Chapter Four: Stereo Hearts and The Broken Record
Two weeks passed, and Equestria had blown up in the rumor mill about the package that had been delivered by a Commander from the Navy having made a true blue marathon flight, something that was always considered with rumors in the history book, the ancient legend of the original marathon flight about the same distance as the good Commander's mad dash to Canterlot, and what it might contain.
The one thing that was on everyponies mind was rather straightforward. Whatever was in that package was from The Queen. The simple idea that Faust herself had returned to send that package off to her Daughters was enough to get the rumor mill going, but the fact that the Princesses themselves wouldn't speak of or acknowledge the existence of the package drove them to greater heights.
Was it a warning of impending disaster? A important artifact? A gift for her Daughter's birthdays? The rumors swung all over the map, but in the end, the rumors didn't matter.
Many rises and falls of the sun and the moon passed quietly, the world at peace, as ponies pranced, worked, and played in the warm days and slept through the dark, peaceful nights. But, as once told, Luna grew resentful of her sister as she wished for the love and adoration of their little ponies as well.
These building feelings of resentment drove the pure heart crystal of the young soldier, the young human woman, from Luna's mind as she contemplated how to force the ponies of Equestria to love her... in any manner possible.
The thoughts turned desperate and wicked over the years, taking on almost a form all of it's own, encompassing Luna entirely, and turning her into a being of true darkness, feeding off the fear and dreams of the little ponies of Equestria... Nightmare Moon.
A Hundred and twenty-nine years passed since Celestia and Luna visited the young woman in the Cosmos. Celestia hadn't forgotten, and was patiently awaiting the young woman's arrival, her Heart Crystal glowing brighter then ever, carefully guarded by the Goddess of the Sun. Some had begged Celestia to use the Heart Crystal as a weapon against the darkness that was Nightmare Moon, to prevent the Lunar Republics spread across Equestria, but Celestia refused, ordering her armies to fall back, for she had a plan.
A desperate plan, but a plan none the less. The Elements, broken from Luna because of the manifestation of Nightmare Moon, would still be useable by her older sister. She wouldn't be able to -purify- Luna, to rip Nightmare Moon from her sister's body and cleanse the younger alicorn hidden inside the monster that was ruling her body, but there was a second option... using The Elements as a magical booster to increase her own abilities to the point that she could lock the Nightmare away in an endless sleep on the moon, hopefully till the new bearers of The Elements of Harmony could be found.
But there was one big hitch in the plan- getting the Elements from the old castle, their parents castle, more of a monument, which Nightmare Moon was using as a base of operations. The old magics around the castle made it -very- well defended, and many stories from the little ponies told of great monsters and dangers roaming in the wild wood that surrounded the castle... forever free from any kind of control, the last wild place.
She would have to go alone. The amount of magic she would be channeling... Celestia shivered in fear of the idea of just what she was planning on doing. The amount of magic she would be channeling was something that was supposed to be spread across a whole group of Unicorns, or the six Elements of Harmony. No Alicorn could replicate that effect without the Elements assistance, and even then, she feared that unleashing that much magic could seriously injure somepony.
Celestia bit her lower lip softly as she continued thinking over her plan, pacing in the throne room... when a stray band of sunlight glinted off of the royal throne, and Celestia's attention was drawn by the glinting, sparkling light.
It had sat in a glass case all these years, laying on a carefully conjured velvet pillow, supported by Celestia and Luna's own feathers in and carefully enspelled to stay sealed... unless the being within the case woke up.
Celestia slowly turned, captivated by the beautiful and elegant curves, and how it seemed to capture the light and then let it flow outwards in all the colors, pure to the very core, a radiant white held close by light purples, blues, and a touch of gold.
Celestia bit her lower lip again, frowning lightly at the Heart Crystal. Had it really been so long since she had talked to that poor woman? It felt like just days ago she had spoken to her, but had a hundred and twenty-nine years truly flashed her by?
