A True Person

...For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, and she's about to return to Equestria, and bring with her eternal night! Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true...

Celestia smiled as she gave a quick read of her apprentice Twilight Sparkle's letter.

"She's a smart mare, but she lacks wisdom," the princess sighed, reaching for a scroll for a reply letter. "She really thinks she stumbled upon part of a secret prophecy quite by accident."

"Hmm. Dusty books and celebration preparations. That'll do," Celestia decided as she sent the letter.

She sank down on her pillow, looking off into the distance, immersed in thought.

"Now the Elements are all in," she whispered under her breath. "It's so hard to deal with these prophecies. Too vague and fragile..."

Celestia was limited in what she could do. She couldn't just walk up to Twilight and tell her that she was an Element of Magic and explain the further plan. That could ruin everything and lead to unpredictable consequences. Celestia only had to teach Twilight, give "accidental" hints and nudge her in the right direction.

The prophecy only hinted at the Element of Magic and a city that didn't exist at the time - Ponyville. However, Celestia had long ago figured out the identities of all the other Elements. She really hoped that she wouldn't need their help at all.

The cage for Nightmare Moon was ready and had been tested thousands of times. She was confident in her ability to handle it.

All that remained was to wait.

"It won't be long now, sister," Celestia murmured, smiling sadly.

The main hall of the ruined old castle was shrouded in an atmosphere of antiquity and magic. The walls, covered in runes, seemed to tell their own story, and the floor was covered in a mosaic of symbols and signs. Around the center of the hall rise eight stone pillars on which crystal spheres float, their glowing rays piercing the darkness and giving the impression of small suns. The hall was filled with warlike unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies ready to challenge the returning darkness. Ahead of everyone stood Celestia, her eyes intently watching the moon through the holes in the roof as if looking for a sign.

And then, the dark silhouette of an alicorn on the surface of the moon flashed and disappeared.

Suddenly, swirls of black smoke began to appear in the middle of the hall, which took the form of an eerie black alicorn mare with burning turquoise eyes. Her presence filled the hall with coldness and anxiety.

"A thousand years later...," the black mare said solemnly. "I roam the lands of mortals once again!"

The spheres suddenly erupted and released rays that enveloped the black mare, trapping her in a transparent sphere. The thin walls of the sphere resembled a soap bubble, but everyone in the room could feel the immense power centered in this unremarkable shell.

"Your walk is over, Nightmare Moon," Celestia replied calmly, turning to the group of unicorns controlling the rune array. "Begin."

"Good spell," Nightmare said satisfactorily, poking at the barrier with her hoof. "But I'd rather destroy the world than let the world destroy me."

Celestia frowned, trying to figure out what the crazy mare was talking about, but didn't have time to respond.

"Praise the Lady!" several ponies roared and rushed to attack the unicorns in charge of the rune array.

Instantly, many unicorns died from this sudden attack, but the attackers had no intention of stopping. In the next moment, their bodies bulged with veins, and then, with a powerful surge of energy, exploded.

Celestia, as if in slow motion, saw cracks appear in several spheres and light tearing furiously outward. She only had time to shield herself and the nearest ponies.

A powerful explosion pierced the air, shattering the ruins of the castle to pieces. Rocks and dust flew into the air, creating an image of grandiose chaos and destruction.

Toward a stunned Celestia, the figure of a smiling black mare emerged from the smoke.

Nightmare made several strokes in the air with her glowing turquoise horn, and all the ponies that had survived Celestia's barrier fell to the ground. Their faces contorted as if they were having nightmares, and black smoke began to pour from their bodies. The smoke, completely ignoring Celestia's barrier, began to be drawn into the black mare's body.

"Long time no see, sister," Nightmare Moon smiled. "Shall we get started?"

Twilight stood in the main square of Ponyville, her eyes fixed on the direction of the Everfree Forest, where a huge column of smoke and fire was rising from. The ponies around her were running around in panic, shouting something about the end of the world, and the mayor was trying unsuccessfully to restore order.

But none of that mattered to Twilight. Her thoughts were preoccupied with something else.

"Mentor?" she muttered, keeping her eyes on the smoke. "Just now... Was that your energy?"

