Celestia raised her head from her pillow, it was about time for Luna to lower the moon. She stood and stretched out her back and wings with a loud before opening her eyes. Her eyes widened immediately as she was standing in pure darkness, almost as if a shadow had swallowed her whole in her sleep. “Luna?!” She swings her head around and frantically looked for another pony. “Is anypony there?!”
“Dearest sister did you forget how to use your inside voice?” Celestia swung around once more, the voice echoing from the darkness.
“Who’s there?!” She yelled into the dark before looking around, the clicking of an annoyed tongue answering her.
“Still so loud, where are you manners when greeting family?” She narrowed her eyes and stood tall, her legs positioning into a fleeting stance as she bunched her muscles to run.
“Midnight.” She looked behind her as a dark grey Alicorn mare walked out of the mass of shadow into view, her body was as elegant looking as Celestia’s herself, Her mane was a chaotic mess of a thick black mass of shadow that swirled her head in a distorted wave that would occasionally connect and bunch with the mass that stood as the mare's tail as she walked toward Celestia slowly.
“Celestia, dearest Tia.” She smirked, her single eye that shone burned a bright red as she started to back her sister down. “It is so good to see you with my own eyes.”
“How are you here?! Luna and I ended your life eons ago!” The very light pink Alicorn took a step back for the grey mare's every step forward.
“Honestly, how long did you tell yourself that lie?” The mare lowered her head, her horn glowing an onyx black as Celestia continued to back away from her. “I never left you and I both know this.” Celestia backed into a grey solid rock wall, causing her head to swing around and her eyes widened at the wall .”It does hurt that you thought of me as dead, though a sword through the heart does sting more than you would think.” Celestia looked at the mare, her eyes wide and her pupils nothing but pinpricks in her eyes as her heart rate increases out of fear. “Anyway, lovely isn't it?” The mare looks around her, beckoning Celestia to wearily look at the blackness around her, the seeming forever stretching wall behind her blocking her from fleeing. “You think that something of my design would have more of a, homey feel.” Celestia creased her brow in confusion as the mare meets her gaze. “Yes you imbecile we are inside my mind inside your precious gems. Your Elements of Harmony.”
“But how...how is this possible…?” The mare rolled her eyes and sneered at the pinkish white alicorn before her.
“HOW NAIVE ARE YOU CELESTIA?! I DIDN’T DIE WHEN YOU STABBED ME! I SEALED MYSELF SAFE WITHIN THESE GEMS TO SAVE MYSELF!” She snorted in frustration as Celestia mumbled with trembling lips.
“No, thats impossible. Not even for your level of magic.” She jumped as the mare before her began to cackle wildly.
“Are you that naive? My magic is unique and you know it sister. Discord's chaos magic along with black magic? Honestly how stupid are you?” The mare turned her back to Celestia. “I am coming for you dearest sister, I have absorbed enough magic and I will return. Be prepared for war from my time sister.”
Celestia jerked her head up from her pillow with a loud panicked gasp, her body trembling as the words of the grey mare echoed in her head. Her fur stood on end as she looked shakily at the moon from her window, her pupils pinpricks as Luna knocked open the door.
“Sister! What's wrong?!” Luna rushed to Celestias side in attempt to calm the startled mare.
“M..midnight is returning..” Celestia murmured as Luna nuzzled her, the words causing the dark blue pony to freeze. “War is being brought to Equestria from within it’s own walls sister..Call forth the Elements. I must speak with them immediately.”
The train chugged along the tracks with a steady thunder, the Elements of Harmony all seated accordingly as Twilight reads the letter sent from Canterlot once more with worry in her purple eyes.
“What do y’all think could be so urgent?” The orange mare looked up from the paper she had been peeking at over Twilight’s shoulder. “Rarity any ideas?” Applejack eyed the white unicorn who was steadily knitting a blanket.
“No idea but it must pretty important if it was an urgent notice.” She lifted her icey blue eyes up from the fabric then laid them on the purple baby dragon at her side who held the fabric in place for her. “What time did you receive the letter Spike?” The dragon stared lovingly up the unicorn for a moment as if he didn’t hear her before shaking his head.
“Oh um, I want to say two AM?” He looked at the work-in-progress blanket in his claws.
