//------------------------------//
// Ch21 The Fallen Star 
// Story: Tears of a Fallen Star 
// by Priceless911 
//------------------------------//

                 “The Summer Sun Celebration, we used to just call it the summer solstice but it seems that Princess Celestia had decided to turn it into some kind of celebration… I wonder if it’s an ego thing. Either way this is the day that the stars should unite with the moon… I wonder what will happen.”
Star Bolt watched the ponies of Equestria as they were getting everything ready for the celebration in a town called Ponyville. He had seen the stars as they journeyed across galaxies, only so they could meet here tomorrow night. He didn’t know what would happen, would they destroy the moon, the planet or would it do something else. All he did know, was that it was going to happen, and it was going to happen on the same night as The Summer Sun Celebration.

Star Bolt spent the rest of the night watching the Thunder Grounds, the crater, the zap apple tree and the surrounding area seemed the same. Star Bolt thought to himself, “It has been a little longer than a thousand years now. In fact, tomorrow will mark one thousand years and one week. I have watched as my family continued their lives and eventually died. I have seen nations rise and fall, towns founded then abandon. And this is just a trickle compared to the lives I’ve seen come and go. Whatever happens tomorrow, I have a really bad feeling about it. Something tells me that things will not end well.”
All of a sudden while watching the Thunder Grounds a mysterious pony wearing a cloak trotted up to the tree. As the figure got closer she put her hood down revealing that it wasn’t a pony at all, It was a zebra.

The zebra trotted around the tree examining every part of it. but she never stepped into the crater itself, which was a smart move. The Lightning Orb that created that very crater was more than one thousand fifteen years old, but the ground still held enough energy to shock anypony who got close. That is, anypony other than a pegasus. The zebra stopped circling the crater then she closed her eyes and muttered something to herself. Star Bolt tried all he could to understand what she was saying, but whatever it was, it was in Zebrican so to him it was just gibberish. She stopped speaking in her language then she looked straight up. Star Bolt felt very nervous about this, it was as if she was looking straight at him, as if she could actually see him. after staring in his direction for a few seconds, she smiled, put her hood back on, and trotted off into the forest.

Star Bolt couldn’t help but think to himself, Who was she? It’s been centuries since he last seen any zebra in Equestria, so why was she there and was she really looking at him? or did he just happen to be observing her from the direction of something else. Whatever it was, she had interest in the thunder grounds, or at least its origin. After pondering over the situation for a few second, everything started to go black as it always did when the sun began to rise. So Star Bolt just decided to rest until the next night when the stars would begin whatever it was they were meant to do.

The next night, Star Bolt watched closely as each star made its final approach to the moon. they weren’t very large for stars in fact he wouldn’t even call them stars, more like small burning moons but they turned out to be much more than that. Each one lined itself up in a row right behind the moon then one by one, starting from the back to the front; the stars began to merge together. Star Bolt had never seen two stars touch without destroying themselves before, but he continued to watch with curiosity. After the four stars had combined, the one remaining star slowly merged itself with the dark side of the moon, and then as the final bit of light vanished within the moon, there was a moment of hesitation as the Indention of an alicorn vanished from the moons surface. 

All of a sudden, a Black light that was almost impossible to see shot from the surface of the moon hitting him directly. The dark light turned into a black flame that surrounded his body and began to burn him just like the pink flame emitted from the Elements of Harmony, that he felt a millennium ago. As the flames burned him, he noticed that his body started to reappear, first the tip of his hooves then his chest and finally ending on his wings and tail. The armor he was wearing as well as the shield he carried was all there to include the damage that they both sustained before his sentence. It was as if he never left in the first place. After his body was completely visible again, he immediately shot from the sky straight down to Equestria. As he flew he felt the same fear as he did the last time, the only difference was that he felt excited too. However, his excitement quickly faded when he heard an evil laugh coming from beside him. When he turned to look in the direction he could see another black fireball falling next to him. he couldn’t see who it was, but he didn’t need to, he knew who it was. Star Bolt looked forward again and as the ground came closer and closer, he closed his eyes and braced himself for impact. Though he never felt himself hit the ground, he started to feel grass on his face as he heard a familiar voice.

