The pale moon shone brightly down on a world wreathed in nebulous darkness, its light no longer a blessing but a curse. The stars danced across the sky, laughing at those who screamed beneath them. The sky, once a canvas of stellar beauty, had been transformed into a cosmic horror show, with all of Equus as its unwilling audience.
And in the center of it all, a grand city within the Everfree burned, its inhabitants long since silenced.
The castle that stood over the ruins of the city lay largely untouched by the chaos below. If one listened close enough, faint shouting could be heard coming from within the throne room, followed by dark laughter.
Then the glass windows of the throne room exploded outwards in a shower of glittering shards, reflecting the light of the moon that now bathed the throne room in its cursed glow.
On that night, the Nightmare ran free, for there could only be one Princess to rule Equestria.
And that Princess would be...
Celestia shot up in her bed, her breathing heavy and her entire body drenched in sweat. She put a hoof over her chest, feeling her rapid heartbeat and deep breaths, her eyes filled with fear. She closed them and sighed, casting off the blankets surrounding her.
How long had it been since that day? How many times had she dreamed of it, wishing she could change the outcome? How many more times would it plague her thoughts and heart?
She slipped off of her bed and walked to her tower’s balcony, opening the glass doors to overlook the castle and city below. Canterlot was still asleep, judging by the ashen, full moon that now lay in the sky. Celestia allowed herself a modest, wistful smile, bowing her head to the moon and recognizing its majesty. No matter how hard she tried, she never could truly capture Luna’s artistry with the night sky. There was always something missing when Celestia had tried to emulate her sister.
But all that was in the past now. The years had come and gone, and Luna was once again by her side. She was no doubt chasing away scary monsters from little foals dreams, or playing with them within the Dream Realm.
Six years. Almost six years to the day since Luna had been returned to her, thanks to Twilight and her brave circle of friends. Both sisters had forgiven each other, and both had laid the past to rest.
So then why could she never forget?
Frowning, Celestia turned her back on the moon and the city of Canterlot and stepped lightly into her quarters, her hooves barely making a sound on the polished tiles. A nightly walk through the castle would do her good, she had decided. Her horn radiated a golden gleam, and her crown and regalia floated towards her from the ponequin from which they hung. After donning them, she opened the doors to her quarters and stepped out into the hallway.
“Your Highness?” a voice to her left queried.
She turned her head and saw a Thestral Lunar Guard standing at attention at her door, with his heavy plate black armor scantily glistening in the moonlight and his towering spear resting against his shoulder. As per the protocol, he did not meet her gaze, instead staring straight ahead until addressed. She smiled at him, dipping her head. “Good evening, lieutenant; at ease. I’m just heading out for a short walk, there is no need to concern yourself with me.”
“It’s my duty to be concerned, Your Highness,” he replied, relaxing as instructed. “Do you wish for an escort?”
She shook her head. “No, I will be fine on my own. I just need to clear my head.”
“Have you had a rough night, Princess?” he asked.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “What makes you think that?”
His long, tapered ears flicked back slightly and swivelled towards her. “We Thestrals don’t just hear things other Ponies can’t, Your Highness. We can also sense distress.” He hesitated, his leathery wings shivering. “If I may be so bold, are you sure you won’t mind some company?”
She sighed, and her smile grew rueful. Of course she couldn’t fool him. Thestrals were always several steps ahead of their fellow Ponies...even back then. “Thank you for your concern, lieutenant. It’s very touching, but right now I need solitude.”
He nodded in understanding. “Very well then, Princess. May My Lady bless your night and bring peace to your dreams.”
If only she could, she thought bitterly in return. Then again, it wasn’t Luna’s fault. Luna could never know about her sister’s dreams of late. Celestia knew what would happen if she did.
The Princess of the Sun left him to his vigil and began her aimless walk through the castle, admiring the various artworks her little Ponies had collected, created, and put up over the centuries of her reign. Almost all of them bore her visage, often bathed in the golden light of her sun with her Ponies bowing or venerating her. “Praise the Sun” was the usual phrase they had used back in the day.
She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the ostentatious and rather eerie displays of reverence. Her Ponies could be so obsessive over her. She never claimed to be the goddess herself, for Faust’s sake! And yet they continued to deify her, as if she had earned it somehow.
With these thoughts clouding her mind, she continued walking the starlit corridors, occasionally passing a Thestral or two on patrol. They greeted her with a sharp wing salute or a cordial nod, and she greeted them in kind. No words were ever exchanged. The Thestrals were a silent, dedicated lot, perfect for Luna’s purposes as her Lunar Guard. Celestia almost preferred them this way; it gave her more time to ponder as she ambled through the maze of corridors and rooms.
