Children of the Nightby Jedi-narwhalChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 1Celestia breathed a heavy sigh, “What is happening to the young foals?” She looked over the few ponies who occupied the royal chamber, “Do we have anything? Any witnesses to what happens at night?” Her voice rang empty in the large chamber. The guards and detective ponies gathered bowed their heads and scrapped the ground their their hoofs. One let a cough echo. “I must know the cause of the disappearances of my subjects, I care about you all, and I know it concerns you. I have called you all here to get to the bottom of this mystery: you are the best in Canterlot.” Each pony seemed to straighten up, receiving an ego boost from Princess Celestia was exactly what they had needed, “we wont let you down Princess! We will work together and find out what is happening.” With that they left the chamber, onward to their duties. “It saddens me that fillies are disappearing night after night. Only at night...” Celestia thought to herself, then made her way to the window overlooking Canterlot. “Where are you going at night my little ponies?” She posed the question for herself as she scanned the bustling city. “Princess?” A deep voice echoed in the chamber, ripping Celestia from her thoughts. She turned to see the voice. It made her smile to see Starswirl, with his large pointed hat with multitudes of stars sewed and matched the cloak he wore. His face was creased with old age and a long white beard hung from his chin, but his dull brown eyes shone with youth. “Oh. Wizard Star--” He raised a hoof, “Princess there is no need for formalities, I have told you many times to call me Alexander. I knew you when you yourself was but a young foal...” That brought a smile to the old wizard. She gave a weak smile, “I know but its what I have always called you Wizard Starswirl.” She gave a small giggle. Starswirl walked slowly beside Celestia, and gazed over Canterlot with her, “You know as well as I that there is only one mare who is active at night...” The old pony said with a heavy sigh, “NO!” Celestia started, but quickly adjusted her tone, “I will not believe my sister Luna is involved in this until I can see it with my own eyes.” Starswirl nodded, “I understand Princess. But I am only laying the possibility on the table, she is the one who raises the moon every night.” He turned from the window. “I have been working on a new spell to travel backwards in time for a brief period. It is all theory at the moment--” “Travel back in time?” Celestia asked surprised, “is that even a reality?” The old pony nodded his head. “Like I said, its all theory right now, but as I work out the kinks it would allow one to travel back one full week. And remain long enough to deliver a message...” Starswirl raised an eyebrow, “Or witness an event.” Celestia had a sudden explosion of thought, “Of course! The fillies started disappearing about a week ago! Wizard Starswirl!” Her face shone with excitement, “How long until your spell is complete?!” The old pony gave a smile, “I will work on it right away Princess, it should be completed in two days. You must know this type of magic can be extremely dangerous, not just to the past but also the future. It could threaten your rule over Equestria.” She gave a quick nod, “I understand Starswirl, it will be under lock and key in the Canterlot Library. You need not concern yourself with any disastrous results.” Starswirl nodded, making his way slowly to the large chamber doors, “You will hear from me in two days Princess.” With that, he gave a bow and left the room, leaving Celestia with her thoughts. “I cannot even think for one moment that my sister is behind this. She has been diligent every night searching for the culprit.” She thought to herself as the left the chamber and slowly made her way to the royal dining room. “But Starswirl has never given bad advice, but the thought of Luna taking--” She instantly stopped, her thoughts bringing her usual routine to a standstill. “No. I cant think that way. Luna is my sister and would not steal young foals in the night...” The thoughts battled in Celestia's mind as she began walking again. "Princess, there you are..." A royal guard unicorn approached her, "your presence is requested at the balcony. They demand to see you and Luna..." She nodded her head, "I understand..." Angry screams assaulted Celestia's ears as she came to the edge of the balcony, thousands of ponies were down below, making awful chants and screams, many throwing their hooves in the air demanding to see Luna. "LISTEN TO ME, FOR I AM CELESTIA!" She spoke with the Royal Canterlot Voice, easily quieting the roaring crowd, "I UNDERSTAND YOUR ANGER AND FEAR FOR YOUR YOUNG BEING TAKEN INTO THE NIGHT. I HAVE PUT MY ROYAL GUARD AND MANY DETECTIVE PONIES TO TASK ON THIS ISSUE--" Celestia stopped speaking, her eyes wide as she felt pain on her left cheek, with a splat the object fell to Celestia's feet: a tomato. "We want results, its been a week already and what do you have to show for it!?" A lone pegasus floated above the rest of the crowd. Feeling the juice run down her muzzle Celestia focused her eyes on the pegasus, "How dare you..." She said to herself, then her anger quickly rose, "YOU DARE DEFY ME!? I HAVE GIVEN YOU PONIES FAR MORE THAN YOU EVER DREAMED! MY SISTER AND I HAVE CONQUERED DISCORD AND BROUGHT HARMONY TO EQUESTRIA AND MADE PEACE WITH THE GRYPHON'S!" Her anger reaching a boiling point, "Luna must be brought to justice! She's the one we want!" A female pony's voice echoed through the crowd, activating the mob's anger again. Celestia narrowed her eyes. "TO ACCUSE ROYALTY IS AN OFFENCE WORTHY OF DEATH IF THE CLAIM IS FALSE...Remember that my subjects. If you have proof that it is in fact my sister who is stealing the young then come forward and enlighten us all!" The mob fell silent and slowly began to disperse. Celestia turned and walked from the balcony tears streaming down her face. "You did what you had to do Princess..." Starswirl stood before her, "I just...I just threatened my citizens...how am I different from Discord? I am to rule with love and compassion, not hatred and fear..." The old pony lifted her head meeting his gaze, "You and Luna have done amazing things for this kingdom, I know! I witnessed most of them, and you will get through this one as well." Celestia sniffled, "Thank you Starswirl, I would be lost without your guidance.” He gave a smile and together they wandered towards the banquet hall. As the sun began to set in the west, Celestia made her way to Luna's chamber, surprised to hear voices. “Luna?” She asked and gave a quick knock on the door, “Are you awake?” Suddenly the door swung open, revealing Luna in the doorway. “Hello Celestia, I am surprised that you are still awake. You hardly watch me raise the moon anymore...” Luna quieted herself fearing she was rambling. “I thought I heard different voices coming from your chamber. Are you all right?” Celestia cranked her head, trying to see past her sister, “Of course I’m all right, and alone. Just me.” Luna said, blocking Celestia's view of the room. “Why do I feel strange energy coming from her room?” Celestia questioned as her advances were blocked time and time again. “All right, I'll drop it for now, but you must be wary tonight my sister...” She said with a worried tone, “What do you mean Celestia? Are the townspeople getting aggressive about the children?” She nodded her head, “I was hit with a tomato while addressing them; it was a lone pegasus.” Luna's mouth hung open, “They...” she started, but Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder, “You are my sister, I believe that you are innocent with all my heart; nothing can change that.” Tears started welling up under Luna's eyes, “Thank you sister, that means more than you will ever know...” They embraced each other in a hug, “You had better get going on raising the moon my sister.” Celestia broke the hug first, wiping a tear from her face with her wing she watched Luna trot down the hall. Slowly walking toward her bedchamber, Celestia stopped and starred out the window to watch Luna's handy work. Slowly the light of day was replaced with the eerie glow from the moon, and the world took on a much darker shade of blue. “I believe you sister with all my heart, but I cant help but wonder what goes on while the world sleeps...” Celestia thought as she resumed her walk to the bedchamber. Chapter 2Luna slowly made her way to the balcony and put her two front legs over the railing, examining Canterlot. “Look at you my little ponies, sleeping away my beautiful night. You embrace the light my sister brings forth but you forsake the night, fearing what lies in the shadows...” Luna's eyes narrowed over the different parts of Canterlot, between the rich district with a massive statue and the slums where young ponies sleep in boxes and wrecked blankets. Leaping down from the balcony Luna stretched out her wings and slowed her descent