Nightmare Moon was gone. And so was Luna, not to return for a thousand years.
Luna had been the more sensitive of the two sisters. Before Sombra, that power hungry Archmage of Equestria had started corrupting her, feeding off her insecurities and fears, Luna had always worked to better the lives of her ponies in anyway she could. Mostly behind the scenes at it turned out. It was her idea to build a new capital away from the imposing peaks and detached atmosphere of Canterlot. To be closer to the ponies that really mattered, not the nobles or the politicians. Where her home had stood there was now only ruin. The scars of that battle could still be seen from high above.
Celestia had ordered the city evacuated hours before, and no lives were lost. At least as far as anypony told her. It pained Celestia but she ordered that the city not be rebuilt and the Royal Court be restored to Canterlot. Only a wild and untamed forest would remain around the ruins of the new capital. It would make it easier for ponies to forget.
After Luna’s fall Celestia quickly felt the strain of ruling the Kingdom and moving the Sun and the Moon alone. When the strain became too much Celestia rearranged all the heavenly bodies so they could continue to rise and set on their own. After all if Luna could fall, so might Celestia. With no choice Celestia had placed the sun at the center, it was simply more powerful than the moon, the reverse would never have been stable. But this gave Celestia the opportunity to create an event that had never occurred before. The new ‘Solar System’ would have an eclipse periodically, Luna’s time to outshine her sister.
As the years passed Celestia often pondered on the causes of Luna’s fall. It was true, few ponies appreciated the night as much as they could. Celestia thought about what would be required for ponies to make the night their own.
After centuries of development, with lights and electric dams to power them ponies could enjoy the night as much as the day now. These things even turned the cities of Equestria into homage to Luna’s sky.
One thousand years later:
It was over. Nightmare moon was gone and would not return. Celestia had done it, she had stopped her sister without restoring to … the unthinkable. She had given her sister the kindness of a second chance. And the cruelty of facing this new world full of reminders of her sister’s love. Reminders created because of Luna’s betrayal.