Equestria: World War II (1939-1941)

----------------------------------------------------------SOMEWHERE OVER EQUESTRIA---------------------------------------------------------
All they could see was blue. It was endless. Everything was blue. They couldn't see anything that wasn't blue. That was all that Celestia and Luna could see, as they flew over Equestria, heading towards the coast at high speed, where Shady had activated the Rift Gate. It had been just over an hour since they had left the Canterlot Castle, but they were closing in on the area where the Rift Gate seemed to be. Despite the blinding blue light being generated by the Rift Gate, they were able to see, although all they could see was blue light.

Suddenly, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it reduced in size, and almost disappeared, until it was a small pillar of light which clearly marked where the Rift Gate was. The two sisters instantly flew towards it, getting ready for a fight. They knew that they had to stop Shady, even if they themselves did not make it. It had been some time since they had fought an enemy in person, but they were Alicorns. They had fought Discord, Tirek, and other evils. Celestia had even fought her own sister, after the Nightmare took over. This one would be relatively easy for them.

However, as they neared the pillar of blue light, which was rapidly fading, they could see a glow of blue light spreading out around the ground near a large rock formation, which was probably where the HNA was gathered. They soon began to hear voices, including that of Slick Shady. The Princesses quickly landed on one of the rocks, to avoid being seen, and to get a better look. They knew that the military would be scrambling aircraft and other forces to look for the Princesses, but they probably wouldn't have known where the Princesses had gone, so they would be having a hard time finding them and the HNA, and if they did, it would be too late.

As they thought about how to take down the HNA swiftly, they could see Shady, and then they saw the Rift Gate. It was as imposing as the remains of the plans they had salvaged from the old HNA compound had said it was, and it had already been activated, and the blue portal home to Equis was visible in the center, with multiple stunned griffons and zebras looking at it from Equis. "Go, go, go! We have to get to Equis now, if something goes wrong during the transportation of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, we'll at least still be there! I'll follow you later, GO!" shouted Shady, as the other HNA members began jumping into the Gate, and disappearing to Equis, stumbling a little bit thanks to the ground shaking because of the Rift Gate's power and energy.

As the Princesses were getting ready to jump into action, suddenly, time just stopped. Not slowed down, like it would if they were filled with adrenaline, stopped entirely. Even the waves stopped moving, and the ground stopped shaking. It felt as if the Princesses were in a photo, stuck in time. That was when they saw a bright light behind them, and when they turned around, it was an Alicorn they had never expected to see for this sort of a situation. It was Faust. Her mane glimmered red, like stars in the moonlight, and even though people had often said that the Princesses were the prettiest ponies to ever live, even Faust's beauty stunned the Princesses for a second, before Luna spoke up.

"Ah, mother, did you really go silent all for so long just to come and help us fight the HNA?" asked Luna, rather sarcastically.

"No, my daughters. I normally wouldn't stop all of time itself, for an enemy that would normally be as insignificant as them, but I have to, because, I am here to warn you." said Faust, with a bit of a sad look on her face.

"What? Apart from the HNA and the Rift Gate, what else must we be warned about?" asked Celestia.

"Well, it's better if I show you what you might be up against." said Faust, as she cast a spell with her horn, and a black screen, similar to that of a movie theater's, appeared before them. However, this was no film. This showed a scene from Equis, and it showed multiple zebras and griffons, all holding energy weapons reminiscent of spears and early guns from Earth, all powered by the element that Faust had created for the citizens of Equis using the former sites of Equestria and the Crystal Empire.

They were fighting an evil entity, one that all of them recognized. It was a large amorphous black cloud, that was sentient, but in this case, the cloud had taken the shape of a large pony. It was the Nightmare, the same force of darkness that had been generated by Luna's resentment and anger towards her sister, that had turned her into Nightmare Moon, who had been imprisoned on the Moon of Equis for a thousand years, before finally being returned to normal by Twilight Sparkle and her friends, using the Elements of Harmony.

Luna had once theorized that the Nightmare, the informal name she had given to the force that had corrupted her, had not been destroyed by the Elements of Harmony, but had somehow separated from her entirely, being heavily weakened, but had gone. She had scrapped this theory on the grounds that the Nightmare could not have survived without a host, since she had believed that it was like a parasite that took control of its host's body.

This proved Luna's theory had been wrong, as not only had the Nightmare survived, but it didn't seem to have a host. It had grown more powerful than when it had been defeated by the Elements of Harmony, but was still too powerful for the griffons and zebras to defeat it without magic. They were trying everything against it, but it looked as if the Nightmare was too strong for them to fight as they seemed to be fighting a losing battle against it. They watched horrified as the Nightmare used its magic to trap some of them in their worst nightmares, allowing the Nightmare to easily defeat them.

