Solar Flare

Chapters

Solar Flare Part 2
Solar Flare Part 3
Solar Flare Part 1

Solar Flare Part 2

SOLAR FLARE
A SURVIVOR’S EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE WAR OF THE NIGHT
Written by Dragryphon

Twilight Sparkle had tossed and turned throughout the night. Her dreams had been anything but pleasant. In them, she observed a Nightmare Moon who seemed to be composed of two parts: One of these was but a small fragment, diminutive but immensely powerful, and the other was the Night Princess herself. Around them, her dreams rapidly disintegrated into a horrifying parade of nightmares. War, death, and destruction echoed through Twilight’s dreams, things nopony should ever have to see presented to her, each image more terrifying than the last. And try as she might, she could not force herself to wake up from them. Oh Celestia, the unicorn could not awaken! Why am I being shown this!? WHY!? Such terrible things! Nothing this horrible could have ever happ-

Finally, Twilight Sparkle awoke, shaken from her restless slumber by her number one assistant, Owlowisc- Wait, no, her number one assistant was Spike! I must be really out of it... It was Spike who woke her. Those nightmarish images had really gotten to the unicorn.

“Twiliiight! You’ve been sleeping all day! I know you were really tired, but I had to wake you! We got a scroll from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” he announced to Twilight, staring up at her with large, apologetic eyes.

Shocked at his words, Twilight stared out the window and noticed Princess Celestia’s sun sitting high in the sky. Panicking, the mare leapt out of her bed, not taking the time to make it or even comb her bed-raggled mane. Passing by her vanity mirror, she caught a glance at just how awful she really looked. There were heavy bags under her eyes, and her mane had been reduced to a tangled, knotted mess. No matter. She shook her head, putting her appearance out of her mind for the moment.

“I have to get back to my reading! I won’t unravel what happened during that war if I don’t study this tome!” As Twilight began to trot over to her desk, Spike interrupted her with a cough and held up the scroll, causing Twilight to stop and ask, “Yes, Spike? ...Why aren’t you reading it to me?”

Spike scratched a footclaw against the wood floor before replying, “Ummm, it’s addressed straight to you, Twilight. In fact, it’s sealed with the royal crest, so... I’m not exactly permitted to read it.”

Rolling her eyes, Twilight hovered the scroll over to herself and unfurled it, the parchment crackling with an otherworldly energy as she broke the seal. She began to quietly read it to herself.

“To my Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle,

This is meant for your eyes only. Once your magic touches this scroll, the rest of the message shall appear.”

And indeed it did, the words slowly appearing on the scroll as the rest of the page wrote itself into existence in front of her eyes. What could require this kind of secrecy? Twilight read on.

“It has come to the attention of my sister and I that you have found a history involving us. We suspected that you would be the only pony powerful enough, aside from us, who could undo that lock I placed. It seems that we were correct.

There are certain things that nopony should know. Histories Equestria should never have to bear witness to. An entire civilization’s innocence can be lost by knowing the wrong things. We trust in you, my student, not to reveal what you may discover, for whatever you may find in your thirst for knowledge will bring you only sadness in the end. I presume the book’s magics have already begun their work on you, revealing bits and pieces of what occurred during the War.

Understand, my faithful student, whatever may be recorded in that book I have tried to cover up as best I could, to save the innocence of my little ponies. Even our current legends do not touch upon what happened during those times.

However, above all, please, do not think less of my sister for the things that transpired back then. It is not her fault. Part of the blame lies with me, and the rest with that wretched statue. I discovered it in the rubble shortly after banishing Luna those many centuries ago, and I have kept it hidden ever since.

My student, you must tread carefully. If you do not read this tome, your innocence will be spared, but if you decide to go on, please do not let what happened change your views of us. We were young, so very young...

Your teacher, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight could only stare at the parchment with her jaw upon the floor.

There was a rather forceful belch from Spike, causing Twilight to snap out of her disbelief as something heavy thumped loudly upon the floor. Sweeping her gaze over to Spike, she saw that, there upon the floor in front of the baby dragon, lay another tome with a second scroll set neatly upon it. Before Spike could react, Twilight hurriedly snapped them both over to her with her magic, setting the book atop her desk while she cracked open the second scroll. The beginning was the same as the first, and she watched intently as more writing appeared in front of her eyes.

“This will probably come as no surprise, but I already know your decision, my student. You never could resist the lure of the histories. In light of this, I have included with this scroll a tome of what could have been. Shortly after you and your friends freed my sister I divined what might have happened had you failed. In this book are all of my notes and observations relating to what I saw. Take heart, my dearest Twilight. Your actions prevented something the likes of which only exist in the histories. What you read in this tome, you may share with your friends at your own discretion, but do not take what lies within its pages lightly. It has no happy ending.

Your dearest friend and teacher, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight was perplexed, but she got herself back into order right away. Turning toward Spike, she gave him a reassuring smile before saying, “Spike, I will need to study alone for quite some time. I will release you for the next few days so that you can have some time for yourself.” And now, to make sure that her assistant would agree with her, “You know, come to think of it, I heard that Rarity has been completely overrun with orders recently. She may need your help.”

Spike, who looked cautious at first, suddenly bounced up and saluted, exclaiming, “Yes, ma’am!” He then darted off down the stairs, and shortly thereafter she heard the library door slam shut.

Works everytime. That should keep him busy enough to allow me privacy for the time I need to study these tomes. Now... She turned toward the desk, upon which lay the two tomes: the history of the Princesses, and something still unknown to her. I feel I should be afraid of what I may find in them both, but I have to know! Ohhh, Princess Celestia knows me all too well. Climbing atop her seat, Twilight Sparkle steeled herself as she picked up from where she had left off the night before...

______________

Power. The power! The strength! It was exhilarating! The intensity of it all! There was so much of it, and she couldn’t hold it all! Oh, yes, something would have to be done about that. But for now, she had to see her new form! Yes indeed! All this glorious energy had allowed her to transform this young, feeble body into something truly befitting of a goddess!

A whimper drew the alicorn’s gaze inward. Dear Luna sat in a corner of her mind, terrified of what was occurring. A thought jumped across the synapses of their shared mind. W-What are you!? Who are you? What did you do to me!?

The creature grinned. She would need a name. Indeed. Luna was a weak name for a weak alicorn. No, she would need something stronger. Something powerful. Something terrifying. She deigned to reply to her other self, “I? I am you, my dear Luna. You beholden with anger, sorrow, and your loneliness multiplied a thousand fold. I want everything you want. I am....Nightmare Moon. Yes, I think that shall be a very fitting name. Now, my dear Luna, be good, stay quiet, and I shall deem you worthy of staying within my mind untouched.”

A simple feeling indicating that Luna nodded her assent caused Nightmare Moon to cackle with glee! Everything was so bright! So new! She had a body of her very own, and all the feelings that accompanied it! And most importantly of all, she had the power of the Core pulsing in her veins. Yes, like this not even her dear sister could stop her. Especially not once she enacted her plan. Everything she wanted, everything she had tempted Luna with could wait. The power of the Core sang in her ears; it was...intoxicating... addicting... controlling in a way. It wanted to be used, not held. In fact, what Luna wanted did not matter! She was a goddess! A goddess with more power than any other pony had! She could do anything!

And right now, Nightmare Moon wanted revenge. Revenge upon the ponies who had forsworn her beautiful night. Revenge upon her sister, who had abandoned her. Her plan to shroud the day with night, to become a ruler over even Celestia herself, was not enough! The Nightmare wanted even more than that. The power sang its siren’s song to her, whispering sweetly in her ears. She would crush Equestria beneath her hoof, and the entire hemisphere would cower in fear at her total domination. Celestia herself would bow before her, only to be made into her slave. The power was driving her mad, and she was loving every second of it.

Luna could only cower in distress, buried deep within Nightmare Moon’s mind, her soul heavy with the knowledge of everything that was about to befall her sister and all of Equestria...

______________

Celestia woke, groggily rubbing at her eyes with her hooves. It was nearly dawn, and she had duties to perform. Slipping out from under her pegasus down covers, she picked up a brush from her nightstand and began to pull it through her mane and tail, which were being quite unruly at the moment. It took her several minutes to pull the pink hair into behaving, but she managed it. She then proceeded to levitate her hoof-ornaments, chestplate, and crown upon her body, settling them in place. Lastly she grabbed a simple little toy that lay upon her bedstand, a little black alicorn, which she slipped into her mane.

I don’t like this morning, I can already tell that it will be a bad day. The heavens feel strange, and even the ambient magic feels wrong. Like there is a storm blowing in and there isn’t time to close the shutters. Heading out to her balcony to raise the sun, she looked up into the night sky. There wasn’t a cloud to be seen, but something seemed out of place. There. Why is Luna’s moon on the wrong side of the horizon? She must be trying something new, I should not be worried. I look forward to what she has in store for Equestria this time.

Raising her horn to point it at the sky, she began to emit a pure white glow. The sky in the east lightened as the sun began to peek over the horizon. But the moon did not go down like it should. It hung there near her sun. This...What is my sister doing?

As the sun’s rays hit Celestia, she could feel herself become empowered by the light of her day. It was when she was most alive, when Celestia felt like she would never tire. Her Sol was too bright to look at directly, but she still smiled at the celestial body she had named after her mother.

About to turn away to head back inside, something out of the corner of her eye caught the white alicorn’s gaze. Darting her head around to peer back at the moon, she watched as it crept across the sky and covered her sun. At first, it was only a small slice, but as it grew, the day’s light dimmed. Soon, the sun’s radiance had completely vanished as all but a sliver of light escaped around the edges, her sun completely eclipsed by her sister’s moon!

Celestia could feel her power seep away, leaving behind the lethargy of the night. No...No! My dearest sister, what have you done!? With her sun in eclipse, the stars were in full bloom, and the sky was as dark as the middle of the night.
Thoughts raced through Celestia’s mind as she began to panic. Then, a voice boomed out from high over the Everfree Castle.

“My sun-loving subjects! I am Nightmare Moon, your Queen! It is I who will control Equestria from here on out. Those who accept my rule will be safe from my upcoming judgement. Those who run, those who fight, and those who do not accept me as your empress will have their lives forfeit, to do with as I please. Consider this your first and only warning. Those who wish to bow before my graces, head to the throne room now. Everypony else? ….Run.”

Celestia had galloped out of her bedchambers halfway through the speech, and all around her she saw nothing but panic. Her little ponies were running all over the place. Some had saddlebags upon their backs, evacuating while they still were able. Some had nothing, simply trying to find a place to hide or to get as far away as possible before it was too late. She could not worry about that now, Celestia had to find Luna and find out who this pony was. The audience chambers were her best bet, and she more than once nearly plowed into one of her fleeing subjects in her run there.

Bursting into the throne room, she could immediately see who the commanding voice had belonged to. Sitting upon the throne sat an alicorn the size of her mother with a pitch black coat, ornate head and breast armor, and a tail and mane that billowed out, shifting shape and displaying a vast field of stars against the black of night. What hit Celestia hardest, though, was that the mare shared her sister’s cutie mark, and yet the eyes, the violent turquoise eyes bared no resemblance to her sister’s own.

Nightmare Moon turned to Celestia and flashed her a wicked grin. Throughout the audience chambers stood multitudes of ponies, which Celestia had not noticed until now, and a small group, a family it looked like, were in front of the throne, bowing before the mare.

”Ahhh, my dearest sister. I see you have come to pay your respects to me as well. I am afraid you will have to wait in line. It’s a very, VERY long line, but I want to make sure everypony knows who you bow to,” Nightmare Moon jabbed at Celestia before bursting out into a contemptuous laughter that echoed around the hushed chamber.
Princess Celestia could only stand aghast at what had become of her sister, speechless. It took her several seconds for her to find her voice again, and when she did, it was wavering and uncertain. “L-Luna? What happened to you? Why are you eclipsing my sun? Doing all this?” The amount of hurt that lay within her next word could be felt by anypony close enough to hear, “Why...?”

Keeping an eye on Celestia, Nightmare Moon leaned forward, her horn glowing as white crescent moons appeared upon the foreheads of the earth ponies. They walked off and stood to the side of the chamber while the next group came forward. “My dear, dear sister. Did you honestly think abandoning me to the cold, lonely night would not have its consequences? Did you consider how it felt for me to sit alone in my chambers all night, longing for your presence, just wanting to sit against your side while we talked? Or for all these sun-loving foals in front of me to not acknowledge my night in the slightest? Oh, yes, that may have hurt; it hurt to know my night sky, my painting, my masterpiece was ignored. But what hurt the most was YOU leaving me to this fate!”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes flared, and she glared down at Celestia, daring her to contradict her. Celestia only fell upon her haunches in disbelief, managing to only mumble, “Why...Why didn’t you talk to me about it, Luna...?”

The Nightmare stamped her hoof, causing the sound of thunder to echo throughout the chamber, frightening the already terrified ponies gathered within it. “I am no longer Luna! I am Nightmare Moon! And you had best remember that, sister. This fault lies with you. How many times did we come to you in the dawn, or the dusk? How many times did you say things would get better, and yet they did not? How many times did your shoulder become soaked in our tears!? Four months we suffered, alone!”

Celestia flinched back, unsure of who Nigh-No, Luna, meant by ‘we’ and ‘our’. But her sister’s argument hit close to her heart. It was true she had not helped Luna as well as she could have. The princess imagined how she could have stayed up late at night to keep her sister company through the lonely nights, and of how she did not, a pang of sadness causing her to flinch once more.

The guilt upon her face must have been evident, because Nightmare Moon cackled again, her glare intensifying, “Yes, you know what you could have done to prevent this, but it is too late now.”

Celestia stepped forward, her pain all but evident in her eyes, “Luna...My dearest sister, Luna...P-Please set your moon. Now that I know just how much this has been bothering you, I can keep you company during those long nights as best as I can. I can fight against the weariness to keep you from being lonely. To keep you happy. Just, please, you don’t have to do this...”

It almost seemed like Nightmare Moon had, for a moment, considered her sister’s request. However, that hope was quickly dashed, her voice ringing out like a hammer on cold steel. “No. You had your chance, sister. And you threw it away. EVERYPONY did. No! You have two choices, Celestia.” The Nightmare did not use Luna’s normal way of calling her name. “You can either remain here, bow before me, and continue to rule by my side as my subordinate. If you do, you will have my pity, and I will allow your sun to occasionally shine over this land.” Nightmare Moon raised a hoof, and all humor in her voice vanished, “Or, you can run. Run far, far away. You run as far away as you can and never return! For if you do... I will take you captive, and you will never see the light of your precious sun again. Ever!”

Celestia took a step back, then another, and then a third. “T-This isn’t you, Luna! Please, you must break free of whatever has you in in its grip! This isn’t you!” With that she sprinted off back into the depths of the castle, chased by Nightmare Moon’s relentless laughter.

After the laugh faded away, Nightmare Moon grinned to herself as she raised her horn into the air, a wave of powerful magic blasting out of it and spreading across all of Everfree forest. “Celestia has made her choice. Those who are loyal to me will be protected. Those who are not, will perish or Slumber for all eternity within my Nightmares. Guard Captain?”

From the other side of the throne, the captain of the Royal Guards stepped out into view, having been hidden from Celestia’s gaze. A white moon sat emblazoned upon his brow, both upon his armor and his fur. “Yes, my Liege?”

A chuckle bubbled from Nightmare Moon’s throat, and she replied, “I will require an army. Train the unicorns in battle magics, the pegasi in aerial tactics, and the earth ponies in hoof to hoof combat. It has been decided. We go to war...”

______________

What do I do? What do I do!? Oh my dearest sister, what has happened to you? Why did I allow it to go this far! How did I not see the signs! Rounding a corner, Celestia nearly slipped and fell as she skidded upon the floor tiles. She had to find the Captain of the Guard! Her Ministers! Somepony that knew what to do!

The hallway ahead of her suddenly exploded as a lance of energy cut through it at an angle. Just ahead of her, a pony that had been too close to the blast vaporized with an anguished scream, leaving behind little more than a greasy stain upon the floor tiles. Splinters of stone and tile flew everywhere, pelting angrily against her skin as she herself was knocked off her hooves, sliding across the tile floor as bits of rock dug into her hide. Thunderous blasts began to resound all throughout Everfree Castle, each one causing the walls to shudder violently. That....That was the Core! Oh mother, what has she done!? Finding her ministers would have to wait, she had to escape from the castle and help with evacuation. If the Core goes, so would all of Everfree!

Galloping off, Celestia came across even more intense destruction: huge, gaping holes in the masonry; piles of rubble littering the halls; the bodies of the dead strewn about like wet laundry, soaked in their own blood. Some of the bodies had been crushed by large stones, while others...She could not think it. Magic gone wrong did awful things. There were pools of crimson everywhere, and it seemed to be seeping out from the debris throughout the ruined halls. Celestia couldn’t look at it. She had never encountered death before, and nothing could have prepared her to see it on such a grotesque scale. The stench and sight of it made her gorge rise. She had to get out.

Locating a sufficient enough hole in the exterior wall, Celestia leapt out into the dark sky and fled out to the city of Everfree. She could see the destruction ravaging the city below. There were fires everywhere, and even as she watched, arcs of power from the Core burst forth from the castle, carving blackened swaths through the city. Helpless, she watched one land amongst a group of fleeing refugees, the blast leaving only sooty remnants, splatters of blood, and various unidentifiable bodily parts. It was all too much for her to bear, and she turned her head to evacuate her stomach.

The taste within her mouth was dreadful, and Celestia took several deep breaths, keeping her eyes averted from the disaster to compose herself.

My little ponies need me. They need their Princess. To bring order to things, to help them. I have a duty to perform...

______________

Ponies of all kinds still shuffled into the throne room while the castle around them shuddered from the explosions. Nightmare Moon had no worry that the charges she was setting off would hurt any pony who had pledged themselves for her, or were coming to do so. Oh no, she was only targeting those who refused her right to rule. Who refused her!

A voice within her mind whimpered, Please stop...This is not what I wanted at all...

Nightmare Moon sneered and snapped back, “Silence, foal! You know what will happen if you fight me. I will make you beg for death!”

The voice of Luna clammed up quickly, bringing satisfaction to Nightmare Moon. The bothersome foal still spoke every once in a while, but she was too fearful of what the Nightmare would do to her if she did anything more than that.
The ponies filling the audience chambers all looked up at Nightmare Moon with fear and trepidation. Those who bowed before her became marked, her silver moon placed upon their foreheads.

Suddenly, she spoke, making sure her voice carried to all those awaiting within the room, as well as those approaching from outside, even through the destruction of the city. “My subjects of the Night. You are amongst the few intelligent ponies who obeyed. Who knew who their true ruler was, and who came to pay me homage. Know this: your marking will protect you from the coming tribulations, and even those who do not yet have my mark, but are coming to my side now will be protected.”

Indeed, the only room truly left untouched in the entire castle was the audience chambers. Oh, yes, she knew not to waste loyal subjects, especially not for the coming days. The rest of the castle, however, was in ruin, to one extent or another.

Willing it to stop, the lances of energy erupting from the Core ceased, and Nightmare Moon drew deep upon its power. While rumblings still reverberated throughout the castle, its destruction was at an end.

Shaping that power, she infused it within her mane and issued a burst of maniacal laughter. The power whispered to her, commanding her to use it. “And now with the everlasting night comes the everlasting Nightmare. I require an army of bodies, and so they shall come...” A piece of her mane severed itself from the whole and fell to the floor, fusing itself to the stone tile. It then began to spread out in all directions, covering every surface. Her eyes closing to little more than narrow slits, Nightmare Moon willed it to spread further, and so it did, darting out in all directions and causing panic amongst her subjects. They backed themselves against the walls, trampling and climbing over each other to get away, but upon touching them, nothing happened, and they became calm once more.

However, once the creeping darkness spread past the castle and into Everfree city, that is when the screaming started -- the screaming of ponies facing things infinitely worse than their greatest fears...

_____________

Celestia was rushing, attempting to help with the evacuations as best she could as she flew between the groups of refugees fleeing Everfree. She landed next to a family who was trying to lug heavy furniture upon their backs in the false night intent on assisting them, but just as the Princess was about to grab their attention, the screaming began. It was something the likes of which nopony had ever heard, and they all stopped to look back as it grew closer. Taking to the air again, Celestia watched the creeping night spread itself upon the ground, and wherever it touched, screams erupted, only to be silenced immediately.

As she watched, the shadow began to pick up speed ...swallowing portions of the city at an ever-increasing rate.
The Goddess of the Sun’s eyes widened as fear gripped her heart. Rearing back, she yelled into the air, her voice ringing out across the city over the horrified screams of its inhabitants, “Flee, my little ponies! You must run into the forest! Abandon anything you cannot easily carry! GO!”

Joining a group of fleeing pegasi, Celestia looked back just in time to see her ancestral home destroyed; the entire city of Everfree becoming completely engulfed in the darkness of night. All she could do was watch, and as she did, tears streamed from her eyes.

Knowing that she needed to get more magic to supplement her own weakened powers, Celestia set course for the unicorn city of Canterlot. The alicorn did not wish to look back anymore, to see the death and destruction her sister had caused. No, she needed time to think and to plan. And right now Celestia believed it was time that she did not have.

______________

The white alicorn hovered in the skies above Ponyville, the earth pony town on the edge of the Everfree forest. I failed them....I failed them all... The shadow had chased them to the edge of the Everfree, overtaking all but the pegasi and those unicorns that had teleported themselves out. Celestia could still hear the screams, knew she would hear them within her dreams for years to come.

The shadow had followed them up to the edge of the forest, and then had receded shortly afterward. What it left behind... It defied description. A twisted, wild forest lay in Everfree’s place. A deep foreboding sense told her never to enter that forest again, less she not return. And Celestia did not doubt it.

No, she had failed her subjects, failed the city of Everfree, and failed all of Equestria. An entire city, destroyed, ponies lying dead within its walls. Others...worse than dead. Her subjects bowing at the feet of whatever her sister had become. Lowering her head, she could see several pegasi Royal Guards waiting for her below, survivors from the castle who had managed to escape. Jerking her head to beckon them, they rose up to meet her, taking positions around their Princess.

“We fly for Canterlot.”

