A State of Mind

Chapters

Unforgiving
The Crystal War
Secrets
A Nightmare
Reflecting: Part One

Unforgiving

A young Princess Celestia mourned in silence as she held her head high as she quietly walked through one of the many dark corridors of the Royal Castle in Everfree Forest. The torches that has lit up the corridor had died long ago, thankfully the soft glow of her magic lit up the corridor enough for her to walk without bumping into anything. She turned her head slightly to look at the shining moon that was risen high into the sky.

She gave a soft sad smile as she thought about how beautiful her sister always made the sky each night, without fail. But it faltered and died as soon as her thoughts drifted to the events of the previous week. She flexed her right-wing without thinking, the wing was still sore from the events of last week. For a month, Luna and Celestia had to go into hiding in their own country because Discord, a...creature they trusted, betrayed them to the worst degree possible. Three weeks it took them to track down the mysterious elements Starswirl mentioned to them before he disappeared.

Then...They fought. Luna and Discord always picked on each other, constantly making fun of each other and empty threats of violence but during that fight, they followed through on each and every one of them. Luna often threatened she would use the power of the moon to break every bone in Discord's body, to her credit, if Discord didn't have the magic that he does, she would have been successful and killed him in the process. Discord always threatened he could easily beat them within minutes if they tried to defeat him in a battle. Celestia flinched as she remembered how Discord blasted her full force with magic, slamming her into a jagged mountain. Causing her right-wing to snap painfully, echoing in her ears before she tumbled down the mountain.

Celestia never admitted it to Luna but she loved Discord, and he loved her, a fact only she and Discord knew about. Luna could barely stand him so when Luna found Celestia laying in a pool of her own blood with the elements scattered around her, she didn't hesitate to pick them up and use her magic to pick Celestia up and fly towards Discord with one last final warning to stop.

Celestia could barely remember what happened after that. Discord became distracted at the sight of Celestia's broken state. Celestia had to remain conscious but was barely holding on as Luna told her they had no choice. They had no more time. They had to stop him there and then or they would both be killed. So, Celestia agreed. She flared up her horn with one more burst of magic, connecting it to Luna's magic and within seconds her best friend was nothing but a statue in the middle of a field.

It hurt. It hurt her heart more than any broken bone or head injury could. It felt like somepony stabbed her one million times in the heart before ripping it out. Luna and Celestia collapsed in front of the statue almost immediately, too drained from the battle to move any longer. Hopping the guards would be able to scramble back together to go search for them.

"I am sorry, Tia. I know he was your friend."

Luna didn't understand. She couldn't possibly understand what they had done. Not that it was any fault of Luna's. Celestia never told her. But that didn't stop resentment and anger from flaring up, directed at Luna, Discord and herself. But, like a good leader, she pushed it down to the deepest darkest areas of her mind and nodded.

"It had to be done."

The truth hurt. Celestia's eyes watered as she quickly used her healed wing to wipe them away as she could hear a door being opened near her. She turned to see a nervous bat pony guard opening the door slightly. Clearing looking for her.

"Princess Celestia?"

"Yes?" Celestia asked, praying her voice was steady, not showing any sign of weakness. The bat pony gulped and straightened his posture in an attempt to be more confident and professional as he raised his chin. Celestia smirked internally as she thought about how new he must be to the job.

"Princess Luna is looking for you, she has re-"

"Tell Princess Luna, I am unavailable tonight." Celestia interrupted a bit hastily. A wave of guilt hit her hard as she continued to speak. "I will be in the Library doing research."

"Y-yes, Princess." The guard nodded. He hesitated before leaving the corridor. Leaving her alone in the dark corridor. Celestia wasn't lying, not exactly. She was headed to the Library, ever since the fight, Celestia had been trying to find something, anything in Starswirl's notes or any books about them in the Library. Hoping to find answers to what the elements did, what they meant. Hypothetically, she could have taken off to see Luna. To do some stargazing like when they were unicorns but now...Now, she couldn't be around Luna. Not right now. Luna reminded her too much of the final moments of the battle. How cold and calculating Luna looked and sounds as they banished Discord. Celestia had no right to feel that way.

But that didn't stop the hurt. The pain. They both did the magic to contain him and yet for some unknown reason to Celestia, she hated how uncaring Luna was to what they did. She moved on, she didn't feel a gaping hole in her life like Celestia did.

She didn't understand why Luna had been isolating herself, even before Discord went mad with Chaos magic, why she was so cold to her and most ponies for months now. But Celestia had reached the point where she didn't want to know anymore. She shoved the concern for her sister away like she had been doing with most of her personal issues lately, in favour of focusing on something she chose to be more important. Whether it was governing the country or magical studies.

Celestia sighed as she looked up to the beautiful night sky. Before shaking her head, reminding herself she had work to do and trotted towards the next door to her journey for the Library.

-End of Chapter One-

Author's Note

AN:

I hope you guys liked the story so far! Idk how updates are going to go because I have college, work and art to keep up with. It has been a while since I have written a story so I hope I can finish this. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading.

