//------------------------------//
// Dark Side 
// Story: A Debt to the Stars 
// by Sereg 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5: Dark Side
 
I was busy with my latest attempt to discover someone who appreciated my night. I had tried many things before, most of which I am no longer proud of. I did a lot of crazy, rebellious things in my later teen hundreds, from monitoring sleep schedules to trying to get access to the secret documents of other countries. This time, I was reading our parents’ book collection.
 
(/)

Light shone from the windows of only one room of the Royal Castle. Luna sat in the library with the desks pulled together and around her. She was surrounded by piles of books which would intermittently slip to the floor, crumpling their pages. She snarled and the tome she was reading was slammed shut and thrown onto one of the haphazard piles. Another failure! There had to be information somewhere on someone who appreciated her night and her moon properly! Another book opened. Luna rapidly skimmed through the pages before slowing down as her eyes widened.

“The Nightmare Forces,” she whispered. Why were they named after the bad dreams she had to prevent? They lived on the moon. That was promising. Surprising that they were there, but she just moved the Moon around and had not bothered to check for life on such a barren celestial body. They did not like daylight. That was also promising. Too many, that is, all, ponies preferred her older sister. Perfect Celestia who could not do anything wrong. Older. Stronger. And Mother and Father’s favourite. Why could she not have subjects which loved her?

She continued to read. “Beware, blah blah, warning, blah blah, danger, blah blah.” Typical disparaging of anything associated with her night. “Oh! A spell to contact a nightmare!? Finally! A chance for appreciation! It looks like dark magic. That’s odd. Still, Celestia can use this magic. Why not I?”

She frowned as she studied the spell. It could not be too hard for one like her. She lifted the book with her aura and carried it to her bedchambers. She placed the open book on her dressing table and her crest creased in concentration. She reread to make sure she understood the instructions.
 
At her will, chalk danced across the floor, etching diagrams. It was simple. She was an artist, after all. She knew geometry like the back of her hoof. Speaking of which, she lifted her hoof to her face and an ingot of a silver metal floated over. It moulded itself into a dagger and slashed the end of her foreleg. Blood dripped onto the floor. The wound was nothing to worry about even for an ordinary pony, never mind one with her regenerative abilities.

She only had one more step. Purple and green magic bubbled from her horn as spheres of darkness emerged. Her eyes glowed green, and purple flames grew from them. “Hear my call and speak to me!” she commanded.
 
The blood fizzled away and grew into an indistinctive pony of smoke and shadow. “Greetings, Princess Luna, worthiest of all alicorns,” came a rumbling voice as the pony bowed its head.“I am honoured to speak with you.”

Luna smiled and clopped her hooves. “It’s true! There are those who appreciate me!”
 
“Too few, I’m afraid.” It shook its head slowly.
 
Luna lowered her head and frowned. “Yes! Why doesn’t anypony appreciate me!?”
 
“They’ve been blinded,” said the shadow, waving its hoof. “Celestia uses her influence to cloud the minds of your subjects. They need to see how great the night truly is!”
 
“Yes!” Luna nodded. “But how do I do that?”
 
“Simply take away the Sun,” came the reply. “Then you would rule as you truly should! As the highest monarch in Equestria! There will be no princess but you!” The shadow slammed a hoof onto the floor.
 
“Yes!” said Luna. Then her smile dropped. “But wait! What about Celestia? She’s the older, stronger one. And Mom and Dad’s favourite. Wouldn’t it make sense for her to be next to rule?”
 
“And why should she rule just because she’s older and stronger?” asked the shadow with a shrug. “If that reasoning were valid, it would have been better to leave Discord in charge, and you don’t really believe that, do you? As for your parents, why should you care what they think? They’re as wrong as everypony else! They’ve lost their edge and become as blinded by Celestia as everypony else! Their time as the rightful rulers of Equestria is over. You are the true, worthy Princess of Equestria.” It pointed at her.
 
Luna nodded. “Yes. Yes! But they won’t just let me become the ruling princess.”
 