“Maybe it’s another wedding! Or a party!” The pink party pony jumped up from her seat, her bouncy mane keeping in time with her body as she began to bounce around the train car.
“Or maybe we need to stop some evil doer!” Rainbow Dash flexed her wings and fluttered them with a determined grin across her face.
“Or maybe she needs our help with the royal garden?” The pink maned pegasus piped up from next to Rarity.
Twilight shook her head and used her magic to roll the letter back into a scroll and place it under her hoof. “I don’t know girls, Luna has never written in place of Celestia before requesting an urgent meeting with us.” The mare sighed under her breath and looked out the window at the passing world around them. “It gives me a bad feeling, one in the pit of my stomach.”
Pinkie Pie walked back over to her friends. “Maybe you’re just hungry Twily.” She giggled happily and Applejack smiled before joining her in the giggle.
“I think it will be ok Twilight, honest. Don’t worry too much until we get there.” She turned to look at the mare beside her.
Twilight looked back at Applejack then at her surrounding friends who were giving her reassuring smiles. “Girls, something isn’t right trust me on this.” She turned back to the window, the stubborn unicorn not ignoring the feeling she had, almost as if a thick shadow followed them to Canterlot. The other five ponies exchanged worried glances and returned to their own tasks that were keeping them occupied on the train ride.
Twilight walked in front of her friends as they approached the huge castle of the Royal Sisters. After showing the letter to the guards in front of the main palace hall they walked up to Luna who sat next to Celestia’s throne. “Welcome ponies.” The blue mare stood, looking at the white alicorn beside her. Celestia’s head was hung low with heavy bags under her normally brilliant eyes. Twilight quickly ran up to the princess, her friends following suit in worry.
“Celestia what’s wrong?!” The purple unicorn cried but skidded herself to stop on her hooves as Luna extended her wing to protect her sister from the rush of worried ponies.
“Twilight, I am alright..” The alicorn raised her head but Luna did not budge. “We have urgent business to discuss as Luna wrote to you about, darkness is approaching Equestria once again and I seek your urgent help.”
“YES!” Rainbow Dash lept up and quickly did a cumercault in midair, stopping as she realized all eyes were locked in a glare at her. “Oops, I got carried away didn’t I?”
Luna cleared her throat as offered a hoof to her sickly looking sister. “Anyway, Rainbow thank you for the interruption.” The rainbow maned pony landed and looked away as Pinkie Pie giggled at her. “There is a threat against Equestria and all of their citizens.”
Twilight tilted her head. “But, I don’t understand Luna. We have been at peace for a while since the Crystal Empire incident, who could possibly be threatening us?”
“Somepony who you do not know of.” Celestia stood with the aid of the smaller alicorn. “Come girls, there is something I must show you.” Celestia descended the stairs from her throne and walked to the back of the great hall, Luna close at her side ready to catch the weakened mare. The six once again exchanged glances but this time with their brows creased in confusion, however they followed suit. Celestia stopping at the back wall, lowering her head to Luna’s as the two rubbed their unicorn horns together causing them to glow a brilliant orange like the sunset. The six starred, Rarity in awe at the beauty of the magic and Pinkie Pie bouncing in excitement despite the situation. Celestia squeezed her eyes shut as Luna opened hers to watch her sister closely, a blast of stunning light blinding the six as a beam of pure magic energy shot straight at a small black gem in the middle of the back wall hidden in the shadow of Celestia’s throne. Twilight uncovered her eyes as she watched the wall open up like a giant door, her mouth falling open in amazement. A giant room opened up before the eight ponies present, it looked like the main hall of the palace with stain glass windows lining the walls.
“This is the hall of the third sister.” Luna turned to the six ponies behind them, unsurprised by the shocked expressions of the six.
“T-third sister?!” Twilight was surprised, she had never read about a third sister or even thought of the possibility that there were at one point three god like sisters to rule the land of Equestria. Luna nodded her head as Celestia lowered her own with heavy breaths escaping her lips.
“There was once three of us yes, our sister fell victim to the ways of old Equestria and Discord.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, taking flight once more as she felt more comfortable in the air.
“No surprise there.” She scoffed as Fluttershy spoke up.
