On the balcony of Central Tower of Canterlot castle, Nightmare Moon appeared out of nowhere in the blink of an eye. She looked around herself, unsure of her footing. The teleportation spell was new to her and her knowledge of its after-effects was second-hand information.
After she was sure that her presence had gone unnoticed by the guards on the nearby battlements, Nightmare Moon turned her sights to the room connected to the balcony. Looking past the white partition blinds that fluttered gently in cool night air, she could see her target.
Princess Celestia was fast asleep on her round bed at the centre of the room. Illuminated by moonlight and embers from rooms fireplace, the alicorn looked to Nightmare Moon as a glistening prize upon a pedestal. She let a sinister smile spread across her face as she moved through the blinds, casting a menacing shadow over the sleeping princess.
Dipping a hoof into a pouch she had taken from her former host, she stirred the red paste that it contained. Once her hoof was covered in it, Nightmare Moon moved to within a pace of the bed. Using her red stained hoof, she drew the first of many runes she needed for her spell. She gently moved clockwise around Celestia, writing each rune by hoof with expert precision. She dared not use her magic so close to Celestia, who was bound to sense it. This, as well as suppressing her own, immense magical presence, made her progress painfully slow.
About half way round came a moment that made Nightmare Moon freeze on the spot. A smouldering log moved in the fireplace, making a notable noise. Her eyes darted from the fire to the sleeping princess and released she was standing right between them.
Celestia stirred a little but didn’t wake up, much to Nightmare Moon’s relief. She continued laying red runes around the bed, now with extra caution of her surroundings.
Once the final rune in the circle was complete, Nightmare Moon took a moment to make sure that each one was perfect. She would only get one shot at this spell and she would be damned if it were to fail because of one misdrawn symbol. After satisfying herself that all was good, she positioned herself between Celestia and the balcony. She then proceeded to draw a smaller ring of runes around her hoofs, before throwing the pouch with the remaining red paste over the balcony behind her. A sinister smile was allowed to slip through her lips. Now!
Nightmare Moon flung her head back, her horn glowing bright. Magic infused the runes and they floated off the floor in a ghostly fashion. As expected, Celestia awoke immediately. As she sat upright in her bed, chains of magic shot out of the runes and raped tightly around Celestia, pinning her in place. She managed to crane her neck around enough to see her attacker. Her eyes widened dramatically, as she made out features of the mare silhouetted against the full moon.
“Sister!?!” Celestia Exclaimed. “Why are you doing this?”
“Sister,” Nightmare Moon scoffed. “I am not your sister, Celestia. Has old age dimensioned your eyes, or do you not recognise my new body?”
Celestia was taken aback by this remark “New body!?!”
She studied the mare and made out several telltale features, the lack of a cutie mark or any wings. Most notable was the green tinge in her swirling mane.
“Foxtrot!” Celestia said, flabbergasted. “Why?”
A growing giggle Nightmare Moon had, turned into sister laugh. “Well, she was so tempting, Celestia. A mare with so much self-doubt and untapped magic, how could I not make her mine. After all, it didn’t take much to break her.”
This goaded Celestia into attacking. In a moment she finally knew what Nightmare Moon was, how she had corrupted Luna and what she as now doing to Foxtrot.
She drew her horn level with Nightmare Moon with the intent to fire, but the few runes that had not cast their magical chains now did, wrapping around her horn and stifling the spell at birth.
“GUARDS!!” Celestia yelled, unable to hide the growing desperation in her voice.
Two unicorns of Celeste’s guards burst through the double doors and quickly sized up the situation, firing magical beams at the intruder. It was then that all but five runes that she had drawn around her hoofs, glowed brightly and created a light shield around Nightmare Moon, which shimmered as it absorbed the magical attacks.
With a flick of her horn, Nightmare Moon brought the final five runes up to eye level , before casting them forth. They flew across to Celestia and danced around her head. Celestia jaw dropped, now that she was able to read the seals. ’Time’, ‘Fear’, ’Power’, ’Time’, ‘Death’
The runes then shot away from Celestia. Flying past Nightmare Moon’s head and onto the balcony, before shooting off into the night sky. Celestia watched them as they disappeared into the distance, only for them to reappear a moment later, etched onto the surface of the moon. Celestia eyes now locked on Nightmare Moon’s.
“Farewell, Princess Celestia,” She purred triumphantly, and with another flick of her horn, a blinding light engulfed the room from Celeste’s position. When it died down, the princess and the runes holding her were gone. Nightmare Moon turned to the night sky and beamed to see the etched runes were now joined by the outline of a mare.
This action had only lasted a few seconds, leaving the guards dumbfounded. Seeing their magic have no effect and with a new rage in their hearts, they lowered their spears and charged. Without even looking, Nightmare Moon ripped the spears out of their magical grasp with her own, before using them to pin the guards against the far wall in a choke hold.
Now she slowly walked up to them, tutting and shaking her head as she went. “Now then. How is that any way to treat your new queen?”
She firmly grasped their chins with her hoofs, forcing them to look at her as her eyes started pulsating indigo rings. “After all. Your beloved Princess Luna will be returning shortly and we need to prepare to welcome her home.”