Celestia awoke with a start. Something was wrong, her bones creaking told her that much. As she stumbled drowsily over to the curtains, her horn glowing a familiar golden color, Celestia’s worries increased. She could not remember a time when she was still tired after waking. She was, for intent and purpose, the sun. It should have given her the morning strength. Pushing back the curtain, a horrible sight lay before her. What once were lush, green fields had turned a dull gray and a plow lay forgotten in a dried up pasture. No ponies ran in the dark streets that were barely lit by lanterns.
‘Lanterns? But it should be day by now. Where is Luna, she should have awoken us when she lowered the sun.’
That was the most troubling feature of all was the lack of her sun. Her glorious sun that shined down warmth had been replaced by nothing. Nothing, not even the stars or Luna’s moon hung in the sky.
“What is Luna playing at?! She knows how important it is for Us to be constant. The ponies depend on it.” Her mane roiling in anger, Celestia stalked off to find sister, only taking enough time to put in the royal regalia. She wasn’t going to, but something in the back of her mind urged her to. Striding down the hallways, Celestia’s anger once more turned into worry. What if something had happened to her sister and that was why the moon wasn’t down. Maybe Chrysalis had come back with her army or Discord had broken loose and made good on his promise. As more and more thoughts ran through her head, Celestia’s hooves picked up speed. Preoccupied with her thoughts, she almost didn’t see the pony curled up in fear beside the doors into the grand hall. Sliding to a stop, Celestia neared the young one. It was one of the cleaning staff, Shine Bright if she wasn’t mistaken. As Celestia became one horn length away, Shine Bright flinched, and then when seeing who it was, launched herself at Celestia’s feet.
“P-p-princess! Please, you have to help. Your sister, she-she,” the pony broke off in tears, leaving Celestia more worried than before. She tried to get the young pony to speak more, but Bright Shine only silently cried more, flinching when Luna’s name was spoken. Frustrated, Celestia turned her head towards the doors, or rather tried to for that was when the other pony finally spoke again.
“NO!” she shrieked, “I don’t want to be in the dark again!”
That was when Celestia truly realized how bad the situation actually was. What Celestia had thought to be twilight darkness, was near pitch black. She should have realized when it seemed that her horn had been putting of more light than usual. Glancing back to Shine Bright, Celestia’s heart broke. The Shine Bright she remembered had been full of energy and been one of the few to ponies to engage in normal conversation with the princesses, even going as far to play tricks or poke fun at them. What had happened to make one of the brightest ponies that Celestia knew to become this? Pulling her magic to the front of her horn, Celestia created three glowing orbs and sent them down to Shine Bright.
“Shine Bright, We know you are afraid, but you must listen to Us. We are in need of information. Can you tell Us what is going on?”
Opening an eye, Shine Bright stared at the orbs before gathering shaky limbs underneath. Pushing up, she wavered a time or two, fluttered her wings, and stared Celestia in the eyes. “It started two months ago your Majesty. You went to sleep as normal, but you would not awake the next morning. Your sister said a mysterious enemy had attacked you and was keeping you from waking. She assured us that only we were suffering the oddity. We thought nothing of it at first, the moon could supply enough light so we could see and we had plenty of food to feed us. We tried to see you but she wouldn’t allow it. Said she needed absolute silence to treat you. We were fools. Days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Our food supply ran out, and against her wishes, December Fury led a small group of soldiers outside to see if another city would lend us aid. The news they brought back was disturbing. It seemed that all of Equestria was under a shroud of darkness. Ponies are dying, either from starvation, or from not being able to see where they were going.”
As Shine Bright continued, Celestia grew weak. She had been asleep for two months? Why was Luna acting like this? Why hadn’t Star Swirl done anything?
“Shrine Bright, where is Star Swirl? Where is my sister?”
Shine Bright lowered her eyes to the ground, a bad omen for Celestia. “Star Swirl died a month ago, right before she showed up. He fell from his tower, an accident she said. But everyone knows the truth. She killed him. She killed him!” Shine Bright broke down in tears as Celestia collapsed on her haunches. Star Swirl was dead? Her and Luna’s mentor had been killed? Then what about…
“And my sister? Where is Luna?!”