The elder Alicorn sister softly lifted the spells and took the glass case off before gently taking the Heart Crystal in her hooves, marveling at it's beauty and what it represented... a pure soul. Something untainted and in so many ways, untouchable by the corruption that the soul had weathered in her previous life.
“So strong...” Celestia whispers, closing her eyes. “Stronger then I.”
The Goddess blinks, and then looks at the Crystal again, and on a whim, carefully applies a little magic to it, only to gasp as the simple levitation spell is amplified suddenly, leaping into the air, carefully, and now even more gently, held in Celestia's magic.
“... This... will help.” Celestia whispers softly. “I can only hope that you'll forgive me for using your assistance.”
The Heart Crystal would help greatly. It's ability to amplify the magic required to cast the spell would make it easier on Celestia, and more importantly, not drain it from the surroundings, like she originally planned. That meant that she could bring the Guard with her to assist her in subduing her Sister and her guard.
Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Forgive me, Ashley Kitson.” She says quietly to the Heart Crystal, and marched onwards, calling her guards.
One way or another, it would end that night.
----/----
“Here we go, for the hundreth time...” One of the stallions whispered as the Guard stood forth, their armor glinting in the morning sun.
The battle of wills that took place every morning was showing it's strain upon their Princess, and they knew it, but that's why they were there. The Night Guard, their old brothers-in-arms, now fierce, unyielding foes, would know the same of their own Princesses, Nightmare Moon. They would have to strike now, from the edge of a large amount of untainted and untouched land, just off of the edge of the Everfree Woods, the wind biting at them as they made their way to the darkened wood, the oft-trotted trail guiding them towards their final goal.
“Hoofgrenades, at every line. Throw them straight up and let 'em shine boys. Remember, no excuses on the line, incapacitation strikes only, no one's bleedin' out today.” The Commander of the Guard spoke quietly, passing the orders along to the unicorns who drew the carefully crafted potions with their magic as they swiftly came upon their goal. No ambushes, no attacks from behind... the Night Guard knew that they expected it, and would easily be able to fend it off.
As they came upon the castle, the lines of the Solar Guard were quickly shown to be matched by the Night Guard, the trained ponies glaring out the lines at their brethren.
Two lines, two-hundred Guard, on each side. The ponies snorted, held back only by their princesses. Celestia strode forth, drawing upon the Royal Canterlot Voice. “LUNA! DEARIST SISTER, SHOW YOURSELF!”
The Night Guard parted only enough for the armored, fearsome sight of the Nightmare that consumed the goddess of the night could stride forwards. “Celestia, you forget yourself, allowing thouself to step forth upon my lands... do you truly wish to send your little ponies to their deaths?”
Many of the Night Guard jeered and let out cries of war, pounding steel-clad hooves against the ground in agreement, or pounding a hoof against armored chests, letting the sound rumble around their Princess's words. Celestia snorted softly. “They will not fall this day Luna! No pony will! Please little sister, do not push this matter!”
The barking, wicked laugh of the Goddess of the Night echoed around the clearing between the edge of the Forest and the castle in which she was residing. “Foalish words, sister. You will fall, and the Night, shall last, FOREVER!” She yelled out, laughing as the Goddess whisper into a dark fog of stars and fell back to her castle as the cry went out amongst the Night Guard. The battle was about to commence.
Suddenly, the unicorns of the Solar Guard whipped their hoofgrenades, lit and set to go. The blinding flashes and booming noise covered Celestia's move as she vanished into the morning light and into the castle, chasing her sister as the Solar Guard charged the Night Guard.
Inside the castle, Celestia moved on swift hooves, charging down the old hallways she and her sister used to play in as she quickly charged down her goal, the one thing that Nightmare Moon would have forgotten, the Elements of Harmony.
A blast of magic danced past her flank, a charged bolt of lighting. An angered cry followed Celestia as she ran faster and faster, ignoring the monster that had taken over her sister's taunts.
