in Canterlot just before we left. Maybe this will help cheer you up a little.”

Celestia open her left wing and levitated an old, small, alicorn ragdoll that was hidden underneath. It was made of simple cloth, stitched together with black string. It had a worn out mane and tail, two black button eyes and a gentle smile carefully stitched for its mouth. It looked as though it should belong to a foal living in poverty much less than two royal princesses. The limp doll floated over towards Luna; its neck, wings, and legs dangled freely in the air.

“Hey, I remember this!” Luna said with a smile while looking at the doll. “What did we call her? Princess um…”

“Princess Galaxia.”

“That’s right! Princess Galaxia, the princess of the universe, ruler of the stars!" After a brief pause, Luna spoke again, "oh wow does this bring back memories. Remember when we made her?”

“How could I forget? It was just a few days after you successfully raised the moon for the first time and got your cutie mark. You couldn’t have been much older than a filly.”

Luna rolled Galaxia around in her hoof and sighed, “and just look at me now; getting ready to rule over my very own kingdom.” Luna held Galaxia tight against her chest as she hugged the doll. “Where did all that time go?”

Celestia walked next to Luna and sat down next to her. “They went by too fast,” she then wrapped her right wing around Luna. “But I wouldn’t have traded those years for anything.”

They both leaned on each other and closed their eyes; sitting in silence and enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, Celestia broke the silence.

“Feel better?”

“I do. Thank you Tia.”

The two sat in each other’s embrace for what seemed like hours. Luna felt a bittersweet feeling rise in her as she heard trumpets outside sound, and the crowd cheer.

“That’s my que,” Celestia said as she stood up. “Remember, wait until I call you. I’ll help you if you need it.”

Luna nodded and watched her sister step outside; she was immediately received with an enormous cheer from the crowd below.

Luna, with Galaxia in hoof, once again walked to the curtain and peeked outside the window; every eye was on Celestia, watching every elegant and graceful move she made as she spoke. While Luna still felt nervous, she also felt an increase of excitement build up in her as well.

Finally, the big moment came.

Celestia stepped to her side next to a pedestal, which had a red pillow with a white cloth on top. “Without further to do, allow me to introduce to you your princess, Princess Luna!” The crowd instantly cheered as loud as they could.

Inside, Luna gave Galaxia one final tight hug, and then tucked her underneath her left wing. She then stepped out and walked to the edge of the balcony. The crowd cheered even louder than before; some of the ponies were jumping up and down while others were stomping the forelegs. Some were twirling noisemakers, while others were shouting at the top of their lungs. It was some time before they calmed down long enough to listen what their princess was going to say.

Once they were all quiet, Luna spoke.

“I um…-” Luna laughed nervously “-I had a speech all ready for this moment; but as soon as I stepped out and saw how happy and excited you all are…well…I think I'm just going to speak from the heart real quick.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly.

“I want to thank you all for accepting me here into this wonderful city. I have never come across a city that is so relaxed and easygoing, yet dedicated and hardworking at the same time. I promise to lead you all to the best of my ability; to interact and spend time with you. I can honestly say that I am just as excited to be here as you all are; and I am looking forward to the many years ahead.”

Luna then turned to Celestia and kneeled. Celestia’s horn glowed with a bright yellow aura as she used her magic to take off the white cloth on the pillow to reveal a beautiful crown.

The crown was silver with many loops and twirls decorating the side and getting smaller the farther they traveled around towards the back of the crown. At the front was a small oval that had black and dark blue gems decorating the edges. Hovering just in front of the oval was a tiny, brightly glowing crescent moon with tiny stars that twinkled in random areas around it. The moon itself was made from a Solar Stone. A Solar Stone is the rarest and most beautiful stone in Equestria, as it is not only able to emit its own light, like the sun, but it is also able to defy gravity. Celestia levitated the crown in front of her, and gently placed it on Luna’s head. It was a perfect fit.

The crowd cheered and whistled as Luna rose to her hooves. Before the crowd could get out of control though, Celestia raised a hoof to silence the crowd.

“When I had this place built” –Celestia began- “I purposefully left out a name. I have left the task of naming this city to Princess Luna.” Celestia turned to her sister. “Well Luna? Have you decided on a name?”

“I have. I have thought long and hard about this and have decided that the name of this city shall be…” Luna paused to add dramatic effect. Everypony in the crowd was leaning over so far, they were all about to fall over.

“Winter Solstice!”

The crowd cheered and stomped their hooves as confetti and fireworks shot off into the sky.

* * * *

Luna snapped back to reality and looked around the center of the town. Part of her was expecting to see a citizen or some form of pony life, but the other half soon reminded her that nopony was going to be here, and that she was alone. She let her head hang a little as she walked towards the castle.

The Darkness Within

Luna entered the castle through one of the side courtyards. The courtyard was a large circle with an outer walkway that was covered over by an archway. At the center of the courtyard was a large circular, wooden platform that rose up a few feet from the ground. Luna stood staring at the old frozen platform.

* * * *

"Dear Tia:

It has been three months since the coronation, and might I say that Winter Solsticeis prospering rather well. Not only have we expanded our walls, but we have even started a school of magic here at the castle. You might find that odd, considering that many of the unicorns in Winter Solsticeare brewmasters and love having drinks with their friends at the many taverns in the kingdom; however, to my surprise, there are many who want to study more about arcane and magic than brewmaking.

