> Darkest of Nights
>  by KrisProwler
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Royal Ascension
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hilarious! Ha ha ha ha-" The maniacal laughter of the draconequus finally died out as the creature's head was finally affected by the spreading transformation. Once completed, all that remained of the ex-ruler of Equestria was a stone statue of his likeness. Barely standing in front of the statue stood two very unique ponies, the only two of their kind in all of Equestria. Both of them stood panting heavily, their eyes locked on the statue of the strange creature they had just turned to stone. They waited and waited, expecting the creature in the statue to break free, but no movement came from the rock.

They had done it, they had defeated the tyrant Discord, ruler of the land.

"We... we did it. We've defeated him." Celestia said, her legs giving out and causing her to collapse on the ground. She was soon joined on the scarred landscape by her sister Luna who also fell from exhaustion. Strewn around both their bodies lay six gems that were glowing abnormally bright, and as their light faded Celestia looked over at her sister and smiled. " Imagine, the tyrant king felled by the very power he brought into being. I guess these gems did hold as much power as Starswirl believed they would."

Luna didn't return the smile, instead lowering her head and shedding a single tear for their late teacher. "Please, sister, do not remind me of him. It's still too painful to think of him." she said solemnly.

Celestia nodded, getting shakily back to her legs. "It still hurts me to think of him, too, but you know that he would not wish for us to mourn him when there is still so much work to be done. Come, sister, we must spread the word that all ponies are now free of Discord." she said, managing to summon enough magic to lift up the six gems and place them in a velvet bag for safe keeping.

Luna nodded and got to her hooves as well. "Yes, sister. Equestria is finally free."


*               *               *


As word spread across the land that the two sisters had defeated Discord, every city, town, and community unanimously agreed that Celestia and Luna should become their new leaders. Both sisters were hesitant to assume such a large role, but it soon became clear that they were desperately needed. Long before Discord had taken over, the pegasi controlled the weather and the unicorns were in charge of raising the sun and moon, but after coming to power Discord had assumed these duties. His terrible powers corrupted the sun and moon so they rose and fell at random intervals and strange, unnatural storms and other ruinous weather patterns would sweep randomly across the skies. Though they tried with all their power, neither the pegasi nor the small group of unicorns who remembered the complex spell of raising and lowering the sun could not muster enough power to take back control of their charges. Only Celestia and Luna's combined powers had proven enough to break the sun and moon free from Discord's chaos and finally bring order back to the world. Thus they had cemented their place as the new rulers of Equestria. Though they were reluctant to accept their new positions as rulers and being caller 'Queens of Equestria', they ultimately accepted their new roles but at the insistence that they be called 'princess' as to not sound like heavy-hoofed rulers.

Ten years into the rule of the alicorn sisters, life in Equestria finally began to resemble normalcy after what had seemed to be hundreds of years of chaos and terror. Though in reality it had been only scant months; at its peak, Discords chaotic influence had managed to pervert even the flow of time. The sun and moon once again rose and fell in predictable patterns and ponies could go about their lives without worry of Discord suddenly appearing and causing something dangerous random to happen.

Celestia and Luna had taken up residence in Discord's old castle; however the taint of his presence still lingered heavily over the castle and the land surrounding it, so the two sisters opted to have a new city built farther north and to become the new capital of Equestria. An army was also raised to help spread order and calm as ponies across the land converged on the new capital to offer their services to the princesses. Many of the wealthier citizens of Equestria moved to the new city of Canterlot to be closer to their saviors, and plans for smaller villages and towns around Canterlot began to be formed so even the common ponies could be closer to their leaders.

Just in case some unseen threat remained hidden somewhere, Celestia and Luna decided to stand watch over their new kingdom all day and night; Celestia standing guard during the day and Luna keeping watch at night. Celestia had her hooves full with overseeing so much activity across so much land during the day, but at night Luna was left with hours of nothing to do as almost everypony was asleep during her watch.

To help pass the time, Luna decided to make her nights more appealing by sending thousands upon thousands of stars into the black night sky, and her work had an immediate effect on everypony. Almost all of the citizens of Equestria stayed up later to stare in awe at the sparkling sky that Luna had produced, and to keep her new audience from becoming bored she changed the positions of her starts each night and added shooting stars to streak across the sky. Her beautiful masterpieces were the most popular topic for a while, but as days became months and years the ponies started to retire back to their beds instead of staying up late to admire Luna's work. At first the princess of the night was hurt by the betrayal she was shown, but Celestia managed to calm Luna's anger by explaining that though their subjects needed their rest, they still thought Luna's work was beautiful. Luna listened to her older sister and nodded in understanding, but deep in her heart she still felt the sting of being ignored...


*               *               *


"For the last time, Luna, the answer is no!"

Time had passed uneventfully since the founding of Canterlot and peace was once again spreading throughout Equestria. With the major construction of the capital completed, Celestia and Luna had turned their attention to creating a stable government to help them oversee many of the everyday tasks that needed addressing. Though almost every single pony was content living under only the two princesses' rule, the two had insisted that other ponies hold some position of power to create a balanced system of power, and thus the Congress of Canterlot was created. With the congressional gathering now in place, both sisters could finally relax a bit and have some time to themselves, though they still had to raise and lower the sun and moon every day.

With her extra free time, Celestia took the opportunity to meet her subjects and assure them all that she and her sister would be nothing like Discord, and that protecting everypony from harm was their first priority.

Luna, on the other hoof, began to focus on the problems the fledgling kingdom still faced. While Equestria, and Canterlot in particular, had grown safer and more secure under the princesses' rule, there were still growing pockets of crime and unrest. These crimes ranged from petty things like theft, to more violent, reprehensible acts. As she began to notice these trends, Luna became further agitated by the fact that the majority of such crimes were being perpetrated under the cover of her night.

While the Royal Guard were well trained and ever vigilant, it had become clear to the night princess that they were simply unequal to the task of quelling such corruption completely. In fact, it seemed factions within the guard had in fact become corrupted themselves.

In secret, Luna had begun training an elite group of the unicorns under her command to wield the magic she had learned from Starswirl years before. The forbidden magics proved to be too much for many of the unicorns to handle, and their sanity began to crumble the more they learned. To combat this, Luna began to indoctrinate the ponies she had selected, sealing away their personalities and memories. Only then did her efforts meet with success. The new guards were cold and emotionless, but also powerful and unquestioningly loyal. They were perfect.

Now the princess of the night stood before her elder sister with her proposal to officially create an elite fighting unit; the Blackguard. To show that the new force was ready to be of use, Luna summoned the small elite force that she had been secretly training for the past year, but Celestia quickly ordered them back to their barracks. Ignoring the feeling of fury she felt from her sister trying to hide such a lethal force, she tried her best to remain calm while she allowed Luna to explain her actions.

Her little sister had said that while the Royal Guard was fine for every-day policing and guard duty, they were not capable of taking on special missions and severe weather. However, Luna boasted that her Blackguard could handle almost any type of weather and specialized in infiltration and tactical combat, making them the ideal force to send in first to clear the way for the regular guards.

Though she had to admit that having these highly trained ponies had some uses, Celestia quickly said no to the proposition. Celestia's rejection did not sit well with Luna, and they soon found themselves in a pitched argument.

Luna stomped her hoof in frustration. "We have no choice! If we wish to protect Equestria we must raise an army capable of invading another nation if necessary, not just guard our cities! If you let me demonstrate what my current force is capable of you'd agree with me and see that having the Blackguard will benefit ponies everywhere!" 

"This is not the direction we need to go in." Celestia countered. "If we raise an force of this size and capability, even in secret, we will never achieve the kind of peace every creature deserves to enjoy. There's no reason to summon a massive army when diplomacy and talks can solve any iss-"

"No it won't! How can you not see this yet?" Luna interrupted. "Were you able to talk down Discord? What about the next crazed creature that rises to power? You of all ponies should know that there are times where force is the only way to solve a problem! Even our teacher was able to acknowledge that! That's why he created the Elements of Harmony and sacrificed himself so we could use them to protect Equestria!"

Celestia was stunned by her sister's outburst and felt a slight wrench in her gut as she knew that Luna spoke the truth. Still the sun princess had severe misgivings about what her sister had created. "Luna, listen to yourself! What you're suggesting flies in the face of everything we promised the ponies of Equestria when we agreed to become their leaders! We are meant to protect the ponies that look to us to rule!"

"And we shall! My Blackguard are more than capable of dealing with the crime that still plagues our ponies daily! With their power, we could achieve true and lasting security in Equestria! Think of it Tia!"

"I have, my sister, and I have seen where such a thing would lead... Equestria would become a fascist state! The ponies would learn to resent and fear us rather than revere us!" 

Luna flinched at her sister's mention of the ponies supposedly revering them both, but ignored it to continue to voice her argument. "But that is the true beauty of my proposition sister; my Blackguard are capable of operating in complete anonymity. To the common ponies they will not even exist! Nopony need fear our rule, all they will know is that their homes and families are safe, and that Equestria is secure from threat both within and without!"

Celestia paused for a long moment to consider her sister's words. Finally, she sighed and spoke in a calmer tone than before. "Can you prove that these ponies can be of use for non-military reasons?"

Luna nodded. "Of course. There has been that spike in thefts right here in Canterlot in recent years, and the Royal Guard have been unable to catch the two unicorns responsible. But my Blackguard can." she boasted. "I'll have them deploy tonight and capture the thieves responsible. They've done some reconnaissance already and we know that it is only two ponies responsible for most of the thefts, as well as where they have been operating from."

Celestia was fuming that Luna had already deployed the deadly ponies but bit her tongue. "Very well. But I want them brought in alive and unharmed." she conditioned.

Luna nodded and left to give her ponies their orders, leaving Celestia to sigh heavily and walk out to her balcony to lower the sun for the night. Once her task was done, she retired to her bedchambers to sleep for the night.

Later that night, Celestia awoke and walked to the throne room where she found her younger sister waiting for her. Luna's face was of mixed emotion, and as she spoke Celestia found out why. "I sent my Blackguard out and they found the two unicorns responsible for all the thefts." she said. "They did not come quietly, and one of them attacked and killed one of my ponies, but the rest of them were able to capture the two thieves. As you wished they were not harmed, though one of them dared to spit in my face."

Celestia nodded gravely. "I did not expect them to be violent. I'm sorry one of your ponies was killed by them. I assume you already decided a punishment for the two thieves?"

Luna nodded. "Yes, but I did not choose to have them executed. Instead I gave them a chance to seek redemption and atone for their crimes." Luna said, hoping her sister would not question what their fate was.

