Equestria Legends Online

by Shadowflame

October 31st (To The Lunar Castle)

Aurora had said there was a single 'entrance' to the Moon, though where it was located was a surprise to all of us.

After our group gathered our things together, prepped for battle, and told the rest of Ponyville what was going on, we set off towards the entrance to the Moon.

The cause behind our surprise was that the entrance was apparently only a short distance away from Ponyville. We journeyed out towards the Everfree Forest, moving quickly and quietly, as there were still more monsters at night than there were during the day. After only a few minutes of travel, we found what we were looking for.

On the outskirts of the forest stood a stone statue of Nightmare Moon, the same one they showed during the Nightmare Night episode of MLP. This was the entrance to the Moon, believe it or not. But on a irrelevant note, the fact that we were here at the statue on Nightmare Night just seemed... fitting.

We gathered around the statue, looking at it curiously.

Violet raised an eyebrow as he inspected it, "So, this is really how we get the Moon?"

Sharky frowned, more speculative than anyone else, "Well, I wouldn't doubt Aurora, but if she had come with us, she'd most likely confirm that this is it." Aurora had stayed back in town, most likely because she didn't want to return to the same place she'd been imprisoned in for the past few months. It was understandable, so we agreed to let her stay behind.

Sharky shrugged, "I'm still surprised there's even a Moon to travel to in this game. The admins never generated a map for the moon, so this place didn't even exist before. For all we know, Aurora could just be leading us on a wild goose chase."

Eclipse frowned in response, "Dude, we saw her shoot off the Moon in a ray of moonlight. I think she's the real deal."

"Right, anyways!" I interrupted, focusing our attention back to the statue before us, "We've got less than an hour before Midnight, so let's get going."

We all glanced up at the statue of Nightmare Moon. She was reared back on her hind legs, staring right back at us with an eternal, sadistic grin. The sight of 'her' seemingly staring directly back at me with that evil smile, shadowed by the bright light of the moon, just unnerved me. I mean, I've fought against demons, changelings, two gigantic dragons, and all sorts of terrifying creatures, yet this statue alone was enough to frighten me in a way none of those monsters could.

I... I couldn't quite explain it. All I felt was this cold sensation in the back of my mind...

Shaking off the feeling, I stepped up to the statue, inspecting it closely, "Hm... let's see here..."

My eyes drifted across the statue's body, from wingtip to hoof and back again a few times. Hm... from what Aurora said, the entrance would open by touching Nightmare's Crest. So... My eyes glanced towards Nightmare's armor, specifically her chest piece, which was adorned with a crescent moon.

I smiled, "Bingo." With the statue easily being three times my own height... maybe that's what unnerved me? Nightmare's apparent height difference?... nah!

Anyways, because of the statue's height, the crest was a bit out of my reach. So, flapping my wings, I propelled myself upward in a little hop and placed a hoof against the crescent moon on Nightmare's chest.

The result was instantaneous.

The crest suddenly began glowing with light that could rival the Moon's brightness. The glowing grew brighter, until the shape of the crest itself seemed to grow in size. I moved back away from the growing, glowing crescent moon, watching as the shape descended down to the ground, just like a portal of some kind, pulsating with the light it consisted of. It finally stopped moving when it touched down on the ground, as a glowing crescent moon portal sitting in front of the statue.

"So this is the entrance to the Moon." Sky muttered skeptically, "Should we just hop through, or should we worry about no air on the Moon?"

"Well, Aurora did say she was there for three months, and she wasn't wearing any space gear." Siren replied. The purple pegasus smirked, "Plus, this is a video game, so logic isn't exactly encouraged here."

"Not to mention this Moon was probably created by Discord, so we should be expecting a distinct lack of realism when we enter the portal." Sharky noted.

I nodded, "Right, let's get going."

One by one, the group began filing through the crescent portal, disappearing behind its white veil. Of course, that didn't mean we all did quietly.

Swift turned to glance towards Cross, "Hey, Cross?" He smiled with a face that was trying not to crack up from his own joke, "Do you like bananas?"

Cross played along, the blue unicorn nodding matter-of-factly, "Yeah, I like bananas."

