Interlude
Princess Luna sat in Celestia's room, high in the upper levels of the Royal Palace, in the calm, cool of her beautiful night watching over all of Equestria through a huge window. She sat with her eyes closed, in absolute silence, remembering her experience a Nightmare Moon. She remembered back to when the initial change had come over her and shuddered at the memory.
Her vision shifted, back to that very night.
Princess Luna stood high on a cloud, overlooking Equestria, it was the same cloud she and Celestia met at, each and every dawn and dusk. She looked down at the ponies sleeping peacefully on the ground beneath her and had to put forth a conscious effort not to openly sneer.
Luna dug her hoof at the cloud, she was agitated, more than agitated,
“For hundreds of your lifetimes, I have provided you with a cool, clear night after each day. You relish and play in my sister’s day, but you shun and sleep through my beautiful night. You love Celestia and everything she brings, but what about me? Would any of you, even know me if I was to walk among you right now?” she asked the open air.
Princess Luna hung her head, she already knew the answer,
“I’ve heard it with my own ears now, for years. You ask each other and Celestia the same inane questions, ‘It sure must be a lot of work to raise both the Sun and Moon every day, when do you sleep?’ You don’t even remember me now do you?” Princess Luna stamped her hoof, tearing a large chunk out of the cloud, “Why do I continue on like this? What is the point, when nopony cares? Would an occasional ‘thank you’ be so much to ask? Without my night, you would never have any time to sleep, and I understand that, but the least you could do is acknowledge me!” the Moon Princess became frustrated, “If only one of you would just look up and see my night sky, even for a moment, it would be enough, some kind of acknowledgement, something. Give me a look, a nod, a simple comment, even if it’s just a whisper. Give me something!” she cried loudly.
Down on the Earth below, not a single pony stirred. They did not hear her. She had made her night too perfect and every pony slept right on through her cries. The Moon Princess lay down on the cloud and wept bitter tears, ‘They don’t love me anymore. They don’t even remember me now. I’ve become ‘the other one’, a waste, useless and unnecessary.’ The Moon Princess wept and wept all through her night. Her sorrow had long ago turned to jealousy, and that night it turned from jealousy into bitterness.
Princess Luna didn’t care enough, right then, to stop the emotion from filling her. She had enough, ‘I will MAKE them see my night. I will keep the Moon up until they see it.’ she thought, making her decision easily.
Princess Celestia called out to her little sister as she ascended toward their cloud,
“I’m coming Luna,” she laughed happily, “Make way for the dawn!”
Princess Celestia landed on the cloud smiling hugely, she pranced a merry little dance on the cloud top, extra happy that morning,
“Good morning little sister!” she beamed, “Are you ready to lower the Moon? I know you must be tired, I can take over now and you can go to sleep.”
Princess Luna despised her big sister’s perky morning attitude, it made her even more angry. Luna walked over to the side of the cloud and looked down on the still sleeping ponies below her.
She lowered her head and gritted her teeth, then turned toward Celestia with bitterness in her voice,
“No.” she whispered.
Celestia stopped prancing on the cloud as if she had been stabbed. She turned her head toward her sister slowly, eyes wide and mouth agape, ‘What? This must just be a misunderstanding.’ Celestia turned her whole body toward her younger sister and for the first time, noticed the hurt behind Luna’s eyes, ‘What’s going on?’
Celestia took a careful step toward her younger sister, concern in her eyes, voice, and posture,
“Luna, what’s wrong?” she asked. Luna turned her head away, but Celestia pursued her, “What happened? Luna, please tell me.”
Princess Luna raised her eyes and looked Celestia in the eyes,
“I’m not lowering the Moon.” she said, “They’ve forgotten me.” Luna said, eyes beginning to burn, “They’ve forgotten me but I will MAKE them remember! I’ll MAKE them appreciate my night for once! I will not lower the Moon until they love me again!”
