//------------------------------//
// The Tale Told by Some 
// Story: The Banishment - One of Many Tales 
// by alotmorewub 
//------------------------------//

	It was quiet in the Lost Castle of the Royal Sisters.

The dark night was silent, only the light of the full moon giving any light and no noise seeming to emanate from anywhere. Deep inside the castle, in a room that was blown to bits, came the only sound. Standing in the middle of the room where giant stone pillars were knocked to the ground, old tapestries torn to tiny slivers of fabric, and the ornate glass windows blown out, stood a single figure.

The only sound was the soft, labored breathing of the haggard looking alicorn, her armor blasted to bits and clothing torn to shreds. Cuts, lacerations, bruises, and blood covered her body, her once regal and majestic white coat of fur covered in dust, ash, and in some places had even been burnt off, leaving only the skin beneath her fur showing. Her once flowing and sparkling mane of many colors had fallen around her shoulders, its once vibrant color now dulled, muted, and lifeless. Her horn, chipped and laced with cuts, glowed a slowly dimming golden aura as the magic it had unleashed seconds before was radiating into the area around her, the air sparkling and crackling slightly as the raw magical energy escaped. Her wings, symbols of grace and power, were limp by her sides, many of the feathers collecting dirt and dust from the ground as her breathing swept them across the dusty and ashy ground of the destroyed castle.

She didn’t notice, nor did she care, about her ragged appearance, for her eyes, pupils dilated, gazed only upon the full moon above her. She didn’t blink as she kept her gaze on the shining orb in the night sky. She stood there for what felt like millennia until she gasped slightly at the sight of the changing of the surface of the moon. Many dark spots began to cover the face of the moon, more and more developing as they began to take shape. As they did, the battered princess felt her eyes begin to water, her whole body shaking as pent up emotions began to creep to the surface, wanting to erupt, but she would not let them. Not now. 

Finally, the dark shapes on the lunar body finally stopped appearing. The moon looked as though it had caught an illness as it began to lightly shake and quiver, though only the white princess’ eyes were able to see such movements. Very slowly, the spots began to slide and move around, forming some kind of form. The alicorn bit her lip as she saw what the spots became. After several moments of this, the spots stopped and took their final form, the rough outline of the one that she had just banished, her little sister. The memories of how it all came to be flashed through Celestia's head as she gazed upon the moon.

For years, Celestia enjoyed the praise that she had received about her sunlight from the ponies in her...their kingdom, that she had never noticed that her sister had slowly became more and more jealous and bitter towards her older sister. While the ponies would cheer and play in the daylight, they would retreat into their homes and not show the same excitement towards her night, instead deciding to sleep through it. For generations, Celestia told her younger sister that the ponies would see the beauty of the night, but her words fell on deaf ears as Luna's anger grew and grew, until finally it boiled over into the being known as Nightmare Moon. This being, her own sister, became hellbent on ensuring that her night would no longer be ignored and threatened eternal night, no matter what the consequences of her actions or what she had to do to get ponies to accept it. Celestia tried to reason with her, but Nightmare Moon only saw room for one ruler, and it was her, and she would ensure Celestia would not get in her way and attacked Celestia and her royal guard, that she had brought as backup.

It became clear immediately that Nightmare Moon was in another league from the guards, but they tried to fight her anyway. Before Celestia could stop them, they were swatted away and sent tumbling to the ground, leaving Celestia and Nightmare Moon. Their battle was long and brutal, Nightmare Moon throwing everything she had at her former sister, but Celestia would not yield to the evil power. Eventually, their battle brought them to the old castle of past rulers where Celestia was slowly beginning to be overwhelmed by the Nightmare. However, before the final blow was struck, Celestia made one final plea for her sister to stop before a bright rainbow of colors surrounded her. The ancient powers of lore that had been placed in the castle, the Elements of Harmony, felt Celestia's pain and protected her, giving her the power to unleash one final blast of magic, banishing the evil to the very celestial body in the sky that she represented and leaving Celestia alone. 

The white alicorn began to shake and slowly fall to the ground. With a soft *whomph* sound, she fell to her knees, her eyes released her tears, a steady stream falling down her face. They fell as she still could not believe what she had just been forced to do, a most heinous act but one that was for the safety of her subjects of their...her kingdom. Just then, six consecutive crashes snapped her out of her trance and she gazed around to locate the source of the noise. It was the Elements of Harmony, drained of their power, falling to the ground again, grey and dead before they cracked and shattered, the colors of their essence swirling around the destroyed room. The princess watched as they continued to dance and swirl until they raced out of the hole in the ceiling and vanished, leaving her truly all by herself. Her mind finally came to grips with what she had just done and looked back up at the moon. The emotions of the new sole ruler of Equestia, Princess Celestia, unleashed themselves in a cry so powerful it was reported to be heard and felt in the hearts of all creatures around the world.

“I’M SO SORRY, LUNA!!!”

Her sobs were no longer silent, instead they were loud and filled with grief, despair, and agony as she wept for a long time. She buried her head into her hands on the ground and apologized profusely to the sister whom she had just banished to neutralize the possessed rampage she had unleashed on Equestria and the world. Celestia’s body trembled as she cried, she cried for so long it felt as though when she’d have no tears left, more formed and she repeated the cycle. For what seemed like eons, Celestia remained in the destroyed hall, curled up with her knees up towards her stomach, her face burying itself in her hands and arms as she couldn't bring herself to look up into the night sky, as the very sight of the lunar body in the sky reminded her of how the events all transpired and how she was mostly to blame.


Deep within the castle, the sounds of hooves stamping on the stone paths of the ancient hallways echoed through the halls of the castle. The clanging sounds of armor signified that Celestia's guard had finally caught up with their ruler. 

“She’s over here, Captain!” a voice called out in the hollowed room. A green pegasus, adorned in golden armor that was scorched and scratched and her body covered in cuts and bruises, directed the other troops towards their grieving ruler. 

Celestia looked up and took notice of the approaching soldiers and at once felt all her strength leave her. She had used up so much of her energy fighting her sister, no, that monster that had possessed her, that she was so exhausted and felt herself losing consciousness. 

"I'm...sorry...Luna" she whispered, feeling herself being to sway.

Before the guards could get to her, the Princess of the Sun saw her vision blur and finally darken as she fell to the ground.