It was dark in Ponyville. Where day should be, was now night. Nopony was on the streets and no light shone out of the houses. Only one place in all of Ponyville, the town hall, was brightly lit. There was a reason for the unexpected nightfall and the ponies who were gathered in the town hall looked up to this reason right now:
After 1,000 years, Nightmare Moon had returned and this time, she was victorious.
There had been a fight. Six ponies, one of them having arrived from Canterlot to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival, formed a resistance against the ancient demon of the night. They figured out what to do, through the same old tome that warned about Nightmare Moon's return but had not been taken seriously by anypony. It spoke about the Elements of Harmony, six magical artifacts from times long gone that already defeated the demon once. The six managed to find them and to harness their power, but the living nightmare they had to face was too strong. This time, Nightmare Moon was prepared. She shattered the artifacts, took out the six heroes one after another and imprisoned them inside the Everfree Forest.
This was what the terrified ponies got told right now by the dark alicorn mare that stood on the balcony and looked down on them with eyes full of hatred and spite.
“So, you were sending six ponies after me.....” she hissed threateningly. The crowd of ponies began to shiver as her voice cut through them. Frightened, a few of them cowered themselves down on the ground, face buried in their hooves, and started to whimper. This amused the dark mare and she smiled.
“Oh, but I see, you still know who your true ruler is!” She laid back her head and broke into the sinister laughter she had already marked her arrival with. A smile was adorning her face as she had stopped laughing and she let her eyes wander over the ponies. She felt nothing but satisfaction anymore.
“Your heroes have been taken care of!” Another, short laughter left her throat. “They thought they could defeat me with those ridiculous Elements of Harmony, but now they are forever trapped and their weapons are destroyed!”
Horror appeared in the faces of the ponies of Ponyville as they heard this announcement. A few of them jumped up and tried to run out through the main entrance, while the others stood there frozen, the realization of their doom descending down on their minds. The foals in the large room began to cry. However, one of them, an orange pegasus filly with a short, purple mane just squinted her eyes at the demon of the night. Although she wasn't older, the expression in her eyes was different than those of the other little foals. It was a grim determination, the eyes of a pony who would not accept the dark fate that got bestowed upon it. She couldn't run away like the other ponies, as Nightmare Moon used her magic swiftly, holding the door shut. But neither was she intent on running away like a coward. What she had in mind was something else.
Using the distraction the fleeing ponies had provided, she made herself small and slowly crawled backwards, not leaving Nightmare Moon out of sight.
“Where do you think you are going?” she heard Nightmare Moon shouting above her while she used the bodies of the adult ponies as cover. She twitched a little, but then realized that the demon was speaking to the ponies who had tried to flee through the main entrance. Continuing her way under the bodies of the adults, she listened attentively to Nightmare Moon's words.
“A thousand years and some of you still don't appreciate your dark princess? A pity that I have to see such a thing! But now that my night will truly last forever I will teach you. I expect utmost loyalty from all of you and loyalty is what you will show me in due time!” She began to laugh again as she watched the ponies, who were now too hopeless to try another attempt at fleeing, trotting back to their former positions in the crowd.
The filly twitched again, as the word “Loyalty” reminded her on the reason for the plan that was going through her head. She did not stop, however, as she had reached her destination; a small, unremarkable door in one of the walls. The adult ponies around her were standing close to it, providing her with the ideal conditions to leave through this door without being noticed.
Not making any noise, she opened the door just wide enough for her small, slim body to fit through, then she slipped outside. “P-Please, can we leave for our houses now?” was the last thing she heard before she had closed the door behind her as quietly as she had opened it.
The filly allowed herself to take a short breath of relief, then she motioned towards the door she could see at the other end of the hallway. She knew exactly where she was heading. Her class had visited the town hall recently for an educational behind-the-scenes tour and she still remembered that the room ahead of her had another entrance to the building, one only for ponies who were working in the town hall. For a moment, she pondered increasing her tempo, then decided against it. Despite that Nightmare Moon could not hear her in here, especially not over the sounds of crying foals and the gentle voices of their parents who tried to calm them down, she figured it would be best to not take any risks for her dangerous endeavor, so she continued sneaking through the hallway quietly.
