Castle of the two sisters,
Moments after the transformation of Princess Luna. . .
1000 years ago. . .
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA" cackled the nightmare princess, stary mane and tail billowing out. Magic Lanced from her horn, reducing the once mighty throne room to rubble.
Celestia watched as the creature her sister had become stepped free from the dust. Sorrow and anger filled her heart, just what had driven her so deep into this jealous rage, could it truly be that she felt neglected? Had she failed her sister so abysmally? Questions such as these filled the solar alicorn with regret.
"Luna you must lower the moon, it is your duty!"
The shadow mare halted, eyes narrowed in hate.
"Luna? I am Nightmare Moon, and I have but one royal duty now! To destroy youuuu!
The solar diarch quickly took to the air as teal magic shot forward. Flying quickly, evading spears of magic, she made for the Temple of Harmony. Just as she made it to the edge of the temple a streak of teal energy struck her in the chest, crying out in pain she quickly lost control and fell through the roof of the temple. Victorious laughter followed her down.
Celestia lay upon the cold stone floor panting in pain, Forcing her self up she stared in heart felt betrayal at the eclipsed sun. Knowing what she must do she turned in resignation to a stone panel on the floor, surrounding it with her golden magic, she willed it to open. A rotating stone pedestal ascended from the floor, multicolored gems adorning small stone sockets.
"Oh dear sister, you have given me no choice but to use. . . these!"
Solar magic encased the six gems, bringing them forward to surround the alicorn in rainbow light. Turning to the sky, Celestia rose towards her estranged sister. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she gazed out to the nightmare, a sob wrenched free from her throat, shattering her last visage of control. Rainbow hued energy shot forward meeting Nightmare Moon's magics, quickly overpowering it.
The nightmares eyes widened in fear as the power of harmony washed over her.
"Noooooooooooo!"
The rainbow beam shot out towards the moon. As it struck the white orb the visage of Nightmare Moon spread to cover its surface.
Gazing down in silent fury.
Placing the last stone sphere upon its pedestal, Celestia turned her tear soaked face towards the moon. The haunting silhouette of Nightmare Moon glaring down at her from the moon, soundless screams of rage seemed to permeate her mind as her gaze lingered.
It all seemed so surreal. Everything, the arguments, the fighting, all of it. Any moment now she would awaken, Luna would be there, to comfort and consul her as she always had and the nightmare would end.
She did not, and the nightmare continued. . .
"Why Luna. . . why did you not tell me your feelings, I would have helped! Then maybe none of thi- maybe I-"
No. . .she would not fall to that vice, her sister had abandoned her duty and was punished for it. Yes, she had been given no choice. Luna's childish whims would have left Equestria a cold barren rock, Her pony's dead and reduced to dust.
No. . . this was the path, that must be walked, and she would bear it like a true alicorn would.
A fact nagged at her mind refusing to be quieted.
The Elements. . .
The elements had grown cold to her touch, their condemnation of her actions radiated in silent finality, If only to foster the guilt inside. She turned to them gazing upon the cold stones, eyes narrowed in anger.
"What would you have had me do?! Concede?! Give in?! Watch as the world grew dark and ponies starved and froze!"
The stones offered no solace.
Silence was her answer.
Finding no mercy in the now dead elements, she turned and made for the now ruined throne room. Subjects would need rallying after a night such as this. Her tears dried with the rekindling of her determination to shoulder her duty.
I will need to salvage all that I can from this forsaken place. . .
A mountain overlooking a forest and valley, filled her mind.
Canterlot. . . will be its name, and in time it will grow to surpass what I have built here. . .
Stepping through the entrance of the throne room, she gazed out towards the ruined thrones. Her wounds twinged as her gaze fell upon the destruction, a soft sigh escaped her as she plodded forward.
The sound of rocks skipping across the ground echoed eerily across the dilapidated hall.
'Someone is here. . .'
Celestia's blood froze. Spinning quickly to the source of the disturbance she charged her horn, preparing for the worst. Bellowing out in her Traditional voice.
"WHO GOES THERE?! REVEAL THY SELVES!"
A small figure ducked back into the shadows behind Luna's throne. In a panic, Celestia lanced a beam of magic at the throne reducing it to molten slag. A piercing shriek of fear met her ears, causing her to flinch.
'That is no creature!'