At that, Shine Bright’s tears stopped and her eyes took on a bitter edge. “Your sister is no more my Majesty. I am afraid she has been gone for a long time. We were all just too stupid to realize it.”
Celestia’s legs gave out. Her sister and Star Swirl were both dead? Who could have done such a thing? Hadn’t they, hadn’t she, been through enough? First the loss of their parents, then losing Discord and having to place her niece Cadance under a stasis spell, now topped off with this……How much more could she take? A gentle nudge and quiet “Princess?” drew Celestia from within. While there were still ponies alive, and under her reign, she had a job to do. Righteous fury filling her soul, Celestia regained her footing. She pitied the foolish foal who thought they could meddle with her family and her subjects. They would feel the wrath of her celestial fire until they could no longer bear any more wound. She would make them beg for mercy, beg for her to release them to Death’s hand. Then she would smile, and say, “No.”
“Shine Bright, where is Commander Fury?”
“Locked in the dungeons your majesty with the rest of his platoon, but he watched under the night guard. She did something to their minds, they look on those who disobey her as enemies and cut them down.”
“Find what ponies you can to free them, you may do whatever is necessary. When Commander Fury is free, have him round up what ponies he can under my banner. This has gone on long enough.”
Bowing low, Shine Bright took off with the orbs of light following. When Celestia could no longer see her, she turned to the doors of the war room. A room she had considered a relic, unneeded since the war with King Metamorphis 100 years ago. Fitting that this is where Celestia felt the dark energy coming from. It would make a decent tomb for this intruder. Gathering up as much magic as she could, Celestia slammed the doors open, hoping to catch whoever inside off-guard. Instead, an inky black ear merely twitched.
“Really Celestia, was that completely necessary? We think you may have singed the curtains, if not Us.”
“How dare you speak to Us as if you are familiar with Us! You should be glad We do not destroy you this instant for what you have done to Star Swirl, not to mention Our sister Luna.”
At this, the other pony, no, mare, turned to look at Celestia. She was as tall as her and possessed a gracefulness that reminded Celestia of her mother. And her colors were similar to her father: an inky black coat like the night sky with her mane and tail being a starry veil. But her eyes disturbed Celestia the most; they were the same color as Luna’s. This monster had taken her family’s images and mixed them together. Her cutie mark remained hidden by the chairs but Celestia had no doubt that it would be some imitation of the royal family.
“Interesting that you should mention Luna after Star Swirl, sends a clear message of what you feel towards family. Did Shine Bright tell you what happened? Did that little foal tell you the fate of Star Swirl and your dear sweet sister? Did she tell who I am?”
“She told me you killed them,” Celestia acknowledged as she circled her way around table. Commander Fury’s lessons began to repeat in her head. Rule 1: Always assess your surroundings and the enemy as well. The most dangerous enemy is one you don’t know.
“Is that what she said? Well I suppose what she said is mostly true. Although my interactions with their……deaths, is merely by circumstance. My role was minor at best.”
Rule 34: When directly engaged with an enemy in conversation, keep them talking. They may reveal something vital.
“Minor? Is someone else pulling the strings of this plan and you’re merely a puppet?”
“A puppet? Me?” Lightning resounded at the clash of hooves striking the marble floor in anger and a mad laugh bellowed out. “I am no puppet, your majesty. If you’re looking for a puppet than you need to look no farther than your poor sweet sister. Poor, innocent, naïve Luna, so desperate for any attention.”
“And you killed her.”
“Killed her? In a manner. The Luna you knew no longer exists.”
“What do you mean? Where is she?!”
“Why, I’m hurt Celestia. Don’t you recognize me, sister?” With that, the other mare turned sideways, allowing Celestia a glimpse at her cutie mark: it was Luna’s moon, surrounded by a purple cloud.
“Lu-Luna?”
“Call me Nightmare Moon.”
