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// Prologue: 10/10/1010 C.S.E 
// Story: Only shadows of the past... 
// by Phoenix Quill 
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It was on the tenth day, of the tenth month, of the one thousand and tenth year of the Celestial Sisters Era.

The moon shone brightly at the apex of the sky accompanied by an endless sea of stars looking down upon Equestria.

Nopony noticed when they trembled. For on this day, the moon shone brightly in the sky, and fear clutched at the hearts of all as they wondered where the sun had gone.

A black alicorn cackled to herself as she stood upon the highest tower of Castle Everfree. When she laughed, the stars twinkled with her, as if they all shared a joke that the rest of the world hasn't caught up on yet.

"Oh but isn't it gorgeous my dear sister?" she spat out the last word as if it were poison in her mouth, "Now they shall see the beauty of my nights that they have shunned for all these years!"

Celestia stood across from the black alicorn with a robe wrapped around her body, to keep the cold at bay as she tried to talk her sister down from her mad desire, "Luna, please listen to reason," the black alicorn scowled at Celestia as she motioned for her to go on, "The ponies need our sun. You must lower thine moon so we may bring dawn before our ponies freeze to death! Please sister, I beg of thee!"

"Your ponies, your sun, your light, that's all I ever hear out of you!" she snapped at Celestia as her draconic eyes gave off a bright green glow, "My night court lies empty for months on end! All I ever hear is that you are so busy with your little ponies, that you just don't have any time to see me! ME! Your own sister! And why? Because you are busy, because everypony praises you, but they leave me in the dark and shun me!"

Celestia winced as she looked away from her sister's accusing eyes, "We try Luna, we try so hard to make time for you, but the land needs us. They need us both, even if you don't know it they need you. We, I need you. Please come back to us sister."

The dark princess felt a tinge of surprise that Celestia dropped the royal we for emphasis, but let it pass as she opened her wings and spoke, "They do not care for me sister, your little ponies FEAR my nights. They shun and sleep through nights that I labored on since time immemorial to perfect." she lowered her tone almost to that of a whisper before continuing, "No sister, they do not need me, only because they are blinded by the light of your sun. I will show them the awe of my nights, I will MAKE them appreciate me, AND the work I do! Even if my night must last FOREVER!"

Celestia stepped forward and opened her wings wide to look as intimidating as possible, "Luna, you can't do that! Everypony would die! They would either starve or freeze to death! I beg of thee sister, stop this madness!"

The younger princess chuckled again as her ethereal mane shifted in a nonexistent breeze, "Madness you say?" she paused, took a step to Celestia and placed a hoof over her own heart before continuing, "Is it madness to wish to be loved?"

The white alicorn lowered her wings, looking down slightly, "No, it is only natural, and rightly so. But if you seek to gain their affection like this, try as hard as you wish, you will not find it, only death lies in what thou hath brought."

"THEN THEY DIE IF THEY WILL NOT LOVE ME!" the princess of the night shouted in the royal voice, "If they starve to death, it would be insignificant to the emptiness that they have left in place of my soul when they ripped it out of me. If they freeze, it would only be half as cold as you made my heart, my dear sister!"

Celestia took a step back from the mare across her, "Thou can not be our sister! Luna would never kill another pony."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" the black pony cried out, "Luna is dead! You and your precious ponies saw to that! I am what was created from her remains, I am your every waking nightmare, I am the master of the moon! And let it be known, oh sister of mine, when everypony is dead and gone, and you live forever to rule over the remaining dust, that Nightmare Moon did this to you!"

Celestia backed away until her haunch bumped into the turret wall. She looked down at the stone floor as if to accept her fate, then looked up with a gaze as sharp as steel, "No."

Nightmare Moon looked back at her, a look of shock flashed across her face, "No? What do you mean no?"

Celestia took a step forward, "Thou might think that thou shalt cover the land in darkness eternal, but harmony will find a way. If we must fight our own sister to save our subjects, then I won't rest until I have defeated you!" A blast shot out of the white mare's horn and struck Nightmare in her chest, forcing her backwards off the edge of the tower.

Nightmare Moon opened her wings and tried to correct herself from her tumble, but to no use. She crashed into the roof of the castle and smashed into the throne room below. The ruler of the night checked herself as quick as she could to make sure nothing was broken, and was fortunate that her armor protected her. 