I will be making an official cover for this soon hopefully. :)

The Crystal War

Celestia was becoming increasingly agitated. Luna was already beginning a rampage beside her. They had both been on the front lines of the Crystal War for three days. The war, according to the generals was nearing an end. They were nearly inside the castle. Luna ruthlessly bucked and sliced at any of the Crystal soldiers that attempted to take them down. They were under mind control from King Sombra of course, but that didn't stop the sisters from their desperate need to end the war.

Unfortunate casualties, Celestia kept repeating in her mind as she was forced to slice the throat of another Crystal soldier that just would not give up in his quest to kill them.

"Hurry up, Celestia!" Luna barked as she slammed another soldier down to the ground. Celestia gritted her teeth in irritation, doing her best to ignore the cold that had started to freeze her armour covering her body. They started to gallop through the broken streets, noticing the lack of crystal citizens, probably locked within their homes.

A few of the bat pony and solar guards broke from the battle surrounding the city and followed after them for extra protection. Celestia gave a glance to the bags on her back, being partially protected by her alicorn wings as they galloped to the Crystal castle, holding the Elements, as she had begun to know them as, the Elements of Harmony. The sleepless nights of months of research in the Library had paid off to provide her with information about them.

Starswirl had suspected that he and the rest of the pillars were going to be unable to protect Equestria at some point, so they combined their magic, the magic used to protect and banish evil from Equestria into a special seed. They planted it, in hopes that the tree it grew into would protect Equestria for generations onward. Unfortunately, Starswirl and the rest of the pillars vanished before the tree was grown up to fully show the elements.

Thanks to the work of other researchers, Celestia, Luna and many others they concluded that each element was connected to a special part of their bearers. Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty and Magic. Celestia had been silently having growing concerns about the sisters' connection to the elements. How could they wield the elements of Harmony if they barely had a relationship anymore? They only spoke to each other about work now, avoided each other at all costs in their normal lives.

An explosion made both the sisters and the guard stumble. The fighting has moved into the Empire. The sister pushed on, they charged their horns and blasted through the front doors of the main castle. The guards quickly became engaged with the guards inside the castle. The sister pushed through the chaos until they stumbled into the dark corrupted throne room.

They took in deep breathes and tried to pull their strength together as they looked to the throne made of dark crystals where a single male unicorn sat. King Sombra, his eyes were piercing a bright green and red and he watched them in silence before giving them a slow sharp toothy smile.

"Congraulations, Princesses."

Luna growled and Celestia glared at the enemy with hatred. Pure hatred.

"This ends now! Release the Empire or we will use the Elements!" Celestia threatened, her voice echoing against the crystals' walls.

"Ah, yes. The Elements." Sombra spat out as he got up and started to take slow, careful steps towards the Alicorn sisters. "A tale you have made up to frighten your citizens into submission. Well, at least my citizens fear me for real power. For the actual power that has been proven to keep them in line."

Celestia and Luna shared a look of mutual confusion for a moment before looking back to Sombra.

"I assure you that they are very real." Luna growled. "I would be delighted to personally show you their power when they destroy you!"

Sombra let out a loud laugh before igniting his dark magic to form a scythe made of the darkest of crystals.

"I would love to see you try."

Sombra launched himself into the air, throwing his scythe directing at the sisters. They rolled out of the way before delivering blasts of their own magic back at him. He landed on the ground where the sisters once stood, blocking Celestia's magic but getting slammed by Luna's in a moment of weakness. He stumbled for a moment when Luna slammed into him, sending them both to the ground. Luna used her earth pony strength to rear up and slammed onto his shoulders. He cried out in pain as Luna used her whole body weight to keep him down. Luna looked briefly up to Celestia with wild eyes full of adrenaline.

"Sister, get out the el-"

Sombra blasted her with magic, Luna cried out in pain when she was thrown back into one of the jagged crystal pillars. Celestia shielded herself with golden magic when Sombra blasted dark crystals towards Celestia. She destroyed them within a second when Sombra sent his scythe spinning at her.

The scythe hit her, leaving a deep gash in the side of her neck. She stumbled away with tears beginning to go down her cheeks as she fought through the pain, Luna recovered from the blast and started firing multiple magical arrows at Sombra. He began backing away from them as he struggled to keep up with the intensity they were coming at him. Celestia flared up her horn and followed her sister's spell, throwing knives with the arrows. Soon Sombra had become too distracted at the constant barrage of arrows and knives to notice Celestia sparing some extra magic to hook onto his hoofs and slam him onto his back. Before he could retaliate with another blast of magic, Luna allowed brief use of dark magic to consume her own. Cancelling out Sombra's magic when she blasted at his horn. Leaving jagged crystals on it, preventing him from using magic.

Luna took in deep sharp and panicking deaths as her eyes flickered between their usual colours and red and green. She shook her head several times, closed her eyes tightly before opening them again hesitantly. Sombra screamed in rage, which went ignored by Celestia in concern for Luna.

"Luna? Are you alright?"

Luna growled as she shook her head as if that was going to make the magic she used to go away before she snapped her eyes to Celestia.

"Yes, let's just get this over with." Luna snapped with venom. Celestia's eyes lingered on her sister for a second later as a bad feeling came over her. Celestia looked over to Sombra as she began to use her magic to drag the elements out of her bag. Luna's eyes had a glazed-over look, the look she usually had when she was deep within her own thoughts. Barely paying attention to the situation. Too preoccupied to notice Sombra give Celestia a chilling smile as he was held down.

