Fallen Queendom

Ruins of the Everfree Forest

The silence here is almost painful. That is the thought that runs through the mare’s mind as she stares skyward, looking out beyond the ruins of the ruined Castle of the old Everfree, her attention focused on the clear night sky just hanging just overhead, it’s moon and stars seemingly staring down at her. What they have seen in their lone illuminating lives; that is a question she is ashamed to know that goes unanswered. All she knows is that they have seen more than she could possibly begin to understand, and will see more after she has long left this world.

“It’s a nice night isn’t it?” Her counterpart asks as they step forward, walking through the rubble as she follows behind like she was their shadow.

Though the words she would prefer to be used would be bodyguard; that was more or less what she was hired for after all. Running a hand through her mane the mercenary smiles as she feels a breeze run through an opening in the wall to hit her like a shield to the face.

“Nothing like a cold summer night to stimulate the senses.” She responds before looking at her client. “And I must admit it is quite beautiful.” She states, her gaze resting upon the dark sky.

She’d never understood why the sun was seen as the greater light. It’s reach, while grand, did nothing but blind and burn those who gazed upon it. The moon though, that is where true beauty resides; it’s light bathes the world in an otherworldly glow, granting even the most plain strips of land an unnatural - almost mystical feel.

Any other night, this sight would bring the purest smile to her face, but tonight she finds little joy in the sight. With a sigh, the mare turns away, lets her gaze drift to her surroundings, before she sets a hoof upon her head and begins to mutter. The words are faint, spoken in a dead language that she doubts her counterpart understands. Still, there is a chance - however faint it may be - that they do. She pops a joint in her neck, and the noise echoes into the world around her.

“You really shouldn’t do that.” Her cloaked counterpart states as he rests his hands on the throne before her, seeming to search for something as she made a noise.

“I shouldn’t do a lot of things.” The mare remarks as she leans against the brickwork, a flask floating to her lips as she takes a drink, and leaves her hands idle. “Yet I do them anyway.” She focuses her attention on the stallion before her, watching him sit and mutter something incoherent under his breath. She looks beyond him, to the place they have come to today. This pace is hidden in the woods of the Everfree, out of sight, and out of mind. It is old, untouched by the modern world. This place is a sanctuary, stone is caressed by vines and by time. She knows of this place - more or less. It is part of a story her grandma used to tell her a filly. Stories more than half the world seems to have forgotten, unwillingly or intentionally. She remembers these stories, but never put much stock in their importance, but these old tales made a great bedtime story. The story of the Castle of Everfree. “So~” She begins. “How long will this take?”

“As long as needed.” Her counterpart mutters as he continues gliding his hands over the throne in search of… something.

“And what exactly are we doing here?”

“Searching.” The stallion states simply.

“Search for~” She trails off for a moment. “What exactly?”

“An old switch.”

“A switch?” The mare repeats as she stares at the stallion fondling the Daybringer’s old throne. “Why would there be a switch there?”

“The castle of two sisters carries a few thousand hidden doors and passages my dear.” Her counterpart states. “These switches open and close those locked and unseen doors.”

“And there's one in the chair?” The mare questions as she looks at her counterpart.

“Oh yes, it’s a very useful switch in fact.” Her counterpart admits. “Ah here we are.” He pulls something under the throne, and what sounds like the heartbeat of a giant pulses through the ruins of the castle. It shakes brickwork and makes the loose debris fall from the ceiling. The entire castle moved, and it felt like the place was going to come apart. The fact that it didn’t amazed the mare, and it was even more remarkable that it still stood as the floor started to open up.

“The switch opens the floor?”

“Yes.” The stallion stated as he watched the floor begin to open like the maw of a giant.

“What’s beneath this place, a bunker?”

“The Princess' greatest secret.” Was the response she was given as she just stared at the new path being laid out before her.