into the city square and landed without a sound. Looking to the moon and using her magic she swept away the clouds and made way for a full moon; lighting the entire town in the eerie glow of moonlight. Smiling at the results, Luna concentrated her magic into the celestial body, and slowly glowing moonbeams fell on various places within Canterlot into all different sections: in through the windows of the rich and posh, and onto the young homeless foals. Luna's gentle voice echoed through them, “my children, the time has come to play. We will have so much fun, I'll take you away into a land of enchantment.” Slowly, the beams intensified with Luna's magic young ponies peaking their heads out the windows and from the allies of the streets listening to the beautiful voice coming from the moonbeams. Gathering towards Luna the young ponies of different types, colours and sizes slowly approached Luna, all mystified by her tranquil voice. “There you are my little ponies, are you ready to see my wondrous garden and play the night away?” Luna smiled over the crowd when they all gave a quiet collective cheer of approval; using her magic, Luna slowly enveloped each of them and began lifting them into the sky. Stretching her wings, Luna took off in flight first in the glowing mass of young ponies. “Will I see my sister again?” One young unicorn pony asked as Canterlot grew smaller and smaller, Luna stopped in mid-flight turning to the pony who spoke. “Of course you will, but don’t you want to play first?” Luna asked with a smile and a small charge of her magic and the young unicorn nodded enthusiastically, “I cant wait to see your garden Princess Luna! It sounds like fun!” Luna returned to the front of the pack, her eyes narrowed and her irises flashed like a cats. “It will be so much fun my little ponies. You will never return...” Excited giggles gently came to Luna's ears as they flew farther and farther from Canterlot, until the massive city was only a speck in the distance. Luna turned back to the children, a broad smile across her face, pointing down to the forest below. “This is my garden, and my own castle! Can you see it?” Slowly they descended into the forest and towards the castle. The excited giggles of the children made Luna's smile even bigger as they put their hoofs to the ground. The castle stood proudly above them, lit by the moon with the aid of fireflies around the entrances. Leading them into the castle, Luna lead the herd directly to her garden where dozens of other young fillies worked the ground, doing all manner of work from digging up the ground to placing bricks around the castle's wall. “Luna! You came back to play with us!” “You are so wonderful Luna! Thank you for bringing me to your garden!” “I love Luna! She takes good care of us!” the majority of ponies gathered around Luna, all wanting a gentle touch from her, she gave them each of them a genuine smile, “Thank you my little ponies! I love you so much and you are doing a wonderful job! Look!” Luna pointed to the new fillies she had brought saying, “I brought you new friends to play with! I want you all to meet your new brothers and sisters!” They all gave a quick cheer and they all mingled together, exchanging names and their fondness for Luna. She smiled at her handy-work and left the group and made her way into the castle and passed through various halls until she came across a large chamber, filled with moonlight. In the middle of the round room was two pedestals and on top of them were spheres roughly large enough to hold one pony each; walking quietly to the spheres, Luna peered into the white ball. Inside was a pegasus pony with a grey coat with this eyes wide open, taking in the moonlight, his eyes had turned into a cat's eye with gold irises. The traditional feather wing of a pegasus had been replaced with a bats wing with purple accents for the top of the wing. Luna smiled at her handy-work, inspecting the other sphere and finding the same results. “With my own subjects I will rule Equestria and the Kingdom of Darkness will reign supreme!” Luna laughed madly as she felt the power of the moon surge through her body, making her taller, her wingspan greater, enlarging her mane and tail and changing her eyes to that of a cat's. Chapter 3Celestia woke with her eyes wide open, feeling the energy she felt earlier coming from Luna's room. “I can feel this...dark force coming from the forest, but its eerily familiar...” She jumped from her bed and quickly made her way to the window, looking far into the distance, she could see small spots of light coming from the forest. Her mind quickly pieced the puzzle together, “What is my sister doing in the Everfree Forest?” She said aloud as she gazed at the moon, more questions rising in her mind, “According to what I know of the lunar cycle it should be a new moon tonight, not a full moon...” Celestia made her way to the door only to find it tightly locked. Her eyes narrowed, “Why am I locked in my room? Her actions are suspicious...I cant believe that Luna is behind all of this..” Using her magic, she enveloped the door with a golden glow and the large, double doors unlocked but did not open. Walking to the door, she put a hoof on the handle and pulled and pushed the massive door, revealing that it was sealed from the outside. Celestia took a deep breath and paced around the large room once, “Clearly my sister does not want me involved with what she is doing, and I intend to get to the bottom of her schemes!” Her mind resolved, she stood before the door, turned around and gave the doors a mighty buck, hurling large chunks of wood and making a exit. “I guess I don’t know my own strength...” Looking down the hall she saw that they were empty; the royal guards that patrolled the halls at night were nowhere to be seen. Making her way to Luna's room Celestia used her magic and threw open the door and wandered into the room. Piles of parchment and deep purple armour were scattered all across the room, using magic Celestia picked up one of the papers and examined it: It had a massive emblem of the crescent moon with a fearsome Alicorn with “We are the Night! Darkness Forever!” Written across it. Celestia stood in the room stunned. “I knew my sister was resentful of the night, but I never imagined that she would go this far...” Quickly dashing out of the room she made her way to the balcony and jumped into the air and stretched her wings and began to make her way to the Everfree Forest, the source of the lights on the horizon. “I am coming to put a stop to you sister, no matter what you're planning...” Celestia said she approached the castle, she stopped in mid-flight. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the young fillies working the garden and laying brick work for the castle. Slowly she floated down right to the garden, though no pony even noticed that she had arrived. Celestia approached one of the ponies working the garden, trying to get his attention, “Young one? Can you hear me?” She put a hoof to his chin to look into his eyes, but they were glazed over. The young pony took his gaze back to the work he was doing, “These are not your subjects Celestia. They are my future army.” A dark feminine voice came across the castle grounds. The dozens of fillies working stopped and turned to Celestia, putting their gaze on her. Three sets of hoof-steps echoed in the courtyard of the castle, Nightmare moon and her two newly minted guards followed on both sides of her. “Luna! What are--” “Foolish foal! I am not your young, weak sister you once knew. I am Nightmare Moon! I will take what is rightfully mine, namely your precious Kingdom of Equestria!” Celestia simply starred at the large Alicorn before her, looking over the changes her younger sister had gone through, she had turned into a menacing figure. Looking over the two guards, she gasped. “What have you done to those ponies!?” Nightmare Moon grinned, turning to both of them as she spoke, “Like my handy-work? They have been imbued with the power of the moon, as long as I exist to channel the power they are 10 times stronger than any regular pony. They are the perfect subjects for me to rule over: they are completely obedient and will never--” Nightmare moon sneered at Celestia, “Throw tomatoes at my face.” A cold wind passed through the castle garden, causing Celestia to shiver slightly, “You are threatening Luna! We wont let you harm her!” All the young ponies slowly shuffled, making a barrier between Nightmare Moon and Celestia. She took a few steps backwards, seeing Nightmare Moon's magic flowing through them, Celestia tried to reason with Nightmare Moon, “Enough of this nonsense Luna! We were meant to rule Equestria together!” “No Celestia! Even as young foals when we were carried away into the night to fulfil our purpose as stewards of the Sun and Moon they always imparted their knowledge to you first! Don’t you remember?” Nightmare Moon's words stuck Celestia hard. Her eyes went wide with the memory of