ARC I

“THE NIGHT SHALL LAST FOREVER!” Nightmare Moon roared as she shattered the Elements, making Twilight sink to the ground in despair.

“N-No…”

The dark mare couldn’t help but grin ferally at her adversary. She certainly was a brave little pony. Nightmare certainly could admire that. Not to mention that she was the nerdy type. And she could definitely dig that so to say.

It might have seemed rather rushed, but 1000 years were a long time, and who was she to deny her own desires?

She stepped over to the mare comfortingly, but also haughtily, keeping her composure.

“My pony, you were never meant to be victorious, and there is no shame in that. You are just a unicorn after all. But don’t worry. For a mare as courageous as you there will be a place in my kingdom.”

The dark mare lifted her chin, small tears streaking the purple mare’s cheeks as she helplessly looked up at her.

‘So young, so tender,’ she purred in her thoughts as she leaned her head down and brought the purple one’s closer to herself.

“TWILIGHT!”

But before they could connect, a southern drawl could be heard as five ponies stormed in.

Twilight pulled back, as did the Nightmare Princess. She seemed slightly disgruntled at the disruption, but only for a moment as she walked past Twilight, flicking her snout with her tail and swaying her hips as she walked towards the others.

“Seems like you have arrived now as well. But too late. The Elements are destroyed, so you-”

“THAT’S IT!” Twilight suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Nightmare.

She turned her head in time for the purple mare to stride confidently towards them.

“Nightmare Moon! You think you can destroy the Elements like that, but the Elements are still here! And no amount of temptation you throw at us could stop that!”

“First Applejack, who reassured me when I was falling to despair, represents the Element of... honesty!”

As she said that a weak glow emanated from the stones, as they lazily lifted up and towards Applejack, circling her as she lifted from the ground as well.

“Fluttershy, who saved us from the manticore with her knowledge about magical beasts, represents the Element of... kindness!” she finished and more splinters started to float, this time surrounding the shy and uncertain mare.

“Pinkie Pie, who banished my anxiety with her antics, represents the Element of... laughter!”

“Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent and helped us press on represents the Element of... generosity!”

“And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon us, abandon all of Equestria for her ambitions represents the Element of... loyalty!”

As she listed them off, more and more splinters flew around with a light glow, making Nightmare look at them with some degree of panic, as her mind calculated a way out, while Twilight continued to drone on.

“The spirits of these five ponies got us through every danger, every conceiving action you threw at us. And with all five sparks ignited, I can now summon the last and probably most powerful Element of all: Wisdom!” she roared out, the little mare being so sure of herself as she was the only pony that was still on the ground. Her horn emitted a few sparks, and she grimaced in concentration as she pushed pure mana out, trying to pull the Element to her. To reward her for her impeccable conclusion and put this literal nightmare behind her. She pushed and pushed and pushed, but somehow nothing happened.

Nightmare’s panic seemed to seep into that little pony at the same rate as it was seeping out of herself. The alicorn’s horn was glowing, a slight wisp escaping from it before she eyed them again.

“It seems like my emergency plan wasn’t necessary after all,” she exclaimed with a wide grin as Twilight stepped away, frightened.

“N-No! No! No! This can’t be! I-I can’t fail! I never fail a test!” the mare replied shrinking visibly as she started to cry. At the same time as she did the glow vanished from the splinters and they fell back to the ground together with the mares who looked equally stunned at how this turned out.

“An admirable effort. But it is over now. Submit to me. Submit to your new and only Princess!”

“Never!” Rainbow roared flying at her, but the dark mare simply halted her in midair with her levitation magic, shaking her head at her.

“Foolish. You should know that it is over. There is no hope for your victory. Equestria is mine now.”

Just as she finished that sentence a light flashed behind her. Nightmare tried to turn around but was quickly caught by a barrage of bright magic, hurling her into a wall, right next to the entrance with the stairs. The six ponies ducked, quickly huddling away as Celestia herself stepped forward, glaring fiercely at her transformed sister.

Her gaze briefly went to Twilight, a scowl of disapproval on her face. “We will talk later,” was all she said to her before her attention was on Nightmare again who righted herself up, spitting out some blood.

“That was a cheap shot, wasn’t it, ‘sister’?” she seethed out, which in turn made Celestia’s anger flare again.

“Don’t you dare use that title!” she screamed, firing a bright beam at her. Nightmare instantly reciprocated it with her own, her dark cyan magic pressing against hers.

There was much hatred. So much hatred to be felt in that moment as both pushed against each other. And just as Nightmare felt she could overpower her however, something unexpected happened.

Two shield spells enveloped her, cutting off her beam right before her horn. The blue and pink shield bubble held her beam inside for a moment. A moment that was long enough for Celestia’s beam to collide with the shield right before Nightmare’s snout. As the shields disintegrated, so did Nightmare’s beam that was overpowered in this moment of surprise, slamming her down the stairs. She practically tumbled down painfully, and broken.

That was a strong hit. But she was an alicorn. And if nothing else she could weather it. She quickly stood up before Celestia flapped her wings, flying down to the hall with its many pillars.

Nightmare grabbed a fallen pillar swatting at Celestia with it, but was protected by a pink bubble.

She saw two other ponies. New ponies, stepping into the hall. A white stallion with two-toned blue mane, his horn glowing pink, and a pink alicorn that was unknown to her.

Though she couldn’t get more than a glance on them as Celestia was already on her, another beam firing close range. She barely managed to disintegrate into shadows to slip away from it.

Deciding that it would be best to deal with the two interlopers first she got back into her tall form right next to the stallion startling him. She summoned chains out of shadow to bind both of them.

This surprised and overwhelmed the stallion, binding him as the pink alicorn was only fast enough to protect herself with a blue bubble that pushed her magical constructs back.