When the building stopped moving her guide stepped down, and she could do nothing but follow. She raised her hand, ready to light the path with magelight but that act was beaten by her cer counterpart who but raised a glowing stone and from it, came a light that could be mistaken for a brightly burning lantern. Her guide led her below, through a passage of old but sturdy stone that refused to bend or break despite all the centuries they had been forced to endure.

The silence is near deafening, broken only by the souls of steps being made.across forgotten stone.

“So~” The mare, a bodyguard - a mercenary begins as she continues following her charge through the depths of the old castle passage. “You said that… the Princess’s greatest secret lies down here.” The mare stated. “What exactly is that?”

“Something forgotten.” Her counterpart states. “Something… she is ashamed of.” The road leads to an end, and what rests before them is less of a door and more a slap of pure silvery metal. “Something pure.” The stallion rests a hand against the silver slab and seems to search for something, anything that can act as a switch or lever to unveil the contents hidden within.

“I’m afraid… you won’t find such a thing to open this door.”

A voice, a mare's voice called out from the other side.

“It speaks.” The mare states, gazing upon the wall.

“This wall can only be shattered by the power of an Alicorn.”

The voice continues.

“Still, I must commend you for what you have done; discovering this place must not have been an easy task.”

“It was not.” The stallion confesses. “Reaching this castle was nothing short of easy, but the journey.” He chuckles. “The journey was indeed long.” He admitted. “The Princess has done quite a bit of work in hiding this place, changing the history of this land, erasing the memories of those that would seek you out.”

The voice seemed to chuckle lightly.

“I see, dear Celie was always good at covering her tracks.”

The voice paused.

“Tell me, how long has it been?”

“One thousand, one hundred and seventeen years.” Was the stallion’s response.

“Dear oh dear, that is quite a while.”

She mused.

“How much the times must have changed.”

She wondered..

“Still you found me, and yet, I am afraid without the power of an Alicorn at your side, your journey may very well have been for nothing.”

“That.” The stallion began. “Is something soon to be rectified.” He continued. “I will journey to Canterlot City, and acquire what we need.”

“Canterlot?”

There was a question there.

“I’m afraid I know nothing of that city, is it new?”

“Not exactly.” The stallion states. “But it has been the capital of Equestria for a thousand years now.”

“Ooh? So this castle I was sealed is no more?”

“It stands but it is in ruin.”

“Shame.”

The voice states.

“But, it explains why I can not sense dear Celie nearby, she abandoned this castle, abandoned her post…”

She paused.

“She swore to remain vigilant over my cell till the end of days, but it seems that was just one of her many lies.”

The voice paused.

“Oh well.”

They said simply.

“Find what you must if you wish to free me. Or not, I can not force you to do such in my current state.”

“My Queen.” The stallion begins. “If you asked it, I would burn several thousand cities across several thousand worlds.” Was his response.

He earned a giggle of sorts.

“I will hold you to that.”

They paused again.

“But for now?

“Your freedom is my top priority.” The stallion whispered. “I can free you, and I can do it soon, but… I regret saying that, it will take a few days.” He tells whomever rests behind the walls. In three days’ time, the stars will properly align and Celestia will leave her station in Canterlot city. All so that she will deal with another that she has lied to the world about.”

A chuckle.

“Dear Celie, what are you doing?”

The figure asked.

“Regardless, I must wait a few more days, yes?”

They paused.

“I can wait that long. As they say; patience is a virtue.”

Canterlot City

Graveyard

She hadn't expected it to rain today. Princess Celestia thought as she looked outside her balcony, watched as Canterlot was cloaked under a veil of water. Heavy rain clouds hanging overhead as streaks of lightning raced across the sky. Had she turned her gaze lower the Equestrian Princess would have noticed her subjects running about town under a sea of umbrellas. Except her attention remained focused on the storm brewing above her. Celestia had lived a thousand years, seen countless rainstorms and sun-showers, but none of them had ever been like this. This storm was rare by Equestrian standards, the last time she'd seen it build like this… Biting her lips the sun princess left her chambers. Passing the royal guards positioned outside her door as she made her way down the castle halls. “Luna.”