Before she knew it, she was walking through the audience hall leading to the throne room, where well over a dozen stained glass windows bathed the hall in a subtle rainbow hue, focused on the scarlet-carpeted marble floor. Each window bore parts of Equestria’s long history: the rise of the Pillars of Equestria, Discord’s first defeat, Sombra’s battle with her and Luna, Scorpan aiding the sisters in their battle against the centaur Tirek, and...
And the window she despised most of all.
She stopped and looked up, her frown growing sour and spiteful as a tear rolled down her cheek. She never could escape this particular window, no matter how hard she tried.
It was stunningly, hauntingly beautiful: a snapshot of history delicately colored and carved into glass that illustrated her banishment of Luna to the moon, with that same golden glow behind her head like a halo, the Ponies below her praising her sun and shunning Luna’s moon. The moon was dark and etched with spite, and Luna herself reduced to a fanged monster --- a demon, a blight upon Equestria’s history. How fitting that it now lay far away from the other artworks, exiled and forlorn among the bare windows that surrounded it, as if its mere presence was a stain that the others could not endure. Few Ponies dared to come near it, lest they damage its ancient beauty or fear some horrid punishment from wondering why it remained where it was.
More than anything Celestia wished she could destroy this particular work of art, and turn its shards into nothing but harmless chaff in the wind, but she never did. Something had always stopped her. The window exhibited what had become of her Ponies when they saw her vanquish the Nightmare on that night. Through her, they had become the victors, and the hated Thestrals and their “demonic” mistress nothing but ancient history.
History was written by the victors, and Celestia had lost everything on that day, so the task of writing history fell to her Ponies. Truth became twisted and prevaricated to suit the desires of the masses, and what was once a tragic breaking of a bond between sisters became little more than a power struggle motivated by evil. There was no Luna. There was no love. There was only Celestia and the demon.
Her eyes narrowed at the window, and she could feel the sorrow and rage build within her like a star preparing to go supernova. Her mouth twisted into a snarl, and she swore she felt her regalia grow hotter by the second as the fury in her heart grew. Visions of the past flashed within her mind, as well as every face from every last Pony who succeeded in defaming her sister throughout the generations.
Everypony knew the tale of the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon, often romanticized for the benefit of foals and lauded by historians and scholars alike as legendary truth.
But only Celestia knew the truth of that night. Only she knew that it had never been Luna’s fault.
Nor was it Nightmare Moon’s.
(A millennia ago...)
Celestia stared out of the large, darkened window behind the Everfree throne, the moonlight giving her an almost ethereal look as she sipped at the rich, red wine held by her magic. The great city in the forest below slept peacefully, knowing that their princesses were watching over them, always. It brought Celestia comfort on these cold nights that they thought of her and her sister so highly.
She took another sip of the wine and stepped away from the window, looking at the grandfather clock in the far left corner of the room just as it gonged. It was now midnight, and all was well.
She stretched her wings and yawned, draining the rest of the wine. It had been a long day of border politics and flared tempers between the Dragons, Griffons, and the Frontier Colony of Trotsylvania, and she was eager to get out of her regalia and embrace the warmth of her bed and blankets once again. Luna would be here shortly to take her place, and Night Court would begin. Even now the Lunar Guards were switching places with their Solar counterparts.
However, she could not leave yet. Protocol demanded that she wait until Luna returned from her nightly patrol in the city before she could “officially” hand her the reigns, as it were. It was a silly little tradition they had initially started when they were fillies, but her little Ponies insisted on it every night. Since it was harmless, she allowed them this little morsel of power over her and Luna.
Besides, Luna would be here soon. The bed could wait another five minutes.
The clock kept ticking, and the minutes passed slowly. First five, then ten, then fifteen. Celestia’s brow furrowed as more time passed. It wasn’t like Luna to be late.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait much longer. The doors to the throne room opened wide and swiftly --- too swiftly for Celestia’s liking. The Princess of the Moon stormed into the throne room, her black cloak sweeping to either side of her with every metallic step of her shoes. Her face was a twisted mask of rage and contempt, bereft of any patience. Behind her, three Thestral guards were carrying a fourth between them.
But Celestia saw something else in Luna’s vengeful eyes: a redness, not just from anger, but also from tears.
Something had gone horribly wrong on this night.
Celestia immediately abandoned her place by the throne and glided over to her sister, landing next to her and gazing at the Thestrals with a worried look. “Sister, what has happened?”
“Thou knoweth what hast happened, Tia,” Luna spat, glaring at Celestia. “For it hast been happening more often as of late.”
Still puzzled, Celestia trotted over to the Thestrals and knelt down by the one they carried, her heartbeat quickening as she got a closer look. Bruises covered the poor mare’s body, her wings were bent at an unnatural angle, and her throat had red marks around it, as if somepony had strangled her with a rope from behind. Her hoof shaking with fury, Celestia reached out and touched the Thestral mare at the shoulder, her despair finally releasing alongside her tears when she felt her cold skin. The mare was dead.
