Equestria Without Harmony: Mistakes

Chapters

Mistakes of the Past: Awakening
Mistakes of the Past: Preparations
Mistakes of the Past: Explanations and Surprises
Mistakes of the Past: Conflict Part 1
Mistakes of the Past:Conflict Part 2

Mistakes of the Past: Awakening

Equestria Without Harmony:Mistakes

Mistakes of the Past: Awakening

Princess Celestia could not rest herself. Despite being at the stage in her long life when sleep was much more of a luxury than a necessity, resting was still essential to keep her thoughts and actions sharp. Now that Luna was back from her banishment, Celestia was able to get that rest. Until tonight that is. Something was making her uneasy, something she could not place.

Getting to her hooves, the princess of the sun opened the heavy ornate door that separated her chambers to the rest of the castle. Luna would be watching over the ponies atop the viewing tower using the telescope mounted there. The telescope was a magical viewing device which could be used to view the whole of Equestria. Taking care not to disturb any of the sleeping residents of the castle, Celestia slowly made her way up to the tall tower. Before she even reached the top the elder sister could hear her younger muttering softly to herself, voicing aloud her inner thoughts. It was a habit that she had picked up during her one thousand year banishment, and she was having trouble stopping herself from doing so whenever she was alone. Hearing her voice gave her
thoughts clarity, was her reasoning for the practice.

The night princess was swiftly pulled out of whatever thought she had been having aloud when Celestia gave a small cough. Luna turned her head at the sound, and her teal eyes widened for a moment when she saw her sister standing behind her. Celestia usually used this time of the night to rest, before the two sisters would get together. The night was inherently much more quiet than the day, and while it was a fact that part of Luna still resented, there were always merits to just about everything. The quietness of the night allowed the two sisters time away from ruling over their lands and to have some time together. Like right now for example.

“Sister, you are here earlier than usual,” Luna said gently, her voice keeping the usual formal tone she had decided not to lose from the old times. Everything else was just about gone however, though she could still cause the castle walls to tremble with a shout if so tested.

“Is everything alright?” the princess of the night continued, her teal gaze narrowing slightly as she scrutinized her elder. Celestia was one who could seem fine and well to her subjects but Luna was always able to see past the facade. Tonight there was something big troubling her.

A small smile flickered across Celestia’s features, “Luna, I do not know why you still ask me that. You have been able to read my emotions since you were Twilight’s age.”

“Yes, but it is more polite to ask,” Luna noted. “Is it something about Twilight Sparkle?”

The purple unicorn turned alicorn was still adjusting to life as a princess of Equestria. Her tendency to overreact made even the simplest of royal duties delegated to her turn into something of a nightmare for the younger mare. Though now most of her time was spent renovating the old castle that Luna and Celestia had shared before that fateful night one thousand years, enjoying herself with her friends, and trying to unravel the mystery of the box presented to them by the Tree of Harmony. That had the fortunate effect of taking her mind off of her status for the most part. Though there was also the unfortunate effect of ridding Equestria of a vital defence until the mystery was solved.

Luna was interrupted from her musings by Celestia shaking her head. “No… there is something else… Though I cannot quite place what… It’s like a mistake that I made in the past… but there have been so many of those…” the solar princess replied gently.

“For both of us…” Luna murmured, her lips barely moving as she turned her head to the moon, gazing into her former prison.

Following her sister’s gaze Celestia extended a snowy white wing and drew the younger alicorn close to her side. Luna started for just a moment, before snuggling into the warmth of her sister’s pristine white coat.

“That mistake is past Luna, you need not dwell on it.”

“Perhaps that is so, but it is a mistake that I must live with for the rest of my life. It is as I deserve. Though it is now not my fate to live with the mistake alone… in the company of that monster I created. Now I have you dear sister… just as you have me. If you are worried… then I am here.”

“Thank you,” Celestia smiled. “Though for now, all we can do is wait, and hope that I am simply getting a little paranoid in my old age.”
“Or maybe it is all the cake,” Luna suggested with a light snort, causing the two sisters to share a quiet chuckle. The sound of their mirth carried a long way into the still night, floating over their slumbering subjects. The two of them were reunited after one thousand years of solitude, and now nothing would part them. Though many would try…

The newest princess of Equestria was having trouble sleeping as well. While Spike, her number one assistant, slept peacefully in the basket that made his bed, Twilight was staring out the window. The air felt heavy and oppressing, the way it did during an awkward moment or right after a heated argument. The lavender alicorn idly pushed some indigo strands of mane from her eyes, wishing it would be as easy to push away her thoughts.

More than once this night, Twilight had thought about writing a letter to Celestia. However, with Spike asleep, sending it would be a much more difficult task than usual, and she did not want to disturb the princess simply because of a sleepless night. That was something she had done for the last time at the age of six. To do so now would just feel silly. Instead Twilight started mapping out Luna’s constellations. She knew them all off by heart, but it still never failed to calm her, simply taking a few moments out of her schedule to do nothing more than watch the stars.

Luna may have thought that no one appreciated her night but Twilight, and now hopefully Luna too, knew otherwise. There were ponies out there that enjoyed the night for its serenity, and escape from the bustling energy of the day. With a heavy sigh, Twilight flopped back down onto her bed, sinking into the soft mattress. Despite protests and prodding from Rarity, she had kept the library just as is. Going to Canterlot and sleeping in one of the royal rooms every so often when one of her duties was in need of attending to was more than enough for her. Ponyville was finally getting over her ascension, and people no longer acted any differently than they had when she had first arrived.

Using magic to pull the bed covers over herself again, Twilight started to snuggle back into the warmth. Her head was still swimming with worry, but she needed to at least try and get some sleep this night. Turning away from the window, Twilight closed her eyes, a single moon beam falling gently on her cheek. Tomorrow was scheduled to be rather normal, though only time would really tell.

Far from the peace of Equestria, yet so close that one could almost touch the land, a figure was hunched over a small puddle of water. The substance was abundant in this cold misty land, floating all around in heavy blankets. The figure scrutinized the pool, shifting slightly in place as the forms of Celestia and Luna became visible, talking together on a balcony that was vaguely familiar to him.

“It has been six hundred years Celestia,”the watcher snarled, his voice as cold as his surroundings and dripping with malice. Small ripples appeared in the viewing pool which at this moment depicted the two royal sister’s laughing at Luna’s small joke. With a flash of steely talons the pool was disturbed and the image destroyed. Fragments of colour swirled around before the water settled, dark and glassy.

“Six hundred years to prepare myself. Let us see how much one thousand years of peace and eating cake has prepared you for me. You say you do not which mistake I am, well tomorrow it will be abundantly clear. Too long I have watched them suffer; too long I have been unable to act. No longer, and soon the wrongs of the past will be righted.”

Here the voice took on a more bitter tone. “It has been a thousand years Luna, and while you did not have a hand in your sister’s mistake, you will undoubtedly stand in my way. So I must sweep you aside also, this is just the way it has to be. Nothing can, and nothing will stop me from what I must do.”

Author's Note

Kind of a short intro but the next chapters should hopefully much longer. Hope you all enjoy and hope I set you up to want more. Criticism welcome.

Mistakes of the Past: Preparations

Equestria Without Harmony: Mistakes

Mistakes of the Past: Preparations

A rough shiver down her spine roused Applejack into wakefulness. It was the middle of summer, and Celestia’s sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. Yet still she felt as cold, as if it were the middle of winter under Luna’s moon. Something really was not right here. Too many years being out in the fields told her that when the weather was wrong, then everything else was out of synch. This was especially true in a world where the weather was closely regulated by its denizens.
The farm pony dragged herself out of her bed. This was the time where she usually got up and about but today she wanted nothing more than to curl back up in her bed where it was safe, and more importantly at the moment, warm. However, Applejack had a job to do and the fields would not tend to themselves. Donning her trademark Stetson the orange earth pony made her way downstairs, planning on rustling up a quick bite before she started.

Chewing on the simple apple jam sandwich helped steady her nerves and convince her that this was just an ordinary day.