As Celestia’s eclipsed sun crept across the sky, hours seemed to go by as the guards and their liege flew onward, the mountainside city growing larger in their sights. Celestia’s thoughts tormented her the entire way, but she kept a somber face so as not to worry her guards.

The entire trip from Ponyville was spent in silence, up until they landed in the courtyard in front of the building for the Canterlot Ruling Council. Almost immediately one of the two guards stationed in front of it ran inside, and a procession began to stream out, stopping in front of Celestia and her guards.

As the council and various other ponies finished gathering in front of their ruler, one of them stepped forth and bowed before Celestia, inciting the rest to kneel before their goddess as well. She was a crimson unicorn with a blue and red mane, further into her years than the others around. On her flank stood the symbol of an eagle. “Your Majesty, I am Prime Minister Bushel Gorge. It’s absolute chaos out here, Your Highness, and we have only heard of rumors of what may be going on in Everfree, but the implications are terrifying. Please, if you would be so kind, Madame, follow us inside to the ready room.”

Celestia simply raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She needed them, of course, to plan for whatever may come, and to use the Core they had there in Canterlot to supplement her diminished power.

As the ponies filed back into the building, Celestia followed close behind, bracketed by her guards, who seemed to be trying to watch everything around them all at the same time. As she stepped inside the elegantly designed building, a wave of emotion struck Celestia and she nearly stumbled over herself, causing one guard to glance over at her in concern. Altair and Sol had taken the white alicorn and her sister here on a state visit not long before their departure, though right now it seemed like years ago. Luna had managed to trip on the stairs and injure her forelegs... Celestia could still hear her crying and whimpers as she had nestled into the safety of her sister’s wings.

Blinking the wetness from her eyes, the Princess of Equestria pursued the group of ponies into a large chamber that had a massive table stretching the length of the room, with large piles of cushions adorning the floor for the ponies who sat at it. Gesturing wordlessly to her guards, two took positions outside of the doors, while another two stood on the inside when the doors shut. The final stood back and to one side of Celestia once she had seated herself down upon the cushions at the head of the table.

It took several more moments for the rest of the Council to sit themselves down around the table, muttering to themselves as they settled in. Celestia herself was not answering any questions directed at her, momentarily lost in her own thoughts. I must be strong. I have to show them that I can be strong. To be like mother, like father. How would they deal with this situation...?

The sound of a hoof slamming down upon the tabletop interrupted the alicorn’s thoughts and she brought her gaze to Bushel Gorge, who sat across the length of the table from her. “Princess Celestia should be able to clear up the reports we’ve been getting from refugees entering the city. Please save all questions until after we are done hearing her report.” The mare turned to the princess and bowed her head, “The table is yours, Majesty. What is going on in Everfree?”

Scanning her eyes across all of the unicorns whose rapt attention were upon her, Celestia cleared her throat before beginning. “Something has possessed my sister, Princess Luna. She is not herself, and now calls herself Nightmare Moon. She...” Celestia paused and shut her eyes tight.

Be strong. I am still new to ruling, but I must be strong!

“She attacked Everfree. The castle now lay in ruins; the city -- in flames. Anypony who could not fly or teleport themselves to safety is dead...Or worse...”

Taking a deep breath, Celestia slowly let it out before continuing, her eyes opening with a rock hard stare as she decided what must be done. “We must prepare for war. Even if only to defend ourselves. I... We must release her. I came to this city because you have a Core of your own. Without it, we will stand no chance against Nightmare Moon. The spell she used to corrupt Everfree Forest could only have been done with the Core located in the castle, and with my sun eclipsed, I do not gain strength from it. Nightmare Moon has the upper hoof.”

Immediately, the unicorns within the chamber burst out in a heated debate, yelling and screaming at each other, each trying to be heard over the others, arguing with one another or trying to attract Celestia’s attention. She caught little snippets of what they were saying: how they were not prepared for war; how Altair and Sol had never needed war; that Celestia was mad, lying, exaggerating, or a multitude of other things. Gritting her teeth, she slammed her hoof down upon the table, the sound cracking across the chambers as the force split a massive rift across the table’s length.

“You will all be silent as of now. We do not have the time for arguing or accusing! We have a nation-wide emergency and you all bicker like foals caught stealing from the cookie jar!” Celestia said sternly, the stress of the day’s events bleeding from every word. “My sister has already wiped out not only Everfree, but the entire forest as well, and you accuse me of making this up?! I do not have the power to take her on alone, and-”

A knock at the door interrupted her, and an aide opened it to poke his head in. “Majesty, Councilmares? I would not be here if it weren’t dire. There is a....messenger.” He pulled his head back out, and not a second later another pony walked in. An unicorn mare.

But there was a sense of wrongness about her. Her eyes were completely shut, as if she were sleeping. Her coloration was monotone, all the color drained from her being, and where her cutie mark should be, sat only a silver crescent moon.
Before anypony could say a word, her horn lit up, causing many of the council to gather up magic in their own just in case. However, instead of an attack, a snide voice resonated throughout the chamber.

“Hello, my subjects, loyal or otherwise. I am your new Queen, Nightmare Moon. If you wish to survive, you will surrender immediately, or you will be cast into the shadows, just as I have done to Everfree. Refusal to comply will be severely punished. And do not think you can hide this matter from the citizens. My messengers are everywhere. You have one day, starting at midnight. If you have not given me your answer by twenty-four hours afterward, or given me a non-favorable reply, you will be destroyed. Any city found harboring the Traitor Princess, Celestia, will be found guilty immediately, and all ponies will be put to Sleep without clemency. If you doubt me, look to my messengers. They will show you what it is like to Sleep.”

The moment the message ended, the grey pony collapsed upon the floor. The Councilmares sprang from their seats, and rushing over to the fallen pony, gathered around her. Suddenly, she opened her maw, and a horrified scream came from it. Celestia recognized it. It was the same screams she heard back in Everfree. The scream of a pony being subjected to nightmares infinitely worse than anything they could possibly imagine.

Everypony covered their ears. They could hear echoing screams from many points in the city. Nightmare Moon hadn’t lied. Her messengers were everywhere! And then, just as the screaming had started, it stopped abruptly, and the messenger was teleported out of the room in a flash of silver moonlight.

The entire chamber was shook up. Turning to the councilmares, all of them pale with shock, Celestia whispered one thing.

“We must defend ourselves...”

______________

She...she ran from us... Abandoned us... Our sister, the one I thought we could rely on most to support our decisions...she left us here... Luna whispered within Nightmare Moon’s mind, the pain of Celestia’s betrayal aching within her.

And Nightmare Moon agreed. If there had been one pony she thought would join them, it had been her sister. No matter what her name was, she was still a copy of Luna at her core, and she felt Celestia’s betrayal just as much as Luna did herself, “She gave us her answer, foal. Her actions speak clearly for what she had done. She...never cared for us...” Even in her blackest of hearts, Nightmare Moon truly felt that this was the case.

No matter how Luna felt about Nightmare Moon’s actions, she still knew that her alter-ego was part of her, and no matter how much she was put through, no matter what terrible things she saw Nightmare Moon do, she had to trust her, as now she could not trust the one pony she had cared for most. Then what shall we do? Nightmare...You’re the only pony I have left. What will we do with our sister?

Nightmare Moon was surprised at Luna’s words. Perhaps she was not as weak as the Nightmare had first thought!

“We will soon find out, dear Luna. The messengers have been deployed. Now, we await the answers from every town and city. And as for Celestia? If we cannot capture her and turn her back to our side, then we will have to kill her. Pure and simple. I see no other way around it.”

The Nightmare uneclipsed the sun, Sol’s light going out across the land as it began to set beyond the horizon, and as it did Luna replied with something that made Nightmare Moon smile so very wide.

Agreed.

_____________

The quarters that had been provided for Celestia weren't lavish, but they were the ones typically used by the royal family during their visits. The day had been long for the alicorn, involving meetings of every kind, addresses to the public, and extensive planning for the days ahead. The city of Canterlot was indeed going to war, but nopony knew just how to go about it and many of the meetings were concerned with just that problem: How to go about acquiring conscripts for their force, what sort of training their troops required, the logistics of any possible campaigns, the acquisition of important supplies, and many other impenetrable details that served only to give Celestia a tremendous headache.

She was no general, and if those Messengers were any indication, her sister had an entire city's worth of bodies for her army. The princess felt Luna's chosen name was more than apt for this situation, as trying to figure out how to defend Canterlot itself was turning into an absolute nightmare.

Celestia slumped down upon the bed within her quarters, every fiber of her being exhausted. Lowering the sun had tired her out even further, but the cycle had to be maintained. She did not dare risk agitating the situation before her ponies were ready, and now that true night had come, that familiar feeling of lethargy had all but shut her down. However, she was trying to hold on. There was too much at stake for her to sleep now. Too much to think about.

I will not give up on you, dearest sister. I will find a way to free you! I just....I just don't know how to do it... Canterlot's Core is not even a fraction of the strength that Everfree's was, and with the forest now... the way it is, I cannot see getting to the castle being easy, Celestia thought to herself, her mood heavy with depression. I do not see you or I getting out of this situation unscathed. Already I have seen more than any pony should. I cannot imagine what it is like for you, Luna, to be committing these atrocities...

Laying her head down, Celestia's thoughts turned to memories of her sister. Of times good and bad. Of times with their parents, when they had been totally carefree, save for their schooling. The bond between the two siblings had been so strong. The love they had for each other: immeasurable. What had gone so wrong as to result in this? Eventually Celestia could hold out no longer and gave into her desire to sleep, her exhaustion from the day’s events finally catching up with her.

______________

All the two felt was guilt and regret, and Nightmare Moon was all the more angry for it. It was midnight, and the moon was in full glory overhead the castle. The Nightmare had repaired her bedchambers as best as she could, and then tidied up a bit before refreshing herself in the washroom. Afterward, she had released the power of the Core, so as to conserve its energy. She would need it for the days ahead.

But now, without the Core’s voice singing in her ears, the overwhelming need for power and retribution had seeped away, leaving her cold and contrite. In the back of her mind, Luna kept asking What have we done...?

Nightmare Moon kept asking herself the same question. This hadn't been meant to happen. Yes, she had wanted eternal night, so that everypony would finally take notice of its splendor. She wanted everypony to love her, just as they did her accursed sister and her equally accursed sun. But the Core...The Core had filled her with a lust... a lust for power, blood and destruction, and the irresistible desire for more had driven her mad.

"What we have done... was done with with purpose. It’s too late for us to turn back, now. We‘ve crossed the line, even I know that, and I...dare not think of what will happen to us if we lose this fight, dear Luna," Nightmare Moon's bravado was gone, instead replaced by the endless, gnawing guilt she felt for her actions, "We have to win now, through whatever means necessary . We may even have to do more abhorrent things than we have already, just to survive."

Do we even deserve to live, though? And what about all of your confidence? Has all that vanished, now that we know the things we’ve done? Was it all an act...?

"No!" Nightmare Moon snapped at her other half. "I suppose some of it was, but not all of it. Remember, dearest Luna. I am you. A different you, to be sure, but you nonetheless. Every insecurity, every fear, every dislike of yours is mine as well. Even your own self-doubt infects me just as much as it does you, if not more! Just one more thing I have to curse you for, foal."

Nightmare Moon had removed her breastplate and helmet, setting them aside so she could relax upon the pile of cushions on the floor. But try as she might, her body rebelled against her, staying tense even now.

"We cannot go back, we can only keep moving forward. Whatever may happen, we cannot give up our plans. Everypony will love us and our night, and Celestia, curse her name, will bow before us and come to love us again, or by our own hooves, will she die..."

I...I have been meaning to ask, Nightmare... Luna ventured, hoping that her other self would not be angry at her request.

The Nightmare was surprised that her alter-ego would go so far as to ask something of her, but she was curious, and so said, "Ask me what, foal? I will consider it, depending on what it may be."

Luna took a moment, as if gathering her thoughts before replying, I want us to do that link again, the same as the day you took over. I will go through the pain again, and it isn't a takeover! I promise! It’s just...if...if we must fight Celly, I would rather us do it together. If our sister has to die, I want it by both our own hooves, and nopony else's.

A broad grin spreading across her muzzle, Nightmare Moon knew then that the foal sharing her mind could be salvaged, replying, "You know what will happen if you try to take over, but this idea of yours intrigues me, so I shall allow it."

Thank you, my dearest Nightmare..., whispered Luna, who meant every word. Without Celestia, Nightmare Moon was all she had...

And Nightmare Moon knew this.

"We must sleep now. Night it may be, but we need our full strength for the coming days... and to deal with the Core's whispers."

______________

The skies above Everfree were once again dark, Celestia's sun eclipsed by Luna's moon. A pegasus stallion ran through the afternoon darkness, coming straight into the audience chambers of what remained of Everfree Castle. Upon his forehead stood a silver moon, glowing against his night black coat and watery-colored mane. The cutie mark upon his side was of a group of clouds over the full moon. He ran straight up to the throne, past several ponies who leered at him for his rudeness.

However, Nightmare Moon herself did not bat an eye, and smiled down at her subject graciously. “Ah, Aqua Mane, by your presence, I assume that you have something to report regarding the answers that my lovely little Equestrians have given me in response to my royal decree. Yes?” She quirked an eyebrow, her smile growing wider, nearly daring him to say no.

"My leige!" Aqua Mane announced, bowing deeply before her. "I am too loyal to you to permit failure of that kind. I have the reports alright. To begin, Ponyville surrenders and awaits you. The earth ponies are all ready to serve. They knew they could not fight you, Majesty. Cloudsdale has started mobilizing their air forces, and has sent us a very clear, 'Buck you, we’ll fight!' How unfortunate. No word yet from Canterlot, though we will need none. Your spies have told us that the Traitor, Celestia, is sequestered within their Ruling Council's headquarters. Manehatten and Fillydelphia have yet to respond..."

Aqua Mane continued his report, listing off the various towns and cities that had surrendered, refused, or have not yet answered the call of his Queen.

The entire time, Nightmare Moon smiled down at him, and in the back of her mind, Luna quietly spoke. I did not wish for it to come to this, but we will have to fight her...Our own sister.

"Yes, and we must make an example of Canterlot after we capture her. And make use of their Core; ours is fading. I do not see it lasting more than another week at our current usage," Nightmare Moon replied within her mind.

Aqua Mane, finishing his report, had of course heard none of the internal exchange and had remained bowed the entire time, his eyes to the floor. "...And that is where matters stand now, my Queen. Our forces are ready to mobilize at your command, and are currently stationed in a portion of the city we have cleared for their bivouac. They are ready for your inspection."

Tapping her hoof upon the tile near the throne, Nightmare Moon responded, "This is fine news indeed, my subject. You are dismissed. Oh, and one more thing?"

As the pegasus had stood and began to turn away, he turned his head back, hesitant. "My liege?"

"Report to the Captain of the Guard. He is to promote you to the Captain of the Shadowbolts. Your current orders still stand, however. Do not disappoint me," she announced to him, making sure she put the hint of a threat in the last sentence
.

Saluting with a wing, Nightmare Moon could see the pegasus swallow visibly, "Y-Yes, my liege. Thank you, my liege!" He then galloped out of the throne room to take up his new station.

The Shadowbolts were her pegasi air forces, a counterpart to that ridiculous showpony squadron that her parents had created. Except for one thing, and Nightmare Moon grinned, the Shadowbolts were no showponies. They were the real thing, and under her direct command. Their suits and goggles were magically linked to her, and any mistakes they made? Well, they best pray to her that they not make mistakes. They had already seen what had happened to the pony who blundered earlier in the day. She now Slept eternally.

Spreading her mighty ebon wings, Nightmare Moon threw herself into the air and bolted out of the throne room. Below her, most of the city lay in ruins, the fires and her lances of destruction having taken out many of the homes. What remained, however, were now being used by her loyal subjects. She could see the attempts to have regular markets and day to day events going on, but those were not what she was interested in.

Oh no, her attention was fixed on the part of the city that had been completely cleared of rubble by her unicorns. At one portion, the ranks and files of her Messengers were evident, an entire legion of bodies ready for war. She could make out the individual companies of earth ponies, unicorns, and the pegasi. Her Sleepers needed no food, no water, and little rest. The perfect soldiers, ready to attack at her command.

The rest of the field lay to her army, the various companies of unicorn and earth pony recruits. The unicorns were practicing combative spells upon dummies, and even the occasional pony who had accepted her gift, and then renounced it. Such a waste, but it was necessary.

The earth ponies themselves were training for charging in and bucking, amongst other ground maneuvers. And above her lay her pride. The Shadowbolts. Wings upon wings of them raced across the sky. Some were down below, doing low flying drills against target dummies, dropping pots of liquid fire at them, or scooping them up into the air before taking them high into the sky and hurling them back to earth. Pegasi were very ambitious ponies, and many had come at her command to serve her.

I am sorry I doubted you last night, Nightmare. Our army-- No, our legion is immense and powerful! We will have no trouble marching across all of Equestria. Celly was foolish in refusing to bow to us. Many were.

"Yes. With the Core singing within our ears, and her sun eclipsed, Celestia will be too weak to stand against us more than once. She will feel our wrath.”

Together.

"Together."
______________

“This is it? No more than a hundred ponies? And this is not including the guards we can spare, is it?” Celestia asked, turning her head aside to whisper to the Guard trainer next to her.

He was a musclebound fellow, his armor being highly decorated concerning his position, with his white hide visible beneath it. The unicorn quickly replied, “Everypony is frightened, Your Highness. We all saw the Messengers. Heard their screams, and their message. Many of the viable recruits have already fled the city; I am surprised we even got these hundred. The major problem is this, Princess Celestia: They’re no use to us even as shields unless we have the time to train them, and from what we’ve all heard, time runs out tonight. By what you’ve claimed to have seen back in Everfree, Nightmare Moon could have an army in the thousands, if not ten times that.”

The trainer swallowed and turned his head to the side, unable to look his Princess in the eyes. “Excuse me for saying this, Majesty, but we’ve already had several assaults on the Council building by desperate ponies who want nothing more to save their hides and turn you over to Nightmare Moon. And I must agree with them. We’re not ready to fight. At all. The last war we even had was a border skirmish, and that was centuries ago... But an example made out of an entire city? Princess, we can’t afford to let that happen...”

Celestia felt resignation take over her being, and let out a heartfelt sigh, “I know, I just...I...I need to figure out what to do first. And first thing’s first, we have to get some sort of defense ready for Canterlot...”

The trainer turned his head to stare over at his ruler, anger in his eyes. “Princess, with all due respect, I can do my job just fine. The question is, will you do yours? If that means surrendering yourself to save the people that you rule over, then it should be done. We took you in, but Nightmare Moon may not forgive us for that. I would rather not become a mindless automaton living an eternal nightmare! None of us do!”

Celestia took a few steps back, aghast and ashamed. I’m dooming an entire city to death if I don’t do something. And there isn’t anything I can do. The city doesn’t have enough guards to make even a sizable force, and there is no chance that these colts and fillies will be trained in time to last any length of time against my sister’s army. I... Celestia couldn’t take it. She ran away from the scene, dashing into the council hall for her quarters, her thoughts following her. What if I had bowed to her!? Could I have kept all this from happening? Kept Everfree from being destroyed? Kept the countless lives of my subjects from being lost? She avoided the ponies in the halls. Celestia could see their glares, their accusing eyes. They blamed her for all of this. It is my fault that this has all come about. I failed Father, I failed Luna, and I failed all of Equestria. I...I will...

A voice broke her from her thoughts as a page came running up to her, yelling the Princess’ name. She had nearly been to her room, and she stopped to see what he had to say. Probably more like what the Guard trainer had said to her.

He stopped in front of her, panting as he caught his breath before finally exclaiming, “We have a report! Nightmare Moon’s army has been spotted emerging just outside of Ponyville! She’s with them! Princess, what do you wish for me to tell the Council!?” His eyes were wide, and he was obviously frightened.

Taking a deep breath, Celestia closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and exhaling, “Tell them they are to do nothing, and that I thank them for their hospitality. But I must do this alone. I mean to bargain with Nightmare Moon, and, if necessary, offer myself up in surrender to save Canterlot and as many ponies as I can. It... it is the only way. Now off! Go! Tell them what I have said!” Celestia shooed the page off with a hoof. She had made her decision. She was these ponies’ protector, and she would see them safe, even if it did not mean her safety in return...

Stopping in her quarters, Celestia grabbed a single item that she had placed a spell upon, hoping that it would help her sister. A tiny toy in the shape of a midnight blue alicorn.

______________

Nightmare Moon landed upon the town hall stage within Ponyville. In front of her stood every resident of the town, some watching in anticipation, others in abject fear, all waiting in the field in front of the hall.

Within her mind, Nightmare Moon asked, “Ready?”

In reply, Luna answered, Ready.

And in both their voices, speaking in unison, Nightmare Moon announced, “My faithful subjects, I am delighted to see so many ponies who know their place within Equestria. You will be a welcome addition to my new Lunar Republic, and know that, from this day forth, Ponyville will be spared any and all attacks and retaliations for their loyalty to the throne. Any and all ponies who wish to register within the Lunar Republic army, air force, or magics corps, please march out of Ponyville to where our legion currently camps.”

While Nightmare Moon talked, continuing her speech, Luna spoke along with her. Their voices intertwined and melded into one, an effect of their link. While their minds were still mostly separated, allowing their thoughts to be separate from each other, their actions and speech were as one. Nightmare Moon had been emotionally split in two about the excruciating pain her counterpart had gone through to establish the link. While she took a savage enjoyment in causing it, she was also concerned for her. Luna was, of course, herself, and utterly loyal to her. Nightmare Moon could trust her like no other pony.

Their speech, however, continued unabated, “...Breaking of these laws will result in immediate arrest, followed by a punishment befitting of the crime. Last, but not least, I require an oath of fealty, whereupon you will gain a mark that will not only protect you, but show your loyalty to me. And make no mistake, I will know if you fore-swear your loyalties. Now, bow to me, my subjects! Bow to me and show your allegiance.”

One by one, ponies amongst the crowd began to kneel to their new queen. Some, of course, looked uncertain, but bowed before Nightmare Moon regardless. However, inevitably a small group amongst the crowd rebelled.