Celestia was shocked, Luna sounded nothing like her normal self,
“Luna please, you can’t stop the cycle of night and day, it isn’t natural . . .”
Luna screamed,
“Is it natural for me to be unappreciated for all these years! Is it natural for a Princess to be ignored by her own subjects? To receive no respect or acknowledgement for what she does! I’m worthless to them now, Celestia! The only Princess they acknowledge is you! They don’t want me! This is going to end right now! I do just as much for them as you do! They will love me and they will love my night or they will never see the Sun again!” Luna didn’t actually mean her last statement, she was merely venting the bitterness in her soul.
Suddenly time seemed to stop.
The cloud vanished, Celestia vanished, everything vanished. Luna stood in a dark nowhere, there was a little light but no light source, she stood but there was no ground. A figure stood in front of her, one she couldn’t identify, but felt familiar all the same.
Princess Luna addressed the figure,
“Who are you?” she asked, “Speak! For I am in no mood for games!”
A deep husky voice addressed the Moon Princess,
“Temper, temper, little Princess. You’re not acting so royal right now. You have been forming me from the most denied, tortured part of your bitter little mind.”
“Who are you?” Luna asked.
“I am the embodiment of your pain and desire. I am the entity formed by your fevered dreams, your nightmare, if you will. I am Nightmare Moon and I have an offer for you. Indulge me for a time, allow me to grasp your power, all of it, and I shall give you what you most desire. I can see into your mind’s eye, for it is my prison. You are afraid to take any truly drastic steps to achieve what you yearn for, I however am under no such hindrance.” Nightmare Moon’s voice seemed to come from right behind Luna, “Think about it, my mistress.” she whispered seductively, “Everything you want, everything you’ve cried yourself to sleep over for the past several thousand years, can be yours. I am your humble servant and I shall do your bidding. I was born of your desire. Every dark urge that you fear to act upon I will do for you. My offer is only for you, my creator. You made me and to that, I am yours and yours alone.”
“You can do it? You can get them to love me?” Princess Luna asked hopefully, desperation tinting her voice.
Nightmare Moon laughed,
“One way or another, they will bow to you.” she assured.
“Do it then.” Princess Luna knew it was a mistake as soon as the words left her lips.
Nightmare Moon appeared on the cloud, clad in dark shimmering armor, thin and unhealthy, yet with a morbid and vivacious macabre malignancy. Princess Celestia was utterly shocked at the appearance of the mare that manifested where her little sister had been only moments before. From her cloud-top vantage point the dark mare spotted the white stone city beneath her. Nightmare Moon drew a deep breath and exhaled, breathing thick fog down into the city below. Its inhabitants ran out into the streets, drawn by the foggy darkness which heralded the dark one's manifestation. The fog in the continual darkness frightened them, one and all, 'Where is Princess Celestia's day? Where is the Sun? I can't see!'
The evil mare laughed harshly at their plight,
“I will keep them in darkness for a time and then pull the fog away. They will embrace the night. They will love the night for it will be the only light they have! The night will last forever!” inside her, Princess Luna screamed.
The Princess could see through Nightmare Moon's eyes but she was helpless to act. She called out to her captor,
“No! This isn't what I wanted! Nightmare Moon, you lied to me! They can't live without the Sun! Their crops will die and their skin will pale! They take nourishment from what the Sun provides! I didn't want this! I just wanted t be appreciated as an equal, not as a superior to Celestia! I wanted a longer night, not an eternal one! I just wanted them to see the night, not become prisoners of it! Stop this, please!”
The Princess' words fell on uncaring ears. Nightmare Moon had been born of Princess Luna's bitterness. The Princess had fueled the emotions for years beyond count, giving Nightmare Moon more potency with each passing moment. Nightmare Moon not only took control of Princess Luna's power but her body as well, she needed a physical form. From the deepest depths of her new power she had magically manifested into a creature which represented the truest form of what she was and what she desired. Nightmare Moon chose a form loosely based on that of Princess Luna, but of an equal size to Princess Celestia, whom Luna envied so terribly.
