Love and Harmonyby BadDreamChaptersPrincess Cadenza Mi AmourPreparationsMusicNightmaresCelestiaPrincess Cadenza Mi Amour…Thus the Nightmare cackled as her sister kneeled, tears in her eyes. She, so far in darkness and arrogance, could not see the truth behind her elder’s tears until the elements, once shared between them, rose behind the Sun and, with a heavy heart, banished their sister to the moon. Forevermore… Cadance blinked back tears of her own as she closed the book with a faint snap- the emotional climax where the mild-mannered Dream had chosen the twisted mare Darkness over her own sister… she was glad the Moonbound story was only loosely based on the Mare in The Moon, to imagine the events being real… at least the author had announced her intention for a happier sequel? She glanced skyward and realised she had been reading for the better part of a morning. Regina Chrys’ works were so enrapturing! The themes of betrayal weren’t a favourite of Cadance’s, but with the author’s promise the series wouldn’t end without Darkness’ comeuppance or resolution, and the platonic love between the sisters triumphing would more than make up for the omnipresent darkness. Reluctantly, she returned the book to her saddlebags, she had a foal- well, dragon-sitting appointment with Twily’s younger brother, Spike, and he hadn’t inherited his sisters obsession with books- and even if he had she would hesitate to expose him to Chrys’ work so young merely to justify a re-read- so she would likely only have time for a single chapter of the more in-depth analysis necessary to truly appreciate the franchise. As she headed in the direction of the Sparkle residence however, she was stopped by an item in her saddlebags that had not been their earlier. Confused, she removed it to reveal a letter from her mentor and Aunt, Princess Celestia. Dear Cadence, Could you please meet with me as soon as you receive this? I have organised young Spike another foalsitter, so you need not worry. Love, Celestia. P.S: I am aware you likely missed this letter’s arrival. Fear not. Cadance frowned slightly, her aunt wanted her? Presumably it would take a while if Celestia expected her to be unable to arrive in time for Spike, but it wasn’t time-sensitive if the post-script was an indication yet the short message itself carried the opposite implication. Before she knew it, she was stood before the gates of Canterlot castle, still none the wiser to her Aunt’s motives. She travelled the familiar steps to her Aunt’s study, still pondering the answer. She knocked once and the door swung open with a faint green glow. “Ah, finally, apologies for the short notice Cadance but I have an important task for you- well semi-important. Foot-in-the-door important. Less important than-world-ending-important, more important than cake-crisis-important.” “So, not an international crisis, but definitely a national one?” Celestia, with mock-annoyance, swatted Cadance as she continued, “Hush, I want you to oversee preparations for the summer sun celebration- it’ll be a decent learning experience, and perfectly safe- the locals have mostly finished, you just need to make sure the finishing touches go alright, ok? I have a list of people you’ll need to talk to and a chariot waiting.” Cadance beamed, “Of course! It’s in a town called Ponyville this year, right? Near the Everfree? If nothing else, it’s a good tourism opportunity!” “That’s the spirit! I’ll see you at sunrise dear niece!” With that Cadance was in a chariot, the two guards’ ponies who would be carrying her barely blinking as their princess teleporting her. Next to her was a white unicorn stallion with a blu- “Shiny?!” “Oh, hey Cady… guessing her highness forgot to mention I’d be here too?” He smiled as Cadence nodded, blushing slightly, and the two pegasi guards took off, “Yeah, she wanted some extra guards for some reason this year, so I need to make sure the boys are ok. No-idea why, before you ask,” Cadance just nodded, she had an inkling to the reason and it most certainly was not security concerns. It far more likely concerned the stallion sitting besides her. Because her aunt was a meddling meddler who meddled and Cadance was most certainly in no way whatsoever a hypocrite. The journey consisted of pleasant small-talk and companionable silence as the two of them enjoyed the view and checked their respective to-do lists until the small village came into sight. “So where are you going first Shiny? I need to check catering at Sweet Apple Acres and Sugarcube Corner- I do have to wonder how anypony plans to end the day with teeth, with names like that,” Cadance asked, checking her list, “Hm? Oh, I need to go to the local outpost then check in with the mayor, maybe we could meet in the town hall? When you’re done- I mean- I assume- uh- y’know- safety reasons…” “Of course Shiny, you may be waiting a while though, I have quite a few ponies to see…” “Um, yeah, I knew that… uh.. see you then?” without waiting for an answer he walked towards the outskirts of the small town. Cadance stifled a giggle as she followed the map she had been given to Sweet Apple Acres. -- “- An’ this is a bit o’ Apple Mills signature turnover,” “Thank you for your generosity Applejack, but I should probably be on my way,” “O’Course, Ah probably shouldna’ kept you so long, princess, you got a hole town ta’ get through afer’all,” “It’s no problem really, those were some of the best pastries I’ve ever eaten,” “Aw shucks, it ain’t nothin’ really- just what Ma and Pa’s passed on from their Ma and Pa,” a knocking interrupted Applejack’s deflection, and a mare with a curly pink and blue hair poked her head in the door, “Um… may I borrow Apple Bloom again AJ? I only need her to man the stall for an hour tops,” “Oh oh can I?! Pleeaaassseee big sis?” A small filly bounced up to the farmer, grinning. “BonBon let’s me have cheaper sweets!” “Of course, employee discount!” “It’s fine with me Bon’, what’s the crisis this time?” Applejack asked, ignoring her sisters exited dance, “No crisis this time- Lyra’s coming to town! We’re going to spend some time together at the Summer Sun Celebration, then she’ll stick with me in the store,” “Real’y? That’s mighty fin’ news fer once, say howdy for me will ya’?” “Of course, I’ll grab Apple Bloom in a bit if you don’t mind?” at a final confirmation, Bonbon walked out of the door, and Cadance stood to leave too, waving by to her hosts as she left. Why did the name Lyra sound so familiar? Author's Note No, Celestia isn't OOC. It's intentional. Anyway- alt Mane 6 story go! PreparationsCadance opened the door to the gingerbread house, the gentle tinkle of the bell echoing around the near-empty room, most customers having already ate at this hour and only one mare running the till, “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! I’m Sky Tierer, how may I help?” the mare was a cheerful earth pony, with a sunset-pink mane loosely tied and white coat protected by a simple apron with her name pinned to the front. “Hello, I’m Cadance, I’m here to help oversee the Summer Sun Celebration, may I speak to your employer?” The mare’s eyes got distant for a moment before she grinned and stuck her head in a door marked ‘staff only’, “Mr and Mrs Cake, Princess Cadance is here to check we’re all good to go!” Moments later a frazzled mare with a pink mane appeared, a folder in one hoof and a platter of small samples on her back, she quickly talked Cadance through the contents of the binder- mostly notes on allergens- as Cadance tried the samples before she quickly darted back into the kitchen, leaving Cadance in the main restaurant, “Huh, not as frazzled as I thought…” Cadance looked up, seeing Sky looking mildly disappointed before shaking her head, “Anything else I can do for you Princess?” “Not particularly, I suppose I’ll see you at the Summer Sun Celebration?” “Of course! I’ll introduce you to my siste-” a soft thump came from above their heads, and Sky smiled, “Or you could wait a few minutes and meet her now, if you have the time? She just woke up.” Cadance opened and closed her mouth unsure of whether or even how to comment on a pony sleeping until mid-afternoon. “She works nights.” Sky paused for a moment then grinned, “Have you met Rainbow yet?!” Cadance paused remembering the name from her list, “The weather manager? No, why?” To her surprise, Sky Tierer began cackling with glee, “Oh, you want to wait a moment then- Rainbow’s a total slacker- and her boss- but Lulu constantly mouths off- we’re pretty new in town and I’m amazed she hasn’t been fired yet, probably ‘cause Rainbow totally agrees but doesn’t want to admit it so just uses Lulu being so Lulu-y as an excuse to work