Son of the Moon

One day left.

That was all the time Polaris had to prepare for his and Luna's plan. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, Celestia was just as powerful as his mother, if not more. But that was why they made the plan in the first place. While his mother distracted his aunt, he would steal the Elements of Harmony. Polaris landed a kick to the face of the training dummy. He lowered his leg and took a shaky breath in an attempt to calm his nerves; it didn't work.

"Polaris." He jolted as he heard his name called before turning towards the direction the voice had come from.

"Aunt Tia." Polaris looked at the alicorn leaning against the doorway. "What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"Am I not allowed to check on my nephew?" Celestia laughed. Polaris didn't seem convinced. "The truth is, Luna has been rather... distant, as of late. I was hoping you could provide some insight as to why."

Polaris knew full well the reason why Luna no longer wanted to so much as speak of Celestia. The fact that Celestia herself didn't know the reason was proof enough in his mind that she needed to see reason, she deserved what was to come. If it took a forceful takeover of her kingdom in order to see his mother's side of things, then so be it. However, throughout the last year, Polaris had been treated by Celestia in much the same way as Luna; they both treated him as if he was really their family. They didn't see him as the outsider that Luna happened to find, they instead treated him as if he was truly Luna's flesh and blood. It made him a bit upset to do this to one who he saw as family.

Just a bit.

"I dunno. Maybe you did something to her?" He shrugged his shoulders. After meeting with a few nobles alongside his aunt, he had picked up a few things about how to talk in a way that could convince others, dropping subtle hints or simply playing to their personalities or desires to get them to listen. Celestia, however, was far more skilled in this regard than he was.

"Not that I recall." Celestia tapped her chin with a finger in thought. "She could always be so petty sometimes." She giggled, the comment against his mother only serving to enrage Polaris more. As if any of this was Luna's fault! Celestia was the one who had ignored her sister for so long! Any doubt in his mind was quashed in that moment.

"Maybe you did something without realizing it," Polaris stated not so subtly. "She might feel slighted or something." He punched a hole in the chest of the training dummy. He needed to let his anger out; he couldn't afford to lash out now.

"I don't see why..." Celestia closed her eyes as she thought back to whatever she may have done. Polaris' eye twitched as he struggled to contain his anger. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and resumed his training. As he did, he thought back to the two years he had spent living with the sisters.

Polaris had often stayed up until midnight so that he could at least spend a bit of time with Luna outside of his dreams, but he sadly couldn't stay up forever. He would often fall asleep at his mother's side on the smaller throne she had made specially for him which sat right next to her own. Looking back, he noticed that Celestia's throne was bigger than both. Just another sign of her arrogance, he thought. However, during the daytime as his mother slept, Celestia would often care for him to the best of her ability. She would check on him, give him advice and make sure he was comfortable and well fed just like Luna did. His mother and his aunt both deeply cared for him even more than anyone else in the world.

A twinge of regret creeped its way back into his heart.

"Aunt Tia?" He looked at her, and she met his gaze with her own. "You really love us, both me and mom, don't you?" He asked. Celestia looked a bit shocked by the sudden question.

"Of course I do," She answered. "The two of you are the most cherished ponies in my life, and I would never stop loving you for any reason." She gave an earnest smile that warmed his heart a bit.

However, Polaris knew she was lying.

No, Polaris hoped she was lying.

That day had passed all too quickly for Polaris. He wanted to remain on that day forever. He wanted to go back to his birthday a month ago, where everyone got along, including his mother and aunt. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

"Polaris, are you prepared?" The sound of Luna's voice snapped him from his thoughts. "There will be no going back should you side with me."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Polaris answered. "Are you, mom?"

"More than ever." Polaris gasped as he saw a dark aura flare around his mother. She had acted more distant to him as well lately, though he figured it was her way of mentally preparing herself for this moment. Now he wasn't so sure.

Luna burst into the throne room, and in accordance with their plan, Polaris stayed behind, glancing around the corner and waiting for his moment to sneak to the foyer where the Elements were located.

"Luna! You startled me!" Celestia exclaimed. "What's got you so upset? Maybe I can-" Celestia was cut off as she was forced to move to the side, a beam of dark blue magic from Luna destroying her throne before curving upwards and blasting a hole in the ceiling. The sun was now clearly visible in the sky.

"Spare me your false concern, sister!" Luna shouted in rage, the pitch-black aura emanating from her body only growing with each passing second. "This kingdom was meant to be ruled by the both of us, and yet you soak up all of the adoration from our subjects whilst I am forced to live in your shadow! You do not even pay us any mind anymore!"

"Mom..." Polaris muttered as he watched Luna stomp the ground in her rage. He looked up and saw that his mother's moon began rising until it finally covered his aunt's sun, resulting in a solar eclipse.

