Children Of Night

by CheckerBoardAZN

And believed by the ignorant

In mere months the first generation of our order spread all across the world. We had secret settlements from, Neighppon to Saddle Arabia. Apple Gem had elected her masters as she had been instructed by our princess, Luna. To that end, we named ourselves Children of Night. Soon summer would be around the corner and Apple Gem grew weary of her travels, so she settled down in Neighppon.

Neighppon was a land of wonder; bathed by the strongest moonlight, giving the Children of Night much power and stamina. The more moonlight they absorbed the healthier and stronger they grew. The land was everything that Apple Gem could want. The land thrived during the moonlight. Wildlife was docile and accepted the ponies. The natives had supported them, and joined together in a makeshift kingdom. Apple orchards littered the land. During the fall the hills would be littered with patches of pink from the cherry blossoms. Neighppon was to become a nation built up by the Children of Night. This was not enough for Apple gem. She desperately wanted to be by our princess’s side. But while she was vacant in reality, in her dreams, Luna was always there.

Apple Gem was an avid dream walker, a traveler of the Astral Plane. This place was the last means of communication between herself, her comrades and Princess Luna. She frequently used this ability of astral projection to visit the princess and converse with her. Only Luna could see and communicate with astral projected beings in the physical world. Luna would be awake in Equestria as Apple Gem would be asleep on the opposite side of the world in Neighppon and vice versa.

After each visit with Luna, Apple Gem grew stronger in her control with magic. Luna became her mentor. Each night She vsited Luna, she grew closer and closer to the Princess. She began seeing how much pain she had to go through. Apple Gem grew to gain a stronger connection with the astral plane, nearly as powerful as Luna. She could communicate with her subordinates through the plane. She even discovered a new ability given to her by the Astral Plane. She was the very first dream walker. She taught the ability to her master, and it was used to its full extent. She was able to access the Astral Plane during her day in Neighppon and during Luna’s Equestria night. Not many of the ponies Apple Gem had taught and worked with could Astral Project during the day. One night, when Apple Gem came to Luna, she had seen something amazing. Luna had finally ascended into her final form. It came with natural armor and ethereal mane. She was taller and had a more intimidating physique as well as a darker coat. She had ascended into her Goddess form. She was faster, had greater control of her magic, and could connect stronger with the life force known as Magic. While it was magnificent, there was a price to this ascension. Luna could only be in this form for no longer than thirty minutes.

Apple Gem knew what this new form meant. The time had come to get back at the tyrant of the Equestria on this year, 1600 Before Liberation. She gathered her army of ten-thousand strong from Neighppon and set sail for Equestria. With their unicorn master, the massive Children of Night snuck back into their home country to meet their old leader and creator, Princess Luna.

“Let us be ready! We will usurp the evil one and give back to the ponies what is rightfully theirs! Freedom to all!” exclaimed the confidant Luna.

“Huzzah! Long live our princess!” replied the army.

The day of battle soon approached them, as they marched toward the city of Ponympus disguised as a several groups of traveling merchants. On the first day they entered the town in large groups, and entered the town. On the second day, they settled into the town. The third day they recruited a group of rebels who wanted to overthrow Celestia as much as they did. The fourth day was a day of preparation. They stockpiled on elixers, magic potions, weapons, arrows and many other items needed for war. The fifth day they scouted the castle. On the sixth day they rested, but something made the atmosphere in the town very dull. The atmosphere was negative, everypony felt uneasy. On seventh day, the infusion of Children of Night and the denizens had been complete, and they rested until time had come to attack. Upon Luna’s signal, a small group would storm the castle. After the attack, the rest of the Children of Night that were left in the city would create an opening for retreat. We had planned for the best, the setup was perfect, but how did it go so wrong? How could our Princess’s foresight be wrong?

In the castle Luna had been prowling about. The castle was grand, baroque in style. It was sturdy, adorned with stained glass mirrors and statues. She reached the throne room, bucked the door open and approached Celestia’s throne only to be stopped by the loud, booming sound of her sister’s voice.

“Not another step,” commanded the intimidating white alicorn. She walked in from behind her large throne.

“Sister, it is you! Just the pony I wanted to see!” replied Luna.

“Enough. Did you really think I would sit idly by as they basked in your precious moonlight?” Celestia taunted.
Luna’s eyes opened wide, her heart stopped. She felt weak, and heard a scream in her head. It was one of the Children of Night. More screams came to Luna as her children fell and passed on into the astral plane.

“I knew about your coup, did you not foresee it too? Your fate?” laughed Celestia, a wide grin on her smug muzzle, “There can only be one Princess in Equestria, and that princess… shall… be… me!”

The castle walls crumbled by the force of Celestia’s mighty stomp and outside, Children of Night fell. The enemy had finally revealed themselves; The Communion of Light engaged the Children of Night in a battle. The Children of Night were outmatched. Celestia had brought together the best of her army, who deified her with cult like obsession, to create the greatest force the world had ever known. Luna turned to her children and watched as they slowly fall alongside civilians of Ponympus and turned back to her sister.

“How could you? It’s enough for you to be fighting my children, but why order the death of the innocent?! ” screamed Luna.

“That is because I can! Do not you see Luna? We are Gods!” declared Celestia, “We govern the celestial bodies, and
you should have followed in my footsteps! You never fit to rule. I will be the sole ruler of this land!”

