My Little Pony: The Shadow Games

by raven618

2:4 Nightmare Moon

Friendship is Magic Part 2

Nightmare Moon

The winged Unicorn lead them to a higher part of the ruined castle. Golden yellow tapestries depicting the sun hung next to navy blue tapestries decorated by the moon and stars. Twilight paid these remnants of the distant past little mind, as she was focused on the task at hoof; defeating Nightmare Moon in a duel.

“I’m still confused.” Fluttershy whispered from the rear of the procession as they began ascending a spiral stairwell. “What is ‘Duel Monsters?’”

“It’s a card game that colts and fillies play.” Applejack explained. “What ah can’t figure out is, why is Nightmare Moon so interested in it?”

“She’s a pony who has been banished from the entire world for one thousand years, Applejack.” Rarity commented. “I would imagine there is much about this world that fascinates her.”

“Yeah, but a filly’s card game?”

“We are here.” Nightmare Moon declared. The ponies found themselves in a large open room, a few tree branches stuck through the shattered windows. A raised dais sat at the far end of the room. “This was once a grand ballroom.” She explained, a touch of emotion in her voice. She then levitated her deck to Twilight. “I believe it is customary for us to shuffle our opponent’s deck?”

Twilight looked over at Pinkie, who nodded. “Very well.” She gave her deck to the dark princess and took hers in exchange. They each gave the decks a few quick shuffles before giving them back. Nightmare Moon then took flight and landed on the dais. She then used her magic to levitate two pieces of broken pillar in front of each of them, the stones were large enough to act as a table for their decks.

“Are you prepared, Twilight Sparkle?” She said, the golden eye at the center of her chest-piece glowing eerily.

“I am.” She said, confidently. Both mares placed down their decks. “Let’s duel!” They both drew five cards and the duel had officially begun.

Duel Start
Nightmare Moon LP: 2000 VS Twilight Sparkle LP: 2000

As she said these words, a shadow seemed to fall over the room. The other ponies noticed it and began to shiver.

“None shall go before the Princess of the Night!” Nightmare Moon declared. “I summon Trial of Nightmare in attack mode!” A navy-blue mist blew out from the card before solidifying into a silver longsword. Its hilt was rigid and green while its cross-guard looked like a horned skull. The eyes of the skull glowed an evil red.

Trial of Nightmare
Atk: 1300

“I then place one card facedown and end my turn.” Another cloud of mist condensed into the familiar facedown card.

“Then I draw.” She looked at her fan. “I summon Ryu-Kishin in attack mode.” A violet mist flowed out of her card before condensing into a gargoyle figure with leathery bat wings, a stone horn growing out the top of its head, and its lips pulled back in a toothy snarl.

Ryu-Kishin
Atk: 1000

“I’m afraid you’ve made an error. That creature isn’t strong enough to take out my blade.” Nightmare Moon taunted.

“It will be. I play the spell card Negative Energy.” As she played this, Ryu-Kishin glowed with a black energy. “This card doubles the attack points of a dark attribute monster on my field.”

Ryu-Kishin
Atk: 1000 -> 2000

“Ryu-Kishin, Attack her Trial of Nightmare!” The gargoyle spread its wings and flew across the field before slashing at Nightmare’s monster. The blade shattered into metal fragments before returning to smoke.

Nightmare Moon LP: 2000 -> 1300

“I now place one card facedown and end my turn. At which point my spell wears off and Ryu-Kishin returns to its original attack points.”

Ryu-Kishin
Atk: 2000 -> 1000

“Hold on a minute.” Rainbow said, “They’re just playing with the cards. So how come the cards are coming to life like they’re in a duel arena?”

“I saw your arenas.” Nightmare Moon called out. “And while it is an interesting used of magic, it’s nothing that I cannot replicate.”

“Now, my draw! I summon Sand Stone in attack mode.” Appearing from the mist was a massive pile of, well, sandstone. Several green whip-like tendrils grew out of its right arm while three long claws grew out of its left. Its maw was filled with sharp teeth while a second mouth rose out of where the tail should be.

