Chapters 1 - Their worst Nightmare
As the moon rises above Canterlot, the streets of the city become empty and silent. The few street lanterns illuminate the streets while most of the ponies in the city rest in their homes, fallen into a deep slumber.
Yet this is not the case for everypony. The bringer of the night and ruler of the dream world herself, Princess Luna, is restless. For many days now she has been haunted by nightmares, unable to close her eyes and rest. This has, quite visibly, left Luna scarred.
This had all started a couple of days after she and her sister returned from the Crystal Empire. They had struck down the evil King Sombra and his demonic army...but their victory was short-lived. With his last breath, Sombra managed to cast a spell on him and the empire, causing it to seemingly vanish. How he managed to do that...nopony knows. Where he and his empire went, nopony will ever know. All Luna and her sister know is that they and their home are safe. For now.
However, unlike her sister, Luna has been dealing with a series of nightmares, hallucinations and visions ever since they returned. At first she thought it was normal, that it was a side effect of the battle she and her sister had fought against Sombra and his devilish army.
But she quickly realized that is was much more than that, much more than just a simple mood swing. As time went on, the nightmares became more frequent, not letting Luna rest for a single night anymore, while the hallucinations and visions Luna saw became...disturbing.
Luna came up with the only possible answer she had to all this: It was a disease, one that has yet to be discovered by anypony else because it originates from the Frozen North. Luna must have caught this new sickness when she and Celestia made their way to the Crystal Empire, flying through an intense blizzard. Yes, this would be the answer, it was the only possible reason for all this.
Even with a seemingly reasonable answer, this did not help to lessen the effects of the sickness. She had called for many doctors to examine her about this sickness and possibly find a cure to it. Ponies arrived from across Equestria, only to be met with something they simply...didn't understand.
As the last of the doctors opened the door, he told Luna the same thing as all the others had done before: "There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."
Luna had always been very fond of science. She had always loved to look at things from a new perspective, to find out why things are the way they are. She would often spend hours every night looking through her telescope. She had spent so much time on science, so much time on research and so much effort into trying to understand the world they are living in.
Yet, even with all this...science let her down when she most needed it. Science did not know an answer to this mysterious new sickness. The doctors told Luna that they could not make out any form of bacteria or virus within her body while using the most modern medical equipment Equestria had. If they were right, then all this might not be a disease after all.
But if it isn't a disease...then what is it?
The cold, fresh night air swirled around Luna as she leaned herself on the railing of the balcony outside of her bedroom. She looked down from the balcony, down onto the streets and houses, spotting not a single pony that was left roaming around the city during these late hours.
Just when Luna thought she could have a moment of silence, a stabbing pain flared up inside her head.
"Gods...not again..." She cursed quietly, resting her left hoof on her forehead as the pain grew.
This was far from the first time Luna had experienced this. She had felt the same sudden, piercing pain in her head multiple times now. Unfortunately, that did not help lessen the pain.
Luna tried making her way back into the room to lay down in her bed, slowly turning around while still fighting the pain and making a few hesitant and careful steps forward.
She was quickly stopped in her tracks though as the pain suddenly shot up, causing Luna to cry in agony and collapse to the ground. She breathed heavily as she tried getting back up, but froze as she looked up from the ground. The door that lead back into the bedroom...had vanished! She gasped, hastily looking around. She saw how black smoke clouds appeared all around her, slowly consuming her surroundings as they closed in on her.
Luna used the tiny bit of strength she had left and pushed herself back onto her hooves. She once again looked around, her eyes filled with fear, as the pitch-black clouds were coming closer and closer. Luna tried charging her horn up to possibly push back the clouds with magic, but she let out a loud, painful cry once more as she tried to do so. As the clouds were only a few more meters away from her, she realized that there was nothing she could do, she was helpless against whatever was going to happen.
Luna closed her eyes in expectation of the clouds, expecting the clouds to close in on her to consume her just like they consumed everything that was around her.
Yet...that did not happen. She stood still with closed eyes for about 10 seconds, then opening her eyes again. She immediately saw that the black clouds were still there, but...they had stopped. They had stopped just about 1 to 2 meters away from her.
Before Luna had the chance to ask herself any question about her current situation, she saw something moving inside the smoke. She could hear sounds all around her, some familiar, some strange.
Luna leaned forward as she tried to identify what it was that moved around inside the smoke in front of her. She saw how the smoke gave way for the thing inside the cloud, letting Luna spot just what it was that had hidden in the smoke.
"Sister...?" She asked in surprise, spotting the image of her sister standing just a few meters away from her, her head lowered.
Celestia did not respond to Luna. She stayed where she was, her head still lowered to the ground, making it impossible for Luna to see her face.
"What is going on, sister? What is all this?" Luna asked her sister, hoping that she would know more than her. Yet, again, Celestia did not reply.
The renewed silence of her sister made Luna both suspicious and afraid. She gulped, taking a first careful, scared step towards the image of her sister, an image that now striked fear into Luna, rather than joy. Luna made sure to keep her eyes locked onto her sister, who still had her head lowered. Her heart pounded as she finally stood right in front of her, her breathing becoming quicker and heavier than ever before. With great hesitation and fear, she held out her right hoof towards Celestia's head.
She slowly nudged closer, whispering: "S-sister...?" at Celestia. Then, after a few more fearfilled seconds, she was in reach of her sister. Her right hoof slowly inched closer to Celestia's forehead, just a slip away from touching it when suddenly...
"At last..." Celestia said, her words echoing in a way that made Luna's fur crawl
Luna pulled back her hoof and walked back a step as Celestia lifted her head. Luna looked at her in fear as her head slowly but steadily rose.
Luna froze as she finally was able to see the face of her supposed sister. She stared at Celestia, at the most familiar face she knew, and saw it...covered in blood. The entire face, covered with bloodstains and deep, bloody scars and scratches.
"N-no....no! No! " Luna cried out as she stumbled backwards instinctively.
The terrifying creature that was her sister gave out an almost demonic chuckle as her pupils suddenly turned into reptile-like slits while her teeth grew larger and sharper.
"Where do you think you are going? " Yelled Celestia with a mighty echo as she saw Luna backpedal in fear.
Luna shivered in fear as the creature in front of her came closer. She could hear a loud rumbling every time Celestia's hooves hit the ground. She was unable to run from her, the smoke blocked her escape, leaving her with no possible way to escape.
Luna stared into the now slit eyes of Celestia as she stood in front of her.
"At last...At last I will do what has always been my destiny..." Said Celestia with a loud voice which once again gave off a loud echo.
She smiled maniacally as her horn began to glow before finally lighting up in her typical yellow aura.
"I will finally free my realm from the parasite that is my sister!" She shouted at Luna, her aura lighting up brightly.
Luna could feel her heart ache after those words. Luna quickly broke down onto her hind legs, grabbing her chest with her right forehoof. She could feel herself become weaker and weaker, losing her senses, how her sight became blurry as she looked up to Celestia one last time.
Celestia looked down to Luna with a look of disgust and hate. "I have waited too long to do this, have sat idle while you gathered power over what is rightfully mine!" She paused, putting her left hoof under Luna's chin and kneeling down to look her into the eyes.
"And now, Luna..." She said with joy, "You...will ...DIE! " She yelled, kicking Luna with the hoof that she had laid under Luna's chin.
Luna now laid a few meters away from Celestia after she had kicked her away. Luna laid on her belly as she saw Celestia's horn light up more than she had ever seen before. Robbed of all her physical strength and faced with the emotionally unbearable, Luna simply could not keep up anymore.
