My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic!

by Fullmetal Pony

A Thousand Years Ago

The words hit Twilight harder than anything the Black Griffon had struck her with. Her stomach dropped. It felt like the floor was falling out under her. Needing a hoofhold to grasp onto, she stuttered, “Y-you’re lying again. Celestia said she and you were injured fighting a great calamity.”

“I was that calamity,” Luna said while looking straight at Twilight. She then turned to the side and glanced up. “But the source goes further back than that. A source that once more threatens us…”

A hurricane of dust exploded through the windows and wiped away the stone walls. Twilight shielded her eyes. The smell of smoke filled her nose. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer on a carpet but looking down upon a burning city despite not having a cloud to stand on.

Two points of light, one gold and the other blue, streaked through the air with stripes of rainbow swirling around them. Blood-red beams wreathed in toxic orange and yellow aura almost hit the points of light, but missed by a hair and instead exploded upon hitting the ground or the remains of buildings.

Twilight turned to the beam’s source and saw a great horned shadow. She froze. The shadow loomed over the flames and the rubble. It had to be at least as tall as a Manehattan skyscraper, but it rushed at the points of light with its massive body in the blink of an eye, trying to swat or shoot them out of the sky. Its mighty arms tore the air asunder with each swing. Its four legs, thick as the largest of trees, made the world shake with each step.

Twilight knew this shadow. It was the same as the one that she had seen peel off both Gilda and Spike.

“Wh-what is that?” she dared to ask.

“That,” Luna’s voice came from somewhere, “is Tirek.”

Twin blasts from the points of light managed to strike Tirek in the sides. He let out a bellow that chilled Twilight to the core and forced her to cover her ears. He then summoned a blinding sphere between his horns. Twilight felt its heat even from afar. The sphere shot out a beam that evaporated everything it touched. All that was left was red hot rock in its wake. It carved through the city ruins, trailing after the points of light.

“Over a thousand years ago, Equestria was still an untamed land, even after we defeated Discord.”

Twilight’s teeth chattered despite the heat Tirek’s attacks unleashed. “D-discord’s not just a bedtime story, is he?”

“I can assure you; ponies do not sleep well knowing things like Discord and Tirek exist.” The blue point of light plowed into Tirek and launched him off his hooves. “We knew not where Tirek came from, but his hunger for power nearly destroyed Equestria.”

Tirek pushed himself back up. The point of light had flown away but it had left a crimson gash in his silhouetted body. But, Tirek opened his maw. Screams filled the air. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of wisps were pulled into the air and down Tirek’s gullet.

“He consumed everything in his path.” The crimson gash shrank. “Food, life, even Talents. Sister and I would not let him continue. We decided to unleash the Elements.”

Just then, the points of light converged. Their blue and gold auras gave way to the rainbow that had just been streaks until now. The light formed a sphere even bigger than what Tirek had formed. In a blinding blast, the light shot up, forming an actual rainbow that crashed down on Tirek.

The instant before it crashed into Tirek, he shot out a bolt of crimson. It plunged through the source of the light, but could not stop the rainbow from swallowing him up and vanquishing his shadow.

As Tirek faded away, the world went white.

The white gave way to the cosmos. Amongst the stars and galaxies, Twilight spotted a pair of constellations that resembled Alicorns, one brighter than the other. They moved through space, locked hooves and raised them high.

“We prevailed as we had against Discord, Sombra, and countless other foes,” Luna’s voice echoed. Above, Twilight noticed a red star glint in the center of the dimmer constellation’s chest. “But Tirek had concealed a power from us, and I was blind to my own weakness.”

The red star’s glow brightened. Stars next to it turned red and the space between them lost the deep blue of the rest of the night sky and turned pitch black. “Tirek could give just as he could take. He had seen the seeds of jealousy in the darkest corners of my heart and so planted his own power in me, where, with Equestria’s newfound peace, it festered and corrupted me until…”

Just the red stars and the black night completely overtook the constellation, gravity took hold of Twilight again. She shot down and realized she was above the castle, but came to a stop before going through the ceiling.

Said ceiling then exploded in a burst of icy blue and coal energy. The beam left a huge hole, allowing Twilight to peer into the throne room Luna had greeted her in. The hole, while smoking, was right where it had been when Twilight had arrived.

