The midafternoon sun was high and bright in the sky, shining down on one of the dirt roads leading out of the small town of Ponyville. Trees dotted the path, and the pink-maned pegasus walking the road alternated between looking at them and back up at the sky.
“New in town, dear?” a voice suddenly asked from behind.
Sunny Skies turned to face the speaker, momentarily glancing away from the nature she’d been so absorbed in.
A blond-maned earth pony was there smiling at her. “You’ve got that tourist look about you, eyes darting around soaking everything in.”
Instincts honed by years of mingling in the royal courts kicked in, and Sunny gave the mare a practiced smile.
“Oh, yes. I’ve heard Ponyville is quite beautiful this time of year, and it certainly seems to be true.” She sighed. “But I’m afraid I’m not here to take in the sights.”
“No?” The blonde mare tapped a hoof to her chin in thought then suddenly brightened. “You must be with Princess Celestia’s delegation then! Here to make sure everything’s ready for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow?”
Sunny put a bit more enthusiasm into her smile. Not enough to seem excited, but just enough to seem pleased for the mare’s successful guess.
“Yup! I’ve already checked with a pony named Lyra for the music, and the skies have been clear all day long. Everything’s looking good so far. I was just on my way to check on the food at –”
“Sweet Apple Acres!” the blond mare interjected. “It’s lucky that you ran into me, then, darling. I was just on my way there. Not on this road, though. All the dust coming off it will ruin my coiffure, not to mention your marvelous white coat! No, you simply must come with me. There’s a lovely trail through the west field that –”
“Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll stick to the main road. I don’t want to keep the Apples waiting, and I’m sure this way is much faster.” Sunny’s face still displayed a pleasant smile despite her internal groan.
A clingy socialite is the last thing I need right now, she thought.
The blond mare waved her hoof. “Nonsense! You needn’t worry about our little detour. It won’t take but a moment longer, I promise. You said it yourself, Ponyville is wonderful this time of year. It would be a crime to let such beautiful scenery go unwitnessed.”
“But –”
“No buts!” The blond mare began leading Sunny away from the main road. “I won’t take no for an answer. And if you’re worried about those stuffy Apples, well don’t be. They might live here all year long, but just between you and me, I practically run the place from my flat in Manehattan.”
Sunny glanced at the mare’s cutie mark. It was a big apple with the silhouette of a cityscape inside it. Whether or not the mare’s claim turned out to be true, she did seem to be an Apple, and, though Sunny found her mildly annoying, she was most likely not a threat.
It would probably be less trouble to simply agree.
“Well, if you’re sure…why not?”
“That’s the spirit!” the earth pony exclaimed. There was a twinkle in her eye, the same twinkle that Sunny had seen in the eyes of the Canterlot elite when they made new “friends”. You’ll pay me back for this later, it said.
“Oh goodness me, I haven’t even introduced myself yet! Pardon my manners, I just get so excited on these trips back home. I’m far too busy to do them as often as I’d like, you know. My name is Applejack, and you are…?”
“Sunny Skies. It’s nice to meet you, Applejack.”
Applejack hadn’t lied. Their scenic detour had been both pleasant and short, although Applejack only seemed to get chattier and chattier the closer they got to their destination. It was clear that she wasn’t half as pleased about her homecoming as she claimed. And now Sunny knew why.
“Ugh, you’re so stubborn.” Applejack said haughtily, her voice carrying through the slightly open barn doors. The current argument had started almost as soon as the Apple matriarch, an old mare whom Applejack had introduced as Granny Smith, had taken Applejack inside to “talk”. Applejack’s siblings, a young filly named Apple Bloom and a red stallion called Big McIntosh, had excused themselves to join in soon after.
Sunny stood awkwardly outside the barn, trying to look casual as she waited. Logic told her to use this opportunity to scout out the rest of the area for her mission, but her heart told her to stay and see this mess through to the end. She chose to listen to her heart first.
If only I’d done that all those years ago…
Applejack was now speaking in a raised but infuriatingly calm tone. It seemed as if she was both annoyed and bored with the conversation, if that were even possible. “The old ways may have worked fine before, but I’m telling you that they’re not sustainable. Do I need to use simpler words? It isn’t going to last. Three hard working ponies couldn’t possibly hope to keep up with demand. What chance do one filly, one stallion, and half an ancient relic have?”
Sunny heard Granny Smith sputter in rage. “Don’t you use yer fancy mathematics to muddle the issue! We’re Apples, for Celestia’s sake! And there ain’t no way no how a family of Apples is gonna run an apple farm into the ground.”