One shouted, “No! I serve only Princess Celestia!” and three of them darted out of the crowd, sprinting away from the gathering.

Nightmare Moon was ahead of them, though, as shadowy tendrils crept out of the ground and immediately wrapped themselves around the three traitors. Her horn glowing a deep violet, the three ponies drifted back through the air, nicely bound, to the stage.

With the power of her Core coursing through her, Nightmare Moon exclaimed, “Now witness what happens to those who refuse to join my Lunar Republic! To kneel in their place before their Queen! ” Her nebulous mane snaked out toward the terrified ponies, fear deep within their eyes. And upon being touched, each screamed out violently before falling silent. The color bleached from their coats, and their cutie marks vanished only to be replaced by Nightmare Moon’s signature mark: the crescent moon.

Once the three Sleepers got to their hooves, the Nightmare pointed her horn to Ponyville’s road and ordered, “Join your brothers and sisters.” The three Messengers walked off without a sound, while the alicorn turned back to her subjects. A simple glare made any ponies who had stood immediately bow back down before her. Smiling to herself, Nightmare Moon’s horn began to glow once more, and all across the field, the crescent moon sprang into being on everypony’s forehead.
Just as she was about to speak again, she heard the sound of hooves landing upon the stage next to her, as well as an audible gasp from the ponies gathered. She didn’t even have to look to know who that was.

“Ahhh, my dearest, or should we say, our dearest sister, Celestia,” Nightmare Moon said without turning her head. Then, her tone changed and she screamed at the crowd, “Go about your business foals, this does not concern you!” Immediately, the crowd scattered in all directions, leaving Nightmare Moon to face Celestia alone.

Celestia did not look amused in the least, though Nightmare Moon did not think she would be. The silence between the two stretched on for minutes, each alicorn waiting for the other to make the first move.

Finally, Celestia deigned to speak, lowering her head but keeping her eyes upon the Nightmare in front of her. “I...I’ve come to bargain...For the safety of all my little ponies...”

Nightmare Moon laughed, a sinister cackle full of threat and malice. “You’ve come to bargain with us? After you abandoned us back in Everfree? We gave you the choice to rule with us in our new Lunar Republic, and you cast aside our gift without so much as a thought! And then you dare to stand against us?! Why should we ever bargain with you, traitor!?”

Celestia sat rapidly, glancing everywhere but at her sister, trying to figure out what to say. What could she say?

“I...” It was hard to speak to Nightmare Moon, knowing full well what she had done to help Luna along the path to this insanity. “I...I want you to release Luna, to free her! I’ll do whatever it takes for you to do so!” Celestia finally exclaimed. She had taken note of how strange Nightmare Moon’s voice had sounded.

“Oh my, how brash and demanding,” the Nightmare replied, tapping her hoof against the floorboards. Then, her voice changed to only be that of her own, “Of course, I do not think the answer lies only with me. Perhaps your dear sister should get a vote in, don’t you think?”

And then, from Nightmare Moon’s mouth, a second voice came, causing Celestia to gasp in shock.

“Celly, I made my decision. I want this... You weren’t there for me. You abandoned me! My Nightmare has been here the entire time and kept me company. She wants what I want. No, I will be staying, thank you. I made my choice; I made my unforgivable decisions. Leave me to them.”

And then, the duo’s voices were back in sync, “There, you see, dear sister, we made our choices long ago. I am Luna, and Luna is me. We are together, one. Inseparable. What could you ever offer that would separate us, hmmm? Surrender, Celestia. It is over! You know Equestria cannot win against my army. You know that you cannot win!”

“Maybe not, Nightmare Moon, but I can fight! Fight for my sister’s freedom!” Celestia yelled, getting herself into what she thought was a good combat-ready stance. Still, she was mentally shaken from hearing Luna’s voice come from Nightmare Moon, and wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

Nightmare Moon simply laughed in her face, causing Celestia to blink in confusion. “Oh you stupid, silly foal. Did you think you could...” The black alicorn’s horn suddenly flared to life, several dark bolts of energy shooting out from it and striking Celestia in the chest, flinging her back to slide across the dry earth, which shuddered in protest. “...Fight against us!? You have the pent up rage of both of us to deal with! You will die by both our hooves! Your memory will be erased from the chronicles, and we will rule without you!” Nightmare Moon’s eyes blazed a bright blue, streams of raw power seeping from her eyes.

Another flurry of bolts leapt at Celestia, knocking her prone again as she slid further into the gathering area. The ground heaved once more, a violent tremor rocking the land, and in the far distance, a mountain collapsed in on itself. The skies above them shuddered, and animals took flight across the countryside. A second volley, then a third, tore into Celestia, throwing her battered body about. The ground in all directions protested, great rents in the earth appearing. New mountains rose up all across Equestria, while old ones crumbled into dust as the stars above trembled in fear. The Goddesses were attached to the land, after all, and the one attacking the other was damaging the very world itself irrevocably.

Even in immense pain, her skin feeling as if it were on fire, Celestia could sense what was happening. “S-St-Stop...” She choked, as she managed to stagger up once again, just in time to dodge Nightmare Moon’s hind-kick and take to the sky. Her sister’s Nightmare swiftly followed. An immense fireball flew from the ebony alicorn’s horn this time, and Celestia barely managed to get a shield up in time to dissipate it, plowing through the orb of flame. It was close; she felt her mane and tail smolder, but before her sister could react, Celestia dove down and drove her back with a kick to the side of her armored plating.

Throwing the daze of the blow off, Nightmare Moon glared at Celestia with barely concealed hatred. She drank deep of her connection to Everfree’s Core and with a great surge of power unleashed a tempest of bolts upon the Sun Goddess. The time for playing games was over.

Celestia tried to get a shield up in time, but it happened too fast. Her shield was crushed around her body and the bolts of energy pummeled her from every direction. They smashed into every inch of her body, bruising and battering her further, and just when she thought it had ended, Nightmare Moon flew up and delivered a punishing two-hoofed blow to the Goddess of the Sun’s chest, snapping no small number of ribs and causing a spurt of blood to issue from the princess’ maw. The ground gave one final shudder in protest just as Celestia’s body hit the earth below with a sickening crunch.

Celestia was dimly aware of her surroundings through the fog of her pain. She watched helplessly as Nightmare Moon landed nearby and approached up to her to glare down at her broken body. “No mother and father to act as base this time, dear sister. I win. You may have one last chance to say something to deter me from killing you. Choose your words carefully.”

Celestia cried out in pain as she tried to move, barely managing to bring up a hoof to her mane, and pull something out of it. Losing her strength, the object fell from her hoof and rolled across the ground, drawing Nightmare Moon’s gaze.

It was a little toy alicorn, a representation of Luna, in fact. Luna remembered it fondly. Celestia had carved it herself back before mother and father had gone, and took it everywhere with her, even sleeping with it at times. It was a quaint little thing and as the two stared at it, it sent them a message...

My dearest sister, Luna. I am greatly ashamed that I did not help you, or be there for you as much as I could have. Some nights, I cried myself to sleep when you were in one of your bad moods, feeling powerless to comfort you. In fact, right now, all I’ve been wanting to do is cry for you, knowing that I had helped you become this Nightmare. And while I cannot yet forgive you for everything you have done, I can definitely say that I just want you back. I miss you little sister...

Nightmare Moon scoffed at the toy and its message. A ploy! A trick to throw them off guard. Lies. Nothing more than lies! But Luna... Luna herself caught something her counterpart did not. Love. One hundred percent pure and absolute. Unadulterated, unconditional love. She could feel it deep within her heart, and as she did, it cracked through Luna’s emotional armor and pushed her to doubt her actions. Every single one of them

Luna’s hesitation caught Nightmare Moon’s attention, however, and she snapped at her within their mind, “What are you doing, foal?”

Luna didn’t reply, and the backlash of Luna breaking their mental link stunned Nightmare Moon, forcing her down and allowing her counterpart to take control.

Dashing forward, Luna in her Nightmare’s body knelt down beside Celestia, causing the Sun Goddess to flinch back and screw her eyes shut. But, instead of more pain, a gentle nuzzle brought Celestia to open her eyes, gazing straight up into the other alicorn’s. And the eyes she saw were Luna’s. “I’m so sorry, Celly...I can never apologize enough for what I’ve done to you...”

And just as she felt the faint stirrings of Nightmare Moon coming back to her senses, Luna’s horn flashed, and she vanished from sight in a swirl of blackness, leaving Celestia broken and battered upon the ground in the center of Ponyville. The village itself had been all but demolished, a casuality of the vindictive rage of their new Queen.

_____________

Celestia drifted in and out of consciousness. At first, the ponies with the crescent moon upon their foreheads had been gathered around her. Then next she knew, she was being air-lifted by several pegasi, a pair of medics doing their best to make her comfortable and trying to sooth her grievous wounds. It wasn’t working out too well. The goddess was in pain regardless of the position, and every inch of her body hurt. She swore she could even feel the grating of broken bones grinding against one another whenever she was moved. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the bliss of unconsciousness took her once again.

Later, she woke up in what she presumed to be Canterlot’s hospital wing. Everything was painfully bright and she could barely see at all. There were multi-colored blurs moving about her with an alarming quickness, and she could hear the frightened mumbles of several different ponies. Just then, a voice rang out nearby, “She’s awake! Get her sedated! She’s not ready, yet; we need more time!” There was a great clamor about her, ponies rushing around her in a panic as the pain began to bleed slowly back into her body. She was about to scream, but a sharp prick made itself known in her neck and suddenly everything went away as she faded back into a peaceful, medicated bliss.

______________

In Everfree Castle, an infuriated alicorn paced through her quarters, seemingly debating with herself.

“I trusted you! I allowed you that link because I trusted you! And you even gave me your word you would not try to take control! You’re no better than our sister! We had her at our mercy and you prevented us from killing or capturing her! If you were any other pony, I would have slain you where you stood!” The hate and anger rolled off Nightmare Moon in waves, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a sword.

Luna could only cower within the back of their mind, not daring to even give a frightened peep. She had never seen her counterpart this furious, and she knew she had screwed up in a big way. But she also knew now that Celestia still loved her, that there was hope for things to be fixed between the two of them.

Nightmare Moon stopped pacing, and Luna whimpered in fright. “I know what to do with you. Tonight, you will Slumber until the morrow. A fitting punishment for what you have done, my dearest Luna.” This time, her Nightmare sneered at her in derision, the hate being trained on Luna now.

No! NO! Please, I beg of you, Nightmare! Don’t- A tendril of Nightmare Moon’s power touched Luna’s mind, and she cried out in terror before being silenced. This time, the Nightmare took glee in the pain that arced across Luna’s mind. A day within her Nightmares would sufficiently cow the upstart foal and give her time to think about betraying the one who had done so much for them. For now, she had things to plan for. There were Cities to attack, and Celestia to find, though Nightmare Moon could guess that Canterlot was where she was recuperating. That was fine. She would destroy Canterlot last...

_____________

No...No! Why? I...I can’t take anymore of this! I just can’t! Not tonight... Twilight thought to herself, pulling away from the book while tears streamed down her cheeks. It was as if the memories from the book itself had a stranglehold on her heart. Princess Celestia had been right. Her deep desire to see what was hidden within the tome was bringing her nothing but sadness.

Ohhh... I’ve got to get it together! I haven’t cried this much since I was a filly! Of course, when I would miss mother and father, Princess Celestia would be there at night to take me under her wing and comfort...Wait... Taking a quick look outside at the setting sun, her hopes brightened just a bit. She still had time. If she hurried, maybe she could. She could most certainly use the soothing, and her teacher’s guidance through this tome would help a lot more. Twilight Sparkle hurriedly slipped her saddlebags out from their cubbyhole, then placed both tomes on either side. Will I need food? No, they’d have some...Shelter? No, once again, same answer...Ah! Parchment, quills, and ink, yes!

Quickly penning a note, she set it on the book stand where she did most of her reading, just in case any of her friends were curious as to why she was not around. A few moments later she was finished packing the supplies into her bags, going over a little checklist in her head before she set out, just to be sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Okay, calm down, Twilight. The note’s written, I have both books, along with supplies for writing and notes...Oh Goddess, I hope she’ll welcome me! She was right...

Stepping to the center of her room, Twilight sent off a tracer spell first to locate the Princesses before starting her teleportation. She needed to know where she was going before she did it, after all. Gathering up the energy in her horn, she formed the spell and then released, feeling the gentle tug of magic as she was thrown in the direction she needed to go. After a few seconds, Twilight rematerialized on the beach, to the surprise of two resting Princesses.

Celestia could see her prized pupil standing before her with not only saddlebags upon her back, but also a tear-stained face and puffy eyes. “Twilight, my faithful student, why are you here? Is it... the histories?” she ventured, Luna awkwardly quiet beside her.

Twilight stood there for a moment, simply nodding before rushing over to her teacher’s side, breaking out into fresh tears as she pushed herself under one of Celestia’s wings. “Ohhh, Princess! I should have listened to you! I had no idea things had gotten to be so awful back then! I reached the point after you lost to Nightmare Moon, and I just couldn’t keep going anymore! It was all too much!”

Luna looked away and crept across the sand, trying to appear as small as she possibly could. Celestia hunkered down with Twilight, keeping a wing over her student’ body and nuzzling her like a mother would. “I never said, Twilight, that it would be easy to read them. It just gets worse from there... I had to make a great many decisions that I am not proud about, and that set the ponies of Equestria against me for years after that. Luna and I both did things back then we greatly regret. We were very young, not yet having the experience we needed, but it was all of Equestria that paid the price for our ignorance. However, do not worry, my pupil. You need not continue with your studies tonight. For now, rest, I’ll be there tomorrow to help you through it.”

That night, the three ponies sat and talked as they looked up at Luna’s glorious night sky, the stars shining brightly above and the moon gazing gently down upon them. And when Twilight asked about why Princess Celestia was not tired, Celestia explained to her student, “I beat the Lethargy centuries ago, Twilight, out of having to also perform the night duties in addition to my own. Shortly after Luna was released, I taught her how to beat it, too, though we still tend to remain awake during our preferred times. But now at least, we make sure to spend as much time with each other as we can, and to always be there for one another...”

(A/N) This was an exhausting one to write, and I had to stop many times to collect my thoughts and figure out how to proceed. In fact, I had several ideas of how to work this part of the story, and I felt this one was the best. Ideas were added in, and others discarded. And here is the finished product. Also, a special cameo appearance by ZAquanimus as Aqua Mane, who has been a loyal subject of mine for a while. Let us hope he does not screw up. He knows the penalties...

(E/N) After... about 18 hours (over three days) of solid editing, I have to say that this is the most extensive story I’ve ever been involved with, and it’s a doozy, for sure. Still, it surprises me that despite the word changes made and all the cutting that goes into working on something like this, the concepts always ring so very clearly on first read. What I do is little more than lacquer an already very well-made table. The characterizations are amazing, the pacing is exceptional, and I, for one, genuinely enjoy seeing a kind, sympathetic if very flawed Celestia. And of course, Nightmare Moon, being simultaneously abhorrent and pitiable... it’s very easy to get drawn in. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next part... But for now, I think I’ll rest...

Solar Flare Part 3

SOLAR FLARE
A SURVIVOR’S EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE WAR OF THE NIGHT
Written by Dragryphon

Shortly after the breaking of the dawn, the two alicorns stood together on the beach, having momentarily left the comforts of their temporary shelter and the sleeping unicorn within. The morning air was cool upon their flanks, and the sound of the waves and the waking shore birds drifted through the air around them. It was quite picturesque, and the two alicorns stood side by side, staring wistfully up into the sky.

“Celly...” the midnight blue alicorn finally spoke, breaking the silence. “Are you sure Twilight can handle the book? You saw how shaken she was when she first arrived. She’s never been exposed to that sort of thing before. I fear it may be too much for her.”

The alabaster alicorn was quiet for several long moments before she responded in turn, “I still believe that she will be able to handle it, little sister. My most faithful student is stronger than you think.”

Luna sat down beside her sister, and thought a moment before speaking, “But what if she isn’t? How will she react when she discovers the horrors that we’re responsible for? That you, her beloved teacher, have committed?”

Flinching, Celestia raised a hoof and placed it gently upon her sister’s shoulder, “I have faith in her, dear sister. I believe wholeheartedly that she will be able to overcome the memories of the tome. That is not my concern. No, what I am more worried about is that her perception of us will change. Luna, you know that you were not at fault for the things that Nightmare Moon did, and I do not blame you for them. However, the things I did were my decision alone. And try as I might, I... I cannot forgive myself for some of them, no matter how much they were needed.”

“Celly, what about the spell, then? If she cannot handle it, would you use it again upon your own student, if you must?” Luna leaned against Celestia’s side, looking up at her loving sibling with worry in her eyes.

Celestia swallowed, leaning down to nuzzle lovingly at her younger sister’s cheek for a moment, before replying in a most serious tone, “If she asks for it, then I will. Then her innocence will be spared, and I will hide the tome once again. Perhaps this time so that nopony will find it until our Ascension days.” She settled down upon the sand beside her sister, their sides pressed up against one another as they basked in each others’ presence.

A short time later, Twilight Sparkle dragged herself out of the little hut the princesses had been using as resting quarters, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. That night, her dreams had been quiet, and her sleep, restful. Princess Celestia had placed a little shield around the tome so that it couldn’t intrude upon her rest that night.

Slipping back into the hut for a moment, she shortly re-emerged, floating a rolled up blanket and the tome itself before her as she trotted out to the two princesses.

Looking up at Twilight’s arrival, Celestia and Luna smiled pleasantly at the unicorn.

“Ahhh, my faithful student. I assume you are ready to start your studies into our history once again?” Celestia asked, watching as her student lay the rug out upon the sand next to her, before lying down upon it herself with the book in front of them.

Looking up uncertainly at her teacher, Twilight replied, “I think I am, but honestly, I’m afraid of what I might find, Princess.”

Twilight’s horn glimmered, and the book began to open to her bookmark, but was stopped by Celestia’s hoof resting upon the cover. “Understand me, my faithful student, what happened in this book is in the past, and many of the things that were done, were done because they had to be. Please keep that in mind.”

What has the Princess done in the past that she’s so concerned I’ll discover? Is she really that worried about my reaction? Twilight wondered as Celestia withdrew her hoof and allowed the tome to open to where she left off.

______________

The skies about Cloudsdale were bright and clear. It was a warm and sunny day, a welcome change from the previous one that the pegasus ponies had spent shrouded in darkness. The sun hadn’t risen at all that day, and they had begun to worry that it might simply... not. The city below was bustling, and pegasi were flying about everywhere, either on their daily duties, or for the simple thrill of flight itself.

They were not the ponies Nightmare Moon’s attention was focused on, though. Far below, she was studying the cloud fields that the pegasi were drilling upon as they prepared themselves for war. All around, there were ponies suspended upon the clouds, some were obvious lookouts while others tried to look like they were doing other things, like sleeping or going about their business. The Nightmare knew better. No touch of dreams rested within their heads. It was no matter.

She wasn’t worried about being spotted, oh no. She and her Shadowbolts were hidden within the sun’s glare, far too high to be seen or cast a shadow onto the cloud city below. Of course, her Shadowbolts weren’t the only ponies she had hidden, either. Through out the city, her Storm Mages, the unicorn corps, were stationed within the clouds themselves, able to fly from the bat-like wings she had given them with her magic. Not only that, but in the likelihood that a pegasus might stumble upon them, she had also fitted her Mages with a temporary invisibility spell, to keep them hidden until the time was right. Nightmare Moon would have nothing jeopardize her plans.

No. No. Nothing will stop me now. Not only do I have backups, but if all my plans fail, well... I could always just wipe Cloudsdale off the map. It is not something I would prefer to do, but if I must, I will.

The ebon alicorn continued to study the city below her, her thoughts with the events of the day prior.

It is nearly time...

***************

Earlier...

It was the day after the battle with Nightmare Moon’s traitorous sister, and the sun had not risen that day. It gave Nightmare Moon immense satisfaction to know that she had crippled the ‘Princess’ enough to actually keep her from doing her duties. The heavens felt strained, though, having been robbed of their natural order, but the monarch did not dwell on it.

Nightmare Moon had released Luna from her Nightmares earlier that morning. It had been so satisfying to hear her alter-ego break down in tears before her, apologizing profusely, and not only that, but thanking the Nightmare for releasing her from the Slumber, and promising to never fight against Nightmare Moon again. Of course, I didn’t believe her in the least. Why should I ever trust that foal again?

No. Never again would she allow Luna to rise in her favor. She might even begin torturing her dear partner for fun, as sending Luna to Slumber had been quite the delicious amusement.

Oh, I so wish that upstart foal would say something to cross me, then I could do it again with a real reason. Nightmare Moon thought as the she traveled down the ruined halls of Everfree, which, while having seen better days, had been cleaned up as best as they could. Red splotches were still present where blood had stained the stone, but at least the corridors were traversible.

Of course, I could just torture her for whatever reason I like... No, she has not done anything as of yet that deserves such. She continued to think, looking inward as Luna cowered within a far corner of her mind.

The Queen’s self-appointed advisor emerged from a nearby doorway, falling in step beside her as she proceeded through the castle. She was green unicorn, with a light blue mane that was combed simply to one side and stark sea-green eyes. She wore a pitch black vest with the silver crescent moon emblazoned upon it magically, and on her flank, an image of a piece of parchment with several checkmarks written down one side. Her expression was grim, and she avoided looking at the Nightmare’s face as she accompanied her. The two said nothing for several long moments as they walked, and the Nightmare knew why. Self-appointed or not, the advisor knew when to hold her tongue, and was deathly afraid of treading upon her Queen’s ground. No, she was a smart one, which is why the alicorn had kept the mare around. Whenever she had said something over the past few days, it had proved to be very important and the advice she had given to Nightmare Moon had actually been instrumental in establishing the Queen’s rule. Finally, tired of the silence, the Nightmare spoke abruptly, “Report.”

The advisor, who had never even told her liege her name, gave a start and finally replied, “My Queen, I bring news, and... advice... Your troops have all been fitted with the spells that you desired, and have begun deploying to their assigned positions near Cloudsdale. They should arrive by tonight, my Queen. In other matters, the continued night of your reign has begun causing plants to wilt. If this keeps up for much longer, we will have a widespread food shortage on our hooves, and no city under your rule will last the winter with their shortened stores.”