"Well, I know where you're about to go bananas!" Swift suddenly grabbed Cross, hefting the unicorn above his own head in 'Shining-Armor-Throwing-Wife-Over-Balcony' position, before shouting, "ON THE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!"

Cross let out a mixture of a scream of surprise and sheer laughter at how spot-on Swift's voice was of the reference, as he was hurled like a princess face first through the moon portal, instantly disappearing through it and leaving behind a certain Swift Vapor on the ground in a fit of uproarious laughter.

While the rest of us who had been watching laughed a bit at the scene, more so to wait for Swift to regain his composure, Sky commented, "Ironically, he actually made it to the moon with that."

A few laughs later, the rest of us filed through the portal and onto whatever waited for us on the other side. We stepped out of the other side of the portal, and instantly I looked in awe at our surroundings.

The ground was no longer green or brown, just a pale white, like marble. It was stone, slightly covered in patches of shifting lunar sand. There was no shrubbery, no trees or flowers, not even a blade of grass. The whole surface was barren, just like the surface of the moon back in the real world. But all eyes were drawn upwards, where we were met with a wondrous sight.

The sky was the same dark color of the night, but with two key differences. Instead of the Moon in the sky, it had been replaced with the Earth. And the stars... there were so many of them! While the ground was barren and dull, the real beauty of this map was its sky.

The night sky was lit up like a light show with billions of stars, way more than anyone could possibly see from Earth. They all shined in bright clusters, a few literally twinkling like white Christmas lights. But yet, some of the stars seemed to be moving slightly, drifting down between other clusters, as if they were a celestial river of lights. All of the stars illuminated the moon so brightly, the starlight lit up the ground in a magical sort of hue of blue. The sight was an awe in of itself, and it wasn't long before everyone was staring up at the beautiful, starry sky.

"Wow..." Neon breathed, "That's beautiful..."

Lexus quietly agreed, "Yeah..." though he was too lost in the wondrous sight to say anything else.

Sharky's jaw had dropped to the ground in awe, though he wasn't alone in that regard, "How... How was Discord able to create a place like this?"

"Well, he does have total control over the game, so it would make sense that he could create all of this." Eclipse replied.

Sharky shook his head in response, "No, I'm not talking about that. I mean to say that I created Discord to be chaotic. There's no way his AI could ever be consistent enough to create something like this. It's just not possible with his mind."

"Hey, guys! What's that over there?" Soul called out. We turned to look where he was pointing, to see a crater on the moon not too far from us, with a path leading towards it. But the most notable part of said crater was that something was poking out over the brim of it, like the spire of a tower.

We quickly galloped along the trail to get a closer look, leaving a cloud of moon dust in our wake. We reached the crater, but skidded to stop as we saw what lay inside it.

It was a castle, made entirely white, just like the moon itself. It was ornate and intricate in design, with arches and spires decorating the whole structure. Two large doors stood at its entrance, seemingly the only way inside, unless someone could break open a window. (haha, I kid, you can't break windows in this game... yet monsters can still crash through the wall of your house. One-sided game mechanics are a harsh mistress)

"Hm, I'd bet anything Nightmare Moon is inside there." Eclipse commented.

Comet nodded in agreement, "Indeed. This castle seems like an ideal place for a night tyrant to hide."

"Then let's move." I called, "It doesn't look like there are any monsters around, so I think we're good to head inside. We need to find Nightmare Moon in less than an hour, otherwise we'll never get Cinn back before this game ends."

As one herd, we all rushed down the slope of the crater, towards the castle's large double doors. We drew our weapons as we rushed the castle, and upon reaching the door we burst it open, rushing inside and spreading out.

The interior of the castle was just as well decorated as the outside. Ornate, blue rugs depicting the stars covered the white, polished floors, and statues of armor and ponies rearing up on their hind legs lined the walls. And right in front of the doors, in the center of the entry hall, was a massive row of stairs leading up higher into the castle.

But as soon as we entered, everything was silent. The entryway of the castle was completely empty, devoid of any monsters or Nightmare.