Her sight became blurry as she saw a bright light where she last saw Celestia. With her last bit of strength she could make out a bright ray of light shoot towards her, before passing out.
Luna wandered off into darkness. She did not know why she did, nor could she control her movements. It was like she was merely a passenger in her very own body. She watches as she moved deeper and deeper into the darkness while more and more disturbing images flashed before her eyes. She could even make out that some of the images told a story, that they were connected.
There was an image that showed a normal pony family at first: A lovely mother and father with a little daughter and son sitting in front of them. She figured it would have to be a family picture.
However, with a sudden flash of light, the picture...changed. The father was missing one of his eyes. Then, with yet another flash, the son in front of the father was suddenly holding the head of the mother in his hooves. Luna wanted to look away from the images, wanted to close her eyes, but none of that was possible as she had no control over her body.
The picture changed yet again, but this time without a flash of light. This time Luna could see how the terrible things happened. She saw a creature walking up to the father of the family and rip out one of his eyes with magic. Luna watched in horror as the creature went over to the mother next to the father. She was unable to clearly identify who or what the creature was, as it was covered in complete black. The only thing that was not black was the magic aura of it, which was blue, a darker blue tone than that of Luna herself.
The creature stepped up to the mother who, like the rest of the family, was frozen. The creature pulled back it's head and shot it back forward, stabbing it's long, sharp horn into the throat of the mother. the creature then sliced through the rest of the throat with the horn, leaving the head to fall to the ground.
Luna wanted to vomit at the sight of such brutality, at all the blood being spilled...the blood of poor, innocent ponies which she had pledged to protect. She could suddenly feel a sense of guilt come up inside her. She watched as the mysterious creature picked up and placed the head on the young colt's hooves.
Luna watched, with increasing guilt, as the creature suddenly turned towards her. The creature's eyes shot open, showing Luna two blue eyes with slit pupils, reminding her of those that the image of Celestia had.
The creature then disappeared with a gust of wind, together with the rest of the pony family. Luna looked at the empty image in confusion as it was completely empty.
Suddenly, the same black creature appeared right in front of Luna, still covered in complete black, except for the eyes.
"They are dead. All dead." Said the creature with a voice that sounded very reminiscent of her own.
The creature then leaned forward, revealing it's full body. "She is right, you're a plague, a threat that needs to be destroyed." Said the creature into Luna's face.
The creature had a pitch-black coat while wearing light-blue armor. She immediately noticed the moon symbol that was visible on the chest plate.
"W-what...Who are you?" Luna asked in confusion.
The creature gave Luna an evil smile. "Who I am, you ask?" The creature chuckled at Luna before getting as close as it could, right in front of Luna. "I am your destiny."
Luna froze momentarily while the creature unfolded and flapped it's wings, slowly disappearing into the darkness once again.
"No...no! No!" Luna shouted repeatedly in denial. She knew the creature, what-or whoever it may have been, was lying. Never could Luna do those things to anyone, especially not innocent ponies. "You're lying, I am no cold-blooded murderer!" She shouted after the creature that had already disappeared in the darkness again.
"Oh, you're not." The voice of the creature replied as it echoed through Luna's head. "You are their worst Nightmare."
"No! No! That's not true! Nooo!" Luna screamed as her vision turned black before becoming unconscious once more.
Luna slowly came back to her senses, the piercing pain in her head still present. She attempted to open her eyes, but she was not yet strong enough to do so.
Then, suddenly, she could hear loud hoofsteps in the distance, becoming louder as they got closer to her. She also heard voices, hectic and shocked voices it seemed, but in her current state, she was almost deaf and was unable to clearly identify who was talking.
"Luna! Luna!" Celestia shouted as she kneeled over Luna's weakened body. "Luna, talk to me! Please!" She pleaded to her, Celestia's eyes becoming wet as a single tear flowed down her cheek.
Luna didn't reply, but was slowly able to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she immediately saw the white figure that sat next to her.
"S...sis....sister?" Luna gave out with a weak, quiet voice, almost inaudible for Celestia.
Celestia smiled as she heard the voice of her younger sister. "Yes. Yes, Luna. It's me." Celestia replied with relief.
Luna suddenly felt the pain in her head explode once more, crying in agony as it did so. Celestia watched in horror as Luna cried and groaned.
"Luna!" She called to her, "Luna! Stay with me!" She called again, grabbing Luna with her hooves, making Luna look at the face of her older sister.
Luna's eyes grew in horror as she saw the same, demonic face from before before her. The sharp teeth, the reptile-like eyes and...the blood.
"No..." Luna said in horror, slowly moving backwards, away from her sister. "No,no,no,no!" Luna said in quick succession, trying to quickly stand up but failed, smashing back down on the ground.
Celestia quickly ran up to Luna who had just hit the ground hard, afraid that she had hurt herself by doing so. "Luna, sister, what is wrong? Talk to me!" Celestia begged as Luna looked up to her once again.
"S-sister?" Luna asked in surprise as the normal, familiar face of Celestia looked at her. "I...W-what...happened?" She asked in exhaustion and confusion.
Tears of joy flowed down Celestia's cheeks as she leaned forward, embracing Luna in a tight, loving hug. "Oh Luna..." Celestia mumbled as she burrowed her face in Luna's fur. She looked back up to Luna who eyed her with both a confused and exhausted look. "I was called after the guards heard screaming in your room, I came as fast as I could." She sobbed while shaking her head from left to right. "I was so worried for you, Luna. I...I thought I had lost you for a moment." Celestia's sobbing turned into crying as she pulled her sister into an even tighter hug, her face once more burrowed into Luna's blue fur.
Luna was lost in thought while listening to her sister's mumbled sobs. Had this all just been a dream? Had she gone crazy? Was this still a dream?
She looked down to where her sister was crying. She rested her hooves on her head, caressing her mane carefully. "I...I am fine. There is no need to worry, sister." Luna told her quietly in an attempt to calm her.
Celestia let out a big sob before looking up to her, looking Luna into her eyes. "I don't want to lose you Luna." She shook her head once again. "Not you, not my sister." Her voice was bitter, something Luna had rarely heard from her Celestia who was usually joyful and lighthearted.
Luna continued to caress Celestia as they looked at each other. "You won't, 'tia." Celestia smiled at hearing the nickname, one that Luna used rarely, due to her very serious mood. "I promise, by all that is good, that you won't."
Celestia smiled, wiping the last remaining tears away. "Always remember, Luna..." She began, sobbing lightly, "That I love and care for you. Please, sister, never forget this." She said in an almost begging voice.
Luna nodded, hugging her sister dearly. "I promise I won't." She promised, suddenly feeling an odd, weak pain in her chest. "I...promise." She repeated, weaker this time as she felt a strange cold in her chest.
Celestia broke the hug, still eyeing Luna, while noticing how Luna winced in pain. "Sister...are you sure you are alright?" Celestia asked.
Luna breathed heavily, releasing frosty puffs of smoke every time she breathed out. She felt something...weird, something cold attacking her heart. A cold that was not attacking her from the outside, but from the inside, from her very heart. She felt like her very heart was freezing.
"I-I'm fine." She replied, one hoof rested upon her chest while her body began to shiver. "I'm just a bit cold, that is all." She told her, trying to not make her worry any more than she already was.
