//------------------------------//
// Sunrise 
// Story: Equestrian Darkness 
// by Arreis Of Avalon 
//------------------------------//

	The battle had begun.
Celestia fired a beam of fire at Nightmare, who dodged to the right. The flames hit the tapestry behind her, setting it ablaze. The fire reflected in the Solar Queens eyes, and she smiled in the heat of battle and flame.
Nightmare Moon dived down towards her, her horn blazing with shadow magic. Tia dodged to the left, rolling on her hooves to keep her body positioned towards Nightmare. The spot where the shadows hit sizzled slightly, and they left a hole where Celestia had been standing only moments ago. 
Knowing Nightmare would continue to pull this hole burning trick, Celestia took to the air, flaring out her wings and taking off in one fluid movement. She kept her eyes on Nightmare Moon, circling in the air with her. She knew something needed to happen, but what? 
Nightmare dived at her, and the flame of battle ignited in her. She charged forward as well, their horns glowing with chaotic power. Their horns collided, and as the shadow aura met the flaming magic, there was an explosion of sparks, pushing both mares away from each other. Celestia gasped as she hit the wall behind her, feeling something inside her crack on impact. 
She glanced up, her eyes glazed with tears and pain. Nightmare had recovered quickly, flying up into the sky. Celestia realized the ceiling was made of a large glass dome, and smiled. Her horn blazed with magic once more, firing a beam of light straight past Nightmare, hitting the glass. In a single instant, there was a shattering noise, and glass began to rain down on them. Nightmare lost altitude as the glass shards cut away at her fur, sprinkling blood on Celestia. Celestia stood, wincing at her broken rib, and took to the air again. 
She stayed away from Nightmare, using her horns magic ability to her advantage. She waited for Moon to make the first move, knowing she would be able to counter it. 
Nightmare fired yet another blast of shadow which Celestia easily countered. “Is that all you’ve got, Moon?”
Nightmare narrowed her eyes, and grinned. Suddenly, the wind began to pick up, and clouds began to form. Shadows swirled and thunder roared as Nightmare began to change into shadow. Celestia struggled to stay aloft in the ferocious winds, her wings bent by the force of the gales. Looking forward through the beginning rain, she realized she had lost sight of Nightmare. 
Suddenly, a sharp pain started square in her back. She was pushed down, the floor speeding towards her. On impact, her broken rib blazed with pain, causing her to scream in agony. Nightmare, above her, her horn sparking with darkness, laughed. 
Celestia weakly attempted to stand, the heat of battle dying in the cold, bitter shadow of power. Where was Discord? Had he betrayed her, preferring to let her die in her own foolish idea of power?
Her only hope was the remaining Elements of Harmony. She could feel their magic deep inside her, ready to erupt in a rush of power. She lifted her head up to look at what had been her sister. Celestia closed her eyes and thought of all the times they had shared, all of the love between the two. She remembered Luna, her little sister. She remembered who she herself used to be, and realized the monster she had allowed herself to become. 
Standing weakling, walking on glass, Celestia felt herself calm. Her horn lit with a gentle aura, and slowly her mane began to fade to its original color, the cool tones of a new day. Nightmare recoiled slightly, watching as Celestia reversed deeply ingrained chaos magic, knowing her sister could do the same to her. Celestia opened purely white eyes, and heard the Elements speak through her.
“Thy reign hath come to an end, mare of sinister darkness. The Solar eclipse hath now ceased, and thy power as the Lunar princess hath henceforth concluded. With the power of friendship, and the spark of love, we banish thee to your everlasting prison.”
In the dim awareness of her mind, Celestia saw Discord appear behind Nightmare. A powerful burst of magic from her horn appeared, wrapping itself around Nightmare. In the deepest part of her heart, Celestia cringed as she heard Nightmare Moon scream. Even if Nightmare was no longer her sister, she hated to see ponies in pain. 
Discord was blocked from Celestias view, but she saw him do a gesture, and seconds later, there was a burst of light. TO be exact, 4 bursts of light. They began to swirl around Nightmare Moon, still engulfed in the light of the Elements. Looking through the darkness tugging at her eyesight, Celestia thought they looked like… stars?
Nightmare Moon shrieked, her eyes full of pain. Suddenly, Discord spoke. 
“Pony of darkness, a Mare of the night, stuck forever In the Moon’s light. A horrible fate, from a child of sun, away From which you cannot run. Twists and turns across the stars, a mare of darkness is what you are.” His eyes narrowed. “The final words to break your throne, the pony made of moon and bone. For 1000 years will you be there, goodbye to the Nightmare, the Lunar heir!” As he said the last word, there was a burst of blinding light, and Nightmare Moon vanished.
Celestia swayed where she stood, the silence of the night deafening after the battle. She felt light headed and heavy with a dull fog, all at the same time. She was dimly aware of looking up at the night time sky and seeing the full moon. Looking at the moon, she saw her… the Mare in the Moon. Magic deprived and exhausted, the Solar ruler fainted. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Celestia awoke with a gasp. Had it all been a dream? She looked around her room, and was startled to see that it was all the same as before. She sat up, and felt perfectly healthy. The wounds from the battle of Sun and Moon would not have faded so fast, she knew.
Standing, she walked out of her room. Everything seemed to be the same. Nothing was destroyed, and the castle shone in the moonlit night. Wait. Moonlight…
She ran to a window and glanced at the night sky. The night stars twinkled, but the moon was the same as it had been that dreadful night. Her sister still dwelled in the moon, stuck forever. 
Celestia closed her eyes tightly. Her only sister…
“It hurts, doesn’t it?”
Her eyes widened as she heard his voice. “Discord… Show yourself.”
He appeared behind her, his reflection in the window. “She will come back, Celestia. Not even my power could keep her there forever.”
She turned to him. “Why are you still here? You should have returned to stone.”
He grinned at her. “I think you forgot, we have a deal. The forbidden spells, please.”
Her eyes widened. “The spells…” He grinned as she closed her eyes. “… Follow me.”
Together they walked through the dark, abandoned castle. “I hope you don’t mind, but I cleaned up a little.”
Celestia shook her head slightly as they reached the library. Casting a spell on the door, it changed to a new door entirely. When she opened it, it lead not to the library, but to the hidden study. There, all of the forbidden spells known were kept. Discord grinned. “I’ll only be a minute, Princess.” In a flash, he disappeared down the stairs.
True to his word, a minute later, he reappeared beside her. In his claw was a single, leather bound book. “I have all I need now, Celestia. I will be returning to stone now.”
She looked at him closely. “What are you planning, Discord?”
He chuckled. “Nothing of value, Celestia. Just playing my games of puppet and master.” With those parting words, he vanished, returning to his caves once more.
Celestia walked silently outside, staring at the moon, a now constant reminder of what her sister had done… and what she herself had done. Her horn lit with magic, and in Equestria, the sun rose.