Then, they watched as the Nightmare headed towards more of the mines, towards what seemed to be the portal opened by the Rift Gate for the HNA to step through. That was where the vision ended, and Luna spoke up, shocked. "The Nightmare has awoken on Equis, and is trying to get to Earth?"

"Yes, unfortunately, Luna, my daughter. It has returned, and now, it seems to be heading towards the Rift Gate, and it will destroy the Earth if you do not stop it, as it has become too powerful for any pony or human, except for a being as powerful as me, to end its reign of terror." said Faust, sadly.

"So why are you not helping us, mother? Are you not letting yourself do so?" asked Celestia.

"No, my daughters. The other gods of Skyros are not willing to let me help you, stating that the Nightmare will be necessary to continue the cycle of creation and destruction that continues in the universe. They say that the end has come for Equis, and the Nightmare will die along with the planet."

"What?! You're saying we have to destroy Equis?!" shouted Celestia, in horror, realizing that Faust was essentially telling them to cause the destruction of their home world.

"Yes, and I truly regret it, my daughters. I never wanted it to come to this, but the heavens would not let me interfere, hence, this is the only way. I am sorry, my daughters." said Faust, with a sad face, as she suddenly disappeared again, in a flash of light, and the two sisters realized that time would soon resume.

"Sister, we have to stop the Nightmare from coming through the Rift Gate, else, Earth will be doomed. That, and Mother mentioned that we have to destroy Equis!" said Luna.

"I know, Luna, but first, we have to shut down the Rift Gate, so that we can stop Shady, save the experts, and the Nightmare won't be able to get through!" said Celestia, as they quickly glided down to confront them. As they were gliding down, Riftweaver Spark and his friends hoped that the Princesses had seen them. They knew that the blue pillar of light that had been created by secretly hiding a blue-burning chemical in the Gate, would have been seen by the Princesses. It had also given them an advantage, by temporarily overwhelming the HNA with how bright the light had been.

They had not escaped, as the HNA had tied them so that they would die along with the Earth, but they had another plan up their sleeves to stop the HNA, even if it cost them their own lives. Just as they watched some of the other members run through the Rift Gate and enter Equis, they saw two shapes launch off the cliff surrounding the beach where the HNA had set up the Rift Gate, and they instantly knew that they had seen their signal.

The Princesses flew gracefully through the air and landed right behind Slick Shady, who hadn't even noticed their presence, due to the fact that the ground was shaking so much due to the fact that the Rift Gate was powering up to transport Equestria and the Crystal Empire back to Equis. The Princesses landed with a gentle thump, the sound barely audible above the humming power of the Rift Gate. Shady, still barking orders, jumped at the sudden presence. He whirled around, eyes widening in disbelief.

"No, no, no, no, nooooo! How... how did you find us?" he stammered, his composure cracking. He hadn't expected a direct confrontation. He'd envisioned a clean getaway, leaving Equestria behind, forever.

Celestia stepped forward, her voice ringing with authority. "Shady, your actions have taken over a hundred lives, and endangered thousands of others. This ends now."

Luna mirrored her sister's stance, her eyes blazing with righteous anger. "You've betrayed your home, your people, for your own twisted ambition. You will not be allowed to succeed!"

Shady, regaining a semblance of his swagger, smirked. "Oh, I think I already have. Look around you, Princesses. The Rift Gate is active. Equestria and the Crystal Empire are about to become a part of Equis once more. What can you do to stop me now?" He gestured to the Rift Gate, a swirling vortex of blue light that pulsed with raw energy, showing the HNA ponies on Equis waiting among the awed griffons and zebras for Shady. "It's not just my ambition. It's those of all those ponies who joined me, to spread the Fires of Liberation! I am the Herald of Peace, for Equestria and the Crystal Empire! In reality, you are the ones who are the traitors! First, you sent us to another planet, and don't go about that bull-buck you say, that you didn't do it! Then, you send your own citizens into a war like no other, in places that are not theirs, and then, you say that you are just doing your jobs! You killed my brother! You deserve to die with the Earth!"

"No, Shady! You've killed so many innocent ponies! You betrayed your own followers, and your brother's legacy, by destroying his old house, and killing all of your followers!" said Luna, seething with resentment, recounting what he had done.

"No, they gave up their lives to the Fires of Liberation as part of the cause! They knew that, and my brother would have been happy to know that his property had been destroyed not by vandals, or thieves, but for a good cause! The fires spread through the Nightlights' Shoppe as well, and destroyed those barbaric humans!"

