Eclipsed

Never was there a celebration in Equestria better than the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot. The largest city in the nation, filled with the richest nobles, the smartest innovators, and the loudest party ponies. Now, while the city hosted this event every year like each city in Equestria, the Princess(es) decided one city where they would attend, and that city was where the largest party was held.

So, when a celebration in Canterlot was held, nopony wanted to miss it. And it had appeared that nopony had. The city was crammed with ponies this year. So many strangers interacting with one another, playing games, and just enjoying themselves throughout the night. Vendors from all across the land and lands beyond had set up shops filled with exotic and eye catching artifacts for ponies to buy, and every bakery and restaurant put out all the stops to supply the enormous surplus of customers.

Though this night was amazing for all, the dark had to fade away slowly. As the continued, most had started to tire out from the festivities, though managed to stay awake. It was custom to stay awake all night after all. Though, there was something unexpected this year. Dozens of messengers had sped through town, informing nearly everypony that the Princess had directed that every pony was to gather at the palace an hour before the sunrise. It was normal to meet before the sunrise, but so early? The populace started to grow excited. Princess Celestia must have had something special planned for them.

A group of six ponies had started to make their way through the crowd to get there early. After all, nopony wanted to be swept up in the river of ponies trying to get there at the last minute. The Pegasi flew above their friends, so as to not collide with anypony else in the crowd. They were excited to see the surprise as much as the rest of the city, particularly one pink Earth Pony.

“-or even a super giant bouncerific trampoline! It could be anything!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she bounced through the streets, oblivious to the odd looks the occasional onlooker gave.

Twilight rolled her eyes at her friend's crazy ideas. She had been ranting ever since they had heard the news. “Yes Pinkie, we know! But we won't know what it really is until Princess Celestia shows us.” That was obvious, but it seemed like she needed to remind ponies of the obvious once in a while.

“Yeah. Besides, it wouldn't be something simple.” Rainbow Dash chirped from above. “It's more likely that she's revealing a new city defense system, or a new branch for the military. Something to blow the horseshoes off of everypony.” She clopped her two fore hooves together for effect.

Rarity scoffed at Rainbow's suggestion. “Please, it would be something much more helpful than that. We haven't had need for a military since the Changeling Invasion. And before then, practically never.”

“Rarity's right. It'd probably be something to improve the way the crops grow. Something to increase food supply and what not.” Applejack suggested, not really sure of what to think of the Princess' surprise herself.

“Well, whatever it turns out to be, it's obviously big enough for the whole town to know about it now.” Twilight said, ending the discussion. “How about we just keep the brainstorming down for a bit? Spike's trying to sleep, and I'm starting to get a headache from partying so much.” She took a quick look to her back to see a sleeping purple and green dragon resting on her. Twilight couldn't help but smile at how cute it was when Spike was tired out. Even though he had grown another half foot in the past year, he was still able to sit on her back like he always had.

The six agreed as they started to approach the castle gates, surprised at how quickly the crowd seemed to disperse. The castle had been open for the citizens, but most had decided to stay in town, so the sudden silence was welcomed amongst the group.

“Come on, Luna! We're going to be late at the rate you're taking!” Celestia called out to her sister, looking back down the hallway. She did all she could to act calm, but failed miserably.

Luna had started to be a bit creeped out by her sister's sudden mood. Just yesterday morning, she had seemed to be calm, collected, even a bit concerned. So what could happen in less than 24 hours? “Tia, you're still not telling me what this is about. How do you expect me to be so enthusiastic about this?” Inside, she was finding this whole situation rather humorous. She should be the one who was having a hard time containing excitement. Yet, here was her sister, looking like she was 5 years old again. The astral maned princess thought that it was best to just let Celestia be for now.

The two finally reached the outside of the castle, into the front courtyard. Down a flight of stairs, there was a large platform where Celestia rose the sun for the Summer Sun Celebration every year. They stood by the balcony, the wind causing both of their manes to flow gently. Luna looked upon the courtyard for a moment, then turned to her sister. “What is it you wanted to show me?”

