A Beginner's Guide to Equestria
Chapter 2: A History of the Four Nations
For hundreds of years, four nations have lived together in harmony in a land called Equestria.
The first of these is the Earth Kingdom. True to its name, over four-fifths of its inhabitants are Earth Ponies. Being the largest nation in both size and population, the Earth Kingdom is responsible for the majority of Equestria’s food, timber, stone, and similar materials. The Earth Kingdom is situated on a large landmass that stretches from east to central Equestria.
The second nation is the Fire Empire. The empire is situated on a cluster of islands in the western part of Equestria. This nation was primarily inhabited by Unicorns and Pegasi, and holds the lead for the most industrialized nation. The empire primarily export technology, weapons, and on occasion, soldiers.
The third nation of Equestria is more of a community than a real nation. The ponies are called the Air Nomads, and are almost exclusively pegasi. They are by far the smallest nation, and occupy four small islands situated on the four compass points of Equestria. The nomads spend most of their time in meditation and low-intensity pursuits such as gardening. Since the Air Nomads are a primarily self-sustaining community, few outsiders know much about them.
The final Equestrian nation is comprised of two halves; they are the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. While both nations share a unicorn majority and pegasi minority, they hold entirely separate ways of life. The Northern Water Tribe is full of intellectuals and scholars, and pride themselves with the largest collection of books in all of Equestria. The ponies of the Southern Water Tribe, on the other hoof, spend their time domesticated animals and training to be warriors. Despite their different cultures, the two Tribes treat each other like sisters.
At this point, you might be wondering why the four nations were named as they are. Well here’s your answer:
Bending.
I'm not talking about bending twigs or your spine. I'm talking about bending elements of nature. Of these there are four: air, water, earth, and fire. Each nation has one type of bending that has been passed down through the generations. As you probably can deduce, the type of bending is directly related to the name of said nation. The Fire Empire is known for its firebenders, the Air Nomads are known for their airbenders, etc.
Now, the ability to control a part of nature might sound like a dream come true. However, that ability can serve as both a blessing and a curse.
Let’s start with the benefits. For pegasi, airbending can give them the ability to reach speeds beyond most of their kind, even to the point of creating sonic booms; waterbending would allow them to manipulate clouds with immaculate control, making weather control a breeze. Similarly, an earth pony with earthbending would be able to shatter boulder twenty times their size with ease. A unicorn with telekinesis and waterbending would be able to create pristine ice statues.
Now there is one problem with having bending. As I have explained in the previous chapter, each race of pony has their own type of innate magic. The amount of said magic is determined at birth, and although it can be exercised to its full potential, there is no way to safely increase the amount of magic a pony’s body. When a pony is a bender, their bending replaces some of their innate magic. Bending can be exercised to replace a large amount of the magic specific to a pony’s race, but cannot replace all of it.
Despite this limit, replacing any substantial amount of a pony’s magic with an element still can have ill effects. Imagine how difficult a life a pegasi would have if he became a powerful earthbender? The three main jobs for pegasi include: delivery service, weather control, and military. A pegasi that would feel most at home on the ground would have trouble performing the tasks expected for one of their kind.
For another example, imagine earth pony becoming a talented firebender. Earth ponies are valued for their ability to perform heavy labor and grow crops. Being able to firebend would be counterproductive for farming, and would only prove useful for demolition crews or becoming some kind of performer.
Not only is bending important in determining careers, but also can bar ponies from achieving certain positions. Here are two examples:
By tradition, the Fire Empire can only be ruled by firebenders. So if one of the royal family lacks the ability to firebend, then they immediately lose rights to the throne. It doesn’t matter if they are non-benders or simply bend another element; if they can’t bend fire, they can’t rule. Hence, most Fire Emperors tend to marry other firebenders of notable family lines.
Some of the most prestigious advanced schools of magic only accept non-benders into the ranks. This especially common in Northern Water Tribe universities, who find waterbending to be only a creative pursuit for unicorns. These schools only want students who can use their magical abilities to the fullest, and they find that being a bender hampers a student’s magical potential.
Sunset Shimmer sighed as she put down her quill. After wiping a stray lock of her mane out of her eyes, she quickly scanned over what she had written. “Ponyfeathers!” she exclaimed in frustration. “I was only supposed to write about history in this chapter! Instead I went from history to bending and magical theory, all in the same chapter! That’s not what I wanted!” A teal-colored aura surrounded the parchment as she bunched it up and tossed it aside. “I can’t keep messing this up! I need perfection!”
The crumpled piece of paper landed on the cold stone floor a mere couple of hoof-lengths from the plush stool the orange unicorn sat on. Sunset’s front hooves were resting on the edge of her large, yellow desk that was decorated by red suns. An assortment of inkwells containing varying levels of ink were scattered erratically around the desk. A pile of clean, high-quality parchments rested in a neat stack where the desk met the wall, while the sheets’ utilized brethren lay crumpled and scattered across the room.
