The Nightfall Chronicles

by Sauron

Mirrored Lunar Prophecy Part 1

You have probably heard the familiar story. It has been told to each generation, told to you from the time your earliest years. Yet perhaps you have not heard the whole story. After all, it is the story itself which teaches us that not all of what we hear is the whole truth. So come little ones, and hear again the tale of that longest night… a night which changed the face of Equestria forever after.

The Nightfall Chronicles Book 1
Chapter 1: Mirrored Lunar Prophecy

Twilight Sparkle, the faithful and studious protégé of Princess Celestia, had the misfortune of being named after the beginning of night. She had always wondered why her parents named her such in an empire that glorified the sun. Yet this was not what she was thinking as she rushed towards the doors to the Princess’s chambers. Rather, she wondered what it was that her mentor wanted, to have called for a private meeting. Celestia had summoned the lavender unicorn to discuss “matters of dire importance”, and Twilight was not about to be labeled tardy for any reason whatsoever. As she desperately hurried down the halls, passing Royal Guards who knew her well, she wondered what in all of Equestria could be going on, and she was almost scared to find out. Now as she arrived, Twilight paused for a moment before knocking on the double golden doors.

“Enter” came the sound of her teacher’s voice

Twilight entered the room and immediately bowed. As her ruler called her to stand, Twilight looked upon her teacher, seated upon her throne, and she was clearly troubled; for another pony it would be hard to tell, but after the time spent studying under her, Twilight was able to tell easily. Two guards shut the doors as Celestia greeted her pupil and got straight to the point.

“Twilight, it is good to see you as always, though I fear that the circumstances that now draw us together are not pleasant ones.”

“What’s wrong?” Genuine concern was gathering in Twilight’s voice.

“You are well aware of the tale of Nightmare Moon, correct?” Celestia said in a calm yet ominous voice.

“Well…of course…everypony has heard that story: two princesses, the elder ruled the day, the younger the night. The younger princess became jealous and refused to allow the sun to be raised up, and the older sister reluctantly banished her sibling to the moon. Thus, Nightmare Moon, and her legend, came to be.”

“There is more to that story than you think.”

“More?” Twilight wondered how there could be more to a story she had heard since she was in magic kindergarten. Everypony knew the story, some by heart. If there was more… then Celestia has been keeping a secret? thought Twilight. No, Celestia must have good reasons for this. She wouldn’t lie to anypony.

“It is not something I like to think about, but as horrible as it is, the actions of the elder sister were far from permanent.”

“What do you mean, Princess?”

“Nightmare Moon…will return again.” Celestia intoned darkly

“W-When will she return?” Twilight was filled with apprehension. She had no absolute fear, really, because she knew Celestia could protect Equestria from any threat, but she still dreaded the return of a most dangerous foe.

“The Summer Sun Celebration marks the 1,000 year anniversary of her imprisonment, and on that night, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will be free to terrorize all of Equestria once more.”

“This is terrible… what are you going to do? This is the biggest threat to Equestria since…since…a thousand years ago! Is there anything I can do to help you?” Dreadful, though it was, this was a once in a life time event, Twilight’s chance to see her teacher defeat evil in Equestria’s darkest hour.

“I need you to be strong Twilight. I need you to stop her.”

“Me?” Twilight’s mouth dropped open. WHAT!? You want me, an ordinary unicorn mage, to face your greatest enemy and one of the most infamous tyrants in history? “Alone? Are you sure I can-” Twilight continued.

“I will lend you whatever you need to defeat Nightmare Moon, but I ask that you prevent this from becoming public knowledge. Equestria is not ready to know of her return…not yet…”

“Still…me…stop Nightmare Moon? Well, if you think I can…” Twilight was suddenly more nervous than she had ever been before. It was like Mage Academy Final Exams, except she’d not studied and failure meant Equestria’s doom.

“I know you can do it. I have faith in you. You are the best student I have ever had, and you are more than capable of ending this threat, besides, you will not face her alone. Use whatever force necessary to stop her, but you must not let the public know of this issue, that will only cause unrest that we do not need. Is your task clear?”

“…Yes. I understand what I need to do…and I’m ready.”

“Very good. I will be awaiting your success. Be careful Twilight Sparkle. Make me proud to call you my student.”