Even though things are going well, I must confess that I am feeling...strange; I think part of it has something to do with the fact that we don't see much of each other anymore. I know you said that we would visit each other often, but I've noticed that we have been writing each other more than we've been seeing each other. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I miss you my dear sister; a lot.

Enclosed with this letter is a package that has Princess Galaxia inside. I believe it is your turn to take care of her for now. I was looking forward to giving her to you in person, but I suppose that will have to wait for another time. I hope we will be together again the next time you give her to me.

Your sister, Princess Luna."

Luna was sitting on the outer walkway with a guard, reading over the letter. After she was satisfied with what it said, she folded the letter, put it in a sealed envelope, and gave it to the guard.

"Can you please send this to Celestia right away?" she asked the guard.

The guard nodded and then walked towards the castle through the crowd of students that were enjoying the afternoon sun in the courtyard.

Luna looked around at the students and couldn't help but smile. There were some students who were sitting along the walkway enjoying the view of the landscape, however most were in the courtyard practicing different spells, studying for an exam or just simply talking to each other. Luna started to make her way towards the castle when she heard a young voice call up to her.

"Excuse me, Princess Luna?"

Luna looked down to see a young unicorn filly looking up at her with nervous eyes.

"Yes little one, can I help you?"

"Well...my name is Moonshine, and I just learned how to levitate items...would it be ok if I showed you?"

"Absolutely! You may begin whenever you're ready," Luna said with a smile.

Moonshine took a few steps back, pulled out a quill from her saddlebag with her mouth, and set it between her and Luna. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes tight; her horn glowed on and off as she tried harder and harder to levitate the quill. A couple of students gathered around them and watched. Try as she might, she couldn't levitate the quill. It was then that Luna noticed something about the filly; Moonshine's horn glowed with the same colored aura as hers.

Luna tilted her head so that Moonshine couldn't see her horn; just as she was about to give up, Luna activated her magic and slowly levitated the quill. The expression on Moonshine's face was priceless; a few of the students around them smiled and giggled as they saw Moonshine's eyes shine with excitement. After a few seconds, Luna lowered the quill and looked down at the still awestruck filly.

"I...I did it..."

"Great job Moonshine! But I want you to keep practicing ok?"

"O-ok Luna, I certainly will!"

Moonshine turned and disappeared into the crowd, forgetting all about her quill. Luna smiled and once again, started to head towards the castle; however, she was interrupted by a horn being blown that caused everypony to turn towards the large wooden platform.

On top of the platform stood the headmaster of the school; the famous Starswirl the Bearded. While everypony had crowded around the platform, Luna stayed near the back of the crowd where she could get a better view. All of the students were cheering and chanting "Duel! Duel! Duel!" until Starswirl held out his foreleg and motioned for everypony to quiet down.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts, a student from the House of Talonclaw has challenged another student from the House of Willowwood to a magic duel! Standard rules apply; first one to knock their opponent off of the platform is the winner!" Starswirl then turned to the two students.

"Remember, non-lethal spells only," the two nodded in compliance.

Starswirl stepped off of the stage as the two duelists took defensive stances. Nopony made a sound for several minutes as the two duelists waited for the other to make a move. Without warning, the student from Willowwood shot a beam of white energy; the student from Talonclaw retaliated by shooting a beam of red energy. The two beams met in the center of the arena and flashed with an incredible light.

* * * *

Luna put her hoof on the platform and pressed down; the wood started to groan and crack under the small pressure. Deciding to not take the risk of falling through, she brought her hoof back to the ground. She then turned and headed to the walkway; she tried to look out and enjoy the view, but a small snow storm had moved itself over the castle, which prevented her from looking over the landscape. After a few minutes of waiting for the storm to die down, Luna gave up and headed towards the castle.

With a lot of effort, Luna was able to push the door open. The worn-out hinges grinded against each other, which released a sharp high pitched moan that made Luna flatten her ears against her head. She pushed the door open no farther than she had to and stepped inside. Inside was slightly warmer than the outside thanks to the thick stone walls blocking the wind. It was also very dark.

Luna's horn glowed with a blue aura, then a few seconds later, a torch and a lighter appeared floating next to her. After a few clicks from the lighter, the torch caught fire. She levitated the torch far enough from her so that she could see ahead, but close enough so that she could feel its embracing warmth. Luna started walking farther into the castle, but stopped after a few steps and turned towards the door.

Luna looked at her cloak, made a clicking noise with her mouth, and motioned her head towards the door. Instantly, her cloak began to wave as if a breeze was rushing through it; a split second later, it started to break off into little sections and morph into bats. The bats flew around Luna with small high pitched screeches, then flew towards the door and out of the castle. The warmth of the torch was now able to hit every part of Luna's body, giving her a much needed break from the cold. After all of the bats had flown out, she turned and once again began her journey through the castle.

* * * *

It had been seven months since Luna's coronation. Both her and Celestia had grown older and many changes had occurred, but probably the biggest change had been with Celestia. She had become more powerful, as indicated by her mane and tail changing from being a solid pink to a light fluorescent "rainbow" like color. The entirety of Equestria celebrated this momentous occasion.