Luckily, Celestia simply nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, happy that Luna was so far doing a good job of handling the questionable elite unit. "I'm proud of you sister. See? Sometimes talking with and giving a pony another chance is all it takes." she said as Luna turned to head back to her room.

Yes. And sometimes pure, unrelenting force is the only way to solve a problem. Luna thought as she walked away.


*               *               *


As the years passed by, Celestia was forced to admit that Luna had been right in her assertion. The festering pockets of crime and disorder that the Royal Guard were unable to face openly, the Blackguard were consistently able to quietly snuff out. The general public was none the wiser of what lengths their princesses had gone to to protect them, and peace reigned unabated.

Then, mere days before the twentieth anniversary of their defeat of the tyrant Discord, a disturbing message reached the two alicorn sisters; some strange pony had supposedly taken over a large mass of land far to the north of Canterlot and had isolated his claim from the rest of Equestria. Rumors began spreading across the kingdom that the pony responsible for the hostile takeover of the northern lands was a jealous earth pony who had hired a unicorn to come up with a spell to turn him into a unicorn himself. The spell supposedly worked, but at a terrible cost; it turned the pony into a corrupt yet powerful unicorn and the caster of the spell was immediately killed off to ensure that he would be the only earth pony to benefit from the forbidden spell.

As news came trickling in that the dark pony's influence was slowly spreading south, Celestia and Luna were forced to take action. Though they now had thousands of ponies under their command as Royal Guards, the guards were all spread across the continent, and there was not nearly enough of them left in reserves to take on the new tyrant. With no other options available, Celestia and Luna left the new capital and ventured north with just a small group of guards. They knew that traveling north would be dangerous and cold, but everypony in their group was shocked to see just how deadly the northern lands had become under the rule of its new king.

As the temperature of the air became colder and colder, the pegasi and earth pony guards found that they were unable to stand the frigid temperatures and were forced to turn back, leaving just a small compliment of unicorn guards who were able to keep themselves warm with their magic. However, conditions became even more treacherous as they pushed farther north and soon the snow became too deep to walk through. Celestia and Luna had the ability to fly above the deep snowbanks but the unicorns had no choice but to turn back also, and with great reluctance they trudged back south, leaving the two princesses alone to fend for themselves.

Determined to press on, Celestia and Luna continued the slow progress forward. Though they thought about turning back and better preparing their guards for the dangerous journey, doing so would take far too long, and with Equestria at large still extremely vulnerable both alicorns knew that they had to stop this threat now before the dark influence spread and became stronger.

Their determination paid off and both sisters finally managed to break free of the cold storm and found themselves overlooking an absolutely stunning city made of crystals. However, the sky remained dark and the crystals before them were twisted and black.

"Crystallization... This is Starswirl's magic!" Luna exclaimed as they looked upon the visage before them. Both alicorns shuddered at the thought, that their adversary may in fact be one of their former teacher's other disciples.

Before they could dwell on this information, the crystal outcroppings that dotted the landscape around them began to rumble, pulling themselves from the ground and beginning to grow more massive. Bewildered, the princesses watch as a dozen such crystals began to slowly advance upon them; as they moved, the growing masses began to take shape, forming what appeared to be arms and legs and a massive head on each. Finally the growing ceased and the crystals had taken their completed forms; towering over the two alicorns now stood several bipedal crystalline giants.

"Golems," Celestia named the creatures before them. Luna nodded in understanding.

One of the golems suddenly swung its arm over its shoulder; as it did, a large chunk of its "fist" broke free and was sent hurdling towards the princesses. The two quickly took to the skies as the deadly projectile struck down on the ground they had occupied not moments before. The golem that had thrown the chunk quickly regenerated the missing limb even as the others prepared their own assault.

"We don't have time for this!" Luna swore under her breath. Then, she suddenly flew back from the confrontation before landing several feet behind her sister and the golems. "Tia, cover me!" she called out to her sister.

"What are you doing?"

"Trust me sister," was all the response she gave before she began focusing her entire self on gathering her magic as quickly as possible. Meanwhile Celestia landed between her sister and the advancing golems, quickly erecting a shield with her own magic to deflect the massive crystal boulders raining down on them.

A flash of light and magic caught the sun princess's attention; she turned behind her to see that Luna had been engulfed in light created by her own amassing power. When the light faded, Luna was surrounded by dozens of unicorns, each painted horn to hoof in the same inky black dye, each with the same calculating expression on their faces as they awaited their princesses' orders...

The Blackguard.

Luna wasted no time in issuing her command. "Destroy these abominations before us!"

Without even stopping to acknowledge their orders, the unicorn force broke into teams, each team quickly surrounding one of the golems before them and assaulting them with a variety of potent attack spells. "Let's go, Tia!" The two alicorns took to the sky once more, leaving the golems and the Blackguard behind to continue their battle as they pressed forward into the city.

As they flew, Celestia turned to her sister. "Luna, how did you-"

"The indoctrination of the Blackguard includes binding their horns to my power. You or I can, at any time, summon one or all of the Blackguard to our side should the need arise." Luna noted the critical look her sister favored her with as she explained, but she ignored it in favor of focusing on their goal. "Come now, we must press our advantage before our adversary realizes his guards have failed to slow us."

Celestia shuddered at this new and unsettling revelation, but at that moment she was forced to admit that her sister was right; the Blackguard's intervention had indeed given them the advantage. Without any further hesitation, the two alicorns raced towards the black crystal castle towering over the city.

As they finally landed at the foot of the tower, a single figure could be seen walking towards them. Luna and Celestia stood their ground as an intimidating stallion strode out of the shadow of the black crystal tower. Once he was just a few feet from them Celestia gasped as she recognized who was now standing in front of her.

"Sombra." Celestia said quietly.

Luna heard her sister's quiet words and finally recognized the stallion. "Sombra! You're alive?" she said in disbelief. Though it had been years since either alicorn had seen the pony in front of them, they both clearly remembered the day that he had disappeared after a horrible accident.

Celestia took a cautious step forward, unsure if the stallion had managed to learn how to control his unnaturally obtained powers. Her mind flashed back to the day Sombra had become a unicorn; the damage he caused barely contained by their teacher while he screamed in pain as his body tried to adapt to the horn he had concocted using black alchemy and forbidden potions.

A sly grin formed on Sombra's face as he glared at his two former classmates. "You all said that it was impossible, that I would never be able to use magic. You all said that it was a useless dream to chase... But look at me now! I now rule the elusive Crystal Empire and all the land around it! I command the most powerful of our master's spells! My power is growing every day, and soon I will conquer all of Equestria! I will prove you two wrong, and most importantly, I will prove him wrong!"

Celestia and Luna looked at each other with worried expressions. Sombra had been born a simple earth pony, and while he somehow had latent magical ability in him, with no way to command it he would never be able to control his ability. But their teacher was willing to teach him some basic potions and alchemy to sate his desires. However, the allure of being able to use magic like the unicorns kept calling to him, and having the only two alicorns in the world as his classmates finally caused his jealousy to override any rational thoughts. Taking what he had learned as well as consulting his teacher's forbidden books on transmutation, he began to work in secret on his ultimate goal. Finally, after months of work, Sombra came to the point where he had to test his creation.

The potion worked... too well. Unable to control the sudden surge of new and alien power coursing through his body, bursts of pure magic began to fire wildly around the room, soon breaking everything inside and setting fire to the walls. The two young alicorns and their teacher had rushed in to the room and attempted to create a protective spell around Sombra to contain the dangerous pony, but a sudden explosion went off and their teacher was barely able to cast a spell to protect Celestia, Luna, and himself. By the time the smoke cleared the room was in shambles and Sombra was nowhere to be seen. Nopony had any clue where he had gone or if he had even survived, until now...

"Sombra!" Celestia shouted out. "Let's talk, we don't want to hurt you!"

"You, hurt me?" The false unicorn laughed. "My magic is greater than that of anypony alive, even our teacher. Even yours! Nopony can touch me now! Nopony can take away what is now mine!"

Luna and Celestia looked at each other and nodded, knowing what they had to do. "We shall not allow you to threaten our subjects or our lands!" Luna shouted back as Celestia brought out the Elements of Harmony.

Sombra's eyes went wide as he sensed the sheer volume of power lying inert within the six small gems. "What are those?" he asked as he struggled to decipher the source of the immense energy he felt within them.

Celestia focused her hard stare at Sombra. "Starswirl informed us of these, the Elements of Harmony, and we shall use them to bring harmony back to the land you've stolen." she said.

Without warning, both Celestia and Luna unleashed a powerful attack straight at him. Their aim was true and Sombra cried out in pain as the powerful attack hit him square in the chest. Stumbling backwards, Sombra managed to remain on his hooves and grimaced as he tried to shake off the pain. Finally regaining his balance, he chuckled and looked up at the two alicorns. "Not bad. But you'll have to summon a far more powerful attack than that to defeat me."

"I'll show you power, monster!" Without any warning, Luna broke into a sprint and charged at Sombra, preparing another attack.

Sombra grinned as his intimidation had worked, and Celestia was caught off guard by her sister's brazen attack. "Luna, no!" she shouted, but Luna was intent on making him pay for his crimes. However, this is what Sombra wanted, as he fired off the attack he had secretly been preparing at Luna.

Unable to defend herself or dodge the attack, Luna took the brunt of the blast head on and crumpled to the ground. Seconds later, Celestia finally reached Luna and stood guard over her younger sister, but Sombra made no move to follow up his previous attack. "You're so easy to read, Luna. You were always so brazen-" he began to say.

His gloating was cut short, however, as he suddenly crumbled to his knees, appearing to be struggling against invisible bounds. For a moment Celestia stared on in disbelief before she finally realized they were no longer alone. The two alicorns and the false unicorn were now surrounded by the Blackguard, their focus all turned upon Sombra.

"I marked him as their sole target," Luna said as she slowly rose to her hooves once more. She then favored Sombra with a look of pure scorn. "It seems you've misjudged me, just as you've misjudged your own strength. It is over for you, fiend! You shall never again pose a threat to anypony else!"

Celestia shook her head as she moved to stand beside her sister. "You are our friend, Sombra, and we hope that one day you will repent for what you have done. But until then..." she said darkly before turning her attention back to the Elements of Harmony floating before her. The three that were bound to her began to surge with energy in response to her magic. The three bound to Luna, however, remained inert.

"Lulu, what are you doing? We have to use the Elements to seal him away now!"

"Nay sister!" Luna turned to face Celestia, her expression unreadable to her elder sister. "When I felt his power strike me, for a moment I saw him for what he truly is. I saw what he means to do to this land..." As she spoke, her horn lit with a terrible dark energy, a sickening green glow overtook her eyes and a purple haze began to form around her eyes and horn. "This pony is beyond redemption! We must destroy him here and now!"

