A Warm Welcome for Nightmare Moonby Green121ChaptersPrologueChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9 - InterludeChapter 10PrologueMore than a thousand years ago, her sister turned a blind eye to the nobles' misuse of power. Corruption was rampant, and the mistreatment brought by the draconian policies against non-ponies was prevalent. And all of that was in exchange for the unification of the young nation, and a consolidation of power. For Luna, this could not stand. In her eyes, this inaction was complicity, and it needed to stop. Celestia had explained to her that change would follow gradually and that politics was done with cooperation and compromise. Luna wasn't so convinced. Celestia, now perched on her throne, had forgotten her roots. "Cooperating" with thieves that stole from the destitute? Had she forgotten what made them stand up to rule in the first place? Luna was determined, and she vowed to clean out the dregs of old so that Equestria could start anew on a clean slate. Her no-nonsense attitude and her zero-tolerance policy for political charades made her welcomed and appreciated by commoners and other marginalized demographics of Equestria, but unpopular among the major noble houses that held the most power. Despite all the backlash, malicious spreading of rumors, and other subterfuge from her opposition, it did not stop Luna from being a maverick of the throne room. But she eventually realized that the ones she loved, were the ones that ended up hurting her the most. Her sister had started to openly oppose her legislation and belittle her. Luna could not believe what she was hearing. Celestia had truly turned complicit. She felt betrayed that her own sister would let herself be fooled by those silver-tongued crooks that surrounded her at every moment. She had hoped it would not come to this. So, a thousand years ago, she refused to lower her moon on that fateful morning. Mustering up her most intimidating form of "Nightmare Moon," she had faced her sister and her sun-loving nobles down. Now standing as tall as Celestia, she promised eternal night if they refused to get their act together. She won't just sit there as Celestia's little sister. It was her final form of protest—her ultimatum. The nobles started shouting how "the evil spirit had shown its true colors" and how she had "gone insane from envy of her glorious sister." Celestia pleaded with her to give her and the court another chance, but Luna had heard enough of that. She was getting angry at hearing her sister give that same excuse over the past decade, watching as things got worse. And in that moment of standstill, confident of her abilities, Celestia struck first. It was only when Luna started striking back that Celestia started to realize her overconfidence. The fight at the castle of the two sisters raged on as Celestia got humbled, being pummeled by her sister, whose form was strengthened by hatred and a sense of betrayal towards her sister. Only when Celestia used the Elements of Harmony as a last resort did the dust settle, and the older sister realized what had happened. She cried, for she had lost the one true confidant that she had had throughout her life. Over the course of a hundred years, Celestia bid her time as she laid low, letting the nobles grow old and complacent. Meanwhile, she formed loyalists consisting of trustworthy cabinet members, her personal students, and graduates of her mage college (later renamed Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns), many of whom held important positions in the aristocracy and the royal guard. And when enough evidence was collected thanks to the minor noble houses sympathetic to her cause, she began a mass culling of corrupt officials and noble houses that had plagued Equestria since its birth. As the vast majority of the old guard got their assets seized, prosecuted, their titles forfeited, and even banished out of the country, Equestria was ready to start anew, and the solar alicorn was prepared to begin her atonement. She started by looking into her sister's concerns that she had ignored, assessing the issues that dragged the nation down, written in detail in her sister's journal. Celestia began by abolishing archaic, draconian policies that date back to the three tribes’ era. Through legislature after legislature, she reworked tax codes, took down xenophobic policies, and diligently rooted out numerous problems of the old system to empower the nation as a whole. Another thing she worked hard on was dispelling false rumors about her sister, which had still lived on even after the bitter nobles that weaved them had died of old age. With the help of her circle of scholars in major academia and her investment in public education, Equestrian history had gone through revisionism, spreading the truth about her sister's actions and also exposing the not-so-cheerful truth behind the Three Tribes and the Unification of Equestria. In the revelation, Celestia herself also began to face criticism in the process, but for what she had done to Luna, she gladly accepted all of them. It was a constant reminder, a sword above her head that would warn her of complacency. With everything, it had taken centuries, but the legacy of Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon had gone through a revival. Once considered nothing more than Celestia's evil sister, she began to be viewed as a pony to look up to. Historians now consider her a forerunner of the time, laying the foundation for numerous civil rights policies that are still being used in Equestria today. In various art forms, such as paintings, literature, and plays, she is commonly depicted as a tragic figure. She's a mare of integrity who holds onto what is right even in the face of adversity. Additionally, she is also interpreted as a mare victimized by the political landscape of her era, tragically betrayed by her own flesh and blood in the end. Centuries passed as Celestia sought diligently to rebuild relations with their old allies, who helped them through their hardest times. Many ponies, including her and her sister, had once sought refuge in the neighboring non-pony nations during the destructive reign of Discord in the past. It was unfortunate that their hospitality was never returned, as the Three Tribes era and its resulting paranoid herd mentality completely ruined foreign relations with them. Improving relations was slow and often felt impossible, but Celestia kept on going for the sake of honoring her sister's wishes. And during that period, the works of the royal astronomers and mages had finally borne fruit. "On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal." A concerning prophecy was made by the royal magus, but Celestia was beyond overjoyed. She had tried countless methods before to bring her sister back from the desolate moon and to break the spell cast upon her by the Elements. But they had all come up empty hooved. Now, she had a new lead. Further research by astronomers and artificers seemed to give weight to the validity of the prophecy. On the day of the 1000th summer sun celebration, the moon will orbit the closest to Equus in a millennium, while the precise alignment of the stars will briefly give a boost to Nightmare Moon's arcane prowess, opening her a window of opportunity to escape her banishment. With the possibility of her sister's return, Celestia immediately began working on the preparations. While their old castle remained in the now uninhabitable Everfree, the small town of Ponyville existed directly next to the forest. She put the best engineers and artificers to work on constructing an observatory there in hopes of aiding and guiding Nightmare Moon's escape. They had hoped that if she were able to teleport, she would use the destination with the least thaumic resistance, which would be the teleportation pad of the facility, specifically attuned to her magic. When the prophecy was released to the public, some of the ponies had their doubts. Some remained adamant that Nightmare Moon was strictly a myth, and that even if it were true, prophecies were prone to being inaccurate. Others worried about whether the part about "nighttime eternal" would come true. But that didn't stop the vast majority of Equestrians from being ecstatic about their long-lost princess' potential return. They were determined to give her the best-est, warmest welcome they could. They had hoped that Nightmare Moon would be able to see their sincerity, and finally see the future that she and her sister had created. Chapter 1When she sensed an opportunity, the Mare on the Moon desperately gathered all her strength to teleport out of that desolate rock that she once controlled in the past. After multiple botched spells, she smiled wickedly as she felt the spell complete just barely. A familiar sensation of displacement later, she collapsed onto the ground, gasping as she breathed in the fresh air. Finally, she was back in Equestria. ...No. Something about the air smelled off. The ground she was lying on glowed with arcane light. She realized she had just teleported onto an arcane circle in a large room, designed to lure her in and trap her. And lo and behold, in front of her stood her despicable sister, her eyes wide in surprise, surrounded by guards in weird uniforms. I should have expected this, she thought. With her magic reserves dangerously low, she knew what was going to happen, and she wasn't planning on going down like this. She won't give her the victory so easily. Before anyone could lift a hoof, Nightmare lowered her horn and charged through the first door she laid her eyes on. Ponies yelped as they moved out to avoid getting skewered, and the door broke out of its hinges as the pitch-black alicorn ran out of the room. Celestia and her guards soon tried to follow, urging her to wait. As Nightmare ran through the halls of the building, various contraptions lining its walls, the guards in the building barely made an effort to hold her down. All they did was move out of her way and say inane things like "Please, you shouldn't be running, your Highness!", or "Please, calm down!". ...Did that one just bow to her? What has the royal guard come to? It looks like, in her absence, even the royal guard has fallen into a new level of incompetence. This was ridiculous, even for Celestia. After a minute of galloping, Nightmare managed to find what seemed like an exit—a set of large double doors that led to a wide terrace outside. Not the ground floor, but no matter. I'm pretty sure my wings still work. With that, she burst open the doors, shut them behind her, and stared out at the beautiful night sky, her majestic wings spread wide open for flight. She then skidded to a halt as she noticed something very off. In front of the building lay a sea of well-dressed ponies, with some pegasi perched upon the nearby clouds in the sky. The crowd filled every inch of space around the building's perimeter as far as her eyes could see, with an occasional griffon, zebra, and other species mixed in. The crowd immediately became deathly quiet as they noticed the large armored alicorn burst through the terrace doors. With their eyes wide, they stared at her as if she were a ghost. Nightmare stared back at them with her own wide eyes, trying to make sense of it. Did the entirety of the country's nobles gather here to mock my capture? To congratulate their puppet princess as they hold a ball right here? This was getting ridiculous. There were so many things that she didn't get. For one, she didn't know of any non-pony nobles in Equestria. She knew many of them were wearing dresses, but in styles that she was unfamiliar with. What were the zebras doing here? Just how long have I been trapped on the moon? With no time to dally, she prepared to send out a message to them before she took off. "I assume all of you gathered to see the end of me." She straightened up and began speaking in her booming royal Canterlot voice. "Put in chains, dragged to the dungeons perhaps? WELL TOO BAD!" She slammed her armored hoof against the floor, making her audience flinch. She may have been depleted of magic, but she needed to make a strong stance, a show of confidence that she was ready to take on anything. As she focused on her speech, the Princess of the Night failed to realize the double doors behind her were already open. "I am Nightmare Moon, and I have returned to resume my rightful rule on the throne of Equestria! Let me be clear again, little ponies. I shall never condone the existence of pathetic excuses for nobles who think they can get away with everything! And as long as any of you covetous leeches continue to gorge yourselves on the downtrodden, or dare try to manipulate my sister with your lies and misdirection, I can assure you..." The jaws of the audience started to drop, and with a smile, the dark alicorn took a step closer to the edge of the terrace. "...with absolute certainty..." And for dramatic effect, she spread her impressive wingspan to its fullest. "...that the night will last... FOREVER!" Nightmare Moon let out her best evil laugh she had over a millennium, bearing her fangs out wide, relishing the feeling of scaring all those cowardly nobles to death. As she finished her intimidation with a satisfied smile on her face, she felt she had made her point well. Why, she could already feel them cower- A deafening thunder of cheers erupted from the audience below, scaring the daylights out of her. Ponies were whistling, yelling, and stomping their hooves in joy. Shocked at their unexpected reaction, Nightmare wondered if they were mocking her. This puzzled her further because, at a closer look, she could tell that those ponies were not faking it. She saw genuine happiness, excitement, adoration, and in some cases, tears in their eyes. Behind her, standing in the open doorway to the terrace, stood Princess Celestia, smiling with her crew of medical team and observatory personnel. Her thousand years of pain and longing were finally over. She had worried immensely whether the thousand years of confinement on the moon had scarred her sister's body and mind. But it seemed like Luna's vigorous body was back in one piece, with her brave and resolute personality intact, ready to protect what she held dear. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thanked Harmony for safely bringing back what she had been missing for the longest time. Now, Celestia did not fear the prophecy. The future is not set in stone, and neither are prophecies. If Luna needed her utmost love and support, she would be there for her. If Nightmare Moon demanded retribution for the crimes against her, she would take the punishment. Regardless of her future, she would gladly accept it. After all, she knew her final act of atonement was yet to come, and with that complete, she knew Equestria would be safe. On the terrace, Nightmare Moon stood still with a stunned expression, being continuously covered in irritating, clicking flashes of light from the crowd. She did her best to keep her cool, trying to comprehend the situation. Seeing the rotten nobles do something other than jeer or ignore her for once was a nice change of pace. But still, her head was only filled with one thought. Just what in Tartarus is going on?! Author's Note ~~This was an idea I've had for a while after watching "A Lullaby for a Princess". I know it feels weird ending here, it's a combination of skill issue and time constraints.~~ Chapter 2Celestia felt nothing but pride and relief as the crowd below continued to cheer after her sister's speech. She was initially nervous back then, not knowing how everyone would react to the news of a lost diarch from a thousand years ago suddenly reappearing. However, her subjects had taken the news of her potential return well. Aside from the few skeptics and doomsayers, her little ponies had taken a lot of positive interest in the chance of Nightmare Moon's homecoming. Instead of taking part in the raucous revelry and festivities of the night before the day of the summer sun celebration, countless ponies and other creatures patiently gathered and waited in front of the Ponyville Royal Observatory with bated breath. Their patience was fully rewarded when the Mare of the Moon's mark vanished from the moon much to everyone's surprise, and soon Equestria's lost princess rushed out of the building's fourth-floor terrace. Celestia thanked them for showing genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for her sister. It was a rousing reception worthy of her return, and Celestia hoped that it would help ease her sister's worries by showing that she was truly welcomed back in Equestria. Now, she just wanted to go out there and embrace her. She wanted to tell her that she was appreciated and that everything was going to be okay. But before she could run towards her, a pony in a doctor's gown put a hoof on her side and stopped her. "Pardon me, princess, but may I have a word with you for a moment?" The white mare with a pink bun said it with a hint of nervousness. "What is it, Doctor?" "I know you're eager to reconcile with her after so long, but I think you should approach her with caution." Dr. Redheart eyed the other diarch at the end of the terrace for a moment before continuing. "From what I can tell, her motor skills look fine, but we don't know exactly how well she's faring. She seems frightened and jumpy as is, so please be careful. We shouldn't strain her further than she currently is." "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." Celestia acknowledged the doctor's concerns and slowly stepped out to the spacious terrace, ready to greet her sibling from her long sojourn on the moon. As the solar alicorn slowly walked out of the doorway and towards her counterpart at the edge of the terrace, she made herself visible to the gathered crowd. Spotting her arrival, the excited audience let out another round of applause for their ruler. Noticing this, Nightmare Moon quickly turned herself around to face whatever was behind her. As she turned around and saw Celestia slowly walking towards her with a smile, she cursed inwardly for getting distracted for too long and letting her pursuer catch up to her. Here comes their champion. Nightmare immediately put her stance wide and spared no time as she hastily shot a blast of magic at her, the beam whizzing by just above her target and striking the stone walls of the observatory. Celestia flinched, and so did everyone else that was watching. "That's as close as you can come!" The armored alicorn shouted, silencing the gasping crowd. Their previous excitement turned into shock, then into uncertainty and concern as their acclamation turned into confused murmurs. They saw Celestia hesitantly take a step back, clearly taken off guard from her offensive. Nightmare Moon felt fatigue catch up to her, every use of magic draining her already dried-up magic reserves. Her head throbbed in pain, and it felt like the armor she wore was weighing her down. Even her throat began to feel sore from amplifying her voice for a short moment, but she remained steadfast, for she could not afford to show weakness. "Luna?" Celestia's voice trembled a bit. Nightmare's gaze bore into her, and she could see her wide eyes gleaming under the light of the full moon. "There's no need to fight. We were meant to rule together, sister. Please, it's time for us to reconcile." However, her sister did not budge from her rigid stance as if she were anticipating an attack from her. The dark alicorn sneered at her sister's pleading, her expression a mixture of a smirk and anger. "That's just rich coming from you. I know what you did. You just couldn't fathom being bested by your little sister in a fight, couldn't you?" "Luna, I'm sorry. That wasn't- it wasn't my intention to-" "Stop. Stop calling me by that name." Celestia's response was cut off by the agitated alicorn. "Luna... she was such an inconvenience, wasn't she? Your little sister, always there to make your already exhausting work harder. Nothing but a naysayer she was." Nightmare Moon's calm, regal poise began to shake, and resentment began to take hold of her. "...Well sorry for not being a yes pony like the spoiled nobles you coddled!" Celestia wanted to retort, or at least tell her that she was sorry for making her feel neglected. She had thought of many things to say when Luna finally managed to return, but she could say none as she froze up on the spot. "I knew you were too stubborn to yield, but still, it's unbelievable how you actually used the Elements of Harmony of all things to strike me. You planned on getting rid of me like Discord! Then what, sister? Put my petrified remains right next to him in the gardens as some morbid display of power? Don't you dare think I don't realize what you tried to do!" The Mare of the Moon's former calm and collected demeanor quickly crumbled as it was replaced with fury and sorrow, her nostrils flaring as she clenched her jaws. Her pent-up emotions threatened her to break down right there and then, and the mare barely managed to suppress her body from shuddering. "I think I made myself clear back then. I have no intentions of making excuses for the treachery of our subjects." The former monarch's chest tightened at her sister's outburst, a hurt expression evident on her face. "Nightmare, In your absence, Equestria has changed. It's no longer the nation you had known. Please, I implore you to give us a chance." "Has it changed for better or worse, Celestia? Under your benevolent rule, I assume the latter." As the confrontation continued, terrible memories of a thousand years ago continued to resurface from the depths of Celestia's mind. Their encounter was turning into a hostile standoff similar to that fateful day, instead of the heartfelt reunion that she had longed for. She waited so long for this, and she couldn't let this end with another battle. If it did, she didn't think she'd be able to live with herself after that. She'd made promises to each of her two now-long-gone friends in the past. One was a solemn vow, to rule their nation together with her sister in harmony. The other was a pledge made with regret, to bring her back safely at all costs. Celestia could not fail, for she intended to keep her word. She was determined to resolve this peacefully, hoping her actions would act as repentance for driving her own kin into such a cruel fate. And no matter how long it took, she would persuade her sister, helping her to the best of her abilities as they restored the long-lost Equestrian diarchy. With the reminder now placed in her mind, she settled down her fears, slowly taking a step toward her sister with courage, trying her best to look non-threatening. Her train of thought was cut short, however, as the alicorn on the other side proceeded to fire another blast of magic at her with perfect accuracy this time. Author's Note I was kind of unsure whether I could deliver something worthwhile for the readers by dabbling more into this story. I found myself writing more regardless though, so that alone was one reason to continue this. This could go bad for all I know, but I'm going to give it a try anyway. Chapter 3Nightmare Moon became rather bitter as the encounter with her older sister sparked an ire that she had been suppressing for countless years. In truth, it felt satisfying in a way, finally being able to vent her anger and frustration at the culprit of her countless years of suffering on the moon. She had a task to accomplish. To defeat Celestia proper and do something that her pacifistic sister was too weak to carry out: a violent upheaval and eradication of the Noble Court and its contemptuous constituents. They'd squeal, clutching onto whatever ill-gotten wealth and power they had, but they would all fall regardless. She'd bested mature dragons and hunted windigos down on her own in the past, her sister being the only one who could match her power. And with Celestia incapacitated and unable to protect her sycophants, she would carry out their overdue punishment with impunity. If they did not surrender gracefully and climb down from their pedestals, she'd gladly strike them down personally with her might. She couldn't care less whether they perished or not; they were nothing but overgrown weeds that needed to be pulled out. Why, she'd love to see them go down kicking and screaming. Nonetheless, the pitch-black alicorn was not in a position to follow her plans. As much as she wanted to defeat her sister in clear view of all her followers, she knew she was in no shape to fight her. She needed to buy time—long enough for her magic reserves to fully recover. She survived for harmony-knows-long on the derelict moon; she could bear waiting for a few days more. As she went through her plans again in her head, she noticed Celestia cautiously taking a step toward her. That's not good. It was her cue to leave. In response to her approach, Nightmare Moon fired another bolt of searing magic with the proper aim this time. With her magic pool strained to its limits, a sharp pain shot through her skull, making her wince involuntarily. She watched her shot whizz through the air, only to be deflected by a purple barrier cast by one of Celestia's guards at the last moment. The white alicorn froze, taken aback by the close call as the crowd's unease rose. And in that brief moment of diversion, Nightmare made her move. Her armored hooves scratched the stone floors of the terrace as she turned her lethargic body around as fast as she could, running as her legs kicked herself off the edge of the guardrail. She ignored her sister's panicked call and the onlookers' loud exclamations, her powerful wingbeats propelling her through the night sky. In the air, she felt the winds wrap around her body as she glided away from the large building, a feeling she'd been missing for a millennium of her imprisonment. Nightmare could feel cold sweat breaking out from her back as she struggled to make out her surroundings. Below and around her, there was no familiar landmark in sight. None of the streets and buildings gave an idea of where she was. She looked around to find any sight of the Everfree castle but soon doubted whether she was even remotely close to it. She decided to defer that particular concern for later, focusing on flying away from Celestia's eyes and ears. However, another immediate concern reared its ugly head. She's been trying to stifle it, but Nightmare Moon began to feel seriously unwell. Her fur under her armor was damp with cold sweat, and with her strength waning, she felt as if her wings were strapped with weights. She assured herself that she was made of sterner stuff. She'd been through worse pain while fighting for her life, and she wouldn't let this stop her from achieving her goals. But as she endured her pain and discomfort, she began to feel something entirely different. Out of nowhere, a sense of impending doom hit her. It filled the weakened princess' mind, even as she tried desperately to clear her head of this seemingly irrational fear that managed to creep up on her. She was becoming increasingly nervous, the fear escalating as her heart beat rapidly... until something unsettling happened. Suddenly, Nightmare Moon felt something inside her break, as if a thin thread within her snapped as it went taut. It was a barely noticeable feeling, but it sent an inexplicable and terrifying chill all over her body. Her slitted pupils became pinpricks at the small yet horrifying sensation, making her coat stand on its end. She wasn't given much time to think about it, however, as she quickly noticed something. She was falling at an alarming rate. Much to the terrified Alicorn's dismay, everything happened too fast. Her wings could no longer "grip" the air around her, unable to keep her afloat. Any spell that she cast to slow her momentum failed to manifest. She flapped her wings in alarm, but her panicked, uneven wingbeats did nothing but make her lose her balance as she fell toward the ground below her. Bewildered ponies below screamed as they jumped out of the way, watching their princess crash onto the ground with a sickening thud. Nightmare felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness, her ears ringing and her head spinning. Through her blurred vision, she could see that she was lying on her side, surrounded by numerous onlookers. Their mouths moved rapidly, but the ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing anything coherently. Laying on the ground, she felt her entire body burning in pain. No! I can't fail like this! At least... at least not yet. Even in her dazed state, fear and adrenaline from the injured mare drove her to get up, but her attempts under her dizzying mind were unsuccessful as her feeble legs buckled under her. The black alicorn's helm-worn head struck the ground again, the impact making her cry out in pain. And before consciousness failed her, the last thing she saw was a pair of large white wings enveloping her barrel and her pain-stricken face from behind, teleporting her off the crowded streets of Ponyville. The fact that the Ponyville Royal Observatory was not exactly ordinary was well known to anyone who paid attention to its history. Built to research and help in the safe retrieval of the lost princess, the long-standing building harbored facilities considered unconventional for an observatory. The medical wing was one of them, the partially operational part of the building that incorporated rooms for treatment and operating rooms, wards, medical devices, etcetera. Only a small part of it was used as an infirmary for the Ponyville guards and observatory personnel; the rest of the unused rooms were used as storage space for other branches of the observatory. That was recently changed, however, as the facility was supplemented with medical professionals and equipment ahead of the extraction plan for the princess on the moon. Now with its rooms cleaned, renovated, and fully functional, it was ready to quickly react to any medical emergency that might occur near its premises. When Princess Celestia had urgently brought her wounded sister in, the medical wing burst into activity as doctors and nurses swiftly ran the unconscious alicorn through a multitude of screenings for a proper diagnosis and treatment. As much as she wanted to stay with her sister throughout the process, Celestia trusted her medical team to do what was best for her and let them work unimpeded. Now, she was waiting inside one of the refurbished doctor's offices, constantly shifting her position on the comfortable chair that failed to provide her with any comfort. The only thing on her mind was her sister's condition, and her anxiety refused to subside. After her long wait, a frazzled doctor walked inside carrying a large folder and a mug of lukewarm coffee, with a few stands of her pink mane sticking out of her bun. "Is she alright? How bad is she?" Celestia immediately got up from her seat and approached her as Redheart sat on her chair, putting down the folder on her desk. "Don't worry, Your Highness. She's in stable condition now." Celestia sighed in relief, sitting back down on her chair as the doctor opened her folder and began to splay out numerous large films of images showing the scans of the injured alicorn. "Though she's in a rather rough shape from her injuries." "She's got a minor fracture on the left side of her skull; we suspect she'll be experiencing some mild concussions after she wakes up. She's also got a fracture on her front left hoof and leg, wing, as well as on her ribs." The doctor pointed out the location of the injuries on the images one by one, circling them with a red marker. "They did their best with the noninvasive surgery to set her bones back in place and prevent further complications. Now she just needs time for them to heal back. Aside from that, we've taken care of her superficial injuries; it's fortunate that she's rather resilient. At that height? Any other pony would have fared worse. I'm just thankful that her horn didn't suffer any damage." "Do we know why she's fallen from her flight? I feel like it's quite unlike her to make such a mistake like that." "Well, we figured that out when we took her magical tomography scan. We suspect that she crashed from acute magical exhaustion." Celestia raised an eyebrow in confusion at the doctor's comment. "Although that makes sense, that's still... rather peculiar. I haven't heard of any fliers crashing from magical exhaustion." "It's nearly unheard of for pegasi and other flying creatures to lose their flight from magical exhaustion. Typically, they pass out from physical exertion before they can reach anything close to that. But her Highness, on the other hoof, is an alicorn." Redheart took a sip from her mug before continuing. "She likely drained all her magic reserves from spellcasting before she took flight, and she ended up overextending herself during her panic. For now, we've decided to put an inhibitor ring on her to limit her magic usage until she makes a sufficient recovery." Hearing that, Celestia sighed dejectedly, staring at the white floor below her. "Maybe I should have approached this differently. I didn't want to frighten her, but... perhaps we should have restrained her for her safety." The mare sitting across from her pondered over the hindsight. It was regrettable that Princess Nightmare Moon's arrival didn't go as planned and ended up with her being severely hurt. But considering the past encounter between the two royal sisters, Redheart wasn't sure whether the other option would have led to a more favorable outcome. Judging from the initial reaction to her arrival, it was evident that the Night Princess was willing to risk everything to fight her way through. How many royal guards would it have taken to restrain her? Many ponies would have been hurt, and the panicked princess would have ended up becoming injured in the process regardless. With that line of thinking, the doctor chose to break the silence by moving on to the next thing on her agenda instead. "Your Highness, there was another subject that I needed to talk to you about." "Of course, go ahead, doctor." Celestia stopped wallowing in her self-doubt, raising her head back up at the inquiry. "Aside from the injuries we've been able to treat, we've found something concerning during her scans. If you look closely over here, here, here..." Looking back at the film images of the patient's bone structure, Redheart began pointing out numerous locations and circled them with a white marker this time. About a dozen circles were made, each one marking noticeable large marks on her bones. "Are these...?" "Dr. Horse first thought these were a type of osteosarcoma and almost went into a full-blown panic. Even for me, they did look unnatural from the way the preliminary scans showed. Thankfully at a closer look, we found out that these were areas that healed from fractures in the past, albeit mended rather crudely with what we presume is a first aid spell. Some of them are malaligned unfortunately, I suspect this was done during her attempt at self-treatment." The doctor cringed at the locations of some of them, several of which like the femur and the base of the wings, the areas that sported high mortality rates in a fracture case. "I'm glad that it's not bone cancer, but I'm still not entirely relieved by this revelation. This is likely to cause complications in the future, and we highly recommend she undergo additional corrective surgery after she fully recovers from her current injuries." Celestia looked startled, her ears pressing against her head as she took in the information the doctor had shared with her. How had her sister managed to accumulate such scars within her? Perhaps it was wishful thinking that her sister would simply turn out fine after all those years of punishment. Now, it was another concern that weighed on her conscience. "Your Highness, I know this might be a sensitive issue, but I need you to tell me what could have possibly caused all these injuries in her past. We don't have her medical history, and we would appreciate it if you could give us any insight about this." With a slight frown on her face, the alicorn replied. "I know my sister and I have had a fair share of battles and injuries throughout our lives. Burns and cuts mostly, but I don't ever remember her being hurt to this severity, not even in our final fight. "Could the Elements of Harmony have caused this?" "The Elements can be... unpredictable in how their power manifests, but I'm not sure. I'm sorry that I can't provide you with a definite explanation for what happened to her, doctor. The answer eludes even me." Throughout her career, Redheart has dealt with patients who weren't so honest, lying or exaggerating about their symptoms or circumstances(their lies would just come to light anyway after thorough examinations), making her work even harder. With her accumulated experience handling them, she'd come to know when a patient wasn't exactly telling her the truth. When she looked deeply into Celestia's eyes, she felt slightly guilty for trying to doubt the truthfulness of the princess' words. She was thankfully relieved when she saw no signs of dishonesty on her face. "Then we'll just have to ask her when she wakes up. Do you know of any other past medical complications or allergies of hers that we should be aware of?" "There are none, as far as I can remember." Hiding her fatigue under her professional attitude, Redheart collected all the images and put them neatly back into her folder. "Well then, I think that's it for now, princess. We've done everything we can for her so far; we just need to sit tight and help her heal back up. And if you remember anything about her condition, please don't hesitate to notify the medical staff. Did you have any questions?" The large Alicorn sprang up from her seat immediately, so prompt that it almost scared the pony in front of her. "Can I see her now? I have to make sure she's okay." "W-well, regarding that, the doctors had a bit of a disagreement." "A disagreement?" "In her current condition, Her Highness needs absolute bed rest. Normally we would allow friends and family to stay by the patient's side and keep them company, but considering her negative reaction upon seeing you, some argued that you may startle her and might cause another incident. Not only does she need peace of mind, she also can't afford to sustain any more possible injuries." "...I see. I understand that it's a valid concern." "However, I won't stop you from seeing her just yet." Celestia's face lightened up just a bit at that. "As her only kin, I think it's right to give you a chance at least. I assume you plan on visiting her right away?" "That was what I was hoping for." Hearing her response, the doctor nodded. "I see. I have to tell you, however, that she won't be waking up for about another hour or so. Until her anesthetics wear out, she'll probably stay unconscious. I hate to repeat myself, but after she wakes up, please try to be careful around her. She's in the Dusk ward, by the way." "Thank you for having confidence in me, doctor. It means a lot to me." "Don't mention it, your highness. I trust you'll always do what's best for her." With that, the solar diarch gave her a small smile before bidding farewell. After she had left the room, Redheart slumped onto her chair with a sigh. With the medical wing on full alert, she had a long time before her shift would end. She wondered how her friends were doing right now. Hopefully better than her. Her coffee had gone cold at this point, so she picked up her mug and downed the rest. She had a feeling that she was going to need several more. Celestia trotted through the hallways of the medical wing, passing by the occasional nurses and other observatory staff. Most ponies, except those who have been working at the facility for some time, were prone to becoming lost within the intricate halls of the building. But that wasn't the case for Celestia. She was the one who oversaw its construction, seeing it built from the ground up. Knowing the interior of the observatory through and through, she knew exactly where to go. She shortly arrived at her destination, a private ward with two armed royal guards stationed at its door. She acknowledged their salutes and stopped in front of the room where her sister was inside. The Dusk ward. Its unassuming white door looked just like any other door in the medical wing, but in truth, the room was more than just a regular hospital ward. Inside, complex spell matrices were lined inside its walls. As long as the enchanted door held together, a shield would remain intact, and no unwanted intruder would be able to teleport inside. Now with guards stationed in front of it, it was perhaps the most secure area in the entire building. Under her protection, it was a safe space for her sister's recovery. She would be safe here, no matter what turmoil or enemy would target her. When she stepped up to push the door open, she stopped. As much as she wanted to comfort her sister at her most vulnerable moment, maybe it was right to leave her be for now. Luna, no, Nightmare Moon had already shown enough animosity towards her, and she feared that she would just end up proving the other doctors right. Sister... Just what happened to you up there? Celestia thought in her moment of indecision, Nightmare Moon's disturbing amount of past signs of injury refusing to leave her mind. For a moment, the ruler of Equestria stood there in contemplation, her hoof pressed against the door. And when she was about to lower her hoof and step back from it, she heard something from beyond the door. It would have been easy to miss, but Celestia thought she heard faint sounds of hoof steps coming from inside. Has she awakened already? "Stay here and stand guard. I need to go check on her." "Would you be alright by yourself, your highness?" "I'll be fine. Do not enter unless I call out, understood?" "Understood, Your Highness." Celestia ordered her guardsponies, the two standing stalwart at her command. A bout of hesitation still lingered in her mind, but the Princess of the Sun decided to push on. With that, she carefully opened the white door, entering as she closed it behind her with her golden magic aura. Author's Note Chapters 4 and 5 are turning out to be more time consuming than I thought. I try to write at a reasonable pace, but with my current work schedule, I apologize in advance if there are any 3+ month delays in updates in the future. Chapter 4Outside the Ponyville Royal Observatory, large buzzing crowds remained around the building and on the streets. Under the faint light from the full moon and nearby buildings, they murmured, argued, and conversed with each other in confusion and worry. Rumors of what happened spread among the crowd, based on what some of them claimed to have witnessed. Some claimed that the two princesses engaged in a duel, with Princess Nightmare Moon managing to defeat the other princess before fleeing the scene. Others claimed that Princess Celestia saved her sister after she had fallen from the sky before taking her away. Questions and uncertainty were aplenty. Are the princesses okay? Did they really fight each other? Why has the sun not come up yet? Unfortunately for them, the observatory was currently on lockdown. Numerous royal guards secured the building's perimeter, preventing anyone from entering the building from the ground or air. Journalists and reporters sought answers from guards and town officials, but they were unable to provide them with much satisfactory information. With no news or anyone coming in and out of the observatory, speculations about the exact nature of the events continued to run wild. As the crowd stayed restless, a dozen more pegasi royal guards arrived from the northeastern sky. Noticing this, the observatory guards cleared the ground for their landing, allowing them to land in formation. Instead of the standard-issue royal guard armor, they wore suits of armor that covered their entire body, with enchanted rubies studded on their sides that provided enhanced magical protection. Despite being fully clad in armor, they landed gracefully, their heavy armor clanking with each step they took. Moving through the numerous onlookers, the newly arrived squad approached the main entrance of the building. "Orders from Captain Armor. We have an urgent message to deliver to Her Highness Princess Celestia in person immediately." A scroll was promptly passed onto the gatekeepers, confirming the captain's orders and the guards' identities. After spending some time eyeing both the scroll and the newcomers, the two gatekeepers nodded and signaled for the others to open the gates. "Let them in, they're cleared." With the gates open and access granted, the pegasi guards entered the building in rows of two. The gates closed as soon as the last of them entered, sealing the building from the outside world once again. Watching the closed gates, one of the two gatekeepers turned her head and looked at her compatriot. "I can't believe they sent a squad of heavy fliers just to deliver a message." "The higher-ups at Canterlot must be spooked. Considering what's happening right now, I don't exactly blame them." Turning her gaze to the gathered crowd on the streets, she paused for a bit before speaking again. "Light?" "Yeah?" "Do you think the prophecy will come true?" "I thought dragons didn't believe in prophecies." "Well, I mean-" The amber and red-colored dragon readjusted her helm in embarrassment. "You're not wrong. I still think they're self-fulfilling statements at best, but this one... I'm starting to feel a bit worried, you know." The cream-coated earth pony guard remained stoic, seemingly uncaring about his fellow guard's apprehension. But soon, he let out a sigh as his expression turned into one of concern. "...Me too, Fireball. Me too." Nightmare Moon fell onto the dry landscape of the moon for the second time, a cloud of dust billowing from her rough landing. She coughed as she moved out of the dust cloud she kicked off, trying her best not to breathe in any of it. The accursed particles that covered the moon's surface were irritating, the abrasive regolith clinging to her fur at every opportunity. The mare shook her body to get rid of some of what was stuck onto her, having long given up on trying to clean herself thoroughly from the incessant dust. After she spat out the dirt that had gotten into her mouth, she frowned, feeling the dreary atmosphere of the moon. It was not just because of its stark visuals. There was no ambient magic here. Magic was an ever-present force that invigorated the land and its inhabitants, something that everyone took for granted. Feeling its absence for the first time in her life, the princess was left perturbed, feeling