//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: A New Dawn // by Foals Errand //------------------------------// “Love is in bloom! A beautiful bride and a handsome groom!” Celestia smiled as her dear student belted out the lyrics in her smooth voice. Truly, if Twilight had not been such an adept magic user, I would have given odds on her becoming a professional singer. She shook her head and lightly bobbed her head a bit to the music as Luna was next to her attempting to “head bang” in a regal manner. She wasn’t fully succeeding. “You’re starting a life and making room for us.” Celestia watched as the entire wedding party joined Cadance and Shining Armor on the dance floor. All eyes were now off of her, even Luna was distracted, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the music. Celestia slowly took a step back. “Your friends are all right here! Won’t let these moments disappear.” Celestia shook her head, spreading her wings and taking to the sky. With the volume of the music along with everypony’s attention on the happy couple, it was far easier than Celestia could have imagined for her to fly back to her own quarters. After but a few seconds of flight, Celestia felt the cold stone of her balcony upon her hooves as she landed. Folding her wings back against her barrel, she opened the glass door leading into her room with a small sure of magic. With a half hearted movement, Celestia closed the door behind her with her back hoof. Her eyes gazed around the minimalistic room: a fire lit in the hearth cheerfully sparked as she sadly shook her head. A small bit of magic undid the clasp that held her torque around her neck. Celestia let the piece fall to the floor with a clunk. She stepped over it, sliding off her hoof shoes as she did so, leaving them next to her torque. Celestia lifted her crown off her head, holding it within her magic, slowly rotating it so she was able to truly look at it. A new scratch was clearly visible from where it slammed against the floor after falling off her head. Celestia swallowed hard as her magic tightened around the crown for a split second. She considered throwing it into the wall but stopped instead, laying it gingerly on her desk. The jeweler is going to have to get the scratch out… Luckily, it’s not that noticeable. Another heavy swallow and a deep breath escaped Celestia as she reached into a cabinet withdrawing a single wine glass and a label less bottle of silver liquid. After a moment of consideration, she poured a full glass before recapping the bottle and putting it away. Carefully holding her glass, she settled down on the couch in front of her fire and took a swallow. The silver liquid was like ice, but it burned as it slid down her throat. She gave a shiver. Only Luna’s moonshine was capable of making her feel this way. For some time, Celestia simply watched the fire crackle and nursed her glass of moonshine. Her head began to feel fuzzy as she finished off the glass she took a deep breath. Relax, Celestia. There was nothing you could have done. That Queen... she was so drunk off of Shining Armor’s love. “Is that all, though?” Celestia blinked and looked around, her eyes narrowing. “Who’s there? You have no right to be here within my personal quarters!” “Oh, dear Celestia. Poor, poor Celestia... defeated by the changeling queen without even getting a shot in! Could it be that you are getting weak, my dear?” “...I’m not weak. I just wasn’t able to use my full strength; it would have destroyed Canterlot,” Celestia mumbled as she continued to scan the room, her eyes finally pausing upon the mirror hanging on her wall. “Of course, dear, of course. It wasn’t as if your entire country was in danger after all, was it?” Celestia’s eyes widened as she watched her own lips speak the words that were insulting her. “I’ve gone mad…” “Have you? Well then, that makes things so much easier. You see, Celestia, my dear, you don’t need to worry about problems like changelings anymore.” Celestia turned away from the mirror, her ears pinned back. “I’m not listening; this isn’t happening. I must have had a little too much of Luna’s moonshine. I just need to sleep. When I wake up, everything will be better.” “Oh yes, Celestia, just go to sleep and everything will be just fine and back to normal. Twilight will return back to Ponyville where she’ll continue to be your faithful student… Oh, wait a moment, that’s right; she tried to tell you there was something wrong with Cadance.” “Stop it…” Celestia sat down, her hooves over her ears, desperately trying to block out the voice. “But the mighty and infallible Princess