In the Castle of the Two Sisters, silence surrounded the once flourishing castle. The castle was once filled with life teeming with many creatures from around the world as they lived peacefully under the protection and guidance of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Throughout its history, many dangers came crumbling down on the castle as it faced many impossible challenges. From the fight against the God of Chaos, to the malevolent shadow king, there was not a single challenge too daunting for the two sisters too handle. It was to be a utopia becoming a reality. However, that paradise was not meant to be.
After the events of the Shadow War, the words of King Sombra begun to haunt the Moon Princess as it made her question herself and of her relationship with her own sister. At first, she shakes the words like it never happened and continued on with her royal duties. Slowly though, the same words come back to haunt her. The Sun Princess worried about her sister asked if she was feeling well. Not wanting to make her lose sight of their goal, the Moon Princess simply replied with an 'It is nothing Tia' and left her to her royal duties.
As each year passes, the words begin to eat away at her sanity as she comes to a realization when her own subjects shun through her beautiful night while awaiting her sister's glorious daylight. Slowly she begun to hate her sister for what she thought was her basking in the limelight. Celestia never noticed that there was a wedge between their love for each other as the years passed. She would occasionally check up on her sister to see if she was feeling well and she would respond with a polite gesture suggesting that she was okay. She loved her sister and she would do anything to keep her safe. It was until that fateful day that will forever shatter their relationship. At the time, Celestia noticed that Luna was behaving strangely. Whenever she was around her, she would never say hello to her or even make a gesture to know she is there. She thought that she was very busy with her royal duties and just did her part. Just like Luna, slowly, she begun to get more worried as she was not only doing this repeatedly, but she was also neglecting her duties as Princess.
When came the day she would ask how she was faring, what happened afterward all but answered one of her many questions. Her sister begun to throw a temper at her for the fact that ponies respected her day more so then the night itself. Realizing that their family was hanging on a single thread, tried to calmly reassure that she was not doing what she was thinking and said that her subjects loved her night as much as the day. Luna believing not a single word uttered from Celestia berated her for believing in such lies and immediately shut her out of her room. Celestia was breathing heavily upon seeing Luna being heartbroken. She wanted to help her little sister, but she knew that she was adamant in not receiving help. She left the room and prayed that someday, Luna will understand that her subjects loved her as much as they did for herself. Her prayer was never answered...
The Castle of the Two Sisters now stood empty of all of its possessions as both princesses separated from that day and begun to form their own kingdoms. As a result, a war broke out between the Solar Empire and the Lunar Republic all for the right to choose who shall rule Equestria. As the war seemed to have no end in sight and innocent ponies are being killed off one by one as they unfortunately stood in the crossfire, Celestia decided to end this diplomatically by calling out to Luna and having a meeting at the old castle. Luna scoffed at the idea, but decided to go with it only for her to see the anguish on her sister's face. The meeting was to be held today according to Celestia.
An orb of light surrounded an empty space and the telltale sign of a 'pop' emitted from the teleport as Celestia appeared in the throne room. She walked through the hall of the throne room while materializing her halberd she used during the Shadow War. She hoped that she can talk her sister into settling the bitter feud through a diplomatic approach without the use of violence. Having to go against her own flesh and blood was something Celestia was not willing to accept. As she reached the center of the throne room where the sigil of the once united kingdoms was, a blinding light emitted prompting Celestia to shield her eyes with her wings. The light begins to weaken allowing Celestia to move her wings out of the way and open her eyes. In front of her, in what appeared to be in a royal bow posture, was her sister donning her armor from the Shadow War. She raised her head to look at her sister with a cold stare, "Celestia... Why is this no surprise?"
Celestia stood still, eyes locked onto her sister's. She expected her to come but to give a cold glare was something she wasn't expecting. Regardless, she started her part while keeping a brave face, "Because our destinies run together Luna, like two rivers that have met and can never be distinct again. At your every fatal turn you will find me."
"And the free will you said was mine. What has become of that?"
Celestia never spoke to her about free will before yet to Luna, it seemed like it happened during the argument. She answered her question knowing what she meant fully, "You still have it. And that has everything to do with my presence here and now."
Luna pointed an accusatory hoof at Celestia, "It was your machinations that set my destiny forth!" She walked to the right, eyes still locked at Celestia. Slowly, her eyes started to shift to draconic eyes in a split second before returning back to her original eyes, "The coin you tossed has now struck the soils of Equestria. Now you must abide by its outcome."