Sand Stone
Atk: 1300

“Now it’s time for me to cast a spell card, Cursed Armaments!” Ryu-Kishin was suddenly dressed in purple armor decorated with a cruel looking face. “The monster equipped with this card losses 600 attack points for each monster I control.”

Ryu-Kishin
Atk: 1000 -> 400

“Sand Stone, feast!” The mass of sand crawled forwards and lunged. Ryu-Kishin raised its arm in an attempt to block, but it proved fruitless as the gargoyle was consumed by the living desert.

Twilight LP: 2000 -> 1100

“Gah!” Twilight screamed in pain.

“Twilight!” Her friends called out in concern.

“I-I felt that.” She looked at her opponent. “What did you do?”

“It won’t kill you, if that’s what you’re asking.” Nightmare responded, sounding utterly bored, “Just enough of a jolt to keep things interesting.”

“As if this duel wasn’t serious enough.” She muttered, looking back at the five stone orbs her friends carried, the Elements of Harmony. “I activate my trap card, Jar of Greed.” Her facedown card flipped up revealing a crimson red jar laced with gold lines and filled with jewels and bits. A grinning face adorned one section of the jar’s surface. “This lets me draw one additional card.”

“Grasping at straws, are we? I end my turn.”

“Then I draw. I set one monster face down and end my turn.”

“That’s it? I must say I’m disappointed. I draw,” her eyes narrowed at what she drew, “and I summon Nightmare Horse to the field in attack mode.”

Appearing out of the card was a prehistoric ghost. Its body made of ethereal blue flames, it looked like a pony, but its legs were longer and thinner, its head longer and more animalistic. Gauze strips covered its body like an unraveling mummy.

Nightmare Horse
Atk: 500

“Now, Sand Stone, destroy her facedown.” The monster moved across the field and raised its clawed arm, only for it to be stopped by an orange forcefield. “What?”

“Bad move, Nightmare. The monster I played was Aussa the Earth Charmer.” Pinkie Pie smiled as the monster was revealed. She was a young Earth Pony, with sandy fur and a messy brown mane. She wore an earth green turtleneck sweater and a beige jacket like cloak. A pair of glasses sat on her muzzle and she carried a staff that had several orange and brown crystals bound together by a torn piece of her sweater.

Aussa the Earth Charmer
Def: 1500

Nightmare Moon LP: 1300 -> 1100

“And now Aussa’s flip effect activates. I can take control of one Earth Attribute monster on your field.”

Aussa tapped the butt of her staff into the ground, causing the crystals on the other end to glow. She then began waving the staff around in differing arcs, Sand Stone’s face following the light even though it had no eyes. The living rock then slid onto Twilight’s side of the field and Aussa sat atop its head scratching it like a pet.

“You will pay for that.” Nightmare Moon seethed. “Nightmare Horse! Attack!”

“But Nightmare Horse doesn’t have nearly enough attack points to take down either of Twilight’s monsters.” Rarity observed.

The specter galloped across the room before jumping over both Aussa and Sand Stone. It landed in front of Twilight and began kicking its forelegs.

“Gah!” Twilight screamed as the flames from the monster’s body licked at her.

“Nightmare Horse has an effect which lets it attack my opponent directly, even if she has monsters on the field.” Nightmare explained.

Twilight LP: 1100 -> 600

“I end my turn.” Nightmare Horse trotted back over to Nightmare Moon’s side of the field.

Twilight was still shaking from the attack. “Twilight! Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight looked back at her and the rest of them and smiled.

“I’ll be alright. I draw!” She looked at the card she had drawn and then at the other cards in her hand. “I switch Sand Stone to defense mode,” The living rock lowered its head. “and I switch Aussa the Earth Charmer to attack mode.” Aussa held her staff out in an aggressive manor.

Sand Stone
Def: 1600

Aussa the Earth Charmer
Atk: 500

“Then I play the spell card, Prevention Star.” Three small stars began circling Sandstone and Nightmare Horse. “As long as this card is equipped to Sand Stone, your Horse cannot attack or switch its position.”