“But that was the old Discord Rainbow!” The blue mare looked down at her
friend who held a strong glare. “He has changed!” Luna smiled softly, this wasn’t the first time she had seen a pony stand up for the draconequus so quickly.
“That is true he has made progress with your excellent friendship lessons Fluttershy.” The yellow mare blushed and smiled a small thanks to the alicorn. “However, this hall is a reminder to the three of us, Discord included, the power of equality and harmony. Every pony is equal regardless of race or family ties, what makes them evil is what they chose to believe in their hearts. Just as well as friendship, they work in the same fashion and it is what the pony sees in action that leads them to believe the way that they do.” Luna turns and walks alongside her sister and the six down the hall. The ponies staring in awe at the stain glass windows that depicted battles with swords, the fall of Discord at the hands of Celestia and Luna first using the elements and the occasion picture of a grey alicorn with bright yellow snake like eyes and a flowing black mane that was connected to her tail. Rainbow Dash flew up to a picture of the mare at the back of the hall.
“Is that her?” Twilight asked the two sisters before her, referring to the picture Rainbow was inspecting.
“Yes, this is Midnight Sun. She was the sister of equality and harmony, she had the power to combine our Moon and Sun in what we used to call an eclipse.” Luna stared up at the blue pegasus.
“I’ve read about those,” Twilight pointed out and eyed Rarity as she piped up as well.
“I to have heard of them, they were a beautiful sight to behold when Equestria was first brought under your rule of highnesses. Why did you stop doing them?” Luna turned to the six once more.
“It takes a lot of magic to bring our Moon and Sun together without causing disruption. We have the power but it would weaken us to do so during the Harmony festivals we used to hold in Canterlot when we first defeated Discord and regained our rule. We held these festivals under the two eclipses that Midnight used to bring, it showed our people the beauty of harmony and the peace it could bring so we could prevent another Discord incident.” Luna sighed softly as Rainbow came down from the painting.
“Well Princess what happened to her?” Rainbow asked quizzically and straight ford, ignoring the glare she received from Twilight in doing so.
“We ended her life.” Luna stared at the six who drew away in fear of the term. “We had to end our sisters life and that it what caused Discord to become a mad man. Let me tell you the story,” She eyed Celestia who sat down, obviously weak from a lack of sleep. “When we were passed down the job as ruler from our parents it was our job to being the morning sun, the evening moon and the eclipse to show the ponies of Equestria the beauty of harmony and equality. This was of course after the windigo incident as well. The ponies came to our parents who were in the Everfree woods at the time, they needed guidance and needed a power being to raise the moon and sun. Our parents had been doing this of course for eons but had no idea that the three tribes were in desperate need of rulers, they agreed and brought us with them. Celestia was five at the time, I was still a newborn filly and Midnight was three. Soon into the peace our parents brought war broke out in a nearby nation and our parents were forced to join to protect their new nation and were killed in battle,” Twilight shook at the thought of something evil enough to kill two powerful and mastered gods. “Our parents controlled the space around us and the distant heat to make the sun into a controllable thing. When our parents were killed that ended the war, we were next in line to the throne but we were nothing but mere children. Starswirl the Bearded became our teacher over the years, teaching us to hone our magic and control it safely. This was especially hard for Midnight and she eventually took up her own studies in the Everfree forest, that is where she met Discord.” Luna grew a sad look as she spoke but the six young ponies in front of her listened with their ears and heart, feeling pained for their Princesses. “She slipped off during our studies and met with Discord who was young at the time as well, this continued for several years where Discord taught Midnight how to hone her skills through the assist of chaotic magic. Discord wasn’t evil at this point in time we had several meetings with him as well, he was a very gentle soul at first. That soon changed, Midnight had unlocked black magic through the help of the chaotic magic Discord was using. She kept a journal of all her spells, Discord to wrote in this book with her, but they wore down on her mind as time went on. Once night she snapped, her magic exploded and turned her into a different mare. Not different like Nightmare Moon made me but her mind became twisted and bitter. She thought that with her magic there was no need for three princesses or Discord. She turned on her friend and tried to end his life, he fled as we found our sister. She was,” Luna turned her head away, a sickened look on her face. “She was completely lost to the magic she had learned to use, there was a desperate battle as we did not have the use of the Elements. They weren’t even heard of and we fought with swords and magic as such. It lasted an entire night and heavy blood was spilled but we killed her, renaming this dark mare Lunar Blood as such appropriate. Her body faded and left us standing in front of six blood covered gems, these were the Elements of Harmony and in the middle of the pool of crimson sprouted the Tree of Harmony. Magic exploded inside us and we would like to tell ourselves that the last part of her heart that was not clouded gave us the gift of protection. Discord had found himself a secluded place to try and think of a way to bring back his best friend, but returned to the forest and saw what we had done and he himself snapped into the Discord that you know him as. We were to weak even with this new magic to face him, we retreated to the old castle our parents had built in the forest to rest and recover. This also gave us time to learn to use the Elements and when we did we sealed Discord in stone, we took a vow in front of the gems to never let this magic be used to kill any creature and find a peaceful way to resolve the issue.” Luna swallowed, her throat dry from the telling of the story. The six each wore a pained expression and Pinkie Pie began to cry loudly.