Luna crouched and lunged at her sister with the aid of her wings at a blinding speed. Their horns contacted, and the resulting explosion of energy disintegrated what was left of the castle walls. Back and forth the sisters went, in a titanic battle throughout the ruins of the castle. Their scrimmage lasted the whole night. Bolts of yellow and blue light flew through the sky; boulders from the ground were being hurled into the air towards the Celestia. The earth shook as the two titans battled. Mountains were formed, oceans disappeared. Utter chaos ensued. The sun was coming up. Luna had reached her limit; the sun was up and imbued Celestia with unimaginable power. It was time, it was Luna’s turn to show her sister what real power was.

“Let the moon eclipse the sun! For the sun does not eclipse the moon!” shouted Luna towards the sky.

The Moon quickly filled the sky and blocked out the summer sun. The remaining Children of Night celebrated as this eclipse amplified their strength. It was their turn for victory. The light of the moon, amplified by the light of the sun behind it, forcibly ascended Luna into her Goddess form. Celestia no longer had superiority; Luna’s reaction time was quicker than hers. Unharmed denizens of Ponympus looked toward the sky as they saw blue and yellow trails of magic clash. Crystals were flying out of the ground and flew up toward Luna as she used them to refract and absorb Celestia’s magic. Amongst the chaos in the sky, Luna lunged one last time at Celestia, causing a sonic boom. Her horn pierced through her elder sister’s right wing. They both fell to the earth; Celestia was a wreck.

She looked up to see Luna standing before her. Luna prepared her final attack and charged and struck. Luna swung her head, but froze mid swing. Her body pulsated in pain as she just stood there as a rock. It had been thirty minutes. She reverted to her previous form, drained of energy. Celestia chuckled and looked at her with a large grin. Luna stepped back and looked toward the sky. The moon had disappeared.

“How cute,” Mumbled the crippled Celestia, “you really thought you had a chance?”

Luna could not use her magic, she was done for. She turned to her subjects; she turned to her Children of Night.

“Retreat my children! Apple Gem, take our order and hide once more!” she screamed.
Her forces retreated, but she could not go. Luna jumped before the Communion of Light and Celestia to buy her Children of Night time. As they retreated, one Apple Gem turned around and saw a horror she did not think she would ever see. Luna was on the floor, writhing in pain and struck down by her own sister. Her body slowly began break apart into particles of magic.

“Since you love your moon oh so much, that is where I will seal you, dear Luna.” exclaimed Celestia.

She raised her head and set the sun, but brought forth the moon. Luna lay on the ground shocked; she did not know her sister was capable of moving her moon at will. Luna had disintegrated and her essence flew to the sky. An image of a mare appeared on the surface of the moon. It was done, Luna was gone. Celestia used her magic one last time to set the moon and raise the sun, which had become a tradition on that day.

“Rise my little ponies! For this day, we have defeated a wicked pony, a pony who wished to block out the sun, and ruin this land. Forget not what I have done for you, but remember and believe that I am here for you, the ponies of this land. Give me your strength, as I must retreat for now, but know that I still will raise the sun and moon. You all may not see me but I am there.” exclaimed Celestia. She raised the sun and her warriors celebrated the new summer sun. The people of Ponympus emerged from the rubble and cheered for Celestia as she flew to the sun. They did not know who attacked them, but they still cheered. Along the horizon Apple Gem could only stand and watch their ignorance.

“Master Apple gem, they know not what they are doing! Some day we must come back here and speak the truth! We must tell them the true history of this day!” spoke Apple Gem’s second in command, Star Seeker.

“No we cannot. We must remain hidden and hope that someday, our princess returns. We cannot tell them the truth, for history is written by the victors and believed by the ignorant.”

Author's Note:

This is the fall of Luna and the first Summer Sun Celebration, if you didn't catch it :)
I had this idea for a while, when The children of night animatic was still out. I'm only now getting to writing it, so i added a line fron teh season 4 animatic :) History is not always as it seems.
Their forms are equivalent of supper saiyan(ssj) forms. Their normal forms are the appearance they take in the opening of season 1's premiere, and these forms are all SSJ1 powerful because they are Alicorns. NNM is SSJ3 for Luna, but Celestia doesn't have a SSJ3 form yet because she has not ascended. :P

In Japan, they call their own country Nihon, and they have a variation of the name. The variation is Nippon. That is where the pun Neighppon comes from :)

Comments

[Skeeter The Lurker]

Hm. So Nightmare Moon was her 'final form' all along, huh?

I like so far. It's a bit rough, but otherwise ok.

~Skeeter The Lurker

[Hypon Moonstone]

Awesome Story! :)

[Toa Coy]

this is an awesome take on both cannon and fannon, keep going. I think Celestia might have been a bit full of herself in the past and may have look like a tyrant but she did what she thought was best. When one forgets the limits of their clout and others close to them they loose what they thought was unimportant.

[Flaring Dawn]

i will rip celestia apart! no one hurts luna!! hail the night!.... sorry got a little carried away there...

[Prince_Dark_Bane]

Not bad can't wait for more.

[Fireflight]

I didnt think it possible, but my love for Luna and hatred for celestia just grew tenfold.

[ireadpony]

This is a nice story.