It seemed like ages to her, but finally, she had reached the room at the other end. Still being cautious, she opened this door only as much as it was necessary to be able to slip inside the room, as well. It was only here that she became more daring, now separated from Nightmare Moon by two doors and one long hallway. Zipping, she galloped up to the exit, grabbed the handle and pulled it open, then went outside. As the last careful act of her escape, she closed the door quietly from the outside, fearing that a loud bang could still be heard faintly in the large ceremonial room she had left a few minutes ago. Only as this door had been closed as well, the pulse of the filly started to become slower.
Enveloped by complete darkness, she was now safe. Even if Nightmare Moon would leave the building right now, searching for any escapees, she would not be able to spot her. Despite these assuring thoughts, though, the little, female pegasus still gasped in shock as she noticed a small shadow coming closer in front of her. As it was close enough to identify the unexpected arrival, she gasped again, this time from surprise.
“Sweetie Belle? You snuck out, too?”
The pony in front of her did another step into her direction. As a cloud moved away from the moon, the silver light revealed a white unicorn filly, just about her size, with a tiny horn that further indicated her young age. The expression in the face of the little unicorn wasn't any less surprised.
“Scootaloo? Is it really you?” She squinted her eyes, as the filly who had spoken to her was just out of reach of the moonlight.
Revealing herself, Scootaloo stepped away from the door and into the light. Both fillies were now fully visible for each other.
Another gasp left Sweetie Belle's throat. “It is you!” she exclaimed, with a loud squeak.
Alarmed, Scootaloo did a hasty step forward and covered Sweetie Belle's mouth with one hoof. “Be quiet!” she whispered sharply. “The main entrance of the town hall isn't far from here, it's almost right around the corner! Do you want Nightmare Moon to hear you, or what?”
Sweetie Belle's eyes became a little wet over the harsh reaction, but she shook her head and mumbled something that sounded like “No”.
Having made sure that her friend understood now, Scootaloo freed Sweetie Belle's mouth. The unicorn filly wiped a hoof over her eyes.
“How did you get here?” Scootaloo asked. “Did you leave through the same corridor as I did?”
Sweetie Belle shook her head again, putting down her hoof. “N-No. I left through the main entrance with another filly right when Nightmare Moon suddenly disappeared. Then we hid ourselves here in some bushes.” Her voice was shaking and she sounded nervous.
Scootaloo looked over Sweetie's shoulder. The bushes she had mentioned were only visible as dark, unshapely forms protruding from the ground.
“You said Nightmare Moon could hear us..... Does this mean she is back?”
Sternly, Scootaloo nodded. “She returned, yeah. And it's worse now..... Nightmare Moon said six ponies fought her with something she called the 'Elements of Harmony', but that she defeated and imprisoned them.”
Sweetie Belle held a hoof at her mouth. “Who?” she whispered quietly.
“I'm not completely sure..... But I know that Rainbow Dash is one of them.” All of a sudden, her face took on a painful expression. Biting her lower lip, she continued. “She left the town hall and hasn't returned since..... And neither your big sister.” She cast her eyes on the black ground, sunken in thoughts now.
“Rarity got imprisoned, too?!” Another loud squeak left Sweetie Belle's throat. She covered her mouth quickly.
“Mhm. I was even checking the crowd before I left, but I couldn't spot them anywhere.....” Scootaloo kept eyeing the ground. Only as Sweetie Belle's earlier words entered her mind, she looked up again. “You said you left with another filly. Who is it?”
Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I don't know. She's an earth pony and I've seen her a few times around town, but I don't know her name. She's not in our class as far as I can tell.”
She turned around and pointed to the dark bushes behind her. “She's still hiding and shaking almost as much as me.” As quietly as she could, the small unicorn stomped with a hoof on the floor. “Come out. Scootaloo is a friend. You're not in danger right now.”
The bush began to shake slightly. A moment later, a triangular shape poked out of it. It took until the filly had left the bush for Scootaloo to realize that she was wearing a gigantic bow in her mane. It bobbed in accordance with her movements. And Scootaloo recognized this filly.
“I know her!” she said. “She lives on Sweet Apple Acres with her family, I have seen her a few times around the farm when I went out of town to practice with my scooter.” She did a step closer to the filly with the bow. “How is your name?”
The earth pony filly gave her a nervous glance before she responded. “A-Ahm Apple Bloom.”