Celestia walked up to Luna and smiled genuinely. "I suppose it is getting quite cold out here." She said, making Luna realize that they still were out on her balcony, in the middle of the cold night. "Come, let me help you get inside." Luna smiled back at Celestia in reply, acknowledging her help as she rested her left hoof on Celestia's back.
Together, the two Alicorns made their way indoors, back to Luna's bed. Her bed looked just how Luna had left it, her blanket thrown off to the side of the bed while her many pillows were scattered all over the mattress. This was a regular sight for Luna nowadays, a result of her constant, increasingly frequent nightmares. There was nothing she could do, except for trying to escape them. Something that, it seemed, now was impossible as well.
"Wait here for a moment." Celestia said quietly, helping Luna sit down at the end of the bed. She walked over to the bed, picking up the different pillows and putting them back in order so that Luna could rest her head on them.
"Alright, let us get you to bed." She said, walking back up to Luna and helping her stand back up. This was all met with no resistance or vocal response by Luna, who simply did not have the strength or will to talk anymore.
Celestia walked up to the side of the bed, together with Luna. Her horn lit up lightly, carefully lifting Luna up into the air and moving her over to her bed. Celestia lowered Luna down onto her mattress, very carefully, and smiled as her sister's head softly landed on the pillows.
Celestia looked to he right, where Luna's blanket laid, which had Luna's cutie mark symbol on it. Once again she used her magic, lifting the blanket up and levitating it over to the bed, where Luna now rested. The blanket softly lowered itself on the exhausted Princess of the Night, whose eyes had almost closed themselves from lack of energy.
Celestia smiled as she pulled the blanket up a bit with her hooves, making sure Luna was warm. When she was done, she leaned over to Luna, whose eyes were now closed. "Sleep well, sister." She said, stroking over Luna's forehed for a second before walking off.
Celestia could hear a quiet snoring as she stood at the entrance of her sister's bedroom. She smiled with great joy, holding the door with her left hoof while eyeing her sleeping sister one last time. "Sleep well, indeed." She mumbled to herself, inaudible for the already slumbering Luna.
Celestia carefully and slowly closed the door, making sure to not wake her sister up. The door closed with a silent click, having Celestia take a deep breath. She looked up the door, staring at the big moon symbol that was painted on the door.
"I wish I could help, sister." Celestia said with a bitter voice. "...I wish." She mumbled to herself as she turned away from the door, slowly trotting off, down the hallway she had come from.
"Luna..." whispered a strange, mysterious voice, almost inaudible.
Luna grumbled lightly in response.
"Luna..." called the same voice again, louder this time.
Luna grumbled louder, her tired eyes opening slightly.
"Luna!" the voice suddenly exclaimed.
Luna gasped, waking up from the sudden yell. She panicked at first, looking around herself but noticing...nothing. Nothing and no one. She still laid in her bed, in her bedroom, in Canterlot. Luna rubbed her eyes before laying back down onto her pillow.
"I must be hearing ghosts." She said to herself while pulling up her blanket once again.
Her eyes closed once more and Luna went silent as she was on her way to drift off into sleep again. However, fate had other plans with her for that night.
Luna's ears twitched as an evil, manical laughter echoed through the room. Luna jumped up from her pillow, sitting on her bed, and scanned the room for the host of the laugh. However, she was unable to find anyone in her room, just like before.
The laugh continued and intensified, as if it were mocking Luna and her attempt of finding it. Luna grumbled at the mocking tone of the voice and jumped out of her bed. She looked around hecticly as the voice seemed to be moving throughout the room, yet there was nopony to be seen.
"Who are you?" Luna shouted into the empty room, the laugh getting even louder. "Show yourself!" Luna demanded.
The laughing stopped as Luna's voice echoed throughout the room, slowly becoming quieter. Suddenly the room was completely silent, the silence only being interrupted by Luna's breaths.
The voice gave out a brief chucke. "So old and experienced..." Said the voice from behind Luna, making her turn her head slightly. "...yet so foolish and blind."
Luna frowned while looking around, becoming increasingly annoyed. "How dare you say such things and not show yourself to me?" She asked it.
A short cackle filled the room before dark smoke began crawling out of many dark corners of her bedroom. Luna looked in horror as the smoke travelled through her room, even past her, to meet up in the middle of the air. The cloud in the middle of the room grew larger and larger as more and more of the mysterious, black smoke flooded into it.Luna watched, horrorstruck, as the smog started to change, to...metamorphose . The previously deformed ball now, all by itself, grew legs and hooves, just as it grew large, pitch-black wings. Princess Luna watched with big big eyes as the changes finalized. In less than one minute, the cloud had shifted into the form of an alicorn. A pitch-black alicorn, one that reminded Luna of a creature she had seen before.
The smoke figure took its first step towards Luna, stepping into the bright moonlight that entered the room through one of the big windows. The creature stood still in the light, opening its eyes and staring at Luna. Luna froze for a brief moment as she saw the same blue slitted eyes she had seen before, from her nightmare.
"You..." Luna said quietly. "You!" She repeated, loudly this time.
"A blind fool you are." The creature said, "Believing to be a hero for your subjects when the devil sits right in front of you."
Luna kept quiet as the black figure turned away from her, instead facing the window on the wall from which the moonlight entered.
"I've seen what your mistakes cause." It said, slowly taking steps towards the window. "I've seen what fate awaits you and your subjects."
Luna slightly raised an eyebrow in confusion, but did not interrupt.
"Equestria will be consumed by evil, plunged into an era of darkness. An era of anarchy and terror." It said, arriving at the window and looking through it.
"All this..." The creature said with a heavy, quiet voice. "...Because the moon had failed them." It said, the image of the moon mirroring in its eyes.
"No. Never." Luna interrupted from behind the creature. "I would never fail my subjects. I have pledged my loyalty to them, I am their shield and guardian!" Luna shouted, becoming louder as she went on. "I would never let that happen." She added with lowered voice.
The creature sighed after hearing Luna's speech, turning away from the window and eyeing her. "And it is because of that why you must take action, Princess Luna." It said with a serious voice.
Luna wanted to frown as she heard it say her name, but refrained from doing so. "I'm afraid I am still puzzled." She replied honestly.
"Do you not understand ?" The cloudy creature yelled at Luna. "I have seen the future! I have seen the horror, the dead ponies in the streets and the reign of terror! You must stop this! As their guardian and rightful ruler, you must!" The creature explained loudly.
"Their rightful ruler..." Luna thought, the phrase echoing through Luna's head. Luna didn't notice how she briefly formed a smile at the thought.
"I...understand." She replied halfheartedly, slightly shaking her head, getting rid of the previous thought. "But how did all this...evil happen? Who would do all that?"
Luna could hear the figure chuckle briefly. "Who you ask?" The creature said, getting closer to Luna. "None other than your lovely sister, of course."
Luna gasped briefly, before growing furious. "How dare you accuse my sister of such things!" Luna yelled. "She is the kindest, most generous and most loving pony to ever have lived and you do not have the right to ever accuse her of such horrible things!" Luna lashed out at the creature, losing control of herself for a brief moment.
The creature gave Luna an unexpected smile. "Perhaps...too kind and loving..." It said, floating past Luna. "Don't you think?" It whispered into Luna's right ear as it passed by.
Luna opened her mouth to reply, to deny what the creature was saying about her sister, but...she couldn't. Somehow she couldn't interrupt the creature and its speech.
"Think about it." The creature started, slowly floating around Luna as it talked, its hooves not touching the ground anymore. "Think about how much power she holds. How she has gained the everlasting trust of many ponies all around Equestria, how she uses her victories to increase in power." It continued, stroking Luna's back with its cold, yet soft hooves, making Luna shiver. "She is a puppeteer, Luna. She pulls the strings in Equestria, controls almost everything and everyone."