“Keep it together Applejack,” she muttered to herself, her thick accent coating every word. “Ya just… had a little case of the jitters that’s all. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Finishing the breakfast, Applejack walked outside to start the day. Only for a bouncing pink mass to bowl her over the second she opened the door.

“Pinkie!?” the farmpony yelled, bucking the bubbly mare off of her frame and getting to her hooves.
“What the hay are ya doin’ here so early?!”

“Oh that’s easy. I just knew that you were having a bad morning and decided to come and cheer you up!” Pinkie grinned, bouncing over and around the farmpony.

The incessant bouncing just caused Applejack to roll her emerald green eyes. How Pinkie knew she was feeling a little low, was something Applejack knew better not to try and understand. Pinkie Pie just seemed to know when something was wrong. It was an interesting phenomenon, though it could get overbearing at times.

“Well, I thank ya for the concern Pinkie, but I assure you I am perfectly…” Applejack started, only to trail off.

Pinkie blinked. “You’re perfectly what! Oh oh guessing games! I love those! Umm… you are perfectly, awesome, happy, alright, totally not scared of all those ghosts behind me? Yeah, I’ve been letting them secretly follow me all the way here. I hope you don’t mind.”

The ghosts, as Pinkie called them, were wispy white clouds of misty matter that were vaguely structured to resemble the form of ponies. Every one of them hovered a few inches above the ground, and they were completely ignoring the ponies, muttering intelligibly among themselves.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that you just… let them follow you? Without doing anything about it?” Applejack asked, staring at Pinkie Pie with a mixture of horror and incredulity.

“Pretty much, they seemed to enjoy it,” the mare grinned, not seeing the danger of the situation. She had simply found even more ponies to play with.

Any retort Applejack was about to throw her fellow earth pony’s way was lost in her throat as three ghosts suddenly joined the group, having come from behind the farm pony.”

“Those varmints were in my house?!” Applejack cried. “What were they doing in there?!”

Without waiting for an answer, Applejack had a rope in her mouth. Tossing an expert lasso, she roped the group of ghouls perfectly and tried to pull the lasso taut. All that happened was the thick rope passed straight through the transparent white bodies and Applejack ended up flat on her back. With a small thump the earth pony hit the ground, her Stetson falling off and landing a few feet from her. Now she was vulnerable, and had probably just irritated a bunch of crazy spirits with her failed attempt to grab them. Quickly scrabbling to her feet, she prepared herself to fend off any attack that would be forthcoming. They would not get anywhere near her family again without going through her.

However, while the rope did not have the desired effect there would still be no need for Applejack to defend anyone from the apparitions. As soon as they’d felt, or at least saw the rope pass through them, they had scattered. In a single instant the area was clear, except for a bewildered Applejack and a waving Pinkie Pie.

“Come back any time!”

“You’d best hope they don’t follow that advice… What was that all about?” Applejack grumbled, picking up her Stetson and jamming it back on her head. She hated anything weird, especially when it happened right on her own doorstep.

“Now… I don’t know about you, but if ghosts and ghouls or whatever are creeping about while I sleep, I want them gone.”

So saying, the earth pony marched to the one pony in town who would know anything about the subject: Twilight Sparkle.

The library was a picture of absolute chaos that even Discord would have been proud of. Books were lying wide open, littering every inch of the library floor. Applejack and Pinkie were not the only ones to get a visit from the ethereal.

“Where is that book? I know it was here!” Twilight screamed, rejecting another tome and throwing it into the pile. Spike was just standing back, fully protected with pillows and a hard helmet in case any books came his way. The door opening simply gave the tomes another avenue of travel, and several ended up whizzing past Applejack’s head. Ducking into the library, Applejack waited for Pinkie to bounce inside before promptly bucking the door shut. The loud slam as the wood snapped into its frame made Twilight look up.

“Oh, hello Applejack…” the princess greeted, leaving her frantic search for a few moments. “Can I help you with something?”

“Somethin’ tells me you already are,” Applejack replied, eyeing the stacks of books strewn around. “You ain’t by any chance had any unwanted visitors come see you this morning?”

“You too?” the alicorn asked, turning around to begin tearing through her library again.

“Yes, me and Pinkie, and probably the rest of our friends if not the whole of Ponyville.”

Twilight gave a sigh and threw yet another book away. Flaring her wings she stomped her hooves, displaying her disappointment for everyone in the room to see.

“I was so sure that I had a book on spirits and the like, but for some reason I can’t find it anywhere. Spike swears he didn’t sneeze on it so I’ve been hunting all morning with no luck.”

“That’s no good. I’d say we’d help, but it looks like you’ve got the whole library just about searched.”

“I do… this is my third attempt…”

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes at Twilight. For her to have searched the library three times already this early in the morning would mean that she had been awake when night still had a firm hold.

“Not really…” Twilight admitted, deciding not to lie to the Element of Honesty. She had honestly tried to get some sleep, but something had been keeping her awake. Then there was the ghoulish visitors to keep her attention.

“How long has this been going on?” Applejack asked.

“Just last night, I promise…” Twilight sighed. Her friends all knew that she sometimes decided to sleep a lot less than she did, but Applejack was probably the most adamant about her getting enough rest. As a farmer, she knew best about just how much a pony could take before they were hurting themselves. Though sometimes her pride won out and caused her to ignore her own advice.

“Well, okay,” Applejack nodded, deciding to take the princess’ word. “Just so long as you’re sure.”

“Yes… though that really doesn’t help us now… Can you go and check on the rest of our friends and see if they noticed anything?
I’ll send a letter to the princess and then we’ll need to check just how widespread this… invasion really was.”

“Gotcha!” Applejack nodded, tipping her hat. “C’mon Pinkie, we’ll go and get the others… uh… Pinkie?”

“Is this the book you were looking for?” the bubble-gum pink pony asked, bouncing down the wooden stairs that separated Twilight’s sleeping area from the main library. She was balancing on her snout a large black tome with dark red etching in the leather to form the title: ‘The Afterlife: All You Need to Know but Never Wanted to Ask’.

“B-b-but how? Where did you find that?!”

“It was under your bed,” Pinkie Pie grinned, as Twilight pulled the book towards her quickly and started flicking through the pages.

“What exactly are you looking for Twi?” Applejack asked, pulling open the door as she waited on a response. The chilly morning air ruffled the book pages, causing Twilight to groan as she lost her place on the page. Slamming the book shut, the princess closed her eyes and performed the breathing technique that Cadance had taught her. Now slightly calmer she re-opened the book and replied.
“Anything really, though hopefully something that will tell us how they got here. Ghosts may be real, but that doesn’t mean they roam freely like all the stories say.”

“Well, I’ll let ya get on with that and be back with the others lickity splick. C’mon Pinkie,” the farmpony tried again.

This time Pinkie bounced out eagerly, taking the whole rounding up of her friends as one big fun game. One did have to wonder just when Pinkie would draw the line between games and real life. Some ponies thought that it would never happen, but no one stayed carefree and innocent for long. Even if it took a thousand years, ponies changed.

“Have you located them yet Luna?” Princess Celestia asked as the soft steps of her sister echoed in the throne room. While it had been technically her sister’s turn on the throne until now, Celestia was using the chair as a resting place while she pondered. Luna meanwhile had been scouring the castle for a certain visitor that had interrupted the royal sisters during the night. The princess of the night was much more adept at such tasks between the two of them, being more interested in problem solving and the thrill of seeking answers.

“No my sister…” Luna replied,. “It is rather hard to find a spirit in a castle as large as this. I cannot even say if the spirit left or is hiding in the walls. Magical seeing spells brought up nothing, so the former is the most probable.”

“Thank you,” Celestia nodded. “I was not expecting them to linger after you threw lightning at them.”
Luna tried her best not to flush, guessing that her sister was teasing her for overreacting.

“How would you react if some twisted ghost appeared from underneath you,” the midnight blue mare snorted, stomping her ornamented hoof on the cool marble floor. "Even if they are harmless... these ones at least."

Stifling a rather out of place chuckle beneath her hoof, Celestia said, “Almost the same as you did.”

“Exactly.”