“Yes!” Rainbow cheered. “Now she doesn’t have to worry about getting attacked directly.”

“More than that, Rainbow. I play the spell card, Riryoku! Here’s how it works, I target one monster on your side of the field, and its attack points get cut in half. Then those lost points get added to one monster on my side of the field.”

Nightmare Horse began to glow a sickly green and wisps of energy flowed into Aussa who glowed with a black energy.

Nightmare Horse
Atk: 500 -> 250

Aussa the Earth Charmer
Atk: 500 -> 750

“Aussa! Destroy her Nightmare Horse!” The young mage fired a spark of orange energy out of her staff which hit the undead monster.

Nightmare Moon LP: 1100 -> 600

“Uhg!” For the first time that duel, Nightmare Moon reacted to the damage being dealt to her, even if it was only a flinch.

“I end my turn, which returns my monster’s attack points to where they were.”

Aussa the Earth Charmer
Atk: 750 -> 500

“You got this Twilight!” Applejack cheered.

“We believe in you.” Fluttershy encouraged.

“I’ve had enough of this. My draw. I summon Master Kyonshee in attack mode!” Emerging from the magical mist was a sickly yellow Unicorn. Its hooves were shaven and green in color. Its mane was oily black and tied into a long braid. It wore a purple chineighs style suit and hat. Its face was covered by a piece of paper that was stuck to its forehead and covered in a series of inky red brush strokes.

Master Kyonshee
Atk: 1750

“Master Kyonshee, eliminate the traitor.” The eastern monster began hopping across the field where it slashed at Sand Stone with its sharp hooves. It then hopped back to its mistress’s side.

“When the monster equipped with Prevention Star is destroyed, instead of being sent to the graveyard it is removed from play.” Twilight explained as Aussa landed on the ground before her.

“What does she mean, removed from play?” Rarity asked.

“It’s not very common, but sometimes a card will say that instead of being put in the discard pile, a card is removed from the game entirely.” Pinkie Pie explained.

“I end my turn.” Nightmare Moon said.

“My draw. I summon Enchanting Mermaid in defense mode.” The same piscine monster from her duel against Rainbow appeared on the field. “I also switch Aussa the Earth Charmer to defense mode.” Aussa laid down on the ground.

Enchanting Mermaid
Def: 900

Aussa the Earth Charmer
Def: 1500

“I end my turn.”

“Looks like you’re all out of ideas.” Nightmare taunted as she drew her card. “I summon Vampire Lady to the field.” Emerging on the field was an aqua Earth Pony with her teal mane done up in a bun. She wore an elegant magenta gown and matching gloves over her forehooves. Across her back was a magenta shawl marked with sharp yellow points like the spokes on a bat’s wing. Her waist was bound by similar yellow spikes. Her yellow eyes seemed to glow, and her red lips were pulled into a devilish smile.

Vampire Lady
Atk: 1550

“Vampire, attack the child. Kyonshee, the fish.” Nightmare’s monsters quickly obeyed her orders as they sprang on the monsters. Kynoshee landed its hop on top of Enchanting Mermaid, destroying her. Vampire Lady appeared behind Aussa before biting her neck. The young monster let out a silent cry before she too was destroyed.

“I end my turn.”

Twilight was getting frustrated, “I draw. I set a monster facedown in defense mode. End of turn.”

“Is this all you can do? Kyonshee, attack.” Twilight’s monster was destroyed before her friends could even see what it was. “I end my turn.”

“I draw.” She looked at the card she drew in despair, “I- I end my turn.”

“It would seem the duel is mine.” Nightmare Moon said. “I will draw and end my turn here.” She looked at the broken mare she was facing. “This was fun while it lasted, but you’ve lost. You’ve lost the game. You’ve lost your sun. You’ve lost your princess. You have nothing left.”

Twilight bowed her head. She was right, she had nothing. She had failed. She should just-

“Don’t give up now, Twilight!” Rainbow yelled. “You still have us!”