as if the remaining magic within her was fleeting from her every second. The only other thing that she could sense was a slight prickling sensation on her horn caused by some unknown force. She didn't know what it was; she couldn't harness it like magic, but it was everywhere. It was something else, and such uncertainty only added to her uneasiness. Never did she expect any of this from being struck by the Elements of Harmony. Standing alone on the surface of the moon, she did not fail to see the irony of getting stranded on the celestial body that represented her. Perhaps Harmony had a cruel sense of humor. Taking deep breaths, the Armored Alicorn tried to calm herself down, recollecting her actions so far. When she was first thrown here, confused by the sudden change in her surroundings, she first thought herself doomed as she struggled to breathe. Her quick thinking was what saved her. Gathering as much of the moon's thin atmosphere with her magic and surrounding herself with it like a dome, she was able to breathe by casting a complex breathing spell alongside it. With her immediate concern taken care of, her second thought was to teleport herself back to the fight and get out of wherever she was right now. However, she was met with her spell simply fizzling out. At first, Nightmare did not understand. She cast her spell again only to yield the same results, quickly realizing the reason why. She didn't miscast her spell; the teleportation failed because she was just too far away. With that, she blanched as the gravity of the situation settled in. This gray landscape around her, the incredibly vast night sky above, and a green and blue planet floating at a distance... This was the moon. She wasn't dreaming, nor was she dreamwalking. Checking whether her mind was under a mind-altering spell or any other means of mental assault, a part of her wanted this whole thing to be just a hallucination. Despite her wishes, however, this was very much real. She was sent to the moon, an impossibility made real by the unimaginable power of the Elements. Panicking, the alicorn's next train of thought was to fly through the vast space that separated her from her home. When she tried that by flying out of the barren satellite, she soon discovered that something else was at play beyond the moon's low gravity. When she flew out of the moon's atmosphere, her efforts were quickly thwarted as she was dragged back to the ground by an invisible force. Her failed second try by using teleportation to bypass it only showed partial success, managing to escape further, but immediately yanked down to the surface once again. The results confirmed her suspicions; the spell cast by the elements had chained her to the moon, unwilling to let its prisoner go. After finishing her recollections, her nerves had calmed down somewhat. Raising her head upwards, she stared at the distant planet above her again. Equus. The green and blue globe floated beyond, the distance seemingly close yet so far in reality. She stood there and gauged the distance, grimacing as the unfiltered sun's rays made everything around her unpleasantly hot. Would she even be able to get back? She wasn't the pony to doubt herself so easily, but the task ahead of her seemed daunting even for her. Nightmare, however, did not give up her hope just yet. Whenever Starswirl taught her and Celestia about spells and the arcane, he liked to nag them that no spell was perfect and that they should always practice more, strive to do better, and whatnot. She'd heard that a million times already, and all magic had its shortcomings. While the old stallion had a knack for occasionally making dubious claims, she always trusted him when it came to anything related to magic. And assuming he was right, even the grand power of the Elements had its limitations. Like most spells of its kind, she assumed that the spell that tethered her to the moon must have had a limit to its range akin to a magnet. Nightmare did not know how far it stretched or how powerful the height of its strength would be. But she had to cross that hypothetical threshold and break the tether, no matter how difficult it would be. As much as she wanted to cross the entire distance with a single teleport and ignore the spell, that was out of the question. Unless she somehow managed to get help from external sources, teleporting directly back to Equus was beyond her abilities. Even if she used up all the power she had in her now, she guessed that her longest teleport would hardly reach the quarter point before she was drained completely. And if the spell's radius extended further than that, she would be dragged back with indignity, rendering her efforts null. Casting multiple smaller jumps would barely help; there was just no way around it. The mare walked in circles out of frustration, failing to think of a feasible solution. Biting her lips in anxiety, she reasoned that there had to be a way, a solution that she overlooked. Would she be able to cover some distance by flight? No, she'd already failed in that regard. And just as she was about to give up on that, she stopped in her tracks. An idea had struck her, and a smile slowly formed on her lips. The Night Princess stretched her wings, checking her appendages. Unlike their usual pristine condition, they were in a state of disarray. She hastily preened her ruffled feathers that stuck out at odd angles, positioning them back in their place. Many were burned by her sister's flames and were in questionable condition, but she didn't fret much over it. What's done was done; there was not much she could do about them now. One by one, she plucked out feathers that were in terrible shape with her teeth—the ones that were broken or burned to their quill. After she was done checking the state of her wings, she took a deep breath, ready to put her plan to the test. With a powerful jump from her legs, the alicorn shot upwards with a singular beat from her wings, a single black feather falling behind her. Soaring above the gray landscape from her launch, she then unfurled her wings wide open again, concentrating her magic on them. Nightmare Moon's wings began to shine with her cyan magical aura as her spell was completed, a trick up her sleeve. It was a spell that was considered impossible to cast—a spell that could only exist theoretically, requiring constant channeling of both pegasus and unicorn magic. But as an alicorn who wielded the magic of all three pony tribes, she was the first to make it come to life after months of theory crafting. Starswirl might have complimented her ingenuity for it, but he also called it dangerous(to which she begrudgingly agreed). But now, she was more than willing to risk that. With a familiar chime of a spell cast, Nightmare felt a powerful force gathering within her wings, as if a strong tailwind was blowing behind them. And in a split second, she was launched into the vast nothingness with incredible speed. Piercing through the cold, airless aether in her flight position, the armored alicorn soared with power and grace. Her glowing wings were spread to their maximum, unmoving as its magical propulsion left behind a cyan flight trail in its wake. As she picked up more acceleration, so did the all-encompassing pressure that threatened to pull her back down. She could feel the spell of the elements push against her momentum, but not enough to slow her down as she began to accelerate even faster. Nightmare was confident that she was nearing her maximum velocity. This was her best chance of escape, and she wouldn't let it go to waste. Ever so slightly, Equus was getting closer. She just needed to keep this up for longer, and she could begin her jump. She would return, and she would finish what she'd started. The terrified mare woke up as she fell and hit the cold, hard ground. With her limbs splayed on the glossy white floor, she grunted in pain. Her left hoof was throbbing from the impact, her mind was hazy, and the rest of her body was in varying degrees of pain and numbness. She took shallow breaths, her half-lidded teal eye trying to take in her surroundings. Despite her blurred vision, Nightmare Moon could tell she was in a spacious furnished room, its floor and walls white. Right next to her was a large bed that she fell from, and alongside it was a nightstand and a white crystal lamp that illuminated the room with a dim light. Several boxes were stacked next to the nightstand, and next to it stood a large contraption with a screen that let out continuous beeps in a steady rhythm. Feeling a migraine coming up, the Princess of the Night tried to rub the side of her head with her hoof. That was when her eye started regaining its focus, allowing her to notice things that were covering her body. Gone were her helm, her peytral, and her hoofshoes. Her entire left foreleg was covered in hard plaster, rendering her joints unable to bend. Several other parts of her body were covered up, including the left side of her head wrapped in a bandage that also covered that side of her eye. She carefully tried to move various body parts, finding that her left wing was also in a cast, and several more spots, like her barrel and her neck, were bandaged. While trying to survey her body, she felt something tug at her right leg and saw several lines taped onto the side of her limb. One was connected to a small clear bag hoisted on a metal pole next to the bed, and the others were connected to the beeping device. Having no idea what those were for, she decided to leave them be for now. Instead, she began to carefully prod her bandaged areas to assess the injuries she had no memory of getting. As she took in more of her sorry state, she felt her unease rise as the absence of her armor pieces made her feel vulnerable. To say that she was feeling unwell was an understatement. Unable to think straight amidst her brain fog, Nightmare felt utterly lost. For whatever reason, she had trouble remembering what had transpired to her. She returned from the moon and ran right into Celestia's trap, running through the doors and escaping out onto the terrace. There were a lot of ponies outside, and then... The rest was fuzzy and somewhat confusing, making her doubt whether the latter events happened at all. The nobles cheering for her? Someone must have done something to her head, she reasoned. And why was she unarmored, and why did everything hurt? Had she been captured already? Using her less injured right foreleg, she shakily hoisted herself up from the floor, careful not to put too much weight on her bad leg. As she managed to stand with her aching legs, her focus was shaken when she heard sounds coming from the other side of the room. At a glance, she spotted a white door with a sliding lock on the far side of the room. Unsure of what she was hearing, the mare stood still and observed, until she realized the sound coming from the other side of the door was hoofsteps. Somepony was coming. "Nightmare? Are you alright?" Celestia closed the door behind her as she entered the private ward of her sister. The doctors had told her that she would remain unconscious longer, but what if she was awake early? Learning from her previous encounter with her sister, she made sure she entered the room slowly, calling out to her to make her presence known to its occupant. The first thing she noticed as she surveyed the room was her sister lying on the large hospital bed, covered in bandages and her limbs in casts. Their white color contrasted with her black coat, highlighting her injuries even more. Celestia felt her heart drop at the sight of it and began to slowly approach her. Standing at the bedside, the Solar Alicorn's heart sank further as she examined Nightmare Moon's injuries. She knew the doctors said she was in stable condition, but seeing her bandage-covered state couldn't help but make her feel anxious about her safety. The more she looked at her sister's injuries, the more she felt bad for what she thought she had caused inadvertently. "Nightmare? Sister?" The older princess spoke softly to the wounded mare, waiting for her to respond. She waited for her to reply, expecting her cat-like eye to slowly open and gaze at her. Nonetheless, the younger princess remained still in her bed, unresponsive to her sister's calling. Celestia exhaled as she let out a breath that she was subconsciously holding, realizing the doctor was right. She reasoned that she must have misheard, and that maybe the sound she heard was just from the heart rate monitor. Using her magic, she brought a chair from the table at the center of the room and sat beside her sister's bed. Sitting on her chair, she felt her shoulders slump from the fatigue creeping up. It wasn't exactly because of her workload preparing for what was arguably the most important summer sun celebration in a century. Her faithful student had done a great job helping her organize it, taking a significant workload off of her. With that and among other things she'd done for her, Celestia couldn't thank her enough. In truth, her tiredness stemmed from her lack of sleep. For the last several months, she has had a hard time falling asleep. As much as she wanted this day to come, her anxiety regarding it was also paramount. She worried about whether her sister would be endangered if any of the preparations went awry, or if the prophecy and the calculations were wrong. If so, she would fail to save her sister, and it would deal a massive blow of despair instead. Doubts gnawed at the back of her mind, the thought of failure keeping her awake. But now, the white alicorn gazed at her sister, a small smile returning to her face. It was all worth it, she thought. It wasn't without trouble, but she'd brought her back. That was all that mattered to her. The room was silent, save for the continuous sounds from the heart rate monitor. Listening to its sound, the Princess of the Sun could tell it was beeping at a faster rate than normal. Nightmare's face remained strained, which was something she also took notice of. Was it because of the pain from her injuries, or was she having a nightmare? Whatever it was, the princess felt sorry for her; her mind and body hurt, and unable to find peace even in her slumber. She reached her hoof out to caress her cheek, but stopped as she noticed a bruise on her skin. She needed to be careful not to hurt her further. Pulling her hoof back, she instead held her sister's good hoof with hers, holding it gently. She could feel the dark alicorn flinching slightly in her sleep upon her touch. "Do not fret, sister. From now on, everything's going to be alright. I promise." Celestia spoke softly as she held onto her sister's cold hoof, feeling a weird sense of Deja Vu. Similar scenarios have happened before in her dreams—a rare occurrence that happened numerous times over a thousand years. Nightmare Moon would appear in varying states, from angry and tense, to expressionless and unresponsive. The only thing in common was that whenever Celestia tried to touch her, to hug and console her, she would always end up vanishing within a second. She knew this wasn't a dream, but she couldn't help but feel a bit of fear. The white alicorn tightened her grasp just a bit more as if she were afraid to let her go, and much to her relief, her sister did not vanish this time. Feeling her sister's hoof slowly warm up, the princess let out a relieved sigh. As she slowly regained her peace of mind, Celestia's mind wandered to her long-gone memories of the past, the ones shared between her and Luna. Those were the myriad of memories that she held dear—the ones that refused to fade away after all this time. Not all of them were pleasant, but Celestia was grateful to have them regardless. As she was absorbed in the remembrance of the past, the sound of someone knocking at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Your Highness, messengers from Canterlot have arrived." Celestia turned her head at the sound of the guard on the other side of the door. "Thank you for notifying me. Send them back for now; I'll go over their letters shortly." As she was just about to turn her head back around, the guard continued talking. "They claim Captain Armor gave them strict orders to deliver the letter in person, and they insist on meeting you directly. Should we send them back, Your Highness?" Shining Armor sent them? That was odd; he was more than capable of handling things on his own. Something urgent, perhaps? Celestia pondered as she rose from her seat and turned her body towards the doorway. "No. Let them in. I wish to speak to them right now." "Of course, your highness. We'll bring them in right away." After a minute, a sound began reverberating from the hall outside the room. It was the sound of soldiers, marching in single file as their armored hooves made loud hoofsteps against the hallway floor. Another round of knocks was heard from the door, and Celestia acknowledged it, allowing them to enter. When the door opened, what she saw was not what she was expecting. Celestia assumed they would be four at most; they were just messengers after all. But they weren't just messengers. It turns out Shining Armor sent an entire squad of armored soldiers. She watched twelve pegasi guards clad in heavy armor enter through the doorway one by one, the sound of their clanking armor filling the room. And if she hadn't been so distracted by their entrance, Celestia might have noticed the heart rate monitor in the room starting to beep faster on their arrival. Chapter 5The door of the Dusk Ward closed as the last of the armored guards entered. The room was large enough to accommodate all of them, with plenty of space to spare. In an orderly fashion, they saluted the princess simultaneously, their level of discipline made clear. "I assume there's something to report on behalf of the captain?" The Solar diarch asked them, and the guard at the front spoke up. "We were ordered by Captain Armor to deliver this scroll to you in person, Your Highness. After that, we were told to remain by your side as an additional security detail." The guard opened a cylindrical container tied to his side and pulled a scroll out of it before passing it over to her. Celestia grabbed the letter with her magic and looked at the guards. "To send a message in this manner... It's unlike him. Is the Captain faring well? Can anyone tell me what the situation in Canterlot is?" The guard at the front opened his mouth as if he were about to speak, but closed it right back and decided to remain silent for fear of speaking out of line. "Please, speak freely. I want to hear what you have to say." At her persuasion, the guard decided to speak his mind after casting a cautious glance at Nightmare Moon. "There's... an air of uncertainty in Canterlot right now, Your Highness. The citizens are confused, and the nobles are starting to get fearful. The Captain is doing his best to maintain order, but he's starting to consider other options." The white alicorn slightly tilted her head in confusion. "I don't understand. We have the situation under control here. Just what's going on out there?" "Princess, do you not know?" "I've been inside this facility ever since I brought my sister back here. What is it that you are referring to?" At her response, the pegasi guard's expression turned into one of disbelief, his eyes widening slightly. "The sun, Your Highness! It was supposed to rise nearly an hour and a half ago! We have full faith in your decisions, but now everyone outside worries about your safety, and Captain Armor is concerned about whether you've been compromised or incapacitated. He's already contacted the Grand Magus, in case they need to carry out the contingency plan." Now it was Celestia who wore a shocked expression as she realized what had slipped from her mind. The sun was supposed to rise at the beginning of the summer sun celebration, hopefully right after reconciling with her sister, with the two moving their respective celestial bodies under the welcoming cheer of the crowd. But that plan has gone wildly off track, as she failed to anticipate just how much mistrust and sorrow her sister had been harboring inside her. With Nightmare Moon becoming injured, she remained inside the windowless rooms of the medical wing, her concern and fear for the safety of her sister consuming every part of her mind. With things going out of the plan and her mind in turmoil, she had made a huge lapse of judgment by forgetting one of her most important duties. Therefore, not only did the opening ceremony of the Summer Sun Celebration come to an abrupt halt, but she also left her subjects in the dark, figuratively and literally. Still, her little ponies remained faithful even now. They looked up to her with respect and trusted her vision and actions. Celestia was certainly grateful for their loyalty, but perhaps they were putting her on too high of a pedestal. At times like this, she certainly felt like too many of her subjects treated her as infallible, or at least too afraid to point out her failings. Putting that particular thought behind her, she opened the scroll and began reading. The letter from Shining Armor described the situation unfolding in the capital, matching the guard's testimony. When her sister had been taken in and admitted to the medical wing, the entire observatory went into lockdown for maximum security. With both information and personnel barely leaving in and out of the building and creating a huge communications delay, her failure to raise the sun had made things worse. While a lot of ponies shrugged off the unprecedented occurrence as a part of an event to celebrate Princess Luna's return, the lack of information certainly led to some nationwide confusion, and the worst case was happening at none other than Canterlot. Canterlot historically had a high concentration of ponies belonging to noble clans within its city borders. This was partly the reason why the city had the most skeptics and deniers of the prophecy compared to everywhere else. Such fringe opinions could be found among Canterlonians, who argued that the prophecy was baseless and the Mare of the Moon's return was unlikely. In some of the city's newspapers owned by affluent noble families, editorial pieces that shared the same sentiment would sometimes pop up during Summer Sun Celebrations and Nightmare Nights. Certain conspiracy theories were also shared in hushed tones from word of mouth. Some of the more outlandish ones argued that there was no chance the Lunar Diarch would ever return. Arguing how the chosen bearer of the Elements being stuck down by the very same artifacts she previously wielded was suspicious, the theory claimed that a simple and more likely explanation existed: she was killed in the final battle against her sister, and Princess Celestia, horrified and ashamed of what she had done, had fabricated a lie. But despite all that, deep down, Equestrians could guess why Canterlonians harbored such views. They knew Princess Luna was especially hawkish when it came to dealing with nobles, and upon her return, they assumed that Canterlot, the city well-populated with old noble clans that sided with the Solarites thousands of years ago, would become a likely target of her retribution. Princess Celestia had assured them multiple times in the past that there was nothing to be afraid of. She promised the transfer to a diarchy would be peaceful, but it was not enough to quell their concerns. The ponies belonging to long-established noble clans still feared, or at least were nervous. A small number of them genuinely feared being under more scrutiny, fearing they would be brought to justice for things they'd been hiding. Even the others, the majority of ponies who had done no wrongdoing themselves, had some apprehensions. Would the vengeful alicorn come for them, punishing them for the sins of their forefathers, eager to see their entire clan crumble? Considering all this, it was inevitable that, at the time of dawn, they had gone into panic as the sun was nowhere to be seen. The Crown's representatives had already carried out a statement that the princesses were safe, and everything was under control. Guards patrolled the streets, urging their citizens to remain calm and stay within their homes if possible. Unfortunately, that didn't stop some of them from panicking regardless. They knew what Princess Luna wrote in her journal and what she wished to do if her sister weren't there to stop her. The lasting night was only the first part of her plan, and with that already becoming reality, who was to say that Nightmare Moon wouldn't descend upon Canterlot at any moment and begin a second purge of the nobility? Crowds of nobles gathered in front of Canterlot Castle and other royal guard garrisons, demanding answers and a guarantee of their safety. Those who sought to flee rushed to the train station, only to find the place in utter chaos, ponies desperate to find any ticket to get them and their families as far away from the city as possible. Celestia groaned as she finished reading the Captain's report; the amount of unrest among the public was greater than she had anticipated. Without hesitation, she did the first thing she had on her mind to fix this situation. Raising her head high up and concentrating, her horn began to glow as she felt her connection to the sun and moon. With centuries worth of experience behind her, she aptly pushed and pulled the two celestial bodies along their respective trajectories with her magic. Within a minute, she dimmed her horn as she finished her deed. "It is done. The sun should be back up right now. As for all of you, return to Canterlot and report back to Captain Armor that the situation has been resolved." "Princess, are you sure you do not need us to stay here?" Celestia smiled gently to reassure them. "Although I understand the Captain's apprehensions, I have more than enough guards here to keep things secure. Give me a moment, I need you to deliver a message for me." Spotting a blank stack of papers alongside an inkwell and a quill sitting atop a table at the center of the room, she picked them up in her magic and began to swiftly write up a letter. It was addressed to Shining Armor, explaining and apologizing for her error of not keeping track of sunset and also reassuring him of the safety of her and her sister. Finishing off the letter by clarifying her decision to send the guards back, she passed the paper to them, which was quickly rolled up and stored in the scroll container of one of the guards. "That should address the Captain's concerns. Return to Canterlot and deliver it to him in haste. That is my order." Heeding Her Majesty's command, the guards gave her another round of coordinated salutes before leaving the room. Watching them exit through the doorway one by one, Celestia let out a sigh. Yes, her little ponies would stop panicking now that the sun was up, but it was still too late. She just hoped the damage caused by all the chaos wouldn't be too big. Watching the last of the soldiers leave the room and close the door behind them, the princess thought for several more seconds. Perhaps she needed to address the general public. An announcement from herself to explain the proceedings and the events to not leave them in the dark. More transparency would do good to prevent further confusion and misconceptions, she reasoned as she floated another piece of paper in front of her. She turned her head around and glanced at Nightmare Moon, still lying motionless in her bed. Looks like it's going to take some time before she wakes up. Sitting down at the table with her back turned against the comatose alicorn, Celestia began to write up a draft, which she would use as the basis for her speech. Fixated on choosing the right tone and the right choice of words for the task, she wrote down sentence after sentence, finishing up a paragraph only to scrap the entire thing and repeat the process. A thousand years of ruling may have honed her many different skills, but writing still proved fairly challenging without the help of her speechwriters, which she lacked now. With her attention completely devoted to it, she had no way of knowing that her sister's right eye was open and was now staring at her from the bed with a penetrating gaze. Nightmare remained still even after things had quieted down. She furtively examined the room, planning her next course of action. Her lone eye was now trained on her sister, distracted with her task, and her back turned against her. The observation went on for several more minutes, and eventually, the Night Princess made up her mind. She'd already heard enough to guess what was going on, and seeing an opening, she knew what she had to do. With no signs of guards barging into the room any time soon, she slowly and carefully shifted her body, cautious not to make a sound. You'll regret your decision very soon Celestia, she thought as she stealthily got out of her bed, her hooves making no sound as they made contact with the hard floor. It was excruciatingly slow, but she was patient, like a timberwolf eyeing its victim. Remaining calm and collected, her eye was trained on the white alicorn the whole time as she managed to get up and stand on her legs without rousing any attention. Nightmare scowled at her sister, unhappy with the situation she'd been put into. She would have preferred to do this while she was in a more favorable position, but circumstances had forced her hoof. She knew that the longer she remained captured, the less likely she was to succeed with any of her plans. Slowly taking a deep breath, she prepared herself. Celestia may have blindsided her, but it was now her turn to catch her off guard while she was lulled into a false sense of security. Steadying her gait, Nightmare Moon began to quietly inch closer to her target, but she faltered only after taking her first two steps. She felt something pulling at her right foreleg, only to be reminded of the lines connected to her limb. Nightmare still didn't know what to make of them as she looked at the wires. Hesitantly, she gently pulled them with her teeth, feeling the wires tugging against her skin. Was this strapped onto her to tie her in place, or was it something else? What she was certain of, however, was the fact that they had to be removed sooner or later. Eyeing her sister again, she could see her ears still facing forward and oblivious to what was happening behind her. But she wouldn't stay distracted forever; there was no time to waste. Hoping for the best, Nightmare Moon held her breath as she yanked the wires with her teeth, pulling them out one by one with each pull. She felt a prick as a trickle of blood flowed out from where one of the wires was embedded into her skin, but other than that, she was none the worse for wear. She initially feared that there was something more than met the eye, but it seemed like that was not the case. Relieved, the black alicorn finished by pulling the last remaining flimsy binding off her. Well that wasn't so bad. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP-. Nightmare's mind filled with dread as the infernal machine let out an alarm as soon as she pulled the last tether off her foreleg. The high-pitched hum rang out continuously, its abrupt shriek breaking the calm of the room that she hoped to maintain. Of course Celestia would have more of her tricks ready. The Princess of the Night scowled, noticing her target quickly standing up from her seat and turning around to face her with a worried expression. "Sister, wait! I don't think you should be walking so soon, stay still-" As a response, Nightmare Moon squared up and bucked the machinery behind her as hard as she could. Her hind legs collided with the pesky thing, destroying it completely with a loud crash and silencing both the device and her sister simultaneously. "Your Highness, Is everything alright?" On the other side of the door, the guard knocked after hearing sounds of disturbance. But Celestia failed to respond, her attention solely focused on the other alicorn in the room. "Nightmare, I know it may be confusing, but I assure you, there's nothing to worry about. You're safe here." Not willing to take any chances, she began to slowly backpedal, trying to avoid agitating the mare further. "Please, give me a moment, I-I'll go get the doctors." Ignoring the feeling of unease rising in her mind, Celestia tried her best to calm her down with her disarming voice, but that only seemed to agitate the mare further. "How kind of you, Celestia. But I don't think you'll be leaving so soon." Before Celestia could ask what she meant by that, she saw her sister's horn glow. From sheer magical strength alone channeled through her horn, the inhibitor ring on her horn shattered like it was nothing, its shards flying out across the room. Shielding her face with her wing in reflex, Celestia tried to calm her down, but the sound of a loud metallic clank from behind her caught her attention. Turning her head around, she saw the door's large sliding lock had now been slammed into its locked position, the metallic lock soon beginning to creak and bend under the pressure of her sister's magical grip until it was warped beyond repair. Celestia's eyes widened, for she realized what her sister was trying to do. "After all..." The dark alicorn began to take several steps forward, her approach menacing despite her limp. "...I believe we have some unfinished business to settle." Chapter 6In her office, Doctor Redheart had been combing through pre- and early-equestrian history records she had gotten from the on-site library to find references to Princess Luna. With nobody having a clue about the signs of previous wounds the mare hid within her, the doctor had been forced to search through the pile of books herself, trying to find any mention of battles, injuries, or illnesses that mentioned her in any way. She was going to ask the Princess about it, and it wasn't like she discredited personal accounts from patients; it was just that they occasionally proved inaccurate. Getting information from third parties, such as first responders or previous healthcare providers, proved more reliable in such cases. She was trying to do just that, but in an arduous way. Redheart wouldn't doubt the princess' memory or her honesty. But it was better to be safe than sorry; for an important patient like her, it was better to be prepared. Unfortunately, the results of her endeavor were meager compared to the number of books she had to sift through. There were just too many, and whenever she found any semblance of relevant information, any mention of the princess' health was brief and lacking detail. It made sense that such information about their rulers was considered state secrets even back then, but now? It was a point of frustration for the good doctor. Sighing, she stopped before she could finish going through even a quarter of the material she'd brought into her office, taking a brief reprieve from her quest to fill out a medical record of a mare from a thousand years ago. "Why am I even trying to do this by myself? I should have just gone and asked others for help." Placing a bookmark between the pages, she closed the hefty book with a thud. In general, Redheart knew two things about the researchers working at Ponyville Royal Observatory. First, they were highly knowledgeable about their field of expertise and devoted to their work. The second was that most of them were huge admirers of Princess Luna and her alternate form and were also highly knowledgeable regarding her history and legacy. Out of the loop, Redheart thought this was a bit odd when she first started working here, but after talking to some of them, it wasn't hard to understand why. Positions at the Ponyville Royal Observatory were highly sought after, not only because it was a prestigious institution. Considering the research station's mission of saving the Princess of the Night, it was natural that her most devout followers would congregate here. After all, the inspiring yet tragic story of Princess Luna has captivated the hearts and minds of many Equestrians over the centuries. Ponies saw a lot of things from her. A kind and caring soul, an upright and honest mare, and a dedicated scholar of the arcane arts. Despite only existing in historical records for millennia, Redheart didn't doubt that she was the most popular princess in numerous parts of the country and in several branches of academia. In astronomy in particular, it was not an exaggeration that the tale of the Mare of the Moon alone had led most young would-be astronomers worldwide to find their interest in the field and eventually to find their calling. And with so many considering her a role model and a virtuous figure, what better contribution was there than doing your part in the forefront of saving Her Highness, The Night Princess, Shepherd of Dreams, and Patron Saint of all Night Creatures? For them, there was no higher honor than that. The tired doctor let out a defeated sigh as she leaned on the back of her chair, stretching her stiff neck and limbs. Instead of suffering alone, she admitted defeat and decided to seek help. Surely, she'd have a better chance of finishing this by discussing it with ponies in other departments. They could give her some useful information, or at least give her pointers and help her narrow her search. More than likely, they'd be rather happy to help. Leaning further and stretching her neck backward to relax her stiff muscles, her break was rudely interrupted when someone began banging loudly on her office door. "Doctor Redheart, are you in there? Doctor Redheart?" Surprised by the loud interference, Redheart jumped in surprise while leaning back on her chair. Losing her balance, her chair was tipped over completely, throwing her onto the floor with a loud crash. She hissed as she slowly got up, holding the back of her head in pain. She could already feel that a bump had already formed there. Dusting the dirt off her white lab coat to make herself presentable, she did her best to not visibly frown as she approached the door to open it herself. This better be good. When she opened the door, she saw a guard standing in front of her with a worrisome expression. "Now what's so urgent that you've been practically breaking down my door? You know you can just knock." "It's the princess. Quickly, follow me, please." That was all she needed to hear. The doctor's attitude did a 180 as she nodded, closing the door behind her and following the guard briskly. There was no need to know which princess the guard was referring to. In either case, she knew it was very important. Trotting through the halls and climbing up staircases, she could see several other guards and ponies heading the same way as her. Please don't be anything serious... Despite her hopes, the signs did not look good as she arrived on the fifth floor. The guards had formed a barricade to prevent entry to the fifth-floor hallway, stopping the small crowd from entering further. "What's going on in there? Why won't you let us pass?" A pegasus mare wearing a tool belt, presumably one of the maintenance crew of the facility, questioned the wall of guards who stood adamant. "We're cordoning off this wing until further notice. Please return to your respective departments and await further instructions. You will be notified when needed here. If you have not been brought here by one of our guards, return to your duties; we need to keep this area clear!" Among the crowd, Redheart could see some ponies moving through the crowd with the help of some guards, making way for them and ushering them deeper down the hallway. Before the doctor could fully take in the situation, she too was ushered inside as her guard escort urged her to move inside quickly. With the clamor of the ponies now fading behind her, she rushed down the hallway, only to hear more clamoring, this time coming ahead of her. There was nothing normal about this; there was no doubt that something was wrong. The normally quiet corridor of the fifth floor was now littered with guards, observatory staff, and stacked books. While the armed guards did a poor job of hiding the anxiety and dread on their faces as they stood in orderly rows, the researchers were frantically discussing and arguing with each other as they flipped through the pages of their notes. That wasn't all. As she carefully swerved past them and neared her destination, she could occasionally feel the ground shake; her earth pony hooves could feel it. Redheart did not know the reason for all this until the door of the dusk ward was within her sight, along with everyone around it. Normally there would be just two guards stationed in front of the dusk ward's entrance at all times, but the white door was now surrounded by numerous ponies. In front of the enchanted door, a unicorn connected her glowing horn to it and feverishly wrote down lines upon lines of data on a scroll. When a scroll was filled, it was then tossed to the group of artificers and astronomers behind her, whom they examined with the utmost scrutiny. Soon, they too began writing something down on their sheets of paper, passed the scroll to others further down the hallway, and began flipping through pages of huge dusty tomes with their magic to cross-reference whatever they had written down. Someone had even brought a blackboard, where several ponies were putting their heads together and feverishly writing down equations and calculations. But that wasn't the most concerning part. What made the worried doctor stop in her tracks were the faint sounds of arcane blasts and destruction coming from the other side of the door. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. The terrified mare could only stand still in abject terror. Those were not sounds that should be coming from inside a hospital ward, let alone anywhere near it. She doubted her ears, but the sounds refused to subside, and dust fell from the ceiling with every vibration that shook the building's walls. Had it not been for somepony to snap her out of it, she would have been frozen there for several more minutes. "You alright there, Redheart?" Startled as she was broken out of her spell, Redheart turned her head to find Doctor Horse standing next to her with a hoof on her shoulder, but his gesture failed to calm her down at all. "No! I am not feeling alright! Just what in Tartarus is happening? How can you be so calm, Horse? Have you forgotten that our patient's in there?!" Redheart, in turn, turned around and grabbed both of his shoulders as she nearly screamed at him. At his coworker's strong reaction, Doctor Horse backed off to gently get her forehooves off of him. "On the contrary, I'm feeling just as disturbed as you are. I know it's bad, but we should be the last ponies here to succumb to panic. You know better than that." Rummaging through his bag on the ground, he pulled out a thermos and passed it over to her with his shaking hoof. "Drink it. It's chamomile." Taking the steel container with her hoof, Redheart screwed it open and began drinking. She gulped the lukewarm tea down, not bothering to sip or enjoy any of its aroma. She wasn't particularly fond of chamomile, and she was feeling parched anyway. After finishing nearly half of the bottle's contents, she passed it back to her fellow doctor, feeling slightly less anxious than before. "Feeling better now?" "I... yeah. I apologize for what I just did. That was unprofessional of me. You're right, we have to stay levelheaded." "That's the spirit. But enough of that. Haven't you been briefed on the way here?" "I don't think I have." "Then I'll give you a concise one." The caramel-colored unicorn pushed his glasses up, much of his styled brown mane now matted with sweat. "About fifteen minutes ago, the guards noticed the EKG machine inside the room flatlining and stopping, then heard sounds of disturbance. When Princess Celestia didn't respond to their calls, they decided to enter, but they found the door locked and the lock supposedly broken from the inside. For now, both princesses are locked in there." "Wait, that couldn't have been a cardiac arrest, right? W-we checked everything! We made sure to give her the safest treatment we could! We have to check them! Can't they scry inside the room or something?" "As long as the lock is in place, the Dusk ward's enchantment will block magic, sound, and everything, so we don't have confirmation on what's going on inside. Worst case scenario: we can't completely rule out the possibility. If it's an actual medical emergency and we can't get to her fast... then Harmony help us all." Both doctors shivered, intense dread taking over them at the implication of such a possibility. "But you're correct. None of the data we have suggests the princess was particularly at risk of having one. Most likely, we're suspecting a malfunction or a user error. The way the door was supposedly locked and broken and the fact that destructive spells are being cast inside are suspicious. The most probable explanation the guards have pieced together so far is that Princess Nightmare Moon woke up, briefly made the machine flatline by pulling off all the electrodes, and..." This time, a muffled sound of an explosion rang out from the room, rumbling and startling everyone on the floor and rattling the lamps on the walls. "...and is now fighting her sister." "Oh no." The pink-maned doctor's face turned into one of remorse. "Horse, that's not reassuring at all. I told Princess Celestia that she could visit her, I- I told her to be careful, but-" "Don't blame yourself for everything like that. It was a majority vote from the team, including me. We'll worry about that in the future." "Are the guards sure about this? What if it's an intruder? What if someone's gotten inside to harm them?" "The guards insist that every single creature going in and out of the room and this entire building has been screened and accounted for. I believe them, though. I'm not joking when I say that this is currently the most heavily guarded place in Equestria." Redheart shook her head. "This is terrible. Regardless of what's happening, we need to get inside. We can't just sit here; are they anywhere closer to opening that door?" "To be frank, it's not looking good." Doctor Horse replied dejectedly. "The guards only know the spell to operate the locks. But now that the spell's not working and they can't teleport in, they're trying to force it open. The artificers are doing their best to break the room's enchantment... but I don't know. They say they've sent a messenger to Canterlot about this, so either the artificers here crack it or whoever designed this room comes here with a counterspell." Turning her gaze back at the door, Redheart watched said artificers at work. With the absolute focus they had on their task, they were almost detached from the unnerving situation unfolding around them. "But I don't understand. How come nobody here knows the counterspell for the Dusk ward? I know that must be classified, but surely someone has to!" "That's the thing. The only pony in this building who knows how to disable it is inside that room." "Wait. Are you talking about Princess Celestia?" Redheart's eyebrows were raised. "I don't get it. If she can free herself, then why hasn't she done it already? Isn't she in danger? What about her sister? What are we even supposed to do about this?!" "I don't know anymore, Red. Your guess is as good as mine at this point. For now, we stand by and wait. That's all we can do now." Sighing, he gestured to the other doctors and nurses down the hall, stretchers and doctor bags ready. Reluctantly, Redheart followed him to the rest of the medical staff currently on standby. With bags under their eyes and staring into nothing, it was evident that none of her colleagues were taking the situation well. It was as if they too knew that the outcome of this quandary was not going to be pretty. Chapter 7The dimly lit interior of the Dusk ward, which previously evoked calm and comfort, had now turned into a place nothing short of mayhem. Upturned furniture lay broken at the edges of the room, and multiple cracks and charred spots marked the white vinyl flooring. All but one of the crystal lamps in the room had been shattered, dimming the room even further. Sections of the pristine white walls of the room had been damaged by the impact of destructive spells, littering the room with its concrete rubble. Celestia stood in the middle of all this, holding her breath as she deflected a magical blast with a swing of her horn. The diverted magical charge promptly exploded as it hit a wall to her right, spraying her with shards of debris. She coughed as she breathed in the acrid air, dense with concrete dust. "Tired already, Celestia? Is it too much for you? Come on. Burn me with that pitiful flame of yours. Or are you too scared to make a move?" Nightmare Moon measured her opponent, her horn glowing lightly and ready to block any incoming counterattacks. She watched her nemesis cough, desperately trying to blink dust away from her eyes. What a pathetic display. Barely defending against her attacks, she was too cowardly to even attempt to strike her back. Where was that fierce mare that she once fought? Her great power, granted by her ascension, matched only by her pride? Frankly, Nightmare didn't see any, which only irked her further. Something was off. With her other eye bandaged and covered, she could only see with her right eye, her azure nocturnal eye gleaming in the relative darkness. Her brow furrowed, partly from suspicion but also from pain. Even with all the adrenaline running through her veins, it couldn't distract her from her body in distress. The bandages on her body had turned reddish, the fight reopening whatever wounds she had underneath. In truth, it hurt even just to stand upright. All the muscles in her body were burning, and whenever she put pressure on her bad leg, she involuntarily winced from sharp pains. She did her damnest to hide it, however. On the battlefield and in the royal court alike, showing your weakness meant defeat. The Mare of the Moon was very well aware of it. It was something that she adhered to, despite her distaste for facades. "Nightmare, you're in no condition to fight." Celestia seemed to plead; the edges of her eyes reddened, presumably from all the dust. "I know the pain you had to live through. I swear in Harmony's name that no harm may come your way. Please, there's no point in fighting anymore. Let us help you." For Nightmare Moon, however, the words that came out of her mouth felt nothing but disingenuous. Even in her pitiful state, that mare dared to taunt back. She was reminding her of her frailty and mocking her for the failures of the past. The flicker of irritation in Nightmare's mind had turned into a bout of anger as she leered at her opponent. "You think I don't know that? Do you think of me as a fool, Celestia? My leg may be shattered and my wing may be broken, but you'd be mistaken if you thought that would stop me. You think I held on for countless years on that empty rock for nothing?" Nightmare's nostrils flared as she breathed heavily, and her stoic expression began to break. Her piercing gaze locked onto Celestia's eyes, seeing her shrivel under her scrutiny. "I know that I didn't escape imprisonment on my own. It was your court mages, wasn't it? That arcane circle, all for luring me into this tower of yours. You didn't bring me back for small talk, did you? Just what did you tell your dear subjects about this?" Celestia looked at her with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. "I-I'm afraid I don't follow, sister. I've longed for your return for so many years, and I've done everything I can to find a way to bring you back. All I did and prepared was for your safety. I did it to save you, to break you out of your banishment! I know you're confused-" "Am I, Celestia? It's clear to me that you've brought me here for your sad little subterfuge. What more did you tell them, hmm? That your evil sister has escaped from the moon? That I'll bring destruction and eternal night upon Equestria? "Sister, what are you-" "I've heard you talk with your guards! Don't you try to deny it! You've taken the sun away from your subjects on purpose, just to blame it on me! And all you had to do was vanquish me at my weakest and take all the glory." The alicorn spoke, her words dripping with contempt as her jaws tightened from anger. "How desperate are you for approval? Have your subjects finally turned against you? Are they finally seeing you for what you truly are?" Celestia's eyes widened in horror as she realized what she was being accused of, her ears pinned back against her head. "I- it was a mistake! That wasn't my intention, sister, I swear! I've changed! Equestria has changed! I'd never do something like that to you!" Nightmare only scoffed at her in disbelief. Nothing but lies she spouted. Things that she had expected, pathetic drivel that she had heard enough. "Oh, you're a real class act, sister. Have you no shame? After all this time, this is what you use me for?!" Nightmare bared her fangs out after she yelled out, her limbs shaking from anger that had been simmering inside her. "You thought you could get away with it. But you don't realize what a mistake you've made by bringing me down here." Her right eye narrowed, and her voice turned frigid with hatred. "You should have just let me rot on the moon." Before her sister could say anything in response, the mare of the moon cast a spell as fast as she could, and her long horn flashed bright with her teal magic. When Celestia took notice of Nightmare's spell cast, she reacted quickly, but not quickly enough. Before she could even lower her horn to deflect it, the first magical beam had already been fired at her at lightning speed. But Celestia's golden peytral reacted immediately. The centuries-old enchantment embedded in it came to life, glowing and humming loudly as it sprang into activation. The enchantment, in all its limited power, strained to divert the magical attack from its wearer, bending the beam away from Celestia by the skin of the teeth. When Celestia had fully processed what had happened, only the side of her neck was slightly burned by being grazed by the searing magic bolt. Drat. Nightmare growled as her attack only managed to startle her target, harmlessly hitting the wall behind her instead. But there was no time to hesitate; she had to maintain the offensive. Without pause, she began to cast successive spells with all her might. Multiple arcane bolts shot out of her horn, firing in rapid bursts as she set her eyes on her target. Celestia, however, was quick to recover from her initial blunder as she hastily formed a golden, translucent wall in front of her, defending against the volley of spells that pelted her. Against her relentless attack, the mare of the sun held on by the narrowest margins, mending her barrier as sparks flew and more and more cracks formed upon impact. Their spells illuminated the dark room, lighting up their surroundings with the colors of their respective magical auras. Celestia spoke as she withstood the assault, trying to tell her sister about something, but Nightmare disregarded all of it. Most of them were drowned out by the sounds of spellcasting. Whatever words she did manage to hear, however, fell on deaf ears as the spell barrage continued for what felt like an eternity. Celestia, despite that, remained unrelenting. As the fight went on, her pleas escalated into yelling, to the point where Nightmare could not ignore her cries. It was starting to irritate her. "Nightmare, you have to stop! Harmony would not want this!" "Don't you dare sully her name further!" Pausing her spellcasting, Nightmare stomped her hoof against the floor, exasperated by what she thought were more vapid excuses. "That audacity of yours truly has no bounds. Do you think I won't remember? Eternity may have passed, but I still remember what you've let happen! We promised, Celestia! We were supposed to bring harmony to the land! Uphold harmony's values and bring peace! But you gave all of that up when it became too heavy to uphold, didn't you?" Once again, her horn began to glow cyan as she started to conjure up another spell. Celestia reacted immediately, her own horn humming louder as she readied herself to fortify her wall against whatever powerful spell her sister was about to throw at her. "You've let harmony down! You've failed our friends, our subjects, and everyone! You, have failed Equestria!" Consumed with rage, Nightmare unleashed her spell after its difficult conjuration. Celestia, none the wiser of what was about to come, cautiously watched her behind the safety of her barrier with a worried expression. This changed into panic, however, as she noticed the ground below her faintly glowing cyan. As she frantically jumped to her side, the floor on which she stood fractions of seconds ago erupted, the explosion shooting out debris and knocking the frightened mare down to the ground. Concussed and reeling in pain, Celestia withdrew her wall and instead covered herself with a bubble shield that covered her on all sides. She moaned in pain, the side of her body littered with scratches and bruises. Clutching her stomach with one hoof in discomfort, she took shallow breaths as she tried to steady herself. Nightmare grunted in frustration. As beads of sweat kept rolling down her aching head, she huffed as she tried to catch her breath from all her spellcasting. What should have been a quick, decisive battle against Celestia was still ongoing. Despite her best efforts to take her down, that blasted mare was still standing. Not only did she manage to fend off her spell barrage, but the one spell that managed to hit her, the one that would have easily taken a regular pony out of commission, only made her bleed a little. Had Celestia grown stronger, or was she just that weakened? Nightmare's thoughts were leaning toward the latter. She'd powered through the fight to the best of her abilities, her every attack fueled with anger and anguish. Her mind demanded vengeance and vindication, but her body struggled to comply. She didn't even notice that her head was beginning to droop. Despite her attempts to shake it off, her distress was becoming more and more evident. Along with her body burning in pain, she was slowing down. An unsettling cold and fatigue gradually crept in, followed by nausea and dizziness. She wasn't liking this at all. This is taking too long, Nightmare thought, her brow creasing as she watched Celestia slowly get back up. As much as she would like to insist that her counterpart was a fool, she also knew that wasn't the case. Celestia was a shrewd mare, and Nightmare did not doubt that she knew exactly what she was doing. She must have been aware that she was the lesser spellcaster and a fighter; the Elements of Harmony were her only saving grace in their last confrontation, after all. Now, she was being methodical, strictly playing to her advantage. She was stalling, waiting for her injured opponent to tire itself out and to be left defenseless eventually. If she kept this up and the fight dragged on even further... Nightmare wasn't so sure about her chance of winning. She was running out of both time and options, and she could not play into her enemy's hooves anymore. If Celestia wanted to keep cowering behind her shield, then fine. She'd cast something powerful enough that could break through it—something that would incapacitate her for good. Standing back upright and collecting her thoughts as best as she could, Nightmare Moon began to channel one of her more powerful spells at her disposal. It was a complex spell normally cast by multiple unicorns, no doubt challenging, but a feat more than capable for somepony like her. In utmost concentration, she gathered her remaining magic, putting together a spell that she hadn't cast for quite some time. At the tip of her horn, magic began to concentrate, with blue arcs of electricity crackling and swirling into a sphere. With little regard for its caster's safety, the powerful spell began to drain her reserves and whatever remaining strength she had. An immense pressure built up in her head, making it feel like her horn was about to explode. A gut feeling, based on her experience as a seasoned spellcaster, warned her of two things. That one, in her current state, this spell would be too powerful for her to control. And two, she knew that, for subduing Celestia, this spell would be too destructive. But Nightmare, her mind clouded with fury, failed to acknowledge them. Perhaps when defeat was not an option, there was no time for caution. At least, that's how she reasoned. She couldn't stop. It was do or die; there was no turning back now. "Nightmare, stop!" She's persistent; I'll give her that. Nightmare ignored her as she weaved her spell in haste, trying to drown Celestia's voice out with her thoughts. "I know you're hurting. I know how badly you're hurt, both in your body and mind. I cannot imagine the pain you're enduring right now." But I won't let her break my concentration. "You've suffered enough, sister. I- I just can't bear to see you hurt anymore." I mustn't lose focus. "I understand your reluctance to trust me. The actions I've taken in hindsight, blinded by my conviction..." I shall not fail. Carefully directing the flow of her magical output, the vengeful alicorn felt her spell near its completion. Minutely vibrating, the cyan ball of lightning, in its barely stabilized form, floated at the tip of her horn. Unlike the quiet hum it emitted, the sheer thaumic pressure of it was deceptively overwhelming, threatening to escape her control at her slightest mistake. Nearing one-third of her size, it contained an arcane storm that would be unleashed upon her target. This was it. She was going to finish this fight. "...I'm sorry." Nightmare's grip on her spell wavered for a split second before she quickly regained control of it. She thought she'd misheard and that her exhausted mind was playing tricks on her. When Celestia took a deep breath and continued her monologue, however, she was proven wrong. "I failed to see the struggles within you. When concerns and grievances ate away at you, I accused you of being myopic as I glossed over them. I took your trust for granted; all the while I failed to see my failures, unaware of my blindness." Celestia's voice was laden with remorse, unable to look her sister in the eye anymore. "And worst of all, it was you who had to suffer the most for my mistakes. I have failed you most gravely, Nightmare. Not just as a Diarch of Equestria, but as your sister as well. I'm truly sorry. For everything." No, she's not- She has to be lying. "For that, I've made a vow, sister. Whatever happened, whatever it cost, I was determined to bring you back safely. I did everything in my power to keep that promise, but when you got injured, I- I didn't know what to do. I panicked, and you've gotten me so worried that everything else slipped past my mind, even my duty to raise the sun." Celestia's head drooped further in shame. "I'm not proud to admit my negligence, but I swear to harmony that with everything I tried to do, I did it to make things right. For all of us." She's just trying to deceive you. Nightmare tried her best to focus on the spell in her grasp, but Celestia's words managed to worm their way into her head. A myriad of memories and thoughts began to resurface from within her mind. "I may sound disingenuous to you. I know it's too late. I also know that I can't undo what I've done with mere words... but it's something that I owe you regardless." Celestia muttered, slowly raising her head back up. Her reddened eyes were now glistening, looking directly into her sister's eyes. "It's not just me who's been waiting for your return. Your subjects—they've been waiting for so long. Do you remember their cheers? They've all gathered to welcome you." That couldn't be right. Did all of that really happen? Nightmare's eye trembled at the mention of her subjects; her attempts at blocking Celestia's voice out proved more and more futile. The hazy memories in her head were coming back once more. Her escape, her confrontation with the gathered crowd, the flashes of memories that she had deemed to be false. Her concentration muddied further, confusion taking place. "They're worried sick about you. Please, return to us, sister. Whatever problems arise or whatever doubts you may have, I promise that I'll do my best to help you. Just like old times. Just like the Everfree." Celestia spoke, a wistful smile slowly blossoming as she looked with a hopeful expression. "Nightmare, could you... could you give your ungrateful sister another chance?" Nightmare hated this. Countless years did she spend on the moon, imagining the day she would get her revenge on her. A day where she'd beat her into submission, take initiative, and finally set Equestria on its right path. Not this. What was Celestia doing? Just what on Equestria was she planning, and how was she making her feel so... conflicted? "Enough! Enough with your games!" Desperately trying to clear her mind of any doubt, Nightmare yelled out in frustration. Putting her full focus back on her spell, she weaved it to completion, its light burning even brighter. Her head throbbed as she felt the immense power gathered within her grasp, ready to be unleashed. Promptly, her horn was lowered and pointed directly at her adversary. The large ball of lightning floated an inch away from the tip of her horn, crackling and trembling whenever her grip on it loosened. It was a manifestation, not just of her arcane prowess but also of the anger and mistrust she'd been carrying for so long. The entirety of the room was bathed in its teal light, overpowering the other colors. It was almost blinding. Eyes wide, Celestia fell silent, the light of her sister's spell reflecting off her teary eyes. Her ears flattened and her mouth slightly agape, she stood with a heartbroken expression. "You honestly think I'd believe you? After everything you've done to me? We could have chosen to change Equestria for the better. We could have done it together!" Nightmare blinked profusely, trying to blink the blurriness out of her eye. "But I wasn't good enough for you, was I? That's why you chose them over me. I bet you didn't even hesitate before you stabbed me in the back." "I'm so sorry. What I've done to you that day, what you had to suffer for my mistake—I was wrong back then. Looking at your form... I thought something had gone wrong, that something else had taken hold over you." Celestia pleaded, her voice reeking of desperation, which only made her sister scoff. "You think you know everything about me? I've always been myself, and whatever form I decide to take doesn't matter! If there's anyone who has lost themselves, that would be you, Celestia! No matter what scheme you're trying to pull, no matter how hard you try to stop me, I will not falter! I will not surrender! And I will not stop until one of us falls!" Celestia looked devastated, wincing as her sister lashed out at her. Her mouth moved as if she were trying to say something back, but her swollen throat only managed to let barely audible croaks out of her. For a moment, the room fell into silence aside from the hum of the charged-up spell. It took multiple attempts before she could speak again, her voice now trembling ever so slightly. "I... I understand. Whether I receive forgiveness or not isn't for me to decide." After all her insults and accusations, Nightmare expected her to finally grow a backbone and strike back, or at least be angered. Instead, what she did next perplexed her. As her head hung low in resignation, the barrier around Celestia's body shimmered and receded until it disappeared completely. She then began to take her regalia off of her body one by one, placing her hoofshoes and peytral by her side. "Just what do you think you are doing?" "I yield. If it means I can put an end to this, I'll yield. I beg you, this needs to stop. We don't have to fight each other anymore." The former monarch slowly took her crown, her last piece of regalia, and placed it on the ground next to her. It was a clear act of surrender, but a gesture that Nightmare could not comprehend from somepony like Celestia. "What is this? You're sorely mistaken if you think you deserve mercy! If you've planned to face me, at least show some respect by putting up a fight!" "No. I won't make the same mistake again. I can't bring myself to hurt you, sister. I just can't." Celestia spoke, crestfallen and remorseful. "I want you to know that I'm not asking to be spared of your judgment; I only ask that you hear my apology. Whatever punishment or consequence you believe I deserve, I'm prepared to face it. The only thing I wish," Celestia muttered as she closed her eyes, tears trailing down her face. "is for you to find peace." "Ha! You think this pathetic display would save you?! Do you think you can deceive me so easily? I won't give you the chance. I'll strike you down a hundred times if it means I'll do the right thing!" Nightmare shouted at her, but the pathetic mare she was facing wouldn't budge. With her eyes closed and her head hanging low, she wept as more tears fell from her cheek. "If that's the punishment you deem just, I... I understand." Celestia sobbed silently, and the tears that she choked down left pauses and stutters between her words. "I-if anything goes wrong... If you're faced with trouble you can't overcome, seek out my former students. They'll help you with every power they have." "Silence! Your words mean nothing to me!" "Whatever happens, whatever choice you may make, I want- I want you to know that I've always loved you. May Harmony guide us, no matter what." What Nightmare should do next was an easy one—obvious, even. Defenseless and exposed, Celestia was in shambles, the last of her meager fighting spirit gone. With the spell ready to be fired at her will, she had a clear shot at her. Her victory was just within reach; there was no reason for her to hesitate from striking her opponent. At least, that was what she initially thought, until her concerning suspicions were still left unsolved. Why? Nightmare couldn't understand. Why was Celestia acting like this? Yes, she did expect her to be defeated, just not this way. It should have been a cathartic moment. Knocking that self-righteous mare down, breaking her bones, to exact the revenge that she'd dreamed so much of. Except that wasn't exactly what was happening, and she almost felt robbed of it. The fight had been strictly one-sided, to the point where Celestia hadn't even tried to lay a hoof on her. Compared to the last time she fought her, it was as if she was a different pony. Nightmare's mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. Unfortunately, none of it made any sense. What was Celestia trying to pull off here? What goal was there to achieve by giving up so easily and handing the victory over to her like this? Unless... Nightmare's eye widened as something clicked inside her head. The other possibility. She thought it was preposterous, wishful thinking that couldn't be further from reality. She'd been dismissing it ever since she'd been brought back down here. But with the situation unfolding in front of her in ways she did not expect, everything began to fall into place. The way she was "allowed" to escape the tower crawling with guards so easily, only to be met with a crowd that didn't cower at the sight of her but welcomed her with a roaring cheer of adoration. Celestia's apparent humility and concern, and her reluctance to fight her at all. Could it be? After all this time? Don't fool yourself. She doesn't need me, and I have no reason to believe her. She needs you. She was telling the truth. Quiet. You're setting us up for failure, and you know it. There's still hope. Haven't you learned anything? Remember what she's done to us! She cannot be trusted! Conflicted and uncertain, numerous thoughts and arguments clashed within Nightmare's mind. Her rage sought retribution and violence—to see Celestia suffer just so she could appease her age-old resentment. Her paranoia warned her of Celestia's lies, imploring her to stick with her plans. A small part of her psyche, however, was whispering ideas of hope that she'd buried away many years ago, instilling doubt in her. Nestled deep in her subconscious, her old companion was passive and docile. Except now, unlike its usual behavior, it was intruding on her at a difficult moment, much to her annoyance. Despite being voiceless, it communicated, projecting its thoughts directly into her mind. She cares about you. You believe it too. Stop interfering! Why are you even doing this? For you. For your sister. For Everyone. I'm not taking any chances this time; I won't let myself be betrayed again! She's not going to shield herself. You're about to do something you'll regret. You think I'll care? What matters is that I finish this once and for all. Whatever happens to her, she deserves it! With her face scrunched up in pain and mental disarray, Nightmare struggled to quiet her mind. Her once-steadfast conviction was now shaken, and she found her bravado slowly fleeting as anxiety took its place instead. Everything was at stake now. With her heart racing like mad, she found herself unable to make up her mind. She sought revenge; that was true. But what did she really want, deep down in her heart? As her confidence waned, so did her strength. She took deep breaths, struggling to keep her destructive spell in check. The spell of this magnitude just wasn't made to be held this long. The overgrown magical force was ravenous. Eager to grow out of its caster's control, it pulled any nearby magic onto itself, now forcibly draining its caster's last remaining magic reserves with no impediment. Hesitation is fear; fear is weakness... Nightmare repeatedly reminded herself in a last-ditch effort to get a hold of herself. Now, desperation had forced her hoof. Knowing that time was running out, she'd finally decided on what needed to be done—something she didn't want, but what was right. Shouting in frustration and anguish, Nightmare Moon swung her horn as she let go of the spell. With nothing to hold it back, the ball of lightning was shot from her horn, crackling with magic as it instantly became unstable mid-air. Before Nightmare could even shield her face, a blinding light and the sound of an ear-splitting thunderclap assaulted her eyes and ears. For a fraction of a second, the large room was filled with pure light as the arcane storm simultaneously unleashed its massive salvo of lightning bolts in its target direction. Then, as quickly as it came, all light within the room was extinguished. In the end, only two things remained in the Dusk Ward: pitch darkness and deathly silence. Chapter 8For quite some time, Celestia dared not move. Flat on the ground, she held her pained ears with her hooves, trying to stop the ceaseless ringing in her ears. Her eyes were closed tight, but bright lights kept flashing in front of her, causing them to throb painfully. Lying on the cold floor, she waited for the assault on her senses to wear off, taking shallow breaths. A dusty odor was prominent in the air, followed by the smell of ozone and a faint smell of something burning. "Nightmare? Sister?" Her ringing ears and flashing eyes hadn't subsided yet, but it didn't matter. She opened her eyes and called out into the absolute darkness, failing to get an answer. For a moment, she was worried that she'd gone blind. Instinctively, she channeled her magic to cast the first thing that came to her mind, a spell with which she had the most affinity. A tiny flame was ignited, burning at the tip of her horn like candlelight. Her sensitive eyes narrowed against the pitiful light, and a slight relief washed over her. In the huge, darkened room, it was just bright enough to light up something right in front of her face. With no reason to hesitate anymore, Celestia shifted her limbs to get herself off the floor. As she stood up, she felt a sharp pain radiating from her barrel. Craning her head to the side, she found the left side of her body covered in bruises and cuts, visible through her white coat. Caused by one of her sister's attacks, that was evident. Still, things didn't exactly add up, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or puzzled. No doubt Nightmare had fired her last spell at her, but she felt mostly fine. She was expecting much worse; what happened? Feeling her eyes and ears gradually recover, the white alicorn fueled more magic into her horn. The tiny flame grew into the size of a small torchlight, lighting her immediate surroundings with shimmering light. With visibility provided, she looked ahead of her, where her sister last stood. She slowly shuffled forward, expecting to find her. Instead, only chunks of debris littered the ground. Anxiety rising, her eyes darted around as she looked around the darkened room. Searching for any signs of her sister, she spotted something at the edge of her vision. Turning her head to the left, she gasped at what she saw. The hospital ward turned battlefield had already been ravaged, walls and furniture alike not spared from her sister's wrath. Ruin was aplenty, but what she looked at was different in its scale of destruction. The left side of the room's wall had suffered massive damage, with large cracks reaching the floor and ceiling. In the middle of it, what almost seemed like a huge crater had formed, where the thick concrete wall had been torn down and turned into rubble. Enchanted steel walls hidden deep within it were now exposed, warped, and damaged under the sheer power of the spell that it had withstood. She also found the source of the burning smell; a part of her sister's bed had been caught up in the blast, turning half of it into a charred metal husk. Celestia was now certain of what had happened. Despite her being an easy target, somehow, this was where the spell had struck. It was just too far off course for it to be a mistake; she knew it. If so, that could only mean one thing. Suddenly, her ears turned backward. With the ringing no longer lingering in her ears, she swore she heard something shuffling somewhere. For seconds, she stood still, holding her breath as she tried to discern its direction. Then, she heard another sound. "Nightmare? Is that you?" She called out once again, only to be met with silence. Turning to her right, she cautiously walked towards where the sound came from. At first, she saw nothing out of place in the dark. That was until she lit her fire even brighter. In the far right corner, at the very edge of the room, a silhouette of an alicorn became visible just enough for her to discern it. Her sister was sitting there with her eyes closed, her tired body leaning against the wall. The black alicorn would have perfectly blended into the darkness if it weren't for her limb casts and bloodied bandages. At the sight of her, Celestia hurried towards her. Nightmare's right eye slowly opened as the light shone brighter over her. Her teal eye, tired and unfocused, strained to look in the direction of the light. Then, her expression turned into panic when she noticed the bright orange flame dancing above her sister's horn. "S-stay back!" "Nightmare, It's just me. It's going to be alright." "Don't come any closer! I- I'm warning you!" The fearful mare shouted, her breath ragged and her voice hoarse. She stood up frantically, her lightheadedness made apparent by her stumbling. With her horn lit up and her fangs bared, she was threatening retaliation, but her trembling body easily gave away her bluff. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Please, let me take a look at you." "That is none of your concern! Leave me be before I do something both of us will regret!" Both alicorns recoiled when Sparks flew out of Nightmare's horn with a crackle, whatever spell she was preparing failing and backfiring on her. As the dark alicorn squeezed her eyes shut, her horn flashed brightly several more times before it turned completely dim. She groaned in pain, her face contorting in agony as she gritted her teeth. "Sister, you need to take it easy. You're going to hurt yourself!" Celestia's eyes widened in alarm as she watched the stubborn mare in front of her quickly deteriorate. She saw Nightmare's frustration quickly overwhelmed by lethargy, no longer having the strength or resolve to keep on fighting. Her ethereal, dark blue mane started to lose its magic, losing its sparkle and turning duller. And before anyone could notice, Nightmare's knees gave out, and she swiftly fell forward. "No!" Celestia yelled out as she saw her sister collapse. However, before her injured head could strike the floor, her body was suspended just above the ground, covered in a shimmering golden magical aura. Celestia sighed in relief. Thank goodness she saw the signs early, or else she wouldn't have been able to catch her in time. Careful not to place too much pressure on her injuries, she levitated Nightmare's body back up and slowly placed her down, allowing the lightheaded mare to sit on her hind legs. Seeing how she hadn't suffered any more injuries, Celestia then sat right in front of her and hugged her gently. After Celestia's forelegs tenderly wrapped around her back, her white wings unfurled, covering her sister's body with their large wingspan. Celestia felt a mixture of emotions overwhelm her. How long has it been? A simple embrace between sisters, lost for how many years? A part of her millennia of longing may have been fulfilled at last, but her mind was still filled with worry. Her eyes teared up at the state of her sister, hurt and afraid. The shivering mare, her dark coat soaked with sweat and her body chilling, was refusing her gesture to comfort her. "Celestia..." Nightmare spat out between her labored breaths, her eyes half-lidded from vertigo. "Let go of me." "Why do you have to pain me so, sister? You have to stay put, at least until you get better." "Damn it, I'm not... I'm not asking you again, Celestia. Let go of me!" Nightmare's body stayed rigid, almost as if she were afraid to be touched. Shifting and squirming, she tried to push her older sibling away, but her struggle was pitiful as much as it was barely felt; she was too weak to even break out of a simple hug. A single tear rolled down Celestia's face, her sister's words breaking her heart. Did Nightmare detest her so much that she didn't want anything to do with her? Has their relationship simply been damaged to the point of no return? While her mind dwelled on such thoughts, she felt her sister twitching, almost like she were hiccuping. Concerned, she wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she soon got her answer when Nightmare began to retch. Celestia was taken aback for a moment but was understanding regardless. She knew it was one of the symptoms of acute magical exhaustion, so she decided to do what was needed the most: to be there where her sister needed her. She felt the mare in her arms shake, her wings trembling in stress. Her poor sister, her stomach twisting and her head spinning, kept gagging, her face distorted in nausea and pain. Yet her empty stomach failed to expel much at all, only small amounts of greenish-yellow bile splattered onto Celestia's back, staining her white coat. But Celestia didn't wince; she simply held her tighter as her younger sister convulsed with each heave. Carefully patting her sister's back, she hoped she could offer some solace, however minuscule it would be. It felt like the retching would only worsen, but to the worried alicorn's relief, it petered out eventually. When Nightmare was relieved of any sickness, she was spent. Celestia felt her sister's rigid body now leaning into her, albeit reluctantly. Her dark ethereal mane, lost of its starry brilliance, still cascaded in waves as she laid her head on her shoulder. It smelled of sweat and dirt, with a hint of black powder. "Nightmare, are you feeling better now? Please, there's no shame in asking for help." "I told you to let go of me. Must you take away my dignity by making me throw up on your back?" "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were feeling so sick. I shouldn't have pushed myself upon you, but... after all those years of separation, perhaps I was too afraid to let go of you so soon." For a moment, silence lingered in the air. "...What are you going to do with me?" Nightmare Moon muttered defeatedly, too worn out to put up any more struggle. She may have been no longer out of breath, but her body was still shaking, whether it was from exhaustion or fear. It only made Celestia's heart sink. "I'll help you get back on your throne. It's the least I can do." "You know very well what that entails." "I am aware. We'll make this work, I promise." "And you told me I was naive," Nightmare spoke with tiredness evident in her voice. "You haven't forgotten what I tried to do to the noble court, have you? They won't take this so calmly, and if you expect me to stay silent and stay on the sidelines, you'd be mistaken." "Equestria has changed a lot, sister. And as much as I have changed, they have too. I've made sure they won't be a problem." "You sound awfully confident." "I am, and I swear by my name that you won't have to worry about them anymore. Whatever happens, you have my word that I'll stand by you. I'll do anything to bring you back." Celestia spoke with confidence and sincerity, hoping it would reassure her sister. However, despite Celestia's assuring tone, Nightmare appeared dejected by her words. "I see what you're trying to do. If you're planning to bring Luna back, yours is a fool's errand," she spoke with a hint of hurt in her voice. "You're setting yourself up for disappointment, Celestia. I won't return to being your weak little sister anymore." Upon her sister's downcast response, Celestia felt like her old wounds were being reopened. Shame burned in Celestia's chest as she was once again reminded of their past, the things that led to Luna's despondency, and how she slowly lost faith in herself. Yet, beneath the weight of her sorrow, Celestia's resolve burned brightly. Never again would she stand by and watch her sister suffer. She couldn't lose her. Not again. "Nightmare, I want you to know I'll support whatever choice you make." Celestia hugged her sister a tad tighter with wings. "Because you're right. It doesn't matter which form you choose. Luna or Nightmare, it won't change how much you mean to me. No amount of time and space may sever the bond that connects us, and not even for a moment have I lost faith in it. You'll always be my dear sister to me, Nightmare. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Nightmare's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes downcast as she absorbed Celestia's words. In their quiet intimacy, Celestia felt subtle tremors in Nightmare's frame, her chest heaving with a slight hitch in her breath. It was a silent struggle to suppress her feelings, a fear of showing her vulnerability. Yet, within the tender confines of their embrace, Celestia felt a gentle warmth seeping into her shoulder and dampening her coat. "You... you want me to be a thorn in your side that bad?" "I've never been more sure in my life. I'll always accept you, thorns and all." "I... I..." Nightmare took a deep breath, trying to quell her tears and steady the quiver in her voice. "...Then so be it, Celestia. Maybe you truly are a fool." "Perhaps. But my past self was an even greater fool than I am. So many times over countless nights, I wished that I hadn't made that mistake of casting you away. Your absence was haunting, sister. I worried that I'd lose you forever." Tears rolled down Celestia's cheeks, soaking her sister's shoulder in return. "Thank you for trusting me." Nightmare sighed with a mix of guilt and sadness. "You know what I tried to do to you. I don't think I was being trustful of you." "You did in the end, and that's all that matters to me. After all the punishment I've put you through, I don't blame you for being doubtful of me. Not everyone willingly grants second chances, let alone to those who hurt them." Celestia spoke softly and solemnly, her voice a calming melody. "But you trusted me. You chose forgiveness and principles over blind retribution. When you could have struck me down, you gave me the benefit of the doubt. That takes more courage than you might think." "I'm no saint, Celestia. It was a split-second decision, driven by my sentimentality." "No, that wasn't sentimentality, sister. That was compassion. Something that you've always had within you. It's what always drove you to do the right thing. You don't have to put yourself down like that." "...You really think so?" "After all those years of growing up with you? I know without a doubt." Celestia's heart swelled with gratitude and relief, and her strained expression was replaced with a small smile. "Now, if it's alright with you, I think I should call the doctors for real this time. You should get those wounds checked sooner or later." "No, that won't be necessary. I'll just-" Nightmare grunted as she attempted to stand up, despite being magically and physically depleted. "I'll get to the infirmary by myself." Seeing her sister trying to stand up, Celestia withdrew her wings and forehooves off of her, allowing her sister to move more freely. She still eyed her movements carefully, ready to catch her in case she stumbled. Nightmare laboriously lifted herself from the ground, one shaky leg at a time. But sure enough, whenever she tried to stand on all fours, her knees buckled and collapsed, and Celestia caught her safely before she hurt herself. After her third try failed, Nightmare could attempt no more. "There's no need to overdo yourself, sister. Sit tight; I'll call for them." "Don't bother with it. I've been through worse." "Are you sure? As I said, there's no shame in asking for help." "No, I can do this. I just need a little breather, and I'll get back up." Nightmare carefully sat back down with the help of her sister. "Celestia?" "Mhmm?" "I-If it's not a bother to you..." The white alicorn listened attentively, curious as to what she was about to ask for. "...Can you hold me just for a little longer? I'm... I'm still feeling a bit faint, that's all." Celestia, pretending to not notice the slight hesitation and embarrassment in her voice, simply smiled as she wrapped Nightmare in her embrace, draping her wide wings around her back once more. "If that's what you need, of course, sister. We have all the time in the world." So, with Nightmare's insistence, the two resumed their reunion under the radiance of Celestia's flame. The two sisters cuddled, their necks gently entwined as they rested their heads on each other's withers, bathed in the warm light that shone amidst the darkness of the room. With the tender loving care of her older sister, Nightmare Moon finally loosened up. Her rigid body gradually lost its tension, fully relaxing as she let herself sink into her sister's hug. In their embrace, there was no room for coldness. The radiating warmth from Celestia's body drove out any remaining chill in her bones, soothed her aching body, and quieted her mind from any lingering woes. Slowly but surely, the black alicorn, smothered by her white counterpart's affection, found herself no longer shivering. For them, at least for this moment, there was no anger. No sorrow. There was peace. Celestia gently patted her sister's back, feeling her chest rise and fall in a slow rhythm. With tension gone and her adrenaline wearing off, Nightmare fell asleep before she knew it. Sinking into her sister's soft coat, the tired mare snored quietly. Celestia, maintaining her embrace and letting the mare in her arms get some rest, also enjoyed this quiet moment of reconciliation. Her back was stained with her sister's vomit, and her side still stung from her assortment of injuries, but she paid no mind to any of that. At the moment, she was as comfortable as she could be. Things could wait, she thought. The day took quite a toll on her as well, and she found no reason to cut this precious moment short. Unwittingly, her eyelids began to droop. With bouts of anxiety-ridden insomnia she'd had to endure for the past few months, perhaps she too was deserving of a much-needed rest. Feeling warm and fuzzy, she offered no resistance to the inviting drowsiness, letting it overtake her. ! Suddenly, she was jolted awake. She swore she just felt something waft over her body. Was that a slight breeze? In a closed room? No, that couldn't be right. It was subtle, yet unmistakable. The atmosphere of the room had changed faintly as well. Was it the air pressure? In a way, it felt similar. Then it dawned on her. It was something she'd felt before a long time ago—a shift in ambient magical pressure. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She felt like she was being watched. With unease creeping into her mind, Celestia pulled her sister even closer before funneling more magic into her spell. The torchlight burning at the tip of her horn was stoked into a raging fire, fierce enough to illuminate the entire room. She eyed every tiny shadow cast behind every object in the room, wary as if something was hiding behind them. Holding her breath, her eyes darted around, prepared to react, until about a dozen unicorns suddenly materialized in the room with a loud pop. "Secure the exit, and protect the princesses!" One of the unicorns in guard armor shouted, prompting the rest to move swiftly. While the maintenance crew dashed towards the door, the royal guards and the medical team quickly surrounded the two alicorns, forming a protective circle around them. Celestia was startled as they all appeared at once; she hadn't cast the counterspell yet to let anyone in after all. But once she saw that they were her subjects, she sighed in relief. They must have taken the shielding down somehow, she reasoned. At least that would explain the oddities she felt. Feeling at ease, the searing flame she held was promptly extinguished, allowing her little ponies to approach and take a closer look at her and her sister. Guards and doctors alike, their faces were etched with anxiety. Seeing their concerned expressions, Celestia could only put up a sheepish smile. Perhaps she had indulged in a solitary moment with her sister for a bit too long while her subjects were panicking outside. "Oh, dear. I made everyone worry, haven't I?" "Your Highness," Dr. Horse said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his fetlocks. "You have no idea." Author's Note Ever since I decided to continue this story, I immediately knew writing parts for chapters 7 & 8 would be challenging for me. Now that they're finished, here's to hoping the latter parts will go more smoothly. Chapter 9 - Interlude Lying on her side, weak and helpless, Nightmare Moon shivered against the cold lunar surface. Pieces of her enchanted silver armor she'd taken off were strewn next to her, in varying states of disrepair. As she let out another shuddering breath, her horn glowed faintly, and she slowly pulled her dented helm off of her head before it unceremoniously fell to the ground with a clang. Her mane lay flat and dull, devoid of magic, resembling that of a regular pony's. Feeling rather faint, the tired alicorn lowered her head down to the ground, unable to keep it up any longer. Is this... Is this how it truly ends? Nightmare thought, her breathing shallow and labored. Initially, she had planned on sustaining herself with pure magic alone in her form as Nightmare Moon. Given enough time, she could burn magic to regain energy, and with it, heal her wounds—no doubt she could recoup her losses and try her escape again. No amount of broken bones would break her conviction, and as long as there was a chance, she would not give up. The nature of this place, however, had crushed her hopes. She could withstand its extreme weather—cold as the peak of Mount Everhoof and hot as the blazing deserts of Saddle Arabia. But she couldn't overcome being starved of magic—the power that allowed her to fight on. Here, the only thing she could feel around her was the harsh invisible cosmic waves radiating from the aether, which made her horn ache and added a feeling of dread to the bleak planet. This wouldn't just be her prison as she first assumed; it would also become her tomb. Sprawled on the surface of the moon, Nightmare winced, an agonized gasp escaping her as immeasurable pain flared from the base of her right wing and her hip. The weight of fatigue was immense, and the radiating pain from her limbs immobilized her. She realized that, as much as she tried, she couldn't get herself back up. Her eyes filled with tears, and she stifled her cries as she clenched her jaw. To her right, her large open wing lay limp, the base of the appendage twisted in an unnatural angle. It was the final result of her struggles—her futile attempt at freedom. Determined and zealous, she had given her all to cross the immeasurable distance between Equus and the moon. With all her magical prowess and physical endurance, she soared across the aether, only to find out that the spell that chained her was not so willing to give her up, and its strength only increased exponentially the more she flew further. Her every attempt at escaping the curse had only brought her pain and injuries, each one of her tries more desperate than the last. With each fall, her body was bruised. Every time she was pulled, hurtled back, and crashed onto the moon, her body would break. Yet she did not stop; she would haphazardly mend her bones back, ignore the pain, and try again. She had to. Her subjects were counting on her. It was her duty to set things right, to act when no one else could, but this last blow proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Fallen Princess. Wracked with pain, out of magic, and unable to move, the only thing she could do now was whimper pathetically. I guess this is it. Nightmare coughed pitifully between her cries, more tears welling as her every breath and movement brought agony to her mangled body. This is how I die. Nightmare was no stranger to death; she had lived through turbulent periods of unrest and witnessed lives coming to their abrupt end, some violently and unwillingly. Naturally, she had often pondered the manner of her own demise. Would it come from the thrust of a sword in battle? Or perhaps through an assassin's poison slowly consuming her from within? Maybe it would be a magical explosion from a spell gone awry? As it turned out, fate had a cruel twist in store, delivering her a death filled with woe: broken, alone, and suffering. She resembled a withered and pitiful creature in its dying throes, leaving behind a legacy tarnished by failure. Her intermittent coughs had gotten worse at this point. Although the Mare of the Moon tried her best to hold them back, she could stifle them no longer. She felt her chest tighten and her lungs burning up. Tears streamed down her face as she closed her eyes shut, unable to stop the painful convulsions that shook her body. As Nightmare coughed her lungs out, she didn't notice the wisps of black and violet smoke she continuously expelled out of her mouth. The more she hacked violently, the more of it came out of her, coalescing into a shifting ball of energy, its colors navy blue with a purple outline. When her coughing fit had finally stopped, the exhausted mare opened her eyes back and was met with the ball of magic floating in front of her. She wasn't surprised, nor was she scared. Instead, the only thing she felt was sorrow. "Tantabus..." She spoke weakly, staring at the magical construct she designed, molded, and brought to life with her very own magic. It was her labor of love, its origins hidden from many due to its nature of being crafted from shadow magic. For Luna, it wasn't just a complex bundle of spell matrices. It was her assistant, helping her with various tasks. It was her faithful companion, following her with no hesitation. When it merged with Luna and lent its strength to her, it even became an armor that shared her pain and gave her courage, allowing her to take on the role of Nightmare Moon. But despite their combined strength, they'd come to face their limits. With no more magic left in its host to leech off of, Tantabus's merge became unstable, and Luna's body was forced to violently expel it out of her. The Princess of the Moon glanced at her body. Despite her teary, blurry vision, she could see that her coat was no longer pitch black; it was midnight blue. Not only that, she could feel that she was a tad smaller, and the proportions of her limbs had shifted as well. She was back to being Luna. Pathetic. Weak. Helpless. Sensing its creator's distress, the shifting ball of shadow quickly came to her side. Like a scared foal concerned for its mother's safety, it did not know what to do. It pushed her sides and shook her, urging her to stand back up. It even tried to lift her limp body back up with all its might, but all its efforts were for naught. It was just too much for the starved ball of shadow magic. Luna felt pity for the thing and called it forth, and when it floated back in front of her, she raised her head and connected the tip of her horn with the shadowy blob. Forming a magical connection that bridged them, the two began conversing in her mind. "That's enough, Tantabus. It's no use." "No." "It's not your fault, you've done your best. I want you to rest now." "No. Fight." Nightmare sighed at the apparent stubbornness coming from her creation. Did it even know that it didn't matter anymore? That she'd lost? That her mistakes had spelled doom for the both of them? "Home. Fly." "No, Tantabus. You know I can't." "Fight." "Enough. You're not making any sense." "No. Fight." "Would you stop that?! There's nothing we can do! Nothing!" Amid her profound exhaustion and pain, Luna's patience wore thin. Irritated by Tantabus' repeated nonsense, her anger suddenly flared up, and she voiced her frustrations out loud. "You think you're giving me hope, but it only adds to my pain. We both know this is the end. We've given our best shot, you and I. But I don't have any strength left in me. I don't even have enough magic to fix my wing anymore." Tears pooled at the edge of her chin before they dropped onto the dry, powdery soil of the moon. "So if you want to do any more favors, stop annoying me and go away. Let me die in peace." The ball of shadow shrunk and recoiled at her outburst; its distress was made apparent. Seeing its reaction, Luna quickly realized her mistake, knowing she shouldn't have said that. Tantabus just wanted to help; how ungrateful she was to berate her loyal companion who only wished her well. But it was too late. Tantabus had withdrawn from her horn, severed their connection, and glided away from her. Desperately, Luna tried to stop it. She cried out, pleading for it to come back, yet it still made no difference. She could only watch her magical construct fly away as fast as it could until it disappeared completely out of her sight. As much as her heart sank and regret flooded her, she couldn't take back her mistake. There wasn't much the distraught mare could do now other than drop her head down and feel the depressive silence consume her. "I'm a failure, aren't I?" Luna muttered in a near whisper. "Even till the very end." Now truly alone, lying on the ground, Luna faced her impending doom. Judging from the scant amount of magic left in her, she guessed she didn't have much time left; her breathing spell would only last half an hour at best. And for those last few minutes, she reminisced about her past. Her friends. Her sister. Her mounting regrets, and her hopes of what could have been. As her labored breaths turned more sluggish and clarity slipped away from her, Luna's eyelids slowly closed. Waiting for the inevitable, she stopped resisting and let the last of her meager strength leave her body. She felt the ember inside her fade, the moon's chilling embrace was overwhelming her body. Would she suffocate? Or would the Pale Mare appear before her in her rattling skeletal body and claim her due? Whatever painful demise was in store for her, Luna thought it was only a matter of time before she met it. She couldn't have been more wrong. Luna found it odd that, for some reason, her body was getting warmer. It felt rather peculiar that trace amounts of magic were flowing into her from none other than her horn. She wasn't so sure this was supposed to happen; she didn't expect her death would feel this comforting, after all. Opening her eyes, a familiar sight of her shimmering dark blue and purple companion greeted her, hovering and connected to her horn. ...Tantabus? Normally, she'd regularly feed Tantabus with her magic, not just to provide sustenance but also for Tantabus to modify its own spell matrices, to learn, grow, and improve upon itself. The little ball of shadow would like it so much that it would beg her multiple times a day, even right after she fed it. Knowing that, for a moment, she found it hard to believe what was happening. She didn't know when it had managed to learn how to do it, but it was unmistakable. Tantabus came back and was now feeding her magic. Dumbfounded and touched at the same time, Luna simply stared at her creation, feeling more of its magic slowly trickling into her. When Luna tried to stop it, Tantabus pulled itself off of her. She still didn't quite understand. Even if it knew how to feed her magic, how was it even capable of doing it? The thing must have been drained to the limit as much as she was if not more! A slight pang of guilt crept up on her conscience, worried that Tantabus was breaking down its own magical body to help her. "Tantabus, I'm not mad at you. You don't have to do this." When Luna's words were ignored, she set aside whatever pain she was enduring in concern for her companion and raised her head back up. Attentively, her eyes tracked Tantabus's every movement. She watched the two-toned ball of shadow float some distance away from her and flatten itself against the ground. At a distance, it almost looked like someone had spilled some dark, shimmering liquid on the moon's gray surface, which brought more confusion out of its creator. She knew Tantabus's habits, and she knew what it liked. It liked to hide inside her billowing mane and under her wings, where it was warm and soft. The icy lunar landscape was neither of those things. So why was it doing that? Was it hurt? Sad? Both? After several minutes had passed, Luna felt a bit of solace when she saw Tantabus rise back up from the ground. Regaining its spherical form, it quickly drifted back to her. Seeing that whatever signs of anger or irritation were gone from Luna's face, Tantabus slowly stretched its ethereal tendrils to her horn, and a connection was made once more. "Fight." "Tantabus, you've been nothing but loyal to me all this time. For that, I couldn't be more grateful. I truly am." As Luna "spoke" to her companion, she felt more magic flowing into her. Despite it being meager for her standards, she immediately felt relief; she could think straight again, and she wasn't shivering as much as she used to. "Yet I can't let you do this. The last thing I want is for you to suffer more than you already have." "No. Fight." "I won't take that as an answer. It's noble of you to do this, but I won't let you cannibalize yourself just to help me! I know you're as drained as I am; where else is your magic coming from?" "Moon." Luna paused, a hint of bewilderment crossing her face. "Tantabus, there's nothing here. You're not making sense. Again." "No. Moon." "Maybe I should have worked on giving you more than just rudimentary responses." Even as Tantabus finished feeding her magic and withdrew its tendrils, Luna still processed its short yet perplexing statement. What was it even trying to say? Shaking her head, she watched her shadowy companion float a short distance away, then flatten itself on the ground like a pancake. There it is doing it again. Tantabus's actions further confounded her. Was it broken? If it was breaking itself down, she considered whether that might be causing Tantabus to act erratically. Who knows which part of its spell matrix was damaged? However, she found herself hesitant to give weight to such a possibility. If it were truly dismantling itself, she would be able to notice it. So far, the two-toned ball of shadow glimmered as usual with no noticeable damage, and aside from when she yelled at it, it wasn't even showing any signs of distress. What if... The gears in the princess's head continued to turn. What if Tantabus was right? What if Tantabus wasn't malfunctioning at all? What if there was some truth to its words? Tantabus hadn't malfunctioned before, let alone acted outside reason to this degree, right? Luna furrowed her brows, trying to recall her memories of handling her creation. The conclusion she reached was: well, mostly. Tantabus followed her requests with little complaint, happy to help her in any way it could. Sometimes, though, it liked to do its own thing. When she let it be on its own, it would occasionally wander away for whatever reason, missing from minutes to a day and a half. There were also times when it chose to deviate from her requests. When Tantabus was feeling particularly mischievous, it liked to snack on magical sources when it thought Luna wasn't looking, despite her scoldings. Still, she loved her creation to bits and thought giving more freedom and leeway wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She didn't want it to follow every single request of hers to the death like some slave, that was for sure. Luna still remembered the time when Tantabus sapped all the magic from Starswirl's door and ruined its enchantment inlay. Oh, Starswirl was so mad. Even with her bodily discomfort, a faint grin crept up the mare's face as she recalled one of her fond memories. She still remembered how funny it looked. Tantabus stuck to the door like some giant shimmering slug, gnawing on its magic as if it were a big piece of lettuce. Sighing, Luna looked back at her magical companion, still lying flat on the moon's surface. Kind of like that. ... For several seconds, the Mare of the Moon failed to see the connection. When she did, however, the air seemed to be charged with tension as she processed the true implications of her companion's behavior. No, it can't be like that. Luna lowered her gaze and looked down at the lifeless, gray soil she lay upon. ...Could it? It seemed almost absurd. She didn't want to give herself any false hopes, hesitant to believe what she had pieced together in her head. If there was any magic on the moon's soil, surely her sensitive hooves would have noticed it already. But her hesitation was brief. The implication brought a mixture of hope and trepidation, and her heart began to race. In her mind, she'd already made up the course of action she would take. Wounded and lying on her side, it was tricky to angle her horn correctly in her position, especially when the muscles in her neck felt as stiff as rocks. After several failed attempts, Luna finally managed to position her horn and stab it sideways into the moon's soil as deeply as she could. Channeling what little magic Tantabus had given her through her horn, she then concentrated, desperately trying to scan the ground for any sign of energy. At first, she felt nothing but the icy temperature threatening to freeze her horn off. Everything about this place seemed as lifeless as she had first presumed, and her doubt was already making short work of the little hope she had. What if it really was just false hope, and her weakened mind was trying to rationalize what wasn't true and see what wasn't there? When she extended her magic's reach even further down, however, Luna's heart skipped. Deeper beneath the moon's cold surface, she felt something rather familiar to her—something that felt wildly out of place on this barren planet. It was Equestrian magic, its warm energy unmistakable to the starving alicorn. Luna's eyes widened in disbelief. How in Equestria was this possible? Why was there magic flowing beneath the moon's soil, seemingly hidden right under her nose? Luna's head was filled with questions that needed answers, but they were set aside, knowing she had more immediate concerns that needed tending. Urgently, the weary princess began to tug and pull at the subterranean magic with her magical grasp. She had some difficulty at first; she had never experienced draining magic like this before. Nevertheless, her hunger for magic proved to be an ample motivator, and the mare eventually figured it out with trial and error by modifying the spells she knew. Pulling on as much magic as she could through her horn, she greedily drank in to replenish her reserves. Luna was impatient, and rightfully so given her situation. Still, the moon's wellspring of magic was faint yet stable—a slowly flowing stream of magic that was weak but continuous. As much as she was eager to drain as fast as she could, it forced her to gradually take small amounts, letting the exhausted pony slowly yet safely nourish itself. It took a long time for her to get her fill, but when she was done taking in as much magic as she could, Luna began to feel better despite her injuries. With ample magic coursing through her body, Luna renewed her breathing spell, closed her eyes, and began to take long, deep breaths. She knew that with composure came control, and with it, came strength. With each slow inhale and exhale through her nose, she felt her mind clear. The lingering tightness in her chest melted away, and her pain became more manageable. Her body felt much lighter as her muscles relaxed, and her mane had been restored to its glimmering, flowing state. Soon, the dying ember within her reignited, and her inner flame was fueled back into a blazing bonfire. Satisfied and rejuvenated, Luna's meditation had come to an end. When her eyes opened back up, she was again met with her magical construct floating in front of her, which had been watching her all this time out of concern. The edges of Luna's lips curled up slightly. "Well, don't I feel like a fool?" Tantabus, happy to see her recovery, replied by wiggling its round ethereal body. Seeing its playful response, a smile blossomed across Luna's face. "Come here, you." Luna beckoned for her ball of shadow to come closer, and gently wrapped her foreleg around it, pulling it closer to her chest. She squeezed its cool, gaseous form tight, which Tantabus was more than happy to oblige. "I almost lost hope back there. I'm just glad that you were there to stop me." Luna murmured to her magical companion, nestled in her embrace. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you. Not to mention that I... shouldn't have dismissed your words like that. You've put so much faith in me to help me with my struggles. It's only right that I trust you back." Despite the warmth of Luna's hug, Tantabus shivered. "No?" Knowing her creation's mannerisms, Luna knew that Tantabus meant to tell her something else. "You... don't want me to have faith in you?" Tantabus shivered again. "Playing guessing games, are we?" Staring at the dark blue and purple blob she was hugging, Luna pondered for a bit. If she wanted the answer right away, she could connect to Tantabus and get a more straightforward answer. For now, though, she wasn't bothered by it. After a momentary contemplation, she grinned as she figured out the answer. "I get it. You also want me not to lose faith in myself, right?" Tantabus wiggled happily. "Even for a quiet creature, you always know just what to say." With a happy sigh, she scooped up her ball of shadow magic with her hoof, brought it to her face, and nuzzled it affectionately. Playful as ever, Tantabus responded by tickling her snout back with its ethereal body before gently hopping on top of Luna's head. "Luna." "What is it, Tantabus?" "Fight." A chuckle escaped between Luna's lips after she heard that persistent request repeated. This time, however, she knew that her companion made perfect sense. She just couldn't see it before. "Yes, Tantabus. Fight." Luna looked up above her, countless stars marking the dark vastness of the aether. Her eyes, however, sparkled brighter than any of them. Resolute and steadfast did she and her creation gazed upon their home, the distant green and blue planet floating so far away. "Till my hooves break and my wings are maimed," "Till my horn cracks and I breathe my last breath," "I pray that my resolve will hold, and with it, I will fight." Luna spoke solemnly, her voice echoing with a determination that resonated through the starlit expanse. "Now I ask of you again, Tantabus. Would you help me with my struggles, and fight alongside in my battles?" "Always." At her stalwart companion's prompt response, a rush of warmth and appreciation washed over her. "Then fight we shall, Tantabus." Luna declared with an unwavering resolve. "We'll fight on as long as we are needed." Author's Note This interlude was lengthy enough that I thought it warranted a chapter of its own. I hope this sheds more light on Nightmare Moon's nature, among other things that weren't given clear explanations. Chapter 10You have to stay strong. If not for me, but for everyone else. Please. I can’t lose you again. Nightmare Moon gasped as she regained consciousness. Her bright teal eyes shot wide open, and her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. She found herself lying in a large bed, under its white covers, staring up at a dimly lit white ceiling. A bout of panic and confusion set over her; the large device next to her started to emit beeps faster as if reflecting her distress. Where was she? What happened to her? Her immediate fear of being vulnerable and exposed struck her first; she couldn’t afford to be left in the mercy of others. Unlike last time, however, her disorientation was brief. As she began to piece her fragmented memories back together, this time, things were starting to look clear. She recalled everything that happened to her: her eventual return and confrontation with Celestia… and the reconciliation that all took her by surprise. An outcome most unexpected, a path that she tried to give up a long time ago. Not in her life had she expected an outcome like this, bordering on the unbelievable. A cynical and fearful part of her whispered whether all of this was nothing more than an illusion; either a fabricated reality she had weaved together in the dream realm as a pathetic attempt to appease her pitiful self, or a hallucination of a delirious dying mare on the moon, withering away from a head injury she will never recover from. But the rational part of her knew those concerns were unlikely. Flawed though they might be, she trusted her senses, her judgment, and her intuition. And if there was any lingering doubt, it was quelled by hope, Tantabus its guardian. Over time, within her psyche, the two became nearly one and the same. It kept her alive through all those years of pain, a torturous existence. Many times had she tried to break her promise; to abandon hope, to crush that persistent little thing out of agony and resignation. But over and over, despite her attempts, she just couldn’t do it. It simply refused to die, and in its stubbornness, the Mare of the Moon had survived. It’s going to be alright. Now it was calling out to her once again, giving her strength, and soothing her. Like how it always did; doing what it could to comfort and reassure its dear friend. And this time, Nightmare fully embraced it without resistance, for she truly wanted to believe. ...I know. Slowly but surely, the remnants of her worries faded, and the Midnight Alicorn began to calm, feeling more at ease with herself and her situation. The frantic high-pitched tones from the machine gradually tempered itself down to a gentle, slower rhythm, and the room returned to its relative calm and silence once more. With her mind now unburdened, she initially considered going back to sleep. She soon found it hard to, however. As much as the warm, soft bed gently supported her form, unlike the cold, hard surface of the moon, she found the contrast too sharp—a stark difference from what she had become accustomed to for so long. It almost made her feel out of place. As if she weren’t supposed to be here. “Can’t believe I’ve gotten habituated to my own shackles.” Nightmare muttered to herself as she sighed. Like a bird yearning for its cage. Aren't you miserable enough? How pathetic. I am not. Bothered by such thoughts, lying in the bed only made her discomfort consume her further. Before her thoughts could spiral further out of control, she gave up on getting more sleep and instead decided to get up. When she raised her upper body without much thought though, she first winced in pain when she felt her broken ribs, and again when she tried to bend her left foreleg, which was still encased in a cast. And as if that wasn’t enough, it seemed like every part of her body began aching in protest, almost enough to elicit a groan out of her. All reminders of her injuries, and also a strong suggestion from her body that perhaps, she should remain in bed for now. At least my eyes seem to be fine. Nightmare thought to herself as she blinked her set of teal eyes, checking for any signs of impairment. She stared at her set of clean bandages around her torso for a moment; the wounds beneath itching just enough to grab her attention. Perhaps she could take the bandage off, or scratch it just a little? It was certainly tempting, but she knew it was better to leave them be. Instead, the princess decided to distract herself and look around elsewhere. She first turned her gaze to her left without much thought, but she was caught off guard by what she saw. Next to her, was somebody that she certainly was not expecting. There, next to her bed, lay nopony other than Celestia, sleeping on top of several wooden armless chairs lined up together. It was an uncomfortable makeshift bed rather small for her size, but she lay there regardless, sleeping quietly. She had her own set of bandages wrapped around her barrel, presumably to cover up cuts and bruises she had suffered from the fight. …It really happened, didn’t it? It made Nightmare feel a mix of relief and unease. It was proof that her memories were real, confirming that they were not mere figments of her imagination. On the other hoof, it was a stark reminder of the violence she’d inflicted on her sister, and what she had nearly done to her. As Nightmare wondered why Celestia was here like this, she noticed a dark blue blanket lying in a heap on the polished grey concrete floor beside her. Quietly and without a word, Nightmare's horn slowly lit up. Must have fallen off of her, she thought as she stared at the alicorn to her left for several seconds. Then, feeling no inhibitor ring limiting her magic, her cyan magic grabbed the edges of the deep blue blanket. Careful not to disturb her, she stretched it wide and draped it over the sleeping mare's large form. For a moment, her sister shifted under her cover as if she were awakening. But it was simply a dream-induced stirring; the mare just pulled her blanket closer around her, nestling under it with a contented sigh, before drifting back into a peaceful slumber, now with a smile. Nightmare’s gaze lingered on her sister for a bit longer. After making sure her blanket wouldn’t slide off her this time, she averted her gaze and surveyed the rest of her room. The room was wide, but not as excessively spacious as the first room she was first brought into. Some of the furniture in the room remained similar, but the rest, she could see noticeable changes. To her right was a nightstand with a crystal lamp(as well as that infernal machine she’d destroyed last time), and further alongside the wall were drawers and cabinets. The same ones that she’d seen before. The entire wall on the far side of the room, however, was lined with bookshelves each filled with different types of tomes. Mostly ones that she didn't recognize, but amidst them, she could spot some familiar ones she recognized just by the covers. At the center of the room, a lightly worn rectangular mahogany table, wide enough to hold numerous open tomes one might look up while adjusting spell matrices. There was even a grandfather clock on the right side of the room near the exit, which looked nearly identical to the one she had back in the day. The clock struck 2:30, and with its small crescent moon-shaped sapphire lit up bright, it told her it was before dawn. Seeing these elements brought a soothing sense of familiarity to the Princess of the Night. The subtle memories of her past life were like a gentle whisper, wrapping around her like a warm embrace. The room was tidy and comfortingly reminiscent of her old quarters in the Everfree Castle. The old clock, the bookshelves, and the overall arrangement filled her with a nostalgic comfort she hadn't felt in ages. It was as if, in this room, she was given a piece of her past back, woven into the fabric of her present. To her, the room felt right, orderly, and well-organized. Well, mostly. The large rectangular mahogany table at the center of the room had several stacks of books and papers on it. And it was the way they were arranged that caught her eye. Loose documents were scattered around the table while several books were left open. Among that, empty cups littered the table, and she could see a stray scroll or two that had rolled off the table and fallen to the ground. All this disorganization was spreading out from a single point, one of the seats at the table. And at that epicenter, was a pony. A purple unicorn, her slightly frazzled mane dark blue with a pink and purple streak, was seated on a chair and had fallen asleep on the desk. At the sight of another pony asleep in her room, Nightmare wondered who this young mare might be. Clueless at first, she wondered whether she was one of the doctors, but in her assessment, her casual appearance suggested she perhaps wasn’t here in an official capacity. Then who…? The princess squinted her eyes as she took a closer look at the sleeping unicorn. Wait, did Celestia finally…? She then turned her head to look back at Celestia’s sleeping form. Then back at the unicorn. Then back at her sister. “…….” Then back at the unicorn. Maybe not. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself, she concluded. They barely shared any color tones in their mane or coat, so the two being related by blood seemed dubious for now. Not to mention Nightmare was pretty sure what Celestia’s preferences were, so the possibility that this unicorn was someone her sister held very dear was also out of the way. Nightmare was left wondering as her eyes wandered back to the purple unicorn and the disarray surrounding her. She noticed a quill, likely dropped from the mare's magical grasp as she fell asleep, which had stained a sheet of paper in front of her with black ink. Judging by the large stack of papers piled beside her, the mare had likely been buried in paperwork until late at night before finally succumbing to fatigue. As soon as Nightmare caught this, things began to click into place. It almost seemed obvious now—how had she missed the most likely answer? The immense pressure and responsibilities she and her sister had to bear during Early Equestria were considerable. That weight, despite feeling unmanageable at times, had been eased by the meticulous scheduling and management of their respective secretaries. She remembered them, always accompanying her and her sister, often just as overworked as the princesses they served. Their duty was to organize, record, and relay information for their diarchs, assisting them until they were dismissed for the day. Now, in this mare’s case… The purple unicorn mumbled something unintelligible, shifting slightly as she slumbered. Celestia must have forgotten to dismiss her from her duties for the day, didn’t she? Nightmare let out a little disappointed sigh as her brows lowered slightly. She’d seen her sister make this mistake before while she was too carried away with other things. As for her loyal secretary, it was their duty to serve and assist their princess to the best of their abilities under all circumstances. Requesting to be relieved for the day before Her Highness deemed it right was simply viewed as unbecoming of them. What was that young mare going to do, dare wake the princess up? With her plight in mind, the Mare of the Moon didn’t hesitate long before she began to tidy up the table. She certainly didn’t expect “helping her sister’s secretary get off work” to be included in her agenda, but still, she couldn’t help but feel pity for the overworked unicorn. It’s not like I’m going to leave here anytime soon, she thought. One by one, encased in her magical grip, objects were levitated as Nightmare began to organize everything. Bookmarks were placed in the open tomes before they were closed and organized, loose sheets of documents were collected and bound together, and scrolls and empty mugs scattered around her were collected. A series of menial tasks, but she seemed satisfied enough from watching the desk gradually return to a semblance of normalcy. Soon, she’d gently wake that mare up and finally send her off from her duties on behalf of her sister. But as she picked up the last of the loose documents off the dark brown mahogany surface, something about them caught her attention. “Huh.” Nightmare had assumed she knew what those papers were. Usual paperwork that needed the diarch’s attention—reports and petitions that haunted her during her waking moment. But even at a distance, she could tell this wasn’t the usual bureaucratic fare. On the contrary. It was something of personal interest to her. Bringing those pages closer to her, her eyes brightened as she confirmed what she saw. A spell diagram, followed by lines upon lines of calculations filling the rest of the page. This was no ordinary report, this was a blueprint for a spell, a powerful one in fact. Tempted by her intellectual curiosity, Nightmare Moon gathered the entire stack of documents from the table. Pulling them closer to examine it to its fullest extent, she examined the first few pages with anticipation. Post Casting Analysis Report: Enchantment-Based Long-Distance Teleportation Assistance and Interception The following document details the framework, execution, observations, and outcomes of the Enchantment-Based Long-Distance Teleportation Assistance and Interception spell used for the safe rescue of her highness Nightmare Moon. Further included are spell diagrams, calculations, thaumic measurements and expenditure, and any anomalies or unexpected results observed during and after the casting. Authored by Lead Researcher Twilight Sparkle and her team at the Ponyville Royal Observatory. Unauthorized access to this document will result in- Nightmare didn’t bother reading the rest of the introduction; the disclaimer at the end only made her more curious. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me taking a look at it. Or Celestia. Lighting up her horn for better lighting and going through each page, she found the subject matter rather interesting. It certainly wasn’t without trouble; some of the calculations were too complicated even for her, and the accompanying text occasionally contained terminology that she had no understanding of. But that didn’t discourage her. She may have been behind in the field of thaumaturgy for harmony knows long, but she was an avid practitioner of the arcane arts herself back in the day. Eagerly consuming more of its contents, the alicorn managed to gradually make sense of what Celestia’s court mages had prepared for, and why she wasn’t completely unfamiliar with this. The countless number of overlaid spell matrices built on top of each other was a structure beyond what most scholars at her time were capable of weaving, let alone fully comprehending. The lengths they had gone to for a single activation of this spell, all to bring her back… It was awe-inspiring, and Nightmare couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude. Despite the flaws and weaknesses the spell harbored, this was an unprecedented achievement. It must have taken years of work from ponies with not only extensive knowledge and understanding of thaumaturgy to fully design this spell framework, but also the magical strength to back it up. She recognized this because she had seen a similar spell before, one of Starswirl’s many unfinished spells. Novel ideas and glimpses of his genius, all of which remained broken and incomplete. Starswirl... A bittersweet expression crept up on the princess’s face, knowing that at least one of her old mentor’s half-baked ideas from the far past had inspired others in the distant future to use it to aid her escape. ...Thank you. Twilight Sparkle was a conscientious pony. At least, that was what she hoped she was good enough to be considered as one. Planning schedules, and following routines, were like second nature to her, one of the better habits she had kept up over the years. Efficiency was her rule, and diligence was her motto; fundamentals that helped her pursuit of knowledge. Part of it was her natural meticulousness and neuroticism, and part of it was necessity. Ever since becoming Princess Celestia’s personal student, Twilight had adhered to these practices. Her responsibilities demanded a lot from her, even more so since she had taken charge of a research team at the Ponyville Royal Observatory several years ago. So when she slowly woke up, her face pressed against the mahogany desk and her left cheek squished, she groaned. “Can’t believe I’ve fallen asleep again…” The mare carefully raised her head, feeling her neck stiffen with the motion. Twilight chastised herself. It wasn’t because she was behind schedule. In fact, she was ahead of it. With her dislike for uncertainty and the bad surprises that often accompanied it, she had made sure to finish all her planned work a day earlier, even tackling extra tasks in advance. The problem was, she hadn’t intended to fall asleep. She intended to keep Princess Celestia company; revising the report was secondary. Falling asleep while in the room with the princess? That was unbecoming of her as Celestia’s personal student. “I’m sorry Princess, I just-“ A yawn cut her off, her voice slightly hoarse from waking up moments ago. “Maybe I just need another cup of tea.” “No need to fret,” came a regal voice. “You’ve already done enough. Perhaps it’s time you retired for the night.” “I… I suppose so. I was feeling a bit more worn out than usual, I guess.” Twilight admitted, still half-asleep and trying to rub the blurriness out of her eyes. The last few months had been demanding, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, perhaps she had been overdoing it. As the weary unicorn prepared to gather all her stuff before she left, she found it strange that all her books, papers, and even her miscellaneous items were already organized into neat stacks, ready to be picked up. Odd. she thought. When did she do that? Perhaps she had a simple lapse in her memory. Perplexed yet reluctantly acknowledging it, she was ready to grab all her belongings with her magic and bid farewell to her mentor, till she realized something very important missing: her report. Where the hay did it go??? Twilight’s gaze swiftly screened over every item on the table, and her confusion rose only further when she failed to find it. The thing she’d been revising for the past three days was supposed to be right in front of her; it’s not like that 300-page report would magically float away from her desk on its own! Looking under the desk hoping to find her missing report yielded nothing. Clueless to the whereabouts of her work, she wondered just how much her lack of sleep was affecting her memory. And just as her confusion was beginning to be replaced with anxiety, the regal voice rang out once again, coming to her aid. “I believe you are looking for this.” Before Twilight could ask what she was referring to, a stack of her missing reports was immediately brought in front of her by a bluish magical aura, which soon dissipated and gently dropped them onto the table with a quiet thud. Twilight sighed in relief. Of course they wouldn’t just vanish for no reason, turns out the Princess was just having a look at them. “Oh, Thank you, Princess Cele-“ Twilight stopped in the middle of her words. Her sleep-addled brain had almost overlooked it, but her meticulous nature had managed to pick up that something was wrong. Not only did she finally realize her mentor's voice sounded slightly off, but her magical aura was not hers; its color was teal blue instead of golden yellow which she had associated with her for a long time. Whoever she was talking to, it certainly wasn't Princess Celestia. And when Twilight mustered up her courage to turn her head and look at the far left side of the room, she was left speechless. Princess Celestia was indeed there, except she was quietly sleeping next to the bed, which may have been expected; she’d been known to occasionally spend the night at the observatory watching over her sister, and she seemed awfully tired today. Now, what was truly unexpected for Twilight was for the other Princess in the room to be awake instead. The bookish mare’s eyes widened and her heart began to beat faster as she saw her: the ancient alicorn from the legends of a thousand years past looking at her nonchalantly from the bed. Twilight had visited her before, yes, but now, she had woken from her medically induced sleep she wasn’t supposed to be awake for another week or so, looking at her with slight curiosity. Her cat-like eyes gleamed under the low light, their luminous teal both beautiful and mesmerizing. A faint smile rested on her lips, its edges curled up slightly—a gesture that seemed almost tender, though laced with an inscrutable elegance. And her flowing ethereal mane—a display of her magical might and alicornhood, glimmered like the starry summer night sky. Her eyes and mane, they really are- What do I do? What do I do?! Just act natural. Greet her! No, you know what you should do. She’s returned from her thousand-year exile. Politely greet her, following her time's early Equestrian royal etiquette. You’ve researched it, remember? Caught off guard, Twilight’s head began to race with multiple thoughts fighting for her mind space. She knew she’d have to meet the Night Princess face to face eventually; either officially at the inauguration ceremony, or earlier unofficially via a personal introduction from Princess Celestia. However, this just wasn’t in her plan. She didn’t expect their introduction to be so abrupt like this. They’re beautiful. Oh crap, how do I look? My mane probably looks horrible right now. You’ve looked up to her since you were a filly. Give her the utmost respect she deserves, don’t you dare mess this up. How about pre-Equestrian etiquette? Would that be preferable? “Are you alright?” Twilight was quickly shaken from her thoughts by the Princess’s words, the pitch black alicorn still smiling at her. Returning to reality, her mind went blank from anxiety, removing any previous thoughts or plans she had in her head. She hastily concluded she had to say something immediately, lest she make an even bigger fool of herself. It didn’t take long before her gut feeling, which she seldom followed nor trusted, began shouting at her. Don’t just stare at her, say something! Her mind raced for something—anything—to say, and before she could think better of it, her mouth moved faster than her brain... “…W-w-what's up?” Oh Tartarus why did I say that. The strained response that came from her dry throat was hoarse, but worse still, it was completely inappropriate. Twilight cringed internally, horrified at the sheer casualness of her words. She could practically feel the tension rising as she realized what a mistake she'd made. Her heart plummeted, and the anxious mare couldn’t shake the thought that she’d just ruined her one chance at a good first impression. Twilight… The petrified mare's nervous smile strained further, watching Princess Nightmare Moon’s faint smile fade into confusion. You’ve really done it this time.
