“Let me help you, Princess!” Princess Twilight chimed in, filled with a yearning for vengeance, at seeing one of her closest friends perish to Nightmare Moon's power. However, she could tell that Celestia wanted her to have no part in this fight, which was only illustrated when she heard Celestia’s reply.
“No Twilight, you have yet to live your life. Go, this is my mistake, I'll fix it." Celestia stated as she turned toward her sister.
“No, I will not leave you, she killed my oldest friend!” Twilight replied defiantly slamming her hoof down, with a heavy heart at her loss.
“I'm sorry Twilight, you will forgive me." As Celestia said this to Twilight, she teleported Twilight, and her friends somewhere she knew they would be safe.
“Today an alicorn dies. I will kill that wretch.” Celestia thought filled with a strong sense of vengeance, as she unfurled her beautiful white wings, she took flight and met her sister in the ruined landscape of Canterlot castle.
“So you are ready to fight, Celestia?! You should not have bothered to save your dearest student and her friends! I will find them!” Nightmare Moon said as she alighted herself, meeting her sister in the sky.
“You will not harm her, or her friends Nightmare Moon!” Celestia’s mane whipped wildly, as she shot a glare of pure hate at Nightmare Moon. What made her hate her, even more, was when she threatened Twilight, this only further fuelled Celestia’s rage.
“You cannot hope to defeat me, Celestia! Your student will die by my hooves, and her friends will be enslaved! That's a promise!” Nightmare Moon Threatened. she felt invincible, and she thought that she could defeat all who opposed her, including Celestia.
After the conversation finished, Nightmare Moon fired a dark blue beam at Celestia. As she did Celestia fired a beam of golden light in retaliation. The two beams met in the middle, and exploded, cancelling each other out. The combination of magic had created a black gem in the middle of the field, as the black crystal hit the ground, it shattered into a million pieces. Eventually, Nightmare Moon spat at realising that magic alone could not solve this battle and instead began charging Celestia, and Likewise, Celestia charged her. While they charged they summoned their power and met in the middle, firing at each other within point-blank range once more.
5 days earlier...
Luna was completing her royal duties, when she felt that something was wrong, the air had a familiar thickness to it. She remembered feeling this feeling once before, but she could not recall where she felt it, and it concerned her, she did not like it when she forgot things. What made it worse, was the fact that she could of sworn it was of dire importance to remember. “What is this thick feeling.” she thought.
She decided to ask her sister, what she thought of this feeling, or if she even felt it in the air. Her sister had also been doing her royal duties, sorting through the mountains of doctrines, and political reports. She often hated doing this job, but she knew that it had to be done, and because she was the princess of Equestria, she knew that she would always draw the short straw. Sometimes, she wished she could hand her throne to Luna, and go on holiday, and live like a filly without a single bit of responsibility.
Unfortunately, Celestia had a job to do, although monotonous, she had to do it. She had to raise the sun each day, deal with politicians each day, and had to do paper work, all day. “another day.” She sighed, at her boring, and monotonous life.
Celestia, could sense the thick feeling in the air, she figured that a great evil was closing in. In reaction to her perception, she ordered more frequent guard patrols, and more guards to be posted around the castle, it felt familiar to her, and that’s what concerned her. A night earlier she had a dream, and in that dream Equestria was in flames.
In that same vision, she saw the rest of Equestria enslaved by a mysterious villain. she soon woke up in a cold sweat, as she felt her sisters lance pierce her chest. The dream felt so surreal, it was more like a premonition, not a dream. The revelation spooked Celestia, and she was not easily spooked.
This thick feeling although Celestia figured it was evil, reminded her of a time where she nearly died, but she couldn’t remember why she almost died, or what it was that nearly killed her, her mind felt clouded and slow, as if she were walking through a tar pit.
She couldn’t fathom why though, Celestia suspected that it was the thickness doing it. She knew that it was a type of spell that she could not break, and it scared her. Celestia decided she had better check on her sister in the library. Celestia had ordered her sister to study up on the latest political changes, so that she could take over the court during the night, due to the amount of request they would receive.