“Ah we are back commander; finally, back to reclaim my kingdom.”
Star Bolt opened his eyes; he was lying on top of a grassy hill next to a lone tree. As he sat up he looked around, he noticed that he was in a field that was just outside the Everfree Forest, the same field that he fought so many battles on more than a thousand years ago, and standing at the edge of the hill, was Nightmare Moon. She looked back at him and smiled, “It’s good to see you in good health commander. I hope you’ve enjoyed your rest; it’s time to start gathering soldiers. Tell me, which town has the weakest loyalty to my sister? Since you could look over Equestria I'm certain you would know.”
Star Bolt lowered his head and thought to himself for a second then he looked back at Nightmare Moon and replied with a serious expression, “I believe Stalliongrad has the weakest loyalty, however there are two cities that are fairly new, so I'm unsure whether or not they are loyal to Celestia.”

With Nightmare Moon looking at the closest town in the distance, Star Bolt slowly unslung his shield as she replied, “Hmm… I suppose you should start with the large cities first, I think I'll take care of this little town, if I'm not mistaken this is where my sweet older sister was going to hold her Summer Sun Party or whatever she calls it. so I guess I'll leave the new recruits up t…”
While Nightmare Moon was talking, Star Bolt had charged at her with fire in his eyes, but right as he swung his blade, Nightmare Moon caught him out of the corner of her eye. He could have sworn he made contact with her, but she phased through his blade in a cloud of mist then reappeared beside him. As Star Bolt tried to catch her with his backswing, Nightmare Moon used her magic to grab him and toss him against the lone tree that he charged at her from. She smiled and spoke; “Now this is unexpected. The commander that I trusted with my very life turning his blade on me? so you did betray me that day, didn’t you.”

Star Bolt smiled, “no I didn’t betray you that day, it wasn’t until now that I decided to betray you. You seek to start the war that ruined my life one thousand years ago? Not under my watch.”
“So you joined my sister then?”
“No, I fight for no princess. As soon as I kill you, I'll go after your sister. She betrayed me, she broke our agreement then imprisoned me in the star’s light.”
Nightmare Moon was curious, “Agreement? So you made a deal then.”
Star Bolt glared at her with unbridled fury, “It doesn’t matter anymore all that matters is that you DIE!!!”
Star Bolt charged her again and just like the last time she dodged the attack and used her magic to toss him against a boulder lying to the bottom of the hill. Star Bolt quickly jumped to his hooved and charged a third time, when he swung his shield like earlier she phased through it as a cloud of mist, but then when she reappeared behind him, he kicked her in the chest with both hooves knocking her back a few feet. When she regained her balance, he was already swinging his blade again, so she stomped the ground, which sent a small puller of earth upward hitting him in the face and knocking him into the air and back a few feet.

Star Bolt jumped back on his hooves and spoke as he wiped the blood from his face, “You’re too predictable Nightmare Moon, But I'm not!”
Star Bolt focused his energy and created the cloud for the Lightning Orb. Nightmare Moon used her magic to incase the cloud in a barrier so that when the lightning was released it wouldn’t hurt her. However, Star Bolt out smarted her again. Instead of a bolt of lightning, he used the flash ability to momentarily blind her. While she couldn’t see he charged her again.

Nightmare Moon retrieved her sight just as Star Bolt swung his shield, when she tried to dodge the attack, she moved too late. Star Bolt was close enough to put a deep gash in her chest plate. In a fit of rage she grabbed him with her magic, bashed him against the boulder, and then tossed him against the tree. Then she lifted him in the air by his thought. Star Bolt tried to use the Lightning Orb again but it was no use, without his hooves touching the ground, he couldn’t evaporate moister to create the cloud. Nightmare Moon was now enraged, she tightened her grip around his throat as she spoke “ENOUGH OF THIS!! If you choose to betray me now, then you must have a reason why. I gave you a title worthy of respect, I made you into the most feared pony in Equestria, why betray me now? After everything I did for you!”