hard without giving up her whole ‘discord-may-care’ thi-” “Dearest Sister, I hope you aren't engaging in idle gossip regarding me. Again.” “I wouldn’t dream of it dearest Nebula.” Sky grinned, The dark blue pegasus who had descended the stairs had her light blue mane short and loose, naturally curling at the ends despite the brush being dragged through it by her wings. She, like her sister, paused a moment upon seeing Cadance before giving her mane one last tug and flying down the last few steps, glaring out the window. “You said you were going to inspect Rainbow Dash, correct? I will accompany you, if you do not mind.” she paused in her trot, turning to Cadance with a small smile, “Nebula Lulamoon. No relation to the stage performer by the name of Trixie.” “Nice to meet you Nebula, um I don’t mind, uh, lead the way?” something about the mare unsettled Cadance in a way she couldn’t quite place, but she quickly followed, waving to Sky Tierer who gave a cheerful ‘bye’ as the two left. “So… uh… your sister said you two are new in town?” Cadance awkwardly tried to break the silence that Nebula seemed oblivious to, “Yes. We moved recently from Canterlot.” “Oh! That’s neat, weird to think we might have passed each other, huh?” “I suppose.” Cadance was on the verge of giving into the awkward silence with this brick-wall of a mare, when she noticed something sticking out of her hastily-tied saddle-bag, “Oh you’re a fan of Moonbound too?” Nebula froze in her brisk pace a moment before giving an awkward grin, “O-oh you’ve read it? Who’s your favourite character?” Cadance thought for a moment on the most important question in any given conversation, “Hmm… Twily gets sulky whenever I say this but Sun.” Nebula suddenly seemed a lot less awkward, “Oh? Most people say Dream, why Sun? “It’s kinda’ silly but it’s because she’s based on my aunt y’know? It’s pretty cool to see how everypony else sees Auntie I guess,” Cadance beamed at Nebula, “Oh. I prefer Darkness honestly- it’s interesting to try and figure out why she is like she is; wait-” a smirk not unlike her sister’s crossed the other mare’s muzzle, “if you like Sun because she’s based on Princess Celestia, shouldn’t Love be your favourite?” “No. Just no. Don’t even talk about that spin-off, the kindest thing I can say is that it’s flattering. And even then, I am not 1000 years old.” Nebula laughed, and started hovering, “Rainbow will be neglecting her duties somewhere near here,” “Did I hear the name of the best flier in Equestria?!” A rainbow blur flew by the duo, stopping to reveal a cyan pegasus with the most technicolour mane Cadance had ever seen and a massive grin splitting her face. A grin that became distinctly more nervous when met with Nebula’s unamused stare. “H-hey Nebula. Uh. Give me ten seconds flat?” without waiting for acknowledgement the mare- presumably Rainbow Dash- returned to a blur of colour, clearing the skies at truly impressive speeds. True to her word, by the time Nebula had counted to ten she was hovering in front of them before a spotless sky. Nebula seemed about to argue, but instead sighed with a resigned smile “’No harm no foul’ as the saying goes, I suppose. I will see you at the Summer Sun Celebration?” “Of course- the Wonderbolts are going to be there! Like, the actual Wonderbolts actually performing!” Rainbow did a small loop-de-loop, “You KNOW it’s my dream to join them!” Cadance smiled, “I have to go check the music and decorations next, I’ll see you at the Celebration too, Nebula!” “Huh? O-oh, yes, yes you will I suppose. See you then.” Nebula waved as Cadance walked towards the town hall intending to stop by music on her way. Would Shiny be done at the barracks by the time she got there? MusicCadance frowned at the hoof-drawn map, should she have asked Nebula for directions? The directions provided to the music organiser seemed to point her to a small forest on the edge of the much larger and more terrifying Everfree Forest, just a short way out of her route to the town hall, but weren’t much more specific than that, leaving Cadance awkwardly wandering along the forest edge, trying to catch a snippet of music other than the constant, beautiful birdsong. “Lost, princess?” a voice called from behind her, quickly revealed to be a mint-green unicorn with an easy grin that dropped into a look of pure mortification when Cadance turned around “Oh crud, You’re actua- I just used that line on- oh jeez, just kill me now!” Cadance chuckled lightly before answering, “Yes, actually, do you know where I can find Fluttershy? I’ve been sent to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and she’s in charge of music?” “Oh, I was just going to see her! Well- not see, she’s ridiculously shy, but her music is something else and I was going to listen,” the other mare’s easy grin returned and she offered a hoof to shake, “I’m Lyra Heartstrings, I’ve been studying in Canterlot for a while so I’m running around town catching up with everypony ‘till BonBon’s free. Nice to meet you Princess Cadance!” “Nice to meet you too, Lyra! I hope you don’t mind me following along?” “’Course not! Happy to have company honestly, talking to Fluttershy without her animals around is… awkward; I usually just climb a tree or something and sit there listening for a bit until I get lonely,” Lyra started heading into the forest, holding up a low branch telekinetically for Cadance, “What music does Fluttershy perform?” Cadance asked, “Weeeelllll… her special talent is to do with animals and we’re in a forest…” Lyra grinned “Technically she doesn’t perform anything. She’s a conductor. Of birds.” “…wow. Wow. I’m always waking up early just to hear the birds as Auntie raises the sun- and that’s what’s going to be playing?! An actual, genuine bird choir? …does she take commissions? Like, specifically around Hearts and Hooves day? Because I know a lot of colts who want her card if she does. Like, half of Canterlot ‘a lot’” Cadance could just imagine it, a young colt wanting to impress but also act ‘cool’, invites a mare to the park, acts all surprised as he points the birds out… they sit in silence, he ’casually’ slips a leg around her as they sit together- if he’s particularly brave leaning in for a kiss… “Um… Equestria to Princess Cadance? I doubt it, she only really does formal stuff- I think she has some contract with the council or something?” “…shame.” Lyra started giggling, smirking at Cadance, “So, who’s the special somepony?” Instantly her mind filled with thoughts of a certain stallion. “N-nopony!” “Oh wow, they must be pretty great if the princess of love is a stuttering filly at a thought. Tall? Short?” “Oh, look how deep in we are, we must be pretty close to Fluttershy by now, right?” Cadance wasn’t blushing. She was just pink. Lyra, still laughing quietly, gestured to a nearby tree before, in an impressive feat of agility, quickly scaling it as she stifled her laughter. Cadance gently flew up to rest beside her on the sturdy branch. The music was amazing, it would be the perfect thing to watch Auntie raise the sun to. She quietly ticked music- now she just had to get to the town hall and meet with Shiny, check the decorations then enjoy the town until the end of the sunrise. As the sun began it’s steady decent, Cadance waved goodbye and headed to the town hall, easily finding her way back to the path and along to the centre of town. To her disappointment, Shining was discussing security with the mayor when she arrived, leaving Cadance to have a brief, professional conversation with the purple maned unicorn who seemed rushed of her hooves with making sure the finishing touches were all perfect then wait by the entrance for Shiny. “Cady! So sorry I got held up, uh, you weren’t waiting long were you?” Shiny was running a hoof through his cobalt mane, “Nope! Just finished checking out the decorations, I spent a while listening to the music that’s going to play later- you’re going to love it, it’s amazing!” “Anything you like is amazing…” “Hm? Sorry I couldn’t hear that?” “N-nothing! Nothing important! A-anyway, is there anything you want to do until the Celebration starts?” Shining glanced at the horizon, the shortest night of the year already well underway, “I guess most ponies will be on their way here by now, huh?” “I was thinking of pony watching for a while, I can point the people I met today out to you then too!” Cadance smiled, “Me first!” Cadence and Shining Armour jumped as a pink-maned pony suddenly appeared behind them, Sky Tierer fell backwards, cackling. Her pink mane was now loose and flowing gently in the wind and her apron had been replaced with a simple gold chain with a small crescent pendant. Nebula