Celestia looked at Luna, then turned to the sky. Luna followed her gaze to see her sky. The stars shone brightly, small specs in the darkness of the night.  The moon was beyond it's peak, and slowly descending the sky. They took a moment to stare together.  But Luna had made this sky, and seen it all before. What does she want me to see?

“I know I never take the time to appreciate your work, Lulu,” Celestia said, drawing Luna's attention. She continued staring upwards. “But I want you to know that I've always felt more secure knowing you were watching over as the defender of darkness. I was never any good at watching over the night as well as the day. It truly is something only you can do.” She lowered her head and closed her eyes, a smile on her face.

Luna took a moment to listen to her sister's words. It's a shame you only say this now, Tia. I may not have thought of this brilliant plan. “I forgave you, you know that Tia.” She shook her head, “So why bother saying these things again?”

Celestia opened her eyes and smiled to her sister. “Do you still remember how to use our Twin Meteor Shower spell?”

Countless ponies had gathered in the castle courtyard. They were spread as far as the Canterlot Gardens to the cliff face that the city clung to. They were all chatting amongst themselves, and the noise was rather loud. Most Pegasus ponies were floating above the crowd, to give some space for the others. Up near the very front of the crowd, Twilight was starting to get a headache.

Squinting her eyes, the Unicorn pushed one hoof against her temple. “Why do these ponies have to be so loud?!” She shouted so her friends could hear her over the monotonous noise of the crowd.

“It's cause everypony is talking over everypony. So it just makes sense that it gets loud!” Applejack stated, inaudibly giggling to herself.

Fluttershy had given up trying to say anything in this noise. She just stayed close to Rarity on the ground, and kept quiet. Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, had been running around after ponies she knew from Ponyville, and introducing herself to every new pony she saw around them. Her friends had hoped she would tire herself out sooner or later, but she had been at it for over 30 minutes now, so they gave up hope.

The moon was inching closer to the horizon, signaling the end of the night. Some had started to wonder why the Princess asked them to meet early, but still have them wait for nearly half an hour. It was at this time, that a loud voice oppressed all others. “Greetings, our wonderful subjects.” All voices silenced, and turned towards the castle to see Princess Celestia, followed by Princess Luna. They stood tall at the balcony, smiling as they looked over the ponies.

Celestia took a step forward, eyes turning to her. “As you know, I have asked that you all arrive here early.” She spoke in a loud, echoing voice that reached the ears of all ponies in the area. Ponies were surprised, they had never heard their Princess speak like this before. “This year, I wished to add to the regular celebrations. Before the morning arrives, we both ask that you take the time to admire the stars and the peace of the night. Myself and Princess Luna would like you turn your attention to the sky.”

Everypony obediently turned upwards, all waiting for what Princess Celestia had in store for them. The sisters nodded to each other, and began to surge magic from their horns.

In an instant, the sky became twice as bright, as a flurry of shooting stars zoomed over the darkness. The populace all gasped at the sudden explosion of color. Stars of red, green, purple, and all other sorts shot across, disappearing into the distance, or exploding into a burst of light, before fading away.

Twilight found herself fixated on the Princesses more than the sky. She was amazed at the power of two Alicorns working together. An aura was emitting from them, a blend of Celestia's gold and Luna's purple. They were truly synched. She couldn't even imagine what that felt like. Twilight hadn't even seen this since her brother's wedding.

The sisters opened their eyes to glance upon the beauty they had created together. It reminded Luna of the beauty of a kingdom the two had made all of those years ago. When they worked together, the Princesses really had no limit to their strength. A smile crept across her face as she reminisced about the past. Her head lowered though, once she pulled herself out of nostalgia. Her concentration broken, Luna let her magic dissipate, ceasing the light show.

The crowd had all believed that it was over, and began to cheer. Celestia, however, turned with a worried look to her sister. Luna sighed after noticing Celestia was watching her. “I will be back, sister.” She rolled her eyes and turned to leave. She was beyond irritated at herself. Luna had started to feel doubt and regret, something she couldn't afford to feel at this point.

As Luna retreated to the innards of the castle, Celestia frowned. She could tell that Luna was happy for a moment, but something was still wrong. Still, that first step was the start to healing her sister's confusing position.