“Luna?” Celestia cried, “Luna, what happened to you?” she took a step toward the new and fearsome mare who now stood in front of her.
“Silence foal!” Nightmare Moon bellowed, “Your pathetic sister has given her power to me now! I am Nightmare Moon, and I will give your sister what she desires! You have ignored her, just like the rest of your subjects, and now you will pay! She would have never been bold enough to confront you like this, so she gave her power to me instead! Now I shall rule Equestria and you will rule nothing! This land is mine now! Be gone!” with her final words, Nightmare Moon lowered her head and issued forth a bolt of magic which struck a shocked Celestia.
The Princess of the Sun was not a creature of violence, nor was Princess Luna. The notion of violence went against their natures. Nightmare Moon had no such restraint. Princess Celestia vanished from sight and Nightmare Moon thought she had won. She laughed long and loud, her victory simple and quick.
Centuries before Nightmare Moon had entered the picture, the two Alicorn sisters had born witness to the types of violence perpetrated upon the ponies by the various creatures which inhabited Equestria. Families were slaughtered, crops were destroyed, and homes were raised to the ground. The land of Equestria, in those days, was a place which bore little resemblance to the Equestria most knew, and the same was applied to its inhabitants. The ponies struggled to survive on a daily basis, and had become ruthless and selfish. The monsters had dominated the ponies and had obtained complete control over them. They forced the ponies to build them a great fortress high up in the mountains with a small city at its base to house their slaves. Within this city, the ponies were subjected to torture, starvation, and death at the whims of their masters.
The prominent characteristics which governed the ponies’ actions were based on what they knew at the time:
Lying, to conceal their true motives and keep themselves safe,
Cruelty, to any creature weaker than themselves and make others fear them,
Sorrow, for their lot in life as forced slaves and the torments that it brought,
Greed, to keep anything they had because they had so little,
Betrayal, they would turn any rebellious ponies over to their masters for safety or food,
Banality, the ponies had lost their identities, they simply existed in a state of perpetual existence without meaning, there was no magic and no wonder in them only an empty lack of everything,
Despair, for the ponies had lost the desire to strive for something better and saw no possible good in their future,
Impatience, for their needs were great and constant,
Ignorance, for they grasped at any chance to obtain what they needed without thought to feasibility or likelihood of success,
Denial, for they refused to believe there was anything better for them despite their strengths and abilities,
Laziness, for they refused to try to better themselves believing it would be useless, and finally,
Hate, for the ponies had lost the urge to forgive any misdeed or infraction no matter how minor or accidental.
Neither sister had it within themselves to take up violent action against the marauding creatures, but their subjects, like Nightmare Moon, had no such innate restraints. A small group of ponies, six mares and six stallions, four of each type of pony, banded together to combat the aggressors. The small group used cunning and strategy, might and main to out-wit the monsters and try to force them out of the ponies’ land, but they simply didn't have the power necessary to do so. The small group fought valiantly, but to no effective end. They could use violence, but none of them had the power to make their will widely known and respected. As soon as one ravaging group was dealt with, another simply sprung up to take its place. The ponies fought an unending battle that they knew they would ultimately loose, but still they fought.
The two sisters, seeing the bravery of the twelve ponies, entrusted them with magical gifts, each of which gave them power. To the mares, they gave the Elements of Harmony, to bring back to Equestria what had been taken by their enemies: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic.
To the stallions, they gave the Elements of Peace, to return to Equestria what had led to their inability to free themselves from their oppressors and work together: Hope, Patience, Discernment, Acceptance, Perseverance, and Forgiveness.
The physical forms of the Elements of Harmony were jewelry for the mares, so that other ponies could look upon them and know the beauty of such traits. The mares had been the inspiration and were the true might behind the group. The Elements of Harmony were given the combined power of both Princesses to combat their enemies offensively, each Element represented by a powerful jewel. With their power, the mares could destroy any enemy which threatened Equestria or its citizens.