The coin that Luna referred to involves the two kingdoms as the heads and tails of the coin. It landing means that whichever of the sides landed, that side would be the victor. For Celestia, she wanted the coin to land on its edge not on either side. She wants to have both kingdoms united as one like before. She was not going to have one ruling kingdom conquer the other even if she was force to, "The coin is still turning. To reach the resolution we both can live with that will best serve our interests, this war must end now."
Luna pointed yet another accusatory hoof at her. Her eyes again shifted to the draconic eyes again this staying for a few more seconds before shifting back to her original eyes, "Because you do not wish it?! Is my free will to be exercised only when it accords with your whim?"
"There is much more at stake here." said Celestia worried that her words were not going through to her.
"Yes, and this feud between us will finally be settled." Her eyes once again shifted lasting a mere two seconds before shifting back.
"You must trust me Luna. Our intentions, for Equestria, for our future, are not so diverse." At this point, although her sentence was calm, her tone was pleading. She wants her sister back and relive the happy memories again before everything came crumbling down on her.
Her eyes shifted to the draconic eyes again lasting three seconds this time before returning back, "I must trust you or?"
"I have not come here to threaten you Luna." She extends a hoof as she tried to reach for her.
Luna slapped the hoof away, "You say that while you hold in your magic the instrument of my doom?"
"I materialized my halberd in self-defense..." She dematerialized her weapon to prove her point. To harm Luna or shed even a tint of blood from her body with her own weapon would forever damage her, "I have no intention of striking you down with it."
"At least until it serves your plans to do so!"
"You are not the only at risk here for I too have taken a chance in coming here... Or haven't you realized? You bear one of many weapons that can kill me?"
Luna materialized her sword as soon as Celestia was finished with her sentence, "Then you know what I am, and what you are?"
Celestia putted her right hoof over her heart knowing who she is and what she represents, "I believe I do."
Luna saw the movement as a way to mock her further pushing her anger almost to its limit, "And still you think you can move about like your pawn?" Her eyes became the draconic eyes again as her anger was beginning to boil, "Think again Celestia." She delivers a wide slash above Celestia's head trying to hit her in a blinding rage.
Celestia put her right hoof down and backed away from the slash. She was beginning to realize that it was becoming futile to talk out of this and it seemed that a fight was approaching. In her heart, she knew that there a little bit of her Luna in that fit of rage. She tried her best to calm her one last time before it was too late, "Take heed Luna."
Luna drew back her sword getting ready to strike again when she heard the words from Celestia. Those were the last words that finally set her anger alight, "Why? If we are who we are, then are we not destined to fight to the death to decide the fate of Equestria?"
Those words managed to break Celestia's last chance to end the war with diplomacy. Seeing her sister talk about a prophecy deeming her and Luna to pit each other to the death felt like she was in a nightmare wanting nothing more than to wake up from it. Immediately, she begins denying her fight against her own sister, "Don't be a fool! I will not fight you!"
"And that will be the prophesized heroes’ battle? I win because you will not fight me?!" Luna delivered another overhead slash prompting Celestia to duck under it and move to where Luna originally stood. Celestia looked at her sister who was ready to pounce at her. Luna seething with rage begins threatening her with her title. Her eyes once again transfigured to the draconic eyes as she begins to threaten her, "The mighty Celestia, Princess of the Sun, would be savior of Equestria, surrenders before the final battle even begins!" Luna pounces on Celestia with a quickness of a viper readying to strike.
Celestia quick reaction managed to save her as she catches Luna midair with her telekinesis and tosses her behind her. Luna dematerializes her sword as she roughly landed from that toss. Celestia saw her chance of diplomacy broken from that attack. She knew that her next option was to utilize brute force but she was deeply resenting the idea of raising her own weapon against her sister. She regretfully materializes her halberd knowing this will their first and probably last fight, "Very well sister. If this, will make you see reason..." She walks to her as she steadies her weapon getting ready to strike; a few tears escape her eyes at the thought of vanquishing her. Luna sees the approaching Celestia and with her teeth gritting, casted a telekinetic push against her sister.
