-Sometimes when you win, you lose – Robin Williams, What Dreams May Come-
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Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria
Celestia’s sun shone brightly above the cheerful town of Ponyville, the castle home of Princess Twilight Sparkle shone wondrously in the sun's bright rays. Everypony went about their days as they usually did, the foals were in school, the adults were at work or wandering around the market area and the council of friendship sat around the cutie map discussing ever so important royal business.
“So? Chimi-cherry, or cherry-changa?” Pinkie Pie asked innocently.
“Oh please not this again!” Rarity groaned, memories of the painful ride back to Appleloosa beginning to surface.
“Come on girls,” Twilight interrupted. “Can we please get back on task?”
“Yes, sorry about that darling.”
“It's fine, now… where were we?”
“Ah believe it was the celebration?” Applejack said helpfully.
“Ah yes! The summer sun celebration is coming up soon, and this year the Crystal Empire has been selected to host it since it will be Flurry Hearts first.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” The timid voice of Fluttershy spoke. “How is she?”
“My niece is fine, Shiny and Cadance are finally getting some sleep back too.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“I for one am looking forward to the celebration,” Starlight Glimmer, Princess Twilight’s protégé said, “I have never actually attended one before!”
“You’ve never attended a celebration Starlight?” Twilight asked, slightly shocked.
“No… I haven’t. The reasons should be obvious, I wasn’t a good pony back then,” Starlight trailed off, placing down the checklist she had been helping Spike with.
“Come now Starlight, we’ve all forgiven you!”
“I know Twilight, but… the past doesn’t go away overnight.”
“You’re still having nightmares, aren’t you? Of the apocalyptic timeline?” Twilight asked, concerned for her student.
Starlight paused for a moment, before hesitantly nodding in confirmation.
Twilight sighed. “I will ask Luna to visit you soon, she can help with the nightmares.”
“Thank you Twilight.” Starlight said genuinely.
“Right now that is done, what is next on the agenda Spike?”
Spike looked at the checklist, “Well we’re still on the topic of the Summer Sun Celebration. We need to discuss how-“
Spike paused when the map suddenly activated, only it was flickering erratically.
“Um, Twilight? Is it meant to do that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“No, what’s wrong with it?”
The map continued to flicker uncontrollably as Twilight examined it, its blue colouration shifting into red as the flickering increased and the image of Equestria distorted.
Then the screaming started.
“Girls with me!” Twilight shouted as she bolted from the room, all those within following quickly.
The seven ponies and one dragon ran through the crystal hallways of the castle, going through several twists and turns until they eventually came out the large balcony at the very front of the castle. From the vantage point, they could see a mass shadow descending down onto the town, equine-like shades emerging from it and attacking those trying to flee the shadow. In the centre of it all, a demonic looking blue goat with bells hanging from his neck strode through the town, a sinister smirk on his face.
“Oh yeah!” Rainbow shouted. “Another villain to beat up!”
“Simmer down there sugarcube, Twi what’s the plan here?” Applejack asked apprehensively.
Twilight thought to herself for a few moments, before turning around and facing the others. “Starlight, go back to the map and try to fix whatever dark influence is affecting it. Spike, send a letter to Princess Celestia telling her what’s happening. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, protect the town from those shades and get everypony to safety. I will confront the goat thing.”
A round of affirmatives passed through the group, and each ran off to do their respective duties. Twilight herself turned back to face the town, before taking to the air to face the villain attacking the town.
Princess Celestia sat on her throne, her sister at her side as they went through some paperwork concerning the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration together.
“The crystal ponies seemed excited by the announcement sister,” Luna remarked.
Celestia smiled. “Yes, since the celebration was created after Sombra first conquered the Crystal Empire none of them have ever attended. Aside perhaps the few who were able to attend last year, but with the reconstruction of their society as a whole still going on at the time it was few indeed.”
“It is good to see them adapt well to modern society, as I did.”
Celestia gave her little sister a quick, loving nuzzle. “Adapted you have, sister. I am proud of you.”
“And I am proud of you for cutting your cake consumption in half,” Luna teased.
That elicited a pout from the usually regal princess, much to Luna’s continued amusement.
Just then a green flame burned brightly in the throne room, before dying away and leaving a scroll behind.
