The day’s court had gone far better than the Noble could have dreamed. They had made tremendous leaps and bounds in the re-unification process. Even the most radical Lords, such as Lord Gallopsby, had been open to the ideas presented. And while it was only a start and there was still a lot of work to be done, Lord Canter’s original assessment that most of the Court had been ignorant was incorrect. Most of the Court was willing to accept the other two races and work together. It seemed that most ponies only held minor feelings of hostility towards the other races, but they all herded behind the more powerful voices in the Court. Once those voices were silenced, unity was given a chance.
Although the voting system did need some refurbishing and desegregated seating arrangements needed to be implemented, not much else needed changing. All the Nobles needed was a firm shove in the right direction, and the display with Lord Greywing and, subsequently, Lord Jubilation’s speech had provided just that.
Since the speech, the Court had become a whirlwind of progress. Celestia and the two Lords from Canterlot took control of the proceedings and guided them in the proper direction– Lord Jubilation was far too inexperienced for such a task.
After the second day’s affairs officially ended, a banquet feast was called in honor of the new session of the Court.
Once the sun had begun to set the Nobles made their way to the dining hall. When Jubilation entered, he beheld a much larger hall than the one he had eaten breakfast in earlier that day. The room was flanked by tall pillars and stained glass windows, which depicted Equestrian landscapes.
Instead of long tables that ran the course of the room, as the young Lord had expected, many small oval tables were scattered throughout the room. The reason for this did not seem apparent to the Lord at first. As the Nobles took their seats, however, Jubilation began to notice the reason. The tables allowed Nobles to easily converse within small groups; it seemed the decision was made to keep the social interaction, while still maintaining the dignity of the position the Nobles held. The Lord imagined that the Nobles would not like the kind of communal seating he had envisioned.
Lord Jubilation followed Lord Canter and Lady Lightfeather over to a table near the back of the room, directly under a stained glass window. The window depicted the moon shining over a small thatched-roof cottage, which stood alone in a wind-swept field of barley.
“Well, I could certainly use a good meal after what you did today, Lord. I want to thank you again for that. Crumpet always said good things about you, but you blew all of my expectations out of the water!”
The old stallion was beaming with delight. He looked ten years younger, as if in his happiness all the signs of his old age had receded.
Lady Lightfeather, who was sitting across from Jubilation, was also smiling with excitement.
“I agree with Lord Canter: you have proven yourself most capable, Lord Jubilation.”
The young Lord nodded and replied, “Thank you Lady Lightfeather, Lord Canter. I revel in your praise.”
The three ponies laughed together for a moment before a servant interrupted their merriment and asked for their order.
The food took little time to be prepared, during which Lord Canter and Lady Lightfeather informed the inexperienced Jubilation that the absence of the Princesses was strange because they usually ate with the Nobility. Jubilation felt like he knew the reason though.
Once the food arrived, Jubilation was once more stunned by the grandeur of it all. The Mushroom Wellington he had ordered was elegantly prepared. The pastry crust was golden brown and beautifully flaky. As he cut into it an exquisite aroma found its way to his nose.
The dinner, in contrast to the breakfast he had eaten earlier, was not served on platters, but rather on smaller plates. The plates were white, rimmed in gold, and were personalized by the crest of the race of the Noble who received the plate: a small, stylized unicorn stared up at the young Lord. Jubilation grimaced and looked to the other Nobles, who did not seem to notice the offending racial emblems; they had probably grown used to them. He made a mental note to talk to the Princess about changing the plates.
For the time being, however, Jubilation decided to disregard the plates and enjoy his food. As he took the first bite, he glanced up at the other Nobles, who were already eating their meals. He gazed at Lady Lightfeather for a few moments, before returning to his plate.
The Nobles ate in silence for several minutes before Lord Canter spoke up.
“Excuse me Lord and Lady, it would seem that Lady Songbird is motioning for me. I will be back in a few minutes.”
