//------------------------------// // Equestria is no longer the same // Story: The Fall of Twilight, The Birth of Midnight // by Twilight Star //------------------------------// Thousand three hundred years have passed since Luna and I have retired. We decided to live in Silver Shoals. At first, the ponies who lived there were confused to see the two of us without our crowns, but I explained to them that we had retired from the throne. The ponies were compressive with our decision. We now live in a small house, where there is a beautiful garden. We spent most of our days hanging out in the city together. We were now sitting in the yard, talking. Luna and I were sitting on a chair, relaxing and talking.  “Luna, what do you think of our retirement from the throne?” I asked as I looked at Luna with a smile.  Luna looked at me with a smile. “I’m loving it, sister. Retiring from the throne and moving on to Twilight was the best idea.”  “I agree. Because that way, we can spend more time together.” I agreed with Luna.  My thoughts, then, went to Twilight. I wondered how Twilight was doing as an Equestria ruler. Even though I’m enjoying spending time here, I missed Twilight. Perhaps, Luna and I could visit her to see how she was doing. Maybe, we could spend time together, like before. I looked at Luna again.  “Luna.” I started.  Luna looked at me. “Yes?”  “How about if we go to see Twilight to see how she is doing as Equestria’s ruler?” I asked. “I’m sure she must be doing a great job.”  Luna smiled at my idea. “It is a good idea, sister. Because it’s been several years since we retired from the throne, and what’s more, I miss my best friend.”  “I miss Twilight, too,” I agreed. “Let’s go?”  “Yes.” Luna and I spread our wings, before we left our house.  As we flew we noticed something that we hadn’t noticed before. Equestria no longer looked the same as before. The ponies and creatures looked sad and hopeless, in the cities there was a purple flag of a Twilight-like pony and it looked like the cities were empty, it was as if many now prefer to stay more at home than walking on the roads or seeing friends with frequency. I was obviously confused by this. What was happening?  “Sister, is it just me or does it look like Equestria is different than it was before?” asked Luna, obviously confused.  I looked at Luna now, still a little surprised inside. “I don’t think it’s your impression, Luna. It looks like Equestria has changed a lot, and it looks like it was for the worse.”  Luna was worried about what I said. “Has it changed for the worse? But what made Equestria stay in that state? Did a new villain come and dominate Equestria?”  “I don’t know what made Equestria look like this, Luna. And if a new villain came, I don’t understand why Twilight and their friends didn’t use the Elements of Harmony in it.” I wondered who was this new villain which dominated Equestria. Would it be a new villain or a villain who has appeared before and returned. But it couldn’t be an old villain who has already appeared, all the villains have been defeated! So how did Equestria stay in that state that seemed to be post-apocalyptic?  I didn’t understand how it could happen. Twilight has always managed to save Equestria from villains in the past when Luna and I ruled Equestria, so why just because we decided to retire, does a villain dominate Equestria? This wasn’t supposed to happen! Equestria has been at peace for a thousand years! And now, Equestria was no longer the same.  “Sister, I never imagined seeing ponies and creatures so sad,” said Luna sadly as she looked at them.  “Me neither, Luna.” I agreed with Luna.  “Why are they like this, Celestia?” asked Luna, now looking at me.  “I don’t know, Luna. It looks like a villain has conquered Equestria and now, he rules Equestria with a iron hoof or paw.” I tried to guess the reason for the sadness of ponies and creatures.  Luna was afraid. “And if this villain really conquered Equestria, then that would mean that Twilight is no longer on the throne!”  I was worried about Twilight. “But how did the villain manage to conquer Equestria and get Twilight off the throne?”  “I don’t know, Celestia. I just hope Twilight is still in the castle.” Luna tried to be hopeful, even though hope was almost lost.  “I hope so too, Luna,” I said.    Luna and I landed and entered Canterlot Castle and noticed that the castle was very different than before. The walls were dark purple in color and had tapestries of stars and an alicorn. Luna and I were surprised by the color and the tapestries. We also noticed that in some tapestries they had drawings of stars and a strange purple alicorn. Was this alicorn the villain who dominated Equestria? Could only be.  “Hey! You two there! Stop there!”  My ear and Luna’s cheered up when I heard a male voice. We turned around and saw two royal guards. I was surprised. The royal guards no longer wore gold armor, but wore purple armor and bat-like wings, similar to Luna’s, but the difference was that their wing was bigger.  “What are you doing here?” asked the royal guard, not happy.  “We would like to see Princess Twilight.” I explained to the guard.  The royal guard calmed down and smiled. “Ah yes. Follow me. I will show you the way to the throne room. She is in the there.”  Luna and I followed the royal guard without excitement. We were surprised when he said that Twilight was in the throne room. I wondered how the decoration of the throne room would be. Was it the same as before Luna and I retired? Would be different? Or would it be like the hallway? I just hoped that the villain who dominated Equestria wasn’t in the throne room with Twilight.   “Celestia, weren’t these guards my Lunar guards when I was princess of the night?” asked Luna with a smile.  “They seem to be, but their wings are bigger than their old Lunar guards,” I said.  Suddenly, we stopped walking. The guard looked at both of us.  “Wait here. I’ll let her know that you two want to talk to her.” he ordened before entering the throne room and closing the door. Luna and I wait at the guard’s request.  “Majesty, you have two visitors.”  “Who is it that came to visit me?”  “Celestia and Luna.”  “Allow them to enter. I need to talk to them, especially with Celestia. You can return to your post.”  I heard footsteps approach and the door opened. It was the royal guard.  “You can come in.” allowed the royal guard before leaving the place.  Luna and I entered as soon as the guard left. I noticed that the color of the wall was the same as the corridor and had tapestries of an alicorn and stars.  “You finally came, Celestia.”  I smiled when I heard the voice. That voice was from Twilight. I looked where I came the voice, but my smile fell when I saw that whoever was on the throne wasn’t Twilight, but a purple alicorn with the mane up, changeling horn and magic glasses, a purple necklace with an eight-pointed star, turquoise shoes and purple socks with wings. The alicorn smiled wickedly as he looked at Luna and me.  I could feel tears in my eyes. No. This alicorn couldn’t be Twilight, it couldn’t be the same mare that I passed the throne on several years ago. Luna, on the other hand, was worried. Was this mare sitting on the throne her best friend?  “Twilight? Is that you?” asked Luna worriedly as she approached the purple alicorn.  “Twilight?” she laughed. “I am... Queen Midnight Sparkle!”  Luna and I were shocked by this revelation. No. No! This alicorn couldn’t be Twilight!  “No! You're not Twilight!” I whimpered in denial.  “I was her, Celestia,” Midnight flew over to me and Luna with a smile. “But that is no longer my name. From now on, you and Luna will call me Queen Midnight Sparkle.”  Luna and I couldn’t believe what we were hearing. We felt like we were witnessing our past.  “Twilight! You can’t do this!” said Luna.  Midnight Sparkle laughed at what Luna said. “Why not? I have been the queen of Equestria for several years!”  “Twilight, you’re not the queen of Equestria. You’re the princess of Equestria. Queens don’t rule Equestria, only princesses and princes.” Luna tried to explain to Midnight why she wasn’t a queen.  “I am a queen, yes!” Midnight denied what Luna said. “Don’t you realize that when somepony rules alone, the pony or creature can be king or queen?”  “Twilight, I ruled Equestria for a thousand years and I never became a queen, I remained a princess.” I recap for Midnight Sparkle.  Midnight Sparkle laughed, but this time it was forced. “So it looks like you didn’t want to have that title. Because after all, Luna has been stuck on the moon for a thousand years and you didn’t want to become a queen because you didn’t want to be superior to anypony and neither did your sister.”  I couldn’t believe what I heard. My ears drooped sadly, but Midnight didn’t care if I was sad and continued to say, “And besides, Chrysalis was a queen of changeling, she practically governed the kingdom of changelings alone. So, it is scientifically possible that I am now the queen of Equestria.”  Midnight Sparkle laughed wickedly before looking at me and saying, “Celestia, you really should have thought twice before taking a action.”  I looked at Midnight confusedly. “But Twilight, Luna and I always talked before making a decision.”  “For that very reason. You should have thought twice or more before you made me an alicorn and wanted to retire,” said Midnight Sparkle with a mean smile. “Thanks to your decision, Equestria is no longer the same. And there is nothing, not even friendship that can prevent my tyrant reign!” she started laughing wildly.  I felt tears fall from my eyes. But I remembered something, I wiped my tears away with a hoof.  “You’re wrong. There is something that can stop you.” I said, now with courage on my face. Luna smiled too, because she knew exactly what I was talking about.  Midnight Sparkle stopped laughing, but her smile didn’t waver. “And what can stop me?”  “The Elements of Harmony,” I replied confidently.  Midnight Sparkle laughed wildly again. Luna and I were speechless. It wasn’t this reaction that we expected Midnight to have.  Midnight stopped laughing and said with an evil smile on her face, “The Elements of Harmony were destroyed a long time ago by King Sombra, Celestia!”  Luna and I were amazed at this revelation. “But how did King Sombra destroy the elements?” I asked, still surprised.  “When my friends and I thought we had defeated him, King Sombra returned and destroyed the Harmony tree, the same tree where my friends and I kept the elements after his ‘defeat’,” Midnight Sparkle told me. “And besides, there is no point in coming to my friends, because they died many years ago!”  I didn’t know what to say about that. I looked to the side as I started to cry and my ears went down. I covered my mouth with a front hoof. Luna looked at me while trying to comfort me, but it wasn’t working. I couldn’t believe what was going on. Thanks to these two decisions of mine in the past, Twilight became a tyrant ruler and there was no friendship in Equestria anymore, only tyranny and fear. What will Luna and I do? The elements were destroyed several years ago long before Luna and I retired and Twilight’s friends died several years ago. It would be impossible to defeat Midnight Sparkle. Luna and I didn’t notice, but Midnight was looking at us both with a mean smile.