“I have gathered you all here today to give you the greatest of news which I know you all have been waiting to hear. Tomorrow... we march on Equestria.”
Sergeant Sickle Stone quivered with excitement. For years now, the New Lunar Republic had been preparing for this day.
Years. It hardly seemed that long, yet it had been. Before, it had always been raids on Celestia’s mines, or cargo trains, or supply transports. They’d never truly made any progress. However, just last week, they had successfully taken Fort Sol, a strategic point between the New Lunar Republic’s lands and the Sovereignty of Equestria, near Hoofens. The change in momentum had shocked them all, for they had all begun to believe it was an economic war by that point. Most all ponies believed that it had come down to continually chipping away at each of the two nations’ armies and other capital investments before one eventually collapsed due to overspending. They all believed it would be at that point that the New Lunar Republic would destroy Equestria, or vice versa.
Now the tables had turned. With the capture of Fort Sol, the possibility to assemble an army large enough to overrun Canterlot without starving to death on the journey was entirely feasible. But only a week after the capture of the fort? Nightmare Moon was nothing if not quick to the draw.
Sickle Stone’s reverie was broken by another line from his glorious leader, one that shocked many of her subjects present.
“I, myself, shall march into battle among my fellow comrades. If any shall see the fall of that tyrant firsthand, it shall be me. That, and I don’t believe any of my battlemages are quite on the level that Celestia is.” Nightmare Moon smiled smugly, torch-light glinting off of her pale blue armor.
Excited murmurs broke out amid the ranks. Nightmare Moon personally overseeing a battle? This was going to be the fight of the century. Most major operations were placed under the jurisdiction of General Ironhoof. Nightmare Moon normally gave him his orders while he oversaw the battle, ensuring all went to plan. But if Nightmare Moon herself was going to battle with them, then it was a sign that the war may finally be coming to a close. After all these years, Celestia’s tyranny would finally be overthrown.
“Tomorrow, we march on the Sovereignty of Equestria, and we shall overthrow the tyrannical Celestia. Tomorrow, we shall strike our enemy at their heart. Tomorrow, we secure justice for all Ponydom! Tomorrow, my ponies, we win. The. War!”
Sickle Stone’s own cheers were completely drowned out by the massive outpouring of bravado and patriotism that flowed from his comrades. The building shook with the stomping of the New Lunar Army. Sickle Stone felt alleviated somewhat, although he knew there was yet a final battle to overcome. Still... he had survived seven battles to date. What was one more?
Celestia sat at her War Table, several of her most trusted generals seated around the table as well. To say she was in a foul mood was an understatement. General Fenkton swore he could feel heat emanating from her at particularly intense intervals.
“Damn it, our spies had better not be wrong! What if we do assemble a massive army tonight, and it turns out it was all a load of crap? It’ll be Sporta all over again, and my reputation is not prepared for another such folly.” Celestia emphasized her displeasure by tapping the table repeatedly with her hoof, a habit Fenkton found highly unnecessary.
Across the table, a stallion with a seemingly sentient beard spoke up. “What’s worse? A soiled reputation, or a crushed nation? Think about it, Princess.”
Celestia glared at him harshly. “General Saltspit, I’m not in the mood to be trifled with. We’ve a potential bloodbath of catastrophic proportions on our hooves tomorrow. I’m not sure we can handle a battle of such scale unless I directly intervene, and I may well have to. Nightmare Moon will likely show up herself at such an important battle, and I can’t afford to allow her to destroy my army with ease. Very well, there is no sense in doubting the word of our spies. They’re usually trustworthy, and I can’t afford to allow the Republic a surprise attack on our capital.”
Celestia’s horn glowed with her magic as she unrolled several sheets of battleplans from seemingly nowhere. “Saltspit, I want your army stationed in and around Canterlot. Outraged as the citizens may be, national defense currently takes priority over their privacy, thus I give you permission to quarter your troops within their homes should the need arise. Tell them they’ll face dungeon time if they resist, under direct order of their goddess.”
Saltspit saluted Celestia sharply and stiffly as she turned to Fenkton. He felt his heartrate quicken as she looked at him, like it always did. It was hard for him to imagine all the memories stored behind those purple eyes, and even harder to imagine just how old they were. All the pain they’d experienced, all the joy. All the hard decisions, all the regret. It was seemingly endless.