"She will be the end of you."

"Shut up." Celestia growled, trying to lie to herself that fear didn't grip her heart at that moment. "Luna!" She barked, bringing her sister out of her thoughts in moments as Celestia brought her sister's half of the elements over to her. "Get ready."

They leaped into the air as Sombra's cocky smile fell when the Element's brightened up and started to spin around the sisters in bright rainbow colours. He screamed in rage again. His magic flickered and died as his horn was still unable to work.

"You FOOLS!" He screamed. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE DOING! You dooming them all!" Before a crazy laugh of an insane pony came from his mouth as another giant smile crossed his face. "You idiots! Did you think I didn't prepare-"

The sisters didn't let him finish as they slammed the full power of the elements into him. They ripped his body apart and sent his soul into the deepest areas of the frozen north where no pony could reach him. Celestia's eyes drifted to the magic surrounding them, it was unstable. It hurt. An instinct told her something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The magic didn't feel like it did when they banished Discord. It was fighting against them slightly. It seemed...uneasy with them.

The elements slowed as the threat was eliminated, the sisters shoved the elements away to Celestia's bag as they drifted back down to the ground. Celestia opened her mouth to speak when the entire empire seemed to be shaking. A bright flash of light blinded the sisters before they opened them again to see nothing. No castle. No Empire. They now stood in a snowstorm where the city should have been. Surrounded by the bodies of their faithful dead soldiers, of injured heroes.

"No." Celestia whispered. The Sisters started to frantically looked around their immediate surroundings. "No! No, no, no! He...He banished it! He banished an entire empire!"

"T-That shouldn't be possible! T-That c-can't be-" Luna struggled to come to grips with what had happened. "I-I don't understand."

"He used dark magic, Luna, obviously." Celestia snapped in misdirected rage. Luna flinched. "Clearly the dark magic has a power we can't possibly understand."

Luna stayed silent as both sides of the sisters' guards were regrouping around them. Waiting, silently pleading for orders. Celestia and Luna stood straighter as the leaders they were to address their guards.

"T-There is nothing we can do now. We...We must return home. The war is...O-over." Celestia said, struggling to keep her voice from cracking under pressure. "We have to go home."

The Captain of the Solar Guard opened his mouth to protest, about to demand they find evidence to counteract whatever happened to the Empire but one look from Luna silenced him within moments. The group began the journey home, in dead silence. Each feeling the weight of failure. They didn't win. They failed to save the ponies they were there to protect. To Free.

When Celestia and Luna managed to gain enough magical strength left, they began teleporting the guards back to the needed locations in the Guard barracks around cities, in the castle and other locations. By the end of the two hours, they were mentally and physically exhausted. Celestia and Luna teleported to the castle, right in front of a large set of windows that allowed them to gaze over the forest the castle was inside of.

It was Nightime in Equestria still, the residents of the castle, towns, cities and growing villages were not yet aware that they would wake up to a country no longer in war, but without an Empire in punishment. Not yet aware of the full amount of lives lost for a fruitless win.

"Sunrise is in two hours." Celestia mumbled absent-mindedly.

Luna nodded, her eyes focused on a town in the distance. Her eyes were sad as the lights were shut off. There was no sound of movement in the castle other than the returning soldiers and the guards forced on night shift. Luna knew no pony was paying attention to the night sky. Even as she tried to make it more and more beautiful each night to give Equestria some comfort despite their circumstances. No pony cared that she tried. No pony cared about the night.

Celestia was slumped to the ground, her head hanging low as she held back tears she didn't want Luna to see. She took in a shaky breathe, not bothering to look up from the carpet in her own shame of the events that took place.

"I am heading to bed. Maybe...Maybe I can get some sleep before..." Celestia paused, not bothering to finish as Luna was even listening anymore. "Nevermind. See you at sunrise."

Celestia stumbled into another corridor, then another, and another. Until she reached her room without even truly knowing how. She stumbled towards her large bed, looking forward to the comfort of simply relaxing for at least an hour of her pathetic life.

Then she made the mistake of looking out to her balcony. Her heart hurt as she thought about the stone statue that was just beyond her room, in the castle gardens, hidden away. She wanted to talk to Discord, she wanted to vent and scream to anyone, any pony. She missed him. Even when he was being egotistical and endless annoying with his constant comments on how more chaotic things could be at any given moment, he was a comfort. He was her best friend.

Now. Now, she was alone.

Celestia teleported from her room to the hidden area she kept him in. Ripping off her damaged armour in the process as she dumped it to the side. Her throat throbbed in screeching pain, her bruises and cuts felt like they were on fire. Her body ached as she dumped the bag of the elements to the ground. Not care at that moment where they ended up at.

She collapsed in front of the statue, her body shaking from sobs that soon rang out.

"W-We failed, Discord." Celestia mumbled. "I-I failed. I should have anticipated, I should have considered-" She took in a deep breath in between sods she could stop. "Gone!" She screamed, her voice broken. No longer the soothing tone that foals smiled at. Instead, it was the cry of the broken alicorn. "An entire empire is gone! Thousands of ponies are dead, missing or just...gone! Gone! I-I don't know what to do! I- I-"

She couldn't speak another word as she let another strangled cry of agony. The statue stayed silent.