“And we’ll be right with you all the way to the end!” Pinkie Pie added.

“You can bet your boots we will!” Applejack hollered.

“You can still find a way to beat her.” Rarity encouraged.

“Go Twilight.” Fluttershy, cheered? Whispered? It was still hard to tell with that mare.

Twilight was dumbfounded, her friends were still behind her, urging her to do her best.

Her friends.

When did she start thinking of them as friends? But then, what else could she think of them as? After all she and they had been through, they couldn’t be anything less than friends.

Unseen by all, a spark of magic jumped between the stone orbs.

“It’s my turn, your highness.” Twilight said with no small degree of sarcasm. “I draw! And I summon Witch of the Black Forest in Defense mode.” The three-eyed witch appeared on Twilight’s field in a burst of black feathers.

Witch of the Black Forest
Def: 1200

The golden eye on Nightmare Moon’s chest-piece gave of a sparkle of light.

“I end my-.”

“Not so fast, I activate my trap card, Fiendish Chain.” Rusty chains suddenly wrapped around Twilight’s monster. “Fiendish Chain negates the effect of your monster. You will not be able to receive any extra monsters from your deck now.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. ‘How did she know about Witch of the Black Forest’s ability?’ “Then I set one card facedown and end my turn.”

“I draw. Master Kyonshee, destroy her witch.” The hopping monster bounced along the field, rapidly approaching her bound witch.

“I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Spellbook of Wisdom!”

“Quick-Play Spell? What’s that?” Applejack wondered.

“It’s a special type of spell card that you can activate during your opponent’s turn like a trap card.” Pinkie explained.

A glowing emerald book with silver details appeared in the hooves of Witch of the Black Forest. “For the rest of this turn, my Spellcaster is immune to either trap cards or other spell cards.” Twilight allowed herself a smug grin, “Guess which one I’m choosing.”

The rusty chains were suddenly pushed back by an emerald barrier, just as Kyonshee arrived and slashed at her. The chains, the book and Witch of the Black Forest all disappeared in a burst of colored mist.

“Since my witch wasn’t affected by your trap, her effect activates. Once she’s been destroyed, I can search my deck for a monster with 1500 or less defense points and add it to my fan.” She fanned out her deck and began deliberating between a few cards, before pulling one out. “After which my deck is shuffled.” She gave it a few good shuffles before setting it back down. “I believe it was still your turn?”

Nightmare Moon glowered before ending her turn.

“My draw. I summon Gemini Elf in attack mode.” Emerging from the violet mist was not one, but two creatures. They resembled Enchanting Mermaid from the waist up; with two arms, an enlarged chest area, and a round head with flattened ears. These creatures stood on two straight legs that ended in flattened paw structures. Their skin was pinkish tan, and their ears stood erect with noticeable points to them. They both wore blue dresses with the smaller of the two’s being lighter. The smaller elf also had yellow blonde hair, while the taller’s was rusty orange.

Gemini Elf
Atk: 1900

“Now, attack her Kyonshee!” Both elves raised their forelimbs and held them together. A yellow light built up between them, which was then fired off at the hopping zombie. It shattered in a burst of light.

Nightmare Moon LP: 600 -> 450

“Ahh!” Nightmare Moon shielded her eyes from the offensive light.

“I end my turn.”

“My draw!” Nightmare Moon hissed. “I place one card face down and summon Mezuki in attack mode.” Another primordial nightmare, Mezuki had an ape-like body and forelimbs, but the head and legs of a horse. Its fur was dark brown and covered by gold bands. A huge axe was carried in its clutches.

Mezuki
Atk: 1700

“I then switch Vampire Lady to defense mode.” Vampire Lady took a seat as if to watch the duel instead of partake in it.

Vampire Lady
Def: 1550

“This will end my turn.”

“Then I draw.”

“Which activates my trap card,” Nightmare said, “Drop Off. The card you just drew must now be discarded.”

Twilight growled but discarded the card anyway. “Gemini Elf! Attack her Mezuki.” The elves again fired a join stream of magic at the monster, burning it away.

