//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11 
// Story: The Manetown Chronicles: A Hidden Heritage 
// by LincolnShanna 
//------------------------------//

	Back at the Spellan’s mansion…

The sky began to glow pink and purple. For a moment, it looked like the sunrise, but typically, sunrises don’t rain pink and purple sparkles. Luna and Celestia smiled at each other. The sky glowed brighter and brighter, and if one looked hard enough, they would have seen a large group of clouds morph into the shape of a unicorn’s bowed head. The glowing sky tinted the clouds purple.
It was an image of Princess Twilight Sparkle.
“Thank you, Cadence,” Celestia said as she looked up at the sparkles. “Thank you, Twilight. I miss you.”
If Nightmare Moon and I hadn’t been in the air, and if the kids weren’t all screaming, any silent listener would have heard the wind whisper.
"I miss you, too, Princess Celestia."
Celestia smiled and wiped away a single tear trickling down her cheek. She looked at Luna. Luna nodded. 
“I need to do this, Tia.”
“I know.” 
The two princesses raised the gem into the air again. The purple and pink sparkles began to settle into the gem, and as the gem began to glow, Celestia let go of the gem as if it was burning her. She knew what was coming.
Luna closed her eyes and began to rise up, off of the ground. She tucked her legs together, as if floating in the air was the most normal thing in the world. Blue sparkles floated out of the gem and began to circle around Mom. Blue sparkles hovered around Mom’s hands and feet. Lines of sparkles trailed up from her forehead and from her sides. A thin line of blue sparkles floated out from Luna’s tailbone. I realized that her ears were sparkling, too, and the top of her head was glowing. I realized that the glow on Mom’s back, tailbone, and the top of her head looked like a pair of wings, a tail, and pony ears.   Luna arched her back and clutched at her head as the sparkles surrounded her in a magical chrysalis. There was a blast of blue and silver light, and a pillar of white light shot into the sky, parting the clouds. When the light dissipated, Luna relaxed. She straightened her back and blinked a few times. She looked up and smiled. She looked down and smiled. She was still hovering, but without the help of the gem. The gem was now hanging around her neck on the now-braided chain. 
“No!” Shadow Nightmare Moon and I screamed. “Not possible!”
“Oh,” Luna retorted. “But it is.” She flipped her head. Her mane was tossed by the wind. She turned and grinned at Celestia, who was doing something quite unlike herself. She was jumping up and down, punching the air with her fist.
“Yes!” she yelled triumphantly. “Well done, Cadence! Well done, Twilight! Well done, Luna!” She stopped yelling mid-bounce. Everyone had stopped screaming or hovering and stared at her. Celestia straightened her back and brushed an invisible speck of dust off of her party dress. “Please,” she said, “continue.”
Luna whirled around to glare at Nightmare Moon and I. “You shall not control my daughter,” she said defiantly. 
“Oh,” Nightmare Moon sighed. “How can I not control myself? You, of all ponies, should know that any daughter of the moon is Nightmare Moon!”
“You are wrong!” Luna replied. “I changed! I am right! And I will take my daughter with me!” Her voice echoed against the marble walls of the mansion. She looked surprised. 
The shadow smiled evilly. “So, you do still remember what the ‘wrong’ side of darkness feels like. I can see it in your eyes. You miss being Nightmare Moon…”
“I do not!” Luna screamed. She crashed to the ground and stomped her hoof. She flexed her wings and launched herself into the air. She pointed her front hooves in front of her and ignited her horn. She aimed for Nightmare Moon and I.
The princess of the night had returned.

“NO!” I screamed. “No! Stop! Desist!” I held my arms out in front of me, as if my palms would somehow protect me from the full power of the moon.
Luna sped forward, paying no attention to my pleas. Like any mother would, Luna was going to do anything and everything to save me. As she flew, tears streamed down her cheeks. She did not want to do this, but it had to be done.
The moon princess conjured the biggest, most powerful power bolt she had ever made, squinted her eyes, and aimed the point of her horn right for my heart.
Luna reared up in the air and let loose the largest power bolt she had ever conjured. It hit me square in the chest. Luna gasped and dropped heavily to the ground. She hit the ground hard enough to make a large dent and millions of cracks in the pavement. 
Celestia grabbed her cell phone and texted Dad.

“Kalissa Spellan” wrote, “You wanted to see what the princess of the night really looks like? Come to my house.” 
“Lenny Darenesk” replied, “On my way now!”