The three Lunar Guards stared at the mare and the Princess of the Sun for a moment, bowing their heads in respect, before raising them to the sky and opening their mouths, a silent scream of grief emerging that could not be heard by anypony aside from their own kind.
Around the castle, all Lunar Guards stopped to listen, before repeating the action. It was becoming an all-too-familiar routine of theirs, and they all hated it equally.
Celestia’s eyes flashed orange and flames began to lick at the base of her hooves. She turned to the Thestrals, glowering at them with a darkened gaze that spoke of a divine fury unlike anything Equestria had ever witnessed before. “Leave. Us,” she commanded.
The Thestrals bowed and beat a hasty retreat from the room, bearing the fallen mare with reverence between them.
Celestia whirled to face her sister, the flames rising to her fetlocks. “Who would dare?!” she demanded.
“Thou knoweth who!” Luna hissed in response. “For it is they who revere thine countenance every day, and shun the night and those who dwell and flourish within it!”
“My little Ponies would never--!”
Luna cut her off with a sharp bark of laughter. “Your little Ponies? They do not belong solely to thee, sister. We rule over them. Both of Us! And yet they treat thee like the goddess herself, and Us like the living death of Malice. But We carest not about what other Ponies think of Us. Nay, it is because of how they treat Our Children of the Night that We rage.”
Celestia looked out through the window once more. Gone was the peaceful, sleeping city she had seen before, transformed into something she dare not imagine could be. “When did this start happening?”
Luna narrowed her eyes at her. “Surely thou jest? Have thou not known all this time? Years, sister! It hast been happening for years!”
Celestia’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Y-years...?”
The look of disbelief and horror Luna sent her was enough to quicken Celestia’s heart once more. “How have thine eyes not seen, nor thine ears heard?” Luna whispered as if betrayed. Her eyes suddenly flashed blue and her pupils became slits. “Are thou truly so blind?!” With each word, more of Luna’s appearance changed. Her peytral morphed into silvery, adamantine armor; her body became black as night; her wings turned half-leathery; and her teeth sharpened into fangs. The cape dropped to the floor, revealing the Alicorn in all her Primal glory.
Celestia winced at the tone, and her pupils shrunk in fear at what the transformation she was seeing. “Luna, no! You know what will happen if--”
“We carest not any longer!” Luna screamed, her shadowy hoof stamping down on the marble floor and cracking it. “We must protect Our own! This cannot continue!” Her eyes flared, and her horn sparked with violent crackles of black lightning.
“I agree Luna, but this is not the way,” Celestia pleaded, walking over and putting a hoof on one of Luna’s armored shoulders. “Violence is not the answer, sister. Do not give in to your Primal instincts. You and I both know what will happen if you do.”
Luna’s nostrils flared, and she stared at her older sister for what felt like an eternity before sighing and letting her wings and ears droop. For the first time since Sombra stole the Crystal Empire from them so long ago, Luna looked defeated and tired. “Waking nightmares...living nightmares...” she whispered, tears slowly appearing in her eyes. She lifted up an armored hoof and stared at it. “Why are We cursed with this power, sister? Why are Our true forms so cruel?”
Celestia enveloped her sister in her large, alabaster wings and gently nuzzled her cheek. “We will set things right, Luna. My--our little Ponies, if they are truly the ones doing this, will face justice. I promise you. Just please...don’t lose yourself in your desires. I fear that one day you will hurt yourself.”
Luna sniffed and let the tears flow down her cheeks, hugging her sister back. “We are already hurt, Tia. Why do they shun Our night and curse the beauty We give to them? Why do they despise Us so? Why do they hate Us for being different? Was...was it something We said that offended them somehow? Did We do something wrong?”
Celestia tried to find the words, but she couldn’t. All Ponies were the same, were they not? The same blood, the same magic, the same voice, the same family. Each one was unique, but all were born equal. So why then were the Thestrals treated with such disdain? What made them so different, or so frightening?
And why had she not seen any of it? Whenever she walked among the Ponies of Equestria, they all seemed so happy, so friendly, and so humble. They all played and danced and sang in her morning glory, and slept peacefully during the night, safe from the monsters of the Everfree, so why--
...Of course, it was the night. Monsters of Discord and Lord Grogar’s making came out of the Everfree Forest at night, and the Thestrals had turned the night into their playground. The other Ponies must have made an incorrect correlation between the two. Was that all it was? Just a simple misunderstanding gone wrong? Did her Ponies really fear the Thestrals so much that they equated them to the timberwolves, hidebehinds, and thaum wisps of the forest?
No, it couldn’t be. It was silly, illogical even. There had to be another explanation, but whatever it was, she couldn’t see it. Regardless, she feared for Luna’s reaction if she ever found out. If she did...not even the real world could hide from the living nightmares that Luna would unleash upon them in her grief.