The room Sunset Shimmer was currently sitting in was fit for royalty, if you ignored the mess, of course. This was only fitting, since it was one of the palace’s best bedrooms. The young mare’s bed had many more pillows than nightly occupants. The sheets and drapes of her bed were made of the finest silk. Even the stone the castle was made of was of the highest quality granite, grown on rock farms in the Earth Kingdom, and sealed together by the most professional of earthbenders so no ugly mortar was needed.
Aside from the high quality of materials, the room was also richly colored and designed. Yellow and orange were the dominating colors, as indicated by the yellow bedspread, orange drapes, and yellow desk. However, the color red was frequently used for finishing and trimmings.
As indicated by her cutie mark of a red and yellow sun, Sunset Shimmer was obsessed with the sun. As such, patterns and designs of suns and sunlight were incorporated into almost every part of the room. Even the stone floor was engraved with images of her cutie mark, carved by the most talented masons.
A pair of glass doors on one side of her room led to a large balcony that gave an excellent view of the nearby coast. Having her room in a tower allowed Sunset to have multiple large windows on all sides of her room, which was currently letting in the fading remnants of moonlight. Bookcases filled with scrolls and large volumes lined every bit of available wall space from the floor to the nearest window. A crystal chandelier hung down from the high ceiling, filling the room with soft candlelight.
Despite the elegance of her room, Sunset Shimmer did not spend much time admiring its beauty. Having lived in the palace for the past several years of her life had nullified her initial awe. Now, the only thing that had her attention was the blank sheet of paper that was seated in front of her. The unicorn mare stared at the piece of parchment as she levitated the freshly dipped quill over it. All throughout the night she had been working on this chapter, and she had promised herself since sundown that she wouldn’t rest until she had finally gotten it right.
Sunset let the quill drop onto the parchment, which sent a small spray of ink across it. She groaned as she slammed her face into the edge her desk. She could tell that it was nearly dawn by the light that streamed through the windows. Which meant she had spent the entire night up, again.
“Why in Equestria does Celestia want to me to write this pointless book!” she growled as she once again banged her head on the edge of her desk. “There’s plenty of books detailing Equestria’s advanced society and rich history! But no… she wants me to summarize everything into a book a simple filly could understand! The foals of nobles will be taught all of this anyway, and it’s not like peasant folk would actually need to know any of this! This entire project is pointless and an entire waste of my talents! The second Celestia shows her face I’m going to march right up to her and say-”
“Ahem,” a polite cough interrupted her.
Sunset’s face flushed with shame as she slowly turned around. The doors to the balcony were wide open, and her mentor was standing in the entryway in her full royal attire. The white alicorn was looking at her pupil with disapproval, prompting the unicorn to train her eyes to her mentor’s hooves. “Uh... h-hello, Celestia,” Sunset Shimmer stammered. “I w-was just, um, a little tired. I mean I am a little tired, and being tired makes me say things I don’t really mean and please don’t hate me and I’ll head straight to bed so I can get back to work-”
“Actually, Sunset, I have another assignment for you,” Celestia interrupted.
Sunset Shimmer kept her eyes trained to the ground as she waited for her anticipated punishment. I don’t mind being punished, but please, don’t ask me to go make friends with the peasants again! she mentally begged. I’d gladly write needless books than go make “friends” with such worthless ponies.
“Sunset Shimmer!” Celestia said sternly as she lightly stomped her hoof on the floor. “Look at me.”
Sunset slowly her raised her eyes to meet Celestia’s stern gaze. After another moment or two, Celestia continued. “I am not here to punish you.”
A wave of relief passed through Sunset’s entire body at the news. It was then that she actually paid close attention to her mentor’s appearance. Sunset noticed a strain in her mentor’s facial expression. Celestia’s eyes were stern--not with disapproval--but with concern. Her lips were locked in a thin line with no hint of her usual polite smile. Even the alicorn’s stance lacked its normal state of ease. Instead, Celestia was standing like she couldn’t decide whether to run or stand her ground.
As Sunset Shimmer took in her mentor’s appearance, her eyes were slowly drawn to the plain leather saddlebag on Celestia’s side. “Celestia, are you going on a trip?” Sunset asked hesitantly.
Celestia shook her head. “Actually, it is you will be leaving,” she replied. Then she paused to scrutinize her student’s appearance. “You spent the entire night up again didn’t you?” she said exasperation. “Of all the worst times… I told you that you needed to break that habit.”
Sunset winced at the accusation in her mentor’s tone. “You did say you wanted me to finish the book as soon as possible,” she meekly said in her defense.
“I said I knew you could get it done quickly, but I also told you to take as much time as you needed,” Celestia reminded her. The alicorn shook her head. “No matter. What’s done is done. What I’m giving you now is an assignment of utmost importance.”
Sunset’s eyes gleamed with pride. “I gladly accept whatever task you have deemed me worthy to receive!” the young mare declared.
Naturally, Celestia would smile or giggle at her student’s antics, but this time she merely tossed her saddlebag to Sunset without the slightest change in her expression. “I need you take a trip using a very important and rarely known spell. Head to the Starswirl the Bearded section and take out the scroll at the top of the bag. Use it immediately and do not stop the spellcasting process unless I, myself, order you to. Understood?”