The pitch-black creature suddenly appeared right in front of Luna's eyes. "Except for you." It said quietly.
Luna held her head as a headache overcame her. "No...no, that's..." She began quietly and weakly, unable to finish her sentence as the pain in her head grew.
"It is this why you must take action against her. To stop her and her cursed plan of terror and dictatorship." The smoke creature said, pulling back from Luna.
"You must act before she does, Luna." It said, walking backwards. "Kill your sister."
Luna was brought to her knees as the pain grew. She could feel how her thoughts were split apart, fighting for control. "I...I..." She started.
"You must." The creature with a loud voice. "For if you don't...Equestria will be lost."
Luna looked up and saw how the creature began dissolving into thin air again. "I...I can't...no!" She said, struggling to hold back the strange thoughts in her head.
"You must keep the promise you made to your subjects and this nation, Princess." The dissolving creature said, making Luna look up with a painfilled face once more. "Be their shield. Be their guardian."
The creature dissolved completely as a gust of wind entered the room.
"Be their savior." Said the voice of the already dissolved figure.
Luna simply looked at where the mysterious creature had stood, forgetting her headache from one moment to the other. She slowly and carefully got back on her hooves, keeping her eyes locked on the location the frightening, black creature had stood in.
"Their rightful leader..." Luna mumbled to herself, looking past the place the creature had disappeared in to see the moon through the big window. The moon now mirrored in her eyes, just as it did with the creature before, and she stepped forward into the moonlight.
"Their guardian..." She mumbled again, eyeing the moon. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath and breathing out a cold puff of smoke.
"Their savior." Luna said in a halfhearted voice, turning away from the hypnotizing sight of the moon. "Their savior, indeed." She said again, quiet this time as she wandered off, back towards her bed.
4 - Fullfill your destiny
A quiet clacking sounded through the halls of Canterlot as Luna walked down one of the many hallways. The clacking of her hooves hitting the marble floor was only accompanied by the quiet whistle of a mild breeze.
Luna stopped as she passed by an open window. She could hear the joyful, excited singing of the birds outside, while also spotting the sunrise in the distance. She saw how the previously dark night sky had begun turning into its light blue counterpart. A scene Luna had witnessed many thousands of times through her life now.
Yet...there was something different about this sunrise. It didn't seem to spread joy and warmth, but anger and cold. Luna felt how a strange feeling of anger brewed within her, only waiting to be unleashed. The anger was accompanied by the usual cold Luna felt these days, a cold that originated from her chest, her heart. She felt the cold growing within her, becoming more powerful and dangerous, yet Luna only shook her head to get rid of the thought of it being something dangerous. She was surely just imagining it.
With a sigh, accompanied by a small, frosty puff of smoke, Luna turned away from the window, continuing down the long, empty hallway.
The usual clacking of Luna's hoofsteps was dampened as she entered the Canterlot Garden's dirt roads. Luna slowed down a bit, strolling down the main pathway of the gardens. She closed her eyes while taking deep breaths, breathing in and out. Her ears twitched to the sound of the birds flapping their wings. Luna navigated herself through the garden perfectly, even without her eyesight. She had walked down the paths of the Canterlot gardens many hundred, if not thousand times, and she had become able to travel through them even without looking, her experience guiding her way.
Luna stopped after travelling for about three minutes. She took a last deep breath before finally reopening her eyes, staring at the very being that had moved her to visit the gardens this day.
Discord. Before her stood the Lord of chaos and spirit of disharmony itself, locked within his cold, lifeless stone prison. He was forever locked in place, defeated by the hooves of Luna herself. He was petrified, lifeless, no sign of life from the statue in front of her. Yet...she could hear a voice from within his the statue. A voice calling for her.
"You..." It whispered quietly, almost inaudible, causing Luna to get closer to the statue. "Failure..." It whispered again, as quiet as before.
Luna shook her head as she realized she was listening to a statue. "I must be imagining things." Luna said to herself, scratching her head with a hoof.
"You..." Said the same voice again, coming from behind Luna, causing Luna to shiver slightly. "...Are a failure!" The strangely familiar voice said loudly.
Luna turned around to where the voice had come from, yet spotted nothing after doing so. She raised an eyebrow as she looked around herself.
"I really thought you would have the brains to stop all this." Said the voice coming from behind Luna once again. Luna turned around once more and finally spotted the owner of the mysterious voice.
She saw Discord sitting on top of his supposed stone prison, watching Luna with a disappointed look. "Discord?" Luna asked in great shock.
"I'm quite disappointed, I must say." Discord replied, ignoring what Luna said. "I always believed you were smarter than this. Turns out you are unable to distinguish between good and evil." He added, a slight smile forming on his face as he mocked Luna.
Luna opened her mouth in order to reply, yet she was silenced as Discord appeared in front of her, putting a finger on her mouth.
"It seems I give Celestia less credit than she deserves." Discord said to himself, walking past Luna. "After all, she defeated me and King Sombra all by herself and managed to trick everypony in Equestria into obeying her." Luna felt the strange anger from before coming up inside her again as Discord went on. "And she did all this while managing to get her 'lovely sister' to turn away with her hooves folded behind her back."
That was what crossed the line for Luna. Her inner rage was let loose as she jumped around to where Discord now stood, swinging her right hoof and hitting Discord in his face, effectively making him fall to the ground. "Don't you dare talk about that wicked mare in my presence! " She shouted at Discord who now laid in front of her.
Discord, however, did not react with fear or anger. He...smiled. Smiled at the sight of Luna's rage. He chuckled quietly as he held his paw to his nose as it began to bleed. "Perhaps you are not a failure after all..." Discord said in a monotone voice, looking up at the furious face of Luna.
Luna grumbled loudly at him. She grabbed him with two hooves, pulling him close to her. "I have never sat idle in my entire life!" Luna shouted in Discord's face. "I have sworn an oath to protect and serve my subjects and I will NOT have anypony threaten them!"
Discord's smile grew larger as Luna shouted in his face. "I suppose you already know what to do then." He said, snapping his claws and disappearing. Luna grumbled, looking around herself for the draconequus.
"Show yourself, Discord! I am not done with you just yet!" She shouted, threatening Discord. Luna then heard something appear behind her once again. Yet, as she turned around for this third time, she did not spot Discord, but somepony else. Somepony who she really did not wish to see.
"Sister..." Said Celestia with a quiet, sad voice, her eyes becoming wet as tears flowed down her cheeks.
Luna's ears twitched at hearing the voice of Celestia. She breathed out a thick, ice cold puff of smoke in reaction to the familiar, yet strangely hated voice. Her head slowly turned towards Celestia, giving Celestia a slight shock.
"Luna your...your eyes. What happened?" Celestia asked, tears still rolling down her face. Luna was oblivious to how her eyes had become slitted, yet she also did not pay any attention to what Celestia was saying.
"You will answer for your crimes, sister !" Luna told her loudly, fully turning towards her sister.
Celestia looked clueless at Luna's statement. "Crimes? Luna, please. I am your sister, snap out of this! I have never done wrong to anyone! You know I haven't!" Celestia begged.
Luna closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before opening them again. "Your denial is hopeless. I am well-aware of the things you have done and the things you are plotting." Luna stated factfully, resulting in only more confusion on the side of Celestia. "And I, Princess Luna, will not allow such evil in my realm!" She told Celestia loudly.