“Oh? Then why has the farm been losing bits every year for the last ten years? And don’t even think about bringing up low yield. I’ve seen the numbers, and I’ve inspected the fields. Big Mac can’t harvest the crop fast enough on his own. Half of the apples you grow end up rotting on or near the trees they grew on, abandoned and unsold. If you would just take my advice and –”
“We would be able to harvest all the crop and then some if somepony didn’t spend all year bandying about with highfalutin city ponies and actually got down to the farm to help. Why, when yer ma an’ pa were here –”
“Don’t you start! Don’t you dare start!” Applejack’s voice had lost all semblance of calm. Even her earlier haughtiness had faded, and the Manehattan accent she worked so hard to keep up sounded more strained with every word. Sunny guessed things were coming to a head.
“Firstly, if it wasn’t for my bandying about, none of you would even be here. Are y’all…are you forgetting who puts up the bits to feed you while you insist on living this failed dream? Maybe those bits oughta stop. I wonder where you'd be then.
“Secondly, my parents are not here. For all the good they’ve done, they might as well have never even been here! I don’t remember a single moment when I could rely on them to be there for me. To give me help or guidance or anything for that matter. As far as I’m concerned, I never had any parents!” There was a loud thud as Applejack stomped the ground.
Closer to where she was standing, Sunny heard the tell-tale sounds of a filly starting to cry. Applejack did not seem to notice.
“I made it on my own. I got where I got all by mahself! Do you have any idea how hard it is for a country mare to make it into Manehattan’s upper circles? No, you don’t! So I don’t need you tellin’ me anything about what they would do or how they handled things because they ain’t in charge no more, I am! And I don’t need anypony else but me!”
“W-well if that’s how it is, then I guess I never had an older sister, either!” a tiny voice squealed.
The barn doors suddenly flew open. Sunny narrowly evaded the speeding wood and watched a sobbing Apple Bloom gallop towards the trees.
Applejack appeared seconds later. “Apple Bloom!” she called out. Big McIntosh appeared behind her. “Big Mac, I didn’t mean to –”
Big Mac just gave an angry snort, and pushed past Applejack to go after his little sister. Sunny saw the dismay slowly take hold of Applejack’s expression and moved to say something, but Granny Smith spoke up first.
“I think we’re done here, stranger. Best pack up yer things and mosey on back to that Manehattan you love so much.”
Applejack looked momentarily stunned. “Granny, ya can’t just kick me out like this,” she pleaded, her Manehattan accent all but gone. “I was just tryin’ ta help. I’m family!”
Granny Smith’s face betrayed her cold rage, but when she spoke, her voice remained low and steady.
“Yer family? Why? Cause ya got Apple in yer name? Cause ya send yer bits and yer pity to us while we work day an night ta keep up with yer demands?” Humph! “You said it yerself, stranger. Yer parents never worked this here land. This ain’t yer home. We ain’t yer family. And I ain’t yer granny. Now kindly do us all a favor and get out.”
Granny smith turned and slowly walked away. For a moment, it seemed as if Applejack was going to respond in anger, but then something inside her seemed to break. Her entire body slumped.
Sunny approached Applejack and reached out a hoof, but hesitated. The late afternoon sun was low on the horizon, and its glow seemed to change Applejack’s form. Suddenly before Sunny was a downcast blue mare. The shadows around her grew as the moon rose behind her…and all the lights went dim.
Sunny closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them again, the mare’s despondent form had turned back into Applejack’s. Sunny placed her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, but the mare turned away.
“If it’s all the same to you, dear, I’d really rather be alone right now,” Applejack said. The words, spoken with a perfect Manehattan accent, were said with calm detachment, but Applejack’s refusal to face their intended recipient was telling.
With a resigned expression, Sunny walked away.
As Sunny was leaving the farm, she spied Big Mac sitting beneath a tree with Apple Bloom by his hooves. Though no ordinary pony would be able to hear the siblings’ low voices from so far away, she slowed her pace to observe.
“– abandon us. An’ now she’s gonna...and the farm’s…” Apple Bloom started crying again.
Big Mac pulled his sister into a protective hug, letting her cry into his chest. “Don’t you worry none, Apple Bloom. Everything’s gonna be alright. Your sister’s just a little confused right now, is all.”