that cold winter night and both of them were warmed by the moonbeam that shone on them that night and carried them away. “Its been so long, I had almost forgotten that night. I cannot let you and your army go free Nightmare Moon! I will stop you with everything I am and protect my kingdom!” Celestia shouted and stamped a hoof to the ground, causing a small rumble to echo in the night. “That’s not my sister, that’s not my sister...” She repeated to herself, trying to focus her mind on the task ahead of her. Her eyes widened in shock as the mob of foals along with Nightmare Moon and her guards simply disappeared in a thick layer of blue smoke. “You may have power of the sun Celestia, but I rule the night!” Nightmare Moon's evil laughter echoed through the night, Celestia raised her head and a brilliant light shone from the tip of her horn, illuminating the surroundings again. Quickly looking left then right, Celestia found no trace of Nightmare Moon or the brainwashed foals. Chapter 4“Princess Luna! Where are we? What happened to your wondrous garden?” Many of the children looked at their new surroundings, excitedly pointing a hoof in various directions, Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed, “Celestia has forced my hand and now I must act. I will sweep the kingdom right from under her--” “Are we back in Canterlot?” A Young colt interrupted her train of thought, Nightmare Moon turned to the colt with a smile gently said, “Yes my little ponies we are back in Canterlot, don’t you want to tell your parents and friends what a wonderful time you had at my garden?” The young fillies gave an excited cheer and ran off in various directions, eagerly knocking on doors and being greeted by sleepy ponies, but their faces lit up when they realized that their young foals had been returned to them. “You should meet Princess Luna! Oh Mommy and Daddy she's the best pony I know! She brought me back!” Nightmare Moon simply stood in the in the town square, a strong pulse of magic flowing through her and into the children. “Taking over this kingdom will be much easier than I thought. With the young fillies under my control, I can easily exert that control into the parents, when their guard is down...” Soon multitudes of ponies began to make their way to see Nightmare Moon, a smile spread across her face, “You brought back my young colt! Praise Luna!” “You have made an old mare happy Luna!” “Thank you so much for bringing back my precious foal, is there anyway I can repay you Luna?” Nightmare Moon flapped her wings and gained altitude and observed her subjects from above. She reared her head back in wicked laughter, dark clouds forming behind her and lightning ripping across the black sky, using her Royal Canterlot Voice she cried out, “MY LOYAL SUBJECTS! THE WAY TO SHOW APPERICATION OF YOUR NEW QUEEN IS TO OVERTHROW THE TYRANNICAL RULE OF CELESTIA!” All the ponies both young and old raised a hoof in compliance and gave a loud cheer, and slowly marched toward Canterlot Castle with Nightmare Moon at the lead, timing their hoof-steps into a deafening march. Starswirl lifted his head from his work. Moving each ear both up and down, he couldn’t make out the sound he was hearing; it sounded like a massive marching army right outside the castle. “There is no way there could be a massive arm--” Looking out the castle window proved his doubts wrong: a massive army was marching toward the castle with Luna as their lead. “Sweet mother of Celestia...” The old wizard said under his breath as he watch the army advance to the gates of the castle, easily demolishing them with sheer number and began pouring into the castle. His mind quickly raced. “I didn’t think Luna channelling the moon's power would changer her so much, and give her that much power to control that many ponies at once...” Looking over his research he quickly made up his mind, “I must hide these in a safe location where--” Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light and Celestia appeared before him, he quickly went to her in a panic, “Celestia! Your sister is raging out of control! I fear nothing can stop what she's doing!” She gave the wizard an odd look, “What are you talking about Wizard Starswirl? Whats happened?” He quickly grabbed Celestia by the mane and took her to the window. Her eyes grew wide at the chaos she was seeing, “Luna is going completely out of control like I said! She has the majority of Canterlot under some kind of spell--” Celestia took a few steps from the window, slowly sitting down on the cobblestone floor. “It was the children... She gained control of the adults through them... She wanted to use her 'special breed' of guards to fight, but now...” Celestia buried her head in her hooves and began crying, “How did it come to this Starswirl? I always thought I was on good terms with Luna but seeing what she has become... How can I command my guards to attack their own to protect--” “Now listen here, Princess Celestia of Equestria!” Starswirl interrupted, lifting her head and looking into his youthful eyes, “This is not the weak and helpless pony I know! Princess Celestia of Equestria would use her wisdom and power against a new foe, Nightmare Moon. The time for acting is now!” She got back on all four hooves and lifted her head and began to leave the room, turning back to Starswirl saying, “Thank you Starswirl. I know what I must do, It breaks my heart, but it will protect me and my kingdom.” Galloping out the door the old pony took a deep breath, “I know you will do the right thing, Princess Celestia of Equestria..” Quickly making her way to the throne room, she spotted a few of the Royal Guard, Celestia walked up to them and looked over the three, one from each race: Earth, Pegasus and Unicorn. “Princess Celestia! You must retreat to the back part of the castle! We will hold them off and grant you an escape!” She shook her head and gave the ponies a grim look, “You will do no such thing. You will not harm another pony this night and if they come demanding to see me you will let them pass without any violence. Is that clear?” The three stood shocked, the Pegasus spoke up, “We are the Royal Guard and its our duty--” “To follow my orders: Is that clear?” Celestia interrupted and each of them hesitantly gave a salute back to the Princess and sulked away. “Its me that Nightmare Moon and her minions want...I wont let any other pony get hurt because of me...” She thought as she continued to gallop to the throne room. Entering the large oval room Celestia slowed her pace and examined the stained glass: each portrayed a piece of Equestrian history. “You were always sentential about the past Celestia.” Nightmare Moon's voice echoed in the chamber, “I knew you would be here, you like to come here when you need to think. I know you all too well Celestia.” A plume of black smoke floated from the ceiling and formed into the shape of its host and appeared as Nightmare Moon. A wicked grin crossed her face. “Its actually quite noble of you that you instructed your guards not to harm my subjects. They already occupy Canterlot Castle and the city. You are surrounded.” Celestia looked deep into Nightmare Moon's eyes, trying to find even a trace of her loveable sister Luna. After a few moments she broke the gaze and slowly climbed the small flight of stairs and rested on the throne of Equestria. “Nightmare Moon. I will defend my life and my throne. Even if you are my sister.” Chapter 5The angry cries of the mob Nightmare Moon had made were growing steadily louder as the two Alicorns stared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first attack. Celestia made the first move gritting her teeth, a ball of white energy forming at the tip of her horn and unleashed a beam straight for the heart of Nightmare Moon. To her shock, the beam had passed right through her foe, who had dissipated into a black cloud of smoke and quickly floated to the right. “The moon gives me power over my form! Your simple beams are useless me.” Nightmare Moon sneered as she produced her own beam, black with a blue outline directly for Celestia's horn. Moments before impact, Celestia produced a grin and suddenly vanished in a small flash of light. Nightmare Moon quickly turned to her left and locked horns with the materialized Celestia. “Same to you Nightmare Moon. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.” Celestia narrowed her eyes as the horns connected in a deafening crack, amplified by the magic of the two Alicorns. The room began to swirl with both light and darkness, spiralling from the contact point between Celestia and Nightmare Moon. Each of them grunted, trying to gain the upper hand in the clash, more magic filled the room; the windows of the throne room shattered from the increase of power. Both of the combatants flew backwards when the power finally cancelled out, landing on their sides, Nightmare Moon was the first to get up, “My power rivals even yours Celestia! Now I aim to finish you here and now!” The Princess of Equestria quickly stood on all four legs when a beam of black energy started to dissolve the floor where she was just moments ago. Dodging more shots Celestia quickly flew into the air and fired intense shots of light from her horn. Nightmare Moon dodged them and returned shots of the black energy but was missing their intended target. “What is Nightmare Moon doing? Has she been using too much power?” Easily dodging the barrage of shots, Celestia simply looked down at Nightmare Moon and gave a hearty laugh, “You may be matched in power Nightmare Moon, but you used too much and now--” Celestia looked around the ceiling of the hall: There were hundreds of balls of energy floating, waiting for their orders. Her eyes went wide with the realization, “How could I have been so foolish! She wasn’t meaning to hit me! I fell right into her trap!” “Silly little Celestia. You clearly doubt my cunning!” Nightmare Moon's laugh echoed with malice and her horn glowed a combination of blue and black, sending the message to the balls of energy. Rearing her head back and floating in the air, Nightmare Moon let out a scream, causing the energy to rip the roof of the Equestrian throne completely off, exposing them to the howling winds. The white Alicorn closed her eyes as the debris flew in all directions, massive blocks of stone fell and the wood supports splintered, hazards flying around. Feeling a strong light on her eyes she slowly opened them, revealing the full moon hovering in the sky above them. “The moon...” Celestia said under breath, taking in the site and quickly looked to Nightmare Moon who had a wicked grin on her face, “That’s right Celestia. The moon, the source of my power and your downfall!” With that a strong moonbeam slowly fell on Celestia, who remained transfixed on the moon, her eyes wide when she began to her Luna's soft voice, “Come little children...The time's come to play! Here in my garden of shadows...” A tear rolled down Celestia's muzzle, “This magic is powerful, the moon is so big, I can feel myself slipping in the moonlight...” She tried to fight the beam and take her eyes away, but could not. Finally blinking several times Celestia found that she was trapped in the beam, unable to move. “Nightmare Moon...You may have trapped me, but you wont control me so easily! You'd have to release your subjects just to defeat me!” Celestia shouted to her captor, who simply chuckled at the notion, “I love when you give me ideas Celestia. I can always reclaim their minds when you are disposed of!” The angry cries of the mob slowly quieted down and slowly a black smoke began to form a thick layer on the ground, slowly rising in the moonbeam towards the trapped Celestia. As the cloud began to envelop the trapped Alicorn she let a deafening scream of pain pierce the silent night, followed by Nightmare Moon's wicked laughter. “Elements of Harmony! I Princess Celestia of Equestria humbly ask for your assistance in my hour of need!” Celestia cried mentally to any creature that would hear her. Shutting her eyes tightly she could feel the cloud move across her body, producing an icy, numb feeling as it travelled. Suddenly the pain stopped. Her eyes shot open to reveal a white plane of existence: no defined walls for floors and seemed to stretch for eternity. “Is this what happens when ponies pass on?” She said to herself and looked in both directions seeing the white span as far as she could see. Hanging her head in defeat, she felt a sudden wind from behind ruffle her mane. Celestia quickly turned around and saw six silhouettes of ponies formed in a half circle in front of her, each had a colour: light orange, cyan, white, pink, light yellow, and lavender. “I Reckon we can spare the power to help right?” “That sounds good to me! Just do whatever you need to do!” “I agree. We will aid you in your need.” “I love to help other ponies and make them smile! Hey! Do you think that one day we can be friends! Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing ever!?” “Ill be glad to let use the power...” “You can count on us! We will give you all you need to win.” They took turns speaking, tears had been streaming down Celestia's face. She bowed her head in respect, suddenly the colours began condensing and formed into brilliant gemstones that glowed with power, along with a crown on Celestia's head. Feeling power and purpose surge through her, she broke free of her prison. A brilliant flash of light lit up the world for a brief moment and the dark clouds surrounding Celestia quickly disappeared. Nightmare Moon took a step backwards, in shock, shaking her head, “NO! You were mine! Defeated! How did--” Nightmare Moon noticed the crown on her sisters head, her eyes growing wide as she watched her sister float down to the floor, “The Elements!? How can you harness their power by yourself!?” Celestia's eyes shone a brilliant white her voice seemed distance and echoed, “I am not alone. I am imbued with their power, only for a brief moment. This is your ending Nightmare Moon.” The moonbeam shifted from Celestia to Nightmare Moon, who looked up in panic and terror, she began to slowly float into the air, “NO! I Control the moon! My power wont betray me!” Celestia began to slowly gather her energy and the power of the elements into her horn, which released a rainbow pointed straight for Nightmare Moon. “Celestia! You cannot imprison your own sister in stone! How will you live with yourself?” The dark Alicorn panicked, trying to reason with her sister who only shook her head. The rainbow beam made contact, the dark mist slowly swirling back to Nightmare Moon's horn she was lifted higher and higher into the night sky. “CELESTIA! MARK MY WORDS! I WILL RETURN TO TAKE THE THRONE FROM YOUR HOOVES!” Nightmare Moon shouted using her Royal Canterlot Voice as a brilliant flash of light erupted in the sky, creating daylight for a brief moment. Celestia stood her ground, a tear fell from her muzzle and onto the ground. “Goodbye my sister...” Looking to the full moon, an image of a unicorn appeared, signalling that Celestia's spell had worked along with the Elements of Harmony. She stood there for a long time staring at the moon, seeing her sister banished forever. “Princess Celestia! Are you all right?” A old voice echoed through the chamber. She turned to see Starswirl, who looked up in the sky, his mouth agape, “Princess....you banished Nightmare Moon in the moon? That’s brilliant! Giving her a taste of her own medicine!” She slowly nodded, “Starswirl....My heart is so heavy with sorrow for Luna...Was I too hard on her? Will she ever forgive me for what I've done?” He took a few steps toward the Princess, “I may not know much about sibling rivalry, especially between royals, but I know one thing: Time is like water. It ebbs and flows, either rushing so fast it flies by or it seems to freeze in place. Time will heal all wounds, no matter how deep.” Starswirl took a few more and stood before Celestia, “You and Luna have a unique advantage. You can see how time will play things out. Even as powerful as I am, I can only see glimpses of what has or will happen. You both have eons to figure things out...” The week following the banishment of Nightmare Moon changed Canterlot. Many ponies were deathly afraid to travel at night, and always required at least three others with them or Royal Guard escorts. Falling into the new routine of raising both sun and moon, Celestia dove into her work as Princess of Equestria, approving new building projects, meeting with diplomats from differing kingdoms and countries. “Princess Celestia.” The Royal Guard pony repeated himself, finally gaining the attention of the Princess, “You have a young foal who requests an audience.” She raised a hoof to dismiss the guard but he continued, “He says its about Princess Luna...Should I let him in?” Celestia stopped. Her gaze focused on the guard before her. She swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded, letting the foal into the royal throne room. Being ushered by a Royal Guard, the small earth pony was scarred out of his wits, he had a dark brown mane, with green pale eyes and a brown shaggy coat. “Princess Celestia?” The young pony squeaked in a high voice in fear slowly walking towards the Princess of Equestria. She moved from her throne and met the young pony halfway in the chamber, “Princess Celestia... Where is Princess Luna? I miss her garden, she took such good care of me. She took me in when no pony else would...Where did she go?” Tears filled the young pony's eyes as he spoke and streamed down his face. Celestia slowly laid herself down to be face to face with the foal, “My little pony...” She started, trying to fight back the tears forming in her eyes, “Princess Luna has gone to work on her garden. She wants it to be perfect when she brings you to it. Look to the moon tonight and you will see her. She will always look after you; shes the Mare in the Moon.” Celestia broke down and cried with the young pony, weeping over the loss of Princess Luna.
