Above the Castle

"Luna! You must stop this foolishness at once!" Celestia called out, her graceful form lingering in the night skies that blanketed the whole of Equestria. "This is not who you are!"

"Luna is no more, Celestia! I am, NIGHTMARE MOON!" Nightmare Moon bellowed, the once pure princess slowly rose to the air in front of Celestia, her once graceful form tainted by the very madness that she allowed to take hold of her mind. Her teeth, sharp enough to slice through the toughest of stone. Her regalia, fine tuned for the simple art of combat. Her eyes, now depicting the very tainted madness which seized Luna's very soul.

"I am rid of your pitiful assassin! Now all that stands in my way, IS YOU!" Nightmare Moon yelled, her horn glowing a sickening teal color as she released a powerful beam of light towards Celestia.

Celestia could only look on in horror at the beam as she took in just how dire the situation was. The once proud castle, for which they established their diarchy, was now in ruins. The very light of the sun, which sought to give life to the world, was being stripped from it. The situation was dire indeed and was only made worse when they beam of light collided with her form. She could only scream as her form contorted, nerve endings firing as every muscle twitched and screamed out in agony. The loud bellowing of laughter filling the air as Celestia twisted and contorted in the air. Then, just like that, she was falling.

Celestia didn't know how long it took for her to meet the floor of the throne room. She constantly came to only to once again leave consciousness. It wasn't until the fourth attempt to rise from the agony, which permeated through every nerve in her body, was she finally capable of standing on her four hooves once more. Slowly she allowed her senses to once again return to her before she took her stoic posture once again.

"Oh, dear sister, I am sorry but you have given me no choice but to use these." Celestia said, her horn radiating with yellow light as the floor behind her slowly began to open at her command. Slowly a strange device rose from the floor, pedestals rotated as five different colored gems were revealed to the light of day. Celestia took flight as she beckoned to the stones with her magic, to which all five rose to her as a sixth gem, more magnificent than the others, slowly rose from the stone sphere which topped the device. They surrounded the princess before they began to quickly revolve around her, casting a rainbow of light around her form as she once again took to flight to fight her sister one last time.

The laughing came to an end as Nightmare Moon took her place directly in front of Celestia. Not a ripple of fear coursed through this mare as she watched the Elements of Harmony rotate around her sister. She would win this fight in the end, she was sure of it. She began to gather her power for one last blast, silver light bending around her hooves as her horn was coated in that sickeningly teal aura once more. Celestia could only look on with tears in her eyes as Nightmare Moon released her beam. Celestia matched in step, bowing her head as the gems hovered in front of her, light bending through each gem before being focused into the star burst styled gem in front of her. Her own beam was released towards Nightmare Moon, meeting the opposite beam only moments before it had stuck Celestia. Her powers, combined with the Elements of Harmony, quickly overpowered the wicked magic of Nightmare Moon where it quickly enveloped her form.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Was all Nightmare Moon could scream as her form was quickly engulfed in the light and sent flying backwards within the beam. The beam traveled, reaching into the heavens where it met the moon and quickly dissolved into nothingness. Slowly the shadowy form of a mare appeared upon the moon and Celestia couldn't help but turn away.

"I am sorry, dear sister." Celestia said, her voice cracking as she slowly returned to the inside of the throne room. The soft sound of stone meeting stone rang out as the magic surrounding the elements disappeared. Each, once brilliant, gem was now nothing more than circular spheres which shocked Celestia for only a brief moment before she returned each one to their pedestals. Celestia couldn't help but weep for her sister, one so pure having been corrupted by her own greed and madness. It was only then did Luna's words echo in her head.

"Assassin... She couldn't have meant." Celestia said, her eyes going wide as she turned them towards the tower which had once been Luna's room. Her hooves sprung into action, each one providing friction as she quickly took flight through the castle. What guards remained quickly moved away from her path as she climbed the stairs to the top of Luna's tower. The sight with which she met, it still haunted her even to this day.