The two Nobles nodded and the elder Lord gallivanted away. Lord Jubilation caught Lady Lightfeather smirking.
“Lady Lightfeather, what is it that you find so amusing?”
“Hmm. Well if you must know, I’m laughing because of Lord Canter and his mare friend over there. For a stallion of his age he does a good job of keeping connections, as it were.” Both Nobles began snickering at the situation. Eventually, Lord Jubilation spoke again.
“Well, Lady Lightfeather, you seem to have opened up since this morning. Any particular reason for that?”
The Lady blushed before replying, “I must confess I did not like the idea of having you replace Lord Crumpet. He was a dear friend to both Lord Canter and I. The idea of replacing him seemed inappropriate and a disgrace to his name.”
The Lord lowered his head.
“But…” The mare continued. “You have proven yourself as a worthy replacement. I know your late uncle would be proud of what you have accomplished, Lord.”
Now it was Lord Jubilation’s turn to blush. He looked up at the mare, staring into her green eyes, and warmly stated, “Thank you, Lady Lightfeather.”
They broke eye contact and looked down to their plates. Lord Jubilation decided to break the silence once more.
“I have heard rumors, my Lady, that you are the youngest Lady on the Royal Court. Are these rumors true?”
“That’s not much of a rumor, Lord; it’s fairly common knowledge that I am the youngest Lady on the court.”
“And how young do you have to be to be the youngest Lady?”
“My, my, Lord Jubilation, haven’t you been told to never ask a mare her age?
The young Lord stuttered for a few moments before the Lady giggled. The Lord blushed once more and quickly uttered an apology. The Lady’s sweet laughter filled his ears and he looked up to find her smiling at him once more. Her laughter faded and she spoke.
“In all honesty, I do not mind you knowing my age, Lord. You are thirty-five years of age, are you not?”
“I am.”
“Then I am only three years older than you, Lord. Are you content with that information?”
“Quite. Thank you, my Lady.”
The Pegasus mare arched her eyebrows.
“Your Lady, Lord?”
Lord Jubilation realized that Lady Lightfeather had a knack for making him blush as he felt the familiar heat rush to his face.
- - -
The banquet feast had lasted all through the evening and well into the night. When it finally ended Lord Jubilation was quite ready to retire to his cot, but like the previous night his desire to see Luna’s glorious firmament outweighed his weariness. It was for that reason he found himself once more ascending the spiral steps of the watchtower. Upon arriving on the balcony, he found himself staring up into the sky. The night seemed particularly dark. There was no apparent reason for this as the moon was burning its bright light and the stars shone clear.
Yet the night was dark. The endless void seemed to be infinitely black.
He did not feel the raw energy flowing through his being. He did not feel the presence of the energy at all. He did not feel compelled to stand on the balcony as he had the night before, but he did anyway, for the sake of his own curiosity. It was not until he had spent what felt like an hour staring up into the dark night sky, feeling the cool wind nip at his ears, that the Lord noticed the dark cloud of cosmic energy radiating from the balcony opposite him. He saw wisps of the energy shed off and curl up before disappearing. He could see into the deep sea of stars and darkness. Within he beheld the form of Lord Greywing. Looking into the hulking cloud of ethereal power, Jubilation felt a familiar presence in his mind and being. The energy that he was staring into was the same energy from the night before. And Greywing was trapped in the center of it.
Lord Jubilation knew not where this energy had been produced or for what purpose, but he had experienced it before. He knew how it affected ponies– with only limited exposure Jubilation’s mind had collapsed into an unconscious state. He knew Greywing was in danger, and with extreme prolonged exposure that the pegasus Lord faced, Lord Jubilation was worried.
Magic is a tricky business, and for unicorns without magical training, a teleport spell across a reasonable distance might have been difficult. But for Lord Jubilation, who had grown up in a wealthy family and thus received schooling in the art of magic, a teleportation spell was easy.