Celestia turned her attention back to the crowd, speaking loud enough to be heard by all, but with a gentle voice. “We would like you all to take this time to admire the stars before the sunrise.”

She took a moment to gaze at the moon, now touching the horizon. That was her cue to get ready. 'Well, in a minute.' She thought. 'It wouldn't hurt to stare a few minutes more, before it vanished.' The crowd all did the same, staring at the stars, as if it was their first time witnessing the true beauty that lay within them.

Now was the moment that everypony had been waiting all night for. The big moment, where Celestia raised the Sun. Sure, she did it every day, but this started the beginning of a new year, and the longest day to top it off. The moon had vanished over the horizon, the stars had dimmed away, and the sky faded slowly into a light purple, waiting for the light of day.

Celestia approached the ceremonial platform, making sure her back was to the Sun Pedestal. The white marble she walked on echoed quietly with each step. When she raised the Sun, it would line up perfectly with the semi circle at the top of the orange Pedestal, shining against her back. It was all theatrics, of course, but she loved getting the ponies excited.

Luna was in the back of her mind, though. Still upset by her sudden departure, Celestia wanted to follow her. But, she needed to stay and perform her yearly ritual. The crowd was silent as Celestia dramatically unfurled her wings. The whole sky seemed to light up as Celestia started to pour magic from her horn.

She clenched her teeth from the strain as she flapped her large white wings, taking to the sky. Celestia rose about 30 feet, a light creeping over the horizon with her. With one final mental push, the Princess stretched her legs above her, feeling the warmth of her Sun on her back. The sun had risen.

The crowd awed at the sight of seeing their Princess perform this feat. Nopony could conceive how difficult it actually was. All they could do was watch in awe as the morning came, as it did every day. The Sun's rays reflected across Celestia's back, and it's light splashed all over the land in an instant, turning the sky a light blue. Ponies had to cover their eyes to not be blinded by the sudden brightness, yet still cheered.

Couples kissed, friends embraced, and even acquaintances were shaking hooves with one another. Glad to be celebrating the new year with their fellow Pony. Celestia landed gracefully, looking over the crowd. A wide smile formed on her face, seeing ponies so genuinely happy. After the terrifying incidents that occurred during the past few years, everypony seemed to be closer with one another, which is what the Kingdom needed.

Twilight was a bit overwhelmed by the noise. Sure, she had been to a Canterlot Celebration before, but she had forgotten what it was really like. The Unicorn couldn't really bring herself to cheer, so she just decided to look around, noticing now that her friends had somehow been separated. Spike, who had woken just before the Sunrise, was still on Twilight's back. He was also looking to see where the rest of the group was.

Just then, Twilight's eye was caught by the sight of a pony donning a dark blue hood. The sight was so strange that she wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not. Sounds of screams and terror snapped her back to reality. Twilight turned her head to see a large cloud of smoke burst from the crowd. Several others erupted from random spots in the crowd, causing more screams in panic.

Before Twilight could comprehend what was going on, a squad of Pegasus Royal Guard soared over her head, flying to the source of the smoke clouds. The Unicorn was about to head in their direction when her vision was clouded by a wall of smoke. After a few coughs from shock, she managed to block the smoke from her face with a small magic barrier. Twilight opened her eyes to see the blue-hooded pony charging straight for her.

With little effort, she surged a beam of magic from her horn to blast the pony onto his back, knocking him out. What was going on? Who are these ponies, and why was one trying to attack me? Her mind was buzzing with questions, when she remembered.

“Spike!” Twilight cried aloud. The Unicorn unleashed another barrier spell over Spike who was coughing as well. “Are you alright?” She asked the dragon, a bit guilty she hadn't thought of him first.

After a few coughs to clear the smoke, he tapped her back a few times. “Yeah yeah, I'm fine! I'm a dragon, remember? What about the others?!” He had to yell over the panic, even though most ponies had cleared from the immediate area.

Before Twilight could answer, a bright blue Pegasus charged into the smoke. “Twilight! You in here?!” She beat her wings together vigorously to clear the smoke away. When her vision was better, Rainbow Dash saw her friend and landed beside her.