Luna, on the other hoof, had yet to ascend to such a powerful state which made her feel discouraged. Yes, she was happy for older sister, but at the same time, she also felt jealous of her. Luna was trying as hard as she could to be like her sister, but it was never enough. As the months went on, Celestia's image seemed to grow bigger leaving Luna in a cold, lonely shadow. Hopefully, with tonight's special event, she could get some advice from a good friend.

Luna quickly made her way to Starswirl's chambers. Her duties as princess had forced her to be a few minutes late for Starswirl's retirement party, but as she approached his chamber doors she could still hear plenty of laughter and talking coming from the other side. She pushed the door open.

The room was crowded with many ponies, mainly students from the school, and was decorated with streamers, and banners that said "We'll miss you!" and "Farewell Headmaster!" As Luna entered, the ponies around the entrance immediately bowed; Luna nodded and the ponies resumed their conversations. Luna looked around and saw Starswirl sitting in a corner talking to some stallions. She started making her way to him.

Being a princess, Luna didn't have too much difficulty getting to Starswirl; all of the ponies made a hole for her to get through. As she got closer, she could hear him giving the stallions his "what-every-colt-needs-to-hear-before-becoming-a-stallion" speech.

"Excuse me," Luna spoke, "may I interrupt?"

"Luna!" Starswirl said happily. "No interruption at all my dear. I was just finishing up." He then turned to the group of stallions. "Remember this final lesson and you'll do good when you're out in the real world."

The group slowly nodded, obviously deep in thought. They were so concentrated on their thoughts, they completely forgot about Luna who was standing right next to them. Luna let it go though; it's not as if they were doing anything wrong, they were just thinking about their future. Starswirl turned back to Luna as the last stallion walked away.

"How can I help you my dear?"

'My dear,' those words made Luna's mind started to drift.

Starswirl was probably the only pony in all of Winter Solstice-no-in all of Equestria who referred to Luna as 'my dear' and probably the only pony who could get away with it. Something about the way he said that phrase made him seem very grandfatherly. It was strange though; despite him being very knowledgeable and kind, he didn't have very many friends. In fact, during the many years Luna had known Starswirl, she would always find him either in the library working on a spell or in his chambers...working on a spell.

"Luna? Are you alright?" Starswirl said as he waved his hoof in front of Luna's face.

Luna blinked a few times as her mind came back, "oh yes, I'm fine. Um...I was wondering if I could talk with you about something."

"Well sure! What would you like-" Starswirl started but was interrupted by a maid carrying a platter with two mugs filled with ale.

"Would you two like a drink?" she asked cheerfully.

"Oooo don't mind if I do," Starswirl said as he grabbed one of the mugs.

Luna looked down at the drink in front of her. She never considered herself a big drinker but, on occasion, she would have a mug or two with some of her subjects at the popular Taverns throughout the town. She would also share a few drinks with Starswirl during big celebrations. It was enough to have a good time, but not enough to get drunk. Tonight though, Luna didn't feel like drinking; she just wanted to talk and the ale would've gotten in the way of that. However, not wanting to be rude, she grabbed the other mug and thanked the maid, who bowed with a smile and walked away to serve the other ponies in the crowd.

"What say we go somewhere quieter?" Starswirl asked.

Luna nodded in agreement.

The two made their way out of the room and onto a balcony overlooking part of the town. Starswirl shut the door after Luna exited, which blocked most of the noise coming from the room. Luna walked over to the edge, set her mug of ale on the railing, and sat down; Starswirl joined her a few seconds later.

"Now my dear," -Starswirl took a sip of his ale- "what is on your mind?"

Luna sighed, "I don't know. I've been feeling 'off' for a while and I'm not sure why."

"What do you mean by 'off'? Can you try and describe what you are feeling?"

"Umm...I guess...sadness, restlessness, uneasiness...um...I also feel bitterness."

"I see," Starswirl put his hoof up to his chin as he thought. "When was the last time you spent any time with Celestia?"

"Well as you know, she did visit two weeks ago; we had dinner together along with a few others."

"Did you feel better then?"

"A little, I mean, enough to where I was able to actually smile" -Luna thought for a moment- "I think I see where you are going with this.

"Oh?" Starswirl said as he lifted an eyebrow.

"I do miss my sister terribly. She promised me that me being here wouldn't separate us; that she would visit often and help me when I need her but...she rarely visits and...I ask for help in my letters, mainly about my feelings, but all I get is reassurance that I can handle this. Do you think that is it? Am I just simply missing my sister?"

"I think that is a major part of the issue. Is there something more?"

"There is; for the past few months, I have been asking myself: 'Why am I feeling this way? Why do I get upset when I am looking over the city at night and when I am walking around during the day?' I'm really close to the answer, I know I am. I feel as though it is staring me in the face, but I can't see it. It is so frustrating Starswirl! To know you are on the verge of discovery, but a simple answer blocks your path! What do you think?"

Starswirl thought for a moment before he replied, "I think, sometime soon, you need to take a break. Go visit your sister in Canterlot for a while and rekindle the fire you two once had. As for the question you've been asking yourself, I would be very cautious about finding out the answer; as sometimes the answer to those kind of questions are too much to handle on your own."