“Yes!” Sunset replied enthusiastically. “Though, if I might ask-”
“There is no time!” Celestia barked as she glanced outside the window. She turned back to see her student’s shell-shocked expression. “I am truly sorry, Sunset,” Celestia said remorsefully. “But I cannot help you anymore. Everything else will be made clear to you in time. Now, make haste. Equestria is counting on you.”
Without offering further explanation, Celestia galloped back onto the balcony and flew off into the night sky. “Well, it seems she’s in a rush to lower the sun,” Sunset grumbled as she looked at her mentor’s retreating figure. “And what did she mean, Equestria is counting on me? There’s no way any spell I could perform could make a difference in Equestria. Maybe if I invented a new spell, sure, but performing spells isn’t that mind-blowing.”
Then Sunset noticed that Celestia was not heading to the tower where she and Luna ceremonially performed their duties. Instead, she was going to one of the few sections of the castle Sunset was not welcome in. “Why is she going to Luna’s sector of the castle?” Sunset wondered aloud. She briefly considered following her mentor to find answers, but Celestia had given her an important assignment, and it would look bad on her if she ditched it for curiosity’s sake.
Sunset slowly trotted to Starswirl the Bearded’s restricted section of the library, deep in thought about her mentor’s strange actions. “I may be tired, but I’m certain that something major was bothering her,” she said to herself as she made her way down the stone corridors. “Why would she want me to travel somewhere? Why would I need to use a spell to travel? What does Luna have to do this? I wonder if one of the nations is trying to declare on another? Maybe I need to track down a secret weapon and give it to the princesses before it falls in the wrong hooves!”
“Weapon?”
Sunset paused in midstep. She had almost missed the Starswirl the Bearded Wing, but the guard’s question had caught her attention at the last moment. The pegasus stallion was dressed in the traditional black and dark blue of Luna’s night guard, and look he was giving Sunset made her skin crawl. “Uh… nothing,” she lied. She cleared her throat and announced, “I need to enter the Starswirl the Bearded Wing.”
The guard grunted in response as he unceremoniously unlocked the door and stepped aside to allow the mare to pass. The two ponies shared no exchange even as the guard closed and locked the door behind Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset paused for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the minuscule amount of lighting in the room. A few candles were lit along the walls, but for the most part the place was dark. Scowling, Sunset threw her head in a whiplash fashion, which sent a crescent of flame across the room that lit up all of the candles she could see. Smiling at the new illumination, Sunset opened up her saddlebag and pulled out the first scroll she could find. Unlike most spell scrolls, it had no title at the top. Frowning in confusion, Sunset quickly scanned the scroll’s contents. The directions were very clear and broken down into very basic parts, so she didn’t think she would have any trouble casting the spell. However, it appeared that it would take her several minutes to complete the spell.
That didn’t bother her too much though, since Celestia had said it was an extremely rarely known spell, and it clearly was very complicated. The only thing that bugged her about the spell was that as far as she could gather, the spell worked with temporal mechanics.
“Why would the Princess want me to go to the past?” Sunset wondered as she read the scroll again. “The only time spell in existence can only be once per pony and only lasts a few seconds. There’s no way I would need a saddlebag for such a short trip.”
Despite her doubts and confusion, Sunset Shimmer followed Celestia’s instructions and began casting the spell. Less than minute after she had begun, the sound of an explosion resonated through the castle. Sunset winced, but managed to maintain enough of her focus to keep the spell going. So it really is a war, she thought in realization. I bet whatever’s in my saddlebag is the key to preventing this battle from ever happening.
As a series of explosions rocked the castle, another thought struck her. But if I stop this from happening, why will I go back into the past to stop this from happening? That’s a major part of time theory! I could create a time paradox! This frightening revelation almost caused her to lose control of her spell, but she forced herself to regain focus. Come on, Sunset, trust in yourself! Trust in Celestia! she mentally urged herself. I just need to finish this spell and worry about everything else afterwards.
However, this was easier said than done. After another minute or two of silence had passed, Sunset was startled by the sound of the doors to the restricted wing flying off their hinges. She had to shut her eyes for a moment to make sure she had the spell stabilized again.
"Well what do we have here?" Sunset heard a mare ask. Sunset cautiously opened her eyes, only to see a dark blue alicorn staring at her with a predatory look. The alicorn's mane floated like a cloud and was an even darker shade of blue than the mare’s coat. The alicorn also wore a set of armor that covered front of her chest and hooves, and was complete with helmet that covered the top of her head from the tip of her nose to the back of her neck. Despite the armor’s elaborate design, it was a simple royal blue all around, save for a sky blue crescent moon in the front. The armored alicorn towered over Sunset Shimmer, standing as tall as Celestia herself. Her eyes were mere vertical slits, and as the mare smiled a pair of sharp fangs jutted out from the corners of her mouth.
"Princess Luna?" Sunset asked hesitantly, recognizing the similarities this alicorn had with one of the two alicorns in existence. However, she had done enough research in dubious fields to know the answer before it even left her mouth.
The blue mare chuckled darkly. "I am not who you speak of," she replied. "Luna is no more. I am Nightmare Moon, the new queen of Equestria!"