hovered beside her, the hoof covering her face failing to hide the small smirk on her lips. Cadance joined in with the laughter, gesturing to the sisters, “This is Nebula Lulamoon and Sky Tierer,” “No relation to Trixie Lulamoon,” “Lulu, you do realise no-one knows who Trixie is right?” “It bears repeating, Sister.” Cadance chuckled lightly at the sister’s, before noticing a minty-green mane in the crowd, “Lyra! Over here!” “Oh, hey Cadance! This is Bon-Bon, my best friend!” A mare Cadance vaguely recognised from Sweet Apple Acres followed Lyra, and Cadance instantly could see what an under-estimate ‘best friend’ was. Not quite a couple but… not far off. Even Shiny could probably see it! “Wait… Lyra like Twily’s friend?” “Y’know Twilght?” Cadance face-hoofed, “That’s where I heard your name before! Twily mentioned you!” “Wait, back up, you two know Twilight?” Lyra glanced between the two of them, “I’m her older brother,” “I used to foalsit her,” “...Huh, small world I guess?” “’The paths least likely to be trodden are those with the deepest wear in the infinities of chance’” Nebula smirked slightly, “Oh, you’ve read the prequels too? Anarchy’s the only one I’ve read, I find the rest too sad what with knowing how it all turns out n’all,” “I enjoy the take on the founding of Eques-” “Your attention please everyone!” The rest of Nebula’s reply was cut off by the mayor coming too the stage, her voice magically enhanced, “The princess will be arriving shortly!” As Fluttershy’s choir started, Cadance couldn’t help but feel a small swell of pride despite how little she’d contributed to the events. This was going to be perfect. Author's Note Nebula's views on Trixie Lulamoon in no way reflect my own NightmaresThe bird’s song filled the quickly silenced area, as everypony turned as one to the stage. The mayor started her speech as the last few ponies gathered, Cadance, having heard it countless times before at other celebrations, instead inspected the hall: the decorations were as immaculate as they had been when Rarity had been showing them earlier; the food looked as delicious as it tasted under the sparkling crystals; the faint birdsong was effectively accentuating both the general suspense and the underlaying tone of excitement as the citizens of Ponyville waited to welcome the sun for the longest day of the year- everything was perfect! Still… “Somethings not right.” Lyra was the one who voiced the thoughts of the whole group with a quiet whisper, her eyes wide and fearful, “S-something terrible has happened!” Bon-Bon gently put a hoof on her shoulder, anxiously analysing the room and glancing between the various guards scattered throughout the room. Shining shuffled so he was at the front of their small group. The sisters shared a glance, silently arguing. Cadance shuddered. The other ponies were all cheerfully smiling, little fillies were sneaking pastries while parents and older siblings were focused on the stage, but something in the air just felt wrong. Nebula gasped lightly, staring at the moon. The shadow was gone. “And now announcing…” The Nightmare was free. “…Our beloved ruler…” The daydream was over. “NIGHTMARE MOON!” The mayor was cut off by the roar of a fiery-maned alicorn, blasting them off the stage as she raised her hoof in a sweeping gesture towards the podium, from which a spectral maned alicorn emerged, “Why my dear, darling subjects… it has been far too long since I have seen your precious, sun-loving faces,” “Who are you?! What have you done with our Princess!?” Rainbow Dash darted out of the crowd, looking seconds away from bucking the alicorn in the face. Shining snapped out of his stupor and yelled for the guards to seize both of the alicorns, “NO! You can’t fight her! Flee!” The guards ignored Nebula’s desperate plea and charged, Rainbow Dash barely being caught and held back by Applejack. Nightmare Moon merely cackled, effortlessly blasting away all the guards. Shining Armour quickly caught them all in shields and lowered them gently to the ground, keeping their protective bubbles around them. “Oh? It is good to see that despite that traitorous foal’s best efforts one of you little ponies saw the signs of my glorious master’s return!” The fiery-maned one smirked and glared across the crowd, “Did the rest of you truly think it wise to forget!? Forget the true ruler of our land!? Forget the mightiest warrior history has known!?” “Forgive them, my dear Sunset Blaze- they have had centuries under that thief’s rule after al-” “She is no thief! She rules justly while you wallow in your own foalish ambitions!” Nebula snarled at the two tyrant alicorns, “You are but a living shadow, nightmare.” “SILENCE! You know who I am, yet you dare to defy me!?” Nightmare Moon stalked towards Nebula, walking easily between the parting crowd. Sky Tierer tried to dart forward but was stopped by a small glare from Nebula. Shining surreptitiously dropped the spells protecting his guards and began gathering energy to protect Nebula when it became necessary. Lyra huddled behind Bon-Bon. Rainbow was still being restrained by Applejack. Nebula glared up at the alicorn. “Such arrogant defiance… tell me, do you know what I intend to do? What I have the power to do?!” “You intend to bring eternal night and rule over the wasteland it creates! Everything in this world needs the sun, idiot! You intend to gather the enforced adoration of an ended world!” a small smirk crossed Nebula’s lips “But you won’t win. The world won’t let you win. If ponies fail, destiny will bring the Elements of Harmony together to defeat you once more, because you are destined to fail!” Sky Tierer quietly gasped and, realising her sisters plan, hissed under her breath “Oh, you suicidal idiot!” Nightmare Moon began charging her horn, Shining threw a shield around Nebula only for Sunset to blast him, causing it to flicker away. Sky stared on in horror as her sister continued to stare defiantly into the nightmare’s eyes, perfectly still. “HEY!” Cadance dived into Nightmare Moon’s back from behind the stage, casting a teleport spell as soon as she impacted and slamming her forehooves into the other mare’s face. Sunset Blaze threw a ball of fire, forcing Cadance to back away before diving at the Nightmare once more, horn glowing with an overloaded stunning spell which exploded in the Nightmares face. She locked eyes with Shining Armour who instantly threw a shield around the crowd. In that second of distraction, however, Sunset grabbed Cadance in a telekinetic grip, only to find her head jolted to the side. Moon summoned a sword above the now-free younger alicorn’s head, nicking her tail as she threw herself into the skies, shooting a bolt of energy at Nightmare only to find it effortlessly blocked. Nightmare’s mane grew into tendril’s, holding Cadance still and wrapping around her horn. She struggled, trying to force herself free, but it was to no avail- Nightmare Moon was blocking her magic and without it Cadance had less than no-hope of stopping them. Still she defiantly glared at her captor, “What did you do to my Aunt?” To her surprise, the Nightmare looked momentarily surprised before cackling “Oh Chryssy you card! You actually got one of your drunken schemes to work! And so perfectly too! Oh ‘the Princess of Looovveee!’- she must be a free snack bar to you!” with a final, barking laugh Nightmare Moon grinned sinisterly and leaned forward “Your darling ‘Auntie Tia?’ she’s a liar, manipulator and tyran-” “Try the betrayal card on someone whose special-bucking-talent isn’t love, Moonie. Go to Tartarus.” Cadance, not entirely rationally, figured she may as well have something memorable on her tomb. Shining tried to run forward, opening a hole in his shield, but was pulled back by a familiar faint green glow that filled Cadance’s heart with hope. “Release my niece, Luna.” Celestia strode through the hole in Shining’s shield. The nightmare hummed, mock-pensively, “You know, I don’t think I shall. It tends to be counter-intuitive to give up hostages when attempting to take over a country.” “Release her and…” Celestia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, “Release her and promise not to harm my precious little ponies and I will surrender. You can have your revenge.” “THEY ARE NOT YO-” Sunset Blaze began to shout, but Nightmare Moon raised a hoof to silence her. “Tempting, tempting, but first…” A taunting smirk. “Show everypony here the truth, Chrysalis!” Author's Note No, Sunset Blaze is nothing to do with Sunset Shimmer. AU stuff none of the go-to names would work here and that was the best one that I could think of that would. Also, I am not good at writing fight scenes. CelestiaCelestia’s