The physical forms of the Elements of Peace were suits of armor for the stallions, so that other ponies would feel protected and know their safety was not an idea but a physical thing which could be touched and felt. The Elements of Peace were given the strength and resilience of Equestria itself to protect the Elements of Harmony and all of the ponies who needed such protection. They were the defensive line against whose combined might, no force could break through.
The ponies, once free of their captors, had all gathered in one forest for safety. Within this forest was the original home of the Elements of Peace and Harmony who had named it The Everfree Forrest in honor of their crusade against their oppressors. The ponies built a great city within the deepest reaches of The Everfree Forrest. They also built the Palace of the Pony Sisters for Celestia and Luna, whom they named Princesses, and their rulers. As the years passed, the population of the city grew and overflowed its walls. The ponies knew they could not stay in their beloved forest but remembered the massive fortress their oppressors had built and journeyed, en-masse to rebuild the fortress and make their new city there where they could expand as needed. Celestia and Luna joined them and helped to raise the city walls and formed a new Royal Palace, both right out of the white marble that was the foundation of the original fortress. The two Princesses abandoned their old home and joined their subjects in their new home which they named Canterlot.
Throughout the ages of Equestria, each Element was given back to the Princesses once its bearer passed on. The Elements of Harmony were given back to Princess Celestia and the Elements of Peace were given back to Princess Luna. The Princesses had designed the Elements of Peace and Harmony to metamorphose into small stone spheres so the Princesses could utilize them in a time of need if violence was not called for. If violence was required, the Elements would, invariably be taken up by the descendants of the original twelve ponies, and their true power could be used in full.
Nightmare Moon laughed long and loud, her victory seemingly simple and quick. Her armor was beautiful and dark. Using Princess Luna's knowledge of the Elements, Nightmare Moon had summoned to her and subsequently absorbed the Elements of Peace, forming them into her own armor. Through Luna's knowledge of the Elements of Peace Nightmare Moon knew there was only one thing which could destroy her armor and threaten her, the Elements of Harmony. The previous bearers of the Elements of Harmony had passed away years before and there had been no need of them since, so they remained unused. Nightmare Moon wanted that power.
She launched herself off the cloud and landed down on the ground, right in the center of Canterlot,
“Bow before me my peasants! I am Nightmare Moon and I am your ruler now!” she laughed.
One tiny Earth pony filly trotted right up to Nightmare Moon, indignantly,
“We don't bow to anypony except Celestia!” she said punctuating the statement with a kick against Nightmare Moon's armored foreleg.
Nightmare Moon looked down at the brave filly and smiled an evil smile,
“Well, it looks like my new subjects need an example of what happens to those who defy me.”
Nightmare Moon's horn began to glow. She telekinetically forced the little unicorn filly's face into the dirt on the ground, beginning to smother her,
“I said bow to me, foal!”
The filly struggled against the power being used against her but could not break free. Nightmare Moon pushed her down harder and heard the telltale snap as the bones in the filly's muzzle broke. She screamed and gasped for air, but Nightmare Moon held her tight, laughing maniacally. A sudden gust of wind broke Nightmare Moon's concentration and nudged her to the side. It was a minor annoyance at most, but the filly was free. Nightmare Moon turned to face the pony who dared to assault her and was faced with a very upset, slightly charred, Princess Celestia.
Nightmare Moon turned to face the Princess,
“I thought I had destroyed you. No matter, the Elements of Harmony will see to that soon enough.” Nightmare Moon took wing and launched herself into the sky, heading right toward The Palace of the Pony Sisters where the Elements of Harmony were hidden.
Celestia, in her weakened state, could not summon up the magic to summon the Elements of Harmony to her as Nightmare Moon had with the Elements of Peace. Never the less, Celestia took to the sky, not to give chase, but to stall Nightmare Moon until her own power had returned to its full strength.
