One hour ago…
Celestia gently landed in the destroyed remains of the old castle that was once her home, she walked through the halls thinking about what was to come. Celestia had spent the last year preparing for this day, countless magic wards, runes made to weaken dark magics, and a trap barrier to contain her battle with Nightmare Moon when she finally appeared. She paused for a moment and looked at the armor she wore, she didn’t remember it being so tight. She hated the idea that she was going to need it, last time she wore it she fought alongside her sister to defeat the Crystal Empire it was such a glorious victory she thought. She continued throughout the castle looking at the rooms as she walked, she eventually came to an old bedroom one of the doors missing the other barely held on by a hinge. She opened the door and looked inside, the far wall was completely destroyed, the furniture rotted or missing, a stone carving of a crescent moon on the stone floor. This is where she changed, Celestia thought,
“I shouldn’t have walked away when she closed the door that night...I should’ve talked to her.” she whispered. She turned and continued to walk through the castle making her way to the observatory, a small display of planets was still intact, unbeknownst to others though the elements of harmony lay safely hidden within. Celestia looked up and then closed her eyes, focusing her magic on the elements. But like before they didn’t respond, Celestia sighed she knew it wouldn’t be that easy but she had to try at least one more time. Celestia finally entered the throne room, the two chairs stood in pieces at the far side of the room. She paused to look at the two and thought back to how happy she was back when she was still living here, she smiled at the sense nostalgia it gave her. She walked up the steps and sat down in front of the two thrones she looked at her pocket watch and checked the time. Fifteen more minutes until midnight, fifteen more minutes until she has to fight her again she thought. Celestia waited patiently all that was left was to wait, midnight would come and Nightmare Moon would appear, she was certain that she’d come after her first. Out here in this castle, Celestia would have the advantage, out here no pony would get hurt. Time passed and finally midnight had come. Celestia looked to the sky and saw as the sky turned red, then the image on the moon vanishing. She stood up and waited, ready to finally put this day behind her and be at peace. She waited and watched but nothing, almost ten whole minutes had passed.
“Why isn’t she appearing?” She thought. Her eyes widened in shock, what if she didn’t appear here where she was banished? Celestia quickly remembered the small town just outside the Everfree forest,
“Maybe she’s there!” she thought as she leapt into the air and flew across the night sky. She flew with haste,
“If she’s there I can still make this work, I just need to lure her back to the castle ruins. I can still do this.” she thought. Celestia reached the town and hovered just above, she looked around to see all the ponies below celebrating the summer sun festival, nothing amiss.
“She’s not here either? Where is she then? I have to stop her before she hurts some pony.” Celestia thought frantically looking around, she noticed a flicker of light out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Canterlot on the horizon. Celestia’s heart froze as she saw a green barrier covering the castle,
“NO! Not there! Anywhere but there!” she shouted. She flew faster than she ever had before, a boom echoing throughout the sky as she raced to Canterlot. Celestia finally reached the castle breaking to a sudden stop just before hitting the barrier in front of her she looked around, flashes of light could be seen from the throne room windows from where she was.
“No! No, no, no!” she thought a sense of panic growing in her, she unleashed a magic blast against the barrier. The barrier cracked from her attack then slowly repaired itself,
“Fine, we’ll do this the hard way.” She announced before racing into the sky, Celestia flew as high she could breaking through the clouds above. She cast a barrier around herself, giving off a light like the sun as she floated in the sky. She turned and charged downwards towards the castle as fast she could, Celestia broke through the clouds and flew faster and faster the castle and the barrier getting closer and closer as she did. With a thunderous crash she tore straight through the barrier and the roof of the castle and landed in the throne room. Celestia looked up to see Nightmare Moon across the room looking back at her, Twilight lying before her frightened, Spike a short distance away with an injured Cadence and Shining. Celestia’s blood came to a boil at the sight of her family in danger she glared at Nightmare Moon and spoke,
“Get away from them...I won’t ask twice...”
Sunset sat outside the castle furiously scribbling away at a page in Moondancer’s notebook, she finally set her quill down and tore the page free.
“There, this should make a hole in the barrier. Not a big one, and probably only long enough for one pony to get through.” she said. Her friends looked nervous,
“Are you sure this will work?” Moondancer asked, Sunset nervously looked back at the spell then her friends.
“No...in fact, I’d be surprised if it did. Dispelling, and alteration was more Twi’s thing than mine. But we’re all out of options here so we gotta try, right?” Sunset replied. Her friends looked at one another nervously, but then all agreed to help. The four unicorns lined up next to each other and began to cast their magic onto Sunset’s spell, the page lit up with their combined magics and slowly began to affect the barrier.
“Is it working?” Juniper shouted, Sunset looked up and saw a hole in the barrier slowly open eventually reaching a size big enough for someone to get through.
“Sunset! GO!” Moondancer shouted, Sunset looked at her friends and then quickly leapt through the hole in the barrier, the hole snapping shut behind her. She slid on her stomach across the grass, she rolled onto her side and rubbed her belly it burned from the friction.
“Sunset get going! Twilight needs your help!” Wallflower shouted from the other side of the barrier. Sunset looked back at her friends, she turned towards the castle and shouted back as she ran through the courtyard.