Though Princess Celestia had brushed off her concerns, Twilight wasn't going to just accept it. She spent the entire night watching the moon and checking her instruments. And then she saw something surprising.

The silhouette of an alicorn on the moon appeared and disappeared, and shortly after, there was an explosion that even the citizens of Ponyville felt. But what was most disturbing was that this explosion carried the energy of her mentor that was so familiar.

"No, no, no. It can't be," Twilight whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You couldn't have sacrificed yourself, could you? It can't be!"

Twilight's gaze filled with determination as she lit her horn and instantly teleported to the stage standing in the middle of the city.

"SILENCE!" she shrilled, amplifying her voice with magic.

All the ponies around froze, stunned by the flash and the loud order.

"Gather in front of the stage. I have an important announcement to make," Twilight said dryly.

The ponies looked at each other and began to pull up to the stage, awaiting the words of the princess' apprentice.

"Something terrible has happened. Princess Celestia may be in danger," she announced, sliding her gaze over the whispering ponies in front of her. "I can't do this alone. I need volunteers."

"And what do you need volunteers for?" a pony asked from the crowd.

"We're going to Everfree and rescue the princess," Twilight replied firmly.

"Are you out of your mind?! You saw the sign! Mare in the Moon is back!" they shouted from the crowd. "What can you do to an alicorn?"

"Anything I can," Twilight replied firmly.

The crowd erupted into shouts and debate. It seemed no one was ready to go into the forest and fight the ancient evil alicorn.

Twilight could only watch the clamoring crowd sadly.

"I'll go," came the sudden loud voice of an orange mare who stepped forward. "Princess has done much for my family, and we always repay our debts."

The crowd fell silent, looking perplexed at the earth pony from the Apple family.

"I'll go t-too," came the quiet voice of the yellow pegasus. "The Crown has always been generous in helping the animal shelter."

Twilight looked at Fluttershy in surprise, not expecting such a decision from this fearful mare. Fluttershy apparently hadn't expected this from herself either and now stood there, trembling.

Three other mares came out right behind her, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.

"Are we going to stand like this?" the blue pegasus asked impatiently.

Twilight took one more look at the five volunteers and determinedly headed towards the forest.

In the air above the Everfree Forest, an epic battle broke out between two powerful alicorns. Nightmare Moon and Celestia, both beautiful and majestic, clashed in a battle that engulfed the sky in its fierce flames.

Nightmare Moon, with her horn emitting an evil turquoise light, was determined to prevail. Her spells of darkness and ice created dark forces that surrounded her around.

"It's been quite peaceful for a thousand years," Nightmare smirked, gathering energy in her horn. "Hasn't it, sister?!"

A portal appeared in front of her, into which she fired an endless volley of turquoise beams. Hundreds of small portals appeared around Celestia, surrounding her on all sides. A stream of rays flew out of the portals and hit Celestia, creating a massive explosion.

With a flash of light, Celestia appeared a hundred meters away from the explosion - she was almost unhurt, having managed to teleport away in time.

In this battle, the sky witnessed their confrontation.

Their gazes sparkled with fierce determination. Swirls of magic and light surrounded the battle, creating a beautiful but dangerous spectacle. The wings of the alicorns beat the air with extraordinary power, leaving trails of light and darkness behind them. The forest beneath them trembled with the power of their magic, and the sounds of battle penetrated to the very depths of the dense grove.

Nightmare Moon attacked with an unrelenting rhythm, unleashing streams of turquoise rays that tore through the air. Celestia responded with powerful blasts of light and fire, creating golden flashes and swirls of magic.

But as the battle continued, it became clear that Nightmare Moon was proving to be stronger.

Celestia wasn't giving up, but she was beginning to tire. Her glowing golden aura faded, and her eyes lost their luster. She tried to counterattack, but her magical powers were weakened. Nightmare Moon continued to attack mercilessly, leaving her no chance to recover.

"You know, I've imagined this moment so often that now I feel disappointed," Nightmare uttered as she lazily bombarded Celestia with her spells. "You are weak, sister. You only won last time because of the Elements of Harmony.

"So how do I get you to fight for real?"

"Oh! I got it," the black mare smiled, stepping back and lighting her horn.

Suddenly, Nightmare Moon disappeared in a dark flash of teleportation.