The last time Equestria had a storm like this, her sister had brought it by accident. For reasons even she couldn't quite understand, Luna's feelings had always been intimately tied to the weather. It was something that made her particularly special, unique even by alicorn standards. Brief moments of sadness brought the rain, her anger brought thunder and lightning, her grief called the winds. If Equestria was being met with a storm like this, then something was deeply bothering her younger sister. Passing one of the local maids Celestia stopped her for a moment as she adopted her mask, letting the worried sister be hidden by the benevolent ruler that was the Sun Princess. “Your highness, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Feather Duster, have you seen my sister Luna?” For her part Feather Duster shook her head apologetically as Celestia quietly cursed to herself. Being one of the many maids that were responsible for maintaining the castle's Lunar Wing, she had crossed paths with her sister more often than any other pony.

“I'm sorry, your highness, I haven't. Is something wrong?”

Calmly shaking her head Celestia gave the maid a light smile. “No nothing's wrong, I just need to speak to her for a moment.” Starting back on her way the princess walked past the mare with an almost unnoticeable kick in her step. “Thank you for your time.”

“If I see her I promise to inform her that you're looking for her!”

“Thank you.” As soon as she rounded an empty corner Celestia dropped her mask as she picked up her pace a bit. ‘Maybe I should start by checking her room.’ Celestia thought to herself as she started thinking back. When Luna had first returned to Equestria she had spent a considerable amount of time locked away in her room. It was her haven, her sanctuary where nopony could judge her especially considering her past… accidents. If there was any place that she could release her feeling away from prying eyes, it would likely be at her room. “What's bothering you Luna?”

Canterlot Graveyard

“It really has been a long time…” Princess Luna whispered under her cloak as she stared ahead. Ignoring the building storm overhead pelting her with hail like rain, the moon alicorn kept her gaze forward to a set of tombstones as she read the names of the departed. Berry Bonette, Joking Jackal, Fruit Pie, turning her attention to the fourth grave marker, she released a small if hollow laugh as she read it. “I see Sweat Sock finally got his name changed. Always said he would.” A smile crossing her face, Luna lifted her hoof before wiping bits of mold and grime from the grave markers. In contrast to what ponies would believe, while her mane was ethereal in nature, it still clung to her when it became soaked. “I knew all of you would go before me, but not like this. It feels like yesterday since I last saw your faces.” Truth be told, for her it may very well have been yesterday. There wasn't the traditional ‘gap’ between her memories from a thousand years ago and from her return two years prior. In her mind Equestria had changed overnight, transforming into a foreign nation, one where her friends didn't exist anymore.

“I remember how Pistachio used to tease Sock about his name do you?” Beside her a shadow appeared as she sat with her counterpart. Her shadow, her sins - the Ghost of Nightmare Moon. Still there was no hostility, no sense of malice between the two at the moment as they simply sat in the rain and looked at the graves before them. For her part Luna simply nodded her head, a loose smile crossing her face as she started to think back.

“He’d always get so angry his stallion turned red.” Luna was met with silence as she wiped her eyes, blaming the rain for the moisture that was running down her cheeks. “Berry what about that you accidentally turned Puddinghead into a foal? We had to pretend we were foalsitting his nephew until we found a way to reverse the aging spell!” A series of laughs left the princess and her shadow as she fussed with her mane. “We were horrible foal sitters; any chance we had of starting a foal-sitting service disappeared in an instant.” Continuing her trip down memory lane Luna found the markers disappearing as they were replaced with phantoms of the ponies she once knew. “Those were good times.”

“Some of the best.”