Her mirth vanishing instantly, the solar princess looked up at one of the stained glass windows, the one depicting the elements of harmony’s defeat over Nightmare Moon. Now that the elements were gone, how would they be able to defend against an equally dangerous enemy?

“You are thinking about something sister,” Luna muttered, sitting down on her haunches beside the throne and looking up at the older alicorn. The princess of the night too, knew what was coming, though Celestia refused to fill her in on all the details. The event in question had happened during her time on the moon as Nightmare Moon.

“I’m just thinking about how many more mistakes I will make to turn those I call close against me…” the white mare sighed.

Luna lowered her eyes to the ground, memories of the battle she had fought with Celestia before being sent to the moon coming to the forefront of her mind. Celestia was still blaming herself for it, and nothing Luna had said during the past year had appeased that guilt. Just as she was about to open her mouth to try again, her sister moved from the throne. The sun had been raised above the horizon now, casting it’s light upon the lands. Sweeping past Luna, the solar princess walked out from the door. “I must go write a letter, and then we must go to Ponyville… I would… prepare yourself my sister… for what we may have to do…”

Luna almost shuddered at the deliberately flat and emotionless tone. She could not see her sister’s face, but she could tell that it was set in stone and yet desperately fighting back tears. Those same tears that Luna herself was pushing back. Turning to the throne that she and Celestia now shared, the princess took a small moment to close her eyes and mutter.
“Why… weren’t we friends once? Why do this? What… what happened?”

Knowing she would not get an answer to those questions by just standing there, the younger princess followed her sister out of the room, closing the large doors behind her with a hollow boom.

Author's Note

Okay, that's Chapter 2. It was a little more set up based than I was intending, sorry. It will get into the meat of this part soon I promise. Hope you all enjoy.

Mistakes of the Past: Explanations and Surprises

Equestria Without Harmony:Mistakes

Mistakes of the Past:Explanations and Surprises

“Did you find anything?” the draconic figure asked, folding massive bat like wings as he looked down at the cluster of spirits around him. He was doing this for every single one of them, and those who had already lost themselves. They needed a place to call home, which now, thanks to events they had not even been a part of they did not have. Shaking his head, he pushed aside the feelings of guilt. He had to focus if he was ever going to right this wrong.

“No… nothing that will tell you much… we are sorry… All we really found out is that the orange one is good with a lasso.”

“That is helpful,” he nodded, giving the spirit something akin to a reassuring smile, though it was slightly strained. What he was about to do did not really warrant smiles.

Another spirit spoke up. “The pink one is…rather interesting… she did not seem fazed when she woke up while we were looking around.”

The dragon took this all in note, bringing up a claw to his jaws and chewing on the hooked talon idly. The elements of harmony were by all reports back within the Tree of Harmony, and as such out of reach. However, the former bearers of the elements would have to be special in some way. Otherwise why would such powerful artefacts choose them? The only other bearers were Celestia and Luna, two beings whose power he knew first hand.

After listening to the other reports, nothing really interesting came up that he didn’t already know from past events. Except that Twilight had not slept all last night. That he may be able to use. There was no way the alicorn could be able to forgo sleep yet, as he, Celestia and Luna had done about two thousand years ago. Without sleep, she would be a weak link.

Dismissing the spirits with a thank you, the jet black dragon stood up and gave himself a shake. The spirits he’d sent to Celestia and Luna would have made themselves known by now. That meant they now knew exactly who they were facing. Celestia would do what was necessary once again, and Luna, he wasn’t too sure. The moon princess would probably follow her sister, for better or for worse. Regardless, if they stood against him, they would lose. He’d been preparing for six hundred years to assure his victory here
today. Old feelings would not stop him from saving those he’d sworn to protect.

No sooner had Twilight sent her letter to the princess than Spike was burping up a reply. Twilight frowned as she took the letter; it was far too quick to be a reply to such a weighted subject. Reading the flowing elegant script, the princess quickly realised that her former teacher had drafted this letter before she had sent her own.

“My dearest Twilight,

I am sorry to inform you that you and your friends will all be in serious danger very soon. Luna and I will be departing Canterlot to arrive in Ponyville shortly. Stay together until we arrive. I will explain everything then.

Princess Celestia”

It was short, formal and to the point. Usually the princess spared a little more time for informality in her letters, which made Twilight worry about what was wrong. The princess of all Equestria was unnerved, something that until now only the return of Discord had been able to cause. Without the elements of harmony could they really stand up to any threat of that magnitude again? Taking a deep breath, Twilight tried to focus her thoughts. She couldn’t and would have quickly succumbed to her worries had the door opening not distracted her.

“We’re back!” Applejack called, causing Twilight to snap out of her thoughts. That had been close. Twilight hated her breakdowns, and even if Cadance had helped her, it wasn’t a one hundred percent solution. Sometimes she would think herself into a muttering mess, just as she had all that time ago when she had turned the town into chaos with a “want it need it” spell. When that happened,
only Spike awaking in the morning could bring her out of her own twisted imaginations.

Spike closed the door behind the other five ponies that had walked, or flown in Rainbow’s case, into the small library. Applejack had partially filled them in, and now all five sets of eyes were on Twilight, waiting on the princess to shed some light on the situation.

“Uh…well” Twilight stammered, never actually sure how to tell her friends that she had no idea what was going on. They all expected her to know, or at least be able to find out. Hopefully the knowledge that the princess sisters would be coming soon to shed light on the situation would sate them.

“While I wasn’t able to discover what is happening… Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are coming to Ponyville, and they seem to know what’s going on.”

“Well… that’s good,” Fluttershy smiled. “The princesses will be able to sort it out I’m sure.”

“Well… uh… not to be rude.” Rainbow started, only for Applejack to interrupt.

“Sayin’ that means that ya are gonna be rude.”

“Whatever. I just… well, do the princesses really have the best track record? We’ve saved them more than they’ve saved us…”

“There’s… some truth to that.” The orange earth pony had to agree, a heavy sigh punctuating the statement.

“Let’s not forget how many times the princesses have helped and saved us… like with…” Twilight started strongly, only to falter as she realised just what she was about to bring up.

“…Nightmare Rarity…” Rarity muttered, guessing why her friend had faltered.

“Well… yes…” Twilight nodded. “And there are other instances too.”

“Regardless, I do not think it is appropriate for us to be speaking about the princesses behind their backs.” Rarity said, cutting off any further conversation on the matter.

This left an awkward silence, as the six ponies reflected on similar situations from their past. Those times they had been equipped with the elements of harmony. This time, they were not, so… how much help could they really be? Only Twilight had the ability and power to be at least a factor in any battles involving foes like Nightmare Moon. Rainbow Dash could use the Sonic Rainboom as a weapon, but that could do more harm than good. Destroying a rickety old barn was not the same as crashing headlong into an alicorn or something similar.

Once again, Twlight was unable to shake the feeling that a wedge was being driven between her and her friends. She knew what they were all thinking because she was thinking it to. Ever since her ascension, she could feel herself becoming more powerful each day. Rainbow Dash could still outrace her easily, but other pegasi were having a harder time. Ponies like Big Mac would thrash her in a physical contest, but even Applejack wasn’t having as easy a time if they ever did engage in a hoof wrestle.

Then there was her magic, which had already been above average, was now spiralling almost out of control. It had taken longer to see the change, but now every spell was easier, and often she had to concentrate just to stop herself from going overboard.
Fluttershy moved forward slowly, moving to Twilight's side and putting her wing around her. The alicorn flashed the mare a gentle smile, and used magic to pull everyone else into a group hug. Spike tried to get away from all the girly mushiness, but Twilight quickly pulled him in as well. He huffed for only a moment before cuddling up to his best friend and sister figure.

The hug lasted for a long time, each pony and dragon, contemplating what would be coming. This was shaping up to be the first real test they would face together without the Elements of Harmony to back them up. A brace of loud pops sounded just beside them, and both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna materialised within the library.

"Princesses," Twilight said bowing low along with the rest of her friends.
Luna opened her mouth to remind the young alicorn of their now shared status. Celestia shaking her head in her peripheral vision made her stop and look up at the pristine white alicorn. Her sister was looking down at her former student with a certain melancholy. The solar princess was clearly torn. Luna could sense that much, though she could not quite understand why.
Celestia sighed wearily, stepping a little forward to address the seven.