“I will.”

With that, Celestia bid Twilight farewell, and Twilight set out on her quest to stop Nightmare Moon. It was a test among tests, but she was up to the task, at least, her mentor thought so, and that was enough for her. She was clear on her commission, and her first stop was a small town called Ponyville. It was a…quaint…town, very small, notable only for being the location of the one chapter of the Royal Mage Society. The halls seemed shorter now, and as Twilight ran out to get to the train station that could take her to Ponyville, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat afraid of what her future would hold, and noticed that time seemed to be speeding toward the crucial moment where one decision could be the difference between a passing grade, and a failing one.

…

Arriving in Ponyville, Twilight could already tell this town was almost nothing like Canterlot. It was the type of place where everypony knew everypony by name and concrete streets were a rare sight. The small town had many urban and rural houses and shops, and it was certainly a better town than say…Van Hoover to the north. As she departed the train and entered the sea of fellow passengers departing their means of transportation, she soon found the tower she was looking for, very noticeable in the small rural area known to Equestria as Ponyville. She headed over to the Ponyville Royal Equestrian Mage Society Headquarters with an air of confidence and purpose, and she was feeling much better knowing that the greatest magicians in Equestria would be supporting her. The tower itself (The only three storied building in Ponyville) was quite Canterlot-esque in style and shape. It was guarded by two mages in the standard blue robe, and they looked more serious than Princess Celestia’s Royal Guard. The Mages were above all in unicorn kind as far as magical prowess went, and they rarely received visitors to their headquarters. Twilight was met with disapproving looks as she tried to enter, and was blocked by the mages.

“You will state your business before entering.” The first said arrogantly.

“And if we do not see fit to let you in, then you will not enter at all.” Continued the second, equally as arrogant.

“Oh, I have this Royal Order from Princess Celestia, see?” Twilight levitated the Order in front of the guards and they stared at each other a brief moment before removing themselves from Twilight’s path. They seemed a little angry to Twilight. She went in and climbed the stairs to the upper floor of the tower. It was such an amazing piece of architecture. Unicorn mages actually opened the doors to rooms with a spell that made the door tangible. They worked in alternate dimensions. Admittedly, Twilight was a little scared to see how skilled some of these mages were, and how far apart their skills were from her own. At the top floor, however, was the office of the Head Mage of that chapter of the Order, and this room was easily accessed by anypony, due to the urgency of affairs that the Head Mage was known to deal with in the past. The door was unlocked, and Twilight went in to find a unicorn on her way out. Her coat was brilliant azure, and her mane was pale cornflower blue. Her eyes were a dark grayish-violet, and held a certain malice within them.

“And what can the Great and Powerful! Head Mage, Trixie, do for you?”

“Hi…my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m here to find a few mages to help me in a mission from Princess Celestia.”

“Sure you are. Trixie knows the unicorns Princess Celestia associates with, and you aren’t one.”

“Actually…I’m her student.” Twilight stated flatly.

“What? Impossible. Celestia would never send somepony like you on a Royal Mission, and don’t make Trixie laugh by passing yourself off as her student.”

“Well, I have the order…right here.” Twilight levitated it to Trixie’s face and waited for a reply. Trixie was noticeably confounded.

“Th-This is…how could…fine…Trixie has just the mage for you.” She went out to fulfill Twilight’s request and left Twilight to continue planning and organizing her strategy. When she returned, only one mage was with her, a white mare, and she didn’t seem overly magical, but Twilight was not a pony to judge, so, she went along with it.

“This is one of Trixie’s more…unique…mages. She will serve your purpose well, as all of Trixie’s mages are the elite of the elite. Now, be gone!” Trixie levitated both Twilight and the Mage out of her office and threw them down the stairs. They rolled right out the door and past the guards as Trixie slammed the door shut with her magic. The guards smirked, but it was barely noticeable.

“Well…I have quite a long complaint to write when I get back to Canterlot, but for now-“

“YOU are from CANTERLOT?!?” The Mage nearly threw Twilight down with her scream alone.

“Umm…yes, yes I am.”

“Oh you simply must tell me all about it!”

“Is now the best time? We have an important task to attend to right now.”

“Important task?”

“What did Trixie tell you?”