The Lord focused and with a brilliant flash from his horn he was gone, leaving nothing but the lingering scent of ozone.
The Unicorn popped back into existence in a second flash. Regaining his bearings, the Lord saw that he was on the other balcony. He spotted the pulsing cloud of dark energy. Jubilation stepped closer to it and cautiously extended a forehoof toward it. The energy shifted, grazing his hoof. The result was a shock that jolted the stallion’s body sending him stumbling back. As he nursed his hoof he knew he would have to rethink his approach.
A glow enveloped his horn as he attempted to pierce the darkness and pull the captive Pegasus to safety. The shield, being composed of magical energy, was difficult to penetrate, but having trained through his foalhood and into his adult life, Lord Jubilation had built up a rather large endurance when it came to using his magic. And with a spell as simple as telekinesis, his endurance was fairly high. His horn began to spark as a second layer of overglow appeared around it. The veil of cosmic energy began to ripple where his horn was. A third, final layer of overglow surrounded the young Lord’s horn, and he planted his hooves back. The body trapped within the dark orb began to glow and inch toward the Lord. Beads of sweat rolled down the forehead of the struggling Lord. The darkness tested his endurance.
Greywing lay on the cold stone floor unconscious, but alive. Jubilation lay several feet away staring into the night sky, panting. He had retrieved the former Lord, yes, but doing so had exhausted most of his energy. He heard whispers emanating from the direction of the pegasus. He rolled over to see Greywing already facing him. He listened closely.
“…Luna…nightmare…”
- - -
Lady Lightfeather had watched Lord Jubilation leave the court. She could hardly sleep, not after the day’s affairs. Things had gone swimmingly, and the excitement from their success and the fun she had had during the banquet had left her heart pumping and gave her an energy that could be compared to a breath of fresh air.
The pegasus mare stared at the large doors to the Court, watching them close as the young unicorn Lord closed them carefully.
She had begun to grow fond of Lord Jubilation. Some inkling of unknown knowledge, sprung up from a font of indistinct and discreet instinct, told her that her feelings meant more than she was ready to let on. Regardless, she had decided that she liked him.
It was for these reasons that she was concerned when he departed. She knew that he had passed out the previous night and was worried about him. Even the Princess of the Sun had assured her that he would be fine, but her reassurances did nothing to soothe her fears.
After what seemed like an eternity, they creaked open slightly.
With a thunderous crash, the double doors were thrown open in such a violent manner that one door was thrown off its hinges and crashed into the wall closest to it. The other door hung on its bottom hinge, the top hinge shattered under the explosive force it had been opened with. Within a moment, all of the Nobles in the room were either standing or sitting up, staring at the door.
Lady Lightfeather, who was already awake, saw the living Nightmare first, a deep black Alicorn with a mane and tail seemingly composed of the nightly heavens themselves. She was adorned with plate armor that shimmered and reflected pale silver-blue moonlight and made the Lady’s blood run cold. The alicorn’s eyes could only be described as “not pony,” something of pure evil.
The Lady was frozen in terror… but there was recognition in that terror; the deep purple cutie mark, the mane and tail, the fact that the nightmare creature was an alicorn. The thing that stood in the doorway must have once been Princess Luna. The questions of why and how had yet to be answered, but if there was one thing certain in the mare’s heart it was the answer to the question of whom.
“Foalish Noble ponies! For too long you have ignored Our beautiful night! For too long you have paid no attention to Us and groveled at the hooves of our sister. No more will We be the victim of your petty ignorance and stupidity. Now, We will force you to enjoy Our night and you will praise and love Us instead of Celestia!”
Lord Canter spoke up, “Princess Lu-”
The dark-coated Alicorn cut him off. “NO, YOU FOAL. PRINCESS LUNA IS GONE. WE ARE NIGHTMARE MOON!”