Chapter 1Celestia breathed a heavy sigh, “What is happening to the young foals?” She looked over the few ponies who occupied the royal chamber, “Do we have anything? Any witnesses to what happens at night?” Her voice rang empty in the large chamber. The guards and detective ponies gathered bowed their heads and scrapped the ground their their hoofs. One let a cough echo. “I must know the cause of the disappearances of my subjects, I care about you all, and I know it concerns you. I have called you all here to get to the bottom of this mystery: you are the best in Canterlot.” Each pony seemed to straighten up, receiving an ego boost from Princess Celestia was exactly what they had needed, “we wont let you down Princess! We will work together and find out what is happening.” With that they left the chamber, onward to their duties. “It saddens me that fillies are disappearing night after night. Only at night...” Celestia thought to herself, then made her way to the window overlooking Canterlot. “Where are you going at night my little ponies?” She posed the question for herself as she scanned the bustling city. “Princess?” A deep voice echoed in the chamber, ripping Celestia from her thoughts. She turned to see the voice. It made her smile to see Starswirl, with his large pointed hat with multitudes of stars sewed and matched the cloak he wore. His face was creased with old age and a long white beard hung from his chin, but his dull brown eyes shone with youth. “Oh. Wizard Star--” He raised a hoof, “Princess there is no need for formalities, I have told you many times to call me Alexander. I knew you when you yourself was but a young foal...” That brought a smile to the old wizard. She gave a weak smile, “I know but its what I have always called you Wizard Starswirl.” She gave a small giggle. Starswirl walked slowly beside Celestia, and gazed over Canterlot with her, “You know as well as I that there is only one mare who is active at night...” The old pony said with a heavy sigh, “NO!” Celestia started, but quickly adjusted her tone, “I will not believe my sister Luna is involved in this until I can see it with my own eyes.” Starswirl nodded, “I understand Princess. But I am only laying the possibility on the table, she is the one who raises the moon every night.” He turned from the window. “I have been working on a new spell to travel backwards in time for a brief period. It is all theory at the moment--” “Travel back in time?” Celestia asked surprised, “is that even a reality?” The old pony nodded his head. “Like I said, its all theory right now, but as I work out the kinks it would allow one to travel back one full week. And remain long enough to deliver a message...” Starswirl raised an eyebrow, “Or witness an event.” Celestia had a sudden explosion of thought, “Of course! The fillies started disappearing about a week ago! Wizard Starswirl!” Her face shone with excitement, “How long until your spell is complete?!” The old pony gave a smile, “I will work on it right away Princess, it should be completed in two days. You must know this type of magic can be extremely dangerous, not just to the past but also the future. It could threaten your rule over Equestria.” She gave a quick nod, “I understand Starswirl, it will be under lock and key in the Canterlot Library. You need not concern yourself with any disastrous results.” Starswirl nodded, making his way slowly to the large chamber doors, “You will hear from me in two days Princess.” With that, he gave a bow and left the room, leaving Celestia with her thoughts. “I cannot even think for one moment that my sister is behind this. She has been diligent every night searching for the culprit.” She thought to herself as the left the chamber and slowly made her way to the royal dining room. “But Starswirl has never given bad advice, but the thought of Luna taking--” She instantly stopped, her thoughts bringing her usual routine to a standstill. “No. I cant think that way. Luna is my sister and would not steal young foals in the night...” The thoughts battled in Celestia's mind as she began walking again. "Princess, there you are..." A royal guard unicorn approached her, "your presence is requested at the balcony. They demand to see you and Luna..." She nodded her head, "I understand..." Angry screams assaulted Celestia's ears as she came to the edge of the balcony, thousands of ponies were down below, making awful chants and screams, many throwing their hooves in the air demanding to see Luna. "LISTEN TO ME, FOR I AM CELESTIA!" She spoke with the Royal Canterlot Voice, easily quieting the roaring crowd, "I UNDERSTAND YOUR ANGER AND FEAR FOR YOUR YOUNG BEING TAKEN INTO THE NIGHT. I HAVE PUT MY ROYAL GUARD AND MANY DETECTIVE PONIES TO TASK ON THIS ISSUE--" Celestia stopped speaking, her eyes wide as she felt pain on her left cheek, with a splat the object fell to Celestia's feet: a tomato. "We want results, its been a week already and what do you have to show for it!?" A lone pegasus floated above the rest of the crowd. Feeling the juice run down her muzzle Celestia focused her eyes on the pegasus, "How dare you..." She said to herself, then her anger quickly rose, "YOU DARE DEFY ME!? I HAVE GIVEN YOU PONIES FAR MORE THAN YOU EVER DREAMED! MY SISTER AND I HAVE CONQUERED DISCORD AND BROUGHT HARMONY TO EQUESTRIA AND MADE PEACE WITH THE GRYPHON'S!" Her anger reaching a boiling point, "Luna must be brought to justice! She's the one we want!" A female pony's voice echoed through the crowd, activating the mob's anger again. Celestia narrowed her eyes. "TO ACCUSE ROYALTY IS AN OFFENCE WORTHY OF DEATH IF THE CLAIM IS FALSE...Remember that my subjects. If you have proof that it is in fact my sister who is stealing the young then come forward and enlighten us all!" The mob fell silent and slowly began to disperse. Celestia turned and walked from the balcony tears streaming down her face. "You did what you had to do Princess..." Starswirl stood before her, "I just...I just threatened my citizens...how am I different from Discord? I am to rule with love and compassion, not hatred and fear..." The old pony lifted her head meeting his gaze, "You and Luna have done amazing things for this kingdom, I know! I witnessed most of them, and you will get through this one as well." Celestia sniffled, "Thank you Starswirl, I would be lost without your guidance.” He gave a smile and together they wandered towards the banquet hall. As the sun began to set in the west, Celestia made her way to Luna's chamber, surprised to hear voices. “Luna?” She asked and gave a quick knock on the door, “Are you awake?” Suddenly the door swung open, revealing Luna in the doorway. “Hello Celestia, I am surprised that you are still awake. You hardly watch me raise the moon anymore...” Luna quieted herself fearing she was rambling. “I thought I heard different voices coming from your chamber. Are you all right?” Celestia cranked her head, trying to see past her sister, “Of course I’m all right, and alone. Just me.” Luna said, blocking Celestia's view of the room. “Why do I feel strange energy coming from her room?” Celestia questioned as her advances were blocked time and time again. “All right, I'll drop it for now, but you must be wary tonight my sister...” She said with a worried tone, “What do you mean Celestia? Are the townspeople getting aggressive about the children?” She nodded her head, “I was hit with a tomato while addressing them; it was a lone pegasus.” Luna's mouth hung open, “They...” she started, but Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder, “You are my sister, I believe that you are innocent with all my heart; nothing can change that.” Tears started welling up under Luna's eyes, “Thank you sister, that means more than you will ever know...” They embraced each other in a hug, “You had better get going on raising the moon my sister.” Celestia broke the hug first, wiping a tear from her face with her wing she watched Luna trot down the hall. Slowly walking toward her bedchamber, Celestia stopped and starred out the window to watch Luna's handy work. Slowly the light of day was replaced with the eerie glow from the moon, and the world took on a much darker shade of blue. “I believe you sister with all my heart, but I cant help but wonder what goes on while the world sleeps...” Celestia thought as she resumed her walk to the bedchamber.
