Night Eternal

Chapters

Prologue: Confessions
Uprising
Banishment
In Her Absence
Memories
Homebound
Everfree Struggles
Revelations
Battle for the Kingdom

Prologue: Confessions

You’ve all heard the tale my dear beloved sister has spread, ones about me wanting to bring about eternal night and cease the shine of her glory.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Quite honestly, eternal night? Nothing could survive in that. The plants, without the sun, would wither away and die, leaving all of us starving and eventually dead. Did she really think of me as so stupid, so dull? I am no foal, though without magic, I look like one. I have no need for any further glorification. I have my nocturnal friends in Everfree to play in my lovely night, and ponies who sit up late into its hours studying like my sister’s student Twilight Sparkle, and other ponies who stay up late doing…other things. Night eternal? I have no need, for I am satisfied.

My sister is never that way.

Have you ever noticed a lack of stallions in Ponyville and Canterlot? It’s because my sister is an extreme feminist, and believes stallions to be her slaves. In Canterlot, they’re easy to come by, for that’s where the castle is. As for Ponyville, that’s something my sister has taken a liking to, given that she was a direct factor in its founding. She hears of a useful stallion, and she’ll send a notice that he is being drafted to serve the royal family, an “honor,” she says. She crafted the Elements of Harmony so that they may only be used by mares. She calls her stallions “guard,” “soldier,” “servant,” and the like to their faces, but behind their backs it’s rude and derogatory names that make the rest of the royal staff cringe. No one takes part in that little game but Celestia herself.

This is the kind of cruelty I don’t stand for, and the kind I fight to change. Celestia is not kind to anything other than those like her—female ponies, generally Pegasi and Unicorns, since Earth ponies bear no wings or horns like we Alicorns do. She works to hide her distaste and keep herself in the favor of the majority of the ponies, to prevent an uprising against her.

She would have never suspected the uprising to come from me.

Don’t believe this? Ask the Canterlot Castle royal staff. If you can convince them they won’t be harmed if Celestia catches wind (which is a hard task. I myself cannot even do this), they’ll tell you the same.

But why, you may be asking, would they be afraid for their lives when all they’re at risk of is some derogatory comments being made in their absence? I will, as your loyal princess, tell you the truth. Celestia holds private executions for those who are disobedient to her, and the only reasons I did not receive one myself are that I am too powerful and, being her sister, she loves me. Just as I love her.

Oh dear, I’ve started crying. It’s not like me to get emotional over a mere writing, but this is my sister. As I’m writing these things, they’re sinking in. Imagine your sister—who also happened to be the last of your race and your closest friend along with queen of the empire—discriminating against her subjects for the way they were born and killing anyone who dared try to change her rule, even a simple request. She is brutal as the harsh sun she represents, but in my head and my heart, I’ve always seen her as the gentle Alicorn who loved her sister and would protect her from the world if she had to. She would have done anything for me.

Well, almost anything.

Despite the acts you will see I have committed, and the decisions my sister made in response, I ask you not to think of her in a hateful light. She is my sister, and I love her. Celestia, if you read this, please know that, as the first great ruler of Equestria, you have left a legacy of both good and evil. But even you should know that eventually, the dawning of the sun turns its power over to the glory of the moon.

Uprising

Ah, how I miss the olden days. The days when Celestia and I ruled side by side and were inseparable and I was free to roam Equestria, though I do use the term “ruled” lightly. All I got to do was make public appearances, recite pre-written speeches, and raise the moon. But oh, how I loved raising that moon. I would do it slowly, concentrating for hours, and letting the stars slowly peek out from the curtain of navy blue that decorated my night, my wonderful night.

Despite how much I loved it, I was not one to boast about my night. I let it speak for itself, and speak for itself it did. I had many admirers and fans among my subjects who frequently told me I was their favorite princess, that the day was overrated, and that I should overthrow Celestia, given that in those days, Celestia’s cruelty was not unknown, as she did not try as hard to keep it hidden. Ponykind was suffering under a tyrant, but that tyrant was my sister. I had little will to end her reign, because I knew that would sadden her—ruling Equestria was what she lived for—and I didn’t want to see my dear sister sad. But as time wore on, her temper became worse and she began to punish ponies for little to no reason at all. It hurt my heart to see this, and I knew inside myself that something had to be done, and I had to be the one to do it.

It was the Summer Sun Celebration, and all the ponies in Canterlot were ordered to watch as my sister performed the glorious raising of the sun. It came slowly, but the spectacular golden rays were worth it. As it rose higher and higher, my sister climbed with it, letting the soft feathers of her luxurious wings catch its essence and let it shine through. The sparkles in her mane seemed as embers, blazing in the wind while carried on a multicolored breeze. The crystal shoes she wore for this day caught the light and refracted it into a wondrous spectrum that rained down upon the denizens of Canterlot. Even I, a creature of the night, could not help but marvel at this beauty. Every year, I waited for this day—along with our birthdays, Hearth’s Warming Eve, and the Winter Moon Festival—and each year, I was not disappointed.

This day, I just happened to be sad.

Watching my sister in all her glory, I knew her reign would be ending soon. The ponies here, despite the spectacle of glory, were wearing masks of awe. I could see the hurt deep inside them, and I wanted to erase it, even if that meant erasing my sister from the throne. Once again, my heart began to ache at knowing how Celestia would take things, but I was determined. She would see the end of her rule tonight, as long as I had anything to say about it. My mind was made up. The only thing left to do was find the appropriate time.

Now done with her performance, my sister beckoned me to the pedestal. I came, this year with no speech as nopony had prepared one for me, but I bowed as the people cheered. Celestia’s mouth hung agape as I got applause without doing anything, while she had to work for it. Dear sister, didn’t you know that you can get your people to love you without forcing them to and making a spectacle of yourself?

Celestia spoke no words as we entered Canterlot Castle. In fact, the only noise that could be heard was the staccato taps of our hooves against the stone floor. Even so, I could almost breathe in her anger and fury at what had happened out there. I wanted to apologize, even though it was not my fault, but I was afraid of her temper. In a way, I felt sorry for her. She was not, and even to this day has never been, a bad pony. She just wanted her subjects to love her and be like her, though she didn’t know how to accomplish it and tried the most forceful ways she could think of, like sentencing those who didn’t like her and banishing those that weren’t like her. The poor dear didn’t know how to love and tolerate, like I always told her to. Despite the fact that I was the younger sister, I felt like out of the two of us, I was the most mature, but I didn’t want to be. I wanted an older sister I could look up to, not one that should be learning from my example so often.

“Scribe!” Celestia shouted, interrupting my thoughts.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” the scribe, Inkdrop, spoke up, dashing in the room as fast as she could. It was so like my sister to believe a stallion to unintelligent for the job.

“I would like for you to record that, from here on out, there is to be no Winter Moon Festival,” Celestia said in her best faux friendly voice.

This caught me off guard. “You can’t do that!” I exclaimed indignantly.

“Actually,” Celestia began, pretending to examine her flawless shoes, “I can. You got plenty of attention at the Summer Sun Celebration, just as you do every year, and I’m the eldest. I’m sure the ponies want something new, besides just you, and too much attention will ruin you, you know. ”

“Yes, sister,” I growled through clenched teeth, “I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

“Good, dear,” Celestia smiled, enjoying my frustration and illustrating the saying “misery loves company.”

I stepped down from my small throne and continued through a corridor and into my bedroom. Once inside, I flopped down on my bed, wondering how in the wide world of Equestria things could become like this. The longer I took to act, the worse my sister became. Had I missed the time of action already? Was I too late? No. If any time was the time to act, it was now. There’s no better time than the present, especially when time is key to the mission.

Despite my earlier words, I took my time going down the corridor. I could put on a brave face when talking like that, but the fact that she was my sister still struck close to home. She would be crushed…if I didn’t have to try to crush her myself through combat. Thinking of this, I gulped. I didn’t want to fight my sister. I wasn’t sure if I could win or not, but that wasn’t the point. I mean, imagine being pitted against the person you loved the most and told that the fight would crush the hopes and dreams of whoever lost. It’s an awful thing to experience, and I hope none of you ever do. Not even you, Tia, not even you.

Steeling my nerves, I stepped into the royal court, where Celestia was sitting on her throne while a servant polished her regular shoes. “Lulu?” she asked, obviously surprised to see me, especially with the expression I wore across my face and in my stance. “What’s the matter, dear?” Before I could respond, she turned to the servant and said quietly, “Go. This is likely to be strictly royal business.”

As soon as he was gone, Celestia looked me dead-on and laid out the question simply. “What’s the matter?”

I cleared my throat and began in the most official voice I had. “Celestia,” I started, trying to keep things formal, “it has come to my attention that the citizens of Equestria are not happy under your rule. I would like to ask that you step down from the throne.”

For a moment, Celestia kept her composure, but soon failed and erupted into a fit of roaring laughter. I watched as she fell out of her throne and wrapped her front legs around her sides, as if to keep them from splitting open. It angered me to see her like this, not taking me seriously, but I tried once again.

