The Elements of Harmony and Nightmare Moon
How did it come to this?
"Now, Celestia! You reign is over!"
Why did it have to happen this way?
"Now, the night will last forever!"
Why do I have to do this?
"Any last words, Sister?"
Yes... "Good-bye, Luna..."
. . .
I remember a time, long long ago, at least a thousand years, if not longer. It was the two of us who ruled the land, my dear sister, Luna, and I... She commanded the moon, and I the sun, but it was not always that way. Before she and I gained our powers, before we became what we were then and are today, we were just simple ponies. Mother was the one who cared for us. She raised us, and made us who we were then and are today.
Mother...I miss her so much. What he did to you...it's unforgivable. Before we were even of age, he came. He brought chaos to our land. He destroyed everything we held dear. If it hadn't been for your sacrifice...what would have happened? How different would our world be now? Would our world even still exist under his chaotic rule? Mother...I miss you so much.
I guess...I guess I should start from the beginning. A thousand years ago, and even before that, my sister and I existed. We were known as the Great Princesses, while our Mother governed the land as the Queen. Queen Lauren, that was her name. Some say she even shaped the world in the beginning, but I don't really know about that. I know that the term "Mother" is usually used for a mare who gives life to a foal in a biological sense. Our Mother, though, gave us life magically. That is why we had a Mother, but no Father.
Mother was the only one of her kind, before we came along that is. She was an Alicorn, a combination of Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony. My sister and I are Alicorns as well, but there are others besides just us. The other Alicorns were all created by me and my sister, or rather, were transformed into them by us. The other Alicorns were once Unicorns, Pegasi, or even Earth Ponies who we felt deserved to become more then they were.
I'm getting a little off track, though. My sister and I were raised by our Mother, and taught that we would one day fulfill a grand role. It would be me who would command the sun, and my sister would command the moon. We were told this when we were young, and we were raised knowing our future destinies. Mother was always the one who controlled all of that, though, and I suppose we should have known that that meant something was bound to happen to her one day.
And it was a terrible and dark day when it did. An evil spirit began to wander our world, he called himself "Discord". The creature was mischievious. He was a trickster, and his powers were the magic of Chaos. He never did anything predictable, because indeed, predictability would be un-chaotic. Everything he did, everyone he harmed, was in the name of Chaos.
Our world, Equestria, was thrown into chaos, and the ponies that were the denizens of our world were tormented day and night by the creature. One day, Mother determined she had had enough. She met Discord face-to-face.
"Discord!" Mother shouted as she stomped her hoof on the ground.
"My oh my, if it isn't Lauren," Discord spoke as he turned his twisted head towards her. Discord is a draconequus. A draconequus is a creature with the head of a pony, with a deer antler on the right and a goat horn on the left, a snake tongue, and a goat beard. Its body is snake-like in appearance while having the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat. It also has a bats' right wing and a Pegasus' left wing. The composition of the creature alone is chaotic, and I always am left to wonder if that was why he was so chaotic.
For that matter, how did he come to be? Was he once each of those creatures in separate entities? Had he been created much like my sister and I, being fused from many things into one by powerful magic? Had Mother been the one to create him? I always wondered these things, but I never found an answer.
"Enough, Discord," Mother spoke firmly. "Can't you see what your doing here? You're hurting everypony."
"Hurting? Hardly." Discord reached his hand out, and grabbed a pony several feet away from him, pulling it over to him. "Tell me, does this face look unhappy to you?" The pony looked insane, its eyes swirling in its sockets as it giggled uncontrollably.
Mother stomped her hoof. "Stop what you're doing and return to where you came from."
"Oh, but I love it here." Discord snapped its...fingers, I guess you could call them. In a flash, he vanished, re-appearing behind Mother. "Besides, take a look around. Your world was just so boring before I came along." He snapped his fingers and a massive pepper shaker appeared above a pony's head. The pony sneezed, flying several feet away into a paper wall. He began to laugh at this. "See? Isn't is so much fun?"
"Stop this at once!" Mother insisted as her horn began to glow. "I won't ask you again."
"You've been asking me? Sounds more like demanding to me." Discord snapped his fingers again, teleporting away. "But very well, if you insist, I'll leave." He snapped his fingers, and a long stick with a bag on the end appeared in his hand. "Oh, whoa is me. Here I thought I had found a place I could be welcomed." He began to cry and his tears flowed out, turning into a river that circled around Mother. "I just wanted to be happy." He slammed his foot on the ground and the earth shook.
"Enough!" Mother shouted. Magic swirled through her horn and she unleashed a blast of magic straight at the chaotic creature.
Discord yawned, then pulled out a massive paddle and simply smacked it back. The blast struck Mother, knocking her to the ground. "Really now, did you think that would honestly work?"