“But Mac, she said –”
“I heard what she said, and I’ll admit it got me mighty angry too, but I know she didn’t mean it. That goes for Granny too. That’s the trouble with words. Sometimes ponies start throwing so many around that the truth gets all covered up, and everypony ends up angry over something somepony else said. Applejack just wants to help, but she didn’t grow up on the farm like we did, and her ways are different from ours.” Big Mac sighed.
“The thing is, though, she’s right. Things can’t go on like they have been. Maybe things could’ve been different if she’d never left the farm, but she did, and there’s nothing we can do about that now.”
Big Mac lifted his teary-eyed sister up to look at her face to face.
“That don’t mean we should give up. That don’t mean it’s over for the Apple family or for Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe Applejack will come around in time; maybe she won’t. Truth is, I don’t know. But I do know that no matter what happens, you’ll always have a home, and you’ll always have me. Even if things get tough around here, even if tough choices have to be made, I’m telling you I’m tougher than all your problems put together. Just lean on me, lil’ sis. I won’t let you down.”
Sniff. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Big Mac hugged his little sister again. She’d stopped crying now, and even had a small smile on her face.
While Sunny was making her way back to Ponyville, a different scene was playing out between two unicorn sisters at Town Hall.
“A little to the left, Rarity. No, the other left!” The younger sister, Sweetie Belle, gave an exasperated sigh.
“You mean here? No, that doesn’t seem quite right. Ah, there!” Rarity said as she placed the decorative tapestry on the wall. It hung to the right of where Sweetie Belle had been gesturing.
“Perfect!” Sweetie Belle clapped her hooves together. “Now all that’s left is put up this tapestry next to that pillar over there, and we’re finally finished.”
Rarity lifted the tapestry up with her magic. As she placed it next to the pillar, however, she frowned.
“What’s wrong, sis?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“It seems I’ve made this tapestry too long,” Rarity said. “I must have made a mistake when I made my measurements.”
Sweetie Belle picked up the saddlebags full of supplies from the corner of the room and brought them to her sister.
“That’s okay,” she said cheerfully. “We’ve come prepared. There are lots of other decorations we can put up there instead. How about this ribbon?”
“Excellent choice, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity gave her sister an affectionate pat on the head. “What would I do without you?”
“I keep telling you, Rarity, you’d do fine! You really need to give yourself a little more credit.”
“Well, it looks like the décor is done,” Sunny Skies commented as she walked into town hall. “Beautifully, I might add.”
Rarity turned to face the new arrival. “Thank you! Miss Skies, was it? Mayor Mare told me you’d be coming to check on us soon.”
Sweetie Belle walked up to Sunny and gave her a big smile. “It's great, isn’t it? Not really surprising, though, since my sister made it all. She’s one of the best designers in Equestria, you know.”
“Sweetie Belle! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You know I gave up on that silly fashionista dream years ago,” Rarity said, blushing. “I’m sorry, Miss Skies. My little sister tends to over-exaggerate about me to every important pony that passes through Ponyville.”
“But Rarity, you never tell anypony about all the dresses you make even though they’re all really good! If I don’t get the word out, how will you ever get famous enough to open a boutique in Canterlot?”
Rarity chuckled. “The dresses are nice because you helped me make them, Sweetie Belle. I don’t have the fashion sense to make them look half as nice on my own, but I do have, right here in Ponyville, the best stitching and the best sister in all of Equestria.” She swept up Sweetie Belle in a sisterly hug. “That’s all I need to be happy.”
Sweetie Belle groaned at the excessive affection, which only made Rarity giggle even more.
“Alright, I get it! I get it! Lemme go, Rarity!” she cried. As soon as Rarity put her down, Sweetie Belle dashed towards the exit.
“She doesn’t like it when I treat her like a little filly in front of other ponies, but she is really cute when she’s angry, so I do it anyway,” Rarity explained. “It keeps her from running that mouth of hers, at least, and – Miss Skies? Are you alright?”
Sunny flashed Rarity a smile. “Of course. What makes you ask?”
“Well,” – Rarity looked away nervously – “you seem to be…crying.”
Sunny reached up a hoof to her face and was surprised when it came away wet.
“Oh.”
Sunny blinked rapidly as her tears came out in full force.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I don’t know what’s come over me.”
She smiled again, but her quivering lips gave away the lie.
“Excuse me, I have to go,” Sunny said before swiftly flying out of the building.
“Wait! Was it something I said?”
Sunny Skies sat on a bench in Ponyville park, grateful for the solitude. Everypony else was at home, preparing their festivities for the night ahead. Her tears had stopped, but her eyes remained closed. It was almost time for the sun to set, but she wasn’t ready for it to do so just yet.
