The Codex: A Sister's Burden

by Arvaus

Chapter 6 - The Fall

What followed the formation of the Crystal Empire is widely regarded as Equestria’s greatest age. The divided tribal system was finally dissolved, the move being made towards a singular, unified nation. The empire however continued to maintain a level of autonomy, both because of its remoteness and because of the fundamental link its ruling family bore to the empire’s magic and wellbeing.

But, like so many good things, this age was not to last. The end began nearly seven centuries after the empire’s creation, and indeed it was at the empire that the end began.

Princess Celestia

---

It had been a quiet day in Canterlot, the daily business of the nation passing by without incident. No news had reached Canterlot to indicate that anything was out of the ordinary. But then, as Princess Celestia was closing court for the night, they arrived.

“Your Highness,” a guard said, bowing as he entered the chamber, “Prince Caspar is here, requesting an audience with you.”

“Caspar is here?” Celestia said, looking up in surprise. The capital of the empire was over eight hours’ flight away, and the Crystal Prince hadn’t sent any word that he was coming. Whatever this was, it sounded bad.

“Show him in immediately,” she said, gesturing for her aides to leave. She stood up and stepped down from her throne to greet him.

Prince Caspar entered a minute later. The light-blue alicorn looked exhausted, as if he had been flying for hours.

“What happened to you, Caspar?” she asked as she approached him. “Has the empire been attacked? Where is your wife?”

Caspar shook his head wearily, collapsing back onto the floor and drawing deep breaths. Celestia waited patiently for him to recover, looking round to make sure they were alone as she did.

“My wife is fine,” he said after a few minutes. “It was a difficult flight for both of us, and she has been taken to the guest wing to rest.”

Using her magic, Celestia picked up a glass and jug from a table behind her throne, pouring a glass of water and offering it to the prince. He accepted it gladly and quickly downed the entire glass.

“Why did you not come by chariot?” Celestia asked as she sat down in front of him. “And why have you left the empire? Is it in danger?”

Caspar shook his head. “The empire is safe,” he said. “At least, it is for now. But I don’t know if…”

He stopped, then bowed his head.

“I am sorry,” he continued. “I know that my first duty should always be to the ponies of the empire, but I cannot help but take this as a personal affront. After all the work I have put into the empire…”

Celestia nodded and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

“I understand,” she said. “If you wish to rest before discussing it further—”

Caspar shook his head. “No, I must not delay,” he said. He stood and walked over to one of the windows, staring absent-mindedly out of it into the distance. He stood there silently, composing himself, for nearly a minute before continuing.

“There has been a coup,” he said. “This morning as I entered court, I was greeted by the commander of my royal guard and a contingent of his best ponies. Colonel Sombra informed me that he had taken control of the empire and my assets, and that I was to leave immediately. There was nothing I could do; he had the support of the entire guard regiment. He said that…”

Caspar stopped again. Closing his eyes tightly, he stabbed the wall with his horn, twisting it round in frustration.

“He said that my family was leading the empire to ruin,” he said, his voice shaking. “He said that this was the only way to save the empire from being destroyed. We’ve watched over it for more than twenty generations now; to hear him spitting on our legacy like that…”

Celestia stood, walking over and standing next to him.

“Caspar,” she said, “you were a great leader, as were all your predecessors. I have never had any reason to doubt this. And you were more than that; you were a moral anchor, holding the magic of the empire safe and steady. Whatever Sombra’s reasons, I will do anything I can to ensure that your lineage retains its position in the empire. You have my word.”

Caspar looked up at the princess. “But the treaties—”

“I know,” Celestia said, nodding. “My sister and I will travel to the empire immediately to see what, if anything, can be done now. Please be patient, and have some rest.”

The prince nodded, then silently turned and headed out of the chamber. Celestia stood for a moment, deep in thought. She had not wanted to say it to Caspar in his current state, but it had been known for a long time that the empire’s finances were far from strong. Nonetheless, it wasn’t even close to ruin. It was simply a consequence of being spread over such great distances between the different outposts.

And the empire was never supposed to be a gold-mine. Its purpose was quite simply to watch over the magic of the crystal formations on which it was built. It was almost entirely self-sufficient and effectively cut off from most trade routes, so it never had any need for vast reserves of wealth.