Celestia frowned and flew over to where Nightmare had just been and began tracking the coordinates. Her heart sank when she found her destination, the center of Canterlot. With a wave of her horn, she disappeared in a flash and appeared in the sky above Canterlot's main square.

The ponies on the ground screamed in surprise and consternation.

"Well, at last," came a snide voice from behind.

Celestia looked around and saw a black mare with a sparkling horn emitting powerful magical energy. Celestia instantly raised a magical shield around herself, ready to repel any attack.

However, to her surprise, Nightmare did not direct her magic at her. Instead, she released a giant dark blue beam that struck the center of the square.

"NO!" Celestia screamed, trying to block the spell, but it was too late.

The beam crashed to the ground, turning into a wave of cold and darkness that spread throughout the area.

The ponies in the affected area instantly froze, turning into ice statues that immediately crumbled under the corrosive darkness. Thousands of lives were extinguished in an instant before they even realized what was happening. Buildings began to collapse, and the air was filled with the aura of death.

"The castle is beautiful," Nightmare's voice pierced the dead silence. "I won't destroy it."

Celestia didn't answer. She just stared blankly at the icy wasteland before her, and flames began to run through her mane.

"Oops. I think I pissed you off," the black mare laughed. "I hope you stop being such a disappointment now."

Celestia cursed her failure as she tried to get up off the ground. Her body was exhausted from the battle and every movement caused sharp pain. Blood flowed from her wounds, staining her white fur a bright red. Celestia's eyes dimmed, lacking their usual glow.

Nightmare Moon, standing above her, felt the pleasure of her victory. Her black fur glistened against the blazing horn and her eyes sparkled with triumph.

She used her magic to lift Celestia's head with telekinesis, demonstrating her ruthlessness. Nightmare's horn flashed with a dark glow and Celestia instantly fell into a deep sleep.

Nightmare stood over her, watching the sleeping white alicorn. Her eyes showed a mixture of curiosity and annoyance.

"An apprentice? Elements of Harmony? They've been in the castle all this time!" Nightmare exclaimed, scrutinizing the sleeping Celestia. "You're crazy! What are you planning?"

There was no reply.

Nightmare frowned, trying to get deeper into Celestia's mind, but she resisted by sheer force of will.

"If the Elements of Harmony had already found their Keepers, they should have attacked me long ago," Nightmare pondered. "But the future isn't set yet. I must hurry."

Nightmare's gaze returned to the white alicorn who was still in her magical grip.

"Don't think we're done, sister," Nightmare hissed. "I'll be back soon and we'll continue."

The black mare's horn flashed, and Celestia disappeared in a dark beam of magic.

Nightmare did another teleportation and found herself on the border of the Everfree Forest. She knew that teleporting within the forest was no easy task due to the constant distortion of coordinates by the magic of this wild place.

With a flap of her wings, Nightmare dashed forward, heading towards the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters.

The ruins of the castle that had once been a place of pride and grandeur long ago was now a pitiful sight of devastation and desolation. The explosion that had occurred earlier had left its traces in every corner and crevice. Chunks of stone and fragments of columns scattered on the ground, creating a sad spectacle of destruction.

The smoke and ash that rose into the air after the explosion created a gloomy cloud that reflected the moonlight like an ominous phantom.

"Princess Celestia?!" Twilight shouted, running through the smoking ruins. "Where are you?!"

Her companions, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack, stood some distance away, watching the nervous unicorn sadly and helplessly.

The entire area was searched, but not a single sign of life was found. Everything was engulfed in devastation and silence.

"I refuse to believe this!" Twilight shrieked, throwing a piece of the ruined column away with force.

Her voice sounded a mixture of despair and hope for a miracle.

Applejack, an earth pony with bright orange fur and green eyes, slowly approached Twilight.

"Look, Twilight..." Applejack began hesitantly. "We've already searched everything we can. We'd better get back to Ponyville and prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

"Twilight?" the earth pony called out again.

Twilight didn't answer.

Her gaze was fixed on the iron door of the trapdoor that was beneath the ruined column she had tossed earlier. The door bore her own fate mark, surrounded by five other indistinguishable designs.

It was amazing that this door had survived the explosion at all.