“Something about a snobby unicorn in need of mages for a task of hers. I assumed whatever it was she needed me for wasn’t important, but it seems that couldn’t be less true! You’re from CANTERLOT!”

“She didn’t mention the Royal Order?”

“Royal Order? You mean this task has been assigned by Princess Celestia?”

“Yeah…just out of curiosity…how adept at magic are you I mean, as far as Mage standard goes you’re…?”

“Oh, well, I’m not what you’d call…an average mage, no, I focus my time and effort on the uniforms of the Society. They are in drastic need of attention, as should be obvious for somepony as refined as yourself. As for mage standards…I’m the least talented.” She emphasized drastic and saw Twilight’s look of disappointment after she finished her sentence.

“Well, you’re still a mage, right? That’s good, you’re at least somewhat adept…aren’t you?”

“Well, even according to magical standard and spell prowess, I’m considered the worst mage, or about…regular unicorn level. Can you blame me though? I mean, how can I study magic when I have to work wonders for the uniforms. So embarrassingly ugly.”

“Of course…that’s just…PERFECT! Well, nothing can surprise me now.” Twilight could tell this was going to be a long day.

“Oh, just look at the bright side, I’ll be able to work wonders for your complexion. Look what I did with my uniform… Oh, yes, and then we can attend to your mission.” Twilight noticed that this unicorn’s uniform was subtly different, and yet, far more stylish. Silver thread was sewn into the sleeves and a subtle sparkling effect was made too. It really did change the style enough to make her stand out in uniform, though not too noticeably. Of course, none of that made up for her lack of magical skill. Silver thread only went so far against evil overlords.

“What’s your name anyways?” Twilight asked, growing increasingly frustrated with the unicorn.

“Oh, forgive my manners, or rather, lack thereof, I am Rarity.”

“Hello, I’m Twilight Sparkle, now, I think we really ought to focus on our mission. We need to get to the Equestrian Guard Barracks.”

Before I lose my sanity Twilight thought.

“Of course…wait! First, do you prefer silk, or cotton?”

“Now isn’t the best time!” Twilight said, annoyed, and went off to find the Guard Barracks with Rarity trailing behind.

---

Twilight and Rarity ventured out into the middle of the Ponyville shopping center. It was busy, but not as crowded as Canterlot was at times, a fact Rarity absorbed like a plant does sunlight. The Barracks were located near the town hall, and served as a constant reminder that the law was absolute, even in small towns like Ponyville.

“OK, I’m going to try and get some Royal Guards for our mission, you stay here and wait for me to return.”

“Very well.” Rarity replied and looked out at a few shops as twilight went in.
The Barracks were fairly small and cramped, but more 100 Guards lived in perfect unity here. A sergeant. noticed Twilight as he entered the reception area from a storage room and filled in for the currently absent rookie who was supposed to be filling in at the front desk. The dark blue coat and even darker midnight blue mane gave the Pegasus Guard a sense of authority and intimidation.

“Can I help you Ms.?”

“Yes, I’m hear to organize a mission for Princess Celestia and am in need of several Royal Guards.”

“May I ask to see your Orders?” He replied coolly.

“Certainly.” She showed the sergeant the Orders and he filed them in the records and went to the living area to find a certain pony who could truly help out Twilight. As he went out, Twilight took the time to really observe the Barracks. They were slightly older than most of the buildings she had seen in Ponyville, but were spotlessly clean, as per Royal Guard standard. There were a few banners on the walls promoting the Royal Guard, as well as a few permanent orders, some of which truly shocked Twilight, but then again, it was the Royal Guard, so their strict rules were expected. A few other guards walked in and out of the barracks as she waited for what felt like several hours. All types of ponies worked here, and all were about equally tough, it seemed. Finally, the sergeant returned with an even higher ranked Guard. He was an Earth pony with a thick brown mane, and his coat was a mild tan. He seemed more relaxed than some of the other guards, but still retained the spirit of authority that was expected of a superior officer.

“Hello Ms., I’m Lt. Towers. What can I do for you?”

“Hello Lieutenant I’m on a Royal Mission, and am in need of your forces, at least some of them.”

“I see…and how many will you need?”

“Oh…perhaps 10 or so.”

“I think I have just the squadron in mind. Summon staff sergeant Dash.”