"I believe that I owe you all an explanation, since I am afraid that it is my actions several centuries ago that have brought this upon us."

A collective murmur sounded, and Luna turned her head to the ground. Celestia had filled her in on some of what had happened after her banishment, and she had inferred the rest. A lot of blame had been thrown around, and things had gone into a downward spiral…

“But… how is that possible?” Twilight asked, once again learning that her mentor wasn’t the unshakable infallible ruler everyone viewed her as. She’d made mistakes, and banishing Luna had been the only time Twilight had ever seen her shed a single tear. Now another demon from her past was rising up against her, friend turned foe.

“So… lemme get this straight…” Rainbow snorted, stopping any reply Celestia may have had for Twilight. “The ruler of the underworld… is coming up to wreak revenge on Equestria for something that happened six hundred years ago? I thought the underworld was guarded by Cerberus.”

“That’s only Tartarus.” Twilight cut in. “The rest of the underworld would require a more… intelligent being to govern over it.”

“Right. Though that still doesn’t help us. Why is he coming back? What could you do that could be so bad?”

“That is a long story that you do not have time to hear,” Celestia said firmly, only for an objection to immediately punctuate her statement. She would have expected Rainbow Dash, or Applejack to be the first to object, but Luna was probably one of the last on that list, besides Fluttershy.

“No sister... they need to know just who they are going up against. And I need to hear the details… You know we will just hear it from him anyway. Keeping his emotions in check was never his strong point.”

A heavy sigh escaped Celestia’s lips and she nodded. “You have a point there Luna… but the story is far too long to tell in one sitting, whether I want to or not.”

“Summarise then, they only need to know the important parts for now. They do need to know however…"

"Yes...well...very well then," Celestia sighed. She wasn't used to this, having to expose everything to some other pony besides Luna. Thousands of years of rulership had distanced her from her subjects, and even though she would take small steps to bridge the gap during less formal meetings, no one except Luna could understand what life was like as an immortal ruler. Now, the six ponies she could call somewhat close to her, would have to have the mistakes she had made laid down upon their young shoulders.

"Our...foe... Is a dragon called Slasher. He was a fillyhood friend of both mine and Luna's… though Luna was a little more close to him than I."

"Given that it was my chambers he burrowed his way into," Luna said dryly, remembering that rather, awkward meeting.
Celestia nodded, "We were all only young then, and it was certainly an exciting point in our lives. Our parents were still ruling Equestria, though as they were not alicorns, they were getting on in years... Even as we were settling into her own duties, Slasher was settling into his. For a few thousand years, things were relatively peaceful. Then everything seemed to come all at once."

"You had parents who weren't alicorns?" Twilight interrupted, unable to help herself, "Does that mean you and Luna were born as alicorns?"

"Yes... For some reason, a few years after Luna’s birth, the unicorns lost their connection to the sun and moon. We learned very soon that we were able to take up that mantle."

"It would have ruined our childhood, had our parents not pretended that it was they who were responsible for the sun and moon’s movement. Pony society started to worship them, saying that they had been chosen to lead… To protect us, they accepted, even though it was something that neither of them had wanted. The nobles were not too pleased about this, and the former ruling families had to be placated, though this is another story.

With mother preoccupied, I became the mother figure to Luna, who stayed as a much needed sister to me. Then one day, Slasher showed up. He was training to be the guardian of the underworld, taking over from the previous guardian. It was the former guardian’s zealotry that drove him to tunnel under the new castle, desperate to escape each night once training got too much. He found Luna, and even though she threatened to push him through the wall, they sparked a deep friendship.

Every moment he wasn’t training or sleeping he was with Luna and then I was introduced to hm Slasher became a close friend, and a much needed male influence and middle ground. If two of us were fighting, the other would fix the issue.
Then, Luna and I revealed ourselves as the ones able to move the sun and moon, when we felt we were old enough to do so. Of course this meant that we took over the duties our parents had been attending to. I adjusted better than Luna in the beginning, but we both became comfortable in the position.

Our parents passed and it was already clear that Luna and I were not going to age as a normal pony would. Though the decision was made that we would remain in our position indefinitely. Some nobles disagreed but once again were placated… though I do not believe they expected us to last this long…”

Here the sun princess put a hoof to her head and sighed, rubbing her temple.

"I am sorry, I have been stalling even as I just said that time is of the essence. Much later, one thousand and one years ago, I was forced to banish Luna to the moon. I had no choice but, even though I think he saw that...it caused a rift between Slasher and I. Luna had incapacitated him before coming after me, but we both knew that it was our own actions that had caused her descent into darkness. We had been negligent with her worries, trying to help her forget them, rather than address them directly. Now, Luna was gone, and we both could barely look at the other without being consumed in our own guilt. Four hundred years is a long time to simmer, and when it finally did boil over... The argument shook all of Canterlot. I sent him away from the castle, with several words I now regret.

My true atrocity came later... Still upset and angry, I foolishly allowed several ponies into the Canterlot archives without the proper investigations. These ponies turned out to be very fanatical necromancers, willing to do anything to ply their craft. It was forbidden arts, but with the knowledge they gleaned from the private archive, they were able to render Slasher powerless as the underworld's guardian. They then tried to raise up several spirits, but even weakened Slasher was able to stop them, though now he was wounded, betrayed and unable to do anything for the spirits he protected. I offered my help, but he ignored it, retreating to his former domain to keep away from me. He knew that only I could allow the necromancers to access that information."

"But why is he only coming back now?" Twilight asked, trying to process all the new information. All of this could have been prevented by better communication and three friends being more open with each other. Even so, this one conflict had now plunged Equestria into chaos twice already and would now do so again.

"More than likely he has been preparing. Celestia is more powerful than he is, and I think that I am more skilled with magic as well. However with so much preparation, I do not think this will be an easy battle,” Luna answered.

"Umm... Well how can we umm... Help? I mean, we don't have the elements so... Umm."

Both princesses turned to the speaker, Fluttershy. The butterscotch mare looked ready to pass out at the prospect of a battle. She did bring up a good point, one that was on everypony's mind. It was one that Celestia had thought through thoroughly.

"I think it would be best if you all sat out this battle... Luna and I will handle it. Your duty will be to make sure that nopony is hurt during the fray..."

"Oh... Okay..."

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, and flew up into the air, flaring her hooves in a dramatic gesture. She was not happy being left on the sidelines just because she wasn't in possession of the physical element of harmony anymore. None of the group had needed them to stand together against Nightmare Moon. So why were they being brushed off like foals now?

"Seriously! You're gonna go and fight this psycho, who was once your friend and just leave us outta it? Nuh uh, that is not happening! Friends don't leave friends to do the work, and you two are as much my friends as Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy are. And I'm sure they all feel the same way."

"Rainbow is right Princesses... We ain't gonna let ya both go into that without back up," Applejack nodded.

"I most certainly agree, even if I usually prefer not to get my hooves dirty, there are always exception,” Rarity added, tossing her mane out of her eyes and putting her hoof down in a firm display of agreement.

"Well... When it's put that way... Then... Yes... I... I think we have to f-fight alongside you,” Fluttershy whispered, though she was much surer than her voice suggested.

"Yep, and then we gotta show this Mr meany pants that you can't try and destroy all of Equestria just because of a silly argument between friends. Friends are meant to forgive each other, not fight and fight and fight."

The seven ponies and dragon were all expecting another voice to speak up. When it didn't, they all turned to see Twilight, her head bowed and her wings hanging limp at her sides.

A ruffle of feathers sounded as Celestia moved to her feet. Twilight stayed unmoving, even as her friends gathered around her.

"Twilight?" Celestia asked, "What is wrong...?"

"...I just... Wish that this didn't have to happen... I saw what happened in the past... And it destroyed so much... I thought you had died!"