It really was a strange sensation; to essentially go to sleep and awaken in a new era. To blink and discover that her closest friends and longtime companions had passed on. It didn't seem real. Her memories were frozen with the images of young vibrant stallions and mares aiming to take Equestria by the reigns. Talking about their dreams and ambitions, challenging one another to childish competitions. She couldn't picture them aged by time and lying on their deathbeds. She couldn't imagine them resting in an open casket as somepony gave them a sending to the Far Fields. She couldn't imagine it all because she hadn't been there. The price of her banishment wasn't just her tarnished reputation in the eyes of her fellow ponies, it had also cost her time. Beyond their deaths she wasn't aware of a single thing that had occurred after her imprisonment. Who did they grow into? Did they ever reach their dreams? Did they marry? There were hundreds of things she was supposed to know about her friends, but she didn't. She missed so much, all because she let herself be consumed by her jealousy and rage. “I'm so sorry… I - I miss you.” Nightmare Moon simply stayed silent as she watched her counterpart break down, figuratively returning to the small mare that she always was inside. Without a word she unfurled a pitch black wing as she enveloped the mare by her side and rested her chin on her head.

“I know, I miss them too.”

Elsewhere

“So she has the weather manipulating abilities.” Resting atop a building a cloaked mare looked to the city below as she stared at the Equestrian princess. “Now that is interesting. No pony has been born with that power for a good thousand plus years. I was beginning to think it was just a myth.” She thought aloud as she felt the rain grow stronger and pelt her coat against her form, forcing her to wear it like a second skin. A small smirk crossed her lips as she kept her gaze on the dark princess a few good stories away from her. “Well I can't risk standing here being impressed all day; still have a job to do after all." She held out a hoof watching as something crawled from under her cloak and started to twist into shape before her. "Let's see what you can do, princess.”

Graveyard

Amidst her emotional breakdown Luna felt part of her brain push it aside as found herself going rigid. Call it paranoia, call instinct, something went off inside her like a light in the darkness as she turned, unconsciously raising a shield spell as something rammed into her. She went flying over her friend's grave markers as she impacted another's. Not enough force to break it, but enough to feel that iconic sense of pain coursing through her body. "What?" Rolling to her feet she turned again as she blinked a couple of times to try clearing her eyes of tears as something impacted her shield forcing her to stumble back. The next time her magic shield was hit she struck back as she bashed it against whomever was attacking her and took the moment to wipe her eyes so she could focus. "Who's there?" The alicorn hissed as she looked around as something shifted in the rain before charging her again. Ducking low she watched as the fog passed over her before landing as she pointed her constructed shield at what ever was after her. 'What in Faust's name is that?' Whatever she was looking at, it wasn't normal. In her opinion it looked like some kind of giant worm that had grown a pair of claws. Two fin-like appendages appeared where she could only guess that the head of the creature had rows upon rows of sharp teeth that made up the creature's tunnel-like mouth. Two tendrils poked out from behind a bunch of oversized hair follicles and seemed to sway slightly from either the rain or the body's own movements. Even during the old era she'd never seen something like it before. Some kind of new mutant species maybe?

“Not certain.” Nightmare Moon muttered as she watched Luna steady herself. “But you’ll have to find that out later.” Agreeing with her shadow she raised her shield to defend herself from another charge and grit her teeth as she was pushed back. Getting an up close look at the creature she cringed at the sight of its teeth trying to bite down on her shield. "That stench is horrid…" She muttered as she turned a bit to let the creature go charging past. She didn't need this today. Some worm…thing attacking her. All she wanted to do was take care of something she'd been postponing for two whole years and pay her respects. Not disrespect the dead by fighting in front of their graves. Letting her anger spike some barely acknowledged a thunderclap behind her as she saw the creature charge again as she rushed it. Dropping low she moved her shield above her as she pushed the creature above and off balance before firing a series of magic rays at it's exposed underside. Following it with a shield bash she toppled it over before jumping over a swing from one of the creature's claws. Bringing her wings out she hovered above the ground as she fired another ray of magic as it returned to an upright position and took a swing at her. Hitting a tombstone the lunar princess grunted in pain before disappearing into a poof of magic before the claw could come at her and landed on the creature's back. She should have used another shield, or better yet a barrier she complained as she watched Gentle Feather's grave was reduced to rubble.