The Lord backed down after that, unsure of how to continue. Nopony else spoke up. All present stared in awe and horror at the aptly named alicorn.
“Because you ponies have so foalishly ignored us, we have decided your fate. From this moment forth, night shall be eternal!”
The bringer of eternal darkness broke out into happily cruel laughter.
Lady Lightfeather wished that Lord Jubilation was somewhere far away; somewhere safe.
- - -
The wind knocked his black mane back. His hooves carried him swiftly through the castle’s interior, through elegant halls and past stoic guards. Servants watched him pass with curiosity, but none questioned the young Lord, for they saw the determination upon his brow.
As he ran, he attempted to collect his thoughts and understand what he had just witnessed. Luna, nightmare. What did that even mean? Was Luna responsible for what had happened to Lord Greywing? It would have taken a powerful unicorn to cast a spell like the one he had seen in the tower. He knew he had to tell Celestia, but he had decided that the moment he freed Greywing from the ball of energy.
Eventually he reached a grand staircase. Each step was engraved with a symbol of the sun and made of marble. The steps led to a large door with a golden sun etched into the surface. Royal Guards of the highest rank, designated by their golden armor and the solar symbols on their armor, stood at the ready just outside the doors at the top of the staircase. When Lord Jubilation began his ascent of those stairs, both guards turned to him and spread their wings, blocking his entrance into the seemingly sacred room.
Princess Celestia had finished her royal duties for the day and had just begun to prepare her bed for the night when she heard the shouts. Just outside her door, somepony was yelling. After listening for a moment, she recognized the voice. Forgoing her royal vestiges for the sake of time she made for the door to her bedroom.
- - -
After the guards had denied him entry and a moment to speak with the Princess, Lord Jubilation had taken matters into his own hooves and began yelling. At first the guards seemed confused. A Noble yelling about Luna going crazy outside of Princess Celestia’s bedroom is generally considered a red flag to Royal Guards. The guards were about to make a move and apprehend the seemingly insane Lord when the Princess of the Sun stepped through the door. Both guards looked to her, then to each other, then back to her. With a simple look she dismissed them, and off they went to guard the hallway, giving the Lord and Princess privacy.
“What is the matter, my little pony?”
The Lord repeated what he had yelled moments before. Slightly out of breath, he continued.
“My Princess… I was just in the tower… I was going to see the night sky again, as I did last night.”
The Princess nodded.
“But when I got there… in the other balcony… Princess Celestia, something may be wrong with your sister… Princess, I found Greywing imprisoned within a sphere of dark energy–it emitted the same type of energy I found myself overcome with last night. Please keep in mind I do have some basis for this claim… when I released Greywing…” the Noble began to stutter and run short of breath.
He paused for a moment before continuing. “… When I released Greywing, he managed to whisper two words: ‘Luna, nightmare’. He passed out directly after.”
The Princess absorbed the Lord’s words. She tried to understand what he had just told her. Her sister, Princess Luna, had trapped Greywing? That didn’t make sense. What logic was there behind that decision? Why would Luna do such a thing?
Seeing the Princess’ utter confusion, Jubilation decided the next course of action.
“Princess.”
She looked up at him.
“I think it would be best if we wake the Court. Listen, I am not saying that what Greywing said is conclusive evidence or that I am correct in my assertions, but something is afoot and I believe it best that we inform the other Lords and Ladies. Perhaps one of them knows something more…”
The Princess said nothing, but moved down the hall to the Court. She did not look like the sad filly he had once seen as she moved past the guards, nodding for them to follow.
- - -
As they approached the Court, Lord Jubilation could see the doors blown apart, one knocked cleanly off its hinges. When they got closer, the Princess stopped suddenly. The Lord looked into the Court and saw the reason for her hesitation. A mare with a coat as black as night was staring down the hall toward them, staring into the eyes of Princess Celestia.
“Ah, if it isn’t our sister. How are we on this magnificent night, Cellie?” Her voice was filled with cruelty and rancor.