The mare didn't wait for a reaction, and started to furiously rifle through her books. Breathing heavily, she started once again throwing them around the small room. Her friends ducked for cover but Celestia merely sighed and started catching the books with her sunlight coloured magic and gently laying them down. As a filly, Twilight had often gotten frustrated, so this had become common for the princess to have to do if she was ever with other ponies while researching something important. So this was nothing new. What she said next however, threw even Princess Celestia for a loop. It was a simple command in a tone that was as convicted as it was cold.

"You all are staying here. I'll take him on myself."

Silence fell over the library as the occupants tried to come to terms with what had just been said. When everything finally sunk in, a protest immediately broke out.

"Twilight! Have you lost yer mind?!' Applejack snapped, storming towards the mare.

"No, but too many ponies have been hurt over this, and I won't allow anyone else to get hurt. Especially not my friends."

By going out and getting hurt yourself?! How are we just meant to sit here and let you fight a maniac yourself. We’re a group, and you said it yourself, we have to do things together. Just because we don’t have the elements anymore doesn’t mean you can just leave us behind! Are we not good enough anymore?”

“Rainbow, that was uncalled for,” Rarity cut in. “Twilight isn’t going out because we doesn’t think we’re good enough.”

“Then why?! To protect us? That doesn’t matter if she’s gonna get herself hurt, or worse.”

“It isn’t up for discussion.” Twilight said firmly, putting down a final book with a loud thud.

“No, it is not…” Celestia said calmly, moving towards her student once more. “You are not fighting Slasher yourself. It is far too dangerous.”

“You were fine with putting me against Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Sombra.”

“Yes… but you were never alone… it is different.”

“I’m also a Princess now. If I can’t protect my friends, then who can I protect?” Twilight asked, her voice shaking as she hid from the world behind her mind, not wanting to look at any of them. She knew that what she was doing was the only way to keep them all safe, but was it the right thing to do? Could she even do this by herself?

"Protecting your friends is admirable Twilight Sparkle, but in this room I do not think I am out of place to say that the ponies in this room are about as much equals as possible given the situations and circumstances. You cannot order my sister and I to stay in this room like fillies, nor can you order your friends to do the same." Luna stated firmly.

"You shouldn't go out on your own Twilight... We're all here to help you." Fluttershy said gently, moving over to try and soothe her friend from her irrational thoughts.

What nopony expected to happen was Fluttershy to walk face first into an invisible wall. The mare backed up a bit, rubbing her nose.

"Twilight?" she stammered, looking towards the still slumped mare with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry everypony.. But I have to fix this..."

A slight spark from the tip of her horn was the only warning the others received before an unseen force clubbed them on the back of the head, knocking them all flat. With everyone splayed out on the floor, Twilight slowly stepped around them, moving to the door. Even if it would do little once they woke, she decided to lock the library door. Still doubting her decision, the mare took a deep breath and moved away from ponyville. She didn't know where or when her enemy would come. But it would be soon.

"Interesting..." Slasher said gently as he dispelled the viewing pool. Standing up he stretched his large leathery wings, testing the misty air.

"If that is how you want it Twilight Sparkle, then I shall leave your friends alone... If you can defeat me. Prepare yourself, for after six hundred years, I did not come to lose."

A large whoosh of air signaled his take off, and several spirits moved to where he had been. They hoped he succeeded, or their home would be overcome with madness.

Twilight sat down, waiting on the dragon to come. She didn't have to wait long. A swirling mass of shadows and flames appeared on the ground in front of her and a figure leapt out of it. Landing on all fours, he raised his chilling silver eyes to Twilight's. He met her sharp violet gaze with his own silver glare and smirked slightly.

"Let's see what you are made of then, Twilight Sparkle!"

Author's Note

Well, that was chapter 3. It took a lot longer to write than the others and several versions and rewrites. But I think it came out okay in the end. Tell me what you think and enjoy.

Mistakes of the Past: Conflict Part 1

Equestria without Harmony: Mistakes

Conflict Part 1

Twilight stared down her opponent, her eyes taking in every ounce of information she could see. The obsidian hued dragon standing before her was about as tall as Luna, though much longer, with a whip like tail swaying behind him. The end of the tail was adorned by a razor sharp blade, glinting in Celestia's sun. That was definitely to be avoided, just as much as the long jaws full of dagger like teeth. Perhaps the most worrying asset the dragon possessed though, was a long thin horn, similar to her own. It was separate from the two that curled from the back of his skull jutting forwards instead of backwards. Twilight had never heard of a dragon with the horn of unicorn before. She would have to suppress her curious side for now, as Slasher had started to speak.

"I would have expected Celestia to be the one to demand to fight me alone. Regardless, this is merely a delay. You will not stop me."

"I will stop you!" Twilight retorted, stomping her hoof to punctuate the statement.

"I will not let you hurt the ponies I care about."

"A bold claim..." Slasher whispered, scratching a single, curved talon along the dirt. Staring down at the thin groove he had created, the dragon's thin shoulders started to shake.

Twilight narrowed her eyes as her adversary raised his head, revealing that he was laughing. She was about to respond hotly when he snapped his jaws shut with a loud clack, all merriment gone.

"We fight for the same thing then Twilight Sparkle, which makes this much more...” he paused to think of a word.

"...Tragic," he continued. "Both of us must win, yet only one of us can."

"Why did you come here?" Twilight asked, hoping that talking would calm her nerves and slow her racing heart.

"To reverse the damage done when Celestia allowed those magicians into the archives freely. They destroyed my connection to the underworld, which caused everything to start to deteriorate. Without my maintenance, there is now almost nothing left. Evil spirits and the vilest of demons run amok, while the others have to live in terror. All I can do is watch... And comfort those who died young enough to not view me as the failure I am."

"That wasn't Celestia's fault... She just wasn't herself after your fight." Twilight protested gently, though she was still tense and ready to spring.

"Be that as it may... I have a task to complete. Do you intend to stand in my way?"

"Yes. If what you do will harm my friends... And your silence tells me all I need to hear."

"Very well, let us dispense with the talk. Try and stop me. I'll give you the first move," the dragon said, shifting slightly to prepare for the alicorn's action.

Twilight gulped, trying to keep the motion invisible to her opponent. She didn't have long to do this, Celestia, Luna and the others would be awake soon.

Her horn glowed vibrantly at the tip. Slasher rolled his eyes and raised up a shield in front of himself, confident that he would be able to deflect whatever she threw at him. He wasn't expecting Twilight to completely disappear in a magenta flash. He heard the mare appear behind him, but wasn't quick enough to turn in time to shield his other side.
Twilight's follow up blast caused the dragon to be thrown into the dirt, a large four inch wide patch of his gleaming black scales to be scorched the colour of charcoal. That had caught him off guard. He knew she could teleport, but still he hadn’t expected her to open like that. She still wasn’t strong enough to beat him though, the blast told him that. He had prepared himself for both Celestia and Luna. Twilight was good, and getting stronger each day, but she was still nowhere near their equal.

The scorch on his scales burned as the muscles beneath it stretched and flexed when he pushed himself back to his feet. Twilight watched him stand up. She had not expected him to be done but hoping never hurt anyone. The dragon faced her again, and a cold shiver of dread made its way along every vertebrae of her spine. His silver gaze burned into her, and Twilight was beginning to see the error of going out alone. However, she had made her choice and was going to stand by it.

Twilight readied another spell, wanting to stay on the offensive. Her horn burned as the magical conduit fired off spell after spell. Each of the burning bolts sizzled through the thick air. The shield was holding up against the onslaught but staying on the defensive was not an option. A small interval between the attacks allowed the dragon to cut the power he was channelling into the dark silver barrier. Dust and grass clung to his sharp scales as he rolled across the ground to avoid the next strike.

Twilight had chosen a flat area to meet him in, with clean well kept grass that didn't have many little stones able to get between his sharp scales and make movement a living hell. Thankful for this little detail, Slasher channeled magic into his horn. The structure gained an aura the colour his shield had been. Twilight had never seen a dragon use magic before, and Slasher had a special way of doing it. He imbued the magic unicorns would blast from their horns into his natural fire.