“Rainbow Dash!” The Unicorn exclaimed. “You were in the air, what happened?”

Rainbow bit her lip, unsure of how to answer. “Well, look around!” She waved her hoof, just as the smoke thinned out. Twilight could finally see dozens, no. Hundreds of hooded ponies of all variety, engaged with the Royal Guard. Many civilians were still trying to evacuate, but the numbers of ponies fighting was enough to make the courtyard that much more cramped.

Without missing a beat, Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash. “Come on! We have to find the others!” Her friends agreed, and the three charged into the fray.

Celestia stood for a moment in shock. Smoke had erupted over most of the crowd in an instant. Fear grew in her chest. Not fear of attack, but fear of what was attacking. Suddenly, 3 hooded ponies charged through the nearest smoke cloud directly towards her. They were Unicorns, and had simultaneously unleashed a lightning spell towards the Princess. She narrowed her eyes, ushering magic from her horn. The spells were blasted away, and the casters soon after, tossed aside like nothing.

The Princess took a quick breath to calm down. They knew it was pointless to attack her, so why did they try? And these were regular Unicorns, not Changelings, not spawns of Chaos. Who were these attackers?

Celestia shook her head. She needed to save these questions for later. Her subjects were under attack, and she needed to act. With a quick stretch of her wings, the Alicorn prepared to charge into the fray that her guards had already intercepted. But before she took off. A voice called out to her.

“Celestia!”

Her eyes grew wide, surprised by the tone more than her being singled out. The Princes turned to the source to see “...L-Luna?”

“Shining Armor!” Twilight blasted a hooded figure out of the air. She took a quick glance to be sure the pony was unconscious before charging to her brother. The younger Unicorn threw her legs over her older brother's neck, glad to see he was alright.

“Twily! I'm glad you're safe.” The purple-clad Shining Armor returned Twilight's hug briefly, before pulling away. “There's hundreds of ponies just revolting from the crowd.” He quickly arced his head around to scan the area. Nearly everywhere, the opposing sides were clashing with swords and spears. The Captain turned back to his sister worriedly. “Are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna alright?”

It dawned on Twilight just then. She hadn't even thought about Princess Celestia. She had been close to the Sun Pedestal before the attack, but never bothered to even look to see if anything happened to her. “I don't know Shiny. I was looking for my friends. We got separated.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Then you keep looking for them. I'll make my way to the Princess, and I want you and your friends to meet me there.” Twilight nodded, and the two shared another quick embrace. “Stay safe, okay Twily?”

“Don't worry, I will.” After letting go, the two hesitated before running off in separate directions.

“Luna, what is it? We need to defend our people!” Celestia didn't have time for Luna right now. Her soldiers, as well as the civilians, were in danger. And she wasn't just going to sit and watch.

Luna looked away, nodding slowly, before turning a sharp look to her sister. “Our people, sister? Or are they yours? I know that I must defend MY people, and that is why I am here.”

Celestia squinted in confusion, not sure of what her sister was speaking of. But as the realization dawned upon her, Celestia's face slowly transitioned to a blank, emotionless look. Her eyes narrowed slightly from the thought of her sister causing this pain to the people. “Luna.” Her tone matched her expression: bland, non-negotiable. “You have one chance to stop this right now.”

Her sister smirked, then giggled a bit. “Oh Tia. You were always good at commanding others. But today is the day where you no longer give the orders.”

Luna's last sentence stung like knife of ice, but Celestia kept herself reserved, raising her head high. “Luna, don't make me do this again. It was hard enough on me the last time to banish Nightmare Moon, don't make Twilight and the others go through that experience.”

After a short pause, Luna sighed. “You really don't know me as well as you think, Celestia.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means...” she paused, unsure of how to word it. “We have two entirely different perspectives of the world. You’re like a lighthouse shining beside the sea. Motionless, all you can see is your own reflection in the water. You’re alone, so you think it’s a vast, magnificent panorama. But I've spent all of this time in the water, diving deep into the ocean of life. While you admired it's surface, I discovered the shipwrecks, and the monsters of the deep.” Luna's tone sounded a bit accusing to her sister.

