//------------------------------// // Mare in the moon // Story: The Force of the Elements // by LuminousRabbit //------------------------------// Chapter nine: Mare in the moon 'Time's up,' Nightmare Moon said from behind her. The fur on Celestia's neck raised, and she stayed still. Nightmare Moon circled around, coming in front of her elder sister. 'Corrupt yet? I can see it in your eyes. You know you want to give in. Do it. Surrender,' she told Celestia. 'Luna, listen to me,' Celestia said. 'There is no Luna anymore. She gave up. Now it's just me.' 'Oh, she's in there somewhere, even if you don't want to believe it,' Celestia said. 'Luna, I know you're listening. Be honorable. Stop this now, and let me raise the sun.' 'Luna can't help you. She's too weak. I rule this body now,' Nightmare Moon said. 'Then stop this. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't stop.' 'You? How could you possibly stop me? I'm more powerful than you now, and you know it,' Nightmare Moon said. 'I'll use the Elements of Harmony,' said Celestia. 'Yes, you could do that, if you had the elements. I happen to have two of them, one of which I hid at the other end of Equestria.' Nightmare Moon smiled triumphantly, but a puzzled look crept onto her face when she noticed Celestia was wearing the same expression. 'What?' Nightmare Moon asked 'What did I miss?' 'Nothing, provided you were aware that the elements you took were fakes.' Celestia said. 'Nice bluff. I made sure that they were real. Exactly the right traces of magic.' 'Don't you reckon I would have thought of that? I made sure they had the right traces of magic, just to fool anypony who tried to take them. There's only two ponies in all Equestria who can tell the fake ones from the real ones. The first one is me, the second is under my guard,' Celestia said, staring her sister dead in the face. 'Give up. It's over.' 'You could still be bluffing,' Nightmare Moon said. 'Do you really want to try me?' Nightmare Moon considered. Her entire future hung in the balance. She took the side of good, and worked it around in her mind. She grasped at it's true potential, and held it, truly understanding. Then she pushed it away. 'Never. I'll not join you, even if a thousand years have passed!' (LOL) Celestia sighed. 'Luna, Nightmare Moon, I don't want to do this. You know I don't. You really can't win. Please just let it go, and let me raise the sun.' 'No. Because at this point, I literally have nothing to lose. Even if I fail - which I won't, there is no life for me in Equestria. So no,' she said, staring defiantly at Celestia. Elements of Harmony, now's the time, she thought, projecting it so that the ponies downstairs could hear her. Suddenly light flashed, and sparks cascaded around her. It was as bright as the sun. 'I don't want to do this!' she yelled to Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon's horn glowed as she tried to repel the power, but it was no use. Even Celestia couldn't stop it now. Celestia screamed, and her eyes became the same glowing white. She rose into the air. The sparks were strong, and they nearly set her mane on fire. But Celestia was protected by the elements. Nightmare Moon, however, was not. Her screams were louder than Celestia's. She tried to get away, to morph into shadows, but the elements had focused on the disharmony within her and were determined to purge it from the land. A flash of light, far brighter than anything ever seen before, and then silence. Somewhere in Equestria, twenty random ponies got their cutie marks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia was exhausted. She barely had any energy to keep breathing. She was transported to the Canterlot hospital, and given top-priority treatment. Three days later, she was released. Somewhere in the castle, Shadow rested. She rested and indulged in every luxury she could think of. A pony who saved Equestria got what she wanted, and Shadow was not letting that go to waste. For the three days Celestia was in care, Shadow had tried more new foods and and activities than she could count. Not that that was surprising, as she couldn't quite remember how to count anyway. Occasionally, when doing what she wanted, she spied Silver and Dragonsilver nestled somewhere out of the way. And, for the first time in years, Shadow Laughter was happy for somepony. Mr Tux went back to his business, and found that Dragonsilver was right! His son had over fifty new orders for party clothes. They hired a lot of help to get them all done, and still made a large profit. Morning Glory and the flower fillies were much the same. They had run out of flowers quicker than ever, and were getting more large orders than anypony could keep track of. Golden had gone back to the city of Canterlot, and was starting to negotiate land to start a flower-growing farm out of town with Periwinkle. Dragonsilver and Silver Buckle were happy. They had decided to stay in Canterlot, and enjoyed roaming the castle. They ate some wonderful foods, and were officially a couple to anypony that asked (and quite a few that didn't!). Sometimes Silver woke up screaming, thinking she was back in the dungeon, but Dragonsilver was always there, holding her, comforting. On the fourth day after Nightmare Moon's defeat, the two ponies climbed to the top of Canterlot and sat on the balcony, watching the land. The moon had a pony's face in it now, and it was still beautiful. They watched the parties in the city, and the market's bustling life. And reader, they watched the sun rise. AN: Think this is the end? Buck no! Have you forgotten about Shadow, and Celestia's promise to kill her? Does she want to die any more? Pfft, like I'm not writing another chapter for her.