She looked up through the hole she had created and witnessed Celestia diving after her, robes off, revealing a golden suit of armor. 

The princess of the sun aimed to land directly on Nightmare Moon, to quickly end the battle with a crippling move, but the dark mare saw through her attack. She became an ethereal cloud of stars, and glided to the edge of the room as Princess Celestia slammed her hooves into the marble ground, with enough force to send fracture line cracks spider webbing around her.

The formless Nightmare Moon slithered her way over to her sisters ear, "You cannot win... my new dark powers are stronger than you can ever possibly imagine."

Princess Celestia spun in an attempt to catch the formless mare, only to find it was as if she were to duel with moonbeams. Nightmare Moon laughed as she solidified back into her usual form, "Oh what's wrong, you give up already?"

Celestia gave a battle cry as she charged Nightmare Moon, horn lowered and charging with magic, ready to attack. 
The dark princess feigned boredom as she sent a wave of lightning bolts at the princess of the sun. "Really? Is that all the great Sun Princess has to offer in a fight? I expected more out of you. After all, you and I defeated Discord and your former student, what was his name? Oh yes, Sombra I believe it was?" 

Celestia gritted her teeth as she attempted to rise from the ground, "Sister, we do not wish to harm thee. Please, don't make us do something we'll both regret."

The night mare laughed as she reared up and slammed her hooves down on Celestia's breast plate "THEN YOU WILL BE CRIPPLED ON THIS NIGHT!"

The dark princess slammed her silver armored shoes into Celestia's golden armor, with enough force to shake the very earth. The soft metal of the armor dented easily, forming cracks in the weak spots and pushing out the many rivets, revealing the white coat underneath.

Nightmare Moon laughed the entire time with the kind of joy that only could be shared by the truly insane.

Princess Celestia's horn glowed as she tried to bring forth the power to stop her sister. Every time that she would bring forth the power needed to cast a spell, Nightmare's silver shod hooves would again slam down upon her.

Finally, the armor of Princess Celestia, bringer of the sun, could not withstand another moment of abuse, and fell away from her body, crumpled and dented beyond recognition. All Celestia could do was try to protect herself by trying to become as small as possible.

Nightmare Moon brought the assault on her older sister to a halt. As she listened to Celestia's wracking sobs, Nightmare Moon leaned down to her sister's ear and whispered softly, in tones a mother would use when trying to calm her foal, "This can all stop now sister. All you have to do is surrender, and let my beautiful night reign supreme."

Celestia looked up at Nightmare Moon. Blood streamed out of her muzzle, and cuts from her sisters harsh silver shoes covered her body. "I'm so very sorry sister, thou art beyond reason."

A light, brighter than a thousand suns burned in Celestia's eyes, "If thou shalt not stand down from madness, then we shall send thee where thou shalt not harm any living being!" She spread her wings and began to ascend into the air, revealing all six elements of harmony around her neck.

Nightmare Moon shielded her eyes from the glow and took a cautionary step back, "No, surely this is some sort of trick! No one mare can hold all that power! Nopony is so pure and righteous as to resemble all of harmony itself! Face it, you lost!"

Celestia paid no mind to Nightmare Moon as the elements began to activate, "Forgive me, sister."

Nightmare Moon charged her horn for one final attack. Simultaneously, the elements let loose a rainbow in her direction. 

The shock wave from Nightmare's spell left her horn with enough force to knock over several pillars in the palace. The stone cracked as the building groaned in protest. Every window shattered as the spell rushed out the castle.

The magic seeped its way out into the grounds surrounding the castle. Embedding itself into the very nature, twisting the plants and animals in unnatural ways. Ponies caught unaware fled in fear as the very land seemed to turn against them.

The rainbow hit Nightmare Moon, and for a moment nothing happened. The rainbow swirled around Nightmare Moon as she laughed maniacally,"The elements have failed you! Your folly will destroy them and MY NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!"

Celestia watched as the rainbow swirled around Nightmare Moon like a tornado, "That is the last act that thou shalt use to defile my country!"

Then the rainbow shot up into the sky. The screams of Nightmare Moon rose before fading away. As the sound faded, the light of harmony's rainbow dissipated, leaving Celestia alone in the throne room.

She looked up to the sky, and saw the image of a mare's head looking down at her from the moon, and knew that even if the Everfree Forest was as lost as her once beautiful castle, Equestria was saved.