“Right away Sir.” The sergeant replied with dignity and trotted off to find this Sergeant Dash.

“Sergeant Dash will serve you just fine. She’s one of my best Squadron leaders and she’ll get the job done.”

“Thank you for your time in hearing me out, the last authority I went to for help wasn’t nearly as kind as you.”

“Think nothing of it, it is my duty after all.”

With that, he went over to the front desk and went through a few forms as Twilight again waited. Though it was now a quiet scene once again, it was still more open and friendly than what she had been given by Trixie at the Mage Society Headquarters. After another wait, though not as long, the officer came back with a Pegasus Sergeant. Her coat was a very light cerulean and her mane was rainbow colored. Her eyes were light, brilliant vermilion, and they were true and kind. Twilight liked her based on initial impressions.

“So, your Twilight Sparkle, eh? I’m staff sergeant Rainbow Dash, so you can just leave this mission of yours to me! I’ll get it done pronto and look great doing it…like usual.”

Negate initial impressions. What a braggart. Twilight now seemed a little disheartened as she smiled, of course it was a forced smile, and introduced herself to the brash young sergeant.

“Hello, nice to meet you.”

“Just let me get my team together and we’ll meet you out front in no time to deal with whatever you need my help with.”

“Okay then.”

Twilight was semi-relieved to have ended that conversation; ponies like Rainbow Dash weren’t her favorite type. No doubt Rainbow Dash was skilled, her rank proved that, especially for her being as young as she was, but she was arrogant, confident, and probably a little mean too. On the other hoof, at least she had a team to work with now. Trixie’s help had proved to be less than useless in her mission to stop Nightmare Moon. Meeting Rarity out front, Twilight waited with her and was caught in a conversation about fashion, and by extent Canterlot fashion.

“Now, despite being from Canterlot, you seem to not know the current mane style…we’ll have to change that. You’ll need better attire as well…I think I have just the things to make you the perfect quest leader in my shop, Carousel Boutique.”

“You run a business too?”

“My love for fashion and supreme style cannot be limited by anything!”

“I’m beginning to see that.”

“Really though…is that the usual mane style for you? That isn’t what I’d call…fashionable, darling.”

“Don’t you think we should be focused on the mission here? This is a serious thing! I can appreciate your extreme fashion sense, but we’re on the most important quest in recent history!” Twilight was now yelling in frustration as Rarity took a step back and quieted down.

“You seem distressed…”

“Really? What gave you that idea?” Twilight asked, now calmer, but still irritated and somewhat depressed too, as well as sarcastic in order to alleviate some frustration.

“OK, so what can I help you out with?” Rainbow Dash inquired as she came out of the barracks with 10 other Royal Guards, cutting off Rarity before she could speak.

“OK, now that I’ve assembled you all here, I need to go over our mission. This is important. This is huge. This is the biggest responsibility we’ll likely ever have. We are on, quite possibly, the biggest mission in Equestrian History…we cannot fail.”

“So what are we doing?” Rainbow asked once more, somewhat annoyed by Twilight’s monologue.

“We need to stop one of Equestria’s greatest threats from returning. Nightmare Moon will escape her prison during the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Nightmare Moon? Isn’t she a myth?” One guard asked, almost mockingly.

“No. I’ve never believed that, my mentor, Princess Celestia has always reassured me of that story. I won’t discount anything she tells me, and I won’t fail her now…I can’t…”

“OK, so how do we stop Nightmare Moon?” Dash questioned, following up quickly by adding, “And what can I do specifically to save the day?”

“I’m still formulating a plan, but it looks like we’ll need to use our numbers and our abilities to stop her. Rainbow Dash will lead the other pegasi to block off the skies, and the rest of us will use our skills on the ground to capture her. When she is subdued, we take her back to Canterlot. Nopony can know about this though, we need to make sure this doesn’t become public knowledge.”

“Alright, so basically we gang up on her and take her down with our awesome skill? Cool.” Rainbow summed up and flipped her mane to the side in a brash gesture.

---

Unbeknown to these ponies however, a wild card was forming as they were spied upon by the most unlikely of ponies from afar. A native of Ponyville, the morale officer of sorts, a pink mare, was listening to the whole thing. What would she do with this information? Tell her best friend Fluttershy of course.