Twilight's horn lit up with a bright purple light as she tried to open the door with her telekinesis. But the hatch remained stationary, defying her efforts.

Twilight frowned, lighting her horn even brighter and putting all her strength into trying to open the door. But there was no response.

Stopping, Twilight took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her troubled mind.

"Anger clouds the mind," she remembered her mentor's words. "This can't be a mere coincidence."

The ponies watching her moved closer, sensing that something unusual was happening.

Twilight muttered to herself as she pondered the mystery.

"Five and I'm sixth... Wait..." she muttered, suddenly realizing something. "The Elements of Harmony! They were mentioned in the story of Mare in the Moon!"

"That can't be! Did she plan it all?" Twilight's mind raced as she pieced all the fragments together.

Her worry for her teacher was replaced with confusion. She felt like she was participating in something grand, and her role was not yet finished. Her mentor must be alive.

"Girls, help me with this door," Twilight said excitedly, turning to her friends. "On the count of three, inject your magic into it."

The ponies looked at each other and nodded approvingly. Questions could be asked later. They were also beginning to sense that something momentous was happening.

"One... Two... Three!" Twilight counted down, activating her magic.

All six markings on the door flashed, and the door began to slowly rise, revealing a stone stairway down.

Twilight swung her horn and the staircase in front of her lit up with light. A bright beam penetrated downward, illuminating each step.

The other ponies followed her, treading carefully on the lighted stairs. They sensed that this path was leading them to something important and mystical.

At the bottom of the castle basement was an ancient stone monument covered in runes and moss. It looked like a sacred place where ancient wisdom was kept. The monument consisted of six stone pillars, on top of which were placed stone spheres with certain symbols. In the center of the monument, like a heart, there was an unfathomable energy that made the ponies' hearts beat harder.

"These are the Elements of Harmony? I wonder..." Twilight muttered, but suddenly realized. "Nightmare Moon! We haven't met her yet. We have to hurry."

"And how do these things work?" the blue pegasus said impatiently, circling the monument.

"They're sealed," Twilight muttered thoughtfully, touching the stone spheres with her magic. "Give me a few minutes."

Twilight delved into her memory, recalling those rare snippets of ancient history related to the Elements.

"Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Laughter, and... Magic!" exclaimed Twilight, looking stunned at the ponies standing nearby. "That's literally us!"

The solemnity of the moment was interrupted by the quiet pounding of hooves.

"Indeed," came a cold voice from behind. "Now die."

All six mares turned around and saw before them the epitome of a nightmare - Nightmare Moon.

Her eyes expressed coldness and ruthlessness, and her horn was already gathering colossal energy. She wasn't going to waste her time - she could give a pathos speech to their cold corpses.

But suddenly, thousands of threads burst from the cellar walls, as if woven from the flames themselves. The threads bound Nightmare tightly, holding her in place and especially carefully wrapping around her horn.

"Sister!" roared Nightmare, tensing every muscle in her body.

The threads snapped, but so far they were able to withstand the pressure of the infuriated alicorn.

"What do we do?!" Rarity shouted worriedly, turning to Twilight.

"Just a minute! I'm thinking!" Twilight's brain was working at full speed as realization came to her. "Hurry up! Put your hooves on the spheres!"

The ponies obeyed her and raised their front legs, gently touching the symbols on the spheres.

"Concentrate. Think about what you care about most.

"Think about what makes you who you are!"

The mares closed their eyes, concentrating on feeling their inner selves.

The monument trembled, and the stone spheres began to soften like melting ice. Dust flew around like a cloud of vapor.

In a flash of light, necklaces with stones embodying their fate marks appeared around the necks of the five mares. And on Twilight's head shone a tiara with the stone that corresponded to her mark.

Nightmare roared and began to thrash even harder. Each of her movements tore dozens of strings, but there were still too many of them.

The five mares, surrounded by streaming light, began to lift off the ground, but they didn't even seem to realize it as they were focused on their inner world.

Twilight opened her eyes, and a powerful light burst from them. It was as if she had become an integral part of the world, that she had become the very embodiment of Magic.

The light coming from her was so bright and powerful that it blinded Nightmare Moon.

"I HATE YOU!" roared Nightmare Moon as a thin beam of light, as if woven from a myriad of colors, struck her.