Scootaloo could see that something else was on her mind, but Apple Bloom struggled to speak out the words that lay on her tongue. Eventually, she managed to overcome her hesitation.
“Hey..... H-Have ya seen mah big sister, Applejack?” She fixated her eyes on Scootaloo, a mixture of hope and fright in them.
Sadly, Scootaloo shook her head. “No..... She left the town hall with Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle's sister. I haven't seen her returning, so I guess Nightmare Moon got her too.”
Nothing else than the following reaction could have expressed Apple Bloom's grief over this bad news better. Immediately as the last word had left Scootaloo's tongue, she sunk down on her haunches and began to tear up, her lower lip quivering. Absentmindedly, she stared into the darkness from the puddles her eyes had become.
Sweetie Belle dropped her ears, then looked at Scootaloo again. “What are we going to do now?”
Scootaloo's face returned to its grim expression, as Sweetie Belle's words reminded her on the decision she had made. “I don't know what you two are going to do, but I will defeat Nightmare Moon and save Rainbow Dash!” she spoke full of determination. Scootaloo doubted that her friend or Apple Bloom would be willing to tag along for her, admittedly crazy, plan and their reactions confirmed it.
Sweetie Belle's eyes grew wide in disbelief and even Apple Bloom's crying stopped. Her eyes were more clear again now. Aftter a few seconds, it was Sweetie Belle who got her speech back.
“But..... you are alone, Scoots. And you're just a filly. That's crazy!” she stated the obvious.
Scootaloo shrugged, unimpressed. “Crazy or not, that's what I'm going to do!” Her face took on an outraged expression. “Do you have any idea who Rainbow Dash is? She's the best flier in Equestria, she will be captain of the Wonderbolts one day and she is the most loyal pony I've ever seen! And Nightmare Moon just took her..... I'm not letting her get away with this.” She huffed, then angrily scraped a hoof over the ground.
“But how? You aren't strong enough to defeat a thousand year old night demon!”
Stubbornly, Scootaloo shrugged. “I don't know. But I will think of something!” Underlining her words, she stomped her right forehoof on the ground. “I will defeat Nightmare Moon and rescue Rainbow Dash. And you two can wait here and continue shaking while I'm saving your sisters too.....” Without awaiting any further reaction by Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom, she turned around on her hooves and trotted away, in the now all-encompassing darkness because the moon was covered by clouds again. Soon, she got stopped in her tracks, though, as it was now Sweetie Belle who became angry.
“Hey, I want to save my sister, too!” she yelled after Scootaloo.
The addressed filly turned around. “Yeah? But all you're doing is sitting in a bush and whimpering..... Doesn't look like a rescue mission to me.”
Provoked by the statement, Sweetie Belle stomped into her direction, until she stopped almost right in front of her. “A rescue mission? What you want to do sounds more like a suicide mission!”
The sudden, serious words took Scootaloo off-guard and she opened her mouth, speechless. Sometimes, her friend was talking extremely mature for her age, which always astounded her.
“Yeah, so what? Maybe it sounds like that because it probably is a suicide mission! But I won't just sit here and do nothing while Rainbow Dash is starving and rotting away in some dungeon!” In all her fury, Scootaloo didn't even notice that her own language became of a very mature nature now.
“But.....” Sweetie Belle stopped, hesitating to speak out the word that was on her tongue. “B-But you could get..... killed. It's not a game, Scootaloo.”
“Fine, then I get killed, I don't care!” She did a step closer to Sweetie Belle, their faces almost touching each other now. “I can at least try to rescue Rainbow Dash and that's better than sitting around and doing nothing!” She huffed again, her warm breath getting blown into Sweetie Belle's face.
It increased the unicorn's anger. Abruptly, Sweetie Belle lifted a hoof and thrusted it down on Scootaloo's chest. Before she could do any further actions, though, a shadow rushed between them and pushed them away from each other. Both of them gasped from surprise as they saw who had intervened.
“Stop this now!” Apple Bloom's voice rang out to them. “If ya'll continue ta bash ya heads in like this, Nightmare Moon's gonna hear us and then we won't have ta fight over a decision anymore!”
Stubborn, but now peaceful, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle turned away from each other and crossed their forelegs.
Apple Bloom put her hooves down, then turned at Scootaloo. “A-Ah agree with ya. We should fight Nightmare Moon and try ta rescue them, together.”