-End of Chapter Two-

Secrets

Luna was becoming obsessed with researching...something. Not only was she obsessed with it, but she was also keeping it a secret. Not that Celestia could blame her, she had kept multiple secrets from Luna. Secrets such as her relationship with Discord, the fear she had about the unstable way the elements reacted during the battle with Sombra mear months ago.

Celestia paused as she passed the large double doors to the Library, her ears flickered to hear the sounds of her sister mumbling to herself as she flipped pages and the sounds of her writing something on a scroll. She raised her hoof to extend a full knock on the door. To open it and ask her sister what she was doing that was so secret. But she hesitated before lowering her hoof entirely. There was no point. They were barely sisters anymore. They barely spoke to each other outside of government issues. What was the point? They would probably just get into a fight again over some sort of nonsense.

"Princess Celestia."

Celestia nearly jumped in alarm at the sound of her assistant calling out behind her. She turned sharply to see her assistant holding up a scroll of her daily schedule with a disapproving frown. "We are late to the Crown Meeting."

"The one regarding Canterlot?" Celestia asked. Her Assistant nodded. Celestia paused for a moment to ponder the situation. "Why can't Princess Luna oversee this meeting? She is moving into that castle as much as I am. I believe she should have some say in how the new castle and city is designed."

"I have brought up that...suggestion to the other council members, Princess." Her Assistant paused, her usual confident posture faltered a little as her ears dropped. Celestia took a careful step forward, growing concern told her she wasn't going to like how the rest of this conversation went.

"And...?"

"They believe...Princess Luna...Isn't needed for these discussions. She hasn't exactly been welcoming the news that we are building a capital city with a new castle. She rejected the whole idea the moment it was brought up in the first development meeting."

Not exactly welcoming to the news was an understatement, they were fighting for weeks about the matter and even now it wasn't resolved. Luna didn't understand why they needed to move from the castle which had been their home since the founding of Equestria.

"I suppose I can see their hesitancy in inviting Luna." Celestia hesitantly admitted, feeling but ashamed of herself. She gave a passing glance to the Library door before moving closer to her assistant. "I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting. I will bring Luna next time. She might be more receptive then."

Her assistant nodded and they began towards the Meeting Hall where the sounds of distant arguing could already be heard. Celestia groaned as she sensed the oncoming headache she was about to have to deal with.

Inside the Library held a dark Alicorn, she sat in the middle of the large Library at a table. She was surrounded by ancient and recent texts relating to magical theory, transformations, and Starswirl's own journals and books regarding the studies of magic and Alicorns. Luna has been still for quite a while. Her hearing had been focused on the noise outside the Library.

Recently, paranoia had been her constant companion. When she wasn't, bitter and angry, she was paranoid. Specifically regarding her precious sister who she had started to deeply hate within the past two years. Perfect Celestia, perfect Tia was anything but perfect. She was weak. She was a fake. Luna slammed another book shut, almost throwing it across the room in rage at once again not finding the answers she need to complete what she was so willing to do.

To take control.

She listened again, smiling to herself as she could hear her sister and her assistant's voice becoming quieter and quieter as they moved further away. Luna grabbed another book with her magic, another flicker of hope ignited in her chest as she flipped to the beginning.

"Dark Arts of the Magical."

Luna paused as she reread the title over and over.

Dark magic.

Luna paused to consider dark magic. She had briefly admitted to herself when she used it against Sombra, she felt powerful. More powerful than she had ever felt before. It was...comforting in a strange sort of way. She began to reflect back to the final fight with Sombra. Her final desperate action in anger, fueled by repressed rage, a desperate need for the war to end, was to use dark magic against him. Fight fire with fire.

"T-That shouldn't be possible! T-That c-can't be-" Luna cringed as she remembered the brief seconds of an empire vanishing moments after the battle ended. Her mind struggled to process what had happened. "I-I don't understand."

Then, when she looked to her Elder sister, the pony she looked up to once long ago. She saw nothing but a pathetic excuse for a leader. A broken Alicorn who, for once, wasn't lying to those around her. Too drained to look perfect. She simply looked...pathetic. Celestia's eyes were as cold as ice as she barely glanced down at Luna with a harsh voice fueled with venom.

"He used dark magic, Luna, obviously. Clearly, the dark magic has a power we can't possibly understand."

Luna flinched at the memory as it dug into her chest. She would never forget that moment. She flinched the same way she flinched that day. Left with the knowledge that her sister wasn't any better than a commoner. Unwilling to change. To grow. Even if it meant risk. They could have saved a lot of lives, they could have saved an empire if they just...understood the darkness of the world.

Luna understood it more than most, having to go through countless nightmares does that to a soul. She smiled and looked at the dark book with more excitement for knowledge than she had when she started. She would learn. She will understand it all.

-End of Chapter Three-

A Nightmare

She should have seen it coming. She most likely did and made a choice to ignore the facts. Celestia sucked in a deep painful breath as she stumbled into one of the few corridors that wasn't damaged in...Luna...No, Nightmare Moon's rampage. Celestia, who once thought the night sky was beautiful, looked out the nearest window to the moon with guilt, rage and confusion. She flinched as the screams of the Bat Pony and Solar guards clashing could be heard throughout the night.