“Princess Celestia,” I addressed her, “the time has come for you to stand down and hand the throne over to somepony else.”

“Oh, Lulu,” Celestia gasped in between bouts of laughter, “you can’t be serious.” But when she looked in my eyes and held my gaze, her countenance became more serious and the laughter faded. “You are serious…,” she murmured, obviously in shock and hurt.

My heart melted. I couldn’t see my sister like this. “Celly,” I dropped all formalities and drew closer to my beloved sister, “it doesn’t have to end in pain. If you turn the throne over to me or some other competent pony, you could still have a say in how things would work. You could keep raising that ol’ sun if you wanna.” I thrust my head within her line of sight, so she would have no choice but to see the reassuring smile on my face. She glared at me and slapped me away.

“You’re just like the rest of them,” she growled. “You’ll never see what I’m doing is the best for Equestria! The best for you! For us, Lulu, for us!”

I had no choice but to be honest with her. “What you’re doing is only good for yourself, and even then, I wouldn’t call it the best. Look at how much it’s hurting you.”

She swung her head down, as if she could see the answers at her feet. I saw a single tear fall before she turned back my way, face dyed crimson and seething with anger. “I never expected you to betray me, Luna, but of all the ponies in the world, it was you!” she screamed, tears now streaming down her face. “Get out of my sight!”

As much as I wanted to stay and comfort her, I knew nothing helpful would arise from that. Instead, I galloped off, dashing through the castle door and across the courtyard until I finally came to the general’s quarters.

He saw my approach, and came close to me. “Princess Luna,” he began, “is there any way I could assist you, ma’am?”

“Yes.” My answer seemed to surprise him. “Summon the Lunar Knights.”

If he was surprised before, he was shocked now. But yet, he said nothing and merely did as he was told. Within an hour, all the knights under my command were standing before me, ready for my command. The wore their armor, which had been designed to look like the scales of a purple dragon, and instead of the usual feathers adorning the tops of their helmets were things resembling a dragon’s wings. This ensemble, combined with the magic upon them that dressed them all in grey pelts, dyed their eyes amber, reshaped their pupils into catlike ones, and turned the pegasi’s wings into dragon wings, made them appear as the more terrifying side of the night—the kind of night nopony wanted to go out in. They looked like something pulled from a nightmare, but I was not afraid. I knew them well, and I knew they would follow me to the ends of the earth.

“Soldiers,” I began, pacing in front of the foremost row, “the time has come to see to the overthrow of my sister, Princess Celestia. She has no warning, no expectations for our attack. During this siege, I don’t want to see a single pony dead unless absolutely necessary, nor do I want to harm civilians on the way. No one is to attack the princess head-on—she’s simply too powerful for any of you alone, leave her for me, unless you would like to attack in a group—and not a single one of you is to speak of this attack after this day, understood? I do not wish to tarnish my sister’s reputation further. She’s done that enough herself…”

Despite the fact that the last part was just my thinking out loud, some soldiers thought I was trying to amuse them and began to snicker. The part of me that still felt loyal to my sister became agitated, and I had to suppress some anger. The rest of the anger, however, got the best of me.

“Do not,” I said, “and I repeat, do not insult my sister. She’s simply misguided. This is not a war of hatred. This is a war of redirection. We are redirecting her to more appropriate ways of living, even if that means taking the throne from her. Am I clear?”

“Yes ma’am!” came the chorused reply.

“Move out,” I commanded.

Banishment

Have you ever been to the moon? No? Seen pictures of it? Well, then you should know how lonely of a place it is. To be banished there for eternity by your own sister on top of that is absolutely heart-wrenching. If I could have seen, I would have spent my days staring back at Equestria and praying that my sister take me back home. Instead, all I could do was the latter part of that statement, and I cried while doing it. It seemed that that’s all I could do, just stare at nothing and cry and wish I was home. I didn’t care how right my actions were, I wanted my loving big sister, my elaborate bedroom, my kind servants helping me when I needed it, and just ponies around me. Here, I didn’t have to be able to see to know I was alone. And after two days here, I was hungry and thirsty as well. I screamed and thrust my face into the moon dust coating the ground.

Suddenly, I smelled hay and water. I knew I must be delusional by now, because nothing could grow on the moon. The water, I supposed, was a possibility, but not hay. No. I was crazy.

“Dear alicorn sister, won’t you eat and drink for us? You’re the first visitor we’ve had in millennia. Please, let us treat you like a guest.”

I spun around blindly, trying to determine the source of the voice. “W-who’s there? What are you? What do you want?”

“Be calm, child. We are the stars, and we wish to treat you like a guest, as any good host would.”

I sat down, my nerves soothed. “The stars, huh? I take it you guys still have magic?”

They collectively chuckled. “Yes, dear sister. How else would we have conjured you this food?”

I lay down, eating and taking small bites to savor the taste. “So my sister didn’t take everything from you guys when she stuck you up here?” I refused to say her name after what she did to me.

I could sense a sort of sadness floating about them as I mentioned my sister and her deeds. “No, she did not…”

“Sorry I mentioned it,” I apologized.

The silence that followed that unnerved me, so I felt the need to speak more. “Well, at least you have me here now! Now you won’t be so alone and neither will I!” That last part was something I realized as I was talking, and it cheered me up. At least my eternity on the moon wouldn’t be lonely. Probably boring, as we’d tired of each other’s company, but not lonely.

“Yes,” the stars agreed, “now there is a friend.”

In the presence of all these stars—most of them ancient, older than myself or Celestia, I felt like a little filly and I began to act like one, enjoying the newfound emotional freedom I felt when away from Celestia.

“Child,” one of the oldest stars began, “would you care to show us what new magic has popped up in Equestria these days?”

“I would, I really would,” I told him, “but my sister put a hole in my horn, so all my magic just leaks out.”

“Oh, that won’t do,” Ella, one of the other stars, spoke up. I could feel her essence draw closer as she examined the state I was in. “Dear me!” she exclaimed. “You’ve got dried blood all in your eyes too, you poor dear!”

“Yeah…” I trailed off. I tried not to think about, you know, seeing and everything. The way I figured it, Celly had robbed me of my sight for good.

“I have just the thing that’ll fix you right up,” Ella told me.

I felt my face dawn an expression of surprise. “You can do that?”

“Of course, dear. A little magic can fix anything,” Ella stated with certainty.

I felt the magic course all over my body, first gathering in the hole in my horn and causing the flesh, muscle, and bone to grow back where it had used to be. Then, the magic flowed to my eyes and I could feel the caked-on blood sizzling and evaporating into nothingness. I blinked, finally able to see my new friends, and do so without the feeling of my horn wobbling all over, threatening to topple off my head, it seemed. I couldn’t identify each star’s location yet, but I knew all of their approximate areas.

Turning toward Ella’s area, I bowed. “I am eternally grateful to you for your deeds.”

“A little to the right, dear” Ella chuckled. I corrected myself, blushing in embarrassment. “That’s better,” she said. “And it was no problem. We all have common ground here. We’ve all been banished for eternity by Celestia.”

“About that…” I began to think. “If all of us have magic now, why don’t we escape this place and return to our Equestria?”

“Don’t be silly, that takes quite a bit of magic. And we don’t want to deal with Celestia anymore. We’re happier here, with our families.”

“I’m not happier here,” I cried, planting my hoof firmly in the ground. “Those Equestrian ponies—“for emphasis, I pointed my hoof at Equestria “—are all suffering. Celestia’s rule is worse than ever. She becomes more tyrannical by the day, and I’ve had ponies come to me and ask me to take her place somehow. She may have imprisoned you here then, but now, if she found you in Equestria, she’d just kill you.”

“And what’s the big difference?” came the reply.

I sighed in frustration. “The difference is that ponies are dying! They’re dying left and right for no reason, no reason at all!”

“There is not enough magic in anyone but Celestia to teleport between planets, or in this case, a planet and a satellite, but combined, we may be able to help.”

“Oh, thank you!” I gushed. “Thank you so very—“

“But…”

“But?” I asked.

“The magic it will take to keep you alive during your stay here will take its toll on our resources. It will take us around a thousand years to be able to send you home.”

“A thousand years is better than an eternity,” I said firmly.

“So be it,” they said, “but there is something we’d like in return, sister alicorn—“

“Please,” I interrupted, “call me Luna.”

“Fine. Sister Luna, would you do us the favor of telling us why your sister imprisoned us here and why you did nothing to stop her?”

“I can,” I told them. “You see, Celestia and I had just begun our rule of Equestria. She didn’t want anyone to rise against her and take away her control. She knew that if anyone could, it was an alicorn. She acted on what she thought was best and imprisoned every alicorn in Equestria, aside from herself and me, in space, forcing their magic to radiate off them and create various items so that they could survive. To Equestrians, she had me give a speech saying I’d cast a spell that hung glowing orbs in the sky and that they were called stars, which was a lie, but it wasn’t a problem because she wasn’t the one telling it. Nowadays, pegasus and unicorn marriage is forbidden and the children are sentenced to death, no matter if the child is an alicorn or not.