If dancing on graves was disrespectful, destroying one just had to be worse. Luna thought as she split her magic and used it to latch onto the worm creature's tendrils as she fired a concentrated beam of magic into the creature's backside. Trying to burn a hole through its head in an impromptu lobotomy she rode the creature as if it were a bull attempting to shake her off. Charging a nearby tree the creature rammed into it as the princess let go and jumped off before she found her vision filled with wood and shrapnel. With a quick land she molded her magic as she swiped her head at air and created a thin crescent of light blue energy. It passed through the tree with ease before continuing on and lobbed off a piece of tombstone.

Elsewhere

Elsewhere a stallion stopped as he found his umbrella covering his eye. Using his hoof he adjusted the item as it tipped over and fell to the floor, a thin clean cut splitting it in half. "Huh?"

Graveyard

Firing another thin wave of magic Luna split the tree in the opposite direction as it formed a faint x for a moment before falling to the ground. "Slippery daemon aren't you?" Luna muttered as she watched the creature crawl out from the mess of leaves that formed the fallen tree. Watching it take a moment to hiss at her she took a few precautionary looks to the side before walking to the left. Some distance between herself and the nearest tombstone she charged her magic as she charged. The creature took the moment to inhale as the princess's eyes widened and it created a sudden noise from its throat and a murky lime colored liquid was released. Cancelling her previous plan for an attack spell she shaped the magic into a shield as it was covered by the slime while some stragglers hit a few patches of grass and stone causing them to bubble and sink. "Acid?" Smashing her acid covered shield against the creature the princess pushed forward as she turned her attention to the broken tree that she had knocked down. "Well it appears charging blindly isn't your only trick." Capturing the tree with her magic she forced it to levitate as she spun it around. Smashing the bark against the creature from behind she launched it into the air before turning the tree to smash them into the ground. Turning her makeshift weapon again she stabbed it downward as the creature recovered and slipped to the side as the tree returned to an upright position. Glancing at it she saw the familiar liquid being flung at her before she adjusted her already murky shield construct to protect her. Letting the acid cloak it she dropped her shield, letting it return to magic and teleported behind the creature before firing another quick bullet of her magic to catch its attention. Hissing at the princess, the creature charged again as Luna turned, kicked off the grass and ran.

‘We haven’t played tag since the Siege of Drakenshield.’ The Nightmare muttered as Luna nodded unconsciously and ran outside the Canterlot Graveyard and ran into the city. Her creature followed close behind her as she kept an eye out for anypony that may be caught in the crossfire. Finding too many she fired her magic at the floor and she felt herself rise into the air as she jumped and landed on one of the lower buildings. Considering where she was, there were not a lot of those.

"Come worm! I'm right here!" She wasn't sure if she successfully baited it or if the creature only had eyes for her to start off with but the creature followed after her, using its two limbs to scale the building wall and chased after her. This way none of the others would be hurt in the crossfire. Dodging another burst of acid spit Luna jumped over to the next building as it hit the wall and started melting it. The creature meanwhile simply followed after her, hissing at some points as it followed the princess across the selection of building. Reaching one that she couldn't jump to because of height she spread her wings and took flight, flying up to the wall as the creature followed after her. "That's it worm, follow me."