“With my power, I can make you stronger,” said the shadowy creature, lifting a hoof to its face. “More powerful than Celestia. Powerful enough to defeat her and begin a reign of night. Then all will be forced to see how wonderful your night is. You can continue the night until they see how great it is, and you are. They will see how stupid they’ve been to admire the harsh glare of the Sun rather than the soothing, comforting light of the Moon. They will gaze upon the beauty of the stars rather than the dull mix of blue and cloudy. They will be comforted by the cool night air rather than be crushed under the harsh, oppressive rays of sunlight.”
 
“Yes!” said Luna, her eyes lighting up. “A reign of night! It’ll be perfect!”
 
“And not even your parents will be able to stop you.” It stepped closer to the edge of the magic circle.

 Luna frowned. “They’ll be all right though, right?”
 
“Of course! You just need to show them what you can do, then you can finally earn their respect!”

“What do I have to do?” Luna asked eagerly.
 
“I will help you trap your parents’ bedchamber. They need to be stuck so that they can’t help Celestia. Don’t worry. With them trapped, nopony will get hurt.” It took another step forward. “Then, when your sister raises the Sun, raise the Moon back up, blocking the light of the Sun and shrouding the world in darkness. Then accept me into your body and I will give you the power to keep it there and fight Celestia.”
 
Luna frowned and shook her head. “I’m not sure. This seems like too much. I may deserve to rule more than they do, but to do that?”
 
“Of course you deserve it!” the shadow growled as it lowered its stance. “And they deserve to be punished for not seeing that! Along with the rest of Equestria!”
 
Luna bit her lip. “They do, don’t they? But I don’t want to hurt my parents. Just show them what I can do!”
 
“And you will!” It slammed its hoof again. “This will show them that you mean business! Otherwise they’d stop you right away!  Do this, and all will see how great you and your night are!”
 
Luna smiled.
 
(/)
 
Luna smiled and was careful to refrain from giggling as she slowly applied the black paint to the floor in the delicate swirls that the nightmare described. She sweated as she considered the time until Celestia was due to raise the Sun. Her breathing deepened and she nearly jumped into the air, wriggling her legs as dawn approached. After finishing off the last of the arcane markings in front of the door to her parents’ bedchamber, Luna rushed back to watch Celestia raise the Sun, lowering the Moon as she went. There was no time to waste. She needed to see her sister’s face when she showed off her new power. She watched from behind her mother’s throne as Celestia arrived.

Celestia lifted her horn and the glow of her aura enveloped it as Luna waited in the shadows, her muscles tense. The eight minutes it would take for the Sun to respond ticked by as Luna grit her teeth. At least the moon was close enough to have a decent response time, and its light was far more soothing than the harsh, blinding rays of that oversized candle. How much of a show-off did one have to be to lift something which dwarfed the rest of the Solar System combined in both size and radiance? Eventually the horizon began to pale and the Sun lifted into the sky.
 
Celestia looked around. “Mother? Father?” she called out as she began walking towards the thrones, slowly scanning the room. “Where are you?” She continued walking.
 
“Not another step!” said Luna as she walked out from behind the throne and glared at her sister. “Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light!?” She walked over to the balcony between the thrones, her eyes narrowed. “There will only be one princess in Equestria! And that princess ... will be me!”

She smashed her hooves down, crushing the balcony. The wall behind her cracked and the stained glass window of a tree shattered before the wall around it crumbled. Luna lifted her hooves and the moon rose again, blocking the light of the Sun.

She offered her body as a vessel for the Nightmare, and it flooded into her. She felt it coursing through her body. The strength, the power and the magic filled her. There was so much magic that she could not believe it. She nearly gasped at the ecstasy of invincibility. Nothing could stop her. Nothing! Still more power continued to flow into her and she drank it, but her face contorted in panic as she felt like she was choking on the stream of power.  
 
Wait! What are you doing!? Slow down! Stop!
 
The flow only sped up and her eyes widened in horror at the viciousness with which it suddenly began to force its way in.
 
This isn’t what we agreed to! I can’t see! No! This isn’t what we agreed to! Stop! This is my body and I won’t let you take it! Leave me alone! I won’t let you have it! Go away! Keep your filthy--! Stay out of my mind!  Her consciousness was crushed and smothered beneath the overwhelming presence of the nightmare. Luna’s essence retreated into the back of her mind and curled into a ball as the nightmare bashed its way into her mind, tendrils creeping into every crevice and overwhelming her.