Celestia didn’t see anything wrong with her beloved niece.” “Stop it…” “In fact, you dismissed Twilight, telling her you were... what was it? You were very disappointed in her, and she had a lot to think about?” “Stop it! Please stop it!” Celestia trembled, the words coming from her own mouth felt like a branding iron. “She was right, though, wasn’t she? Hmm? There was something wrong with your precious niece. She was replaced! Tell me, dear, what if Twilight hadn’t been sent to the same spot as Cadance? Do you truly think that she would have kept Cadance alive once she had what she wanted?” “Please, please, I was wrong. I was wrong. Twilight was right. Cadance is all right... please…” Celestia gasped out, tears flowing down her cheeks, her hooves pressed so hard against her ears they were beginning to bleed. “Did you tell Twilight that you were wrong? Hmmm? Oh, that’s right! You are infallible, aren’t you? Everypony will just forget what happened today, won’t they…? Just like with Luna” Celestia had given up speaking and descended into sobs, the word “please” escaping her lips in an almost inaudible manner. “It won’t take long to change the history books again to paint you as the all knowing Celestia. Generations of ponies will know that you knew about the changelings. You simply wanted to give your faithful student Twilight the chance to prove herself again.” “Never wanted Twilight in danger! Never! Please! Please!” Celestia curled into herself, eyes squeezed shut. “You’ll always know the truth, though, won’t you? Once again, you didn’t trust the pony most loved by you. Once again, you almost lost your country. You just got lucky there isn’t a new profile on the moon tonight: Twilight’s!” “No! No, not Twilight! Not Twilight! I could never! Never!” Celestia jerked up, the idea of doing that again to anypony… but Twilight? Her faithful Twilight… “Hush, Celestia, you don’t have to worry about losing Twilight. It’s not like you won’t be prepared for the changelings if they were to come back… I can help you after all.” Celestia turned to look back into the mirror, her tears having mixed with the red blood dripping from her ears and dyeing the fur under her eyes red. “Help me?” she mouthed the two words and shivered swallowing hard. “H-how?” Celestia watched as her lips curled into a smile that didn’t quite seem to fit her face as her mouth opened again. “Just let me have control, dear sweet Celestia. I can make you stronger. Nothing will ever defeat you again; you’ll never doubt your student again. Just, give me control.” Celestia stared into the mirror, her breath escaping in small gasps. “N-Nightmare… h-how can I trust you. You took Luna from me!” “Do you truly think that eternal night was my idea? No, I am a symbiotic with my host. Luna wished for the night to be eternal so that all ponies would witness the splendor. I simply did as she requested. You, though, all you want is to protect your ponies.” Celestia nodded a tear slipping from her eye. “So… you wouldn’t create eternal day?” “Of course not. I’ll simply protect. Now… just give into me, Celestia.” Celestia closed her eyes before giving a simple nod. She felt her eyes snap open, glowing gold, the tip of her horn, which still burned from the encounter with the changelings, began to burn the black, slowly flowing down the spirals. The tips of her white ears became spotted with black; it felt as if water was dripping into her body, each spot it touched darkened until she was the color of ash. Her multicolored mane stood straight before bursting into crackling flames. Finally, Nightmare grinned and began to laugh, her teeth sharpening into sharp fangs. She lifted a hoof and gazed at it. “Not bad, not bad at all. Luna was the younger after all. It only figures the elder would be so much stronger. But so much easier to trick.” She stretched out and cracked her back, her horn glowing as she reached to the moon, caressing it as one would a lover. “Believing I have a symbiotic relationship. Foalish mare! I desire the night eternal and I will have it!” Celestia curled into herself, she had pulled at the bars weakly that were surrounding her. They were solid... I should have expected nothing less… Truly, I am the fool. I’ve doomed everypony. Oh Luna, Twilight, forgive me! “You can’t give up yet, Princess.” Celestia looked up to see a shimmering vision of Twilight standing right outside of her cage. “...Twilight?” “Your student speaks truth, Tia. I know you can overcome this.” Twilight was joined by a vision of Luna who was smiling. “Luna, I-I’m so sorry I had no idea!” “Better mares than you have been fooled