Nightmare Moon reflexively pulled back as Celestia soared directly in front of her,
“Return Luna!” she cried, “Return to me, my sister!” Celestia commended.
Nightmare Moon only laughed,
“Or what?” she asked, “What can you do? I know everything Luna knows. I know you cannot attack me even if it’s to save your own life!” the evil mare punctuated the statement with another blast of her power aimed at Celestia.
The Sun Princess dodged nimbly out of the way. The blast of destructive magical power flew downward and struck the heart of Celestia's prized University. The University buildings began to crumble, the cries of its inhabitants, rising into the air around Nightmare Moon and Celestia. The Princess of the Sun turned in mid air and focused her power, trying desperately to hold the buildings up long enough for the occupants to escape safely. Nightmare Moon took the chance and flew off in the direction of the Elements of Harmony once again.
For the second time, Nightmare Moon had to pull back, mid-flight, as a team of pegasi intercepted her, pummeling her with their hooves. They attacked from every direction in groups of three and four. They did little but harass the evil mare, but it was something, and it was all they could do. They kept up the attack without abating for several minutes. Nightmare Moon aimed blasts of her power at the ponies barring her way, but the pegasi were too quick and the blasts landed within the city destroying large chunks of it with each explosive impact. She snared one pegasus with telekinesis and threw her into another one, like a battering ram. Using this method, Nightmare Moon broke the attack of the pegasi down to nothing. She flung the bodies down toward the ground, smiling. Her smile faltered, as unicorns on the ground began catching the pegasi with their magic and landing them safely, while Earth ponies kicked rocks at her like little missiles. Nightmare Moon turned toward where Celestia had been. The Princess of the Sun was nowhere to be seen, and the University had collapsed.
Nightmare Moon smiled then and laughed as she winged away toward the Elements of Harmony once more. She flew as fast as she could, allowing Luna's memory to guide her to the ancient Palace of the Pony Sisters. She arrived and landed in the old Throne Room, there on a series of pedestals rested the Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon laughed haughtily to herself and casually trotted toward her new weapon. Suddenly six pegasi erupted from within the circle of pedestals, each grabbing a sphere, and flew off in a V-formation.
Nightmare Moon reared back and bellowed,
“NO!” as she took to the air again.
The pegasi flew in a tight pattern, but Nightmare Moon was faster. She reached the pegasus who was the closest to her and struck the poor stallion's back with her hooves. The stallion fell from the air dazed, injured and dropping the sphere he had been carrying. Nightmare Moon seized the sphere and let the stallion fall, choosing to continue the chase. It had been a mistake. The stallion's rainbow colored mane and tail flared out behind him as he fell, unconscious, toward the hard, unforgiving ground below. He regained consciousness and pulled up swiftly. He looked toward his fellow pegasi and the sight of Nightmare Moon gaining on another pegasus. He felt a surge of strength flow through him and flew with all his might, directly on an intercept course with the space between the dangerous Alicorn and the other pegasi.
He flew as fast and hard as he could, pouring every ounce of speed he had at his disposal into his wing motion. Nightmare Moon reached out her hoof to strike-down another pegasus. The stallion burst between the two and a brilliant flare of rainbow colors exploded out in every direction with a thunderous crack, stunning and blinding Nightmare Moon momentarily. The stallion hit the evil Alicorn and took back the sphere. The six pegasi flew with all their might back toward the Palace of the Pony Sisters where Celestia waited.
Celestia had taken advantage of Nightmare Moon's distraction back in Canterlot and had the six pegasi follow her back to the ruins to provide a distraction while Celestia's power regenerated. The six pegasi carried only round boulders. Celestia had cast an illusion spell on them and hidden the real Elements of Harmony.