Celestia's blood began to run cold as she felt the surge of dark magic emanating from her sister. Before she could move to stop her however, Luna fired off the horrid spell at the prone unicorn before them, striking him dead in the chest. An explosion of purple smoke followed which, once it cleared, revealed that the part of Sombra that had been struck had dissolved, a thick black smoke in its place.

Sombra gasped as he saw the hole spreading rapidly, his fore legs beginning to slowly disintegrate, and no matter what spells he frantically cast to stop his body from dissolving he wasn't able to even slow the effect. However, his worried expression slowly became a grin, and as his torso began to disappear he let out an unnerving laugh. "Ha... ha ha ha... Ah ha ha ha ha! You stupid foals! You've doomed the very ponies you came to rescue! You didn't think I wouldn't have some sort of backup plan, did you? After I took over this land I merged its natural powers with mine, and anything that happens to me will affect it, too!"

Looking past their former classmate at the crystal city, Celestia and Luna watched in horror as the every building began to dissolve away just as Sombra was.

"Sombra, what have you done?!" Luna cried out. "Stop this! These ponies have done nothing to you, they don't deserve this!"

Sombra laughed again. "It is your own mistake, princess! Wherever I go, my city goes, too!"

"Luna, quickly, before he dissolves completely! The Elements!" Celestia shouted.

Again he night princess's horn sparked to life, this time in its natural deep blue hue; however, to her horror, the Elements bound to her refused to respond to her call. "No... this cannot be... I... I cannot reach them sister!" As the gravity of what was happening finally hit her, she fell to the ground and covered her face in her hooves, unable to watch the consequences of her rash decision play out any further.

With Sombra's head the only part of him left, he laughed one last time. "This is far from over Celestia! One day I shall become powerful enough to reform this broken body, and when I do, nopony will be able to stop me!" Even as his head finally began to dissolve, his mocking laughter continued to hang in the air. "In fact, your sister here will help me without her even knowing." he cryptically said.

Celestia looked down momentarily at her sister, afraid of what Sombra may have done. "What do you mean by that? Sombra? Sombra!" she yelled out, but by then Sombra's form was gone, the lingering smoke of what had been the fake unicorn's body blowing away in the wind. Looking past where Sombra once stood, Celestia witnessed the last of the buildings of the Crystal Empire disappear as its ruler had just moments before, the silence broken only by the cold wind blowing around the two alicorns.

Finally Luna looked up at her sister, her eyes welling up, and slowly got up on her hooves. "I-Is he...? Are they-"

"Gone? Yes Lulu." Celestia's voice was warm and kind, if a little strained. "But not for good I suspect. I can still sense something powerful radiating from this spot..." Celestia looked her sister over and was surprised that there were no noticeable injuries on the blue alicorn. "Are... are you sure you're okay?" she asked anyways.

Luna nodded, blinking back tears. "Yes, sister, I am fine." Her voice was cold, almost mechanical as she spoke of herself. "Whatever Sombra's attack was meant to do, aside from showing me that horrid image of his plans, it seems to have failed to affect me in any way." She turned to survey their surroundings. She too could sense something had survived the spell and its terrible side effects, but this did little to lift her spirits. "It... looks as if there is no more reason to stay here, is there?"

Luna felt her sister's hoof ensnare her smaller frame. "It will be okay, Lulu. In time we will get another chance to make this right. Come now, let us return to Canterlot."

Luna nodded slowly before flaring up her horn one last time. The Blackguard that had been standing by silently as the scene played out before them were each engulfed in the same white light in which they had arrived. Moments later they were gone, presumably back in their barracks in Canterlot.

Both ponies then began their own long journey home. Celestia couldn't help but worry about her younger sister. The burden of what she had done clearly weighed upon her sister's conscience, but what truly bothered the sun princess was the final, cryptic words Sombra had left them with. Luna was able to travel unassisted and Sombra's attack had no visible effect on her, but Celestia had felt just how much power he had used, and if the attack wasn't some sort of curse then there should be some sort of physical effect. Celestia's suspicions were further supported by what he had done to his entire city. But of course there would be no way to know for certain what he had done until it took effect. Until then, Celestia could only wait...

> Total Eclipse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the threat of Sombra behind them, the alicorn sisters returned to Canterlot and their lives as monarchs. In the year that followed, the two quietly settled back into their roles as stewards of the day and night, respectively, happy to have left the horrors of war behind them. 

Because she was seen most often by the ponies under their rule, many among them began to consider Celestia the true ruler of Equestria. The public loved her and warmly embraced Celestia into their lives, happy to have a pony like her watching over them.

Luna, however, did not get to bask in the same glory that her sister did. By the time she had raised her moon and cast her stars into the night sky everypony was in bed and asleep, leaving almost nopony awake to greet and talk to their other princess. Instead, Luna occupied her time with taking care of any problems that needed to be solved out of the public's view, such as fending off dangerous creatures threatening any part of Equestria. However, all the ponies credited Celestia for the tasks that Luna completed, and despite Celestia insisting that her sister deserved all the credit the ponies continued to worship her.

Luna's morale plummeted and soon she stopped caring about decorating her night skies. The night princess grew even more irate and resentful when only a meager few came forward complaining about the lack of stars in the sky. Completely disheartened by everything, Luna soon started shutting herself away in her room, refusing to come out and left her skies void of any stars, though she continued to fulfill her duty of raising the moon. Celestia tried talking to her but Luna refused to see anypony, trusting only a select few Blackguard ponies to enter her room to deliver their reports.


*               *               *


Weeks later, Celestia stood alone in the throne room just after raising the sun. It had been ages since anypony had seen Princess Luna, and Celestia was beginning to grow worried about her younger sister's mental state. She had resolved herself to try, yet again, to coax her sister out of hiding, but to her surprise and genuine relief, just as she turned to exit the room, she spotted Luna approaching her. 

"Luna, my sister, I'm so happy to see you." Celestia said, genuinely smiling. "I'm glad to see you're back on your hooves and are feeling better."

Luna took a deep breath before addressing her elder sister. "Sister, I am getting weary of everypony worshiping and praising your bright days while they shun me and my nights."

Celestia sighed. They had had this same conversation innumerable times in the months before Luna had locked herself away. "I know how you must feel, Luna, and I promise, I continue to remind everypony that you are responsible for Equestria and everypony's safety just as much as I am." Celestia said, but Luna shook her head.

"Yet still they continue to love you and ignore me!" Luna shouted, stomping her hoof in frustration. "I know you are trying sister, but it is not fair!"

Celestia's heart ached as she was once again confronted by Luna's agitation. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel more appreciated?" she offered.

Luna nodded, happy that the conversation was headed in the direction she had hoped. "Actually, there is. I know there is a small portion of ponies who do favor my night, but as so much of Equestria operates during the day they cannot stay up to enjoy the night. I wish to fulfill their desires and be appreciated for my work and efforts, and thus I wish to break off and start my own kingdom."

Celestia couldn't believe her ears. "What? You cannot be serious!" she exclaimed, but Luna nodded sternly, completely intent on fulfilling her wish. Celestia walked over to her sister. "My dearest Luna, you know you are needed here with me. Neither of us can rule this land alone, and we need to both be here to defend everypony from harm. The Elements of Harmony, the gift that Starswirl gave us, we cannot wield them without the other."

Luna winced as the memory of the battle against Sombra returned to the forefront of her mind unbidden, but she nodded in understanding. "I know Tia, and I promise to always come to your assistance whenever you may call. But I cannot stay here. I just wish for your blessing to form a new nation to call my own, and allow me and my followers to leave in peace."

Celestia sighed and shook her head no. "I'm sorry, Luna. I love you and I understand your frustration, but I cannot allow you to leave. Equestria is still too weak to be split and I cannot lead everypony by myself. I need you by my side. I swear to try to give you all the credit and acknowledgement you so rightfully deserve and make sure everypony is able to enjoy your beautiful nights."

Luna stepped backwards, tears of frustration, anger, and jealousy welling in her eyes. "You... I can't believe you! You just don't want me to surpass you in popularity! You don't want everypony to love me instead of you!" she shouted. The air in the room seemed to grow colder and an unsettling layer of fog began to build at Luna's hooves.

Celestia was shocked and furious that Luna would suggest such a thing. "Luna, that's enough!" Celestia said sternly, her own voice bellowing in a rare show of anger. 

The sudden response by Celestia caused Luna to falter and go silent, giving Celestia a moment to breathe and speak in a calmer tone. "Luna, there is no need for this jealousy. You know that I would not wish such a thing. And you of all ponies should understand that everypony needs to sleep, and it is natural to sleep at night. You are one of the few ponies to have the unique gift of being able to master living during the night and walk through the dreamscape. Everypony in Equestria depends on you to keep them safe at night sister... Even me." Celestia said with sincere gratitude.

However, Celestia's words were not enough to soothe Luna's anger. "But still you refuse to allow me to create my own kingdom where ponies actually appreciate what I do." she said in discontent.

Celestia shook her head once more. "As I said, Lulu, we cannot afford to divide our powers. Equestria needs us to protect it, both of us. So no, I cannot give you my blessing to leave." she said with some sadness in her voice.

Luna's expression was a mix of sorrow and anger, but she remained silent as she turned to return to her room.

Celestia bowed her head, upset that her sister was hurting this much, but with Equestria being so new and unstable, appeasing Luna was almost impossible at this point. "Please, have patience, sister." Celestia said softly.


*               *               *


Luna slammed the door to her room shut and jumped onto her bed, screaming into her pillow in frustration. "It's not fair!" she cried over and over, her hoof beating her bed in futility.

"Life isn't fair, you foal."

Luna's head snapped up and her eyes darted around the room. "Who said that? Who dares enter my room without my permission?" she yelled out loud. She didn't see anypony in her room, and with great caution she got up and slowly paced around her room.

"Here you are, one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, one of her monarchs, yet you can't even win over the loyalty and respect of your own subjects. You're pathetic."

Beginning to panic, Luna lit her horn, preparing a magical blast as her confusion and frustration grew. "Show yourself, coward!" she yelled out.

The room seemed to darken as an eerie mist began to pool at Luna's hooves, and for some reason Luna found herself drawn to the oversized mirror adorning one of the walls. Walking up to it, she found that instead of seeing her reflection, all she saw was a massive cloud of fog, but as she peered closer a pony emerged from the smoky reflection.

To her surprise and slight horror, the pony in the mirror looked very similar to her; it was an alicorn, but taller and with a much darker mane and coat. Caught off guard, Luna fired the spell she had been holding. The mirror shattered, along with the walls of her room, revealing a grand expanse of empty space stretching into eternity. Luna stumbled backwards in shock before she was able to regain her composure as realization finally set it.