“A letter from Twilight?” Luna asked curiously.
“It would appear so!” Celestia stated happily, “It’s rare to receive letters from her these days, it has been too long since I received a friendship report.”
Celestia opened the letter, and her smile began to falter as she read on.
So Twilight wanted me to tell you that this evil blue goat thing is attacking Ponyville. Some sort of shadow is eating the town with shadow monsters attacking everypony! Twilight is confronting him now while the others get everypony else to safety!
I probably should go help with that. Hopefully, this will be cleared up in an hour or so.
Spike
“Sister? What is wrong?” Luna became concerned when Celestia’s smile disappeared completely.
“Luna, what do you know of Grogar?” Celestia asked solemnly.
“Grogar? From what I understand he is a goat dark mage that used the fallout of my… departure a thousand years ago to try and claim Equestria.”
“And he nearly succeeded, before Starswirl managed to lock him away in Tartarus, at the cost his life.”
“So that’s how Starswirl died… you never mentioned it before. Even when I asked what happened to him.”
“It was not an event I wanted to relive, and now it would appear he has somehow escaped Tartarus and is attacking Ponyville.”
“We really need a new guard dog… but what does it matter? Twilight and her friends will defeat him as they did all the others.”
“No… they won’t.” The urgency was apparent in Celestia voice. “Sister come with me!”
Celestia jumped from her throne and ran towards the large double doors at the other end of the throne room.
“Tia?” Luna called in confusion.
“Twilight’s life is in grave danger! I fear if we do not intervene we will lose her and the rest of the elements!”
“Is this ‘Grogar’ truly that bad?”
“Worse.”
The shadows continued to spread throughout the town, Grogar walked calmly through unopposed towards the castle, until a blur of lavender flew towards him and landed right in front of the goat.
“Stop!” Twilight commanded to the dark mage.
Grogar did stop, and examined Twilight in detail, “Princess Twilight I presume?”
“Stop your attack on Ponyville or we will have to stop you!”
“Stop me?” Grogar chuckled, “With what? Friendship?”
“The magic of friendship is the strongest magic there is! With it, with my friends you can’t possi-“ Twilight was cut off when a beam of magic erupted from between Grogar’s horns and hit Twilight square in the face, sending her flying back through the street in a heap.
“And I thought it was villains who were meant to monologue,” Grogar remarked, though little humour was in his voice.
Twilight slowly and painfully got to her hooves, and she did not look happy. Glaring at Grogar she charged her horn with a bright and deadly lavender aura and fired a powerful beam of magic in his direction. Grogar charged and fired another beam of his own, the two shots meeting halfway. Twilight slid back slightly as she struggled to push her beam forward and. during the few moments after the impact, she seemed to be making progress until a relaxed Grogar simply smiled and pushed forward with his own magic. Twilight's lavender beam was quickly overpowered as her eyes widened in horror, and it was followed by a small explosion that sent Twilight flying backwards all the way up to the front door of her own castle where she landed unconscious, her horn charred and battered.
Twilight’s friends saw her defeat and quickly rushed away to try and help her, only to be stopped by the shades they were fighting.
As the fighting raged on Grogar walked up to Twilight’s slumped form, and placed a hoof on her neck, ready to end her life... Only for a beam of glorious golden magic to hit him in the back and send him hurtling through the castle’s doors.
“Step away from her you monstrous fiend!” Celestia shouted in rage, causing Grogar to snarl and flee deeper into the castle with Celestia pursuing him.
Luna, who flew down shortly after her sister, ran up to Twilight and checked over her injuries. Her horn glowing blue she quickly roused the young princess.
“Ugh, Luna?” Twilight groggily came around. “What happened?”
“Rise carefully Twilight Sparkle, you took quite the hit.”
“Yeah, that was powerful dark magic... That goat, where is he?”
“On the run from my sister, he will fall soon. In the meantime, why don’t we help your friends against the monster that befoul this humble town.”
Twilight slowly got to her hooves, before nodding. Both alicorns charged deep into the crowd of shades, who never stood a chance.
Starlight continued to examine the map, but as far as she could tell there was nothing wrong with it! It shouldn’t have been acting like it was.