Colonel Sombra knew all of this, of course. As commander of the royal guard he would have known almost every detail of the running of the Empire. Celestia couldn’t help but worry that he had a secondary motive, but she couldn’t see what it was.

She released a small pulse of magic from her horn, then left the chamber and headed straight for the palace stables. When she arrived there, Luna was already waiting.

“What is it, my sister?” she asked.

“Prince Caspar has been deposed,” Celestia replied. “We must travel to the Empire at once to find out why.”

They turned and walked over to the banks of chariots waiting at the far end of the stables. Celestia waved to one of the guards and he cantered away to assign an escort.

“You know we are forbidden from intervening in internal matters,” Luna noted.

“I know,” Celestia replied. “But there is something amiss. It doesn’t make sense that this would happen. We must determine the full extent of Colonel Sombra’s intentions.”

“And if he is a danger the crystal ponies, we can step in to protect them,” Luna added.

Celestia nodded in response. Moments later they were met by two chariots, each pulled by a contingent of four guardsponies. They each climbed aboard one and were lifted away into the evening sky, the chariots arcing north towards the distant empire.

~ ~ ~

They arrived shortly after dawn the next day, the chariots settling down on the main concourse just in front of the imposing structure of the Crystal Palace. Apart from perhaps a slight increase in the number of guards on the streets, the empire looked almost unchanged after the previous day’s events.

“If he is a threat, he is yet to show it,” Luna observed as they walked towards the palace’s entrance.

“Indeed,” Celestia replied. “But we must remain vigilant. We must be careful not to assume anything.”

“Guilty until proven innocent, sister?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow. “I hope we are approaching this matter objectively, and not just out of concern for our own family.”

Celestia shook her head. “You are right of course,” she said. “But the prince’s lineage has a great significance to the empire, which I believe must be preserved. This is more than just sentiment.”

“I thought the family’s significance to the empire was sentiment,” Luna noted.

Celestia chuckled at this. “In a way, yes,” she said. “Regardless – perhaps it is just emotions, but I cannot shake the feeling that this can’t end well.”

Luna nodded. “Then we will remain vigilant,” she said. “I understand the origin of your concerns, but I fear that I do not share your intuition in this case.”

They walked the rest of the distance in silence. When they arrived in the palace’s great entrance hall they were greeted by long lines of wooden tables, each covered in maps, charts, and tall piles of notes. Dozens of ponies were weaving around between the tables carrying yet more notes and moving markers around on the various maps. It had the feeling of a war room.

Celestia studied the notes as they passed. It was all dealing with population numbers, financial predictions, logistics. There were complicated plans being formulated here, and they did indeed agree with Sombra’s stated motive of strengthening the empire.

Sombra, who was there keeping an eye on his army of workers, noticed the princesses first and walked over to greet them.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” he said, bowing to each of them as he approached. “I had wondered if I would be seeing the two of you.”

Luna stood up to her full height, looking down at him through narrowed eyes.

“This is not simply a friendly visit,” she stated. “Thou hast overthrown a long-standing and popular leadership. We must ensure that thine intentions are pure.”

“And that thou art not adversely influenced by thy new power, either,” Celestia added, nodding to the long red robe Sombra was wearing over his armour.

“Very well, straight to business,” Sombra said, laughing. “If it is reassurance you want, then all I can give you is my word, unfortunately. But everything I do here is for the benefit of my empire, and I hope that this will become clear in time.”

“Thine empire?” Luna asked.

“The empire which I call my home, yes,” Sombra replied. “Don’t worry, I have not forgotten my place. I am a servant of the empire, nothing more. I have decided to adopt the title of King for the time being, but only to ensure that my authority is respected during the transition. I can only succeed if the ponies are willing and able to work together under a unified leadership.”

“Colonel to king in one day?” Celestia commented. “I hope thou understandest why we might be concerned.”

“Of course,” Sombra said. He then turned and started walking back through the tables, the princesses following behind. “But I actually chose the title as a sign of respect,” he continued. “The obvious choice in the context would have been Prince, but it didn’t want to pretend that I was an equal to the alicorn line. So I chose the title of King as a reflection of the old regency system instead.”