An orb of darkness clawed its way around her and her body was reshaped. Her coat darkened as her limbs stretched. Her curves were accentuated as her teeth lengthened into fangs. Her pupils were drawn into slits as her mane became fuller. Her barding grew over her body. Nightmare Moon began to laugh.
 
Celestia soared into the air in a streak of colour and Nightmare Moon fired a beam of light from her horn towards the alicorn of day. Take that, you glow-worm! It’s time for the thorn in our side to burn! Celestia dodged the blast, in a graceful swoop while Nightmare Moon glared at her, as the beam tore an opening in the roof, displaying the darkness outside. Celestia landed again and the two walked towards each other as they narrowed their eyes. Celestia rose again, wings spread like a majestic eagle, glaring down like a bird of prey in condescension.
 
Got you now! thought Nightmare Moon, and she fired another beam which Celestia narrowly dodged once again. It tore another hole, closer to Celestia, revealing the moon. Celestia landed again and stared at her sister. After a moment she folded her wings and shook her head sadly. “Luna! I will not fight you! You must lower the Moon! It is your duty!”
 
“Luna? I am ... Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now. To destroy you!” She flicked her head and fired another beam, hitting the spot where Celestia used to be. Celestia flew out through a hole in the roof.
 
“And where do you think you’re going?” Nightmare Moon took off after her as she grinned hungrily.
 
Celestia continued to dodge as pieces of the castle were blasted away.
 
“Where are Mom and Dad?” asked Celestia. “All this noise has surely woken them up! They will be here soon and if you do not stop, you will have to face all three of us at once!”
 
“Oh, I’m sure they got up to check,” said Nightmare Moon as she fired another blast. “but they’re a little busy with giving me power!”
 
“What?!” cried Celestia. She dove back towards the castle and smashed her way through a window, landing in the passage to her parents’ bedchambers. Her expression twisted in horror as she looked at the door. The door was open and her parents lay on the threshold in a web of magic. They groaned as they withered before her eyes. Celestia’s lip quivered and her eyes welled up. She ran towards them. “Mom!? Dad!?” Her stomach twisted and her heart was being crushed as she stared down at her parents’ limp forms which twitched on the floor while their skin slowly shrivelled. Their blank eyes had red lines scribbled across them and their manes lay dead on the floor as their coats dulled.
 
Then the floor beneath her exploded. She was thrown into the air, smashing through the roof. She unfurled her wings and evaded the remaining debris, only to be struck by a beam of light. Pain like Celestia had not felt in five centuries lanced through her body. She collapsed, falling through the roof and onto the floor. Her mane collapsed and shifted to pink. Celestia lay on the floor momentarily and then struggled to her hooves. She did not have time to fully regenerate.

“Oh, dear Sister,” said Celestia. She closed her eyes. “I am sorry.” She turned her head to face a point on the floor. “But you have given me no choice, but to use these!”

Her horn glowed and a trapdoor within the floor opened. A large stand rose from the floor, spinning as it ascended. The stand was topped with a large round boulder. It had five arms, each holding a round stone, etched with a different symbol.

Celestia quickly scanned the sky for Nightmare Moon as the stand rose and gingerly tested her joints for more serious injuries. She bit her lip as the stand continued to rise, her muscles tensed and her wings spread in expectation of a sudden need to escape. She breathed a sigh of relief once the stand had fully risen. Celestia lifted the smaller orbs with her horn.

At the touch of her magic, one of the orbs crumbled and the core glimmered, as it shifted into a blue jewel of the brilliant cut. It transformed again, only the second time, it was  into the shape of a sun, and grew a golden tiara around itself, and flung itself onto Celestia’s head. The other orbs floated towards her as the glow around the central boulder intensified. Celestia’s eyes widened. “I cannot get the last one!”
 
Nightmare Moon crashed her way in after Celestia, the floor cracking under her hooves. “You dare try to use those against me!?” she snarled, quivering with rage. Her lip curled to display her fangs. She lifted Celestia in her aura and flung her through the wall next to the door. She then blasted Celestia once more, sending her flying into the statue garden next to the castle. Nightmare Moon soared after her and landed in the very centre of the garden, next to the biggest statue. 