As the eclipse was formed, Luna's dark energy began to envelop her being, surrounding her in a black cocoon of pure darkness and rage. She began to laugh maniacally as the darkness cleared, revealing her new form. She was now taller, rivaling Celestia in height, with deep blue armor covering her body in the style of the Royal Guard they had around the castle. She donned a black cape which billowed behind her, bearing the moon insignia he had come to know. Her coat had become equally black, and she now had light blue eyes, the pupils slit in a similar manner to a snake or dragon.

Polaris shivered. He didn't like this new form his mother had taken, not one bit.

"Luna!" Celestia called out. "I don't wish to fight you! Please, lower the moon! It is your duty!"

"Do not call me by that name any longer, Celestia," She spat with hatred. "From now on, you may know me as Nightmare Moon! Now, by my royal decree, the night shall last FOREVER! And the princess of the sun is to be executed by my hand!" Nightmare Moon gave a wicked grin, Celestia winced at her words. What Polaris had told her the day prior finally clicked in her head.

"Luna..." A hand stopped her, preventing her from stepping forward. She looked to see Red Wind standing in front of her protectively.

"Your Majesty, it's dangerous." Celestia rolled her eyes at Red Wind's protective nature, even in a situation like this. "Now, Luna, no; Nightmare Moon," Red Wind stepped forward with a wicked grin of his own to match his opponent's. "I wonder if you can give me a good fight?"

"Stand down, Red Wind," Celestia ordered. "This is my fight. Please, allow me to fight my own battles. This was the result of my own mistakes, after all." Red Wind glanced back, seeing the sincere look in the eyes of the princess that he had devoted his life to serving. He didn't have it in himself to refuse her.

"Very well." He stepped back, allowing Celestia to handle this herself.

"Thank you." She smiled before turning towards Nightmare Moon. "Sister, please! We don't have to fight! Think about what you're doing! How would Polaris feel if he saw you like this!?"

Polaris gripped the wall tightly. Celestia wasn't aware of his presence thanks to Nightmare Moon's power greatly overshadowing his own, so she didn't know that he was currently witnessing everything. In truth, he hated seeing his mother like this. She was no longer the kind and loving individual who had taken him in and shown him all of the love she could give. The being standing before him now was but a whirling maelstrom of hatred and jealousy towards her sister. He no longer felt any love towards her.

All of that love was replaced with fear.

"SILENCE, WHELP!!!" Nightmare Moon screamed in rage as a black magical sigil appeared before her. As she thrusted a hand forward, a huge pitch-black beam of magic was fired directly towards Celestia. The sun princess returned it in kind by forming a magical sigil of her own beneath her feet, hers golden in color, before it formed a golden dome around her to block the attack.

Polaris took this as his cue to leave.

Polaris sprinted through the halls as he made his way to the foyer. As he ran, a few of the Royal Guard stepped in his way.

"Prince Polaris! It's dangerous at the moment! You should-" Polaris drove a knee into the guard's face, knocking him to the ground before he landed directly onto the downed guard's head, knocking him out.

"Sorry, but I'm short on time." Polaris broke the spear of another guard before sweeping his legs and grabbing him by the back of the head, slamming his face into the ground. Looking around, he saw more of the guards beginning to surround him. He groaned in annoyance.

Quickly spinning around, Polaris kicked a guard behind him in the side, denting his armor in the process. He grabbed the guard by the arm and threw him at the others to distract them before ducking under a punch from behind and grabbing the arm of the attacker, tossing him over his shoulder. Looking to his left and right, Polaris saw two guards charging from both directions, and so did a handstand before spinning rapidly with both legs outstretched and knocking them both away. Jumping back to his feet, Polaris ran forward and wrapped his arms around the waist of one of the guards before performing a suplex and slamming him into the ground.

Polaris grinned; he was starting to have fun. But he couldn't allow himself to get too caught up in it, he had a mission after all. He raised his fists in front of himself and did a straight punch on a guard, shattering his armor and hitting him in the stomach. He did an uppercut on another, making the guard's head snap upwards before he elbowed him in the face, sending him straight into the ground.

Capoeira, wrestling and boxing. With the three styles his master had taught to him mixed with his own moves, he had become a force to be reckoned with. The last guard fell with a curving kick directly to the neck. Polaris looked around at the many felled guards sprawled out before him. He smiled to himself with pride at how strong he had become. A few years ago, he would have struggled with only a few guards at once, but now he had managed to beat over twenty.

There was no time to dwell on that as Polaris continued his sprint to the foyer. Upon making it, he saw it empty. But he knew that was simply not true thanks to his mother's instructions. He did as she had told him, walking to the center of the large room and pressing his pendant against the floor. The pendant began to glow with a blue light as the floor opened up. Polaris watched in awe as the large stone construct rose from the ground. It sported five pedestals jutting from it, each holding a colored gem, while the largest pedestal in the center held a large stone sphere.