“Fenkton, your army will guard the mountain pass and the road leading down to the plains. We cannot allow the Republic to make any progress towards Canterlot; I’ll not allow harm to come to my citizens. Mount whatever ballistae and trebuchets are available, given the short notice.” Celestia turned at last to the other three generals while Fenkton saluted her in just the same manner that Saltspit had.
“Marshall, Cleaton, and Aronson: I wish for you to combine your three armies on the plains, facing in the direction of the Republic. We need all the ponies we can get on that battlefield. I wish for you to also prepare whatever war machines are available. I’ll join your armies before the battle commences and provide whatever support I can, particularly if Nightmare Moon does indeed show up.”
Celestia stood up while the three generals saluted her. “I’ve trusted all of you with my life before, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. However, this is entirely different. I am entrusting you with the lives of every pony that lives in Canterlot, and potentially all the ponies of Equestria. This might be the turning point of the war, and you gentleponies know what I expect of you. Good luck, and may the gods be in your favor. May we crush the Republic and all it stands for! For Equestria!”
The generals all shouted their agreements and stomped in unison. What none of the generals saw as Celestia turned away was the solitary tear that rolled down her face. She couldn’t show them any sort of weakness, but all the same, she wasn’t certain she was prepared for what tomorrow may bring.
The sounds of various metal weaponry and armor clinking together filled the plains for miles. But that sound was nothing compared to the march. The Army of the New Lunar Republic stretched five miles across and over ten miles long, and literally killed everything it stepped across, including the grass.. There were over 180,000 troops here at Nightmare Moon’s disposal. Sickle Stone shuddered to think of the pony that may have to face such a force. Never before in history had such a large fighting force been assembled, and Sickle Stone estimated that even Equestria’s army wasn’t this large.
The war machines rolled along smoothly, occasionally catching a hiccup on a rock or other piece of scenery. The ballistae dominated the scene, each bolt measuring fifty hooves long. It took several minutes to reload, but once fired, the bolt could pass through several dozen hooves of solid rock before coming to a stop. The trebuchets were also impressive, several of which had been outfitted with oil cauldrons to ignite their payload. These would be used on the city itself, in order to inflict maximum damage if Nightmare Moon ascertained she could not capture the city while its occupants lived.
There were also three assault platforms; two-hundred-hoof-tall wooden buildings that rolled on massive wooden wheels. Unicorn archers stood on several levels inside of the vehicle and aimed their bows outward through narrow wooden slots in the front. There was also a drawbridge that could extend from the platform itself that could allow easy transport onto the mountain path without having to circumvent around the mountain. Nightmare Moon herself rode atop the middle platform.
All in all, it was a terrifyingly large army with massive machines of war. Once they crested the next hill, however, they saw they were matched by the Equestrian army. By the gods, they were matched. Celestia’s army extended almost entirely around the mountain, blocking the view of the base of the mountain. Massive ballistae were among the troops on the ground, and dozens more ballistae and trebuchets were mounted on the mountain path leading up to Canterlot.
“Damn it! There are spies amongst the ranks, watch yourselves!” Nightmare Moon shouted from atop the siege platform, her voice amplified by magic. She figured that there were spies which would inform Celestia of her plans, and she had expected Celestia to prepare a defense in preparation for this moment. Still, she had maintained a shred of hope in the back of her mind that perhaps there may not have been, and no ponies would have died needlessly. It was clear now, however, that that was simply no longer possible.
A loud twang sounded off in the distance. Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened. She alit quickly, shouting at her troops on the platform to take cover. But it was too late. A massive bolt ripped straight through the platform, knocking it back several yards and nearly tipping it over. Crimson splashed out through the orifices in the platform, whatever unfortunate ponies in the way of such an impact reduced to putty.
“Shields up! Protect the siege platforms!” Nightmare Moon shouted. Beneath her, several dozen battlemages’ horns lit up in unison. The air in front of the platforms shimmered a pale blue, indicating the shields were now up. Nothing would get through them aside from counterspells or sheer force.
As if to emphasize Nightmare Moon’s train of thought, another bolt flew across the plains. It smashed into the barrier and exploded into hundreds of several-yard-long fragments. While saving her siege platforms, unfortunately, debris falling from the collision was indiscriminate in the targets it chose while falling to Earth. Six more casualties resulted from the splintered hunks of wood.
Damn it, the battle hasn’t even started and I’ve already taken casualties. Unacceptable, thought Nightmare Moon.
“Fire the ballistae!” She shouted. “Aim for their own! We can’t continue to take hits like that!”