“I...I don’t know, Lulu,” Celestia said at last. “But we will find out what it is, and we will put an end to it. You and the Thestrals have been ignored for far too long.”
She felt her sister’s grip tighten, the armor growing cold against her fur. “Yes,” Luna agreed, pulling away from the hug. “We have.”
Celestia sighed, the weight of today’s events finally catching up to her. She was tired, and couldn’t think straight, not after the recent revelations. She needed her rest, and Luna needed to calm herself. “Luna...what happened tonight was a tragedy, and it shall never be repeated. Tomorrow, we shall investigate the root of the problem and eliminate it. Until then, please do not let you rage consume you. Compose yourself, and let Night Court resume. I shall meet you in the morning, and then we can create a new era of peace between Thestrals and Ponies. Together.”
Luna wiped her tears away and gave her sister a small, sad smile. “Yes, that is...wise. We shall do just that.”
Celestia patted her on the shoulder and passed her the crown on her head. “Tonight is yours, Luna. Rule our Ponies with grace and with dignity, and guide them down the path of truth and justice.”
Luna bowed her head, accepting the crown. Her slitted pupils widened just slightly as she concluded the nightly tradition: “Rest peacefully, Celestia. May thy dreams be lively, and thy sleep peaceful. Fear thee not, for We shall protect them.”
Without another word, Celestia smiled warmly and walked away, intent on getting the rest she desperately needed tonight. And yet, when she reached the threshold of the door, she stopped and turned around. Luna, still in her Primal Alicorn form, was standing in front of the window where she had stood just moments before, looking down upon the city. It may have been a trick of the pale moonlight, but Celestia could swear that she saw Luna’s mouth curled downwards in a furious snarl of disdain.
Luna may have been pacified for now, but her thoughts were still swirling with darkness and tempestuous anger over what happened. Celestia couldn’t blame her, for if any creature had done the same to one of her little Ponies, Celestia would’ve ravaged the countryside to find who was responsible. She would’ve burned them all to ash, had their cities melted down, and their lands glassed until they were--
NO!!
The flames licking at Celesia’s legs snuffed out, and her blackened eyes blinked and turned white once more. Her fiery mane once more became an ethereal rainbow hue, and she stumbled into the corridor outside the throne room, confusing the Thestral guards on either side of her.
She had nearly lost control again. She would not let that happen, not after what happened to the Thracians many years ago. She could still hear it in her dreams. All the screaming, her laughter as the flames surrounded her and as the once beautiful island erupted in a gateway to Tartarus and sent its cursed and cruel inhabitants into the abyss--
Stop it.
The flames felt so good. So...mesmerizing and liberating...
Stop it! she roared inwardly at herself. Stop it, you fool! You aren’t her; not anymore. Daybreaker is a curse, not a strength, and she deserves to be cast out and forsaken.
Her thoughts drifted to the words of her sister, about how she feared her own Primal form. No, Celestia had decided. The Primal Alicorns were not their true forms. She was Celestia, and no other. No thrice-damned urges would ruin that for her.
With a frown that threatened to morph into a contempt-filled scowl, Celestia wandered through the corridors until she reached her quarters. As she did, two Lunar Guards saluted and opened the doors for her. She thanked them with a nod of her head and stepped inside, sighing deeply. She needed to sleep and to wash away her darkened thoughts.
And yet, try as she might, her mind still went back to the face of that mare, lying on the floor. Had her Ponies really been so cruel under her reign? Had she not taught them to be peaceful and harmonious? Did they not follow her word as law?
But maybe that was part of the problem. They thought of Celestia as a goddess, but Luna as an afterthought, a puppet at best. It was always Celestia that they listened to, and she had told them to not fear those who walked in the night, but to shun them.
...To shun them...!
“Oh no...” Celestia whisper-shouted, her eyes widening in alarm. It had been her! With but a poor choice of words to the wrong Ponies, she had created a problem that even now was threatening to destroy the Harmony she had worked so hard to create. A problem that she had been blind to for years!
But then why didn’t Luna stop it?
...Because, as the ruler of the Thestrals proclaimed Princess of the Night, the other Ponies feared her also.
Celestia growled and flopped onto the bed, throwing off her regalia with a jerk. This was going to take a lot of work and time to fix if she was right. But she would fix it. She would! Luna and the Thestrals would finally receive the justice they needed. She just worried that Luna would try to take matters into her own hooves. It would only end in bloodshed if she did.
As her head rested on her pillow and her eyes started to close, she sent a silent prayer to Faust for wisdom and guidance, before drifting off to the Dream Realm.
Fire.
Fire everywhere.
The city was burning, her Ponies were screaming, and the castle was a shattered ruin.
