Finally, the time for the celebration to begin was upon the ponies of Ponyville. Every pony, donkey, or griffon that had come to this chosen town was now gathered in the Town Hall for the grand unveiling of the Equestrian Princess. Unfortunately for Dawn, that meant the whole place was packed, and she was directly next to the subliminal party pony Twilight Swish. Currently, the Pegasus was reading off a list of all of her most exciting moments, the encounter of the unicorn being a close second to their current wait for the majestic ruler.
Ms. Pie also managed to pick out the other, much saner, ponies she had previously met. Ms. Zap was over by the treat table handing out goodies. Floating overhead was Ms. Jet; she tended to growl whenever a guard came nearby (Especially that one colt with the blue hooves who kept returning and trying to grab a chocolate treat.). Ms. Rarity was preparing her choir, though it appeared she wasn't going to sing herself. Pity. Ms. Shy (Gummy had mentioned her on the way to Town Hall, Fleur de Shy was the fashionista from the boutique) had just disappeared through a back door to the stage.
A fanfare drew the ponies' attention to the front. The mayor, whose name was Mayor Mare if the whispers were anything to go by, was currently making an appearance on stage.
"Greetings," The beige mare proclaimed. "Fillies and gentlecolts. As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!"
Everypony cheered.
"In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, without further ado, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria..."
The bird choir began to sing the national anthem.
"Princess Celestia!" The gray-haired mayor dramatically swept her front hoof upwards toward an elegantly carved balcony. A pair of curtains swooshed open with flair to reveal....
Nothing.
Murmurs flew through the crowd like a sonic rain-boom. Where was the princess? Below the balcony, Mayor Mare began to panic.
"Remain calm, everypony, there must be a reasonable explanation!" The indigo-eyed mare shouted, though her expression read otherwise.
"I love mysteries! Is she hiding?" Twilight guessed.
A brief moment of relief came to the mayor when a figure appeared on the balcony, but the moment was crushed when she saw it was only Fleur, who was wearing an equally panicked look.
"She's gone!" The yellow unicorn exclaimed from the balcony.
"Ooh, she's good." The purple pegasus complimented.
If the audience wasn't worried before, they sure were now.
"This can't be good," Dawn muttered. She was ready to power-up her horn in an attempt to cast a scrying spell when something else appeared on the balcony.
Mist, as black as night itself, swarmed around the area of unveiling. Then twinkling lights appeared within said mist. Next, the black turned to a ghoulish blue, and the mist began to take the form of something. It soon was very obvious what was taking the princess's place: a tall, midnight black mare with the night sky as a mane and tail stood before the gathering of Equestrians. She was a sleek alicorn with obsidian armor and a matching tiara decorated with a crescent moon emblem. This emblem was a remake of her cutiemark: a deep black splotch of paint underneath a crescent silver moon.
The alicorn spoke, her voice resounding off the walls. "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces." She spat out the last words.
Apple Jet growled at the newcomer, leaping back into the air. "What did you do with our Princess?!" She was about to zoom head-first at the night mare, but luckily, her sister caught the blonde's tail.
Since the earth pony had to use her teeth, her next comment was rather muffled: "Whoa there, Nelly..."
"Why, am I not royal enough for you?" The unidentified mare chuckled with contempt. "Don't you know who I am?
"Ooh, ooh, another mystery!" Twilight exclaimed. "Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Nightwing! No! Black Snooty, Black Shooting--". A cupcake was stuffed into the ignorant mare's mouth, stopping her from any further comments.
"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" The alicorn continued angrily. "Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"
"I did. And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!" Dawn proclaimed, making her realization known to all. She was not quite sure what had propelled her to speak, as the alicorn was quite frightening and probably lethal.
A large gasp went through the crowd.
Twilight, who had finished her cupcake, put a hoof on Dawn's shoulder reassuringly and whispered, "Don't worry. I got enough candy for the six of us."
Dawn raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, but her attention was returned to the villain, who was speaking once again.
"Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."
"You're here to... to..." Dawn gulped. She couldn't quite say it out loud, for that would make it all too real. That didn't matter though because the Mare-No-Longer-in-the-Moon had already made it so.
Nightmare Moon let out a maniacal laugh. "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!"