Stute von die Mond (Teil Ein)
It was a simple click that announced the unbinding of Nightmare Moon's chains. It was a sound that she had waited three hundred thousand, sixty-five thousand, two hundred and forty-two days to hear.
And she had counted each day for one thousand years.
As the four bright beacons that she had watched for after all of this time finally came to rest before her, Nightmare Moon smiled slightly.
"Starswirl..." the Lunar Mare said fondly as the stars blinked out of their bright forms to reveal four astral forms, each resembling a pony.
"It has been too long, teacher." the bearded Unicorn said with a sad waver in his voice before he galloped forward to nuzzle his mentor's chest.
Nightmare Moon let out a small giggle before bending her head down to nuzzle the top of his head before turning her gaze towards the three remaining ponies.
"Jer'rahd." Nightmare said proudly with a slight nod before the armored Unicorn saluted in reply.
"Midnight Wing, Galthaz." Nightmare finished, respectfully acknowledging the black and yellow flight-suited Pegasus and then the towering Earth Pony.
"Princess," Starswirl began, taking a step back to stand among the rest of Nightmare Moon's friends. "Believe me when I say that we went as fast as we could, but the sky is simply too huge. We only hope that we aren't too late."
"Even if we art, it is nary of thy fault. The guilt and blame will always fall onto Her shoulders, and eventually it will catch up to her." Nightmare Moon interrupted softly. "As much as we enjoy seeing thou all again, it will be quite some time before we can meet again, a final time. We apologize, but we must return at once. Please, send us back."
With a sad sigh, Starswirl nodded and the group formed a square around their waiting Princess. Their transparent bodies began to glow brighter and brighter until Nightmare Moon was completely blinded. Before she felt the cold lunar surface change beneath her feet, she felt a small nuzzle against her cheek and a small voice whisper farewell into her ear.
She had only hoped she wasn't too late...
"Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked curiously as she idly poked through the shelves within the Canterlot Library, alongside her star pupil.
"Yes, Princess?"
"Do you ever wonder what the world feels like?"
"...E-Excuse me?" Twilight asked cautiously, confused by the question.
"You spend every day hiding away behind your books. Do you ever wish to venture out into the world and see it all for yourself?"
"But what about my studies?! How will I report to you-" Twilight began quickly before being interrupted by a gold shoe'd hoof met her snout gently.
"Hush, Twilight. Everypony needs a break once in a while. You've done far more than your fare share within the castle and with your studies."
"A-Are you getting rid of me?! D-Did I do something wrong- am I a bad student?" Twilight whispered in fear.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Celestia rolled her eyes before continuing. "No, Twilight. I said a break. You've been working almost nonstop for the past eleven years, and I think you deserve one."
"But Princess, there's so much more to learn- so much to do, still!"
"And it all can wait until after you've taken a break." Princess Celestia replied sternly before calming herself. "Twilight. If you really must keep working, then I will send you to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration for this year. The townsfolk are the friendliest one will ever meet, I assure you."
Defeated, Twilight Sparkle lowered her head and mumbled her agreement.
"Good. Now, go get packed- you leave first thing tomorrow morning!" Princess Celestia giggled as her student suddenly galloped down the halls.
When she was sure that her student had gone and that she was all alone, Princes Celestia closed in on the giant window that overlooked the Canterlot Gardens.
But her gaze was not focused on the statues and plants. Rather, her snout was lifted up towards the skies with her eyes locked coldly on the gray, dull moon whose only feature was the faint shadow of a mare she once knew and trusted.
"Good luck, sister. You'll need it." Celestia whispered menacingly, with a glare, before turning and leaving the library to be bathed in darkness.
Stute von die Mond (Teil Zwei)
"She's gone!" a pony gasped in disbelief.
The voice was muffled to Nightmare Moon, who was still currently harnessing her friends' 'bodies' in order to make it back to Equestria.
When her astral form collided with something solid, the power was lost and Nightmare Moon found herself standing on a balcony above and before several types of ponies.
As her friends left her body behind to return to their heavens, Nightmare Moon left out a small laugh at some of the memories they had shared with each other in their short time after releasing their Princess.