Chapter 2Luna slowly made her way to the balcony and put her two front legs over the railing, examining Canterlot. “Look at you my little ponies, sleeping away my beautiful night. You embrace the light my sister brings forth but you forsake the night, fearing what lies in the shadows...” Luna's eyes narrowed over the different parts of Canterlot, between the rich district with a massive statue and the slums where young ponies sleep in boxes and wrecked blankets. Leaping down from the balcony Luna stretched out her wings and slowed her descent into the city square and landed without a sound. Looking to the moon and using her magic she swept away the clouds and made way for a full moon; lighting the entire town in the eerie glow of moonlight. Smiling at the results, Luna concentrated her magic into the celestial body, and slowly glowing moonbeams fell on various places within Canterlot into all different sections: in through the windows of the rich and posh, and onto the young homeless foals. Luna's gentle voice echoed through them, “my children, the time has come to play. We will have so much fun, I'll take you away into a land of enchantment.” Slowly, the beams intensified with Luna's magic young ponies peaking their heads out the windows and from the allies of the streets listening to the beautiful voice coming from the moonbeams. Gathering towards Luna the young ponies of different types, colours and sizes slowly approached Luna, all mystified by her tranquil voice. “There you are my little ponies, are you ready to see my wondrous garden and play the night away?” Luna smiled over the crowd when they all gave a quiet collective cheer of approval; using her magic, Luna slowly enveloped each of them and began lifting them into the sky. Stretching her wings, Luna took off in flight first in the glowing mass of young ponies. “Will I see my sister again?” One young unicorn pony asked as Canterlot grew smaller and smaller, Luna stopped in mid-flight turning to the pony who spoke. “Of course you will, but don’t you want to play first?” Luna asked with a smile and a small charge of her magic and the young unicorn nodded enthusiastically, “I cant wait to see your garden Princess Luna! It sounds like fun!” Luna returned to the front of the pack, her eyes narrowed and her irises flashed like a cats. “It will be so much fun my little ponies. You will never return...” Excited giggles gently came to Luna's ears as they flew farther and farther from Canterlot, until the massive city was only a speck in the distance. Luna turned back to the children, a broad smile across her face, pointing down to the forest below. “This is my garden, and my own castle! Can you see it?” Slowly they descended into the forest and towards the castle. The excited giggles of the children made Luna's smile even bigger as they put their hoofs to the ground. The castle stood proudly above them, lit by the moon with the aid of fireflies around the entrances. Leading them into the castle, Luna lead the herd directly to her garden where dozens of other young fillies worked the ground, doing all manner of work from digging up the ground to placing bricks around the castle's wall. “Luna! You came back to play with us!” “You are so wonderful Luna! Thank you for bringing me to your garden!” “I love Luna! She takes good care of us!” the majority of ponies gathered around Luna, all wanting a gentle touch from her, she gave them each of them a genuine smile, “Thank you my little ponies! I love you so much and you are doing a wonderful job! Look!” Luna pointed to the new fillies she had brought saying, “I brought you new friends to play with! I want you all to meet your new brothers and sisters!” They all gave a quick cheer and they all mingled together, exchanging names and their fondness for Luna. She smiled at her handy-work and left the group and made her way into the castle and passed through various halls until she came across a large chamber, filled with moonlight. In the middle of the round room was two pedestals and on top of them were spheres roughly large enough to hold one pony each; walking quietly to the spheres, Luna peered into the white ball. Inside was a pegasus pony with a grey coat with this eyes wide open, taking in the moonlight, his eyes had turned into a cat's eye with gold irises. The traditional feather wing of a pegasus had been replaced with a bats wing with purple accents for the top of the wing. Luna smiled at her handy-work, inspecting the other sphere and finding the same results. “With my own subjects I will rule Equestria and the Kingdom of Darkness will reign supreme!” Luna laughed madly as she felt the power of the moon surge through her body, making her taller, her wingspan greater, enlarging her mane and tail and changing her eyes to that of a cat's.
Chapter 3Celestia woke with her eyes wide open, feeling the energy she felt earlier coming from Luna's room. “I can feel this...dark force coming from the forest, but its eerily familiar...” She jumped from her bed and quickly made her way to the window, looking far into the distance, she could see small spots of light coming from the forest. Her mind quickly pieced the puzzle together, “What is my sister doing in the Everfree Forest?” She said aloud as she gazed at the moon, more questions rising in her mind, “According to what I know of the lunar cycle it should be a new moon tonight, not a full moon...” Celestia made her way to the door only to find it tightly locked. Her eyes narrowed, “Why am I locked in my room? Her actions are suspicious...I cant believe that Luna is behind all of this..” Using her magic, she enveloped the door with a golden glow and the large, double doors unlocked but did not open. Walking to the door, she put a hoof on the handle and pulled and pushed the massive door, revealing that it was sealed from the outside. Celestia took a deep breath and paced around the large room once, “Clearly my sister does not want me involved with what she is doing, and I intend to get to the bottom of her schemes!” Her mind resolved, she stood before the door, turned around and gave the doors a mighty buck, hurling large chunks of wood and making a exit. “I guess I don’t know my own strength...” Looking down the hall she saw that they were empty; the royal guards that patrolled the halls at night were nowhere to be seen. Making her way to Luna's room Celestia used her magic and threw open the door and wandered into the room. Piles of parchment and deep purple armour were scattered all across the room, using magic Celestia picked up one of the papers and examined it: It had a massive emblem of the crescent moon with a fearsome Alicorn with “We are the Night! Darkness Forever!” Written across it. Celestia stood in the room stunned. “I knew my sister was resentful of the night, but I never imagined that she would go this far...” Quickly dashing out of the room she made her way to the balcony and jumped into the air and stretched her wings and began to make her way to the Everfree Forest, the source of the lights on the horizon. “I am coming to put a stop to you sister, no matter what you're planning...” Celestia said she approached the castle, she stopped in mid-flight. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the young fillies working the garden and laying brick work for the castle. Slowly she floated down right to the garden, though no pony even noticed that she had arrived. Celestia approached one of the ponies working the garden, trying to get his attention, “Young one? Can you hear me?” She put a hoof to his chin to look into his eyes, but they were glazed over. The young pony took his gaze back to the work he was doing, “These are not your subjects Celestia. They are my future army.” A dark feminine voice came across the castle grounds. The dozens of fillies working stopped and turned to Celestia, putting their gaze on her. Three sets of hoof-steps echoed in the courtyard of the castle, Nightmare moon and her two newly minted guards followed on both sides of her. “Luna! What are--” “Foolish foal! I am not your young, weak sister you once knew. I am Nightmare Moon! I will take what is rightfully mine, namely your precious Kingdom of Equestria!” Celestia simply starred at the large Alicorn before her, looking over the changes her younger sister had gone through, she had turned into a menacing figure. Looking over the two guards, she gasped. “What have you done to those ponies!?” Nightmare Moon grinned, turning to both of them as she spoke, “Like my handy-work? They have been imbued with the power of the moon, as long as I exist to channel the power they are 10 times stronger than any regular pony. They are the perfect subjects for me to rule over: they are completely obedient and will never--” Nightmare moon sneered at Celestia, “Throw tomatoes at my face.” A cold wind passed through the castle garden, causing Celestia to shiver slightly, “You are threatening Luna! We wont let you harm her!” All the young ponies slowly shuffled, making a barrier between Nightmare Moon and Celestia. She took a few steps backwards, seeing Nightmare Moon's magic flowing through them, Celestia tried to reason with Nightmare Moon, “Enough of this nonsense Luna! We were meant to rule Equestria together!” “No Celestia! Even as young foals when we were carried away into the night to fulfil our purpose as stewards of the Sun and Moon they always imparted their knowledge to you first! Don’t you remember?” Nightmare Moon's words stuck Celestia hard. Her eyes went wide with the memory of that cold winter night and both of them were warmed by the moonbeam that shone on them that night and carried them away. “Its been so long, I had almost forgotten that night. I cannot let you and your army go free Nightmare Moon! I will stop you with everything I am and protect my kingdom!” Celestia shouted and stamped a hoof to the ground, causing a small rumble to echo in the night. “That’s not my sister, that’s not my sister...” She repeated to herself, trying to focus her mind on the task ahead of her. Her eyes widened in shock as the mob of foals along with Nightmare Moon and her guards simply disappeared in a thick layer of blue smoke. “You may have power of the sun Celestia, but I rule the night!” Nightmare Moon's evil laughter echoed through the night, Celestia raised her head and a brilliant light shone from the tip of her horn, illuminating the surroundings again. Quickly looking left then right, Celestia found no trace of Nightmare Moon or the brainwashed foals.