The air around them was torn apart as dozens of giant bolts flew through the sky. Three missed their targets altogether and buried themselves in the mountain, but the rest struck home, five of them destroying enemy ballistae. Nightmare smiled at the sight of red among her enemy’s troops. This was going to be a good battle.
“CHARGE!” Nightmare Moon screamed, pointing straight ahead as she flapped through the air. Her army moved, dozens of thousands of ponies crying out at once. The sky grew dark as the rear columns of pegasi took off, thousands of airborne soldiers blotting out the sun. The war machines stayed in place, now in range to attack their enemies, while the siege platforms lumbered on. The ground ahead of them shook and dust was stirred up even before the soldiers got there, their sheer numbers rendering the ground unstable.
“HOLD THE LINE!” Nightmare heard Celestia scream.
Celestia. Nightmare Moon’s blood ran cold at the thought of facing her sister -how she loathed that term- in battle. She was certain she could overpower her, but Celestia’s prowess was unmatched by any other pony in Equestria. Nightmare had seen Celestia turn comets back into the sky before, had seen her turn clouds around in their tracks like it was no big deal. She prayed that her sister would be struck down before Nightmare had to come into contact with her.
“REMAIN UNWAVERING! THIS IS THE LAND OF YOUR ANCESTORS THAT YOU ARE FIGHTING TO DEFEND! THINK OF YOUR FAMILIES BACK HOME! YOU ARE WHAT STANDS BETWEEN THEM AND EVIL! THIS IS EVERYTHING! FIGHT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!” Celestia flew back and forth over her army, doing her best to boost her morale. It mostly worked, but she could still see many of her troops were quaking in their boots. She didn’t blame them. Nightmare Moon’s army was as large as theirs, it seemed. Maybe larger. Celestia had 140,000 troops here defending their country and livelihood, but would it be enough?
Bolts and boulders rained from the sky, killing dozens before the iron-to-iron even began. “Mages! Shield your brethren! I wish to meet Nightmare Moon’s army in battle, not the afterlife!”
The air flickered as the shields were put up, and soon her troops were instead being killed by broken bolts and slightly slowed down boulders. She could never win, it seemed.
The two armies met with the ferocity of a manticore defending her cubs. The noise was deafening; Celestia actually had to shield her oversensitive ears from the combat beneath her. The sound of shield and sword was too loud to handle when such numbers of ponies were duking it out.
Celestia focused on removing bolts and boulders before they could explode against her mages’ shields. Child’s play, she thought, as she deflected the missiles with ease. After a few moments of merely deflecting, Celestia instead decided to start reflecting. Some collided with incoming missiles from Nightmare’s army, which was entertaining, but most crashed onto her troops below. The fool had centered all of her mages around her siege platforms. Alright, let’s see how well those mages can hold up to true power.
Nightmare Moon’s battle wasn’t going so well. She was growing irritated with Celestia’s incessant need to redirect her projectiles onto her own army, and was preparing to do something about it, when a yellow light suddenly started flashing around Celestia. Alarmed that Celestia appeared to be using offensive magic, Nightmare was ready for anything.
A yellow beam shot out of Celestia’s horn, straight for one of the siege platforms. Fool!, thought Nightmare Moon. Has she forgotten that the platforms are shielded? Her question was answered in the form of a shattered shield and a suddenly exploded siege platform. I suppose not. Nightmare wasn’t truly surprised that the spell had completely annihilated the shield and the platform, plus a few hundred ponies around the platform; she was more irritated that she hadn’t thought to strengthen the shield with her own magic. No matter, she thought. I’ve two more still. I should be able to lead at least one to the mountain path.
Celestia started flashing yellow again as she prepared for another attack. Not this time! The beam shot out again, headed straight towards the leftmost siege platform. Nightmare Moon deflected the spell, redirecting it into Celestia’s army. The ground shook with a massive explosion at the impact site, instantly killing hundreds of Celestia’s troops.
A pegasus nearly rent in two narrowly missed Nightmare Moon as it careened toward the Earth, spattering her with blood. She looked up and saw that the battle had commenced in the skies as well. Pegasi fell left and right, a worryingly greater amount of them adorned in her blue and black armor than the gold and white of Celestia’s. Nightmare Moon ground her teeth in frustration. Time to take the offensive.