Eyes growing wide, Scootaloo put her own hooves back on the ground. She looked at Apple Bloom intensely. “Really? You want to fight Nightmare Moon with me? But just a second ago you were a crying pile of misery.....”
Sweetie Belle wasn't any less surprised, but she was horrified as well. “You too? Am I the only sane pony here?!”
The other two fillies ignored her.
Apple Bloom looked down for a moment, scraping her hoof over the ground and kicking some pebbles. “Ah'am scared. But.....” She looked up again, now trying to squeeze as much bravery on her face as possible. “But it's for mah sister. A-Ah don't know what Nightmare Moon is goin' ta do with her. Ah have ta try savin' her, no matter what happens. She's almost the only family ah have.....” A few tears appeared in her eyes again, but she brushed them away instantly.
Scootaloo was moved by the last words, she even felt her own eyes getting slightly wet. Apple Bloom's heartfelt words had completely convinced her that the earth filly would risk her life to save her big sister. Only Sweetie Belle appeared to be against it still, but Scootaloo addressed it before she could voice any more protests.
“Apple Bloom and I have decided it, we're going to do something against Nightmare Moon, so you're outnumbered, Sweetie. But if you want to stay here and wait, it's fine. It's your decision.”
Having spoken these words, Scootaloo gave Apple Bloom a nod, who answered likewise, then they headed off together, leaving Sweetie Belle behind.
The little unicorn stayed at her spot. Her face showed that she was still horrified over the idea of facing off Nightmare Moon, but Apple Bloom's and Scootaloo's words had successfully created an inner conflict. If she joined them, she would probably push up the daisies soon. But if she stayed here, she would let her best friend run into her doom, because she didn't help her..... Sweetie's thoughts went back and forth, trying to find a good solution for her predicament. It was only as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had been swallowed by the darkness, and as her mind couldn't take the torrent of thoughts raining down on it anymore, that she galloped away herself.
She had to do something.....
Author's Note
For once, it's time for other heroes to shine..... Chapter 2 with the rest of the fic will come out tomorrow!
A few hours later, the doors of the town hall got smashed open. Entering was a visibly distraught and exhausted Sweetie Belle, her heart racing fast and sweat dripping from her forehead. “Your majesty!” she called out to the dark princess who was now sitting in a throne on the very balcony she had appeared on after returning. There weren't as many ponies in the town hall anymore now. Most had received permission to leave and only a few others, who apparently had been chosen to become the wicked night demon's servants, stayed. Nightmare Moon herself was not pleased about Sweetie Belle's loud arrival.
“Who dares to disturb my meal?” her voice thundered across the room and into Sweetie Belle's ears.
The filly did her best to stay brave. “I-I'm sorry to disturb you, princess, but there are two fillies who rebel against you! They said they want to destroy you!”
For a moment, Nightmare Moon's pupils became small, then she broke out in massive laughter, her pupils turning to slits in the same moment.
“Two fillies, destroying me, the demon of the night!” She pushed aside one of her servant ponies, who was busy with serving another dish to her, and climbed up on the table. “But I am amused by what you tell me, show me these two fillies, so I can laugh at their futile attempts to overthrow me!” She ignited her horn and stood in front of Sweetie Belle a second later, having teleported herself down.
Sweetie Belle did a step back. “F-Follow me, your majesty, I lead you right to them!” she said, turned around at the spot and began running.
On their way through the dark town, Sweetie Belle did not hear hoofsteps behind her and the only thing that told her that Nightmare Moon was following was a bodyless fog black as the night that flew after her. Sweetie Belle turned around to face the way ahead of her again and bit her lips, suddenly wearing a strained expression on her face.
As she and her scary follower had passed the borders of the Everfree Forest, Sweetie Belle turned around another time and called out to the dark entity. “We're almost here, your majesty!” she shouted, before she stopped in her tracks a few seconds later. Hoping that Nightmare Moon would turn back to her physical form, Sweetie Belle pointed between two trees with a generous amount of space between them. “They are over there!” she shouted behind her.“It's very dark, but they sit there behind a few bushes and plot your downfall.”
For a moment, Sweetie Belle was begging internally for everything to go as planned, then the relief happened as Nightmare Moon turned back into a compact mare. Slowly, she trotted towards the free space between the two trees, her posture menacing.