Celestia gets pushed back causing her to lose her balance. She stood up from the spell as she sees Luna charging at her, brandishing her sword while screaming death to her. Celestia sidesteps out of the charging Luna and delivers an overhead slash, cutting through the body. At first, she had thought she had just killed her own sister, until the body turned to magical dust. She swallowed some of the dust causing her to suffer some effects from the dust she breathed in. She sees Luna in front of her as she opens her eyes. When she blinked though, there were multiple Lunas all around her.
From Luna's perspective, there was only one of her. The dust her sister breathed in causes hallucinations giving her the advantage. She lunged forward with her sword at the ready as she delivers a few slashes at her drawing first blood. Celestia was moving back as she felt the sword go through her body. Although they were small cuts only at the skin, those small cuts felt much more painful to her than it would be to a normal pony as it felt like burning metal singed part of her body. She looked at the multiple Lunas as they begin to lunge at her again. She materialized her halberd as she tries to block one of their sword strikes. She looked away from the real Luna and tried to block one of her illusions. The result was another slash this time, hitting the torc preventing the full force of the slash from reaching her fragile body.
The sound resonated, causing Celestia to back away again quickly. Her eyes were beginning to recover from the effects, but she was still seeing duplicates of Luna. Having already realized that her eyes will be useless at the moment, she closed her eyes and relied on the magic leylines her sister was giving off. Luna transmuted into smoke as she goes behind Celestia, rematerializes herself as she goes in for the kill.
Celestia sensed the magic leylines and sends her halberd behind her back blocking the attack. She transferred her magic into the weapon as it begins to emit fire. Luna withdrew back her weapon as she tried to deliver another one at her exposed back, Celestia teleported out of the way of the attack, putting some distance between the two of them. Her magic was flowing into her halberd as she creates fiery waves caused by her slashes. Luna dodged each one of them as she closes the distance between the two them, her sword flaring with thunder magic. Celestia impacted the ground with her halberd as a crack is made into the ground. Luna was wondering what her sister was doing. She was airborne at the time so there was no reason to smash the ground. It was until she heard the ancient language used by old alicorns that made her go on the defensive. Celestia was chanting when she smashed the ground. As she completes the incantation, the crack widens as lava begins to erupt from underneath Luna. Luna flew up immediately trying to avoid the rising lava. She reaches the ceiling of the castle as the lava begins to close in on her. She turns around and with her sword Nocturne, goes through the lava creating a lightning vortex. Celestia sensed the vortex and backs away from its trajectory as Luna stabs the ground with her lightning-imbued blade. She cursed under her breath for missing her without knowing that Celestia was right on top of her. When she sees the shadow of her sister looming over her head, she raises her sword in front of her blocking the incoming attack. Celestia still hesitated on delivering the full force of the attack onto her. Luna saw the chance and proceeded to withdraw her sword and try to aim at her legs,
Celestia jumped up from the low attack and creates a fire tornado around Luna. The fiery tornado engulfs her as she tries to escape it allowing Celestia to weaken her within the tornado. Luna looks around her and begins to notice her feet were getting hot. She looks down to see the floor becoming a lava pit and flies into the air. Celestia surprises her sister by attacking her from behind while creating a fiery stream from behind her. Luna barely dodged the oncoming attack and tries to throw her sword at Celestia. She deflected the tossed Nocturne back at her as she enters the tornado again. Luna caught her sword and searched frantically for any sign of Celestia. She immediately reacted as she noticed her shadow above her head. She dodged the thrown halberd and Celestia herself as they attacked from above. The halberd struck the lave pit, not wavering from the lava, as well as Celestia when she crashed onto the lava pit. She picked herself up and her weapon Solianna. Luna imbued her blade once again with thunder magic, and delivers a bolt of arcane magic at her sister while charging with the bolt. Celestia deflected the bolt to the side dissipating when it hits the tornado. Imbuing her weapon with potent fire magic, she charges at Luna. Their weapons collide with one another each one streaming with more magic as they try to incapitate each other. Celestia was beginning to get weary, no doubt in her mind the aftereffects of the dust. She decided to end the battle quickly. She readies a blinding spell as she enters the tornado again. Luna charged in after Celestia into the fiery tornado ignoring the burns she acquired from doing it. Celestia had anticipated it and with the spell ready casts a bright light onto Luna temporarily blinding her.