Star Bolt stared into her eyes with the kind of fury that even made her nervous, “You… you want to know why I be… trayed you? Why I decided to no longer follow you orders?! WHY I WILL SPEND EVERY CONTINUING BREATH TRYING TO KILL YOU!! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW!?!...”
Nightmare Moon loosened her grip then replied with a calming voice, “Why, Tell me.”
Star Bolt continued, “Fine, I'll tell you… you used me like a tool. You knew my feelings for Luna and what I would do for her and you used it against me… against Equestria. You acted as if Luna was still in your heart, and like she could hear and see me. You acted like she was still inside you to get to my feelings for her and use me to do your bidding. But I know now she is dead, she is no longer in your heart because you killed her a long time ago. I loved her with every fiber of my being and you used my love for her, to toy with me like some… puppet. Do you know what it’s like, to watch the world crumble around you and ignore it so that you can hope to get what you want? Only to come to the horrible realization that what you want no longer exist?  You have been doing it to me during that entire war. I loved her and literally killed for her, but I know that she will nev…”

Star Bolt froze in shock, as he was silenced when Nightmare Moon leaned in and kissed him. He didn’t understand it, was this a dream, some kind of spell to cloud his mind? What could have possessed her to do something like this? What was it that she was trying to say? When she stopped, she looked into his eyes and spoke, “I wasn’t toying with you, all those times I seemed like I was using you, I did to get closer to you. I went to the Thunder Grounds that night because I felt like that place was special to you and I, I trotted through the battlefield because I wanted to talk with you again, like we used to do in the Canterlot garden. I even overlooked your actions under Cloudsdale, and after the battle at Canterlot, because… I love you. Both before and after the war began, I had feelings for you and…
“Then why?…”
“Why?”
Star Bolt started to tear up, “If you loved me before the war then why did you become Nightmare Moon? I told you why the ponies slept during your nights, and you said that you felt better about the situation, so why? Why did the darkness take control of your heart, why did you become Nightmare Moon? if you loved me, then why didn’t you trust my words? Why didn’t you accept what I told you?”
Nightmare Moon lowered her head as she replied, “Because it was you who told me.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I… I’ve always known how you felt, ever since you were a little foal, I’ve known about your feelings for me. and I knew that if there was a day that I was ever feeling bad, a day when there was pain in my heart for any reason that you would say whatever you could to ease that pain. You would say anything so that you would never have to see me cry… whether it was the truth or not. I trusted you with my very life but I knew you would lie if it would stop my tears. That night, when you were about to tell me how you felt before we were interrupted, I realized that what you said could have been the truth… or a small lie to make me feel better, so I told my sister about what was troubling me and she told me that I should focus on the good things about it. she said nothing about the ponies laying their trust on the safety of my night, or that they felt protected when I was ruling the night. It’s this reason that I knew you only told me that to make me feel better. But never the less, I felt moved that you would say something like that for my feelings. And it’s this reason I'm giving you a second chance, Star Bolt, will you be my commander and rule my armies as we reclaim Equestria in the name of the Nightmare Legion?”

Star Bolt looked at the ground in shame, he couldn’t believe what he heard he could only mumble to himself, “It… it was me.”
“Well Star?”
“It was all my doing… the ponies suffered because of me.”
“Will you be my commander?”
“The sun was covered in an eclipse all because of what I said, one year of pain and suffering all because I tried to comfort the pony I loved.”
“There is still a chance to save yourself you know… to make it all right.”
“I did this… I started a war, I.. I’m responsible for their deaths, all of them. The fighting, the bloodshed, it’s all because of me.”
Nightmare Moon tried to get through to him, “Commander? Will you join me? A simple yes or no will suffice.”

Star Bolt thought to himself for a second then he looked up and stared at her directly in the eye as he said with a serious tone, “Nightmare Moon. I want you to kill me... right here and right now. I don’t care if its slow and painful or quick and painless, I only want you to kill me.”
Nightmare Moon was shocked to hear him say that but she hid it from her face, “Is that your decision then? To die here and now instead of serving me?”
Star Bolt kept his expression as he replied, “Yes, I have caused the pain and suffering that was the Nightmare Crusade. So it is only fair that I pay the ultimate price for the actions I'm responsible for.” 
Nightmare Moon sighed, “Very well if you want to die than I have no choice but to answer your plea”

Nightmare Moon still held Star Bolt in the air with her magic as she reached out and touched the lone tree with her hoof. The tree instantly shattered into a billion pieces as if it was made of glass, leaving behind a perfectly made wooden spear. She then picked up the spear and held it to his face. Star Bolt continued looking her in the eye with his serious look, at no time did his expression change, it was as if his eyes were penetrating her very soul. She had never seen such seriousness in a pony’s eyes before. This wasn’t the stare of a pony merely accepting death, this was the look of a pony pleading for death… a pony who welcomed it. She pulled the spear back and braced herself to jolt it forward into his head, but she hesitated. Something was stopping her, she couldn’t strike forward with the spear as easily as she though.