Sunset narrowed her eyes. "You are Luna," she affirmed. "You corrupted yourself with dark and forbidden magic, didn't you?"
At that, Nightmare Moon laughed without humor. "Luna merely freed herself from the bonds Celestia put on her," the alicorn replied. She raised an eyebrow at Sunset's scornful expression. "Don't give me that look; I know you were planning to do the same thing. Little Luna just had the guts to try it first.”
“I would never do that!” Sunset protested defensively.
“Oh, really?” Nightmare Moon asked with a knowing smile. “Not even once did you consider using forbidden magic to make yourself the most powerful unicorn in Equestria? Or maybe something more?”
Sunset spared a glance at the scroll in front of her before replying. “I was a little filly at the time,” she said in her defense. “I didn’t know any better.”
“But you did,” Nightmare Moon corrected her. “You knew and accepting the risks of such power, but Celestia stopped you from reaching your true potential. Don't worry, even if you were too much of a coward to defy Celestia’s wishes, I wouldn't mind allowing you to share a portion of my glory and power."
"Sorry, but no deal," Sunset replied defiantly as her horn flared with the intensity of her magic. She briefly wondered where the guards were, but had to focus on the situation at hoof. Talking to a corrupted Luna and using a powerful time spell was already starting to drain her both magically and mentally.
"Let me guess, Celestia wanted you to complete a spell to seal me away or something?" Nightmare Moon asked as she looked at the parchment on the floor.
Sunset clenched her teeth tightly and continued working on the spell with renewed vigor.
"Do you really think you can defeat me?" Nightmare Moon asked casually. She didn’t seem concerned by how much effort Sunset was putting into the spell. "Celestia herself barely lasted a few minutes in a fair fight. It was almost disappointing, destroying her so easily”
That briefly managed to snap Sunset Shimmer out of her concentration. "You did what?" she exclaimed in fury as the magic from her horn flared violently before dying to a small, flickering glow.
Nightmare Moon laughed. "Oh, don't you worry your little head, my little pony,” she said mockingly. “I didn't kill her. I merely ensured she would never be able to interfere with my plans. Besides, instead of worrying about her, you should be worrying about yourself."
Sunset's eyes widened as she realized the implication of those words. I'm barely halfway done with the spell, she realized in muted panic. If only I had rushed like Celestia told me to!
"Don't be so concerned," said Nightmare Moon as she waved a hoof dismissively. "I have no reason to kill or banish you. You are not a threat to me, but you could make a very valuable ally."
Despite her fear, Sunset Shimmer’s temper had yet to be extinguished. "I'd never work for you," she spat.
"Who said anything about working for somepony?" Nightmare Moon asked with a raised eyebrow. "I want you by side, as my equal."
Nightmare Moon grinned as she saw Sunset's resolve falter, but was surprised when Sunset Shimmer shook her head and said, "Sorry, but I would never turn my back on Princess Celestia. She's been more than a mentor to me ever since my fillyhood, and I could never live with myself if I betrayed her."
Now it was the unicorn’s turn to be surprised as Nightmare Moon merely smirked. "You have good reasons to stay loyal to your former Princess," she said. "However, if you knew everything about her, I don't think you would look at her with the same amount of love and admiration."
"Don't think you can trick me into allying with you so easily," said Sunset Shimmer warningly.
"Trick you?" Nightmare Moon asked in mock indignation. "You think too lowly of me. I only wish to show you the truth."
Sunset took a hesitant step backwards as Nightmare Moon lit up her horn with dark energy. Smokey whips lashed out from her mane and created a swirling sphere between the two mares. As the magical tendrils flowed back to the alicorn, Sunset was surprised to see the object they left behind.
"I-it can't be!" Sunset exclaimed as she looked at the mirror in shock. The mirror's frame looked like a purple horseshoe that was pulled almost into the shape of an oval. The frame was studded with with pink gems and had regularly spaced etchings on it. The mirror’s base was royal blue in color, and was decorated by dark blue horseshoes at the base. A smaller mirror with the same horseshoe design as the other stood on top of a royal blue pedestal atop the original. Dark purple swirls curled around the sides of both mirrors like decorative ivy.
"The Crystal Mirror? Why, yes it is," Nightmare Moon replied with a snarky grin. "I trust that you know the legend about it?"
"Whatever a pony sees in the mirror is a vision about the future," said Sunset breathlessly. By now the glow in Sunset’s horn had dimmed to a small shower of sparks.
Nightmare Moon smirked. While she was disappointed that Sunset had not stopped the spell completely, she figured it was only a matter of time before the unicorn’s loyalty to Celestia would crumple away. "Well, don't just stand there," the alicorn prodded. "Go to it, and see what your future holds."
"You're trying to trick me," Sunset said weakly as she trained her eyes on the spell scroll and tried to ignore the mirror.
"You know that I'm not," the alicorn replied simply. "Now, go and look."
Sunset tensed, but obediently started towards the mirror. She made her steps small, and made sure to prevent the spell from dying out. When she reached the mirror, she hesitated a moment, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. Slowly, however, her curiosity outweighed her fear. Steeling up her nerves, she finally looked up to face the mirror.