" 'On your own' huh?" Luna said with a small smile. "You want me to talk to my sister about this when I visit her, don't you?"

"What do you think?" Starswirl said with a wink. "You can't keep these emotions bottled up inside."

Luna looked out over the town, "I will think about what you have said."

Starswirl nodded and took another sip of his ale. After a few minutes of silence, he stood up.

"Well Luna," he said, "I think it's about time to leave."

"You're leaving? What about your party?"

"I was never really one for parties. Let them celebrate till their heart's content."

"Where are you going?"

"I have some..." -Starswirl took a quite glance at Luna "work that I have to do."

"Again?" Luna asked with a disappointed tone.

Starswirl nodded.

"Alright then, fair well my friend."

"Fair well my dear!" With that said, Starswirl took a few steps back as his horn started glowing. After a few seconds, he teleported away with a bright flash.

Luna was left alone with her thoughts.

"Take a break...you mean take a vacation. I don't need a vacation and I don't want to talk to Tia right now. If Tia behaves anything like she has been in her letters, shes just going to give me a lecture. Thanks for all the 'help' Starswirl,"

"No, what I really need is to know exactly why I am feeling this way. Why do I get upset when I walk around the city during the daytime and see everypony going about their lives; why I feel inadequate after I raise the moon and look over the city. Why do I feel....feel...wait a minute."

Luna perked up and leaned over the rail as she looked over the merchant section of the city. She noticed that everypony had closed their shops for the night; everypony was inside their homes for the night; everypony was asleep for the night! Luna stood with her mouth slightly hung open in disbelief.

"Everyponysleeps through my beautiful night...they relish in the day and shun the night. Why? Do...do they like Celestia more than me? If so, what did I do? Am I not doing a good enough job? Am I doing something wrong? Maybe its something that I'm notdoing? So many questions...I need to see something..."

Without another thought, Luna quickly stood up and turned, knocking her now cold mug of ale off the rail and sending it falling down towards the snow covered ground.

Luna quickly made her way through the crowd of cheerful ponies and towards her room.

* * * *

Luna approached her old room; the doors had long since fallen off of their hinges. Luna stepped in and looked around, letting the torch lead her eyes. Most of the room was empty, save for some tattered drapes barely hanging onto the window and some frozen logs spilt from the fireplace. The only piece of furniture in the room was a lone nightstand with a cracked mirror.

As she walked towards the mirror, she sniffed the air which caused her nose to cringe. The stench of burning arcane could still be smelt lingering in the air. Luna looked down at the floor a few feet from the mirror; burn marks could be seen staining the floor. She lifted her hoof and gently set it on one of the burn marks. As she put her hoof down, she let out a small gasp; even after thousands of years, the black stained floor was still warm to the touch. Luna looked up to the mirror at her multiple reflections.

"Did I really have thatmuch anger inside me?" She thought.

* * * *

Luna paced about her room ripping through books of recent events and dropping them on the floor with a grunt of frustration when she didn't find what she was looking for.

After a while, Luna stopped and stared at her mirror on her nightstand.

"I...I can't believe it," she said to herself. "Every piece of record...every kind of special event that has happened throughout Equestria...all credit has gone to Celestia. I am hardly mentioned anywhere and when I do get mentioned, I only get referred to as 'Celestia's Sister'."

"Is this how I am going to be remembered? As 'Celestia's Sister'?"

Luna's confusion turned to anger.

"This is because she is more powerful than me isn't it? I mean everypony notices everything she does and celebrates over her smallest accomplishment, however I hardly get noticed for anything I do; especially when it comes to my nights! Everypony enjoys her day, but then they sleep through my night! Everypony thinks I can't handle this; that I will never be as powerful as my sister. She is always several steps ahead of me; she always has to be the first to do everything. It's as if nothing I do is good enough!"

Luna stopped for a few minutes to catch her breath.

"It's. not. FAIR!" Luna suddenly shouted; she let her anger get the better of her as she punched her mirror; the mirror cracked from the sudden impact. While she was panting and staring at her many reflections, her pupils shrank as something in her snapped. Her horn started glowing as she back away from the mirror.

Luna's heart rate quickened and she started to breath faster as her horn glowed brighter. Suddenly, she lowered her head and shouted at the top of her lungs, immediately being surrounded by a tornado of arcane energy. Luna gritted her teeth as her body began to grow and change: her blue coat slowly turned a midnight black, her hair went from being light blue to a dark, starry night, her voice changed to a lower tone and her teeth became longer and sharper. Light blue armor appeared on each of her hooves, her chest and her head. She started to chuckle, then lifted her head and started to laugh maniacally as her body started to rise in the updraft of the funnel.

Just as suddenly as it began, the arcane "tornado" vanished; leaving only a smoking, glowing blue circle around the Alicorn, who fell to the floor radiating with smoking arcane. Her entire body was shaking and tensing up as she had several, violent dry heaves. She was finally able to gasp for breath when the dry heaves had passed but was unable to move as every muscle in her body was cramping. Eventually, with hooves shaking and legs wobbling, she was able to stand. She slowly stood up and opened her eyes; her pupils had changed to being very animal-like; almost like that of a dragon.