“That..” Twilight shook her head and stamped her hoof. “Why is there no written record of this your highnesses?!” She glared hard at the princesses, she felt as if this was a personal blow to her before Fluttershy laid her wing on her friends back.
“Do you really think they would want to talk about this? Killing isn’t a common thing for us and for their subjects to know that something like that was common and the best method at one time..do you think it would be rare now?” Twilight looked at the pegasus and lowered her head in shame, she hadn’t thought of it that way.
“My little ponies please..” Celestia stood and turned to the six, her eyes foggy with tears. “When I saw the magic of the Elements in your hearts when Nightmare Moon was returning I knew that you were my peace makers from that moment forward, when I was forced to banish Luna to the moon it disconnected us from the Elements and I fought hard to keep peace. I need to ask your help to keep the peace, help us prepare for Lunars return and the war she will bring with her. I need you all to be at a ready stand by as well as find a way she could even possibly return and-” The alicorn fell to the floor causing the six to jerk forward.
“PRINCESS!” Luna rushed to her sister and nuzzled her head softly.
“She is just tired, she hasn’t slept all night as she has been trying to find a way that Lunar could return.” She looked the six. “Go back to Ponyville and prepare for her arrival, I will watch Celestia.” The six stared and all nodded at once before turning and running from the hall as fast as their hooves could carry them, Luna returning to her sister. “Oh Celestia, don’t push yourself..”
The six Elements of Harmony began to prepare and trained themselves of magic and body for several weeks, the two royal sisters praying for the six to find a way to keep the peace they fought so hard to obtain and keep. The morning marking the fifth week of preparation Twilight lifted her head from her studies she had written about the Elements.
“There has to be something we missed.” She used her magic to pull several books from the shelf, Spike climbing the stairs with a small gift basket.
“Twilight you are going to strain yourself if you keep working this hard, here Pinkie dropped this by.” He sets the basket by the mare who read a book cover before throwing it away in frustration.
“I can't’ stop now Spike, time is ticking. We don’t know when she will arrive and we still don’t know how. She is dead and gone, so how was she able to reach Celestia and declare war?” Spike sighed then removed the blanket from the basket.
“Will you at least eat something, Pinkie is worried you aren’t eating and she is right. I haven’t seen you eat or sleep in a few days.” Twilight sighed and set down the books she still held in her magical grasp in a neat stack in front of her.
“Alright you win, only because those cookies smell really good.” She smiled at the dragon who wore a worried expression. “I’ll be fine Spike because I think I got it.” She pulled a cookie to her mouth as Spike sat down beside her.
“You think?” He pulled out a ruby cupcake that Rarity had spared gems so lovingly for, he blushed looking at the cupcake in his claws. Twilight nodding eagerly as she chewed.
“Riddle me this Spike, how does the Crystal Empire stay safe?” He looked at her as he leaned in to take a bite of his treat before stopping to answer the mare.
“They all pray to the crystal heart and put their love into it?” He bit into the cupcake as Twilight swallowed her bit of the book shaped cookie.
“Bingo, I think we should take a page out of their book.” She threw the last of the cookie into her mouth and stood, Spike staring at her confused.
“How will we do that?” The dragon spoke with his mouth full and blushed as Twilight put a napkin to his cheek.