She was immediately disappointed to only see her reflection. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Her mane and tail were messy blobs of red and yellow thanks to her all-nighter. There were small bags under light blue eyes, and her golden orange coat was ungroomed. "This mirror is a fake!" she exclaimed in frustration. "I only see—" She stopped short with a gasp when the image in the mirror began to change. Sunset’s reflection rippled and warped like the mirror was made of stirred water, until the image settled. However, it no longer displayed the reflection of grungy young unicorn mare. Sunset gaped at the image of a tall orange mare with a mane and tail that flickered and blazed like real flames. A long horn protruded from her red and yellow mane, and a pair of large wings was pinned to her sides.
"Like what you see?" Nightmare Moon asked with a knowing smirk. The look on Sunset's face was more than enough if an answer. "Celestia knew of this a very, very long time ago. Why else do you think she would take you as her apprentice? There is a very difficult and powerful spell that could turn you into an alicorn, but it requires an avatar or current alicorn to sacrifice a fraction of their life force. Celestia could have turned you into an alicorn at any time, but she feared that giving away any amount of her or Luna’s life force could be dangerous for them. One wrong move, and the donor could accidentally kill themselves by giving away all of their life force.
Sunset shook herself out of her stupor. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked. “Don’t expect me to believe that you are willing to risk dying so I can become an alicorn.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Nightmare Moon replied. “After all, I’ve calculated the risks and made sure to study the spell thoroughly to ensure that the procedure will be a success.”
“But why?” Sunset asked. “Why would you do anything for me?”
"Because Equestria needs a diarchy," Nightmare Moon replied, as if the answer was that simple. "Just think about it, Queen Sunset Shimmer! Bringer of the sun! Co-ruler of Equestria! An alicorn of unimaginable power and authority!"
“But how do I know you’re not going to drain my magic from me instead?”
“The spell can only be used to drain from beings of extremely high power and magic,” Nightmare Moon replied. “You may be a talented unicorn, but you fall far from the spell’s requirements. If you do not believe me, I will allow you to take a look at the spell before I use it on you. What do you say?”
Sunset Shimmer hesitated before replying. "You do make a good offer," she admitted. "But if I would be ruling with you, what will happen to Celestia?"
"She will remain locked up somewhere where she would not be able to give useless riddles and cause trouble to us," Nightmare Moon replied with a growl. “I have no desire to kill her, but she cannot be allowed to roam free. Banishment and imprisonment was the only available option.”
Sunset Shimmer tore her eyes from the alicorn’s face glanced around the room, peeking at the scroll as she did so. "So…” she began slowly. “What exactly would change in Equestria?"
"Nothing much, really," Nightmare Moon replied. "The night would be an hour or two longer so ponies could have more time to enjoy it, but I have no desire to make major changes. Celestia may have been an annoying power player, but she did know how to make a stable government."
Sunset was silent for a few moments. Nightmare Moon chuckled. "Are you finally done with your game of stalling?" The alicorn asked with a sneer.
Sunset's horn sparked guiltily. "How did you know?" she asked.
"It was clear that you cast a horn dimming spell and disguised it as a simple flare of rage," Nightmare Moon replied, smirking as she delivered her explanation. "While I would be impressed by your wit and ability if you were any other unicorn, I only expected as much from Celestia’s prized pupil. She taught you well, didn’t she? Now, what exactly did she want you to do? I have never seen a spell that would take so long to cast."
Sunset bit back a remark as the alicorn's mane stretched and wrapped around the scroll. Nightmare Moon read through it quickly, eyes widened as she did so. "Do you know what this is?" The alicorn asked. "No, you wouldn’t be foalish enough to use the spell if you did. How about I add a title to it for you? All spell scrolls need a title after all." Nightmare Moon took out a quill and inkwell from a nearby desk and casually scribbled down a few words at the top of the scroll. As she did so, Sunset dropped the horn-dimming spell and instead focused on completing the original spell from memory as quickly as she could. The young mare didn’t understand why the alicorn wasn’t stopping her from using the spell, but she didn’t want to wait patiently until Nightmare Moon finally took action.
"There!” The blue mare declared as she carefully replaced the inkwell and quill. “Now, take a look."
Obeying only to continue stalling for time, Sunset cast her eyes on the freshly written words at the top of the scroll. Her eyes immediately threatened to pop out of their sockets. Written at the top of the scroll were the words: Sealed with Time.
Sunset quickly pieced everything together. The saddlebag she was given, her mentors cryptic final words, it was all spelling something she did not want to believe. "No, no," said Sunset as she began to lose focus on her spell. "This can't be right."
"I have been honest with you this entire time," said Nightmare Moon. "Much unlike Celestia. You've also had to wade through her tests and riddles haven't you? She never gives you a straight answer! She never tells you what's really going on! She never allows you to prove yourself! Even now she had you use a spell that would seal you in time. The only trigger to free you is my defeat. She wanted you to be safely tucked away in the vacuum of time until our battle was all over. However, I won my fight before you could even finish casting the spell, making her plans worthless. If you use that spell now, you will be forever lost in the vacuum of time until I die a natural death! And who knows how long that could take?