“Um…hello?” said a familiar squeaky voice.
Sunny’s emotions surged as the image of a nervous blue filly filled her mind.
“Are you asleep?” the voice asked.
Are they all asleep? the filly asked. Why? Is my sky not beautiful enough? Have I not worked hard enough?
“I need to talk to you,” the voice said. It sounded closer than before.
Don’t you have anything to say? Answer me, sist–
Boop. A hoof lightly tapped her snout.
Sunny opened her eyes, and found herself gazing into Sweetie Belle’s. The filly stared curiously at Sunny for a few moments more before she seemed to realize just how close their faces were and moved back.
“Oh, sorry. I guess you really needed some sleep, huh? Your eyes are all red.”
Sunny sat up and looked away into the distance. The sun had not moved from its low position on the horizon, meaning that the sunset was a few minutes late today. Judging from the lack of mass hysteria, nopony seemed to have noticed.
“So, um, about my sister.”
“A skilled seamstress,” Sunny said without looking away from the horizon. “Her claim about having the best stitching in Equestria is no mere exaggeration. I examined some of the tapestries this morning before they were put up, the craftsmareship is among the best I’ve ever seen.”
“But she should be making dresses, not just stitching things together! It’s what she really wants. What she’s really good at.”
On the horizon, the sun resumed its almost imperceptible movement across the sky. Sunny turned to face Sweetie Belle.
“But I thought she said that she didn’t have the fashion sense, that it was you who made those dresses possible.”
Sweetie Belle stomped a forehoof on the bench with a huff. “She says that, but it’s not really true.”
“How so?”
“Well…it’s like earlier today with one of the tapestries. Rarity knows how to make things look nice, but she won’t even try unless I make a suggestion first. With the tapestry, she asked me where the best place to put it up was, but I didn’t know. It looked the same to me no matter where it was, so I gave her some directions just to get her going. Eventually, she decided on a place to put it all on her own, but if anypony asked her, she’d say I was the one who suggested putting it up there.”
“So she doesn’t like claiming responsibility?”
“No, that’s not it. If somepony didn’t like where the tapestry ended up, she’d say it was her fault. Rarity’s convinced she can’t make anything nice without help, without me, so she never tries until I take the first step for her, and then even if I don’t do anything after, she makes me take all the credit!”
“At least you’ll never have to worry about your sister overshadowing you,” Sunny said, grimly.
Sweetie Belle didn’t notice the shift in tone. “But now I’m overshadowing her! That’s even worse! Sisters are supposed to care for each other. I know that much. If you don’t care about what happens to your sister, then I guess you can’t really be called sisters at all…can you?”
I wish I knew, Sunny thought to herself. Aloud, she asked, “So what do you propose?”
“Well –” Sweetie Belle shifted nervously “– you’re pretty big in Canterlot, right? I mean, you work for the Princess, and you’re handling this inspection all on your own, so…could you get my sister a job? Making a dress for somepony, I mean. I just know that if she hears from somepony else, somepony important, that her designs are good, she’ll have more confidence in herself! If you can’t do that, then could you at least tell Princess Celestia that Rarity was the one who fixed up town hall for the celebration? Just Rarity? Maybe get the Princess to congratulate her? If-if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Let’s say I do what you’re asking and things go well for Rarity. What if she has to move away for work? What if it separates you two for a long time?”
Sweetie Belle put on a proud and confident expression, but Sunny saw the sorrow in her eyes.
“If it’s better that way for my sister, then that’s the way I want it to be!”
Even if it hurts you...even if you wish there was another way.
Sunny nodded and smiled at Sweetie Belle. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Sweetie Belle smiled back at her, and there was genuine joy in her eyes. On the horizon, the sun finally set, and the moon rose in its place.
The night had begun.
Her reconnaissance of Ponyville complete, Sunny Skies flew up into the sky away from the small town, and towards the distant Canterlot. Once she was certain that she was far enough not to be seen, she disappeared in a flash of golden magic.
Now back within her chambers at Canterlot Castle, Sunny Skies set about undoing the magic disguising her true from. The floor seemed to drop as she grew larger. The air rippled as her mane and tail came alive with color and motion. Gold sparks crossed her vision as the spell hiding her horn faded away. In the mirror, she watched her youthful features mature – if only slightly – into those of the beautiful and ageless Princess of the Sun.