Celestia could only shake her head at Luna in fear and sadness. "Luna...no..." She sniffed, "Please, you have to believe me, you have to!" She begged once more.
"The only thing I believe in..." Luna said, charging her horn. "...is righteousness!" She shouted, firing a powerful beam of energy at Celestia.
Luna covered her face as the beam hit Celestia, causing an explosion that whirled up lots of dust and dirt, creating a big cloud of dust where Celestia had stood. Luna lowered the hoof she had covered her face with and looked at the cloud in front of her, looking for any kind of movement within it, ready to take yet another shot at any time.
Yet, she was met with a completely different thing.
"Well done, Princess." Said the voice Discord, coming from within the statue. Luna did not bother to turn towards the statue this time, but kept her eyes on the dusty cloud. "It seems you are more competent than I had originally thought you to be." Discord said, attempting to mock Luna, with no success. "You are ready. Ready for what is inevitable, unavoidable." Discord said, becoming quieter.
"Fullfill your destiny, Princess." Discord said in a serious voice, his voice becoming a quiet whisper. "Show no mercy."
Luna watched as the dust settled, showing her nothing but the dirt of the pathway. Even though the image of Celestia had been a feint by Discord and it was gone now, Luna's inner rage still burned. The image of Celestia branded into her mind, as did Discord's words.
"My destiny..." Luna mumbled to herself, taking her first step forward, back towards the castle. "No mercy." She mumbled in a hate-filled voice.
Luna had by now become oblivious to the inner cold she had felt up until now. The cold had grown powerful, having feasted on Luna's rage and hatred. The cold had formed a powerful blizzard that now raged within Luna. Luna's heart had grown cold as the blizzard attacked it. It would grow ever more cold, until it would finally be encased in snow and ice. And with Luna's good-willed heart gone, her past self would vanish. Luna would be nothing but a puppet of the cold, fooled and brainwashed.
The air was charged as the two adversaries went silent. They stood in place, having entered a combative stance while watching their counterpart's movement. They both watched every single muscle move, ready to strike at any time.
Then, however, due to her short-temper, Nightmare Moon broke the silence. She yelled at the top of her lungs, her horn beginning to glow as she charged towards her foe.
Celestia stood in place as her rival drew closer and closer. The Princess of the sun may have been heartbroken, but she was experienced nonetheless: An able tactician and expert at reading others. She knew how to use those skills, having practiced them for thousands of years. She read Nightmare Moon like an open book. She simply had to find the right page at the right time.
Celestia bent her knees as Nightmare Moon was only a few meters away. She pushed herself off the ground, unfolding her wings and taking off into the sky. Nightmare Moon barely missed her, charging past where she had stood moments ago, directly into a solid stone wall.
A massive explosion erupted from within the throne room, whirling up dust and and throwing debris around the room. Celestia, still hovering in mid air, coughed as she was engulfed in a large dust cloud. She flapped her wings, trying to push it away, but to no avail.
Celestia covered her mouth with her right hoof as she looked around herself, trying to spot what was going on...or what happened to Nightmare Moon. Her search was useless though as she couldn't see further than one meter in front of her.
Then, however, she heard sounds beneath her. The sound of stones hitting the ground, followed by a loud groan.
The dust began to lift, revealing the sight of Nightmare Moon to Celestia. She was breathing heavily, covered in dust as she had yet to spot her adversary. It was clear to Celestia that this was a moment of weakness for Nightmare Moon. She hovered above her, able to strike at any moment.
Yet...it didn't feel right to her. She couldn't just strike her own sister down. She couldn't just end the life of the only pony that she truly cared about. She would never be able to look into a mirror anymore, as she would not see herself, but only a ruthless murderer.
But was this really her sister? Had she not seen her sister succumb to evil in front of her very eyes? Had she not sworn to eradicate evil once and forever? Clearly, the creature that used to be her sister now was nothing more but pure evil and hate.
Or...was it? Was it really pure evil? Or was there still good within her, beneath the burning hatred? Could her sister be saved from her prison?
Nightmare Moon shook her head as she got back to her senses, brushing off the dust that had settled on her head. She looked around in fury, scanning her surroundings for Celestia who still hovered above her.
Celestia took a deep breath, concentrating for a brief second before charging her horn. Nightmare Moon's ears twitched as they heard the almost electric sound of Celestia's charged horn above her. She looked up, spotting her foe as she dove down towards her, her horn charged with deadly amounts of energy.
Nightmare Moon unfolded her wings, flapping them once and creating a mighty gust of wind that catapulted her forward, out of harm's way.
Celestia hit the ground with so much force that the earth shook. Nightmare Moon covered her face and ducked as debris flew past her. When she looked up again, a big, gaping hole now was where she had stood mere seconds before.
Nightmare Moon used the few seconds she had to take a few more deep breaths, keeping a watchful eye on the crater at all times.
Then, however, Celestia emerged from within the deep crater, firing a mighty beam of energy towards her. Nightmare Moon managed to summon a magical shield in front of her just in time, effectively blocking the attack.
Nightmare Moon then turned the tables around, jumping off the ground and skyrocketing into the air. A dark blue beam headed towards Celestia, which she barely managed to dodge.
Nightmare Moon shouted in rage at her missed attack and fired yet another powerful ray of energy at her foe. Celestia hersef fired a beam at Nightmare Moon, causing their two beams to collide in mid air and explode. The two of them were thrown around the room as if they were nothing but toys. Celestia now laid on the ground, marked with scratches and a bleeding nose while Nightmare Moon was smashed into the throne, causing it to fracture as she hit it.
The two of them coughed and groaned in pain as they laid on the ground. Nightmare Moon rolled her head around to see a big crack in the golden throne next to her. This, undoubtedly, enraged her.
Nightmare rose to her hooves in an instance, empowered by the image of the damaged throne. She walked up to the throne and laid a hoof on the fissure.
"No..." She mumbled to herself. "I cannot break. Not now, not to her."
The sound of Celestia's groaning filled the room as she attempted to get on her hooves as well.
"I must defend what is right, protect those who cannot defend themselves." She pulled back her hoof from the throne. "I must destroy this cursed evil. Once and for all! "
Nightmare Moon turned and saw Celestia struggle on the ground. Celestia looked weak to Nightmare Moon, unable to even get on her hooves again while being covered in painful scars. Nightmare Moon smiled as she smelled the scent of victory.
All was silent as Nightmare Moon stepped closer to Celestia, her hooves clacking as they hit the ground. Celestia could do nothing but wait for her fate it seemed. She saw her foe, her very own sister, step ever closer to her. It was surreal to her, that her own sister would strike her down.
Nightmare Moon's horn began to glow and shimmer as it charged up a powerful spell. One that would end Celestia once and for all.
The two adversaries looked at each other in silence as Nightmare Moon stood only about two meters away from Celestia. Only the sound of Nightmare Moon's glowing horn filled the room.
"You are a disgrace to all ponies in Equestria." Said Nightmare Moon with disgust in her voice. "Not only a disgrace, but a threat to all that is good. I will, at long last, bring justice to Equestria by destroying the great evil that has plagued us for so long!"
Celestia's eyes narrowed at her foe's speech. "Justice is determined by the hooves that claim it, sister." Celestia replied, causing Nightmare Moon to grumble. "The things you call evil might be justified and good-willed to others, villains may be heroes to others."
