It was routine for Celestia at this point.
Each night when she would raise the moon into the sky, she found herself staring longingly at the image engraved upon it.
There was not a single day that she didn’t regret what she had done.
Her sister. Her own blood and kin. Banished.
Sometimes she would bring out one of her sister’s favorite books to read to her, others she would sing her lullaby to her. But most often, she would stare long and hard, the pain slowly engulfing her being. She would watch the moon where her sister resided, often until it was time to raise the sun once more.
So hence, when her image suddenly vanished ten years too early, Celestia thought that her mind had finally got the better of her.
Celestia paused, raising a hoof to rub her sleep-heavy eyes. Blinking a couple of times, she gazed back up at the moon, ready to continue watching her sister’s image.
Except…
It wasn’t there.
She was gone.
Her rose-colored eyes widened in horror. Wings spread wide, she immediately took off, back to her original home. The Castle of the Two Sisters.
The green fields of the lands that she ruled over blurred past her. She dully realized that she was passing over Ponyville when colorful houses came into view. Every once in a while she came across a lit home, only to be turned off mere moments later, the ponies of her land falling to sleep.
The dark and scraggly trees of the enchanted Everfree Forest quickly came into view. Her shadow cast over the treetops as she flew above the forest, eyes searching for the castle.
When she finally caught sight of it, she allowed her wings to fold against her body, diving into one of the holes in the decaying building.
She easily recognized the room as one of the ballrooms. Torn and faded banners hung upon the wall, cracked pillars lined the room, pieces of them scattered about. Dust rested on everything in the room, having nearly been a thousand since it last had last seen a living soul. The only beautiful thing that remained was a stained glass window, one that simmered color across the room in the light of the moon.
But her gaze was not focused on the window.
No.
It was focused on the stallion who stood in front of it.
He was not an alicorn like his older or younger sister, but rather a mere pegasus. The fur along his body was a deep black, reminiscent of the sky on a new moon night. His mane and tail did not flow like Celestia or her sister, it simply draped down along his neck and shoulders. It was a deep blue, the only thing that stood out about it was the white lights scattered about upon it.
He did not bother looking back at Celestia as she walked up, but the flick of his ear told her that he was aware of her presence.
As Celestia approached, she could see more of him. Like the royal regalia that adorned his body or how, despite her being an alicorn and older, he stood slightly taller than her. Finally, she could see his cutie mark, both the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.
Finally, she stopped at the base of the stairs where he stood.
“Orion,” she called to him, her firm voice echoing in the near-empty room.
“Celestia,” he responded, glancing back at her and revealing his sparkling silver eyes.
“What is the meaning of this?” Her voice held a strained edge to it.
“What is the meaning of what?” The stallion asked, finally fully turning around to look at her.
“Can you not see it?” She asked, pointing at the empty moon with her wing, “Luna has escaped!”
Orion’s sparkling eyes widened, he followed her wing to the moon. “Oh,” he said breathlessly, “I hadn’t noticed.”
“What do you mean?”
Orion sent her an offended look, “Did you think I had something to do with this?”
“Well, I didn’t do anything!” Celestia said, “You’re the only other one who’s powerful enough to release her!”
Orion shook his head as he stepped toward her, “Celestia, you only managed to banish her in the first place with the aid of the elements of harmony! There’s no way that even I as a royal could have done anything to bring her back.”
Celestia felt her anxiety rise. “Then who could have done it?” She began pacing nervously, “If you nor I did it, then who?”
Orion was quiet before glancing at the tower that held the elements of harmony. “Do you think… that her banishment has finally worn off?”
Celestia shook her head. “No,” she said, “It is ten years too early.”
Orion moved to speak but was cut off by loud and sharp laughter.
A dark blue mist filled the air, circling above them. Thinking quickly, Orion leaped down from where he stood, wings spread to soften his landing. Just as he touched down next to his sister, the mist slammed down where he previously stood.
The dust that rested upon everything in the room was sent flying. It quickly filled Celestia’s and Orion’s lungs causing them to go into a violent coughing fit. When the cackle belted out into the room again Celestia peeled her eyes open struggling to see through the dusty air. Orion quickly remedied this, wings flapping and blowing the dust away from them.
Celestia nodded her thanks to her younger brother before turning to look at who had joined them.
The first thing she saw were those eyes. The same teal of her young sister, now mutated into a sadistic sort of glee. The similarities ended there though. From the misty mane and tail to the silver armor adorning her black fur, nothing was the same as her precious baby sister.
“Nightmare Moon,” Celestia said, voice cold.
The mare smirked, “So it seems that you remember my name, darling sister. I’d have thought otherwise.”
“How did you escape from the moon?” Orion asked, “Who in Equestria would help the likes of you?”
“Oh brother,” Nightmare Moon cooed mockingly, “Hatred is a powerful thing.”
“The elements are the most powerful force in all of Equestria!” Orion cried, “Could you really hate your own siblings so?”