As the fiery tornado dissipates and Luna was staggering to recover her eyesight, Celestia casts a spell onto Luna paralyzing her body as she falls. With a thud, Luna was down for the moment. Celestia closed in, her halberd right above her sister's body. Luna was glaring at her trying to dispel the paralysis. Celestia, beginning to rejuvenate herself, wanted to try talking down one more time, this time with more emphasis that she does not want to continue this, "Now, you will listen to me. This feud must end now Luna, great harm will come to all of our beloved ponies...”
To Celestia's surprise, Luna gave a mad cackle at hearing such a request. She looked at her eyes not surprised about her asking that, “You don’t why I started this do you?”
Celestia was taken aback by that remark. She was silent for a few moments before she decided to answer her question, “No.”
Luna then retorted to her lack of knowledge about this, “You never bothered to do the research?”
Celestia did not want to hear what she was going to say, all she cared was to return her back to the side of good, “It doesn’t matter Luna, listen to me. You must understand that every fight we go through will end turning Equestria into a wasteland. We must end this feud now!” She placed her halberd within close proximity to Luna’s neck.
Luna was not moved by her sister’s righteous anger. She wasn’t fazed as she continues to get at Celestia’s nerves, “Because in the end, tis death will fall upon all. Believe me sister, I knew that before this war started.”
Celestia was almost in tears when she heard that answer. She knew why she started this, truly she did, but she also did not want to believe what she said so easily, “Then why Luna, everypony respects you the same way they respected me. So why start this pointless war!?” She withdrew her halberd when she said that. She was not going to except this. She loved her sister with all of her heart and now prayed in her thoughts to end this feud now.
“It’s because that respect was shown more to your day than my night! Your pawn has reached the end of the board Celestia and now my powers may even surpass yours…” As she stood up, the physical changes begin to take hold. Her body was beginning to darken, her eyes were shifting to the draconian eyes every few moments to the point it was becoming permanent, and her teeth now bore fangs. She vehemently looked at her sister’s eyes, having lost all of what remained of the old Luna, “How ironic, if the pony you so dearly beloved should prove your own undoing…” She materializes her sword Nocturne set on putting Celestia down and granting her eternal rest, “Now we finish this, once and for all!”
She begins her attack, trying to pounce on Celestia. Celestia countered with the exact spell that Luna used to push her back. Luna recovers from the counter as she lands on her feet only to look forward and see Celestia charging at her. Celestia did not want to use all of what she has learned against her own sister… But if her own sister will not subject to diplomatic measures and not return back, then she will do everything in her power to bring Luna back knowing fully well that this will forever haunt Celestia’s life.
Luna, seeing that her sister has decided to not hold back, goes on the offensive as well. While Celestia was closing the distance between them, Luna creating multiple rock pillars between the two of them while gathering thunder magic into her sword. Celestia already imbued Solianna with fire magic when she began her charge. She cuts down each one of the pillars blocking her way as she closes the distance between herself and Luna. As she is within proximity to do one powerful attack, Luna had the same idea as she finished imbuing Nocturne with thunder magic. She charges forward and delivers a horizontal slash. Celestia teleported out of the range of the slash and over Luna, creating a beam from her horn and firing it.
Luna notices the laser and tries to dodge, but gets directly hit by the oncoming attack. She crashes onto the ground, the ground below cracking from the collision. Celestia ascends high enough and begins to dive towards Luna. Luna tries to get up when she hears the whizzing sound of a falling object. In that split second, she maneuvers out of harm’s way as Celestia hits the ground creating a crater big enough to almost encompass the whole throne room. As she tries to pull out her weapon, Luna used that chance to dismantle Celestia’s weapon. She charges at Celestia as she finally pulls it out of the ground. Celestia sees Luna charging and goes on the defensive bringing her weapon out guarding the overhead slash. Luna knew that she would do something like that and putted more force into breaking the weapon. Celestia was struggling trying to pull her weapon away. She withdraws Solianna and goes to deliver a horizontal slash. Luna transmutes her body into smoke again as she goes behind Celestia and goes for the kill. Celestia blocked it again, their weapons locked onto each other. Luna putted more force again into breaking the halberd. As she putted all of her strength into breaking Celestia’s halberd, cracks begin to show. She smiles at the sight and with one last attack, breaks the weapon.