It all happened so quickly that Celestia was still struggling to understand it all. She had been up all night, working on the plans for construction for Canterlot with a few Nobels when she rose the sun for the day. When she entered the throne room she remembered feeling cold, unsafe. She looked up to the two thrones, ignoring the questions as to why she stopped to the Nobels behind her when Luna appeared from behind her own throne with a dark scowl.

"Luna?" Celestia asked, sensing something wasn't right. Knowing something was going to go wrong. Luna gave a smile, not the comforting sort. She gave a low chuckle.

"You brought this on yourself, Tia. All the deaths today will be on your hooves!"

The Nobels demanded, in their usual uptight and annoying tones, to know what was going on. Celestia couldn't answer them as she didn't understand herself. Luna moved to stand between the thrones on a small platform, she reared up and slammed back down, the platform cracked, the floor around Luna cracked. The wall behind her cracked until it reached the window above her, shattering into pieces to show the sun. Luna took one large flap of her wings to move into the air.

"Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light? You are weak! Pathetic! Unworthy of truly leading Equestria to greatness! I will stand for it no more! It is time Equestria had a true leader."

"Luna! Luna, stop!" Celestia cried out in desperation. She could hear the guards running into the room, she looked out of the corner of her eye to see only the Solar guards when she was yanked back to the sky to see Luna using her magic to move the moon to replace the sun. "NO!"

Luna's eyes grew green and red as a dark orb formed around her, Celestia stumbled back barely noticing the Nobels were being pushed out of the throne room by her guards, not that they needed much convincing. Celestia had to close her eyes for a moment as the ord exploded. What came out was...not her sister.

Whatever...Whatever monster Luna transformed into was, slammed back down to the platform between the thrones. Laughing maniacally as darkness fell across Equestria. As the Night replaced the Day.

"L-Luna, I-I won't fight you!" Celestia called out, trying to keep her composure. "You must lower the moon! It is your duty."

But her words fell on deaf ears as the monster Luna transformed into sneered down at her with sharp teeth.

"Luna? I am... Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now: to destroy you!"

Celestia rolled out of the way to dodge a blast from Nightmare Moon which misfired to hit the ceiling. She gave a passing glance to the sky now above her to see her pegasi guards and bat pony guard engaged in the war above. She flew into the air, dodging both her guards and bat ponies as they engaged in their own battles. She heard a furious cry from below, she did a sharp turn in the sky, heading towards the Library for a place to hid in her private room, a place to think of a way to bring her sister back when she felt a sharp object stab into her. She cried out as it was yanked back out, as her wings faltered, she saw a bat pony with a bloodied spear looking at her with an evil spear before one of the Solar Guards tackled him out of the sky, followed by two others.

She collapsed into the castle's gardens, her body became bruised when she came crashing down on a fountain, slamming into the ground a few meters further. Through thick thorn bushes into a clearing. Celestia groaned when she was finally able to open her eyes again. Tears poured out when she cried out in pain in her attempt to move.

She struggled to breathe as she watched the grass around her grow red from the blood that poured out of her side. For a fleeting moment, she considered simply allowing herself to die. A selfish moment. But the screams of her guards brought her back to the reason she had to exist. The reason she was an alicorn for not only raising the sun. Protecting Equestria.

She cried out in pain again as she forced herself, with the help of her wings to push herself up, Her eyes grew wide as she realized where she landed. She knew the area. She painfully looked behind herself to see the statue that haunted her nightmares.

Discord.

"Dizzy?"

She coughed, blood dripping from her mouth before she wiped it away with her hoof. She stared at her hoofs for a moment, covered with her usual golden shoes. She quickly latched onto them and tossed them aside, followed by her necklace and crown. They were causing weight. Unnecessary weight to her body. Making it more of a struggle to fly.

She quickly tried to think of plans of action, of ways she could calm her sister down. To force the dark magic out of her sister's body. But she had never seen anything like that before, this wasn't like Sombra's magic. It was more advanced. More fueled by emotions.

Her eyes drifted back to the dreaded statue. The statue of her love who she was forced to imprison as she found herself not just being unable to move, but to breathe.

"No, no, no, I-I c-can't."

The only conclusion she could have come up with was the elements. The damned elements. She sucked back a sob as she stared at Discord. His eyes still shut, his pose still showing his final moments when he let out a dramatic fake laugh as he tried to call their bluff.

"Please, not again. Not again."

She steadied herself on her four hoofs. She spat out blood from her mouth to mix with the bloodstain on the ground. She stumbled away from the clearing, through the garden, having to stop momentarily as bat ponies and her Solar Guard engaged in battle on the ground. That is where she stumbled into one of the few corridors left that were damaged.

She shook her head, choosing to focus on the rumbling of the walls from explosions in the castle instead of the awful turn of events. She flared her horn for a brief moment, lighting up the dark area she was in more than she wanted to, to attempt a basic healing spell on the hole in her body. She closed up the injury enough to hopefully avoid infection. But she knew she was bleeding internally.

"P-Princess! Thank the gods!"

