//------------------------------// // II - The Sun // Story: The Fall of the Sun // by Widow Peak //------------------------------// Mistakes and Regrets Princess Celestia let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She was a smart and experienced mare that could put together plans that would begin to flourish decades after they started. But even she could admit that this hadn’t been her brightest idea.     After a thousand years, the time had finally come. The banishment of her sister had come to an end, and the spell that had kept her trapped within the Moon had broken. Celestia, eager to finally meet Luna after so long, had flown to the Castle of the Two Sisters.     Celestia had had hoped that, during her banishment, her sister would have realized her misdoing. She wanted to find an alicorn full of remorse and desire for redemption, to whom the Princess was more than willing to forgive.     Instead, in the castle of the Everfree she had found a mare just as furious as the day she had been banished. Celestia attempted to speak to her, but just like that fateful night, Nightmare Moon wasn’t willing to listen. Not wanting to fight against her sister, the Princess tried to flee, but was captured and sent to the Sun.     Fortunately for Equestria, Celestia had thought of that possibility. She had sent Sunset Shimmer, her student, to Ponyville. There, she would find a clue that would lead her to the Everfree castle, where she would find the Elements and use them to purify Nightmare Moon. Celestia trusted her weakened sister wouldn’t stand a chance against the power of the Element of Magic.     Until then, the only thing Celestia could do was to wait.     Much to her surprise, being banished inside the Sun was rather comfortable. The alicorn found herself in her most pure form: a spirit, unrestrained by her body, but by the binding spell instead. She felt strangely free. Larger, more powerful than she had ever been in her physical body, even if the Sun was set and dispelled into the dome. She felt one with it, looming over Equestria like a vigilant goddess. The fire of the Sun didn’t burn. Instead, it was warm and welcoming, as if it was trying to comfort her mistress.     Despite all this, she was still trapped. She could not cast nor weave any sort of spell, as the magic that wrapped around her like barbed chains would tighten and gash her painfully. She could still extend her consciousness outwards, but even such a small magic expenditure was extremely unpleasant.     Celestia wondered if the magic prison that had held her sister had been so harsh. It was unlikely, since this binding spell carried a scent of cruelty and bitterness with it. The Elements of Harmony would have certainly been kinder. Or at least, that is what Celestia hoped.     Out of pure curiosity, the alicorn tried to probe the binding spell to study its structure, but it was expertly hidden under several layers of obscuring magic. Breaking through them would be agonic, so Celestia abandoned this path and decided to contemplate the beauty of her kingdom instead.     Equestria was a land blessed with beauty. From the frozen north to the southern desert, with Canterlot on the very center and the deep green of the Everfree Forest off to the west. The dome covered it all, giving Celestia an amazing view of her kingdom. The moonlight covered Equestria in a lovely silver shroud. From time to time, she could see the fireworks above the major cities.     Celestia shifted inside her prison. Should she still have a body, she would have yawned and tried to preen her now non-existent wings. She could still feel the phantom of her golden shoes, which she mentally flung away. She felt the fatigue crawling on her mind. The mare briefly wondered if it had to do with the Sun setting, or she was simply worn after her encounter with Luna.     The princess tried to fight the sleepiness. She should stay awake, alert until her sister was purified.     Another ghostly yawn.     Then again, it’s not like she could do anything but wait, right? And there was plenty of time until Sunset discovered she was missing. A couple of hours, at least. Surely, she could allow herself a little rest. The Elements would wake her up when they freed her, anyways.     With a happy hum, the Princess curled around and imagined a soft blanket draped over her. In the Sun’s warm embrace, she fell asleep.     ***     Celestia strode back and forth in the ruined throne room. For the hundredth time since she had arrived to the old castle, she looked up to the collapsed back wall. It was already nighttime, but the Moon still had the figure of an alicorn printed upon its face.     Huffing in frustration, the princess turned around and kicked a brick with her hoof. She had waited a whole millennia before this moment, and now impatience was eating her. Just a bit more, and her sister would be back.     Celestia let out a sigh and made her way to her former throne. As she climbed up the flight of stairs, she felt guilt gripping her heart. Two twin thrones, intended to put both alicorn sisters at the same level, as equals. They should have reigned Equestria together, evenly splitting the power and responsibility. And yet, she had completely failed to see the darkness nesting in her sister’s heart.     As she carefully sat on the Solar Throne, the Princess glanced over what remained of the once magnificent castle. Rubble and debris was scattered across the room. Vines had grown, swirling around the pillars or climbing on the walls. Shrubs and colorful flowers sprouted between the eroded tiles. Everything was bathed in the silver moonlight, elongating the shadows and giving everything a ghostly appearance. It filled the princess with sadness, to see her antique home in such disrepair.     