I started to flail around in the air. My wings began to flicker, as if they were just an illusion. My horn lost its black, magical glow. Nightmare Moon began to howl like a wolf.
“NO!” she screamed. “Not again!” She reared up in the air and ignited her shadowy horn. The sharp, pointed tip of the horn sparkled with electricity, like a frayed electrical cord. Her magic had been destroyed. “What? No. No! NO!”
White light began to circle around Nightmare Moon, surrounding her in a glowing, blue-and-white chrysalis. The encasement tightened around the struggling figure. The light began to flow like water. It flowed toward the moon, which was glowing brighter than it would have glowed naturally. The shadow encased in the light chrysalis struggled and fought. Anyone watching Princess Luna at that moment would have seen a black trail of smoky ooze float out of her chest. The last bits of darkness in her heart had left her. Luna was lying on her side, gasping for breath. She hadn’t flown or done magic for sixteen years, so she was out of shape. Celestia ran to her younger sister’s side and raised her head. She dropped to her knees and hugged her sister. Tears mingled with tears as the two princesses wept.
“Oh, Luna! I’m so proud of you!” Celestia cried between sobs. “If only I could join you…”
Luna smiled weakly and lit up her horn. “As the last spell I shall cast,” Luna gasped, “I wish for you to have wings and a horn!” Luna tapped her sister’s chest with the tip of her glowing horn. A pale yellow light ignited on Celestia’s chest. It burst out of her chest and began to swirl around her. 
“Luna?” Celestia said. “Did you…”
Luna smiled and rested her head on the pavement. She fell asleep. Casting spells like that was exhausting. 
Celestia laughed despite the sadness in the air, and as she giggled, she began to hover. Her arms began to move forward on her body and widen. Her nose elongated. Her ears moved to the top of her head and grew a bit longer. Her hair began to float and change color. White blonde hair began to turn pale pink, mint green, baby blue, and turquoise. She grew a horn and a tail. Her back straightened and lengthened, making room for wings. With a blinding flash of yellow light, Celestia became Princess Celestia once more. 	
The beloved Sun Princess had returned.

At that same moment, a navy blue minivan pulled into the roundabout driveway of the Spellan’s estate. The driver rolled down the window and gaped. It was Dad. 
He thrust open the driver’s side door, ran around the back of the parked car, and skidded to a stop right under the flying Princess Celestia.
“Kalissa? I mean, Celestia? What are you… who... why… huh?” my dad gasped. 
Celestia lowered herself to the sidewalk with a few gentle beats of her wings. She landed three feet from her brother-in-law. He backed up, as if he was afraid.
“Don’t be afraid, Lenny. It is I, Princess Celestia ‘Kalissa’ Spellan, princess of the sun!” As she spoke, rays of golden light began to emanate from behind Celestia. Lenny covered his eyes as the rays grew brighter and brighter.
“Oh! I am sorry, Lenny! I forgot that I could do that.” Celestia stopped glowing. She looked over her shoulder. Luna was still gasping on the pavement. Celestia looked in the opposite direction, where Jicxie was collapsed on the ground. Celestia nodded toward Luna. “She needs you, Lenny.” 
Dad craned his neck and gasped when he saw his wife crumpled on the ground with a horn and a pair of wings. He slowly stood up and walked toward Luna, while Celestia warily approached me. I watched all this happen through tear-filled, bloodshot eyes.

“Luna?” Dad whispered. He got down on his knees next to the unconscious princess. She had a crown stuck into her mane, which wasn’t flowing as it was supposed to. Her mane and tail weren’t sparkling, either. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was shallow.
Luna cracked open one eye. When she saw her husband, she shakily lifted one of her wings and covered her face. 
“You can’t see me like this…” Mom sighed. “I look awful.”
Dad gently pushed Mom’s wing down. “You do not look awful. You look beautiful.” He softly brushed a finger on Luna’s soft, fuzzy, matted coat. 
Luna smiled weakly. “You always know what to say.” She tried to stand up, but cried out as soon as she tried to bear any weight on her four legs. She fell to the ground again.