"The Elements of Harmony..." He muttered. "So that's what they look like. Maybe it would be easier to just destroy them? Or maybe steal just one, since they won't do anything without all six together." He pondered. As Polaris reached for one of the Elements, a foot collided with his face, sending him sailing across the foyer and into a wall.

"So that's where you ran off to. You made a pretty big mess in the hallway, you know."

Polaris sat up, shooting a glare to his attacker.

"Red Wind," Polaris said with a growl. "I kinda guessed you would come guard the Elements."

"Well, as Celestia's personal guard, I need to do whatever it takes to assist her," Red Wind said with a smile, though Polaris could easily spot his poorly hidden murderous intent. "That includes dealing with little thieves like you."

"Why are you so devoted to Aunt Tia, anyway?" Polaris questioned as he got to his feet.

"Simply put, she gives me purpose," Red Wind stated bluntly. "I would be nothing without her. If it weren't for her, well..." He smiled as he looked towards the ceiling. "I would simply be a murderer without purpose."

"M-Murderer!?" Polaris exclaimed. His gaze suddenly hardened as he glared daggers at Red Wind. "Does Aunt Tia know that?"

"Who knows?" Red Wind gave a coy smile.

"I've always wanted to fight you." Polaris took a deep breath before taking his fighting stance. "Before, it was just to see who was stronger, but now, I wanna put an end to your killing!"

"Oh, Polaris." Red Wind shook his head with a chuckle. "I didn't refuse to fight you out of morality or any weak reasoning like that." He ran a hand through his hair, leveling a grin at Polaris. "Simply put, you're just weaker than me."

That was the last straw. With a scream of pure rage, Polaris rocketed forward, fist raised and ready to punch his opponent. Red Wind, however, simply caught the fist before spinning Polaris around and kicking him in the back, sending him tumbling forward.

"I don't enjoy fighting you, you know," Red Wind spoke.

Polaris went for a leg sweep, but Red Wind simply jumped over it before kicking Polaris in the face and sending him to the ground once again.

"It's not because you're just a colt, or royalty or anything like that," Red Wind continued.

Polaris began throwing a barrage of punches at such speeds that he appeared to have multiple arms. Every single punch was effortlessly blocked or avoided by Red Wind.

"I just don't enjoy fighting weaklings," Red Wind finished. He swiftly punched Polaris in the gut, making the colt cough and lurch forward before Red Wind hit him with a knee to the face and knocking him to the ground once more. He then kicked Polaris into the air and jumped upwards himself. They both landed on the ground with Red Wind's knee planted into Polaris' stomach and making him spit up his blood.

"Big talk... from a murderer..." Polaris managed to speak.

"Still have that cocky attitude, I see," Red Wind sighed. "Every single kill of mine was in a fight to the death. I find the strongest of the strong, we have a deathmatch. I just happen to have never lost," He stated with a smug grin as he began walking back towards the Elements. "Call it a hobby of mine."

"Psycho..." Polaris coughed as he slowly rose back to his feet. Red Wind swiftly knocked him back down with a blow to the face.

"Call me what you want. Fighting simply gives me purpose." Red Wind smiled. It quickly turned into a frown as he saw Polaris beginning to rise once again. He simply stomped down onto the prince's back to keep him pinned. "You're pretty persistent."

In that moment, the ceiling collapsed as the two saw Celestia crash through it and into the ground. She stood back up, staring at her sister with tear filled eyes. Red Wind noted that Celestia had many cuts and burns across her body, yet Nightmare Moon remained seemingly untouched.

"Your Majesty, have you even fought back at all?" Celestia shook her head at Red Wind's question.

"I can't... She's my little sister. I don't want to hurt her." Celestia cried softly, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the corrupted Luna.

"This is why I had insisted on fighting in your stead," Red Wind sighed. "You are fighting for the entire world! If you fall here, every living thing on the planet will perish!" In that moment, Nightmare Moon had spotted Red Wind, standing atop the prone form of Polaris.

"POLARIS!" She shouted in concern. In her moment of distraction, she was hit by a golden beam of magic from Celestia, sending her spinning through the air.

"Yes... You're right." Celestia looked towards Nightmare Moon, who was recovering from the surprise attack. "Regardless of my feelings, it is for the good of every single creature throughout the land that I remain strong." She looked towards the Elements of Harmony, then towards Polaris as he struggled to free himself from underneath Red Wind's foot. "I only hope that you can forgive me."

Polaris went wide eyed, immediately knowing what she planned to do. "NO! STOP!!!" His pleas fell on deaf ears as Celestia flew upwards, levitating the gems around herself, the sixth emerging from the stone sphere as they spun around her like a multicolored ring.