As Nightmare Moon strode towards her, Celestia’s horn flashed with searing brilliance, rendering the grass transparent and frying Nightmare Moon’s retinas. She screamed as she shoved her hooves against her eyes. She smashed them down again, causing the statues to rock from the impact. Her eyes fluttered rapidly as she blinked away the pain until she could see again, but Celestia was gone. 

“I can still feel that you’re close by!”  She walked closer to the statue. It was a square podium. At each corner was a pony staring outward. She approached the corner topped with an earth mare in barding who held a spear.

“But your attempt to take the Elements has given me an idea! Watch! If you dare try to use them against me, well, you’ll soon see how that feels! Captain and Commander Right Hoof! You promised to return to my side when I needed you, defying even death!” A panel opened and pieces of barding floated out of the statue. “Show me that you spoke the truth!” Her horn glowed green and purple and her eyes soon reflected those colours while they enveloped the barding. “Celestia has betrayed us! Serve me once more! The true, unwavering princess!”

At the gates of Tartarus, a large alicorn stallion sat at his desk. He would have been pitch black were it not for the many grey and silver hairs covering his coat. Even his mane was losing its wave of inky void as streaks of white grew into it. He blinked his dull, lined eyes and the creases in his face deepened as he blinked at the presence of powerful magic. He looked up to see a key of shadows forming in the air. “No!” he said as he got up. “Not on my watch!” He spread his wings and scowled as a black aura surrounded his horn.
 
The key turned and the sky parted to reveal the green plains of Elysium while the key returned to the form of an amorphous shadow which rushed in through the portal as the alicorn began to flap. When it found the mare it was looking for, it whispered into her ear of duty and betrayal, pouring itself into her mind as her spiritual eyes began to glow before grabbing her and yanking her out of paradise. 

The alicorn scowled. “Okay! You may have got one, but I’ll soon have it back and you will pay!” He walked towards the weapons cache which slid open at the touch of his magic. “We’ll see how you do against me.” Another streak of dark magic pulled a soul from Elysium. The alicorn spun his head as his eyes widened. “Another one!? What is going on!?”

At the castle, the barding shone with ectoplasm as it sparked with power. The form of a translucent white mare filled the outfit as the pieces positioned themselves. The mare’s spirit stepped forward. Her eyes were unfocused and swirling with purple and green light. She called out to the night, “I  have come to serve you again, my princess! To be betrayed by your own family! I can barely believe such dishonour! You sicken me, Celestia!”
 
From her hiding place within the bushes, Celesta’s jaw hung open and she stepped back. “Right!” she whispered. “Please! Believe me! I never betrayed Luna!” Her horn glowed dimly with the spell which made her voice fill the garden as if she were everywhere at once. “What has she done to you!?” she sobbed.
 
“Don’t believe her lies! Join me again, Minister Solemn Council!”” yelled Nightmare Moon as a sarcophagus, shimmering with black, green and purple magic rose from the ground below the corner watched over by a pegasus holding a scroll. The sarcophagus door swung open in a flare of purple and green, and a desiccated corpse, covered in trailing bandages stepped forward, shaking her head, her own eyes glowing with the same purple and green magic.
 
“How could you do this, Celestia? To hog all the power and glory to yourself while treating your own sister as a common criminal? I expected better of you. I will stand with your sister on the side of justice,” said the pegasus mummy.
 
“Solemn! I looked up to you so much! Fight it! She’s using you! I never stopped being your friend! I never treated Luna badly!” Celestia scrunched her eyes shut as tears dripped from her face. “I would have thought that I would love to see you again! But not like this!” Her voice cracked with high pitched squeaks.
 
“I am the victim!” yelled Nightmare Moon as she stomped a hoof. “I am the one who needs the support now! Come and serve me again and overthrow another tyrant! Doctor First Aid,  serve me again! It is once again time to absolve your broken vows!”
 