A simple look from Nightmare Moon was all it took for the other mare to quickly come to the point, “All that I wish to suggest is that you should allow the sun to shine upon the land every couple days. It will give you a night long enough for your subjects to adore, but will also keep the land alive. Crop yields will drop, of course, but that can be easily remedied by an increase in the crops planted. It will also be a good way to keep order; the slightest bit of disorder and the sun is eclipsed once again for a certain number of days.”

Turning her head away, the Nightmare considered this proposal for several long minutes, her advisor next to her trembling with anxiety. While serving under their Queen would eventually be rewarding, the penalties for failure were quite severe. “What is your name, mare? And what title do you think would serve you best?” Nightmare Moon finally said to the young mare, who recoiled at her Queen’s voice.

The unicorn wilted visibly under Nightmare Moon’s gaze, stumbling over her words. “I-I-I’m C-Check L-List, my l-l-leige. I... g-guess I...could be....Chancellor...?” Check List ventured forth, terrified that she might have overstepped her boundaries.

Nightmare Moon had other plans, however, and was actually quite impressed by the unicorn’s bravery. Few ponies would have had the backbone to outright tell her these sort of things. Still, a little fear was good; it kept her subjects in order. “Well, then, Chancellor Check List, I do believe you have earned your new position. We will discuss what your new benefits and pay will be at a later time, as well as outlining your new duties. As for right now, you are dismissed. This goes without saying, but... Do not fail me, Chancellor...”

At first, the mare brightened up considerably, but at the utterance of those last few words, her eyes widened and a little squeak escaped her muzzle, “Yes, Majesty, thank you! Of course; I will never fail you!” She then galloped off to some other business that desperately needed her attention. Far away from Nightmare Moon.

I do have to say, that idea was quite brilliant for coming from some other pony. It will come in most useful for my first attack. The city of Cloudsdale will be expecting me to attack at night, when I am at my strongest, not during the daytime. Foals! I will show them just how wrong they are...

***************

Nightmare Moon glanced to either side of herself. To one side, shrouded by her invisibility spell, were her Shadowbolts, hovering in place as the last couple wings fell into position. Each one had a readied crossbow within their hooves, poised to attack at their Queen’s command. To her other side were her pegasi Sleepers. Not as many in number as her Shadowbolts, but more than quite enough to bolster her Storm Mages below. All the while her unicorn Messengers stood at the ready to form a shield around Cloudsdale, preventing anypony from escaping.

Taking a quick look at the sun overhead, Nightmare Moon smirked to herself. The lethargy brought on by the day would not stop her. Oh no, she was much stronger than her pitiful counterpart, the sun's rays meant nothing to her. It was most certainly time to begin the attack.

With a simple gesture of her hoof, the Nightmare sent her enchanted Shadowbolts forth, the wings diving down to hover above each of the cloud fields that the pegasi of Cloudsdale were drilling upon. Each took careful aim, awaiting their Majesty’s signal. Beneath them, the pegasi took notice of the changed air currents, but not seeing the cause of it, they went back about their duties.

Perfect... Nightmare Moon thought, as she looked through the eyes of each of her Shadowbolts, taking in the sights of the floating city as she basked in the fear radiating from many of the pegasi below. They were terrified of her, terrified of what she could accomplish, and what she could do to their precious Cloudsdale. Oh, yes, she would certainly show them exactly what it meant to fear her.

Once her air troops were in place and ready, Nightmare Moon let her gaze slide over to the various lookouts, and grinned. A very wide grin full of nothing but malice. Beneath the sentries, pools of whirling darkness sprung into being, the screams of the pegasi cut off before they could even leave their lips, as they were dragged down into the black depths beneath them. The pitchblack alicorn drank in their fear and pain, revelling in the waves of distress emanating from her victims.

As the sentries sank into the dark pools and vanished, Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes and whispered...

“Fire.”

***************

Earlier...

All it took were a few spells to simulate a three dimensional map of Cloudsdale and the surrounding airspace. Added onto the diagram were an abundance of tiny ponies indicating the wings of Sleepers and Shadowbolts, as well as each of the individually placed Storm Mages. Cloudsdale was well and truly surrounded on all fronts.

Sneering at the battle plan set before her, Nightmare Moon adjusted it for several more moments before pulling away and turning to her officers. “Captains, this is your structure for the start of the decimation of Cloudsdale. Study it well, for if you screw this up, you know what awaits you.” She began to glide the tiny ponies across the diagram, picking out which wing was which as she sent them to their positions. Aqua Mane, Captain of the Shadowbolts, Storm Chaser, Captain of the Storm Mages, and Check List, her Chancellor all watched in rapt attention.

“Aqua Mane, your Shadowbolts will cut down any and all military forces once I give the signal. I want to see those crossbow bolts blot out the sun. Any military personnel that surrender are to be rounded up and brought to the Knightmares’ base. Once the initial assault has been completed, you are to break formation after the military personnel have been dealt with and fan out through the city proper. Hunt down any and all resistance, crush it, and expect aerial combat to happen. I want three Shadowbolts guarding each others flanks at all times.”

The wings of pegasi within the diagram broke apart after striking the illusionary air force base, sweeping in to engage with the rogue forces within the city. At the same time, new symbols began to show up on the battle plan, all moving toward a different goal.

The future ruler of Equestria continued her plans, keeping pace with the happenings on the board. “Storm Chaser, your Storm Mages will hide within the clouds once the spell to give your troops wings has been cast. Your targets are the Weather Factories. They are your only objective. We must have those factories to prevent them from being used against us.”

Stepping back, the Nightmare sent off the last company of troops: Her Sleepers. “Finally, the Sleepers will spread themselves out amongst the populace, aiding you in putting down any rogue elements. Once positioned, they will open their mouths and eyes. Only soldiers under my banner will be protected from them, everypony else will be unable to act, frozen in fear. During this instance, I will converge upon the town hall with my honor guard and I will take control of the ruling government.”

Then, staring at her captains each in turn, she snorted, “Well? You have your orders! Dismissed!”

Aqua Mane and Storm Chaser immediately snapped salutes and trotted out of the war room.

***************

The carnage was absolute and the death toll high for the Cloudsdale Air Force Base. A torrent of crossbow bolts had seemingly come out of nowhere, striking down all but the swiftest pegasi. All across the field, entire battalions lay dead or dying, waving their perforated limbs feebly while their life’s blood drained into the clouds beneath them.

Even out of the lucky ones that had managed to evade the storm of bolts, a few were struck down immediately by forces unseen. The rest of the base was thrown into a panic, pegasi fleeing for shelter, burrowing into the clouds or even hiding beneath their own wings up until the moment their enemy showed themselves. Wings upon wings of Shadowbolts appeared in the skies, and even higher, entire companies of Sleepers. At the pinnacle of the formation sat the Dark Queen herself, Nightmare Moon, hovering in place above the battlefield.

The sight was horrifying. With their main force slaughtered, the clouds running red beneath their bodies, Cloudsdale was left nearly defenseless.

As she watched, her Shadowbolts descended upon the clouds, brandishing their crossbows at the survivors. Within a few moments, a multitude of prisoners had been taken and marched to the center of the cloud field. Folding her wings to her back, the alicorn dove down toward the prisoners before pulling up and landing her hooves upon the clouds.

The fear rolling off the group of surviving fillies and colts was palpable, and Nightmare Moon relished it. While her Shadowbolts stood guard around the prisoners, the Nightmare looked each one up and down, most of the ponies keeping their eyes away from her own, but there were a few who locked their gaze with hers. The cold, unforgiving malice within her eyes made them each flinch in turn.

“....Remove them from my sight. Find out which are soldiers and separate them from the rest. I will deal with them all later,” she said as the guards snapped smart salutes and began to guide the prisoners off. Their life-force will be drained to bolster the Core’s power, she thought to herself.

One terrified pegasus panicked and tried to take flight, but the sudden twang of a crossbow stopped him short as he fell to the cloud below, a bolt buried in his heart.

Ignoring the now dead pegasus, Nightmare Moon looked up into the sky and whispered another command, “Phase Two.” Her Shadowbolts that were not indisposed of at the moment immediately sped off into the rest of the city, while around her, unicorns began to rise from the clouds, taking flight toward the Weather Factories at the edge of the city.

And above her, oh yes, above her flew in her Sleepers. The legion that would terrorize Cloudsdale. The city soon became encased in a dark shield, preventing escape for anypony, while her maniacal laughter filled the air.

***************

Earlier...

The day’s events had gone by quite quickly, leading to the time when it would have been dusk, though the moon was still high in the sky. Dinnertime had come and gone, which had caused quite the hectic rush amongst the remaining castle staff to find a suitable chef. All of the castle’s previous cooks either had fled or been killed.

The dining hall had been refitted as best as the staff could manage, which hadn’t been very well considering that tables and cushions were in desperate need at the time. What they did have had either been salvaged from the ruins of the castle itself or from Everfree City and was thus in pretty bad shape.

What had come out of the kitchen, however, was even more disappointing. The food was passable at best, and Nightmare Moon had been about to severely punish the offending ponies when dessert was served. In fear for their lives the servers swiftly placed a small plate in front of her and then fled back to the kitchens.

What lay before her, Nightmare Moon had never seen. It appeared to be a roundish treat layered in chocolate, and the Nightmare was not quite sure what it entailed. Hovering it up to her mouth, she took a tiny bite of it, noticing one of the chefs peeking around the corner of the kitchen out of the corner of her eye.

The treat was still quite warm, and when the taste hit her tongue, her eyes lit up. In fact, she had to keep herself from devouring the treat all at once, instead keeping her bites slow and small.

Now that was quite delightful, a fitting highpoint to my dinner so far, she thought to herself, turning her head suddenly to glare in the direction of the chef peeking around the corner. “You, pony. Are you the one responsible for this dessert? What do you call it?” she demanded of him.

Nightmare Moon’s stare was enough to put a quaver into the chef’s steps as he approached his Queen. “Y-Yes, my liege. I call it a M-Moonpie,” he stuttered out.

The Nightmare raised an eyebrow, then said, “Indeed! I’d like to see more of your ‘Moonpies’, and in many different varieties. See if you can create a cheesecake version.” Cheesecakes had always been her guilty pleasure even before she had become Nightmare Moon.

“Y-Yes! My Queen!” the chef exclaimed before dashing back into the kitchen.

The taste of the dessert still within her mouth, Nightmare Moon stood and slipped out of the dining area, only to be met by her newly appointed Chancellor, who bowed before her.

“My Queen, I bring important news from our spies in Canterlot. The Traitor Princess, Celestia, is currently in critical care within their hospital. She will be out of your mane for at least a week, even with her magic to help heal her wounds faster. For other matters, Stalliongrad has accepted your terms, and await your presence, albeit a day late.” After dealing with the Nightmare all day, Check List had become a little more comfortable with her presence, if still extremely wary of it.

I’m so sorry, Celly..., came a voice from the back of Nightmare Moon’s mind, which she promptly ignored. “This is exceptional news, my Chancellor. Reply to them that I will get to them within the next week. For now, I have cities to overtake.”

The eve of the battle was quickly coming to a close...

***************

The exhilaration of flight flowed through Nightmare Moon as she dove and spun through the skies above Cloudsdale. The resistance was strong, but nothing that could not be handled by her or her Shadowbolts. Oh no, in fact, it was going so well she had decided to join in on the fun, and was currently engaged in aerial combat with two very brash young colts who thought they could take on an alicorn. She had to laugh about it. Their aerial acrobatics were more akin to a courtship dance than actual combat maneuvers; they had no chance of getting anywhere near her.

Spotting an opening, the alicorn folded her wings to her sides and dove, keeping a watchful eye behind her as one of the two colts dove after her, trying to close the distance. Nightmare Moon ignored the battle raging around her, instead focusing upon her current airspace. Come on you stupid foal, I am such a tantalizing target, am I not? Go ahead, try to catch me!

Suddenly, she flared her wings, slowing down greatly before angling them in order to twist around and face the upstart colt. Bringing her hooves up, she kicked out with her hind legs, the speed at which the colt was diving giving him little time to evade the sudden attack. He ran full speed into the Goddess of the Night’s hind kick, and the loud snap and spray of crimson were all that Nightmare Moon needed to know he was dead on impact.

As his body tumbled down into the city below, Nightmare Moon’s eyes snapped up to see the other foalish colt breaking away from the fight as fast as his wings could take him. A Shadowbolt came diving down from above, the Nightmare watching through her puppet’s eyes with fiendish delight as he struck the fleeing colt in the middle of the back. The blow crippled the unfortunate creature, and his limp form went spiraling down into the cloud-bank below.

All around her, the battle raged on, with the resistance growing ever weaker by the second. Ponies fell from the sky like rain, a few wearing the uniform of the Shadowbolts to her minor disappointment. Foalish ponies, wasting their lives. If they cannot survive, then it only makes my army stronger.

Indeed, she watched the battle wane around her as fewer defenders were left in the sky. In fact, it did not need her right now, leaving Nightmare Moon able to turn her attentions elsewhere. “Phase Three, Honor Guard, to me!,” she whispered, sending out her thoughts to her Shadowbolts.

Immediately, four pegasi in her colors dropped out of the sky to take up wing positions behind her, and together they descended upon the city below. The screams were distant at first, but became more apparent as the alicorn and her guards drifted down into the city. There, her Sleepers were spread out, their mouths wide open as their Slumbering minds screamed at the horrors besieging them. Even their eyes were open, windows into the torment they were being subjected to. Any pegasi foolish enough to look in the direction of the Sleepers’ gazes were held fast by fear, unable to act.

Cloudsdale was a militaristic state, and as such, its headquarters were located in a fortified building at the center of the city. That was Nightmare Moon’s destination, and when she arrived, she was greeted by the sight of mares and stallions of all ages frozen in place by pure, unadulterated fear. She reveled in it, drinking the whole scene in before turning her attention to the cloud building before her.

Taking the steps up to the building, Nightmare Moon called to those inside, her voice booming out over the anarchy of the battle raging throughout the city. “SURRENDER! Cloudsdale has fallen and my Lunar Republic now controls the skies. Refuse and my Storm Mages will destroy the entire city. Surrender, and you will be accepted into the Lunar Republic and your city will remain floating in the skies. You have five minutes.”

Time ticked slowly by, but just as the Nightmare was becoming impatient, a simple white flag pushed itself out of one of the high windows, bringing a gleeful smile to her lips.

Cloudsdale is mine...

__________________

Celestia lay deep within the shroud of unconsciousness. Voices drifted around her, hidden in the fog of sleep, but not yet waking her. She was wrapped in a cocoon of pain, and though she realized that it must be hers, it was distant and numb. She felt it, but not as a part of her. Drifting within this nothingness for what felt like years, she heard the occasional voice clearly.

“Where’s the sun? Has she given up on us?”

“Come back to us! We can’t do this without you!”

“Princess! You must wake up!”

No, the alicorn was much too tired, though she did not understand why. She ever so wanted to feel the warmth of her mother... her Sol... her sun upon her coat, and yet she could not sense it. It should be nearing sunset by now. Why wasn’t it in her sky...?

Weariness took over, and the Princess slid into the realm of dreams. Dreams that quickly transformed into nightmares. Nightmares of what her sister had become, how Luna had yelled at her for abandoning her... for never having loved her. And no matter what Celestia wished to say, what came from her lips were things so very different.

“Of course I abandoned you! Why wouldn’t I leave you behind just as mother and father did? You’re weak! Worthless! Why would I ever love such a foal as you!?” Celestia shouted at Luna, watching as her words changed her beloved sister into Nightmare Moon. Her sister’s Nightmare then attacked, forcing Celestia to to relive the battle over again. And again. And again.

After what seemed like the hundredth time she had been beaten into the ground by Nightmare Moon, Celestia started out of her sleep, opening her eyes to the pre-dawn darkness. Oh Sol, did she ever ache. Every muscle felt bruised, every bone felt cracked or broken, and the painkillers flowing through her veins barely suppressed the pain. Celestia was lying upon her side in a hospital bed, and breathing was difficult. The remnants of magic not her own told her that unicorns had been brought in to assist with healing, which would explain why her chest didn’t feel like it was in a thousand pieces, though it was certainly not fully healed yet. Magical healing was a difficult process.

Groaning as she shifted positions and tried to stretch her wings, Celestia noticed a shape move near her in the darkness. It turned out to be a nurse, who whispered, “Princess, please don’t move. We did the best we could, but your wounds were extensive. You need to rest!”

Celestia stopped moving, but she did manage to say, “Thirsty...”

She could see a faint glow emanating from her nurse’s horn as a large glass of water floated over to her lips, whereupon she drank deep, quenching her thirst. This time, her voice wasn’t as gravely, but the alicorn’s throat was still sore as she spoke. “Thank you...”

“Of course, Princess.”

“What...What time is it? What day...?”

Celestia’s unicorn nurse was silent for a moment before she said, “It’s just about time for you to raise the sun, Princess. You’ve been... incapacitated since your defeat at the hooves of Nightmare Moon... The sun did not rise yesterday.”

Inwardly flinching, Celestia let out a drawn-out sigh. So that was why I could not feel my sun’s familiar warmth. My little ponies must be in a panic! I have to raise it today, if even just to show that I am still alive. She began looking around her room, trying to spot a nearby window when she finally noticed one on the side of the room she had her back to.

Before her nurse could ask her to stop moving, Celestia turned over and settled down into the mattress of the hospital bed, waiting for what seemed like eternity until finally the time for dawn came about. Raising her horn into the air, Celestia grimaced as her raw throat was irritated further. Her nurse had not yet noticed, so the Princess began to channel the magic needed to pull the sun into the sky. It was difficult. Her weakness was hindering her ability to do so, and if the alicorn had not been so familiar with her celestial orb, she probably would not have been able to complete the task.

“Princess!? What are you-” her nurse began just as the first light of the dawn crested over the horizon and hit the wall opposite her bed, leaving the nurse flabbergasted.

She had done it, though, once the sun was above the horizon, Celestia felt drained to the point of exhaustion. Her breathing became labored and she collapsed back upon the bed.

Panicking, the unicorn sprinted to the door and thrust it open. Shortly afterward, two of Celestia’s guards, as well as some hospital staff, rushed into the room. A mare well into her years said to the rest, “Get her into the sun! Move! She’s fading!”

And indeed Celestia was. She could feel herself slipping away, her eyes fluttering as she tried to keep herself from falling asleep. As she began to sink, she felt a lifeline tether itself to her, followed by another, and then another. The clerics were doing their best to lend her their strength, but it did little to help. Her body was slowing down. She was going under.

She felt herself moving, involuntarily, and her body shifted as warmth alit upon her. Little by little, her body was immersed in that familiar feeling, and it radiated throughout her, giving her the strength to pull herself up out of the dark abyss.

The Princess opened her eyes to find that the bed she was in was now next to the window that her sun was peeking through, and that her covers had been removed to allow Sol’s light to fall upon her.

Blinking the darkness out of her eyes, Celestia raised her head to peer at all of the worried ponies crowded against her bed, and flashed them all a thankful smile. The alicorn’s strength was returning to her little by little, fueled by the celestial orb that was very much a part of her. Suddenly, a thought came to her and she blinked, My sister’s moon wasn’t in the sky! My sun reigns alone this day! Did... did she come to her senses?

This hope filled Celestia throughout breakfast and the painful healing session that followed. They had informed her that she would be bed-ridden for at least a week, even at her current rate of healing. There had been many injuries, including internal bleeding and many broken bones, and they needed time to heal properly.

It was not until late in the afternoon that a messenger solemnly entered the room and delivered the news, “My Princess? Nightmare Moon and her forces have attacked Cloudsdale. Long distance viewing of the city has been obstructed, preventing us from seeing exactly what has occurred, but... there have been sightings of a ‘rain of blood’ falling from the clouds, along with reports of a multitude of bodies strewn about the countryside beneath the city. From this and the lack of any communication with Cloudsdale itself, we can only conclude that the city has fallen... I’m sorry, Your Majesty...” He stayed for a moment longer before bowing to her and making his way out of the chamber.

Tears sprang to Celestia’s eyes and she buried her face into her pillow, sobbing into its limited comfort. Her nurse could only watch sympathetically and gently pat the Princess’ shoulder with a hoof. Celestia felt like she stayed that way for hours, and by the time she finished, it was nearly dusk. Using her strength gained from the sun, she set Sol beneath the horizon, and then set about to planning.

If the doctor’s predictions were correct, Celestia had a week to figure out what to do.

__________________

Days went past, and as Celestia healed, she grew antsy. She wanted to fly, to get up and stretch her legs, but neither her nurses nor her guards would allow her to even move from the bed except to go to the washroom, and while the Goddess of the Day took advantage of that little movement as best as she could, it was not enough.

The news that kept coming in from around Equestria was not helping her recovery in the slightest, and many of her afternoons were spent crying into her pillow, or on the shoulder of one of her guards.

Manehatten had fallen with barely a whisper, whereas Fillydelphia had been the exact opposite: A complete bloodbath. Further reports from the front confirmed the first; Cloudsdale’s entire military hierarchy had been slaughtered, only to be replaced by her sister’s so-called ‘Shadowbolts.’ Cloudsdale had become their new base of operations, and Celestia knew that it was only a short flight to Canterlot from there. She knew that her sister’s Nightmare planned to leave Canterlot for last, as an example to every other pony.

Every plan Celestia came up with failed to stand up to her intense scrutiny, and by the time the Sun Goddess was able to get to her hooves without falling on her face, Canterlot was the last city in Equestria not part of this ‘Lunar Republic.’ She knew what would happen next from the reports.

What the Sleepers would do. What her sister would do.

Celestia’s throat choked with a coming sob, her eyes threatening to soak her already dampened pillow once again. Despite rotating shifts, her nurses had become accustomed seeing her cry and would still give her the occasional shoulder to lean on.

That didn’t prevent the thoughts that were racing through Celestia’s mind. She’ll kill me as soon as she lays her eyes on me this time. Or... she might even take her time in doing so... Oh, what am I going to do? The only way I could save Canterlot is by surrendering, but that would leave me to my fate either way. I may have to do it anyway, and simply expect myself to be imprisoned. Or banished... Or even imprisoned in the place I was banished to! I can’t stop Luna’s... No. Nightmare Moon’s Lunar Republic from happening. I... I can’t fight her...