What she didn’t notice was the crystal beginning to turn a sickly black colour, at least not until she touched one of the corrupted parts.
“Ah!” Starlight screamed as she quickly retracted her hoof, it feeling like it had been burned. Immediately she began to feel faint, almost like her very own life force was being drained from her.
“Effective, isn’t it?” a deep voice stated.
Starlight swung around to see a blue goat approaching her from behind.
“Stay back!” she shouted, firing a weakened bolt at Grogar, which didn’t have enough power to even tickle him. She collapsed to the floor moments later, not having the strength to even stand.
“Not going to work I’m afraid. With each passing moment your strength becomes mine, and when you have none left to give, well. You die, simply put. My taint will spread out from the map and consume everything, starting with you.”
“That’s not going to happen, Grogar!” Celestia called out as she barged into the map room.
“Ah my dear princess,” he started, turning to face the Solar Princess. “She is already dead. As long as I live the taint will continue spreading, and all those infected are doomed to die either way.”
“I won’t let any more harm come to my ponies, if I have to kill you then I will!”
“En garde then, Princess Celestia,” Grogar proclaimed as he charged his horn.
Princess Celestia did the same and the two charged each other, firing as they went.
“Twilight, look!” Rainbow Dash shouted in panic, pointing towards the castle, the crystal having been corrupted into a ghastly black, with the corruption continuing to spread onto the ground around it. The grass withered and died as the taint spread and insects fled for their lives.
Twilight was barely able to look before she had to dodge a strike from one of the shades, before using her magic to blast it to pieces. Her friends were spread out throughout the crowd of shades, the villagers having long since fled. Twilight herself fought side by side with Princess Luna, who had conjured up armour not dissimilar to that worn during her tenure as Nightmare Moon.
“Luna, they’re not stopping!” Twilight shouted in panic.
“I know! We have to pray Tia defeats Grogar before we are overwhelmed!” She shouted back as she unleashed a devastating beam into a large group of shades.
“She will, I know it!” Twilight affirmed.
The shadow around the town seemed to thicken as the taint spread, desperation setting into the group as they were pushed back towards the town.
Their hopes were answered however when a fantastic golden pulse erupted from the castle and spread throughout the area, all shades and their shadows were wiped away and the corruption retreated back into the castle, before fading entirely.
Silence fell over the recent battlefield, the seven ponies and one dragon caught in it regrouping as they breathed sighs of relief.
“OK… that was more difficult than I thought it would be,” An exhausted Rainbow Dash remarked.
“Alas,” Luna started, “We are victorious, though I have to admit that perhaps this victory belongs to my sister, where is she by the way?”
“Still in the castle…” Twilight shakily said, pointing a hoof at her home. All eyes followed to where she was pointing and widened on seeing it.
The castle was dead. The crystal may no longer have held the black taint, but it was dulled and lifeless. The once vibrant green grass around it also was now a brown rotted heap.
“Twilight, with me!” Luna shouted, the two taking to the air and flying towards the castle, leaving behind the others, who had a terrible sense of foreboding around them.
Twilight and Luna landed on the balcony, some of it crumbling away as they did so, much to Twilight’s shock and horror. Entering the castle itself they walked briskly through the empty darkened hallways, both their horns lit so they could see where they were going.
“What did that goat do?” Twilight squeaked.
“Grogar, his name is Grogar. And I fear what the answer to your query may be.”
Finally, they came upon the map room, the doors to which had been closed. Opening it slowly the two entered, and found death waiting.
The map had been destroyed, the battered corpse of the dark mage laying on top of its ruins. Twilight could barely restrain a sob however when her eyes focused onto the grim carcass of Starlight Glimmer, which looked like it had been dead weeks instead of minutes. Twilight stared at the body for a few moments as Luna examined the rest of the room, an ill-sounding cough brought their attention to one of the rooms fare edges, where their light eliminated the sickly, but still breathing body of Princess Celestia.
“Tia!” Luna shouted in anguish as she rushed to her sister’s side, Celestia looked up briefly and smiled before falling into unconsciousness. Her eyes were sunken into their sockets, her breathing raspy and infrequent and blackened sickly veins were showing through her skin and fur.