A white blur zipped out of the hole, followed by a black counterpart. They came to a stop a little higher than where Twilight floated. Both alicorns flapped their wings, one coated in feathers, the other with an angular membrane like that of a bat pony. A flap from either alicorn made the trees rustle down below.

“Luna, stop!” Celestia cried out. “You’re out of control!”

“No!” the black mare snapped back. “For the first time, I’m in control! No more listening to you! From now on, this is Nightmare Moon’s Kingdom!”

Nightmare Moon charged. The night sky was lit up with blasts. Every time a beam looked to approach the castle or the town that surrounded it, a golden barrier warded off the attack. But sometimes the barriers did not form fast enough and some beams got through, shattering the castle’s stones and setting the town ablaze.

By the time the eastern sky gained a faint glow, Celestia was battered, her chest-plate in pieces, and the aura around her horn dimmed. Nightmare Moon bore some dents in her armor and sported a bloody lip, but her breathing was far less harried than Celestia’s.

Celestia prepared to fire off an attack, but Nightmare Moon blitzed her and struck with enough force to send her crashing down into the town below. The street cratered under Celestia and she did not move.

“Pathetic,” Nightmare Moon sneered and summoned a sickly glow around her horn. “How could the day and Equestria have such a weak ruler? Worry not, sister, I will make this quick!”

Just as Nightmare Moon bolted down with power surging off her horn, Celestia struggled to get up. Tears streamed down her face as rainbow trails whipped off her horn. “Luna… forgive me.”

Six gems, five in the shape of hexagrams and sixth in the shape of a star, flew out from somewhere in what remained of the castle and encircled Celestia. The rainbow aura that had appeared around her horn spread out from each gem and linked them together.

“Sister had no choice,” said Luna. “She knew my power better than anyone, and now it was twisted and increased with Tirek’s corruption. The Elements were her only option, but…”

With Nightmare Moon fast approaching, Celestia angled her horn straight at her. The glow from the Elements spread around Celestia, starting to encase her in the same rainbow sphere that had covered her and Luna just before they had unleashed them on Tirek. At the last moment, Celestia seized up. Blood flew out of her mouth and her hind legs gave way. She managed to keep her forelegs up, but it exposed her front to Nightmare Moon. The aura around her wavered and flickered before it was torn asunder by Nightmare Moon ramming into Celestia.

Twilight gasped. Nightmare Moon’s horn, far longer and sharper than any normal pony’s, bore through Celestia’s chest. Twilight could make out the tip through Celestia’s back.

“L-Luna,” Celestia hacked, spraying blood on Nightmare Moon’s armor and fur.

Nightmare Moon’s lips curled to form a grin, but stopped. Her eyes widened and gained a softer hue. Their pupils compressed and rounded. Color drained from her face. “Sister! I… I…”

“It… It’s okay, Luna,” Celestia croaked. “W-we can fix th—”

“No!” Nightmare Moon shrieked but did not pull back. “Forgive me! Forgive me!”

Aura suddenly clawed out of the wound. It had multiple colors, but they mixed into nauseating greys, yellows, and purples.

“Luna!” Celestia cried. “What are you doing?!”

“I… I can’t hold on for long, and I only have a connection left because I’m in you,” Nightmare Moon huffed. Cracks splintered down her horn. The same sickly aura that had spilled out of Celestia’s wound pooled outside of it as well. “This is the only way. Goodbye.”

“N—” Celestia’s scream was cut off by Nightmare Moon’s horn exploding, followed by the rest of her. Twilight could only watch in horror as the town was consumed with the nauseating aura. It was all the more terrifying because this was not the first time seeing this: Luna had shown her what happened when the Elements went out of control on her first day of class.

Celestia and the chipped Elements were the only things left. Her coat was covered in ash and a good chunk of her mane, normally luscious and flowing, was burnt off and what remained hung limp. It was the first time the ruler of the sun was covered in burns. She stared out at the destruction with wide eyes and then down at her chest. Shards of horn crumbled out of the wound and dispersed into dust.

“No…” Celestia cried. Her whole body was wracked despair and she wailed, “No!”

Aura flared around her horn. The Elements lifted up out of the ashes and encircled Celestia once more. She cried out to the heavens as the Elements swirled faster and faster. As the aura grew blinding, the Elements cracked. The world turned white once more.

Twilight found herself back in space. This time, Luna stood before her. “Through the Elements’ power and my connection to dreams and the moon, I was able to survive, but at a terrible cost.”