---

Fluttershy jumped at the sound of loud knocking on the door of her cottage. Could it be the royal guards? she thought. She tried to be kind to them and follow the rules, but… Oh No! They m..m...must have found out I’ve been keeping animals here!

“Fluttershy! Open the door! I’ve got such exciting news to tell you!”
Relieved it was only her friend Pinkie Pie, the yellow pegasus trotted over to the door and opened it. Pinkie Pie instantly tumbled through the door and ended up in a heap.

“Oh, Pinkie, I thought you were the royal guard,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Me, Royal Guard?” Pinkie exclaimed. She looked down at herself. “No, I’m not in the uniform, so you must be mistaken. Unless I’m an undercover guard… Oh no, Fluttershy, this is terrible! I’m an undercover royal guard! What do I do?”

“Uh, no Pinkie, you’re not a royal guard,” Fluttershy reassured her friend.

“Oh, good. Well then, I’ll just be on my way.” Pinkie said as she turned toward the door.

“But, didn’t you have something important to tell me?”

“Oh, right. How couldn’t I have forgotten,” Pinkie Pie laughed. “So, I was hiding out by the royal guard barracks when I heard the most amazing thing: Nightmare Moon is RETURNING! Tonight! On the outskirts of Ponyville! Isn’t that exciting? *squee* ” Pinkie exclaimed.

Fluttershy’s relief at her friend’s appearance had now faded completely. “No Pinkie, this is terrible. We might have to move to a new town, maybe even a new country…”

“Don’t be silly. The guards will take care of everything. Some new pony showed up and organized a posse to capture her when she returns. And if we move quick enough, we may even get to see it! Come on!”

Fluttershy began back away from the door towards the deepest recesses of her cottage. “No. This is not a good idea Pinkie. It’s dangerous. We could be captured, or even…”

Pinkie jumped behind her friend to block her retreat. “Come on, it will be fun!”

Fluttershy dug her hooves in as Pinkie Pie pushed her towards the door.

“We’re going to be in trouble, or worse, we may never….”

“Just. Come. On. You won’t regret it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she pushed Fluttershy out the door and down the road away from her cottage. The two continued to argue as Pinkie Pie nudged Fluttershy closer to the town outskirts.

---

As night began to fall on Equestria, Twilight and the small posse began to fan out on the outskirts of Ponyville.

“According to my calculations,” Twilight whispered while consulting a map of the region, “Nightmare Moon should land in this area here.”

“That’s near Sweet Apple Acres,” said Rainbow Dash, “Nightmare Moon could hide anywhere in those orchards, and my Pegasi wouldn’t be able to spot her.”

“We’ll just have to sweep the area and hope for the best,” Twilight sighed, “For Equestria’s sake.”

---

Nightmare Moon soared through the stars, using her magic to transport her across the space between the moon where she had been imprisoned and the land she once called home. The alignment of the stars had helped her escape her exile, but they would not prepare her what she would meet after her arrival.

---

All was still on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres when the shining blue beam that carried Nightmare Moon alighted in a clearing in the West Orchard. The earth pony who watched over and ran the farm, Applejack, was fast asleep as the dark blue and black Alicorn materialized in the shallow crater created by her return, and stepped out onto the grassy ground with blue-armored hooves.

---

“Wait, stop!” Twilight hissed, “I sense something. There’s a magical disturbance some where that way.” Twilight indicated the direction of the Apple family’s farm. Rarity was not very good at magic, and couldn’t confirm her suspicions, but followed her anyways.

“Alright, squadron, reform on Twilight’s position and close in on the farm.” Rainbow Dash ordered her team, “We don’t want to miss our chance to capture Equestria’s most infamous villain.”

The team closed in on the farm house. Twilight trotted up to the door and knocked loudly on it with a hoof.

“Open up in the name of Celestia!” shouted the unicorn mare.
After a few seconds and some banging noises, an orange earth pony with a blond mane emerged from the front door.

“What the hay is going on here? I haven’t done anything wrong and I don’t want trouble.” exclaimed the mare.

“Oh, we don’t want any trou-” Twilight began.

“We’re just going to have a look inside.” Rainbow dash cut her off and pushed past the mare into the house. Two of the guards followed her.