Laughter rode on the wind, cruel and vile. A burning hoof was thrust forward, and a curtain of flame erupted in the streets, burning several families alive even as they fled. Thestrals flooded the streets, their blades drawn and their eyes thin slits and glowing blue.
Luna glided over the city in her Primal form, and was on a direct course towards her. The two collided, and the planet shook.
Somepony below them screamed.
Celestia awoke with a start, her heart beating as she sat up in her bed. Her dream had been vivid, depressing, and so...real. Shaking her head, she faced the clock on the wall, and her eyes widened at the time: 8 AM. Why had the chambermaids not woken her up so that she could raise the sun?
And why was the moon full, and pale blue? It was a thin white crescent just last night.
Then she smelled the smoke.
Throwing off the covers in a hurry, she raced to the balcony and opened the door. The sight that greeted her made her jaw drop in horror.
The Shining City of Everfree was burning, and Ponies were running and screaming in the streets, with hundreds of Thestrals swarming the skies and streets like vultures, torches and blades in their hooves. Houses crumbled, warning bells rang in a desperate plea for deliverance, and the Solar Guard was nowhere to be found to answer them.
She backed away, her jaw quivering in horror as she lifted a shaking hoof to cover her mouth. Why would the Thestrals do this? Why would they...
Her dream. This was just like her dream. She had feared this would happen, and it was happening.
Her fears...
LUNA!
She had left Luna in her Primal form in the throne room!
“No...” Celestia whispered, praying beyond hope that she was wrong. “Nononononononoooo!” She soared up into the air and gazed down at the castle, now ruined in several sections. Gaping holes had been smashed into the walls, and Thestrals poured in and out of them. All of them had blue eyes like that of Luna’s Primal form, and like that of the moon.
Her heart pounding, she dove through one of the holes and raced through the corridors to the throne room. She passed several Thestrals on her way, each one firing crossbow bolts at her, which she dodged as best as she could. One of them clipped her left wing and sent her tumbling, but she recovered quickly and erected an energy shield behind her, stopping her angry pursuers.
She drifted to the floor to conserve her energy and galloped the rest of the way to the throne room, where she found Luna standing right where she had left her at the window, sipping wine from a glass. Only this time, Luna had a twisted smile on her face. She didn’t even look at Celestia before declaring in a loud voice, “Not. Another. Step.”
“What have you done?!” Celestia shrieked at her as she skidded to a stop.
“What We had to,” Luna replied in an eerily calm voice, turning to her sister. The wine glass wavered in her magic aura. “This was the only way to receive the justice We sought.”
“Luna, end this madness!” Celestia commanded, trotting forward and glaring at her. “Lower the moon so that your control over the Thestrals will cease. Ponies are dying!”
“Ponies have been dying for years, Celestia!” Luna roared, baring her fangs. The wine glass shattered in an instant, spraying the floor with shards and red wine. “And in thy stupidity and blindness, thou couldn’t see it! We tried to stop it, We pleaded with thy ’precious little Ponies’, but they refused! There was nothing more to be done or said.”
Celestia’s worst fears had been confirmed. In her Primal state, Luna was far more powerful and more prone to sensing the dreams and fears of others so that she could help them. But it was a double-edged sword, for like all Primal Alicorns, it also carried with it a terrible curse: it was unstable, and only appeared when Luna felt that she alone was not enough to protect her Ponies.
And when she sensed fear or nightmares in this form, especially from perceived enemies, she could mimic those fears and manifest them into reality, not unlike a certain foe the two sisters had faced before. It was almost like one of his cruel jokes.
“My dreams, my thoughts, my fears for why I thought my Ponies could have hated you...” Celestia whispered in horror. “You sensed them.”
Luna laughed. “Thou hast not lost thy touch, sister! We thought that little business with the Thracians was bad, or even what thou did to those monsters in Everfree, but this...this was magical!”
“But it was just me!” Celestia screamed at her, knowing full well it was to no avail. “My dreams, my nightmares! It wasn’t real!”
“It was also perfect for what We had in mind,” Luna spat. “We had to act. We had to know. We had to see. So We encased thine tower in a sound barrier and took matters into Our own hooves. Dost thou know what We found, sister? Malice, hatred, and unfounded fear aplenty. But there was also something else, something that proved to Us that We were betrayed. Thine own words, sister, inscribed for all to see: ‘shun the night, and those who would walk in its darkness’. They demanded that We leave. They cursed Us and Our Thestrals, and called Us monsters of Grogar. They invoked thy name and prayed that thou would strike Us down! So We invoked thy name in return by showing them what thou dreamt of at night.”
“You...you killed them...all of them...”
“Have thou no shame or no memory? Dost thou not remember thine own sins, great and terrible as they were? Would thou not have done the same, Daybreaker, if thy Ponies were attacked?” Luna accused. “Well, Ours were. We merely retaliated.”