Nightmare Moon LP: 450 -> 250

“Gah!” she recoiled from the attack but came back with a smile on her face. “When Mezuki is in the graveyard, I can banish it and special summon a different Zombie-Type monster from the grave.”

“Which of her monsters do you think she’s going to bring back?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah don’t think we’re gonna have to wait too long ta find out.” Applejack answered.

“Return from the grave, Nightmare Horse!” A pillar of blue flame burned out of the ground before forming into the ghostly monster.

Nightmare Horse
Atk: 500

“Nightmare Horse!” Rarity exclaimed, “But that means…”

“Yes, I can attack her directly.” The dark winged Unicorn took great pleasure in seeing the despair in the smaller pony’s eyes.

Twilight grit her teeth, “I end my turn.”

“Then I draw. Now, Nightmare Horse, attack her life points directly!” The spectral horse ran across the field, again jumping over Twilight’s monster and burning away her life points.

Twilight LP: 600 -> 100

“I set one card face down and end my turn.”

Twilight was panting heavily from the attack but still she stood, “I draw.” She only glanced at her card before playing it. “I summon Basic Insect in attack mode!” The small green insect scurried up next to Gemini Elf.

Basic Insect
Atk: 500

“I then equip my Basic Insect with the Horn of the Unicorn.” A Unicorn horn suddenly appeared on the bug's forehead.

Basic Insect
Atk: 500 -> 1200

“Now, Gemini Elf, attack Nightmare Horse!”

“That won’t work, activate trap card, Dimensional Prison!” A rip appeared behind Twilight’s monster, pulling the two elves into a swirling purple void. “When your monster attacks one of mine, I can remove the offending monster from play.” Nightmare Moon smiled as the portal closed, “Your attack has failed.”

Twilight’s smile hadn’t left her face, “The first one, but what about the second?”

Her eyes went wide as the green insect began marching across the field. “No. This isn’t possible. How could you have defeated me?”

“I didn’t. We did.”

“What?” Nightmare Moon said in confusion.

“I couldn’t have done this on my own.” She turned to look at the other five mares. “Each one of you helped me on this journey. Applejack, who reassured us when we were afraid and in doubt, represents the Element of Honesty.” The stone orb marked with a hexagon suddenly glowed orange and dissolved into dust which began orbiting around the mare. The others each backed away from this unexpected display of magic.

But Twilight wasn’t done. “Fluttershy,” the Pegasus ducked down at hearing her name called, “who tamed a manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of Kindness.” The octagon marked stone glowed pink and, like the Element of Honesty before it, dissolved into an orbiting ring of dust.

“Pinkie Pie, who from the first moment I came to Ponyville, hasn’t stopped trying to make anyone smile, even in the face of danger and disaster, truly embodies the spirit of Laughter.” By this point, Pinkie had picked up on the pattern and eagerly accepted the blue glowing dust that had once been the stone marked by a gem shape.

“Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity.” Poetically, it was the stone that resembled the Unicorn’s cutie mark that glowed purple and turned to dust this time.

“And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her comrades for her own heart’s desires, surely represents the Element of Loyalty.” The final stone, marked with a triangle, turned to dust, glowed a warm red color, and began orbiting the hovering Pegasus.

“The spirits of these five ponies not only kept me and each other strong, but they helped us to overcome every obstacle to reach you and overcome you.”

Nightmare Moon was so dumbfounded by the Elements resonating with these individuals, that she momentarily forgot that she was about to lose the duel. That fact was harshly shoved back in her face when Twilight’s Insect brought its paws down on her Horse, destroying it.

Nightmare Moon LP: 250 -> 0

The remaining cards on the field each turned back into the magical fog and quietly dispersed. “You still don’t have the final Element!” She taunted, “And without it, the others are useless.”

“But that’s where you are wrong, the sixth Element is here, I was just too foolish to see it.”

“What art thou blathering about?”