Nightmare Moon lowered her spear and took a deep breath trying to clear her thoughts and ready herself, then she brought the spear back to its earlier position in front of his face. She pulled the spear back again, but the results were the same. Despite the irritation, he gave her, despite the betrayal and his request for death… She couldn’t do it. she still had feelings for him, feelings that was preventing her from killing him face to face like this. She even tried closing her eyes and striking forward, but like the last few attempts, she couldn’t kill him. Star Bolt saw the indecision in her eyes so he tried to anger her, “What’s the matter Nightmare Moon? I'm only a pathetic commander who chose to betray his princess. Can’t you finish me?”
Nightmare Moon thought to herself for a second then she finally decided how she could do it.

Nightmare Moon flew into the sky still crying both Star Bolt and the Spear then using all the strength she had, she tossed Star Bolt as far and as hard as she could. Star Bolt closed his eyes as he flew through the air, with no concern for his life he didn’t try to fly at all, or even slow his speed. He only waited until he hit the top of a tree in the middle of the Everfree Forest. After hitting the tree, he landed on a sturdy enough branch that held him high off the ground. He stood up on the branch and started to check his body to see if he broke anything but then he heard a familiar sound, out of reflex he raised his shield to protect himself. The Wooden spear flew at him with so much speed and force that it pierced his shield, His shoulder, and stuck into the tree behind him pinning him between his shield and the tree. Star Bolt screamed in agony for a few seconds, then he saw Nightmare Moon flying above him in the sky, “You had your chance commander, now you will be displayed here for all the ponies to see. You are an example of what happens when you stand against me.”

Star Bolt Looked up at her and replied, “Y-you w-will… not use... my corpse as a tool too… I’d rather be eaten by t-timberw-wolves.”
Star Bolt grabbed the spear by its staff, then using his hind hooves and his wings he pushed against the tree until the wooden blade broke off inside the tree. As soon and the spear blade was broken, Star Bolt fell to the ground below, hitting every branch on the way down, all the while making the spear staff that was still sticking out both sided of his body, worsen his wound. Nightmare Moon was both horrified and worried about the wounded stallion, as she watched him hit the ground and lie there without moving. She rushed down to his side, then she kneeled down and spoke with tears running down her face, “Why Star Bolt? I gave you a chance to live. I wanted you to stay with me a while longer. I wanted you to be by my side while we both ruled Equestria as the keepers of the night… but instead you chose death? I could have given you anything and everything you could ever hope for… why would you give up such an offer? Especially just to die a horrible death. Why?”

Trying to talk through the pain, Star Bolt replied, “I-I died a long time ag-go. It didn’t t-take long for m-me to see that… we could nev-never win that w-war… and if I c-caused it all, th-then I deserved to d-die. I g-guess this w-was how it was sup-supposed to end. Go and st-start… your war, I-I won’t… be a p-part of it this t-time.”
Nightmare Moon stood back up and sighed, “Then this is goodbye Star Bolt… we won’t meet each other again. This, I am certain.”
Nightmare Moon turned around and turned into her cloud of mist leaving behind the tears that were on her face as they fell to the ground. Star Bolt replied, “G-Good ridden.”

Star Bolt tried to pick himself up but it was impossible, the wounds were too bad and he had already lost too much blood. He reached for the spear and tried to pull it out of his body but he was too weak to do that too. When he tried to look at his wound, he couldn’t see anything because of the shield that was nailed to his chest by the spear, locking his right hoof behind it. He started to feel dizzy as he laid in a pool of his own blood, “So… th-this is what death feels l-like… I… have waited for so l-long for this d-day. But I… I…”

At that moment, as his vision started to fade, he could see a silhouette galloping towards him. As the silhouette got closer, he was able to identify it. It was the zebra from the night before, as she got closer to him she started to open her saddle bag, 
“Hold on my friend this isn’t you fate,
I won’t let you die, I'm not too late,
My name is Zecora, I'm a friend and that’s true.
Now lay back, relax, I'm here to help you.”
Star Bolt replied as he started to loss consciousness, “B-but how did you f-find me… there is n-no… way you coul…”
Star Bolt’s blood loss had caught up with him as he lost consciousness.