She felt a hoof pressed comfortingly against her chest, she looked up to her loyal assistant. Who's mane was a mess, had cuts and bruises on her body and looked absolutely terrified. Her assistant's eyes drifted to the hole in her side and her multiple other injuries.

"Quill, is your family out of the castle? Is your son safe?" Celestia pleaded. Her assistant nodded frantically.

"Yes, yes. W-We have to get you and Princess Luna out of here! I do-"

"You don't understand, L-Luna isn't...Herself anymore."

"What?" Her assistant blinked a few times slowly. "What are you talking about? That...thing in the sky can't be Princess Luna! That monster is trying to kill you!"

"I will explain on the way."

"On the way to where?"

Celestia grabbed her assistant with her magic, placing her gently on her back between her wings.

"Elements."

Celestia pushed herself into the air, with her assistant's help, she glided through the chaos. Her assistant uses her unicorn powers to knock the bat ponies attempting to knock her out of the sky, down. During this, Celestia did her best to summarize what had happened in the past hour, her growing theories on why Luna turned. From the Discord battle years ago, to the Crystal war two years ago and the secrets her sister had been keeping since then.

Her assistant tried to argue this wasn't her fault. But Celestia knew better, her assistant was biased towards the situation. She didn't see the whole picture.

"There you are!" The pair looked to the source of the sound. Nightmare Moon came flying towards them with her horn powering up for a final blow.

"Hold on!"

Her assistant held onto her with a tight grip, mostly fueled by pure fear as Celestia took sharp turns to avoid the blasts behind her. Nightmare Moon screamed in anger as they came closer to the throne room where the elements were currently hidden.

Nightmare Moon let out another blast, larger than the other ones. Celestia flew backwards to counter it but realized she didn't have enough time. All she was able to do was teleport her assistant into the throne room before the spell slammed into her chest.

She screamed as it ripped through her. Her chest felt as if someone set her on fire, she was sure her heart stopped for a moment when she went spiralling to the ground. Her vision went black when she felt herself connect to the ground, she knew her body couldn't take much more injuries. She was an alicorn, but she could still be killed.

"Princess! Princess Celestia! C-Come on! She is coming! Get up! Get up please!"

Celestia groaned when she opened her eyes again. She saw her assistant, through blur vision using her magic to keep a shield around them. Using the rest of her available magic to try to heal some of Alicorn's injuries. As her vision cleared more, her assistant reached out to shake her again as tears poured down her face.

"Come on! Wake up!"

"Q-Quill?"

Her assistant let out a relieved gasp before glancing up to the hole above them and her face immediately changed back to fear.

"Please, please, s-she is coming! I-I will help you up! We have to get to those elements!"

Celestia cried out when her assistant forcefully pushed her up as best as she could. Celestia slowly stumbled to her hoofs when she heard Nightmare Moon forcefully crash to the ground. They both looked to see Nightmare Moon glaring at them a few meters away. Her assistant did her best to keep the shield up.

"I am giving you one chance. Join the future of Equestria. Live in the knowledge that I will lead Equestria to a better future than she ever could. A future where the night reigns supreme. Or...die." Nightmare Moon snapped to her Assistant.

"I rather die." Her assistant snapped back. Nightmare Moon gave a slow chuckle.

"So be it."

Nightmare Moon conjured a spear, throwing it full force towards the forcefield, her assistant had no chance when it smashed through her weak shield. Unable to hold against Alicorn's magic, as the shield shattered as the spear drove itself straight into her assistant's chest before Celestia could react.

Her assistant let out an ear-shattering scream before it turned into a gurgle when blood came out of her mouth. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head when she collapsed. The spear embedded into her chest disappeared, allowing the blood to spill over the floor. Quickly reaching and staining Celestia's own hoofs.

"Quill!" Celestia ignored the blood when she fell to hold her dying assistant, her dying friend in her hoofs and wings. Quill seemed to be struggling to live as she opened her eyes half-open, clearly in shock, to look at Celestia's eyes with a small smile. "Don- Don't you dare die, Quill Inkwell!" Celestia ordered as blood continued to pour out of the unicorn's body. "Please!"

"I-It was an honour." Her assistant spat out blood before giving her another small bloodied smile, "To serve...you..."

Her voice trailed off when she faded from the living world, her body went limp. Her eyes looked to the ceiling. Cold. Dead. Celestia was left holding a corpse. Celestia used one of her wings to close the unicorn's eyes for the final time when she heard the monster's magic flare up again.

"Now. To finally finish the job."

Celestia ignited her own magic, she was ending it. Now. No matter the consequences. She dragged open the panel in the floor behind her, allowing the Elements of Harmony to rise. She carefully maneuvered around her assistant's dead body when she stared down at her sister.

"I am sorry, Luna."

She wasn't even sure it was going to work, but she didn't have a choice. She yanked the elements towards her, followed by the element of magic powering up. She felt the crushing weight of magic as she flew into the air. Nightmare Moon's face fell to fear as she watched what Celestia was doing.

Nightmare Moon flew into the air to meet her at her level. The light of the moon shined down on her as she powered a final spell using the power of the moon. More tears poured down when Celestia pointed her magic to Nightmare Moon. She could tell that the elements weren't reacting as they normally would. One-half of the users were corrupted, the magic hurt. It was unstable. But they had to work. Or Equestris was doomed.