“I do wish the transition could have been a more comfortable one, though,” he continued. “Caspar was kind enough to talk to the civic leaders before his departure and urge them not to protest, but I know my ponies will not trust me until I have proven myself. If you can find it in yourself to trust me, that would go a long way towards smoothing out the process,” he added, turning to look at them.

Celestia shook her head. “I am sorry, but trust like that must be earned,” she said. “We will give thee a chance, and are bound by the treaties on which this empire was founded to not interfere.”

Sombra began to bow in acknowledgement, but Celestia cut him off, raising her voice so the entire room could hear her.

“But know this,” she said. “We will be watching. If thou doest anything to threaten the safety of the empire or the rest of the nation, we will not hesitate to act.”

Sombra nodded. “Of course,” he said. “I would expect nothing less. But if you will excuse me, I have a lot to attend to.”

He turned and walked away into the crowd, leaving the sisters standing alone in the middle of the room.

“Thoughts?” Celestia asked as they started to move towards the exit again.

“It is hard to tell,” Luna replied. “I agree with your concerns, but he does seem genuine at the moment.”

“So we wait, then,” Celestia replied. “I would prefer not to take any chances at this stage. We have seen the damage a mad king can do, and I hope that it does not come to that.”

“As do I, my sister.”

The two of them exited the palace and returned to their chariots, spending much of the journey home deep in thought.

~ ~ ~

Many weeks passed. The princesses kept a watchful eye over the empire from afar, receiving news from a regular relay of messenger ponies, and for a long while everything did remain peaceful.

That period was still difficult for the empire. The first stage of Sombra’s plan was the recall of ponies from all the outlying parts of the empire and the reabsorption of those outposts’ buildings and infrastructure into the crystal beds on which they were built. With the empire consolidated in one place he then began work on the rebuilding and restructuring of its facilities. All indications showed that he was indeed making the empire stronger, and more stable.

As the work appeared to be drawing to a close, the sisters began to make arrangements for a formal visit to the empire to properly inspect the changes. It would also be time to reappraise the future of the empire’s leadership; King Sombra had kept true to his word, but he had also achieved all of his stated aims, so with any luck he would be open to the possibility of the prince returning.

But in the end this never had the chance to happen. When preparations were nearly complete, the last messenger pegasus failed to return.

“He is now fifteen hours overdue,” Luna said as she entered the throne room.

“I know,” said Celestia, who was already there, staring out of one of the northern windows.

“The messengers have never been more than an hour overdue.”

“I know.”

“I have checked with Cloudsdale. They had perfect flying weather all the way to the empire today.”

“I know.”

Luna walked up to her sister, joining her at the window.

“I can’t decide if I should be concerned or not,” Celestia said.

“It was you who had been expecting him to not keep his word,” Luna reminded her.

Celestia hung her head. “I know how I sounded when dealing with Sombra before,” she said, “but despite my reservations I genuinely hoped that he might be sincere. I do not wish to go to war against my own ponies.”

Luna nodded. “This may still be an honest misunderstanding,” she said.

“I know,” Celestia replied with a sigh. “But if it is not…”

“Then we deal with it,” Luna replied. “And we do so swiftly and decisively, as you said. It is for the good of the entire nation.”

~ ~ ~

Travelling under their own power for expedience, the two princesses arrived at the empire in a little under six hours. When they got there everything looked almost exactly as they remembered it. There was no damage anywhere and no sign of anything suspicious, except that all the streets were completely deserted.

Looking through windows as they walked the streets towards the palace, the princesses couldn’t see any sign of anypony.

“Where is everypony?” Luna called out, but no response came from anywhere. The entire place felt impossibly silent.

“This doesn’t feel right,” Celestia said. “I can still sense the presence of other ponies within the structure of Harmony, but…”

“But they’re not here,” Luna said. “And there is something else. The magic in this place just feels… wrong.”

They continued in silence until they reached the palace. As they approached there was a burst of arcane magic on the balcony above them, and when it faded away King Sombra stood in its place, looking down on them.

“Princesses!” he shouted. “I almost thought you weren’t coming!”

“Where is everypony?” Luna shouted back. “What hast thou done?”

“Everypony is still alive,” he replied. “I have simply moved them to my new empire; the one I have been building this entire time.”

“What dost thou mean?” Celestia shouted. “How hast thou hidden this from us?”