“As for why I didn’t defend you, I was too young to understand what was happening. I was still a filly, and I thought my sister was right. I would question her every now and again about what she had done, but she always had a justification that my young mind accepted. Had I been as wise as I am now, I would have tried my best to put a stop to her. I am truly sorry for my ignorance.” I bowed to the stars to show my surrender and repentance. If it hadn’t been for me, they may not even be here, and for that, I will always be sorry.

“Rise, young Luna,” the stars told me. “You have done well enough in our eyes. You did only what you thought was right, not what was selfish as your sister did. We will uphold our end of the deal, only as long as you try your best to see to the overthrow of your sister.”

I nodded. “I will, brother and sister alicorns.”

And with that, the longest waiting game known to ponies began.

In Her Absence

“My dear Celestia! Are you alright?”

Blinking, Celestia stared at the servant standing over her. Her head was pounding from overexertion, body feeling hollow, and cold sweat was pouring all over her skin. Yes…this is what generally happened when she used up all her magic…

She’d used up all her magic!

She stood, seeing the room from the height of an average pony. Her mane no longer floated on the breeze, but was limp, pink hair. At least her shoes, necklace, and tiara had been enchanted to fit whatever form she was in. She was deeply embarrassed that anypony had seen her in this state and had to limit it as few ponies as possible from here on out.

Attempting now to stand, Celestia found herself on wobbly legs, but she managed it. She felt so weak…how did anypony manage without magic? Realizing she still had yet to answer her stallionservant’s question, she put on her most delicate voice and said a mere, “I will be fine.”

He still looked puzzled. Stupid stallion. Couldn’t he see she had better things to do than listen to him? She had bodies to pick up, a castle to repair, and—

“Where’s Princess Luna?” he interrupted her thoughts.

Oh, because that wasn’t rude, interrupting my train of thought! Celestia thought to herself. Dumb stallion. Maybe he should be sent to the moon too.

“She’s been banished,” came the curt reply, tumbling out of Celestia’s mouth effortlessly.

“Oh dear!” he exclaimed. “Shall I send word of her banishment so no settlement will allow her to settle there?”

“There is no need for that,” Celestia assured him while criticisms of his every move flowed through her mind, but not reflecting themselves in her face or voice.

“Why is that, princess?”

“Because…,” and here she paused for dramatic effect, “she’s on the moon.”

Lying in her bed, Celestia’s heart began to ache for Luna. She was the only other alicorn, the only one who came close to understanding her, but even she didn’t. There was nopony like her, nopony to replace her, but what else was there to do but replace her? Even if she had to get a thousand ponies to replace one, she would. Yes! Who needed dumb ol’ rebellious Luna, when there would be plenty of ponies who offered her sympathy after this event and were bound to do as she said? She didn’t, that she was certain of.

But some of Luna’s words began nagging at Celestia’s heart. She’d been told that her subjects were unhappy, and Luna had heard that directly from her subjects. Something had to change if she was going to keep the throne forever as she had planned. Thinking for a moment, sending Luna away was probably more good than bad. The spotlight was solely hers, there was no more uprising, and Celestia now knew the cause, which would lead to finding out an answer. It was all too perfect to have been planned this way. Feeling overjoyed, Celestia almost pranced out of her room then and there, but something held her back.

Oh yeah, guilt.

She couldn’t explain it, but she felt some sort of guilt over sending her sister to the moon. Something about it didn’t sit right with her, like she hadn’t done what was best. It felt like she was causing misery everywhere she went, but all she wanted was things that went her way. She didn’t necessarily want anypony to suffer; she simply wanted things the way she wanted them. Was that really so bad? And really, Luna had stood in her way. Who could blame her for banishing her sister?

Celestia realized that if she was blaming herself for everything that happened, so would all her subjects. She would need a better story than the real one to keep the citizens of Equestria loyal to her. And she had just the one…

Sitting in her throne once more, Celestia found herself glad that she could tower over everypony once more and daunt them with her enormous, flowing mane of pastel colors. The citizens of Canterlot and beyond were before her, each one wanting to hear what had happened a few days ago in this very castle. She knew that, by now, nearly everypony in Equestria had heard that she and Luna had battled, which resulted in Luna’s being sent to the moon, but nopony but Celestia knew how it happened.

And that was exactly how it was going to stay.

The ponies before her seemed too scared to ask what happened, and the ones who looked more confident acted as if their minds were full of questions, but they didn’t know which ones to ask first. Finally, after a very long and awkward silence, a child approached the throne, kneeling properly before rising to ask her question.

“Princess Celestia,” the little filly addressed her, “why was Princess Luna attacking the castle?”

“Because,” Celestia responded, “she was jealous. She knew that everypony worked and played in the glorious day that I create, and was envious that no one was awake during her…her beautiful night that I know we’ll all miss. She felt as if no one paid her any attention anymore, and she grew distant. Sure, she put on a brave face in the eyes of the public, but let’s face it, she was hurting inside. She gave way to a darker spirit within, a spirit that goes by the name of Nightmare Moon, attacked the castle, and planned to throw the world into eternal night. I had to banish her to the moon; it was the only way to keep Equestria safe.” She had even managed to shed a few tears during this monologue. If this didn’t win over her subjects, she didn’t know what would.

Just as she had expected, the expressions of the ponies before her were pure sorrow and pity. They really bought it! She hid her joy, knowing that would foil the entire scheme.

“Excuse me, but I must be retiring to my bedroom,” she explained to them. “My power is still weak from the battle.” This part wasn’t a lie. If she stayed out too much longer, she would revert back to my normal pony state.

“One last question, princess,” the filly said.

She couldn’t turn her down. She remembered when she was a filly, so full of questions, just like her. “What is it, my dear?”

She looked down at her hooves, as if embarrassed or afraid to voice her question. “I-if Princess Luna isn’t here, who’s going to raise the moon?”

Some idiot stallion in the back called out, “Yeah, it’s been constant sunlight for three days now! Nopony can get any sleep!” After his little outburst was done, murmurs of agreement swept through the crowd.

Though nopony other than Celestia and Luna knew of this, when one was ill, the other would perform their duties for them. Raising the moon was easy. The other ponies made it out like it was a big ordeal, the whole sun-and-moon thing, but Celestia knew from experience that it wasn’t. At least, not as long as you had enough magic. Celestia figured that if she kept her magic usage low, she could do it.

“I will raise the moon,” Celestia announced. And with that, the crowd erupted into applause. She knew that she should be heading to her room, but…Celestia couldn’t help but stand and bask in her own glory. So this is what it is like to be adored, she thought to herself, and it’s the best feeling in the world.

Entering her room, Celestia checked the box with the Elements of Harmony in it that she kept next to her bed. It seemed silly to do this, but she figured that, if anyone came looking for the elements, they would go to the holding chamber, which was empty. No one would guess the princess would keep it in a stupid place like her room.

The box’s lid came undone with a soft “click” when Celestia put her horn into the keyhole and turned. She pulled the lid open, but wasn’t expecting what she felt.

The Elements of Harmony no longer obeyed her, for she was no longer in harmony with her sister. So that was why she had been able to lie so easily before! Normally, the Element of Honesty would bind her to her word, but not now. Despite whatever upsides this ordeal may have had, it was far more a bad thing than a good thing. If she could no longer wield the elements, things that invaded Equestria actually stood a chance of being victorious.

Shocked enough to revert back to her normal state, Celestia merely stood in awe. This was…this was not happening! Suddenly, she began to rethink sending Luna to the moon, wondering if maybe the uprising would have been worth it as long as Equestria was safe. That was immediately dismissed as an irrational thought. There had to be another way to handle things…

Suddenly, Celestia remembered that Equestria was the most populated country on the planet. Only a foal would attack, and even if that did happen, there were plenty of citizens she could draft into war.

Still, a nagging feeling ate away at her.

It was then that she decided. She would spend her time looking for ponies who possessed the qualities needed to wield the Elements of Harmony, but after she went outside and brought the moon into the sky, as promised.

She did her sister’s job once again, though this time, it felt harder than it had before. Celestia wondered if maybe this was the weight in her heart, her lack of magic, or something else entirely.

That was when she saw it.

It was a shooting star, leaving a brilliant trail of stardust behind as it streaked across the sky. An alicorn was moving through space. Celestia spent a moment doing math in her head, then galloped off to warn everyone to record for future generations that Nightmare Moon would return in a thousand years to get her revenge.

Memories

I sat down on the moon—my moon, the one Celestia was now moving—and sighed. I missed the Celestia I knew before we charged into Equestria and overthrew the unicorn monarchy. She said that Equestria was miserable and we would create a better rule, but…that was far from the truth. The Equestrians were perfectly happy having unicorns rule over them, since the unicorns were fair toward all races. Celestia told me that the unicorns didn’t understand the pegasi and earth ponies, and that we alicorns with the stamina of an earth pony, the wings of a pegasus, and the horn of a unicorn, were perfect to understand the others…Oh Celestia, were you wrong or lying to me? Whatever the case was, Celestia didn’t understand her people any better than the unicorns supposedly did. That was when she began to show her contempt for stallions and her lack of concern for earth ponies.