An hour passed, then another, while Celestia remained deep in thought. Finally, the alicorn’s voice broke the silence of the hospital room, startling the attending nurse out of her own thoughts. “I need parchment, ink, and a quill, please. I... I wish to take a letter...”

The nurse hopped up immediately and trotted out of the room, returning shortly with the requested items floating before her, saying, “Would you like me to act as your scribe?”

A simple shake of Celestia’s head was all it took for the unicorn to lay the proffered writing implements upon the end table. Celestia rolled over with a groan, her joints aching with the effort as she floated the parchment and quill over to her pillow and began to scratch out a letter. All the while, tears ran down her face, splotching the ink where they fell to the parchment, but the Princess did not care. She would not hold that title for very long.

________________

Nightmare Moon’s ever present laughter floated through the corridors within Everfree Castle. The scroll the alicorn had received from her oh so dear sister was the best news she’d had all week! The Nightmare had read it a dozen times already, and would read it a dozen more, she could not keep herself from chuckling as she read through it once again.

“To my dearest sister, Luna;

I cannot keep hiding any longer, nor can I keep running. Neither can I abandon the nation of Equestria to its fate and watch Canterlot suffer for taking me in. I know what I must do, and what I should have done a week ago when I approached you. In but a few days, I will have recovered enough to be able to escape the confines of this hospital. Until then, I beg of you, please hold your hoof against attacking Canterlot, they are not to blame, as I had approached them. I have left their Council an order of what I wish for them to do.

Moreover, when I am recovered enough for travel, I wish to meet up with you, my dearest Luna. I wish to surrender. A week I have attempted to form plans of any type, so that I might be able to do something, yet after studying them, they all fell apart before my eyes. I concede defeat, and will leave myself within your care, loving or not. I just beg that you do not destroy and subjugate Canterlot as you have done with the rest of Equestria. I am unable to fight the Nightmare within you, and she knows it.

If you acknowledge my surrender, I will await at the location and time you wish to accept my defeat and abdicate my claim to the throne. I can only hope that you will.

Your loving sister, Celestia”

Victory was within the Nightmare’s reach! It was so close she could taste it. All of Equestria, nay, the entire hemisphere was within her grasp, and even her dearest sister, Celestia, was going to bow down to her. Of course, Celestia would not get off so easily. She would have to be broken and remade so that she would be a most productive and loving sister.

“Chancellor Check List. Take a return letter. ‘To my Traitorous Sister...’”

________________

It took everything Celestia had to fly herself to the rendezvous point, exhausted in both mind and body. The past few days had crawled by painfully with Celestia readying herself for the day that she would bow down to her own sister, and it had taken all Celestia had not to run and hide like a little foal. After donning her crown, chestplate, and hoof ornaments, the alicorn had flown out of the hospital, leaving her best wishes behind. Her flight had started out shakily, with her wings still sore from healing, but any problems Celestia had soon worked themselves out as she got back into the routine of flying.

The area Nightmare Moon’s letter had pointed out was a large clearing, devoid of trees, within the Whitetail Wood. It was empty for now, yet Celestia still landed within the center, lying down immediately within the tall grasses to rest. Within little time at all, the pearl alicorn had fallen sound asleep.

“Oh, my dear sister. Sleeping during your surrender? Do I bore you that much?”

The voice jarred Celestia from her dreams, and she stumbled to her hooves, noticing her sun had crept across a fraction of the sky. In front of Celestia stood several ponies, including her sister’s Nightmare, who was looking down upon her with a barely contained sneer. “You will not be needing this for quite some time, sister,” Nightmare Moon hissed, her horn shimmering as Celestia’s crown rose off her head into the air, then soared through it to land within a Shadowbolt’s saddlebag. “Kneel before me.”

Swallowing and staring up at her sister, Celestia shakily dropped onto her knees and lowered her head in front of Nightmare Moon. I... I can do this... I can’t mess this up... I have to do this by the conditions my sister’s Nightmare and I had agreed upon. Her thoughts did not prevent her tears from flowing down her cheeks, not unlike the blood of all the ponies who had died in this war.

The Nightmare, of course, gloated over her fallen sister, her laugh ringing out across the clearing.

“So weak. So powerless! Not even worth your title of ‘Princess’. Oh, yes, my dearest sibling. Soon, you will publicly announce that you are stepping down and leaving me complete control over Equestria. And then? And then I will make sure to properly train you to be a worthwhile addition to my Court. Royal Guard? Court Jester?” Nightmare Moon sneered, her hate filled voice hissing from between her teeth, “...Royal Pet?”

“Oh, my, that does sound like it would have a good ring to it. A former Princess of Equestria, reduced to nothing more than the obedient pet of the new Queen. Such delicious irony!”

Her eyes clenched tightly shut, the shame of Nightmare Moon’s words digging into her heart, a sob escaped from Celestia’s lips. Her cheeks were soaked, the ground beneath her face wet with the alicorn’s sorrow.

Next to her ear, she heard steady breathing, and then Nightmare Moon’s silken voice, “I must say, you held out far longer than I thought, but you are my prisoner now, and you will be bound like one.” The feeling of magic was in the air around her, and Celestia was surprised to feel bindings and chains attach to each of her ankles, a wide band encircle her torso to keep her wings down tight, and a little ring upon her horn. Almost immediately, she felt her magic dim and then vanish, seemingly sucked away by the inhibitor placed on her horn.

Smirking, Nightmare Moon turned to her Shadowbolts and barked, “Prisoner Escort positions! We have a distance to walk, and I want to be back in Everfree by dusk!“ Turning her head back to Celestia she said, “My dearest Celestia, get to your feet. We march. As of now, you are prohibited from using magic until the time comes to set your eclipsed sun, and that will be the only magic you’ll be permitted for a long time to come... now MOVE!”

Swiftly, the Shadowbolts took up flanking positions around Celestia as she rubbed the tears from her eyes, getting to her hooves as Nightmare Moon began the long march through the winding paths of Whitetail Wood. The shackles and chains clinked together as they walked for what seemed like hours, Celestia’s head hanging the entire way as her hooves dragged upon the packed earth.

As the forest turned to sparse trees, and then the occasional building, Celestia’s downcast eyes widened as realization hit her. They were passing through Ponyville, and not just through the outskirts, but straight through the center of town. As the procession continued, Celestia dared to look around her, noticing the buildings under repair, and even worse, the many eyes upon them.

The white alicorn could feel the heat of their gaze upon her. After all, it was her, not Nightmare Moon, that they blamed for the needless destruction of their town, along with the deaths of so many of their friends. Celestia rapidly set her eyes down back to the ground before her, if just to avoid the residents of Ponyville from reviling her with their gaze.

It seemed like forever, but finally the tiny parade marched their way out to the perimeter of Ponyville and into the forbidding depths of Everfree Forest. While the paths through the forest still seemed to be intact, they felt dangerous and foreboding. Leaving the beaten path here seemed as though it would mean certain death. No... We would not be taking this route if we were in any real danger. We’d have flown... Or teleported... Or... any number of things... Celestia thought to herself, keeping quiet as the wild canopy overhead began to block out the tiny amount of light that escaped from the eclipse.

Something Celestia had noticed during her stay in the hospital was that every few days, the sun would shine unabated. Nightmare Moon needs Equestria to stay alive. No sun means no plantlife. No plantlife means no ponies. And no ponies means no nation to rule over. At least she isn’t so corrupted as to destroy all that Equestria is... At least she is still sane enough not to bring about eternal night...

The trip back to Everfree Castle was spent in silence, even when the small group of travelers were walking through the mostly empty streets of what remained of the city. The entire time, Celestia kept her head low and her eyes lower, staring at nothing but the ground in front of her hooves, and trying not to listen to anything but the clink of her shackles. The former princess did not want to see the blistering stares from the subjects she failed, nor hear their caustic whispers.

It took all Celestia’s strength to whisper her next words. “Nightmare...?”

The alicorn in front of her tensed for a moment before snapping, “What does my prisoner want?”

The fallen ruler flinched back with each word, then whispered in a lower voice, barely able to be heard, “I... I want to see what remains of the Castle, of my childhood home before... Before you do whatever it is you have planned for me...”

Nightmare Moon kept silent up ahead, momentarily crushing Celestia’s hopes of being able to see what remained, or maybe even salvage something of hers from the wreckage.

However, the alicorn’s hopes were returned once they reached the large gates signaling their arrival at the audience hall of the Castle, taking a deep breath as she glanced up at the foreboding doors opening to her new life. A hoof in front of Celestia stopped her, though, and she turned to stare directly into Nightmare Moon’s eyes.

“I am not without some mercy. You have two hours, no more, and you will be accompanied by my Messengers. You will be on your best behavior, my prisoner, or my punishment will be swift and severe. Do I make myself clear!?” Nightmare Moon hissed, the alicorn’s dark face inches from Celestia’s own, while the Nightmare’s eyes drilled themselves through her own and into the back of her skull.

At no other point during this entire ordeal had Celestia felt as powerless as she did at that point, and her voice refused to be heard. Instead, the alicorn merely nodded her assent, too frightened by the Nightmare’s gaze to say anything else. I cannot imagine what it must be like for Luna! Oh my dear sister, I’m so sorry...

Nightmare Moon stared deep into Celestia’s eyes for a few long moments before turning away and making a motion with her hoof. The Shadowbolts guarding her turned away and flew off to other matters, only to be replaced by a duo of grey-coated Messengers. A nod of Nightmare Moon’s head was all it took to spur Celestia to make use of the two hours given to her.

While exploring the remains of Castle Everfree, with the two Messengers in tow, Celestia came to the realization that everything she once knew within the palace was gone. Her old bedchambers had completely caved in, and many of the other rooms that had a personal touch were irrevocably changed. This castle was indeed Nightmare Moon’s now.

However, as Celestia was passing by one of the many old halls, she sensed something completely new, something that she hadn’t ever sensed before. Nearby, there was a hole in the wall, which lead into a chamber she did not recognize. Upon entering it, Celestia felt a wave of peace and happiness was over her.

The room itself was nothing spectacular, just stone walls that hid within them the actual prize. Standing in the center of the room was a large pedestal with multiple branches. Upon those branches were beautiful gems that lit the entire room, emitting a gentle and soothing aura that made Celestia feel as if she were immersed in the light of her sun. And they sensed her dilemma, calling to her to come closer.

The... The Elements of Harmony? All I knew was that they were within the castle somewhere, but hidden? Here? Celestia’s mind was at a loss of what to think, so she entered the hidden chamber and stepped toward the Elements. As the Messengers followed, they entered the light the Elements gave off and collapsed onto the floor.

Celestia took no notice of this, instead enraptured by the pedestal before her. Reaching a hoof up, she touched one of the Elements, and her mind was instantaneously drawn into them. Endless warmth and tranquility surrounded her, and she felt as if they were her best friends and she had known them her entire life.

“We are your best friends. We help those who are so ever in need of our aid. And you, dear alicorn, need us more than anything right now.”

The voices were deafening, as if a crowd of ponies were all speaking in unison somewhere inside her head. “How... How can you help me? The fight is lost...” A feeling of sadness crept into Celestia’s heart, but was swiftly brushed away by the Elements.

“The fight is only lost when you completely give up, our little pony. Your sister can still be saved, but only if you accept our help to banish the Nightmare within. Here, let us give you a token of our favor. Will you accept our aid, little one?”

As Celestia watched incredulously, her bindings crumbled into dust, and the inhibitor around her horn vanished in a puff of smoke. Even the chafing around her hooves from the shackles had been healed. Opening herself up, Celestia replied to the Elements, “I accept.” and the sudden influx of warmth filled her to the brim, and past that to bursting, her body shining with the power the Elements gave her.

______________

Nightmare Moon was galloping as fast as she could down the halls, her anger showing as crackles of power pulsed through her mane. The alicorn had been keeping close watch upon her traitorous sister through the ‘eyes’ of her Messengers. The moment she had lost contact, she had dropped everything and took off for the region of the castle they had been in.

Sprinting by, she caught site of the fractured wall and turned into the room, stopping and covering her eyes due to the blinding light that emanated from within. As her eyes adjusted, she caught sight of Celestia at the center of it, the source of the blinding radiance. “You FOAL! What have you done!? You lied to me!” she roared, the Nightmare’s rage resonating throughout the chamber.

A shriek from the back of her mind drew her attention for a brief moment, Nightmare! Those are the Elements! She- She’s planning to use them against us!

“Don’t you think I already know that, you stupid foal! No matter, she lost to us once before, and she will again,” the Nightmare snapped back at Luna, before turning her voice toward Celestia. “This time you will die, sister! I hold no more patience for you, and I can see that even my mercy fell upon deaf ears!” Nightmare Moon’s horn flared, and a flurry of dark, crackling bolts flew through the air at Celestia.

Each was deflected in turn by a burst of power from Celestia’s horn, the bolts slamming into the stone walls, ceiling, and floor around her. One
blasted a hole through the roof of the chamber, masonry crumbling to reveal the darkening sky, the eclipse having ended to show the setting sun once more.

“No, Nightmare Moon. Not this time. Now I have the power to fight you, and to free my sister. Nightmare Moon, I hereby banish you from the lands of Equestria and from the hemisphere, to be imprisoned within the one thing you thought was yours. You thought to control what Luna calls her own. To control my sister, myself, and all of Equestria. No, now it is my turn to show no mercy...” Celestia spoke, taking a step closer to Nightmare Moon with each word, all the while deflecting her every attack.

The chamber shook with every blast, and Nightmare Moon stood her ground until Celestia was no more than a pony-length away. “No! NO! You will not succeed! You will never succeed, Celestia, not while I hold breath! Not while Luna and I are one!” Nightmare Moon screamed in defiance, froth escaping from her lips as she gathered as much power from the Core into her next spell as she could.

But Celestia would not have it. In return, she wove a spell of her own, and a rainbow cascade came from her horn to encircle her sister’s Nightmare. The black alicorn screamed in rage as the power of the Elements weakened her, causing the power within her horn to flow back into the Core at an astonishing rate, irrevocably damaging it.

“Nightmare Moon! From this moment henceforth, you are banished from Equestria and sentenced to imprisonment within Luna’s moon for all eternity! BEGONE! And free Luna where you stand!” Celestia announced into the chamber, rearing up upon her hind hooves as she poured more power into the spell.

“No... No! I will not be defeated! No!” The rainbows tightened around Nightmare Moon’s body, weakening and pushing her down into into Luna’s mind. When they retracted, what remained was Luna within her original body, collapsed upon the floor.

Opening her eyes and looking around, Luna slowly smiled, tears springing to her eyes as she peered up at her elder sister through the swirling maelstrom of rainbows. “I’m sorry, Celly, I never meant for any of this to happen...” Then, she began to float upward, her legs dangling beneath her, the princess too weak to do anything. “Goodbye, Celly... I’ll miss you...”

At first, Celestia was overjoyed, her sister had returned to her, and healthy, too! But as Luna raised into the air and said her goodbyes, Celestia began to worry, “W-What? Goodbye? No! I freed you, dearest sister! You’re free and Nightmare Moon is banished!”

The last thing Luna said as she floated up into the sky through the hole in the roof was, “So I am...” Far below, she could see the ruins of Everfree Castle, could hear the soft sounds of the night, and could hear her sister screaming in heartbreaking despair.

“I WANT MY SISTER BACK! …...”
While Nightmare Moon raged on in a corner of Luna’s mind, her own thoughts became peaceful as an intense lethargy settled over her. She felt the long slumber coming, and her thoughts slowly drifted away until only a single one remained as she fell into the realm of dreams.

Goodbye, Celly... I love you...

_______________

Tears streamed down Celestia’s eyes as she stretched her neck out as far as it would go towards her rapidly dwindling sister, and a sob broke through when the outline of an alicorn’s head appeared upon Luna’s moon.

No! No no no nonononononono! You said she would be freed! That I would have my sister back! You lied to me! Why did you lie to me? Give me this false hope!? Celestia demanded of the Elements coursing through her body, collapsing to the floor as her strength gave out on her.

“We never lied to you at any point. We did free your sister, and you had her back for a short time, but you chose the punishment without realizing that the two entities may be connected. When your sister’s Nightmare was banished, you banished your sister, too. No, this is not our fault, we did as you had asked of us, a tool in your hooves, nothing more.” The Elements pushed their warmth and peace at Celestia to calm her heart, but the alicorn pushed it all away.

N-No! I couldn’t have! I couldn’t have done such a thing to my own sister! I... I... It took a moment for Celestia to finally accept what she had done. What do I do to get her back...? I’ll do anything, even if I am put in her place!

“We took care of that for you. While we could not change the spell you had chosen yourself, we could at least add to it. We work best when we each have a vessel of our own to work through that possesses our specific trait, so we looked forward and found the earliest point at which we would be able to take up containers. Originally, you were going to banish them both for eternity, and for the next thousand years, she will slumber, but on the eve of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, as you call it, your sister will return to you, and we will be able to free her once again.”

As Celestia was about to reply, a rumble shook the entire castle, and a wave of disrupted magic passed through the stone, causing the Princess’ eyes to widen in fear. The Core! It had become unstable and about to blow!

“Our little pony, you must leave. Now. We will survive this. You however, will not. Go! Flee! Escape! Live on for your sister! If you are not there for her when she returns, then she will never break free from her Nightmare!”

The Elements’ words caused Celestia to hurry to her hooves and sprint from the chamber. The alicorn was fearful, panic in every step as she galloped through the halls. The short battle between the two alicorns had done a number on the palace, with once clear halls now strewn with more debris. Whatever ponies that had been within the palace had fled this time around, but she did see the occasional body amongst the debris as she fled.

One of them caught her attention. It was that of a former Minister of hers, Check List, her form half crushed beneath a pile of stone blocks. Her horn had been shattered by falling masonry and her eyes were wide open, a look of shock and regret frozen upon her face.

Oh... Check List... Not you, too... The shock of seeing the body of one of her former Ministers brought Celestia out of her panic. I will mourn you later... but right now, I must go! There isn’t much time! The Princess steeled resolve and she refocused her efforts more on escaping than simply running away. Gathering magic within her horn, a loud whine began to rise into the air, and just as it reached an unbearable pitch, the light from Celestia’s horn surrounded her body, and she winked out of existence.

______________

The next few days passed in a fog to Celestia. While she had escaped from the castle and reappeared within her quarters at Canterlot, she was still able to witness the destruction of Everfree castle. It had started out as a dim light on the horizon outside of her window, followed by a bright flash, like a second sun, that turned night to day. Now, Everfree City was but a memory.

Once the adrenaline had drained from Celestia’s body, she had collapsed and took her frustration and despair out upon her bed. On pillows, large damp areas were evidence of the tears she had spilled, while on the mattress, it looked like the fabric had nearly been torn apart from where she had battered it with her hooves.

The few inquisitive ponies who had tried to find out what happened had been unceremoniously tossed from the chambers, the doors magically bolted and shielded from further entry behind them. At first, the sound of pounding hooves had resonated through the chamber from the door, but over time, they decreased and then stopped. Through the windows, the only thing the curious pegasi or even levitating unicorns could see were their Goddess in weeping misery, or asleep.

So they left her to recover, at every moment afraid that Nightmare Moon’s army would come rolling in to finish off the last city of Equestria. In a corner of Celestia’s mind, she could still hear the goings-on outside of her room. How the Sleepers and Messengers had collapsed where they stood. The Shadowbolts, Storm Mages, and Knightmares were in disarray and quickly falling apart. Cities were regaining control, and the only link to what had actually happened was laying within her chambers unwilling to inform anypony.

After Celestia had cried herself out for what seemed to be the thousandth time, she looked up and noticed the sun high up in the sky. Even through her tears and mourning, she had almost subconsciously raised the sun every morning. She couldn’t touch the moon itself, so, instead of trying to control her sister’s night, she instead used her sun to push it along the sky. It wasn’t the best solution, but it worked for now, until she could find a way to assume the duties of both the day and of the night.

Hunger gnawed at her empty belly, and although she wasn’t weakened from it, it still drew her attention. It’s been days, I can’t sit here the rest of my life and cry for my sister, that can wait until I’ve gotten this mess cleaned up... Come on, Celestia, let’s get up and get moving, one hoof in front of the other. I have cities to regain, ponies to comfort, and problems to address!

The Princess pulled herself out of bed and looked at her reflection in the vanity mirror beside her, shuddering at what she saw. She looked like she was half dead! Her mane was mangled and disarrayed, worse than she’d ever seen it before, and the alicorn’s face was soaked and puffy from crying, her eyes more red than white at this point. Crawling from the bed, Celestia stepped into the washroom to bathe. Once that was done, she could then begin the long and arduous process of taming her pink mane and restoring her damaged facial features.

Afterwards, Celestia felt refreshed and considerably better than she had earlier. She still wanted to bawl her eyes out, but that could wait for another time. She was now the sole ruler of Equestria, and she had to show it. Dropping the shields around the room, she threw open the doors, surprising the two guards waiting outside. As they dropped into a bow before her, Celestia thought that she saw the hind-end of a page go running around the corner at the far end of the hall.

She was quite right in her assumptions, it seemed, as she was quickly swamped by the Canterlot Ruling Council and swept off into their meeting chambers. Hours went by as Celestia recounted the happenings of that fateful night, and several times she had to stop as she choked and nearly broke down into tears once more. The questions they leveled at her were scalding and pervasive, and she answered them as best as she could, but still the unicorns were not satisfied. She gave them everything she could and more, but the unicorns of the council seemed intent on pushing her to her limits and beyond.

So far, in fact, that she had to leave the meeting partway through and return to her room, locking herself inside for the remainder of the day.

______________

“What will we do with them, Princess?” a gruff guard asked of her.

Looking across the field, Celestia grimaced at the sight that lay before her and had to shake her head to get the afterimages out of her mind as she turned away.

Multitudes of Messengers and Sleepers lay strewn haphazardly across the fields near Canterlot, many of the Sleepers dead from having tumbled out of the sky. It appeared they had all been prepared to march upon Canterlot.