“I’ll get Twilight out! And the rest of the house of sun, I promise!” Sunset rushed into the castle not knowing what was waiting inside.
Nightmare Moon smiled turning to face Celestia,
“Celestia...I was hoping you’d show up. We have show much to discuss.” she said. Celestia glared back,
“We both know that’s a lie, you’re only here for one reason. And I won’t allow it to happen.” Nightmare Moon laughed,
“Oh really? You think you can actually stop me this time? You haven’t even brought the elements with you!” Celestia took a deep breath and stood tall,
“I will do what I must...to protect what’s important to me.” she answered a single tear forming in her eye. Nightmare Moon grit her teeth in anger at Celestia’s words,
“Let’s finish this!” Celestia shouted as she sprang into the air Nightmare Moon following after her. Twilight and the others watched as the two alicorns launched into the air,
“Come on, we can watch from the balcony!” Shining said as he rushed out of the room, Twilight followed behind, Cadence put Spike on her back as she followed last. The three ponies made it to the balcony and looked to the sky, light and shadow exploding in the air almost like fireworks against the green glow of the barrier covering the castle.
“What do we do? We need to help her right?” Twilight asked looking back and forth at the others.
“I’m the only one who can fly though, should I go up there?” Cadence asked. Twilight looked up at the sky again nervous when she felt a hoof on her back, she turned to see Shining smiling at her.
“Mom’s the strongest pony in Equestria, remember Twilight? She won’t lose, right?” he said, Twilight smiled back, her brother's words giving her the reassurance she needed.
“Yeah, you're right. She’s gonna win alright.” Twilight answered looking back at the sky.
Celestia and Nightmare Moon raced across the night sky, the two charged at each other their barriers crashing against the other.
“What’s wrong Celestia!? You seem slower, when was the last time you even fought a real battle?!” Nightmare shouted, Celestia didn’t answer she only stared back in defiance. The two split away from one another Nightmare Moon launching a blast of magic at her foe, Celestia flew staying ahead of the blast as it tore across the Canterlot countryside. She watched her opponent carefully, Nightmare was furious she thought, this made her attacks powerful but reckless, she could exploit that easily. Celestia quickly turned and flew upwards, evading her attack, she turned to face her opponent and released a burst of small magic blasts at Nightmare Moon. Celestia’s attack came at Nightmare from multiple directions, she tried to destroy as many as she could but there were too many, she was hit form multiple sides bouncing her around in the air. She screamed in rage at Celestia’s attack, she looked up to attack only to see she was gone. Nightmare frantically looked around when suddenly she was struck from behind, Celestia putting all four of her hooves into her back and kicking her away. She immediately unleashed another magic blast striking Nightmare Moon from behind, she spun out of control and crashed onto the roof of one of the castle towers. Nightmare slowly stood up her breathing heavy, her anger was building.
“Is that all Celestia?! You won’t win like that!” she shouted. Celestia was floating in the air silently, staring back with a focused glare. This only made Nightmare Moon angrier, she wanted her say something her silence was maddening. She took flight charging at Celestia, she fired a burst of dark magics at her, Celestia teleported at the last moment dodging the attack and reappearing beside her. Too fast for Nightmare Moon to counter Celestia blasted her again at close range sending her spiraling towards the ground. Nightmare Moon recovered and stopped midair, she screamed in rage as she unleashed a concentrated beam of magic at her opponent, who returned her attack in kind. The beams collided sending a shuddering boom out across the city of Canterlot, Nightmare Moon shouted to Celestia.
“You won’t beat me! You’re too weak! I will have my eternal night!” Celestia didn’t answer though she pressed her attack, slowly her beam began to push back Nightmare’s, who tried to resist but only struggled in vain to stop the attack. Eventually Celestia’s attack reached her opponent and in a massive explosion sent her falling towards the ground,
“Now!” Celestia thought as she charged after her, magics flowed around Celestia making her shine like the sun. This next attack would finish it she thought, it would finally be over. She charged closer watching Nightmare Moon fall, then Celestia’s mind wandered, a single image of a small sleeping blue alicorn in a bed rocked her mind. Celestia gasped her concentration broken her magics fading, Nightmare Moon opened her eyes and looked back at Celestia firing back at her. Celestia stopped and folded her wings around her blocking the attack, she spread her wings and looked down to see Nightmare was gone. She panicked and looked around, suddenly she was tackled from behind. Celestia grit her teeth from the force of the blow. Nightmare lunged forward biting down on the exposed part of Celestia’s wing, She screamed from the pain as Nightmare Moon continued to push her towards the castle. Celestia tried to break away but her grip on her wing was too strong she thought. Nightmare Moon kicked Celestia away her teeth tearing at Celestia's wing, and instantly fired another beam of magic striking Celestia and sending her flying through the air and crashing through the roof of the castle.
“MOM!!!” Twilight shouted, the four stood in shock as Nightmare Moon laughed from the sky. Shining looked at Twilight,
“Come on, I think she landed in the throne room!” he said. The four of them racing back into the castle,
“Please, please, be ok!” Twilight screamed over and over in her head, hoping they’d reach her in time...