Then, when she imprisoned the alicorns, the natural flow of magic in Equestria ceased. Seasons no longer changed on their own, the weather never varied, and the moon stayed in the same place, never allowing the sun to rise—but even if it could, would it have risen? Without natural magic, I don’t think so. It was like everything in Equestria stopped and stood still to mourn the loss of its longest-lived race. Sure, alicorns are the most rare kind of pony to be born, but they never die until something kills them—half-immortality, I guess—and due to that fact, there had been more alicorns in Equestria than anything else. Everypony noticed their absence.

And what was Celestia’s excuse for that one? Actually, since she was bound to honesty, I was the one who had to deliver that speech. According to what was written before me, I was to say that the alicorns died of a highly contagious, alicorn-specific disease, and Celestia and myself were the only survivors. The whole of Equestria mourned, but truth be told, the alicorns were still alive…just miserable. I had never known their misery until I was banished myself.

A thousand years is a long time.

An eternity is longer.

My eyes welled up with tears of sorrow for all the Equestrians, all the alicorns that were trapped in space, the griffons we had driven from their homes…

Oh, I haven’t told you that story?

Well, haven’t you ever wondered why it’s called the Solar Empire if we haven’t conquered anything? That, my dears, is false. We conquered the Griffon Kingdom, dear reader.

Celestia came to me one day, barging into my room as I read a book.

“Lulu!” she exclaimed. “I have the most wonderful idea!”

“Yes, Celly?” I asked, turning to her. “What is it?” Inside, I hoped it wasn’t anything close to the alicorn incident. I’d had enough of lying to our people, just because she was bound to her Element of Honesty. That didn’t mean I didn’t want to be honest too. I wanted to be a good leader, and good leaders didn’t lie.

“Equestria needs more territory, doesn’t it?” she inquired excitedly, now joining me in lying on my bed.

“Yeah, I guess…,” I responded warily. What was she getting at?

“Well, I figured we could go conquer some Griffon territory,” she gasped enthusiastically, all her happiness at this thought practically leaking out of her.

I rolled my eyes. “And what are we going to tell our subjects? The griffons just felt like giving it to us?”

“Nope!” Celestia giggled.

“Then what?” I asked.

“We’re going to tell them nothing because they’re going into battle with us!”

I did nothing but stare at her for a moment then said, “Celly…you’ve got to be kidding. Equestria, go into battle? Don’t kid yourself. Equestria hasn’t seen a single battle in the generations we’ve ruled here. They’re underprepared.”

“No?” she queried. “And who says we can’t train them?”

I closed my book with mock joy. “Great, Celly!” I gushed with sarcasm. “And just what, pray tell, are you planning on having me tell Equestria is our reason for going into war?”

At this, she looked down at her hooves like an ashamed filly. “I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

I can’t explain to you how much I hated when my sister got like this—acting like I was the older sister and everything. Sure, since we ruled together, she should run any royal decrees or decisions through me (though she usually didn’t), but when she did so, she could act like such a foal. I didn’t understand it, and to be honest, there was a part of me that didn’t care what she had to say anymore. It said somewhere inside, “Oh, Celestia has a new plan. Does it really matter?” And to an extent, it was right. Once Celestia made up her mind, there was no changing it—which could be both a good and bad thing. In most cases, it was generally good for her, but bad for Equestria. I watched her mouth move as she said more, let myself nod a couple times, but stopped when I realized what she’d said.

“Tell Equestria we’re conquering Griffon territory because we’re cramped?” I was floored. “That’ll never work!”

She thought for a moment then started again. “What if we tell them the griffons wouldn’t give it peacefully—“

“Then you’ll have to try to negotiate with the griffons, or send a diplomat to do it,” I interrupted her. “I’m done lying to the community.”

Celestia shrugged as if she had no problem with this, which was probably accurate, given that the both of us knew griffons would rather die than see their territory taken, even if the exchange was a profit on their end. Within an hour, she’d summoned a diplomat and sent her on her way. Within a few days, we had the response, and before I knew it, I was watching my sister give a speech.

“Citizens of Equestria!” she began. “It has come to my attention that our lands’ population is swelling beyond its capacity, while the griffons flourish in their bountiful land! I have sent word to them, asking for their most unwanted land close to our borders—the Everfree Forest—and the lands surrounding it! And they have refused! I have warned them of the force we shall use, and they have done nothing! Join me, Equestria, as we fight for our right to survive!”

She had mixed responses, until she used that “for our right to survive” line. At that point, she conveyed a false sense of urgency, misleading the ponies who looked up to her, but not quite lying. Instead of thinking we were fighting for our comfort, they were thinking this had become life-or-death. She never directly said anyone would die if we didn’t acquire the Everfree, but she definitely implied it. I saw what she did there, and it disgusted me.

Equestrians rose to the call to arms, and whatever spots were left in the army, Celestia drafted stallions to fill. If there’s one thing Celestia thinks stallions are good at, it’s fighting, and nothing else. Before long, we had an army that outnumbered the griffons’ entire population, let alone their forces. It was a lost cause for them. We won with few casualties, thanks to the training Celestia gave the unicorns and I gave to all soldiers.

After that, Celestia attempted to conquer dragon territory, and even though we ultimately lost, we came away with a mountain or two. That was another thing I tried to talk her out of, but she was too dead-set in her ways to realize how wrong she was.

Here’s the funny thing. All the years we held the Everfree Territory, it had never been made into a proper settlement.

I had never realized before how much it hurt to lose a part of yourself, and it felt like I had lost more than a part. I lost the only other of my kind, the one thing I enjoyed most, and the ponies who loved me. I may not have let their adoration get to my head, but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.

“What are you thinking about, sister Luna?” the stars asked me.

“The days when Celestia conquered Equestria and some of the Griffon Kingdom,” I replied sullenly. I may not be able to remember exactly when my sister changed for the worse, but that didn’t mean I didn’t remember the days before then. She was such a happy filly, so full of light. What had driven her to this madness?

“Do not be sorrowful, Princess Luna,” the reply came. “You did what you could.”

“No, not really,” I confessed. “Back then, I didn’t do everything in my power to stop her. Come to think of it, I’ve only done that once.”

“But is it not true that your mistakes become a part of your past once you realize the error of your ways and correct them? And is it not true that you cannot change the past?”

“Yes,” I pondered, “and even though I can’t change the past, I can change the future! Starting now!”

“Now you understand,” the stars replied warmly.

Homebound

I counted every day that I spent on that moon. Before I knew it, days turned into years and years into centuries. I stopped keeping track of time, leaving the knowledge of how soon I was leaving up to the magic I felt growing. It surged among the alicorns, and soon, it would flow into me, sending me back to Equestria. I could feel it. It was coming soon, very soon. Not much longer and I would be free, hopefully freeing Equestria as well.

Suddenly, I felt a longing well up inside me. I missed the light of Equestria—the sun, the moon, I didn’t care. I just wanted my feet in grass instead of moon dust, and light beaming down through the atmosphere and upon my face.

For the next few days, I was sleepless. I was too excited to return to my country. You would have thought that, at some point, I would have grown weary and slept at least a little, but adrenaline is a marvelous thing. It kept me going, pacing, waiting, for that long-await burst of magic that would carry me home.

“Princess Luna, there is something we felt you should know.”

Hearing the stars speak, I turned my immediate attention to them. They were all separate entities, yet one being at the same time. They could act on their own if they wanted, but occasionally they would all feel, think, and speak the same thing at once. Usually, when they did that, it was because they all genuinely felt the same way, or because it was something important. Or both.

“Do you know the stories your sister has been spreading regarding your attack on Canterlot Castle?”

“No,” I replied, now curious.

“According to her, you became jealous that she received more attention than you. You were planning to have night reign eternally.”

This made me mad. How could she do that, just lie to the denizens of Equestria like that and—

She lied.

Celestia lied.

She was no longer in tune with the Elements of Harmony.

An immediate wave of pity washed over me. Banishing me to the moon had taken its toll on her, too. I was not the only one hurting. She was much less powerful now, and probably wouldn’t stand a chance against me when I got back. It was likely she would be afraid of me when I showed up. My dear sister…afraid of me? I didn’t want to see her like that.

“I’ll play along with it. Sending her to the sun can be part of my ‘evil scheme,’” I told the stars.

“Very well.”

Something suddenly dawned on me. Since I had been gone so long, nopony would really remember me from my time in Equestria. All they had to judge me by was what Celestia had said about me in my absence…and that was something that could not be further from the truth. All my subjects were bound to hate me the moment I showed up. It was possible that there would be little chance for redemption in this generation, and I’d have to wait several generations to come before I was accepted. This infuriated me. At least when Celestia was viewed in bad light, it was something she did to herself. This wasn’t even my fault.