There was a large explosion when the two types of magic met. All of the fightings from the ground and sky paused as the two immortal alicorns fought against each other. Nightmare Moon was able to hold her own for a few precious moments before she was overpowered, screaming one last time as they slammed into her. There was a bright flash in the sky from the moon. Where a symbol now was clear. A unicorn head.

She banished her sister to the moon.

Celestia was now truly alone.

-End of Chapter Four-

Reflecting: Part One

A week. She had been told it was a week since her sister's fall to Nightmare Moon. As she sat in the partially built Canterlot Castle, sounds of distant construction could be heard, but Celestia ignored it in favour of simply looking out her large bedroom window. Feeling lost. Hopeless. Ashamed. Guilty. Angry.

It didn't feel like a week, it felt like a day. Maybe hours since the event. She lost track of time now. She barely knew when to raise and lower the sun anymore. She went through official duties as if she was a zombie. She barely spoke a word in days. Simply agreeing and disagreeing without providing more when it was necessary.

She didn't remember how she even got to Canterlot. She knew the construction deadline was increased because of the recent events, causing her previous home to be uninhabitable. Celestia thought about moving from her sitting position as she watched pegasi drag materials through the sky to the unicorns and earth ponies below. She wanted nothing more than to look away from the bright burning star in the sky that her sister had grown to hate so much.

Her mind drifted to memories, she usually wasn't the type of pony to reflect. Choosing to focus on events that hadn't happened yet to the mistakes she made in the past. Whenever she did find herself reflecting her mood dropped considerably, but at the moment she was at her lowest point. She didn't have the willpower to drag her mind to think of a future without Luna, so she reflected.

Before Equestria was formed, there were three tribes. Unicorns, Earth ponies, and pegasi. Celestia and Luna were a part of the Unicorn tribe, they were on the lower side of the Unicorn society, their parents were noble researchers that wrote their studies into a series of books before selling them to any unicorn who asked for magical help. It wasn't a good-paying job, recently their clients had moved to depend on a new scholar who was becoming quite popular named Starswirl.

Her parents often complained about the unicorn named Starswirl, hating him with a passion as it became harder for them to earn money with the clients leaving each and every day. Celestia, who was 17 at the time, a unicorn with a pink mane and white fur with no cutie mark, was keeping silent on how much she disagreed with her parent's views. But she wasn't about to tell anypony that. Luna was a unicorn like Celestia, she was 15, her mane was blue with navy blue fur and, like Celestia, had no cutie mark. Making both of the sisters a bit of outcasts in the town of Unicornia.

Celestia started her day as she did any other day. She rose, looking out the window to the barren town. Still covered in snow from the latest storm that hit the day earlier. She sighed and dragged herself out of bed, brushing through her mane quickly before grabbing her bag full of books relating to magical studies and wrapping a thick scarf around her neck for a little warmth. She would stumble down the stairs, enter the kitchen to shove a piece of magically cooked toast into her mouth before saying farewell to her parents for the day and rushing out, all before Luna even woke up five minutes later.

She wasn't as distressed at other unicorn mare and stallions choosing to avoid her because of her lack of cutiemark, because of her family's falling status within the town. It gave her all the more time to be alone, to not be noticed enough to sneak past the front gates that were always protected by the Royal Unicorn guard and wander into the forest surrounding the town.

Unicorns of the town were usually forbidden to venture outside the town, all except Starswirl, Princess Platinum, King Bullion and Clover the Clever, who was Starswirl's apprentice and royal advisor to Princess Platinum. The only reason they venture out just before dawn and marched right back into the forest at sunset was to use their unicorn powers to raise and lower the sun and moon. Which only unicorns of great power could accomplish at a platform in the middle of the forest, decorate in olden pony symbols depicting beings called Alicorns. A myth. A tale of old times.

Celestia was farther along in her own studies of magic than she wanted her parents to know. Her parents were good at unicorn magic but recently, as much as they would deny it, had hit a point where they simply could not do better. They were easily jealous of any pony who was better at magic than them, which consisted of the royal family, Starswirl, and she was sure of some other unicorns who she hadn't met in the town yet. Her parents hadn't made any notable achievement in years and it was weighing on them greatly. Celestia hadn't yet reached that point, she surpassed her parents in complex spells but wished to be pushed to her limit. To be as good as Starswirl.

Celestia maneuvered into the forest, knowing the trail she was taking by heart. She had done it a hundred times before, she would continue to do so for a hundred more times as long as she could. She finally reached a clearing in the forest, she shivered slightly at the cold harsh wind blow briefly through the forest before she analyzed her surroundings.

She was deep into the forest, the perfect clearing and hiding place to practice without any pony finding out unless they were actively searching for her. Complete with a good covering of trees for when it snows and a cave nearby for another extra area to hid-

Celestia took a hesitant step further into the clearing as her eyes fell to the small cave she could see in the tree line. She hadn't really truly investigated the cave before, that was more of Luna's area. She was always looking for new ways to find adventure, which made Celestia consider more than once inviting her into Celestia's secret life outside of town since Luna always complained of the town being boring. Celestia squinted her eyes as she swore she saw some...thing move inside the cave. A rabbit perhaps? The shadow seemed too big. A bear? All the larger animals had left Unicornia since the neverending Winter started four years ago in favour of warmer areas.