While slowly breathing in and out, she looked at her cracked reflections for several minutes before a wide, malicious smile slowly overtook her mouth.

"I think it's time for our dear sister to pay us a visit..." she then grabbed a parchment and a quill, and began to write.

"Dear Celestia:

Please come see me right away. There is something I need you to see.

-Your Sister"

Nightmare Night

Luna's hooves ached as she explored more of the castle; this place was a lot bigger than she remembered. How long had she been here? It had felt like four hours at least, but she knew that wasn't right; more like a half-hour, maybe forty five minutes at the most. It was all of these stairs that were taking a toll on her body. After walking a little longer, Luna finally found the room she was looking for: her throne room.

The room was a long rectangle with multiple large, marble pillars and a giant hole in the ceiling. The main doors were on one side and her throne on the other. Above the throne was a large circular stained-glass window that allowed the moonlight to shine through, reducing the torche’s use to being strictly for warmth. She walked towards her rusted, dust covered throne.

* * * *

It had been six hours since Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon; six hours since she sent the letter to Celestia and stated that she would never again lower the moon and make night last forever. Nightmare Moon sat alone in silence on her throne as she stared at the floor. She suddenly turned her ears towards the main doors as she heard loud hoof steps approach.

Celestia burst through the throne room doors.

"What is the meaning of this?" Celestia said in a firm voice.

Nightmare Moon was silent.

"You need to lower the moon! You know as well as I do that everything relies on sunlight. Without it, Equestria's plants will die; if the plants die, we have no food!"

Nightmare Moon remained silent.

"Sister, talk to me. This isn't you. What is troubling you?"

Nightmare Moon still didn't say anything.

"Luna, please."

Suddenly, Nightmare Moon grinned and walked out into the light, "I think you will find that 'Luna' is rather indisposed."

Celestia gasped as took a few steps back, "Luna...w-what has happened to you..."

An evil smile spread over Nightmare Moon's face, "why so shocked Celestia? Aren't you proud of me; of your little sister? You should be, after all, you were the one who pushed me to this point. Without you, I would never have gotten to where I am now."

"Luna...please..."

Nightmare Moon became angry and charged her magic, "I am NOT Luna anymore!" Nightmare Moon shot a beam of dark energy at Celestia, who didn't have enough time to dodge the surprise attack. Celestia flew backwards and slammed against the wall, causing dust to cover the immediate area.

Celestia stumbled out of the dust cloud and regained her composure. Nightmare Moon charged towards Celestia horn first ready to impale her against the wall.

Celestia quickly jumped out of the way, landing on her side; causing something small to fall from underneath her wing. She quickly stood back up.

"I do NOT want to fight you Luna!" she shouted.

Nightmare Moon charged a large ball of energy on the tip of her horn, which then shot three large energy beams that homed in on Celestia.

Celestia quickly dashed and took to the sky. She flew around the room trying to avoid the spell beams, but to no avail; they kept following her. After several close calls, Celestia flew up towards the ceiling. One of the beams swooped low towards the floor and swung up towards Celestia. At the last possible second, Celestia dodged the beam which then collided into the ceiling; blowing a massive hole in the ceiling. Celestia flew through the hole, followed by the other two beams.

Celestia flew around the castle, under large stone bridges, even up into the clouds to try and lose the beams, but no matter what she tried, the beams matched her move for move and slowly crept closer and closer. She finally did a quick loop; Celestia was able to turn on a dime, however the beams had to turn in a wide arch. This bought her several more seconds.

Celestia shot towards the ground and glided a few feet above it; by now, the beams had already swooped down and were quickly gaining on her. The citizens, who were unaware of what was happening in the castle, quickly jumped and dashed out of Celestia's way. She flew straight towards a fountain and quickly flew around it; one of the beams followed her around the obstacle, but the other collided into it, instantly disintegrating the fountain and shooting a stream of water high into the sky.

She doubled-back towards the castle, hoping to get her last follower to collide into something else. Unfortunately, she didn't notice Nightmare Moon standing just outside of the doors to her throne room; before Celestia could find something, Nightmare Moon shot a small beam from her horn. It quickly flew through the sky towards Celestia; Celestia didn't notice it until it was too late.

The small beam made contact and sent her muscles into an uncontrollable spasm as strong, electric currents traveled throughout her body. Celestia plummeted towards the castle and into the throne room, she finally slid to a stop in a corner of the room with the last beam quickly approaching.

Still unable to control her body, Celestia could only watch as the last beam flew through the open door straight towards her. She braced herself and closed her eyes; only to hear small hoof steps quickly approaching her.

Out of nowhere, Starswirl ran over towards Celestia and stood between her and the beam. At the last second, Starswirl back-hoofed the beam which sent it flying through the hole, towards the night sky. He then turned towards Nightmare Moon.

"Luna! Stop this insanity!"

Nightmare Moon stared at Starswirl with a shocked, angry expression on her face, "I can honestly say, Starswirl this is a complete surprise...I didn't expect YOU of all ponies to become a traitor."

"I am not the traitor, Luna. You are! By allowing your bitterness and jealousy to overtake you; you have betrayed your friends, your family, and even yourself!"

Nightmare Moon shot another beam of energy directly at Starswirl, who absorbed the blast with his horn. "Look at yourself Luna!" he said. "Is this what you want!? You have become a twisted version of yourself! You have become a nightmare!"

