The Hidden History: Nightmare Moon

"Dr. Sparkle's research brings an astounding new depth to myth and legend that was otherwise considered history."
-Professor Warden. Q. Mycroft

"This fantastic collection of both well-known and scarce documentation shows off Dr. Sparkle's keen sense of research in the pursuit of truth."
-Free Flyer

"This book, coming from the same mare who re-wrote the rules of magic as we knew them, challenges and defeats the long accepted truths of our own past (...) truly a great piece from an even greater mind."
-Canterlot Court Scientific Committee

"Another work set to re-define our lives."
-Clear Skyes

Dr. Twilight Sparkle,

The Hidden History: Nightmare Moon

Royal Court Publishing Co., MMMCXII

Copyright C 3112 by Dr. Twilight Sparkle, Renewed 3211 by Twilight Publishing Co.

All rights reserved.

This book is printed on an acid free screen.

A Royal Court Edition

Published by Twilight Publishing Co.

175 Fifth Avenue

New Yourk, NY 10010

Royal Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dr. Sparkle, Twilight, 3083-present.

The Hidden History: Nightmare Moon / Dr. Twilight Sparkle

• 1st Tor ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-312-86355-1 (acid-free screen)

1. Historical documents data and collections - Non-fiction. I. Title.

PS3515.E288M66 3112

813'.54-dc20 95-53750

CIP
Royal Court Edition: July 3112

20 19

~In Loving Memory of

Rainbow Dash~

I.
Contents:

Collection One

Point of Origin

Collection Two

Descent

Collection Three

Fall & Fallout

II.
Background:

The politics and events of a thousand years past are fades of what they once were. Many things have changed, many haven't. To impart a full understanding of what led to the fall and treasonous actions of one of Equestria's great historical figures, one must have an understanding of the time.

The date is 2001, sometime in the late fall. We find ourselves in a snow covered Canterlot, in the days before the great castle was moved to the mountainside. The electrifying winds of change gust through the city's great thoroughfares and tenament halls. We are amidst the feet of some of Equestria's greatest larger than life characters, awaiting what will go down in history as the grandest battle of all time.

Who are these characters?

Celestia, a princess and a godess in her own right. She is spry and in her relative youth. Her powers are at their pique, softened only by the unfavoring season. At this point, she stands at the city gate with her sister and her army at her side, anticipating the coming foe.

Discord, the demigod of chaos incarnate. His lengthy war against Equestria all but ended a week ago, his troops few in number and his kingdom in ruins. At this point, he and the last of his troops are marching towards Canterlot in a last ditch attempt to break the war-weary Equestrian army.

Starswirl the Bearded, an innovative magician and co-architect of the fall of Discord's kingdom. In cooperation with Princess Luna, his spells and weapon designs have played a key role in keeping the technological edge over Discord's massive armies and troubling defenses. At this point, he has been hidden among a no-name scientific expedition crew to preserve some sort of leadership should the final battle go south.

Han "Cloudmane" Landa, head of the Canterlot Security Comission (CSC) and commander of Canterlot Security (C-Sec). He is a paranoid, older colt whose politics won him his post. His actual skills are questionable, and his agenda often outshines effectiveness when it comes to policy. At this point, he has been temporarily relieved by Princess Luna, and sits in the war room of the castle, coordinating security efforts.

And, at last, the star of our story, Princess Luna. An audacious young commander and a natural-born strategist, her skills co-authored the defeat of Discord's armies alongside the technological edge provided by Starswirl the Bearded. At this point, she stands alongside her sister, in command of the city's defending forces.

The streets of Canterlot are cold and silent. Its ponies have taken refuge in their homes, their emotions a tense mix of fear and anticipation. Inside the central castle, a skeleton crew of guards patrol the halls. The stage is set, and now the curtains are drawn.

COLLECTION ONE: POINT OF ORIGIN (Part I)

Doc- Diary, Lt. Vantas Skaia, 11-24-01

"I stood atop the wall, standing side by side with my fellow soldiers. We were about to witness the final battle, and perhaps the greatest battle, of the entire war. A thousand different thoughts and scenarios ran through my mind, and I could only assume the same of my brothers.