Suddenly, her dark shell began to crumble. The black mass dripped off her body, forming puddles of bubbling slurry on the floor.

Soon a blue alicorn mare appeared beneath her, weak and haggard. She staggered and collapsed to the floor, separated from the last remnants of Nightmare Moon.

A tiny beam of light burst from her body and soared into the sky as if trying to reach the sun.

All the ponies stood stunned, looking at what had happened. It was quiet, only their breathing could be heard in this tense atmosphere.

And then, in this lingering silence, one of them finally broke the silence.

"Did we win?" Twilight asked, breathing heavily, looking around at her comrades. "This alicorn... I think I've seen her before."

"This is my sister, Luna," came a soft voice from the side of the steps.

The ponies jumped with fright. They had been sneaked up on too many times today.

With a quiet clatter, Princess Celestia descended the steps. Her eyes were tired and her body was covered in wounds and dried blood. A guilty smile flashed across her face as her gaze met Twilight's.

"Mentor!" Twilight screamed, unable to contain her emotions, and rushed over to Celestia.

In that moment, she completely forgot that before her stood the princess reigning over the entire country. She hugged her teacher tightly, as if afraid to let go.

Tears flowed from Twilight's eyes, but Celestia just smiled and stroked her head affectionately.

A lone man sat in front of the cave entrance and looked up at the night sky. His appearance hadn't changed much in three and a half years, though there were a few wrinkles and a few gray hairs.

The years of life Saada had taken from him had only shortened his maximum lifespan, otherwise he would have looked like a graying old man by now.

Of course, there were ways to prolong life. Saada herself had lived to be one hundred and eighty and might have lived another seventy if she hadn't been killed. But was it really so easy to gain longevity? Of course not.

The most noticeable change was in his gaze - the dark green eyes had become like bottomless wells, full of indifference to the world and contempt for life.

"All for nothing," Alexei muttered, crossing his arms behind his head and pressing himself against the still warm stone.

His experiments had completely failed.

Though he quickly found the cause of the insanity and mutations, there was no way to fix or avoid them. The problem was the extremely high doses of dark energy that was the basis of the ritual. Dark energy had an uncanny ability to infiltrate and alter, allowing different energies to be combined into one body. It was on this feature that the ritual was built.

The creator of the ritual came up with something incredible in theory, but unfortunately, in practice everything ended in failure.

Three years were spent trying to fix or circumvent the problem, but to no avail.

Although he was able to find out that he was not in danger of insanity from dark magic due to the lack of a soul, the problem of mutations remained unsolved.

The lack of a soul was the main obstacle. Even if he successfully performed the ritual and avoided death from mutations, he still wouldn't have a soul. He had never found a way to create an artificial soul through alchemy.

Alexei sighed, but his face expressed nothing. He had faced despair too many times over the years. Many times he had found himself on the brink of death, whether it was during attacks on merchants or encounters with the monsters of the Everfree Forest. He needed rare ingredients for his experiments, and he risked his life to obtain them.

"Time to go to Equestria," the man thought. "Perhaps in the secret archives of Canterlot there is an answer to my question."

Over the years, he had gathered many books on unicorn magic into his hands - some by looting, some through trade with the help of diamond dogs. Though he found nothing of interest, there was some hope for the capital of Equestria.

The man's gaze shifted to the moon.

Something crazy had happened an hour ago - an alicorn silhouette had flashed and disappeared on the moon, and waves of strange energy had swept across the area. Saada informed him that this energy resembled the one from the explosion four years ago.

She also told him the myth of Nightmare Moon. Well, now the myth had become reality.

The man had many theories and guesses as to how that portal was connected to Nightmare Moon, but right now something else was on his mind.

A major battle between the two giants was coming to Canterlot.

Conflicts were always a disaster for some and an opportunity for others. The man was not about to miss this opportunity.

Traveling to Equestria was more dangerous than living in this crazy forest. At least for him.

He was going to encounter beings that on Earth could be called gods. He was going to brazenly slip past them and snatch the tastiest piece for himself.

The power of the alicorns seemed as limitless as the night sky he was looking up at.

Compared to them, he was so insignificant.

Going against the gods?

"Interesting," Alexei thought, smiling.