“Sorry about that. The Equestrian Guard is sometimes a little direct.” Twilight explained, “but we have reason to believe a enemy to Equestria is lurking on the premises. Have you seen anything suspicious?”

“Uh, no.” Applejack replied. She personally thought this was one of those “Good guard, Bad guard” routines, but kept it to herself. She didn’t want to end up in a dungeon like Big Macintosh did. “I’d been asleep until you folks woke me up.”

“Well then, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.” Twilight quoted one of Celestia’s many slogans, “You won’t mind if we have a look around, will you?”

“No, ‘course not.” Looks like you’ve already started, Applejack thought.

After two minutes of searching, Rainbow Dash came back out.

“No sign of any problems.”

“She must be here. I feel it.” Twilight muttered. Turning back to Applejack she asked, “Would you show us around the farm, any places a villain might hide?”

Not like I have a choice, Applejack thought, but all she said was “Sure thing.”

---

Five minutes later they came across the crater in the West Orchard.

“Well I’ll be.” was all Applejack said.

“Let’s move.” Twilight called, as the team began running after the trail of hoof prints leading off toward another area of the farm.

---

Nightmare Moon was tired, and wanted to rest. But she couldn’t rest just anywhere, or her sister (If she still ruled this land) might find her. So she curled up in an abandoned barn and hoped she wouldn’t be found til morning.

---

“The trail ends in that barn!” Rarity whispered, “She must be in there!” Her excitement at being on a quest with no less that Celestia’s personal apprentice had by now completely faded with the fear of what was to come. This was Nightmare Moon they were dealing with! But Twilight Sparkle seemed quite confident in her abilities, so Rarity put her faith in the young unicorn.

“Alright, Lets-” Rainbow Dash said loudly before Twilight silenced her with a hiss.

“We have to have the element of surprise!” Twilight whispered angrily.

“Well, we’ll have surprise if we burst in there, wings flapping, shouting, hooves flying!” Rainbow Dash hissed back.

“Or we could be so loud she knows we’re coming. We have to sneak up.”

“Yeah right. Look, I don’t know how many places you raided in Canterlot, but I bet is was a lot less than the raids I’ve conducted here. This place is a hotbed of dissent, and I know that barging in is the best way to go.” Rainbow Dash was getting louder as the argument heated up.

“Celestia put me in charge of this mission, and I say we sneak up!”

---

Nightmare Moon woke to the sound of voices talking outside the barn door. They sounded angry and she caught the words “sneak up” “raided” “Canterlot” “dissent” and worst of all: “Celestia”
Nightmare Moon prepared herself as the voices quieted and hooves approached the door.

---

Rainbow Dash had at last bowed to Twilight’s royal authority. The ponies closed in as Twilight silently used magic to throw open the door.

A blinding flash of blue light threw everyone back, as a large, dark mare threw herself through the open door. Twilight fired off several magical blasts at the assailant, only to have each deflected by her opponent’s magic. Rainbow Dash and two of the other Pegasi closed in from above, only to be forced back by a magical barrier. At last, the light dimmed, and everypony could see clearly, only to find the attacker gone.

“Up there!” exclaimed Rarity, “She’s flying away!” Everyone looked up to see a dark blue Alicorn with a flowing blue mane drifting away through the night.

“After her!” Twilight shouted, though she realized there was little she could do at this point.
Suddenly a colorful blur rocketed through the air, faster than Twilight thought possible. It’s Rainbow Dash. She’s going to catch Nightmare Moon! The Pegasus Guard Sergeant closed in on the fleeing enemy. Nightmare Moon looked back, gasped at the speed with which Rainbow Dash was closing on her, and let loose several bursts of high-energy magic.

Faster than the blink of an eye, the rainbow colored mare swerved around the attacks, closing on Nightmare Moon so fast that the two collided heavily in mid air. The ponies pursuing through the air and on foot gasped as the two limp forms fell through the sky, down into the shadows of the Everfree Forest.

To be Continued...

Comments

[FluffyDoom]

it's ok, seems a bit rushed though. Maybe try having more emotion in your characters instead of them stating simple things like, "What?" Cause they are a little flat.
Another problem, Celestia seems attached to her ...'s
Other than that, you did a pretty good job writing this