"We all knew the stakes. We all knew that most of us probably wouldn't come back. All these thoughts, all the anticipation, and the most dominant thing was the silence. It seemed unthinkable, but it was true. Ten thousand stallions at the castle walls, armed, prepared, and completely silent. The only words came from the whisper of the wind.

"And I tried to remember another time like this, a time of such quiet. I couldn't. Before all of our other battles we would sit, chat, drink, and gamble, but not today. Countless battles, and this one was different.

"Each of us stood upright, in silence, staring out into the snow covered expanse extending beyond the walls. Endless white against a horizon of falling snow. I don't know why I, or any of the others chose to stay silent. Even now, I cannot understand why we were so transfixed by the white horizon.

"It wasn't the face of death. I and my friends had stared down the face of death too many times to be moved by it. We all knew we were already dead. It was something more frightening than death. Some irrational fear. An ending worse than death, and it was coming. It would come right across that horizon, and everything would end."

Doc- Log, CO Han Landa, 24th November 2001 est. 13:01

"I have felt many things, but never such an unsettling feeling as brought on by this deathly silence. Even with a security web of C-Sec patrols moving throughout the city, and the constantly arriving reports, this silence persists.

"Already my men seem uneasy. I could easily understand this from the newer recruits and draftees, but even my vets are on edge. It's as if a shroud of unspoken despair is covering the city. The nagging part of my brain insists this is an attack, a preliminary strike of fear being broadcast by Discord.

"I try to tell my men and myself it's the silence before the storm, but I know better and so do my more experienced men. This is something else. Never before has Discord himself personally led his forces. This must be the work of his trickery... If it is, though, and he has managed to pierce the hearts of an entire city with fear without even setting eye on us, then that feat in itself is even more reason for fear.

"Sometimes you forget you fight at the feet of gods."

Doc- Log, Gen. H. J. Farnsworth, 11-24-01 est. 13:09

"We all felt the quiet growing, burning, chipping away at us. Growing greater and greater. We were becoming smaller and smaller. It was then that Luna turned to Celestia.

" 'Discord is using a pressure spell, and I'm pretty damn sure he's cloaking his army too.' "

" 'Good call. I'll bring down the cloak. Once the battle starts, he won't have enough focus to keep up his pressure spell.' "

"Luna nodded, and then I witnessed what might have been the single most spectacular display of magical power I've ever seen. Celestia bowed her head, and, with a sound comparable to a lightning strike, she shot a bolt of magic into the air. It shot up like a flare and exploded at the peak of its arc, revealing a massive army of no less than forty thousand, led by an even more massive demonic creature. This was it."

Doc- Interview, Belanna T. Flair (Civilian), 11-25-01

"I had never felt so terrified by so many things. The thought of an army actually attacking Canterlot, the thought of my son fighting this army, the thought that even behind these city walls, I and my daughter may not be safe, and, even more than that, the stillness.

"The cold, unyielding stillness. It permeated the walls, broke through the doors, and bled straight into you. It was the sound of nothing, an unending nothing. I recall the way my daughter looked at me, hugging at my hoof, trying to find something to hold on to, trying not to get swept away in the stillness, I remember that.

"Her eyes, I will never forget the look of her eyes in that stillness. Wide and brown, boring straight into me in a torrent of emotion. And then the stillness ended. It was torn away by the scream of air raid sirens and the sound of explosions. Griffons dropping bombs into the city.

"It was then she started screaming and crying, yelling to me a thousand times over 'I don't want to die, I don't want to die!' as she closed her eyes and hugged me even harder. And I told her I wouldn't let her. I told her nothing would happen, and that she would be fine, and that she would get to see her brother. I told her so many wonderful things.

"Then a blast. A shockwave of heat and air, knocking me over. A ringing in my ears. I rose amidst rubble, trying to stand steady and get my bearings. It was only then I realized I no longer felt my daughter clutching my hooves. It was only then I looked to see her broken listless body amidst the debris. It was only then that I realized I told her so many wonderful lies."