"However, it does not have to be that way. Cease this foalishness. You cannot fight me. No can oppose me. After I swiftly defeated Celestia, I cast a protective bubble around the entire castle and its grounds. My Night Guard has already claimed the castle for me, and once I am done here the rest of Canterlot will soon follow. Equestria will soon be mine!
"Do you not recall the saying? If you cannot beat them, join them. Why should you blindly follow the orders of your former Princess and sentence yourself to a fate worse than death? When instead, you could rule alongside me and gain an extension of a wonderful life in the process?"
Sweat dripped from Sunset’s brow as she tried to balance her conflicted emotions while maintaining the spell. Thankfully, the scroll was back in front of her, but she knew her time was short. This... creature, Nightmare Moon, was unpredictable. One second she could be in a fiery rage, the next she could be scornfully laughing. And since she could tell when Sunset was stalling...
Sunset narrowed her eyes. "I already told you that Celestia was more than a mentor to me. She took me out of that orphanage and raised me like I was her own. She was the only family I had. The other orphans bullied me because I was a late bloomer, my old headmistress was incompetent, and even when I made it to the castle I still couldn’t make any friends. You especially never cared for me, Luna."
Smoke puffed from Nightmare Moon’s nostrils. "Do not call me by that name!" she warned.
Sunset Shimmer knew she was treading on thin ice, but she was tired, hungry, and on a furious roll. "When I first arrived at the castle I noticed how you looked at me. You hated me the moment you set your eyes on me. You only saw me as a miniature version of Celestia. And you know what?” Sunset Shimmer smiled even as her eyes burned with rage. “That was a very astute observation of you. She is my ultimate role model. She’s the kind of mare I want to be when I grow up. She means more to me than anything you could offer! I would never betray Celestia! I would never ally with you! And I will never, ever forgive you for ripping her from me! You monster!"
Nightmare Moon roared and slammed her forehooves into the ground, creating a small earthquake that knocked Sunset Shimmer off her hooves. "You could have simply rejected my offer and I would have let you go free,” the blue alicorn hissed furiously as her mane began expand across the room. “But you have insulted me grievously! I cannot let this offense go unpunished!"
Sunset Shimmer desperately tried to finish the spell, but she knew that it would take at least another minute to complete it given her level of exhaustion. There was no way she could fight off Nightmare Moon without dropping the spell. Now that she had infuriated the powerful mare, she was doomed no matter what she did. Sunset Shimmer poured as much magic into the spell as she could as Nightmare Moon readied a spell of her own.
Nightmare Moon gave a cruel smirk as she pointed her blazing her horn at defenseless unicorn. "Prepare to die, my little—AH!" The blast missed Sunset Shimmer by several hoof-lengths and instead blasted a hole in one of the back walls.
Sunset blinked furiously as sunlight began to fill the room. Although she was surprised, she didn’t falter. Instead, she began pulling energy from the sun’s rays.
The distraction had blinded Nightmare Moon, but it didn't take her long to recover. "Impossible!" she exclaimed. "How could the sun rise without Celestia to raise it?" But she could not deny the evidence in from of her. The sun was gently brushing on the horizon, bathing the room in a brilliant sunrise. The alicorn turned back to Sunset Shimmer, who was surrounded by shimmering magical auras that wafted from the beams of sunlight.
"No!" Nightmare Moon shouted as she summoned streams of dark magic from her mane and tail and threw them at Sunset Shimmer as the unicorn slowly rose from the ground.
Just before her attack reached the unicorn, Sunset disappeared in a blinding flash of light, leaving behind nothing except the spell scroll and an image of her cutie marked carved out of ash.
Lady Twilight Sparkle was a young unicorn noblemare from the House of Star, one of the respected houses of nobility in Equestria. Despite her high social standing, however, she did not spend her time in investments, politics, or parties. Instead, she spent most of her time in her house looking into books, learning new spells, and observing the heavens. She was only nineteen years of age, but she had already written several academic papers that would evoke jealousy from scholars twice her age.
While naturally Twilight would like nothing more than some low intensity research and experimentation, today was a special occasion. Today, she was going to make history. Today, she would be attempting to use a spell that nopony in history had ever been able to cast successfully, if they had been able to learn the spell at all.
Today, she was going to cast a spell that would free the Banished Sun Princess.
"Twilight, you're not really considering this are you? I mean, if one of the Queen's spies finds out then you could be in serious trouble!"
"Relax, Spike," said Twilight dismissively as she cleared away some clutter from the floor of her library. "My family's house has never had trouble with The Queen before. There's no way she would spy on us." When she saw that Spike was still looking shaking like a leaf, she added, "I also took the necessary safety precautions to ensure no one could spy on us. Soundproof spells, intruder restriction and alert spells, anti-stealth enchantments, the works."
"But if someone notices-"
"I also cast attention diversion and cloaking enchantments on top of everything to make sure no one would notice," she interrupted him. "Relax, Spike. I know what I’m doing.”
Spike sighed, knowing he had lost this argument. “If you say so, Twilight,” the baby dragon replied as he made himself comfortable on a stack of books.
