Moon Fall

by 007Delta

Dear Sister,

Nightmare Moon flew slowly to Canterlot. She smiled maliciously as the wind whistled past her ears and caressed her black coat. The calm before the kill was her favorite part of the hunt, the anxiety and suspense made her mouth water with lust and angst. She was so close to finally achieving all that she had ever hoped for, and it made her body feel as if it were weightless with anticipation. She licked her lips generously, and strands of saliva were beginning to hang between her tongue and mouth.

She approached the backside of the tall mountain that Canterlot had been built from, gliding gently toward the rough stony surface. She tilted her wings and swirled around the side of the mountain, before the grand city finally came into view, all of it's soon to be ruin just waiting to be brought upon by Nightmare.

She landed outside Canterlot, in the paved walkway that lead to the large front gate of the city, which had been closed with an enormous wooden door. She stood up straight, prepared her voice, and with a flash of ominous purple light from her horn, she spoke.

Suddenly, her voice boomed and echoed around the city, seemingly emanating from nowhere.

"Dear sister,". She began with a voice that sounded almost sweet. "I have come for you. These next few minutes will be the last ones you spend alive, so come out and spend them like a leader!" She yelled her last sentence, but there was no response. "Figures,". She muttered quietly to herself, though it was still amplified loud enough for all to hear. "You have the audacity to banish me to the moon when I step up to claim power I rightfully deserved, and yet you hide in your castle like coward, instead of defending your honor and right to rule!" Nightmare Moon stomped her hoof into the ground. "Come on out and face your sister like a queen, Celestia!"

As she spat the last word, the two large gates opened to reveal a tall white figure, standing alone, her head down and her ethereal mane dragging along the floor, it's figure as stiff as a board. She didn't move from her position at the gate, she only stared at Nightmare Moon.

There was a dead silence that the wind didn't even dare to break, and it hung between the two sisters as heavily as a block of iron. Only a mere 100 feet separated the two, and it would only be moments before the actual fight transpired. Nightmare Moon made no move to attack her sister just yet, she only examined and evaluated her opponent, trying to discern whether or not the crying was a battle tactic, or a genuine display of emotion, though it seemed like the latter. She couldn't make out much from her distance, but it was clear that Celestia was crushed. She didn't want to kill Nightmare Moon, simply because it would mean killing Luna as well. It was just too cruel of a circumstance, being that the only right thing to do, was to kill your sister. Nightmare Moon smiled. Celestia probably wouldn't even put up a fight! She had barely moved at all, in fact she was... Now sitting.

Celestia had lowered her back legs and was placed on her haunches, and it looked like she was sobbing, but Nightmare was too far away to tell.

It didn't matter though, Nightmare Moon opened her wings and began to run. As soon as she had reached a full gallop, she slammed her wings down and launched herself in a wide arc toward her sister, the horn on her head aimed to skewer.

Celestia let out a shrill sob the moment it happened.

Nightmare Moon closed her eyes as she felt a satisfying pressure against her head. Her mind jumped for joy as she realized she had finally finished her conquest, before she was sent reeling back, rag dolling through the dirt. She hit the ground multiple timed during her tumble and slid to a slow and grueling stop. Nightmare Moon looked up, surprise in her eyes, and spat out a mouthful of grass and mud. Celestia was still sitting and crying quietly.

Nightmare Moon was dazed, what the hell just happened? Surely that should have speared her like a shish kabob, yet she sat there untouched. Luna cursed under her breath as she mentally berated herself for her carelessness. She jumped up to her feet and let out a loud frustrated yell, stomping her hooves in the dirt with rage. Her fury was blinding her, and she wasn't fighting this battle carefully. She jumped at Celestia once again, only to be swatted away by an magic pillar of light that launched her high in the air. She tumbled uselessly through the sky, before she finally managed to open her wings... But she was only a few feet above the ground when she did so, and crashed unceremoniously into the earth.

Nightmare Moon rushed to her feet, but made no further advances to attack Celestia. What was happening? How was Celestia so blatantly overpowering her? Had she made the grievous mistake of underestimating her opponent? No, she couldn't have. How could she have? Nothing was making sense!

She raced through her mind for an answer, but came up with nothing. "Well". She thought. "I can't get close enough to hit her, so I might as well try this!"

Celestia glanced up sadly at her sister. Nightmare Moon was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that she was grievously outclassed, and stood no chance against her. Celestia didn't want to fight... But she was left no choice.

Nightmare Moon's horn erupted in purple and her eyes began to emit a dark billowing fog. A low pitched humming sound shook the air around them, before a pitch black beam erupted from the tip of Nightmare Moon's horn. The grass underneath began to shrivel and die as the pulsing wave of Dark Magic traveled from the corrupt Alicorn on it's way to the mare of the sun. As it was about to hit the princess, Celestia's horn glowed dimly, and the black beam of energy snaked round the sad white figure, before hurtling back at Nightmare.

Her evil eyes widened as she attempted to jump out of the way, but she simply wasn't fast enough. The beam grazed her hind leg and caused her to fall into the ground, once again. Pain burned through her body as she felt her back leg reast and rot like a corpse. She clenched her teeth and clamped her eyes shut, the stinging that rippled through her leg was unimaginable. Is this what others felt? This horrible, repulsive, miserable feeling of pain? It was so much easier to inflict it, rather than receive it.

She was writhing on the ground when Celestia walked to her slowly.