Her transformation complete, Princess Celestia strode gracefully to the castle courtyard where her chariot and the pegasi assigned to pull it awaited.
Back in Ponyville, the preparations for the thousandth annual Summer Sun Celebration had been completed, and everypony had gathered in Town Hall to witness Princess Celestia raise the sun for the coming day.
The Apples had come through for the feast and various Sweet Apple Acres delicacies were laid out for consumption. Apple Bloom and Big McIntosh went around with trays of food, making sure that everypony got to taste at least one dish. Granny Smith, most likely tired from a full night of baking, was fast asleep back in Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle excitedly darted to and fro, not missing a single opportunity to brag about her sister Rarity’s contributions to anypony who’d listen. Rarity herself stayed on one of the balconies, a shy but satisfied smile on her face as she surveyed everything from her vantage point.
Fanfare, led by Lyra Heartstrings, began playing, and a spotlight focused on Mayor Mare.
“Fillies and gentlecolts,” the Mayor began, and the room grew quiet at her voice. “As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!”
The ponies cheered. From her place of honor behind the curtains, Princess Celestia took a deep breath. She looked up at the sky, saw the stars move towards the moon, and resumed her countdown. Her thousand-year long countdown. Celestia felt butterflies in her stomach, and could not stop the slight quivering of her hooves. Only seconds remained.
Twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty-seven …
“In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!” the Mayor continued.
Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen…
“And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria...”
Three, two, one…oh, Luna.
“Princess Celestia!”
More fanfare played, and the curtains opened dramatically. Ponies cheered as Celestia stepped forward, her expression one of solemn determination. After a few more moments, the cheering died down.
Mayor Mare approached the Princess with a worried expression. “Princess? Is everything alright?”
A loud voice boomed from behind the crowd, “Oh, my beloved subjects, everything is positively splendid!”
Every pony in the crowd turned to face the new speaker, and gasped when they beheld her. Standing there, blocking the main exit, was an alicorn wrapped in an aura of darkness.
“You’re not our princess!” Mayor Mare exclaimed.
“No? Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?” the dark alicorn asked. She pointed an accusing hoof at Celestia. “Or has Celestia twisted the tale of the Princess of the Night? Struck me from your histories and your minds, as she had me stricken from your hearts all those years ago?”
The crowd broke out in murmurs, confusion evident in their tones. As if by command, ponies shuffled to either side of the room, clearing the space between the two glaring alicorns.
“Princess Luna…sister, I am sorry,” Princess Celestia said, bowing her head in shame. The crowd of ponies gasped once more.
“All those years…it was all my fault. Please, I beg of you, stop this madness and let me make amends! We are family, Luna, meant to rule toge –”
“SILENCE!” The darkness surrounding the other alicorn swelled as she stomped on the ground, cracking it and the walls nearby. “I am Nightmare Moon! I have already told you, Celestia, that there can only be one princess in Equestria, and that princess will be ME!”
Nightmare Moon cackled madly as tendrils of her darkness reached out towards the terrified crowd of ponies.
Again, Celestia thought. It’s happening again!
Tears filled Celestia’s eyes as she watched her sister descend even further into madness. One thousand years of study, of tiring days and long nights, all gone to waste. She had not found a solution.
She had failed.
As this final thought struck home, Celestia wanted to do nothing more than to give in to despair. She wanted to fly away, far away, and be alone with her misery. But her subjects, her little ponies, cried out for her, needed her. And she would answer their cries. No matter the cost.
A golden aura surrounded Celestia. Her eyes glowed as she focused her magic, and her tears evaporated in its intensity. With a cry, she released the spell, and a wave of light rapidly expanded outwards from her. It passed through the ponies harmlessly, but Nightmare Moon’s darkness disintegrated in its presence. Nightmare Moon herself was knocked backwards by the wave and flew through the building’s doors to land in a crumpled heap outside.
The ponies cheered, and Celestia’s pegasus guards moved to apprehend Nightmare Moon, but she halted them.
Celestia spoke quickly. “This isn’t over, and I haven't much time, so listen carefully. I need one of you to evacuate the ponies Northwards along the main road towards Canterlot, away from the Everfree forest. Another must sweep the surrounding area for anypony still in their homes and get them out of here. I will try to keep the battle as far away from you as I can, but whatever happens do not engage Nightmare Moon.”
A storm began to form outside.
“The last of you will fly Northwest, and find the Wonderbolts. They should be waiting nearby for the signal to start their routine. Tell their captain everything, and follow her orders. She'll know what to do.”