Twilight levitated an old book towards her. The book was a dull blueish-grey color, though it may have been brighter shade in its earlier years. Each corner of the hardbound cover was covered with golden plating. There were no marking on the front or back cover; and in small letters, its title was written in Old Equestrian. The unicorn skimmed through the book until she found the page she wanted. “Alright, it says here that first I need to have a personal item of the one I’m summoning in front of me.” She turned back to her assistant. “Spike, where did I put that other book? The brown one?”
“You left it on your pillow last night,” Spike deadpanned. “Luckily, I made sure to bring it with me!” He stretched out one of his stubby arms to grab the mentioned book from the stack behind him.
“Thanks, Spike,” said Twilight as she levitated the book towards her. “This is exactly what I need. Alright, next part.”
“Are you absolutely sure that book is the one you need?” Spike asked warily. “I mean, if you do something wrong there’s no telling what could happen.”
“Of course I’m sure,” Twilight replied. “This book appeared to be a shared journal between the Sun Princess and a close student of hers. I’m not sure what the logic behind sharing a journal is, but Celestia did write in it frequently and it does have her cutie mark on its cover.” She pointed a hoof to indicate the red and yellow sun on the thick brown cover. “It’s not like any pony in history has shared a cutie mark, especially not one as iconic as the Banished Sun Princess’s.
“If you say so, Twilight,” said Spike reluctantly.
“Come on, Spike!” Twilight said enthusiastically. “If this works we’ll revolutionize all of Equestria!”
“In other words, if this works the Sun Princess will kick The Queen off her throne and return Equestria to what you consider the ‘Golden Age’.” Spike made air quotes with his claws to emphasize his point.
“Precisely! Just thing of the positive impact we’ll have on the world! And of course, we’ll be known as revolutionaries!”
“I dunno, Twilight,” said Spike hesitantly as he watched Twilight carefully place the book on the floor in front of her. “This still sounds like a bad idea.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “You say that for almost every new spell I try,” she reminded him.
“That’s because almost every new spell you try blows up in your face or has really bad side effects,” he pointed out. “Remember the time you tried to save Manehattan from their parasprite problem?”
“Well… I will confess that may not have been my greatest moment,” Twilight admitted, remembering the long list of ponies who had attempted to sue her for property damage. It was only through her parents' lawyers that she got out of that mess. “But don’t worry, Spike, I’m sure this one will work without any disasters or accidents. Trust me.”
Spike crossed his arms, but didn’t offer any verbal protest.
Twilight returned her attention to the grey book in front of her. “Alright, now I need to have a large amount of… essence?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Well, she was the Sun Princess after all, so I guess sunlight will have to do. Spike, open the curtains please!”
“You could just use your magic,” Spike grumbled under his breath as he marched over to the curtains and pulled the cord to open them up. The library was suddenly filled with early morning rays of light.
“Alright, I have the item and I have the essence, now all I need is the magic.” Twilight slammed the book shut and put it aside. “Are you ready, Spike?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Spike replied as plopped back onto his seat of books.
“Then prepare to be amazed!” Twilight fired up her horn as she began the complex spell. The glow from her horn was as blinding like the noonday sun. Sweat slowly dripped from her brow due to the amount of energy the spell required. Spike’s eyes widened as he watched Twilight’s body begin to spark with golden energy and rise from the floor. The book also became covered in the strange golden glow and rose in the light of the sun.
Bang!
Spike, Twilight, and the book were all flung back by the powerful and blinding release of magic. Twilight groaned as she rubbed her face with a hoof. “Everypony okay?” she asked.
“This dragon sure isn’t,” Spike grumbled as he crawled out of a pile of books that had fallen onto him. “Did the spell work?”
Twilight gasped, realizing that she had shortly forgotten what she had been attempting in the first place. She glanced towards the place where she had cast her spell, only to be disappointed by the sight of scorch marks on her floor. “Well… no Sun Princesses this time,” she said dejectedly as she fired up her horn. “Let’s try this again.”
Bang!
“Just… one... more… try...” Twilight gasped as she struggled to get up from the ground.
“No way!” Spike protested. “You already tried it twelve times today. You don’t even have the strength to stand! There’s no way you could cast that spell again.”
Twilight groaned and let her body slump to the floor. “Fine...” she said reluctantly. “But would you mind grabbing me some hayfries? I’m kind of craving them right now.”
“I thought hay fries was unhealthy fat food that killed brain cells?”
“I burned out all my brain cells casting that spell over and over again, and fat is essential source of energy,” she reminded him. “Do you know-”
“Don’t know, and I’m not sticking around to find out,” Spike interrupted as he waded through the sea of strewn books and opened the door. “I’ll go grab those hayfries, but you need to get some rest. Okay?”
“Do I look like I can do anything besides that?” The mare asked with a raised eyebrow.
“...Good point.”
Twilight counted off two minutes after Spike slammed the door before unsteadily rising to her hooves once more. “I’m not giving up until I get that spell to work,” she said decisively as she took a step towards the brown book. Whatever preservations spells had been cast on it were truly magnificent. It seemed no worse for the wear since she had received it. “Alright, let me go over what I know. I’ve cast the spell multiple times during crucial parts of the day. Sunrise, missed it. Early morning, check. Mid-morning, check. High noon, check. Afternoon, check. Evening, check. All I have left is to try sunset. Hopefully this works.”