A coffin, lifted by tendrils of darkness, rose  to the surface below the point guarded by a stallion in a lab coat and stethoscope. It tore itself apart as bony hooves ripped gashes torn through the wood from  within and it collapsed to reveal a lavender skeleton in a tattered lab coat whose eye-sockets glowed green and purple. “I will not stand for the kind of suffering you are inflicting, Celestia! I did not accept it from Discord and I won’t accept it from you! Once more, I must help the oppressed like your sister.”
 
“First! We are friends! You know me! I am not oppressing Luna!” Celestia sobbed. “Why does our reunion have to be tainted this way!?”
 
“Trust and serve me! Your true princess! Your friend who always remained faithful and never wavered!” cried Nightmare Moon. “The friend who always gave of herself! Come back to me High Court Archmage Star Swirl!” She lifted her leg and bit it, her new fangs drawing blood which she splattered on the ground in front of the statue of a unicorn in a pointy hat and cloak who carried a book. 

Back at the Gates of Tartarus, the black alicorn hung his head and glared at his bone key cutie mark. “I failed!” he growled. “How could I fail!? I cannot allow this!” He strode over to the window on the side of the chamber. He lifted a scythe from the weapons cache and shadesteel barding strapped itself to his body. Saddlebags lifted in his aura and landed on his back before being packed with three books, a quill and a bottle of ink.

He flapped his wings and flew out of the chamber, the dark aura around his horn growing and the gates of Tartarus sealing behind him. He spun to face the portal and pointed his scythe at it. “No more! Sealing the area!” A wall of darkness sprung up. “I am not letting this happen!” A bolt of magic flew through the wall, shattering it, before pulling out yet another soul. “What!? What is the matter with me today! Okay. Calm down. I clearly have to do this properly.”

The alicorn’s scowl deepened, he grit his teeth and curled his lip. Pieces of the wall lifted and fitted back together as they slowly thickened and the portal was slowly squeezed shut, wavering as resistance increased. A dark streak, slipped into the small hole that remained and pulled a fourth soul away from paradise as he shut the portal once again. His eyes widened and he flew towards the portal, his scythe following him in his dark aura. He swung his scythe towards the streak, but it was already long gone and the portal was beginning to crack again.

“I can’t believe this!” he cried. He landed and smashed his hoof into the ground, causing a fissure to form and the ground to shake. As a small rock lifted into the air, the scythe spun and sliced it cleanly in two. A book floated out of his saddlebags, along with the quill and ink. “Let’s get the parchmentwork done. That’s part of my duty as well. Reporting ...” His horn sparked once more. “Four!? I’ve already got four rogue souls on my hooves!? This is the worst disaster I’ve been involved in since the last Cosmic War!” “I can’t let any more be stolen! I have to reinforce it before I hunt down the rogue souls.” He grunted as his aura thickened and the cracks began to seal. “This  would be so much easier if I had a dog.”
 
At the castle, a blue hoof burst from the ground and pulled a unicorn with green and purple eyes who was wearing a pointed hat out.
 
“Down with Celestia!” he said. “Long live Princess Luna! Long live Nightmare Moon!”
 
“Long live Nightmare Moon!” the other three echoed.
 
“Let everything you see and hear show further evidence of her treachery and tyranny!” Nightmare Moon commanded her new  underlings as their eyes flashed once more.
 
“I’ve got to stop this!” Celestia lifted into the air and flew off.
 
Nightmare Moon saw her and she fired another blast which Celestia dodged as she soared off into the distance.
 
“Should we go after her, your Highness?” asked Right.
 
“She’ll be back,” said Solemn. “It is her best chance to defeat us. She already has the Element of Laughter.”
 
“Then we’ll be ready,” said Nightmare Moon. “Begin preparations for her arrival and stand guard.”
 
(/)
 
Several hours later, Celestia watched from the bushes. “We don’t see them,” she said.
 
“They’ll be waiting,” said an earth stallion in steel barding. “The Elements will be defended.”
 
“Then let me go,” said a lithe, yellow pegasus. She was also wearing barding, but it was padded and dyed shades of brown to blend in with the trees. “I can sneak in and grab the Elements before they even notice!” She swooped her hoof around to illustrate.
 
“We do not doubt your impressive abilities, Pyra,” said Celestia, “but we would rather not have you risk their wrath by yourself.”
 