A furious Nightmare Moon then spread out her wings; without warning, a swarm of bats made out of pure shadow flew over towards Starswirl and started swirling around him, lifting him into the air. Celestia could only watch as more and more bats flew around Starswirl until he could no longer be seen. Suddenly, the bats dispersed and disappeared. The only thing that remained of Starswirl was his wizard hat and cloak, which glided to the floor.

Celestia stared at his cloak and hat in horror, then looked up to see Nightmare Moon slowly walking towards her with an evil smile.

"Luna!" a familiar voice shouted from behind Nightmare Moon. She turned in shock to see Starswirl, wearing his traditional garb, walking out from the shadows. "Think about what you are doing Luna! You just tried to kill me even though I have done nothing wrong!"

"I am going to do a LOT more than kill you now!" Nightmare Moon shouted.

"It's going to be harder than you think," said another voice to her left. Nightmare Moon looked to see another Starswirl walk out of the shadows.

"Wha...but-but how?"

"Come on Luna," said a third Starswirl walking into the room. "Surely you remember Basic Illusion Spells 101." As he was speaking, three more Starswirls entered into the room.

Nightmare Moon laughed, "yes I do. I also know that in order to split yourself this many times, makes the real one extremely weak in power. All I have to do is find the right one."

Without warning, the six Starswirls jumped Nightmare Moon; creating a dust cloud. Celestia tried to get to her hooves and help, but her legs gave out from under her. Before she hit the ground however, she was caught by somepony; she looked to see that it was Starswirl, the real one.

"Hello princess," he said as he put one of her legs around his shoulders. "We are getting out of here."

"No...I-I can't leave...must help....Luna."

"We will your majesty. I have a plan, but we-" Starswirl was interrupted by one of his clones flying out of the dust cloud and slamming against a wall. After it hit the ground, it vanished in a cloud of white smoke. "We have to go now!"

Before Celestia could protest, Starswirl's horn glowed brightly and the two teleported away.

Starswirl's clones instantly vanished and Nightmare Moon was left alone. She looked around and shouted in frustration when she saw the Celestia had escaped.

As she was walking towards the door, she stepped on something that caused her to stumble. She looked down and saw Princess Galaxia staring back up at her with a gentle smile. Celestia probably dropped her at some point during the fight.

Nightmare Moon stared at Galaxia as she held her in her hoof. After a few minutes, she narrowed her eyes as tears started to form. Nightmare Moon became angry again and quickly made her way outside. When she was out, she took aim and threw Galaxia as hard as she could; Galaxia flew through the air and, from Nightmare Moon's perspective, landed inside what looked like a smoking chimney.

"Good riddance," she said as she walked back inside and slammed the doors shut behind her.

* * * *

Luna pushed the main doors open and was instantly hit with a sharp wind that blew out her torch; the snow storm had become stronger since the last she was out. She took a few steps back, brought her hoof to her mouth and let out a sharp, high-pitched whistle.

Instantly, small bats flew out from the shadows of the castle and swarmed Luna. One by one, they attached to each other and morphed back into her cloak. When they were finished, Luna pulled the hood over her head and walked outside into the main courtyard. Her hardest memory was just ahead.

* * * *

It has been several days since Nightmare Moon last slept, and exhaustion was starting to take it's tole on her body; dark circles were under her heavy eyes and her breathing was long, and wheezy. Since the fight with Celestia, everything in the city has changed.

Just as Celestia said, Nightmare Moon's never ending night has already started taking its tole on the environment; vegetation has started to wither and freeze in the ever growing colder nights, and the city's food rations have started to dwindle.

Her once faithful-unto-death guards now serve only out of fear. Her subjects, those who didn't flee the city after the fight, hide in their homes mourning for their lost Princess of the Night.

Nightmare Moon was just about to fall asleep on her throne when Celestia walked through the front door with a stern look on her face and her wings closed.

"It's about time you showed up," Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle. "I was getting bored."

Celestia didn't answer.

"Not talking this time hm?"

No answer.

"Fine then," Nightmare Moon said as she stood up. "Let's begin." Quick as lightning, she suddenly lunged at Celestia.

Celestia retaliated by shooting a beam of light at Nightmare Moon; it hit it's mark and sent Nightmare Moon flying backwards and crashing onto her throne. Nightmare Moon quickly got back up shot a beam of dark energy of Celestia.

Celestia aimed her horn at the beam; when it made contact, the beam split in two, hitting the side walls. After it had past, Celestia looked up to see Nightmare Moon flying through the air at her. Nightmare Moon tackled Celestia so hard, that the two tumbled out of the throne room, down the steps and into the main courtyard. Celestia slid several feet away from Nightmare Moon.

The two hit the ground hard, but they quickly got back up and simultaneously charged their horns and shot another beam at each other; the two beams met and collided with tremendous force, making a sphere of energy in the middle. The two Alicorns put all of their strength into their magic; slowly, the two started walking towards each other while still casting, the force from the sphere caused the ground to shake and crack.

