//------------------------------//
// Seven 
// Story: Moon & Memory 
// by TwilightSnarkle 
//------------------------------//

It had been going so well.

Her abduction of Celestia went off without a hitch. Surprisingly, she had not lifted a hoof in her own defense. Instead, she stood there, staring, crying at a memory. Pathetic. Sending her to her beloved sun took far less energy than Nightmare Moon had anticipated, and she felt ready to face the rest of her sister’s subjects - her subjects now - and restore herself to the throne.

But there was a problem. There was always a problem. One of the ponies of that backwater village knew who she was, and what she was after. A thousand years, and someone still remembered the tale. While she was impressed, it put a kink in her plans, and she was forced to move up her timeline.

She needed to secure the Elements. Where were they? She searched for the ruins, but was hampered by the overgrowth. All the while, she was distracted by the little upstart and her friends. That, at least, she had planned for. A whisper here, a change there, and she erected barriers to their passage throughout the wood.

Still, they persevered, and closed the distance with alarming haste. Could the unicorn know about them? Did she know how to use them? The Night Mare had to reach them first.

She heard voices ahead. Had they entered the ruins before her? She heard the word ‘harmony’, and something missing. That little purple unicorn was speaking.

“...back, I don’t know what will happen.”

No! They had been found! She had to act quickly. Flying into the room, she cast a spell about the Elements, and swept them away... but not before the interloper got tangled in the spell.

She regained her bearings, and found the crystals at her feet. The stowaway had been thrown across the room, and laid motionless against a shattered pillar. Good. Turning to the crystal spheres, she... wait. The unicorn was stirring, staggering to her feet. Nightmare Moon let her watch. After all, a new world would be made permanent here, and someone would have to tell the st-

What was this? The brat was challenging her. Her! In a duel! Was she mad? Still, a horn to the face would be an excellent lesson for her friends. She charged, and lowered her horn, and...

Tricked! She had been tricked! By that slip of a filly! She could not be allowed to use the crystals. She... yes. It might work. It had to work. Blinking across the room, she raised her hooves, and shattered the stones like so much spun glass.

She smiled darkly at her opponent, and decided - wait. Voices down the hall. Her friends were coming. No matter; six would be dispatched as easily as one. Channeling her power once more, she approached. This would end here, and now.