The Key to Friendship

by ImperfectXIII

Prologue: Destati

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…

There ruled two regal pony sisters who, with their governing powers over light and darkness, created harmony for all the land.

Good morrow, Tia. We trust thou hast slept peacefully?

We have, dear sister, thank you. Another calm evening, we take it?

Of course. Beneath the light of our moon, all is as it should be.

Wonderful. Wilt thou be retiring to thy bedchambers then?

In a moment. We wish to…watch…if thou wouldst indulge us.

…I would be delighted, Lulu.

The elder sister used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought forth the moon to usher in the night.

Another awe-inspiring night sky, Luna. Truly, we can only liken it to the finest of art.

Thine adulation is unwarranted, Celestia…but appreciated.

Thus did the two sisters maintain balance for their kingdom and their subjects – all the different types of ponies – as well as balance over the light and the darkness.

But as time went on, the younger sister had grown resentful.

…

Luna? Doth something trouble you, my sister?

The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful starlit night.

…Every night, Celestia. Each and every sunset do they retire to their homes and slumber, without as much as a passing glance at our moon and stars. We admit we find it rather…insulting.

…The night, it is a time for much-needed repose, Luna. Everypony works and plays during the daytime, and sees thy moon as their guardian of the night. They look to thee to watch over them as they sleep.

Do they truly? At times, we wonder. Lest thou forget, Celestia, we hold power not only over darkness and night, but over dreams as well. And we have seen many dreams. Dreams of thy warm, welcoming day. Nightmares of the chilling, alien dusk and all that dwell within it. The night frightens them. …We frighten them too, we fear.

What art thou saying? That thou doubt our words? Or the love everypony holds for thee?

Certainly not. It’s just– Ugh…

Luna? What’s wrong? Dost thou feel ill?

…Worry not, Tia. ‘Tis but the ramblings of a mind ridden with fatigue. Night court ran a little longer than we anticipated. If thou wouldst excuse us, we desire a bit of sleep of our own. Good day to thee, Celestia.

Luna…

One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower her moon and make way for the sunrise.

‘Tis unfair! Unfair, we say! Wherefore do they delight in sister’s day and refuse the beauty of our tapestry of nightfall?! Are we not our sister’s equal?! Do they not love us as well–?! Argh! Accursed headaches!

The elder sister tried to reason with her…

Prithee, Luna, come to thy senses! Thou art losing thyself! Losing sight of what’s right!

‘What’s right’?! All of Equestria favors thee over us, and thou sayest that is ‘right’?! Thy folly truly knows no bounds, Celestia! Thou hast drunk deep from the fount of thy subjects’ worship and art now vain! If they refuse to regard us as they do thee, then they shall fear us instead!

L-Luna?! What’s become of thee, sister?!

BEGONE!

…but the darkness had taken a firm hold of the young one’s heart, feeding upon and intensifying her jealousy and bitterness. It consumed her, corrupted her, twisting her visage and transforming her into a wicked mare of darkness:

Nightmare Moon.

AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!

The evil mare calling herself Nightmare Moon vowed that she would shroud all of Equestria in eternal night. The darkness that pulsed within her heart had taken form, giving birth to a most terrifying entity:

Nightmare Moon’s agents of the dark… Those without hearts… The Heartless.

Eeeeek!

What are those things?!

Demons! From the depths of Tartarus!

RUN!

N-No! Get away from me!

Princess Celestia, help us!

Flee! Flee, you pathetic foals! Quake in fear beneath the hooves of your one true queen! The sun shall never rise again! The age of Nightmare Moon is at hand!

The Heartless terrorized Equestria and lands beyond, consuming the hearts of ponies and other creatures to increase their number. And with each new Heartless created, Nightmare Moon’s power grew.

Oh, Lulu. My dear sister. Hast thou truly been taken by the darkness? Is there no way to save thee? …Aah! What… What in Equestria is…?!

To combat Nightmare Moon and her ever-expanding army, the elder pony sister awakened a great power thought long forgotten to the furthest ends of Equestrian history:

The weapon of legend, the Keyblade.

…Key…blade?

It was through the Keyblade that the elder sister was able to harness the most powerful magic known to ponykind: the Elements of Harmony.

Celestia… So you would stand before me a second time?

Luna, I beg thee to listen to reason. Thy heart hath been tainted by the darkness, but thou may yet be saved. ‘Tis not too late. Stand down.

Saved? I do not require saving; the darkness has opened my eyes to the truth. I see now that there is only one pony worthy enough to rule Equestria, and that pony is me. Long have I been under your shadow, Celestia, but no longer! Your reign ends here, and the sun shall DIE!!!

Thou wouldst fight me, thine elder sister? …Then thou leavest me no choice. May Mother forgive me for what I am about to do.

Using both the power of the Keyblade and the magic of the Elements, she reluctantly defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon.

Goodnight…sister mine.

Without its leader, Nightmare Moon’s army of Heartless was swiftly dealt with.

The elder pony sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon from that day forth, and harmony and balance have been maintained in Equestria for generations since.

But though Nightmare Moon sleeps in lunar confinement, the menace of the Heartless, however mitigated, remains—

—For there can be no light without darkness.

Comments

[ImperfectXIII]

And so it begins...
Regardless of how this is received, I may have some fun with it.
And for Celestia's sake, if my old-timey English is off, PLEASE call me out on it.
And yes, there IS a reference to ponyphonic's Lullaby for a Princess in there. If you haven't heard it, you should stop reading now and go listen to it.

[the other sans]

Seems interesting.

Also your title for the Prologue; I think you meant Destiny, or am I wrong here?

[Comet Burst]

1768274

You, sir, have received the daily troll award. Congratulations!

As for this, I'm a bit thrown off by the speaking style. While nifty with the colors, isn't it outlined in the submission form that characters can't communicate in that way? Aside from that, is kairi going to be a pink alicorn/alucorn?

[spiritdetective]

1768274 That's actually a name from Kingdom Hearts, a song.

[ShadowBrony]

I read this while listening to Dearly Beloved and It was awsome. You have an amazing talent. I could never get crossover like that to work but you did. Congratulations. Keep it up.

[Lord Nopony]

Great chapter!