After fully regaining her composure, Nightmare Moon smiled a sharp-toothed smile and spoke up.
"Oh, our beloved subjects..." she said mockingly, yet eerily cheerfully. "It hath been so long since we last saw thy precious little sun loving faces."
"What did you do with our Princess?!" a rainbow-maned Pegasus mare shouted suddenly, attempting to tackle the Alicorn goddess before an orange Earth Pony held her back by her tail.
"Why?" Nightmare Moon questioned, suddenly very irritated. "Doth thy nay'th know who we art?!"
When nopony answered, Nightmare Moon spread her wings and landed gracefully on the stage floor below. "Doth our crown count nary longer after what our sister did to us, all those years ago? Nay, of course nary. Tell us, child, what lies and slander doth she spread about us to keep her precious kingdom under an iron hoof?"
Twilight Sparkle, coincidentally the 'child' in question, took a small step back from the towering, menacing Alicorn before she snorted in disgust and spread her wings once more.
"Remember this day, my little ponies, for it is the beginning of the end to an era thou once knew! The truth shall be revealed, and all eyes shall be opened!" Nightmare Moon bellowed before letting out a sinister laughter and flying off.
Once free of the orange pony's grasp, the rainbow-colored mare bolted off after the strange pony before she lost sight of it and reluctantly returned to the town hall, where the Mayor was currently trying to calm the panicking ponies.
"Everypony, calm down!" she begged, raising her voice after each word; desperately trying to be heard over the crowd. "Calm down, please! A message has been sent to the Canterlot Royal Guard, and they'll be here in less than an hour to address the situation!"
But the pleading fell on deaf ears, as every pony was too busy fearing the worst. It was only a few short seconds before a small stampede broke out of ponies trying to get home and barricade themselves inside.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the stampeding crowd, Twilight Sparkle stood by as dozens of ponies rushed past her; her mind trying to assess what exactly had just happened.
Princess Celestia is gone. Check. Evil, dark Alicorn came back from the moon. Check. "Chapter One, page sixteen of Myths and Legends." Twilight sparkle whispered quietly to herself as she recalled the entirety of what she had read...
"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her Unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But, as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger Alicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since."
Mentally playing back exactly what Nightmare Moon had said, it took Twilight only a few moments to deduct that the dark coated Alicorn was in fact Nightmare Moon- Princess Celestia's sister.
But...Why had she said that Celestia had been spreading lies and slander about her? Twilight thought curiously before a pink hoof knocked on her head.
"Hey, Twilight, you coming? Huh, huh, huh?" Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly in front of the four other waiting ponies.
"Coming? Coming for what? ...You girls aren't actually going after Nightmare Moon, are you?!" Twilight asked in shock to her new-found friends.
"Well, o'course we are. She has the Princess, an' we figure that the 'Guard ain't gonna be here fer a while. Least we can do is scout ahead fer 'em." Applejack replied, resting on a crossed forehoof.
"Yea, come on, Twilight! Time to kick some evil Alicorn flank!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, punching at the air.
With an agreeable nod, Twilight Sparkle and her friends rushed out of the now-empty town hall, taking directions from Rainbow Dash towards where the dark Alicorn had last disappeared.
Nightmare Moon slowly strolled through the ruined halls of her ancient, ruined castle. She stretched her wings out to a comfortable distance, the tips touching the walls and feathers dragging as she breathed in the familiar air.
"I've missed this place so much...I've missed the trees, the sky, the clouds..." Nightmare Moon whispered to herself sadly. "I wonder if Chrysalis survived..."
Breathing deeply again as her hooves started up once more, she soon found herself standing in front of two large, wooden doors that time had not been kind to.
Using her magic to carefully push them open, she blinked back a tear at the empty cots and rusted suits of armor still sitting on their mannequins.
"Soldiers who saw what was really going on and fought to the death- sacrificed their lives and watched as their families were killed before them so that Equestria could see peace..." Nightmare Moon remembered as she trailed the tips of her wings across each bed and suit before leaving the room and sealing it behind her.
This isn't healthy, Lulu... she thought to herself. But then again, it isn't healthy for ponies to live under a crushing hoof, even if they don't know it...
