The Legend of Lyra

One Thousand Years Ago

Day

"Thou can not address the princesses in such a way, ungrateful whelp!" The lunar princess shouted toward the lonely disheveled mare. The Princess scowled at the appearance of such a lonely mare within her castle's throne room, unaffected by her appearance and more so by her mere presence.

"B-But Princess Luna, please! thou cannot simply destroy my home like this!" She declared, trying to defend her stake in the argument that seemed to have stretched only minutes, though the tension felt as if hours had occurred with the level of anger the princess seemed to hold.

"Thou think we canno-!" A single white leg clad with a golden horse shoe gently moved its way forward, before the chest of the Princess Luna and interrupting her speech.

"We shall look into thine problem and declare the meeting held to be dealt with anon." Princess Celestia nodded simply, as well as rather quietly in comparison to her sisters shouting of a Royal Canterlot Voice. Her regalia shining brightly as she had the visage of a true princess of the sun, radiant and near glowing as she sat there high and mighty.

"But sister, thou cannot just allow such ungrateful and lowly members into our throne room with such allegations!" She threw her own dark colored hoof upward to thrust away the white one, tossing it aside like a vile object. "And thou cannot just-!"

She was interrupted once more as the Princess Celestia spoke up. "We shall look into your claims, fair mare." She bowed her head softly to show her humble attitude toward the mare. Princess Celestia gently gestured for the guards with an air of calmness and gratitude for their actions as she motioned for them to lead the mare outside of the throne room.

One guard had nodded already leading the disheveled mare out the doors. Her hair almost a rats nest as she looked as though she had little effort put into her appearance whatsoever. "Steady thy heart, the princess shall handle your affairs, do not worry your head," said the guardspony as he made his way out of the throne room. The sight of the bickering sisters was one that filled his heart with a fear unknown, perhaps some future sight as to the events that would one day change the fate of Equestria.

Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, The Twin Thrones

Just After Dawn

"But sister, thou cannot keep letting our subjects just pass by like thou hast been doing, and under our shared rule!" She declared, raising her hooves up in agitation. Luna was clearly not pleased by her sisters lack of formality. "And what, pray tell, of your voice? Does thou not recall thy voice is supposed to be loud to show your leadership and rule over these...Peasants!"

"Luna, thou must-"

"Princess Luna"

Celestia sighed as she took a moment to lift her hoof and rub gently the space between her eyes while she walked across the throne room floor. "Princess Luna, please remember these are our subjects, but we cannot just destroy their homes for their closeness to the castle towers."

"But her home is in the way, and we cannot allow such...Such ungrateful peasants to live in such close spaces as to my tower!" She declared, once more throwing her hoof upward and batting at the air.

"Sister we have discussed this!" Celestia raised her own voice in retaliation. "The citizens are allowed to live in close proximity in order to-"

"To what,Celestia...? To share love and admiration for their favorite princess?" She spoke with spite on her tongue.

"Sister, what is the matter with you? Does thou not remember-"

"Remember what, Celestia...?" She once more interrupted the eldest sister. "Remember how they regard your sun with appreciation and despise the 'darkness and fear' my glorious and beautiful night brings?!" Luna stood from her throne, stomping toward the space beside it. The light shone through the high window as the sun stood in the sky, shining down just behind the thrones.

"Luna, please, we simply have to talk about this..." She tried to reason, moving to follow closely with her younger sibling and co ruler of Equestria.

Luna quickly turned her head. "Not... another step." Celestia blinked, clearly confused as she took a look over her sisters face. She paused in her movements only to stand in her place across the room. Princess Luna continued, "Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light?" She began marching forward, marching toward the archway they united the two thrones. "There can only be one princess in Equestria... And that princess... Will be me!"- She lifted her two forehooves and with nightmarish strength crushed the stone that held the archway wall up.

The resounding crack of strength making splinters up the stone, back behind the thrones and between the two seats. It lead up the stone, past it and up the wall. It began to splinter further, breaking more and more rock off of the wall before it reached the high window. The glass started to crack and creak, suddenly exploding inward toward the throne room floor as it lay in shattered remains of what was once the back wall.

Celestia sat there in shock, watching her sister destroy the royal throne arch and covering her eyes for a brief few moments to protect herself from the shattered glass. As she looked up past her raised cannon, her jaw dropped. She sat in a stunned silence as she watched her sister ascend into the air.

With Luna's horn glowing she began to raise the moon into the air blocking out the sun in a perfect eclipse. But, she was far from done. Streaks of black entered the room from beyond the moon and sun, wrapping around and enveloping the princess in its dark and nasty visage. A mere second passed before it suddenly lifted her higher into the air, the orb glowing as bright as the sun from the shape of the eclipse just melding and mashing together before it gave way to darkness once again. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. Giving way to the creature within its darkness seemed to cling to her skin, turning and transforming Luna. Her fur blackened, her regalia turned wicked and more nefarious, and her eyes... As she opened her eyes the pupils formed into slits. Luna opened her mouth to let out a menacing laugh. The transformation was far from over; During her short laugh her teeth grew more pointed and fierce, sharp and monstrous. She quickly stomped down onto the stone floor as she continued to laugh, her dark visage only enhanced by the standstill eclipse.