PrologueMore than a thousand years ago, her sister turned a blind eye to the nobles' misuse of power. Corruption was rampant, and the mistreatment brought by the draconian policies against non-ponies was prevalent. And all of that was in exchange for the unification of the young nation, and a consolidation of power. For Luna, this could not stand. In her eyes, this inaction was complicity, and it needed to stop. Celestia had explained to her that change would follow gradually and that politics was done with cooperation and compromise. Luna wasn't so convinced. Celestia, now perched on her throne, had forgotten her roots. "Cooperating" with thieves that stole from the destitute? Had she forgotten what made them stand up to rule in the first place? Luna was determined, and she vowed to clean out the dregs of old so that Equestria could start anew on a clean slate. Her no-nonsense attitude and her zero-tolerance policy for political charades made her welcomed and appreciated by commoners and other marginalized demographics of Equestria, but unpopular among the major noble houses that held the most power. Despite all the backlash, malicious spreading of rumors, and other subterfuge from her opposition, it did not stop Luna from being a maverick of the throne room. But she eventually realized that the ones she loved, were the ones that ended up hurting her the most. Her sister had started to openly oppose her legislation and belittle her. Luna could not believe what she was hearing. Celestia had truly turned complicit. She felt betrayed that her own sister would let herself be fooled by those silver-tongued crooks that surrounded her at every moment. She had hoped it would not come to this. So, a thousand years ago, she refused to lower her moon on that fateful morning. Mustering up her most intimidating form of "Nightmare Moon," she had faced her sister and her sun-loving nobles down. Now standing as tall as Celestia, she promised eternal night if they refused to get their act together. She won't just sit there as Celestia's little sister. It was her final form of protest—her ultimatum. The nobles started shouting how "the evil spirit had shown its true colors" and how she had "gone insane from envy of her glorious sister." Celestia pleaded with her to give her and the court another chance, but Luna had heard enough of that. She was getting angry at hearing her sister give that same excuse over the past decade, watching as things got worse. And in that moment of standstill, confident of her abilities, Celestia struck first. It was only when Luna started striking back that Celestia started to realize her overconfidence. The fight at the castle of the two sisters raged on as Celestia got humbled, being pummeled by her sister, whose form was strengthened by hatred and a sense of betrayal towards her sister. Only when Celestia used the Elements of Harmony as a last resort did the dust settle, and the older sister realized what had happened. She cried, for she had lost the one true confidant that she had had throughout her life. Over the course of a hundred years, Celestia bid her time as she laid low, letting the nobles grow old and complacent. Meanwhile, she formed loyalists consisting of trustworthy cabinet members, her personal students, and graduates of her mage college (later renamed Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns), many of whom held important positions in the aristocracy and the royal guard. And when enough evidence was collected thanks to the minor noble houses sympathetic to her cause, she began a mass culling of corrupt officials and noble houses that had plagued Equestria since its birth. As the vast majority of the old guard got their assets seized, prosecuted, their titles forfeited, and even banished out of the country, Equestria was ready to start anew, and the solar alicorn was prepared to begin her atonement. She started by looking into her sister's concerns that she had ignored, assessing the issues that dragged the nation down, written in detail in her sister's journal. Celestia began by abolishing archaic, draconian policies that date back to the three tribes’ era. Through legislature after legislature, she reworked tax codes, took down xenophobic policies, and diligently rooted out numerous problems of the old system to empower the nation as a whole. Another thing she worked hard on was dispelling false rumors about her sister, which had still lived on even after the bitter nobles that weaved them had died of old age. With the help of her circle of scholars in major academia and her investment in public education, Equestrian history had gone through revisionism, spreading the truth about her sister's actions and also exposing the not-so-cheerful truth behind the Three Tribes and the Unification of Equestria. In the revelation, Celestia herself also began to face criticism in the process, but for what she had done to Luna, she gladly accepted all of them. It was a constant reminder, a sword above her head that would warn her of complacency. With everything, it had taken centuries, but the legacy of Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon had gone through a revival. Once considered nothing more than Celestia's evil sister, she began to be viewed as a pony to look up to. Historians now consider her a forerunner of the time, laying the foundation for numerous civil rights policies that are still being used in Equestria today. In various art forms, such as paintings, literature, and plays, she is commonly depicted as a tragic figure. She's a mare of integrity who holds onto what is right even in the face of adversity. Additionally, she is also interpreted as a mare victimized by the political landscape of her era, tragically betrayed by her own flesh and blood in the end. Centuries passed as Celestia sought diligently to rebuild relations with their old allies, who helped them through their hardest times. Many ponies, including her and her sister, had once sought refuge in the neighboring non-pony nations during the destructive reign of Discord in the past. It was unfortunate that their hospitality was never returned, as the Three Tribes era and its resulting paranoid herd mentality completely ruined foreign relations with them. Improving relations was slow and often felt impossible, but Celestia kept on going for the sake of honoring her sister's wishes. And during that period, the works of the royal astronomers and mages had finally borne fruit. "On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal." A concerning prophecy was made by the royal magus, but Celestia was beyond overjoyed. She had tried countless methods before to bring her sister back from the desolate moon and to break the spell cast upon her by the Elements. But they had all come up empty hooved. Now, she had a new lead. Further research by astronomers and artificers seemed to give weight to the validity of the prophecy. On the day of the 1000th summer sun celebration, the moon will orbit the closest to Equus in a millennium, while the precise alignment of the stars will briefly give a boost to Nightmare Moon's arcane prowess, opening her a window of opportunity to escape her banishment. With the possibility of her sister's return, Celestia immediately began working on the preparations. While their old castle remained in the now uninhabitable Everfree, the small town of Ponyville existed directly next to the forest. She put the best engineers and artificers to work on constructing an observatory there in hopes of aiding and guiding Nightmare Moon's escape. They had hoped that if she were able to teleport, she would use the destination with the least thaumic resistance, which would be the teleportation pad of the facility, specifically attuned to her magic. When the prophecy was released to the public, some of the ponies had their doubts. Some remained adamant that Nightmare Moon was strictly a myth, and that even if it were true, prophecies were prone to being inaccurate. Others worried about whether the part about "nighttime eternal" would come true. But that didn't stop the vast majority of Equestrians from being ecstatic about their long-lost princess' potential return. They were determined to give her the best-est, warmest welcome they could. They had hoped that Nightmare Moon would be able to see their sincerity, and finally see the future that she and her sister had created.
Chapter 1When she sensed an opportunity, the Mare on the Moon desperately gathered all her strength to teleport out of that desolate rock that she once controlled in the past. After multiple botched spells, she smiled wickedly as she felt the spell complete just barely. A familiar sensation of displacement later, she collapsed onto the ground, gasping as she breathed in the fresh air. Finally, she was back in Equestria. ...No. Something about the air smelled off. The ground she was lying on glowed with arcane light. She realized she had just teleported onto an arcane circle in a large room, designed to lure her in and trap her. And lo and behold, in front of her stood her despicable sister, her eyes wide in surprise, surrounded by guards in weird uniforms. I should have expected this, she thought. With her magic reserves dangerously low, she knew what was going to happen, and she wasn't planning on going down like this. She won't give her the victory so easily. Before anyone could lift a hoof, Nightmare lowered her horn and charged through the first door she laid her eyes on. Ponies yelped as they moved out to avoid getting skewered, and the door broke out of its hinges as the pitch-black alicorn ran out of the room. Celestia and her guards soon tried to follow, urging her to wait. As Nightmare ran through the halls of the building, various contraptions lining its walls, the guards in the building barely made an effort to hold her down. All they did was move out of her way and say inane things like "Please, you shouldn't be running, your Highness!", or "Please, calm down!". ...Did that one just bow to her? What has the royal guard come to? It looks like, in her absence, even the royal guard has fallen into a new level of incompetence. This was ridiculous, even for Celestia. After a minute of galloping, Nightmare managed to find what seemed like an exit—a set of large double doors that led to a wide terrace outside. Not the ground floor, but no matter. I'm pretty sure my wings still work. With that, she burst open the doors, shut them behind her, and stared out at the beautiful night sky, her majestic wings spread wide open for flight. She then skidded to a halt as she noticed something very off. In front of the building lay a sea of well-dressed ponies, with some pegasi perched upon the nearby clouds in the sky. The crowd filled every inch of space around the building's perimeter as far as her eyes could see, with an occasional griffon, zebra, and other species mixed in. The crowd immediately became deathly quiet as they noticed the large armored alicorn burst through the terrace doors. With their eyes wide, they stared at her as if she were a ghost. Nightmare stared back at them with her own wide eyes, trying to make sense of it. Did the entirety of the country's nobles gather here to mock my capture? To congratulate their puppet princess as they hold a ball right here? This was getting ridiculous. There were so many things that she didn't get. For one, she didn't know of any non-pony nobles in Equestria. She knew many of them were wearing dresses, but in styles that she was unfamiliar with. What were the zebras doing here? Just how long have I been trapped on the moon? With no time to dally, she prepared to send out a message to them before she took off. "I assume all of you gathered to see the end of me." She straightened up and began speaking in her booming royal Canterlot voice. "Put in chains, dragged to the dungeons perhaps? WELL TOO BAD!" She slammed her armored hoof against the floor, making her audience flinch. She may have been depleted of magic, but she needed to make a strong stance, a show of confidence that she was ready to take on anything. As she focused on her speech, the Princess of the Night failed to realize the double doors behind her were already open. "I am Nightmare Moon, and I have returned to resume my rightful rule on the throne of Equestria! Let me be clear again, little ponies. I shall never condone the existence of pathetic excuses for nobles who think they can get away with everything! And as long as any of you covetous leeches continue to gorge yourselves on the downtrodden, or dare try to manipulate my sister with your lies and misdirection, I can assure you..." The jaws of the audience started to drop, and with a smile, the dark alicorn took a step closer to the edge of the terrace. "...with absolute certainty..." And for dramatic effect, she spread her impressive wingspan to its fullest. "...that the night will last... FOREVER!" Nightmare Moon let out her best evil laugh she had over a millennium, bearing her fangs out wide, relishing the feeling of scaring all those cowardly nobles to death. As she finished her intimidation with a satisfied smile on her face, she felt she had made her point well. Why, she could already feel them cower- A deafening thunder of cheers erupted from the audience below, scaring the daylights out of her. Ponies were whistling, yelling, and stomping their hooves in joy. Shocked at their unexpected reaction, Nightmare wondered if they were mocking her. This puzzled her further because, at a closer look, she could tell that those ponies were not faking it. She saw genuine happiness, excitement, adoration, and in some cases, tears in their eyes. Behind her, standing in the open doorway to the terrace, stood Princess Celestia, smiling with her crew of medical team and observatory personnel. Her thousand years of pain and longing were finally over. She had worried immensely whether the thousand years of confinement on the moon had scarred her sister's body and mind. But it seemed like Luna's vigorous body was back in one piece, with her brave and resolute personality intact, ready to protect what she held dear. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thanked Harmony for safely bringing back what she had been missing for the longest time. Now, Celestia did not fear the prophecy. The future is not set in stone, and neither are prophecies. If Luna needed her utmost love and support, she would be there for her. If Nightmare Moon demanded retribution for the crimes against her, she would take the punishment. Regardless of her future, she would gladly accept it. After all, she knew her final act of atonement was yet to come, and with that complete, she knew Equestria would be safe. On the terrace, Nightmare Moon stood still with a stunned expression, being continuously covered in irritating, clicking flashes of light from the crowd. She did her best to keep her cool, trying to comprehend the situation. Seeing the rotten nobles do something other than jeer or ignore her for once was a nice change of pace. But still, her head was only filled with one thought. Just what in Tartarus is going on?! Author's Note ~~This was an idea I've had for a while after watching "A Lullaby for a Princess". I know it feels weird ending here, it's a combination of skill issue and time constraints.~~
Chapter 2Celestia felt nothing but pride and relief as the crowd below continued to cheer after her sister's speech. She was initially nervous back then, not knowing how everyone would react to the news of a lost diarch from a thousand years ago suddenly reappearing. However, her subjects had taken the news of her potential return well. Aside from the few skeptics and doomsayers, her little ponies had taken a lot of positive interest in the chance of Nightmare Moon's homecoming. Instead of taking part in the raucous revelry and festivities of the night before the day of the summer sun celebration, countless ponies and other creatures patiently gathered and waited in front of the Ponyville Royal Observatory with bated breath. Their patience was fully rewarded when the Mare of the Moon's mark vanished from the moon much to everyone's surprise, and soon Equestria's lost princess rushed out of the building's fourth-floor terrace. Celestia thanked them for showing genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for her sister. It was a rousing reception worthy of her return, and Celestia hoped that it would help ease her sister's worries by showing that she was truly welcomed back in Equestria. Now, she just wanted to go out there and embrace her. She wanted to tell her that she was appreciated and that everything was going to be okay. But before she could run towards her, a pony in a doctor's gown put a hoof on her side and stopped her. "Pardon me, princess, but may I have a word with you for a moment?" The white mare with a pink bun said it with a hint of nervousness. "What is it, Doctor?" "I know you're eager to reconcile with her after so long, but I think you should approach her with caution." Dr. Redheart eyed the other diarch at the end of the terrace for a moment before continuing. "From what I can tell, her motor skills look fine, but we don't know exactly how well she's faring. She seems frightened and jumpy as is, so please be careful. We shouldn't strain her further than she currently is." "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." Celestia acknowledged the doctor's concerns and slowly stepped out to the spacious terrace, ready to greet her sibling from her long sojourn on the moon. As the solar alicorn slowly walked out of the doorway and towards her counterpart at the edge of the terrace, she made herself visible to the gathered crowd. Spotting her arrival, the excited audience let out another round of applause for their ruler. Noticing this, Nightmare Moon quickly turned herself around to face whatever was behind her. As she turned around and saw Celestia slowly walking towards her with a smile, she cursed inwardly for getting distracted for too long and letting her pursuer catch up to her. Here comes their champion. Nightmare immediately put her stance wide and spared no time as she hastily shot a blast of magic at her, the beam whizzing by just above her target and striking the stone walls of the observatory. Celestia flinched, and so did everyone else that was watching. "That's as close as you can come!" The armored alicorn shouted, silencing the gasping crowd. Their previous excitement turned into shock, then into uncertainty and concern as their acclamation turned into confused murmurs. They saw Celestia hesitantly take a step back, clearly taken off guard from her offensive. Nightmare Moon felt fatigue catch up to her, every use of magic draining her already dried-up magic reserves. Her head throbbed in pain, and it felt like the armor she wore was weighing her down. Even her throat began to feel sore from amplifying her voice for a short moment, but she remained steadfast, for she could not afford to show weakness. "Luna?" Celestia's voice trembled a bit. Nightmare's gaze bore into her, and she could see her wide eyes gleaming under the light of the full moon. "There's no need to fight. We were meant to rule together, sister. Please, it's time for us to reconcile." However, her sister did not budge from her rigid stance as if she were anticipating an attack from her. The dark alicorn sneered at her sister's pleading, her expression a mixture of a smirk and anger. "That's just rich coming from you. I know what you did. You just couldn't fathom being bested by your little sister in a fight, couldn't you?" "Luna, I'm sorry. That wasn't- it wasn't my intention to-" "Stop. Stop calling me by that name." Celestia's response was cut off by the agitated alicorn. "Luna... she was such an inconvenience, wasn't she? Your little sister, always there to make your already exhausting work harder. Nothing but a naysayer she was." Nightmare Moon's calm, regal poise began to shake, and resentment began to take hold of her. "...Well sorry for not being a yes pony like the spoiled nobles you coddled!" Celestia wanted to retort, or at least tell her that she was sorry for making her feel neglected. She had thought of many things to say when Luna finally managed to return, but she could say none as she froze up on the spot. "I knew you were too stubborn to yield, but still, it's unbelievable how you actually used the Elements of Harmony of all things to strike me. You planned on getting rid of me like Discord! Then what, sister? Put my petrified remains right next to him in the gardens as some morbid display of power? Don't you dare think I don't realize what you tried to do!" The Mare of the Moon's former calm and collected demeanor quickly crumbled as it was replaced with fury and sorrow, her nostrils flaring as she clenched her jaws. Her pent-up emotions threatened her to break down right there and then, and the mare barely managed to suppress her body from shuddering. "I think I made myself clear back then. I have no intentions of making excuses for the treachery of our subjects." The former monarch's chest tightened at her sister's outburst, a hurt expression evident on her face. "Nightmare, In your absence, Equestria has changed. It's no longer the nation you had known. Please, I implore you to give us a chance." "Has it changed for better or worse, Celestia? Under your benevolent rule, I assume the latter." As the confrontation continued, terrible memories of a thousand years ago continued to resurface from the depths of Celestia's mind. Their encounter was turning into a hostile standoff similar to that fateful day, instead of the heartfelt reunion that she had longed for. She waited so long for this, and she couldn't let this end with another battle. If it did, she didn't think she'd be able to live with herself after that. She'd made promises to each of her two now-long-gone friends in the past. One was a solemn vow, to rule their nation together with her sister in harmony. The other was a pledge made with regret, to bring her back safely at all costs. Celestia could not fail, for she intended to keep her word. She was determined to resolve this peacefully, hoping her actions would act as repentance for driving her own kin into such a cruel fate. And no matter how long it took, she would persuade her sister, helping her to the best of her abilities as they restored the long-lost Equestrian diarchy. With the reminder now placed in her mind, she settled down her fears, slowly taking a step toward her sister with courage, trying her best to look non-threatening. Her train of thought was cut short, however, as the alicorn on the other side proceeded to fire another blast of magic at her with perfect accuracy this time. Author's Note I was kind of unsure whether I could deliver something worthwhile for the readers by dabbling more into this story. I found myself writing more regardless though, so that alone was one reason to continue this. This could go bad for all I know, but I'm going to give it a try anyway.
Chapter 3Nightmare Moon became rather bitter as the encounter with her older sister sparked an ire that she had been suppressing for countless years. In truth, it felt satisfying in a way, finally being able to vent her anger and frustration at the culprit of her countless years of suffering on the moon. She had a task to accomplish. To defeat Celestia proper and do something that her pacifistic sister was too weak to carry out: a violent upheaval and eradication of the Noble Court and its contemptuous constituents. They'd squeal, clutching onto whatever ill-gotten wealth and power they had, but they would all fall regardless. She'd bested mature dragons and hunted windigos down on her own in the past, her sister being the only one who could match her power. And with Celestia incapacitated and unable to protect her sycophants, she would carry out their overdue punishment with impunity. If they did not surrender gracefully and climb down from their pedestals, she'd gladly strike them down personally with her might. She couldn't care less whether they perished or not; they were nothing but overgrown weeds that needed to be pulled out. Why, she'd love to see them go down kicking and screaming. Nonetheless, the pitch-black alicorn was not in a position to follow her plans. As much as she wanted to defeat her sister in clear view of all her followers, she knew she was in no shape to fight her. She needed to buy time—long enough for her magic reserves to fully recover. She survived for harmony-knows-long on the derelict moon; she could bear waiting for a few days more. As she went through her plans again in her head, she noticed Celestia cautiously taking a step toward her. That's not good. It was her cue to leave. In response to her approach, Nightmare Moon fired another bolt of searing magic with the proper aim this time. With her magic pool strained to its limits, a sharp pain shot through her skull, making her wince involuntarily. She watched her shot whizz through the air, only to be deflected by a purple barrier cast by one of Celestia's guards at the last moment. The white alicorn froze, taken aback by the close call as the crowd's unease rose. And in that brief moment of diversion, Nightmare made her move. Her armored hooves scratched the stone floors of the terrace as she turned her lethargic body around as fast as she could, running as her legs kicked herself off the edge of the guardrail. She ignored her sister's panicked call and the onlookers' loud exclamations, her powerful wingbeats propelling her through the night sky. In the air, she felt the winds wrap around her body as she glided away from the large building, a feeling she'd been missing for a millennium of her imprisonment. Nightmare could feel cold sweat breaking out from her back as she struggled to make out her surroundings. Below and around her, there was no familiar landmark in sight. None of the streets and buildings gave an idea of where she was. She looked around to find any sight of the Everfree castle but soon doubted whether she was even remotely close to it. She decided to defer that particular concern for later, focusing on flying away from Celestia's eyes and ears. However, another immediate concern reared its ugly head. She's been trying to stifle it, but Nightmare Moon began to feel seriously unwell. Her fur under her armor was damp with cold sweat, and with her strength waning, she felt as if her wings were strapped with weights. She assured herself that she was made of sterner stuff. She'd been through worse pain while fighting for her life, and she wouldn't let this stop her from achieving her goals. But as she endured her pain and discomfort, she began to feel something entirely different. Out of nowhere, a sense of impending doom hit her. It filled the weakened princess' mind, even as she tried desperately to clear her head of this seemingly irrational fear that managed to creep up on her. She was becoming increasingly nervous, the fear escalating as her heart beat rapidly... until something unsettling happened. Suddenly, Nightmare Moon felt something inside her break, as if a thin thread within her snapped as it went taut. It was a barely noticeable feeling, but it sent an inexplicable and terrifying chill all over her body. Her slitted pupils became pinpricks at the small yet horrifying sensation, making her coat stand on its end. She wasn't given much time to think about it, however, as she quickly noticed something. She was falling at an alarming rate. Much to the terrified Alicorn's dismay, everything happened too fast. Her wings could no longer "grip" the air around her, unable to keep her afloat. Any spell that she cast to slow her momentum failed to manifest. She flapped her wings in alarm, but her panicked, uneven wingbeats did nothing but make her lose her balance as she fell toward the ground below her. Bewildered ponies below screamed as they jumped out of the way, watching their princess crash onto the ground with a sickening thud. Nightmare felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness, her ears ringing and her head spinning. Through her blurred vision, she could see that she was lying on her side, surrounded by numerous onlookers. Their mouths moved rapidly, but the ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing anything coherently. Laying on the ground, she felt her entire body burning in pain. No! I can't fail like this! At least... at least not yet. Even in her dazed state, fear and adrenaline from the injured mare drove her to get up, but her attempts under her dizzying mind were unsuccessful as her feeble legs buckled under her. The black alicorn's helm-worn head struck the ground again, the impact making her cry out in pain. And before consciousness failed her, the last thing she saw was a pair of large white wings enveloping her barrel and her pain-stricken face from behind, teleporting her off the crowded streets of Ponyville. The fact that the Ponyville Royal Observatory was not exactly ordinary was well known to anyone who paid attention to its history. Built to research and help in the safe retrieval of the lost princess, the long-standing building harbored facilities considered unconventional for an observatory. The medical wing was one of them, the partially operational part of the building that incorporated rooms for treatment and operating rooms, wards, medical devices, etcetera. Only a small part of it was used as an infirmary for the Ponyville guards and observatory personnel; the rest of the unused rooms were used as storage space for other branches of the observatory. That was recently changed, however, as the facility was supplemented with medical professionals and equipment ahead of the extraction plan for the princess on the moon. Now with its rooms cleaned, renovated, and fully functional, it was ready to quickly react to any medical emergency that might occur near its premises. When Princess Celestia had urgently brought her wounded sister in, the medical wing burst into activity as doctors and nurses swiftly ran the unconscious alicorn through a multitude of screenings for a proper diagnosis and treatment. As much as she wanted to stay with her sister throughout the process, Celestia trusted her medical team to do what was best for her and let them work unimpeded. Now, she was waiting inside one of the refurbished doctor's offices, constantly shifting her position on the comfortable chair that failed to provide her with any comfort. The only thing on her mind was her sister's condition, and her anxiety refused to subside. After her long wait, a frazzled doctor walked inside carrying a large folder and a mug of lukewarm coffee, with a few stands of her pink mane sticking out of her bun. "Is she alright? How bad is she?" Celestia immediately got up from her seat and approached her as Redheart sat on her chair, putting down the folder on her desk. "Don't worry, Your Highness. She's in stable condition now." Celestia sighed in relief, sitting back down on her chair as the doctor opened her folder and began to splay out numerous large films of images showing the scans of the injured alicorn. "Though she's in a rather rough shape from her injuries." "She's got a minor fracture on the left side of her skull; we suspect she'll be experiencing some mild concussions after she wakes up. She's also got a fracture on her front left hoof and leg, wing, as well as on her ribs." The doctor pointed out the location of the injuries on the images one by one, circling them with a red marker. "They did their best with the noninvasive surgery to set her bones back in place and prevent further complications. Now she just needs time for them to heal back. Aside from that, we've taken care of her superficial injuries; it's fortunate that she's rather resilient. At that height? Any other pony would have fared worse. I'm just thankful that her horn didn't suffer any damage." "Do we know why she's fallen from her flight? I feel like it's quite unlike her to make such a mistake like that." "Well, we figured that out when we took her magical tomography scan. We suspect that she crashed from acute magical exhaustion." Celestia raised an eyebrow in confusion at the doctor's comment. "Although that makes sense, that's still... rather peculiar. I haven't heard of any fliers crashing from magical exhaustion." "It's nearly unheard of for pegasi and other flying creatures to lose their flight from magical exhaustion. Typically, they pass out from physical exertion before they can reach anything close to that. But her Highness, on the other hoof, is an alicorn." Redheart took a sip from her mug before continuing. "She likely drained all her magic reserves from spellcasting before she took flight, and she ended up overextending herself during her panic. For now, we've decided to put an inhibitor ring on her to limit her magic usage until she makes a sufficient recovery." Hearing that, Celestia sighed dejectedly, staring at the white floor below her. "Maybe I should have approached this differently. I didn't want to frighten her, but... perhaps we should have restrained her for her safety." The mare sitting across from her pondered over the hindsight. It was regrettable that Princess Nightmare Moon's arrival didn't go as planned and ended up with her being severely hurt. But considering the past encounter between the two royal sisters, Redheart wasn't sure whether the other option would have led to a more favorable outcome. Judging from the initial reaction to her arrival, it was evident that the Night Princess was willing to risk everything to fight her way through. How many royal guards would it have taken to restrain her? Many ponies would have been hurt, and the panicked princess would have ended up becoming injured in the process regardless. With that line of thinking, the doctor chose to break the silence by moving on to the next thing on her agenda instead. "Your Highness, there was another subject that I needed to talk to you about." "Of course, go ahead, doctor." Celestia stopped wallowing in her self-doubt, raising her head back up at the inquiry. "Aside from the injuries we've been able to treat, we've found something concerning during her scans. If you look closely over here, here, here..." Looking back at the film images of the patient's bone structure, Redheart began pointing out numerous locations and circled them with a white marker this time. About a dozen circles were made, each one marking noticeable large marks on her bones. "Are these...?" "Dr. Horse first thought these were a type of osteosarcoma and almost went into a full-blown panic. Even for me, they did look unnatural from the way the preliminary scans showed. Thankfully at a closer look, we found out that these were areas that healed from fractures in the past, albeit mended rather crudely with what we presume is a first aid spell. Some of them are malaligned unfortunately, I suspect this was done during her attempt at self-treatment." The doctor cringed at the locations of some of them, several of which like the femur and the base of the wings, the areas that sported high mortality rates in a fracture case. "I'm glad that it's not bone cancer, but I'm still not entirely relieved by this revelation. This is likely to cause complications in the future, and we highly recommend she undergo additional corrective surgery after she fully recovers from her current injuries." Celestia looked startled, her ears pressing against her head as she took in the information the doctor had shared with her. How had her sister managed to accumulate such scars within her? Perhaps it was wishful thinking that her sister would simply turn out fine after all those years of punishment. Now, it was another concern that weighed on her conscience. "Your Highness, I know this might be a sensitive issue, but I need you to tell me what could have possibly caused all these injuries in her past. We don't have her medical history, and we would appreciate it if you could give us any insight about this." With a slight frown on her face, the alicorn replied. "I know my sister and I have had a fair share of battles and injuries throughout our lives. Burns and cuts mostly, but I don't ever remember her being hurt to this severity, not even in our final fight. "Could the Elements of Harmony have caused this?" "The Elements can be... unpredictable in how their power manifests, but I'm not sure. I'm sorry that I can't provide you with a definite explanation for what happened to her, doctor. The answer eludes even me." Throughout her career, Redheart has dealt with patients who weren't so honest, lying or exaggerating about their symptoms or circumstances(their lies would just come to light anyway after thorough examinations), making her work even harder. With her accumulated experience handling them, she'd come to know when a patient wasn't exactly telling her the truth. When she looked deeply into Celestia's eyes, she felt slightly guilty for trying to doubt the truthfulness of the princess' words. She was thankfully relieved when she saw no signs of dishonesty on her face. "Then we'll just have to ask her when she wakes up. Do you know of any other past medical complications or allergies of hers that we should be aware of?" "There are none, as far as I can remember." Hiding her fatigue under her professional attitude, Redheart collected all the images and put them neatly back into her folder. "Well then, I think that's it for now, princess. We've done everything we can for her so far; we just need to sit tight and help her heal back up. And if you remember anything about her condition, please don't hesitate to notify the medical staff. Did you have any questions?" The large Alicorn sprang up from her seat immediately, so prompt that it almost scared the pony in front of her. "Can I see her now? I have to make sure she's okay." "W-well, regarding that, the doctors had a bit of a disagreement." "A disagreement?" "In her current condition, Her Highness needs absolute bed rest. Normally we would allow friends and family to stay by the patient's side and keep them company, but considering her negative reaction upon seeing you, some argued that you may startle her and might cause another incident. Not only does she need peace of mind, she also can't afford to sustain any more possible injuries." "...I see. I understand that it's a valid concern." "However, I won't stop you from seeing her just yet." Celestia's face lightened up just a bit at that. "As her only kin, I think it's right to give you a chance at least. I assume you plan on visiting her right away?" "That was what I was hoping for." Hearing her response, the doctor nodded. "I see. I have to tell you, however, that she won't be waking up for about another hour or so. Until her anesthetics wear out, she'll probably stay unconscious. I hate to repeat myself, but after she wakes up, please try to be careful around her. She's in the Dusk ward, by the way." "Thank you for having confidence in me, doctor. It means a lot to me." "Don't mention it, your highness. I trust you'll always do what's best for her." With that, the solar diarch gave her a small smile before bidding farewell. After she had left the room, Redheart slumped onto her chair with a sigh. With the medical wing on full alert, she had a long time before her shift would end. She wondered how her friends were doing right now. Hopefully better than her. Her coffee had gone cold at this point, so she picked up her mug and downed the rest. She had a feeling that she was going to need several more. Celestia trotted through the hallways of the medical wing, passing by the occasional nurses and other observatory staff. Most ponies, except those who have been working at the facility for some time, were prone to becoming lost within the intricate halls of the building. But that wasn't the case for Celestia. She was the one who oversaw its construction, seeing it built from the ground up. Knowing the interior of the observatory through and through, she knew exactly where to go. She shortly arrived at her destination, a private ward with two armed royal guards stationed at its door. She acknowledged their salutes and stopped in front of the room where her sister was inside. The Dusk ward. Its unassuming white door looked just like any other door in the medical wing, but in truth, the room was more than just a regular hospital ward. Inside, complex spell matrices were lined inside its walls. As long as the enchanted door held together, a shield would remain intact, and no unwanted intruder would be able to teleport inside. Now with guards stationed in front of it, it was perhaps the most secure area in the entire building. Under her protection, it was a safe space for her sister's recovery. She would be safe here, no matter what turmoil or enemy would target her. When she stepped up to push the door open, she stopped. As much as she wanted to comfort her sister at her most vulnerable moment, maybe it was right to leave her be for now. Luna, no, Nightmare Moon had already shown enough animosity towards her, and she feared that she would just end up proving the other doctors right. Sister... Just what happened to you up there? Celestia thought in her moment of indecision, Nightmare Moon's disturbing amount of past signs of injury refusing to leave her mind. For a moment, the ruler of Equestria stood there in contemplation, her hoof pressed against the door. And when she was about to lower her hoof and step back from it, she heard something from beyond the door. It would have been easy to miss, but Celestia thought she heard faint sounds of hoof steps coming from inside. Has she awakened already? "Stay here and stand guard. I need to go check on her." "Would you be alright by yourself, your highness?" "I'll be fine. Do not enter unless I call out, understood?" "Understood, Your Highness." Celestia ordered her guardsponies, the two standing stalwart at her command. A bout of hesitation still lingered in her mind, but the Princess of the Sun decided to push on. With that, she carefully opened the white door, entering as she closed it behind her with her golden magic aura. Author's Note Chapters 4 and 5 are turning out to be more time consuming than I thought. I try to write at a reasonable pace, but with my current work schedule, I apologize in advance if there are any 3+ month delays in updates in the future.