This blend sent a thin stream of crackling flamed towards Twilight. The lavender alicorn threw up a reddish purple bubble too block the attack. Her eyes widened and her knees turned to jelly as the shield was shattered like thin glass. A light tinkling sounded all around her, as the magical shards crackled all around her.

The shield had done its job, stopping the assault from reaching her. Her coat was standing on end, and her mane was windblown and out of place from the shock wave that had occurred when the two magical energies had collided. She was unharmed, but clearly outmatched. Her shield had never just broken like that. The only one who had been able to nullify her magic so easily had been Celestia. Slasher narrowed his eyes at the young alicorn's shaking form. Perhaps she was realising finally that there was no way she could win. Something inside of him hoped that was the case. His logical side wanted this to be the case because he needed to save his energy for the sisters. Another part of him, close to his lightly thumping heart, desired it so he didn't have to truly hurt the young mare. He did not desire to hurt any of them, except Celestia. She had caused all this, and deserved to be punished just as he would be. They both deserved this...everyone else was just, unfortunately, in the crossfire.

"Do you see now that you cannot match me? Coming without your friends was noble but foolish."

He took a step forward. Twilight whipped her head up to glare at her adversary but stayed her horn.

Slasher continued to speak, knowing full well that every moment he wasted gave Celestia a greater chance to come to the rescue. It would also bring Luna...he deserved whatever she would dish out as well. He had failed her as much as he had failed the denizens of the underworld.

"I will give you one more chance to back away, if you do not take it then I will not hold back."

Twilight knew that she couldn't match him, but she couldn't just back out and put her friends in danger once again. She wouldn't be able to look at herself ever again.

"I can't..." she said gently.

Slasher nodded and leaped backwards, putting some distance between them once more.

Once again, they stared each other down. Last time Twilight had made the first move, but this time it was her adversary. Slasher lunged forward, his long sharp talons spread wide. Twilight gave out a startled yelp and dived to the side. She heard rather than saw the dragon crashing into the ground as he missed. Before the princess was able to retaliate, that long tail she had noted before came into play, and slammed into the back of her head. Sharp pain exploded in the sees behind her skull, and she fell to the ground. Still dazed, she felt long claws raking through her back, ripping through her coat and muscle as easily as she would tear paper. Long thin lines of white hot pain burned relentlessly into her back and a loud shrill scream tore from her throat. Blinded by pain, the alicorn could only thrash around in hopes of connecting with her target. Her hoof caught something warm and a loud snarl told her that she had hit her mark. She could not revel in her victory as her back was torn once again . Now both combatants were bleeding, Twilight on her back and Slasher over his eye.

The black dragon backed off from her, hobbling as he kept one paw over his eye to try and stem the bleeding. Her flailing hoof had broken at least one bone around his eye. He'd been careless, putting himself at a disadvantage for when...

Slasher wasn't allowed to complete that thought due to a blur of colour crashing into his side, bowling him to the side.

"Get away from her you freak!" Rainbow Dash yelled at the downed dragon. The next assault came from Applejack, a powerful buck that sent him flying into the air, his light build easy to launch for the farm mare.

Twilight looked up at all her friends. She felt ready to pass out, the long deep wounds in her back still throbbing violently. Gentle hooves wrapped around her as an even gentler voice whispered.

"It's going to be okay now Twilight," Fluttershy soothed, immediately turning her medical attention to the mares back.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie followed the farm mare and speedster into the fray. Spike was torn between two actions, going to Twilight or making the one who hurt her pay. The four of them seemed to be doing okay, alternating assaults on the wounded dragon. Rainbow could get in and out before he was able to react while the others could attack from afar with rocks fired in various ways. Pinkie Pie used her party cannon, Applejack bucked the rocks, and Rarity threw them with magic. The heavy objects pounded into the dragons scales, crushing or cutting the obsidian protectors.

"Okay! That's enough!" Applejack called, holding up her hoof. Immediately the rocks all stopped, and Rainbow landed back beside her friends, glaring at the dragon.

"Is Twilight gonna be okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, turning around to the two friends who were tending to her. Spike gave a small nod, before looking back down at Twilight.

She was conscious, but barely, the wounds on her back still weeping. Rarity took a small step forward before opening her mouth to speak.

"So, what exactly do you think gives you the right to hurt our friend?" she asked, trying to keep the anger from shaking her voice.

The dragon looked at her through his one good eye while the other was swollen shut. He had really been careless, a stupid mistake that he would need to avoid making again.

"I have something I need to do and she got in my way. Take my advice and don't make me do the same to you."

"Is that a threat!" Rainbow Dash hissed, lunging forwards to try and get at the dragon. Only the combined efforts of both Applejack and Rarity were able to keep the cyan mare off the dragon.

"No... It is a warning," Slasher sighed softly.

Meanwhile, the two sisters were watching from afar. Luna was looking down at her hooves, watching the sparkle of the ornamentation adorning them. The way the shiny metal twisted and distorted her features made the dark alicorn sigh. She couldn't do this... She'd hurt them both too much. She knew they were both blaming themselves but the truth was, she was responsible for all of this. She had allowed herself to be corrupted. An alicorn should have been strong enough to resist. A warm weight rested on her shoulder. She looked up into hr sister's gentle face. Luna felt dampness start to well up in her teal eyes as she met Celestia's gaze.The aged white mare looked down on her sister with understanding.

"If you cannot fight him, I will not force you...and no pony will think less of you. However I must stop him, if this is the path that he has chosen."

Luna gave a weak nod. "I can't... All I can think about is the past..."

"I understand..." Celestia stated, spreading her white wings and raising her form into the skies. Her presence immediately filled the the area causing all the heads to turn to her.

"I will take it from here," the princess of the sun said softly.

The other mares all backed off to allow the Princess to land in front of the dragon. Twilight hung her head, unable to look at her former teacher. There would most definitely be consequences for her reckless behaviour.

"This cannot go any further," Celestia said firmly. "Stand down Slasher. This is not the answer."

Her vibrant pink eyes were locked on the dragon, who wasn't able to look directly at her. He never had been able to when she was angry. The knowledge that despite all of his power, she would be able to squash him. Well, not today, he had prepared too long for this and even the Princess of the sun would not stand in his way.

He could not help but feel a twinge of regret at Luna's absence. While it helped his cause he wished he could see her face to face, as the Luna he once knew...before he tore her whole world asunder.
Celestia felt heavy inside. She did not know the whole situation but if the underworld was in danger then nothing would make Slasher back down. It had been the same when they were children. He was stubborn and rash, a nice balance to her calm and detached way of dealing with things. Luna had always been the middle ground that let them get along. Now they would have to clash with nothing in between them.

Deciding he would have to bring out his ace already Slasher slowly pulled out a small red ruby from a small and worn leather pouch on his leg. Celestia's eyes zeroed in on the small pouch and the corners of her eyes crinkled for a moment. It had been a gift for his 41st birthday that she herself had given him because his back spikes and sharp scales quickly destroyed saddlebags. The fact that he still had it somehow made this even harder. Drawing her thoughts away from the pouch, she moved her gaze to the glowing gem he had in his claw.

"I squirreled away every scrap of magic I could in six hundred years, waiting for it to be enough."

Slasher said when he saw her gaze falling onto the gem. He squeezed it gently, and dark red veins of magic started to move over his body. They started along his foreleg, branching out between his scales. Any wounds that Twilight had managed to inflict closed over, his scales repairing themselves. His closed eye cracked back into shape with a sickening sound that caused every pony plus two dragons to wince.

Opening his eye once again, the dragon spread his wings and launched himself into the sky. Celestia followed him, framed by her magnificent sun.

"For six hundred years I have waited for this... Ever since that warped spell severed my connection to the underworld, the evil has run riot. I was there to keep it in check and now I cannot... Not in that world anyway."

"So you plan to bring all the good spirits here, and leave all the evil ones in the underworld."

Slasher narrowed his eyes at her. "Okay just how did you work that out?" he asked.

"Probably the same way you did. The only way to fix it in your eyes is to start anew."

"And sadly I am not exactly spoiled for choice," the dragon snorted.

"True, I can not very well just stand back and let you do this. We could work to change your situation for the better, if you allow some time."

