Prologue
She could feel it. It had no physical presence; it was as elusive as smoke, but there was no telltale thread of silver to follow, no dewy scent that lingered in the air. It was powerful—too powerful, like the blazing warmth of the sun. Yet somehow it was darker, almost primordial. A raw power that drew upon the life force of the earth, a magic that she had not experienced in over three-hundred years.
But it was there. It was there, and it was growing stronger.
The same unease fluttered in Celestia’s belly like a trapped bird, gnawing at her conscience. Every waking moment she was aware of it, and it had begun to wear away at her nerves in a manner that she had never felt before. It was an unwelcome feeling, and Celestia detested the unwelcome intrusion. She snorted with impatience.
“Rest, dear sister. You have been awake long since the sun has set. It is time for you to sleep.”
Wherever her sister walked, the coolness of the night followed. Luna’s mane of stars seemed to precede her presence, but tonight Celestia had been unaware of her coming. Her sister’s voice made her flinch, drawing her away from her troubled thoughts as the princess of the night trotted to her side. Even without looking, Celestia could feel Luna’s large, mysterious blue eyes upon her; her sister’s concern was as palpable as the cold that had settled over Equestria as the moon had risen to its rightful place in the night sky. She shook her head, her flowing mane draped over her shoulders like a cloak of rainbows. Despite herself, she pawed at the ground, her golden hooves clicking upon the stone floor. She was restless; every shadow, ever dark corner, seemed to harbor an unseen enemy, and not even the presence of her only sister could calm her nerves.
“It is unwise for me to rest.” Celestia could not keep the unease out of her voice. “Every moment I waste, it grows more and more powerful. It is overwhelming. Maddening. I cannot sleep, even if I tried.”
Luna’s eyes were soft with concern, but her voice was stern as she spoke. “Do you not think that I feel it too?” she asked. “It is true that sleep cannot block out its presence. I have been unable to visit the dreams of my subjects for nearly three moons; it is as if my magic is being blocked by some strange, invisible wall.” She tossed her head. “Yet even I know that it would be foolish to sacrifice my health. You will worry yourself to death, dear sister. You cannot go on like this. Who will raise the sun should you collapse with exhaustion?”
“You will, if you must.” Celestia knew it was folly, but she could think of little else to say in response to her sister’s solid, honest logic. “I have raised the moon in your absence before; you are more than capable of raising the sun, should I be unable to do so.”
Luna snorted with disbelief. “You are older and more powerful then I will ever be, dear sister. No; the only mare in Equestria who can raise the sun is yourself. Without you, we would be lost. Even you must realize that.”
Celestia knew very well how Equestria would suffer without her, but it made her head ache to think upon it. “If this power should grow beyond our own, it may not be I who is raising the sun at all,” she murmured.
Luna stretched her wings, flexing her dark blue feathers as she turned her gaze towards the darkness beyond. “Are you certain it is him?”
“Not him.” Celestia shook her head. “But some pony like him. Some pony who has mastered his dark magic, who has harnessed the spirits of the nightmare realm as skillfully as he had done years and years ago.” She shuddered. “It has no form, yet I can feel the presence of the caster behind its veil of darkness. Who it is, I do not know. But I can assure you it is one of them.”
“The Curséd Ones.” Luna nodded in agreement. “I cannot argue with you there, dear sister.”
Celestia’s luminous violet eyes narrowed, searching through the blanket of blackness that covered the lands of Equestria. “It has been three hundred years since I have heard those words,” she mused. “The Curséd Ones. Whose idea was it to name them that, I wonder.”
“Yours, dear sister.” Luna’s voice was ominously quiet.
“Mine.” Celestia echoed the words decisively. “And it will be me who shall rise again, to banish them and their dark powers from Equestria. But this time, I must vanquish them forever.”
The princess of the night bristled at this. “It was not just you who vanquished the Curséd Ones beyond the oceans of Equestria. I too banished Sword Play and his kin far beyond our kingdom’s borders.” Her eyes were gleaming with a fervor that the princess of the day had rarely seen; her eyes were aflame with blue fire, as bright and powerful as the magic that flourished inside of her. “You cannot do this alone, Celestia. I will not allow it.”
“It is too dangerous.”
“Nothing is too dangerous.” Luna’s fierce gaze seemed to piece through Celestia like a dagger. “I have done it once, and I can do it again. The sun cannot exist without the moon, dear sister. You cannot face them by yourself.”
Whatever protestations Celestia had prepared against her sister’s arguments melted away as she gazed at the stubborn look in Luna’s large blue eyes. Despite herself, she smiled. She extended one wing, wrapping it around her younger sister’s narrow shoulders. “It is comforting to know that I am not alone,” she said gently. “Are you really willing to risk yourself to fight this foe? You and I…we may not make it back alive. We may not be able to regain our strength after this battle.”
Luna gazed up into Celestia’s face, irritation written in her narrowed eyes and deep frown. “Of course I am willing to risk myself,” she snapped. “You are my sister; I would be lost without you. Equestria would be lost without you. You cannot shoulder this burden alone.”
For the first time in moons, Celestia felt peace settle over her heart. She turned her gaze away from the star-studded sky and the dark hills and valleys of her kingdom; her hooves, no longer as heavy as stones, carried her towards the entrance to her solar. With a toss of her head the ornate golden doors flew open, and she trotted inside, she heard the clicking of hooves as her soldiers stood to attention. As she gazed about at their stern, loyal faces, Celestia felt a surge of confidence as warm as sunlight rush through her, and she stood taller, tossing her rainbow mane over her shoulders.
“Bring me Captain Hawk Eye,” she ordered one of her guards, a white stallion with eyes as green as emeralds and a mane as yellow as beaten gold. “We must prepare ourselves for the inevitable. Equestria must remain safe and secure.” Her violet eyes glowed like amethysts. “No pony is to leave or enter the kingdom until the Curséd Ones are banished from this earth forever. The time for action has come!”