eyes widened as she glanced nervously through the crowd. Her breaths grew heavy and her legs trembled, as though on the verge of running. Who was Chrysalis? What was the Nightmare talking about? …What had made her seemingly unshakable aunt so terrified? Celestia glanced fearfully around the room, eyes lingering on the cameras and reporters before finally coming to meet Cadance’s own, uttering silent apologies as green flames rose around her, slowly covering her entire body: replacing white fur with cold, black chitin; replacing soft, feathered wings with shredded cuticle; replacing her flowing rainbow mane with clumpy blue strands somehow littered with holes. Replacing her gentle, kind purple eyes with an insectile green. Panicked whispers ran throughout the hall, while several ponies simply froze and stared in shock, Nebula and her sister among them. Shining paused for a moment in whispering orders to the remaining guards before resuming quietly trying to evacuate civilians and the injured royal guards as though nothing had happened. Lyra gasped, hiding behind Bon-Bon who lay a comforting hoof around the green mare’s shoulder “So good to see you again, old friend!” The Nightmare’s remark snapped the gathered ponies out of their shock into a mad panic, Shining’s quiet evacuation falling into a stampede under her manic cackle. Celes-Chrysalis closed her eyes and took a steadying breath before glaring at Nightmare Moon and Sunset Blaze “Leave my ponies alone and I shall surrender. Fail to and… we all know I cannot defeat both of you: not even with the love of every pony in Equestria. But I can draw our fight out for weeks, months even- I can make you regret ever hearing my name!” “I already do, next? Negotiations usually take a position of power you know dear Chryssy.” Nightmare Moon pretended to observe her silver shoe, before smirking cruelly, “Well, no you don’t. you rule a hivemind.” “Oh, like you know better Luna. You had a grand total of three diplomatic duties, and two of them were me!” “At least I- wait, two?” “…And you’re blind to any truth you don’t want to know, apparently.” Sunset Blaze, who had taken hold of Cadance while the other alicorns talked, snarled as her fiery mane rose and roared, “Thou dare insult The Queen of The Night!? You dare compare this mighty nation to your monstrous caverns!” “The only monsters here are you!” Cadance struggled against her bonds as she glared at the tyrant alicorns “And I have literally no idea what in Equestria is going on, but Auntie is a great ruler! …so buck off!” “You dare speak against thy true Queen!?” Sunset Blaze’s mane flared in anger, and the magical bonds around Cadance tightened. She found herself gasping for breath and heard her aunt and Shining Armour cry her name as blackness enveloped her vision and she passed out to Sunset Blaze’s cruel smirk. That went better in her head. /\v/< When she regained consciousness, she was surrounded by comforting bookshelves with Shining hovering over her, “Wh-what happened? How did we get away? Where are we?” Cadance sat bolt-upright frantically looking around, “Cady! Thank Celestia you’re alright! Don’t worry everyone is safe, When you passed out Cele- …the Princess blasted them both through a wall; I brought you here, to the library, and my colts are protecting everyone. This… this’ll all be fine.” “And my Aunt?” Shining’s guilty glance aside told her everything she had to know. “I have to help.” Cadance shakily got to her hooves, “That would be unwise. As already proven, you aren’t as strong as the Nightmares and Chrysalis would happily lay down her life for you, making you a hindrance in an outright battle.” Nebula walked through the door, followed by her sister, Lyra and Bon-Bon, “That doesn’t mean you are useless though- quite the opposite in fact.” As she flew to a nearby shelf and withdrew a book Shining’s eyes narrowed warily, “How come you seemed to know exactly what was happening anyway Nebula? And what were those ‘Elements of Harmony’ you mentioned?” Nebula dropped the book- titled ‘Elements of Harmony: a reference guide’- on the table in the centre of the room and glanced aside to her sister, “Lulu, this is far more your decision than it is mine.” Sky Tierer’s eyes held an uncharacteristic seriousness, “you’re the one who came up with a stupidly reckless and unnecessarily dangerous plan to fix our mess.” Nebula sighed, flying up to a different shelf and pulling down a foal’s story book- the Tale of Two Sisters. “You know the story of Celestia’s rule but…” she gave a small, sad grin “We’ve already established that’s a lie. In truth… the story is the one you know until the younger sister’s stupid, stupid jealousy. Celestia couldn’t bring herself to harm her sister, and kneeled but Chrysalis, Queen of the Changeling Hive, somehow got the elements to work for her and- as you now know- took Celestia’s place as ruler of Equestria.” Bon-Bon narrowed her eyes into a glare, “And you know this because...?” Nebula shot one last questioning glance at Sky, who nodded, and sighed before sadly smiling, “Isn’t it obvious? I am the one who started this mess. I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night, guardian of dreams… the true form of Nightmare Moon.” "..." “That’s not funny.” Shining was the first to break the silence. “’Tis not a jape.” Nebula stared with tired eyes, Tia grinned and interjected, “Nah, Lulu lost her sense of humour a couple decades ago. Now I’ve got it!” “Wait…” Bon-Bon spoke quietly, as though still thinking, “If she’s Luna, wouldn’t that make you… the real Celestia?” Sky Tierer simply smirked. Shining frowned and started skimming the book on the elements that Nebula- Luna- had placed on the table. “What are these ‘elements’? I had dismissed them as a myth- I presume they’re in the palace of two sisters?” Nebula nodded, “You presume correctly, that is where… the final battle took place. Even though Chryssy found a way to use them, it’s highly unlikely she can move them. As for what they are… well, I believe Cadance can give a better summary of the novels than I can,” Wait. What. “Those are accurate?!” “Well, Chryssy was quite over-critical of herself, and my portrayal was riddled with inaccuracies, but the Elements are portrayed realistically.” “Chrys- Auntie wrote them?!” Cadance was mildly concerned she may have unhinged her jaw. “wait, Chryssy? How close were you?” Nebula blushed, and Cadance realised she was back on familiar grounds. “So, preeety close then,” “Oh, you would not believe the amount of times I caught them making out in alcoves…” “Equestriacouldbeendinglet’sfocusonthat!” Shining frowned slightly, “Speaking of the apocalypse, how can you two simultaneously be here and all… evil tyrant fighting across the planet?” “Ok, first of I’m an evil minion!” Sky smirked, “And secondly… we aren’t sure. We just woke up, on the edge of the Everfree, like we are now.” “If I were to guess, I’d say Chryssy’s treatment of the sun and moon are to blame.” Nebula frowned up at the sky, “They have not liked being moved by force, these past centuries. We could feel their ill-content, even addled by the Nightmares…” “...And our respective celestial bodies were our prisons. Us being split in two is probably them going on strike ‘till we can take over moving ‘em again.” Sky paused pensively, “Probably why the Nightmare’s were released early too?” “S-so, these elements… if we get them, we can help Queen Chrysalis?” Lyra asked, still clearly shaken. Cadance nodded, “Yes, according to the book there are six, Laughter, Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity and the sixth element which is… like, friendship? Just as a concept?” “It’s called the element of Magic, but yes effectively.” Lyra frowned resolutely. “What are we waiting for then? They’re in the Everfree right?” Bon-Bon rested a hoof on her shoulders, “Lyra, y-we’re civilian, are you sure?” “Definitely. Our leader needs our help, I’m helping her.” Cadance looked over the room. They had a plan, and she wouldn’t be doing this alone. Despite her fears, despite the stakes, despite everything, she found herself smiling. They would stop this eternal night. She would save her aunt. Author's Note So... I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but I'm also super happy with it? It's shorter, but I genuinely couldn't find a way to extend it that didn't seem forced and, while I love the cliffhanger I was actively trying to avoid one and did one anyway? Also I can't tell if the dialogue is 'witty and realistic', 'stilted and tryhard' or just both. Edit: So yeah, sorry for the delay, but I just couldn't get the next bit to a length I'd be willing to have a chapter for, so now it's tagged on to the end of this one. Sorry!