“I have been fine, dear sister, but I have heard disturbing news surrounding you… is everything alright?”
The Princess of the Sun did not question her sister’s change in appearance and while she did not appear shaken or undetermined, Lord Jubilation saw something falter in her eyes.
“Mmm. You must have found that Greywing fool. We actually have a lot to thank him for; it was he who prompted our change.”
“What?! Why Luna? What is the matter with you?” Celestia’s anger and confusion greatened. It was apparent to all members of the Court that the self-proclaimed Nightmare Moon was merely trying to make the Princess angry.
“FOAL! We are not Luna. We are Nightmare Moon. And there is nothing ‘the matter’ with us, Celestia. We are stronger than we’ve ever been. We feel better than we’ve ever felt. For you see ‘dear sister’ we have grown tired of being the ‘other’ princess. No more. Now we will have night unending. The night shall last forever! MWA HA HA HA!”
With each word her stature grew and grew until she was the most confident and powerful being in the room, and with each of those words Princess Celestia seemed to shrink into herself. She was afraid. Jubilation could see the fear. He thought he saw the filly again.
“But…Luna…I-”
“LUNA IS GONE, YOU FOAL! She is merely an afterthought–nothing but a fleeting memory! Only We exist now, for We are stronger than her by a thousand-fold.”
Celestia whimpered as the waking nightmare scoffed. The Nobility watched in terror. The guards had long since abandoned any attempt to follow what had been happening, as they were confused as to which Princess to obey should it come to a fight. Throughout the confrontation, Lord Canter had edged his way toward Lady Lightfeather. When he made it to her he whispered something into her ear. She, in turn, began to creep around the edge of the Court. Eventually, she found herself mere feet from where Jubilation stood next to the Princess, hidden behind the crowd of Nobles. Lord Jubilation, who had not noticed the shifting in the ranks of the Nobility, saw a small wave in his peripheral vision. He turned to see Lady Lightfeather wiggling her wings and staring at him.
As the two alicorns faced off, continuing their intense conversation, Lord Jubilation edged closer to the crowd. Once he was within earshot the pegasus mare began to speak.
“Lord Canter believes the other guards need to be alerted to this situation.”
Lord Jubilation nodded and slowly edged back toward the Princess, shifting into his original position. He turned to face the lead guard and whispered the directive in his ear.
The guard whispered, “I would send one of my stallions, but we’re already short on guards here and I don’t want to lose one in case the situation worsens. Would you be willing to go, my Lord?”
Jubilation nodded and shuffled down the hallway, headed for the barracks.
“Now, Celestia. It is time We dealt with you. Our kingdom of eternal night has no need for a Princess of the Sun; thus, We have decided that We shall destroy you. Goodbye, ‘dear sister.’”
As the dark energy in the black mare’s horn began to charge for a lethal strike, a golden light emanated from the pink-haired Princess’s horn. The brilliance and resplendency of the light easily matched the power of the black mare. When Nightmare Moon discharged a beam of magic toward Celestia it was met by Celestia’s own magic. The beam of gold and the beam of black collided causing a burst of magical energy where they met. The two sides struggled to assert control, but neither side succeeded and both spells dissolved.
The two alicorns locked eyes. Celestia’s spell had been cast in defense of herself, but it was exactly the reaction Nightmare Moon had been trying to provoke. The former Princess began casting bolt after bolt of dark energy at Celestia. Each bolt was subsequently shattered against a magical shield cast by the Sun Princess. With each attempt at breaking the barrier Nightmare Moon became more aggressive. Each bolt hurled was more powerful than the last.
After several minutes of this, a contingent of fifteen guards barreled into the room. The guards who were in the room initially quickly joined their ranks and the group moved forward, surrounding Nightmare Moon.
Seeing this, the black alicorn ceased her assault on Celestia and turned her attention to the ponies surrounding her.