“Do not call me that!”
“But it is thy true name, dear sister. Celestia is a fantasy, a facade for the common Ponies. We saw thy visions and heard thy thoughts when thou left Us alone. Thou remembered the isle of the Thracian Ponies, and the flames that extinguished both them and their dark magics. Then thou dreamt that We fought against thee and thy precious Ponies at the end of all things. It was going to happen eventually, the signs were written in the stars and were heard on the winds. We just...accelerated the process.”
Celestia couldn’t believe what she was hearing and seeing. Her sweet sister...how could she have done this? She had to save her from this madness. “Luna, I will not fight you. You must lower the moon and end this! You want to protect your Thestrals, and that is noble, but you have a duty to all Ponies! We were meant to rule together! Please!”
Luna growled and spread her wings. “Thou should have remembered that when thou told thy Ponies to shun Us.” Then she cackled, and black lightning began to form on her horn and wingtips. “We are not Luna. Tonight, We are Nightmare Moon, and Our sole duty now is to destroy thee and free Our Children of the Night from their invisible bonds! Thou wouldst have thy Ponies shun the night?! HA! Then Our beautiful night shall last forever, and they shall shun it no more! Tonight the pale moon rises for the final time!”
With a scream of challenge, the magic in Nightmare Moon’s horn exploded, sending a shock wave of dark energy all around her and blowing the windows behind her outwards into a million crystalline shards, all reflecting the light of the moon and giving the Primal Alicorn a ghostly aura behind her. For a briefest of moments, Celestia saw the dark angel in front of her, beautiful and terrible. And as she looked closer, she saw her even more lovely Luna once more, straining within her prison and screaming at herself to stop, tears flowing down her terrified face. The image then faded, replaced by reality. The Nightmare smirked triumphantly and stamped her hoof on the throne, splitting it down the middle.
Celestia took a step back, tears of fear and sorrow pouring her face. “Please Luna...don’t do this...”
“We have nothing else to lose!” Nightmare Moon answered in a booming voice. “We have seen the truth of thine Equestria and thine own ‘Harmony’, and the truth is that there can only be one Princess to rule them all! One to unite! One to save! And that Princess shall be...Us.”
Without another word, she launched herself at Celestia, snarling through her teeth like a wild animal and brandishing her horn at Celestia’s chest. Celestia scampered back, avoiding the blow, and erected a shield in front of her, which Nightmare Moon bounced off of. Luna was truly gone.
“What is the matter, Celestia?” Nightmare Moon jeered. “Not feeling generous enough to grant Us a battle?” She shot a bolt of dark magic at Celestia, destroying the door behind her in the process. “Have thou been so concerned about being kind that thou hast forgotten how to be powerful?!”
Celestia took to the air, flying out of the ruined windows and into the sky above. Her opponent poked her head out from the throne room and cackled again.
“And where do thou think thou are going?” Nightmare Moon called, chasing after her. “Fleeing on the eve of battle? Pathetic. Where is thy loyalty to thine subjects?”
She sent a beam of black fire towards Celestia, who dodged once more, only to watch in horror as the flames changed course and consumed a Pegasus Guard who was protecting her family. Celestia whirled around to face her sister, only to receive a punch to the face. She tumbled through the air and landed in a heap on the burning streets, coughing.
Looking up with bruised eyes, Celestia gazed at the devastation around her. Ponies lay in the streets, blood pooling around their still forms. Families were sprawled atop one another, foals and adults alike, each trying to protect the other from blows that had long since silenced them.
Celestia wept, her hot tears turning to steam from the flames around her and burning her fur. Her heart, already broken, now could not be fixed. She did this...
Nightmare Moon gracefully touched down near her, spreading her black wings menacingly. Several Thestrals stopped what they were doing to watch their Mistress of the Night in awe and reverence, cheering as she beat down the sun-kissed oppressor and her followers.
Celestia ignored them all. She did this...
“It is We who shall have the last laugh, sister,” Nightmare Moon spat, stomping a hoof on the ground and causing a pillar of stone to erupt from the ground and strike Celestia in the stomach, sending her flying into the air. “Be honest with thyself, witch. Thou hast no chance against Us, not in thy current form. Come now, show Us that vaunted strength We know thou shieldeth from the world. Show Us thy true self! Show thyself, Daybreaker!”
Celestia coughed again and shielded herself, blocking several magic bolts from her attacker. But even with all her magic, the power of a Primal Alicorn could not be denied for long. The barrier shattered, and Celestia was blasted with full force into the side of the castle throne room with a pained scream.
Nightmare Moon laughed in dark triumph and raced after her, intent on finishing the battle once and for all.