“The sixth Element is what is supposed to unite the others together. When I heard you all encouraging me,” she said, turning back to the five shiny ponies who were standing behind her, who had been standing behind her since this journey started, “promising to stay with me even in defeat, I realized something.” Her eyes started to water, “You all are my friends, and that it was friendship that brought us all together.” She turned back to the dark Princess. “The sixth Element isn’t locked away in this castle or hidden inside of a vault. It’s inside of us. Inside of me. Inside of every creature in the whole world. It just needs the spark of another to bring it out.”

From above the six friends shone a light. Hovering above them was a sixth stone orb, this one engraved with a six-pointed star in the same shape as Twilight’s Cutie Mark. It remained there only a moment before turning into dust and orbiting Twilight.

Each of the rings began to orbit faster, and as their light intensified, they condensed into golden ornaments that decorated the bodies of these mares.

But the light continued to increase. So much that Nightmare Moon had to advert her gaze, until a familiar sound began to build. Risking her eyes, she again looked towards these mares, and was met with a rainbow-colored ribbon of magic cascading towards her.

“NOOO!” She cried, trying to call on her magic, her amulet, anything to stop this. But there was nothing she could do. And as her conciseness began to slip away, she was left with nothing but, relief.
= = =
Conciseness found the six mares lying on the ground, as if they had all passed out. “Oh, my head.” Rainbow moaned.

“Is, everypony okay?” Applejack asked.

“I believe so.” Rarity answered, performing a quick check. She didn’t seem hurt, except for her tail, which was still bob cut.

“Oh wow, Rarity.” Fluttershy said, “It’s so lovely.”

“Lovely? What? What is?”

“Your crown.”

Rarity did feel an extra weight on her head. Moving to an unshattered window pane, she saw that a golden tiara sat just behind her horn, with a purple gemstone in the same shape as her cutie mark as the center piece.

“My word.” She then took a closer look at her Pegasus friend. “I must say yours is certainly beautiful too.”

Fluttershy felt her head. Holding her mane back a bit was a golden hair pin, decorated with a pink gemstone in the shape of a butterfly.

“Look at mine, look at mine!” Pinkie exclaimed. A gold necklace bounced around her neck with a light blue gemstone cut to look like a balloon in its center.

Rainbow had a golden ring around her left forehoof, a red lightning bolt decorating it.

Applejack’s was a golden pin attached to her hat in the shape of an apple but colored orange.

Twilight wore a diadem similar to Rarity’s, but with the ends reaching under her ears, and with the magenta gemstone in the shape of her cutie mark.

“Are these?” Rainbow began to ask.

“The Elements of Harmony.” Twilight finished.

“But, what happened?” Applejack asked, taking off her hat and looking at her new accessory. “You were talking about how we each helped each other and how we were representing the Elements. And now they’re, what, bonded to us?”

“I think so.” Twilight answered, “I’d have to do some research and experiments to know for sure.” She gasped as she remembered something. “Nightmare Moon. What happened to her?”

Laying on the other side of the ballroom was a smoking pile of cobalt armor and duel monsters cards, with a winged unicorn at the middle.

“I thought the Elements were supposed to defeat Nightmare.” Rainbow said, “Why is she still here?”

“I think, Nightmare Moon is defeated.” Twilight said. Walking over to the armor, she put her hoof on one of the fragments, which promptly shattered like an eggshell underhoof. “Then she must be…”

“The younger princess from the story.” Rarity finished.

Fluttershy was quick to run over to the unconscious pony and pull her out of the rubble. She was much smaller than Nightmare had been, but still quite large for a pony. Her fur and feathers were a soft cornflower blue, while her mane was navy blue, ethereal, and flowed as if underwater. Her cutie mark was a black, blotchy cloud with a white crescent moon inside. Rarity noticed that it was identical to Nightmare Moon’s cutie mark save for the colors.

“She looks so, young. Like she just got done with schoolin’ young.” Applejack remarked.

“Hey! The sun’s coming back!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Everypony except for Fluttershy ran over to the window to see that yes, the sky was becoming lighter, the stars were vanishing, and within a minute the sun had risen into the sky.