Taking a stance more suitable for a fight, Celestia replied. “So you think I've done a poor job, and you believe you are the one who can lead the nation correctly?” She shook her head. “That's nonsense, Luna. You'd be a tyrant more than anything. Look at how you're going about this.”

Luna took a stance as well, throwing her flowing mane from her face. She charged the magic in her horn. “I offer something new, and you challenge it's possibilities? I'm doing what is best for Pony kind. And nothing you say or do will stop me, sister.”

Another blast of magic, another pony knocked aside. Twilight had been cutting through the thickest of the fights to assist the Canterlot Guard. She had found Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and had started to make their way back to the Sun Pedestal to meet up with Shining Armor.

A flash of green fire caught her attention briefly. Twilight turned to see Spike, nearly toasting a poor hooded pony with his dragon fire. Behind him was Rarity. The friends nodded to each other, a bit relieved to know that the others were alright.  Rainbow Dash arrived by slamming a Pegasus into the ground beside the group, Fluttershy landing next to her. With a quick breath, Twilight prepared to charge through the crowd again, but stopped, starting to notice something.

The sky was getting dark.

“Stop this Luna!” Celestia yelled as she fired another golden beam down upon her sister. The two had taken flight just above the ground, firing spells at one another. Luna was not at her strongest during the day, so Celestia was mostly on the offensive.

Merely redirecting the beam, causing it to crash into the ground, Luna grinned. “What's the matter, Tia? Afraid to actually harm me again?”

Celestia gasped. She took a moment to think if that was what had been holding her back. “Luna. I just want you to stop this fighting. We can resolve this if we talk about it. What are your terms for ending this meaningless slaughter?”

With a scoff, Luna's smile vanished, a look of irritation replacing it. “Your death!” The dark blue Princess charged a large orb of purple magic on the tip of her horn, and released it, launching it to the white Alicorn. With a large explosion, smoke enveloped Celestia.

Luna landed on the white marble of the Sun Pedestal, panting from using so much energy in one spell. She was limited during the day after all. She gave a cold glare at the smoke cloud, convinced that her task was complete. Her eyes widened as it cleared to reveal a golden sphere.

Celestia was unharmed, in a barrier of magic. She popped the golden bubble surrounding her, and lowered to the ground as well. Her expression was sad, and showed signs of confusion. “Why are you doing this, little sister?” Was all she said.

The night Princess stomped the ground in irritation. “Don't talk to me like that, Celestia! I will end you!” Luna charged at her sister in a blind fury, ready to gore her with her horn if she had to.

With a sigh, Celestia ignited her horn and turned her head to the side, casting Luna in a golden aura and tossing her to the ground beside her. Luna coughed from the impact, and was holding back tears. She had made all of these plans, all of this preparation, only to be tossed aside in mere moments.

“Luna. Please. Just end this. We can solve anything together. You know that.” She look over her sister's body, her wonderful dark coat now dirtied, and her star-ridden mane was limp, spread on the ground around her face. She never wanted to hurt her sister. Luna was the only family Celestia had left, and she had tried protecting her as much as she could. Yet here she was, being the one to cause her pain once again.

Luna didn't reply. She just stared at the marble ground her face was pressed again. All those months of planning, and she wasn't able to finish her plan. She wasn't surprised that she couldn't defeat Celestia one on one, but was disheartened none the less.

Suddenly, Celestia's mind felt a sharp sting. A familiar one, but she normally only felt this at night. Her eyes grew wide as she turned to her Sun in shock. The orb of fire had only risen so far above the horizon, and a large object seemed to be floating in front of it, slowly covering the Sun. She took a few steps back as she noticed the sky had gained a tint of brown, and darkened quite a bit. Worriedly, Celestia turned back to Luna, who had started to stand up.

“What's wrong, Celestia?” Luna lifted her head high, with a suddenly calm demeanor. “You don't seem to be feeling alright.”