The sun vanished out from behind the moon, disappearing from the sky entirely before too long. The former princess turned nightmare turned her horn toward the castle wall, shooting off a darkened beam of black and blue magic at it and disrupting the stones then turned her head upward toward the ceiling and grinning maliciously when she watched the stones come crashing toward the ground floor. Laughing maniacally she seemed to shift her self righteous laughter into a scowl of anger.

Princess Celestia finally gathered the nerve to move, giving a saddened gaze toward the stones that lay disheveled and broken on the floor... It only lasted that of moments however as her gaze turned to the darkened sister, a stern look in her eye replacing that of the sorrow it once held.

Princess Luna continued to march forward, her blackened fur and armor shining with the light of the risen moon behind herself. Her hoof falls clacked against the stone as her armored hooves made their way forward, marching step by step in line toward the center of the room.

Celestia suddenly flew up into the sky, just as Luna shot out another beam toward her. She thought quickly as she ducked under the beam and weaved to the side of it, the shot missing though only by a margin. The two sisters seemed to sit at a stand still for what felt like ages, just staring each other down while simultaneously gauging each others power.

"Luna, I will not fight you! You must lower the moon!" Celestia shouted toward her, "It is your duty!"

"Luna?"- her hoof clacked as she lowered her raised hoof back toward the ground. -"I am...Nightmare Moon!" She paused, "I have but one royal duty now..." -she suddenly whipped her head up and around, aiming her horn toward Celestia as she fired yet another stream of her darkened magic.- "To destroy you!"

Celestia was quick to take to the skylines, flying through the opened hole in the castle roof as she took to the now night air to evade this nightmare creature.

"And where do you think you're going?" Nightmare Moon said as she took off after her. Celestia floated in the air by the beat of her wings when Nightmare Moon shot off once more, firing into the open air and missing her sister as she ducked and weaved more of her shots, destroying several buildings in the cross fire.

Celestia fled with worry and fear in her eyes as she was too afraid to look back, yet wise enough to know not to. As she rose up over the castle she was hit! Celestia screamed as she felt the beam of energy catch her just against the chest. It was enough to knock the wind out of her and knock her out of the sky sending her plummeting into the castle remains.

Nightmare moon took the time of success and laughed once again, that menacing laugh filling the night time air.

"..."

Celestia laid there on the castle throne room floor, her chest not moving. She could hear the cries from within the darkness from around her dear sister... She had to get up, she couldn't stay as she was. Slowly, like a phoenix, she rose. Her chest gaining life once more, her breath returning to her body as the air filled her lungs, Celestia standing tall and fearless against the even greater odds. As she stared up into the air she was weakened but not out.

"Oh dear sister, I am sorry... But you have given me no choice but to use these." She turned her head toward the center of the room, looking downward toward the floor and casting her magic before suddenly a large square started to glow with her magic, splitting off like doorways and revealing... "What?" She asked in shock.

She searched around as her fear started to truly take over. Her heart started to race, she was truly alone in this battle. "T-The elements! Where have they gone...?"

"Why, dear sister... Did you really expect me to simply let you use those pesky things against me?" She slowly descended onto the main room floor, Celestia whipped her head around at the sound of her sister entering the room behind herself. "We would be but a fool to let you try that special trick on us...No." Nightmare Moon said darkly, "We feel they have aided you for far too long, ravishing the land of anything that doesn't...Appeal to you."

"No!" Celestia lashed out, "You're wrong! Sister, please! We have used the elements for good, you know this!" She shouted. She took a moment to breathe, trying to calm her own nerves. "Sister, you can go back, all can be forgiven..." She wasn't sure what more she could say... "I fear she may be far too gone for me to help... Please, Equestria forgive me... I was too weak."

Nightmare Moon only laughed under her breath, her laugh becoming more boisterous and loud as she became more open with it. "Really sister, biding time? And for what... The guards ponies to save you? The citizens to whisk away and come flying to your aid?" She scowled, "Your precious light is no longer with you. You hold no power here." She started to charge her horn, the darkened energy entering her form and creating some sort of bubble around her. From underneath her, the ground seemed to have something fade up and out of it. A darkness... A shadow. "Your powers are gone, Celestia. Your subjects abandoned you, and now... The night shall last eternal." The remnants of what was the shadows grew into something... Each glowing faintly with a dark energy before taking form of what appeared to be the Elements of Harmony...

They were sickened.

The elements were poisoned, cursed to take on this twisted and corrupted shape, forming into the Elements of Disharmony. The darkened and near blackened crystals lifted up, floating and flowing around the lunar princess before twisting and spinning around her, creating a ring of pure darkness. As quickly as they did, they stopped. Changing their pattern they formed some odd pentagon of magic, the six point star floating into the middle of it as the five gems all charged the center piece. Nightmare Moon aimed her horn down toward the star, further empowering them and blasting the beam of energy straight at Celestia.

Celestia remained unmoving, tears began to stream lightly down her cheeks... As the beam made its way closer and closer to home, to its target, she could only utter a simple phrase.

She whispered... "I'm sorry." before closing her eyes. Blinding pain suddenly overtook her form, blasting her further and further through the night sky, into the atmosphere and straight into the moon. She was banished to the prison in the sky, a symbol of the might of the new ruler of Equestria, Nightmare Moon.