Celestia crawled through the rubble, clutching at the ruined marble and carpets and weeping at what had become of her sister and her Ponies. A night like any other had turned into a living nightmare. HER living nightmare. She had caused this, not Luna. Nightmare Moon was just following her Primal instincts to protect her Children from a perceived threat.
And Celestia would never forgive herself for as long as she lived.
A large flap of wings and the clanking of metal shoes on the floor signalled Nightmare Moon’s arrival, and Celestia looked up with tears in her eyes. Nightmare Moon gazed down at her, almost in pity, before running a hoof down Celestia’s cheek and wiping a tear away. “Fear thee not, dear sister, for We shall protect them. Now and forever,” she whispered with a dark chuckle. “Now watch as a new, magical Age of Eternal Night begins. It will be glorious and beautiful, and all Ponies shall love Us at last. Dost thou understand, sister? Magical.”
“Magic...” Celestia whispered, realization dawning at last.
Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “What is this? Thou wishest Us to write a requiem for thine tombstone?”
“No,” Celestia coughed, looking up at her tormentor. “It’s something you said. Several somethings, in fact.”
“Truly? Pray tell, what is it then?”
“Oh Luna, if you can hear me, I have heard what you want me to do, but I cannot bear it. I cannot, I DARE NOT!”
“We told thee before, We are not Luna!” the Nightmare roared, smacking Celestia’s face and sending her sprawling across the throne room.
Celestia groaned and stood up on her hooves. “No...but Luna is within you still, and she has sent me a message.”
“Speak in riddles one last time, and thou shall face thine doom. SPEAK PLAINLY!! As Princess of the Night, I command you!”
Celestia sighed and her horn lit up once more. Nightmare Moon conjured a shield around herself, preparing for an assault, but instead, the floor next to Celestia opened up, revealing a device that rose up from the floor. Five gems spun around the device, and each one was grasped with Celestia’s magic.
Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened. She knew what these gems were, and what they represented. “No...”
“Forgive me, sister...” Celestia whispered desperately, just as a sixth, star-shaped gem appeared from the device itself. All six gems encircled her, glowing intensely as they spun faster and faster, energy building up between them. “Luna, I beg of you, forgive me!”
“NOOOO!” Nightmare Moon shrieked. The shield around her shattered as she attempted to flee as fast as her wings could carry her.
It was far too late to flee, however. A massive blast of golden light struck her in the back, enveloping her in heat and light. She screamed, and before Celestia’s eyes her body dissolved until there was nothing more than a speck of light, which shot away from the throne room and into the night sky above, where it rose higher and higher, brighter and more mesmerizing than the most beautiful star in the night. It continued to rise until it struck the surface of the moon.
Moment’s later, the shape of a darkened mare’s face could be seen etched into the pale moon’s surface, forever reminding those below of the terrible price paid on this day.
Thestrals throughout the city fell out of the sky, screaming in fear and grief as the control over their minds was suddenly released, and the realization of what they had done reached their minds. Some fell upon their own blades in despair, others wailed in the streets at the loss of life, and the rest fled in every direction, their sorrowful tears watering the fields below.
Behind them, the city burned in silence. Nopony was left to make a sound.
Now alone in the ruined city, Celestia fell to the ground and screamed in anguish, her cries echoing across the countryside, until all Ponies across Equestria knew what had happened. Her sister was gone, her Ponies were gone, her city was destroyed, the Harmony she had created was broken, and the goddess had deserted her.
She cursed the goddess, she cursed Harmony, and most of all, she cursed herself.
And for a thousand years more, she would continue to do so.
(Present day...)
Celestia blinked and backed away from the window, her memories of that night finally fading. Her blackened eyes narrowed once more at the masterpiece of art, and her horn lit up as she charged a powerful spell that would end it all at last. Red flames surrounded her, and intense heat scorched the red carpet under her hooves.
Just a few more seconds, and it would all be--
“Tia?”
Celestia gasped and cut off the flow of magic to her horn. The flames vanished, and she stumbled back, fear in her eyes as she stared at the window.
“H-how long have you been standing there?” she whispered, turning to face Luna. “Shouldn’t you be holding Night Court or banishing nightmares in the Dream Realm?”
The younger Princess moved to her side and nuzzled her cheek. “Long enough to know that something’s amiss. As for the rest, Night Court has been slow today, and I intend to delve into the Dream Realm later on, so I have the time. What troubles you on this night?”
Celestia couldn’t bear to look at her in the eyes. “Memories,” she replied simply, hanging her head.
Luna hummed and looked between her and the window. “I see...” she said at last, a frown forming on her face. “Tia, has it not been a millennium since that day? And six more years after that since I have returned to you as you see me now? Have you not forgiven yourself after all this time?”
“Time heals many wounds, Lulu, but scars of regret can last an eternity.”
