Luna’s heart sank as she stared at the empty space in the garden where Twilight’s statue once stood. It was gone.

How could it be gone?

She had thought she had more time—time to prepare, time to think of what to say, time to figure out how to defuse the inevitable confrontation. But it seemed the universe had other plans. The deadline wasn’t tomorrow or even hours away. It was now.

Panic clawed at her chest as she turned away from the window. The throne room was cold and quiet, but it offered no solace. Luna’s eyes locked onto the massive double doors at the end of the room, her wings twitching as she braced herself. She didn’t know what would step through those doors next, but she had to be ready.

She had to be ready for her.

Dead?

No.

No, no, no. She can’t be dead. Celestia cannot be dead.

I stood frozen in the center of the royal garden, my thoughts spiraling into chaos. The words of those fillies replayed in my mind like a mocking echo. “Celestia died a couple weeks ago.”

Dead.

I was too late. All those sacrifices, all those lives I had taken—what were they for now? I thought I was removing obstacles, stepping stones on my path to her defeat. But if she was gone...

I clenched my teeth, my body trembling as anger and despair warred within me. Did I kill them for no reason? Did they all die in vain?

No. I couldn’t accept that. She couldn’t be dead. There had to be more to this.

Luna. She would know. She had to know.

I moved through the castle with a grim determination, my hooves echoing against the cold marble floors. The stained glass windows lining the hallways caught my eye, each one telling a story of triumphs and tragedies long past. My gaze lingered on a few that struck a nerve—the one depicting my ascension to an alicorn, the one showing my trial, and the one marking my imprisonment in stone.

And then, the newer ones.

One window showed a pony I didn’t recognize—a regal figure with a mane that shimmered like a sunrise. Another depicted Celestia’s death, her crown falling to the ground as ponies mourned around her.

No.

My breath hitched, and my magic flared uncontrollably. The ornate door at the end of the hall—Celestia’s throne room—came into view. Without hesitation, I unleashed a blast of magic that shattered it into splinters.

Luna stood within, her expression a mixture of fear and sadness.

“Where is she!?” I screamed, my voice raw and desperate.

Luna flinched but held her ground. “She’s dead, Twilight!” she replied, her voice trembling yet firm. “You have to put it behind you! From our last encounter, I know there’s still some good in you!”

Her words were like a slap to the face. *Good in me?* Was she serious? She dared to stand there, feeding me empty platitudes while Celestia had robbed me of my revenge?

I felt a scream tear from my throat, fueled by frustration and anguish. Without another word, I teleported away, leaving Luna behind in the shattered remains of the throne room.

Ponyville—or what remained of it

I reappeared in what I thought was Ponyville, only to find a town I scarcely recognized. It was still Ponyville, but it wasn’t *my* Ponyville. The cottages were taller, the streets wider, and strange machines buzzed through the air. Ponies stared at me as I walked through the unfamiliar streets, their expressions a mix of curiosity and unease.

They whispered to each other, their words barely audible over the hum of activity.

“It’s Nightmare Eclipse…”

“The legend is real…”

“The cursed alicorn…”

I smirked bitterly. “Nightmare Eclipse.” What an interesting title. It seemed I had become a story, a myth, much like Nightmare Moon before me. How quaint. I wondered what tales they told of me, what fears and lies they had spun in my absence.

But their whispers didn’t matter. None of this mattered. I had one goal in mind—to find what remained of my castle.

My old castle in the Everfree Forest was long gone, reduced to rubble centuries ago, but I had another: the Castle of Friendship. It had been my sanctuary, my pride, and my greatest symbol of unity and power. Surely, it still stood.

Luna stood frozen in the throne room, her heart pounding in the deafening silence Twilight left behind. The shattered door, the scorch marks on the marble floor, and the lingering hum of magic in the air were all that remained of their brief encounter.

She had barely spoken to Twilight before the alicorn vanished, leaving behind a storm of emotions in her wake. Luna had seen the fury in her eyes, the grief that simmered just beneath the surface. She had seen the desperation of a pony who had lost everything.

“Tia…” Luna whispered under her breath, her voice trembling. “What would you have done?”

Her sister had always been the one with answers, the one who could talk Twilight down or guide her back to reason. But Celestia was gone now, and Luna was left to face the storm alone.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

Twilight had been consumed by vengeance for so long, and now, with Celestia gone, that fire had no target. It would spread, uncontrollable and unpredictable, consuming everything in its path.

Luna closed her eyes, drawing a shaky breath. She had hoped that there was still some good left in Twilight, but her brief appearance had shaken that hope. Twilight’s scream still echoed in her ears, filled with so much pain and fury that it made Luna’s chest ache.

“She’ll come back,” Luna murmured to herself. “She always comes back.”

The thought filled her with both dread and determination. When Twilight returned, Luna would have to be ready.

For now, though, she could only wait.

Author's Note

Edit: Suggested from a comment, I liked the name “Nightmare Eclipse” a lot better than “manic phantom”.