Nightmare Moon shook off the effect of the Sonic Rainboom and scouted around for the six pegasi. She spotted them flying back toward the ruins and sped after them, gaining quickly. She may have been evil, but she was no idiot, she had a new weapon in her arsenal, her own version of the Sonic Rainboom. The pegasi, seeing Nightmare Moon gaining on them, dropped down into the Everfree Forrest flying between the trees with much more agility than the evil Alicorn could muster. Nightmare Moon flew down to the forest floor and focused her magic. Instead of using speed to do it, Nightmare Moon simply used all her magic to cast her own version of the Sonic Rainboom: the Dark Nova.
Malignant darkness spread out around her in every direction, mutating the very fabric of The Everfree Forrest, changing it and warping it. The very dirt changed, every animal, every tree. Nightmare Moon hung her head gasping for breath, the spell had taken almost everything she had, but the Everfree Forrest was her domain now. The heard the cries of the pegasi as the Dark Nova overtook them. Nightmare Moon felt satisfied, they could not escape her power now. She trotted along toward the cries of the fallen pegasi as quickly as she could.
She spotted them laying on the far side of the old bridge, which the ancient ponies had used for defense instead of a wall. Nightmare Moon trotted triumphantly over the bridge and up to the fallen pegasi,
“The Elements of Harmony are mine!” she laughed.
A crystal clear voice called out to her from the darkness,
“Be bound!”
Nightmare Moon turned just in time to see Celestia standing at the base of the ancient Palace, with the Elements of Harmony floating in the air around her. The evil mare's legs, wings, muzzle, and horn were bound in place by immovable magic.
Celestia gracefully walked up to Nightmare Moon,
“You were correct, Nightmare Moon, I cannot destroy you, but I can bind you and I can banish you.” Celestia planted her head against the evil mare's face, “Luna, I know you're in there, little sister. I'll find a way to bring you back, I promise.” Celestia stepped back, “Nightmare Moon you are hereby banished to the Moon, until the stars align exactly as they are right now, in a thousand years.”
A ribbon of rainbow colored light swirled all around Nightmare Moon, enveloping her completely. The light ribbon shot up to the Moon, depositing her there to be imprisoned there for a thousand years. As a reminder of the kind of evil entombed therein, Celestia placed a shadow on the Moon in the shape of a mare's head.
Princess Luna returned to the present.
She shook her head, clearing away the memories. Since her emancipation from Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna had poured herself into all the history of Equestria she could. A thousand years was a lot to catch up on. Celestia eventually decided to form a Royal guard and fashioned their armor after the original armor of the Elements of Peace, since the originals were bound to Nightmare Moon for a thousand years.
Luna smiled to herself remembering when she had asked Celestia about why Nightmare Moon hadn't been able to use the Elements of Harmony against her when she returned,
“I had no way of permanently defeating Nightmare Moon, but I knew that she had a way to eliminate me for good. I kept a close watch on the descendants of the original Elements of Harmony and I determined which fillies displayed the appropriate traits and just made sure they all wound up together. They could destroy Nightmare Moon where I could only imprison her. I hid myself and the Element of Magic with me, so Nightmare Moon couldn't find it. I hid on the Moon after she escaped, it was the one place she would have never looked, and the one place where I could watch and make sure everything went according to plan. I erased all knowledge of the Element of Magic from history books and put the rest of the Elements of Harmony back in the ruins to ensure the battle took place there, away from our subjects. As for the Elements of Peace, that is your domain and I didn’t have the heart to subvert you, especially in your absence.”
Celestia hung her head sadly,
“I had no idea you felt so abandoned, Luna. I have no excuse for my oversight. I’m your sister, I should have known. I'm so sorry you had to endure for so long alone my sister. I wish there had been another way, but I didn't have time to come up with an alternative.” Celestia had lowered her head, nuzzling her little sister, “I love you Luna, I missed you so much.”
Princess Luna smiled at the memory, then glanced down at Celestia's sleeping form next to her,
“Don't you worry, big sister. You raised the Moon for me for a thousand years, now I'll raise the Sun for you. Keep your strength and take a well-deserved rest. It’s my turn to work now. Sleep tight, Celestia.”