Then a magical buzz was heard, and a bright light flew into the castle through the window, before transforming into a massive white Unicorn with swan-like wings.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight said, overjoyed at seeing her mentor safe and sound. The other mares, save Fluttershy, all bowed before their ruler.

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student.” The Princess responded, bending down and embracing the little Pony with her neck. “I knew you could do it.”

“But, you told me it was nothing but an old Pony tale.”

“I told you to make some friends. Nothing more.”

“You also told me to, quote ‘stop reading those dusty old books’ unquote.” Twilight interjected.

Celestia seemed taken aback, Twilight had never sassed her like that before. “Well, I may have said a few things that I didn’t mean. Forgive me, Honesty is not my strongest element.” She smiled at her little joke, only to finally notice the state and holders of the Elements of Harmony. “What has happened to the Elements?”

“Is this not what was supposed to happen?” Twilight asked, worriedly.

“In truth, I do not know. There is much about the Elements of Harmony that even I do not understand.” She turned her attention to the other winged Unicorn in the room, “But tonight, they have brought us the defeat of Nightmare Moon, and the return of Princess Luna.”

“Princess Luna. Wait, you know her?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Of course I know her, she is my little sister.”

“Your sister?” If Princess Celestia was the older princess from the story, then she must be… “Wow you’re old!” The Pegasus received a harsh shushing from Rarity and Applejack for that.

Celestia knelt down to her sister, waking the blue mare from her slumber. She attempted to scurry back away from her, only to run into Fluttershy who was equal parts trying to reassure her and trying to hide behind her.

“It has been many years since I have seen you like this.” Celestia said. “Please let me say now what I should have said then. It’s my fault.” Tears began to fall from her eyes. “I should have stood by your side against everything, but instead I let you down and you had no choice but to turn to the darkness. And then I sent you away instead of trying to fix my mistake. Please, forgive me.”

Twilight and the others were shocked to hear their Princess speak like this. She had always seemed so, flawless. Now, she was crying on the floor begging for forgiveness.

“Sister.” Luna said, “There is nothing to forgive. I was the one who didn’t tell thee what ponies said about me. I was the one who created the Nightmare and attacked Equestria. And I was the one who would not let friendship into her heart, which forced the Elements to banish me. I should be the one who is asking for forgiveness.”

“Then let us both say we were wrong, and rule together, like we were meant to.”

“I would love to.”

By this point everypony was crying to some degree. Except Rainbow Dash, she was too cool to cry. Those were sweat drops on her cheeks.

“Hey! you know what this calls for?” Pinkie shouted. “A party!”
= = =
A convoy of Royal Guards arrived a few minutes later to escort everypony back to Ponyville. A sizeable crowd was waiting to welcome back Princess Celestia, and their friends and neighbors who braved the evil of the Everfree Forest to rescue her and bring down Nightmare Moon. Within ten minutes, Pinkie had transformed this welcoming crowd into a full blown Hero Party.

Ponies were very surprised by the presence of a second Princess. Princess Celestia again chose to bend the truth and told everypony that Nightmare Moon had taken her sister captive, and with her defeat she was set free. Nopony seemed to question it, so Twilight, her friends and Princess Luna all silently agreed to leave those details in the dark, for now.

Twilight and Spike were promptly reunited. Her classmates were also there to present their congratulations on saving the day. But Twilight was not in a celebrating mood.

“You seem troubled, my faithful student.” Celestia said as she approached her. “Are you not happy your quest is complete, and you may return to your studies in Canterlot.”

“That’s just it. Just as I’m learning how wonderful it is to have friends, I have to leave them.”

“Seriously?” Twinkleshine called out, “We’re right here!” She got a host of shushes from the other students.

“I may be able to offer a solution to your problem. One that will see you able to further explore all your friendships.” Twilight looked up, confused.

“While you and your friends were seeking to defeat Nightmare Moon, other students of my school were working on their own projects to end the eternal night. And while their efforts were valiant, they each met with failure. And unfortunately, that failure resulted in no small amount of damage to the school.”