"Luna,". She said through a pained whisper.

Nightmare Moon wouldn't turn to face her. She had been humiliated, defeated, and seriously injured, and the shame and disappointment she felt was unimaginable.

Celestia stood over Nightmare. "I know you're in there, Luna,". She said sadly. "Please come out, please come out and end this foolishness," she pleaded. "It's only brought about misery and fear, and I know that deep within, your a good pony at heart. I know you can change..." Celestia struggled to talk through her tears. "I love you, Luna, please don't make me have to live without you again,"

Nightmare Moon's coat began to suddenly change color, as if it were reacting to her sister's words by turning from a pitch black to a deep navy. Her mane began to lighten and flow more calmly, before finally, she transformed back into the mare of the moon.

"Luna!" Cried Celestia. "You're... You're back!"

Luna began to struggle to her feet, taking special care not to use her injured limb, but she said nothing, instead, her head only hung low.

"...Luna?" Asked Celestia, her voice shaken.

Luna didn't respond.

Celestia knew what must be going through her mind. Even though it was Nightmare Moon that was responsible for the terrible events that had transpired, she had used Luna as a tool to her destruction. Luna couldn't help but feel responsible.

Celestia closed her eyes and put a gentle hoof around Luna, before drawing her sister into a hug. "It's all over now, Luna". She held her sister tight. "It's all over."

Luna began to hug back a little, before she opened her eyes, and set her horn ablaze with magic. Luna then pushed Celestia off of her, and with a bright flash from her horn, a purple light slashed down toward Celestia's head. Luna watched sadistically as the beam of light seared through her sister's horn, and sent it clattering to the ground. It landed in the grass at Luna's hooves, who only crushed it against the earth.

Celestia screamed in horror and pain as she clenched the area where her horn had been severed from her head. The sherbet colored mane began to sputter out of existence as Celestia lost control of her internal magic, and collapsed to the ground.

"You're right sister, it is over." Said Luna, glaring down at her sister, before she smiled a sinister smile and morphed back into Nightmare Moon.

Celestia looked up at Nightmare, her eyes showing crushing sadness and numbing pain. The pitch black Alicorn strutted slowly towards Celestia, who tried to use her magic, only for her conical nub to spark out and send shooting pains through her head.

"You were so close to victory,". Nightmare said, stifling a laugh. "You were so close to succeeding! But somehow, you managed to screw it up, and for that, I would like to thank you." Nightmare Moon used her hoof to turn Celestia's head towards her face so she could look into her eyes. "But now, you see, I have experienced a sudden change of heart." Celestia eyes stared unblinkingly into Nightmare's. "You see, I first set out to kill you in order to take the throne. My first motive was for power, and only for power. However, now that I have obtained what I yearned for so earnestly...I feel myself already growing weary of it. It is now that I realize, my destiny in this world is to destroy." She pointed to the moon that still eclipsed the sun. "And I will fulfill my destiny by destroying, everything."

Celestia looked at her, terror painted on her face as her pupils narrowed into points. Nightmare Moon walked away from Celestia, smirked at her, and closed her eyes to focus.

She then stomped the ground and began to yell, magical energy charging around her body and blasting off in waves. The magic began to form into a singular black ball above her, which started to expand and contract, much like a heart. She held her breath as she dumped the last of the charge into the the sphere, then released all of the energy in a thin, tenuous, streak of light, that headed towards the moon. There was a long silence as Nightmare smiled devilishly.

Celestia stared at the large object eclipsing her sun, waiting for something horrific to happen to it, like for it to explode, or turn into blood. But when nothing happened for nearly an entire minute, she couldn't help but wonder.

Suddenly, there was an earth shattering blast that sounded like bombs exploding in the air, which echoed off the mountains and reverberated in the plains below.

Celestia looked around in frantic confusion from her spot on the ground, asking herself what could have happened. Nightmare Moon then turned towards her sister and spoke.

"You have 3 hours before the moon hits Equestria. I hope you enjoyed your life, because it all ends here."

Nightmare shot an orb of magic at Celestia, which morphed around her body and formed shackles around her four legs, locking the sun princess in place.

"In the meantime, you enjoy the view."

Celestia struggled against the magical confines, but couldn't break herself free. She desperately tried to use what little horn she had to escape, but it only sparked and sputtered and sent skull shattering tremors through Celestia's head. She finally stopped struggling and turned her head to Nightmare

"...Luna, How could you?" She uttered in a defeated breath.

Nightmare Moon simply turned around and smiled at her. "Luna couldn't! That's why she needed me." She then turned her head to watch the oncoming moon as it slowly grew larger.

"Inch by subtle inch the future closes from atop,

And not your sister or her friends will live to carry what I drop."

Author's Note:

Celestia and Luna face off, and Celestia ends up losing her ability to use magic.

We have reached the point of no return, my fellow ponies.

We have only hours before the moon will fall.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments! I know that this chapter is considerably shorter than the others, but I felt that this event was too important to be paired with the other sub plots, so I opted to give this one it's own chapter instead. Thank you so much for reading,

-Delta

Comments

[VampDash]

The Mane 6 better kick this sorry mare's flank back to the depths of Tartarus (Nightmare Moon not Luna).

[PinkieLunaShy]

dang.... just dang..... i can even dang....... and i like nightmare moon but........ dang...

[Redwolf777sg]

3 hours before the moon falls on Equestria? Well, damn.....where's Link when you need him? LoL! XD