Doc- Action Report, Head Scribe James Dean Lightfeather

"At approximately 12:45 on the twenty-fourth of November, two-thousand-one, I was ordered to take an observational position inside a large tower along the north wall of Canterlot, and record the battle.

"The fighting began at around 13:12, when Celestia cast a spell that revealed Discord's hidden army less than a few hundred meters away. Allied unicorn artillery immediately opened fire, catching a few clusters of infantry and Griffons off guard. The city sirens began to sound.

"Discord's first act was to dispatch his Griffon air wing. Half of them were carrying incendiary devices, while the other half were meant purely to engage allied pegasi. In response, Luna herself took to the sky with the pegasi, and began to engage the inbound Griffons. The harness mounted weapons of our pegasi were able to take out a large chunk of the Griffon forces before engaging in melee.

"On the ground, Discord set his Diamond dogs to digging. Celestia had her ground forces hold position behind the gates while allowing the artillery to continue firing. When the Diamond Dogs reached a predetermined point, a set of underground eplosives detonated, creating a massive trench mere feet from the gate, and halting the underground assault.

"Celestia ordered half of her forces to exit the gate and take the trench and the other half to charge Discord's remaining defensive contingent of Diamond Dogs.

"In the air, melee combat had reached its peak. Griffons and pegasi alike fell from the sky in droves, their remaining comrades unable to regain any form of discipline or order. Taking advantage of a small opening, the bomb carrying Griffons abandoned their fight with the pegasi and made a beeline straight for the civilian wards of the city. In response, Luna ordered three pegasi to follow her and assist in the take-down of the bomb-carriers.

"Between Luna's magic and the pegasi's harness weapons, they were able to take out half of the bomb carriers and their bombs. The other half, however, managed to release over 34 incendiary devices into the city before being shot down.

"At approximately 13:42, Discord led a countercharge against Celestia's approaching forces. Seconds before they would have met, his dogs tunneled under the army, and he flew over. Regrouping behind Celestia's advance, they turned around and took Celestia's forces by surprise.

"Using the disarray created by his tactic, Discord headed straight to the entrenched troops camped outside the open gate, and began to make short work of them. With their weapons and artillery showing no effect on Discord, they were routed from their trench and into the city. Discord ordered his Diamond Dogs to dig once more, this time so they could capture the now un-occupied trench.

"The remaining Griffons in the air abandoned their fight with the pegasi to pick off the routing troops before they could regroup. Luna ordered her pegasi to intercept and provide air support for the troops to get them back into the fight.

"It was then Luna took notice of Discord wreaking havoc on the wall-mounted artillery positions. With no other troops to spare, she chose to take Discord on herself. She opened with a barrage of magic bolts from her horn, and followed by swooping in at high speed and knocking him over. It was at this point their tussle became an indiscernable mess of punching, scratching, and magic.

"Celestia noticed her sister's action, and came to the conclusion that Luna's chances of winning may not be small, but would certainly be improved if she were there to help. She gave command of the ground forces to her general before heading towards a tangled Luna and Discord.

"At around 13:56, Luna's fight with Discord reached an interesting point. For a few quick moments, Discord was able to pin Luna down, and hold her down for a good ten seconds. During this period of time, there is no apparent struggle. Only after Celestia joined the fight was this stalemate broken.

"After a series of adeptly coordinated kicks, magical blasts, and punches, Discord was subdued for long enough to allow the sisters to use the Elements of Harmony, and seal the squirming Discord in his stone prison (14:02).

"With the artillery returned to a firing state, the entrenched Diamond Dogs became easy pickings. The Griffons, realizing their commander was gone and their forces were bested, chose to retreat. The previously routed Canterlot ground forces returned to the field in a final charge, pressing into the trenches and uprooting the Diamond Dogs.

"At 14:04, all of Discord's forces were all either dead or routing. Despite the cost and odds, Equestria had now become a nation free of oppression and opposition. Let it be known that we have won, and we are free."