Celestia crept forward and knelt down before one Messenger, a colt. Nightmare Moon was long gone, but she could not understand why her army of ponies was still in this condition. Nudging the unicorn, The Princess touched her horn to his to figure out what, if anything, that she could do for him, and was immediately plunged into nightmares so severe she could have sworn they were her own.

It felt like an eternity until something broke the contact between their horns, bringing Celestia back to the present. She was shivering, her breath coming in ragged gasps, and she was honestly surprised to find that she had not wet herself out of terror. “Wha-What happened...?” the alicorn questioned to one of her guards, who was knelt down beside her in concern.

“You touched your horn to the Sleeper’s, then screamed and were cut off somehow. Almost immediately your colors began to fade, and that’s when I wrenched your horn away from that...thing’s. What did you find out?”

Lowering her head, Celestia swallowed and whispered, “I can’t save them... When I went in... Whoever these ponies were, there’s nothing of them left, only the Nightmares remain. I... I don’t know what to do! I want to save them, but there’s nothing I can do to help!”

The sound of swords unsheathing caused Celestia’s head to dart up and look behind her. More guards had arrived from Canterlot, and each had their sword unsheathed. “What? Why?” the Princess inquired, worried of what each of the ponies had in mind.

“We’re soldiers, your Highness. We may not have fought in a war, but we’ve seen plenty of things over our years of duty. Right now, if there is nothing you can do for them, then the only merciful course of action is to give them a swift death.” He held up his sword and raised an eyebrow down at her. “Do we have your blessing?”

Celestia shut her eyes tight, wishing that this wasn’t the case, but she did not wish to see her ponies suffer further and finally nodded, standing to turn away. “Wait until after I have gone, I... I can’t watch this, but please end their suffering...” Opening her eyes wide, Celestia took to the skies and tried to get as much distance as she could, but even then she could not escape the sounds of steel sliding into flesh.

______________

“My little ponies, we are all gathered here so that I may announce that the War is over. It was through great fortune that I personally defeated Nightmare Moon not more than seven days ago, and banished her from these lands. My... My sister, sadly, was lost..., and I now rule Equestria alone.”

Just before her speech, reports had come back to Celestia of how everypony that had fallen to the Slumber of Nightmare Moon had finally been laid to rest and the bodies disposed of.

She could not help but think about all the innocent lives that had been lost as she spoke, and though, in reality, it only lasted for a few minutes, the speech seemed as though it carried on for hours. Once Princess Celestia had finished, she saw a number of ponies raise their hooves into the air, eager to ask questions. Unsure of where to start, she simply chose one at random, pointing to them and listening to their query.

“Now that this ‘war’ is over, what are your plans for Equestria?”

Smiling at the audience, Celestia rose her voice, “I plan to begin the reintegration and reconstruction of all the cities attacked by Nightmare Moon, back into the nation of Equestria, and to begin construction of a new Royal Palace within the city of Canterlot. Next question?”

However, as she pointed to the next pony she was to address, another mare spoke up instead.

“And what about all the ponies hurt in this war!?” she cried out, “What are you going to do for their families?!”

“Do we even know what started this bloody thing in the first place?” another said. Ponies began to speak and shout at the Princess without giving her a chance to respond and gradually the whole thing degenerated into a cacophony of voices all wanting to be heard as angry ponies each raised their own questions.

“Who’s going to pay for all this?!”

“...and what of the allegations that you could have prevented this war from even starting...”

“...heard that you abandoned your sister to …”

“...crock of horseapples, you caused this war to get rid of your sister and become the sole monarch!”

“...my brother was in Cloudsdale!”

“...rumors that all the remaining enemy forces were slaughtered without mercy!”

“I... What I can say is... That’s untrue! No, that did not...” Celestia tried answering the questions, but new ones constantly interrupted her, and the more she tried to answer questions, the louder the crowd became.

Until, the crowd had become little more than an unruly mob and had begun pushing against the guards at the edge of the stage in protest. Cries of “Tyrant!” emanated from the frothing mass, slowly merging into a discernible chant which rose into the air as more ponies took it up.

Celestia took a few uneasy steps backward, unsure of how to proceed when a guard pushed against her side and snorted, “Go. It’s become too dangerous for you here, Princess. We’ll handle this.”

Continuing to back up, Celestia’s eyes went across the mob of angry ponies gathered in front of her. Turning away, she fled from the auditorium, leaving the jeering mass behind her and sprinted across the courtyard into the Council building. The alicorn’s eyes began to dampen as she felt tears fill them. Galloping back to her quarters, all she could think was, I’m not a tyrant! I was just trying to do my best for my little ponies! I’m not a tyrant! No no nononononono!

______________

As time passed, Celestia’s approval went down the drain as the rumors and accusations of tyrant went out across the land of Equestria, and while she did her best to gently quiet them, it did not help that many of the communities hated her for allowing the war to even occur. In time, however, order was eventually restored to the kingdom. More or less.

Remnants of Nightmare Moon’s armies were still fighting in places, lead by two of the former captains of the Nightmare’s Legion, and what little that remained of Equestria’s armed forces were consistently faced with fighting them off. Morale was low, after all, what were they fighting for? A tyrant princess?

Even so, Canterlot’s new Royal Palace was proceeding along quite nicely, assisted in no small part by the magic of the unicorn workforce present in the city. A dungeon had to be built, unfortunately, due to the disorder still raging throughout the country and because of that, it filled up quite quickly. In order to offset this, the worst of the offenders went to the headsmare, who gave them a choice: the axe or the noose. This was, of course, done behind Celestia’s back, as the Council did not feel it necessary to trouble her with such depressing duties.

When the Princess eventually found out, her anger could be felt across all of Canterlot. Though she did little more than remove the offenders from their positions, the whole ordeal only succeeded in fueling the flames, and gave more ammunition to those that accused her of being a tyrant. It was at this point that the Goddess of the Sun became desperate. Desperate enough to use a spell that would label her as a tyrant for sure if it was ever discovered.

A new day found the alicorn at the entrance chambers of Canterlot’s own Core. As she entered, she noticed that it certainly did not seem as spectacular as Everfree’s chamber. In fact, it was much smaller, with this Core nothing but a shard compared to Everfree’s massive crystal.

Stepping forth, Celestia’s thoughts roiled within her mind. She had to get this spell right the first time. She did not want to think of what would happen if she did not.

Swallowing, the alicorn thought back to the first time Luna had used Everfree’s Core, and going over the steps in her mind, repeated them. Standing beneath the floating crystal, Celestia sent a ray of power into its heart, filling it with her consciousness, and in return, the Core filled hers with its own. She stood in awe at the immense amount of energy at her disposal. She felt it well within her and marveled at its intensity as it bolstered her own power. Thanking the Core for its gift, the alicorn wove her spell ever so carefully, double and even triple checking it. She could afford no errors. The slightest mistake would be catastrophic. When she finished, she passed on the completed spell to the Core, which used its power to strengthen and expand it until the spell was cast.

What passed through Equestria was an immensely complicated spell that touched every creature, large and small. They knew something had happened in the previous weeks. Something... Horrible? They could not place their hooves upon it. They of course knew that there had been somepony named Nightmare Moon, and that Celestia had to banish her to the moon, losing her own sister in the process, but the specifics were always vague, as if it had happened so long ago.

Memories of loved ones who died vanished, instead replaced by ones of them moving on. Accidents killed their friends, a slew of accidents that spread across Equestria. Maybe perpetrated by this ‘Nightmare Moon’?

Even Nightmare Moon’s own troops questioned what they were doing. What were they fighting for? They could not remember. Why did they have a moon upon their foreheads?

Even Everfree was barely a memory now. It had always been an abandoned castle in the middle of Everfree Forest, a strange place where the forest followed no rules or guidelines.

No... Celestia’s little ponies would not remember. They would not remember the terror that was the War of the Night. Of course, she would have to hunt down and destroy anything that mentioned it and leave no histories behind. If necessary, she would even have to make sure that nothing was left behind from the current generation at all. While the spell would work upon them, any future generations would not be affected by it...

______________

Months passed, then years, and Celestia had, to the sorrow of her heart, just discovered the very last mention of the War of the Night. Looking up into the night sky, Celestia could clearly see Luna’s image drawn against the moon her sister had created. Sitting atop the remains of Everfree Castle, she could see that the forest had all but overrun the remains of the city, hiding it within the foliage, and the castle itself now sat upon a high cliff, presumably because of the destructive energies released by the Core’s detonation.

At her hooves lay two objects. One was special to her, a gift from her parents to their daughters: a gold and silver filigreed tome. Celestia and Luna’s life. Recorded by an invisible quill for the ages, forthright and impartial. The other was something Celestia knew was so very dangerous: A simple, onyx statuette of a pony. It carried the feel of her sister all through it, but Celestia refused to touch its inky surface.

The first object, Celestia lay bound within a ornamented box and hid away, the box locked by the strongest magics she could place upon it. The other made its home within Canterlot Castle’s deepest dungeons, placed within a room specifically made for it, shielded, and then walled off. Nopony would ever find her sister’s downfall again.

________________

Time passed, years went by, and Celestia grew, physically, mentally, and emotionally. She matured greatly in her years of rule, growing taller and more regal, as her mane began to take on the colors of the Borealis, flowing eternally in the breeze of the Solar Wind. She ruled with a gentle heart, her many years of hardship giving her great wisdom, something that she wished she had possessed during her sister’s war. Still, with the years came a new serenity for her.

While the days were lonely, and the nights ever more so, Celestia knew she would be reunited with her sister one day, and she made plans for when that time would come, some nights even looking up at the moon and talking to her sister, hoping the alicorn would be able to hear her words. And sometimes, unknowingly to Celestia, she did...

______________

Something shook Luna from her dreams, and she let her now conscious mind explore her prison once again. Her moon was cold and desolate, and far below, through the vastness of space, she could sense the hemisphere of Equestria, and the Deep Dark that it rested upon. She never seemed awake while the moon was within the Deep Dark, only when it shone high above Equestria.

Looking inward, Luna noticed Nightmare Moon was asleep, herself. The two had only been awake at the same time once in the past... Luna did not know how long ago it was, all she could sense were the bright lights beginning to spread across Equestria during the night. She did not know what this implied, but was only too happy to hear the words sent to her.

“My dearest sister, I hope you can hear me... I do not blame you for anything that happened. I read our parents’ gift to us, and found that statue. Both are hidden safely away now, hopefully never to be found again. I-I’m so sorry everything turned out the way it did, I never meant for this to happen to you. To us. Time’s ticking slowly away from me, and I cannot yet see the stars that will aid you in your escape... I just wish you were here.”

They were the same words Celestia spoke to her whenever she was awake to hear them, and Luna smiled as sleep took her once again...

_______________

Centuries passed, and Equestria prospered, growing larger by the year. Memories became tales, tales became legends, and legends became myths. Luna and Nightmare Moon became something even less than that, an old mare’s tale, nothing more than the story of Mare in the Moon.

It was the eve of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, and Celestia was nervous and downtrodden. The stars were approaching the moon quite quickly now, nearly to its edge.

The Princess was as prepared as she could be. She had removed the Elements from their old resting place and put them within an accessible chamber. She had made sure that the path to Everfree Castle was at least traversible, and she had sent her most beloved student on the quest that would enable the whole plan to come to fruition.

Celestia’s student was the young Twilight Sparkle, a bright unicorn mare with a knack for learning. She was also the most magically proficient unicorn that she had ever come across in her entire thousand years of ruling, and as Celestia tutored her, she came to the realization that Twilight was also one of the containers the Elements of Harmony had spoken of. The one for Pow- No, not Power. Magic as it was called now. And so, when her faithful student had discovered the old tale of the Mare in the Moon, the Princess had simply laughed it off and sent her off to Ponyville to make some friends.

Celestia’s student would find the other containers, and the Elements would stop Nightmare Moon and return her sister to her, and all would go back to how it was. Or so the alicorn hoped.

She was currently waiting in one of the dressing rooms, having been attended to by a unicorn by the name of Rarity, gazing up at the moon hanging silently in the night sky outside the window. As the four stars connected, the image of her sister’s head vanished from its surface. Celestia hung her head, waiting until she felt a dark presence seep into existence behind her.

“A thousand years. A thousand years I dreamt. A thousand years I suffered in total isolation, and when I return, you have nothing to say to your dearest sister!?” the Nightmare said from behind Celestia, venom dripping from every word.

Celestia slowly raised her head and turned to stare at Nightmare Moon, sadness within her eyes, “I have nothing to say because I cannot think of anything to say except that I am both grateful, and saddened, to see you once again...”

Nightmare Moon approached Celestia, circling the Goddess of the Sun as her intense gaze pinned Celestia where she stood. “You look much different from when I last saw you. Older. That will not save you, of course. A thousand years, even asleep, is plenty of time to figure out a plan of revenge. Oh, yes, dear Celestia. I came up with the perfect spell for you! Just as you banished and imprisoned me, so shall you be, but this time, it won’t be a thousand years. Oh no, my sister. You will be imprisoned within your precious sun. And then, when I have subjugated all of Equestria, you will return here, and this time, there will be no Elements to save you. I will break you! And you... will... bow to me!

Celestia kept her eyes upon her sister, silent for a time before finally replying in a whisper, ”...And I deserve every last bit of it... I’m sorry, Luna.”

Nightmare Moon’s horn began to shine brightly as the coils of the black mare’s spell wrapped themselves around the Princess. Celestia felt herself becoming insubstantial. Her sight blurred, and she could feel the intense heat of her sun become one with her...

Please, Twilight, be swift...

______________

A gentle nuzzle to her cheek shook Twilight Sparkle from her studious trance, and she looked up with sorrow-filled eyes into Celestia’s own. Her beloved teacher’s hoof gracefully came up and shut the book in front of them, and the Princess nuzzled her once again as she smiled to her student, “And you know what happens after that, my faithful protege.”

Twilight looked down at the closed tome, and then back up at the white alicorn, her eyes beginning to dry. “But Princess...? Why all the death, and the spell? Why those?” Twilight’s eyes begged for some justifiable reason, for something to show that her teacher wasn’t some sort of monster.

Celestia had expected this, raising her head away from Twilight to speak. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, the Princess breathed deep and closed her eyes, before reopening them to stare down lovingly at her student.

“The tome does not list everything, Twilight Sparkle. It does not list exactly how much I went through. There really was nothing to be done for Nightmare Moon’s Sleepers and Messengers. Even if there could have been, they would have been little more than vegetables. The Nightmares within had destroyed their minds. They were... already dead. Their bodies just didn’t know it, yet.” Twilight could see the intense sorrow in Princess Celestia’s eyes and turned away.

“As for the spell, I had run out of any other course of action I could take without actually resorting to tyrannical measures, and even that spell I knew crossed the line, but it was the best I could do considering the event’s circumstances. In more ways than one, it was a necessary evil. My little ponies forgot about the war, the atrocities, and the deaths of their loved ones. Because of it, peace settled over the land once again, but in spite of what has been forgotten to the ages, I still carry the burden of what I have done with me, my student.”

Celestia laid her neck over Twilight’s, the pony giving a little shiver at the touch. From around Celestia’s other side approached Luna, who lowered her head to brush her nose against Twilight’s mane, “Twilight, my sister has always meant well.”

“But... What about me being a container for the Element of Magic? Was that all you took me in for, Princess?” asked Twilight, begging for any answer other than what she feared, even a lie would suffice.

Princess Celestia chuckled, pulling her student into a hug, “Twilight, you should know me better than that! I didn’t know you would be the container until you were nearly a mare. I have always loved you, and since the day I took you on as my student, you’ve been a dear friend to me. Of that, there is no doubt.”

Twilight gave her teacher a loving nuzzle in return, then peered down at the book before them, a thought coalescing in her mind.

“Princess... You had that spell ready for me... didn’t you?”

The unicorn thought she saw Celestia flinch, but could not be sure. The pony who spoke, however, was Luna, who laughed softly, “Your student is quite perceptive, Celly!”

Celestia smiled at Luna’s laughter and nodded in return, “Yes, you are Twilight Sparkle. ...I did. I had the spell ready in case you could not handle what was within that book, but my worries seem to have been unfounded.”

As Luna settled back down next to them, Twilight leaned against Princess Celestia and sighed, “...I suppose I should go get the other book and get started on it.” As she began to stand, however, a hoof pushed her back down into place.

Staring in amazement at Celestia, Twilight began to speak, but was instead interrupted gently by her teacher. “Not tonight, my student. We’ve covered quite a lot, and though I know of just how great your thirst for knowledge is, it is good to pace yourself. For now, rest yourself, and let us just watch the sunset, having just ourselves for company and knowing that all is right in Equestria...”

And so they did, the three of them taking in another glorious sunset over the ocean.

And yet, not all was right.

______________

In a sealed room, deep within Canterlot Palace, a malice a thousand times worse than Nightmare Moon’s lay waiting, gathering its power. A thousand years had given it enough to take shape, but that was it. Soon, however, it would have enough energy to break out of its stone and magic prison. The entity cursed that the violet creature had moved out of range of its surveillance spell, but no matter. It knew that it would not be long now.

The Deep Dark would feast upon the world of Equestria soon enough...

EPILOGUE

Everything comes full circle. Life begins, life ends, and life begins again in a never-ending cycle. As the sun sets, the moon rises, only to give way to the sun once more on the following day. Our daughters, the skies are yours now. Our Sol and Luna, yours to command. This tome that was given to us by our parents, we now give to you. May all your adventures be written within, and may you both always be there for each other. Learn from our mistakes and our experiences, and may the Daughters of Equestria rule in everlasting peace.

_______________

“Come, come my daughters, we must hurry. Ascension waits for no pony, no matter who they are,” former Queen Luna said to the two alicorn fillies ahead of her. She had grown over the years into a body much like that of Nightmare Moon’s, but not quite. While she bore the mane of galaxies, her coat remained the same color as it had always been. No, she was glad she was no longer that menace.

Ahead of her walked her daughter and her adopted daughter. One was hers, of course, and the other Celestia’s. She quite missed her mate, who had died of old age over a decade ago, and while it still pained her, she was happy he had lived quite the lengthy life, as well as giving her a beautiful filly.

“Mother, what will the Ascension be like?” Venus, her own filly asked of her, while Sirius looked back at her adopted mother. Venus had a deep violet coat, with a velvet black mane that seemed to soak in the light of the day. The cutie mark on her flank was of a crescent moon with one star within its cradle, representative of the name that she was sometimes called: The Morning Star. Sirius beside her could not contrast more so. Her coat was the sky blue of a warm summer day, and her mane the orange of a lively flame. Her mark was much closer to her mother’s: A many-rayed sun of white and a darker blue.

“Sad, and yet happy at the same time, and very very bright, my Morning Star.”

Luna shooed both fillies ahead of her with her wings until they entered Celestia’s personal chambers. There, in the center waiting for them, was Celestia, looking the same as she had two millenia ago. Luna walked forward and embraced her elder sibling, whispering into Celestia’s ear, “I wish I could come, Celly, but a thousand years in the moon in slumber prevented me from aging. Please wait for me on the other side?”

Celestia chuckled at her sister’s enthusiasm and hugged her in return just as hard, “Of course, my dearest Luna. You won’t be alone, either. You’ll have our wonderful daughters with you. Venus will never experience the deep loneliness of the night with you around.”

Breaking apart, their children rushed in to embrace their other mother as Luna stepped back to a safe distance. After several minutes, Celestia pushed them gently away, and the two fillies made their way beneath Luna’s wings, which held Venus and Sirius tightly beneath them, just as Celly had done with her so many years ago.

And as a light began to shine from Celestia’s body, Luna whispered, “Goodbye, my dearest Celly. Wait for me, just as you did after I left...” Soon, the light grew too bright to look at, and Luna shielded her daughters’ faces with her wings.

Once the light vanished, there was nopony there, and Luna nuzzled each of the fillies, as tears streamed down all their faces.

“Come, let us go paint a picture of your mother. When we’re done... we’ll hang it alongside the one of my parents...”

________________

The thousand years that passed since then seemed like an eternity for Luna, but soon enough, her own Ascension day came, with her fully grown daughters looking on. All her affairs were in order, and as the light began to take her, Luna felt a great peace settle over her mind. Her own light became too bright to keep her eyes open, and she felt something shift.

After what seemed like only a few seconds, Luna came to find herself upon a pure white platform within a gazebo-like structure. Blinking and stepping out, her eyes were met with a sight so beautiful she could not put it to words. Haven stretched out before her in every direction, and there, at the bottom of the steps stood a large crowd of alicorns, waiting to greet her.

However, Luna’s eyes saw only the three at the forefront. Three alicorns she had not seen in millenia... and as Luna galloped down the snow-white steps to Sol, Altair, and Celestia, she thought only one thing.

I’m home!