Sombra paced back and forth on the balcony, laughing at them. “I would have expected you to know more about this than me!” he called. “There’s more than one type of magic in this world, and what you see here is just the upper, most accessible layer! Allow me to show you my masterpiece!”

He released a burst of the same arcane magic from his horn and it began to spread out through the crystal. As the green-and-purple aura passed across the crystal’s surface the entire scene transformed. The crystals themselves went dark, polluted by the magic flowing through them, and the buildings turned sharp and twisted.

All around the princesses ponies began to appear. They moved through the city in chains, some pulling carts of crystal fragments behind them. They looked weak, but they were being forced to work almost to death.

Celestia could see on their faces that they had already been broken. None of them showed any understanding of where they were or what was happening; Sombra had managed to crush their spirits until they just didn’t care.

“What have you done to them?” Celestia yelled, lifting up into the air until she was level with Sombra. “How can you call this a masterpiece? All this time you said you were helping these ponies, and instead you destroy their lives? Why?”

“You miss the point,” Sombra replied. “I am helping the empire. I’m helping it finally achieve its full potential. There are many different layers of magic, and there are corresponding layers to the empire and the crystals on which it is built. You’ve just never had the courage to make use of them.”

“Thou knowest full well why we do not use this magic ourselves!” Luna shouted, rising up next to her sister. “It is far too unstable! Too unpredictable! Thou art putting thyself and everypony else in danger by doing this!”

“That may have been true once,” Sombra replied, “but with the power of the Crystal Empire behind me I finally have the ability to control it! I now have access to more power than you can possibly imagine! From here I’ll be able to spread my influence to anywhere where these formations grow.”

“Canterlot,” Luna whispered.

“Exactly,” Sombra said, smiling. “This is just the beginning. Soon I’ll bring about a new age for all of Equestria, the crystals forged here carrying my magic to all parts of the nation! I will build a world fuelled by magic more powerful than anything the nation has ever seen!”

Celestia looked back down at the ponies below her.

“How canst thou possibly claim that this is for the good of the nation?” she said. “Thou hast lied, manipulated, and hurt other ponies for thine own gain. This is an act of war, and we will not hesitate to respond.”

Sombra paused, letting the silence between them draw out. “Then why do you wait?” he asked, laughing.

“Oh, of course,” he continued, “you are no doubt waiting to see why I am so confident. What am I hiding that means I possibly hope to stand up to two alicorns on my own? Well, how about this?”

He walked towards them, a bridge of crystal extending out in front of him through the air, until he was nose to nose with Celestia.

“I have complete control over this empire,” he said. “My magic is the only thing maintaining this domain. You can kill me now if you wish, but if you do anything to try and stop me this entire empire will collapse, both figuratively and literally. Thousands of ponies will die instantly.”

He returned to the balcony and looked back at them. “Your move, princesses,” he said. “What now?”

The two sisters glanced at each other. Celestia knew in her mind exactly what they had to do, and she knew that her sister would as well. Without another word they held their horns together, firing a spell in unison at the king.

In Celestia’s mind, the moment seemed to drag out to an eternity. She had the plan firmly set in her mind: temporarily overwhelm Sombra’s ability to use magic so that they had time to undo whatever curses he had put on the empire. Doing this fast enough that he would be unable to counter it would require careful timing, but with the two of them working together it was just about possible.

But to Celestia’s shock she realised that her magic was not working with Luna’s, but was actually having to fight against it. The two spells clashed as they merged together, working at cross-purposes. Celestia’s spell was delicate and refined, carefully tuned to nullify Sombra’s magic, but in contrast Luna’s was brutally simple. Celestia was horrified to realise that it had the singular purpose of killing Sombra!

She immediately began to fight it. With all the power she had she focussed on doing anything she could to keep the king alive. Sombra’s body quickly failed under the force of Luna’s spell, but Celestia raced to try and save his spirit before it was too late. If his life could be preserved in any form, then there was a hope that the empire could still be saved.

She threw up a barrier between her sister’s spell and the king’s spirit. It bought him just enough time to retreat back into the crystal’s reservoirs of magic, but then he was gone. And as he disappeared, so did the empire. The roads, the buildings, even the ponies themselves, vanished into the air in a hiss of magic. The two princesses were then alone, hanging silently in the air.