Chapter 4Outside the Ponyville Royal Observatory, large buzzing crowds remained around the building and on the streets. Under the faint light from the full moon and nearby buildings, they murmured, argued, and conversed with each other in confusion and worry. Rumors of what happened spread among the crowd, based on what some of them claimed to have witnessed. Some claimed that the two princesses engaged in a duel, with Princess Nightmare Moon managing to defeat the other princess before fleeing the scene. Others claimed that Princess Celestia saved her sister after she had fallen from the sky before taking her away. Questions and uncertainty were aplenty. Are the princesses okay? Did they really fight each other? Why has the sun not come up yet? Unfortunately for them, the observatory was currently on lockdown. Numerous royal guards secured the building's perimeter, preventing anyone from entering the building from the ground or air. Journalists and reporters sought answers from guards and town officials, but they were unable to provide them with much satisfactory information. With no news or anyone coming in and out of the observatory, speculations about the exact nature of the events continued to run wild. As the crowd stayed restless, a dozen more pegasi royal guards arrived from the northeastern sky. Noticing this, the observatory guards cleared the ground for their landing, allowing them to land in formation. Instead of the standard-issue royal guard armor, they wore suits of armor that covered their entire body, with enchanted rubies studded on their sides that provided enhanced magical protection. Despite being fully clad in armor, they landed gracefully, their heavy armor clanking with each step they took. Moving through the numerous onlookers, the newly arrived squad approached the main entrance of the building. "Orders from Captain Armor. We have an urgent message to deliver to Her Highness Princess Celestia in person immediately." A scroll was promptly passed onto the gatekeepers, confirming the captain's orders and the guards' identities. After spending some time eyeing both the scroll and the newcomers, the two gatekeepers nodded and signaled for the others to open the gates. "Let them in, they're cleared." With the gates open and access granted, the pegasi guards entered the building in rows of two. The gates closed as soon as the last of them entered, sealing the building from the outside world once again. Watching the closed gates, one of the two gatekeepers turned her head and looked at her compatriot. "I can't believe they sent a squad of heavy fliers just to deliver a message." "The higher-ups at Canterlot must be spooked. Considering what's happening right now, I don't exactly blame them." Turning her gaze to the gathered crowd on the streets, she paused for a bit before speaking again. "Light?" "Yeah?" "Do you think the prophecy will come true?" "I thought dragons didn't believe in prophecies." "Well, I mean-" The amber and red-colored dragon readjusted her helm in embarrassment. "You're not wrong. I still think they're self-fulfilling statements at best, but this one... I'm starting to feel a bit worried, you know." The cream-coated earth pony guard remained stoic, seemingly uncaring about his fellow guard's apprehension. But soon, he let out a sigh as his expression turned into one of concern. "...Me too, Fireball. Me too." Nightmare Moon fell onto the dry landscape of the moon for the second time, a cloud of dust billowing from her rough landing. She coughed as she moved out of the dust cloud she kicked off, trying her best not to breathe in any of it. The accursed particles that covered the moon's surface were irritating, the abrasive regolith clinging to her fur at every opportunity. The mare shook her body to get rid of some of what was stuck onto her, having long given up on trying to clean herself thoroughly from the incessant dust. After she spat out the dirt that had gotten into her mouth, she frowned, feeling the dreary atmosphere of the moon. It was not just because of its stark visuals. There was no ambient magic here. Magic was an ever-present force that invigorated the land and its inhabitants, something that everyone took for granted. Feeling its absence for the first time in her life, the princess was left perturbed, feeling as if the remaining magic within her was fleeting from her every second. The only other thing that she could sense was a slight prickling sensation on her horn caused by some unknown force. She didn't know what it was; she couldn't harness it like magic, but it was everywhere. It was something else, and such uncertainty only added to her uneasiness. Never did she expect any of this from being struck by the Elements of Harmony. Standing alone on the surface of the moon, she did not fail to see the irony of getting stranded on the celestial body that represented her. Perhaps Harmony had a cruel sense of humor. Taking deep breaths, the Armored Alicorn tried to calm herself down, recollecting her actions so far. When she was first thrown here, confused by the sudden change in her surroundings, she first thought herself doomed as she struggled to breathe. Her quick thinking was what saved her. Gathering as much of the moon's thin atmosphere with her magic and surrounding herself with it like a dome, she was able to breathe by casting a complex breathing spell alongside it. With her immediate concern taken care of, her second thought was to teleport herself back to the fight and get out of wherever she was right now. However, she was met with her spell simply fizzling out. At first, Nightmare did not understand. She cast her spell again only to yield the same results, quickly realizing the reason why. She didn't miscast her spell; the teleportation failed because she was just too far away. With that, she blanched as the gravity of the situation settled in. This gray landscape around her, the incredibly vast night sky above, and a green and blue planet floating at a distance... This was the moon. She wasn't dreaming, nor was she dreamwalking. Checking whether her mind was under a mind-altering spell or any other means of mental assault, a part of her wanted this whole thing to be just a hallucination. Despite her wishes, however, this was very much real. She was sent to the moon, an impossibility made real by the unimaginable power of the Elements. Panicking, the alicorn's next train of thought was to fly through the vast space that separated her from her home. When she tried that by flying out of the barren satellite, she soon discovered that something else was at play beyond the moon's low gravity. When she flew out of the moon's atmosphere, her efforts were quickly thwarted as she was dragged back to the ground by an invisible force. Her failed second try by using teleportation to bypass it only showed partial success, managing to escape further, but immediately yanked down to the surface once again. The results confirmed her suspicions; the spell cast by the elements had chained her to the moon, unwilling to let its prisoner go. After finishing her recollections, her nerves had calmed down somewhat. Raising her head upwards, she stared at the distant planet above her again. Equus. The green and blue globe floated beyond, the distance seemingly close yet so far in reality. She stood there and gauged the distance, grimacing as the unfiltered sun's rays made everything around her unpleasantly hot. Would she even be able to get back? She wasn't the pony to doubt herself so easily, but the task ahead of her seemed daunting even for her. Nightmare, however, did not give up her hope just yet. Whenever Starswirl taught her and Celestia about spells and the arcane, he liked to nag them that no spell was perfect and that they should always practice more, strive to do better, and whatnot. She'd heard that a million times already, and all magic had its shortcomings. While the old stallion had a knack for occasionally making dubious claims, she always trusted him when it came to anything related to magic. And assuming he was right, even the grand power of the Elements had its limitations. Like most spells of its kind, she assumed that the spell that tethered her to the moon must have had a limit to its range akin to a magnet. Nightmare did not know how far it stretched or how powerful the height of its strength would be. But she had to cross that hypothetical threshold and break the tether, no matter how difficult it would be. As much as she wanted to cross the entire distance with a single teleport and ignore the spell, that was out of the question. Unless she somehow managed to get help from external sources, teleporting directly back to Equus was beyond her abilities. Even if she used up all the power she had in her now, she guessed that her longest teleport would hardly reach the quarter point before she was drained completely. And if the spell's radius extended further than that, she would be dragged back with indignity, rendering her efforts null. Casting multiple smaller jumps would barely help; there was just no way around it. The mare walked in circles out of frustration, failing to think of a feasible solution. Biting her lips in anxiety, she reasoned that there had to be a way, a solution that she overlooked. Would she be able to cover some distance by flight? No, she'd already failed in that regard. And just as she was about to give up on that, she stopped in her tracks. An idea had struck her, and a smile slowly formed on her lips. The Night Princess stretched her wings, checking her appendages. Unlike their usual pristine condition, they were in a state of disarray. She hastily preened her ruffled feathers that stuck out at odd angles, positioning them back in their place. Many were burned by her sister's flames and were in questionable condition, but she didn't fret much over it. What's done was done; there was not much she could do about them now. One by one, she plucked out feathers that were in terrible shape with her teeth—the ones that were broken or burned to their quill. After she was done checking the state of her wings, she took a deep breath, ready to put her plan to the test. With a powerful jump from her legs, the alicorn shot upwards with a singular beat from her wings, a single black feather falling behind her. Soaring above the gray landscape from her launch, she then unfurled her wings wide open again, concentrating her magic on them. Nightmare Moon's wings began to shine with her cyan magical aura as her spell was completed, a trick up her sleeve. It was a spell that was considered impossible to cast—a spell that could only exist theoretically, requiring constant channeling of both pegasus and unicorn magic. But as an alicorn who wielded the magic of all three pony tribes, she was the first to make it come to life after months of theory crafting. Starswirl might have complimented her ingenuity for it, but he also called it dangerous(to which she begrudgingly agreed). But now, she was more than willing to risk that. With a familiar chime of a spell cast, Nightmare felt a powerful force gathering within her wings, as if a strong tailwind was blowing behind them. And in a split second, she was launched into the vast nothingness with incredible speed. Piercing through the cold, airless aether in her flight position, the armored alicorn soared with power and grace. Her glowing wings were spread to their maximum, unmoving as its magical propulsion left behind a cyan flight trail in its wake. As she picked up more acceleration, so did the all-encompassing pressure that threatened to pull her back down. She could feel the spell of the elements push against her momentum, but not enough to slow her down as she began to accelerate even faster. Nightmare was confident that she was nearing her maximum velocity. This was her best chance of escape, and she wouldn't let it go to waste. Ever so slightly, Equus was getting closer. She just needed to keep this up for longer, and she could begin her jump. She would return, and she would finish what she'd started. The terrified mare woke up as she fell and hit the cold, hard ground. With her limbs splayed on the glossy white floor, she grunted in pain. Her left hoof was throbbing from the impact, her mind was hazy, and the rest of her body was in varying degrees of pain and numbness. She took shallow breaths, her half-lidded teal eye trying to take in her surroundings. Despite her blurred vision, Nightmare Moon could tell she was in a spacious furnished room, its floor and walls white. Right next to her was a large bed that she fell from, and alongside it was a nightstand and a white crystal lamp that illuminated the room with a dim light. Several boxes were stacked next to the nightstand, and next to it stood a large contraption with a screen that let out continuous beeps in a steady rhythm. Feeling a migraine coming up, the Princess of the Night tried to rub the side of her head with her hoof. That was when her eye started regaining its focus, allowing her to notice things that were covering her body. Gone were her helm, her peytral, and her hoofshoes. Her entire left foreleg was covered in hard plaster, rendering her joints unable to bend. Several other parts of her body were covered up, including the left side of her head wrapped in a bandage that also covered that side of her eye. She carefully tried to move various body parts, finding that her left wing was also in a cast, and several more spots, like her barrel and her neck, were bandaged. While trying to survey her body, she felt something tug at her right leg and saw several lines taped onto the side of her limb. One was connected to a small clear bag hoisted on a metal pole next to the bed, and the others were connected to the beeping device. Having no idea what those were for, she decided to leave them be for now. Instead, she began to carefully prod her bandaged areas to assess the injuries she had no memory of getting. As she took in more of her sorry state, she felt her unease rise as the absence of her armor pieces made her feel vulnerable. To say that she was feeling unwell was an understatement. Unable to think straight amidst her brain fog, Nightmare felt utterly lost. For whatever reason, she had trouble remembering what had transpired to her. She returned from the moon and ran right into Celestia's trap, running through the doors and escaping out onto the terrace. There were a lot of ponies outside, and then... The rest was fuzzy and somewhat confusing, making her doubt whether the latter events happened at all. The nobles cheering for her? Someone must have done something to her head, she reasoned. And why was she unarmored, and why did everything hurt? Had she been captured already? Using her less injured right foreleg, she shakily hoisted herself up from the floor, careful not to put too much weight on her bad leg. As she managed to stand with her aching legs, her focus was shaken when she heard sounds coming from the other side of the room. At a glance, she spotted a white door with a sliding lock on the far side of the room. Unsure of what she was hearing, the mare stood still and observed, until she realized the sound coming from the other side of the door was hoofsteps. Somepony was coming. "Nightmare? Are you alright?" Celestia closed the door behind her as she entered the private ward of her sister. The doctors had told her that she would remain unconscious longer, but what if she was awake early? Learning from her previous encounter with her sister, she made sure she entered the room slowly, calling out to her to make her presence known to its occupant. The first thing she noticed as she surveyed the room was her sister lying on the large hospital bed, covered in bandages and her limbs in casts. Their white color contrasted with her black coat, highlighting her injuries even more. Celestia felt her heart drop at the sight of it and began to slowly approach her. Standing at the bedside, the Solar Alicorn's heart sank further as she examined Nightmare Moon's injuries. She knew the doctors said she was in stable condition, but seeing her bandage-covered state couldn't help but make her feel anxious about her safety. The more she looked at her sister's injuries, the more she felt bad for what she thought she had caused inadvertently. "Nightmare? Sister?" The older princess spoke softly to the wounded mare, waiting for her to respond. She waited for her to reply, expecting her cat-like eye to slowly open and gaze at her. Nonetheless, the younger princess remained still in her bed, unresponsive to her sister's calling. Celestia exhaled as she let out a breath that she was subconsciously holding, realizing the doctor was right. She reasoned that she must have misheard, and that maybe the sound she heard was just from the heart rate monitor. Using her magic, she brought a chair from the table at the center of the room and sat beside her sister's bed. Sitting on her chair, she felt her shoulders slump from the fatigue creeping up. It wasn't exactly because of her workload preparing for what was arguably the most important summer sun celebration in a century. Her faithful student had done a great job helping her organize it, taking a significant workload off of her. With that and among other things she'd done for her, Celestia couldn't thank her enough. In truth, her tiredness stemmed from her lack of sleep. For the last several months, she has had a hard time falling asleep. As much as she wanted this day to come, her anxiety regarding it was also paramount. She worried about whether her sister would be endangered if any of the preparations went awry, or if the prophecy and the calculations were wrong. If so, she would fail to save her sister, and it would deal a massive blow of despair instead. Doubts gnawed at the back of her mind, the thought of failure keeping her awake. But now, the white alicorn gazed at her sister, a small smile returning to her face. It was all worth it, she thought. It wasn't without trouble, but she'd brought her back. That was all that mattered to her. The room was silent, save for the continuous sounds from the heart rate monitor. Listening to its sound, the Princess of the Sun could tell it was beeping at a faster rate than normal. Nightmare's face remained strained, which was something she also took notice of. Was it because of the pain from her injuries, or was she having a nightmare? Whatever it was, the princess felt sorry for her; her mind and body hurt, and unable to find peace even in her slumber. She reached her hoof out to caress her cheek, but stopped as she noticed a bruise on her skin. She needed to be careful not to hurt her further. Pulling her hoof back, she instead held her sister's good hoof with hers, holding it gently. She could feel the dark alicorn flinching slightly in her sleep upon her touch. "Do not fret, sister. From now on, everything's going to be alright. I promise." Celestia spoke softly as she held onto her sister's cold hoof, feeling a weird sense of Deja Vu. Similar scenarios have happened before in her dreams—a rare occurrence that happened numerous times over a thousand years. Nightmare Moon would appear in varying states, from angry and tense, to expressionless and unresponsive. The only thing in common was that whenever Celestia tried to touch her, to hug and console her, she would always end up vanishing within a second. She knew this wasn't a dream, but she couldn't help but feel a bit of fear. The white alicorn tightened her grasp just a bit more as if she were afraid to let her go, and much to her relief, her sister did not vanish this time. Feeling her sister's hoof slowly warm up, the princess let out a relieved sigh. As she slowly regained her peace of mind, Celestia's mind wandered to her long-gone memories of the past, the ones shared between her and Luna. Those were the myriad of memories that she held dear—the ones that refused to fade away after all this time. Not all of them were pleasant, but Celestia was grateful to have them regardless. As she was absorbed in the remembrance of the past, the sound of someone knocking at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Your Highness, messengers from Canterlot have arrived." Celestia turned her head at the sound of the guard on the other side of the door. "Thank you for notifying me. Send them back for now; I'll go over their letters shortly." As she was just about to turn her head back around, the guard continued talking. "They claim Captain Armor gave them strict orders to deliver the letter in person, and they insist on meeting you directly. Should we send them back, Your Highness?" Shining Armor sent them? That was odd; he was more than capable of handling things on his own. Something urgent, perhaps? Celestia pondered as she rose from her seat and turned her body towards the doorway. "No. Let them in. I wish to speak to them right now." "Of course, your highness. We'll bring them in right away." After a minute, a sound began reverberating from the hall outside the room. It was the sound of soldiers, marching in single file as their armored hooves made loud hoofsteps against the hallway floor. Another round of knocks was heard from the door, and Celestia acknowledged it, allowing them to enter. When the door opened, what she saw was not what she was expecting. Celestia assumed they would be four at most; they were just messengers after all. But they weren't just messengers. It turns out Shining Armor sent an entire squad of armored soldiers. She watched twelve pegasi guards clad in heavy armor enter through the doorway one by one, the sound of their clanking armor filling the room. And if she hadn't been so distracted by their entrance, Celestia might have noticed the heart rate monitor in the room starting to beep faster on their arrival.
Chapter 5The door of the Dusk Ward closed as the last of the armored guards entered. The room was large enough to accommodate all of them, with plenty of space to spare. In an orderly fashion, they saluted the princess simultaneously, their level of discipline made clear. "I assume there's something to report on behalf of the captain?" The Solar diarch asked them, and the guard at the front spoke up. "We were ordered by Captain Armor to deliver this scroll to you in person, Your Highness. After that, we were told to remain by your side as an additional security detail." The guard opened a cylindrical container tied to his side and pulled a scroll out of it before passing it over to her. Celestia grabbed the letter with her magic and looked at the guards. "To send a message in this manner... It's unlike him. Is the Captain faring well? Can anyone tell me what the situation in Canterlot is?" The guard at the front opened his mouth as if he were about to speak, but closed it right back and decided to remain silent for fear of speaking out of line. "Please, speak freely. I want to hear what you have to say." At her persuasion, the guard decided to speak his mind after casting a cautious glance at Nightmare Moon. "There's... an air of uncertainty in Canterlot right now, Your Highness. The citizens are confused, and the nobles are starting to get fearful. The Captain is doing his best to maintain order, but he's starting to consider other options." The white alicorn slightly tilted her head in confusion. "I don't understand. We have the situation under control here. Just what's going on out there?" "Princess, do you not know?" "I've been inside this facility ever since I brought my sister back here. What is it that you are referring to?" At her response, the pegasi guard's expression turned into one of disbelief, his eyes widening slightly. "The sun, Your Highness! It was supposed to rise nearly an hour and a half ago! We have full faith in your decisions, but now everyone outside worries about your safety, and Captain Armor is concerned about whether you've been compromised or incapacitated. He's already contacted the Grand Magus, in case they need to carry out the contingency plan." Now it was Celestia who wore a shocked expression as she realized what had slipped from her mind. The sun was supposed to rise at the beginning of the summer sun celebration, hopefully right after reconciling with her sister, with the two moving their respective celestial bodies under the welcoming cheer of the crowd. But that plan has gone wildly off track, as she failed to anticipate just how much mistrust and sorrow her sister had been harboring inside her. With Nightmare Moon becoming injured, she remained inside the windowless rooms of the medical wing, her concern and fear for the safety of her sister consuming every part of her mind. With things going out of the plan and her mind in turmoil, she had made a huge lapse of judgment by forgetting one of her most important duties. Therefore, not only did the opening ceremony of the Summer Sun Celebration come to an abrupt halt, but she also left her subjects in the dark, figuratively and literally. Still, her little ponies remained faithful even now. They looked up to her with respect and trusted her vision and actions. Celestia was certainly grateful for their loyalty, but perhaps they were putting her on too high of a pedestal. At times like this, she certainly felt like too many of her subjects treated her as infallible, or at least too afraid to point out her failings. Putting that particular thought behind her, she opened the scroll and began reading. The letter from Shining Armor described the situation unfolding in the capital, matching the guard's testimony. When her sister had been taken in and admitted to the medical wing, the entire observatory went into lockdown for maximum security. With both information and personnel barely leaving in and out of the building and creating a huge communications delay, her failure to raise the sun had made things worse. While a lot of ponies shrugged off the unprecedented occurrence as a part of an event to celebrate Princess Luna's return, the lack of information certainly led to some nationwide confusion, and the worst case was happening at none other than Canterlot. Canterlot historically had a high concentration of ponies belonging to noble clans within its city borders. This was partly the reason why the city had the most skeptics and deniers of the prophecy compared to everywhere else. Such fringe opinions could be found among Canterlonians, who argued that the prophecy was baseless and the Mare of the Moon's return was unlikely. In some of the city's newspapers owned by affluent noble families, editorial pieces that shared the same sentiment would sometimes pop up during Summer Sun Celebrations and Nightmare Nights. Certain conspiracy theories were also shared in hushed tones from word of mouth. Some of the more outlandish ones argued that there was no chance the Lunar Diarch would ever return. Arguing how the chosen bearer of the Elements being stuck down by the very same artifacts she previously wielded was suspicious, the theory claimed that a simple and more likely explanation existed: she was killed in the final battle against her sister, and Princess Celestia, horrified and ashamed of what she had done, had fabricated a lie. But despite all that, deep down, Equestrians could guess why Canterlonians harbored such views. They knew Princess Luna was especially hawkish when it came to dealing with nobles, and upon her return, they assumed that Canterlot, the city well-populated with old noble clans that sided with the Solarites thousands of years ago, would become a likely target of her retribution. Princess Celestia had assured them multiple times in the past that there was nothing to be afraid of. She promised the transfer to a diarchy would be peaceful, but it was not enough to quell their concerns. The ponies belonging to long-established noble clans still feared, or at least were nervous. A small number of them genuinely feared being under more scrutiny, fearing they would be brought to justice for things they'd been hiding. Even the others, the majority of ponies who had done no wrongdoing themselves, had some apprehensions. Would the vengeful alicorn come for them, punishing them for the sins of their forefathers, eager to see their entire clan crumble? Considering all this, it was inevitable that, at the time of dawn, they had gone into panic as the sun was nowhere to be seen. The Crown's representatives had already carried out a statement that the princesses were safe, and everything was under control. Guards patrolled the streets, urging their citizens to remain calm and stay within their homes if possible. Unfortunately, that didn't stop some of them from panicking regardless. They knew what Princess Luna wrote in her journal and what she wished to do if her sister weren't there to stop her. The lasting night was only the first part of her plan, and with that already becoming reality, who was to say that Nightmare Moon wouldn't descend upon Canterlot at any moment and begin a second purge of the nobility? Crowds of nobles gathered in front of Canterlot Castle and other royal guard garrisons, demanding answers and a guarantee of their safety. Those who sought to flee rushed to the train station, only to find the place in utter chaos, ponies desperate to find any ticket to get them and their families as far away from the city as possible. Celestia groaned as she finished reading the Captain's report; the amount of unrest among the public was greater than she had anticipated. Without hesitation, she did the first thing she had on her mind to fix this situation. Raising her head high up and concentrating, her horn began to glow as she felt her connection to the sun and moon. With centuries worth of experience behind her, she aptly pushed and pulled the two celestial bodies along their respective trajectories with her magic. Within a minute, she dimmed her horn as she finished her deed. "It is done. The sun should be back up right now. As for all of you, return to Canterlot and report back to Captain Armor that the situation has been resolved." "Princess, are you sure you do not need us to stay here?" Celestia smiled gently to reassure them. "Although I understand the Captain's apprehensions, I have more than enough guards here to keep things secure. Give me a moment, I need you to deliver a message for me." Spotting a blank stack of papers alongside an inkwell and a quill sitting atop a table at the center of the room, she picked them up in her magic and began to swiftly write up a letter. It was addressed to Shining Armor, explaining and apologizing for her error of not keeping track of sunset and also reassuring him of the safety of her and her sister. Finishing off the letter by clarifying her decision to send the guards back, she passed the paper to them, which was quickly rolled up and stored in the scroll container of one of the guards. "That should address the Captain's concerns. Return to Canterlot and deliver it to him in haste. That is my order." Heeding Her Majesty's command, the guards gave her another round of coordinated salutes before leaving the room. Watching them exit through the doorway one by one, Celestia let out a sigh. Yes, her little ponies would stop panicking now that the sun was up, but it was still too late. She just hoped the damage caused by all the chaos wouldn't be too big. Watching the last of the soldiers leave the room and close the door behind them, the princess thought for several more seconds. Perhaps she needed to address the general public. An announcement from herself to explain the proceedings and the events to not leave them in the dark. More transparency would do good to prevent further confusion and misconceptions, she reasoned as she floated another piece of paper in front of her. She turned her head around and glanced at Nightmare Moon, still lying motionless in her bed. Looks like it's going to take some time before she wakes up. Sitting down at the table with her back turned against the comatose alicorn, Celestia began to write up a draft, which she would use as the basis for her speech. Fixated on choosing the right tone and the right choice of words for the task, she wrote down sentence after sentence, finishing up a paragraph only to scrap the entire thing and repeat the process. A thousand years of ruling may have honed her many different skills, but writing still proved fairly challenging without the help of her speechwriters, which she lacked now. With her attention completely devoted to it, she had no way of knowing that her sister's right eye was open and was now staring at her from the bed with a penetrating gaze. Nightmare remained still even after things had quieted down. She furtively examined the room, planning her next course of action. Her lone eye was now trained on her sister, distracted with her task, and her back turned against her. The observation went on for several more minutes, and eventually, the Night Princess made up her mind. She'd already heard enough to guess what was going on, and seeing an opening, she knew what she had to do. With no signs of guards barging into the room any time soon, she slowly and carefully shifted her body, cautious not to make a sound. You'll regret your decision very soon Celestia, she thought as she stealthily got out of her bed, her hooves making no sound as they made contact with the hard floor. It was excruciatingly slow, but she was patient, like a timberwolf eyeing its victim. Remaining calm and collected, her eye was trained on the white alicorn the whole time as she managed to get up and stand on her legs without rousing any attention. Nightmare scowled at her sister, unhappy with the situation she'd been put into. She would have preferred to do this while she was in a more favorable position, but circumstances had forced her hoof. She knew that the longer she remained captured, the less likely she was to succeed with any of her plans. Slowly taking a deep breath, she prepared herself. Celestia may have blindsided her, but it was now her turn to catch her off guard while she was lulled into a false sense of security. Steadying her gait, Nightmare Moon began to quietly inch closer to her target, but she faltered only after taking her first two steps. She felt something pulling at her right foreleg, only to be reminded of the lines connected to her limb. Nightmare still didn't know what to make of them as she looked at the wires. Hesitantly, she gently pulled them with her teeth, feeling the wires tugging against her skin. Was this strapped onto her to tie her in place, or was it something else? What she was certain of, however, was the fact that they had to be removed sooner or later. Eyeing her sister again, she could see her ears still facing forward and oblivious to what was happening behind her. But she wouldn't stay distracted forever; there was no time to waste. Hoping for the best, Nightmare Moon held her breath as she yanked the wires with her teeth, pulling them out one by one with each pull. She felt a prick as a trickle of blood flowed out from where one of the wires was embedded into her skin, but other than that, she was none the worse for wear. She initially feared that there was something more than met the eye, but it seemed like that was not the case. Relieved, the black alicorn finished by pulling the last remaining flimsy binding off her. Well that wasn't so bad. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP-. Nightmare's mind filled with dread as the infernal machine let out an alarm as soon as she pulled the last tether off her foreleg. The high-pitched hum rang out continuously, its abrupt shriek breaking the calm of the room that she hoped to maintain. Of course Celestia would have more of her tricks ready. The Princess of the Night scowled, noticing her target quickly standing up from her seat and turning around to face her with a worried expression. "Sister, wait! I don't think you should be walking so soon, stay still-" As a response, Nightmare Moon squared up and bucked the machinery behind her as hard as she could. Her hind legs collided with the pesky thing, destroying it completely with a loud crash and silencing both the device and her sister simultaneously. "Your Highness, Is everything alright?" On the other side of the door, the guard knocked after hearing sounds of disturbance. But Celestia failed to respond, her attention solely focused on the other alicorn in the room. "Nightmare, I know it may be confusing, but I assure you, there's nothing to worry about. You're safe here." Not willing to take any chances, she began to slowly backpedal, trying to avoid agitating the mare further. "Please, give me a moment, I-I'll go get the doctors." Ignoring the feeling of unease rising in her mind, Celestia tried her best to calm her down with her disarming voice, but that only seemed to agitate the mare further. "How kind of you, Celestia. But I don't think you'll be leaving so soon." Before Celestia could ask what she meant by that, she saw her sister's horn glow. From sheer magical strength alone channeled through her horn, the inhibitor ring on her horn shattered like it was nothing, its shards flying out across the room. Shielding her face with her wing in reflex, Celestia tried to calm her down, but the sound of a loud metallic clank from behind her caught her attention. Turning her head around, she saw the door's large sliding lock had now been slammed into its locked position, the metallic lock soon beginning to creak and bend under the pressure of her sister's magical grip until it was warped beyond repair. Celestia's eyes widened, for she realized what her sister was trying to do. "After all..." The dark alicorn began to take several steps forward, her approach menacing despite her limp. "...I believe we have some unfinished business to settle."
Chapter 6In her office, Doctor Redheart had been combing through pre- and early-equestrian history records she had gotten from the on-site library to find references to Princess Luna. With nobody having a clue about the signs of previous wounds the mare hid within her, the doctor had been forced to search through the pile of books herself, trying to find any mention of battles, injuries, or illnesses that mentioned her in any way. She was going to ask the Princess about it, and it wasn't like she discredited personal accounts from patients; it was just that they occasionally proved inaccurate. Getting information from third parties, such as first responders or previous healthcare providers, proved more reliable in such cases. She was trying to do just that, but in an arduous way. Redheart wouldn't doubt the princess' memory or her honesty. But it was better to be safe than sorry; for an important patient like her, it was better to be prepared. Unfortunately, the results of her endeavor were meager compared to the number of books she had to sift through. There were just too many, and whenever she found any semblance of relevant information, any mention of the princess' health was brief and lacking detail. It made sense that such information about their rulers was considered state secrets even back then, but now? It was a point of frustration for the good doctor. Sighing, she stopped before she could finish going through even a quarter of the material she'd brought into her office, taking a brief reprieve from her quest to fill out a medical record of a mare from a thousand years ago. "Why am I even trying to do this by myself? I should have just gone and asked others for help." Placing a bookmark between the pages, she closed the hefty book with a thud. In general, Redheart knew two things about the researchers working at Ponyville Royal Observatory. First, they were highly knowledgeable about their field of expertise and devoted to their work. The second was that most of them were huge admirers of Princess Luna and her alternate form and were also highly knowledgeable regarding her history and legacy. Out of the loop, Redheart thought this was a bit odd when she first started working here, but after talking to some of them, it wasn't hard to understand why. Positions at the Ponyville Royal Observatory were highly sought after, not only because it was a prestigious institution. Considering the research station's mission of saving the Princess of the Night, it was natural that her most devout followers would congregate here. After all, the inspiring yet tragic story of Princess Luna has captivated the hearts and minds of many Equestrians over the centuries. Ponies saw a lot of things from her. A kind and caring soul, an upright and honest mare, and a dedicated scholar of the arcane arts. Despite only existing in historical records for millennia, Redheart didn't doubt that she was the most popular princess in numerous parts of the country and in several branches of academia. In astronomy in particular, it was not an exaggeration that the tale of the Mare of the Moon alone had led most young would-be astronomers worldwide to find their interest in the field and eventually to find their calling. And with so many considering her a role model and a virtuous figure, what better contribution was there than doing your part in the forefront of saving Her Highness, The Night Princess, Shepherd of Dreams, and Patron Saint of all Night Creatures? For them, there was no higher honor than that. The tired doctor let out a defeated sigh as she leaned on the back of her chair, stretching her stiff neck and limbs. Instead of suffering alone, she admitted defeat and decided to seek help. Surely, she'd have a better chance of finishing this by discussing it with ponies in other departments. They could give her some useful information, or at least give her pointers and help her narrow her search. More than likely, they'd be rather happy to help. Leaning further and stretching her neck backward to relax her stiff muscles, her break was rudely interrupted when someone began banging loudly on her office door. "Doctor Redheart, are you in there? Doctor Redheart?" Surprised by the loud interference, Redheart jumped in surprise while leaning back on her chair. Losing her balance, her chair was tipped over completely, throwing her onto the floor with a loud crash. She hissed as she slowly got up, holding the back of her head in pain. She could already feel that a bump had already formed there. Dusting the dirt off her white lab coat to make herself presentable, she did her best to not visibly frown as she approached the door to open it herself. This better be good. When she opened the door, she saw a guard standing in front of her with a worrisome expression. "Now what's so urgent that you've been practically breaking down my door? You know you can just knock." "It's the princess. Quickly, follow me, please." That was all she needed to hear. The doctor's attitude did a 180 as she nodded, closing the door behind her and following the guard briskly. There was no need to know which princess the guard was referring to. In either case, she knew it was very important. Trotting through the halls and climbing up staircases, she could see several other guards and ponies heading the same way as her. Please don't be anything serious... Despite her hopes, the signs did not look good as she arrived on the fifth floor. The guards had formed a barricade to prevent entry to the fifth-floor hallway, stopping the small crowd from entering further. "What's going on in there? Why won't you let us pass?" A pegasus mare wearing a tool belt, presumably one of the maintenance crew of the facility, questioned the wall of guards who stood adamant. "We're cordoning off this wing until further notice. Please return to your respective departments and await further instructions. You will be notified when needed here. If you have not been brought here by one of our guards, return to your duties; we need to keep this area clear!" Among the crowd, Redheart could see some ponies moving through the crowd with the help of some guards, making way for them and ushering them deeper down the hallway. Before the doctor could fully take in the situation, she too was ushered inside as her guard escort urged her to move inside quickly. With the clamor of the ponies now fading behind her, she rushed down the hallway, only to hear more clamoring, this time coming ahead of her. There was nothing normal about this; there was no doubt that something was wrong. The normally quiet corridor of the fifth floor was now littered with guards, observatory staff, and stacked books. While the armed guards did a poor job of hiding the anxiety and dread on their faces as they stood in orderly rows, the researchers were frantically discussing and arguing with each other as they flipped through the pages of their notes. That wasn't all. As she carefully swerved past them and neared her destination, she could occasionally feel the ground shake; her earth pony hooves could feel it. Redheart did not know the reason for all this until the door of the dusk ward was within her sight, along with everyone around it. Normally there would be just two guards stationed in front of the dusk ward's entrance at all times, but the white door was now surrounded by numerous ponies. In front of the enchanted door, a unicorn connected her glowing horn to it and feverishly wrote down lines upon lines of data on a scroll. When a scroll was filled, it was then tossed to the group of artificers and astronomers behind her, whom they examined with the utmost scrutiny. Soon, they too began writing something down on their sheets of paper, passed the scroll to others further down the hallway, and began flipping through pages of huge dusty tomes with their magic to cross-reference whatever they had written down. Someone had even brought a blackboard, where several ponies were putting their heads together and feverishly writing down equations and calculations. But that wasn't the most concerning part. What made the worried doctor stop in her tracks were the faint sounds of arcane blasts and destruction coming from the other side of the door. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. The terrified mare could only stand still in abject terror. Those were not sounds that should be coming from inside a hospital ward, let alone anywhere near it. She doubted her ears, but the sounds refused to subside, and dust fell from the ceiling with every vibration that shook the building's walls. Had it not been for somepony to snap her out of it, she would have been frozen there for several more minutes. "You alright there, Redheart?" Startled as she was broken out of her spell, Redheart turned her head to find Doctor Horse standing next to her with a hoof on her shoulder, but his gesture failed to calm her down at all. "No! I am not feeling alright! Just what in Tartarus is happening? How can you be so calm, Horse? Have you forgotten that our patient's in there?!" Redheart, in turn, turned around and grabbed both of his shoulders as she nearly screamed at him. At his coworker's strong reaction, Doctor Horse backed off to gently get her forehooves off of him. "On the contrary, I'm feeling just as disturbed as you are. I know it's bad, but we should be the last ponies here to succumb to panic. You know better than that." Rummaging through his bag on the ground, he pulled out a thermos and passed it over to her with his shaking hoof. "Drink it. It's chamomile." Taking the steel container with her hoof, Redheart screwed it open and began drinking. She gulped the lukewarm tea down, not bothering to sip or enjoy any of its aroma. She wasn't particularly fond of chamomile, and she was feeling parched anyway. After finishing nearly half of the bottle's contents, she passed it back to her fellow doctor, feeling slightly less anxious than before. "Feeling better now?" "I... yeah. I apologize for what I just did. That was unprofessional of me. You're right, we have to stay levelheaded." "That's the spirit. But enough of that. Haven't you been briefed on the way here?" "I don't think I have." "Then I'll give you a concise one." The caramel-colored unicorn pushed his glasses up, much of his styled brown mane now matted with sweat. "About fifteen minutes ago, the guards noticed the EKG machine inside the room flatlining and stopping, then heard sounds of disturbance. When Princess Celestia didn't respond to their calls, they decided to enter, but they found the door locked and the lock supposedly broken from the inside. For now, both princesses are locked in there." "Wait, that couldn't have been a cardiac arrest, right? W-we checked everything! We made sure to give her the safest treatment we could! We have to check them! Can't they scry inside the room or something?" "As long as the lock is in place, the Dusk ward's enchantment will block magic, sound, and everything, so we don't have confirmation on what's going on inside. Worst case scenario: we can't completely rule out the possibility. If it's an actual medical emergency and we can't get to her fast... then Harmony help us all." Both doctors shivered, intense dread taking over them at the implication of such a possibility. "But you're correct. None of the data we have suggests the princess was particularly at risk of having one. Most likely, we're suspecting a malfunction or a user error. The way the door was supposedly locked and broken and the fact that destructive spells are being cast inside are suspicious. The most probable explanation the guards have pieced together so far is that Princess Nightmare Moon woke up, briefly made the machine flatline by pulling off all the electrodes, and..." This time, a muffled sound of an explosion rang out from the room, rumbling and startling everyone on the floor and rattling the lamps on the walls. "...and is now fighting her sister." "Oh no." The pink-maned doctor's face turned into one of remorse. "Horse, that's not reassuring at all. I told Princess Celestia that she could visit her, I- I told her to be careful, but-" "Don't blame yourself for everything like that. It was a majority vote from the team, including me. We'll worry about that in the future." "Are the guards sure about this? What if it's an intruder? What if someone's gotten inside to harm them?" "The guards insist that every single creature going in and out of the room and this entire building has been screened and accounted for. I believe them, though. I'm not joking when I say that this is currently the most heavily guarded place in Equestria." Redheart shook her head. "This is terrible. Regardless of what's happening, we need to get inside. We can't just sit here; are they anywhere closer to opening that door?" "To be frank, it's not looking good." Doctor Horse replied dejectedly. "The guards only know the spell to operate the locks. But now that the spell's not working and they can't teleport in, they're trying to force it open. The artificers are doing their best to break the room's enchantment... but I don't know. They say they've sent a messenger to Canterlot about this, so either the artificers here crack it or whoever designed this room comes here with a counterspell." Turning her gaze back at the door, Redheart watched said artificers at work. With the absolute focus they had on their task, they were almost detached from the unnerving situation unfolding around them. "But I don't understand. How come nobody here knows the counterspell for the Dusk ward? I know that must be classified, but surely someone has to!" "That's the thing. The only pony in this building who knows how to disable it is inside that room." "Wait. Are you talking about Princess Celestia?" Redheart's eyebrows were raised. "I don't get it. If she can free herself, then why hasn't she done it already? Isn't she in danger? What about her sister? What are we even supposed to do about this?!" "I don't know anymore, Red. Your guess is as good as mine at this point. For now, we stand by and wait. That's all we can do now." Sighing, he gestured to the other doctors and nurses down the hall, stretchers and doctor bags ready. Reluctantly, Redheart followed him to the rest of the medical staff currently on standby. With bags under their eyes and staring into nothing, it was evident that none of her colleagues were taking the situation well. It was as if they too knew that the outcome of this quandary was not going to be pretty.