Replicas of the Elements and the white silhouette materialized between Luna and Twilight. They swirled around the silhouette as they had around Celestia and then merged into the silhouette. “The Elements fused with Celestia, blocking off anypony else from using them until you accessed them. They also kept Celestia alive, but could not stop the wound from taking its toll on her until we reached today, where her power barely lasts a few hours. As for me, I continued my duties and tried my best to find a new Bearer, but you have seen where my obsession led me.”

“But why did you tell me now?” Twilight asked.

“I’m sure Celestia wanted to wait for a later time, but now the sooner you know, the better.” Luna strode over, dispersing the silhouette. She was eye to eye with Twilight. “I saw how you reacted. You’ve seen him, or rather, you saw his power fueling the Black Griffon.”

Twilight gulped. “Tirek.”

“Yes. Celestia is probably investigating his prison as we speak, but it will take time for even her to return. I need no confirmation. I saw it myself. There’s no doubt that he has returned, and he wants the Elements, the one power he could not devour.”

Luna reached out and clasped Twilight’s shoulder. She could feel Twilight shaking but she held firm. “You have proven yourself time and time again as a great Bearer. You will master the Elements and until then, we will protect you!”

Author's Note:

Well, it feels like a thousand years ago that I was settled enough to write. What was the 2020 bingo we got in July again?

Comments

[Greenhorn]

The Elements fused with Celestia, blocking off anypony else from using them until you accessed them.

I see, so that might happened to Spike during the tournament. The Elements are starting to separate from Celestia into their suitable Bearers. But that also mean once all of them are extracted from her, she would likely die. And that's not good.

[Xanderfox]

10448532
I don't think she Will die, though a satisfying way to prevent it will be a challenge to write, good luck Fulmetal you'll find something.

[ShadowLDrago]

Twilight turned to the beam’s source and saw a great horned shadow. She froze. The shadow loomed over the flames and the rubble. It had to be at least as tall as a Manehattan skyscraper, but it rushed at the points of light with its massive body in the blink of an eye, trying to swat or shoot them out of the sky. Its mighty arms tore the air asunder with each swing. Its four legs, thick as the largest of trees, made the world shake with each step.

Tirek.

Twilight’s teeth chattered despite the heat Tirek’s attacks unleashed. “D-discord’s not just a bedtime story, is he?”

Nope.

Tirek pushed himself back up. The point of light had flown away but it had left a crimson gash in his silhouetted body. But, Tirek opened his maw. Screams filled the air. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of wisps were pulled into the air and down Tirek’s gullet.

Magic. That's, horrifying.

The red star’s glow brightened. Stars next to it turned red and the space between them lost the deep blue of the rest of the night sky and turned pitch black. “Tirek could give just as he could take. He had seen the seeds of jealousy in the darkest corners of my heart and so planted his own power in me, where, with Equestria’s newfound peace, it festered and corrupted me until…”

Nightmare Moon.

“N—” Celestia’s scream was cut off by Nightmare Moon’s horn exploding, followed by the rest of her. Twilight could only watch in horror as the town was consumed with the nauseating aura. It was all the more terrifying because this was not the first time seeing this: Luna had shown her what happened when the Elements went out of control on her first day of class.

... Jeez.

“I’m sure Celestia wanted to wait for a later time, but now the sooner you know, the better.” Luna strode over, dispersing the silhouette. She was eye to eye with Twilight. “I saw how you reacted. You’ve seen him, or rather, you saw his power fueling the Black Griffon.”

Tirek is All For One. Y'know, I might have called it ages ago, but, yeah, that fits.

Well, it feels like a thousand years ago that I was settled enough to write. What was the 2020 bingo we got in July again?

To be fair, 2020 has been a mess.

[Dirty Bit]

The backstory kinda made me think of the Lullaby For A Princess music video. Very nice.

The red star’s glow brightened. Stars next to it turned red and the space between them lost the deep blue of the rest of the night sky and turned pitch black. “Tirek could give just as he could take. He had seen the seeds of jealousy in the darkest corners of my heart and so planted his own power in me, where, with Equestria’s newfound peace, it festered and corrupted me until…”

Genius...

[Mx Story Anomalax]

It never occurred to me but Celestia's reign has been for about 34-50 generations of ponies. Depending on whether that generation was 20-30 years each.

Also thank you SO MUCH for uploading this chapter. I loved it so much. I missed this story more than I can express. <3