Twilight tore herself away from her friend’s corpse and joined Luna at Celestia’s side, casting a scanning spell over her former mentor. Luna had tears in her eyes as she tried to rouse her sister, mumbling incoherently as she tried.
“I-it’s like all the cells in her body are dying! Luna, we need to get her out of here and to the hospital now!”
Luna looked up at Twilight’s equally traumatised form. “Y-yes, you are right, I will teleport us straight there, would she survive the trip?”
“I believe so, do it!”
Fighting back her tears Luna lit her horn up and, in a flash, all of them were gone.
Ponyville hospital was in a chaos as doctors and nurses ran in and out of the royal wing of the hospital, which had been built for their resident princess, despite Twilight herself saying she didn’t want special treatment from the other patients if she ever needed medical treatment.
Twilight and Luna both sat just outside the room Celestia was being treated in, sitting side by side as they just hoped Celestia would come out of her experience alive. Several guards were stationed at the entrance to the wing and allowed nopony but the doctors and the princesses access. Shouting could be heard in the room as doctors barked orders to one another in their desperate attempt to keep the Princess of the Sun alive.
Twilight’s castle had been blocked off by a battalion of guards, Starlight Glimmer’s body had also been taken from the ruin and interred into the morgue. Twilight still had tears to shed over her student’s demise, but right then and there Celestia had taken up all of her mind.
Finally, the commotion died down, and Twilight and Luna perked up when they saw the doctors and nurses leaving the room... their hearts, however, breaking when they saw the horrified and broken expressions they wore.
Nurse Redheart left last, and approached the two royals. “I’m so sorry, there was nothing we could do.”
Luna’s face turned into one of pained fury. “Nothing… what do you mean there was NOTHING YOU COULD DO?!” She shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice. “MY SISTER CAN’T DIE! SHE IS FAR STRONGER THAN THAT, HAS ALWAYS BE FAR STRONGER THAN I! SHE-“
“Luna!” Twilight objected, wanting her to stop.
Luna stopped her raging and looked at Twilight, who was verging on a tearful breakdown and it was obvious Luna wasn’t helping. “I’m… I’m sorry Twilight…”
“She wants to see you,” Redheart interrupted.
“What? Then she isn’t…”
“Not yet, but she doesn’t have long. I’m so sorry…” Redheart repeated, before leaving the room.
Twilight and Luna looked at each other, before turning towards and entering the room where Celestia was interred.
Celestia lay on the bed, a heartbeat monitor beeping in the corner. She looked up weakly as the two mares entered her room, and despite everything was able to afford them a small smile. Luna and Twilight took seats on either side of the bed.
“Tia…” Luna started, but couldn’t say anymore as the dam broke and tears began to fall rapidly, sobs filling the room.
Celestia slowly brought up a hoof to her sister’s face and turned it to look at her. “Oh my baby sister, I’m so sorry to leave you like this.”
“You can’t die here Tia, not like this, not now. And especially not so soon after my return…”
“Lulu, I am glad we got these three years, for in these three years we have undone the mistakes of the past and were able to just be sisters again. I too wish we had more time, more than anything, but I am glad of the time we did have. Lulu…”
Celestia turned away from her sister and looked toward Twilight, who was sobbing hysterically, her face buried in Celestia’s neck fur.
“Twilight…” Celestia softly called, causing the mare in question to look up.
“This isn’t fair… why do you have to go?” Twilight managed to say between sobs.
Celestia simply smiled, “Oh Twilight… you have grown into a wonderful mare, and I couldn’t have been more proud of you. You, Luna and Cadance provided me with something I had been missing for a thousand years… family. Don’t be sad for me Twilight, for I truly believe we will meet again someday. Now it will be up to you to safeguard the living, to raise the sun every day and lower it every night.”
“W-what?”
“You will be my successor Twilight, Luna will guide you in taking this responsibility, but I can think of nopony more worthy, I know you will continue to make me proud in the years to come.”
“I… I will d-do my best…”
“I know…”
As Celestia turned and looked up at the ceiling as the darkness closed in, both Twilight and Luna clung onto Celestia and deeply feared ever letting go.
“Twilight… Luna… I love you…” Celestia whispered, just before her eyes closed and the heartbeat monitor flatlined.