"No. None of them did anything wrong. They were all innocent, killed for your senseless ideology!" said Celestia, recounting the sights they had seen at the sight of the bombing at Nightlights' Shoppe.

"No, the ponies from one family were not innocent at all! They were relatives of the one who killed my parents! They all deserved to die!"

"For what, just being related to him? They did nothing wrong. You betrayed not just your organisation, but also the pony who took you into the HNA in the first place, Neighsay! You murdered him in cold blood just so you could take over the HNA!" said the Princesses.

This hit Shady like a cold slap, and he started to tear up, as he recounted the day he backstabbed Neighsay, shooting him in the back at the Western Back of Manehattan. "No, I had to take it from him. He wasn't willing to save this continent. I had to." stated Shady in an as-a-matter-of-fact manner, as if he were recounting a happy day.

"Clumsy Honest wouldn't have wanted this, Shady. Not now, not ever. He died fighting like a warrior, and he is at least remembered as a good pony. You, on the other hand, will always be remembered as an evil, depraved pony, unless you shut down the Rift Gate, surrender, and show genuine remorse for what you did." said Celestia, trying to convince Shady to stop.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! DON'T YOU SAY A WORD ABOUT MY BROTHER, YOU SCUMMY RULERS! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!" shouted Shady, powering up his horn to try and attack the Princesses, but Luna quickly fired a burst from her horn, blasting Shady towards the ocean, unconscious. Meanwhile, the Princesses sped towards the scientists, freeing them from their restraints.

In the light from the Rift Gate and with the aura from their own horns, the Princesses could see the extent of the abuse the scientists had been subjected to by the HNA. Their bodies were marred and riddled with scars from beatings and whippings, and their coats were browning from dust and dirt, and their manes were unkempt, and in some cases even cut off. They were also extremely thin, with their ribs showing, as the HNA had barely fed them, and had even starved them sometimes.

"We have to shut down the Rift Gate. How do we do it?" asked Celestia, as the scientists got up.

"We can't shut the Gate itself down. He made us build it in such a way that it could never be shut down once it was activated. We can only do one thing." said Riftweaver Spark. The unicorn's white coat was stained brown with dirt and dust, and his mane was unkempt, and parts of it had been cut off in ugly patches,

"What is that way? Tell us, quick!" said Luna, realizing that they couldn't shut the Gate itself down.

"We can alter the Aetherium matrix in such a way that the Gate itself is transported back to Equis, but not Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Once it is on Equis, it will explode, but the Gate will close, and Equis will be destroyed, along with the other HNA members. That is the only reason why we didn't consider this plan." stated Spark.

"We have to destroy Equis, now. There is a force on it, that will come to our planet if we do no... IT IS ALREADY HERE!" shouted Luna, as the first tendrils of the Nightmare began to come into the portal, onto Earth. "No, sister, I will stop it myself!" said Luna, pushing Celestia aside, as she fired a burst of magic at the Nightmare. However, this did not stop the Nightmare, as it continued to come through the Gate, to the horror of everyone present.

Luna again charged at the Nightmare, and this time, it spread out to form the shape of receiving hands, as if it wanted to take Luna back again as its queen. "Luna... come to me. We will be more unstoppable then ever, if you join me." Luna could hear the Nightmare speaking to her, but she knew that she had to stop it. As Spark and the others ran towards the Rift Gate to try and shut it down, the Nightmare began to grab Luna, to try and take control of her again.

"Luna, look at me. Look at what has happened to you on this wretched planet." stated the voice of the Nightmare, again, as it began to show Luna her memories, as it began spreading over her body. Luna could only hear a faint shout from her sister as the Nightmare began showing her many things. The day she became Nightmare Moon. Celestia banishing her for a thousand years with the Elements of Harmony. Her days on the Moon. Her uncertainty and insecurity about herself, even after she had been turned back to normal. The day she had failed to save the woman in London after the German air raid.

That was when the Nightmare shifted. It began to form the face and body of a human woman. The same woman who had died in front of Luna in London. It was the same person, just made of dark amorphous clouds. "Luna. Why couldn't you help me? Why did I die, but not my son? Why, Princess?" said the Nightmare, in the form of the woman, as Luna struggled to fight back. "Well, Princess? Imagine. If you were Nightmare Moon, you could have saved me. But no, you choose to remain old goody-goody Luna. You always choose to remain the neglected younger sister."