Then came the sound of a furious cry, and the crack of lighting.
“Above all, keep my ponies safe.”
Nightmare Moon glared at Princess Celestia.
“So you’ve learned a few tricks while I’ve been away. It matters not! My power is still superior to yours! Without your precious elements, you are nothing!”
Celestia spread her wings and struck a pose both regal and defiant. Ponies were still scrambling out of the building behind her, so she knew that it was best to keep this gloating going for as long as possible.
I’m sorry, Luna.
“It’s true that I have learned much these thousand years, Luna, but the knowledge to defeat you? I have always had that.”
Nightmare Moon growled, and lightning once more sprung forth from the storm she had conjured. “I am not Luna! Luna was frail, and weak! Luna was pitied, abandoned, and forgotten! I am Nightmare Moon, and all will know of my splendor! You fell before me then, Celestia, and you will do so now! Only this time, you will not rise again!”
Celestia appeared unmoved. She gave Nightmare Moon a condescending look. “Poor little Luna. Still throwing temper tantrums at your age? You should be ashamed. I did not fight you a thousand years ago. I did not think it worth my time. But I have had enough of your pathetic attempts to play tyrant. Playtime is over, Luna. You say that there can be only one princess in Equestria? There has only ever been one. Nopony has ever recognized Princess Luna. Nopony even remembers her name. Which one of us was nothing, again?”
Nightmare Moon reared back as if slapped. Her expression went from a split second of shock to all-encompassing rage. With an angry jolt of her head, she fired a dark beam from her horn towards Celestia, but Celestia conjured a golden shield to block it.
“Is that all, little Luna? You’ll have to do better than that.”
Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed into furious slits of blue. With a flippant jerk of her head, she wreathed herself in a cloak of dark energy then charged, horn first. Celestia tripped Nightmare Moon with a low barrier as she drew near, then countered with a single-legged buck to her head as she fell.
Nightmare Moon flared her wings, rapidly recovering her balance, and turned to face Celestia with another snarl, but with the town hall now clear of ponies, the other alicorn was nowhere to be seen.
“Pitiful,” Celestia’s voice called out from above and behind. Nightmare Moon turned swiftly to see Celestia hovering there, still wearing that infuriatingly condescending expression. “And here I thought you’d gotten really angry. Not still holding back on me, are you?”
Nightmare Moon fired another beam, but Celestia dodged and retaliated with a beam of her own. Nightmare Moon transformed into a dark wisp, and left an opening to let the beam pass by to hit the stone beneath her. She reconstituted higher in the air, and found Celestia flying away to the south.
“And yet you flee!” she accused. “You will not escape the Princess of the Night!”
The battle raged on in the skies above Ponyville, but despite Celestia’s best efforts, stray beams from Nightmare Moon’s relentless attacks still struck all throughout the town.
Amongst the crowd of fleeing ponies, Rarity pulled at Sweetie Belle, who had suddenly stopped galloping. “Come on, Sweetie Belle! We have to keep moving! It’s not safe here!”
“But Rarity, they’re fighting right above –”
CRACK! Nightmare Moon’s storm spewed lightning once more. Princess Celestia escaped injury, but Sweetie Belle looked horrified at what the lightning struck instead.
“The Boutique!”
The unnatural lighting had torn straight through the roof of the Carousel Boutique. Through the windows, Sweetie Belle could see the beginnings of a fire come to life within her sister’s home.
Rarity saw it too, and gave a little squeal. Sweetie Belle used the opportunity to break free of her sister’s grip and dash towards the now-burning boutique.
“Sweetie Belle, no! Come back!”
“The dresses! I can still save some of your dresses!”
Celestia noticed that a fire had started below. Fortunately, the burning building seemed to be empty, and was fairly distant from the others, so the fire would not spread very quickly – if it spread at all. Still, that conjured storm was going to be a problem.
“Had enough, Celestia?” Nightmare Moon taunted. She had Celestia on the defensive again, as the older alicorn was unwilling to risk further collateral damage by returning fire.
“Why? Getting tired, Luna? Need a nap?” Celestia quipped unconvincingly.
Nightmare Moon laughed. “If anypony is getting worn out, it is you, old mare!”
Nightmare Moon fired again, and Celestia rolled out of the way. As she did so, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.
Was that just –
“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity cried from outside the burning boutique. The blaze had consumed all of the upper floor at this point, and was swiftly moving its way downwards.