"Looks all clear." Lexus called out, frowning, "But... it doesn't look like there are any other halls on this floor."

"It seems the stairs are the only way forward." Sharky commented. He nodded slowly, "If there's only one way to go, that only increases my doubt that Discord made this place. This place is too orderly to have been made by him."

"We can worry about that later." Sky replied, "Nightmare must be ahead if there's only one way forward."

Agreeing, we all began climbing the stairs, walking up higher and higher into the castle.

...

"Hey Sharky?" Violet asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you think there are any monsters that spawn on the moon?" The tan unicorn glanced around wryly, continuing to climb the stairs, "We haven't seen a single monster since we got here, so I can't help but wonder if there are any."

The former admin paused for a moment, "... I can't quite say. But I admit you're right. This place feels... very lonely."

And that's when the music started playing. It was a distant melody, but in the silence of the castle, we all heard it loud and clear.

(A/N: Just keep reading at normal pace, unless you're a ridiculously long reader. This passage has been timed to match the average reading speed. For better effect, read along with the lyrics written below along with the story.)

"What..." Soul slowly glanced around, trying to find where the tune was coming from, "What is that?"

Neon's eyes widened as she recognized it, "Wait, that's A Lullaby for a Princess. I've heard this song before, but what's it doing here in the game?"

Fate has been cruel and order unkind. How can I have sent you away?

Nobody had an answer. It seemed just as strange as this empty castle, with not a single soul in sight. Sharky had been right when he said this place felt... lonely.

But into the stillness, I'll bring you a song, and I will your company keep.

We continued up the stairs, which seemed to go on forever. We kept climbing higher and higher, following the staircase as it twisted and turned through the castle. It seemed as if it would never end, as if it were leaving us to climb it until we reached Earth again from here.

And all the while, the sad tune continued to sing in our ears. The piano melody of it was delightful to listen to, but the lyrics were a different matter. We all walked in silence, listening the sad voice singing every word. Most of us had heard this song before, as well as the sorrowful story it told.

Most of us...

Once stood a pony who shone like the sun, look out on her kingdom and sigh.

Lexus quietly whispered to Neon, "What's going on?" He had been listening to the song, but he wasn't quite following what it was talking about, "Can you explain it for me?"

Neon nodded, "Yeah. You never watched the show before back home, right?"

So great was her reign, so brilliant her glory, that long was the shadow she cast.

Lexus nodded, and Neon giggled slightly, "Okay, well, this is the story it's talking about.

... And grew only darker as days and nights passed.

"In the show, they say a thousand years in the past, Equestria was ruled by two rulers, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Together they ruled over the kingdom, bringing the day and night respectively with their magic by raising the sun and moon."

Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth, through cloud and through sky and through space.

"But whenever Luna brought the night, everyone slept through it, no matter how beautiful she thought it was. But everyone stayed awake and played through her sister's day."

Luna, you're loved so much more than you know. Forgive me for being so blind.

"She grew jealous of Celestia, so much that her hate for her sister turned her into a nightmare."

Soon did that pony take notice that others did not give her sister her due.

"Fueled by her hate, Nightmare Moon plunged Equestria into eternal night."

She watched as her sister's unhappiness grew.

"When Nightmare attacked, Celestia was forced to fight against her. Celestia didn't want to hurt her sister, but Nightmare still attacked. In turn, Celestia was left with only one choice that could save her sister and Equestria both."

And that foolish pony did nothing to stop the destruction of one who had needed her most.

Lullay, moon princess, good night, sister mine.

"She used the Elements of Harmony to seal her sister inside the moon for one thousand years. And from that moment on, Celestia controlled both the sun and moon as she ruled Equestria, as its sole monarch. During those thousand years, she missed her sister like none other."

Carry the peace and the coolness of night, and carry my sorrow in kind.

Luna, you're loved so much more than you know. May troubles be far from your mind.

"Alone, for a thousand years..."

And forgive me for being so blind.

A/N: Feel free to mute the music if you wish after this point.

"Whoa..." Lexus breathed, "That's... kind of sad."

Neon nodded, "Yeah, it is. I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for Celestia to endure those thousand years."