A dream... My dream. But... when did I fall asleep?

Her thoughts were interrupted by what she had thought was her reflection sneering in mockery by her ungraceful steps. "It's no wonder nopony respects you. You have the grace of a three-legged cow."

Luna adopted an aggressive stance and bared her teeth. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" the princess demanded.

"You silly foal, you still haven't figured it out yet?" Her 'reflection' threw its head back in laughter. "You're looking at yourself. I am you... what you could be, what you truly desire to become."

"What are you talking about?" Luna spat at the dark alicorn, still in her aggressive stance. "You are not me! What dark magic is this you are using?"

The menacing alicorn smiled at this. "Oh? Are you so sure about that, Princess Luna?" Luna suddenly found herself back in her room staring at the mirror again, just where she had been before she had shattered the dreamscape around herself. The mirror's surface seemed to ripple as the princess stared at it, and the large alicorn faded away, but as Luna's actual reflection became clearer she gasped as her coat was almost black and her mane and tail were now a deep blue. Luna could only stare in disbelief at the transformation as the voice continued to laugh inside of her head. "You see? It is just as I said; I am what you could be, what you want to be."

Luna scoffed, her mind still in denial. "And how do you know what I wish?" she challenged.

"Would you rather live in your dear sister's shadow forever?" the voice mocked. "Yes, maybe you would rather just fade away into your nights that nopony ever sees. Maybe you would rather let your sister take all the glory for your hard work and be forgotten. Even Discord's name will be remembered throughout time, but not Luna. No, you shall remain alone and unloved forever more..."

Luna tried her best to shut out the hurtful words, but her will soon crumbled as tears sprang to her eyes. "No... no, you're wrong..." she tried to say but her voice faltered.

"Oh, I'm wrong am I? Then perhaps I should just leave you to disappear and rot away while your sister takes all the glory. Forever after shall everypony remember the name Princess Celestia, while her sister is forgotten by all. Or... if you decide to accept my offer, we can change this; we can make everypony across this land remember and respect the name Princess Luna."

Though she hesitated to trust this still unknown voice in her subconscious, the prospect of gaining the reverence she so desperately sought captivated her. "You... you can do that?" she asked eagerly.

"Of course. I can fulfill your every wish." The dark alicorn materialized before Luna once more, this time moving to her side and draping a hoof over the smaller pony. "You know the truth now. Your sister won't give you your own kingdom to rule over because she's afraid of you winning over everypony's trust and loyalty. She fears your power, what you can become. But I can make you strong, I can make your desire reality."

Luna didn't say anything; no words were needed between them. She opened her heart and mind to the mysterious pony beside her. She suddenly felt a strange feeling envelope her entire body, as though another pony was now occupying her body. However, she also felt a sudden surge of energy and power sweep over her, and as she became used to the new feeling the voice in her head now sounded clearer and closer than before.

"You can feel it now, can't you? I can offer you what your sister doesn't want you to have. I can give you anything you wish. With my guidance and power merged with yours, everypony will bow before you."

Luna's eyes suddenly snapped open. She found herself lying on the edge of her bed facing the door. Now curious, she rose to her hooves and walked to the mirror. The pony that looked back at her was the same deep blue alicorn as always except... Luna blinked in confusion, then stared hard at herself again. The reflection looked perfectly normal, but Luna could swear that her eyes had been different a moment before...

An image came unbidden to the alicorn's mind of being surrounded by adoring ponies causing her to smile. Yes... I see. Luna waited quietly a moment longer, but the voice from her dream had fallen silent. However, a plan began to form in her mind. Though she normally slept through the day, knowing that timing would be the greatest factor in her success or failure, Luna called for one of the guards outside her room to summon a pair of Blackguard to speak to her. I will get my own kingdom. she thought. Everypony will love me... Or they will know the ultimate nightmare!


*               *               *


In the weeks following her argument with Luna, Celestia did not see her sister at all. The princess of the night kept herself busy, locking herself away in her room most of the day. A few of the guard reported seeing Luna leaving Canterlot at night, traveling south to an unknown destination. More often than not she returned to Canterlot well past daybreak, but she always remembered to lower the moon from wherever she went to. Celestia tried many times to speak with Luna but every time she went to her sister's room Luna was either asleep or gone.

Though she was worried about her sister, Celestia was soon faced with another problem; reports started to come in that ponies from all over Equestria were going missing. The Royal Guard was unable to unearth any clues as to how or why, so Celestia took on the task of investigating the disappearances personally. At first she thought she had acquired enough clues to safely guess that the ponies most at risk were citizens of Canterlot as all of the victims lived or worked in the capital, but as the days continued to pass by ponies from other cities began to disappear as well. There was sadly no pattern of what kind of pony was being targeted; ponies of all ages, races, and gender were disappearing from their homes each night; from simple earth pony farmers to the Canterlot elite, nopony seemed safe from what was going on.

As day after frustrating day continued to pass by, panic began to spread like a wildfire; even the guards began to waver in their duties, many of them opting to rush home and protect their families. Unable to risk going off to search for the missing ponies herself without her sister to watch over Canterlot, Celestia nonetheless didn't wish to risk further destabilization by continuing  her investigation on her own. With no other choice left, Celestia gave in to the last resort she didn't want to resort to using and resolved to bring in her sister's beloved Blackguard.

Straining to remember the spell Luna had used in the Crystal Empire, she let her horn flare up, her magic pulsing out over the castle grounds. After a moment, she felt something respond to her probe, then another. Focusing on the two signals, she began the summoning spell. Her vision was momentarily filled with a white flash, and then, before her stood two Blackguard, one stallion and one mare.

The two Blackguard favored her with their usual blank, calculating stare, patiently awaiting the orders of their princess. Their emotionless gaze unnerved Celestia, but she tried her best to push it out of her head as to focus on the task at hand. She turned to the mare. "I wish for you to watch the outskirts of the city. If you see anypony leaving the city, follow them. Inform me of their destination."

The mare before her nodded before suddenly disappearing. Were it not for the fact that their power was bound to the princesses' expanded senses, Celestia may not have even noticed that the mare had teleported away. Even such complicated magic, and they are able to use it with virtually no hint of casting or evidence left behind... What a frightening power your Blackguard wield, sister...

Celestia suppressed a shudder as she turned to the stallion. "Watch for my sister. The next time she leaves Canterlot, follow her and report back to me her destination."

The stallion nodded and vanished, just as the mare before him.

Celestia didn't have to wait long before the Blackguard returned. The next morning, just after she raised the sun the two Blackguard appeared before her and delivered their reports. Both ponies mentioned some place called "Selene", southeast of Canterlot. While she had never heard of any such village, when the unicorns spoke of its location, Celestia was certain she knew where her sister and the missing ponies had ended up.

Celestia sighed in depression. There was now no doubt remaining; all the clues before her came crashing together into one indisputable answer. Luna had been up to something, and she now knew her sister had also been involved in the disappearances. Sister... what have you done?

Her mind made up, Celestia completed her daily assignments and duties as quickly as ponily possible, then returned to her room to prepare for what maybe a protracted journey. She left her castle just as the moon began to rise. Celestia allowed a small smile to cross her face; whatever else Luna was up to, she still completed her duties to raise and lower the moon every night.


*               *               *


Even flying at full speed, it had taken Celestia several hours to reach her destination; it was well past midnight by the time the ancient castle she and her sister had occupied before moving to Canterlot came into view. The sun princess found herself speechless as she neared the ancient castle. When the two sisters had left Discord's old castle they had intended to never return to the foreboding structure deep in the forest, but what lay before Celestia's eyes was anything but deserted.

Where tangles of brush and vines once stood, overtaking the abandoned castle grounds, now was a large grove dotted with small houses and stores. Through the now open canopy, there was enough light for Celestia to see that the small town was actually populated by ponies, the inhabitants coming out to see who their visitor was.

As she approached the castle, Celestia became aware of a familiar sensation. Somepony else's  magic, a magic that she had felt quite recently, was approaching. Then, just outside the castle, she saw them, the two Blackguard that she had summoned back in Canterlot hours before. She landed upon the ornate stone bridge leading up to the castle and the Blackguard approached her.

"Welcome, Princess Celestia." The mare said as they approached the sun princess. "Princess Luna has been expecting you."

"Luna. Where is she?" Celestia asked curtly, a hint of the agitation she felt showing in her voice.

If the two Blackguard were at all affected by the princess's tone, neither one showed any outward signs of it. "Princess Luna awaits you in the throne room, Princess." the stallion said, gesturing towards the castle Discord once occupied. "Please follow me."

Celestia fell into step behind the Blackguard. Outside the throne room, she saw two guards on either side of the double doors. As Celestia approached them she recognized them as some of the royal guards who had worked for Luna, but the armor they wore looked as if somepony had modified it and had dyed the metal dark blue. The guards saluted Celestia as she walked by, and her Blackguard escorts opened the doors with their magic before disappearing again.

Celestia found herself in the old throne room. Alone. Looking around the room, Celestia noted that while Luna had kept the twin thrones and regal banners of the sun and moon, the younger alicorn had changed the rest of the decorations in the castle. The new decor was now to Luna's tastes and portrayed the glamour and wonders of the night, midnight blue and silver banners dominating the halls and rooms. Celestia would have been genuinely impressed by all the work that Luna had done in such a short amount of time if it weren't for that fact that she had gone against Celestia's orders, not to mention that she was responsible for the missing ponies across Equestria.

Celestia's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a heavy door swinging open on the side of the room. Turning to face where the noise came from, she spotted Luna entering the throne room  flanked by the two Blackguard. Celestia was immediately struck by the regality and confidence her sister seemed to radiate as she walked to her throne, something she had not seen in the moon princess since before their battle with Sombra.

Once she reached the throne, Luna turned to address the two Blackguard dutifully following her. "You have done well Specter, Nightshade. You are dismissed." The two unicorns nodded in unison before once again vanishing. Luna then turned to face her elder sister, her face the very picture of composure. "Welcome, dear sister, to Selene; my new kingdom." Luna said in greeting, opening her wings to embrace Celestia.

Celestia didn't return the gesture, instead concentrating as hard as she could to refrain from exploding with anger and betrayal. "Luna, what is the meaning of all of this? After I had told you that we need to stay united!"

Luna's smile quickly fell away as she defended her actions. "I have no intention on isolating my kingdom from you! Do you not see your throne still in place beside mine? All I did was create a place that can thrive and prosper under my moon as Canterlot does under your sun." 