Celestia coughed, taking a deep breath. "Things in life are not as black and white as they seem to us, sister. They never are." Celestia paused, closing her eyes for a moment before looking Nightmare Moon in the eyes. "A leader can only call themselves righteous and great if they take all perspectives into consideration, not just their own."
Celestia saw Nightmare Moon flinch backwards. A single tear rolled down her cheek as Celestia's words managed to reach her heart. For that one second, Celestia saw that her sister was, indeed, still alive. She was not lost, not destroyed by evil. At least...not yet.
Nightmare Moon shook her head with a loud grumble, baring her sharp teeth at Celestia.
"I will not give in to your lies! You may have been able to deceive others, perhaps all of Equestria..."
Nightmare Moon paused, her horn glowing brighter than ever before as she stepped closer to Celestia.
"...But I will NEVER be your puppet!" She shouted at Celestia.
In the very second that Nightmare Moon attempted to shoot the deadly beam at her foe, a rock hit her face. She staggered for a brief moment, quickly looking back at her foe who now stood on her hooves once more.
"Hatred alone will gain you nothing but defeat. It makes you blind, foreseeable." Celestia said with a calm voice, talking as if their fight was nothing but practice for her.
Nightmare Moon was enraged by her adversary's mocking tone. "The only one who will face defeat today...is you! "
A sudden, deep blue beam was shot towards Celestia, who barely managed to dodge it by lifting off into the air. Nightmare Moon followed suit, also lifting off and hovering in the air.
Nightmare Moon charged her horn yet again, this time deciding to flap her wings as fast as she could, charging towards Celestia for a second time.
Once again, her charge missed. Nightmare Moon turned around to see that Celestia had left the throne room, flying out of a big hole in the ceiling.
"Come back here! You cannot escape your fate!" Nightmare Moon yelled after Celestia as she flew through the hole in the ceiling as well.
She looked around for a brief moment, quickly spotting Celestia in the near distance. Nightmare Moon flapped her wings as fast as she could, slowly reducing the distance between her and Celestia.
Celestia looked back, spotting Nightmare Moon behind her, inching closer and closer. She knew she wouldn't be able to outfly her in the long run, she had to do...something.
Celestia gasped as a deep blue beam shot past her. She took evasive action as yet another one was fired, missing her. Nightmare Moon came closer and closer as Celestia had to fly crooked lines in order to not get hit.
Celestia used all her energy as her target, an old, ancient temple, came into sight. She breathed heavily, leaving out breaths as she accelerated, beginning to outfly Nightmare Moon behind her. Celestia could hear Nightmare Moon behind her, still close behind her, keeping up with her.
A sudden cry of agony filled the air as Celestia was engulfed in a fiery explosion. Her loud, initial cries of pain died off in a matter of seconds, and Celestia was rendered unconscious. Nightmare Moon stopped, her horn casting a light smoke trail due to the intense amounts of energy Nightmare Moon used. She smiled with joy as the unconscious, seemingly already lifeless body of the Princess of the sun fell out of the sky.
Nightmare Moon's smile intensified as Celestia disappeared beneath her, falling into a dense forest: The Everfree forest.
As if saved by a guardian angel, Celestia managed to survive the deep fall, landing in a lake inside the forest. The sudden, cold water was like a waking call for Celestia, and she came back to her senses. Her body was weak, yet she managed to swim back up to the surface. She gasped, taking a deep breath as she reached the surface. She hectically looked around, looking for Nightmare Moon as she scanned the treeline.
Nothing. Celestia's heart slowed down a bit as she realized she was undetected. At least for now. She paddled her hooves, swimming towards the shore of the lake. Celestia coughed as she left the water. Water dripped down onto the dirt as Celestia shook around, trying to dry her wet coat at least a tiny bit.
Finally, Celestia spotted an object, no, a building in the near distance, not too far away. She leaned forward slightly, her vision still blurry. When her eyesight sharpened, she almost immediately recognized what the 'building' in the distance was.
With new found strength, Celestia ran off into the jungle-like forest, heading towards the building in the distance. Celestia felt a stinging pain all around her body, as if her entire body told her to simply stop, to sit down and rest, to simply give up. Celestia's will, however, was unbroken. When others stopped, when heroes failed and fled in fear, she would, at all times, stand tall. She would always, no matter what, protect those who she had solemnly sworn to defend until her last breath.
Celestia was aware that she may take her last breath if she did decide to face Nightmare Moon a second time. She knew that she was in no condition to take yet another hit. She knew that her words would show no effect on her. It seemed like all odds were against her, like surrendering and giving in was the only option.
But Celestia was not defeated, not just yet. She had one, one last final trick up her sleeves. She had promised to herself, and hoped, to never use it, to only use it whenever the future of Equestria was at immediate danger. And, unfortunately, this moment was now. Celestia would have to use this secret weapon against evil. An evil that was her sister.
A few tears flowed down Celestia's cheeks as she hastily made her way through the dense forest. Celestia attempted to focus, to push out the thoughts of sadness that were hidden deep in her mind, but she increasingly lost control over them. More and more her thoughts were flooded by images and voices. She saw Luna's face, her hurt and sad face as she was sitting in a dark room. All alone. Celestia knew it would come to all this. She knew she would cause her sister great pain, that she would lose her beloved sister forever.
Yet, the worst part, Celestia thought, was that she had no choice. It needed to happen. May it be for protecting Equestria, herself or out of heroism, it was no matter to Celestia. She had to do it, and there was nothing else, no alternative, that could be done.
Celestia sighed as she left the dense forest, now standing in front of the previously distant building. The Castle of the two sisters. Yet another tear rolled down Celestia's face as she remembered the good time Luna and her had back when they built the castle. "You can't do it alone" Said all the other ponies around them. "Nopony could do such a thing alone."
Luna and Celestia proved them all wrong, and together they built a castle that would act as a home to the two of them, one that they would visit whenever their duties as rulers did not require them to be in Canterlot.
Celestia's head sunk as she let out another sigh, this time a quiet, sad one. Celestia sorted her thoughts for one last time, taking a deep breath, lifting her head and making her way towards the castle.
The drawbridge of the castle was open, as it usually was. Celestia walked over it, her hooves creating dampened clacking as they hit the wood. When Celestia was halfway across the bridge, she noticed that she was certainly not the only one in the castle. The first thing she noticed was that all the torches and candles were lit. Although this would seem like a minor detail to many, it was the first thing Celestia noticed, considering that Luna and her always, no matter what, blew the candles and torches out. When they were small they would always do a leg-up, helping each other as they did the same thing for all the torches on the walls.
Then they grew older, getting bigger. They didn't need each other's help anymore. To Celestia now, when looking back...she realized that the bond between her and her sister became a loose one. She'd tell herself that she loved Luna over anything and anyone in Equestria, that she would do anything for her, to protect her.
Yet...she felt like she never ever truly honored those words. To her, now, it seems like those were words she said to simply reassure herself, rather than actually caring for her sister and protecting her.
And now...that got back to bite her. She left her sister unprotected, did not care enough about her well-being. And now...her sister was nothing but an empty shell. A puppet of evil. And it was all Celestia's fault. She let this happen.
And now, she had to end it.
Celestia walked up the spiral stairs, noticing the blue banners as she looked at the walls. They all showed a depiction of Nightmare Moon, instead of Luna and Celestia. Celestia, before any doubts or thoughts happened to fall upon her, looked straight ahead once more.
