Nightmare Moon stood motionless looking back at Celestia, showing a calm like she never had before. She slowly raised her hoof putting it against Celestia’s and whispered back,
“...Tia?...” Celestia gasped her heart was racing. Did Cadence’s spell work? Did she have her sister back? She thought. Nightmare’s face slowly started to tense up,
“What’s wrong?” Celestia asked. Suddenly Nightmare stumbled back screaming almost as if pain and flailing angrily as she did, clawing at her head with her hoof.
“What is it? Sister! Tell me what’s wrong?!” Celestia begged, dark magics came pouring out Nightmare Moon again as she looked up to reveal her eyes had changed back. She screamed at Celestia and blasted her again this time with a more powerful blast knocking a portion of her armor off as she fell. Nightmare stood breathing heavy, her rage returned, she looked over her shoulder at Cadence who stepped back in fear.
“YOU!!! How dare you!!” she shrieked, her eyes turned black as she began to gather power for a massive blast the sheer size almost taking up half the throne room. Cadence quickly formed a barrier, Shining and Sunset rushed beside her adding theirs trying to strengthen it as best they could. Finally Nightmare Moon unleashed her blast, from outside the castle every pony could see as the massive explosion of shadow magics that nearly destroyed the entire throne room. Nightmare stood watching the smoke clearing to reveal Cadence still standing her barrier barely intact, her legs were shaking and she was clearly at her limit. Shining and Sunset both fell to the floor in exhaustion, the barriers shattering shortly after. Nightmare Moon smiled,
“I wonder if you can do that again?” she asked. Cadence gasped, she still has that much power left? She thought, a yellow blast of magic struck Nightmare from behind. Furious she turned to see Celestia walking towards her,
“This is between us...or did you forget that I was still here?” she shouted. Nightmare Moon turned and shouted,
“I will never forget what you’ve done!!!” The two sisters charged at one another barriers rising around them as they crashed into one another, the ground cracking from the sheer power they were unleashing. Cadence sat down letting out an exhausted sigh,
”Cadence!” she turned to see Twilight and Spike walk up to her. Spike helped Sunset up, while Twilight helped Shining.
“Was that your love spell you used before?” Twilight asked, Cadence nodded,
“She said they were sisters, I thought maybe I could get her to remember if she ever loved Auntie...but it didn’t work.” she replied, Sunset spoke up.
“No, didn’t you see? It did work, but it was only for a few seconds though.” Twilight nodded in agreement,
“Sunset’s right, we just need to make it stronger is all.”
“What’re you thinking Twilight?” Shining asked, Twilight looked at every creature around her and answered.
"I’ve got one last idea, and it’s gonna take all of us to make it work.”
Nightmare Moon and Celestia’s barriers crashed against one another, Nightmare screamed in rage at Celestia, there was only fury in her eyes now. The calm from before was gone, Celestia fought back her tears as she begged,
“Please, I don’t want to fight you anymore! I never did! Just stop, please sister!!” Her words only fueled Nightmare Moon’s rage though as she finally broke through Celestia’s barrier tackling her and throwing her to the ground,
“One thousand years Celestia! One thousand years you banished me!” she screamed, Celestia tried to block her attacks but she was relentless, berserk, there was no reasoning with her now.
“All I wanted was to be loved! To be your equal!! Instead you drove me to this!! You shunned me like all the others!!! You turned me into this!! Tell me I’m wrong Sister!! TELL HOW THIS IS MY FAULT!! TELL ME!!” Nightmare finally unleashed a burst of magic and knocked Celestia down, pieces of her armor shattering and flying everywhere as she fell. Nightmare Moon stood, her fury only lessened,
“Go ahead Celestia….say it...” she hissed. Celestia opened her eyes, tears slowly running down her face again.
“You’re right...this is my fault...” Nightmare gasped her eyes widened in shock.
“...It was always my fault...one thousand years...one thousand years of living with that guilt...can you imagine what that did to me? All because I was blinded by the fame, the love, all the pony’s praising me and telling me how wonderful I was. And all the while, I never once looked at you, never saw what it was doing to you. They treated you so badly and all you wanted was for them appreciate what you’d made. When I finally did see what was happening to you, you pushed me away and I don’t blame you. Because I should’ve been there sooner, I should’ve stood up for you, I should’ve held you, told you it was going to be alright, and how much you meant to me all this time. Instead all I did was hurt you even more than you already were...And I’m sorry Luna...” Celestia lifted her head to look back at Nightmare,
“I’m...so sorry...for everything...” Nightmare Moon stood silent, watching her sister for a moment as she cried. This was different from before she thought, Celestia wasn't crying because she was hurting, she was crying for her. Nightmare grit her teeth and stood over Celestia stomping the ground near her cracking the floor with her hooves. Celestia looked away, her eyes shut tight.
“I don’t want your apology Celestia!! I want my eternal night!!” she shrieked. Celestia slowly opened her eyes looking at her Sister, her gaze slowly looking past her then turning to a look of surprise.