"Time is something I do not have anymore. You had six hundred years to come forward with aid but you didn't. Your subjects and status were once again too important. When will you learn that there are more important things than your princess hood?"

Celestia had to stop herself from bristling noticeably. Slasher always knew just how to get to her. Unlike Luna, he would use her weaknesses if he felt he had to. It made her hate him sometimes and, even if such feelings were fleeting, one day she knew he would go to far.

"If that is what you feel... Then thus is where we both stand. Making you another offer would be meaningless, I know you too well. For the fate of Equestria, I will stand against you!"

Slasher nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. A brief series of flashes depicting the events that had led up to this moment flew behind his scaled lids. He watched for a moment before snapping his eyes open and allowing the world to flood back into view.
Celestia was more than ready for the torrent of flames that her once long time friend expelled from his maw. The barrier that the princess erected not only withstood the torrent but sent it back upon its caster. Huge blade like wings tore through the flames, hardened scales protecting the dragon from the intense heat of his redirected attack.

The clash of the two titans was watched intensely by all below, except one. Luna could not bring herself to lift her head to the source of the noise that was ringing in her ears and tearing at her heart. The thumping muscle would not let her decide. To be loyal to her sister and all of Equestria should have been the easy decision...but to do so she would have to once again betray her most trusted friend.

Luna was not the only one in turmoil. As Twilight watched the battle unfold she thought of her friends. She wanted to protect them, but it was always them putting themselves in harms way to protect her. Celestia, her mentor ws up there battling with a being hell bent on his own twisted goals because she wasn't strong enough to stop him. Her friends were always there for her, so why did she feel like being a princess meant that she couldn't rely on them the way she had in the past. A sickening thought came to her that she had to quickly force down. Fluttershy noticed her friends distress and hugged her a little tighter though still keeping careful mind of the wounds on her back. The newest princess pressed into the warm yellow mare, trying not to think. She needed her head clear.
Celestia was panting lightly as she stared down her foe. She was winning every trade, but with six hundred years of magic at his disposal, the dragon was as fresh as a daisy while she would tire. She had to get that crystal away from him, but she was unable to
simply levitate it. He had the foresight to place a protective barrier around it to prevent such a strategy.

Ignoring the intimidating flash of the long razor sharp talons that had raked her former students back, or the long ivory fangs that lined crushing jaws, Celestia surged forwards. Closing with her opponent she turned and bucked the dragon hard in the chest, her ornamented hooves sending him careening through the air. Still his claw clutched tightly onto the one chance he had in this fight.
She did not come out of the exchange unscathed as the long tail whipped behind her. A long red line appeared on her pristine flank, blood trickling down through her fine silky fur.

Luna saw the blade slice her sister's skin and she was almost up in the air. However, her eyes came upon her age old friend and she faltered again. She could not bring herself to act, even if it should be her who was being torn into... Not her sister, or the pony who had been able to look beyond her past, or the dragon who had shared her past.

"I can't help but wonder, is all their fighting really necessary? I mean if this is all over a problem, can't we just help him fix it?" Applejack asked, wincing as the fight escalated above them. Celestia was still trying to get the crystal away from him.

"I don't know... It certainly seems that Princess Celestia was much less willing to talk things out than usual." Rarity added,

"That freak hurt Twilight," Rainbow snarled, launching into the air before anyone was able to stop her.

The two ancient beings disengaged once again. Both were hurt, but Celestia still had not removed the gem from his possession. As the dragon started to replenish his magical stores, the sky erupted in colour. The seven hues of the spectrum splattered the light blue equestrian sky in a rainbow of light.

Mistakes of the Past:Conflict Part 2

Equestria without Harmony.

Mistakes of the Past: Conflict Part 2

Princess Celestia turned her head away from the eruption of colour, raising her wing in front of her face. The ponies on the ground had to dig in, protecting the wounded Twilight with their bodies. Luna held on by sticking her hooves to the ground with magic. The princess of the night then erected a wall of magic to keep the other ponies from being blown away.

When the explosion dissipated the solar princess lowered her wings to look upon the scene. Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily, several burns marring her cyan coat. Her usually unkempt mane had been swept into disarray and was also singed.

"That was unexpected..." Slasher said in a clipped tone, steadying himself before he took the long plunge down to the earth. The sonic rainboom was an ancient art, and had only been used as a weapon once before, long before even he or the princesses had come into the world. The results apparently eclipsed what he had just felt several times.

"I won't let you hurt anyone!" Rainbow snarled, giving a weak flap of her wings in order to stay airborne. She was starting to wish that she had been a little less reckless. The voice of Applejack's concern and scolding rang out in Rainbow's ears.

"What in tarnations are ya doing? Trying to get herself hurt! Get back , down here now!"

The cyan Pegasus would have ignored the voice, but a gentle aura of sunshine yellow pushed her down into the ground. Celestia gave a soft sigh as she pushed the mare to earth. All the little ponies were so brave, and many a time Celestia had been forced to see them hurt for the safety of Equestria. Even her precious student was laying in the grass.
This had gone on too far...

Luna stretched her wings, confirming that nothing was damaged. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding in her chest for so long that she felt it would burst out. A distraction tore her attention away from the beating organ. Three small warm bodies were pressing into her legs, shaking lightly.

"You should not be here little ones..." Luna said gently, turning her teal eyes in the cutie mark crusaders.

"We heard all the commotion and guessed that Applejack and the others would be right in the middle of it," Applebloom explained, her thick accent making Luna think entirely of the aforementioned farm pony.

Sweetie Belle nodded. "We thought they could use some help. We didn't know that you and princess Celestia were already here."

"So, just what is going on?" Scootaloo asked, wanting to get straight to the point. They could all see how much their friends and family were in pain and stress and wanted to help as much as possible.

"It is a long story... Something bad happened in the past..." she said, trying to be as vague as possible. She did not want to get into such a discussion with the fillies, no matter how much she liked them.

"But if it's in the past, why is it such problem now?" Applebloom asked. "Ponies should just talk things over, not fight and hurt other ponies..."

"Who are they fighting with anyway?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes narrowed at the dragon who was rather patiently waiting on Celestia and the others to try and convince Rainbow Dash to back down.

"An old friend of ours..." she said, referring to herself and Celestia. "From a very long time ago..." Luna continued, laying down and putting her head in her hooves. She looked pathetic, slumped down like a child in front of three actual children. The princess felt even worse than she looked. Every moment of her indecision was hurting ponies she cared about. That should have spurred her into action...but instead it just caused her to fall deeper into her selfish despair.

"Applebloom! Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo!" two voices yelled, as the farm pony and the fashionista hurried over to the group.

"You ain't supposed to be out here Applebloom! It's dangerous," Applejack said sharply. "And neither should you two!"

"But we were worried Applejack!" Applebloom protested. "Y'all keep doing all this dangerous stuff and we never know if you're all gonna be okay or not!"

Scootaloo nodded. "The rest of Equestria may forget it all! But we don't! Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, Sombra, the Everfree forest... It's always you! Why can't someone else do it for a change?!"

Everyone was more than a little taken aback by the outburst but Scootaloo wasn't finished yet.She quickly rounded on Luna, yelling once again.

"That's your sister up there! What's keeping you down here!? If you're scared...then...then...you need to face it! You can't wait on things to just fix themselves!"

"Scootaloo! That is no way to talk to Princess Luna!" Rarity scolded.

Scootaloo was about to respond heatedly, when Rainbow Dash limped over to them, having heard ,the yelling and walked over. The sounds of the overhead clash were heard again. The cyan Pegasus gave a sigh and sat down next to Scootaloo, in the same manner that Applejack and Rarity were sitting beside their sisters.
All eyes were on the pegasus, who was suffering clearly from her attempt to attack the dragon. They didn't say anything though, as the mare began to speak.

"I may be a lot newer to this big sister thing than you two. But... I do know that things can go very wrong... Maybe not this wrong... But it's just one more thing you deal with. Balancing friends and family is hard, and I think Applejack is the best to answer that."
Applejack had to wait a moment to take in what was being said. Rainbow was the last one she would expect to say something like that. Clearing her throat, she looked towards Luna who was watching her with wide, almost pleading eyes.
The farm pony gave a small sigh and nodded.