“Plotting inside of the Everfree Forest, I can see that these two fillies must be even more foolish than I thought they would be for believing that they can–“ A scream of surprise suddenly left Nightmare Moon's throat as the ground under her gave in and she fell into a pit.
Only slightly shaking her head for a moment, the tyrant rose back to her hooves and looked up the walls of the pit. They were uneven, but very high, it took her eyes a surprisingly long time until they had reached the hole she had fallen through. The exit of the pit was many times her size above her head and the pit was so dark that even if she would allow the sun to shine, it would be pitch-black in it.
“Your two fillies have prepared a nice surprise with this pit,” she commented on what had just happened to her. “But this is nothing that can stop me.” She snickered at the crude attempt of defeating her.
“Or just me!” Sweetie Belle's voice rang down to the trapped nightmare. She appeared at the edge of the pit and looked down at her, now wearing a defiant smile.
“Betrayal?” Nightmare Moon answered in slight disbelief. “Unexpected, to see a mindset like this in such a young foal, but still not enough to stop me!”
Nightmare Moon laughed, then she ignited her horn, ready to turn herself into fog again and to leave the pit to give the filly above her the punishment it deserved. The long, sharp horn protruding from a hole in her helmet merely produced a tiny spark, then the magic fizzled away like it had never been there. This second surprise finally let Nightmare Moon's heart beat faster. She shot a hate-filled glare up to Sweetie Belle, her pupils having been turned to slits again.
“Don't bother using your magic. You can't.” There was a victorious grin on Sweetie Belle's face now.
“What did you do?” Nightmare Moon asked her, a grin on her face to hide the slight insecurity that had risen in her.
“The bottom of the pit is full of rocks,” Sweetie Belle answered. “They are special rocks, they suppress and absorb your magic.”
“Magic-absorbing rocks.....” Nightmare Moon commented, not without a trace of an impressed undertone in her voice. “How does it come that a little foal like you is in the possession of such powerful things?” Her grin had become genuine again by now, the slight worry having already left her.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Not me. But my big sister does. The sister you took away from me. She was making uniforms with fragments of the rocks in them, for the unicorn teams that will participate in the next Equestria Games. They prevent them from using their magic to cheat.” Her face grew a little darker. “Now she will be late because you imprisoned her.....”
“A very nice attempt for a foal,” Nightmare Moon replied, ignoring the rebuke thrown at her. “But there is one thing you have forgotten: I have wings!” Demonstratively, she unfolded her gigantic wings. She let this impression linger on Sweetie Belle for a moment, then began to fly out of the pit.
“Oh and do not worry about your sister..... You are going to see her again very soon!” she spoke as she hovered out of the pit in a menacingly slow speed.
Sweetie Belle's expression did not change and neither did she falter, as she looked into the devilish grin of the wicked alicorn that was flying towards her. She gulped a little, which was the only reaction of fear she showed and Nightmare Moon could not see it in the darkness above her. Slowly, Sweetie Belle lifted her head more and more, until the demon had flown out of the hole completely. Nightmare Moon and the filly stared at each other for a moment before the sinister mare began to speak again.
“Now it's time to reunite you with your sister!” she announced, flapping her wings again to fly towards Sweetie Belle.
The filly did a step backwards, a small shiver going through her body. “I-I can still stop you,” she said, surprisingly calm in sight of the threat in front of her.
Nightmare Moon stopped and deepened her grin, now hovering above the pit. “Stopping me, how? Your plan was nice for a filly, but it failed and now you are helpless!”
Sweetie Belle gulped again, but she did not draw her eyes from the alicorn and kept firmly standing at her position.
“W-What if..... What if I break your wings?” she asked, deadly earnest. Barely audible, two snaps could be heard from the surrounding trees, one of them just a split-second after the other.
“You said I have forgotten that you have wings..... But what if I break them? Then you're just going to fall back into the pit I've been digging and can't get out anymore.”
Condescendingly, Nightmare Moon smirked. “You? How amusing. But you made your princess curious, so explain me, how does a little filly like you want to break my wings?” Throwing her head back, Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and broke into loud, mocking laughter. Her sight blocked by her own eyelids, Nightmare Moon did not see what was approaching her sides in a quick tempo now. Only as a sharp pain flashed through her wings, she realized the peril.