"You won't get away with this, Discord."
Discord chuckled. "My dear, I believe I already have."
"Stop!" I shouted as I jumped in front of Mother. Luna followed close behind.
"Well, well, if it isn't the absolutely stunning Celestia." Discord smirked.
"S-stop!" I shouted. I don't know why, but I kind of felt like I liked Discord. I mean, I didn't like what he did, or even why he did it, but more, I feel like I actually had developed a sort of crush on him. I can't really explain why. Maybe it was because he and I were the same? Being made of different things, not really fitting in with anypony else. Maybe it was because, before he started reigning chaos on the world, he had actually hit on me a few times. Whatever the reason, I had always felt a sort of soft spot for him.
"Oh come now, what do you think you can do to me? Your Mother isn't strong enough to do anything, and you two are both simple little foals."
"W-we'll stop you!" Luna spoke up.
Discord chuckled. "Charming, but I have chaos to attend to." He turned, as if he was going to walk away.
"This isn't over, Discord," Mother spoke as she stood to her hooves.
"I don't think you understand, Lauren," Discord spoke as he turned to her. "You can't stop me."
"Maybe not on my own." Mother closed her eyes. "Not in this form, anyway."
"Mother?" I asked as I looked up at her. Her body began to glow brightly. "Mother?!"
"Celestia, take care of your sister. Remember, I will always be at your side." Mother's eyes began to glow brightly, then there was a bright flash of light. "Discord! You may be the spirit of disharmony, but harmony will always prevail over the world!" There was a wave of magic that came from her as she began to float into the air. "I give up my life, so that your reign can be ended." There was another flash of light, and when the light cleared, six gems were now floating in a circle where Mother had been.
"Mother?" I called out to the gems. "Mother!" I shouted. The gems floated down to us. Tears streamed down my eyes. "You...you took Mother away from me!" I shouted. "I can't forgive you!" The gems began to swirl around both me and Luna. Magic flowed through us and I closed my eyes. I could feel her, her presence. She was still there, inside the gems.
"My gift to you," Mother's voice echoed in my ears, "are these, the Elements of Harmony. Use their power, and restore harmony to the world."
"Mother!" I shouted. Magic erupted from my body and combined with the magic in Luna's. Our magic then combined with the magic inside of the gems. I opened my eyes and a rainbow of light shot from the gems, flying straight into the air.
"What is this magic?" Discord shouted, fear in his voice for the first time. "No! No!" The rainbow flew down, covering his body. He screamed as his body became encased in stone. Magic then erupted out from the gems once more as a large rainbow that swirled around us. Wherever it touched, the powers of chaos were undone.
I remember feeling very groggy after that and rubbing my head. "What happened?" I asked as I found myself opening my eyes once more. Discord now stood, completely encased in stone, not too far away from me. The six gems, the Elements of Harmony as Mother had called them, were still there, swirling around me and Luna. The land had been restored to its rightful form, and chaos had finally been defeated, at least for now.
Tears began to roll down my cheeks. "Mother..." I stared at the gems which floated around me. They were all that was left of her. We had defeated Discord with her power, but what it had cost us... "Mother..." I buried my head in the dirt and began to cry. I remember feeling a hoof wrap around me, then I remember hearing Luna cry as well. We had lost the most important person to us, all to stop one monster.
. . .
"But I can't do it, sis!" Luna cried as she stomped her hoof on the ground.
"You can if you try, sister," I responded in a calm voice.
It had been a few years since Discord's reign of terror. I had grown up, and with Mother gone, I had had to take control of the land. Everyday I would use my powers to raise the sun in the morning and the moon at night. Now, though, it was time for Luna to take her rightful place in the Grand Order. It was time for her to raise the moon for the first time.
Luna closed her eyes and her horn began to glow. She squinted and began to flap her wings, slowly at first, then faster. Her wings lifted her off the ground and as she rose into the sky, a brilliant white orb followed behind her in the night sky. "I...I can't..." Luna squeaked out, and her magic vanished. She dropped to the ground, and I rushed over to her with a smile.
"You did."
Luna's eyes went wide as she turned, looking up at the moon she had risen. "I...I did it?" She jumped up. "I did it!"
"Look." I pointed at her flank.
Luna looked at her flank and her eyes went wide, sparkling as brilliantly as the moon itself. Upon her flank was now the symbol of a night sky, with a crescent moon in the center. "My cutie mark! I got my cutie mark!" She rushed over to me and hugged me. "Thank you, sister."
"Your welcome, sister." I wrapped my hooves around her and hugged her. "It will be your job now to tend to the moon and the stars."
"I have to do the stars, too?" Luna whined.
"Yes," I smiled. "But for tonight, I'll help you." My horn glowed and many small dots of light shot up into the night sky, creating a beautiful and sparkling sky.