But yet, at the same time, I understood Celestia’s need to protect her glory. I understood it, but I didn’t agree with it. It was very possible that she only did it to save her own flank, and not for my harm. My heart softened a little at this. It was hard for me to stay mad at my sister, I just loved her too much.

“Princess Luna, are you ready to depart?”

“Yes,” came my steady response. “Yes, I am.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I was encased in a wondrous white light. It shone all around me, sending white-hot pinpricks across my skin and through my fur—I didn’t even know you could feel sensations like this in your fur, but with magic, anything was possible. I felt the lights of Equestria calling, calling me home where I belonged. Where I could have ruled with my sister…

But the time for that had passed. Celestia had to be punished, and I was the only pony who could do it. In that way, I wasn’t looking forward to returning home, but I knew I had to for the good of my subjects. It was the right thing to do, and now that my deal with the alicorns had been made, the only thing to do.

For a moment, I found it funny that I called them “the alicorns,” when I was one too. The alicorns in the stars (is that better?) had told me that the spell would place me wherever Celestia was, and that the surplus of magic would force me into my Nightmare Moon state. It was just as well. Apparently, that would go along well with Celestia’s little fable. Either she was a very lucky mare, or she had planned this too elaborately. Maybe it was both.

Whatever it was, I had no further time to think. I felt as my body began to reassemble itself, in the form of Nightmare Moon. Right before my eyes was Celestia, looking regal as ever, and apparently ready to make a public appearance of some sort. All I could discern was that we were behind a curtain in a room that was narrow one way, but wide the other. There was only room for one pony of our size to stand back here if trying to stand beside somepony, but the room was long enough the a whole line of full-grown alicorns to fit.

Celestia’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “Luna. I wasn’t expecting you to come back.”

“That is not my name, and you know it,” I growled.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Nightmare Moon,” she corrected herself. “I apologize deeply, but I’m about to give the Summer Sun Celebration speech. I must be going. I would ask you to come, but you would scare everypony like that.”

So it had been a thousand years to the very day. Needless to say, I was quite impressed with the alicorns who had helped me.

“You are giving no speech!” I thundered. “Your reign is no more!”

And with that, I summoned the magic needed to send her to the sun. It was a rather fitting imprisonment, if I do say so myself.

Suddenly, I noticed the curtains in front of me had been opened. I evaporated into night-colored mist, complete with stars and everything, and began to float away, but something was pulling at my heartstrings. I couldn’t let my sister’s legacy end with a disappearance, and the possibility of her lies being exposed once I got to the throne. If I wanted her to be remembered as anything, it was the Element of Honesty that she had lost and I wanted her to have back. It was…the least I could do for my beloved sister. It was the right thing to do.

I turned around, swirling so that my particles were forced to come together and recreate my physical being. Standing before the ponies of…wherever I was…I felt contempt for them. The shocked looks on their faces, the horrified expressions, the terrified countenances…it was all too much. I could bare it no longer.

“Oh, my beloved subjects,” I addressed them. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious sun-loving faces.”

An azure pegasus with a mane and tail sporting all the colors of the rainbow in their exact order gave me a harsh look. “What did you do with our princess?” she demanded, starting to fly my way faster than I had ever seen a pegasus fly before. Certainly, this pony had talent.

“Whoa there, Nelly,” cautioned an orange pony, sporting a blonde mane and a cowpony hat. Her cutie mark was in the shape of three apples. Immediately, I assumed the blue pony’s name was Nelly.

All of that aside, I began to grow angrier. “Why, am I not royal enough for you?” I asked them. “Don’t you know who I am?”

A pink pony with a darker pink cotton-candy like mane began bouncing. “Ooh! Ooh! More guessing games!” she exclaimed (funny, because I didn’t know when the first guessing game began), “Um…Hokey Smokes! How about Queen Meanie? No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty!”

I was offended by both her ignorance and her horrid names for me. Surely, these ponies would know. But I still played by my sister’s game. “Does my crown no longer count, now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”

A lavender-hued unicorn bearing a deep blue mane that contained both one heliotrope stripe and a cerise one stood high, ready to speak. “I did, and I know who you are,” she spoke up, her voice carrying a bit of nervousness. “You’re the Mare in the Moon. Nightmare Moon.”

I grinned. The game was getting interesting now, but at the same time, I felt bad for deceiving these innocent ponies. I had half a mind to stop and let the truth out about Celestia then and there, but something stopped me. Instead, I continued my act. “Well well well,” I said in my most malicious voice, “somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I’m here.”

Now, the unicorn was shaking from head to hooves. “You’re here to…to…,” she tried to respond, but failed.

I spared her the time and misery. “Remember this day, little ponies, for it will be your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!”

And with that and a malevolent cackle, I evaporated once more and flew out the window. I lingered for a moment, watching as six ponies—including the rainbow one, the cowpony, the cotton candy-mane, and the unicorn who knew who I was—left for the same destination. I followed them to what appeared to be a library, and tried to make sense of their plan. I had a funny feeling that whatever they were about to do would spoil my plan to have “eternal night” for a day or so, then suddenly repent and step up to the throne, claiming Celestia was beyond my reach. Sure, it would have been an unsteady rule, but I had to at least try.

Suddenly, I managed to catch the tail end of a conversation. They were headed into the Everfree Forest to search for the Elements of Harmony! My sister must have stored them there in the old griffon castle. These ponies knew not what they were doing, freeing the tyrant that is my sister. I had to stop them.

But one thing first. Everfree? Did that mean my sister had finally sent ponies to settle Everfree Territory? Allowing myself to float high above, I saw the forest on the edge of town and knew it to be so. My sister had done something right. Was this going to be one thing in a long string of good deeds, or a stand-alone act?

Everfree Struggles

First things first, I drifted into Canterlot. Ponies there were curious, for even though the Summer Sun Celebration was taking place in a faraway village, they all knew that the sun should have risen by now. I thought for a second about raising the sun for them, just to assure them that they were safe, but it would have ruined everything. No, I needed to keep Celestia’s reputation clean. Even though she didn’t do that to me, I was simply too loyal to her to allow the same fate to befall her.

Knowing Celestia, she would have at least kept one thing of mine in order at the castle, and of all the things it could be, I was pretty sure I knew just the one: the Shadowbolts.

Why would she have kept the Shadowbolts and the Wonderbolts at once? Simple. The Wonderbolts, ever since the early days of Equestria, traveled the land in fortune and fame, performing races and the like everywhere. The Shadowbolts started as something for my private entertainment, but before long, Celestia and I both enjoyed being able to call them into our presence at will and have proper entertainment. They were paid well and lived in a separate wing of the castle, last time I was here. Some of the Shadowbolts even doubled as war-pegasi in our respective armies.

I found all the new Shadowbolts waiting in the lounge of the south wing. They were whispering excitedly, but about what, I wasn’t sure. I hoped for the best and materialized in front of them.

“Nightmare Moon!” one of them exclaimed with glee. “It has been our tradition to pass down the true legend of your banishment, learned from your soldiers before their executions, to all new recruits to the Shadowbolts and eagerly await your return. We saw the signs, m’lady, and we gathered here to await your coming, just in case you, uh, ever came.”

“I sincerely thank you all,” I told them, glad that something had been preserved from my rule and somepony knew the truth. “Could you all fly to the old griffon temple in the Everfree Forest? I may need your assistance.”

“Sure,” a second one, who seemed to carry herself as the leader, told me. “Just show us where it is.”

The first one who had spoken to be brought over a map, and I marked the spot. As soon as I had marked it, they began planning the fastest route and took off before my eyes. Thankful that they were able and willing to help, I evaporated once more and floated away in the direction of the settlement I would later know as Ponyville.

I headed into the Everfree, not straying too far from these six ponies who had it in their heads that they would free Celestia. They all seemed genuinely frightened, but yet the same time, determined to free the tyrant that caused them misery. Why? Was it the right thing to do? Nopony enjoyed Celestia’s rule! What could be their purpose?

I watched as they came to a cliff, speculating at how to get across it. I slipped inside the rocky surface, and with a little magic, it began to crumble underhoof. It was just steep enough that they would slip, and of course, the two pegasi among them would be able to fly and avoid being injured. Maybe they would even try to catch their companions. To the forces above, I hoped so. Heaven knows I only wanted to see everypony free from tyranny, not hurt or worse—dead.

I watched as the ponies slid down to safety, except for one that was hanging over a small ledge. I looked a little closer and saw it to be the unicorn from earlier, the one who’d known my proper name, even when my sister seemed to have forgotten it. The orange cowpony said something to her with a smile, and I watched her plummet down, down, down. My heart plummeted with her. This pony was sure to sustain injury, and it was because of me. At least if she got hurt, the other ponies may learn something and head home. Wait, what was I doing, thinking like that? Nopony should ever be senselessly hurt.