THE END OF SOLAR FLARE

(A/N) Whooboy this was a tough one to write! I nearly made it TWO parts just because of how long it was becoming! But, it is finished now, with two sequels planned for it. Hell, I had to stop several times just to dry my eyes, and from talking with a couple of my proofreaders, I broke their hearts, too! There was so much more I wanted to put in that I couldn’t, either to not having the room, or because it did not fit. Also, a thanks to my editors, Sali and ZAquanimus!
~Dragryphon~

(E-1/N) Hoo... I’m kind of at a loss for words at this point. It’s... been a very harrowing experience, editing this series and the whole set has been very emotionally and physically draining for me. Good writing will do that to you. It hadn’t taken as long as the previous portion, thanks in no small part to ZAquanimus, which I am extremely grateful for.
I enjoyed reading and refining several areas: The battle for Cloudsdale and Nightmare Moon’s dialogue were particularly fun for me. I love... Nightmare Moon’s dialogue. She’s so... corrosive and full of herself. It’s like she’s taking a brillo pad to your face and smiling at you when she does it. By far... my favorite representation of the character, as I’ve stated before.
Check List was kind of sad, for me... She was more of a footnote than anything else originally... and I feel kind of responsible for what happened to her... so... that kind of hurts.
In fact, and in spite of that... I actually... made it all the way through, to the last sentence of the story without... any sort of external emotional response... but... it got me on the last sentence. I couldn’t do it. Manly tears. So here I am... and... though it’s going to kill me, I can’t wait to see what happens. We’ve got a whole... alternate universe thing going... and then the future. And maybe more. I can’t wait. So until then.
~Sali (aka Saliant Sunbreeze)

(E-2/N) …did you guys just read what I read? What I had to read again and again for pretty much a week. I swear, I’ve cried more times this past week than I have in a long time. I thought I supported my own fics, heart and soul, as insurmountable fanon. But this...
Solar Flare is fanon, it is a mythos, it is The Mythos of Equestria; as far as I’m concerned. I started out as just a lucky little pre-reader for part 1. Then my OC actually got a cameo in part 2, as well as 3. And here I am an editor for part 3, and I could not be happier, despite my puffy red eyes and tear-drenched face. I’m getting to the point where I’m just gonna end up rambling for a while.
So, long story short, Dragryphon is an amazing writer, she brought Nightmare Moon into being and gave her life. Even as an evil, tyrannical, power-hungry dictator, I just can’t help but find myself... admiring, praising, pitying her. And then there’s her majesty, Princess Luna... oh don’t let me even begin on how much I adore how Dragryphon brought her to life. The Princess of the Night will always be my favorite pony, whether it be Princess Luna or Nightmare Moon, a troubled soul that just wants to feel loved.
I am truly honored to have contributed to this fic, to have worked with Dragryphon and Sali. And I cannot wait to see what else Dragryphon has in store for us.
Her Royal Majesty’s humble servant of the night,
-ZAquanimus

Solar Flare Part 1

SOLAR FLARE
A SURVIVOR’S EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE WAR OF THE NIGHT
Written by Dragryphon
Continued from the epilogue of Warmth for the Night

This text is a gift to my wonderful daughters. May it record your many happy memories, and even the sad ones, so that if you may ever read it, the happier ones will seem that much more so. I have imbued this tome with powerful magic. No ink will ever touch its pages. No quill will ever scratch against them. It will record, by itself, your histories. Your achievements. Your love for each other. May your years of service to our nation of Equestria be the best it has ever had. Your mother and I will not be long upon this earth. Just as our ancestors left for the higher plane, so shall we. In our place, we leave you our kingdom. Our livelihood. Our lives. May you bring long lasting prosperity to your home. Long live the Daughters of Equestria.

______________

A brief bit of knowledge about the race of alicorns. The earth can only support a minuscule amount at one time. They are gods within their own right, beings not from the mortal plane of existence. Their home plane is all but a mystery. Usually, there are upwards of only four or five, and always at the least two. One for the day, and one for the night. It has been this way for millenia. They are the rulers of all of ponykind, but for only a few thousand years do they rule before they Ascend, leaving behind a new duo to take their place. This history begins with the previous rulers’ Ascension, and the new rulers’ rise to power. Thus begin the histories of Celestia and Luna.

_______________

“Luna! Lunaaaa!” yelled Celestia as she burst into her little sister’s quarters. The pink-maned white-coated alicorn was panting heavily from sprinting. It was nearly time for the Ascension and Luna was probably hiding like a filly again!

Scanning Luna’s bedroom, nothing appeared to be out of place. It was decorated in dark colors: blues, violets, and blacks adorned every surface. The pegasus down bed lay made, the floor’s woven carpet was clear, and even the desk lay neatly organized. Luna’s selection of quills were arranged nicely in a row, and her parchment was stacked, ready to use. The ink pot was plugged with a cork to prevent it from drying out, and Luna’s prized abacus had been reset and was ready to use.

Celestia cocked her ears, thinking she had caught a small sound. Moving further into the room, she proceeded towards the back where a lavish washroom was located. Peering within, she saw see her sister facing the large mirror upon one wall, sniffling and giving tiny sobs. Sighing, she walked into the tiled room and lay her neck over her younger sibling’s in a hug. “Come, Luna. If we’re too late, we’ll miss the Ascension, and we’ll never get to say our last goodbye. You know we can’t stop it or delay it from happening...”

Luna leaned into the hug and gave a large sniff, wiping the tears from her eyes with a hoof. “I know, Celly, but I don’t want mother and father to leave. I don’t even know if I’m ready to assume the duties of the night.”

“I know, dear sister. I don’t wish them to leave, either, but we can’t stop this. They said they had been called back, and that it is our turn to rule. I’m scared, too, but we must go! We’ll only know regret if they leave without us there. Come, come.” Leaning down, Celestia pushed her nose against Luna’s flank, despite her sister’s stubbornness to stay sat.

Then, an idea hit her and a mischievous grin spread across her face. “I’ll tickle you again. Tickle tickle tickle!” Celestia slipped a foreleg around Luna and tickled a hooftip against her belly, eliciting a shriek of surprise from her sister.

Luna sprang up with a playful, “Nooooo!” and darted off, Celestia pursuing her out of the room and into the corridors, already feeling in a better mood. “I’m gonna getcha! I’m gonna getcha! And when I do, I’m going to pin you down and tickle you without mercy!”

Luna, her eyes already drying, giggled and put on more speed. She was slower than her sister, but she knew how Celly always hung back a bit, just to give her a fighting chance. “You have to catch me first, before I get to mom and dad!” Their parents were ‘base’, where Luna was safe until the game began again.

“You’ll need to find them first, silly! And by the time you do, I’ll have caught you!” Celestia exclaimed, half a ponylength behind her sister. She stretched her neck out and nosed against Luna’s flank, another playful shriek coming from her in response. Let’s hope this keeps my sister’s mind off things, and gets her to mother and father before they go.

Luna turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Celestia before taking a sharp turn down another corridor, bursting in through a couple open doors into Everfree Castle’s audience chambers. The throne at the top contained two more alicorns: their parents, Queen Sol and King Altair of Equestria. One was rose in color with a gently sloping nose and a pair of bright green eyes, while the other a charcoal grey, had a sturdier build of body, and his crimson eyes seemed to pierce through anything they stared at. Luna ran up the steps to the throne and planted a hoof against her mother’s flank, looking back at Celestia with a wide grin, “I win!”

Celestia herself galloped up next to her father and stuck her tongue out at Luna, to the bemusement of both their parents.

“My children, we have guests,” Queen Sol admonished her daughters, causing the two fillies to start and hide behind the two elder alicorns. Beyond the throne, an entire crowd of ponies of all types and sizes lay watching. A few were even giggling at the sisters’ antics, while others just rolled their eyes.

King Altair leaned down and gave Celestia a brief nuzzle of affection, “To our sides, my wonderful daughters, the ceremony begins.”

The two alicorn fillies immediately switched places as they had practiced, Luna at Altair’s flank, and Celestia at her mother’s. Raising their heads to the sky, the rulers’ horns began to emit vibrant light, Altair’s an inky black and Sol’s a pure, bright white.

All at once, light began to flood the chamber from the skylights, as if an immense light source had appeared directly overhead. Outside the skylights, the sky was a deep blue, not a thing within it. No clouds, no birds, not even the occasional pegasus. As the light began to focus upon the throne, all of the alicorns sat up straighter.

Altair cleared his throat and let his gaze slide across the crowd. “For three millenia we have gracefully ruled Equestria. And for three millenia, you have been faithful to us. We now ask that you do the same for our daughters. By the Power invested in me, King Altair, God of the Night, Bringer of the Dark, I relinquish my throne to my daughter, Princess Luna. She shall be entrusted fully with the Night, and will gain the titles of Goddess of the Night and Bringer of the Dark upon our departure.” His speech was short, as the actual speech had been weeks prior.

“And I, Queen Sol, Goddess of the Day, Herald of the Light, do hereby relinquish my throne to my daughter, Princess Celestia. Whereupon our departure she shall gain the titles Goddess of the Day and Herald of the Light. May our daughters rule with fairness and benevolence for millenia to come.”

Their horns glowed brighter, and the crowns upon their brows vanished. Upon Luna’s and Celestia’s head, crowns sprang into being, crafted to their ideals. Celestia’s a golden with a gem studded upon the front, and Luna’s of a more simplistic nature, a dark violet crown.

A cheer went through the crowd, and everypony upon the throne smiled back at them. Stepping back to the sides, Sol and Altair nodded towards their daughters. Luna swallowed and peered over at Celestia with trepidation. Her sister gave a reassuring smile in return, then, as one, the two fillies took the throne, an even louder cheer echoing throughout the chamber. Ponies of all types began to line up at the base of the stairs to give the new throne their well-wishes.

And while the smiles upon their faces seemed real, the four alicorns at the top of the dais were anything but happy and smiling within.

______________

“There are several things we must tell you before we Ascend, my dear daughters, Celestia and Luna,” Sol said in the ex-rulers’ private chambers. Celestia was clinging to Sol’s forelegs, while Luna hid beneath Altair’s chest. Sol glanced over to her mate, who nodded before she continued.

“We leave many things within your care. One set of objects being the Elements of Harmony. The magics of the Elements: Benevolence, Truth, Mirth, Allegiance, Charity, and Power, we leave to you. Please, my lovely daughters, do not use them except in the greatest of need. In the lower levels of the castle also hold rooms containing dangerous artifacts that we were unable to safely disable or destroy. We leave upon you the duty to confiscate any magical item created that could be destructive. They stay near the Core’s chamber, so as to be shielded by the same wards the Core has. Remember to trust your ministers, too. They know what to do, learn from them, and from experience.”

Altair stood there, listening to his love list things off one by one as he leaned down to nuzzle at Luna lovingly. Quiet, little Luna. He worried for her, always so shy and reserved, trying to stay out of the way of everyone else. She always seemed so lonely, and he wondered if she could handle the long nights. “You’ll be fine, little one. You’ll have your sister there.” Luna smiled at her father and rubbed her muzzle against his. “And Celestia?”

The white alicorn raised her head, staring back at her parents, “Yes, father?”

Altair smiled warmly and reached past Luna to nuzzle gently at Celestia as well. “I leave Luna within your care, as her elder sister. I thus set you this task, Celestia. Take care of her, as we cannot.” Altair carefully maneuvered himself so that Luna was no longer beneath him. He blinked his crimson eyes at the two, then pushed his head against Luna’s flank to move her to Celestia. “You are both the only pony each other truly has. Thus are the hardships of ruling.”

Princess Celestia draped her neck over Luna’s, dropping a wing over the night alicorn’s side, the two of them watching as Sol and Altair took a few steps back into the middle of the bedchamber. The two fillies knew what was coming next, and tears began to stream down their cheeks. The wing over Luna’s back was not only meant to comfort her, but to also hold her in place. This was the Ascension, the moment in time when an alicorn was called back to their home plane, to live and watch over the ponies of Equestria. A new alicorn is not taken to the higher plane right away, instead living the first few millenia of their life in Equestria, to live and learn, to grow, and to mature. But eventually, all alicorns must leave Equestria, joining their kind in the higher realm, and for Celestia and Luna’s parents, that time had arrived.

Celestia’s voice cracked as she spoke, “G-Goodbye mother....Goodbye F-father...W-We’ll m-m-miss you...”

Luna’s quiet sobs next to her did not help the mood, and Celestia could feel her trying to tug away, to go to their parents. Luna’s eyes were wide, and whispers came from her mouth. The white alicorn could have sworn she heard, “Please....Please don’t go...I don’t want to be alone...”

A bright light began to shine within the room, from their parents horns, and as it grew brighter, the two elder alicorns said in unison, “Goodbye, lights of our hearts. We will wait for you in Haven, we will not forget you, and we love you with all our being. Remember all that we have taught you, all that we have left to you, and all that we meant to you.”

As the light grew painfully brilliant, the two sisters had to avert their eyes, the radiance filling the room. Several long seconds passed before it dimmed, then vanished completely. Blinking the spots and tears from their eyes, the sisters glanced to where their parents had been and saw nothing. They were gone.

Luna let out an anguished cry and managed to pull herself from Celestia’s grasp, dashing over to the place where the two elders had been. The scream of sorrow that Luna let loose broke Celestia’s heart. Walking over to her sister, Celestia settled down beside her younger sister, the white alicorn pulling Luna against her side. I guess I am her mother and sister now. She has nopony else. My poor dearest sister, I will always be here for you.
Tears began to soak Celestia’s cheeks as she cried alongside her younger sister. Hours passed, and dusk approached before either of them spoke again.

“Luna...Luna, our duties. We can’t lay here all night. I have to take the day away to make way for the night...Come, little sister, maybe you can paint a portrait of them, to remember, to never forget them,” Celestia cooed softly, helping the silent Luna to her feet.

Luna nodded begrudgingly, and the two alicorns made their way out of their parents’ former bedchambers to take on their duties.

And thus, the rule of King Altair and Queen Sol ended, and the rule of Princesses Celestia and Luna began...

_____________

A week later, Luna stood in front of the windows of her bedchamber, an easel placed in front of her. Upon the easel sat a large painting of her parents; it was quite accurate, and done in a lavish design. Luna had always been the artist, and Celestia the thinker. She used her magic to tweak various things upon the portrait with a brush: adding a smidgen of grey there, maybe a bit more red for Altair’s eyes, a touch-up here, aaand...

The doors to her chamber opened, admitting her elder sister into the room. Luna turned, a smile upon her face as she set down the palette and brushes, running over to nestle in against her sibling. “Celly! I’m nearly done with the painting! It looks wonderful so far! Your idea to paint it was great, and I can’t wait for you to see it when I’m finished!” Luna stared up at Celestia expectantly.

Celestia giggled softly and nudged lovingly at her sister’s nose, “Dearest sister, I would love to see your painting, but not as of yet. I came to you about something else.”

Luna’s face fell, then perked back up at the good mood within Celly’s voice. Her eyes probably asked the question, as Celestia replied, “I have been thinking, about our day and night. They seem....Barren. Empty. Devoid of anything, including...” Celestia peered over at Luna’s portrait of their parents before replying again. “Art. We have the power, little sister, why can’t we design our skies as we think they should be, rather than endless blue and black fields that nopony but the pegasi take notice of?”

Luna took a step back from her sister, deep in thought. Decorate our skies? Can we do that? Can I do that!? But the night is meant to be dark, how would ponies see what I have done wi-Wait...What if I...? Ideas sprang to Luna’s mind, causing her to spring around in glee! “Yes! We should! I have the perfect ideas already for how to personalize my night sky!” It still felt so strange for her to call the night sky hers.

Bursting out in a wide grin, Celestia laughed in return and shook her mane, “As do I! My idea is that we take a part of ourselves and use it for the skies! Oh, I can just imagine now, a bright globe of flame high in the sky, looking down over everypony. It will become warmer, and the day brighter...Oh! And crops will benefit more, too!”

“And I am thinking the same. A globe of cool light, just enough light for night travelers to see by, yet not too much it leaves ponies unable to sleep! And...And...” Luna brightened further and continued, “Little diamonds of light, like pinpricks, made into all sorts of fanciful shapes, so many we couldn’t possibly name them all. What a wonderful idea, Celly!”

Celestia smiled as she walked over to the open window to gaze up at the blue sky. The empty blue sky. I knew this would cheer her up. She’s stayed mostly within her room this past week, working on that painting. Ponies have been wondering where she had gone. “I shall get started, then, dear sister.”

Celestia’s horn began to emit a pure light as she reached deep inside of herself for that piece she had set aside, that piece that would be her addition to the day. Grasping it, she infused it with her magic, watching it burst into life. As Luna looked on in awe, a large orb extruded itself from her sister’s horn and began to drift away, seeping recklessly into the sky before vanishing into the distance.

“Where did it go?” Luna asked, before a sudden flare in the sky caught her eye. The sky brightened, flashing a bright, hot white before fading back to its familiar liquid blue as something new appeared. A great fiery sphere, casting its glorious radiance down upon all of Equestria.

“....I shall name her....Sol....The warmth of my heart...”

_____________

Luna had stayed up later into the night, way past her usual time to sleep. She had heard the whispers in the court, the awe and love the sun had generated for them. They loved the warmth, the extra light, and even farmers had come forth to express their gratitude to Celestia.

The alicorn was excited to begin her own work, ideas blooming within her mind as she stared out the window of her bedchambers. Closing her eyes, Luna felt her consciousness seep into the night sky, and spread out amongst it. All of Equestria lie below her. The hemisphere that was Equestria, the world she knew, lay beneath her in all its vast entirety. She could see all the ponies who had stayed awake, wanting to see what she would do with the night sky.

She imagined her father, an alicorn who did not need to show a lot of affection to his daughters for them to know that he loved them. He was strong, and was silent except when he needed to speak, having left most of the talking in the past to his beloved mate. And then she imagined that strength, that cool embrace, her father in the sky before her, and a new light burst into being.

But she did not feel that it was complete.

Taking the palette of her mind, Luna began to paint it, all sorts of whites, greys and blacks. In her mind’s eye, it looked rugged, tempered in the fires of the sun’s warmth.

But, Luna realized something. This sphere she could feel, could touch and hold if she wished to. This celestial body was not her father, and would discredit his name. So she named this celestial body Luna, after herself.

The alicorn was not close to being finished. She was not a minimalist artist. Oh no, she had the entire sky to paint, and so she created the stars, diamonds that hung onto the sky and glinted down to those below, arranging them into pictures and patterns for the ponies on the ground to appreciate.

One of these pictures was an alicorn, a very familiar alicorn, one who the moon was supposed to be named after. And the eye...the eye of this alicorn she named Altair.

_____________

Ponies were lined up nearly out of the Everfree Castle’s audience chambers, wishing to speak with the new princesses.The hall was abuzz with talk about the sisters’ beautiful creations: the sun, the moon, and the stars. The entire court could speak about nothing but them.

Upon the throne, two alicorns beamed at all the attention, proud of their creations. The ponies who enjoyed them greatly outnumbered the whispers of the dissenters.

Celestia knew she could not please everypony; the population of the Everfree forest, Everfree city, and all of Equestria was far too diverse to allow a single unanimous opinion.

As she finished talking with one of the more recent well-wishers, a gong sounded throughout the hall, indicating the end of court with the Princesses.

Luna breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the line finally disintegrated, some ponies staying to mingle with each other in the audience chamber while others simply went home. “Celly, why do we have to hold court? While I enjoy the attention my night gets, if I hear one more pony tell me that it could be sooo much better with their ideas, I’ll scream!”

Her sister shook her head and stretched out her large, alabaster wings before refolding them to her back. She really wanted to take them for a fly in her sun, but her duties have prevented such a thing from happening so far. “They’ll die down soon enough, Luna. Remember, mother and father warned us that many ponies would only come to us to seek things for themselves. It...is something we may have to get used to. Ugh, I can’t imagine the trouble we’re going to have.” Celestia rolled her eyes and wrapped her sister within one white wing, then blinked as Luna yawned. “Are you alright, sister?”

Yawning again, Luna nodded, “I’m just tired. I was up most of last night decorating my sky. I only had a few hours of sleep, otherwise. I also have more ideas of what to do with my night, and, well.... another idea of mine that I want to talk to you about tomorrow, too. I call it the Continuous Universal Talent Integration of Equestria Mark. It is very interesting, you should like it. I just need more time to to figure it completely out.”

“Well, alright. Until then, I suggest you get to your bedchamber and get some sleep, dearest. I’d like to see what you have ready for Equestria tonight!” Celestia chuckled.

“Yeees, mother!”, Luna crowed, rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out at her sister. Then, giggling, she ran down the throne’s stairs and past the guards stationed at their base before Celestia could retaliate with a swipe of her wing.

_______________

Having slept until sunset, Luna’s consciousness was back in the sky, placing more stars throughout her canvas. Every once in a while, she decided to place a differently colored gem in the sky, but while Luna was happy with her art, she was as yet unsatisfied. What if I make them real? Gems are fine....But what if I made them like Celly’s sun? Yes! That should do! Flexing her magic over the night, Luna watched as the stars darted off, spreading through the cosmos.

Making sure they kept their shape from her viewpoint, she watched them place themselves, some bright, others dim, depending on their distance and luminosity. Still, something was not.....Aha! Something for the ponies to enjoy! Summoning tiny gems of light, Luna sent them streaking down over the night sky. First one, then three, then dozens as the night sky lit up with them. And I shall call this a meteor shower! A perfect tribute to the stars, and especially to Altair.

The Goddess of the Night and Moon located her father’s star, one of the brightest in the sky. I hope you are proud of me, father, proud of what I have done with your night. I hope I have done right by you...

Her consciousness retreated back to her body, feeling strangely empty from no longer encompassing the night sky. She had never known Altair could do this, and now she knew why he had mostly been awake during the night.

Heading to her pegasus down-filled bed, Luna set her crown down upon the nearby nightstand before slipping beneath the covers. She did not feel too tired, but she needed her sleep for the next day.

______________

Luna....Lunaaaa....Wake up, little sister.....

The voice brought Luna out of her dreams, and she opened her eyes to see....A face! Oh sister, a face in her face! In fact, it was her sister’s face, which did not help in the least! Luna scrabbled off the side of the bed, clunking down upon the floor as her covers draped over her, pulled with the alicorn’s fall.

“Oh! Sorry, Luna! I did not mean to scare you! I was worried, it’s nearly noon and you were still asleep!” she exclaimed, peering over the edge of the bed at her sister.

Luna slipped the covers down over herself as she stared at Celestia in wide-eyed shock. “N-noon!? B-but it only feels like I slept a few hours! I’ve been so tired during the day lately, but during the night, it seems I have no end to my energy! Oh, Celly, I’m sorry for sleeping in, I did not mean to...”

“Ohhh....I am just not terribly good at apologizing. Am I?” She hung her head as she balled up the sheets and threw them back atop her bed, nearly smacking Celestia in the face with them.

Neatly dodging the ball of bedcovers, Celestia warmly smiled to her sister. “There is no need to apologize, dear sister. I rose the sun myself this morning, took care of morning deeds, and later you can repay me by helping with court. But, I had another thing I wanted to ask. What is this idea you have about ‘CUTIE Marks’?”

The comment about the court elicited a groan from Luna, but she stood upon her hooves before replying, “Cutie Marks...Oh! My Continuous Universal Talent Integration of Equestria Mark. Oh, well...” Luna ran over to her desk, then produced a parchment with a drawing upon it over to her sister. “Celly, this is the Continuous Universal Talent Integration of Equestria Mark...” Celestia looked expectantly at Luna, which drew a sigh from the younger sister’s lips. “Fiiine, the ‘cutie mark’.”