If the filly replied, however, Rarity could not hear it. The roar of both the fire and the battle above was too loud.
“There’s nothing else to do, then,” Rarity said before rushing into the burning building after her sister.
The smoke made her start coughing almost immediately, and she crouched lower to the ground to avoid the worst of it.
“Sweetie Belle! Sister, where are you?” she called out. Her eyes were watering, but she convinced herself that it was just from the smoke. Her sister needed her. Now was not the time to cry.
From over on her left, she heard a faint groan.
“Sweetie Belle?”
As fast as she could, Rarity moved in the direction she heard the sound. She was passing by one of her work tables when something crashed into the upper floor, shaking the building. The overlong Town Hall tapestry caught her eye as it rolled off of the table and onto an unconscious Sweetie Belle.
The filly was lying upon a tangled mess of ruined dresses. From the looks of it, they had caused her to trip and fall.
Not wasting any time, Rarity swept up her sister in the tapestry, and galloped towards the exit.
Celestia flew up from among the burning ruins of the Carousel Boutique’s upper floor. She had blocked Nightmare Moon’s last attack to ensure that it did not destroy the building while there were still ponies within, but had not expected the sheer force of the beam to send her crashing into it.
Above her, Nightmare Moon laughed again.
“How does it feel, Celestia? To be old and slow?”
In reply, Celestia launched another beam attack towards Nightmare Moon, which she easily avoided. Nightmare Moon’s conjured storm spewed more lightning across the area, and Celestia put up a shield to defend herself.
Nearby, Rarity yelped in surprise as a bolt narrowly missed her.
Nightmare Moon gave a sinister grin, and Celestia’s eyes widened as she saw her opponent aim an attack towards the unicorn sisters.
“No!” Celestia cried out as she made a panicked dive to intercept the attack. The beam struck her back, and she felt the paralyzing shock of dark magic course through her.
I should have just teleported them away, she thought as her vision faded.
Rarity stood stunned over the prone form of Princess Celestia.
“Oh no! Nonononononononono!”
Rarity lowered her tapestry-wrapped sister, and began fussing over her Princess.
“This is my fault! This is my fault! Oh of all the worst possible things that could happen!”
Above her, Nightmare Moon cackled.
In the midst of her breakdown, Rarity felt the Princess breathe.
“You’re alive! Oh praise…well, you. You’re alive!”
“Truly?” Nightmare Moon called down from above. “Well, not for much longer!”
Before Nightmare Moon could strike again, however, blue streaks zoomed across the sky. The Wonderbolts had arrived.
A few of the pegasi broke formation and moved to dispel Nightmare Moon’s conjured storm, while three shot straight for the mad alicorn herself.
“FOR EQUESTRIA!” Rarity heard the lead pony, a pegasus mare with a fiery mane, cry just before her hooves impacted into Nightmare Moon at high velocity.
The powerful alicorn was knocked backwards by the impact, and immediately caught in a pincer as the other two Wonderbolts slammed into her from either side.
Although Nightmare Moon recovered quickly from the blows, the Wonderbolts recovered even faster. Soon, Nightmare Moon’s storm had been completely dissipated, and the full contingent of elite fliers zoomed around her, landing blow upon blow.
Nightmare Moon, however, was no longer being fazed. She shielded herself from their attacks in a bubble of dark energy.
Seeing this, the Wonderbolts stopped their frenzied assault and pulled away. Judging by their formation, Rarity guessed that they were going to try to hit Nightmare Moon at speed from all sides at once.
Just as the Wonderbolts were about to make contact, however, the dark energy suddenly exploded outwards, breaking the attack’s momentum, and sending the pegasi crashing to the ground.
And for what seemed the thousandth time that night, Nightmare Moon laughed again.
“FOALS! You think such tricks would work against the Princess of the Night? Let me show you what real power is!”
Nightmare Moon turned into wisp once more, and from that wisp came a pegasi dressed in a darker version of the Wonderbolts’ uniform.
“A risky trick,” Princess Celestia said.
Rarity nearly swooned from shock.
“Princess! You’re alright!”
Celestia nodded. “Yes, my little pony. I can still fight, but if Luna – no – if Nightmare Moon manages to split herself completely, it will be difficult to catch her in my current state.”
Rarity looked back up at the sky. Nightmare Moon was now three pegasi, with more emerging from the dark mass. A few of the Wonderbolts were back in the sky, but their speed no longer gave them a clear advantage, and they were not faring as well against Nightmare Moon’s more agile pegasi forms.