Celestia was in shock but managed to contain her growing fury. "That doesn't excuse foalnapping Tartarus knows how many ponies!" 

"Foalnapping?! How dare you even suggest such a thing!" Luna stamped her foot in anger, a large crack in the ornate marble floor forming beneath her. Celestia was taken aback by the show of anger, taking an involuntary step back as she felt her sister's power rising at an alarming rate. Moments later Luna's expression softened and the oppressive force building around her vanished. "Sister, I know how this must look, but I assure you that everypony in Selene came here willingly, not under any force! I simply called out to those among our subjects that felt more at home in my night; those that heard my call came to me of their own free will to join my new kingdom."

Regaining her composure, Celestia's own anger began to build once more. "Be that as it may, your actions have caused widespread panic across Equestria! The ponies that have come to this place left friends and families behind! Whether or not you've done so with force, you've whisked away so many ponies without at least allowing them to inform their loved ones!" Celestia paused to carefully consider her next words before she finally spoke again. "The best course of action now is to allow everypony to return home and we can discuss this whole matter later-"

"No!" Luna interrupted. "I will not allow this, my dream, to die simply because you wish me so stand in your shadow while you selfishly keep everypony's love and admiration for yourself!"

"That is enough!" Celestia said, her anger finally reaching the breaking point. "Your baseless jealousy had led you astray! That you could even think that I would ever think of you in such a way insults us both!"

The sisters stared each other down,  anger evident in each alicorn's features. Finally Luna spoke up again, her words and voice surprisingly calm. "Perhaps we are looking at this the wrong way; it is, after all, not just our lives that are affected by all of this. If you were to see what I have created for yourself, I know you would understand."

Celestia's anger waned as she considered her sister's words. Luna, ever brash and quick to action, was using diplomacy to try to breach the gap between them. Celestia smiled inwardly at this. "Very well. Let us go, Lulu."

The sisters walked in silence out of the throne room and back to the entrance of the castle. Once out on the bridge, the two took flight, heading towards the town growing around the ancient castle. The two alicorns landed in the center of town, where a large fountain was being constructed. Even as they did, ponies from around the town began to gather, staring on in curiosity.

"Citizens of Selene, listen well to our words!" Luna's voice thundered out across the town as she adopted the royal voice the sisters used to address the public. The ponies of the small city quickly converged upon the princesses, waiting expectantly for Luna's words to them. "Our sister, Celestia, believes we have brought thee to this land under false pretext! She believes ye have come to our kingdom against thy will! We come before thee tonight to show our dear sister the truth! That ye remain with us because of your love of the glorious night!"

A boisterous cheer rose through the gathering at this, but Luna quickly raised a hoof to calm her subjects as she continued. "We know that many among us have left loved ones behind to come to Selene! Your princess knows and is moved by your sacrifice! Each and every pony before us knows the truth of thy desire in thine own heart! It is time that desire was made known to us! Anypony that wishes to leave Selene for any reason, please do so now!"

The ponies before them fell silent; for a long moment, nopony moved at all. Celestia scanned the crowd for signs of some coercive magic, but aside from the small bit of magic Luna had used to amplify her voice, she could not sense anything out of the ordinary.

Then all at once, the gathered ponies began to bow before their princess. A single foal emerged from the congregation and ran to Luna's side, lovingly brushing her tiny frame against her princess's foreleg. Luna smiled at the filly and gently levitated the tiny earth pony onto her back, at which point the filly quickly wrapped her hooves as tightly as she could around the princess's neck. Luna allowed the embrace to continue for before she finally took the filly in her magic once more and gently lay her back on the ground. The filly, once released, quickly disappeared back into the crowd.

Luna turned back to her sister. "Do you see now?" Luna's voice returned to its normal volume and cadence. "Nopony here has come against their will; they know who their affection and loyalty lies with, as does every pony under my rule. They are at home here with me. I am at home here, among ponies who love and revere me. Surely you would not force us to abandon that now that we have finally found the peace with one another.

"Your ponies are panicked because they do not yet know what has become of their kin. But there is no reason Selene be kept a secret to them; it is just as much a haven to them as Canterlot. Those who wish it are free to come and go as they please; the families of my subjects may come to live or visit their loved ones as often as they desire. Please Tia, return to Canterlot and tell the ponies of what we have done here."

Celestia looked from her sister to the ponies that had gathered under her; the pleading look she saw in her sister's eyes was mirrored by the hundreds of ponies surrounding the two of them. They truly are loyal to her. Perhaps this would be the best thing for the two of us, in time, when Equestria is stronger...

Her thoughts were interrupted however when she once again felt her sister's power surging. "But know this before you make your decision, sister. Selene is ready and willing to fight for its independence. If Equestria refuses to be our ally, than it shall become our enemy..."

Again Luna's fierce determination was echoed by the congregation around them. Well-played, sister. Celestia thought darkly. Even now, she knew her hooves were tied. She could not allow Equestria to face the ravages of war; she had been made its monarch in order to prevent just that.

"Very well... As of this moment, Equestria hereby recognizes the sovereignty of the kingdom of Selene and its ruler, Princess Luna, under the condition that Selene and Equestria remain united in the ideal of promoting peace and prosperity for everypony."

"You have my word, sister. Thank you." Luna reached up to hug her sister.

Celestia returned the familial gesture, but even as she did she struggled to hold back tears as inwardly she was wracked with pain. Is this truly what you desire? To be separated from me? Are you truly willing to fight to be free of me? Oh Lulu... I'm so sorry for letting things get this bad. Please, sister, don't cut me out. I can't lose you! Not you...!


*               *               *


Luna sat alone amongst a seemingly endless field of lunar flowers, the moon high above her. She had always loved the delicate silver flowers which only revealed their true beauty to the light of her moon. She sighed contentedly as the night's events replayed through her head. I have finally done it! I finally have all that I desired!

Sudden laughter shook the night princess from her reverie, and she frowned as a familiar voice could be heard from seemingly everywhere. "Do you now? Is this pittance all you truly desired?"

"You would question that now?" Luna shouted into the emptiness. "This was your plan, was it not? And it has worked to perfection!"

The black alicorn, which Luna had begun referring to as 'the Nightmare', appeared before her, just as it had every night since she first heard its voice in her room in Canterlot. "Look around you Luna. This 'kingdom' of yours, it is little more than a speck of dust at the foot of your sister's empire!" A massive vision of Celestia appeared before the two alicorns, blocking out the light of the moon and casting them in darkness. The sun princess appeared to be laughing, but no sound came from its mouth. "Do you not see? Celestia does not love you, she pities you. This land you call Selene was given up to distract you from that truth.

"But... perhaps you are right. Perhaps this is in fact all you were meant to be; a footnote in the pages of Equestrian lore, hidden away forever in your sister's oppressive shadow until the next time she has need of you..."

Luna sighed, determined to not be moved by the Nightmare's taunts again. "It matters not now. I have finally found ponies that love and respect me and my night."

"You can't lie to yourself, princess; you and I both know this is far from enough for you. We have the power to do so much more than this... We have the power to make them all love you and you alone!" The Nightmare suddenly unleashed a blast from her horn, striking the towering likeness of Celestia, which quickly crumbled to dust before their eyes.

"You will not sway me this time, Nightmare. My subjects love me; that is all I need."

"And do you know why they love you?"

"They love me because I am their princess!"

"They love you because you are strong! Because you have the strength to face the harsh realities of rule!" The ground beneath them shook as if to punctuate the Nightmare's point. "Have you forgotten your own conviction so quickly? Think back upon your encounter with Sombra..."

Even as the Nightmare spoke, the scene around them changed, and Luna suddenly found herself at the foot of the blackened crystal spire. Around her, frozen in her memory were Celestia, Sombra, bound by the Blackguard, and... herself, her eyes aglow with dark magic. Luna's face twisted in rage and frustration. "Why have you brought me here, Nightmare?! Why remind me of my greatest failing?!"

"Failing?" The Nightmare's ethereal laughter seemed to rain down from all directions. "You really don't wish to see the truth of it, do you? You really are content to be your sister's pet forever, aren't you?"

"You see it differently? I doomed an entire country to oblivion because of my actions that day!"

"Nay, Luna, you saved countless lives that day! You saw with your own eyes what Sombra was prepared to do to Equestria. Can you honestly say that the outcome would have been any better if you hadn't ended it then and there? You and your sister would be fighting the same battle over and over every time the seal weakened, just as you will be struggling against Discord eternally."

The scene began to shift again, but this time Luna's horn flared to life, and instead the dreamscape crumbled away, leaving them in an empty expanse. "I grow weary of this nonsense. Make your point, already!"

"You took decisive action when the need arose and dealt the decisive blow your sister could not! That is why these ponies are drawn to you... because they understand the truth, just as you do. You said it yourself, Luna, sometimes strength is the only true solution!"

"Enough!" Luna fired a blast from her horn at the Nightmare; while the attack passed right through the phantom, the Nightmare's body began to lose cohesion and fade away. "I will hear no more of this from you! Do not forget that I am this land's princess, and the course of action we take shall be by my will!"

"Of course, 'princess'..." The Nightmare's fading voice said, applying an unusual emphasis on the title, before it fell silent once more.

At once Luna awoke to find herself at the foot of the lake just west of Selene, where hours before she had bid her sister farewell. Slowly she rose to her hooves and stared down into her reflection in the water. As always her reflection appeared normal except... No, she had definitely seen it this time. For a moment, her eyes appeared savage and bestial before returning to their normal shape. Luna paid this little mind though, her focus now clear. Selene would expand, one way or another...


*               *               *


Celestia returned to Canterlot the next day and officially announced to the ponies of Equestria the existence of her sister kingdom, Selene. To her surprise, the panic that had been spreading steadily among the ponies quickly evaporated when news that their loved ones were safe and secure under the rule of Princess Luna. In the months that followed, a great number of ponies, mostly friends of the ponies of Selene and the destitute, migrated to the new kingdom, and the small village quickly grew into a city comparable to Canterlot.

Celestia herself began to fall into a depression as the months passed; while the sisters communicated via letters on a regular basis, the pressures of their growing nations prevented either ruler from finding time to visit the other. Celestia had not seen her sister's face since the night she had flown out to confront her sister...

Seven months after the princesses parted ways, reports came from the northeast of a clan of griffons attacking the coastal cities. Celestia assembled the Royal Guard and, true to her word, Luna sent a faction of the Lunar Guard, along with a compliment of her Blackguard to address the situation. The resulting war was swift and terrible. The Royal Guard reported back to Celestia that the Lunar Guard ponies had been merciless in their execution and tactics, slaughtering the griffons down to the last. What's more, the ponies themselves had been changed and were frightful in appearance. All of the soldiers of Selene had been changed, their coats a deep gray, their eyes cat-like slits and their ears tufted like some manner of wild beast. The pegasi among them had had their wings transformed into leathery appendages, resembling a bat's wings, where the unicorns' horns all ended in wicked-looking points. Even the earth ponies managed to look bigger and more menacing somehow...