"The Elements of Harmony," Nightmare Moon growled spitefully. "I won't allow you to interfere with my rule!"

Celestia said nothing as she extended a hand, the Elements hovering in front of her as a rainbow-colored sigil appeared.

Nightmare Moon fired a gigantic blast of her dark magic in a last-ditch attempt to smite her sister. Celestia, even more tears flowing from her eyes, fired a rainbow beam fueled by the Elements of Harmony. The two attacks collided, but it was clear from the start that Nightmare Moon was on the losing end. As the beam of rainbow light pushed back her own beam of darkness, Nightmare Moon's eyes trailed down to Polaris, seeing the horrified expression on his face as he was forced to watch helplessly.

In the end, she failed. Not just in her takeover, but as a mother to her beloved son as well. Tears filled her eyes as the magic of the Elements enveloped her. The rainbow beam shot up into the sky and all the way to the moon, leaving an imprint of the former princess of the night on its surface.

Celestia gently landed back onto the ground before collapsing to her knees, her chest heaving as she sobbed for her lost sister. Red Wind approached and rubbed her back in reassurance.

"You did what was necessary." Red Wind comforted.

"She's my sister... I wish there was some other way I could have resolved this..." She cried.

Polaris simply stared up at the moon, staring into the eye of the pattern that was now upon its surface, all that was left of his mother. His eyes were wide as dinner plates, his pupils the side of pinpricks as tears rolled down his cheeks. All he could do was stare in silence as memories of his time with Luna replayed in his mind over and over again like a broken record. She had taken him in from a life of poverty, she had saved his life, made sure he was clothed, cleaned, fed and overall comfortable in his new home. And now she was gone, he would never see her again. He slowly turned his head towards Celestia's sobbing form.

Seeing her cry after what she had just done enraged him to no end.

"Celestia." She gasped and looked towards Polaris. He had managed to stand on his feet once again. "Don't cry, Celestia. You don't have the right."

"Polaris-"

"You don't have the right to cry after you caused this. My mom always lived in your shadow, and you banish her for wanting attention? You're just a monster, and one with a huge ego." Polaris continued.

"Polaris... I..." Celestia tried to speak.

"I'll give you a warning," Polaris glared straight into Celestia's eyes. "Kill me."

Celestia was taken aback by her nephew's sudden request. "W-What?" She uttered.

"Kill me," Polaris stated again. "Because, if you don't, I'll come back and I'll kill you."

Celestia remained silent as she stared at him. She began forming a plan in her head.

"No matter where you send me to, I'll always find a way back and I'll kill you. Even if you send me to Tartarus, I'll claw my way out, and I'll kill you! If you send me to the bottom of the ocean, I'll swim my way out and kill you! If you turn me to stone, I'll break free and kill you! I'll keep coming back again and again, and even if it takes a million tries, I'll kill you! Even if it costs me my soul and breaks my body! I'll never stop until I kill you! DO YOU HEAR ME, CELESTIA!? YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED!!!"

As Polaris screamed in his rage, Celestia used the Elements of Harmony on him. Before the prince could register what had happened, his body had been encased in stone. His form was frozen looking up to the sky, his mouth wide open in a silent scream of fury.

"I'm sorry, Polaris. But this is for the best." Celestia closed her eyes as she mourned not only the loss of her sister, but her nephew as well.

"Done crying?" Red Wind looked at her. Celestia slowly nodded her head in response.

"Polaris was right. I don't deserve to cry. After so long of being forgotten, left in my shadow as I took in all of the adoration from our subjects while she received no such privilege, it's only natural that Luna would lash out in anger. And yet, I banished her for it. What kind of sister am I?" She brought a hand to her mouth as she held back her tears.

"If I may be so bold," Red Wind spoke up. "I believe that both of you were at fault in some capacity." He looked over at the petrified Polaris. "What about him?"

"He had never allowed me to speak, so I couldn't explain anything. It's unlikely that he would be willing to listen to anything I had to say anyway." Celestia sighed and looked at the statue. "The Elements of Harmony are effective only on evil, but neither Luna nor Polaris were fully corrupted. The fact that Luna still had concern for Polaris even as Nightmare Moon is proof of that. I suspect their imprisonment will only be temporary, probably a thousand years or so."

"I see," Red Wind looked up towards the moon. "What about when they come back?"

"I plan on doing research on a way to possibly purify Luna's heart of her darkness, rather than simply banishing her again," Celestia stated. "There's bound to be somewhere I can find more information on the Elements of Harmony. Maybe I can find something in Star Swirl's old writings. Then, once Luna is saved, I will reunite her with Polaris."

Red Wind looked towards the statue, then to the moon. A smile made its way to his face.

"I'll help you every step of the way, Your Majesty."