She nudged the book into place with her hooves in order to save every last drop of her magic for the spell. “Work with me,” she pleaded with the book as she watched the sun lower on the horizon. She knew Spike wouldn’t waste any time getting back to her to prevent her from attempting the spell again, so she had to get it right this time. Otherwise, he would probably write to her mentor to say she had been endangering her health with dangerous spells from forgotten spell books, again.
Twilight waited until the bottom tip of the sun disappeared on the horizon before beginning the spell. Even the early stages of the spell made her horn feel like it was on fire, but she pressed through the pain. Her horn blazed brightly as the spell grew in power, sending waves of pain through Twilight’s body. Any normal unicorn would’ve passed out by now, but Twilight was used to putting this kind of strain on her body and magic. She shut her eyes tight as she felt her body rise off the floor as spell reached its climax.
Unbeknownst to the purple unicorn, small sparkles began flaking from the fading rays of sunlight and swarmed towards the book like honeybees to flowers. The shower of sparkles grew into a vibrant myriad of shimmering particles that began circled around Twilight and the book in a glittering, magical tornado. Twilight’s horn suddenly flared with power and drew in all of the magical particles from the air like a magnet, just as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
Spike made his way back to Twilight’s house as quickly as his little dragon legs could carry him. He believed that Twilight was too weak to complete the spell by now, but he also knew through experience that there was a good chance that she would attempt to cast it anyway.
The strangely designed tower they lived in was just within his sights when he saw a bright, golden glow coming from the library windows. “Twilight!” Spike exclaimed. He dropped the large container of hayfries he was carrying and dashed over to the library like his life depended on it. However, he was still a good distance away when a rainbow shockwave of the colors purple, pink, red, and yellow, spread out from the inside of the building. The sight of it blinded him, but he didn’t falter in his steps as he continued his mad dash to the door.
“Twilight!” Spike called as he flung open the front door. He heard no response as he trotted up a flight of stairs that led to the library of the house.
The inside of the library was worse than he feared. The smell of soot and ash filled the air. Entire bookcases had toppled over, and their contents were ripped and charred. Spike had to carefully dance through the debris before his eyes finally rested on the still form a familiar unicorn.
“Twilight!” he yelled as he ran through the wreckage. When he reached her, he noticed that her sides were gently rising and falling normally. In addition, although he didn’t pay much attention to it at the time, Twilight was resting in circle of the floor that had somehow remained unscathed despite the state of the rest of the library. The baby dragon gripped Twilight’s face with his claws and shook her head furiously.
“Ow!” Twilight yelped as she suddenly awoke and sent a hoof into Spike’s face. “Spike, what was that for?”
Spike gently rubbed his forehead, silently thankful for the protection his dragon scales gave him. “Twilight, take a look around you,” he said slowly as he waved a claw to indicate the smoking room.
Twilight’s eyes widened as she suddenly noticed the destruction that surrounded her. She slowly turned around in a circle to take in all of the damage she had caused. She forlornly gazed at the books that had been reduced to mere piles of ash. Then she suddenly gasped.
“Yeah, it’s that bad,” said Spike. “Why did you have to do that, Twilight? You knew you were too tired to do try it again.” He sighed and dropped to the ground, sending up a cloud of ash as he did so. “Now our home is ruined!”
“Worth it,” Twilight said breathlessly as her eyes widened.
Spike blinked. “Wait, what?” Twilight mutely pointed a hoof at the sight in front of her. Spike followed the indicated direction and jumped. "What in Equestria?" he gasped.
Curled up next to the brown book Twilight had been using for her spell lay a pony that was covered in ash. At the sound of Spike’s voice, the pony stood up and shook off the majority of the ash, before giving a very feminine sneeze.
Twilight’s look of awe died into disappointment when she realized that the mare in front of her was not the Banished Sun Princess. For one thing, she was much too short, only standing to around Twilight’s height. Second, she had a horn, but no wings. Third, her color scheme was all wrong. This pony had a red and yellow mane, and an orange coat underneath the grey ash that covered her from head to hoof. The Sun Princess was supposed to be a tall, white alicorn with multicolored hair that floated without a breeze. This pony was anything but the one Twilight had tried to summon.
Spike nervously moved behind Twilight as the purple unicorn made her way to her hooves. He could obviously tell that this new mare was no Sun Princess, and he was surprised to find another pony in the room. He wasn’t quite sure if the spell had summoned her to the library, but he decided not to take his chances.
The ash-covered mare stared at the pair in confusion. She first looked at the purple mare, and then at what she believed to be a wingless baby dragon. Except, he didn’t look as predatory as the other dragon hatchlings she had seen. She observed the clean circle the pair stood at, and then turned her eyes to the rest of the library. With wide eyes, she barely suppressed a gasp as she surveyed the wreckage. Then, she focused her attention once again on the two unfamiliar faces in front of her.
Finally, the two mares voiced the question that was on everyone’s minds.
"Who are you?"