“My room? The library?”

“They received minimum damage but were both ransacked for spellbooks.” Twilight’s limbs locked up and she fell over at the thought of all her hard work organizing those books being destroyed. “The rest of the campus was not so lucky. Multiple ‘new suns’ were brought into being and died shortly thereafter. It will take some time not only to repair the damages, but also to raise the funds to repair them.”

“Until that time comes, I propose that Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns continue here in Ponyville, should the town council permit it.” A nodding from Mayor Mare confirmed it.

Twilight was overjoyed, she could stay with her new friends, and she could stay with her old friends, which she was willing to admit she had. As all of her friends came in to give her a big group hug, she felt like she had discovered her cutie mark all over again. This was the start of a new chapter in her life.

Dear Diary

I have just finished moving my belongings out of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Most of the students will be lodging with local Ponyville families until a more permanent place of residence is constructed. As for myself and Spike, we will be living in the Golden Oaks Library, which I will also be running as its new owner. Mayor Mare gifted it to me as a way of saying thanks for saving the world.

While on the subject, the rest of Equestria has taken the news of Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna rather well. According to Rarity, some of the more distant towns have gotten a few details wrong, calling Princess Luna Princess Celestia's niece or daughter. I trust those rumors will be quieted before too long. After all, Celestia only has one niece.

Me and my friend's involvement has also gone unmentioned in some circles, instead giving all the credit for Nightmare Moon's defeat to the Princess. Rainbow Dash is rather annoyed at this, but I for one don't mind.

Princess Luna's first decree upon her return was that the six of us were to be the guardians of the Elements of Harmony. I'd like to run a few experiments on them, to better understand what they are, but considering their power, that might be one mystery that will remain unsolved.

As for the subject of Duel Monsters, I must admit I'm still not sold. While I will admit, there is a certain thrill to game, particularly with the added effects of the duel arena; I most probably not seek to continue to actively seek out duelists to play against. I'm certain Rainbow Dash and Pinkie will want to duel again, and for now that's enough.

-Twilight Sparkle
1st of Sororis, in the first year of the Era Harmonium

= = =
In the Castle of the Two Sisters, Nightmare Moon's armor had completely turned to dust, save for one piece. At the center of the pile sat a piece of gold wrought in the shape of an eye flanked by two ram's horns. A thin chain of gold bound it together.

The empty halls echoed with the sound of hoofsteps. They crossed the room and picked up the necklace. The figure held the millenium old object in front of their hooded face, before locking it in a wooden box and leaving.

To Be Continued...

Comments

[nightshroud96]

Nice to see a new chapter right here. Was wondering when would it continue.
(Did Luna lost NMM for good? Since it was a problem in the show she lost those dark powers due to Hasbro going "darkness is always evul" crap)

Twilight and Spike were promptly reunited. Her classmates were also there to present their congratulations on saving the day. But Twilight was not in a celebrating mood.

I feel like Spike should really be upset he was excluded from such a important journey and blocked from having the same kind of bond there.
So its really disappointing the issues about Spike in the season 1 premiere fully happened here..
The fact he doesn't know about Luna being NMM adds insult to injury too..

“It has been many years since I have seen you like this.” Celestia said. “Please let me say now what I should have said then. It’s my fault.” Tears began to fall from her eyes. “I should have stood by your side against everything, but instead I let you down and you had no choice but to turn to the darkness. And then I sent you away instead of trying to fix my mistake. Please, forgive me.”

Did loved how Celestia accepted she is at fault too for the NMM fiasco rather than acted like Luna alone is at fault.
If only the show did that, both sisters messed up rather than Luna alone.

[Pecan Crisp]

I am mildly disappointed that the video at the end wasn't the MLP:FiM credits with the Yu-Gi-Oh intro/outro music.

[raven618]

10848373
Sorry to dissappoint you, but the videos I use for the opening and ending themes are just stock videos I found on YouTube. If I had the skills to make my own credits I would do it.