The closer they got, the harder it was to move and cast their magic. Eventually, the two were inside the sphere, mere inches from each other; they put their forehooves on each other's shoulders as they forced their horns closer and closer, neither of them yielding to the other. Finally, the two horns touched; just the small tip, but that was enough to make the sphere explode and send the two flying in opposite ways. The two dazed Alicorns slowly got up.

Nightmare Moon spread her wings and her eyes glowed white as her horn lit up. Instantly, all of the shadows in the immediate area detached themselves from their homes and slid to Nightmare Moon; a large ball of dark energy slowly grew on Nightmare Moon's horn.

Celestia reacted by unfolding her wings; when she did, six gems floated out from underneath them: one red, one orange, one green, one blue, one pink, and one purple, all of them having six sides. The gems spun as they slowly circled Celestia's body.

Nightmare Moon suddenly shot a massive beam of dark energy at Celestia; Celestia took a defensive stance and levitated the gems in front of her. The gems quickly bunched together, then separated into a unique star-like pattern, with the purple gem being in the center. Instantly, a golden shield surrounded Celestia which absorbed the beam. After the shield vanished, the gems went back to their 'dance' around Celestia, who by now had charged her horn and shot another beam of light, which made contact on Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon screamed in agony as the intense light burned her flesh. She shook it off and prepared for another attack. Before she could shoot another blast however, Celestia's horn flashed with an incredible light; temporary blinding Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon shouted and held her head in agony; blinking multiple times trying to regain her sight, meanwhile Celestia was charging her horn as the gems spun around her body faster and faster. In a matter of seconds, a rainbow ring spun around Celestia.

"I'm so sorry Luna..." she whispered as a tear sneaked out of one of her closed eyes.

Suddenly, Celestia's body shined like a star as a rainbow beam shot straight into the sky and gathered into a white sphere of light. A split second later, a rainbow spiral shot out of the sphere and spun towards Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon was able to fully gain her sight just long enough to see the spiral zooming towards her; she instantly found herself surrounded in a rainbow tornado and being lifted in the air. She quickly found it hard to breath as a sphere of light formed around her and started to close in on her. Nightmare Moon thrashed her legs trying to get free, but the sphere ignored her struggling and continued to get smaller and smaller.

Celestia finally opened her eyes to reveal that they were white and shining. As if on command, the sphere shot up into the sky towards the moon.

That was the last thing Luna remembered.

* * * *

Luna lay where she stood as Nightmare Moon 1,000 years ago; tear drops could be seen sliding down her face and disappearing into the snow. The idea that she should just lay where she was and let the snow bury her popped into her head, but was quickly shot down. After a few minutes, she stood up and made her way down the main road. Reflecting on the events after her banishment.

According to Celestia, a few hours after her banishment, Celestia had ordered everypony to move out of the city because one, managing two kingdoms at once is too much for a princess; and second, there was nothing left in Winter Solstice except heartache and bad memories. Celestia gave the citizens three days to move out. On the third day, Celestia and her guards did one final check of the city to make sure everypony had left. When they had exited, the gate closed shut behind her for the last time.

Luna fought with the wind as she walked back towards The Pony's Pub. She would've missed it completely if it wasn't for the pub's sign that she ran into. She walked in to find the fire still lit, and her two guards still sitting by it; except they were asleep, propped up against each other's backs.

Luna cleared her throat which caused the guard facing her to slowly open his eyes.

"Ah! Oh! Luna!" He said as he scrambled to get up. The sudden movement made his comrade fall flat on his back.

"Why the hay did you get up like that you-" he started to say but then stopped when he saw Luna. "-Princess Luna!" he too scrambled to stand up at attention but slipped slightly on the ice.

Luna couldn't help but laugh lightly at her two guards. "Ready to leave?" she asked.

"Whenever you are ma'am," the left guard said.

"Then let's go," she said as she made a bucket of water appear. The right guard took it and extinguished the fire as the other guard and Luna walked out of the building.

"You're highness," the guard asked. "Are you alright?"

Luna looked at the guard and smiled, "yes I am." -Luna sighed- "I'll be just fine."

The guard nodded with a smile as the other guard joined them. The three then made their way back to the chariot.

As the chariot took off, Luna looked back to see Winter Solstice slowly disappearing into the distance. The last thing she saw of the city was the top of the castle dip below the horizon.

"Princess Luna," one of the guards called back. "Before I lit the fire, I found something in the fireplace that seemed interesting. I thought you might know what it is. It's in that small chest."

Luna looked down to see a little blue lockbox sitting safely in the back of the chariot. She opened it and gasped.

There, staring at her with black button eyes and a gentle smile stitched into its mouth was Princess Galaxia. The poor doll had seen better days; one of her button eyes was dangling by a thread. It was water logged, partially frozen and had several holes in it; however it was nothing a little TLC couldn't fix.

Tears of joy came to Luna's eyes as she looked at one of her most cherished possessions. She held Galaxia to her chest with her hoof and hugged her very tightly, slowly rocking from side to side. She stayed that way for most of the trip.

Canterlot was coming into view when Luna finally looked up.

"Are we heading back to Canterlot?" Luna asked the guards.

"Yes ma'am. Is that alright?"

"Actually, change course. Take me to Ponyville please. It's Nightmare Night there correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright, let's go there," she said as she put Galaxia back in the lockbox.