My concerns were unwarranted. Her two pegasus friends caught her as she was falling, setting her down gently on the ground. I was both joyous and disappointed—joyous at the fact nopony was harmed, but disappointed that all my spell did was encourage them to move on. This time, I went further ahead of them and spotted a lone manticore that was sure to cross their path. I knew manticores would not normally harm ponies, but I had to make sure this one scared them away.

Murmuring a soft “I’m sorry, dear creature,” I hardened my essence into a thorn, sticking myself in the manitcore’s paw. Every second I was in there, it grew harder to keep myself in—not because I was loose, but because I felt the manticore’s pain. It was hurting terribly, and it wanted something, anything to understand it. I was ready for the ponies to be frightened away, so I could free the poor beast from its suffering.

I felt as the manticore’s anger rose when the ponies attacked it. Those foals, I thought, they’ll never survive. Once again, I was going to throw them directly in death’s way. I’d never had anypony’s blood on my hooves like this before…needless to say, I was feeling pretty miserable. I began to dissolve then and there, but something stopped me. The manticore was feeling…joy? Why?

I found myself removed from the beast’s paw and cast aside. I spun there for a moment before evaporating once more, but not before I caught a glimpse of what had pried me from my place. It was the yellow pegasus that was traveling with the dusk-hued unicorn. These ponies, whatever their intentions may have been, were beginning to annoy me.

I drifted on the breeze, bewitching a deeper part of the forest in order to deter this mysterious group. For a moment, it seemed like it worked. They would never be able to think straight enough to figure out what the action to dissipate the spell was. In hindsight, it was probably too simple a spell and could have been stronger to truly scare these ponies away.

If only you could have seen the look on my face when one of the six began laughing. I peeked at her and discovered she was an earth pony. How would an earth pony know the defense to a very specific unicorn spell?

And then…she started to sing. Judging by the story she was telling in her song, it had been a wild guess and not prior knowledge. The worst part was when the others began to laugh with her, evaporating the hex when the ponies came close enough. No…no…this could not be happening. We were far too close to the old castle. Things were getting desperate now.

I drifted ahead, finding a sea serpent that seemed very fond of the facial hair he was sporting. Inwardly grimacing at the injustice I was about to do him, I sliced off half of his mustache and carried on ahead. I knew that this wouldn’t hold them back very long. I didn’t see how it was possible for them to find a way to calm him, but given the way everything had been going earlier, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Just for extra measure, I severed the bridge leading across the chasm that stood directly in front of the old castle. Materializing and bursting forth through its doors, I found the Shadowbolts awaiting me.

“Go,” I gasped. “Go out there. There’s a cyan pony with a rainbow mane. She’s bound to want to join you—I can see the love of speed in her eyes. I think her name is Rainbow Dash. If she separates from the group, they may become disheartened and leave.”

Following my orders without question, the Shadowbolts zipped through the door, causing a stir of wind as they went. I began my search for the Elements of Harmony, but didn’t have to look far. They were just behind me. I saw that my sister had transformed them into stone orbs in my absence, instead of keeping them in their jewelry-like form that bore our cutie marks. I looked closer at them and discovered the sixth element—the Element of Magic—gone. This relieved me. There was no way these silly ponies would best me. They didn’t have the proper equipment. Game over.

Heading up to the second floor, I heard the Shadowbolts coming my way.

“We couldn’t do it!” their leader cried out. “She turned us down!”

“It doesn’t matter,” I told her. “I have just recently found that they do not have the means to foil my plan. Everything is going exactly as I initially intended, if maybe a little more elaborate than I wanted.”

I gave the Shadowbolts permission to fly back to Canterlot, and as I watched them leave, I felt a strong pull of magic from downstairs. Something…something was summoning the last element! I used my magic to teleport that pony and the elements before me, though I was not surprised when I saw who it was.

When I had teleported them, the pony was on one side of the room, and myself and the elements on the other. I saw her perk up as she heard voices from below.

“Twilight? Where are you?”

“Look!”

“Come on!”

I laughed manically, putting on this act once again for the ponies who were crazy enough to want to rescue their princess. The unicorn before me gasped and got to her hooves, wasting no time in charging directly at me.

“You’re kidding?” I asked, floored that she was brave enough to do something so foalish. “You’re kidding, right?” When her advance did not stop, I saw she was dead serious and I, meeting her challenge, charged back.

Just as we were about to meet in combat, she teleported behind me and began to try to summon the sixth element again. “One more spark,” she muttered. “Come on, come on! Aah!”

“No!” I screamed. “No!” I teleported behind the elements once more, which surprised her enough that she quit her magic.

“But,” she asked me, “where’s the sixth element?”

“You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me?” I couldn’t help my outburst. She had been so dim-witted as to risk having to face me in combat? She deserved it. Remembering to revert to the character my sister had predetermined for me, I continued, also doing what I wanted by stomping and effectively turning the elements into shards of stone. “Now you will never see your princess, or your sun! The night will last forever!”

She stood defiantly, her friends standing in line behind her. “You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well you’re wrong, because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!”

“What?” I gasped. You know not what you do, I screamed inside my head, you know not what you do!

She continued to explain it to me, as if I were too much a foal to understand. “Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished her fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her heart’s desire represents the spirit of loyalty! The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!”

I smiled as I listened to her little rant. “You still don’t have the sixth element! The spark didn’t work!”

This time, it was her turn to grin at me. “But it did! A different kind of spark,” she said, turning to face her friends now. “I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized you all are my friends. You see, Nightmare Moon, when those elements are ignited by the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of magic.”

I watched as the shards of each element swirled around their respective entities, becoming necklaces with jewels in the shapes of each pony’s cutie mark. From out of thin air, the tiara of the Element of Magic appeared, the gem once again being shaped as the bearer’s cutie mark. I could do nothing but watch in horror as each pony and their element began to glow, creating a swirling rainbow that headed like a tidal wave towards me, ready to strip me of my magic.

“No!” I shrieked. “NO!”

I was floating in a haze somewhere, drifting here and there without a breeze to carry me or a will of my own. It was so quiet here, so peaceful.

“Ugh, my head.”

Or maybe not so quiet.

“Everypony okay?”

“No,” I wanted to respond, but I had the feeling it wasn’t my place to speak. I struggled to remember what had just happened.

“Oh, thank goodness.”

“Why Rarity, it’s so lovely.”

“I know! I’ll never part with it again.”

“No, your necklace. It looks just like your cutie mark.”

“So does yours.”

“Look at mine! Look at mine!”

“Aw yeah.”

“Gee Twilight, I thought you were speaking a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship.”

Now I remembered. I had been defeated. But did that mean…?

“Indeed you do.”

Yep. I knew that voice all too well. She was free.

“Princess Celestia.”

Bingo.

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it.”

Wait, student? She taught now?

“But…you told me it was all an old pony tale.”

“I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let the magic of friendship into your heart. Now if only another will as well.”

She had planned this? Was this her scheme all along? Sometimes, my sister really disgusted me.

“Princess Luna.”

At the sound of her voice saying my name, all the memories came back. Not the ones I was hanging on to out of bitterness, but the ones that mattered—the ones of the good times we’d had together. I realized then just how much I missed her, how much I longed for her company, and opening my eyes, I also realized I’d forgotten to breathe. I took in a sharp breath as she began to speak to me again.

“It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this,” she told me. “Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister.”

“Sister?!” everypony collectively exclaimed. Maybe they didn’t know their history as well as they should.

“Will you accept my friendship?” Celestia asked with a smile.

Everypony leaned in to hear my response, the pink one leaning so far she ending up falling with a “whoa.”

It took me a few seconds to ponder all this. She was talking about us ruling together, but did she mean like we used to, or would I have my fair share of power now? Looking at the ponies around me, I could see they loved her…and one was even her student. They went through all this trouble to free her from the sun. No one had gone through such endeavors for me…she must really be a new pony.

“I’m so sorry!” I gushed tearfully as I ran to her embrace. “I missed you so much, big sister!”

She rested her head on my shoulder and whispered a soft, “I missed you, too.”

Revelations

I, heavily guarded, was escorted back to Canterlot Castle with my sister. The whole time, despite the fact that there was only one pony among us that wasn’t afraid of me, I felt warm inside. This was the first time I’d seen my sister really doing what she should be doing as the ruler of the kingdom. It also seemed like my absence that…matured her a bit. I couldn’t tell for sure, but she seemed more independent, just like I’d always wanted her to be. I never wanted her to rule independently—as she said, we were meant to rule together—but I wanted to see her independent as a pony.

One thing that shocked me that I guess I really should have expected was that she seemed more guarded. Before, we’d told each other anything and everything, but now, I was certain she was going to withhold information from me just out of the fear I might cause another revolution, even if my previous one had been short-lived. I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty over this. I felt like maybe I should have tried harder to talk to her, instead of using force so quickly.

Seeing my sister like this, I felt for the first time in a thousand years like I was really losing something precious. It made my heart ache, this combination of loss and knowing I could have done something different. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I felt Celly’s hoof on my shoulder.

“Lulu,” she began, using her nickname for me for the first time in a thousand years, “what’s wrong?”