"Thank you, sister."
. . .
"Sister?" Luna asked as she walked into the newly built Canterlot Palace.
I sat on the throne, readying myself to raise the sun. "What is it, Sister?" I asked as I stepped off the throne and walked forward.
"Do you..." Luna looked down. She seemed almost afraid to continue. "Do you think...maybe...we could leave the moon up for just one day?"
I stared at my sister in surprise. She knew that the world depended on the sun. Plants needed it to grow, ponies needed it to live by. Why was she asking such a question? "You know we can't do that, Luna."
"I...I know..." Luna looked away.
"Is something wrong?" I stepped up next to her.
"No..." Luna spoke as she turned away. "Everything is just fine."
"Are you sure?"
"I said, 'everything is fine', Sister." Luna began to trot away. She seemed almost angry now. I wondered what could possibly have been wrong. Why could she possibly want such a thing?
. . .
It was another year or so, and I watched every day as my sister seemed to grow darker, angrier. Something seemed to be eating at her, but what? I didn't understand, and when I asked, she would tell me "Nothing is wrong" and walk away. It was night again, coming close to day. It was the time of the very first Summer Sun Celebration, where we celebrated the longest day of the year. Luna had spent the entire night grumbling, and no matter what I said, she ignored me. I made my way to the center of Canterlot, where the celebration was going on. It was time for me to raise the sun.
"Fillies and Gentlecolts," I spoke up. "Thank you for coming to the first ever Summer Sun Celebration. Now, bear witness as I raise the sun." My horn began to glow and I began to flap my wings.
"Not today, Sister!" a dark voice spoke and I looked into the sky. Luna was there, flying high above me.
"Sister? What's going on?"
"For too long you've ruled Equestria." Luna flew down, her hooves landing on the ground in front of me. "Ever since Mother died, you've gotten all the glory! First, it was you who were given charge of raising both the sun and the moon. Then, when I came of age, you designed you were bored with it, bored of me!"
"What-"
"You gave the job of raising the moon to me!" Luna was now using her magic to make herself louder, a trait we liked to call "using the Royal Canterlot Voice". "You gave me the boring job of raising the moon. You gave me charge of the night, the time of the day nopony cares about. They bask in your sun, but when my moon comes up, they sleep. They sleep until your precious sun once again reaches the sky. For years, I've done my best to make the night beautiful, to make it appealing to everypony. I got shunned every time." Luna looked away. "Well, no more!" She turned back towards me. "Try to raise your precious sun!" Her horn began to glow and the moon floated high into the sky. "My moon and stars will conquer your sun, and night will reign eternal!"
I glared at her. "Luna, stop this. This isn't funny."
"I am not Luna anymore, Sister." Luna's eyes began to glow and darkness swirled around her. She grew in size, stopping at the same height as me. Her mane changed to a deep purple color and became ethereal, much as my own mane was. Stars began to shine in her mane and the dark magic swirled over her body, forming a deep blue helmet and body armor. "I am Nightmare Moon, Queen of the Night! And you are no longer necessary." A blast of magic shot from her horn, striking me hard in the chest. I stumbled back, falling to the ground.
"Now, Celestia, your reign is over." She stepped closer to me. "Now, the night will last forever!" Her horn began to glow again. "Any last words, Sister?"
Tears welled up in my eyes. I knew what to do, but I didn't want to do it. "Good-bye, Luna..." I spoke and my own horn began to glow. A brilliant light radiated from my horn and Luna stepped back.
"What-what is this?"
Six gems flew through the air, soon swirling around me. "Princess Luna," I used the Royal Canterlot Voice, "you are my dear sister, and I love you so much. However, I cannot allow you to continue with this travesty."
"I am not Luna anymore!" Luna roared and sent a blast of magic at me. One of the gems flew forward, absorbing the blast.
"I will only ask you once. Stop what you are doing and come back to me."
"No!" Luna shouted and sent another blast of magic forward. One of the gems once again absorbed the blast.
"Then I have no choice..." The gems began to glow, just as they did when they were last used on Discord. "Nightmare Moon," those words were like knives in my mouth, "I sentence you to a thousand years of imprisonment..." my horn began to glow even more and the Elements around me began to resonate. "...in your own moon."
"No!" Luna shouted and a rainbow shot forward once again. The rainbow swirled around her, then carried her up into the sky. It then shot off towards the moon, and after a moment, her face appeared upon the moon.
"I'm sorry, sister..." I closed my eyes. I heard a strange noise, like something becoming solid in an instant. When I opened my eyes, I noticed them, the Elements of Harmony, now encased in stone. "Of course...I should have expected that." A tear rolled down my cheek. "Luna...Mother...I'm sorry..."