In the aftermath of the war, many ponies, including Luna, wished to continue their campaign into the griffon territories and extinguish the beasts once and for all. It was all Celestia could do to keep her ponies from following through on this, in particular after Selene offered to shoulder the bulk of the forces, but eventually, she was able to broker a call to negotiation with the remaining griffon clans. With all of this going on though, Celestia's attention was distracted away from some disturbing reports coming out of Selene itself, that nopony that visited the kingdom ever left again...


*               *               *


Luna surveyed her kingdom from the balcony of her room. What had only months before been a tiny village was a sprawling cityscape stretching out in all directions from the castle. She smiled at this; her followers grew on a daily basis, it seemed, and would soon rival that of Celestia's.

They have seen our strength now; the ponies and those detestable griffons. They all must see it now, that I am most fit to rule them...

Contented at the sight of the lands and ponies under her rule, she turned to enter her private chambers once more. No sooner had she passed through the curtain separating the two however did she stop in her tracks, unable to process what lie before her. On her bed lay several foals of varying size and race. Yet more foals were strewn about various places in the room. What? When did... Where did you all come from? All of the foals appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but upon closer inspection, Luna saw that they had all been placed in an enchanted dream by somepony. Of course, Luna knew of nopony other than herself that could command the dreamscape. But then, how could this have happened? I know I didn't bring them here...

With no other leads to pursue, Luna resolved to look to her unexpected company themselves. She quickly summoned her magic to break the enchanted sleep over the gathered foals. One by one, the foals awoke; no sooner than they laid eyes upon the princess did the foals begin to scramble to their feet and move to cuddle into her.

The night princess was further bewildered, though she could not say that she completely disliked the attention of the immature congregation lovingly amassed around her. Luna finally managed to find her voice. "My little ponies, what are you doing?"

A tiny filly that had latched herself to Luna's left foreleg looked up at the princess with as big a smile as her diminutive form could allow. "We just all wanted to show you how much we love you, Mother Moon." The other foals nodded, even as they continued to attempt to pile onto the princess.

These foals... they're being brainwashed in their dreams! Nopony but I could have done this... Not even Celestia can alter a pony's subconscious! There's no other explanation... Then, it finally dawned on her, the truth to the mystery before her. There was in fact one other pony that had the power to command the dreamscape...

Her mind made up, she sent the command to the gathered foals to clamber onto the bed. With a mild amount of shoving and jostling, the miniature congregation was finally able to fit neatly atop the massive bed. Once in place, Luna used her magic to once again send the foals into an enchanted slumber. Rest now, little ones. I promise you I will make this right, once I deal with the one responsible... she thought before she too succumbed to the touch of her own magic...

Once in the dreamscape, Luna wasted no time in calling out to her 'other half'. "Nightmare! Show yourself this instant!"

The dark alicorn appeared beside her a moment later. "I am always here, princess, there is no need for such dramatics here."

"I am in no mood for your games tonight! I know you are responsible for this infestation of foals in my bedchamber...!" The dreamscape shifted to display Luna's room as it currently appeared, with a mass of foals piled atop her bed.

"The foals... I called them here from Trottingham. They are... an experiment of sorts; I wished to know the extent of our dreamscape abilities."

"You... you cannot be serious!" For a moment, Luna's thoughts were distracted by the knowledge that her abilities were strong enough to spirit away a pony from such an extraordinary distance, but the memory of the foals and their distressing actions and words brought her back to the moment. "This has gone too far now. To involve the most innocent of all our subjects for a reason so petty?"

The Nightmare laughed. Luna had heard the shadowy creature's laugh innumerable times in her dreams, but tonight it seemed especially malicious, slightly unnerving the night princess. "You are in no position to talk of innocence, you who orchestrated the slaughter of an entire clan and sought to eradicate the rest of their race."

"The griffon threat needed to be dealt with; I was doing what needed to be done to protect my people!"

"Indeed you were, but you cannot have it both ways, princess... To achieve the strength necessary to rule, you must surrender any such childish notions. I know you understand this; you are not your sister, after all."

"Do not speak of Celestia thusly; she may be weak-willed, but her compassion is just as necessary as my strength! And no matter what else happens, she is forever my beloved sister!" The Nightmare's laughter rang out again, seeming coming from everywhere at deafening level. Luna stood quietly for a long moment before she had finally had enough. "Be silent, you conniving phantasm!"

"You should know by now that you can't lie to yourself, Luna." The Nightmare appeared directly in front of Luna, leering down at the smaller alicorn with a look somewhere between amusement and contempt. "You long to replace Celestia, to destroy her. That has always been your deepest desire. I know this because I was born of that desire..."

"No, that is not true. I have what I desired now, I am no longer jealous of her! From my throne here in Selene, I will stand together with Celestia as her equal!"

"Don't make me laugh; you will never be her equal as you are now. You could never have hoped to rule or know the love and respect of anypony as your sister does without me! I made you into what you are now, the leader of ponies you always desired to become! A pony worthy of adoration!"

"Enough of this! You claim to be a part of me, but your words and actions betray everything I believe in! This has gone too far, Nightmare! I will not condone foalnapping or any such despicable actions under my rule!"

"Think about this before you make that decision, princess. The foals you see here are all orphans; much like you before I came to you, they would not be missed by anypony if they simply vanished, their lives would have been cruel and meaningless." The Nightmare gestured to the bed and, at once, the foals 'awakened' and began to climb down from the bed to stand beside her. "But here, with us, they can become something greater than their miserable fates. Their hearts are so pure and malleable; so easily can they be swayed to our way of thinking." The dark alicorn placed her hoof upon the mane of one of the foals at her side as a wicked grin began to spread across her face, echoed by the foals gathered around her. "With but the merest touch of our subliminal power, they can be made into our most loyal and valuable subjects-"

"You mean made into slaves...! I will not allow you to turn me into a monster; I will not become Sombra or Discord!" The room in which they stood was suddenly tinged red and the illusionary foals vanished. Luna's horn lit intensely with power as the Nightmare looked on in seemingly bemused curiosity. "You have overstayed your welcome here, you contemptible creature... now, be gone!"

Before the dark alicorn could react, the shadow that had been slowly building in size below it suddenly took shape, ensnaring its prey. It's over, you wicked spirit! The spell, meant to contain and destroy the most dangerous of night terrors, quickly spread over the alicorn's form before expanding out into a massive sphere of pure nothingness. All that remained was to dispel the void sphere and all within it would cease to be.

"Very well then, have it your way..."

The void sphere pulsed once before suddenly exploding in a violent flash of light; when the light dimmed enough Luna saw that the dark alicorn stood in the same spot she had occupied before the void had swallowed her, apparently unharmed, her horn glowing a brilliant cyan. What is this...? The void erases anything it touches within the dreamscape, how does she yet remain?! Luna stared on in disbelief a moment longer, but then resolved to cast the spell on the hateful creature once more. When she attempted to call her magic into her horn, however, she was shocked to find that she was being blocked from her power somehow; moreover, she realized, she could not move or feel her hooves. She looked down at her hooves to find, to her shock and horror, that the void had begun to consume her instead. No, impossible! How could my own magic be turned against me?!

The Nightmare strode over to Luna's panicked form, staring down into the smaller alicorn's eyes and laughing wickedly. "Poor, pitiful Princess Luna. Even now you just don't seem to understand..." Luna struggled against the void with all her strength, but without access to her magic it continued to spread over her unabated and with her legs gone she could barely move at all. "You have long since lost the ability to decide your fate. From the moment you allowed me into your heart, I have been in control." As the void continued to spread over her, Luna's struggles waned and a cold, empty feeling began to set into her mind. Before long her entire lower body up to her throat had been consumed, robbing her of the ability to even cry out. "I have known since the beginning that you didn't have the strength of will to make use of your full power. I have no such weaknesses, however! I am the true master of the night! And you... you are no longer necessary!"

The dark alicorn then disappeared, but its mocking laughter rained down on Luna for what seemed like an eternity until the creeping void consumed her ears; then her world fell silent. As the mass of blackness finally closed over the princess's eyes, completely engulfing her, a single thought formed in her mind before her entire being fell silent; Tia...


*               *               *


Luna awoke with a start from where she had collapsed on the floor. She immediately rose to her hooves and walked to the side of her room to where a full length mirror hung. The pony staring back at her now greatly resembled the one in her dream; her coat was now a deep midnight blue, nearly black, and her mane also a noticeably deeper blue than before. She had grown noticeably taller and her eyes had taken on the same feral appearance as that of her guard. She smiled as she looked over her new body. She was the perfect expression of beauty and power, a ruler that could command both love and respect. At long last, she was her true self.

Luna closed her eyes. At her will, her body was engulfed in a blinding aura, blocking her vision for a moment; when the spell faded and the mirror her body had returned to the smaller, weaker appearance that her sister and the ponies had come to know. Luna stared at herself once more, her face growing expressionless. This will have to do for now, but the time is almost at hand to cast off these petty illusions. Very soon now, all ponies shall know the wonder of my glorious night. All that remains is to create a weapon against Celestia, and then nopony will be able to stand against me...!
> The Empress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna strode towards the throne room of her castle; the alicorn had once again taken on her true form for the meeting to come. She had yet to reveal her brilliance to Equestria and in particular her sister, as she still required time to prepare for her plans to come to fruition. Here, however, away from the prying eyes of the public, she allowed a chosen few to gaze upon her new, glorious form. Upon her darker, sleeker form, she now wore several pieces of light blue armor fitted perfectly to her regal frame; her hooves along with her chest were adorned in light plate, the chest plate bearing the symbol of Selene upon it, and upon her head rested an open plate helmet.

Her presence inspired loyalty in her followers, just as it will inspire fear in her enemies.

With a brush of her magic, the double doors to the throne room flew open before her, revealing several lines of black furred unicorns. The Blackguard, who had silently waited at attention, bowed in unison to the arrival of their princess. One hundred and eighty strong, they were the most powerful and dangerous force in Equestria, possibly the entire world, and she commanded their absolute loyalty. Luna allowed a small smile to cross her features before she spoke simply, "Rise."

The Blackguard rose to meet their leader's gaze. "We await your command, Princess," a mare in the front row spoke.