Pyra shrugged. “I dodge monsters in the Everfree all the time. Is it really so different?”
 
Celestia closed her eyes as a tear ran down her muzzle “Yes. Yes, it is different.” She opened her eyes again. “In any event, we were not able to remove the Element of Magic from its storage chamber. We need all six.”
 
“What if we just smash the storage chamber?” asked the earth stallion.
 
“That might work,” replied Celestia as she inclined her head. “We still want all of us there in case something goes wrong. Solid, would you please search the area?”
 
“Of course,” said the earth stallion. He stomped his hoof and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes again and raised his eyebrows. “This might be harder than I first thought!”
 
Celestia closed her eyes. “Remember that First is a skeleton and Right is a ghost. Most of her barding will be levitating.”
 
Solid frowned and stomped the ground again. “Got them,” he said. He began marking the dirt with his hoof. “Alicorn, unicorn, pegasus, skeleton and a set of horseshoes.”
 
Pyra looked at the sketch that Solid had drawn. “I’ll get past them.”
 
“Not if they have wards up,” replied Solid.
 
Celestia turned towards a grey unicorn stallion. “Star, we will need your help with this. You may have to face your ancestor, but remember that he is not the same pony he was in life and as much as it hurts us to say, he is dangerous and needs to be stopped.”
 
Star closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand.”
 
Celestia turned towards the last two of her companions, a yellow unicorn mare and a brown earth pony mare wearing a mane net. “And what about you two? Are you ready to do this?”
 
The unicorn got up from her shivering crouch and steeled herself. “We trust you.”
 
The earth mare nodded. “We’ll give you the help you need.”
 
“All right,” said Celestia as she gave a nod. “Solid, Pyra, lead us to the Elements of Harmony, please. Use the safest route.”
 
They advanced, led by Pyra and Solid. They crawled low to the ground, eyes darting.
 
“Stop!” Star whispered.
 
“What is it?!” asked Pyra.
 
“There is a powerful ward in front of us,” said Star. “We can’t go around it. It surrounds the entire perimeter. Get back! I don’t want any of you to get hurt if it goes off.” He stepped forward and Pyra moved to block him.
 
“I’m the scout,” she said. “If anypony is going to get hurt, it’s me!”
 
“Please, Pyra,” Star sighed. “I’m less likely to make mistakes if I’m near the ward. And there’s no reason for more than one of us to risk injury.”
 
Pyra flattened her ears and half-lidded her eyes. “Fine.”
 
Star stepped forward and his horn shone with silver light. The air shimmered before him as a sheet of static. He winced and the wall pulsed. “That’s one trap bypassed,” he said through gritted teeth. He winced as a secondary aura grew around his primary one. There were another two flashes. “I can do this,” he moaned. He scrunched his eyes shut and lowered his head. There was another flash. He began shuddering and a tertiary aura developed around his horn.
 
Meadow gasped. “Careful, Star! Don’t hurt yourself!”
 
“I’ll be fine, Meadow,” Star said through gritted teeth. There were another three flashes of light. Star scrunched his eyes shut more tightly. Another flash of light, then, “Horse apples,” whispered Star. A yellow, shining ripple of air raced across the sky.
 
“What is it?” asked Meadow as she walked up to him.
 
“I disabled the wards and dangerous traps, but anypony near the ward would see that glow.”
 
Solid frowned and slammed a hoof into the ground. His eyes widened. “The unicorn was near the ward, further East, but he’s ... disappearing? ... No. Spreading out somehow!” He turned to the left. “By the Sun!” he gasped. The others turned to face the same direction. Meadow stepped back as her jaw dropped in horror.
 
A carpet of spiders scuttled towards them. As the swarm approached, the spiders clamoured over each other, forming a mound. The mound quickly grew into the size and shape of a unicorn and flesh grew over the collection. Star Swirl the Twenty Fifth stood before them.
 
“Traitor!” he cried, lowering his horn.
 
Pyra moved with blinding speed, the ground tearing with the sonic boom as she knocked Celestia out of the spell’s path. She screamed as the lightning bolt grazed her rump and set her tail on fire.
 