Celestia ceased in her offensive strategy. She knew that Nightmare Moon was very nearly her equal, and no amount of progress in attempting to weaken those shields were worth the lives of her troops. She instead resumed redirecting ballistae bolts as they came hurtling towards her army, once again attempting to mitigate losses to her own troops, when a blue bolt of magic flew towards her unexpectedly from Nightmare Moon. Celestia dodged to the side, looking back at the beam. It lit up the battlefield magnificently for a brief instant as it made contact with the mountain upon which Canterlot was built before the shockwave from the explosion nearly knocked Celestia out of the sky.
A massive crack drove up the side of the mountain, thunderous in its advance before a terrifyingly large plate of rock shifted and started sliding down the mountainside, directly toward the road leading up to Canterlot. The world came to a standstill. Celestia’s mouth moved, but her ears were unhearing. She watched as it made contact with the road, completely obliterating the road and all troops on it. The landslide proceeded downward, picking up speed before smashing into the earth below, hundreds of house-sized boulders spinning off into the battlefield, crushing ponies indiscriminately in their paths of destruction.
Celestia turned to Nightmare Moon. Nightmare had an entirely overly smug grin on her face. Celestia’s sorrow turned to rage at the sight of such arrogance. She propelled herself forward using both her magic and wingpower, and watched the grin disappear as her hoof made contact with Nightmare’s face. Nightmare Moon shot out of the sky faster than a bolt from a ballista, crashing into the ground with enough force to liquefy a mortal.
Celestia’s horn glowed once more, gathering in energy before Celestia cried out and let loose the energies she had gathered, hitting Nightmare Moon’s crater squarely. It lit up in a grand and fiery explosion, the shockwave rolling over both armies and knocking down a few ponies.
Celestia flapped her wings to stay aloft. Maybe... maybe it’s over, she thought between breaths.
“Come now! Surely you did not think it would be that easy!” Nightmare’s voice came from directly behind Celestia. Celestia swiveled around, bewildered, just in time for an offensive spell from Nightmare Moon to strike her. Celestia cried out and fell toward the earth, blue electricity crackling around her body. She recovered before smashing into the ground, and weakly fluttered back up, attempting to regain her energy as quickly as possible.
“Not as easy as you thought, huh?” Nightmare asked, flapping her wings evenly. Celestia grinned. “I suppose not. I should have expected no less from my sister.”
Nightmare bared her teeth. “Shut up! You’re no sister of mine. You’re a weak tyrant who has met the end of her days. Face it, Celestia: You’re old. Old enough to have witnessed the beginning of time. Old enough to understand the needs of ponies. Old enough to know better than to rule how you do!”
“Don’t tell your older sister to shut up, Luna. Be respectful. Isn’t that what mom and dad always taught us?” Celestia asked calmly.
Nightmare Moon shook with rage. “I... am NOT... LUNA!” She shot a bolt of energy at Celestia. Celestia blocked the attack with a conjured shield, the magical energies crackling as they fizzled away. “Yes, you are, little sister. Just like I’m not a tyrant. Why do you lie to your ponies? Do you not see how happy my citizens are? I’ve been in power for millennia now! Do you know why! Because they love me, and I love them in return! They wouldn’t know what to do without me! You are the very first to ever attempt to usurp the throne, Luna, and it’s all over what? Petty jealousy? Is that truly it?”
“Shut up shut up SHUT UP!” Nightmare screamed as she dove at Celestia, smashing her sister’s face with her hoof. Celestia flew downward but recovered with a backflip, floating back up to meet her sister. “You wouldn’t know the first thing about jealousy! You don’t know what it’s like having a sister with everything! The love of our citizens... it all went to YOU! Everypony loves the daytime, but who stays around for the night? Huh!? NOPONY! Nopony sees the splendor of it all! All the stars... the nebulae... the beautiful, beautiful moon... You even named it after me! You named the moon Luna, in my honor! Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to be overlooked at galas, to be forgotten at speeches? Oh that’s right, I never gave any! You did! It was always you, sister! Always you!”
Celestia shook as tears rolled down her muzzle. She couldn’t stand seeing the pony she loved most in such a state of turmoil. “You never told me any of this, sister! You’ve always been such a recluse; how was I to know you even remotely desired attention?! You claimed the night for that specific reason, I remember now even all these millennia later! Why must we fight? It was all so perfect! Everything was perfect. Come back to me, Luna! Please! There’s still time, I’ll forgive you! I still love you, nothing can change that!”
