The Dark Ones

Ugh...

What time is it again?

...2:20 A.M....

Sigh... Old habits die hard, huh...

The walls of the pristine royal castle glistened in the moonlight cascading from the windows. Depictions of the sun covered, or in the room's owner's opinion, cluttered the walls and furniture and even the pillows she rested her head on. The only object in her field of vision lacking the flaming orb was her royal garb.

And it was also the source of her nightmares.

Unbeknownst to most, the elements are capable of uniting and separating between incarnations, as they did when the current Holders ignited the 'spark' of friendship.

And as they did when she had to send her sister to suffer for 1000 years under her own darkness.

The former Element of Harmony had been insisting on her as it had on the night her sister returned. Insisting to call out the darkness once more, to make them true Defenders of Harmony. She was afraid to repeat her past mistakes. She could barely cope with banishing one pony, how could she live if it came to condemning six ponies more?

What was worse, she knew the turmoil the element brought her was not unfounded. After all, the elements had been quickly declining in efficiency in the past year.

At first, they worked wonderfully, as their rejuvenated forms called out to their former holder's heart.

However, they were taken and lost by the discorded being who couldn't even come close to them when he was first imprisoned. They even misfired, due to their holders becoming corrupted.

Last time it took several hundreds of years for the protection they had and brought to weaken to the level that their holders became vulnerable to chaotic magic. Now, it had taken less than a single year.

And recently, when they were desperately needed, the elements didn't even respond to their bearers proximity and danger.

The purple gem spoke to her every night, and it only had one thing to say in its powerful voice.

"PURIFY THEM."

And no matter how much she pleaded, how much she reminded it of events past a thousand years, it insisted.

"PURIFY THEM."

Standing up, she treaded her room carefully. Peering out the doors to the sleeping guards, she quietly spread her wings and flew close to the ceiling, using the tranquility of her sister's night to hide herself.

Upon reaching the observatory, she stumbled into the one pony she couldn't command away to remain silent.

Although the twitching of the night blue mare's ears showed her recognition of her arrival, she paid no mind as she kept looking down at the city below her.

Her constant despair temporarily replaced with the familiar concern for her sister, she slowly walked to her side. However, rather surprisingly, she found her with a placid smile etched on her face instead of a melancholic frown.

"The night has changed."

She followed her gaze to the city below, where, even at this hour, ponies trotted the streets. A few busy ponies here and there, other slightly less 'classy' ponies loittering about the alleys, and pegasi etching their silhouettes on the sky painted the picture of Canterlot at night, colored in the yellow lights of the ground and the white twinkles of the night. She never mentioned this, but in reality, her magic and control of the sun couldn't even hope to measure up to her sister's. After all, she just controlled the closest star. Her sister meticulously moved millions of others, far beyond where her own magic could even grasp.

More directly looking at her point of focus, she saw the distant park, where many, many ponies sat and enjoyed the view of the stars and moon above them. Some laid down, others sat on the benches, and others stood, but they all were admiring and praising the night's beauty. A couple passed closer to the castle's large observatory, and waved to Luna, which she responded to in kind

"It is unfamiliar, and yet, it fills me with upmost gratitude and pride to be blessed with such power, and the sharing this kingdom."

Luna looked up at her sibling, tears staining her joyful smile. No more were the days when the moon and stars were alone in the skies. Now, ponies reserved her night for relaxation and liberation. She found it slightly ironic, that her night was appreciated most by ponies of her own physical age, while elders and foals still adored her older, yet more mischievous sister's day.

"My dear Luna, in your absence, our subjects have learned to appreciate all the little blessings they have the right to upon their birth. Meanwhile the times have gotten more complicated, this has only just served to highlight the simpler, more beautiful things this world has to offer. Amongst them, I believe your glorious night is the most enchanting, unique thing I have witnessed."

"Thank you, Tia."

The two alicorns nuzzled each other, enjoying the once lost bond they had between themselves, and their kingdom.

This stopped short for the eldest sister, though.

"I've put extra care in my night, ever since the Element of Harmony has been pestering your dreams."

"...What?"

"Dear Sister, I may be younger than you, but by no means am I any less insightful or observant than you are. In fact, even our faithful servants have noticed the way you space out, staring at your necklace. Your sleeptalking is quite loud, too."

Her white face flushed in embarrassment.

"What has been bothering you? And what is the relation between my dark self and the six Bearers of the Elements? And just what is it that the Elder Element wants you to do?"

"Luna... I must tell you..."

She looked into the other alicorn's eyes, seeing a plead for honesty.

"Nightmare Moon... Our separation... It wasn't your fault... It was all mine..."

"Celestia, we've talked about this, you know it wasn't-!"

"Luna."

She looked down at her hooves, as the words snowballed and stuck in her throat.

"...It... ...It wants me to... It wants me to draw their darkness out, like I had to with you!"

NEXT CHAPTER!

Twilight’s mane and clothes were a terrible mess, although it fit her infuriated expression. She seemed to be trying to do something. Looking up, she saw an equally-messy Rainbow Dash being followed by dark clouds, surrounded by purple magic. To the side she saw Pinkie Pie trying to pull her head out of the ground, with Fluttershy and Spike helping her. Further to the side, she saw a green sweater, alit in purple flames.

Magic Power! Whatever could go wrong with this?