“What is she looking at?” she thought, Nightmare looked behind her. Cadence was floating above the other ponies and Spike her eyes glowing a bright white, and a white energy flowing from each one of them into the glowing heart floating above her horn.
“No! I won’t let you humiliate me again!!” Nightmare shouted, she began to turn and attack when she felt Celestia’s legs wrap around her. She fully expected Celestia to attack her, instead she pulled her as close as she could and hugged her tight.
“I love you Luna...” she whispered, her words left Nightmare frozen in place better than any spell she could cast. Cadence finally released her magic the heart flying across the room and colliding with Celestia and Nightmare Moon. The magic poured into every inch of her body burning her, but only for a minute, it quickly changed into a comforting warmth almost like the sun itself. Memories poured into her mind as time seemed to stand still. She saw images all involving Celestia, brushing Cadence’s mane, teaching Spike how to read and write, practicing magic with Sunset, showing Shining how to tie a tie, watching the sunrise with a sleepy Twilight. Then, the last memory by far the strongest one, two small earth pony foals, a snow white one with a pink mane and tail, hugging a smaller blue earth pony with a blue mane and tail. Which the white one simply said with a warm smile,
“I love you Luna...” Cadence and the others stood silently watching, the light made from her spell slowly fading as Nightmare Moon and Celestia stood motionless.
“Did...did it work?” Spike asked nervously,
“Look.” Sunset said pointing as the last of Nightmare Moon’s armor crumbled away vanishing before it could touch the floor, the black hue of her coat and ethereal mane lifting from her body and fading like smoke to reveal a smaller blue alicorn donned in black regalia. Twilight gasped in awe as she instantly recognized her from the mirror. Celestia continued to hug her sister, eyes shut tight afraid to let her go.
“...Tia…” a voice she hadn’t heard in centuries spoke, Celestia opened her eyes and slowly leaned the pony in her front legs back. Instead of Nightmare Moon she only saw her little sister, tears flowing from her eyes uncontrollably.
“I...I’m...I’m so...sorry...Tia...” she sobbed. Celestia had no words, there were so many things she wanted to say instead she wiped her sisters face and joked,
“Luna...you’re finally back.” Luna took a deep breath and lunged forward burying her face in Celestia’s shoulder and cried. Celestia hugged her tight as she cried, she wanted this moment to last forever she thought.
“So...is it over?” Celestia looked up to see Twilight and the others standing in front of them, she smiled and answered.
“Yes Twilight, I think its finally over.” Sunset took a deep breath and sat down relieved, Cadence hugged Shining in her excitement. Twilight sat down next to Celestia smiling back at her, Celestia looked up at her family and said.
“Thank you...all of you, I’ve feared this day for so long. But not once, not once did I ever imagine that it would end like this...I love you all so much.” Spike smiled and walked over hugging Celestia, Twilight leaned over and did the same Shining and Cadence joining last. Twilight looked up to see Sunset watching with a smile,
“Come on Sunset, get in here. There’s plenty for every pony.” she teased. Sunset rolled her eyes and groaned,
“Oh stars...” she stood up and walked over hugging the others. Celestia wrapped her wings around them all trying to hug them as best as she could. Luna finally looked up to see all the others hugging Celestia and asked,
“So...are you...going to introduce us?”
...Elsewhere… Two hulking figures watched the end of the battle with Nightmare Moon through a small crystal ball, the image fading and changing to resemble an eye.
“So what now?” the first asked, the other turned and began to leave grunting,
“Return to your kingdom, ‘Storm king’...I will call for you when I need you.” The Storm King grew angry,
“That’s it? You call me all the way out here just to watch a few pony’s fight and then you send me back?” he shouted stepping around the table separating the two.
“That is exactly what I did, now leave me as I ordered.” The Storm King grew angrier lightning arcing off of his staff as he prepared to attack, he refused to be disrespected like this, he was the Storm King he thought. He went to raise his staff when dark yellow glow of magic ripped it from his hand, another wrapping around his throat and throwing him into the ceiling and then slamming him into the floor with booming thud.
“You actually want to challenge me? Did you forget who put this staff in your hands all those years ago? Who gave you the knowledge you needed to defeat Queen Novo?” the figure said as he stomped towards him. The magics around the Storm king’s neck slowly began to tighten, he gasped for air clawing at this neck in vain.
“Even with all that I gave you, you still failed to bring me what I asked for...Queen Novo still escaped and took the pearl of transformation with her into hiding...by my graces are you even a king.” The Storm King was suddenly thrown back the magic around his neck disappearing, he coughed and tried to catch his breath.
“And yet I still have need of your armies...the only thing you possess that I find useful...” The staff was thrown to the Storm King’s feet, he picked it up and rubbed at his throat, he knew better than to try attacking again.
“Make no mistake...the day will come, I will reclaim my empire...and all creatures in Equestria and beyond will remember the name...Grogar...”