Luna draped a dark wing over her. “You have nothing to regret, Tia. It was I who made the mistake, and it was I who ordered you to do what had to be done. Had I not been so enraged--”
“You had every right to be,” Celestia reminded her, sitting down in front of the window. “You were not the only one who made mistakes that night, and mine were greater than yours. Because of me, Equestria was set back a thousand years. Where would we be had I just paid more attention to the plight of the Thestrals? We might even be touching the stars you dance with every night had things ended differently.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” Luna conceded, sitting down next to her. “There are many things that could’ve been different, and many things that could’ve been better. But look at what you’ve accomplished since that night: Equestria is thriving once more, three new Princesses, the Thestrals have been accepted back into society with open hooves, and Ponies are once again united under one banner.”
“How did you do it?” Celestia whispered suddenly, tears welling up in her eyes. “How did you come to terms with what you had done, and move on?”
Luna hung her head in shame, her own memories of that terrible night filling her head. “I...didn’t. Even now, I still hear the screams. For several years after my return, I was doing to myself what you’re doing now. Depression and regret can be harsh mistresses, and they demanded much of me. I told you of the Tantabus, did I not?”
Celestia nodded weakly.
“Then you know exactly how I dealt with my pain: I increased it, refined it, and inflicted it upon myself. Trust me, it was yet another terrible mistake, and I don’t want to see you repeat it. You don’t need to fight this pain on your own, sister.”
“But I must live with it,” her sister sighed in defeat.
Luna kissed her cheek. “We all must bear our burdens, but though we keep moving forward, we also must never forget what we left behind so that we may learn from it. No matter the outcome of that night, it is history, and history is meant to be learned from, not buried. For whatever mistakes you have made, I forgive you.” She ran a hoof down Celestia’s cheek and smiled. “Hear me as I once heard you, Tia: I forgive you.”
Celestia sniffed and hugged her sister back, crying into her shoulder. The two of them sat there for a long time, simply holding onto each other under the light cast by the window.
And when Celestia looked up, the window had changed. No longer was it her banishing her sister to the moon. Instead, the art had shifted to the moment when the two had been reunited in joy, with Twilight and her friends bowing to both of them with smiles adorning their faces.
Celestia sent Luna a curious glance, and Luna responded with a sly wink. “It’s only a trick of the pale moonlight, sister,” she teased.
For a moment, Celestia almost believed her little white lie. But she knew better.
History was indeed written by the victors. And both of them were victorious tonight.
After some time, Luna had excused herself, saying that she sensed a powerful nightmare emerging from somewhere in the Crystal Empire that had to be taken care of, and bid her sister a peaceful night. Celestia then wandered back to her tower, where a different Thestral was now waiting for her. The mare snapped to attention as she approached. “Your Highness, the lieutenant informed me about your evening. Are you feeling better?”
Celestia nodded and offered a warm smile. “Very much so, thank you sergeant. In fact, I’m feeling generous --- take the night off.”
The Thestral mare tilted her head to the side. “Princess?”
“I mean it,” Celestia said. “Explore the city, see the sights, or even just relax in a park. By order of Princess Celestia herself.” A scroll appeared in the air next to her, and she quickly wrote out an edict and signed it with her name, before hoofing it over to the mare.
The mare took the scroll in confusion, looking between it and the Princess. “But...what about you, Your Highness?”
“Fear not, sergeant, for Princess Luna is protecting us all tonight. From the far edge of Sire’s Hollow to the Crystal Empire, she is watching over us all, and she can spare one Thestral tonight.” She smirked as the mare looked at her with confusion. “We’re not in danger, trust me.”
The mare blinked, and then, remembering herself and her new “orders”, snapped once more to attention and saluted. “Thank you, Princess! I shall go right away!”
Celestia giggled and shooed the mare away, before entering her quarters once more. Stepping in front of the mirror in her room, she gazed at herself and let out a short, satisfied sigh, before turning towards the bed. She didn’t even bother with her regalia as she slipped under the covers, letting out a soft sigh as her head touched the pillow. Her dreams would be peaceful tonight. Luna was watching out for her.
Upon her wall, Celestia’s reflection on the mirror grinned sharply and reached outward towards her, a lick of green flames climbing up its black, hole-filled hoof...
Author's Note
For those confused by the chronology, the present day sections of this story take place before the Season 6 finale (where Celestia, Luna, and all the other Princesses and main characters get captured by the Changelings), and I consider each season it's own year, so Luna has been free from Nightmare Moon for almost 6 years. I know the "1 season = 1 year" theory doesn't really work in canon, especially with Flurry being thrown in the mix, but that's what headcanons are for, and I've created one that makes it work. So, HA!
Thank you all for reading! This story has been on my mind for a while now, and is actually part of something much bigger.
We are only just beginning...
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To be continued in A Silent Night in the North