Nightmare Moon stomped the air to the best of her abilities. “But how can all the other ponies forgive me? I know you would, sister, but it is too late for the rest. None can ever trust me again. Even if I gave it all up now, told my army to go home, took up the mantle of Luna once more... who’s to say it wouldn’t go back to being how it used to be? Who is to say!? No.” Nightmare Moon slashed her hoof through the air. “It can’t. This has been too long in the making. It’s been years, ‘Tia. Years. I can’t let these ponies down. And I can’t go back to the way it used to be. That’s not an acceptable option. I only wish you had seen it never was! I am overthrowing you today, and that’s final!” She lowered her horn, drawing in massive amounts of energy.
Celestia sobbed. “So be it, Luna, my sister... I can’t let you do this.” Celestia’s horn glowed as well, but instead of drawing in energy, a medallion with six golden circles, five surrounding a large, central one, appeared on her neck.
Nightmare Moon’s energy absorption halted for a brief moment. “You wouldn’t!”
“I would, and I am. You’ve left me with no other choice, dearest sister! You’ve forgotten all about the Elements of Harmony, haven’t you? Of course you have; to turn into such a foul monster as you’ve become, I see no other way. I had hoped to avoid resorting these, but you’ve left me without a choice if I am to protect the wellbeing of my country and its citizens, Luna.” Tears rolled down Celestia’s face as she began the incantations.
“Kindness!” One of the outward circles glowed a pale pink and shot out a beam of energy towards Celestia’s horn, which catalyzed the reaction and shot it toward Nightmare Moon. She screamed as it struck her, but continued to draw in more and more energy.
“Honesty!” Another circle glowed orange and also flew towards Celestia’s horn, which projected it just the same as Kindness.
“Loyalty!” Another still glowed blue and did the same as the others. Nightmare Moon howled in agony. Celestia’s tears wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t believe she was doing this to her own sister.
“Generosity!” A fourth circle glowed purple and joined the others.
“Laughter!” A fifth glowed bright pink and joined the others still. Nightmare Moon cried out and released her attack, lightning bolts shooting out from the beam of energy she unleashed as it flew toward Celestia at breakneck speed.
“And... Magic.” Celestia’s pupils glowed white as a final, purple beam burst forth from the center amulet and joined the others. They changed to a rainbow spectrum and overpowered Nightmare Moon’s attack, pushing it back at her. Both attacks hit Nightmare Moon at once, eliciting another howl and pushing Nightmare Moon into the sky above Celestia.
Celestia shouted at Nightmare Moon, “With the authority of Supreme Ruler of Equestria and with the power of the Elements of Harmony, I, Celestia, hereby banish thee, Nightmare Moon, to the moon, where thou shalt remain imprisoned for one thousand years! May you repent thy sins over the next millennium!”
Nightmare Moon howled in anguish as she flew ever higher, the rainbow spectrum of the Elements of Harmony far too powerful to resist all at once, even for her. She climbed ever higher, the plains of Equestria soon a dot on a pale blue circle beneath her. She smashed into the moon with the force of a meteor, cracks spreading out from the site and dust being thrown out of its sphere of influence. Her eyes fluttered as she slowly lost consciousness.
Celestia sobbed openly as the Elements of Harmony returned to normal, each withdrawing their power from Celestia. The battle had come to a complete standstill. The attention of the armies was divided between the pale moon overhead, barely visible in the glorious rays of sunshine, and the mourning goddess that floated above them, tears glittering as they fell from the sky and intercepted the rays of sunshine.
A single loud clang shattered the thunderous silence. Several thousand eyes turned toward a single pony, unarmed and with a sword lying at his hooves. Sergeant Sicklestone turned around. “Lay down your arms, men. We’ve... lost.” The ponies behind stood in shock for several moments. Some opened their mouths to protest that they still held an advantage, but a second pony beside Sicklestone threw down his axe. Several others did so as well, and before long, the clattering of abandoned equipment filled the plains of Equestria. The Battle for Equestria was won.
But at what cost? Celestia attempted to reign in her emotions as the Army of the New Lunar Republic slowly turned around and marched home, but simply couldn’t. “I’m so sorry, Luna. I’m so, so sorry. You didn’t leave me any choice!” Celestia protested to no one in particular. “It’s not fair... I’ll miss you. May we meet again someday... one thousand years from now.” Celestia burst into tears once more as she descended to the ground, ponies clearing out an area for their weeping goddess.
The Army of the Sovereignty of Equestria turned around and went home. The looming threat of the New Lunar Republic was no more.
Celestia turned her head skyward to gaze at the pale beacon of her failures as a sister, her mane no longer flowing in an ethereal wind and instead suspended by her side. “Goodbye, Luna. Goodbye... my sister.”
