Chapter 18
Nightmare Moon
Walking inside the armory everypony looked around in awe. A lot had been left behind as Celestia had moved from Everfree City. Deep red rich carpets lay in a pile gathering dust, a cabinet showing off several swords from different eras and kingdoms placed up against a wall. Golden goblets, candelabra and various other household items lay strewn about.
A chest lay open in the back, revealed a few dresses from old equestrian times laying crumpled in a heap, a few paintings having been shoved up away in a corner. But all Luna could see was in the middle of the room. Placed on an old marble table lay a sky blue helmet, a chest plate and four hoof guards.
In her head Nightmare Moon started laughing again.
Luna scowled. “Get out of my head.”
“As you wish.”
Luna yelped in pain as magic she could not control rushed from her head. Everypony looked on as a small streak of purple smoke came rushing out from Luna’s horn, leaving her behind to float to the armor. The minute the smoke touched the helmet, the armor lit up and floated in midair for a few seconds.
With everypony looking on, the armor started floating in circles, as more smoke materialized. Soon the smoke calmed down, turning almost black in color, making a shape so familiar that Spitfire and Soarin gulped. The smoke Nightmare Moon turned to Luna, the armor floating over it, letting everypony know that this was going to be out of this world insane. The smoke parted at the face, letting a pair of eyes show, as Nightmare Moon started to laugh, talking with an eerie echo.
“Well, well Luna… It seems like I no longer need you.”
“Seems that way” Luna said scowling herself.
“Well then… let’s not dilly dally… I have a busy night ahead of me” Nightmare Moon said grinning.
And then the two attacked. Kicks, head butts and magic were cast from both sides, the two flapping their wings trying to get the upper hoof. Looking on the group cheered on, but now and then ducked as the debris from the fight fell their way.
Luna grunted as she felt Nightmare moon’s front hooves connect with her stomach. For something that looking like it was made of smoke her attacks were surprisingly solid.
‘Time to finish this’ she decided, concentrating on her magic.
The shadow below her frowned, wondering what Luna was planning. Luna looked up at the moon, drawing in energy from the celestial body.
Nightmare Moon’s eyes grew twice in size. ‘Oh buck that’s not good.’
Luna looked down at Nightmare Moon. “I know you are upset… I know you are angry… but you need to let this go. You were born from my hatred and for that I apologize… but I will never forgive you… I will never forget what you made me do, how many ponies we killed, and how many ponies whose families was never whole again. I should destroy you… turn you back into a little speck and find a place to hide you and never let you out… but if I do that I would be no better than Starvoid the cold… So I will make sure you are looked after… that I at least once every week remember… remember you so that I will always remember them… and I will make sure that anypony become you… that much I promise you.”
And with that Luna shot a beam down at Nightmare Moon who was too slow to dodge. Slowly her black shadowy form changed into a pure solid white. Reeling back in shock and fear she suddenly stood as a stone statue on her hind legs, all white but for the pieces of armor who Luna levitated off the statue, leaving Nightmare Moon as a simple white Alicorn pony statue.
The group walked up to her. “What just happened?” Gilda asked.
“Yeah” Vinyl said, equally confused. “We could have used the element for this, like Twilight and the others did to Discord.”
“It’s not the same” Trixie said coming up looking at the statue. “Discord was turned to stone, from top to bottom… this is simply a casing.”
“Casing?” Spitfire looked down. “Are you saying that Nightmare Moon is still in there?”
Luna nodded. “The smoke is still inn there… and after this is over I am going to place her somewhere anypony can come to see her. I will personally see to it that everypony knows her story… and who knows, maybe a few years looking out at how happy ponies can be she will calm down… when the time is right I will let her out.”
Luna sighed, taking up her helmet, placing it over her head.
“But for now, she can stay here… we have another pony who is set upon world domination to take care off.”
With the helmet in place Luna levitated her chest place over her head, fastening it securely, reveling in the nostalgia she got from donning the familiar armor.
With help from her friends her hoof braces was in place, gleaming in the light of the moon. She looked over as everypony around her started to clap.
“The princess of the night in her full glory, now that is an amazing sight” Spitfire said grinning.
“Eeyup.”
“Thank you” Luna said smiling. “However I am not going to be the main hero of tonight, am I? It’s important that you look the part too.”
Luna turned to the armory, going behind a wardrobe, revealing a secret door. Stepping aside she smiled at her friends.
“Whatever you find that you like you can use.”
Everypony walked inside gaping. Armors, weapons, robes and other assortments lay spread out over the room. Trixie whistled, going over to a rather impressive display of cloaks, hats and other unicorn weaponry.
“Amazing” she said looking closely at a large hat made of white cloth with a myriad of sun’s and crescent moons all over it. “Enchanted with runes I see, to stand the tide of time… and apparently also burns and frost if I remember these symbols correctly.”