She took a few more careful steps towards the cave, waiting for a sign she was just seeing things. There, again, she swore she saw a large shadow inside. Celestia paused, hesitant to admit to herself she was a bit scared to move forward as her heartbeat loudly in her chest. She sucked in a deep breath when she moved into the tree line, soon finding herself in front of the cave. Hearing a faint rustling inside.

She took a step inside, her adrenaline was pumping hard. Her hoof step echoed off the cave walls. She ignited her horn, allowing soft golden magic to light up around her. Allowing her to see a stone cave room with sharp large rocks coming from both the ceiling and floor.

"H-Hello?"

No answer. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a movement of an animal, she snapped her head in the direction of the source when she heard a loud snap. In a moment she found herself being tackled to the ground. She screamed in shock when she slammed into the ground, opening her eyes as she lay on her back to see a...

Well, she didn't quite understand what she was seeing. Her overwhelming fear certainly wasn't helping her in processing what was happening either.

She was looking at a long creature, who had sharp fangs and seemed to be made up of different animals. The creature was snarling at her as it held her down with an eagle claw on her throat. She didn't know whether to scream or ask a million questions.

"W-Wh-Wha..." Celestia managed to sputter out in pure fear and confusion.

"Who are you!?" The creature demanded with a young male voice. So she assumed he was a male. He seemed angry. Mostly motivated by fear and paranoia. He was just as scared of her as she was of him. "Answer me!"

"Ce-Celestia." Celestia stammered out. Finding it harder to speak due to the pressure on her throat. "C-Can you loosen your grip? It hurts."

The creature looked remorseful for a moment when he did realize how hard he was gripping her throat. He let go but didn't move from his position.

"Are you here to hurt me?" He demanded. Celestia shook her head with some confusion.

"No. I don't know who...or what you are. What's your name?" Celestia asked, slowly being able to calm herself. The creature stayed silent for a moment, watching her eyes as if they would reveal some hidden motive. He seemed unsure when he pulled back, allowing her room to sit up, which is what Celestia exactly did.

"Discord." He snapped, watching her closely. "You are a unicorn...Why aren't you attacking me?"

"Attacking? Why would I-"

"That is what the others did. The ones in those weird...metal...outfits."

"The town guards?" Celestia asked in clarification. Discord scrunched up his nose as if the word offended him.

"Is that what they are? Well, they were jerks. All of them. Same with the Earth ponies and pegasi."

"I can't say you are wrong about the other two." Celestia gave him a small smile. "The Earth ponies and pegasi are mean to us unicorns as well."

"Glad to know there is at least one unicorn who isn't completely awful." Discord gave a small smile back. "Why are you here?"

"Practicing magic," Celestia replied, gesturing to the books that were scattered on the floor when she was tackled. "But I saw movement in here when I went into the clearing." They were silent for a tense moment as Celestia kept her magic alit to see how strange her new acquaintance was. "Why are you out here? Did the town not let you in?"

"Father kicked me out." He mumbled. "I was too dangerous. No...No pony wants to help me. All I am to them is a...monster."

"Well, that is rude!" Celestia said. "What type of Father would throw their son out for...Well..." it occurred to Celestia she didn't even understand why. Was it because of how he looked? That might have been part of it but it didn't seem like enough reason to kick your own son for his home. Besides, what type of pony could have a son like...well...that? Was Discord adopted?

Discord blushed and looked away in embarrassment to the ground.

"It doesn't matter now I suppose. What is done is done." Discord replied. Celestia bit her lip as she looked back outside to the winter.

"Aren't you hungry? Aren't you cold?"

"I am a being of chaos magic, I am never hungry or cold." Discord snapped back. Celestia raised an eyebrow, clearly believing him to be slightly delusional.

"Oh really?" Celestia said sarcastically with amusement. Discord looked disappointed at her lack of excitement when he announced he had chaos magic. "If you have this...Chaos magic, which is a myth, as I am sure you know."

Discord flinched, which went unnoticed by Celestia at the time.

"Then, by all means, do something chaotic."

Discord smiled and snapped his lion paw. In a flash of light, the cave had pink polka dots all over it. Celestia yelped in alarm and stumbled at the sudden patterns on the wall. Discord snapped his paw again for the floor to be made of soap. Causing Celestia to slip.

"OK! OK!" Celestia exclaimed as she struggled to get up. "I get it! You win!"

Discord cackled as he snapped his paw once more, to make everything go back to normal. Celestia groaned as she pushed herself up from the ground, still trying to process what happened.

"Are you ok?"

Discord floated over to her, quickly helping her up to four hooves again with a concerned expression. Celestia gave him a smile to reassure him everything was fine.

"Yeah, I am alright. That is some...strange magic." Celestia admitted. Her eyes brightened up at the hope she could learn something new about the magical field. "Could you show me more?"

-End of Chapter Five-

Author's Note

I finally finished the cover last night, I think it is ok! I might have to redraw it before I end the story though. Here is the link to it for a closer look.

https://www.deviantart.com/unknownfilters/art/A-State-of-Mind-Cover-908433262