by the Nightmare’s sweet words, Tia. There is nothing to forgive.” Luna simply shook her head. “She’s right, Auntie. We all know you can defeat this.” Cadance appeared along with Shining Armor who held his right foreleg up in salute. “We’re here for you, Tia. None of us will leave you. You are loved.” Luna smiled, reaching a hoof through the bars, which Celestia reached out to touch. Celestia looked over to where Twilight was quietly watching. “Oh, Twilight, I’m so sorry for not believing in you, my faithful student.” Twilight smiled, holding up a golden key, the bow shaped like the sun. “Then get out of here so you can tell the real me.” Celestia nodded, taking the key in her magic as the images of her family faded away. “Thank you, thank you all.” She placed the key into the lock and turned it the bars exploding into sunlight. “Nightmare! Face me!” A shimmering image of an ash-black Celestia appeared. “You! How did you escape your cage?” “It was never meant for me. Just like my body is not yours! Leave now!” Nightmare laughed. “I’m sorry, pet, that's not how this works. This is my body now, and well, I like it a lot. I think the first thing I’ll do is order those elements to be destroyed. Actually, to be on the safe side, I think I’ll have your precious Twilight dehorned. If you ask nicely, I’ll even have it done in surgery.” Celestia glared at the image before her, clenching her teeth tightly together before remembering the key. “No, I still need to apologize to Twilight. I’ll never allow you to hurt her!” The Nightmare took a confident step forward and smiled. “As if you could stop me, weakling.” Celestia snarled, and, without thinking, took the key in a firm grip and slammed it down into Nightmare’s right eye and turned it. “You will not keep me from any of my family ever again, Nightmare. This, I swear!” Nightmare screamed as beams of sunlight burst from her body. “N-no you couldn’t!” Celestia panted, her horn glowing. As she forced the power of the sun into Nightmare’s body, the beams of light began to multiply. As Celestia panted, her nose bled. Finally, Nightmare fell to the ground and began to laugh. “Cele-stia, you surpr-rise even me… you win. Heh, though, I will make you lose in my final moment: I curse you, Celestia Everfree. Never again will your ponies love you as they once did, for though I am gone, I will always remain. I curse you to wear my form the rest of your life!” Celestia gulped breaths of air as the form went still. Celestia opened her eyes with a groan, lifting a hoof to her muzzle to staunch the blood dripping from her nose. Her throbbing head quickly caused her to close her eyes again and stumble across the room to curl up onto her couch. The slight buzzing of the sun wanting to get up filled her head. Celestia wiggled a bit and sighed. Just a small nap… the sun can be late rising just this once… Her eyes slid shut as she fell into a deep sleep. Luna savored a final bite of cake; sometimes being the only pony used to being up at night was a good thing. Her ear flicked as she felt the normal buzz of her sleepy moon and smiled. “I agree. It’s time for a bit of sleep.” Her horn glowed as she reached to help the moon down when she froze. A magic she never wished to feel again was wrapped around her moon as if it was being embraced. “No… no, it’s not possible. The Elements destroyed that thing! No, I can’t lose myself to her again, I must go to Celestia! Tia will help me!” The moon needing to be set temporarily forgotten, Luna leapt into the sky. Landing on her sister’s balcony, she yanked the door open, shattering it harmlessly against her fur. “Tia, Tia awaken, please! You must help me, please!” Luna whimpered as she quickly crossed the room to the couch her sister often slept on. “Please help me.” She froze as she saw the being where her sister should be, a whimper escaping her throat. “No, oh no, Tia! No no! Tia!” Celestia groaned a bit, opening her eyes to see Luna staring at her tears rolling down her cheeks. “Lulu? Lulu, what is it?” She paused; her voice sounded odd a bit… off. “Thou hath no permission to refer to us in such a familiar manner! Remove thyself from our sister!” Luna slammed a hoof down, cracking the marble. “Lulu, it’s me! Your Tia! Please relax!” Celestia sat up, smiling at her little sister. What a horrible dream that was… Luna must have seen it as well. “Lies! Remove thyself from Celestia, Nightmare!” Luna snarled into Celestia’s face. Celestia’s eyes widened as she caught sight of her black hoof. “No, no, I won… I won! I won!” She flung her forelegs around a very confused Luna and bawled. “I… I won...”