Chapter 7The dimly lit interior of the Dusk ward, which previously evoked calm and comfort, had now turned into a place nothing short of mayhem. Upturned furniture lay broken at the edges of the room, and multiple cracks and charred spots marked the white vinyl flooring. All but one of the crystal lamps in the room had been shattered, dimming the room even further. Sections of the pristine white walls of the room had been damaged by the impact of destructive spells, littering the room with its concrete rubble. Celestia stood in the middle of all this, holding her breath as she deflected a magical blast with a swing of her horn. The diverted magical charge promptly exploded as it hit a wall to her right, spraying her with shards of debris. She coughed as she breathed in the acrid air, dense with concrete dust. "Tired already, Celestia? Is it too much for you? Come on. Burn me with that pitiful flame of yours. Or are you too scared to make a move?" Nightmare Moon measured her opponent, her horn glowing lightly and ready to block any incoming counterattacks. She watched her nemesis cough, desperately trying to blink dust away from her eyes. What a pathetic display. Barely defending against her attacks, she was too cowardly to even attempt to strike her back. Where was that fierce mare that she once fought? Her great power, granted by her ascension, matched only by her pride? Frankly, Nightmare didn't see any, which only irked her further. Something was off. With her other eye bandaged and covered, she could only see with her right eye, her azure nocturnal eye gleaming in the relative darkness. Her brow furrowed, partly from suspicion but also from pain. Even with all the adrenaline running through her veins, it couldn't distract her from her body in distress. The bandages on her body had turned reddish, the fight reopening whatever wounds she had underneath. In truth, it hurt even just to stand upright. All the muscles in her body were burning, and whenever she put pressure on her bad leg, she involuntarily winced from sharp pains. She did her damnest to hide it, however. On the battlefield and in the royal court alike, showing your weakness meant defeat. The Mare of the Moon was very well aware of it. It was something that she adhered to, despite her distaste for facades. "Nightmare, you're in no condition to fight." Celestia seemed to plead; the edges of her eyes reddened, presumably from all the dust. "I know the pain you had to live through. I swear in Harmony's name that no harm may come your way. Please, there's no point in fighting anymore. Let us help you." For Nightmare Moon, however, the words that came out of her mouth felt nothing but disingenuous. Even in her pitiful state, that mare dared to taunt back. She was reminding her of her frailty and mocking her for the failures of the past. The flicker of irritation in Nightmare's mind had turned into a bout of anger as she leered at her opponent. "You think I don't know that? Do you think of me as a fool, Celestia? My leg may be shattered and my wing may be broken, but you'd be mistaken if you thought that would stop me. You think I held on for countless years on that empty rock for nothing?" Nightmare's nostrils flared as she breathed heavily, and her stoic expression began to break. Her piercing gaze locked onto Celestia's eyes, seeing her shrivel under her scrutiny. "I know that I didn't escape imprisonment on my own. It was your court mages, wasn't it? That arcane circle, all for luring me into this tower of yours. You didn't bring me back for small talk, did you? Just what did you tell your dear subjects about this?" Celestia looked at her with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. "I-I'm afraid I don't follow, sister. I've longed for your return for so many years, and I've done everything I can to find a way to bring you back. All I did and prepared was for your safety. I did it to save you, to break you out of your banishment! I know you're confused-" "Am I, Celestia? It's clear to me that you've brought me here for your sad little subterfuge. What more did you tell them, hmm? That your evil sister has escaped from the moon? That I'll bring destruction and eternal night upon Equestria? "Sister, what are you-" "I've heard you talk with your guards! Don't you try to deny it! You've taken the sun away from your subjects on purpose, just to blame it on me! And all you had to do was vanquish me at my weakest and take all the glory." The alicorn spoke, her words dripping with contempt as her jaws tightened from anger. "How desperate are you for approval? Have your subjects finally turned against you? Are they finally seeing you for what you truly are?" Celestia's eyes widened in horror as she realized what she was being accused of, her ears pinned back against her head. "I- it was a mistake! That wasn't my intention, sister, I swear! I've changed! Equestria has changed! I'd never do something like that to you!" Nightmare only scoffed at her in disbelief. Nothing but lies she spouted. Things that she had expected, pathetic drivel that she had heard enough. "Oh, you're a real class act, sister. Have you no shame? After all this time, this is what you use me for?!" Nightmare bared her fangs out after she yelled out, her limbs shaking from anger that had been simmering inside her. "You thought you could get away with it. But you don't realize what a mistake you've made by bringing me down here." Her right eye narrowed, and her voice turned frigid with hatred. "You should have just let me rot on the moon." Before her sister could say anything in response, the mare of the moon cast a spell as fast as she could, and her long horn flashed bright with her teal magic. When Celestia took notice of Nightmare's spell cast, she reacted quickly, but not quickly enough. Before she could even lower her horn to deflect it, the first magical beam had already been fired at her at lightning speed. But Celestia's golden peytral reacted immediately. The centuries-old enchantment embedded in it came to life, glowing and humming loudly as it sprang into activation. The enchantment, in all its limited power, strained to divert the magical attack from its wearer, bending the beam away from Celestia by the skin of the teeth. When Celestia had fully processed what had happened, only the side of her neck was slightly burned by being grazed by the searing magic bolt. Drat. Nightmare growled as her attack only managed to startle her target, harmlessly hitting the wall behind her instead. But there was no time to hesitate; she had to maintain the offensive. Without pause, she began to cast successive spells with all her might. Multiple arcane bolts shot out of her horn, firing in rapid bursts as she set her eyes on her target. Celestia, however, was quick to recover from her initial blunder as she hastily formed a golden, translucent wall in front of her, defending against the volley of spells that pelted her. Against her relentless attack, the mare of the sun held on by the narrowest margins, mending her barrier as sparks flew and more and more cracks formed upon impact. Their spells illuminated the dark room, lighting up their surroundings with the colors of their respective magical auras. Celestia spoke as she withstood the assault, trying to tell her sister about something, but Nightmare disregarded all of it. Most of them were drowned out by the sounds of spellcasting. Whatever words she did manage to hear, however, fell on deaf ears as the spell barrage continued for what felt like an eternity. Celestia, despite that, remained unrelenting. As the fight went on, her pleas escalated into yelling, to the point where Nightmare could not ignore her cries. It was starting to irritate her. "Nightmare, you have to stop! Harmony would not want this!" "Don't you dare sully her name further!" Pausing her spellcasting, Nightmare stomped her hoof against the floor, exasperated by what she thought were more vapid excuses. "That audacity of yours truly has no bounds. Do you think I won't remember? Eternity may have passed, but I still remember what you've let happen! We promised, Celestia! We were supposed to bring harmony to the land! Uphold harmony's values and bring peace! But you gave all of that up when it became too heavy to uphold, didn't you?" Once again, her horn began to glow cyan as she started to conjure up another spell. Celestia reacted immediately, her own horn humming louder as she readied herself to fortify her wall against whatever powerful spell her sister was about to throw at her. "You've let harmony down! You've failed our friends, our subjects, and everyone! You, have failed Equestria!" Consumed with rage, Nightmare unleashed her spell after its difficult conjuration. Celestia, none the wiser of what was about to come, cautiously watched her behind the safety of her barrier with a worried expression. This changed into panic, however, as she noticed the ground below her faintly glowing cyan. As she frantically jumped to her side, the floor on which she stood fractions of seconds ago erupted, the explosion shooting out debris and knocking the frightened mare down to the ground. Concussed and reeling in pain, Celestia withdrew her wall and instead covered herself with a bubble shield that covered her on all sides. She moaned in pain, the side of her body littered with scratches and bruises. Clutching her stomach with one hoof in discomfort, she took shallow breaths as she tried to steady herself. Nightmare grunted in frustration. As beads of sweat kept rolling down her aching head, she huffed as she tried to catch her breath from all her spellcasting. What should have been a quick, decisive battle against Celestia was still ongoing. Despite her best efforts to take her down, that blasted mare was still standing. Not only did she manage to fend off her spell barrage, but the one spell that managed to hit her, the one that would have easily taken a regular pony out of commission, only made her bleed a little. Had Celestia grown stronger, or was she just that weakened? Nightmare's thoughts were leaning toward the latter. She'd powered through the fight to the best of her abilities, her every attack fueled with anger and anguish. Her mind demanded vengeance and vindication, but her body struggled to comply. She didn't even notice that her head was beginning to droop. Despite her attempts to shake it off, her distress was becoming more and more evident. Along with her body burning in pain, she was slowing down. An unsettling cold and fatigue gradually crept in, followed by nausea and dizziness. She wasn't liking this at all. This is taking too long, Nightmare thought, her brow creasing as she watched Celestia slowly get back up. As much as she would like to insist that her counterpart was a fool, she also knew that wasn't the case. Celestia was a shrewd mare, and Nightmare did not doubt that she knew exactly what she was doing. She must have been aware that she was the lesser spellcaster and a fighter; the Elements of Harmony were her only saving grace in their last confrontation, after all. Now, she was being methodical, strictly playing to her advantage. She was stalling, waiting for her injured opponent to tire itself out and to be left defenseless eventually. If she kept this up and the fight dragged on even further... Nightmare wasn't so sure about her chance of winning. She was running out of both time and options, and she could not play into her enemy's hooves anymore. If Celestia wanted to keep cowering behind her shield, then fine. She'd cast something powerful enough that could break through it—something that would incapacitate her for good. Standing back upright and collecting her thoughts as best as she could, Nightmare Moon began to channel one of her more powerful spells at her disposal. It was a complex spell normally cast by multiple unicorns, no doubt challenging, but a feat more than capable for somepony like her. In utmost concentration, she gathered her remaining magic, putting together a spell that she hadn't cast for quite some time. At the tip of her horn, magic began to concentrate, with blue arcs of electricity crackling and swirling into a sphere. With little regard for its caster's safety, the powerful spell began to drain her reserves and whatever remaining strength she had. An immense pressure built up in her head, making it feel like her horn was about to explode. A gut feeling, based on her experience as a seasoned spellcaster, warned her of two things. That one, in her current state, this spell would be too powerful for her to control. And two, she knew that, for subduing Celestia, this spell would be too destructive. But Nightmare, her mind clouded with fury, failed to acknowledge them. Perhaps when defeat was not an option, there was no time for caution. At least, that's how she reasoned. She couldn't stop. It was do or die; there was no turning back now. "Nightmare, stop!" She's persistent; I'll give her that. Nightmare ignored her as she weaved her spell in haste, trying to drown Celestia's voice out with her thoughts. "I know you're hurting. I know how badly you're hurt, both in your body and mind. I cannot imagine the pain you're enduring right now." But I won't let her break my concentration. "You've suffered enough, sister. I- I just can't bear to see you hurt anymore." I mustn't lose focus. "I understand your reluctance to trust me. The actions I've taken in hindsight, blinded by my conviction..." I shall not fail. Carefully directing the flow of her magical output, the vengeful alicorn felt her spell near its completion. Minutely vibrating, the cyan ball of lightning, in its barely stabilized form, floated at the tip of her horn. Unlike the quiet hum it emitted, the sheer thaumic pressure of it was deceptively overwhelming, threatening to escape her control at her slightest mistake. Nearing one-third of her size, it contained an arcane storm that would be unleashed upon her target. This was it. She was going to finish this fight. "...I'm sorry." Nightmare's grip on her spell wavered for a split second before she quickly regained control of it. She thought she'd misheard and that her exhausted mind was playing tricks on her. When Celestia took a deep breath and continued her monologue, however, she was proven wrong. "I failed to see the struggles within you. When concerns and grievances ate away at you, I accused you of being myopic as I glossed over them. I took your trust for granted; all the while I failed to see my failures, unaware of my blindness." Celestia's voice was laden with remorse, unable to look her sister in the eye anymore. "And worst of all, it was you who had to suffer the most for my mistakes. I have failed you most gravely, Nightmare. Not just as a Diarch of Equestria, but as your sister as well. I'm truly sorry. For everything." No, she's not- She has to be lying. "For that, I've made a vow, sister. Whatever happened, whatever it cost, I was determined to bring you back safely. I did everything in my power to keep that promise, but when you got injured, I- I didn't know what to do. I panicked, and you've gotten me so worried that everything else slipped past my mind, even my duty to raise the sun." Celestia's head drooped further in shame. "I'm not proud to admit my negligence, but I swear to harmony that with everything I tried to do, I did it to make things right. For all of us." She's just trying to deceive you. Nightmare tried her best to focus on the spell in her grasp, but Celestia's words managed to worm their way into her head. A myriad of memories and thoughts began to resurface from within her mind. "I may sound disingenuous to you. I know it's too late. I also know that I can't undo what I've done with mere words... but it's something that I owe you regardless." Celestia muttered, slowly raising her head back up. Her reddened eyes were now glistening, looking directly into her sister's eyes. "It's not just me who's been waiting for your return. Your subjects—they've been waiting for so long. Do you remember their cheers? They've all gathered to welcome you." That couldn't be right. Did all of that really happen? Nightmare's eye trembled at the mention of her subjects; her attempts at blocking Celestia's voice out proved more and more futile. The hazy memories in her head were coming back once more. Her escape, her confrontation with the gathered crowd, the flashes of memories that she had deemed to be false. Her concentration muddied further, confusion taking place. "They're worried sick about you. Please, return to us, sister. Whatever problems arise or whatever doubts you may have, I promise that I'll do my best to help you. Just like old times. Just like the Everfree." Celestia spoke, a wistful smile slowly blossoming as she looked with a hopeful expression. "Nightmare, could you... could you give your ungrateful sister another chance?" Nightmare hated this. Countless years did she spend on the moon, imagining the day she would get her revenge on her. A day where she'd beat her into submission, take initiative, and finally set Equestria on its right path. Not this. What was Celestia doing? Just what on Equestria was she planning, and how was she making her feel so... conflicted? "Enough! Enough with your games!" Desperately trying to clear her mind of any doubt, Nightmare yelled out in frustration. Putting her full focus back on her spell, she weaved it to completion, its light burning even brighter. Her head throbbed as she felt the immense power gathered within her grasp, ready to be unleashed. Promptly, her horn was lowered and pointed directly at her adversary. The large ball of lightning floated an inch away from the tip of her horn, crackling and trembling whenever her grip on it loosened. It was a manifestation, not just of her arcane prowess but also of the anger and mistrust she'd been carrying for so long. The entirety of the room was bathed in its teal light, overpowering the other colors. It was almost blinding. Eyes wide, Celestia fell silent, the light of her sister's spell reflecting off her teary eyes. Her ears flattened and her mouth slightly agape, she stood with a heartbroken expression. "You honestly think I'd believe you? After everything you've done to me? We could have chosen to change Equestria for the better. We could have done it together!" Nightmare blinked profusely, trying to blink the blurriness out of her eye. "But I wasn't good enough for you, was I? That's why you chose them over me. I bet you didn't even hesitate before you stabbed me in the back." "I'm so sorry. What I've done to you that day, what you had to suffer for my mistake—I was wrong back then. Looking at your form... I thought something had gone wrong, that something else had taken hold over you." Celestia pleaded, her voice reeking of desperation, which only made her sister scoff. "You think you know everything about me? I've always been myself, and whatever form I decide to take doesn't matter! If there's anyone who has lost themselves, that would be you, Celestia! No matter what scheme you're trying to pull, no matter how hard you try to stop me, I will not falter! I will not surrender! And I will not stop until one of us falls!" Celestia looked devastated, wincing as her sister lashed out at her. Her mouth moved as if she were trying to say something back, but her swollen throat only managed to let barely audible croaks out of her. For a moment, the room fell into silence aside from the hum of the charged-up spell. It took multiple attempts before she could speak again, her voice now trembling ever so slightly. "I... I understand. Whether I receive forgiveness or not isn't for me to decide." After all her insults and accusations, Nightmare expected her to finally grow a backbone and strike back, or at least be angered. Instead, what she did next perplexed her. As her head hung low in resignation, the barrier around Celestia's body shimmered and receded until it disappeared completely. She then began to take her regalia off of her body one by one, placing her hoofshoes and peytral by her side. "Just what do you think you are doing?" "I yield. If it means I can put an end to this, I'll yield. I beg you, this needs to stop. We don't have to fight each other anymore." The former monarch slowly took her crown, her last piece of regalia, and placed it on the ground next to her. It was a clear act of surrender, but a gesture that Nightmare could not comprehend from somepony like Celestia. "What is this? You're sorely mistaken if you think you deserve mercy! If you've planned to face me, at least show some respect by putting up a fight!" "No. I won't make the same mistake again. I can't bring myself to hurt you, sister. I just can't." Celestia spoke, crestfallen and remorseful. "I want you to know that I'm not asking to be spared of your judgment; I only ask that you hear my apology. Whatever punishment or consequence you believe I deserve, I'm prepared to face it. The only thing I wish," Celestia muttered as she closed her eyes, tears trailing down her face. "is for you to find peace." "Ha! You think this pathetic display would save you?! Do you think you can deceive me so easily? I won't give you the chance. I'll strike you down a hundred times if it means I'll do the right thing!" Nightmare shouted at her, but the pathetic mare she was facing wouldn't budge. With her eyes closed and her head hanging low, she wept as more tears fell from her cheek. "If that's the punishment you deem just, I... I understand." Celestia sobbed silently, and the tears that she choked down left pauses and stutters between her words. "I-if anything goes wrong... If you're faced with trouble you can't overcome, seek out my former students. They'll help you with every power they have." "Silence! Your words mean nothing to me!" "Whatever happens, whatever choice you may make, I want- I want you to know that I've always loved you. May Harmony guide us, no matter what." What Nightmare should do next was an easy one—obvious, even. Defenseless and exposed, Celestia was in shambles, the last of her meager fighting spirit gone. With the spell ready to be fired at her will, she had a clear shot at her. Her victory was just within reach; there was no reason for her to hesitate from striking her opponent. At least, that was what she initially thought, until her concerning suspicions were still left unsolved. Why? Nightmare couldn't understand. Why was Celestia acting like this? Yes, she did expect her to be defeated, just not this way. It should have been a cathartic moment. Knocking that self-righteous mare down, breaking her bones, to exact the revenge that she'd dreamed so much of. Except that wasn't exactly what was happening, and she almost felt robbed of it. The fight had been strictly one-sided, to the point where Celestia hadn't even tried to lay a hoof on her. Compared to the last time she fought her, it was as if she was a different pony. Nightmare's mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. Unfortunately, none of it made any sense. What was Celestia trying to pull off here? What goal was there to achieve by giving up so easily and handing the victory over to her like this? Unless... Nightmare's eye widened as something clicked inside her head. The other possibility. She thought it was preposterous, wishful thinking that couldn't be further from reality. She'd been dismissing it ever since she'd been brought back down here. But with the situation unfolding in front of her in ways she did not expect, everything began to fall into place. The way she was "allowed" to escape the tower crawling with guards so easily, only to be met with a crowd that didn't cower at the sight of her but welcomed her with a roaring cheer of adoration. Celestia's apparent humility and concern, and her reluctance to fight her at all. Could it be? After all this time? Don't fool yourself. She doesn't need me, and I have no reason to believe her. She needs you. She was telling the truth. Quiet. You're setting us up for failure, and you know it. There's still hope. Haven't you learned anything? Remember what she's done to us! She cannot be trusted! Conflicted and uncertain, numerous thoughts and arguments clashed within Nightmare's mind. Her rage sought retribution and violence—to see Celestia suffer just so she could appease her age-old resentment. Her paranoia warned her of Celestia's lies, imploring her to stick with her plans. A small part of her psyche, however, was whispering ideas of hope that she'd buried away many years ago, instilling doubt in her. Nestled deep in her subconscious, her old companion was passive and docile. Except now, unlike its usual behavior, it was intruding on her at a difficult moment, much to her annoyance. Despite being voiceless, it communicated, projecting its thoughts directly into her mind. She cares about you. You believe it too. Stop interfering! Why are you even doing this? For you. For your sister. For Everyone. I'm not taking any chances this time; I won't let myself be betrayed again! She's not going to shield herself. You're about to do something you'll regret. You think I'll care? What matters is that I finish this once and for all. Whatever happens to her, she deserves it! With her face scrunched up in pain and mental disarray, Nightmare struggled to quiet her mind. Her once-steadfast conviction was now shaken, and she found her bravado slowly fleeting as anxiety took its place instead. Everything was at stake now. With her heart racing like mad, she found herself unable to make up her mind. She sought revenge; that was true. But what did she really want, deep down in her heart? As her confidence waned, so did her strength. She took deep breaths, struggling to keep her destructive spell in check. The spell of this magnitude just wasn't made to be held this long. The overgrown magical force was ravenous. Eager to grow out of its caster's control, it pulled any nearby magic onto itself, now forcibly draining its caster's last remaining magic reserves with no impediment. Hesitation is fear; fear is weakness... Nightmare repeatedly reminded herself in a last-ditch effort to get a hold of herself. Now, desperation had forced her hoof. Knowing that time was running out, she'd finally decided on what needed to be done—something she didn't want, but what was right. Shouting in frustration and anguish, Nightmare Moon swung her horn as she let go of the spell. With nothing to hold it back, the ball of lightning was shot from her horn, crackling with magic as it instantly became unstable mid-air. Before Nightmare could even shield her face, a blinding light and the sound of an ear-splitting thunderclap assaulted her eyes and ears. For a fraction of a second, the large room was filled with pure light as the arcane storm simultaneously unleashed its massive salvo of lightning bolts in its target direction. Then, as quickly as it came, all light within the room was extinguished. In the end, only two things remained in the Dusk Ward: pitch darkness and deathly silence.
Chapter 8For quite some time, Celestia dared not move. Flat on the ground, she held her pained ears with her hooves, trying to stop the ceaseless ringing in her ears. Her eyes were closed tight, but bright lights kept flashing in front of her, causing them to throb painfully. Lying on the cold floor, she waited for the assault on her senses to wear off, taking shallow breaths. A dusty odor was prominent in the air, followed by the smell of ozone and a faint smell of something burning. "Nightmare? Sister?" Her ringing ears and flashing eyes hadn't subsided yet, but it didn't matter. She opened her eyes and called out into the absolute darkness, failing to get an answer. For a moment, she was worried that she'd gone blind. Instinctively, she channeled her magic to cast the first thing that came to her mind, a spell with which she had the most affinity. A tiny flame was ignited, burning at the tip of her horn like candlelight. Her sensitive eyes narrowed against the pitiful light, and a slight relief washed over her. In the huge, darkened room, it was just bright enough to light up something right in front of her face. With no reason to hesitate anymore, Celestia shifted her limbs to get herself off the floor. As she stood up, she felt a sharp pain radiating from her barrel. Craning her head to the side, she found the left side of her body covered in bruises and cuts, visible through her white coat. Caused by one of her sister's attacks, that was evident. Still, things didn't exactly add up, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or puzzled. No doubt Nightmare had fired her last spell at her, but she felt mostly fine. She was expecting much worse; what happened? Feeling her eyes and ears gradually recover, the white alicorn fueled more magic into her horn. The tiny flame grew into the size of a small torchlight, lighting her immediate surroundings with shimmering light. With visibility provided, she looked ahead of her, where her sister last stood. She slowly shuffled forward, expecting to find her. Instead, only chunks of debris littered the ground. Anxiety rising, her eyes darted around as she looked around the darkened room. Searching for any signs of her sister, she spotted something at the edge of her vision. Turning her head to the left, she gasped at what she saw. The hospital ward turned battlefield had already been ravaged, walls and furniture alike not spared from her sister's wrath. Ruin was aplenty, but what she looked at was different in its scale of destruction. The left side of the room's wall had suffered massive damage, with large cracks reaching the floor and ceiling. In the middle of it, what almost seemed like a huge crater had formed, where the thick concrete wall had been torn down and turned into rubble. Enchanted steel walls hidden deep within it were now exposed, warped, and damaged under the sheer power of the spell that it had withstood. She also found the source of the burning smell; a part of her sister's bed had been caught up in the blast, turning half of it into a charred metal husk. Celestia was now certain of what had happened. Despite her being an easy target, somehow, this was where the spell had struck. It was just too far off course for it to be a mistake; she knew it. If so, that could only mean one thing. Suddenly, her ears turned backward. With the ringing no longer lingering in her ears, she swore she heard something shuffling somewhere. For seconds, she stood still, holding her breath as she tried to discern its direction. Then, she heard another sound. "Nightmare? Is that you?" She called out once again, only to be met with silence. Turning to her right, she cautiously walked towards where the sound came from. At first, she saw nothing out of place in the dark. That was until she lit her fire even brighter. In the far right corner, at the very edge of the room, a silhouette of an alicorn became visible just enough for her to discern it. Her sister was sitting there with her eyes closed, her tired body leaning against the wall. The black alicorn would have perfectly blended into the darkness if it weren't for her limb casts and bloodied bandages. At the sight of her, Celestia hurried towards her. Nightmare's right eye slowly opened as the light shone brighter over her. Her teal eye, tired and unfocused, strained to look in the direction of the light. Then, her expression turned into panic when she noticed the bright orange flame dancing above her sister's horn. "S-stay back!" "Nightmare, It's just me. It's going to be alright." "Don't come any closer! I- I'm warning you!" The fearful mare shouted, her breath ragged and her voice hoarse. She stood up frantically, her lightheadedness made apparent by her stumbling. With her horn lit up and her fangs bared, she was threatening retaliation, but her trembling body easily gave away her bluff. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Please, let me take a look at you." "That is none of your concern! Leave me be before I do something both of us will regret!" Both alicorns recoiled when Sparks flew out of Nightmare's horn with a crackle, whatever spell she was preparing failing and backfiring on her. As the dark alicorn squeezed her eyes shut, her horn flashed brightly several more times before it turned completely dim. She groaned in pain, her face contorting in agony as she gritted her teeth. "Sister, you need to take it easy. You're going to hurt yourself!" Celestia's eyes widened in alarm as she watched the stubborn mare in front of her quickly deteriorate. She saw Nightmare's frustration quickly overwhelmed by lethargy, no longer having the strength or resolve to keep on fighting. Her ethereal, dark blue mane started to lose its magic, losing its sparkle and turning duller. And before anyone could notice, Nightmare's knees gave out, and she swiftly fell forward. "No!" Celestia yelled out as she saw her sister collapse. However, before her injured head could strike the floor, her body was suspended just above the ground, covered in a shimmering golden magical aura. Celestia sighed in relief. Thank goodness she saw the signs early, or else she wouldn't have been able to catch her in time. Careful not to place too much pressure on her injuries, she levitated Nightmare's body back up and slowly placed her down, allowing the lightheaded mare to sit on her hind legs. Seeing how she hadn't suffered any more injuries, Celestia then sat right in front of her and hugged her gently. After Celestia's forelegs tenderly wrapped around her back, her white wings unfurled, covering her sister's body with their large wingspan. Celestia felt a mixture of emotions overwhelm her. How long has it been? A simple embrace between sisters, lost for how many years? A part of her millennia of longing may have been fulfilled at last, but her mind was still filled with worry. Her eyes teared up at the state of her sister, hurt and afraid. The shivering mare, her dark coat soaked with sweat and her body chilling, was refusing her gesture to comfort her. "Celestia..." Nightmare spat out between her labored breaths, her eyes half-lidded from vertigo. "Let go of me." "Why do you have to pain me so, sister? You have to stay put, at least until you get better." "Damn it, I'm not... I'm not asking you again, Celestia. Let go of me!" Nightmare's body stayed rigid, almost as if she were afraid to be touched. Shifting and squirming, she tried to push her older sibling away, but her struggle was pitiful as much as it was barely felt; she was too weak to even break out of a simple hug. A single tear rolled down Celestia's face, her sister's words breaking her heart. Did Nightmare detest her so much that she didn't want anything to do with her? Has their relationship simply been damaged to the point of no return? While her mind dwelled on such thoughts, she felt her sister twitching, almost like she were hiccuping. Concerned, she wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she soon got her answer when Nightmare began to retch. Celestia was taken aback for a moment but was understanding regardless. She knew it was one of the symptoms of acute magical exhaustion, so she decided to do what was needed the most: to be there where her sister needed her. She felt the mare in her arms shake, her wings trembling in stress. Her poor sister, her stomach twisting and her head spinning, kept gagging, her face distorted in nausea and pain. Yet her empty stomach failed to expel much at all, only small amounts of greenish-yellow bile splattered onto Celestia's back, staining her white coat. But Celestia didn't wince; she simply held her tighter as her younger sister convulsed with each heave. Carefully patting her sister's back, she hoped she could offer some solace, however minuscule it would be. It felt like the retching would only worsen, but to the worried alicorn's relief, it petered out eventually. When Nightmare was relieved of any sickness, she was spent. Celestia felt her sister's rigid body now leaning into her, albeit reluctantly. Her dark ethereal mane, lost of its starry brilliance, still cascaded in waves as she laid her head on her shoulder. It smelled of sweat and dirt, with a hint of black powder. "Nightmare, are you feeling better now? Please, there's no shame in asking for help." "I told you to let go of me. Must you take away my dignity by making me throw up on your back?" "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were feeling so sick. I shouldn't have pushed myself upon you, but... after all those years of separation, perhaps I was too afraid to let go of you so soon." For a moment, silence lingered in the air. "...What are you going to do with me?" Nightmare Moon muttered defeatedly, too worn out to put up any more struggle. She may have been no longer out of breath, but her body was still shaking, whether it was from exhaustion or fear. It only made Celestia's heart sink. "I'll help you get back on your throne. It's the least I can do." "You know very well what that entails." "I am aware. We'll make this work, I promise." "And you told me I was naive," Nightmare spoke with tiredness evident in her voice. "You haven't forgotten what I tried to do to the noble court, have you? They won't take this so calmly, and if you expect me to stay silent and stay on the sidelines, you'd be mistaken." "Equestria has changed a lot, sister. And as much as I have changed, they have too. I've made sure they won't be a problem." "You sound awfully confident." "I am, and I swear by my name that you won't have to worry about them anymore. Whatever happens, you have my word that I'll stand by you. I'll do anything to bring you back." Celestia spoke with confidence and sincerity, hoping it would reassure her sister. However, despite Celestia's assuring tone, Nightmare appeared dejected by her words. "I see what you're trying to do. If you're planning to bring Luna back, yours is a fool's errand," she spoke with a hint of hurt in her voice. "You're setting yourself up for disappointment, Celestia. I won't return to being your weak little sister anymore." Upon her sister's downcast response, Celestia felt like her old wounds were being reopened. Shame burned in Celestia's chest as she was once again reminded of their past, the things that led to Luna's despondency, and how she slowly lost faith in herself. Yet, beneath the weight of her sorrow, Celestia's resolve burned brightly. Never again would she stand by and watch her sister suffer. She couldn't lose her. Not again. "Nightmare, I want you to know I'll support whatever choice you make." Celestia hugged her sister a tad tighter with wings. "Because you're right. It doesn't matter which form you choose. Luna or Nightmare, it won't change how much you mean to me. No amount of time and space may sever the bond that connects us, and not even for a moment have I lost faith in it. You'll always be my dear sister to me, Nightmare. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Nightmare's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes downcast as she absorbed Celestia's words. In their quiet intimacy, Celestia felt subtle tremors in Nightmare's frame, her chest heaving with a slight hitch in her breath. It was a silent struggle to suppress her feelings, a fear of showing her vulnerability. Yet, within the tender confines of their embrace, Celestia felt a gentle warmth seeping into her shoulder and dampening her coat. "You... you want me to be a thorn in your side that bad?" "I've never been more sure in my life. I'll always accept you, thorns and all." "I... I..." Nightmare took a deep breath, trying to quell her tears and steady the quiver in her voice. "...Then so be it, Celestia. Maybe you truly are a fool." "Perhaps. But my past self was an even greater fool than I am. So many times over countless nights, I wished that I hadn't made that mistake of casting you away. Your absence was haunting, sister. I worried that I'd lose you forever." Tears rolled down Celestia's cheeks, soaking her sister's shoulder in return. "Thank you for trusting me." Nightmare sighed with a mix of guilt and sadness. "You know what I tried to do to you. I don't think I was being trustful of you." "You did in the end, and that's all that matters to me. After all the punishment I've put you through, I don't blame you for being doubtful of me. Not everyone willingly grants second chances, let alone to those who hurt them." Celestia spoke softly and solemnly, her voice a calming melody. "But you trusted me. You chose forgiveness and principles over blind retribution. When you could have struck me down, you gave me the benefit of the doubt. That takes more courage than you might think." "I'm no saint, Celestia. It was a split-second decision, driven by my sentimentality." "No, that wasn't sentimentality, sister. That was compassion. Something that you've always had within you. It's what always drove you to do the right thing. You don't have to put yourself down like that." "...You really think so?" "After all those years of growing up with you? I know without a doubt." Celestia's heart swelled with gratitude and relief, and her strained expression was replaced with a small smile. "Now, if it's alright with you, I think I should call the doctors for real this time. You should get those wounds checked sooner or later." "No, that won't be necessary. I'll just-" Nightmare grunted as she attempted to stand up, despite being magically and physically depleted. "I'll get to the infirmary by myself." Seeing her sister trying to stand up, Celestia withdrew her wings and forehooves off of her, allowing her sister to move more freely. She still eyed her movements carefully, ready to catch her in case she stumbled. Nightmare laboriously lifted herself from the ground, one shaky leg at a time. But sure enough, whenever she tried to stand on all fours, her knees buckled and collapsed, and Celestia caught her safely before she hurt herself. After her third try failed, Nightmare could attempt no more. "There's no need to overdo yourself, sister. Sit tight; I'll call for them." "Don't bother with it. I've been through worse." "Are you sure? As I said, there's no shame in asking for help." "No, I can do this. I just need a little breather, and I'll get back up." Nightmare carefully sat back down with the help of her sister. "Celestia?" "Mhmm?" "I-If it's not a bother to you..." The white alicorn listened attentively, curious as to what she was about to ask for. "...Can you hold me just for a little longer? I'm... I'm still feeling a bit faint, that's all." Celestia, pretending to not notice the slight hesitation and embarrassment in her voice, simply smiled as she wrapped Nightmare in her embrace, draping her wide wings around her back once more. "If that's what you need, of course, sister. We have all the time in the world." So, with Nightmare's insistence, the two resumed their reunion under the radiance of Celestia's flame. The two sisters cuddled, their necks gently entwined as they rested their heads on each other's withers, bathed in the warm light that shone amidst the darkness of the room. With the tender loving care of her older sister, Nightmare Moon finally loosened up. Her rigid body gradually lost its tension, fully relaxing as she let herself sink into her sister's hug. In their embrace, there was no room for coldness. The radiating warmth from Celestia's body drove out any remaining chill in her bones, soothed her aching body, and quieted her mind from any lingering woes. Slowly but surely, the black alicorn, smothered by her white counterpart's affection, found herself no longer shivering. For them, at least for this moment, there was no anger. No sorrow. There was peace. Celestia gently patted her sister's back, feeling her chest rise and fall in a slow rhythm. With tension gone and her adrenaline wearing off, Nightmare fell asleep before she knew it. Sinking into her sister's soft coat, the tired mare snored quietly. Celestia, maintaining her embrace and letting the mare in her arms get some rest, also enjoyed this quiet moment of reconciliation. Her back was stained with her sister's vomit, and her side still stung from her assortment of injuries, but she paid no mind to any of that. At the moment, she was as comfortable as she could be. Things could wait, she thought. The day took quite a toll on her as well, and she found no reason to cut this precious moment short. Unwittingly, her eyelids began to droop. With bouts of anxiety-ridden insomnia she'd had to endure for the past few months, perhaps she too was deserving of a much-needed rest. Feeling warm and fuzzy, she offered no resistance to the inviting drowsiness, letting it overtake her. ! Suddenly, she was jolted awake. She swore she just felt something waft over her body. Was that a slight breeze? In a closed room? No, that couldn't be right. It was subtle, yet unmistakable. The atmosphere of the room had changed faintly as well. Was it the air pressure? In a way, it felt similar. Then it dawned on her. It was something she'd felt before a long time ago—a shift in ambient magical pressure. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She felt like she was being watched. With unease creeping into her mind, Celestia pulled her sister even closer before funneling more magic into her spell. The torchlight burning at the tip of her horn was stoked into a raging fire, fierce enough to illuminate the entire room. She eyed every tiny shadow cast behind every object in the room, wary as if something was hiding behind them. Holding her breath, her eyes darted around, prepared to react, until about a dozen unicorns suddenly materialized in the room with a loud pop. "Secure the exit, and protect the princesses!" One of the unicorns in guard armor shouted, prompting the rest to move swiftly. While the maintenance crew dashed towards the door, the royal guards and the medical team quickly surrounded the two alicorns, forming a protective circle around them. Celestia was startled as they all appeared at once; she hadn't cast the counterspell yet to let anyone in after all. But once she saw that they were her subjects, she sighed in relief. They must have taken the shielding down somehow, she reasoned. At least that would explain the oddities she felt. Feeling at ease, the searing flame she held was promptly extinguished, allowing her little ponies to approach and take a closer look at her and her sister. Guards and doctors alike, their faces were etched with anxiety. Seeing their concerned expressions, Celestia could only put up a sheepish smile. Perhaps she had indulged in a solitary moment with her sister for a bit too long while her subjects were panicking outside. "Oh, dear. I made everyone worry, haven't I?" "Your Highness," Dr. Horse said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his fetlocks. "You have no idea." Author's Note Ever since I decided to continue this story, I immediately knew writing parts for chapters 7 & 8 would be challenging for me. Now that they're finished, here's to hoping the latter parts will go more smoothly.