It was yet another consequence of her mistakes.     Celestia allowed herself a faint, sad smile as she reached over and put her hoof on the other throne’s hoofrest. It would be over soon…     The Moon pulsated.     Celestia gasped. She jumped from her throne and looked at the satellite yet again, just in time to see the Mare in the Moon fading. Her heart sped up in anticipation and a shiver ran down her back when she felt the presence of her sister abandon the Moon. With barely contained tears, the alicorn turned around and descended the stairs, a skip on her step.     The mare looked back and saw a string of midnight blue mist slide through the hole between the thrones. “It’s you,” she whispered. The mist paused for a second, and then began to coalesce into the shape of a large pony, with two large wings sprouting from her sides and a long horn crowning her head. The shape turned solid and softly touched the floor.     Then, it changed in a heartbeat. The dark blue coat turned pitch black, the feathered wings turned webbed; and the eyes became slitted and cold. The newcomer alicorn glanced down at Celestia and ginned widely, showing her many fangs. Then she threw her head backwards and let out a long, cruel laugh.     Celestia stood there in shock. A single tear ran down her cheek as she shook her head, unable to believe her eyes. “It’s you,” she repeated in a whimper.     “Yes,” replied the black alicorn. She unfurled her wings and glided downwards, landing right in front of Celestia. “It’s me. Were you expecting somepony else?” she asked, giving her a wicked grin.     The princess shook her head. “N-no…this is not how it should…” The black alicorn began pacing around her as she tried to fight the knot on her throat. “Please, Luna-”     “Don’t you dare to pronounce that name!” snapped the other. “The pony you called Luna is long dead! I am Nightmare Moon!” When Celestia didn’t answer, but just gave her a long and sad look, she slapped her. The princess fell tumbling to the floor.     “I can’t believe I was once defeated by such equine waste,” grumbled Nightmare, her voice dripping hate. Celestia sat up. “You are pathetic, sister. Where are your Elements now?! You can’t wield them anymore, can you? Serves you right! Maybe now we can finally see how deserves to rule Equestria!” She punctuated her sentence by slamming her hoof into Celestia’s jaw.     “It’s a beautiful night outside,” continued Nightmare Moon, turning her back to Celestia and climbing the stairs that led to the thrones. “Do you recall, sister? It was right here, in this very spot, when I found my true self.” She lighted up her horn, and a shining midnight-blue armor appeared from thin air and wrapped around her body. “It’s time now that you get your fair punishment for what you did to me. Justice, if you will.”     Celestia sat up, blood dripping from her muzzle. “I am sorry,” she whispered.     Nightmare’s ears swiveled forward. “What did you say?”     “I am sorry,” repeated Celestia. She wiped her mouth and got on all four. “I am so, so sorry.” she said, looking at her sister.     “What for?” she said, smirking.     “For everything,” hoarsely said Celestia. “For not giving you the attention you deserved. For ignoring you when you needed me the most. For being too focused in my duties and sparing no time to help my little sister. For hurting you. For such a terrible, unfair punishment,” Once again, tears began to flow. “I-I am so s-sorry.”     Nightmare’s grin widened. “Ah, and you think mere words may solve it, right? You are more stupid than I thought.”     “I d-don’t want to fight you, Luna.” said Celestia, shaking her head. “I did once. Nevermore.”     “Worry not, sister. You won’t have the chance to fight.”     Nightmare Moon lighted up her horn, and Celestia turned around when she felt a huge surge of power behind her. On the opposite side of the room, on the arc that led to the rest of the castle, were now two large golden doors. There was a metallic sound, and gate started to open, bathing the room with the blinding light of the Sun. A dozen purple chains appeared and threw themselves to Celestia, wrapping around her limbs before she could react. Then, they began to retract, pulling the princess into the opening.     Celestia managed to get a hold on the tiles with her front hooves. Feeling with her back legs, she drove one of her hooves into a crack. The chains’ pull was strong, but she could hold herself. “Sister! You don’t have to do this! Please!”     “You are right,” said Nightmare Moon. Celestia looked up and saw her standing right in front of her, barely out of her hoof’s reach and wearing a cruel smile. “But I wish to.”     The pull form the chains grew stronger with each passing second. A new set of bindings tied around her unsecured back leg and Celestia let out a grunt of pain. One full minute passed, and sweat started to pearl her forehead. “Sister, p-please,” she said, gritting her teeth. Her muscles and joints hurt terribly, and she could have sworn to have heard a very unhealthy crack somewhere on her body. “Please, reconsider this.”     “There is nothing to reconsider!” shouted Nightmare Moon. “Just give up or I will make you regret your stubbornness!”     “So be it,” grumbled Celestia. She lighted up her horn, and the chains exploded into thousands of shards. Unfurling her wings, she took flight, dodging Nightmare’s magic attack, and headed for the hole in the wall. She would not fight her sister, not again. She had to escape. Sunset, with the help of the Elements, would be able to cleanse Luna of her darkness with ease.     