Celestia set her right front hoof on my heaving shoulder. 
“Jicxie?” she whispered. 
I didn’t respond. I was too busy crying. All of the sweet memories Nightmare Moon had taken from me were surging back to me, and now, as I saw Kristyn dancing around the sidewalk with her “Fresh Lemonade” sign from years ago, and as I watched my cousin dancing at my tenth birthday party, I saw something in her that I had never noticed before. I saw a happy, kind girl who longed for equality in the world. Kristyn wasn’t popular because she was pretty or rich. She was pretty because she was so kind to everyone. And I had probably just ruined it.
“Jicxie.” 
“What?” I responded curtly. I turned and looked at my aunt. Celestia had to stifle a cry. My face was cut and bleeding. My cheeks and chin were riddled with bruises. 
“Jicxie, your mother and I…” Celestia began.
“Are banishing me!” I interrupted. I turned back onto my stomach and began to sob again.
“What? Who told you that?” Celestia asked, shocked.
“I told myself that,” I admitted miserably. 
“What do you mean?”
“I’m Nightmare Moon, right? The creepy voice in my head said that I was Nightmare Moon. She said that I was evil, and you and Mom were going to punish me by banishing me to some place called the ‘Everfree Forest.’”
“Oh, Jicxie!” Celestia dropped to her knees and lifted my chin with her hoof. “You are only who you choose to be! I once had a student who thought that she was a failure. She did something, and thought that it would anger me, but instead, it brought her to find her true destiny.”
“What?” I snuffled. I sat up and wiped my nose with my wrist. “Who was that? What was her destiny?”
Celestia smiled. “The student was named Twilight Sparkle. She was my favorite student, and as to what her destiny was… she became a princess, like Luna and I. And you.”
“Me? A princess?” I stuttered. 
“Yes. You are the daughter of a princess, are you not?” Celestia hinted. 
I managed a grin. “Yeah… I am.” She looked at her aunt and gasped. “You… you’re a… a… a pony.” I had just realized that my aunt had wings and a horn. Celestia’s crown was where it belonged, on her horned head.
Celestia nodded. “Yes, I am. And so is your mother, who I believe is wounded.” 
I glanced over Celestia’s shoulder and saw my mom and dad crouched on the pavement together. I grasped my aunt’s broad, white shoulders and used her as a crutch. I hobbled up the stairs, completely unaware of the kids cowering six feet away from me. I dropped to the ground next to Mom and Dad.
“Is… is she okay?” I questioned.
Dad turned to face me. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. “No, Jicxie. She is not okay, thanks to you.” 
I was shocked. I turned at my waist and stared at my magical aunt for help. Celestia slowly walked up the stairs and towered behind her brother-in-law. As she spoke, her voice echoed deeply.
“Lenny Darenesk! Do not judge your daughter. How would you feel if you had just been rescued?”
“Rescued from what?” Dad said.
“I know that it is hard to believe, but for the past four days, Jicxie has been possessed and controlled by a power-hungry villain from Equestria.” Celestia’s voice was now softer, but her eyes still glowed with an unshed anger. 
My dad was speechless. He turned to look at Mom, who was still unconscious. 
Celestia placed her hoof on my shoulder. “Jicxie, Luna is very hurt. From the looks of things, I do not think that she will ever be able to walk again unless you help her.”
“WHAT?” I said. “How can I save the life of a pony princess?”
Celestia smiled. The tip of her horn began to glow. I reached up to feel my horn.
“But…. but my horn’s gone!”
Celestia held out her hoof. She raised her eyebrows.
“Oh…” I said. I looked intently at my mom. Luna was staring at me, unshed tears in the corners of her eyes. Kristyn slowly stood up and walked toward the motely group of people and ponies sitting on the steps. I turned to face my cousin. 
“I… I… I’m so sorry.” 
Kristyn said nothing. She just lowered herself onto her knees and set her right hand on Mom’s furrowed brow. 
I took a deep breath and clenched my fist. 
“What’s she doing?” Hannah Favian shrieked. I ignored her.
For the first time, I was able to channel my powers and create a blue haze around my fist. Mom’s, Dad’s, and Kristyn’s eyes all widened. I smiled grimly.
I lowered my glowing hand onto Luna’s heaving bosom. The blue glow seeped through her coat and began to spread throughout her body. Her front legs began to glow. Her mane and tail began to shimmer. As the glow covered Luna’s legs, Jicxie was surprised to see that the glow was making a pattern on her mother’s legs. The glow was forming a zigzag pattern. It took us all a moment to realize that we were seeing an x-ray image. The magic was seeping into Luna's broken bones! I bit my lip. Would the spell work? Luna squeezed her eyes shut and stomped her left hoof on the ground. She grit her teeth against the pain. The glow spread from her front legs to her torso and hips. The blue glow spread to Mom’s wings. The feathers on her wings were outlined with the blue glow. The grooves in Luna’s horn began to fill up with the glow, as well. Within minutes, Mom’s whole body was glowing. She began to float with the help of my magic. Luna sighed. It was hard to tell whether she was in pain or not. After she had been hovering for about three minutes, Luna slowly descended and rested on the ground. She wiggled comfortably and sighed again. Aunt Celestia smiled and nodded at me.
“She will be fine, Jicxie. Well done.”
I smiled, and for the first time, it was genuine. I stood up and grasped my aunt’s neck in a hug. 
“Thank you.”
Celestia raised her right hoof and embraced me. 
“Any time. Now,” the princess of the sun said, as she let go of my shoulders, “I think that you need to go talk to the guests over there.” Celestia smiled a quirky smile. I bit my lip and slowly turned around. I placed my hands on my hips. Hannah and Dan were standing up, and as soon as they saw me, they crossed their arms and shook their heads. Susie stood off to the side. She was fingering the mint green streak in her hair. She seemed confused. Susie pulled out her iPhone and aimed the camera lens at the group sitting on the stairs. A flash of light sparked. Susie had taken a picture! The DJ scowled at me.
“Not cool,” he said. 
I flashed an embarrassed smile. This time, I wasn’t scared to show my true colors. I was Jicxie Danette Darenesk, daughter of Princess Luna and 	Lenny Darenesk, sole daughter of the moon. I smiled. I was a princess, and no jealousy could ever change that.