Celestia's breaths were short and quick between. She turned again to see the Sun become completely covered now. Instead of her bright orange, blazing ball of light she had always known, a pitch black sphere surrounded by a ring of fire floated in the sky. Another headache crippled her, bringing her to one knee. She used her other hoof to press against her forehead, hoping to ease the pain.

Luna now stood tall over her weakened sister. “It feels great, doesn't it? I like to call it an 'Eclipse'. I was afraid this wouldn't work, but it turns out that the results were greater than I imagined.” She gave a large grin witnessing the weakness of her sister settle in.

Suddenly, Celestia tried to stand back up. The grin vanished from Luna's face upon seeing her sister's defiance. “You have no strength left. Why do you bother?”

“Because,” Celestia grunted, getting on all 4 legs, her knees shaking. “It is my duty to stand against threats to Equestria and it's ponies.”

Duty. That word ran inside Luna's head like a hive of bees. “Duty? Duty! You mean your pathetic excuse for keeping me in line? My 'duties'? Since when have your 'Duties' ever involved doing anything to help me? They've always been the opposite!” In an instant, Luna shot a beam of purple magic into Celestia's chest, hurtling her in the orange pole of the Sun Pedestal.

Celestia squinted as she brought her legs to stand her up once again. “This is...why I gave you your limited jobs. You are still...too naive to handle the important tasks that involve protecting the nation.”

Luna's eyes widened, and she clenched her teeth before blasting Celestia once again into the Pedestal, causing a loud cracking noise. After a brief moment of silence, the Sun Pedestal fell backwards, broken where Celestia had collided with it. Her mind was buzzing so much she couldn't think rationally. All she could focus on was how her sister was still insulting her. Luna started to shake her head, realizing something.

She took one deep breath as Celestia shakily stood up a third time. “No. I will not waste any more time with your pathetic distractions, Celestia.” She summoned the magic from her horn again, this time enveloping her sister in a dark purple aura. She pulled Celestia off of her feet, and pressed her against the ground, onto her side.

With a grunt, the Sun Princess had the wind knocked out of her. Luna's magic was so overpowering, that it managed to frighten Celestia. With a weak attempt, she turned her head to face her sister. “Just tell me what I did, Luna.”

Luna gave a cold stare to Celestia. “Well, if we were to go back to the beginning, your lack of respect towards me helped with some of this. For years, you never trusted me with anything important. You always gave me the simplest and mundane tasks. Now, that's a very naive reason. But like I said, It really only helped me find this solution.”

Celestia's eyes grew with curiosity. “What is the real point of this, sister?”

The Moon Princess sighed, turning her gaze to the battle around them. “Pony kind has waited long enough for this change. There has been but a few alterations since I left 1000 years ago.”

“But, Luna... What change?”

“I'm sorry sister.” Luna turned back to her sister, her horn glowing bright, and a genuinely sad look upon her face. “...But only Time can be eternal.” She lowered her horn to touch Celestia's, and a bright flash enveloped the both of them.

“Princess Celestia!” Shining Armor shoved the last 3 enemies aside with a halberd he picked up along the way. The sight he saw was enough to make him forget the entire battle around him. Princess Luna was standing over an unconscious Princess Celestia, and was now charging what looked to be a spell to finish the fight.

In a burst of energy, Shining Armor forced his horn to summon all of it's strength, and unleashed a barrier spell over the fallen Princess just in time, deflecting Luna's spell, but shattering instantly.

Princess Luna turned in shock to see the Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor. After realizing why this just happened, she smiled a bit. “How very loyal of you, Captain. Using so much energy to save your precious Princess.”

The purple armor-clad Unicorn started to breath heavily. So much energy was drained from blocking Princess Luna's spell. Just one spell. He wasn't sure if he could do it again. “Princess Luna! What are you doing?!” He almost yelled at her. As Shining Armor looked closer, he saw that the Princess's coat was darker than normal, and slowly getting darker.

“Well, dear Captain. I merely thought a change in command was needed. Of course, that doesn’t mean a change in the guard, if you are interested.” She gave a sly grin to Shining Armor.

“...What do you mean by that?”