She saw the door to the throne room in front of her, at the end of a short hallway. Celestia, with heavy heart, walked forward, the clacking of her hooves echoing through the castle, filling the air. Celestia gulped as she noticed that the door to the throne room stood half open. There was no doubt now. She would face Nightmare Moon, one last time. This time there was no going back. Only one of them would leave the room she was about to enter.
Celestia then arrived at the door. She carefully and quietly put her right hoof on the door, moving it and making it screech quietly. She immediately spotted Nightmare Moon, who sat on a big, deep blue throne at the opposite end of the room. Celestia noticed that the second throne, hers, was missing. She figured that Nightmare Moon must have gotten rid of it already.
Celestia then proudly walked into the room, stopping halfway, staring her foe into her cold, slitted eyes.
"Alive...?" Nightmare Moon said to herself. "Heh, I commend you for your effort. I thought you dead already."
Celestia remained silent, continuing to stare down Nightmare Moon who, quite obviously, was not impressed or serious about her. Celestia knew, with absolute certainty, that Nightmare Moon thought herself victorious already. Celestia knew that this, if anything, would be her downfall.
"No matter." Nightmare Moon said with a shrug. She slowly rose from her throne, giving out a short, evil giggle as she did so. "I suppose I should be grateful. I will take your life in person, while looking you into the eyes, seeing how the last bit of life escapes your body." Nightmare Moon liked her lips as she played with the thought in her head.
"I suppose we should not waste any time." Nightmare Moon said, her horn beginning to glow in her deep blue color. "I have to tell my subjects that their oppressor is finally gone."
Celestia took a deep breath before slowly opening her mouth. "Many thousand years ago..." Celestia began, closing her eyes briefly as a tear escaped her right eye. "I swore to never let anyone or anything harm you, Luna."
Nightmare Moon was about to lash out at Celestia for calling her Luna, yet she kept quiet as Celestia continued.
"I swore to protect you, that I loved you more than anything else in Equestria..." She paused, sobbing quietly. "...I'm sorry, Luna. I'm sorry to have failed you. I'm sorry to have lied to you. I'm sorry to have disappointed you. I'm sorry to not have given you the attention you deserved, to not have given you the love you deserved."
Celestia closed her eyes, her horn lighting up dimmly. "I am sorry. I am sorry for all the wrong I have done you, sister."
The ground in front of Celestia suddenly began to move, slowly revealing a hole in the floor. "But...above all of that..." Celestia said, looking back at Nightmare Moon, whose eyes, just for a second, looked like Luna's. "...Above all of that, I am sorry for what I will do to you. For what my duty demands of me and what my own mistakes have caused."
Nightmare Moon gasped as six crystals were lifted out of the hole in the floor, covered in Celestia's yellow magical aura.
"The elements..." Nightmare Moon said in shock. "The elements! You hid them here all along? " Nightmare Moon shouted, stomping a hoof on the ground with great force.
Celestia pulled the six crystals towards her, sobbing as she saw the image of her face on the surface of the crystals.
"I promised to only use them in situations of immediate danger. Situations in which the future of Equestria is in danger."
Celestia paused, closing her eyes as the six elements began glowing in their respective colors.
"...I'm sorry, sister."
"No..." Nightmare Moon said. "No! No! " She yelled, charging forward towards Celestia.
Celestia, her eyes still closed, began to tear up as she finalized the spell.
"Forgive me..." She said with a quiet mumble, inaudible over the enraged yelling of Nightmare Moon.
A sudden explosion erupted from within the castle. The castle fractured and broke in many places, tearing down much of what Celestia and Luna had so tediously built up.
Celestia felt an immense force originating from right in front of her. She felt as if she had lost control of the elements, as if something went wrong. Her hooves began to slide across the stone floor as the force of the explosion pushed her away. Celestia tried her best to hold against it, but eventually failed and was thrown around like a little toy, smashing against a stone wall with her back.
Celestia moaned as her eyes opened. Her vision was blurry, her head aching and her heart felt...broken. Celestia rubbed her eyes as she still laid on the ground, next to the wall she had been thrown into. She looked around, spotting the six elements of harmony laying on the ground where she had previously stood.
But...her sister was missing. Where Nightmare Moon last stood now was...nothing. Celestia looked around the room, scanning her surroundings for any sign of lifeform. But...she had no success.
Then, however, she heard something that attracted her attention. Her head turned to where the noise was coming from, a window at the end of the room, whose curtains were flapping in the breeze.
Celestia, as if magically attracted by the window, stood up in a haste and made her way over to the window, walking past the elements of harmony as they laid on the ground, still glowing.
And then Celestia saw what had pulled her towards the window, what there was for her to see. From the window, she had a perfect view at the moon, the window hanging just above the tree line of the surrounding forest. Tears rolled down Celestia's cheeks as she stared at the sight of the moon. A moon that now carried the image of a wicked mare. The Mare in the Moon, as it would later be called.
To Celestia, however, it was no wicked mare, nor evil. What she saw...was a sister, her sister. The sister she loved, the sister that she promised to protect and defend until her bitter end.
...was now trapped inside the moon, paying for Celestia's mistakes.
Celestia broke out in tears, crying like she had never done before. She rested her head on the railing of the window, occasionally looking back up, seeing the image of her sister and beginning to tear up once more.
"Sister..." She moaned between her sobs. "Come back, sister..."
"...I'm sorry."
Author's Note
It took me far too long to complete, but I finally managed to get the finale done.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
5 - Queen of the Eternal Night
A loud echo of hoofsteps could be heard as Luna approached the door of the throne room. Her eyes were as determined as they were cold. She had no other things in mind at this point. There was only one objective for her. An objective that demanded her to be both relentless and merciless.
To destroy those who threatened her and her people. To eradicate evil once and for all. No more shall her subjects live in fear, no more shall she hide in the shadow of an evil overlord!
That this evil overlord was her beloved sister...was long forgotten. Luna buried the thoughts and memories she had shared with Celestia for thousands of years in a deep, thick fog of blind, burning hatred.
Luna stopped as she arrived at her destination. Before her was the throne room, locked behind two great doors. Luna looked up at the doors, eyeing the images that were engraved in them. On the right side, there was an image showing the night. It showed the moon and its beautiful star-filled night sky. Below the night sky were the many ponies of Equestria, yet...they were not enjoying the night, were not celebrating it. They were asleep, sleeping through the beautiful night that Luna had brought them for many thousands of years now.
Luna became enraged. Not only because of this, but also because of what she saw on the other, the left side. She saw the image of the sun shining down onto the grassy, fertile land while all the ponies stood outside, playing around in the sunlight and enjoying themselves.
Luna's eyes burned with hatred, her spirit set aflame at the sight of this image. Luna's horn lit up in a darker blue than usual, causing the doors in front of her to screech as they began to open in front of her. Luna walked forth into the throne room. Even now she managed to keep a steady, calm pace, as she always had been.
As Luna passed the doors, the left door was suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, set aflame, burning the image that Luna despised so much, the image that she aimed to eradicate from this world. Luna was unaffected, paying the sudden flames behind her no attention. She had already laid eyes on what she needed, what she wanted.
The throne. Across the room a golden, glimmering throne stood. Luna could feel it, could hear it calling for her. It was calling for her to finally take her rightful place upon it.
Luna sped up without notice, the sight of the throne seemingly pulling her towards it. She also didn't notice how the stained glass of the windows began to fracture as she went on. The countless images of Luna's and Celestia's victories, their deeds and their sacrifices...all were falling apart beneath her dark presence.
And then, at last, Luna stopped. She finally stood before the throne, her throne. A throne which she so rightfully, so desperately deserved, for all her work, all her sacrifices and all her love was...for nothing.