Celestia closed her eyes, desperately searching through Harmony. She was relieved to still be able to feel the presence of the crystal ponies, buried somewhere under Sombra’s curses. They were not dead, at least not yet.

She then opened her eyes and turned to face her sister. Luna was staring back at her, the look of utter disbelief a perfect mirror of Celestia’s.

“What did you do, sister?” Luna asked.

“We came here to save the empire!” Celestia shouted. “You nearly killed thousands of ponies!”

“But you protected King Sombra!” Luna shouted back. “He was a danger to everypony, not just the empire! He had to be stopped, surely you knew this!”

“He needed to be stopped!” Celestia replied, “But he did not need to be killed! And the thousands of ponies in the empire—”

“—Are a price I am willing to pay to protect the millions of ponies in Equestria!”

Celestia stared in shock at her sister. “There is always another way,” she said.

“No there isn’t,” Luna replied coldly. “We could not take the risk. There was too much at stake.”

“Apparently there wasn’t enough,” Celestia sighed.

They stared at each other, both feeling disappointment and confusion.

“I feel like I don’t even know you, sister,” Luna said. “What changed?”

Celestia couldn’t reply, unable answer the question either.

“I need some time alone,” Luna said. “I need to think.”

With that she turned and flew south, heading back towards Canterlot.

Celestia fell back towards the ground again, digging at the tundra with her hoof. She had known this day might come eventually, but had never been truly willing to believe it. She had always been able to keep Luna’s problem in check, but on this occasion it had just happened too fast. In a single second she had changed so completely as to be almost unrecognisable. The sister Celestia used to know should never have been able to think like that.

Was this the end, then? The moment she had dreaded all these centuries? Would there be any hope of coming back from this point? Celestia tried to hold her tears back as she thought of what she may have to do now.

How could this be the way things were supposed to happen? It was the forces of Harmony that had guided them to this point, but that it could be Harmony’s plan that she would have to fight her own sister was unthinkable. This could not be the end. There had to be some other way.

She looked down at the large amethyst crystal embedded in the centre of her peytral. That particular gem had been a gift from Radiance Morningstar, ninth ruler of the empire, centuries ago. The empire may be gone now, but some of its influence still remained. And with this fact Celestia felt a faint glimmer of hope.

Holding onto this one precious thought, she too carried herself south, returning home to try and find Luna.

~ ~ ~

Ten days passed, and Celestia saw nothing of her sister. Luna still dutifully raised and lowered the moon, but she refused to ever leave her chambers. The doors locked and the curtains closed, she had isolated herself completely from the outside world. She accepted the meals left out for her, but never brought the plates in when anypony was around.

On the eleventh day Celestia sat outside Luna’s chamber door, as she had done for many hours every previous day. She had spent the time talking to her sister, telling her happy stories from their life, trying to remind her of everything that used to matter to her. Sometimes she heard movement on the other side of the door, but a reply never came.

“Please, sister,” she said. “I don’t know what you think of me at the moment. I know you are confused by what happened, and I am too. I just want to help you. If you would only talk to me we might be able to understand it better.

“Just think back to the past ages,” she continued. “We always stood together then, working with each other to deal with anything that stood in our way. If I ever needed somepony to talk to then you would be there for me, and I was there for you in return. I am here now, and I wish you would let me help.”

She listened, but as usual there was no reply. Feeling weary, she stood and made her way back towards her own chambers. But before leaving she turned and looked at the door again.

“We have survived though so much,” she said, “and we have always remained steadfast against anything that the world threw at us. Equestria has gone through many rough periods, but we always did everything we could to hold it stable and constant.

“I don’t want to lose you now. We need to stand together in order to protect Equestria. If we start fighting amongst ourselves, how are we supposed to lead the nation? This will be the ruination of everything if we can’t settle our differences. Please come back to me.”

There was a sound of movement from the other side of the door and Celestia waited, hoping that Luna would emerge, but the room quickly went silent again. Blinking away a tear, Celestia turned again and walked away.

~ ~ ~

Celestia returned to her room, undressed for the night, and lay down on her bed staring at the ceiling. How long would this go on for? Luna would have to emerge eventually, but what would happen then? Would she have returned to her old self, and if not who would she become?