"I am no longer princess, my faithful guard. Nor is Selene merely a kingdom sheltered within the embrace of Equestria." Luna paused for a long moment as she smiled again in anticipation of what she was about to announce. "Tonight marks the beginning of a new era! Tonight we cast off the identity of Equestria's silent protector and assume the role of conqueror! Tonight is the first night of the Selene Empire!"

"Empress!" One hundred and eighty voices responded in unison.

"Our first step is clear. Equestria surrounds us on all sides. For the glory of Selene, Equestria must fall." Empress Luna's expression fell to a scowl a she spoke of her sister's kingdom. "Your empress has devised a plan to take the weak-willed foals who blindly follow her sister by force, and you, my Blackguard, shall serve as my greatest weapon. Tonight, you shall all begin training in the technique of your empress. This new power shall be the end of Celestia, and in you, shall be the end of Equestria! Then, the world will come to bow to the banner of the Selene Empire!" Luna again paused again, her eyes scanning the ranks before she concluded her meeting. "Rest for now; your training will begin shortly. Dismissed."

"Yes, Empress!" Again the resounding response came in unison. The assembled Blackguard's horns lit with an almost imperceptible black glow before they each teleported back to their barracks.

Once the room was empty, Empress Luna strode to her throne, resting herself upon the luxurious seat before she drew her magic into her horn to perform the summoning spell. Moments later, in a white flash, two of her Blackguard stood before her; their momentary confusion giving way to the fierce loyalty and training as they silently came to attention and awaited their empress's orders.

"Specter, Nightshade," the empress began. "As you know, war will soon be upon us. The Blackguard are strong, the strongest force in Selene or Equestria, but you will require direct leadership to remain successful in the ever-changing landscape of an open battlefield." The two unicorns nodded, waiting patiently for their empress to continue. "The two of you are special, even among my most powerful force. I am certain you do not need to be told why."

"Because of our cutie marks, Empress," Nightshade said simply.

"Because of our special talent," Specter added.

Before she answered, Luna's horn ignited, as did Specter and Nightshade's bodies. The magic-tinged black ink that covered them hoof to horn suddenly melted away, revealing their natural brown coats. Their flanks appeared to be blank at a glance, but under the glow of Luna's aura, their marks, a camouflage pattern, were barely visible against their fur. "Your special talents are the very magics at the core of the Blackguard's order; you are the only ponies alive to whom stealth magic is an innate ability. Your ability to shroud your magic rivals, and may in fact surpass that of my own and my sister's. This markes the two of you the most powerful of all your order."

The two unicorns nodded again, silently calling the enchanted ink back upon themselves, at once returning to their sheer black appearances.

"Now that the time for action is upon us, your superior talents make you my most important followers. From this moment, I hereby appoint you the commanders of the Blackguard order, as well as my personal guard. Now prepare yourselves; you two shall receive special training in advance of the coming battle."

"Yes, Empress," the two new commanders responded, saluting her before they vanished. Empress Luna grinned; in truth their mastery of stealth magic easily exceeded her own, perhaps even Starswirl's. Were it not for her connection to their magic, she doubted even she would be able to perceive their magic use.

The empress's thoughts turned towards the future. Her plans were coming together perfectly, and with the confusion caused by the griffons, nopony suspected anything about what was coming. My weapons are sharp and soon shall be ready to strike. Very soon now, the sun shall set for the final time, and the moon shall rise forever...!
> Civil War (WIP)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The negations between Equestria and the griffons dominated the news circulating through the country. The remaining clans were united in their fear of the terrible, dark ponies that had so easily obliterated the late aggressive clan that had assaulted Equestria, as well as further reprisal from Princess Luna. However, their loose association to one another made negotiations virtually impossible. With little choice left, Celestia herself left for the griffon's territory, far to the east across the sea.

Celestia, together with the chiefs of the griffon clans, were forced to iron out the clans' many differences before any progress could be made with the ponies. Though she was loathe to do so, Celestia relied heavily on their fear of her sister in order to force the griffon clans to compromise. Even so, it took months for the clans to come together enough unite under the banner of the newly-formed Griffon Kingdom. Once this came to pass, the new griffon king quickly signed a nonaggression treaty with Equestria, ending any further threat to either race.

In Celestia's absence, many ponies turned to Selene and Princess Luna for leadership. However, the night princess's public appearances continued to dwindle until eventually she too was gone from the public eye. Unrest in the country continued to escalate as news broke of mass disappearances of foals from various parts of the country. While the victims were almost exclusively orphans or otherwise vagrants, the troubling reports, along with the fact that neither princess was available to personally address the situation, began to stir rumors of the princesses abandoning Equestria.

A few weeks after Luna turned away from the public, squadrons of the Lunar Guard were sent to various cities across Equestria. The added security was welcomed by many, but at the same time, ponies were unsettled by the frightful appearance of the Lunar Guard ponies. The arrival of the Lunar Guard was received particularly poorly in Trottingham, which had been the most victimized by the rash of disappearances. The city already housed the third largest Royal Guard station behind Canterlot and Stalliongard Keep, and yet the guard had done nothing to prevent the foalnappings.

When Celestia finally returned from the Griffon Kingdom, she found that tensions had risen to the point of bursting. The council had been able to do little to nothing to calm the ponies, and in some places across the country riots had actually broken out. Celestia was forced to dedicate her every waking moment to attempting to restore order to her country; so consumed by her task was she that she failed to notice that there had been no word from Luna or Selene at all. Though taking, Celestia's efforts were successful in calming the hearts and minds of her subjects, and things were finally beginning to return to normal in her kingdom.

That is, until one morning when she awoke to find the moon still high in the sky...


*               *               *


Celestia stared up at the starry night sky from the balcony of her room in Canterlot Castle. Above her the moon hung prominently, surrounded by the entrancing sea of stars. Their patterns were intricate and some seemed to sparkle in the cool light of the moon. Luna had truly outdone herself with this wondrous display.

However, the sun princess found little joy in the sight herself. Sister, what are you doing? The moon should have been lowered almost an hour ago...

Celestia continued to watch the sky for several minutes, waiting expectantly for the moon to begin its descent; the moon, however, continued to shine it's dim light upon the land, showing no sign of relenting it's place in the sky. Beneath her, Celestia became aware of voices; the ponies of the city were beginning to stir and, finding that the moon still hung in the sky, were beginning to voice their confusion.

Finally, the sun princess allowed herself a long, belabored sigh. Whatever Luna was doing that day, it seemed she had forgotten her duty to lower the moon and so it now fell to her sister to both lower the moon and raise her sun. Celestia allowed herself a moment to calm her emotions before drawing her magic into focus. Celestia's horn glowed a brilliant gold, the strength of the aura intensifying with the amount of magic the princess was calling to bare. Below her, ponies began to notice the intense light and turned their attention to her in awe of her raw power. Finally, the moon too was encased in the golden aura of the sun princess's power.

Then, suddenly, her connection to the moon was forcefully severed; its surface glowed a light blue for a moment before returning to normal.

For a moment, Celestia simply stared blankly ahead, so completely stunned was she by what had just occurred. Then she gathered herself and tried again. Again, the moment her aura reached the moon, it was repelled by the cyan aura.

What treachery is this?! Luna, what have you done...? The reality of the situation finally dawning upon her, Celestia's expression twisted into a scowl.

The sound of two massive doors violently slamming open could be heard echoing through the nearly deserted castle corridors. At the far end of the corridor, just outside of the throne room, a single Royal Guard pegasus ran to meet her princess, concern written clearly upon her features.

"Princess, what is going on? Why has Princess Luna-"

"Captain Highwind," the princess curtly interrupted, not even favoring the mare with a glance as she gave her order. "Prepare a troop transport and my personal guard. We're leaving for Selene. Now."

The guard captain stopped in her tracks, momentarily taken aback by the unusually cold response from the sun princess, but in short order she collected herself and ran down the corridor towards the guard barracks to deliver her princess's orders.


*               *               *


Celestia landed on the outskirts of the city. She had not seen Selene since the night she had flown out to confront her sister about her sudden disappearance, and she was shocked to find that in less than a year the tiny homes and shops had grown into a sprawling city, possibly the equal of Canterlot or Trottingham.

As she waited for her guard to catch up to her, the princess's eyes scanned the city before her. She noted several of the twisted Lunar Guard she had read reports of during the griffon negotiations. She had doubted the rumors when she first heard them, but here before her eyes, were the very real dark ponies that had terrorized the predatory beasts. Their coats were a uniform dusky grey, and they all had feral-seeming slit pupils and tufted ears. Darting above the rooftops, she saw several pegasi; their wings, rather than the familiar feathery wings that all pegasi had, had been transformed into leathery bat-like wings. The unicorns had their horns lengthened and they now ended in lethal-looking points.

Celestia recoiled in slight horror at the reality of the abominations before her before she made another realization. Besides the Lunar Guard, the streets of the city were completely barren. Something about that seemed very wrong for a city that size.

"Princess," Captain Highwind's voice came from behind, "your guard stands ready." Celestia turned to find that the troop transport had landed behind her and the guards inside, along with the pegasi that had ferried the transport itself, had formed ranks behind her and were at attention.

Celestia paused for a moment before she spoke to her assembled guards. "You know your orders. We are here to meet with my sister and put an end to this madness." Celestia gestured up at the moon, which continued to hang in what should have been the daytime sky. "Keep in mind though that Selene is still our ally. Do not act in violence unless there is no other choice."

Her guards saluted her, though their expressions were grim; everypony seemed to be having the same premonition, that something terrible was about to happen here. The group started down the road towards the ancient castle. The Lunar Guard ponies lining the streets largely ignored the group; their attention focused on their drills or whatever task they were assigned. Besides the noise of the Lunar Guard going about their business, the city was deathly quiet; the princess's guards all held their weapons close and even Celestia found herself growing increasingly unnerved as they reached the ornate bridge to the castle.

In short order they entered the castle and made their way up to the throne room. Like the city below, the castle appeared deserted. The night-themed décor seemed darker than she remembered from her first visit, and the murals now depicted a strange, black pony wearing armor.

The princess suddenly found her eyes drawn to the far corner of the room where two ponies clad in heavy black cloaks stood, their faces shielded from view. What? When did they- Her thoughts were interrupted when the two Blackguard suddenly dropped to a bow, though they did not appear to be acknowledging her. A moment later, a dense fog began to form around a point in front of the two Blackguard, seemingly from nowhere. within seconds, the cloud had spread to all corners of the throne room, choking out what little light that naturally illuminated the space; even illumination spells were useless against the billowing cloud. Then suddenly the fog vanished as though it had never been.