"Cheshire, No..." Celestia said, her hooves slowly carrying her to the broken form of what had once been a close friend and worthy servant. Cheshire's once beaming eyes were both squished from within the eye sockets. His once twisted grin, knocked from his face as evident by the teeth which were scattered upon the ground. Celestia found her eyes once again tearing up as she took a seat in front of Cheshire's head. Her eyes cast a quick glance within the room behind her, the headless body laid still and for a second Celestia believed that any moment it would rise. Her heart was broken when it continued to lay there.

"Now, now, dear Cheshire. Wake up." Celestia said, her once calm attitude breaking as she slowly levitated the body over to the wall, applying a new fresh layer of blood to the wall. "You shouldn't sleep on duty." Celestia said, her voice cracking once more as she slowly levitated the head up onto the shoulders of the body. Her magic engulfed the head and the various teeth on the floor as she rose his lips and slowly began to reinsert each individual tooth into Cheshire's head. "It's most unbecoming of a feline like yourself to do so." Celestia said, her hoof slowly reaching out as she nudged the body which rested against the wall.

Slowly the corpse fell apart, the head rolling from the shoulders where it smashed into the ground and each tooth was once again knocked freely from the mouth. Celestia's muzzle quivered as she quickly began to wipe at the tears which began to flood her eyes. Where a day ago, she had found herself in the company of Cheshire and Luna, both were now gone.

"I lost my sister to her sanity! I lost Cheshire to my sister! It can't be! Please wake up, Cheshire!" Celestia called out, her sobs began to fill the hallway as she allowed her body to release every bit of stress that it had accumulated through the fight with Luna and the discovery of Cheshire's body. She cried so hard that she hadn't even noticed the slight twitch which ran up the right paw of the corpse in front of her.

Slowly the body began to move, it's right paw reaching out, followed by the left. They grasped at the air before slowly taking hold of the fur which encompassed the head which laid upon the floor. It quickly threw the head into the air, it spun before quickly meeting the body with a soft click. Said click alerted Celestia, her tears dying as she saw the rather macabre show which was happening before her. The body slowly began to rise, each bone creaking against each other as blood slowly began to pour from both empty eye sockets. The lips on the head slowly pulled back into a grin as it seemed to stare directly at Celestia. Celestia, herself, was so terrified by the display that she found herself incapable of running. The tongue within the mouth slowly began to move alongside the lips.

"Cerestria, I am not as gone as you dink." The form mumbled, one paw slowly rising to the nose on the head which it quickly plugged followed by a loud sneeze. In that simple action, the once empty mouth was once more filled to the brim with tooth after tooth after tooth. Once that was done, both paws quickly grabbed furiously at it's tail, pulling it in between it's hind legs as it seemed to pull with all it's might. Then suddenly, 'pop'! Two large yellow eyes seemed to spring from the bloody darkness which coated both eye sockets. Two black dots began to spin around the yellow spheres before stopping on Celestia which only made Cheshire's grin widen. "Miss me, Princess?" He asked, bowing to Celestia with a spin of the right paw before he was quickly snatch up into the arms of Celestia.

"Cheshire! I thought I had lost you!" Celestia called out, her voice a mixture of tiredness, sadness and joy all mixed into one concoction.

"Now, now, Celestia, do you think I wouldn't claw my way back from death? I am absolutely appalled that you would believe that I would perish so easily to your sister." Cheshire said, his eyes drooping as his grin followed in suit with his eyes. "Though, she did pack quite the wallop." Cheshire said, his eyes rolling in his head as he reached up to Celestia's face and lightly bopped her on the muzzle.

Celestia quickly shook her head after the paw had met her muzzle, her mane quickly spreading out in the air around her before she cast a small glare at Cheshire, the glare only lasting for a brief moment before a saddening appearance overtook her features. "Cheshire, Luna is gone. I had to banish her to the moon for she allowed evil into her heart." Celestia said, her mane visibly sagging as Cheshire crawled his way from her grasp. He moved up her body, climbing her neck before resting himself atop her head. His head slowly drooped down in front of her vision as his grin grew wider and wider.