Nightmare Moon chuckled and rolled her eyes, “Precious older brother, I don’t just hate you,” In a swirl of blue mist she disappeared from where she stood, appearing right in their faces. “I despise the both of you.”
Celestia shoved Orion behind her, wings shielding her younger brother from the corrupted mare.
She kept her voice steely when she spoke despite the pain that she felt from her sister’s words. “What is it that you want, Nightmare?”
Nightmare chuckled before disappearing and reappearing at the top of the stairs. “Nothing!”
Celestia and Orion exchanged deeply confused looks before turning back to the younger mare. Taking a deep breath, Celestia spoke, “What do you mean?”
“I just wanted to see my darling siblings before I won,” She smirked sending a haughty look to the two of them.
“The battle has just begun, Nightmare Moon!” Orion called from behind Celestia, “You have only just escaped from the moon!”
Nightmare Moon chuckled, “You’ll see, brother.” She then turned to Celestia, “Keep an eye on your oh-so-precious sun-loving children, sister. Else you may lose them to my night, forever.”
And with that, the dark blue mist from her mane swirled around the room alongside her cackles of glee. Orion struggled to get into the air, knocked down each time by the powerful winds created by the pseudo-tornado. Eventually, Celestia grabbed him and pulled him close, creating a golden-colored shield to protect them from the debris that was flung around the room.
Finally, when the last of the mist had faded, Celestia lowered her shield. She stepped away from Orion, staring up at where Nightmare Moon had previously stood. The silence filled the air in place of the previous laughter.
“Sister?” Orion hesitantly stepped forward, “What shall we do?”
“I…” Celestia trailed off. What were they going to do? Originally she was going to have one of her students harness the power of the elements of harmony alongside the aid of her friends to hopefully save her sister. But with how early Nightmare Moon had managed to escape, Celestia knew that none of her students were ready for such a task just yet.
“I don’t know,” She finally said, “I don’t know, Orion.”
As soon as Celestia returned to the royal castle, she sent quick orders to all of her soldiers and advisors alike. They were simple yet firm.
“Keep an eye on the ponies in all towns of Equestria. Send word back if anything out of the ordinary happens. No matter how small.”
She had soldiers, doctors, and even mages, spread out across Equestria. From Appleloosa to Fillydelphia she didn’t care. She refused to let any of her subjects get hurt on her watch, especially if Nightmare Moon was using them to get to her.
At first, everything was rather quiet. Nothing truly bad seemed to be happening.
That was until now, nearly a month later.
Celestia had raised the full moon a couple of hours ago and was ready to finally rest her head when one of her advisors and one of her soldiers rushed in.
Raven Inkwell, a white-furred unicorn with a brown mane, as well as her royal advisor, spoke first. “Your Majesty! Strange and worrisome activity has been picked up on in Cloudsdale!”
Celestia shot up from where she was about to lie down. “Strange activity of what kind?”
The soldier stepped forward. A pegasus mare with pale orange fur and a russet mane cut close to her head. It dully reminded Celestia of Spitfire, except this mare allowed her mane to brush down and graze her eyes.
She bowed low to Celestia, “Your Majesty, we have found signs of a never before seen illness in Cloudsdale. There has been little that we found out about it thus far, only that it is spreading quickly.”
“Have you found how it spreads?” Celestia asked, already gathering her things to make a trip to Cloudsdale.
“We don’t know for sure,” The mare said, “But doctors have noticed common marks on all those infected.”
Celestia finished gathering her stuff. Turning to Raven Inkwell, she said, “Prepare for departure, we leave as soon as possible.” Raven bowed low before turning tail, calling for her carriage to be prepared. Once she was out of sight, Celestia turned back to the soldier, “What does this mark look like?”
“It seems to be a bite mark on the neck, similar to the vampire fruit bats found around the Ponyville and Everfree Forest area,” The mare said, voice firm.
Celestia thought back through all the years that she had been alive, trying to find something that remotely resembled what she was hearing. Coming up with nothing, she turned back to the mare.
“What is your name, soldier?”
“Commander Sunbeam of the Cloudsdale division of the Equestrian Royal Army. Serving under Captain Shining Armor of the Canterlot division of the Equestrian Royal Army. I am at your service, my lady.”
Celestia nodded, “Then come, Sunbeam, we have not a moment to lose.”
~
The moment they touched down on the cloudy surface of Cloudsdale, Celestia could immediately tell that something was wrong.
Hundreds of pegasi stood around a single building, only barely held back by the soldiers that stood there. As Celestia stepped off of her carriage, she could see the faces of the ponies who stood there. They ranged from rage to horror, their yells and shouts filling the night air.
Celestia watched as one soldier struggled to pull himself out of the crowds of ponies, but once he managed, he ran over to where Celestia stood with the commander.
“Commander Sunbeam,” He called as he ran up, quickly striking a salute. “We are struggling to prevent more ponies from entering the hospital grounds, what should we do?”
Sunbeam stood tall, “Inform the doctors that the princess has arrived, I shall handle the rest.”
“Yes, Commander!” The stallion dropped his salute and ran back to the building.