“Eat properly Spike I’ve told you this,” She smiles at the baby dragon. “I think if we put all the gems together and put all our strength into them and see what happens it may keep her at bay for a little longer. Worth a shot isn’t it?” Spike swallows and nods, setting down his cupcake. “Come, let’s go get everypony.” Spike jumped onto Twilight's back as the two strolled eagerly out of the library. They walked around Ponyville, picking up their friends as they went around town. The five ponies grabbed their necklaces and joined the unicorn back at the library on the first floor.
“So what is the plan again?” Rainbow asked as the hovered above the four ponies under her, Twilight digging in a trunk before pulling out a safe locked box.
“We will do to the elements what we did to the crystal heart, emit all our harmony or power or something into them and see if it keeps her at bay. She is connected to them still I think.” Unlocking the box Twilight plucked up her crown using her magic. “Alright girls place the five elements in a circle, I will put Magic in the middle and we will get started.” The mares nodded and carefully laid their necklaces down as instructed. Twilight watched with a strong feeling in her stomach, laying her crown in the middle of the circle she turned to her friends. “Spike please wait upstairs,” He nodded and quickly ran upstairs before Twilight spoke again. “Alright, I think if we think about how much we want to protect Equestria the elements will absorb our wishes and repel her magic for longer until we can figure something out.” Rarity looked at her necklace.
“Will the necklaces be alright, I would hate for anything to happen to them.” Rainbow rolled her eyes at the unicorns question but Twilight carried on ignoring it.
“Everypony ready?” The five nodded and stood behind their necklaces closing their eyes, they filled their mind with the thoughts of protecting Equestria and everypony in it, filled their hearts with the love they had for their home and their loved ones, their desire to continue to protect their home and the willpower to defend it. Twilight swallowed a growing lump in her throat and stood in the middle of the circle, placing the crown on her head and letting out a relaxing sigh. She thought back to the inner spark that started in her heart when she first became the holder of the element of magic, She shut her eyes tightly and tried to remember back to how happy she was when she and her friends rescued Luna from the clutches of Nightmare Moon and she thought of how happy she felt to have protected her home from eternal night. Twilight took a firm stand and concentrated her feelings into a magical energy that caused her horn to begin to spark wildly, the sparks formed into beams of strong purple light that shot into each necklace surrounding her and into her own crown. The gems sparkled and shone brightly as they began to glow, the girls continued to think hard about protecting their home before there was a huge explosion from the gems that blasted the mares back into the shelfs of the library.
Rarity coughed hard and waved at the smoke in her face. “Is everypony ok?”
“I’m alright.” Fluttershy called. Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash following suit.
As the smoke settled Twilight was sitting with her back to the mares, her eyes wide in terror as they approached with their own eyes growing wide in fear. In front of them in the middle of the necklaces was a tall grey mare, her mane and tail a mass of shadows that danced atop her body as she opened her yellow snake like eyes.
“N-no…” Twilight quickly stood up, Rainbow Dash blocking the door and the others quickly assuming a defensive stand. “How did you, I thought we..” The mare chuckled before openly laughing at the fillies in front of her.
“You think bringing the gems together with massive energy was a good idea little ponies?” Twilight shot a beam of magic energy at the mare who deflected it with a massive red shield. “I was hiding in those gems for ages,” She stretched out her wings and neck in a calm slow fashion. “I was simply biding time and absorbing the energy whenever you silly fillies used the elements.” Rarity glared hard at the mare as Fluttershy cowered behind her, Twilight still in shock. “You idiot foals just undid that cursed seal I had placed on me when Celestia banished my stupid younger sister. So thank you.” She smirked as Twilight snorted hard at her.
“You won’t leave this place! Spike has written to Celestia by now!” She stomped against the wood flooring as the mare cackled once more.
“Good, I need to pay her a visit.” She noted at Twilight’s gaze shifted to the Elements. “Now for these,” Her mane quickly took the form of shadow like needles that stabbed hard into the gems, shattering them into a fine dust like powder. “There we are, goodbye for now fillies.” She laughed and vanished within her own mane before disappearing completely. The six stood with wide eyes and hearts full of dread as they stared at the dust on the floor where their most powerful magic was gone.
Twilight fell to her knees, her eyes filling with tears. “What have we done..”