No, it was not only for nothing, but it was ignored! It was unwished for! The ponies of Equestria would push Luna away as she tried to help, in order to cower in the shadow of the sun that was her sister.
"No more..." Said Luna in a quiet whisper. "No more! " She yelled, her voice echoing through the room and the nearest halls of the castle.
Her voice was not unheard.
Luna stepped forward, looking at the golden throne. She saw it glimmering in front of her in all its glory.
But then she saw something. Something that...scared Luna as she saw it. As she looked at the throne she saw an image appear on its golden surface. One that stopped Luna in her tracks from one moment to the other.
Her reflection. What Luna saw was nothing but the reflection of herself. Luna was faced with the truth, with what she had become. She raised a shocked, shivering hoof towards her face, carefully touching it while looking at the image on the throne, which copied her exact moves.
There was no denying it. The monster that showed itself on the golden surface of the throne...was her.
"No..." Luna mumbled to herself as she slowly walked backwards, away from the throne. "This can't be right..." She said, louder this time. "It can't be!"
Luna's ears twitched as they heard the sound of steps in the distance. Luna turned around to the entrance of the throne room, eyeing the doors in shock as the steps became louder and louder. She knew who was about to turn around the corner and she knew that there was nothing she could do to avoid a confrontation.
Luna sighed, closing her eyes as she fully concentrated on the echo of the steps. For one last time, Luna reflected on what was going to happen. She realized that she could not resist the dark influence within her. It had taken control of her once and it would do so again. Luna knew, although it troubled her to admit it, that she was nothing but a puppet of this devilish corruption.
Luna's breaths became quiet as the sound of the steps stopped. Luna didn't dare to open her eyes, knowing just who she would see if she did.
Celestia's mouth hung open in shock as she looked around the room, seeing the destroyed windows as well as the burnt down door next to her. She looked at her sister in denial, not wanting to believe that the one who did all this...was her beloved sister.
Celestia shook her head in denial as she took a step forward. "Luna, I-"
"No." Luna interrupted, still having her eyes closed. "Please, sister." Luna said quietly, her voice weakening as she felt the darkness inside of her growing once more.
Celestia could do nothing but watch as Luna began groaning in pain. "Luna, I beg you! Let me help you!" Celestia cried out loud.
"Leave!" Luna told her as she felt her heart succumb to the cold within her. She grew weaker and weaker with every passing second, collapsing to the ground as she was robbed off her strength.
Celestia could no longer watch her sister succumb to such pain. She had to help, she had to do something. She rushed off to her aid, running as quickly as she could. She did not get far however, as she was immobilized almost immediately.
Luna looked up at her sister as she laid on the ground, still in great pain. Celestia watched in shock as her sister's horn glowed, her magic making her completely unable to move.
"Luna, I just want to-"
"No!" Luna interrupted her with a surprisingly strong voice. "I don't need your help!" She yelled at Celestia. "I don't need anyone!" She yelled again, even louder this time. Celestia watched in shock as her sister eyed her with a look of hate.
"Leave me alone! " Luna shouted as loud as she could, throwing her through the room with her magic.
Celestia groaned as she hit the solid wall behind her. She looked up in pain to see how Luna smiled at her. How she smiled at her pain.
"Luna...no..." Celestia mumbled, her voice inaudible for Luna.
Luna laughed manically as Celestia watched her in tears. "For too long have I trusted you!" Luna said loudly as she got back up to her hooves. "For too long have I believed you and your lies!" Luna turned away from Celestia, turning back towards the golden throne that stood merely a few meters away from her.
"But those times are no more. I have seen the truth now." She took a first step forward, towards the throne. "You have fooled me for too long. You have deceived us all for too long!"
Luna stopped as she stood before the throne once more. However, this time there was no reflection, no monster showing itself on the throne's surface. The sunlight had left the room as the moon began pushing itself in front of the sun. This time it was just Luna and the throne.
"No longer will I let evil flourish beneath my very nose! No longer shall evil corrupt these lands!" Luna said loudly to herself. "And now..." She said as she lowered herself onto the throne. "It is time for Equestria to embrace their true leader!"
"Luna..." Celestia said, standing on the opposite end of the throne room. Luna froze as she heard Celestia's voice. "I do not know what has happened to you, or why it happened..." Celestia stomped a hoof on the ground. "But I know this is not you! My sister could never do or say such things, she would never even think of such evil deeds!"
Luna turned her head, smiling as she did so. "The old Luna was weak. A blind fool she was."
Celestia countered Luna's smile with a determined frown. "The only foolish thing she has done is to trust the lies you have fed her!"
Luna turned around to fully face Celestia, her face filled with hatred. "Your words mean nothing for they are as evil and foul as you are!" Luna lashed out at Celestia.
Luna suddenly bursted out into manical laughter. Celestia watched in horror as Luna, her beloved sister, began to change and shift in front of her very eyes. Her fur began to change color, changing from its typical light blue into an almost pitch-black color. Next were her teeth which changed into sharp, almost predator-like fangs. Together with her teeth, her wings grew larger. All this was accompanied by an uncontrolled, evil laughter of what now shared almost no similarities to Princess Luna.
Celestia closed her eyes as the changes had completed. Celestia's sister had now officially given in to evil, her very body had now been shaped by the darkness inside her. Celestia took a deep breath, coming to terms with the things she would have to do in order to stop all this.
Celestia opened her eyes again, revealing the sight of what could no longer be called her sister.
"I should have done this a long time ago. I should have eradicated the evil of this world centuries ago!" Luna yelled at Celestia.
Celestia took another deep breath, trying to keep calm in the face of something this horrible. "I'm sorry, Luna." Celestia said quietly, barely audible for Luna. "This is all my fault. I should have watched out for you in times like these, I should have cared more and known better but..."
Celestia sighed deeply. "I failed..."
Luna kept quiet for a moment as tears flowed down Celestia's cheeks. For those few seconds of silence, the room, and seemingly the world, was at peace again. Those few seconds passed quickly though. Too quickly for Celestia's taste.
"I am not your sister, no more. I have nothing, Nothing in common with you !" Luna said loudly once more. "No...I am not Luna. I am no longer the Princess of the Night." She said with a strong voice, unfolding her black wings. "I am Nightmare Moon! Ruler of Equestria and Queen of the Eternal Night!"
Celestia's heart ached as she heard this. She felt a big chunk of her heart break as her very sister was...gone. The very being she loved most, her beloved sister with which she had endured for thousands of years...gone. Replaced by nothing but a dark, corrupted demon.
No...this cannot be. This will not be! She will not sit idle any longer! She would do whatever was necessary to save her sister from this demonic curse!
"Sister, if you can hear me, and I hope you can: I am sorry to have not helped or cared about you in times like these. I should have cared for you and helped you. I did not do any such thing and...for that, I am sorry. Deeply sorry."
"Your sorrow will not aid you any longer, Princess!" Nightmare Moon said.
"But, sister, I will not let this continue! I will not allow evil to continue its work! I will not allow you to be taken away from me!" Celestia yelled as loud as she could. "And may the gods guide me..." She said, breathing loudly. "I will not rest until good is triumphant. Good will be victorious, for I won't accept a diferent outcome!"
Celestia's words were met with silence. Nightmare Moon, at first, was seemingly stunned by such strong words coming from Celestia. However, she very quickly formed another wicked smile, one that tried to burrow into Celestia's heart.
"Then so it shall be."