It was the cry of a foal.
'No- that cannot be. . . a foal here?!' But who? Her horn quickly lost its golden glow as she cantered quickly up to the podium and peered into the shadows in search of the child she had nearly destroyed. She would not stand for anymore loss, not one more pony would suffer because of her or her sister's foolishness!
Fear griped her heart at the thought of a foals limp, broken body atop the rubble. Her heart cried out in joy as she spotted the outline of the child, cowering in the shadow.
"I am so sorry child, I promise you no harm. Tell me, where are your paren-"
Her eyes zeroed in on the small form.
Celestia's shocked breath pierced the silence like a blade, and her world collapsed.
'Impossible. . . it cannot be. . .'
There, cowering in the dust lay a small foal. Her coat a deep lavender, her small horn peeking out from a mane of deep blue and accented with purple-pink highlights. Adorning the foals back. Where a pair of sharp wings, and the eyes. . . Celestia had stared into those eyes only hours ago. . .
They were the same cat like eyes of Nightmare Moon, save for one thing. . . these eyes, were blood red.
Celestia's rage threatened to boil over, as her gaze lingered upon the foal. Was it all for not?! Would this continue forever?! A curse, to spread like a plague, until not one pony was left! Her face filled with the rage she felt and her eyes narrowed.
A golden glow began to fill the darkness.
"You. . ."
A whimper escaped the small pony as it fled, ever deeper, into the shadows.
A fiery mass of pain, anger, and suffering followed it.
High above Equestria the Aether was in complete chaos. Voices competed for supremacy, cries of fear and outrage mixed in a maelstrom of power. The Stars had lost their Alicorn and they were far from happy. Celestia could never have known the horrid repercussions of sealing her sister to the moon.
In her desperation she had succeeded in her duty to save her world. The cost was the unintentional severing of half of the Nights power, rendering the Stars directionless and unmanaged.
It was not a comfortable state of being to say the least and their only hope to right this terrible wrong was in mortal danger of being vaporized by an emotionally compromised Alicorn of the Day.
Decisions needed to be made, plans formulated, Harmony had to be restored. No matter the cost.
"We must bind ourselves to the child!"
"It is to soon! This is not the destiny set out before her, we risk all if we move her from the path!"
"It is already to late, there is only one path now, she will be destroyed by Celestia's rage."
"No there is still time, we must intervene. Remove her from Equestria and bind her to us. Here we can give her the knowledge and the power to be a force of harmony."
"This will mean defying Faust. . ."
At the mention of the Creator the multitude of voices grew silent. A ripple of trepidation spread outwards, no pony, no deity, not even beings of pure magic dared move in the path of Faust. To do so would mean certain annihilation, If Faust took offense to their meddling they would not have a moments peace before her wrath fell upon them.
". . . Her plan is already in shambles, it seems she did not foresee the extent of the damage Luna could cause as Nightmare Moon. . .She could not have seen the damage the child would receive. . . she would have moved to prevent it."
At the thought of the child and her corrupted visage, a wave of sadness washed over the Aether.
"She is part disharmony now. To attempt to remove it would be a mistake, it would only destroy her."
"Agreed, the Nightmare's Corruption is a fundamental part of the child. . . but we cannot guarantee she will choose harmony, the scars of this night and the circumstance of her being may push her to embrace her disharmonious half."
". . . She will be feared, Hated, and scorned. . . her path will be unknowable, we can only teach her and hope that the hearts and minds of ponies will become softer."
"It is a risk we must take, we must be bonded to the world. The Ponies cannot spend eternity with a night in chaos."
"Celestia will attempt to manipulate us. . . we will have to mask our intentions and appear as if we are under her sway and not the child's."
"She does not know the night like her sister, she will be fooled. The child will move the night in her mothers absence and Celestia will never even notice."
Determination spread like wild fire through the stars. It was decided, they would carve their destiny with the child of the nightmare. For better, or for worse they would bind themselves to this road. Faust be damned, direct intervention was the only course of action.
"Then it has been decided, We will bind ourselves to the child. Gather our magics and prepare. . ."
Silver Magics began to collect, starting a soft glow it quickly became a fierce light. Power in near limitless quantity's gathered and in one spectacular display rained down towards the world of ponies.
