//------------------------------//
// Chapter Ten: The Nightmare 
// Story: Responsibility and Rage 
// by adfghjkl 
//------------------------------//

CHAPTER TEN

Celestia approached the balcony cautiously, but it was not her sister that was there. A tall pony clad in shimmering silver armor stood tall, her coat as black as night. Her dark purple mane and tail was a river of the purple cloud of magic that had corrupted Luna. Her eyes were lined in purple, and had a thin, dark slit for her pupil. 

Just like how Luna’s eyes became. “What have you done with my sister!?” 

The monster laughed. “Whatever do you mean, Princess? This is my true form! And it will forever be. The night has offered me a chance to become what everypony has thought the night to be, a menace, a threat, a nightmare.” 

Celestia gasped in shock. This was not Luna, it just couldn’t be. This was a puppet, one of Discord’s tricks. “You are not my sister! And you will never be! Now release Luna at once!” T

he dark alicorn just laughed once again. “You think I give up that easy, do you?” With that, the alicorn tackled Celestia to the floor of the balcony, knocking the wind out of her. Tears came to Celestia’s eyes. 

Luna… But she had to remember that this was merely a trick, an illusion of her sister. But where was the REAL Luna?

“Remember this night, Celestia, for it is the first of an eternal and ethereal night! From this moment on, the night will last FOREVER!” The demon began laughing, her mane and tail flowing up towards the sky, towards the moon.  And that’s when Celestia remembered.

The Elements! 

Celestia flew up towards the balcony and into her room, where the shining bejeweled box lay on the floor.

Celestia quick picked it up and rushed out to face the monster, the Nightmare. She was still laughing and she had taken flight. Celestia suddenly recovered a memory of Discord, cackling when he hurt Luna, when he beat her until she begged him to stop. And she, Celestia, who had stood up to Discord then, must stand up to Discord now. 

“THIS IS FOR LUNA!” 

The beast turned, and saw the alicorn harnessing the power of the five gems that lay in the box. They all floated weightlessly for a second, then sparked and combined into a shining mass of magic. Both of the alicorns shielded their eyes from the energy produced by the power of the Elements. Suddenly, a rainbow, similar to the one that had imprisoned Discord, shot up high in the air. It struck the monster as it sped downward. The rainbow wrapped around the nightmare beast, who was yelling and screaming in agony. The magic, and the monster, rushed upward towards the sky at startling speeds. The rainbow finally disappeared from sight, then flashed back again when it had found its mark, the moon.

Celestia sighed in relief. “It’s over. Luna is safe.” Celestia looked around for any sign of her sister, hoping that the darkness had been forced out of her and that she could return back to Equestria. But the conversation that Celestia had with her parents returned to her. 

You must imprison her in the moon. It is the only way. 

The alicorn slumped to the ground as she realized the horrible truth.

I have forced my sister to the moon. 

The first tear came to Celestia’s eye.

I didn’t even get to say goodbye…