Princess Cadenza Mi Amour…Thus the Nightmare cackled as her sister kneeled, tears in her eyes. She, so far in darkness and arrogance, could not see the truth behind her elder’s tears until the elements, once shared between them, rose behind the Sun and, with a heavy heart, banished their sister to the moon. Forevermore… Cadance blinked back tears of her own as she closed the book with a faint snap- the emotional climax where the mild-mannered Dream had chosen the twisted mare Darkness over her own sister… she was glad the Moonbound story was only loosely based on the Mare in The Moon, to imagine the events being real… at least the author had announced her intention for a happier sequel? She glanced skyward and realised she had been reading for the better part of a morning. Regina Chrys’ works were so enrapturing! The themes of betrayal weren’t a favourite of Cadance’s, but with the author’s promise the series wouldn’t end without Darkness’ comeuppance or resolution, and the platonic love between the sisters triumphing would more than make up for the omnipresent darkness. Reluctantly, she returned the book to her saddlebags, she had a foal- well, dragon-sitting appointment with Twily’s younger brother, Spike, and he hadn’t inherited his sisters obsession with books- and even if he had she would hesitate to expose him to Chrys’ work so young merely to justify a re-read- so she would likely only have time for a single chapter of the more in-depth analysis necessary to truly appreciate the franchise. As she headed in the direction of the Sparkle residence however, she was stopped by an item in her saddlebags that had not been their earlier. Confused, she removed it to reveal a letter from her mentor and Aunt, Princess Celestia. Dear Cadence, Could you please meet with me as soon as you receive this? I have organised young Spike another foalsitter, so you need not worry. Love, Celestia. P.S: I am aware you likely missed this letter’s arrival. Fear not. Cadance frowned slightly, her aunt wanted her? Presumably it would take a while if Celestia expected her to be unable to arrive in time for Spike, but it wasn’t time-sensitive if the post-script was an indication yet the short message itself carried the opposite implication. Before she knew it, she was stood before the gates of Canterlot castle, still none the wiser to her Aunt’s motives. She travelled the familiar steps to her Aunt’s study, still pondering the answer. She knocked once and the door swung open with a faint green glow. “Ah, finally, apologies for the short notice Cadance but I have an important task for you- well semi-important. Foot-in-the-door important. Less important than-world-ending-important, more important than cake-crisis-important.” “So, not an international crisis, but definitely a national one?” Celestia, with mock-annoyance, swatted Cadance as she continued, “Hush, I want you to oversee preparations for the summer sun celebration- it’ll be a decent learning experience, and perfectly safe- the locals have mostly finished, you just need to make sure the finishing touches go alright, ok? I have a list of people you’ll need to talk to and a chariot waiting.” Cadance beamed, “Of course! It’s in a town called Ponyville this year, right? Near the Everfree? If nothing else, it’s a good tourism opportunity!” “That’s the spirit! I’ll see you at sunrise dear niece!” With that Cadance was in a chariot, the two guards’ ponies who would be carrying her barely blinking as their princess teleporting her. Next to her was a white unicorn stallion with a blu- “Shiny?!” “Oh, hey Cady… guessing her highness forgot to mention I’d be here too?” He smiled as Cadence nodded, blushing slightly, and the two pegasi guards took off, “Yeah, she wanted some extra guards for some reason this year, so I need to make sure the boys are ok. No-idea why, before you ask,” Cadance just nodded, she had an inkling to the reason and it most certainly was not security concerns. It far more likely concerned the stallion sitting besides her. Because her aunt was a meddling meddler who meddled and Cadance was most certainly in no way whatsoever a hypocrite. The journey consisted of pleasant small-talk and companionable silence as the two of them enjoyed the view and checked their respective to-do lists until the small village came into sight. “So where are you going first Shiny? I need to check catering at Sweet Apple Acres and Sugarcube Corner- I do have to wonder how anypony plans to end the day with teeth, with names like that,” Cadance asked, checking her list, “Hm? Oh, I need to go to the local outpost then check in with the mayor, maybe we could meet in the town hall? When you’re done- I mean- I assume- uh- y’know- safety reasons…” “Of course Shiny, you may be waiting a while though, I have quite a few ponies to see…” “Um, yeah, I knew that… uh.. see you then?” without waiting for an answer he walked towards the outskirts of the small town. Cadance stifled a giggle as she followed the map she had been given to Sweet Apple Acres. -- “- An’ this is a bit o’ Apple Mills signature turnover,” “Thank you for your generosity Applejack, but I should probably be on my way,” “O’Course, Ah probably shouldna’ kept you so long, princess, you got a hole town ta’ get through afer’all,” “It’s no problem really, those were some of the best pastries I’ve ever eaten,” “Aw shucks, it ain’t nothin’ really- just what Ma and Pa’s passed on from their Ma and Pa,” a knocking interrupted Applejack’s deflection, and a mare with a curly pink and blue hair poked her head in the door, “Um… may I borrow Apple Bloom again AJ? I only need her to man the stall for an hour tops,” “Oh oh can I?! Pleeaaassseee big sis?” A small filly bounced up to the farmer, grinning. “BonBon let’s me have cheaper sweets!” “Of course, employee discount!” “It’s fine with me Bon’, what’s the crisis this time?” Applejack asked, ignoring her sisters exited dance, “No crisis this time- Lyra’s coming to town! We’re going to spend some time together at the Summer Sun Celebration, then she’ll stick with me in the store,” “Real’y? That’s mighty fin’ news fer once, say howdy for me will ya’?” “Of course, I’ll grab Apple Bloom in a bit if you don’t mind?” at a final confirmation, Bonbon walked out of the door, and Cadance stood to leave too, waving by to her hosts as she left. Why did the name Lyra sound so familiar? Author's Note No, Celestia isn't OOC. It's intentional. Anyway- alt Mane 6 story go!
PreparationsCadance opened the door to the gingerbread house, the gentle tinkle of the bell echoing around the near-empty room, most customers having already ate at this hour and only one mare running the till, “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! I’m Sky Tierer, how may I help?” the mare was a cheerful earth pony, with a sunset-pink mane loosely tied and white coat protected by a simple apron with her name pinned to the front. “Hello, I’m Cadance, I’m here to help oversee the Summer Sun Celebration, may I speak to your employer?” The mare’s eyes got distant for a moment before she grinned and stuck her head in a door marked ‘staff only’, “Mr and Mrs Cake, Princess Cadance is here to check we’re all good to go!” Moments later a frazzled mare with a pink mane appeared, a folder in one hoof and a platter of small samples on her back, she quickly talked Cadance through the contents of the binder- mostly notes on allergens- as Cadance tried the samples before she quickly darted back into the kitchen, leaving Cadance in the main restaurant, “Huh, not as frazzled as I thought…” Cadance looked up, seeing Sky looking mildly disappointed before shaking her head, “Anything else I can do for you Princess?” “Not particularly, I suppose I’ll see you at the Summer Sun Celebration?” “Of course! I’ll introduce you to my siste-” a soft thump came from above their heads, and Sky smiled, “Or you could wait a few minutes and meet her now, if you have the time? She just woke up.” Cadance opened and closed her mouth unsure of whether or even how to comment on a pony sleeping until mid-afternoon. “She works nights.” Sky paused for a moment then grinned, “Have you met Rainbow yet?!” Cadance paused remembering the name from her list, “The weather manager? No, why?” To her surprise, Sky Tierer began cackling with glee, “Oh, you want to wait a moment then- Rainbow’s a total slacker- and her boss- but Lulu constantly mouths off- we’re pretty new in town and I’m amazed she hasn’t been fired yet, probably ‘cause Rainbow totally agrees but doesn’t want to admit it so just uses Lulu being so Lulu-y as an excuse to work hard without giving up her whole ‘discord-may-care’ thi-” “Dearest Sister, I hope you aren't engaging in idle gossip regarding me. Again.” “I wouldn’t dream of it dearest Nebula.” Sky grinned, The dark blue pegasus who had descended the stairs had her light blue mane short and loose, naturally curling at the ends despite the brush being dragged through it by her wings. She, like her sister, paused a moment upon seeing Cadance before giving her mane one last tug and flying down the last few steps, glaring out the window. “You said you were going to inspect Rainbow Dash, correct? I will accompany you, if you do not mind.” she paused in her trot, turning to Cadance with a small smile, “Nebula Lulamoon. No relation to the stage performer by the name of Trixie.” “Nice to meet you Nebula, um I don’t mind, uh, lead the way?” something about the mare unsettled Cadance in a way she couldn’t quite place, but she quickly followed, waving to Sky Tierer who gave a cheerful ‘bye’ as the two left. “So… uh… your sister said you two are new in town?” Cadance awkwardly tried to break the silence that Nebula seemed oblivious to, “Yes. We moved recently from Canterlot.” “Oh! That’s neat, weird to think we might have passed each other, huh?” “I suppose.” Cadance was on the verge of giving into the awkward silence with this brick-wall of a mare, when she noticed something sticking out of her hastily-tied saddle-bag, “Oh you’re a fan of Moonbound too?” Nebula froze in her brisk pace a moment before giving an awkward grin, “O-oh you’ve read it? Who’s your favourite character?” Cadance thought for a moment on the most important question in any given conversation, “Hmm… Twily gets sulky whenever I say this but Sun.” Nebula suddenly seemed a lot less awkward, “Oh? Most people say Dream, why Sun? “It’s kinda’ silly but it’s because she’s based on my aunt y’know? It’s pretty cool to see how everypony else sees Auntie I guess,” Cadance beamed at Nebula, “Oh. I prefer Darkness honestly- it’s interesting to try and figure out why she is like she is; wait-” a smirk not unlike her sister’s crossed the other mare’s muzzle, “if you like Sun because she’s based on Princess Celestia, shouldn’t Love be your favourite?” “No. Just no. Don’t even talk about that spin-off, the kindest thing I can say is that it’s flattering. And even then, I am not 1000 years old.” Nebula laughed, and started hovering, “Rainbow will be neglecting her duties somewhere near here,” “Did I hear the name of the best flier in Equestria?!” A rainbow blur flew by the duo, stopping to reveal a cyan pegasus with the most technicolour mane Cadance had ever seen and a massive grin splitting her face. A grin that became distinctly more nervous when met with Nebula’s unamused stare. “H-hey Nebula. Uh. Give me ten seconds flat?” without waiting for acknowledgement the mare- presumably Rainbow Dash- returned to a blur of colour, clearing the skies at truly impressive speeds. True to her word, by the time Nebula had counted to ten she was hovering in front of them before a spotless sky. Nebula seemed about to argue, but instead sighed with a resigned smile “’No harm no foul’ as the saying goes, I suppose. I will see you at the Summer Sun Celebration?” “Of course- the Wonderbolts are going to be there! Like, the actual Wonderbolts actually performing!” Rainbow did a small loop-de-loop, “You KNOW it’s my dream to join them!” Cadance smiled, “I have to go check the music and decorations next, I’ll see you at the Celebration too, Nebula!” “Huh? O-oh, yes, yes you will I suppose. See you then.” Nebula waved as Cadance walked towards the town hall intending to stop by music on her way. Would Shiny be done at the barracks by the time she got there?
MusicCadance frowned at the hoof-drawn map, should she have asked Nebula for directions? The directions provided to the music organiser seemed to point her to a small forest on the edge of the much larger and more terrifying Everfree Forest, just a short way out of her route to the town hall, but weren’t much more specific than that, leaving Cadance awkwardly wandering along the forest edge, trying to catch a snippet of music other than the constant, beautiful birdsong. “Lost, princess?” a voice called from behind her, quickly revealed to be a mint-green unicorn with an easy grin that dropped into a look of pure mortification when Cadance turned around “Oh crud, You’re actua- I just used that line on- oh jeez, just kill me now!” Cadance chuckled lightly before answering, “Yes, actually, do you know where I can find Fluttershy? I’ve been sent to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and she’s in charge of music?” “Oh, I was just going to see her! Well- not see, she’s ridiculously shy, but her music is something else and I was going to listen,” the other mare’s easy grin returned and she offered a hoof to shake, “I’m Lyra Heartstrings, I’ve been studying in Canterlot for a while so I’m running around town catching up with everypony ‘till BonBon’s free. Nice to meet you Princess Cadance!” “Nice to meet you too, Lyra! I hope you don’t mind me following along?” “’Course not! Happy to have company honestly, talking to Fluttershy without her animals around is… awkward; I usually just climb a tree or something and sit there listening for a bit until I get lonely,” Lyra started heading into the forest, holding up a low branch telekinetically for Cadance, “What music does Fluttershy perform?” Cadance asked, “Weeeelllll… her special talent is to do with animals and we’re in a forest…” Lyra grinned “Technically she doesn’t perform anything. She’s a conductor. Of birds.” “…wow. Wow. I’m always waking up early just to hear the birds as Auntie raises the sun- and that’s what’s going to be playing?! An actual, genuine bird choir? …does she take commissions? Like, specifically around Hearts and Hooves day? Because I know a lot of colts who want her card if she does. Like, half of Canterlot ‘a lot’” Cadance could just imagine it, a young colt wanting to impress but also act ‘cool’, invites a mare to the park, acts all surprised as he points the birds out… they sit in silence, he ’casually’ slips a leg around her as they sit together- if he’s particularly brave leaning in for a kiss… “Um… Equestria to Princess Cadance? I doubt it, she only really does formal stuff- I think she has some contract with the council or something?” “…shame.” Lyra started giggling, smirking at Cadance, “So, who’s the special somepony?” Instantly her mind filled with thoughts of a certain stallion. “N-nopony!” “Oh wow, they must be pretty great if the princess of love is a stuttering filly at a thought. Tall? Short?” “Oh, look how deep in we are, we must be pretty close to Fluttershy by now, right?” Cadance wasn’t blushing. She was just pink. Lyra, still laughing quietly, gestured to a nearby tree before, in an impressive feat of agility, quickly scaling it as she stifled her laughter. Cadance gently flew up to rest beside her on the sturdy branch. The music was amazing, it would be the perfect thing to watch Auntie raise the sun to. She quietly ticked music- now she just had to get to the town hall and meet with Shiny, check the decorations then enjoy the town until the end of the sunrise. As the sun began it’s steady decent, Cadance waved goodbye and headed to the town hall, easily finding her way back to the path and along to the centre of town. To her disappointment, Shining was discussing security with the mayor when she arrived, leaving Cadance to have a brief, professional conversation with the purple maned unicorn who seemed rushed of her hooves with making sure the finishing touches were all perfect then wait by the entrance for Shiny. “Cady! So sorry I got held up, uh, you weren’t waiting long were you?” Shiny was running a hoof through his cobalt mane, “Nope! Just finished checking out the decorations, I spent a while listening to the music that’s going to play later- you’re going to love it, it’s amazing!” “Anything you like is amazing…” “Hm? Sorry I couldn’t hear that?” “N-nothing! Nothing important! A-anyway, is there anything you want to do until the Celebration starts?” Shining glanced at the horizon, the shortest night of the year already well underway, “I guess most ponies will be on their way here by now, huh?” “I was thinking of pony watching for a while, I can point the people I met today out to you then too!” Cadance smiled, “Me first!” Cadence and Shining Armour jumped as a pink-maned pony suddenly appeared behind them, Sky Tierer fell backwards, cackling. Her pink mane was now loose and flowing gently in the wind and her apron had been replaced with a simple gold chain with a small crescent pendant. Nebula hovered beside her, the hoof covering her face