Nightmare jumped out of range of the shield, snarling at this hindrance, but then could feel a certain heat to her side as Celestia stormed at her once again.

The dark mare quickly avoided her, slipping back into the shadows and again gaining some distance from them. She could see the pink alicorn trying to free the white stallion. An advantage she certainly wasn’t willing to give them.

Her horn started to glow and she turned the ground beneath the alicorn into a swamp that swallowed her legs right up, making her stuck as well.

“Easy but effective. Some basic transfiguration. But I probably should end this and send them into a deep slumber.”

“You won’t!” Celestia growled, firing a few shots at her. Nightmare instantly went back to dodging, albeit she felt rather annoyed as well.

“You just always know how to ruin my day! And here I was ready to have some fun with that student of yours!” the dark mare half groused, half taunted, and she definitely hit a nerve considering Celestia’s frustrated screams as she continued to hit her, the wall to the outside being obliterated by this and letting the moonlight shine inside.

“You! Won’t! Taint! Anypony! Else!” Celestia continued to scream at her, each scream followed by another blast. She hardly left Nightmare any room to breathe.

“Oh ho ho! Seems like little Celly is still having a stick up her ass!”

As she said that she fired back, but Celestia used the last pillar in the room for cover.

It fell, and just as Nightmare was readying herself for another blast, she noticed that it wasn’t the only thing that was falling. The entire ceiling was coming down!

Thinking fast she threw up a shield, protecting her as big pieces of rubble crashed against it. Nightmare grunted from the effort but it luckily wasn’t that long that she had to hold it.

Just as it stopped however, she was blindsided by Celestia. This time she didn’t even bother with a beam as she crashed, two frontlegs first into her side.

The dark mare gasped in pain as she was flown into one of the remaining walls. She quickly tried to become one with the shadows again as she was edged against the wall but a powerful light spell from another alicorn stopped her transition.

The pink one and the stallion had freed themselves.

This moment of vulnerability was all that was needed for Celestia to fire another beam at her while her hooves kept the mare in place.

Nightmare screamed as the beam connected, her wounds aggravating before she slumped to the ground, her legs no longer able to carry her.

Her whole body ached as she coughed, still trying to stand up, but before she could she saw Celestia and the other two standing over her.

Celestia sighed as she floated all of the scraps from the Elements over into the hall they were now in.

She tried to pour some magic in, but didn’t succeed in reforming them.

“Useless,” she muttered, putting them in the saddle bags the pink alicorn wore.

Then as she walked another step forward she levitated a ring over and set it on Nightmare’s horn. She screamed in protest, but it was a weak and fragile scream considering her state.

“Nightmare Moon,” Celestia started again in a heated tone, “For your crimes against the crown you will be sentenced to a life in dungeon, until such a time comes when you are pried from the body of my sister. Captain. Shackle the prisoner and load her into the chariot. I want her chained in a dungeon at the end of the day.”

“Yes your Majesty. It will be done,” the Captain of the Guard swore as he got some shackles from his own saddlebags, making sure to secure her hooves.

Princess Celestia then went back to the stairs, just in time to see six ponies come galloping down. She turned her head to Cadance shortly.

“You did well Cadance. Return to the palace while I’m taking care of them. Place the splinters of the Elements in my personal quarters.”

“I will stay. I want to make sure Twilight is okay,” Cadance retorted, trying to trot after her, but Celestia spread a wing stopping her in her path.

“Go to Canterlot Cadance. Now,” the voice was rather irritated, and while Cadance wanted to protest her mind advised her to not aggravate the sun princess further.

She sighed out hanging her head. “I will.”

The white alicorn mare didn’t acknowledge her further as she already was standing in front of Twilight.

Celestia was so much taller than her, shining with pure authority. An authority that made the mare feel small and insignificant. The purple mare barely stopped crying from last time and already felt like doing so again as her thoughts were driving her wild. She felt them berate herself. There was one word that overall dominated her mind: ‘Disappointment.’

She didn’t want to hear these voices but she did so all the same. Still, another voice told her that she might be wrong, that maybe Celestia would reassure her. Show her that even despite her failings, she would be accepted by her idol and mentor. That she would embrace her and tell her it is okay. To make her feel a warmth throughout her entire body.

But she didn’t. Instead she scowled at her. A scowl of a disapproving teacher.

“You failed Twilight. You didn’t manage to defeat Nightmare Moon. Worse yet, you let her destroy the Elements. The only real defense against the evil powers that lay beyond our borders.”

“I-I’m sorry Princess! I-I didn’t mean too! I tried! I really tried! I tried everything to make you proud! To show you what I have learned!”

Celestia shakes her head turning away from her.

“It doesn’t seem like you have learned all that much in the end. Go back to Canterlot immediately. I won’t have time for lessons with you, so reflect on your shortcomings. If you can even manage to overcome those.”

The tone in which she said that last part was clear doubt. A doubt that cut through Twilight’s heart like a knife, making her collapse as she cried violently. The others tried to comfort her, but even they were emotionally exhausted by the events of the day and couldn’t offer much solace.

Celestia had just discarded her.

As the pristinely white alicorn strode outside her horn glowed. Instantly her sun went on the horizon as the treacherous moon lowered. She could see the black furred monster already placed and bound in a chariot. A brown muzzle was bound to her snout, seemingly to hinder her from biting anypony.

Nightmare seemed to have noticed her presence. Or maybe it was just because of the sunrise. All the same her piercing slit-like eyes were set on her. The hatred burned strong in her, but so did Celestia’s. She simply glared back until Shining Armor got on the chariot and took off.

It was the start of a new day.

Author's Note

This has been in work for quite some time. Basically someone that created a universe commissioned me to help with it. It is quite the fascinating project to be a part of and I hope you enjoy how I captured this universe.