Twilight and her friends finally reached the marble steps of the Sun Pedestal. After seeing the Sun blacken, and the tall pole fall, they knew that they needed to get there as quickly as possible. Together, the six ponies, plus dragon, easily deflected every attacker that came their way, and cut through the crowd like a blade through butter.

'Just please be alright, Princess.' Twilight thought to herself. She had finally put together that this was a revolution. And in the history of revolutions in other nations, the leaders were always the target. Fighting their burning lungs, the group finally ran up the steps to see three ponies, two of which were unconscious. The only one standing was Princess Luna.

The Elements of Harmony just stared in shock at the scene before them. Twilight saw her brother on the ground, his helmet resting a few feet behind him. She then saw her mentor, her friend, Princess Celesta, beaten and unconscious against the base of the Sun Pedestal. She gave an angry glare to Luna, now realizing what happened. Though, something seemed off. Luna's coat was much darker than before. It seemed to be turning black, and her star-like mane started to tint a bright color, almost orange.

Luna merely just grinned with satisfaction, with the feeling of victory. She could see the anger, the fear, the confusion in the six ponies' eyes, and she made sure they knew that she loved it.

Without a word, Twilight ignited her magic, a bright flash appearing where Princess Celestia lay. In a moment, she was gone. The same happened for Shining Armor, and finally Twilight and her friends disappeared.

The Alicorn now stood all alone, and didn't bother to pursue them. She had no need to. They were scared, their leader was defeated, and they would no longer be able to stop her. Now that the deed was done, Luna pulled her moon back out of the sky, causing the Sun to return to the world. The sky shone bright blue, and the fighting in the castle courtyard soon came to an end, with Luna's army victorious, and the Canterlot Guard in full retreat.

Watching all of these events take place, Luna gave a small smile, her eyes slowly shifting to a pure white. “It looks like our little Empire has come to it's end.”

With a flash of purple light, Twilight, Shining Armor, and around 20 other ponies, most of them Royal Guards,  appeared in the midst of the Everfree Forest, before a dark, ruined castle. Twilight collapsed, after teleporting so many ponies so far a distance.

Shining Armor helped her up, throwing one of her legs over his shoulder. “Alright, Twily. That's enough for today.”

She shook her head. “There are still ponies stuck in Canterlot. I need... I-” Twilight couldn't finish her sentence, passing out from exhaustion. Shining Armor felt horrible watching his little sister go through this, working herself so hard. She had teleported to and from Canterlot 8 times now, each time bringing around 20-30 ponies back with them to the Midnight Castle in the Everfree Forest.

Shining would gather the ponies, and Twilight would warp them all out of the city. Each trip took it's toll though, even on the Element of Magic, and it was now that she could go no further.

The new group made their way into the Midnight Castle, greeted by the other refugees. Shining Armor had made sure his soldiers patched any holes in the walls, and to clean up some rubble, so the ancient castle had started to look fairly decent.

The Captain set his tired sister down on one of the blankets that had been spread along the floor for ponies to rest on, making sure she was comfortable. He then turned to his new soldiers and gave them their tasks. After making sure that he needed to do nothing else, Shining Armor laid beside his sister.

Quite some time passed before Twilight finally awoke. When she did, her head ached beyond any kind of migraine she had had before, but the comforting sight of all of her friends surrounding her relieved the pain just a bit.

Pinkie Pie was the first to say anything. She shoved her face into Twilight's half-awake vision. “Twilight! Are you okay!? We were all worried when your brother brought you in all tired out. I thought some of those meanies hurt you, and I don't know what I’d do if those meanies hurt you! I-” She was cut off by Applejack's hoof touching her chest.

“What she's trying to say, is that we're glad you're alright.” Everypony nodded, deciding it was best not to overwhelm Twilight while she was still tired.

Fighting the pain in her head, the Unicorn forced herself up. “Where...is...Princess Celestia?” Her breaths were short, and she was barely audible by her friends. She wasn't fit to be moving around, but the group was surprised at her determination.

Spike leaned up against Twilight to support her. “She's resting in the throne room. She was actually waiting for you to wake up. Maybe we should go see her?”