Hatred, and burning satisfaction, is what coursed through Celestia. She had finally cornered the foal upon the balcony of her sister's tower. A flicker of puzzlement came to Celestia's mind, 'Why here? Why this place. . . Why not the gates?', but it was quickly and ruthlessly crushed under a wave of anger.
"This is the end for you Nightmare! Relinquish the foal and I will spare your miserable existence!" She bellowed out, Eyes aflame.
The foal merely inched closer to the balcony, sobbing in pure terror, tear freely flowing from her eyes. She looked to Celestia's burning form and opened her mouth.
"Hic-hic, I-I want my M-m-mummy!" Crying she flung her self down upon the stone and wailed.
Celestia's Heart gave a lurch, perhaps she was wrong, about her, about everythi- No. . . It was a trick, a crafty lie, the Nightmare was trying to pull at her heart and when she crumbled it would be her end. Narrowing her eyes at the wretched sobbing child, she gathered her resolve.
"Your fake tears of sorrow will not work on me Nightmare, If you will not relinquish the foal then I will simply be forced to end her, and you with her. She will be mourned and remembered as a hero, but you. . . you will be left to fade into the tales of children and in time, forgotten."
Celestia's horn began to glow as solar energy coalesced around her, causing her mane and tail to flow nearly vertical. She closed her eyes as the child began to panic and scramble ever closer to the balconies edge. 'May Faust have mercy upon the child. . . and forgive me for what I must do', Opening her eyes she fired her Solar magic at the child.
No
A river of silver magic slammed down upon the Balcony enveloping the child in its light, Solar magic simply parted around the pillar of magic streaking off to explode down in the forest bellow.
"WHAT!" yelled Celestia, backing away from the powerful display. Hoof moving to block some of the fierce light from her eyes.
The child's sobbing faded and tears dried as she stared up into the light, pupils constricting to near paper thin slits. She seemed almost calm now.
'Why?! Who?!' Celestia probed out with her Magic determined to find the culprit of this interruption, but as she touched the magic she became instantly aware of just what it was and the being who was its master. It was the magic of the Stars. . . and Luna was their shepherd. Shock pulsed through her mind like ice, stifling her rage and hate. Questions raced through her mind like wild fire.
"N-no that's impossible! Luna is banished, her power sealed to the moon! How?! Why do you interfere! Do you not wish to be free!?"
"Mommy?" a quiet voice whispered.
Celestia's blood froze as she stared at the now smiling foal, who gazed up into the light with a happy smile. Could it be? She was Luna's?! If the child had been close enough to Luna as the Nightmare had twisted her mind, it was very possible the poor thing had absorbed some of that dark magic corrupting her body but not enough to twist her mind. Her thoughts turned to the actions she had been prevented from completing, She grew sick to her stomach at the realization that she had been about to destroy her sister's daughter, her niece, all on the simple assumption that because she looked like a monster, she must be one.
"Oh Faust! Forgive me Luna I did not know, I'm sorry sister!" Her head hung down in shame at her lack of control.
You have upset the very balance of the world Celestia. . . you and your sister have jeopardized the very Harmony you were sworn to protect, we will right the balance and restore Harmony, even if it takes a 1000 years. . .
A gasp pierced the night as Celestia's head shot up at the words that seemed to be everywhere at once. 'That was not Luna!' No she had no heard those voices since they had received their powers and it filled her with dread. . .
"You-you cannot interfere it is forbidden! Cease this at once! You will bring Faust's rage down upon us! I understand my folly, I will raise the child here and overtime she will be free of her curse and become the champion of harmony her mother was!"
Nay. . . you still do not understand, If Faust was going to stop us she would have prevented our leaving the Aether. This is the path we have chosen. . . we will hide the child from you, Goodbye Celestia. . .
The child began to rise into the light, body glowing with silver light, Motes of stardust began to trail of her coat as her body began to disintegrate and as her body became dust, the magic began swirling upwards drawing it upwards.
"No matter where you hide her, I will find her! There is not one place on this world you can hide from me!" Roared the solar monarch, tears of helplessness falling to the stone and in one blinding pulse it was over, the child, the light, the voices, all of it.
Celestia's flank fell to the floor with a wumphf, tears falling freely she gazed towards her sister's moon, a gutt wrenching sob breaking from her chest.
"Oh Luna what have we done. . ."