“Ah! And what did you hope to accomplish, little ponies? Do you really think you can defeat Us?”
The lead guard looked at Nightmare Moon and smirked.
“You have attacked Princess Celestia and betrayed Equestria, surrender and come with us now or prepare to face the consequences of your treasonous actions.”
The nightmare pony grinned devilishly.
“You ponies have always thought yourselves the better of Us. You will now see the error of your ways.”
Her horn ignited with its black glow before launching a bolt of dark energy into the guard who had spoken to her. The bolt then arced from guard to guard, and hit each guard in succession until all of them had been hit by it. The bolt was emitted from her horn for several moments before the evil mare cut it off. The moment the spell collapsed, all of the guards simultaneously fell limply to the ground.
Silence filled the court, as the twenty bodies lay lifeless on the floor. The Nobles who had not fled during the outbreak of the fighting now struggled to get over each other as they fled.
Seeing this Nightmare Moon began to charge her horn for another attack. She, however, was blocked by Princess Celestia. The Princess’ eyes were glowing pure white, her body and head was covered in a layer of radiant gold magic, her horn sparked and shined with an overglow that matched the intensity of the burning sun.
“YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME, NOT MY PONIES, NIGHTMARE MOON!”
With that, the Princess of the Sun launched a massive ball of brilliant light towards the black alicorn. Unable to react quickly enough, the nightmare pony only managed to launch a small beam that slowed the ball.
Upon impact a large shockwave smashed through the court. The windows shattered and the other door was blasted off of its hinges.
When the ash settled, Nightmare Moon stood; eyes glowing black, staring back at Celestia, unfazed. She smirked before releasing a blast of her own.
Meanwhile, Lord Jubilation had waited back in the hallway to let the guards do their work. When Nightmare Moon cast the spell that killed them, Jubilation took a few steps forward. He then saw the spell Celestia was preparing to cast and chose to stand back. Lord Jubilation, however, did not foresee the magnitude of the spell and thus, the shockwave knocked him down.
As he started to stand, he raised his head just in time to see a massive wave of black energy crashing over Princess Celestia. Her shield came up, just in time to prevent the energy from consuming her. The energy cascaded over the golden shield around her body and dissipated on the floor, but when the shield dropped once more Jubilation saw the toll the spell had taken on her body.
Nightmare Moon’s spell hit with such an intense force that the Princess had been forced into the ground, cracking the floor beneath her hooves. Subsequently, blood was flowing from the Princess’ hooves into the cracks. Lord Jubilation was caught off-guard by this. Seeing his Princess wounded was terrifying and angering, but he knew that running forward to confront the nightmare would only end in his own demise.
The guards dead, and Princess Celestia battling Nightmare Moon to the death; Jubilation had to do something. He felt a pair of hooves grab him, lifting him up. He looked up to see Lord Canter and Lady Lightfeather helping him up. Once standing, he brushed himself off and turned to face the two Nobles.
“Thank y-”
The Lord was interrupted by Lady Lightfeather, who had grabbed him in a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re alright. When we saw you get knocked down by the blast we were afraid you might have been hurt.”
He looked into her eyes and felt something spark within him.
“Now, you two, we should probably move before a stray spell vaporizes us.”
The three Nobles looked at each other and began running down the hall.
“We can’t abandon her.”
The young Lord said to the others as they ran. Lord Canter turned his head and replied.
“Of course not. We had no plans of doing so, Lord.”
“Then what are we doing?”
“If the Princess is to have any chance of defeating the afflicted Princess Luna, then we must retrieve the Elements of Harmony for her.”
The two younger Nobles looked at each other and doubled their pace.
- - -
Lord Jubilation carried five of the six large golden orbs in his magic. Lady Lightfeather carried the sixth between her wings and Lord Canter ran slightly behind the other two Nobles, his age slowing him down.