A loud, screeching pain left her throat as two nets made out rope and filled to the brim with heavy rocks, that came from both sides, flung against her wings and broke the bones in them. She shot her eyes open and gave Sweetie Belle a stare so deadly, that the filly felt like she would perish from it. Nonetheless, nothing happened, and before Nightmare Moon could try anything to get out of this predicament, she plummeted back into the pit and landed on the magic-absorbing rocks with a thud.
At the edge of the pit, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo appeared, joining Sweetie Belle's side. All three of them stared down at Nightmare Moon, their faces adorned with hatred and cold unforgiveness.
This time, it took Nightmare Moon longer to get back on her hooves, the massive pain coming from her wings weakening the dark alicorn. Shivering, she glared up at the three fillies who had shown such unexpected resistance. Her expression was full of hatred, but also disbelief.
“I said I am going to break your wings,” Sweetie Belle addressed the alicorn down below, now sounding amused herself. “Even though it technically were my friends who did it.”
She gave them a short glance and smiled, then looked down at the trapped tyrant again. All three fillies stretched out their chests, making themselves appear as big as possible to Nightmare Moon. It was not hard to see that they were filled with pride over their accomplishment. Yet, the hardest task was still lying ahead of them.
Snarling, Nightmare Moon shouted up to them. “What is it that you want to do now? You have trapped me inside here, but what now? Do you want to wait until I have starved to death? Do you want to drop another pile of rocks on my head?” She grinned, still feeling victorious. “If you are going to kill me, then you will kill Luna as well!”
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “We're not going to kill you or Princess Luna. We don't need to.” Turning to the left, she gave the two fillies at her side a nod of approval.
Scootaloo did a step forward, then looked straight into Nightmare Moon's eyes. “Try to break free, princess! We count on you, everypony in Ponyville does!”
Confusion washed over Nightmare Moon as she heard those words. Were they trying to cheer her on? Encouraging her to get out of this pit somehow, after they were the ones trapping her? She smiled. In the end, they were nothing but fillies, after all, and now they became afraid of her wrath. They sought mercy, but it was nothing she would grant them now, after all of this.
“Your change of mind comes too late, foals!” she shouted up at them. “Once I've freed myself from this ridiculous trap of yours, you shall not receive any forgiveness from your princess, no matter how much you beg!”
“We're not talking with you!” Scootaloo shot back an answer immediately as the mare had finished her sentence. “We only talk with Princess Luna!”
“Exactly!” Apple Bloom confirmed Scootaloo's words. “Wake up, Princess Luna! We know ya still inside there! And we read everythin' about the fight ya had with ya sister. It's not too late ta fix everythin'!”
Nightmare Moon's pupils turned to slits, as the realization of what they were trying came to her.
“NO!” she yelled up at them. “You cannot free her! Luna is under my control! Since she was born, I am inside of her and now that I am free, this body will be forever mine!”
The three fillies ignored her. “Don't listen to her, Princess Luna!” Sweetie Belle continued to reach out to the mare who was the true owner of the body in the pit. “Nightmare Moon could only break free because you started hating your sister, so you need to stop hating her!”
“How?” it rang out of Nightmare Moon's throat. “How shall we do this?” Dread began to spread in Nightmare Moon as she realized that it had not been her who spoke there. For a moment, the princess she had so successfully suppressed had regained control.
“Cease this immediately!” she shouted up at the three fillies in terror. In a desperate attempt, she ignited her horn to shoot spells at them, but like before, the magic fizzled away and got absorbed by the rocks under her.
“Think on the good times with her!” Scootaloo responded to Princess Luna's question. “You didn't always hate her, think on the time before you started to hate her!”
“Your princess has told you to stop, do I always resented her!” Nightmare Moon started another attempt to intervene, but mid-sentence, Luna regained control again, interrupting the demon. The true princess looked up at her three helpers, her face scrunched in pain. Occasionally, Nightmare Moon's countenance flashed up on it.
“We resent out sister since long before the hatred started. Celestia always had the company of our mutual subjects during her bright days, but we were forced to spend the dark nights in loneliness! We became jealous on our sister and this jealousy turned into the hatred we still finally be silent as your princess commands you!” Nightmare Moon gasped as she realized that the rest of her sentence had left her mouth again, instead of just being spoken in her mind. She was back in control.