“Turn and fight, coward, or art thou so weak and foalish that you try to hide?! Face me, Celestia! Face me and thou's fate!” Nightmare Moon's cry echoed through the halls, following Celestia as she dashed to the pedistal that held the Elements of Harmony, the glowing jewels glinting in the shadows of the hall and in the morning light as Celestia skidded to a halt, her horn glowing brightly as she brought up a shield of sunlight, blocking a bolt of the darkest of nights.
Nightmare Moon raged as she cast spell after spell at her sister, seeking to break the shield and destroy her foalish sister, “They should have loved us both! Without you, they will have to love me and my night, for it shalt be ETERNAL!”
“Stop this madness Luna! Don't you see this is wrong!? So many ponies are going to be hurt if you continue on this path!” Celestia cried back, emotion overtaking her as she begged her sister to stop, drawing out the Heart Crystal.
“NEIGH! We shall bring out the everlasting night! Thou can't stop us!” Nightmare Moon taunted.
“But I can, little sister... I can.” Celestia whimpered quietly as her horn started to glow that much brighter.
“Wha-” Nightmare started before crying out in pain, bound by a burning light that gripped her to the core. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
“Nightmare Moon! I banish you from this world! I banish thee to the end of the sky! I banish thee to Luna, to the moon! I banish you so that you will learn! I banish you to protect our little ponies! SO! LET! IT! BE!” Celestia cried out as she channeled as much magic as she could handle and more, casting it through the Heart Crystal, which sparkled brightly from the magic running through it's form.
“NO! THOU CAN'T!” Nightmare Moon cried out in anguish and pain as the magic tugged on her form.
The Elements of Harmony hovered close by Celestia as she called upon them to bring the banishing to a close. The magic was powerful, and it felt as if her horn was going to explode as she forced more and more through it and into the Heart Crystal, before a final blast of light leaped from the Heart Crystal, spearing Nightmare Moon.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” The final cry of Nightmare Moon echoed out as the magic took hold.
The battle outside raged on, the Night Guard and Solar Guard at a standstill, the brave ponies fighting for every inch as they sought to be able to go after the Princesses when a pillar of pure white light blasted out of the roof of the castle, causing all the fighting to stop as they gawked at the sight of the powerful magic. Several unicorns fell unconscious from the backwash of magical energy used to cast the banishing spell, the light seemingly piercing the moon... which slowly fell and then faded from sight.
The Night Guard could only look on in anguish as their Goddess was banished to the moon, and lay down their arms.
For better or worse, it was over.
In the Element's chambers, a scorch mark was all that remained of the spell Celestia had cast, the Goddess sobbing as she collapsed, the elements, encased in stone, settling onto their pedestal as the goddess cried out for her little sister, for forgiveness from their mother and father for having to resort to a banishment... and for longing for things to be as they once were.
She didn't hear the soft footfalls walking up aside her, but her tears were quietly wiped away by soft hands, making her gasps as she turned to look.
The young woman she had meet those many years ago was smiling sadly at Celestia, and spoke with softer tones. “She will return, Celestia.”
“A-ashley Kitson... forgive me... for using you in this.” Celestia sobbed quietly, pressing her muzzle against the human, who hugged her softly.
“Sssh... it's ok.” Ashley whispers, smiling sadly. “It hurts... but she will be back. She will, I promise you this, for I've seen it. One thousand years from now, at the dawn of the longest day, she will return, as will I.”
Celestia gasps as she looks at Ashley. “You... can't stay?” She asks, looking so lonely. Ashley shakes her head no. “I am only here because you called me here, Celestia. I haven't... figured out an answer to your question yet.” Ashley whispers, rubbing her arm.
“Forgive me. My time already is short.” Ashley hugs Celestia again lightly. “Be strong, Celly. Your Mother and Father forgive you, and they send their love. You have much to do.”
And with that, Ashley was gone, the Heart Crystal lightly drifting back to the floor, settling itself between Celestia's hooves.
The war was over... but there was still much to do.
---End Chapter 4: Broken Stereo, Skipping Record---