I couldn’t stop the tears. “Everything, Celly,” I told her. “I made the wrong choice and now…and now…things aren’t going to be the same between us.”

“That isn’t true, little sister,” she corrected me gently. “Time heals even the deepest of wounds, and I did learn from what you tried to tell me that day. I’m a different leader now.”

“I-I can tell.” My sobbing was easing up. “Those…those ponies, they really loved you. That’s unusual for the Princess Celestia I knew.”

“You know what you can start doing what we get back to Canterlot Castle?” she asked me warmly.

“What?”

“You can start raising that moon again,” she answered with a smile.

“R-really?” I gasped.

“Yes. You can start as soon as night comes.”

Finally, I felt like I really was the little sister, just like I should be. I leaned up against Celestia, trying to tell her she was the best big sister I could have ever had when I didn’t have the words. She looked down at me affectionately, as if she understood what I was trying to say. My mind was simply too muddled to find the words, what with all the drama and fighting that had come with our last few encounters. It had really worn me out.

“Lulu, we’re here. Wake up, dear.”

I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep. I felt embarrassed, falling asleep on my sister like that, but it didn’t seem to have bothered her. She stepped out of the carriage first, and I followed closely behind.

As we were approaching the castle, Celestia stopped and turned to me. “Thank you, little sister,” she managed to say, even though it seemed a little hard for her.

This confused me. I was the one who’d been wrong. “For what?” I couldn’t help but ask.

She smiled now. “You tried to talk me into doing the right thing on that day one thousand years ago. And you pretended to want to bring eternal night, just to match the story I’d told and keep my new reputation clean. Thank you.”

I blushed now. “Sisters are supposed to look out for each other,” I said simply. “And you’re the only one I have.”

Her smile grew even bigger, her gaze even fonder. “Same to you.”

And with that, we turned and continued walking into the castle. I was stunned at what I saw inside. The whole place looked, for the most part, unchanged. I know I had drifted in here just earlier that same day, but when I did, I hadn’t been paying attention to any details—all I was looking for was the Shadowbolts. Now, all I could see a difference in was that there was one throne instead of two and the rug and tapestries had been replaced because the ones that had been there when I co-reigned had undoubtedly grown faded and old.

“Follow me,” Celestia instructed me, interrupting my thoughts.

I began to follow her down the familiar corridor that led to several places, but I was already certain of which one we were going to. I listened to the staccato taps of out hooves against the marble floors, still marveling at how the castle had seemed, for the most part, suspended in time. I wondered if Celestia had kept it this way because she wanted to, or because she wanted me to feel welcomed when I returned.

It turned out that we were heading exactly where I expected—my room. Looking inside, I saw everything exactly the way I had left it. Even the curtains were drawn shut, just as I had left them in the daytime. One thing puzzled me though.

“It looks…wonderful,” I told Celly, “but who kept it clean all this time?”

“I did,” she told me, a mournful touch shadowing the light in her eyes. “I came in here every day for a thousand years, looking to see if you’d come back, and every week, I’d clean it up for you, so when you finally came home, you’d feel welcome. Sometimes,” she began to sob, “sometimes I thought I could still hear your voice…when I came in here…”

“Oh, Celly,” I sighed, placing a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her, “you don’t have to be sad anymore. I’m here now.”

Using a foreleg to wipe the tears from her face, she stopped crying and looked at me, as if trying to discern if I was really before her or if her mind was playing a sick game. She seemed to decide it was me with a smile, murmuring softly, “Yes…you’re here.”

We sat there for a moment, just smiling and glad to be back in each other’s presence. She rose suddenly, heading out the door. “I’ll leave you to get settled,” she called over her shoulder.

I couldn’t help but laugh. She said that as if I had bags to unpack or some such mess. I climbed onto my bed, getting comfortable underneath the covers and rolling onto my back, looking at the canopy above me that had been dyed to look like the night sky. I stared at the faux stars, thinking only of the alicorns. If not for them, I wouldn’t be home. “Thank you,” I said, hoping they would hear.

Then it struck me. The alicorns! I promised them I would overthrow Celestia! But…would they still want me to overthrow her if she had become a good leader? Probably not. Sending her to the sun would most likely be enough punishment for their tastes. After all, the sun was not only lonely—it was hot. She had probably talked to the alicorns too, and maybe even made amends. There was no telling. I was just overwhelmed with joy to be home at last. Letting the feelings of happiness wash over me, I allowed myself to drift off into sleep once more—this time on purpose.

Time at the castle passed slowly, and with each passing day, Celestia surprised me. On some days, it was an impromptu breakfast in bed…other days, it was the execution of a pony who had been declared a “traitor,” or some gossip involving racist and sexist slang among the castle staff. I could see their nervous smiles, hear their uneasy laughs as they tried to fool Celestia. If this was still the case…why were the ponies under her rule so happy? This is exactly what made them want me to overthrow her a thousand years ago! Had everypony really become as corrupt as their leader?

One day, as I was sitting beside her throne on the cushion that would serve as my throne until the new one was built, I turned to her with a question. “When do the castle staff members retire? I’ve seen some fairly old mares working around here.” But never stallions, I wondered, why is that?

“Never, dear Luna,” Celestia enlightened me. “You see, ponies before were unhappy with my rule. I figured that if they were not pleased, I must change something. So I changed their knowledge. If they know nothing of the castle’s secrets, they are content. They do not wish to know, and they live in peace.”

I couldn’t stop myself from what I was about to say. “But this is exactly the kind of thing they’d want to know!” I exclaimed. “This is…corruption!”

“Luna,” Celestia began steadily, “do I need to revoke your army? I do not need a repeat of that incident.”

“No, Celly, you needn’t do that,” I sighed. I’d only had my army for three days. I needed to build up their trust again before I could attempt a stunt like that, anyway.

“Good,” she said in a robotic manner. “I couldn’t bear to lose you again.”

Lose me, I thought, or lose your crown?

Ten months later, my eyes were opened to just how dire the situation was. Before my very eyes, I was forced to watch as an entire Solar Empire troop was sentenced to execution for treason…simply for the majority of them agreeing they’d rather join the Lunar Knights than serve under paranoid Celestia.

No. No more Lunar Knights. A monarchy was no longer what I stood for.

New Lunar Republic. I liked that.

Alarmed, I knew I had to find an excuse to visit Twilight Sparkle and her friends in Ponyville in order to see if maybe I could enlist their support. I knew some new holiday (well, at least new for me, since it hadn’t been established when I was around) called Nightmare Night was just around the corner…three days away, if I was correct. This “Nightmare Night” seemed to be a sort of gathering to protect against Nightmare Moon, which I found rather insulting, but these ponies didn’t know any better. Until Celestia was exposed, if that ever even happened, they would truly think that Nightmare Moon was a bad spirit.

Nevertheless, this Nightmare Night would be the perfect time to visit Twilight Sparkle. Most celebrations these days were held in Ponyville. All I had to do was wait for three more days…and hope those poor soldiers survived long enough that one day, I could formally welcome them into the New Lunar Republic.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Celestia’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “I’m going to visit Ponyville for Nightmare Night,” I told her honestly. This would be my first time going out of the castle since returning to Equestria.

“Good, good,” she nodded, “but there are some things you should know first.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“I’ve kind of…told ponies that you still use the traditional royal Canterlot voice…” she stated with embarrassment.

I was floored. “You did WHAT now?” When she didn’t respond, I continued. “You mean that silly old joke we made up when we were fillies? That was never official! It was too silly to be official!”

“I got carried away, Lulu,” she apologized. Changing the subject, she added, “And it wouldn’t kill you to look like an alicorn instead of a simple pony.”

“What’s the matter with being this height and having actual hair?” I muttered. “I like it.”

“I know,” Celestia said. “But if you just used a little magic, you’d be as tall as me and your mane would flow like mine. Your subjects would recognize you as a princess.”

Sighing, I did as she said, letting the magic flow through me. It stretched my limbs and my body all at once, lastly transforming my mane so that it resembled the night sky. “Is this better?” I grumbled.

“Much,” she chimed, now grinning. “Go have fun.”

And with that, I left on my carriage for Ponyville.

Battle for the Kingdom

The army fell into step behind me, passion flowing through my body in an odd sensation. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. I simply had such a love for my people that I simply needed to protect them and make them happy—a true quality of a born leader. Confidence pronounced itself in every step I took, and I felt a glow of pride knowing that I was trusted and beloved, though I was saddened that my sister was not in the same light. I wished her well, I really did, but not as ruler of Equestria. The time had come for her to lose the light that had become her obsession.

When we were upon Canterlot Castle, I gave the order to charge, and charge they did! The peagsi attacked from above, earth ponies brandished their swords and daggers in readiness to attack, and the unicorns wielded deadly magic. Coming from only one side, we allowed my sister her fair chance to summon her forces, but she didn’t see us in time. I suppose this is the kind of thing that happens when you’re too busy caring about yourself instead of your subjects. I almost felt bad for not warning her of this attack by at least dropping subtle hints, but the adrenaline kept me from focusing on it to know how I truly felt about it.