Directly in front of the two Blackguard, wings open and horn aglow with an azure light, now stood an alicorn, though not one that Celestia immediately recognized. The pony before her was darker than her sister, her fur was nearly black; she also was much taller than Luna, as she stood eye-to-eye with the sun princess. Her eyes, while the same color as her sisters, had closed into cat-like slits and her teeth were jagged and fanged. She wore several pieces of light blue plate armor which only served to make the mare appear more menacing. The alicorn staring at Celestia was so alien that she began to doubt her own eyes until...

"... L-Luna? Is that you?" Celestia balked. There, on the dark alicorn's flank, while it had changed from its natural black to a dark, pale blue, was unmistakably her little sister's cutie mark. Instantly the anger that had been building in the sun princess vanished, replaced by concern and revulsion. "Luna, what have you done to yourself?"

"I have been reborn," Luna responded; even her voice sounded harsher and more sinister somehow. "I have ascended to the height of my potential. And I owe it all to you, sister."

Celestia stared at her sister in confusion. "What do you mean? What could I have done to cause you to become... this?"

"There is no sense in denying your guilt, Princess. We both know the truth now."

"What truth? What are you talking about Luna?"

The dark alicorn threw her head back, her laughter echoing through the empty corridors. "Very well then, since you refuse to acknowledge it, I will tell you of your failings myself. I know that you were jealous of me, dear sister, and now I understand why. You knew, as I do now, that one day I would grow to surpass you. You knew that in the end there would be only one true ruler of Equestria. That is why you hid me away, determined to deny me the chance to grow even as I suffered in silence under your grand shadow."

"Luna, this is ridiculous! I would never..." Celestia said in defense, but Luna quickly held up a hoof to silence her.

"Enough! I have no time for your lies anymore; I am the one in control now." Luna's eyes scanned the group before her, noting that Celestia's guards had all reached for their weapons reflexively at her outburst. Behind her, Specter and Nightshade had not moved from their silent vigil, but she could tell each was preparing for what was to come. A wicked grin crossed her features as she continued. "You have denied my rise to prominence long enough with your bitter treachery! Now the moon shall reign supreme over this world!"

"Luna, this has gone too far; whatever grievance you may have with me, your current actions threaten countless lives. Please sister, just lower the moon and we can talk, princess to princess-"

"You will call me 'Empress' from this moment forward... And you may consider this the Selene Empire's official declaration of war!"

Without any further warning, Luna lowered her head slightly and unleashed a beam of energy from her horn straight at Celestia. The princess, caught off guard, was barely able to avoid the beam by launching herself into the air; behind her, her guards desperately threw themselves to the sides of the room. One of her guards was unfortunate enough to not react in time; the attack struck him dead on and as it passed through him, his body suddenly erupted into intense blue flames. The poor stallion wasn't even able to scream as the flames consumed him, armor and all, leaving no trace of the grizzly scene behind once it was over.

The remaining guards drew their weapons and advanced on the empress, only to be confronted by the two Blackguard commanders; each unicorn held a sword and a dagger in their invisible magic as they moved to engage the guards. Luna paid the guards little mind however, her attention focused on Celestia above her. Luna launched herself into the air after her sister; as she did, a sphere of energy the same shade of cyan as her aura materialized and took on the shape of a longsword. The magic-forged weapon flew out from her side towards Celestia even as Luna began forming a second attack spell.

The aura blade flew directly towards the sun princess, directed by the empress's will; then, moments before the blade found its target, it reflected off of a golden sphere of energy surrounding the princess. Celestia's shield spell repelled the aura blade's repeated strikes against it while the princess began her own simple spell. Moments later, as the blade once again connected with Celestia's shield, the shield's glow intensified, knocking the magic weapon wildly away before it faded into nothing.

With a moment's rest from the assault, Celestia called out to Luna. "Sister, please! I don't want to fight you; please just stop this!" 

The empress's expression remained cold and focused, and just as her sister finished her plea Luna unleashed another attack. Too close to dodge it, Celestia was forced to pour more of her power into the shield. The cyan sphere hit home but was stopped by the magic barrier; unfortunately for Celestia, the moment it struck the sphere exploded, the force of the blast launching the princess across the throne room until she crashed into the far wall above the massive entryway.

Celestia was barely able to shake off the shock from the explosion, catching herself just before she began to plummet to the floor below, before she saw another of the deadly spheres headed towards her even as the empress flew to close the distance between them. Having seen that blocking the attack was ineffectual, Celestia brought her horn to life once again. Just as the attack would have disappeared in a blinding white flash. An instant later, she reappeared on the other side of the room, directly over the twin thrones.

A strangled cry drew the princess's attention. She looked below and gasped in horror as she saw Highwind had been driven into the wall, a pair of swords impaled in her chest while a small dagger pressed itself deeper into the pegasus's neck. Moments later the two Blackguard pulled their weapons free in their invisible aura, leaving the mare to slide down the length of the wall before finally slumping over in a heap on the ground, completely motionless. The rest of the Royal Guards had fared no better; Celestia saw dozens of bodies lying around the room, many lying in growing pools of their own blood while others were horrifically burned. One pony in particular was completely mangled, her body twisted and disfigured as though the poor pony had been crushed between a pair of invisible walls...

In barely a minute, the two Blackguard had slaughtered her entire entourage.

Celestia was wrenched back to her present situation by a surge of magic. Luna, having somehow managed to negate the attack before it stuck the wall where she had just been, had wheeled around and was now flying at the princess, another magic sword at her side. Luna fired a beam from her horn as she approached; at the closing distance, Celestia had little choice but to shield herself again. The beam struck the shield and was absorbed into it, the effect causing the magic sphere to become opaque and obscuring Celestia's view for a moment. When the shield cleared, she found Luna had come to a stop but the aura blade that had been at her continued to fly towards her. Celestia braced herself to enchant her shield to repel the attack once again, and fired another charge into the shield just before the sword connected with it...

... And passed right through it into the princess's chest.

In the complete shock of the moment, Celestia lost focus on her magic and her wings seized. She quickly fell from the towering roof of the room, crashing awkwardly off the top of what had once been her throne before hitting the ground and tumbling down the staircase. She finally came to rest facedown at the bottom of the stairs next to the charred remains of one of her guards.

Then it hurt.

All at once the shock waned and her body assaulted her with sensations of pain from the various points on her body she'd struck during the fall and the jagged wound. From her prone position, Celestia glanced down at herself. The blade itself had dissipated at some point after she fell, and now the hole was open and blood rapidly seeped forth, beginning to pool beneath her and stain her pure white coat. The strike had missed her vitals, barely, but at the rate at which she was bleeding she feared it may yet prove to be a mortal wound. She began to attempt a healing spell but the pain was so intense that she couldn't focus enough to spark her magic at all...

Moments later, two more magic weapons pierced her unfurled wings, easily shattering the sensitive bones. Celestia let out an agonized shriek as the pain redoubled; her senses blurred so intensely that she thought she was about to black out. Through the fog, the princess became faintly aware of her sister striding over to where she had fallen, laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha! You are weak, Princess, just like all who live under your sun! Very soon, all creatures in this world shall bow to the moon!" The empress sneered at her sister, even as her horn sparked to life and her eyes became bathed in a white glow. "But you, my dear, will not see this come to pass... because you die here and now!"

Celestia once again attempted to bring her magic to bare, hoping to think of something, anything, to escape the monstrous alicorn before her; but again she was unable to focus through the blinding pain. No! Lulu, please, don't do this...!

"You are the one who dies this night, monster!" Luna's sneer twisted into a scowl as she turned around to find the captain of the Royal Guard, Highwind, staring her down. The wounds in her chest and throat continued to pump precious blood onto the floor; it was a wonder that the mare was still alive. Yet there she stood, defiantly clutching a sword in her mouth before she leapt from her unsteady legs into the air. Specter and Nightshade began to move to intercept the pegasus, but stopped at the empress's silent command; such determination to make war with Empress Luna must be rewarded personally...

Celestia watched the scene playing out before her seemingly in slow-motion. Luna dismissed the spell she had been preparing for her sister even as the pegasus closed the distance between them, and the princess could sense no further magic around her sister. Closer and closer Highwind came to Luna, to certain death; her determination never wavered as she charged the alicorn. Just as the stalwart captain came close enough to strike at the empress, she felt Luna's magic again; in that instant, Celestia could swear the pegasus had cast her princess a final, pleading glance...

The space around the pegasus erupted in intense blue explosion, engulfing the mare completely. When the smoke from the blast finally cleared, there was no trace of the captain, save for the trail of blood she had left along the floor during her valiant charge and a few singed feathers floating listlessly towards the ground.

"Such is the fate of anypony foalish enough to stand against Empress Luna..." The empress grinned, her wicked teeth glistening in the cool light of her moon. Her triumph was all but assured now; all that remained was to extinguish the sun princess permanently. She began the spell she intended to end Celestia with as she turned back to the beaten princess...

Luna's eyes returned to normal as the spell died on the end of her horn; for a long moment, the empress simply stared ahead as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing, or rather what she wasn't seeing. Princess Celestia, as helpless and broken as she had been, was nowhere to be found...


*               *               *


Miles away, somewhere in the surrounding forest, a blast of white light heralded the sudden arrival of a wounded, bloodied alicorn. Celestia immediately slumped to the ground the moment her hooves hit the ground, her body heavy with pain and exhaustion. She continued to light her horn despite the pain; her golden aura surrounded her chest and wings, stopping the wounds from bleeding. It was by no means a solution, but it would have to do; there wouldn't be enough time to cast a true healing spell on herself while she was still this close to Selene. There was no telling how quickly Luna or the Blackguard would find her true magic trail and she was still quite vulnerable.

Her thoughts drifted back to the sacrifice her captain had made for her moments before. Highwind's brazen attack on Luna had drawn the attention of the empress and the two Blackguard, leaving her forgotten on the floor. Even as she watched the scene playing out, she had continued to attempt to focus herself enough to use her magic. She finally succeeded, just as Luna's spell had immolated guard pegasus. Though it was too late to do anything for the brave mare, her sacrifice would still aid her princess. Celestia had captured dozens of the captain's feathers in her magic and teleported each of them randomly out into forest surrounding the city before teleporting herself as far as she could manage. Her efforts would buy her enough time to make her escape, or so she hoped. Captain Highwind, thank you... and please, forgive me...

Celestia's thoughts were interrupted by laughter booming around her, amplified by powerful magic. "Yes... Run, dear sister!" Luna's voice, so amplified, seemed to be coming from everywhere. "Run and hide from the inevitable! Your time is at an end; it is only a matter of time now before your pitiful life is as well! The reign of the sun has ended! The nighttime has begun!" The empress's laughter continued to echo around her, the malice in her sister's voice chilling Celestia to her core.

Lulu... why? What has happened to you...?