The drawing showed a basic sketch of a pony. In fact it looked like Luna herself. Her hindquarters were circled, and within the circle, a blotch with a crescent moon were drawn. “I think all ponies should have a mark upon their hips that shows what they are best at. Or their best talent, in other words. Just imagine what kinds would appear, and each the great pride of their owner!”

Celestia’s eyes lit up as she imagined a golden many-rayed sun upon her hip, and she clapped her hooves together enthusiastically. “Yes! That is so delightful! I already know what I wish for mine to be! And you have yours, so do the spell, sister! Do it do it do it!” Celestia was nearly bouncing around the room at this point, stupefying Luna into freezing, who had very rarely seen her sister act this way.

“Ummm, Celly...? You can calm down now, I’ll...Uhhh, do mine first, then do yours. And then we can see about doing it for the rest of Equestria and releasing a statement about it. You know, if you want to. I am a little worried what everypony else will think, really.” She stepped back over to her desk, taking the drawing with her and setting it aside as she looked over the spell she had written down upon another piece of parchment.

Calming her hyperactivity, Celestia drew near and watched over Luna’s shoulder, memorizing the spell with her. It did not seem to be too difficult, just repetitious to a certain extent. She stepped back as an expression of intense concentration appeared upon her sister’s face, the glow upon her horn matching the one appearing on both sides of her flank. It seemed to take a good bit longer than expected, but just as Celestia began to think that the spell was a failure, a flash from her sister’s rear drew her eyes, the mark that she had drawn on the parchment flashing upon her flank before fading into view.

Slumping a bit from the fatigue of casting that spell, Luna immediately perked up as she saw what lay on both sides of her flank. A blotch of starry sky with a crescent moon, exactly as she had imagined it would be! This time, it was her turn to dance around her bedchambers, causing Celestia to overly exaggerate an eye roll, before bursting into a small fit of giggles.

“Okay, me next!” Celestia jogged her way over to Luna’s desk, taking another moment to look over the spell before beginning hers for herself. Once again, it took a few moments for it to take effect before Celestia’s own mark came into being. A many-rayed golden sun which highly matched her coat, it was everything she had imagined it to be.

For the next several minutes, both sisters pranced about the room, excited and prideful about their new identification marks, even taking several long seconds at times to just stare back at their flanks. Their Continuous Universal Talent Integration of Equestria Marks...er, sorry, CUTIE Marks as Celestia was want to call them, were mystifying, having turned their fur into a representation of their best skill.

Of course, their elation eventually faded, only to be replaced by an excitement to share their marks with the rest of Equestria.

“Celly, I don’t think I have enough power to do a spell this large throughout Equestria, not for everypony. Painting my sky and raising the moon are one thing, but something like this...?” Luna hung her head as her excitement briefly left her, before coming back with a vengeance! “What about the Core? Do you think we could use that to bolster our magics? It does control all the passive and automatic magics the palace and surrounding city have!”

Celestia laughed and nodded, “Yes, I agree! We should do so! I think that is what it is there for, to help us. Come!” And with that, Luna’s sister sprinted out of the room, followed closely by her younger sister. They dashed through the halls, nearly running into no small number of ponies about their business, and even the guards themselves, who barely raised an eyebrow at the alicorn sisters’ antics.

Down corridors and stairs they went, the levels becoming more abandoned and unused the deeper they went until finally, at the furthest depths of the castle, they came to a simple stone hallway with doors along either side and a massive room at the end. Luna peered at each of the doors, the palpable sensation of strong magics coming from either side of the sisters, and especially from up ahead. “What’s in the doors to either side, Celly? The magic from them feels....wrong.”

Celestia looked to either side of themselves as they trudged forth, “I presume it must be the rooms the magical items are sealed in. Some are said to be too dangerous to touch, or even look at without protection. I would prefer if you didn’t go near any of them, Luna. I don’t want to lose you as my only sister. Or see you turn into a horrible beast with a thousand tentacles!” Celestia teased, a twinkle in her eye.

“Or a thousand horns and wings, Celly?” Luna retorted, a smug expression upon her face.
“Oh, that would be absolutely horrifying! Even worse than you look right now,” her sister jibed, poking Luna in the breast with a hoof.
As they neared the chamber, Luna blew air out from between her lips. “That’s nothing, Celly. There’s nothing more scary than you with bedmane in the morning. I still have nightmares about that!”

“Hey! It isn’t my fault that I-” Celestia paused. They were within the room, which appeared much different from the plain stone corridor. The room was a large dome, with alabaster walls, and in the center of the room hung, suspended in thin air, an impossibly large crystal, a luminescent glow emanating from its center. They had arrived at the Core. “Alright...Ummm....I forgot what we’re supposed to do with it, Luna. I think it was to open ourselves up to it, as if we were expecting a hug?”

Staring up at the Core in awe, Luna replied, “Like we’re expecting a hug? Really? No no, I paid attention in class, Celly. We’re supposed to connect our magic to it, and through it. We form the spell and the Core aids us in giving the power we need.”

Celestia turned her head with a sheepish look, a dawn of understanding upon her face. “Well, should you be the one to do this, then, sister?”

The midnight alicorn walked into the middle of the room, staring straight up at the Core before bobbing her head, “I know the spell best, so I should.” Her horn began to radiate a deep violet glow, which then speared upward into the Core itself. Luna slowly filled it with her consciousness, and it filled hers in return. She could see how it connected with all the magics in Everfree City and Castle, even down to the magical torches lining the walls in corridors. And the magical power it held! Its presence filled her to bursting but hers was not yet even a drop within its bucket! The flow was exhilarating, and she nearly lost herself within it. She remembered the task at hand, and formed the spell within her mind. Luna felt the Core take a hold of it, analyze it, then add its power to her own.

All at once, a power wave of light spread outward from the core and across the sky, blanketing all of Equestria. Where it touched, ponies of all types stared in fascination as a picture of their best talent appeared upon their flank. The only ponies left out were the fillies and colts who had yet to find what they enjoyed and were best at.

Luna was reluctant to release the power in her grasp, it was so very addicting. But, she had to do so, and she felt herself drain back into her own body, wobbly kneed from not only the amount of power that had flown through her, but also from the fatigue of the spell itself. Celestia was there within a second, bracing herself against her sister and keeping her from falling.

“Did it work, do all our little ponies have cutie marks...?” Celestia asked.

Wavering, Luna felt her strength returning by the second until she was able to stand on her own without fear of toppling over. “I-I think so. Oh, Celly, the Core, it was so wonderful! The power it gave me! It made me feel like I could do anything! Is that what mother and father always felt coursing through their veins? Power of that magnitude?”

“I wouldn’t know, dearest sister. I felt nothing as I was not connected to it. Here, let us go, court begins soon and we do not wish to be late for it,” Celestia reinforced, pulling herself away from her younger sister as she began to walk out of the chamber and down the hallway.

Letting out an ugh and sticking a hoof to her mouth in a gagging motion, Luna followed her elder sibling. She so did not want to deal with court right now. She wanted to run, to play, to just have fun. But...She was a princess now, a ruler of Equestria. This was her duty. Luna wasn’t so deep in her thoughts when she felt something pull at her mind. Ahead of her, Celestia was beginning the climb up the stone steps to the next level, while beside her, in the direction the mental tugging was coming from, was one of the doors leading to the stash of magical items deemed too dangerous to be used.

No, Celly told me I must never go in these rooms, she would be so mad if she knew I had disobeyed her. The pull, however, became more urgent, as if there was a pony stuck within. What if there is?

Curious, the alicorn pushed open the surprisingly unlocked door and walked inside. It was nothing more than a small room, the walls lined with shelves that had all manner of objects of every shape and size stacked upon them. Yet Luna ignored them. The tug of the trapped pony was gone, instead being replaced by a pull of pure power. There, where her eyes were locked, sat an onyx statue of a pony, no bigger than her hoof. No, not a pony, something seemed strange about it. She could not put her hoof on it, she knew it was a pony, but it felt like it should be an alicorn, the ghost of an image persisting as Luna crept up to the object, ignoring all the other items around her. She wanted to touch it so much. To feel its power course through her.

Raising her hoof, the filly alicorn daintily touched the fragile looking item, and was immediately thrown back against the partially open door, slamming it shut. The pain in her hoof was excruciating, but in the time it took for her daze to be gone, it had all but vanished. The onyx pony was still there, but the image of an alicorn was gone.

I shouldn’t be in here, what was I thinking!? Oh, Celly is going to kill me! She turned to the door to open it, only to find out it was locked. W-Whaaa? It was unlocked a second ago! She pounded upon the thick wood with her hooves, but the door didn’t budge an inch.

“Celly! Cellyyyyy!” Luna cried in obvious fright, still pounding upon the door with all her might. She even tried her magic to unlock it, but the wards within the room were too powerful, and all her horn did was fizzle pathetically. “Cellyyyyyyyy!”

She leaned back against the door, staring at all the objects in the room before her eyes settled back upon the onyx figurine. She could have sworn it was smaller. No, she was right, it had been smaller, and was getting larger by the second.
As tears began to streak down Luna’s cheeks, she heard the sounds of the door being unlocked from the outside, she took a step back just as it opened, inches from smacking her in the face.

“Sister, how did you get in here!? WHY were you in here!? I told you not to ever go into these rooms!” Celestia had a look of anger upon her face, causing Luna to shrink back upon herself and curl up upon the floor. It did not help that she had already been terrified of being trapped in the room, and Celestia’s anger only scared her more.

However, seeing Luna so frightened cooled Celestia’s ire, and she leaned down to give her sister a loving nuzzle, “Come on, we’re not supposed to be in these rooms, not until we can handle anything that comes at us.”

Nodding just a bit, Luna began to follow Celestia out of the room, tears still clouding her eyes. She sniffed a bit and wiped her face before turning around to take one last look back at the onyx statuette. It was the size it had been before and she could swear that she had felt something when she touched it...

______________

The Court was made of the same self-serving ponies, well-wishers, and voyeurs who wished to see the new rulers as last time, meaning it was downright boring for Luna, and at times, extremely frustrating. It did not help that the ponies kept thinking it was Celestia’s idea, and her doing that the marks on their flanks came about. Celestia, of course, corrected them, and gave her the credit, but it did not help. It also did not help that her moods were dark today. Luna kept having thoughts of how unappreciative the ponies were of her designs. Of all her hard work.

And it was true! For every five ponies who loved the sun, barely one would say they enjoyed her night, if they even mentioned her night at all!

She was tired, and it was only mid afternoon, but she had to hold the facade that she was happy to see everypony that came up to the shared throne. Why am I so tired? I slept until noon, and while the spells I’d been doing were fatiguing, it was only the fatigue of casting, and nothing more. It quickly went away. And... Luna suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, and her eyelids grew heavy. Maybe I should retire...Maybe those spells took a lot more out of me than I’d thought.
Waiting until the current well-wisher had left, Luna spoke to her sister quietly, “Celly...? I’m just about ready to collapse, I need to retire.”

The night alicorn’s sister could easily hear the tiredness in her voice, and nodded, smiling over at her. “I’ll take care of court and our duties for the rest of the day, dearest sister. Go, get your rest, you’ve done a lot for Equestria today.”
“Thank you, sis...” Luna gave her sister a tired kiss upon the cheek, which rose a blush to Celestia’s face, before walking off down the side steps and out of sight through one of the side doorways. It did not take her long to reach her quarters, and as Luna was snuggling deep into her covers and started to fall asleep, a thought wormed its way into her head. What if Celly doesn’t actually care about me? What if she only puts up with me? What if that’s what everypony does? Luna didn’t pay any mind to the fact that such worries were so unlike her, she was too tired, and without another thought she drifted off to sleep.

_______________

As the days and nights passed, Celestia and Luna began to form a noticeable routine, as much of one as they could get out of their differing sleep schedules, anyway. Their schedules differed so much, in fact, that Luna had to sleep entirely during the day and be awake at night. The only times the two were able to see each other was in the morning at breakfast, later that evening at dinner, and in the few twilight hours at dawn and dusk when they would both be awake. Celestia presumed it must be because of their different affinities to light and dark, even going so far to say that she felt the same way during the night as Luna did during the daytime: she could barely keep her eyes open at all.

The nights wore upon Luna, and they were lonely without her sister. At first, her court had seen many ponies, as those who wanted to personally thank her for the night came to do so. Of course, there were the usual selfish ponies as well, and even a petitioner or two, but as a week went by, then two, and then a month, they died down to barely anything. The second month, she was lucky to see even three ponies a night. By the third, maybe three a week. Around the fourth month, Luna just had to see for herself what exactly was going on.

During the first month, the goddess had painted her sky every night, filling it with more and more detail until it looked like a mosaic of shapes made by her stars. She even had a river of stars going across the whole of the night sky. And still, few ponies told her of how much they loved her night, yet it was often that she heard of how popular her elder sister’s court was, and of how many ponies that came just to thank her sister for the wonderful sun.

The past few months, a little voice had filled Luna’s ears, telling her how much she was unappreciated, and how her wonderful night went unnoticed. How even her own sister barely wanted anything to do with her, going so far as to only see her at dusk and dawn, when they raised the sun and moon respectively. It was never enough these days. She was always so alone. Was this how father felt when he held the night within his hooves? The ever present loneliness? Did he ever manage to somehow get rid of that tiredness he must have felt during the day? He must have, he was always so strong...Father...Why did you leave me alone...?

Luna sat upon her throne, looking up through the audience chamber’s skylight at her canvas. Her moon was barely a slice of a crescent, mirroring her current mood. Even the guards who normally stood around the chambers during the day were asleep.

Stepping down from the throne, Luna briskly walked across the marble flooring of the throne room, and then out of the doors into the large garden that surrounded the entire castle. It was a warm night, the height of summer, but the Bringer of Night did not care. She had to see. Had to see for herself.

Spreading her large wings, Luna took to the air, the moons upon her flank and new breastplate shining from the light of the one in the sky. Her sister had matching breastplates made for them, with their marks upon the front. It had been a delightful gift, until her inner voice had reminded Luna of everything that was going on. It soured quickly when she realized it was probably a gift meant to mollify her.

Below her, as she gained altitude, the entirety of the castle spread out before her, and then the city itself. She could see a light here or there, either from a flame or a magical lantern, but everywhere else, all throughout the city of Everfree, it lay dark. No... With powerful thrusts of her wings, Luna pushed herself to her limit as she raced for the nearest settlements. They were quite small, the one she was approaching named Ponyville. Once again, dark as the night had been before she had painted it.

No matter what town she flew over, they were dark, with maybe a single light showing a pony up late, probably studying. It had taken her most of the night to do her search, and she landed back in front of the castle in a stormy mood. No, no...What if I am just too late? What if they are awake the first few hours of my night to study and be in awe of it? Yes, yes, I shall do that! Tomorrow, I shall do another flyover at the beginning of my night. But the voice in her head, that ever present voice, insisted that she not get her hopes up.

The next night, Luna flew out once again, flying over Everfree and the neighboring towns and villages. This time, the sight of many lights of various types burning below set her hopes high, but as the night went on she watched them flicker out and die one by one. By the time it was midnight, her night was as dark and alone as it had been the night before.

_____________

The next morning, Luna was already eating her breakfast in the dining hall when Celestia came in. The Sun Goddess immediately knew there was something wrong. It almost seemed as if a black cloud hung over her little sister. She did not say anything though, as this wasn’t the first time Luna had been in one of her moods.

As she levitated bites of pancakes that seemed almost as light and fluffy as clouds to her mouth, Celestia kept taking sidelong glances at her sister. I-I should say something. She always seems so lonely, but I don’t know what I can do to help...Mother had warned me that she may become lonely and withdrawn, but not so angry!

However, Luna noticed each of the stares her elder sibling gave her, grinding her teeth until finally she shouted, “WHAT!?”, snapping her teeth inches from Celestia’s face, causing her elder sister to recoil in shock. A moment of silence went by before Luna stood and snorted, “That’s what I thought.”

Galloping off out of the dining hall, the Goddess of the Moon could hear Celestia calling out behind her. No, not this time. This time I will take matters into my own hooves.

______________

What is going on with her...? My dearest sister, the other half of my heart, what pains you so? I am sorry I cannot be there for you through the entire night. I am not yet strong enough to overcome the lethargic nature our opposites cause...Please be alright... Celestia was at the door of the dining hall, yearning for her sister to come back. To talk with her. To tell her what was wrong. She wished to offer her sister a shoulder to cry on, and a few hours where they could at least be together.

Throughout the entire day, Celestia’s thoughts chased her. She was so worried for Luna, worried that her silence at breakfast may have made things worse. Her mannerisms at court were half-assed, and matters at hand with her court’s ministers were done without giving much thought to them.

Even at dinner, Luna was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t in her bed, though that may have been emptied shortly before.

Celestia spent the rest of her free hours searching all the hiding spots in Everfree Castle that she knew Luna to have hidden within in the past, but she was nowhere to be found.

As she felt the moon begin to rise, Celestia raised her horn and lowered her sun to make way for it. She could feel her younger sister’s magic at work, far above the castle of Everfree, and Celestia knew that she was out flying. I hope it’s to think, to clear her mind...Be well, my dear sister...

_____________

Luna was indeed thinking, but not in the way Celestia imagined. The Night Goddess soared in the air above Everfree, the city and forest stretching out in all directions below her. I need to find a way that will get all of ponykind to recognize me, recognize and enjoy my night! Not to simply sleep during it! What if I...No...I can’t do anything too drastic, sister would be disappointed in me.

Her inner voice answered with a sneer, “Your sister? The same one that abandoned you to this lonely duty? The one who kept looking at you strangely this morning? The one who tries to ‘help’ and yet does nothing that actually would do so!? That sister?”

That’s right...She hasn’t helped me at all with this, only told me to wait, that it would get better! And it hasn’t! It has only gotten worse! The knowledge that everypony in the land ignores my night was the last straw!

“The last straw, indeed. And what better way to make Equestria love your night than to give them nothing but such? An everlasting night that will shroud the land, forcing everypony to take notice of your painted skies, to study it, to love it!”

The voice within her mind was hitting all of Luna’s tender spots, all her hopes, everything that would resonate with her. And it was working. But...How do I do that? Each of us makes way for the other at dawn and dusk, and even if I refused to lower the moon, the sun would still rise!
“Leave that to me. If you trust me, of course, dear Luna. I am, after all, you, and if you cannot trust yourself, then who can you trust? Hmmm?”

I...I don’t know. What do you have in mind?

“Oh, dear, sweet Luna. Have you forgotten? The Core is ours now. Its magnificent powers ours to take, to hold, and to use. Give that power to me, and I will show you how to be the ruler everypony loves. You will never be alone again. All ponies would exclaim at the wonders of your rule. You would have your choice of a mate from countless suiters, and even our dear sister, Celestia, would come crawling back to us, begging us to teach her to be as loved as we were. And we would. We would teach her. And for her cooperation, we would allow her sun to be seen again. At our sufferance, of course.” The voice enticed her, as a parent would a child with the promise of sweets.

The future Luna imagined was wonderful. Surrounded by friends of all types, lovers awaiting her within her bed, and a line of suiters asking for her hoof outside the door stretching out beyond the castle’s gates. And Celly, dear sister Celestia, would love her again. Be there for her again. Just this thought alone brought tears to Luna’s eyes, which were quickly dried by the winds as she soared through the air.

I-I-I....accept...What do you wish me to do...? Luna swore she could feel a malevolent glee rise within the part of her that talked back, but she ignored it. This was herself she was talking to, after all.

“We need the Core.”

________________

As Luna walked down the hallway she had been in months ago, she took note of the door that she had somehow managed to enter months before. However, she gave it no more than a passing glance as she carried on down the hall. The mare, as she was now, had more important things to do, and as she entered the Core’s chamber, she knew what the first thing on the list was.

The Moon Goddess didn’t need to hear her voice’s instructions to know how to do it. She stood beneath the Core and sent a lance of magical energy up into it, creating a magical channel through which her essence passed into the Core. It returned the favor. Power filled her to the brim, and she swore she could hear the voice laughing inside her mind.

“Now, all you need to do is hand me the power, and I will show you how to use it, dear Luna,” her mind’s voice said. She didn’t think much about it, and opened a conduit to the part of her mind she knew the voice resided in. But as she flooded it with power, a blast of darkness reverberated about within her head, causing her to shriek in agony. A pure, unadulterated pain which only increased in intensity.

“Celly! Nooo! Noooooo! CELLY!” Those words broke the silence in the Core’s chamber, echoing down the hallways of the lower levels. But, alas, they fell upon nopony’s ears.

A distorted mix of sobbing and agony-induced shrieking could be heard, Luna’s voice crying out in pain and terror before being abruptly cut off, leaving only dead silence as the Core’s pure white light turned an ominous blood-red. After a few long seconds, a dark, maniacal laughter began to fill the chamber...

_____________

Twilight Sparkle pulled away from the tome before her and rubbed at her eyes, surprised to find them wet with tears. The clock on the wall said it was nearly midnight. She could not go on any further with the history of the Princesses. Not tonight. She already had enough to think about.

The tome had been difficult to translate from Ancient Equestrian, but so far, it had been worth it, showing the early lives of her teacher and Princess Celestia’s sister. Alicorns are not a race from this plane of existence, though? I find that to be a bit far fetched. There are things this tome has not yet answered, and tomorrow, after a night’s rest, I intend to find out more. Oh, poor Princess Luna...I cannot imagine the things you went through...

As Twilight turned in for the night, snuffing the light orb she had magicked and crawling beneath her covers, she failed to notice a soft blue ripple, fading in and out in the corner, just near the base of the ceiling. A surveillance spell, hanging just out of sight, just as it had been the entire day.

(A/N) Thanks once again to Sali, who has edited this story. In other news, I’m looking for a quick picture done for this story, and would be in the debt of anypony who did one such.

(E/N) It’s been a wonderful experience, working on this story with Dragry, in addition to the one directly before this. I look forward to the next two (I think it’s two) parts to this story. It’s by far my favorite representation of Luna and Celestia so far and I’m glad to help shape them in what little way I can.

PS: It’s dark down here and I’m hungry. Please send food! ;o;