Lexus paused, "... And this is from a kid's show?"

"Yeah." Neon quietly giggled, but it was only there for a moment. Her eyes drifted downwards, sadly, "You know, Nightmare may have been a villain, but I think she was just... misunderstood."

"Yes, very true." Sharky commented, pulling up beside the duo as he continued to ascend the stairs, "In the end, the Nightmare was ripped from Luna, and she returned to rule with Celestia. After a thousand years apart, they must have been very lonely." He glanced around the castle again, "Although, now that you mention it, this empty castle may just represent Nightmare's story. I've never seen a more empty place."

Everyone was in agreement, but no one had to speak it.

But finally, we reached the end of the endless staircase, where the familiar set of giant, wooden doors awaited us. We had finally made it, to the last boss room; to the final element.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"11:36" Violet Runner replied.

I nodded, "Well then, let's settle this."

I walked up to the doors, pushing them open with a hoof. They creaked on their hinges, swinging to the sides of the doorframe. Inside was lied only darkness, but even still, our group entered, and the doors slammed shut behind us.

It was time for the battle against the Nightmare.

Author's Note:

Hey guys!
How would you guys, my wonderful fans, like to join the actual Knights of Harmony Guild, right here on FIMFiction?
Just check out this group linked right HERE, read what it's about, join the group, and go contact the group creator to say you want to join the Knights of Harmony!

Please guys, it's an awesome SAO group, it has weekly quizzes about the actual anime, and here you can compete against your friends to see who knows more about SAO! And just like any guild, any member of it is able to challenge anyone in an admin position in the group for their position. It's a really cool idea, it adds a great effect to the whole FIMFic group experience, and I'd love to see them get some more support. Plus, you'll be able to find more SAO crossover stories that you might not have seen before.

So please, click the link above and see if you'd like to at least join the group, heck maybe get a couple internet buddies and start up your own guild there.

But on a side note, I'm sorry to say that I probably won't finish this next battle chapter for another two weeks, due to the fact that I'm currently writing an actual novel, which I hope to finish by February, and publish later after that.

Anyways, thanks for reading!
Tell me how you (dis)like this chapter,
-Shadowflame

Comments

[Solarkness]

Just check out this group linked right HERE, read what it's about, join the group, and go contact the group creator to say you want to join the Knights of Harmony!

Shouldn't you contact the Guild-Manager?

[crystal_chaos]

Damn it. I already joined the flickering flame guild. I wuld love to join yours but I believe I wuld be a traitor if I di.

[Shadowflame]

5491870
Well, true, except we don't exactly have a guild manager at the moment. Our current members decided we'd gather more members and then have everyone vote for who it'd be.

[Solarkness]

5491945 Oh. I meant the Guild-admin of the group

[Shadowflame]

5491947
Oh, well the group creator is the guild admin.

[Solarkness]

5491954 Isn't that Terein?

[Shadowflame]

5491963
I guess either will work then. I contacted ShadowBlazeCR to join the guild, so that's why I thought he was the guild admin.

[Skayn]

I can not wait to see what will happen.... or maybe not... *gulp*

Well thought for music of Lullaby for a Princess

[Charedfirescale]

I'm starting to think, there's another admin besides Sharky still in the game. I beginning to think that Sharky has nothing to do with this. Also this chapter was beautifully done.

[ShadowblazeCR]

5491963

If you don't think that Terein is helping with your process into a guild or questions then you'd come to me or SK.

[ShadowblazeCR]

I do plan on reading this sometime. I just don't want to get caught up in reading a good sized story and loose focus on school. So I will probably after midterms.

[Solarkness]

5493175 And I'm beginning to gain greund with my assumption that Discord is NOT Discord, but rather something somebody from the outside uses *him* to make people think it is Discord so he can play with their lives without having to worry about punishment.

It would be fitting, since SAO-universe is filled with psychos like those.

[Charedfirescale]

5495536 True, although its possible that Discord is an unwilling lackey in this. Only time will tell.

[Enderstorm]

So, uhh, will this be better than ESO?

[Shadowflame]

5573671
Something like that

[bluemoon1996]

I need to catch up on this fic