As the Nightmare continued talking, it then took the form of Celestia. "Oh, Luna, you stupid little filly. You've always been a dark spot in Equestria's history, and its better off if you just became Nightmare Moon again, so I could banish you for good." All of these were some of Luna's darkest thoughts, things that she felt Celestia would have thought about before she became Nightmare Moon. It then took the form of Winston Churchill. "Oh, your Lowness, you should have saved that woman, but no, you were unable to, because you can't do anything, not when you're Luna." This weakened Luna's confidence further, and the Nightmare continued to spread over her body.

As Luna struggled to fight back against the Nightmare, Celestia knew that she would not be able to fight it, either. As the scientists began to reconfigure the Aetherium's matrix, she heard a voice. "Ah, Celestia. Why should I let the Nightmare have all the fun?" said Shady, getting up, but with his eyes now yellow, as Shady's horn lit up, and he fired a burst of chaos magic, that threw Celestia into a cliff wall. Despite the pain coursing through her body, the adrenaline flowing through her veins was giving her strength.

"Discord! What are you doing?! You already started the war, and led to the deaths of millions of innocents, what is in this for you?" said Celestia, full of anger.

"Oh, me? If the Nightmare is handling Luna, the least I should do is let old Shady here have the satisfaction of handling you, you marvelous cake-loving sunbutt!" said Shady, with Discord's voice, as he began to fire another one at Celestia, who was still getting up.

Meanwhile, at that very moment, Luna noticed her sister lying on the ground, and a mix of anger and hope began to course through her. She remembered the days her sister had always stood by her side, since the day they had been left by Faust with the villagers. The day she had taken the throne of Equis along with Celestia, the days they had survived on their own in the old castle along with Star Swirl the Bearded. The things she had done with her sister after they had arrived on Earth. Her implementation of the Declaration of Ponykinds' Rights, supported by her sister. She also remembered the feeling of freedom she had felt after being turned back to Luna by the Elements of Harmony.

Luna began to fight back against the Nightmare, as its tendrils began to lose its grip on her. "No! This is not possible! You'll always be mine!" shouted the Nightmare, as it fought to take back Luna's body, and began to lose its form, beginning to melt back into its cloud form.

"No, you won't!" said Luna. "You were never part of me, you were just always an uninvited guest. You are never going to be me, or part of me, and you will never control anyone, AGAIN!" shouted Luna, as she fired a large burst of energy right into the Nightmare, making it fully let go of Luna, and it retreated back into the Gate, severely weakened, with a final shout of pain. As Luna recovered, she saw Discord about to fire a burst at her sister, who was still not fully recovered from the first blast. Before Discord could kill her sister, she fired a burst that threw him almost into the ocean.

At first, Luna was surprised that Discord had decided to show up by possessing Slick Shady, as she wondered how he would have known that the Rift Gate had been activated. As she and Celestia watched, they asked the scientists, "Is it done yet?"

"No, your Highnesses, it's taking us way longer than usual, because the Aetherium is already activated! Please hold him off until then, a single hit on the Gate could destroy Earth!" said Spark, who was hurrying along with his scientists to alter the Aetherium's matrix. The shaking on the ground was getting stronger, as the Rift Gate continued to power up. Soon, it would be able to transport Equestria and the Crystal Empire.

The Princesses, meanwhile, continued to fight Discord, who had possessed the body of Shady. Shady's horn glowed, as he created a puff of smoke that confused the Princesses. However, when it cleared, they were facing seven Shadys. Discord had used chaos magic to create clones of his temporary body.

"Seven of me? How delightful!" Discord cackled, his voice still echoing from Shady's form. "Let's see if you can handle a little chaos, eh?"

The Princesses exchanged a look. They'd faced worse odds. They knew they couldn't afford to waste time; every second was precious.

"Celestia, take the left," Luna commanded, her voice steely. "I'll handle the right. Focus on disrupting the chaos magic, and don't let him get close to the scientists."

Celestia nodded, her eyes narrowed in determination. They charged.

Luna, moving with a speed that surprised even herself, unleashed a torrent of magical blasts at the Shady clones on the right. They fizzled and vanished, revealing nothing but empty air. The real Shady, or rather, Discord in Shady's form, was clearly using them as a distraction.

On the left, Celestia was employing a different strategy. She used her magic to create shimmering barriers, forcing the Shady clones to alter their course and exposing them to her attacks. She was methodical, precise, and relentless.

Discord, however, was not one to be easily outmaneuvered. He swirled his chaos magic, creating gusts of wind, patches of slippery ice, and sudden bursts of gravity, hoping to throw the Princesses off balance. He understood he had to keep them occupied for as long as possible.