Ahead of the rest, I was the first to enter the castle, driving away the two guards stationed at the front with my horn that, with Celestia’s excluded, was nonpareil. Their cries of surprise were like an alarm, summoning the rest of the guards to come and see what had caused such unearthly wails. As they formed a strong line against myself and the onslaught I brought, I cast a shielding spell around myself and charged forth, knocking them over and sending them sprawling out of the way. As they fell over backwards, they regarded me with looks of astonishment, and some with looks of terror. This was the first time in their lives Equestria had entered combat, and it would be the last as well. At least, it would be as long as things went according to plan. I don’t mean that I wanted to kill them, just that I planned for this to be the first and last battle. If we were lucky enough, Celestia might see that we were serious and hand over control of Equestria without a fight.

If only we had that kind of luck.

Bursting forth from the royal hall like the sun’s first rays penetrating the silence of night, Celestia appeared, donning the golden battle armor of her soldiers. I watched helplessly as she speared her horn into the bodies of my soldiers, one by one, lifted them like they were nothing, and threw them to the side effortlessly so that they could bleed out through the gaping wound in their chests. Blood stained the floors where soldiers lay fallen, and I couldn’t do anything for a moment but stand and think this was my fault. No, I shook off the feeling. It was Celly’s for bringing us to this point. No one told her to become a tyrant. I was doing the right thing.

Celestia’s eyes locked on mine as she found me through the crowd of corpses and wounded soldiers. Flying over them in a graceful leap, she landed in front of me in a nimble stance. Nimble, but menacing, like she wanted to do what she’d done to my soldiers to me. I braced myself for impact, but instead found her eyes burning into mine, seething her hatred into the very depths of my being and washing over my soul with abhorrence. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I truly was the younger sister and not the big sister in a small package. What was I doing?

Oh yeah, trying to bring peace to Equestria.

“You.” Celestia’s voice dripped with smoldering fury. “You dare defy me? You defy your older sister like this? What a shame.”

I watched as her fur changed from snow-white to a shining gold, her legs grew longer and her body bulkier to compensate, and the colors of her mane shifted from lovely pastels to the palette of flame. The armor covering her was broken as her body transformed, instead replaced by one that grew naturally from her skin—one made of blinding white gold—that boasted a fire-red ruby in the center of her chest. It hurt my eyes to look at her in this form, as she was the manifestation of the glory of the sun.

“You will bow to me!” She screeched, her voice now sounding like a chorus of mares and stallions burning alive and screaming in unison. “I am Nova Blaze, your queen!”

I gave a snort of contempt. Two could play at this game.

I surrendered to the force inside, letting it take over my body. This was magic in its purest form, washing over my body in excruciating pain that would make weaker ponies die to make me the same height and weight as my sister, my horn just as long, and my wings only slightly smaller—flared up at the ends, like a dragon’s. I felt as my eyes shifted color from azure to emerald and my fur changed hue from navy to jet-black. My mane curled around and then spread out, each individual hair combining into one large billowing picture of the starry night sky. I closed my eyes, then opened them to cat-like pupils and felt the painfully cold sensation of cobalt metal seeping forth from my skin. It twisted in the center of my chest, forming an emerald that contained a reserve source of magic.

“Nightmare Moon,” Nova Blaze smiled. “We meet again, though this is our first combat. Now we shall see who is superior!”

She lunged at me, swiping at me with a forehoof. She would have hit me clean in the head, but I rolled away. Looking at me in surprise, I took my moment to buck her hard in the chest and scramble off a short distance, pulling myself up on all four hooves. Coughing, Nova Blaze looked up at me and smiled once more. “I see you are a worthy opponent.”

I glared in silence, waiting for her next move.

“Too bad this will be your last stand!”

She turned around, ready to buck at me like I did her, but I galloped to her front and placed my horn on top of hers, putting all my weight on my horn and forcing her head to the ground. “Surrender, Nova,” I commanded. “Let Equestria live in peace.”

“Never!” she screamed, all those voices hurting my ears. She thrust up with all her might, tossing me backwards. And then, she galloped away.

Wondering where that pony was going, I followed close behind her, finally realizing where she was going. “You can’t use the Elements of Harmony by yourself, you foal!”

“No,” she panted, “but I can use my half. Who’s the foal now?”

Casting the unlocking spell on the door while she was still a good ways away was a good idea, but she didn’t have enough time to shut me out and prevent me from fetching my Elements as well. She adorned the Elements of Magic, Laughter, and Honesty while I took on Loyalty, Kindness, and Generosity. Funny that she should be using harmonic devices to keep her rule, which created a state of unrest among the kingdom.

I could see the stun spell welling up on her horn, and as it was fired, I flew away to the farthest corner of the room, showering her with my own lightning spell that she managed to deflect most of. All that was left of my spell was minor singeing of her coat, and that wasn’t enough to bring anypony down. How was I to stop her if she was able to stop my spells with such skill? I had to attempt it.

She cast a spell to bring me from my Nightmare Moon state, and I managed to shield myself from it, but somehow, the magic caught the tip of my tail and ended there. All she made me do was look ridiculous with a billowing midnight blue mane that ended in hair. It was nothing to be concerned about.

Before I could do anything else, she threw a flame spell at me that I was unprepared for. It caught me square in the chest—directly on my emerald—which absorbed the magic.

It was very hard not to gloat at that.

My battle strategy became to absorb all the magic and tire her out, forcing her to surrender when she was beaten. She threw a myriad of spells my way, favoring the flame one, but I caught nearly all of them in the gem adorning my breastplate.

At last, I caught the final spell—one that was supposed to encase me in ice—and for some reason, the emerald began to glow. I watched it in awe, wondering what would happen, as cracks began to appear and run down its surfaces, finally shattering into a thousand pieces right before my eyes. I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

And then it dawned on me. Celest—I mean, Nova Blaze—had known that, with enough magic overload, the jewel would break and leave me with less magic. She risked me realizing this plan and carrying more magic than usual after all the spells she’d fired at me, but she did it anyway. She was desperate, I saw, desperate to keep her iron hoof on this kingdom.

Over my dead body.

I looked on in awe as she summoned her next spell—an obliteration spell—and fired it directly at me. I had only enough time to summon an obliteration spell myself and counter it. The two forces of magic met in the center of the room, hers glowing gold and mine a shining navy, pushing at each other with all their might. Whenever hers began to grow closer, I put more force into my side of the spell, which sometimes sent Nova a few steps backwards. Finally, when our magic seemed to be both exhausted, the spells wrapped around each other and imploded upon themselves. We sat there for a moment, panting, until finally, I rose to my hooves in preparation of the next onslaught. Magic was not my gift; I could not attack her in the same manner she was me, but if I got close enough for physical fighting, I would have less room to dodge her spells.

Seeing me stand, Nova Blaze rose as well. In the blink of an eye, she threw a hex to cast me in a carapace of stone. I felt it start at my hooves, turning them and everything inside into sheer rock. It climbed upwards, bringing with it unbearable pain that I was positive Nova had no idea of—but even if she did, what were the chances that she’d care? I screamed in agony, wailed in anguish, but my sister was unresponsive aside from the smirk she wore on her face. I wanted to smack that smug smile right off of her and into the Griffon Kingdom. I have never felt more hatred towards my sister than I did at that moment.

Once I was fully encased, I could do nothing but feel sorrow for the suffering of citizens that would continue into eternity…the soldiers who died in this fruitless battle…the soldiers who lived, but would be put to death by Celestia soon…the Equestria I failed.

My mind stopped right there. I hadn’t failed yet.

Transforming all my strength into magic, I summoned it all up to my horn for no other purpose than to create an explosion that would set me free. It took a few minutes, and even before the explosion, I could feel the stone around my head being to crack due to the energy flowing from my horn. Yes. This was it.

I let loose the built-up magic in a detonation that sent stone flying in all directions. I was free.

But not for long.

Nova landed swiftly from wherever she had been perched to lodge herself on my back, landing with enough force to push me into the ground.

“You knew I would get out?” I gasped. “Then why…?”

“To see you struggle, little sister,” she said smugly, “Just to see you struggle.”

As she thrust the top half of her horn through the base of mine, I could do nothing but shriek in agony, agony and hurt. My eyes welled up with tears that began to streak down my face, just like the magic and blood that streamed from my horn once Nova pulled her horn out of mine. I could see nothing through the tears and blood, but I felt Nova’s presence. Slowly, as the magic left me, I was reverted back into my original state and out of Nightmare Moon. “Why?!” I raged. “Why would you rob me of my magic?”

Her answer was simple. “Why would you rob me of my kingdom?”

“Because you’re a tyrant!”

I felt her angry stare burning into my skull. “I,” she began, “have had just about enough of you, little sister. Kiss Equestria goodbye, because you’re going to the moon.”

I felt as energy enveloped me, compressed me into nothing, stripped me of my elements, and sent me away. Far, far away.