“But why did you call it a risky trick?” Rarity asked.
“Because she is weaker in that form. She cannot fully access her magic, nor hope to match me in direct battle, but I suppose that does not matter if I cannot catch her. All of her. And she knows that.”
Rarity paused. “Princess?” she asked. Celestia turned to face her.
“If I were able to…to make sure that she could not escape. Could you end this fight? Could you win?”
Celestia appeared to study Rarity for a moment. If the suggestion that an ordinary unicorn could trap Nightmare Moon surprised her, she did not show it.
“Yes,” Celestia finally replied. “Quickly and decisively. But how, may I ask, do you plan to accomplish such a feat?”
Rarity smiled. “With the best stitching in all of Equestria.”
Rarity unwrapped the still unconscious Sweetie Belle from the tapestry, and trotted directly beneath where Nightmare Moon was multiplying herself. She seemed about finished now, and there were nine of her in total.
Rarity cast a backwards glance at Celestia. The Princess gave a reassuring nod that seemed to say, I believe in you, then closed her eyes as the tip of her horn began to glow.
Rarity turned back to Nightmare Moon with an indignant huff and used her magic to send the overlong tapestry flying upwards. One of Nightmare Moon’s pegasi forms looked down at the flying wall ornament and began to laugh, but was interrupted by the sudden bursting of the cloth.
Thousands of strings wove across the nine dark pegasi, guided by an expertise that was almost unimaginably precise. As Rarity wove her strings tighter and tighter across Nightmare Moon’s many forms, she gave a small battle cry of her own.
“You can destroy my dresses, ruin my livelihood, and burn down my home, but mark my words, Nightmare Moon, you will never harm my sister again!”
Soon, Rarity had woven all nine of Nightmare Moon’s pegasi forms into a rough tangled ball. Despite her determination, however, she was hard-pressed to keep them there. Fortunately, she did not have to hold them for long.
Night suddenly turned to day as Celestia unleashed an attack in the form of a massive golden orb, not unlike the sun itself, aimed directly at the trapped Nightmare Moon. The mass of roiling magic seemed to take up the entire sky, and Rarity was forced to close her eyes and look away from its blinding light.
She heard Nightmare Moon cry out in defiance. At first the cry came from many voices, but then the voices merged into one. There was a loud boom, and the light faded away. After a few seconds, Rarity opened her eyes and looked around. She saw many of the Wonderbolts doing the same. Nopony seemed to have been hurt by the blast, but of the Princess or Nightmare Moon, there was no sign.
Sweetie Belle woke up with a groan.
“Rarity? What did I miss?”
Nightmare Moon crashed into the South Field of Sweet Apple Acres. She had meant to travel much farther, to the old castle in the Everfree, but found that this was as far as her magic and her body could take her.
Celestia – curse her name! – had won. Celestia always won. Deep within Nightmare Moon, past the anger and the pain, a small voice cried out unheard.
Not fair, sis, the voice cried.
There was a flash of golden light, and Nightmare Moon knew that Celestia had come. And Nightmare Moon no longer had the strength to resist.
You win again.
Nightmare Moon looked up to see her sister gazing down. There was no anger in Celestia’s eyes. No condescension. Only sorrow.
Why is it always you, Tia?
“Celestia,” Nightmare Moon spat.
Why do you always have to be better at everything?
“It’s over, Nightmare Moon,” Celestia said.
Don’t ignore me, sis…
“Over?” Nightmare Moon tried to laugh, but it came out as a hacking cough. “And I suppose you think you’ve won?”
Everypony ignores me…
Celestia shook her head. “No. That you are here before me, as you are, means that I have lost completely.”
I’m right here, please...
This time Nightmare Moon did manage a laugh. “Foal. You cannot even handle victory with any pride. I will never give in to someone as insipid as you. Go ahead, banish me to the moon. I will return in time. I will always return, and one day…I will win.”
Don’t I matter? Does anypony care?
Celestia’s expression hardened. “I know,” she said. Directly behind her, the sun rose, and Nightmare Moon had to look away from its brilliance.
Do you care?
Anger coursed through Nightmare Moon, and she spent the last of her energy all at once. The sun sank beneath the horizon, but the moon did not rise in its place.
I tried so hard…
“You cannot stop it, Nightmare Moon,” Celestia said. “The sun will rise again.”
But I guess I’m worthless after all...
The golden light shone into Nightmare Moon’s eyes once more.
I’m sorry, sis.
“But you will not.”
I love you.