failing to hide the small smirk on her lips. Cadance joined in with the laughter, gesturing to the sisters, “This is Nebula Lulamoon and Sky Tierer,” “No relation to Trixie Lulamoon,” “Lulu, you do realise no-one knows who Trixie is right?” “It bears repeating, Sister.” Cadance chuckled lightly at the sister’s, before noticing a minty-green mane in the crowd, “Lyra! Over here!” “Oh, hey Cadance! This is Bon-Bon, my best friend!” A mare Cadance vaguely recognised from Sweet Apple Acres followed Lyra, and Cadance instantly could see what an under-estimate ‘best friend’ was. Not quite a couple but… not far off. Even Shiny could probably see it! “Wait… Lyra like Twily’s friend?” “Y’know Twilght?” Cadance face-hoofed, “That’s where I heard your name before! Twily mentioned you!” “Wait, back up, you two know Twilight?” Lyra glanced between the two of them, “I’m her older brother,” “I used to foalsit her,” “...Huh, small world I guess?” “’The paths least likely to be trodden are those with the deepest wear in the infinities of chance’” Nebula smirked slightly, “Oh, you’ve read the prequels too? Anarchy’s the only one I’ve read, I find the rest too sad what with knowing how it all turns out n’all,” “I enjoy the take on the founding of Eques-” “Your attention please everyone!” The rest of Nebula’s reply was cut off by the mayor coming too the stage, her voice magically enhanced, “The princess will be arriving shortly!” As Fluttershy’s choir started, Cadance couldn’t help but feel a small swell of pride despite how little she’d contributed to the events. This was going to be perfect. Author's Note Nebula's views on Trixie Lulamoon in no way reflect my own
NightmaresThe bird’s song filled the quickly silenced area, as everypony turned as one to the stage. The mayor started her speech as the last few ponies gathered, Cadance, having heard it countless times before at other celebrations, instead inspected the hall: the decorations were as immaculate as they had been when Rarity had been showing them earlier; the food looked as delicious as it tasted under the sparkling crystals; the faint birdsong was effectively accentuating both the general suspense and the underlaying tone of excitement as the citizens of Ponyville waited to welcome the sun for the longest day of the year- everything was perfect! Still… “Somethings not right.” Lyra was the one who voiced the thoughts of the whole group with a quiet whisper, her eyes wide and fearful, “S-something terrible has happened!” Bon-Bon gently put a hoof on her shoulder, anxiously analysing the room and glancing between the various guards scattered throughout the room. Shining shuffled so he was at the front of their small group. The sisters shared a glance, silently arguing. Cadance shuddered. The other ponies were all cheerfully smiling, little fillies were sneaking pastries while parents and older siblings were focused on the stage, but something in the air just felt wrong. Nebula gasped lightly, staring at the moon. The shadow was gone. “And now announcing…” The Nightmare was free. “…Our beloved ruler…” The daydream was over. “NIGHTMARE MOON!” The mayor was cut off by the roar of a fiery-maned alicorn, blasting them off the stage as she raised her hoof in a sweeping gesture towards the podium, from which a spectral maned alicorn emerged, “Why my dear, darling subjects… it has been far too long since I have seen your precious, sun-loving faces,” “Who are you?! What have you done with our Princess!?” Rainbow Dash darted out of the crowd, looking seconds away from bucking the alicorn in the face. Shining snapped out of his stupor and yelled for the guards to seize both of the alicorns, “NO! You can’t fight her! Flee!” The guards ignored Nebula’s desperate plea and charged, Rainbow Dash barely being caught and held back by Applejack. Nightmare Moon merely cackled, effortlessly blasting away all the guards. Shining Armour quickly caught them all in shields and lowered them gently to the ground, keeping their protective bubbles around them. “Oh? It is good to see that despite that traitorous foal’s best efforts one of you little ponies saw the signs of my glorious master’s return!” The fiery-maned one smirked and glared across the crowd, “Did the rest of you truly think it wise to forget!? Forget the true ruler of our land!? Forget the mightiest warrior history has known!?” “Forgive them, my dear Sunset Blaze- they have had centuries under that thief’s rule after al-” “She is no thief! She rules justly while you wallow in your own foalish ambitions!” Nebula snarled at the two tyrant alicorns, “You are but a living shadow, nightmare.” “SILENCE! You know who I am, yet you dare to defy me!?” Nightmare Moon stalked towards Nebula, walking easily between the parting crowd. Sky Tierer tried to dart forward but was stopped by a small glare from Nebula. Shining surreptitiously dropped the spells protecting his guards and began gathering energy to protect Nebula when it became necessary. Lyra huddled behind Bon-Bon. Rainbow was still being restrained by Applejack. Nebula glared up at the alicorn. “Such arrogant defiance… tell me, do you know what I intend to do? What I have the power to do?!” “You intend to bring eternal night and rule over the wasteland it creates! Everything in this world needs the sun, idiot! You intend to gather the enforced adoration of an ended world!” a small smirk crossed Nebula’s lips “But you won’t win. The world won’t let you win. If ponies fail, destiny will bring the Elements of Harmony together to defeat you once more, because you are destined to fail!” Sky Tierer quietly gasped and, realising her sisters plan, hissed under her breath “Oh, you suicidal idiot!” Nightmare Moon began charging her horn, Shining threw a shield around Nebula only for Sunset to blast him, causing it to flicker away. Sky stared on in horror as her sister continued to stare defiantly into the nightmare’s eyes, perfectly still. “HEY!” Cadance dived into Nightmare Moon’s back from behind the stage, casting a teleport spell as soon as she impacted and slamming her forehooves into the other mare’s face. Sunset Blaze threw a ball of fire, forcing Cadance to back away before diving at the Nightmare once more, horn glowing with an overloaded stunning spell which exploded in the Nightmares face. She locked eyes with Shining Armour who instantly threw a shield around the crowd. In that second of distraction, however, Sunset grabbed Cadance in a telekinetic grip, only to find her head jolted to the side. Moon summoned a sword above the now-free younger alicorn’s head, nicking her tail as she threw herself into the skies, shooting a bolt of energy at Nightmare only to find it effortlessly blocked. Nightmare’s mane grew into tendril’s, holding Cadance still and wrapping around her horn. She struggled, trying to force herself free, but it was to no avail- Nightmare Moon was blocking her magic and without it Cadance had less than no-hope of stopping them. Still she defiantly glared at her captor, “What did you do to my Aunt?” To her surprise, the Nightmare looked momentarily surprised before cackling “Oh Chryssy you card! You actually got one of your drunken schemes to work! And so perfectly too! Oh ‘the Princess of Looovveee!’- she must be a free snack bar to you!” with a final, barking laugh Nightmare Moon grinned sinisterly and leaned forward “Your darling ‘Auntie Tia?’ she’s a liar, manipulator and tyran-” “Try the betrayal card on someone whose special-bucking-talent isn’t love, Moonie. Go to Tartarus.” Cadance, not entirely rationally, figured she may as well have something memorable on her tomb. Shining tried to run forward, opening a hole in his shield, but was pulled back by a familiar faint green glow that filled Cadance’s heart with hope. “Release my niece, Luna.” Celestia strode through the hole in Shining’s shield. The nightmare hummed, mock-pensively, “You know, I don’t think I shall. It tends to be counter-intuitive to give up hostages when attempting to take over a country.” “Release her and…” Celestia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, “Release her and promise not to harm my precious little ponies and I will surrender. You can have your revenge.” “THEY ARE NOT YO-” Sunset Blaze began to shout, but Nightmare Moon raised a hoof to silence her. “Tempting, tempting, but first…” A taunting smirk. “Show everypony here the truth, Chrysalis!” Author's Note No, Sunset Blaze is nothing to do with Sunset Shimmer. AU stuff none of the go-to names would work here and that was the best one that I could think of that would. Also, I am not good at writing fight scenes.