Just as Celestia reached the hole, a tendril of darkness wrapped around her neck, and flung her back into the room. The princess crashed into a pillar and collapsed, gasping for air. Nightmare Moon lighted up her horn, and a swarm of chains armed with barbs emerged from the doors, throwing themselves towards the white alicorn. Celestia pushed herself out of the way, and the chains slithered after her. She dodged and swatted them aside, but there were too many. Her wings and legs tied, and the spikes digging painfully into her skin, the princess was dragged to the bright hole.     The princess struggled, but it was to no avail. “Sister! Please! Stop this madness!” she pleaded, but her only answer as a mocking, cruel smile. As she was pulled into the opening, the essence of the Sun empowered her, and she managed to snap a chain and get a hold on the frame of the door with a single hoof. She grunted in pain and clenched her teeth as the chains tightened and the barbs drew blood, but she refused to let go. She couldn’t let her sister make the same mistake twice.     “You are persistent, sister.” said Nightmare Moon. Celestia opened her eyes and saw her standing once again in front of her, visibly annoyed. The two ponies held each other’s gazes for a minute, contemptuous one, and pleading the other.     “Luna...sister...help me.”     Nightmare Moon sighed and glanced back at the throne room. She lighted up her horn and enveloped the Solar Throne in her magic, tearing it off the platform. With a smooth movement, she hurled it to Celestia, hitting her directly and sending her into the depths of the portal, screaming her name.     ***     Celestia woke up with a start, and was welcomed by a surge of pain. Grimacing, Celestia looked over Equestria and wondered how long she had been asleep. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours, since the Summer Sun Celebration was still going. Unfortunately, the princess couldn’t judged the time based on the position of the Moon, since she could only look to the inside of the dome.     ‘What shall be your next move, my dear sister?’ wondered Celestia, scanning the land. Canterlot was oblivious to her fate, and so were Manehattan, Trottingham, and all others major cities.     Swinging her tail impatiently, Celestia sighed.     Then, she felt it.     One sensation ran over her essence, like a shudder.  A hunch. Paying no attention to the sting of the binding spell, the Princess turned her attention to the ruins that sat on the middle of the Everfree Forest. Even from that distance, she was able to catch a glimpse of a black spot that shot off towards Canterlot.     ‘No.’     Gritting her teeth, Celestia pushed through the spell and extended her consciousness outwards, peering into the castle. The Vault of the Elements was soaked in harmonic energy, but she could still perceive five unique magic signatures. Celestia’s heart skipped a beat when she realized Sunset Shimmer’s was not among them.     ‘No, no, no, no.’     Sunset was gone. Celestia felt a knot on her throat. She had sent her student to her demise. And if it wasn’t bad enough, now her sister ran rampant on Equestria, free to do whatever she pleased. All because of her. All because she hadn’t faced her sister when she should have. Desperation and chagrin took over Celestia. For a minute, the Princess sat on the Sun, regretting the mistakes she had made.     ‘It wasn’t supposed to end this way.’     …     ‘It will NOT end this wait.’     Celestia gathered her substance, pulling together the Sun despite the resistance of the dome and the pain caused by the binding spell. She was going to need all her power and focus for what she was about to do, the same untamable power that in her youth had allowed her to defeat Tirek and Discord.     The princess focused all her magic in a single spot, and the pushed against the tether. The chains of dark magic yielded for a moment, but then redoubled its efforts to contain Celestia. She felt like a thousand red-hot needles dug into ever centimeter of her being. However, she didn’t back away, but forced the bindings even further.     Bit by bit, she made progress. The princess grinned despite the agonic surges of pain that shook her entire being. The binding spell creaked as it struggled to contain her might, which burned and eroded the entire spellwork.     Finally, Celestia felt it reach its limit. With a triumphant cry, tainted with suffering, she charged against the bindings and felt how the Sun itself gave a tumble. Smiling in victory, Celestia unfurled her wings and prepared to escape her prison. The pain was still there, but Celestia ignored it and dove downwards.     And downwards…     Her mind clouded by the suffering, it took Celestia a moment to realize she wasn’t free. She no longer in the dome, but she wasn’t free from the Sun. She was falling with it. She had torn the Sun from the celestial sphere.     A new feeling appeared, that quickly surpassed the pain.     Vertigo.     Downfall.     Fear.     Determination turned into anguish and dread. For the first time in her long life, the Princess was utterly defenseless. Completely ignoring the lashes of pain, she squirmed inside her prison, desperately trying to escape. Run away. Survive.     But it was hopeless. The bindings didn’t give in. The cage didn’t break. Celestia couldn’t do anything but helplessly watch how the tops of the trees came closer and closer.     Then there was a blinding light.     And the excruciating pain that was the last thing Celestia felt.