She took off her own hat, placing the white one on her head. Looking in a mirror that conveniently stood next to her she turned her head.
“Hmm… not too sure about the color, but the great and powerful Trixie could make this work.”
Trixie looked into the mirror, and her eyes turned wide. “No way.” She turned around, her gaze falling on an assemble in dark blue, large bells fastened all along the edge of the cloak and over the brim of the hat.
“Is that… what I think it is?”
Luna smiled. “Starswirl the bearded’s favorite cloak and hat? Why yes it is.”
Trixie gaped, tried to say something, failed and fainted.
Vinyl looked briefly up from a box filled with fancy helmets, laughing at Trixie.
“I think Trixie need some water” she said, dragging up a helmet made in ebony, with swirling markings all around it.
“Awesome, this looks cool… hey if anypony finds any black armor that match this, could you tell me?”
Big Mac who was busy trying on a full piece of steel armor spoke up. “Eeyup.” He rose without difficulty, finding a full set of ebony hoof guards, nearby, walking over to Vinyl with it.
“OH MY HOLY CELESTIA.”
Luna looked up at Spitfire, as she and Soarin was like frozen in the air, with the exception of their wings who held them airborne.
The two were looking at a pair of mannequins wearing a really old wonderbolt uniform, back when they were in a bright red and gold, with lines of black. Behind the two mannequins was a picture of two pegasi wearing the outfits, a mare and a stallion.
“I-i-is that… is that really…” Soarin tried finding words to describe what he was seeing, but failed badly.
Luna smiled. “Yes… that is the original outfits that were made to Lightning Bolt and his twin Wonder Wind… I don’t think they would mind it if you used their outfits.”
“The original wonderbolts” Spitfire said in an awed whisper. “It’s almost too much… almost.”
Spitfire rushed over to the mannequin, taking off the outfit.
“I always looked good in red” she said and landed to take the outfit on.
Vinyl who had managed to find the final piece of her armor, a chest plate with a centerpiece that looked like a white diamond smiled.
“Hey guys look, I’m a piano… get it? Ebony and Ivory? Since I’m white?”
Derpy snorted and soon the entire room laughed, even Trixie, who had gotten help since she woke from her knock out. She was now dressed in the white cloak and hat, deciding that she liked the design.
“Woah, you got Griffin armor… old griffin armor, but still, I’m impressed.”
Luna looked at Gilda who had found the single piece of Griffin armor, in golden steel with enough enchantments to last almost anything that was sent after them.
“Won by me” Luna said. “From the griffin I flew against to secure the peace, for what it was worth. After the flight he was so impressed he gave me his armor, as a sign to show he held no grudge.”
Gilda smiled, already drawing the sharp talon enhancers over her claws. Luna smiled and looked around, finding Zecora holding a bowl with a white powder.
Walking over to her Luna smiled. “Finding anything?” Zecora nodded.
“A cloak in green I have found to wear, now I make paint, to warn the enemy of dangers near.”
Luna looked as Zecora poured some water from the water flask she still wore around her body, turning the powder into white paint.
Zebra culture always made Luna baffled. Through history they rarely fought others, except for their own kind, to get more land and resources. Armor they had little off, and instead painted their faces with different kinds of paint to scare or unnerve the enemy.
“Well have fun” Luna said, turning to see everypony ready, except one.
Derpy was still flying around, looking with interest at various outfits.
“Do you need help Derpy?”
“Well no” Derpy said shrugging. “I suppose I simply don’t want anything… I have my cloak and it’s supposed to shield me from my enemies eyes for an hour… I don’t really need anything for protection.”
Luna smiled. “Very well then… is everypony ready?”
“Ready” Soarin and Spitfire said, donning the black goggles on the red uniforms over their eyes.
“Let’s do this” Vinyl said, levitating Pinkie’s bracelet to lie together with her flute straight over the centerpiece of her armor.
“Eeyup” Big Mac said, doing a few practice swings with his sword, the hilt firmly held in his mouth, his sister’s necklace secured tightly around his neck.
“Let’s rock” Gilda said, placing her helmet firmly on her head, Rainbow’s necklace resting safely around her neck.
Zecora, dressed in a dark forest green cloak with golden markings that looked like leaves smiled as she stood with her face painted reminiscent of a skeleton, fastening her bracelet tighter, Fluttershy’s necklace gleaming under the cloak.
“Our friends we shall get, Starvoid haven’t won yet.”
Derpy fastened her black cloak over Rarity’s necklace, doing a small aerial somersault. “Let’s do this for everypony at home” she said grinning widely.
Trixie grinned, fastening her new white cloak, her ancestor’s necklace hanging around her own neck, Twilight’s tiara resting over her hat.
“For Equestria and the royal Pony sisters… all hail princess Celestia and princess Luna.”
Everypony cheered, and Luna turned to face the door. Brace yourself Starvoid… here we come.