Herein are recorded the words of Major Burnished Shield (ret.), Royal Guard, recorded on the 15th of Novermber, 2538 C.E. by his grandson, Tattered Scroll.
The Day Everfree Fell. Ponies still talk about it; the older ones still ask each other where they were when it happened. Whenever they ask, it comes back like it was merely yesterday, because I was there.
Everypony who served in Everfree Castle remembered the fight. Everypony who was in the East Wing at the time heard the fight. The argument was intense, and there were words spoken between the royal sisters that couldn’t be easily taken back. Luna accusing her sister of being uncaring, and Celestia seeing a deep-seated greed in Luna. Truth be told, it’s hard to fault Luna for feeling unappreciated: when you literally live in the shadow of the sun, it’s hard to be noticed, but those who lived around her noticed a change. She had become darker, colder. Looking back, it’s easier to see the influence of the Nightmare, whispering in her ear. At any rate, that fight left deep rifts between the sisters and Luna left the castle, but everypony knew she would be back. The hope was simply that she would be peaceful when she returned.
It wasn’t to be, sadly. A number of ponies who were loyal to Luna had left alongside her, and she came back at the head of her own army. Ponies who had been sweet and innocent before had been corrupted and twisted by the Nightmare’s influence. The barest hints of jealousy, anger, and malice had been fanned into burning flames at the injustice done to their princess, and they had returned to offer battle for the throne of Equestria.
Though they were outnumbered almost three to one, the Lunar Army fought with a terrifying abandon. Coupled with the fact that our guards were reluctant to harm former friends, the fight was more even than it had any right to be. The blood spilled on both sides weighs heavily on the hearts of those who fought to this day.
Luna took the fight to her sister directly. The castle had been evacuated, with but one foolish pony remaining. I sat in the throne room, too loyal to leave and too terrified to help—mere set dressing for the final act of the play. Words were few between them, everything that needed to be said having been said months before. Luna let her power build in terrifying fashion, drawing herself up to fight her own flesh and blood. Her body rippled with the other side of light—a terrifying, dark radiance that was matched only by the glorious corona surrounding Celestia.
The force when their released magics met was indescribable. Brilliant light cascaded against octarine fire, releasing energy everywhere. Stained glass murals depicting the very foundation of Equestria shattered like broken dreams. Stone walls that had survived seventy-plus generations began to buckle and crack. The ceiling that had sheltered the leaders of the nation for thousands of years fell in chunks, simply evaporating when they fell too close to the unholy power wielded by the sisters.
Celestia gave one final plea, begging her sister not to force her hoof. Her magic seemed to falter, and Luna’s twisted smile became even larger as she pressed the advantage. Celestia sighed deeply, sadly, and suddenly her eyes opened to show a glow even brighter and hotter than her heavenly charge. She rose slowly into the air without so much as a wingflap, her full power and majesty on display as the avatar of Harmony itself. Luna’s magic began to fade, and she panicked, trying to find an escape as the cascade of magical energy enveloped her. Celestia’s serene facade cracked, a pained expression flitting over her face as if she were warring within herself, trying to avoid doing what was clearly the right thing.
A final cry marked the end. The light faded. Luna was gone. Celestia drifted back to the floor, where she crumpled in a heap and wept like a foal. It was somehow even more terrifying than the fight had been.