“It's not like that anymore!” Scootaloo called out to Princess Luna again. “Many ponies appreciate the night today, they enjoy staying up late! We even have a holiday that happens only at night, now!”
Down below, nothing happened. Only Nightmare Moon reared her head, but there was no sign of Princess Luna. Nightmare Moon bared her teeth at them. “Luna is gone! She will be mine forever, there is nothing you can do!”
The three fillies looked at each other, their faces adorned with doubt and worry. “You need to fight her, Princess Luna!” they shouted down into the pit in unison then. “If you return, we will introduce you to a lot of ponies who love the night! Be strong!”
For a few more, agonizing moments, nothing happened, then Luna's face flickered up. “Who?” she asked. “Go and show us one pony who truly adores the night! They all hate it!”
“Enough! You will crawl back into the depths of my mind where you belong!” Nightmare Moon's voice rang out again. She needed enormous effort now to suppress Princess Luna's mind further, it could be seen in her face.
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, then nodded.
“We do!” they shouted down into the pit, utmost conviction in their combined voices.
Feeling her mind slipping again, Nightmare Moon shot them another glare.
“Stop this, you foul children, or I will tear your little bodies apart until nothing is left of you!” Her voice had become a roar now.
Ignoring the outspoken threat, the fillies continued trying to get through to Princess Luna.
“Ya can count on us, Princess Luna!” Apple Bloom reassured. “There's nothin' that I love more than campin' with mah big sister and we always stay up late when we do!”
“And I often practice stunts with my scooter until late at night!” Scootaloo added. “I don't like scary campfire stories, but I'm not afraid of the night!”
The face of the trapped night demon below them flickered once more and Princess Luna's face appeared again, though, it was only half of it this time. The other half still showed Nightmare Moon's countenance.
“Is this true?” Princess Luna asked them, but Nightmare Moon interferred quickly before the fillies could give an answer.
“Do not pay attention to them, they are liars! No one will ever truly appreciate the night, not unless it is eternal! And I am the only one who can bring eternal night!” The voice of the nightmare was panicking now, while Princess Luna's had been of a contrasting calm.
It was a grotesque view to the three fillies, seeing only one half of the alicorn's mouth moving, depending on who was speaking. Seeing how their strategy seemed to work, finally, Sweetie Belle jumped at the chance.
“And I help my big sister with the dresses she makes! She has to take a lot of night shifts, but I don't mind staying up that long to help her. And once we're finished, we always go on a night walk to relax. It's one of my favourite things to do!”
Under them, they witnessed how more of Nightmare Moon's face got replaced with Princess Luna's.
“No, you foolish fillies, what are you doing?!” Nightmare Moon started flapping her wings, only to get instantly reminded on it that they were broken. A painful scream escaping her throat, she collapsed again.
“Please fight her, Princess Luna, you can do it!” the three fillies appealed to the Princess of the Night again. “We all love the night, all three of us, and if you want, we're going to spend it with you!”
The transformation down below continued. “Do you promise?” the unmistaken voice of Princess Luna sounded up to them.
“We promise!” they shouted in response. “We are going to spend the nights with you and we show you many more ponies who enjoy the night!”
With this last reassurance spoken, everything happened fast. Nightmare Moon's face had been reduced to a tiny fraction and also the rest of the alicorn's body began to take the shape it last had a thousand years ago. Nightmare Moon reared up, in a last, desperate attempt to stay in control, but it was too late.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” she screamed in her defeat, then the scream suddenly stopped.
At the bottom of the pit, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle saw a different mare standing now; smaller and with a lightblue mane. No helmet was on her head and instead, a small, black crown adorned it. They gasped, almost unable to believe they had really succeeded with the seemingly impossible.
Princess Luna stared up at them, her face showing a mixture of pain and relief.
Before the three fillies could pat their backs, it dawned upon them that there was still one more problem to solve. The bottom of the pit was still filled with rocks that would absorb Princess Luna's magic and they had broken her wings, so she could not fly either. Before they could really start to ponder how to solve this last problem, though, they heard a voice speaking to them, a voice that did not belong to Princess Luna.
“You have succeeded, Element Bearers!”
All of a sudden, the sun rose up into the sky and the night around them disappeared. In a white, blinding light, Princess Celestia appeared.
Apple Bloom gasped. “Princess Celestia!” She bowed down in front of the princess and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle followed her example.