Meadow stepped backwards as she shook in terror, but Solid roared in fury. He charged forward and smashed his right forehoof into Star’s face, his horn breaking from the impact as his skull was crushed.  The older Star Swirl collapsed.  Meadow rushed over to Pyra to treat her.
 
Pyra awkwardly flapped the wing she was not lying on and the fire went out. Meadow bit her lip and flattened her ears in concern at the sight of Pyra’s rump. The burn was large, deep and marred the edges of her trail cutie mark. Meadow closed her eyes and her horn shone while Pyra’s burn shrank.
 
Meanwhile, the vampiric Star Swirl lay twitching on the ground.
 
Celestia threw herself at his hooves and begged, “No! Do not leave me again, Star! Not like this!”
 
Soup walked over to Celestia and said, “You really miss him, don’t you?”
 
“Yes,” said Celestia before sniffing,  “It’s so hard seeing him again like this! And I cannot bear to watch him suffer.”
 
“Maybe I can help,” offered Soup. She placed her head in her saddlebag and drew a knife. She slashed the knife across her foreleg, just above the hoof. She raised the hoof above Star Swirl’s mouth and dripped blood onto his tongue. His eyes widened and he lunged forward, sinking his fangs into her leg.
 
Pyra, Solid and Celestia stepped forward, but Soup raised her other forehoof in a signal to stop them.
 
Star’s skull reinflated like a balloon, the bloody mush recovering the bone as his horn grew back, drilling its way out of his crest.  He narrowed his eyes and sublimated into a green mist which floated back towards the castle.
 
“Let me look at that for you,” said Meadow as she stepped forward.
 
“I’ll be fine,” said Soup as she lowered her hoof.
 
“You’ll need your strength for the coming fight,” said Solid. “Let Meadow heal you.”
 
The corner of Soup’s mouth lifted and she raised her hoof back into Meadow’s view.  Meadow’s horn shone as the cut sealed.
 
“They’ll know we’re coming now,” said Solid. “Let’s get there before they organise a welcome party.”
 
Celestia and Pyra flew off, the air screaming as it tore apart from the velocity. The others charged after them and they raced through the hole in the wall.
 
Nightmare Moon stood waiting for them. Celestia and Pyra landed on the floor as the others rushed in. Meadow shook in terror as she gazed upon Nightmare Moon’s visage.
 
“Back so soon, Celestia?” asked Nightmare Moon. “You haven’t even had a chance to regenerate! Are you in such a hurry to die?”
 
“You’ll have to get through us first!” said Pyra as she stepped in front of Celestia.
 
“And I’m certain that you’ll hinder us in a significant way, Pyra,” droned Nightmare Moon.  

Pyra shot a wide-eyed glance at Celestia and back.

“Yes, I know all your friends, Celestia, even though they never had time for me! Kill them. Celestia’s brainwashing has made them unsalvageable.”
 
Pyra drew a short sword and flew towards their foes. She turned into a whirling blur as she covered Star in gashes. She sped off and nicked Nightmare Moon twice in flybys before Nightmare Moon swatted her out of the sky with a bored expression.
 
Pyra slid along the floor and into the Elements’ stand.
 
“Pyra!” yelled the others as they rushed towards her. Star Swirl slowed down and paused. He looked up at the Elements. A spark flashed in his eyes.
 
“Of course,” he muttered. “It’s a failsafe!”

He actually grinned at the realisation. “The Element of Magic can’t be reached while the other Elements aren’t claimed! Princess Celestia, you already claimed Laughter.” He pointed towards her.

“But Pyra, it is you who shows Loyalty.” As he looked at her, he pumped a hoof into the air. “Meadow, you get Kindness.” As he turned towards her, he lowered his head and placed a hoof on his heart. “Generosity is yours, Soup.” He pointed enthusiastically at the next in his list. “And Honesty belongs to you, Solid!” He slammed a hoof down, frowning as he looked upon his final comrade.

He used his telekinesis to grab and present the orbs to their respective bearers. Upon contact, the orbs began to glow, shifted in shape to match their bearers’ cutie marks and embedded themselves in their bearers’ barding and saddlebags.