"Family are basically the first set of friends you ever have... They're always there, whether you want them or not. Sometimes they let us down, and sometimes they are the best ponies to have around. You gotta take the good with the bad."

"I think I've given a lot more bad than good between Celestia and I..." Luna said bitterly.

"Maybe... But now she needs your help. If you three were close... Then it'll take three of you to put it right."
Rarity said gently, bringing her hoof around Luna's shoulder.

"That...yes...we should have thought about this," Luna murmured, pulling herself to her feet. She felt a little stronger... But the knot in her stomach was still there.
"I should have stopped this one thousand years ago... It stops now..."

Princess Luna flicked out her wings. The alicorn took to the air, the wind rushing through her mane. This would not be the last consequence of her descent into Nightmare Moon, and she could only hope that she would be able to face what was next. However, thanks to the help of her sister's- no, her friends she would put an end to this.
Both combatants were oblivious to the events below them. Both were panting, and Slasher had been unable to find an opening to sap more energy from his crystal. If he didn't replenish himself soon, all this would be for naught, and all his promises empty and cold. He wanted to rage and rampage in his hatred for the whole situation. However, he had to keep his cool and look for an opening. He winced as he was clipped by a white hot beam of sunlight energy. Yet another smouldering burn marred his black scales. This was going so wrong, he should be able to win with the advantage he had given himself, and yet Celestia was able to fight him easily. She looked to be tiring, and most likely was, but every blow of her hoof and crackle of her magic was overwhelming. He had gravely miscalculated the gap between their powers.

Celestia was about to let loose another blast when a familiar flash of dark blue obscured her target. Luna put herself directly between them, halting the fight. Neither of the combatants moved, the new development startling them both.

"Luna?" Celestia asked, not allowing herself to relax just yet. She had the upper hand but all that could change if her adversary took hold of the chance to replenish himself rather than listen what Luna had to say.

"What are you doing?"

"Ending this fight..." Luna said softly. "It should never have started in the first place. If either of you needed help you used to be able to go to the other...or me... Now you are both
tearing each other to pieces... And I cannot watch anymore."

Celestia and Slasher both felt a pressure on their backs, gently pushing them down to the ground. Celestia felt her hooves hit the ground. She sank into the grass, her churning stomach resting on the earth. Slasher was much more resistant, using his huge wings to stave off the now rather forceful push. Luna gave a gentle sigh and moved over to him.
The dragon kept his head to the ground and his eyes firmly shut as he drove his wing muscles to exhaustion. The pressure released, and a much gentler, warm push fell down upon him.

"Please..." Luna murmured into his ear.

The familiar voice made the darkness behind his eyes flash with memories. Memories of all the good times... And of what had been destroyed, perhaps irreversibly so.

"Please," Luna repeated. "We can all fix this together... None of us have to be alone anymore..."
Without his conscious consent, Slasher's muscles relaxed, allowing Luna to easily guide him towards the ground. Once down he did as Celestia had, and sunk to the ground. The battle had been twisting in Celestia's favour... A few more minutes without chance to draw more energy and Celestia would have overwhelmed him. He still didn't understand
how Celestia could be so far above him. She could push him around as easily as she would an earth pony.

The dragon almost spat, his hackles raising as all his scales started to raise up off the leathery skin they were embedded in. The thought that she could play with him made him angry. He had spent six hundred years preparing so this didn't happen. He looked down at the red glimmer still in his claws grasp. He had the opportunity now to drain the energy he needed from it but instead he simply let it fall to the grass. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn't but if he drained it all now, he would be a useless wreck, win or lose.

He was snapped from his thoughts when Luna spoke, her voice heavy.
"I never thought the day would come when we would be so split apart that this would become the first alternative... What happened..."

Here she stumbled, not sure how she should put something like this. She had only been around for what was the causation or catalyst.. No, she had been that catalyst. All of her jealousy had caused this and now it would have to be fixed. She glanced around her, and immediately saw three familiar little fillies giving her reassuring grins.
Luna smiled slightly before moving so that she made up a triangle the black dragon and white alicorn. They both turned to look at her, pink eyes and silver both being met with teal.

"When I became Nightmare Moon, it was my fault and mine alone... It was I who let jealousy overtake me, and it was I who was too weak to resist the nightmare forces when they weaved their temptations. The repercussions should have mine alone as well, but now I see you both, fighting to the bitter end because of my mistake."
Slasher shook his head wearily, feeling his waning strength struggle with even that simple act.

"You forget that it was we who ignored your plight and allowed you to descend into the darkness. Celestia and I both deserve what happened here today and more. Today is not about what should and should not happen. I cannot just allow the suffering of the spirits I was designated to protect. If there is still breath in my body then I must continue."

Limbs shaking he started to rise, visibly struggling with the task. Celestia was about to rise as well, prepared to stop repel any recklessness he was likely to show. Luna was quicker, and a swift buck with her ornamented hooves knocked the dragon down. The night princess then used her body weight to pin the dragon, laying down on top of him and making sure to restrain his wings and tail.

"I thought you learned this lesson..." she murmured, barely audible to the onlookers.

When Slasher didn't respond, Luna continued.

"Can we not try to put this behind us? We have all been alone for so long, is it not time for that loneliness to end... No matter what you have done, or been planning out of desperation... All of that can be discarded. You have me now and I am sure everyone else will be willing to help. I will not speak for them, but Twilight Sparkle and her friends are all good ponies. You also already know that deep down my sister would always have helped you... And if she had come asking... You would still aid her to your utmost. Whether you believe it or not... I know it to be true."

Here Luna moved away in order to lay next to the dragon, who had his head buried in his huge wings, eyes firmly shut, blocking out the world. The mare felt warmth beside her and did not have to look to know that Celestia had moved over next to her.

"This is not something you have to do on your own... If you still insist on trying... I will not think any less of you, but I will have to strike you down...past friendships forgotten."

Celestia's words struck a chord in the black dragon's mund, reverberating all the way down into his heart. He had to do something, but they were right... He'd never had to do it alone. However, there was still something he had to ask, before he would ever ask them for aid.

"What happens if the only option is to do as I planned to and doom all of Equestria?"

Hardened silver eyes locked with the two princesses. He desperately wanted to dispense with this and rush forward and hug the two he had been driven from these past centuries but his duties came first... Just as theirs did. It was how things always would be.

Luna found herself unable to answer and turned to the solar princess. Celestia's shoulders heaved as she sighed heavily. "I do not think it will come to that. In the event that it does and you must go with your oath, we will bring our full might to bear against you in order to save Equestria, unless a compromise can be reached beforehand."

"I...I think I like that idea a lot more than my original plan..." Slasher said faintly, swaying slightly as he moved into a sitting position.

"You both should rest..." Luna suggested.

"No time... I stalled for much too long already..."

"I thought you would,say that... Luna murmured before she swiftly moved forward and gathered the dragon in a long long overdue hug.
Slasher started for barely a moment before he wrapped his forelegs around the mare's shoulder, just above the wing joint.

"I was hoping you would save me the embarrassment of having to initiate that," he chuckled dryly.

"Oh shut up or I will do just that!" Luna huffed, squeezing to the side in order to allow Celestia's larger frame into the symbol of friendship.

"Does this mean I get to plan another party!?" a certain bubblegum pink pony asked, having hopped over to the scene.

"Yes, I think that may be in order for later," Celestia smiled, once again having had another huge weight removed from her shoulders.

"Before then, there is something I would like all of you to help with...if you are willing."

None of the ponies spoke. They all wanted to help, but Slasher had hurt Twilight. No matter his motives and reasons they could not just let go. All eyes slowly turned to the newest princess.

Twilight was already on her feet, not looking anywhere but her own hooves. Everything that had happened to her, had been her own fault. She had been reckless and foolish, just as a certain dragon had been. Everyone made mistakes but all mistakes could be rectified with the help of friends and any friend of the princesses was a friend of hers.

"What do we need to do?"