House

"Ha ha take that Changeling! I hereby banish you to the sun!" Gum Drop yelled as he continued playing with his figuri - action figures. The foal's hooves were currently holding a tiny Princess Luna as he knocked over an organized army of even smaller changelings as well as a Queen Chrysalis. "Argh Curse you Luna! I will have my revenge!" The changeling queen was lifted as he made her talk back to the moon princess. "This is far from over! Mha ha ha!" Outside the foals room the real Moon Princess flew past before taking a quick moment to look back in curiosity, her mouth muttering something along the lines of 'is that me'. Looking behind her she fired a burst of her magic as the foal continued playing his games. "No you're wrong Changeling, it is over! You'll never lay a hoof on my land again!" Diving Luna disappeared as the creature climbed over the foal's window before turning as the moon princess somehow dropped from above and planted her hooves into its face before flying off. "Is that what you think! Hahaha! Your dear Equestria is already mine." Outside the window, a worm-like creature finished climbing onto another building as it grabbed Luna into one of it's claws as the princess took the opportunity to punch it in the face. "What do you mean by that?" Teleporting out the creature's grip and she impaled it with her horn as she blew a hole in it with her magic before backing away and rolling to avoid getting spit on. "Really Luna? You haven't noticed? The changes your beloved sister has suddenly gone through?" Gum Drop pretended to gasp as Luna grabbed onto the creature with her magic as she broke a chimney with it's head before charging it. "What? What ha-"

"Gum Drop! It's time for lunch!" From outside the door a mare's voice caught the foals attention as he looked up. Outside Luna tackled the creature over the edge of the building as they dropped into the alley below.

"Be right there!"

Alleyway

Hissing in pain Luna rolled herself off of the dumpster she had landed on - but thankfully not in and lifted a hoof to rub her back. "Oow…" She was going to be sore tomorrow. Her opponent hadn't been so lucky, face planting the ground as it struggled to compose itself. It didn't even need thirty seconds as it hissed at the mare and charged. "Resilient aren't you worm?" Glancing at the dumpster she'd just gotten off she enveloped it in her magic as she smashed it against the worm's charging face before kicking it with strength inherent to an alicorn pureblood. The dumpster raced across the alleyway as the worm crawled over it before it was embedded in the wall as it continued chasing the mare. Not a lot of room to maneuver the alicorn resumed running as they returned to playing a game of life or death tag.

She thanked Faust that the streets seemed to have cleared for her, all the ponies either just stepping through their homes or already inside them as she picked up her pace just enough to keep a bit of extra distance between her and her opponent. Hearing a bit of stone behind her getting hit by something that obviously wasn't rain she glanced back before making a quick frown. 'That better not melt through a pipeline.' The princess thought as she turned. Slipping a bit because of the wet streets she moved to one of the less industrialized parts of the city and stepped into the park. The worm followed chasing after her as she jumped over a bench which it promptly ran through. "Damages can be kept to a minimum here…" Luna muttered as she glanced back. Yes the repair company was going to have a field day with all this damage they were doing but at least she was far away from anything else that could be broken. Jumping over another bench she ran across the field as she fired blades of magic at the thing behind her before turning. Letting a glyph form under her feet the mare dashed forward, becoming a streak of light as she passed under the creature before jumping onto it’s back and smashed her hooves onto it’s back. Following it with a magic ray the mare burned a hole into it’s back before it reached the floor. Without much delay the thing reached behind it, grabbing onto the mare before throwing her through the air.

Using her wings to steady herself the mare landed with ease. Raising a barrier she protected herself from a wave of acid before throwing it away. Without much delay she fired an array of magic in it’s direction before charging forward. Dodging to the side she avoided another caw strike before creating a blade of magic that carved a well made trench through the creature’s hide. “This isn’t working.” The nightmare muttered as she looked at her counterpart. “You need more power Luna.”

“I don’t need yours.” The light half muttered as she put some distance between herself and the creature. Frowning slightly Nightmare looked at her counterpart for a moment.

“You can’t defeat it like this. Raise the moon and draw from it’s powers.”

“And cause an eclipse again? I refuse.”

“You are not strong enough Little Moon, most of your half of the power is still returning from being hit by the Elements upon your return.” Luna simply frowned as she dug her hooves into the dirt for a moment as she prepared herself. Her darker half was right, two years ago when she had been struck by the Elements she had lost much of her power. Stripped away from her along with her darker half. Or so she thought. “You can not win this battle on your own little moon. You need my help.”

“Allow me to prove you wrong.”