Chapter 4“Princess Luna! Where are we? What happened to your wondrous garden?” Many of the children looked at their new surroundings, excitedly pointing a hoof in various directions, Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed, “Celestia has forced my hand and now I must act. I will sweep the kingdom right from under her--” “Are we back in Canterlot?” A Young colt interrupted her train of thought, Nightmare Moon turned to the colt with a smile gently said, “Yes my little ponies we are back in Canterlot, don’t you want to tell your parents and friends what a wonderful time you had at my garden?” The young fillies gave an excited cheer and ran off in various directions, eagerly knocking on doors and being greeted by sleepy ponies, but their faces lit up when they realized that their young foals had been returned to them. “You should meet Princess Luna! Oh Mommy and Daddy she's the best pony I know! She brought me back!” Nightmare Moon simply stood in the in the town square, a strong pulse of magic flowing through her and into the children. “Taking over this kingdom will be much easier than I thought. With the young fillies under my control, I can easily exert that control into the parents, when their guard is down...” Soon multitudes of ponies began to make their way to see Nightmare Moon, a smile spread across her face, “You brought back my young colt! Praise Luna!” “You have made an old mare happy Luna!” “Thank you so much for bringing back my precious foal, is there anyway I can repay you Luna?” Nightmare Moon flapped her wings and gained altitude and observed her subjects from above. She reared her head back in wicked laughter, dark clouds forming behind her and lightning ripping across the black sky, using her Royal Canterlot Voice she cried out, “MY LOYAL SUBJECTS! THE WAY TO SHOW APPERICATION OF YOUR NEW QUEEN IS TO OVERTHROW THE TYRANNICAL RULE OF CELESTIA!” All the ponies both young and old raised a hoof in compliance and gave a loud cheer, and slowly marched toward Canterlot Castle with Nightmare Moon at the lead, timing their hoof-steps into a deafening march. Starswirl lifted his head from his work. Moving each ear both up and down, he couldn’t make out the sound he was hearing; it sounded like a massive marching army right outside the castle. “There is no way there could be a massive arm--” Looking out the castle window proved his doubts wrong: a massive army was marching toward the castle with Luna as their lead. “Sweet mother of Celestia...” The old wizard said under his breath as he watch the army advance to the gates of the castle, easily demolishing them with sheer number and began pouring into the castle. His mind quickly raced. “I didn’t think Luna channelling the moon's power would changer her so much, and give her that much power to control that many ponies at once...” Looking over his research he quickly made up his mind, “I must hide these in a safe location where--” Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light and Celestia appeared before him, he quickly went to her in a panic, “Celestia! Your sister is raging out of control! I fear nothing can stop what she's doing!” She gave the wizard an odd look, “What are you talking about Wizard Starswirl? Whats happened?” He quickly grabbed Celestia by the mane and took her to the window. Her eyes grew wide at the chaos she was seeing, “Luna is going completely out of control like I said! She has the majority of Canterlot under some kind of spell--” Celestia took a few steps from the window, slowly sitting down on the cobblestone floor. “It was the children... She gained control of the adults through them... She wanted to use her 'special breed' of guards to fight, but now...” Celestia buried her head in her hooves and began crying, “How did it come to this Starswirl? I always thought I was on good terms with Luna but seeing what she has become... How can I command my guards to attack their own to protect--” “Now listen here, Princess Celestia of Equestria!” Starswirl interrupted, lifting her head and looking into his youthful eyes, “This is not the weak and helpless pony I know! Princess Celestia of Equestria would use her wisdom and power against a new foe, Nightmare Moon. The time for acting is now!” She got back on all four hooves and lifted her head and began to leave the room, turning back to Starswirl saying, “Thank you Starswirl. I know what I must do, It breaks my heart, but it will protect me and my kingdom.” Galloping out the door the old pony took a deep breath, “I know you will do the right thing, Princess Celestia of Equestria..” Quickly making her way to the throne room, she spotted a few of the Royal Guard, Celestia walked up to them and looked over the three, one from each race: Earth, Pegasus and Unicorn. “Princess Celestia! You must retreat to the back part of the castle! We will hold them off and grant you an escape!” She shook her head and gave the ponies a grim look, “You will do no such thing. You will not harm another pony this night and if they come demanding to see me you will let them pass without any violence. Is that clear?” The three stood shocked, the Pegasus spoke up, “We are the Royal Guard and its our duty--” “To follow my orders: Is that clear?” Celestia interrupted and each of them hesitantly gave a salute back to the Princess and sulked away. “Its me that Nightmare Moon and her minions want...I wont let any other pony get hurt because of me...” She thought as she continued to gallop to the throne room. Entering the large oval room Celestia slowed her pace and examined the stained glass: each portrayed a piece of Equestrian history. “You were always sentential about the past Celestia.” Nightmare Moon's voice echoed in the chamber, “I knew you would be here, you like to come here when you need to think. I know you all too well Celestia.” A plume of black smoke floated from the ceiling and formed into the shape of its host and appeared as Nightmare Moon. A wicked grin crossed her face. “Its actually quite noble of you that you instructed your guards not to harm my subjects. They already occupy Canterlot Castle and the city. You are surrounded.” Celestia looked deep into Nightmare Moon's eyes, trying to find even a trace of her loveable sister Luna. After a few moments she broke the gaze and slowly climbed the small flight of stairs and rested on the throne of Equestria. “Nightmare Moon. I will defend my life and my throne. Even if you are my sister.”
Chapter 5The angry cries of the mob Nightmare Moon had made were growing steadily louder as the two Alicorns stared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first attack. Celestia made the first move gritting her teeth, a ball of white energy forming at the tip of her horn and unleashed a beam straight for the heart of Nightmare Moon. To her shock, the beam had passed right through her foe, who had dissipated into a black cloud of smoke and quickly floated to the right. “The moon gives me power over my form! Your simple beams are useless me.” Nightmare Moon sneered as she produced her own beam, black with a blue outline directly for Celestia's horn. Moments before impact, Celestia produced a grin and suddenly vanished in a small flash of light. Nightmare Moon quickly turned to her left and locked horns with the materialized Celestia. “Same to you Nightmare Moon. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.” Celestia narrowed her eyes as the horns connected in a deafening crack, amplified by the magic of the two Alicorns. The room began to swirl with both light and darkness, spiralling from the contact point between Celestia and Nightmare Moon. Each of them grunted, trying to gain the upper hand in the clash, more magic filled the room; the windows of the throne room shattered from the increase of power. Both of the combatants flew backwards when the power finally cancelled out, landing on their sides, Nightmare Moon was the first to get up, “My power rivals even yours Celestia! Now I aim to finish you here and now!” The Princess of Equestria quickly stood on all four legs when a beam of black energy started to dissolve the floor where she was just moments ago. Dodging more shots Celestia quickly flew into the air and fired intense shots of light from her horn. Nightmare Moon dodged them and returned shots of the black energy but was missing their intended target. “What is Nightmare Moon doing? Has she been using too much power?” Easily dodging the barrage of shots, Celestia simply looked down at Nightmare Moon and gave a hearty laugh, “You may be matched in power Nightmare Moon, but you used too much and now--” Celestia looked around the ceiling of the hall: There were hundreds of balls of energy floating, waiting for their orders. Her eyes went wide with the realization, “How could I have been so foolish! She wasn’t meaning to hit me! I fell right into her trap!” “Silly little Celestia. You clearly doubt my cunning!” Nightmare Moon's laugh echoed with malice and her horn glowed a combination of blue and black, sending the message to the balls of energy. Rearing her head back and floating in the air, Nightmare Moon let out a scream, causing the energy to rip the roof of the Equestrian throne completely off, exposing them to the howling winds. The white Alicorn closed her eyes as the debris flew in all directions, massive blocks of stone fell and the wood supports splintered, hazards flying around. Feeling a strong light on her eyes she slowly opened them, revealing the full moon hovering in the sky above them. “The moon...” Celestia said under breath, taking in the site and quickly looked to Nightmare Moon who had a wicked grin on her face, “That’s right Celestia. The moon, the source of my power and your downfall!” With that a strong moonbeam slowly fell on Celestia, who remained transfixed on the moon, her eyes wide when she began to her Luna's soft voice, “Come little children...The time's come to play! Here in my garden of shadows...” A tear rolled down Celestia's muzzle, “This magic is powerful, the moon is so big, I can feel myself slipping in the moonlight...” She tried to fight the beam and take her eyes away, but could not. Finally blinking several times Celestia found that she was trapped in the beam, unable to move. “Nightmare Moon...You may have trapped me, but you wont control me so easily! You'd have to release your subjects just to defeat me!” Celestia shouted to her captor, who simply chuckled at the notion, “I love when you give me ideas Celestia. I can always reclaim their minds when you are disposed of!” The angry cries of the mob slowly quieted down and slowly a black smoke began to form a thick layer on the ground, slowly rising in the moonbeam towards the trapped Celestia. As the cloud began to envelop the trapped Alicorn she let a deafening scream of pain pierce the silent night, followed by Nightmare Moon's wicked laughter. “Elements of Harmony! I Princess Celestia of Equestria humbly ask for your assistance in my hour of need!” Celestia cried mentally to any creature that would hear her. Shutting her eyes tightly she could feel the cloud move across her body, producing an icy, numb feeling as it travelled. Suddenly the pain stopped. Her eyes shot open to reveal a white plane of existence: no defined walls for floors and seemed to stretch for eternity. “Is this what happens when ponies pass on?” She said to herself and looked in both directions seeing the white span as far as she could see. Hanging her head in defeat, she felt a sudden wind from behind ruffle her mane. Celestia quickly turned around and saw six silhouettes of ponies formed in a half circle in front of her, each had a colour: light orange, cyan, white, pink, light yellow, and lavender. “I Reckon we can spare the power to help right?” “That sounds good to me! Just do whatever you need to do!” “I agree. We will aid you in your need.” “I love to help other ponies and make them smile! Hey! Do you think that one day we can be friends! Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing ever!?” “Ill be glad to let use the power...” “You can count on us! We will give you all you need to win.” They took turns speaking, tears had been streaming down Celestia's face. She bowed her head in respect, suddenly the colours began condensing and formed into brilliant gemstones that glowed with power, along with a crown on Celestia's head. Feeling power and purpose surge through her, she broke free of her prison. A brilliant flash of light lit up the world for a brief moment and the dark clouds surrounding Celestia quickly disappeared. Nightmare Moon took a step backwards, in shock, shaking her head, “NO! You were mine! Defeated! How did--” Nightmare Moon noticed the crown on her sisters head, her eyes growing wide as she watched her sister float down to the floor, “The Elements!? How can you harness their power by yourself!?” Celestia's eyes shone a brilliant white her voice seemed distance and echoed, “I am not alone. I am imbued with their power, only for a brief moment. This is your ending Nightmare Moon.” The moonbeam shifted from Celestia to Nightmare Moon, who looked up in panic and terror, she began to slowly float into the air, “NO! I Control the moon! My power wont betray me!” Celestia began to slowly gather her energy and the power of the elements into her horn, which released a rainbow pointed straight for Nightmare Moon. “Celestia! You cannot imprison your own sister in stone! How will you live with yourself?” The dark Alicorn panicked, trying to reason with her sister who only shook her head. The rainbow beam made contact, the dark mist slowly swirling back to Nightmare Moon's horn she was lifted higher and higher into the night sky. “CELESTIA! MARK MY WORDS! I WILL RETURN TO TAKE THE THRONE FROM YOUR HOOVES!” Nightmare Moon shouted using her Royal Canterlot Voice as a brilliant flash of light erupted in the sky, creating daylight for a brief moment. Celestia stood her ground, a tear fell from her muzzle and onto the ground. “Goodbye my sister...” Looking to the full moon, an image of a unicorn appeared, signalling that Celestia's spell had worked along with the Elements of Harmony. She stood there for a long time staring at the moon, seeing her sister banished forever. “Princess Celestia! Are you all right?” A old voice echoed through the chamber. She turned to see Starswirl, who looked up in the sky, his mouth agape, “Princess....you banished Nightmare Moon in the moon? That’s brilliant! Giving her a taste of her own medicine!” She slowly nodded, “Starswirl....My heart is so heavy with sorrow for Luna...Was I too hard on her? Will she ever forgive me for what I've done?” He took a few steps toward the Princess, “I may not know much about sibling rivalry, especially between royals, but I know one thing: Time is like water. It ebbs and flows, either rushing so fast it flies by or it seems to freeze in place. Time will heal all wounds, no matter how deep.” Starswirl took a few more and stood before Celestia, “You and Luna have a unique advantage. You can see how time will play things out. Even as powerful as I am, I can only see glimpses of what has or will happen. You both have eons to figure things out...” The week following the banishment of Nightmare Moon changed Canterlot. Many ponies were deathly afraid to travel at night, and always required at least three others with them or Royal Guard escorts. Falling into the new routine of raising both sun and moon, Celestia dove into her work as Princess of Equestria, approving new building projects, meeting with diplomats from differing kingdoms and countries. “Princess Celestia.” The Royal Guard pony repeated himself, finally gaining the attention of the Princess, “You have a young foal who requests an audience.” She raised a hoof to dismiss the guard but he continued, “He says its about Princess Luna...Should I let him in?” Celestia stopped. Her gaze focused on the guard before her. She swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded, letting the foal into the royal throne room. Being ushered by a Royal Guard, the small earth pony was scarred out of his wits, he had a dark brown mane, with green pale eyes and a brown shaggy coat. “Princess Celestia?” The young pony squeaked in a high voice in fear slowly walking towards the Princess of Equestria. She moved from her throne and met the young pony halfway in the chamber, “Princess Celestia... Where is Princess Luna? I miss her garden, she took such good care of me. She took me in when no pony else would...Where did she go?” Tears filled the young pony's eyes as he spoke and streamed down his face. Celestia slowly laid herself down to be face to face with the foal, “My little pony...” She started, trying to fight back the tears forming in her eyes, “Princess Luna has gone to work on her garden. She wants it to be perfect when she brings you to it. Look to the moon tonight and you will see her. She will always look after you; shes the Mare in the Moon.” Celestia broke down and cried with the young pony, weeping over the loss of Princess Luna.