"I know, she was the one to kill me. Luckily I am made of much tougher material than many would believe." He said, his head rolling on his shoulders as he leaped from Celestia's head and landed upon his tail. "I noticed she was upset so I attempted to cheer her up. She was long gone by the time I got to her room." Cheshire said, crossing his legs and his arms in front of his body as he slowly bobbed on his tail.

"Wait, you knew she was upset?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Celestia asked, her eyes wide with surprise and a sense of anger that the feline hadn't came to her when he had realized Luna was upset.

"Hmm, I didn't?" Cheshire asked, one of his paws rubbed his chin before he just fell upon a shrug of his shoulders and looked towards Celestia. "I think I will return to Star Swirl the Bearded's study. I think it is best that you rest, Celestia. You might go a little mad without any." Cheshire said, his form slowly began to fade leaving his eyes, grin and the spiral of purple around his body before they faded as well.

Celestia could only look on as Cheshire left her, a tear slowly running down her face before she turned towards the room which had once belonged to Luna. A faint aura took hold of the handle of the open door before slowly closing it till the lock engaged.

In Star Swirl the Bearded's Study

"Curiouser and curiouser. Who would have thought that Luna would fall from grace." Star Swirl muttered, his hoof slowly stroking his beard as he returned to the book which he was currently working on. The hoof which once stroked his beard took hold of the quill, dipping it within the ink before returning to writing.

Star Swirl the Bearded had witnessed every moment of the fight within the skies of the Castle from the safety of the window in his study. It was interesting to see the power of the Elements of Harmony, for last time he had witnessed their power, it was used upon Discord and turned him to stone. This time around, the blast had sent Princess Luna on a one way ticket to the moon, where she apparently had been banished. He lost himself in thought as he continued to write in his new book, 'Predictions and Prophecies'.

"Star Swirl the Beaded, I do hope you enjoyed the fight and the execution." A voice purred out causing Star Swirl to jump slightly before looking over towards his bed where the purple feline laid.

"Cheshire, my friend, I certainly did witness the fight." Star Swirl said, nodding his head before turning back towards the book in front of him.

"Hmm, hmm, it seems like you never have time for conversations anymore." Cheshire said, his form slowly turning into smoke which quickly formed around Star Swirl's neck. "Ever since I began living in your study, you don't talk to many people anymore." Cheshire said, a paw slowly reaching out towards the book which caused Star Swirl to quickly bat it away before glaring at the feline.

"You know I don't have much time, Cheshire. I fear that my days will come to an end soon, so I must complete at least one more book." Star Swirl said, batting the feline out of the air before he turned towards Cheshire with a rather firm glare on his face.

"My, my, you shouldn't allow your fear of death to blind you from the truth. Fear is truly the gateway to madness!" Cheshire said, his large yellow eyes and big grin only seemed to widen as Star Swirl let out a small huff with his nose. "Luna experienced that first hand."

"Cheshire, I have this book and one spell that I need to complete before my legacy for the newer generation will be secured. I know some day that unicorns shall become more powerful with their magic. I wish to help them in anyway I can before and after I pass." Star Swirl said, stomping a hoof which caused the many bells on his hat to jingle as eyes, filled with madness, stared down the feline who couldn't help but chuckle.

"I know, Star Swirl the Bearded. You wish to help the newer generation so let me lend you a hand." Cheshire said, slowly he rose into the air before floating towards the window which framed the moon in the sky. "The longest day, on the thousandth year, the stars will aid her in her escape and she WILL bring about night time eternal." Cheshire said, floating through the window as he began to laugh, his form slowly disappearing into smoke before leaving Star Swirl to his own devices.

"I swear that feline is truly madness incarnate." Star Swirl said, his eyes looking towards the mare shaped figure on the moon which he knew was Luna. He hummed softly to himself as he turned back to the book, his hoof taking hold of the quill once more as he began work on the next chapter.

"The Mare in the Moon."

Author's Note

Well, here is chapter four of the indefinite number of chapters that this story shall have. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, which, yes, does feel a little rushed in my opinion but I needed to stop myself from droning on and on.

If you are new to this story, I certainly hope you are enjoying it so far and plan to stick around for subsequent chapters.