CelestiaCelestia’s eyes widened as she glanced nervously through the crowd. Her breaths grew heavy and her legs trembled, as though on the verge of running. Who was Chrysalis? What was the Nightmare talking about? …What had made her seemingly unshakable aunt so terrified? Celestia glanced fearfully around the room, eyes lingering on the cameras and reporters before finally coming to meet Cadance’s own, uttering silent apologies as green flames rose around her, slowly covering her entire body: replacing white fur with cold, black chitin; replacing soft, feathered wings with shredded cuticle; replacing her flowing rainbow mane with clumpy blue strands somehow littered with holes. Replacing her gentle, kind purple eyes with an insectile green. Panicked whispers ran throughout the hall, while several ponies simply froze and stared in shock, Nebula and her sister among them. Shining paused for a moment in whispering orders to the remaining guards before resuming quietly trying to evacuate civilians and the injured royal guards as though nothing had happened. Lyra gasped, hiding behind Bon-Bon who lay a comforting hoof around the green mare’s shoulder “So good to see you again, old friend!” The Nightmare’s remark snapped the gathered ponies out of their shock into a mad panic, Shining’s quiet evacuation falling into a stampede under her manic cackle. Celes-Chrysalis closed her eyes and took a steadying breath before glaring at Nightmare Moon and Sunset Blaze “Leave my ponies alone and I shall surrender. Fail to and… we all know I cannot defeat both of you: not even with the love of every pony in Equestria. But I can draw our fight out for weeks, months even- I can make you regret ever hearing my name!” “I already do, next? Negotiations usually take a position of power you know dear Chryssy.” Nightmare Moon pretended to observe her silver shoe, before smirking cruelly, “Well, no you don’t. you rule a hivemind.” “Oh, like you know better Luna. You had a grand total of three diplomatic duties, and two of them were me!” “At least I- wait, two?” “…And you’re blind to any truth you don’t want to know, apparently.” Sunset Blaze, who had taken hold of Cadance while the other alicorns talked, snarled as her fiery mane rose and roared, “Thou dare insult The Queen of The Night!? You dare compare this mighty nation to your monstrous caverns!” “The only monsters here are you!” Cadance struggled against her bonds as she glared at the tyrant alicorns “And I have literally no idea what in Equestria is going on, but Auntie is a great ruler! …so buck off!” “You dare speak against thy true Queen!?” Sunset Blaze’s mane flared in anger, and the magical bonds around Cadance tightened. She found herself gasping for breath and heard her aunt and Shining Armour cry her name as blackness enveloped her vision and she passed out to Sunset Blaze’s cruel smirk. That went better in her head. /\v/< When she regained consciousness, she was surrounded by comforting bookshelves with Shining hovering over her, “Wh-what happened? How did we get away? Where are we?” Cadance sat bolt-upright frantically looking around, “Cady! Thank Celestia you’re alright! Don’t worry everyone is safe, When you passed out Cele- …the Princess blasted them both through a wall; I brought you here, to the library, and my colts are protecting everyone. This… this’ll all be fine.” “And my Aunt?” Shining’s guilty glance aside told her everything she had to know. “I have to help.” Cadance shakily got to her hooves, “That would be unwise. As already proven, you aren’t as strong as the Nightmares and Chrysalis would happily lay down her life for you, making you a hindrance in an outright battle.” Nebula walked through the door, followed by her sister, Lyra and Bon-Bon, “That doesn’t mean you are useless though- quite the opposite in fact.” As she flew to a nearby shelf and withdrew a book Shining’s eyes narrowed warily, “How come you seemed to know exactly what was happening anyway Nebula? And what were those ‘Elements of Harmony’ you mentioned?” Nebula dropped the book- titled ‘Elements of Harmony: a reference guide’- on the table in the centre of the room and glanced aside to her sister, “Lulu, this is far more your decision than it is mine.” Sky Tierer’s eyes held an uncharacteristic seriousness, “you’re the one who came up with a stupidly reckless and unnecessarily dangerous plan to fix our mess.” Nebula sighed, flying up to a different shelf and pulling down a foal’s story book- the Tale of Two Sisters. “You know the story of Celestia’s rule but…” she gave a small, sad grin “We’ve already established that’s a lie. In truth… the story is the one you know until the younger sister’s stupid, stupid jealousy. Celestia couldn’t bring herself to harm her sister, and kneeled but Chrysalis, Queen of the Changeling Hive, somehow got the elements to work for her and- as you now know- took Celestia’s place as ruler of Equestria.” Bon-Bon narrowed her eyes into a glare, “And you know this because...?” Nebula shot one last questioning glance at Sky, who nodded, and sighed before sadly smiling, “Isn’t it obvious? I am the one who started this mess. I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night, guardian of dreams… the true form of Nightmare Moon.” "..." “That’s not funny.” Shining was the first to break the silence. “’Tis not a jape.” Nebula stared with tired eyes, Tia grinned and interjected, “Nah, Lulu lost her sense of humour a couple decades ago. Now I’ve got it!” “Wait…” Bon-Bon spoke quietly, as though still thinking, “If she’s Luna, wouldn’t that make you… the real Celestia?” Sky Tierer simply smirked. Shining frowned and started skimming the book on the elements that Nebula- Luna- had placed on the table. “What are these ‘elements’? I had dismissed them as a myth- I presume they’re in the palace of two sisters?” Nebula nodded, “You presume correctly, that is where… the final battle took place. Even though Chryssy found a way to use them, it’s highly unlikely she can move them. As for what they are… well, I believe Cadance can give a better summary of the novels than I can,” Wait. What. “Those are accurate?!” “Well, Chryssy was quite over-critical of herself, and my portrayal was riddled with inaccuracies, but the Elements are portrayed realistically.” “Chrys- Auntie wrote them?!” Cadance was mildly concerned she may have unhinged her jaw. “wait, Chryssy? How close were you?” Nebula blushed, and Cadance realised she was back on familiar grounds. “So, preeety close then,” “Oh, you would not believe the amount of times I caught them making out in alcoves…” “Equestriacouldbeendinglet’sfocusonthat!” Shining frowned slightly, “Speaking of the apocalypse, how can you two simultaneously be here and all… evil tyrant fighting across the planet?” “Ok, first of I’m an evil minion!” Sky smirked, “And secondly… we aren’t sure. We just woke up, on the edge of the Everfree, like we are now.” “If I were to guess, I’d say Chryssy’s treatment of the sun and moon are to blame.” Nebula frowned up at the sky, “They have not liked being moved by force, these past centuries. We could feel their ill-content, even addled by the Nightmares…” “...And our respective celestial bodies were our prisons. Us being split in two is probably them going on strike ‘till we can take over moving ‘em again.” Sky paused pensively, “Probably why the Nightmare’s were released early too?” “S-so, these elements… if we get them, we can help Queen Chrysalis?” Lyra asked, still clearly shaken. Cadance nodded, “Yes, according to the book there are six, Laughter, Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity and the sixth element which is… like, friendship? Just as a concept?” “It’s called the element of Magic, but yes effectively.” Lyra frowned resolutely. “What are we waiting for then? They’re in the Everfree right?” Bon-Bon rested a hoof on her shoulders, “Lyra, y-we’re civilian, are you sure?” “Definitely. Our leader needs our help, I’m helping her.” Cadance looked over the room. They had a plan, and she wouldn’t be doing this alone. Despite her fears, despite the stakes, despite everything, she found herself smiling. They would stop this eternal night. She would save her aunt. Author's Note So... I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but I'm also super happy with it? It's shorter, but I genuinely couldn't find a way to extend it that didn't seem forced and, while I love the cliffhanger I was actively trying to avoid one and did one anyway? Also I can't tell if the dialogue is 'witty and realistic', 'stilted and tryhard' or just both. Edit: So yeah, sorry for the delay, but I just couldn't get the next bit to a length I'd be willing to have a chapter for, so now it's tagged on to the end of this one. Sorry!