Star Swirl turned to face his vampiric namesake. “And who would be better, Revered Ancestor, than your descendant, who has used his magic to help bring his friends to this point,  to wield the Element of Magic?” The final orb flew out of the large sphere atop the stand and transformed into a star-shaped clasp for his robe. “Now!” he yelled. He shone with violet light. One-by-one, the other bearers began to shine as well.
 
“Stop them!” yelled Right and she jumped off the balcony and onto the floor. Star transformed into a bat and flew down before transforming back while Solemn followed and First ran down the stairs. The vampiric Star Swirl lowered his head and fired a pink blast at Meadow, but it dissipated upon contact. Right swung her horseshoe into Star’s face, but it did not make contact.
 
The living Star Swirl frowned. “Why haven’t we ... ?” He spun around to face Celestia. She was the only bearer who was not glowing. “Celestia! We’ve got to stop them!”
 
“I do not want to lose them!” yelled Celestia. “They are my friends and my sister! I do not want to turn them to stone!”
 
“They’re dangerous!” roared Solid as Solemn tried to whip him, her bandage collapsing  upon contact.
 
“You discovered something new about the Elements during this very battle, Star!” said Celestia. “Maybe there is another way? We need more time!” She began to glow blue and her eyes shone with white brilliance.
 
“More time?” asked Star. His eyes began to glow and his violet aura intensified. “Yes!” The other bearers’ auras followed suit and their eyes shone as well. The light twisted into a rainbow which swept Nightmare Moon and her undead henchponies into the sky.
 
The vampiric Star Swirl’s horn glowed with a telepathy spell and he projected, We’re not giving up!
 
We’ll come for you! added Right.
 
The rainbow split into five beams and the centre one slammed into the Moon, carving Nightmare Moon’s face into its surface as four shooting stars careened off into deep space.
 
The newer bearers stopped glowing and Celestia lowered her head. Then she lifted it again and opened her glistening eyes. “One thousand years,” she said. “Longer than sisters should be separated for. I was hoping for something shorter. But at least it is not an eternity and by then, I will have found a solution.”
 
A black speck quickly approached, enlarging to the form of a black alicorn which landed next to Celestia. “Celestia!? What happened!? I’ve been tracking some stolen souls!”
 
Celestia inhaled as she lifted her head and another tear fell. “I have already dealt with the undead, Uncle Mortis. We used the Elements of Harmony to throw them into space.”
 
Mortis’s eyes widened. “Wow! They’re a bit more versatile than we thought!”
 
“Yes. I will unlock their secrets.” Celestia gave a sob. “I will find a way to save them!”
 
Mortis winced. “I’m sorry, Celestia. You shouldn’t have had to do this. I’m getting too old for my job. These babies certainly aren’t up for leaving the atmosphere anymore!” He spread his wings with an awkward smile and dropped it as he folded them again. “Perhaps I should accept that it’s almost time for me to leave things for the next generation. I hear that Pensilis and Fortuna are trying for a foal. If the foal is anything like their parents, he or she will be a good replacement.”
 
“I d-don’t want to lose you too!”
 
He gave a smile. “It’s time.” Then it fell. “What do you mean ‘too’? Where are your parents?”
 
“I-in-side!” Celestia buried her face into his shoulder. “Please help them!”
 
Mortis’s eyes widened again. “Show me!”
 
Celestia lifted her head and soared back towards the ruined corridor with Mortis right behind her. They landed back in front of the magic circle. Her parents lay twitching on the ground. Their limbs had withered and their faces were gaunt. White streaked their manes. Cracken’s coat was turning grey and Felt’s was yellowing like old paper. Lines creased their faces as though they had been weathered for  millennia.
 
Mortis narrowed his eyes, spread his forehooves and lowered his head as the black aura returned to his horn. “Felt! Cracken! Don’t worry! I’ll get you out! I’ve dealt with these before!”
 
The circle quickly faded away and the alicorn couple slowly got back to their hooves.
 
Celestia rushed over and nuzzled her parents. “I thought I’d lost my whole family at once!”
 
“No. You haven’t,”  rasped Felt, before wrapping a wing around Celestia. “We’ll still be here for a bit longer.”