Her sister had been studying for weeks in preparation for it, and Celestia was surprised that she had not burnt out yet. “Lulu, how are you today.” Asked Celestia
“I’m afraid, I feel a dark thickness creeping in. Can you feel it?” Luna had a concerned expression upon her maw. She had been growing more worried as the day continued on; something was off, the day seemed to go fast, and it felt eerie for a spring’s day, it was un-natural, almost like something evil had been watching her.
Luna felt like it was creeping in closer, slowly stalking her. Luna had checked over her shoulder several times today, feeling like she was being watched from the shadows. Her paranoia had set in moments before Celestia entered the library, adding to her fear.
“Yes I believe it’s an evil spell, as for who cast it, I don't know, but be on your guard. I can’t risk losing you again.” Celestia cautioned, with a slight hint of fear, and worry in her expression.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You worry too much sister,” Luna reassured Celestia feeling a little safer and less paranoid with her around.
“I just don’t…” Celestia replied as tears formed in her eyes, and she began to sob lightly.
“Oh, my dear Tia, don’t get teary, I’m not going anywhere. Stop blaming yourself, for what I forced you to do.” Luna concluded, as she gingerly wiped a tear from her sisters' eye, with a sisterly love that could not be broken. Not even by the strongest crucible, they were sisters, and they had been for over a thousand years, and nothing would ever change that.
After the day ended, and Luna was asleep, she had a nightmare so to speak, and she witnessed Equestria in flames, and standing in front of the flames, was an alicorn she knew all too well. It was the one alicorn she never wanted to see again, it was her inner demon, her arch nemesis, it was; Nightmare Moon.
“Your sister may have thought she killed me, but how can you kill something that is bonded with you Luna, or should I call you, Nightmare Moon. I’m going to have to borrow your body, fight me if you want, but you will not prevail. Just to be sure our meddlesome sister does not interfere with my plan. I’m going to curse you, so that you will not be able to tell your precious sister, or even your irritating and pathetic friend. TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” she spat with a venomous tone, before reciting her curse.
“Banvishvadom, gerenteal, faradear, montaragon.” As Nightmare Moon said this in the dream, a black aura formed around Luna, and absorbing into her body. Nightmare Moon continued, “now you cannot mention your revelation to your sister. Now to take over your body, I need to collect something for my arrival.”
“You shall not take me over. Not again, Nightmare Moon.” As Luna said this to Nightmare Moon, she focused her willpower, and pushed Nightmare Moon back to the inner depths, of her consciousness. “You will not suppress my influence, forever. you will fail.” As Nightmare Moon said this, she faded away.
As Luna woke up the next day she didn’t remember what happened in her dream, or that she even had a dream, but something rang in her head, that would not dissipate from her mind, the words; “You cannot suppress my influence forever, you will fail.” The voice that rang in her mind was familiar, but she could not place it, and she could not understand why those words were in her head. Still, she thought she had heard them before. She tried, and tried, but she could not remember where she heard them.
Luna walked up to her sister, with the intention to tell her the words that rang in her head, like daunting bells. But when she tried to, she couldn’t say anything. “What is it Luna, is something wrong?” Celestia was concerned for her sister. She noticed that something had been perplexing her, and she felt a dark aura, lingering around her, it resembled the same thickness, that hung around.
Luna Tried to speak for several seconds, but when she tried, her mouth opened but nothing came out, it didn’t even move the only thing she could say was.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Luna did not know why this was happening, or even how it happened, she could not even think, of how it possibly could have happened. She searched her mind for the answer, but it was like a labyrinth, nothing made sense in her mind any more.
“Okay.” As Celestia said this, she could only think something had been wrong. Then she thought to herself, “It’s unlike my sister to act like this, something strange is in the air, I need to find out what this means.” As Celestia finished her thoughts, she headed out to the library, and as she did, she continually worried about her dear sister, and it only worsened throughout the day.
She became even more stressed, when she couldn't find any information on what was happening with her sister. This only worsened her concern. Celestia had researched the entire Canterlot Library, and by the time she had finished, it was nightfall without any results from her rigorous search decided to call it a night, and as she made it to her chambers to get some rest, she was unable to sleep, she could only toss, and turn, filled with woe, and concern, about what was happening with her sister the thick dark feeling of impending doom, her mind was in turmoil, and strife.