"You think you can beat me, just with brute force?" Discord taunted, his voice dripping with amusement. "I am the master of chaos, the architect of the unexpected! You can't anticipate what I'll do next!" Luna gritted her teeth, feeling the sting of Discord's taunts. She knew he was right. But she refused to give in to his games. She had to focus. She had to protect her sister. She had to save Earth.

Celestia, using her own magic to counteract the chaos around them, kept advancing, one step at a time. "We have faced your chaos before, Discord," she replied, her voice calm amidst the swirling madness. "We have learned to anticipate the unexpected. And we will not let you win."

Meanwhile, the scientists, working furiously, were making the final adjustments to the Aetherium matrix. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, but their focus remained unwavering. Riftweaver Spark, directing them, shouted, "Almost there! Just a few more adjustments! The Gate is getting ready to transport Equestria and the Crystal Empire to Equis any second now!"

Soon, only one Shady, the original one, remained, as the scientists realized something. "Your Highnesses! We have a problem!"

"What is it?!" asked Luna, who was beginning to panic.

"The Aetherium... we can't alter it alone from here. One of us has to go through the Gate, into Equis." said Spark.

"I see, but you'll be able to make it back, right?" said Celestia. Despite the fact that the Princesses were both optimistic, they had already guessed what Spark was about to say next, going by his face.

"No. Whoever goes through will have to die along with Equis and the other HNA members." said Spark, sadly, but with a look of determination on his face.

"No! Is there any other way? Anything?!" asked Luna, in a state of shock and horror.

"I'm sorry, your Highnesses. It is the only way." said Spark.

"Haha! One of you is going to have to die-ie, so that you can wiiiiin!" laughed Discord, happily. At that, the Princesses fired another burst, just as part of the Gate began to grow. It had begun. A large gale of wind, albeit one sucking everything towards the Gate, and the body of Shady was caught in it. Just before his body passed over a part of the Rift Gate, the Gate began to expand, and part of the Rift caught Shady's body right in the middle. Shady's body was cut in half, with the his hind legs and tail being sucked back into Equis, while his head and forelegs stayed on Earth.

Despite that, since Discord still possessed Shady's body, despite the fact that only half of Shady's body was still there on Earth, with blood and internal organs spilling out, he was still alive, only temporarily. "Well, you win, for now, I guess. Have fun sacrificing one of your own to destroy the Gate!" said Discord, one last time, as Shady's body fell silent, for good.

"Your Highnesses! We have decided. It shall be me who gives up his own life." said Spark. This statement shocked the Princesses.

"No! We'll do it, you don't have to do this!" said Luna.

"No, your Majesties. This is my way of atoning for building this Gate. I chose to do it to save my own life, even though I knew what the HNA would use it for. I promised myself, while I was their prisoner, that I would either die a hero or live long enough to see myself become the villain. And I have decided." said Spark, with a smile on his face, as he began to walk towards the Rift Gate, which was starting to roar and shake the ground even more, causing rocks to start falling from the nearby cliffs, and it caused waves to start going backwards, since the Rift Gate was facing the Atlantic Ocean. "Goodbye, my friends, and your Highnesses." said Spark, one last time, as he stepped through the Rift Gate, back into Equis.

As he entered Equis, the other HNA members, who were already there, were shocked. "What are you doing here? Where's our Supreme Leader?" asked one of them, shocked.

"Let's just he paid for what he did, and he was unable to make it." said Spark, as he cast his magic on the portal, and began casting what would be his final spell. On both sides of the Rift Gate, every pony, griffon, and zebra, watched in shock, as the Rift Gate began folding inside the rift, and began to reappear on the other side, on Equis.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" asked some other HNA members as they tackled Spark to the ground to try and stop him.

"Just making amends for all of the bad things I've done throughout my life." said Spark, as he continued the spell, despite the HNA ponies tackling him to the ground of Equis. That was when some of them panicked, as the Nightmare was coming for them. As the spell finished, and the final pieces of the Rift Gate came into Equis, the Aetherium began to overload. Spark looked back at the Nightmare, which almost upon them, and with a smile of determination, said to the Nightmare, "This is the end for all of us." as the Aetherium overloaded. A blue light washed over him, and soon, he knew no more.

On Earth, the rift closed suddenly with a large boom. The ground stopped shaking, but the closing of the Rift Gate had created a shockwave, that sent everyone and everything flying in all directions. The Princesses and the remaining scientists were flung in all directions, but none of them got thrown out to the ocean. All of them hit rocks. The last one of them to hit was Celestia, and then, silence.