As it happened, time from Celestia’s perspective had begun to slow down as the shards of Solianna scatter on the ground. Luna withdraws her sword, looks at her sister one time, then with a dark glee, goes for the finishing blow. Celestia reacts to the sudden changes of events, grabbing Nocturne from Luna and delivers a jolt a arcane magic at Luna stunning her for a moment. She too breaks Luna’s weapon leaving them to utilize just their magics. As she looked upon Luna again, Celestia stood in shock upon realizing what she was seeing now. Like what she saw when Sombra had inflicted her with a terrible nightmare, her own sister had become the being she feared most. She backed a few steps out of fear seeing that the nightmare she had envisioned had become true.
Luna slowly stands as Celestia stood unable to cope what she is witnessing, Luna spread her wings out as she looked at her sister with a newfound envy. She prepares a spell as she moves in closer to Celestia while her sister took many steps back. Celestia saw the spell being prepared, but her mind was not thinking rationally only thinking about backing away from her. She hits a wall, turning her around to see that she was trapped in a corner. She looks at her former sister and finds herself staring at the eyes of Luna as she was close to finishing her spell. Celestia could not look away from the draconic eyes, feeling guilty for not seeing this ahead. Backed in a corner, she was beginning to lose the one glimmer of hope and pleaded with her sister knowing that her words will not go through, “Luna, please it doesn’t have to be this way…” She was fighting back tears as Luna looked at her again.
Luna backed up a bit as her spell was ready, smiling at the idea of vanquishing her own sister. However, she was not going to end her quickly. She wants to see Celestia break and seeing that she was getting close began to speak, “I am not the Luna you know anymore dear sister…” Her horn was brimming with magical energy as she was speaking, “I am now… Nightmare Moon, Celestia.” She goes into a battle stance as she finishes up the last requirement for her spell, “The days and nights when we had fun are over now and…” She goes silent for a few seconds before finishing her sentence, “I am very disappointed in calling you my sister.”
Those last words reached Celestia ears and her heart broke at the revelation told by Luna. Yet, regardless of what she heard, the tears did not come out because Celestia knows that this was not the time for them to be released. She looks upward and sees a hole in the ceiling. With a quick reaction, she flew upward avoiding the spell created by her former sister.
Luna fired the beam not knowing that she flew upward to an opening. When she looks and finds out that she escaped, anger had taken over her mind as she sees her escape, “Get back and face me Celestia!” She begins the pursuit as she takes off, the battle now taken outside. The Sun and Moon intersect one another as they make an eclipse causing panic amongst the many ponies of both they try to end their bitter feud.
The next takedown pushed both of away from each other. Nightmare Moon fired a concentrated beam of energy at Celestia who dispelled her shield and charged at her sister. Nightmare Moon caught Celestia as she pushed her down. Celestia lands and swiftly moves out of the way as she saw the incoming attack. She narrowly dodged each one of her sister’s beams as she ascends and dispels one of her beams as she closes in on Nightmare Moon. She fires her own beam on her pushing her down. Nightmare Moon dispels the attack and fires a beam locked onto Celestia. Celestia does the exact and as the beams connect, the blackness of the eclipse now shines from the two beams. The sky begins to rumble with the force of the spells as the ground quakes from the intensity of the two sisters. Celestia was shedding a few tears as the fight had taken a toll on her, feeling all the guilt building up inside her. Nightmare Moon was not sympathetic to her cause only wanting to end her existence. As she puts more magic into her spell, it pushes back Celestia’s own prompting her to endure the hit. The beam makes contact as Celestia falls from the sky breaking into the room that held the Elements of Harmony. The Element of Magic comes out of its dome as it falls to the ground. Celestia watches the Element slowly falls as she looks upon it. Suddenly, she realized there was a way to end this fight. She looks to the window and sees Nightmare Moon breaking through. She telekinetically grabs the Element of Magic and with the last bit of her magic, looks at her sister tearfully, and begins casting the banishment spell. She puts the Element in front of her as she gathers her magic into the Magic Element and successfully casts the spell. The resulting spell created a dome around the Element of Magic as it protected Celestia, changing her pink mane into a rainbow-colored mane and hitting Nightmare Moon with it sending her to the moon. As her body fades making the silhouette of the Mare, Celestia looks upon seeing what she has done. After holding back the tears, all of her emotions that were bottled up during the fight begun to release them as she slowly realized what she has done. At that moment, she faces the facts and with a scream that would’ve shake the heavens, she calls out to her sister one more time before breaking down, “LUNA!”