As Princess Celestia took in the whole scene in front of her; her younger sister freed from Nightmare Moon and trapped inside a deep pit and three fillies she had never seen before standing at its edge, she gasped as well. She managed to keep her regal composure, though, for the most part.
“I sensed that Nightmare Moon got defeated, but I was expecting to see Twilight Sparkle and her new friends here, together with the Elements of Harmony.....” she spoke in curiosity as she approached the trio of fillies. “What happened?”
Scootaloo stepped forward to explain. “Our sisters and three other mares fought Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony, but they failed. The Elements are shattered now and all of them got imprisoned. We wanted to rescue them, so we took on Nightmare Moon on our own!”
Princess Celestia's eyes grew wide in surprise. “Is this true?” she asked, mystified.
“Mhm!” Scootaloo nodded and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle chimed in.
Now Princess Celestia nodded, too. “This was a very brave deed, my three fillies. But I am curious, how could you defeat Nightmare Moon all by yourself?” As she had reached the edge of the pit, though, she already received part of the answer just by looking into it.
“Magic absorbers,” she said, astounded. “What a clever and unexpected thing for three filiies to use.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo answered, proudly. “We thought we would need something to prevent Nightmare Moon from teleporting out of the pit and Sweetie Belle's big sister had just the right thing! And.....” She paused and rubbed the back of her head. “And, uh, we're sort of, kinda, uh..... had to break her wings, just a little.....”
The three of them sported a sheepish grin and a collective squeak left their throats.
Before Princess Celestia could comment on this confession, Princess Luna looked up at her. “Sister,” she whispered. Her face was hard to interpret, there was no hatred in it anymore, but neither was it true sympathy.
Unfolding her wings, Celestia glided down the pit and landed right at the side of her young sister. She lowered herself down on the ground and looked at Luna invitingly.
“Climb on my back, Luna. There is a lot we have to talk about now.”
For a moment, Princess Luna hesitated, but realizing that there was no other way for her to leave the pit, she pushed her doubts away and did as her sister had told her.”
Gentle and careful, Princess Celestia flew out of the pit again. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle approached the princess they had just saved. Instead of looking happy, their ears were dropped and there was a bit of guilt in their faces.
“We're sorry for breaking your wings, Princess Luna,” Sweetie Belle spoke out an apology on behalf of all three of them.
Now, for the first time since she had been freed of the nightmare, Princess Luna smiled. “Do not worry about this. We know it was the only way and our wings will heal. Just don't forget the promise you gave us.”
The three fillies nodded. “Don't worry, we won't forget it!” Scootaloo assured her. “Once you have recovered, princess, we will come visiting you and do what we promised!”
Princess Celestia perked her ears on this, curiously. “What promise, Luna?” But as quickly as she had asked the question, as quickly she changed her mind. “Let us talk about all of this once we are back in Canterlot. Now we have a few more things to take care of.....”
She turned at the three heroines at her side. “I think we should go and free your sisters now. And for all the things you did, you reserve a reward.”
Having spoken these words, which caused broad grins to appear in the faces of her sister's saviours, Princess Celestia began to trot away from the pit, the three fillies following her closely.
On their way into the Everfree Forest to free their sisters and their allies, Apple Bloom poked Sweetie Belle. “Hey, ya were serious earlier when ya called Scootaloo and me ya friends?”
Sweetie Belle turned around at her and nodded. “Mhm. Yeah, I was, why not? You helped me and Scootaloo to defeat Nightmare Moon so we could rescue our sisters, I think this makes us automatically friends!”
Eagerly, Scootaloo agreed with her. “Sweetie's right. We did an amazing job and we should stay together, who knows what other great things we can do!”
“Great things?” Apple Bloom asked. “Like, takin' on another villain and fightin' it?”
“Who knows..... Maybe!” Scootaloo responded, grinning. “I have a feeling if we stay together, we can do everything!”
It was only for a moment that Apple Bloom pondered this, then she nodded. “Friends,” she said. At her side, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo flashed a smile.
“Friends!” the three fillies said at the same time and brought their hooves together for a hoofbump.
Having listened to their conversation, Princess Celestia gave them a knowing smile.
.
Author's Note
I could easily spin this off as a huge, alternate universe here and call it the "Crusaderverse". I might be doing this.