As the three returned to the Court, they saw Princess Celestia holding her shield as Nightmare Moon barraged her with spells. Celestia’s magic was flickering under the strain, but it had not yet failed. The dark mare seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of energy with which she was assaulting the Princess of the Sun.
The fight had torn through the chamber; toppling chairs, tearing flags, burning banners, cracking the great marble throne of the sister of the night, and smashing one of the curved tables. The greatest emblem of the destruction, however, was the shattering of the great chandelier.
Its once symbolic beauty and harmony was tarnished and shattered across the floor. The indistinguishable metal of the chandelier was now fused to the floor, having melted under the heat of several deflected spells.
The contest of power was coming to a close, and to the Nobles it appeared as if night would indeed reign eternal.
Princess Celestia; tired, bruised, and bloody from several non-deflected spells, saw the Nobles galloping towards the two Alicorns before Nightmare Moon did. She reacted quickly, biting through the pain and weariness. Springing over the black mare and flapping her wings, she was able to clear the entire hall and land next to them.
Seeing the Elements of Harmony she flicked her magic. As the orbs flew through the air, a burst of magic resonated between all six of them and a flash of light filled the room. After the flash the orbs were no longer orbs, but a single crown and a single necklace, both worn by Princess Celestia.
“Thank you, Nobles; I was beginning to lose hope.”
The Nobles nodded and began to back away. Jubilation, however, found himself being dragged forward violently. The Lord was dangling in mid-air, suspended by the magic of Nightmare Moon.
“Ha ha ha. Foalish sister, We never took you for an idiot. You know as well as We do that the Elements are tied to Us. You cannot wield them on your own. And now that I have one of your precious Nobles, you wouldn’t dare try.”
Princess Celestia’s resolve remained unfettered, but a glimmer of fear was visible in her eyes. Lord Jubilation knew that he may die, but he trusted in Princess Celestia. He was determined to help her in any way he could.
“Please, dearest Luna. I know you’re still somewhere in there. Please, sister, return to me. I am sorry. I am sorry that I stole attention from you, that I always gave the speeches, that I was the one that our subjects loved, that I selfishly made myself the face of our diarchy, and that I overshadowed you, but Luna you must understand that I can change. I understand what the limelight does to a pony. Luna, please, I have changed, and I know you are in there listening to me. Please, come back to me.”
Nightmare Moon stared at Princess Celestia for a few moments, the Princess’ words flowing through her mind. Eventually she rolled her eyes and spoke in a dry tone.
“You were always very predictable, Cellie.”
The black Alicorn turned her head and looked at the lord with malice-filled eyes. As she turned her head she saw that the young Lord was struggling against the magic. She found his flailing amusing, and began to grin. She stared for a few moments and began speaking.
“I’ve gone too far to turn back now, Cellie. This Noble will die. Those Nobles, there, will die. The land will be shrouded in darkness and there is nothing you can do to stop Us.”
When she turned her head back to look at Princess Celestia, she saw magical energy flowing around her; the Elements of Harmony; the Princess wore ablaze with magical light.
“I’m sorry if this hurts, Luna.”
A surge of energy passed through her as the Elements activated. The surge directed itself out of her horn and fanned out into a ribbon of multicolored energy. The ribbon began wrapping itself around Nightmare Moon, surrounding her. In a panic, the alicorn released Lord Jubilation and began casting spell after spell to combat the ribbon of energy.
As each and every counter failed, Nightmare Moon became desperate and tried to directly attack the Princess. The bolt she fired screamed through the air before colliding with the necklace that embodied half of the Elements of Harmony.
The Elements reacted almost immediately. It was as if they could sense the danger they were in. The rainbow ribbon that had been wrapping around Nightmare Moon tightened; it began constricting her. Nightmare Moon screamed out in horror as the ribbon began to expand upwards as well, cutting a perfect hole through the ceiling, revealing the open night sky, and more importantly, the moon.