Without warning, Twilight pushed past her friends, and slowly walked her way through the castle. “Come on. We need to hurry.” The ponies all gave each other a concerned look, and eagerly followed. Spike shook his head, finding no shock in Twilight's behavior. She was always this stubborn.

Luna stood tall over the balcony of the castle, a large crowd cheering below her in the castle courtyard. She wore a dark hood over her mane, and a cloak to cover the rest of her body. It was around midday, and the Sun was at it's peak in the sky. The first day of the year, the first day of a new era.

“Citizens of Equestria! Rejoice!” Luna amplified her voice so that all may hear her words. “Today is the day where our Kingdom enters a new era of evolution!” The crowd below her cheered louder. When it calmed down, she continued. “Before, our lives were mundane, repetitive, and our species never advanced. This is partly to do with the immortal beings of this world. Especially with Celestia's leadership. She had wanted her little kingdom to stay the way it was. And it was so for hundreds of years!”

Twilight entered the throne room to see nearly 30 guards lining the walls. On the other end of the room, lay a white pony. The Unicorn found a new strength, and hurried across the hall to approach Princess Celestia. Upon getting close, however, she noticed that her mentor looked different. She hadn't noticed before, but Princess Celestia no longer had her cutie mark, and her mane was a solid pink.

The Princess's ears perked up, hearing hoof steps, and she raised her head slowly to smile at her student. “Twilight. I'm glad you're alright.” Her voice was weak, and almost hoarse.

Twilight tried to hold back tears, seeing the ruler of Equestria, her teacher, reduced to such a state. “I'm fine Princess. But, what about you?”

Celestia sighed, turning her gaze away. “Luna...stole my powers. I no longer have the magical strength of the Sun, nor the immortal effects of being an Alicorn.”

And it was true. Twilight just noticed that Celestia's wings had vanished as well. How she had not noticed earlier was something she was ashamed of. “So...what's going to happen to Equestria? How can we stop Luna?”

“We? I can't do anything anymore. You'll have to figure that out for yourself, Twilight.” Celestia smiled again. “I've taught you well. I believe you'll do fine.”

The words started to sink in. She wasn't just suggesting that Twilight should take over. Celestia was starting to say goodbye. Her mentor, so close she could be considered her mother, was dying.

“For too long, were we forced to accept the existence of an Empire, ruled by one being. With a single point of leadership, we will never make our way down the road to improving our race!” Luna yelled over the crowd again. Along the top of Canterlot Castle, Pegasus ponies began to unravel long fabrics which rolled down the side of the castle. They were a dark blue, with a light blue insignia of a crescent moon laid like a U, sprouting wings from either side, and a pointed pole rose from the middle.

“Princess, you...you can't die.” Twilight whispered, now laying down against Celestia.

“I know how hard this is for you Twilight. But my immortality is gone, and all of these years are catching up to me. I'm sorry, but it's the way it has to be.” She was starting to form tears of her own, resting her head atop her student's. “Twilight, just remember one thing.”

The Unicorn lifted her head look at the Princess, her eyes barely able to make out anything through the water in them. “Just remember that you were always my favorite student. You have exceeded any expectations that I might have had for you. You can do anything I could have done in this situation, and probably do it better.”

Twilight lowered her head again, feeling Celestia lay her's upon her again. “I won't fail you, Princess Celestia.”

A faint chuckle came from her throat. “I'm glad to hear you say that, Twilight. I know you won't...” Her sentence ran off, her exhale getting weaker each second it lasted. Eventually, she breathed her last, and was silent.

Twilight sat there, under her teacher, burying her crying eyes into Celestia's white coat, wanting to deny that this was actually happening. The guards in the room slowly caught on to what happened, and somberly left Twilight to have her peace.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts! I present to you, the first leader of your new nation!” Luna tossed the cloak aside from her body, revealing a pitch black coat, her eyes glowed pure white with energy, and her mane looked like a live, red-orange flame. She wore a simple blue robe, which covered half of each of her legs, and came up to her front shoulders.

The crowd gasped as they looked upon their ruler for the first time. Not of shock, but of amazement, as if looking upon their God. “I, President Eclipse, will lead Equestria under the New Equestrian Republic!”