The chariot shifted and turned towards Ponyville as Luna made a quill and parchment appear in front of her. She wrote a quick message, and made it disappear. Within fifteen minutes, Ponyville became visible on the horizon.

"Time to put the past behind me," Luna thought."What's done is done, and I cannot change that. I suppose the only thing now is to learn from the past, and mend what relationships I can."

Luna looked over the side of the chariot as it flew over the Everfree Forest. It looked as though a small crowd of ponies were standing beside a statue.

"I just hope the citizens of Ponyville agree with me."

The chariot suddenly dipped and descended towards the ground near Town Hall.

"Hmmm, I wonder, do ponies still use the Canterlot Royal Voice and talk in the third person nowadays? Oh well, we'll try it and see how it goes."

Epilogue

Celestia walked through the Canterlot garden; it was one of the things she did to relax and reflect on the day. As she was walking, a letter materialized in front of her and fell to the ground. She levitated it and opened it up expecting it to be another letter from Twilight; instead, it was from Luna.

"Dear Tia,

I just got back from Winter Solstice. You were right, the trip did do me a lot of good. Thank you. One of my guards found somethingthat I know you will love, but I won't say what it is until I get back! Speaking of which,I have decided to head to Ponyville for a while. I am going to try and mend some of the wounds I left last time I was in the town. I will be back later tonight.

I love you very much, Tia.

-Your Sister, Luna"

Celestia smiled and sighed in contentment as she walked farther into the garden. She eventually came across a memorial statue of Starswirl the Bearded. She approached the statue and looked up at it.

"Thank you dear friend. Without you, my sister wouldn't be here."

* * * *

"No...I-I can't leave...must help....Luna."

Before Celestia could protest, Starswirl's horn glowed bright and the two teleported away.

The two instantly arrived at the old castle within the Everfree Forest.

"Take me back.." Celestia said weakly.

"Not right now Celestia. You are very weak and you need to rest," he said as he laid her on the ground.

"But...but Luna...she-"

"-Is gone Celestia. I'm sorry, but that thing isn't Luna anymore."

"No...no that can't be...there has to be a way to save her. I can't turn her into stone like we did with Discord. I-I-I just can't!"

"Shhh, we can talk about that later; but for now, take it easy."

Celestia slowly sat up and hung her head, "why did this happen Starswirl?"

"Well, part of it is Luna's fault for allowing her negative emotions to take over, but...but the other part of it-"

"Is my fault yes?" Celestia interrupted.

Starswirl didn't reply; he instead sighed.

"Looking back," Celestia started. "This is my fault...all of it. I should've seen this coming. I neglected my sister; assuming that it was simply the stress of being a princess that was getting to her. I thought it was just a phase and that she would, and could, get over it without my help. I'm a terrible sister."

"Stop right there Celestia. You are not a terrible sister; you simply made a mistake."

"But that mistake, as you put it, just cost me my only sister!"

"Actually, maybe not."

"What?"

"I've been studying celestial bodies for several months now; I think there might be a way to save Luna."

"Then tell me! What is it!?"

"Celestia, for the plan I have....the spell...it's going to banish her away for one thousand years."

"One-one...One thousand years!!?" Celestia hung her mouth open. "No I....I don't know if I could do that..."

"Celestia, it's either turn her into stone and never see her again, or banish her to the moon for one thousand years and maybe see her again one day."

"Maybe? There's still a chance that I won't see her again?"

Starswirl slowly nodded.

"Does it have to be the moon?"

Starswirl slowly nodded.

"Can you help me cast it?"

Starswirl slowly shook his head.

Celestia thought for a while before speaking up, "where's the scroll?"

Starswirl levitated the scroll in front of Celestia and unrolled it. Celestia studied the symbols and words on the parchment before standing up and turning to Starswirl.

"Where are the Elements?" Starswirl asked.

"Back at Canterlot."

-RIGHT BEFORE LUNA'S BANISHMENT-

Celestia finally opened her eyes to reveal that they were white and shining. As if on command, the sphere shot up into the sky towards the moon.

Ominous silence then fell over the courtyard.

One by one, the Elements of Harmony fell on the ground as Celestia stood staring at the scorched ground where her sister was just a few seconds ago. Her legs became shaky and her breathing quick and shallow as she tried to hold back the flood of tears building up in her eyes. It was then that Celestia noticed something on the black ground.

She walked over and found Luna's Solar Stone laying on the ground, cracked in half. The light it normally gave off was gone making it look like a normal gray stone; it was as if it knew it's master was gone from this world. Celestia could no longer contain herself and broke down; she fell to the ground and wept. As she was weeping, the moon shone brighter for few seconds before dimming down to normal. Celestia looked up with her tear stained eyes and saw a shadow of a unicorn mare staring down over Equestria. Celestia lowered her head and covered it with her forelegs as she cried even harder. She then heard hoofsteps approach her.

Starswirl walked up and lay next to Celestia nuzzling her neck with his leg around her shoulders in a comforting hug. After a few minutes, he looked up and stared at the Mare in the Moon.

* * * *

A tear drop rolled down the side of Celestia's cheek as she smiled and walked toward the edge of the garden and turned towards Ponyville.

"Go get 'em Luna; I know you can do this," Celestia whispered to herself as she stared over the horizon.