A large white beam shot up from the middle of the ribbon, preparing the way. This time, it was the crown that was struck.
Nightmare Moon charged another, larger spell and fired through the ribbon at the crown piece.
An aura of darkness surrounded the crown before spreading to the necklace. The Elements of Harmony began to shake and shimmer a dark golden color. Celestia screamed out silently. For a brief moment, Nightmare Moon believed she had succeeded, only to realize that the ribbon had yet to fade and that she was still being constricted.
The Elements of Harmony were still active, however. Reacting once more, they shed off the dark aura and tightened around Nightmare Moon, restricting her movement completely. She was forced to stare directly upwards, into her moon. Nightmare Moon realized what was about to happen and began casting one final spell. An overglow formed around her horn, then another formed, and another, and another, until a beam fired through the ribbon towards the Elements of Harmony.
The Elements reacted violently. A large overglow surrounded them and Celestia’s eyes pulsed with magic. A final wave of energy launched from the horn of the Princess of the Sun and joined the ribbon of magical energy surrounding Nightmare Moon.
“You will never win, Celestia. WE WILL RETURN IN ONE THOUSAND YEARS. MY BEAUTIFUL NIGHT WILL SEE TO THAT. GOODBYE, SISTER. HA HA HA!”
With that, the magic emitted by the Elements of Harmony crushed Nightmare Moon into a ball of energy and in the blink of an eye, fired it into the moon.
Lord Jubilation watched in awe and horror as he realized what had happened. Frozen in place, he looked up through the hole in the ceiling. Plastered across the surface of the moon was a silhouette.
He slowly looked over to the Princess to find her crumpled to the ground; bloody, bruised, and beaten. The young Lord slid his body across the destroyed Court chamber until he was next to her. He heard her whisper one final thing before her head fell to the floor.
“Luna, I’m sorry.”
- - -
The day had passed slowly. The Court had been adjourned until a later date, which had yet to be specified, and most Nobles had begun to return to their respective cities and towns. Some Nobles remained though. Jubilation was among them.
In a way he was ashamed of the Nobles who had left; in another way he envied them. He envied that they had nothing extra to deal with, that they could simply leave at the drop of a hat and not feel compelled to stay and see things through.
It was at that point that Jubilation had reached an impasse of his own. He asked himself what it was that held him down. He was new. He had only been a Noble for barely two days. So why did he feel so compelled to stay when others who had far deeper connections to the Princesses were able to leave so easily?
Lord Jubilation contemplated this on the top of a grassy hill a short walk from the main gate of the castle. A cold breeze blew through his mane. He had brought his scarf, but it had since fallen from his neck and lay unused on the dew-coated grass.
Drawing in a breath, he exhaled. He watched his breath against the moonlight.
The Moon had changed. Her image was visible on its surface. He knew that the Princess was in the tower, staring at it. He didn’t like to think about that. He blamed himself. He knew there was no reason to, but he did.
The howl of a wolf broke his contemplation. The forest surrounding the castle seemed more… free? The word was lost on him. He stared out into the emerging forest. It seemed far less colorful; the reds, oranges, and yellows absent in the silver light that the moon lent the land. That silver light shone as his reminder of the loss of the Princess whom he had once adored.
The world seemed to be shifting away from the old ways, and his Moon Princess was caught in the middle of it.
He stared up at the moon and saw the form on its surface. The Mare in the Moon. She stood as his reminder.
At this loss, he felt sorrow.
- - -
Lady Lightfeather waited at the bottom of the hill for several hours. While he stared at the moon, she stared at him. He did not appear cold, but she felt the bite of the frosty air; she shook from it.
As she climbed the hill, slowly and quietly, the mare unrolled the cloak she carried under her wing. The Lady was unsure if he even knew she was there before she had placed the large cloak around them both. She wrapped a wing around him. His gaze did not falter. Leaning her head on his neck, the two stared up at the lonely figure and dreamed of a better time.