Chapter 9 - Interlude Lying on her side, weak and helpless, Nightmare Moon shivered against the cold lunar surface. Pieces of her enchanted silver armor she'd taken off were strewn next to her, in varying states of disrepair. As she let out another shuddering breath, her horn glowed faintly, and she slowly pulled her dented helm off of her head before it unceremoniously fell to the ground with a clang. Her mane lay flat and dull, devoid of magic, resembling that of a regular pony's. Feeling rather faint, the tired alicorn lowered her head down to the ground, unable to keep it up any longer. Is this... Is this how it truly ends? Nightmare thought, her breathing shallow and labored. Initially, she had planned on sustaining herself with pure magic alone in her form as Nightmare Moon. Given enough time, she could burn magic to regain energy, and with it, heal her wounds—no doubt she could recoup her losses and try her escape again. No amount of broken bones would break her conviction, and as long as there was a chance, she would not give up. The nature of this place, however, had crushed her hopes. She could withstand its extreme weather—cold as the peak of Mount Everhoof and hot as the blazing deserts of Saddle Arabia. But she couldn't overcome being starved of magic—the power that allowed her to fight on. Here, the only thing she could feel around her was the harsh invisible cosmic waves radiating from the aether, which made her horn ache and added a feeling of dread to the bleak planet. This wouldn't just be her prison as she first assumed; it would also become her tomb. Sprawled on the surface of the moon, Nightmare winced, an agonized gasp escaping her as immeasurable pain flared from the base of her right wing and her hip. The weight of fatigue was immense, and the radiating pain from her limbs immobilized her. She realized that, as much as she tried, she couldn't get herself back up. Her eyes filled with tears, and she stifled her cries as she clenched her jaw. To her right, her large open wing lay limp, the base of the appendage twisted in an unnatural angle. It was the final result of her struggles—her futile attempt at freedom. Determined and zealous, she had given her all to cross the immeasurable distance between Equus and the moon. With all her magical prowess and physical endurance, she soared across the aether, only to find out that the spell that chained her was not so willing to give her up, and its strength only increased exponentially the more she flew further. Her every attempt at escaping the curse had only brought her pain and injuries, each one of her tries more desperate than the last. With each fall, her body was bruised. Every time she was pulled, hurtled back, and crashed onto the moon, her body would break. Yet she did not stop; she would haphazardly mend her bones back, ignore the pain, and try again. She had to. Her subjects were counting on her. It was her duty to set things right, to act when no one else could, but this last blow proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Fallen Princess. Wracked with pain, out of magic, and unable to move, the only thing she could do now was whimper pathetically. I guess this is it. Nightmare coughed pitifully between her cries, more tears welling as her every breath and movement brought agony to her mangled body. This is how I die. Nightmare was no stranger to death; she had lived through turbulent periods of unrest and witnessed lives coming to their abrupt end, some violently and unwillingly. Naturally, she had often pondered the manner of her own demise. Would it come from the thrust of a sword in battle? Or perhaps through an assassin's poison slowly consuming her from within? Maybe it would be a magical explosion from a spell gone awry? As it turned out, fate had a cruel twist in store, delivering her a death filled with woe: broken, alone, and suffering. She resembled a withered and pitiful creature in its dying throes, leaving behind a legacy tarnished by failure. Her intermittent coughs had gotten worse at this point. Although the Mare of the Moon tried her best to hold them back, she could stifle them no longer. She felt her chest tighten and her lungs burning up. Tears streamed down her face as she closed her eyes shut, unable to stop the painful convulsions that shook her body. As Nightmare coughed her lungs out, she didn't notice the wisps of black and violet smoke she continuously expelled out of her mouth. The more she hacked violently, the more of it came out of her, coalescing into a shifting ball of energy, its colors navy blue with a purple outline. When her coughing fit had finally stopped, the exhausted mare opened her eyes back and was met with the ball of magic floating in front of her. She wasn't surprised, nor was she scared. Instead, the only thing she felt was sorrow. "Tantabus..." She spoke weakly, staring at the magical construct she designed, molded, and brought to life with her very own magic. It was her labor of love, its origins hidden from many due to its nature of being crafted from shadow magic. For Luna, it wasn't just a complex bundle of spell matrices. It was her assistant, helping her with various tasks. It was her faithful companion, following her with no hesitation. When it merged with Luna and lent its strength to her, it even became an armor that shared her pain and gave her courage, allowing her to take on the role of Nightmare Moon. But despite their combined strength, they'd come to face their limits. With no more magic left in its host to leech off of, Tantabus's merge became unstable, and Luna's body was forced to violently expel it out of her. The Princess of the Moon glanced at her body. Despite her teary, blurry vision, she could see that her coat was no longer pitch black; it was midnight blue. Not only that, she could feel that she was a tad smaller, and the proportions of her limbs had shifted as well. She was back to being Luna. Pathetic. Weak. Helpless. Sensing its creator's distress, the shifting ball of shadow quickly came to her side. Like a scared foal concerned for its mother's safety, it did not know what to do. It pushed her sides and shook her, urging her to stand back up. It even tried to lift her limp body back up with all its might, but all its efforts were for naught. It was just too much for the starved ball of shadow magic. Luna felt pity for the thing and called it forth, and when it floated back in front of her, she raised her head and connected the tip of her horn with the shadowy blob. Forming a magical connection that bridged them, the two began conversing in her mind. "That's enough, Tantabus. It's no use." "No." "It's not your fault, you've done your best. I want you to rest now." "No. Fight." Nightmare sighed at the apparent stubbornness coming from her creation. Did it even know that it didn't matter anymore? That she'd lost? That her mistakes had spelled doom for the both of them? "Home. Fly." "No, Tantabus. You know I can't." "Fight." "Enough. You're not making any sense." "No. Fight." "Would you stop that?! There's nothing we can do! Nothing!" Amid her profound exhaustion and pain, Luna's patience wore thin. Irritated by Tantabus' repeated nonsense, her anger suddenly flared up, and she voiced her frustrations out loud. "You think you're giving me hope, but it only adds to my pain. We both know this is the end. We've given our best shot, you and I. But I don't have any strength left in me. I don't even have enough magic to fix my wing anymore." Tears pooled at the edge of her chin before they dropped onto the dry, powdery soil of the moon. "So if you want to do any more favors, stop annoying me and go away. Let me die in peace." The ball of shadow shrunk and recoiled at her outburst; its distress was made apparent. Seeing its reaction, Luna quickly realized her mistake, knowing she shouldn't have said that. Tantabus just wanted to help; how ungrateful she was to berate her loyal companion who only wished her well. But it was too late. Tantabus had withdrawn from her horn, severed their connection, and glided away from her. Desperately, Luna tried to stop it. She cried out, pleading for it to come back, yet it still made no difference. She could only watch her magical construct fly away as fast as it could until it disappeared completely out of her sight. As much as her heart sank and regret flooded her, she couldn't take back her mistake. There wasn't much the distraught mare could do now other than drop her head down and feel the depressive silence consume her. "I'm a failure, aren't I?" Luna muttered in a near whisper. "Even till the very end." Now truly alone, lying on the ground, Luna faced her impending doom. Judging from the scant amount of magic left in her, she guessed she didn't have much time left; her breathing spell would only last half an hour at best. And for those last few minutes, she reminisced about her past. Her friends. Her sister. Her mounting regrets, and her hopes of what could have been. As her labored breaths turned more sluggish and clarity slipped away from her, Luna's eyelids slowly closed. Waiting for the inevitable, she stopped resisting and let the last of her meager strength leave her body. She felt the ember inside her fade, the moon's chilling embrace was overwhelming her body. Would she suffocate? Or would the Pale Mare appear before her in her rattling skeletal body and claim her due? Whatever painful demise was in store for her, Luna thought it was only a matter of time before she met it. She couldn't have been more wrong. Luna found it odd that, for some reason, her body was getting warmer. It felt rather peculiar that trace amounts of magic were flowing into her from none other than her horn. She wasn't so sure this was supposed to happen; she didn't expect her death would feel this comforting, after all. Opening her eyes, a familiar sight of her shimmering dark blue and purple companion greeted her, hovering and connected to her horn. ...Tantabus? Normally, she'd regularly feed Tantabus with her magic, not just to provide sustenance but also for Tantabus to modify its own spell matrices, to learn, grow, and improve upon itself. The little ball of shadow would like it so much that it would beg her multiple times a day, even right after she fed it. Knowing that, for a moment, she found it hard to believe what was happening. She didn't know when it had managed to learn how to do it, but it was unmistakable. Tantabus came back and was now feeding her magic. Dumbfounded and touched at the same time, Luna simply stared at her creation, feeling more of its magic slowly trickling into her. When Luna tried to stop it, Tantabus pulled itself off of her. She still didn't quite understand. Even if it knew how to feed her magic, how was it even capable of doing it? The thing must have been drained to the limit as much as she was if not more! A slight pang of guilt crept up on her conscience, worried that Tantabus was breaking down its own magical body to help her. "Tantabus, I'm not mad at you. You don't have to do this." When Luna's words were ignored, she set aside whatever pain she was enduring in concern for her companion and raised her head back up. Attentively, her eyes tracked Tantabus's every movement. She watched the two-toned ball of shadow float some distance away from her and flatten itself against the ground. At a distance, it almost looked like someone had spilled some dark, shimmering liquid on the moon's gray surface, which brought more confusion out of its creator. She knew Tantabus's habits, and she knew what it liked. It liked to hide inside her billowing mane and under her wings, where it was warm and soft. The icy lunar landscape was neither of those things. So why was it doing that? Was it hurt? Sad? Both? After several minutes had passed, Luna felt a bit of solace when she saw Tantabus rise back up from the ground. Regaining its spherical form, it quickly drifted back to her. Seeing that whatever signs of anger or irritation were gone from Luna's face, Tantabus slowly stretched its ethereal tendrils to her horn, and a connection was made once more. "Fight." "Tantabus, you've been nothing but loyal to me all this time. For that, I couldn't be more grateful. I truly am." As Luna "spoke" to her companion, she felt more magic flowing into her. Despite it being meager for her standards, she immediately felt relief; she could think straight again, and she wasn't shivering as much as she used to. "Yet I can't let you do this. The last thing I want is for you to suffer more than you already have." "No. Fight." "I won't take that as an answer. It's noble of you to do this, but I won't let you cannibalize yourself just to help me! I know you're as drained as I am; where else is your magic coming from?" "Moon." Luna paused, a hint of bewilderment crossing her face. "Tantabus, there's nothing here. You're not making sense. Again." "No. Moon." "Maybe I should have worked on giving you more than just rudimentary responses." Even as Tantabus finished feeding her magic and withdrew its tendrils, Luna still processed its short yet perplexing statement. What was it even trying to say? Shaking her head, she watched her shadowy companion float a short distance away, then flatten itself on the ground like a pancake. There it is doing it again. Tantabus's actions further confounded her. Was it broken? If it was breaking itself down, she considered whether that might be causing Tantabus to act erratically. Who knows which part of its spell matrix was damaged? However, she found herself hesitant to give weight to such a possibility. If it were truly dismantling itself, she would be able to notice it. So far, the two-toned ball of shadow glimmered as usual with no noticeable damage, and aside from when she yelled at it, it wasn't even showing any signs of distress. What if... The gears in the princess's head continued to turn. What if Tantabus was right? What if Tantabus wasn't malfunctioning at all? What if there was some truth to its words? Tantabus hadn't malfunctioned before, let alone acted outside reason to this degree, right? Luna furrowed her brows, trying to recall her memories of handling her creation. The conclusion she reached was: well, mostly. Tantabus followed her requests with little complaint, happy to help her in any way it could. Sometimes, though, it liked to do its own thing. When she let it be on its own, it would occasionally wander away for whatever reason, missing from minutes to a day and a half. There were also times when it chose to deviate from her requests. When Tantabus was feeling particularly mischievous, it liked to snack on magical sources when it thought Luna wasn't looking, despite her scoldings. Still, she loved her creation to bits and thought giving more freedom and leeway wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She didn't want it to follow every single request of hers to the death like some slave, that was for sure. Luna still remembered the time when Tantabus sapped all the magic from Starswirl's door and ruined its enchantment inlay. Oh, Starswirl was so mad. Even with her bodily discomfort, a faint grin crept up the mare's face as she recalled one of her fond memories. She still remembered how funny it looked. Tantabus stuck to the door like some giant shimmering slug, gnawing on its magic as if it were a big piece of lettuce. Sighing, Luna looked back at her magical companion, still lying flat on the moon's surface. Kind of like that. ... For several seconds, the Mare of the Moon failed to see the connection. When she did, however, the air seemed to be charged with tension as she processed the true implications of her companion's behavior. No, it can't be like that. Luna lowered her gaze and looked down at the lifeless, gray soil she lay upon. ...Could it? It seemed almost absurd. She didn't want to give herself any false hopes, hesitant to believe what she had pieced together in her head. If there was any magic on the moon's soil, surely her sensitive hooves would have noticed it already. But her hesitation was brief. The implication brought a mixture of hope and trepidation, and her heart began to race. In her mind, she'd already made up the course of action she would take. Wounded and lying on her side, it was tricky to angle her horn correctly in her position, especially when the muscles in her neck felt as stiff as rocks. After several failed attempts, Luna finally managed to position her horn and stab it sideways into the moon's soil as deeply as she could. Channeling what little magic Tantabus had given her through her horn, she then concentrated, desperately trying to scan the ground for any sign of energy. At first, she felt nothing but the icy temperature threatening to freeze her horn off. Everything about this place seemed as lifeless as she had first presumed, and her doubt was already making short work of the little hope she had. What if it really was just false hope, and her weakened mind was trying to rationalize what wasn't true and see what wasn't there? When she extended her magic's reach even further down, however, Luna's heart skipped. Deeper beneath the moon's cold surface, she felt something rather familiar to her—something that felt wildly out of place on this barren planet. It was Equestrian magic, its warm energy unmistakable to the starving alicorn. Luna's eyes widened in disbelief. How in Equestria was this possible? Why was there magic flowing beneath the moon's soil, seemingly hidden right under her nose? Luna's head was filled with questions that needed answers, but they were set aside, knowing she had more immediate concerns that needed tending. Urgently, the weary princess began to tug and pull at the subterranean magic with her magical grasp. She had some difficulty at first; she had never experienced draining magic like this before. Nevertheless, her hunger for magic proved to be an ample motivator, and the mare eventually figured it out with trial and error by modifying the spells she knew. Pulling on as much magic as she could through her horn, she greedily drank in to replenish her reserves. Luna was impatient, and rightfully so given her situation. Still, the moon's wellspring of magic was faint yet stable—a slowly flowing stream of magic that was weak but continuous. As much as she was eager to drain as fast as she could, it forced her to gradually take small amounts, letting the exhausted pony slowly yet safely nourish itself. It took a long time for her to get her fill, but when she was done taking in as much magic as she could, Luna began to feel better despite her injuries. With ample magic coursing through her body, Luna renewed her breathing spell, closed her eyes, and began to take long, deep breaths. She knew that with composure came control, and with it, came strength. With each slow inhale and exhale through her nose, she felt her mind clear. The lingering tightness in her chest melted away, and her pain became more manageable. Her body felt much lighter as her muscles relaxed, and her mane had been restored to its glimmering, flowing state. Soon, the dying ember within her reignited, and her inner flame was fueled back into a blazing bonfire. Satisfied and rejuvenated, Luna's meditation had come to an end. When her eyes opened back up, she was again met with her magical construct floating in front of her, which had been watching her all this time out of concern. The edges of Luna's lips curled up slightly. "Well, don't I feel like a fool?" Tantabus, happy to see her recovery, replied by wiggling its round ethereal body. Seeing its playful response, a smile blossomed across Luna's face. "Come here, you." Luna beckoned for her ball of shadow to come closer, and gently wrapped her foreleg around it, pulling it closer to her chest. She squeezed its cool, gaseous form tight, which Tantabus was more than happy to oblige. "I almost lost hope back there. I'm just glad that you were there to stop me." Luna murmured to her magical companion, nestled in her embrace. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you. Not to mention that I... shouldn't have dismissed your words like that. You've put so much faith in me to help me with my struggles. It's only right that I trust you back." Despite the warmth of Luna's hug, Tantabus shivered. "No?" Knowing her creation's mannerisms, Luna knew that Tantabus meant to tell her something else. "You... don't want me to have faith in you?" Tantabus shivered again. "Playing guessing games, are we?" Staring at the dark blue and purple blob she was hugging, Luna pondered for a bit. If she wanted the answer right away, she could connect to Tantabus and get a more straightforward answer. For now, though, she wasn't bothered by it. After a momentary contemplation, she grinned as she figured out the answer. "I get it. You also want me not to lose faith in myself, right?" Tantabus wiggled happily. "Even for a quiet creature, you always know just what to say." With a happy sigh, she scooped up her ball of shadow magic with her hoof, brought it to her face, and nuzzled it affectionately. Playful as ever, Tantabus responded by tickling her snout back with its ethereal body before gently hopping on top of Luna's head. "Luna." "What is it, Tantabus?" "Fight." A chuckle escaped between Luna's lips after she heard that persistent request repeated. This time, however, she knew that her companion made perfect sense. She just couldn't see it before. "Yes, Tantabus. Fight." Luna looked up above her, countless stars marking the dark vastness of the aether. Her eyes, however, sparkled brighter than any of them. Resolute and steadfast did she and her creation gazed upon their home, the distant green and blue planet floating so far away. "Till my hooves break and my wings are maimed," "Till my horn cracks and I breathe my last breath," "I pray that my resolve will hold, and with it, I will fight." Luna spoke solemnly, her voice echoing with a determination that resonated through the starlit expanse. "Now I ask of you again, Tantabus. Would you help me with my struggles, and fight alongside in my battles?" "Always." At her stalwart companion's prompt response, a rush of warmth and appreciation washed over her. "Then fight we shall, Tantabus." Luna declared with an unwavering resolve. "We'll fight on as long as we are needed." Author's Note This interlude was lengthy enough that I thought it warranted a chapter of its own. I hope this sheds more light on Nightmare Moon's nature, among other things that weren't given clear explanations.
Chapter 10You have to stay strong. If not for me, but for everyone else. Please. I can’t lose you again. Nightmare Moon gasped as she regained consciousness. Her bright teal eyes shot wide open, and her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. She found herself lying in a large bed, under its white covers, staring up at a dimly lit white ceiling. A bout of panic and confusion set over her; the large device next to her started to emit beeps faster as if reflecting her distress. Where was she? What happened to her? Her immediate fear of being vulnerable and exposed struck her first; she couldn’t afford to be left in the mercy of others. Unlike last time, however, her disorientation was brief. As she began to piece her fragmented memories back together, this time, things were starting to look clear. She recalled everything that happened to her: her eventual return and confrontation with Celestia… and the reconciliation that all took her by surprise. An outcome most unexpected, a path that she tried to give up a long time ago. Not in her life had she expected an outcome like this, bordering on the unbelievable. A cynical and fearful part of her whispered whether all of this was nothing more than an illusion; either a fabricated reality she had weaved together in the dream realm as a pathetic attempt to appease her pitiful self, or a hallucination of a delirious dying mare on the moon, withering away from a head injury she will never recover from. But the rational part of her knew those concerns were unlikely. Flawed though they might be, she trusted her senses, her judgment, and her intuition. And if there was any lingering doubt, it was quelled by hope, Tantabus its guardian. Over time, within her psyche, the two became nearly one and the same. It kept her alive through all those years of pain, a torturous existence. Many times had she tried to break her promise; to abandon hope, to crush that persistent little thing out of agony and resignation. But over and over, despite her attempts, she just couldn’t do it. It simply refused to die, and in its stubbornness, the Mare of the Moon had survived. It’s going to be alright. Now it was calling out to her once again, giving her strength, and soothing her. Like how it always did; doing what it could to comfort and reassure its dear friend. And this time, Nightmare fully embraced it without resistance, for she truly wanted to believe. ...I know. Slowly but surely, the remnants of her worries faded, and the Midnight Alicorn began to calm, feeling more at ease with herself and her situation. The frantic high-pitched tones from the machine gradually tempered itself down to a gentle, slower rhythm, and the room returned to its relative calm and silence once more. With her mind now unburdened, she initially considered going back to sleep. She soon found it hard to, however. As much as the warm, soft bed gently supported her form, unlike the cold, hard surface of the moon, she found the contrast too sharp—a stark difference from what she had become accustomed to for so long. It almost made her feel out of place. As if she weren’t supposed to be here. “Can’t believe I’ve gotten habituated to my own shackles.” Nightmare muttered to herself as she sighed. Like a bird yearning for its cage. Aren't you miserable enough? How pathetic. I am not. Bothered by such thoughts, lying in the bed only made her discomfort consume her further. Before her thoughts could spiral further out of control, she gave up on getting more sleep and instead decided to get up. When she raised her upper body without much thought though, she first winced in pain when she felt her broken ribs, and again when she tried to bend her left foreleg, which was still encased in a cast. And as if that wasn’t enough, it seemed like every part of her body began aching in protest, almost enough to elicit a groan out of her. All reminders of her injuries, and also a strong suggestion from her body that perhaps, she should remain in bed for now. At least my eyes seem to be fine. Nightmare thought to herself as she blinked her set of teal eyes, checking for any signs of impairment. She stared at her set of clean bandages around her torso for a moment; the wounds beneath itching just enough to grab her attention. Perhaps she could take the bandage off, or scratch it just a little? It was certainly tempting, but she knew it was better to leave them be. Instead, the princess decided to distract herself and look around elsewhere. She first turned her gaze to her left without much thought, but she was caught off guard by what she saw. Next to her, was somebody that she certainly was not expecting. There, next to her bed, lay nopony other than Celestia, sleeping on top of several wooden armless chairs lined up together. It was an uncomfortable makeshift bed rather small for her size, but she lay there regardless, sleeping quietly. She had her own set of bandages wrapped around her barrel, presumably to cover up cuts and bruises she had suffered from the fight. …It really happened, didn’t it? It made Nightmare feel a mix of relief and unease. It was proof that her memories were real, confirming that they were not mere figments of her imagination. On the other hoof, it was a stark reminder of the violence she’d inflicted on her sister, and what she had nearly done to her. As Nightmare wondered why Celestia was here like this, she noticed a dark blue blanket lying in a heap on the polished grey concrete floor beside her. Quietly and without a word, Nightmare's horn slowly lit up. Must have fallen off of her, she thought as she stared at the alicorn to her left for several seconds. Then, feeling no inhibitor ring limiting her magic, her cyan magic grabbed the edges of the deep blue blanket. Careful not to disturb her, she stretched it wide and draped it over the sleeping mare's large form. For a moment, her sister shifted under her cover as if she were awakening. But it was simply a dream-induced stirring; the mare just pulled her blanket closer around her, nestling under it with a contented sigh, before drifting back into a peaceful slumber, now with a smile. Nightmare’s gaze lingered on her sister for a bit longer. After making sure her blanket wouldn’t slide off her this time, she averted her gaze and surveyed the rest of her room. The room was wide, but not as excessively spacious as the first room she was first brought into. Some of the furniture in the room remained similar, but the rest, she could see noticeable changes. To her right was a nightstand with a crystal lamp(as well as that infernal machine she’d destroyed last time), and further alongside the wall were drawers and cabinets. The same ones that she’d seen before. The entire wall on the far side of the room, however, was lined with bookshelves each filled with different types of tomes. Mostly ones that she didn't recognize, but amidst them, she could spot some familiar ones she recognized just by the covers. At the center of the room, a lightly worn rectangular mahogany table, wide enough to hold numerous open tomes one might look up while adjusting spell matrices. There was even a grandfather clock on the right side of the room near the exit, which looked nearly identical to the one she had back in the day. The clock struck 2:30, and with its small crescent moon-shaped sapphire lit up bright, it told her it was before dawn. Seeing these elements brought a soothing sense of familiarity to the Princess of the Night. The subtle memories of her past life were like a gentle whisper, wrapping around her like a warm embrace. The room was tidy and comfortingly reminiscent of her old quarters in the Everfree Castle. The old clock, the bookshelves, and the overall arrangement filled her with a nostalgic comfort she hadn't felt in ages. It was as if, in this room, she was given a piece of her past back, woven into the fabric of her present. To her, the room felt right, orderly, and well-organized. Well, mostly. The large rectangular mahogany table at the center of the room had several stacks of books and papers on it. And it was the way they were arranged that caught her eye. Loose documents were scattered around the table while several books were left open. Among that, empty cups littered the table, and she could see a stray scroll or two that had rolled off the table and fallen to the ground. All this disorganization was spreading out from a single point, one of the seats at the table. And at that epicenter, was a pony. A purple unicorn, her slightly frazzled mane dark blue with a pink and purple streak, was seated on a chair and had fallen asleep on the desk. At the sight of another pony asleep in her room, Nightmare wondered who this young mare might be. Clueless at first, she wondered whether she was one of the doctors, but in her assessment, her casual appearance suggested she perhaps wasn’t here in an official capacity. Then who…? The princess squinted her eyes as she took a closer look at the sleeping unicorn. Wait, did Celestia finally…? She then turned her head to look back at Celestia’s sleeping form. Then back at the unicorn. Then back at her sister. “…….” Then back at the unicorn. Maybe not. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself, she concluded. They barely shared any color tones in their mane or coat, so the two being related by blood seemed dubious for now. Not to mention Nightmare was pretty sure what Celestia’s preferences were, so the possibility that this unicorn was someone her sister held very dear was also out of the way. Nightmare was left wondering as her eyes wandered back to the purple unicorn and the disarray surrounding her. She noticed a quill, likely dropped from the mare's magical grasp as she fell asleep, which had stained a sheet of paper in front of her with black ink. Judging by the large stack of papers piled beside her, the mare had likely been buried in paperwork until late at night before finally succumbing to fatigue. As soon as Nightmare caught this, things began to click into place. It almost seemed obvious now—how had she missed the most likely answer? The immense pressure and responsibilities she and her sister had to bear during Early Equestria were considerable. That weight, despite feeling unmanageable at times, had been eased by the meticulous scheduling and management of their respective secretaries. She remembered them, always accompanying her and her sister, often just as overworked as the princesses they served. Their duty was to organize, record, and relay information for their diarchs, assisting them until they were dismissed for the day. Now, in this mare’s case… The purple unicorn mumbled something unintelligible, shifting slightly as she slumbered. Celestia must have forgotten to dismiss her from her duties for the day, didn’t she? Nightmare let out a little disappointed sigh as her brows lowered slightly. She’d seen her sister make this mistake before while she was too carried away with other things. As for her loyal secretary, it was their duty to serve and assist their princess to the best of their abilities under all circumstances. Requesting to be relieved for the day before Her Highness deemed it right was simply viewed as unbecoming of them. What was that young mare going to do, dare wake the princess up? With her plight in mind, the Mare of the Moon didn’t hesitate long before she began to tidy up the table. She certainly didn’t expect “helping her sister’s secretary get off work” to be included in her agenda, but still, she couldn’t help but feel pity for the overworked unicorn. It’s not like I’m going to leave here anytime soon, she thought. One by one, encased in her magical grip, objects were levitated as Nightmare began to organize everything. Bookmarks were placed in the open tomes before they were closed and organized, loose sheets of documents were collected and bound together, and scrolls and empty mugs scattered around her were collected. A series of menial tasks, but she seemed satisfied enough from watching the desk gradually return to a semblance of normalcy. Soon, she’d gently wake that mare up and finally send her off from her duties on behalf of her sister. But as she picked up the last of the loose documents off the dark brown mahogany surface, something about them caught her attention. “Huh.” Nightmare had assumed she knew what those papers were. Usual paperwork that needed the diarch’s attention—reports and petitions that haunted her during her waking moment. But even at a distance, she could tell this wasn’t the usual bureaucratic fare. On the contrary. It was something of personal interest to her. Bringing those pages closer to her, her eyes brightened as she confirmed what she saw. A spell diagram, followed by lines upon lines of calculations filling the rest of the page. This was no ordinary report, this was a blueprint for a spell, a powerful one in fact. Tempted by her intellectual curiosity, Nightmare Moon gathered the entire stack of documents from the table. Pulling them closer to examine it to its fullest extent, she examined the first few pages with anticipation. Post Casting Analysis Report: Enchantment-Based Long-Distance Teleportation Assistance and Interception The following document details the framework, execution, observations, and outcomes of the Enchantment-Based Long-Distance Teleportation Assistance and Interception spell used for the safe rescue of her highness Nightmare Moon. Further included are spell diagrams, calculations, thaumic measurements and expenditure, and any anomalies or unexpected results observed during and after the casting. Authored by Lead Researcher Twilight Sparkle and her team at the Ponyville Royal Observatory. Unauthorized access to this document will result in- Nightmare didn’t bother reading the rest of the introduction; the disclaimer at the end only made her more curious. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me taking a look at it. Or Celestia. Lighting up her horn for better lighting and going through each page, she found the subject matter rather interesting. It certainly wasn’t without trouble; some of the calculations were too complicated even for her, and the accompanying text occasionally contained terminology that she had no understanding of. But that didn’t discourage her. She may have been behind in the field of thaumaturgy for harmony knows long, but she was an avid practitioner of the arcane arts herself back in the day. Eagerly consuming more of its contents, the alicorn managed to gradually make sense of what Celestia’s court mages had prepared for, and why she wasn’t completely unfamiliar with this. The countless number of overlaid spell matrices built on top of each other was a structure beyond what most scholars at her time were capable of weaving, let alone fully comprehending. The lengths they had gone to for a single activation of this spell, all to bring her back… It was awe-inspiring, and Nightmare couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude. Despite the flaws and weaknesses the spell harbored, this was an unprecedented achievement. It must have taken years of work from ponies with not only extensive knowledge and understanding of thaumaturgy to fully design this spell framework, but also the magical strength to back it up. She recognized this because she had seen a similar spell before, one of Starswirl’s many unfinished spells. Novel ideas and glimpses of his genius, all of which remained broken and incomplete. Starswirl... A bittersweet expression crept up on the princess’s face, knowing that at least one of her old mentor’s half-baked ideas from the far past had inspired others in the distant future to use it to aid her escape. ...Thank you. Twilight Sparkle was a conscientious pony. At least, that was what she hoped she was good enough to be considered as one. Planning schedules, and following routines, were like second nature to her, one of the better habits she had kept up over the years. Efficiency was her rule, and diligence was her motto; fundamentals that helped her pursuit of knowledge. Part of it was her natural meticulousness and neuroticism, and part of it was necessity. Ever since becoming Princess Celestia’s personal student, Twilight had adhered to these practices. Her responsibilities demanded a lot from her, even more so since she had taken charge of a research team at the Ponyville Royal Observatory several years ago. So when she slowly woke up, her face pressed against the mahogany desk and her left cheek squished, she groaned. “Can’t believe I’ve fallen asleep again…” The mare carefully raised her head, feeling her neck stiffen with the motion. Twilight chastised herself. It wasn’t because she was behind schedule. In fact, she was ahead of it. With her dislike for uncertainty and the bad surprises that often accompanied it, she had made sure to finish all her planned work a day earlier, even tackling extra tasks in advance. The problem was, she hadn’t intended to fall asleep. She intended to keep Princess Celestia company; revising the report was secondary. Falling asleep while in the room with the princess? That was unbecoming of her as Celestia’s personal student. “I’m sorry Princess, I just-“ A yawn cut her off, her voice slightly hoarse from waking up moments ago. “Maybe I just need another cup of tea.” “No need to fret,” came a regal voice. “You’ve already done enough. Perhaps it’s time you retired for the night.” “I… I suppose so. I was feeling a bit more worn out than usual, I guess.” Twilight admitted, still half-asleep and trying to rub the blurriness out of her eyes. The last few months had been demanding, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, perhaps she had been overdoing it. As the weary unicorn prepared to gather all her stuff before she left, she found it strange that all her books, papers, and even her miscellaneous items were already organized into neat stacks, ready to be picked up. Odd. she thought. When did she do that? Perhaps she had a simple lapse in her memory. Perplexed yet reluctantly acknowledging it, she was ready to grab all her belongings with her magic and bid farewell to her mentor, till she realized something very important missing: her report. Where the hay did it go??? Twilight’s gaze swiftly screened over every item on the table, and her confusion rose only further when she failed to find it. The thing she’d been revising for the past three days was supposed to be right in front of her; it’s not like that 300-page report would magically float away from her desk on its own! Looking under the desk hoping to find her missing report yielded nothing. Clueless to the whereabouts of her work, she wondered just how much her lack of sleep was affecting her memory. And just as her confusion was beginning to be replaced with anxiety, the regal voice rang out once again, coming to her aid. “I believe you are looking for this.” Before Twilight could ask what she was referring to, a stack of her missing reports was immediately brought in front of her by a bluish magical aura, which soon dissipated and gently dropped them onto the table with a quiet thud. Twilight sighed in relief. Of course they wouldn’t just vanish for no reason, turns out the Princess was just having a look at them. “Oh, Thank you, Princess Cele-“ Twilight stopped in the middle of her words. Her sleep-addled brain had almost overlooked it, but her meticulous nature had managed to pick up that something was wrong. Not only did she finally realize her mentor's voice sounded slightly off, but her magical aura was not hers; its color was teal blue instead of golden yellow which she had associated with her for a long time. Whoever she was talking to, it certainly wasn't Princess Celestia. And when Twilight mustered up her courage to turn her head and look at the far left side of the room, she was left speechless. Princess Celestia was indeed there, except she was quietly sleeping next to the bed, which may have been expected; she’d been known to occasionally spend the night at the observatory watching over her sister, and she seemed awfully tired today. Now, what was truly unexpected for Twilight was for the other Princess in the room to be awake instead. The bookish mare’s eyes widened and her heart began to beat faster as she saw her: the ancient alicorn from the legends of a thousand years past looking at her nonchalantly from the bed. Twilight had visited her before, yes, but now, she had woken from her medically induced sleep she wasn’t supposed to be awake for another week or so, looking at her with slight curiosity. Her cat-like eyes gleamed under the low light, their luminous teal both beautiful and mesmerizing. A faint smile rested on her lips, its edges curled up slightly—a gesture that seemed almost tender, though laced with an inscrutable elegance. And her flowing ethereal mane—a display of her magical might and alicornhood, glimmered like the starry summer night sky. Her eyes and mane, they really are- What do I do? What do I do?! Just act natural. Greet her! No, you know what you should do. She’s returned from her thousand-year exile. Politely greet her, following her time's early Equestrian royal etiquette. You’ve researched it, remember? Caught off guard, Twilight’s head began to race with multiple thoughts fighting for her mind space. She knew she’d have to meet the Night Princess face to face eventually; either officially at the inauguration ceremony, or earlier unofficially via a personal introduction from Princess Celestia. However, this just wasn’t in her plan. She didn’t expect their introduction to be so abrupt like this. They’re beautiful. Oh crap, how do I look? My mane probably looks horrible right now. You’ve looked up to her since you were a filly. Give her the utmost respect she deserves, don’t you dare mess this up. How about pre-Equestrian etiquette? Would that be preferable? “Are you alright?” Twilight was quickly shaken from her thoughts by the Princess’s words, the pitch black alicorn still smiling at her. Returning to reality, her mind went blank from anxiety, removing any previous thoughts or plans she had in her head. She hastily concluded she had to say something immediately, lest she make an even bigger fool of herself. It didn’t take long before her gut feeling, which she seldom followed nor trusted, began shouting at her. Don’t just stare at her, say something! Her mind raced for something—anything—to say, and before she could think better of it, her mouth moved faster than her brain... “…W-w-what's up?” Oh Tartarus why did I say that. The strained response that came from her dry throat was hoarse, but worse still, it was completely inappropriate. Twilight cringed internally, horrified at the sheer casualness of her words. She could practically feel the tension rising as she realized what a mistake she'd made. Her heart plummeted, and the anxious mare couldn’t shake the thought that she’d just ruined her one chance at a good first impression. Twilight… The petrified mare's nervous smile strained further, watching Princess Nightmare Moon’s faint smile fade into confusion. You’ve really done it this time.