Once he had disappeared into the crowd, Sunbeam turned back to Celestia, “Would you like me to announce your arrival, my lady?”
Celestia bowed her head slightly, “Do you as you see fit, but I need to see those infected.”
Sunbeam lowered herself into a bow before taking to the sky. Celestia saw her take a deep breath before shouting.
“Clear the area! The princess has arrived! Clear the area!”
Immediately, everyone turned back to look at her with wide eyes. They then quickly scrambled back to open an area for her to walk through before bowing low.
Celestia wasted no time moving past her subjects into the hospital, Sunbeam flying in after her. Once she entered, she was greeted by a doctor and a couple of nurses. They bowed low to her as she walked into the building.
“Your Majesty,” The stallion, began, “We are deeply grateful for your arrival during such trying times.”
“Of course, now, please show me to the first pony who contracted this illness,” Celestia said, nodding down the hall slightly.
The doctor and his fellow nurses stood, “Of course Your Majesty.”
As they turned down the hall, the doctor began to speak once more. “We are unsure as to how this disease started,” He began, “But we are assuming that it came from an animal, judging by the bite marks shared by all the victims. So far everyone who has been bit has at first shown signs of blood loss, before shifting to similar symptoms to that of the flu, and it finally ends in a comatose state. No one has awoken yet.”
They finally stopped at a room in the back of the hospital, the door firmly shut.
“Is this the first victim?”
The doctor nodded, before opening the door.
In the cloud bed lay a lanky pegasus mare. Her fur was a pale coral color while her long mane was a platinum blonde. She was hooked to several different devices, but the one that drew Celestia’s attention was the heart monitor.
It was barely moving.
“She’s barely alive…” Celestia’s voice was shaky.
The doctor sighed, “Sadly, she seems to be doing the best out of everyone here. We even have ponies who don’t have a heartbeat but are still moving.”
Those words chilled Celestia to the bone. How was that even possible? She turned back to the mare, “What is her name?”
The doctor pulled out a clipboard, flipping through the pages attached to it. After a minute, he spoke, “Mane Allgood, world adventurer.”
Celestia hummed, burning the name into her memory. She was about to speak when a shriek cut into the air.
The five ponies who were awake in the room stiffened up. They exchanged glances before rushing over to the door and looking out into the hall, Celestia dully noticed Sunbeam working to stand between her and the hall.
They stared down the dark hallway, not seeing anything with the limited light that shone down through the windows. But they could hear something. It reminded Celestia of what Luna would do whenever the three of them would eat noodles, slowly slurping them up.
Taking a deep breath Celestia created a simple light spell. A ball of golden light formed at the tip of her horn. She then guided it off of her horn and down the hall.
The first thing they saw was the face of the nurse, eyes wide and glazed with shock, blood pooling under her head and splattered across her face. The next thing that they saw was the pony standing on her, his face buried in her neck, making loud slurping noises.
The doctors and nurses gasped sharply at the sight of their co-worker while Sunbeam stiffened, clearly ready for combat. The three ponies in front of her exchanged terrified glances until one of the nurses stepped forward.
“E-excuse me, sir?” He called out to the stallion, “A-are you alright?”
The pony showed no signs of having heard the nurse.
Celestia’s gaze pinched into a hard stare, struggling to see further in the dark hall. She moved the light a bit further back, so she could see more of them.
Doing so allowed her to realize that there was more than just his behavior that was off. In the light, she was able to see that his ears were large, even compared to other pegasi. The fur around his ears and chest seemed to be much thicker, and while the fur on his legs seemed to start rather thin, it ends in long fur that obscured his hooves from view.
But the thing that stood out the most to Celestia was his wings.
They were large and leathery. With each seeming gulp of the stallion, they twitched and fluttered. It reminded her of the vampire fruit bats that she had seen once or twice around Ponyville.
“S-sir?” The nurse stepped closer.
This causes the stallion to snap up. He pins the poor nurse under a blood-chilling gaze, his eyes nearly engulfed by his dilated pupil, from what little of his iris that Celestia could see that his eyes were a bright red. His muzzle is covered in the mare’s blood, something that he cleans up with his unnaturally long tongue. Him doing so allows Celestia to see white fangs glinting in the light of her magic.
His eyes were locked on the nurse who trembled under the intensity of his gaze. The room was silent, no one moving or speaking. The stallion was the first to move, slowly stepping forward toward the nurse.
Suddenly he leapt forward, towards the helpless nurse. He would’ve succeeded in his endeavors if it weren’t for Sunbeam dashing forward and grabbing him by his neck and throwing him into the wall.
“Go!” She snapped as she turned back to the doctor and nurses, “Find safety!”
The three healthcare workers wasted no time running away from the scene. Sunbeam turned back to Celestia, “Your Majesty! Allow me to lead you to safety!”
Celestia turned back to the stallion on the ground before turning back to look into the room, where Mane Allgood rested, now seeming to awaken. She turned back to Sunbeam.
“Hurry.”