Realising that she sun was approaching the horizon, Celestia walked out onto her balcony and turned to the west. With a brief pulse of magic she caught hold of the great sphere and pulled it below the horizon, setting it on its night-time path round the far side of the world. She then turned east and, moments later, she saw the moon begin to rise.

She glanced up to her sister’s room. For a moment she thought she could see the faint blue glow of her sister’s magic through the curtains, but it was likely just her imagination.

She went back to her bed and settled down for the night. No doubt this would be a long, troubled night, as had the last few. But she knew that the odds of seeing Luna even in her dreams were very low. She would just have to wait until she woke at sunrise and try again.

~ ~ ~

When Celestia woke up, the first thing she became aware of was a loud banging noise.

“Princess!” a muffled voice shouted from the other side of the door. “Princess Celestia, are you in there?”

Celestia picked herself up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. From the look of the sky outside it couldn’t be much past midnight. She climbed out of bed and walked across the room, opening the door with her magic. As she did so one of her guards practically fell into the room, bowing in front of her.

“Thank the stars I found you,” he said. “The entire city’s in a state of panic, we thought you had been hurt!”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked. “Where else would I have been?”

The guard paused, looking around in confusion. “Uh, Princess,” he said hesitantly, “it’s a quarter past six.”

Celestia spun round and stared at the carriage-clock on her dressing table. It was over half an hour since the sun was supposed to rise.

“I overslept,” she said quietly. “I never oversleep. I have always woken just before the sun is supposed to rise. How…”

Then the significance of the room’s darkness sank in. She ran out onto the balcony and scanned the eastern horizon. There were a number of large clouds in the sky, but absolutely no sign of the sun. The orange glow which heralded its approach each morning was conspicuously absent.

“When the sun failed to rise, everypony was worried,” the guard continued. “They thought something must have happened.”

Closing her eyes, she searched within her magic in an attempt to find the sun. She finally located it, sitting still on the far side of the world, and it refused to respond to any of her commands as if something else was blocking her, holding it in place.

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered when Discord had once reached out to the sun and stolen control away from her. But he had been trapped for centuries. There was no way he could have escaped without their realising. Who else would do this? If this wasn’t Discord’s influence, then…

Discord’s influence…

A stone landed in Celestia’s stomach as she realised the obvious, terrible truth. She slowly turned her head to look up to the sky and saw, as a cloud slowly slid out of its way, the moon hanging proudly above Equestria.

Luna.

“Where is my sister?” Celestia demanded, spinning round to face the guard.

“I don’t know,” the guard replied. “I came to find you first given Princess Luna’s recent… seclusion.”

In a panic, Celestia ran over to her dresser and threw on her peytral and tiara. Then, dismissing the guard with a wave, she galloped across the room and leapt out of her window into the night.

~ ~ ~

The flight to Luna’s tower took mere seconds. Celestia had expected to find the windows locked shut again so had intended to head for the corridor first, but to her surprise the windows were now wide open. Luna stood on the balcony watching Celestia approach, and she was smiling.

“What are you doing, sister?” Celestia asked, hovering in the air just beyond the balcony.

“Sister, this is incredible!” Luna called back. She was bouncing around on her hooves like a giddy foal. “I had an epiphany last night,” she continued, “and… and I think I know what we were missing! Please, come in! I have so much to tell you!”

She ran back into her room, urging her sister to follow. Celestia hesitated, unsure how to respond. What was making Luna so excited?

“Please, sister!” Luna called. “You need to hear this?”

Celestia sighed, then alighted on the balcony and walked towards the window, but she hesitated on the threshold. The room beyond was a complete mess. Every single item was out of place, broken, or worse. Luna’s mattress was lying in the middle of the floor, and the rest of the furniture was piled up everywhere else. All the ornaments on the walls were out of place, and her ceremonial gowns were all hanging from the ceiling. This wasn’t the product of a fit of rage; Luna had done this deliberately, even carefully.

“What have you been doing in here, Luna?” Celestia asked.

“I have been thinking,” Luna replied. “I was so confused after you turned on me at the Crystal Empire, and assumed something Sombra did must have affected you. I thought he had done something to break you, and I was scared that I would lose you.”

She looked Celestia in the eye, her own eyes filled with genuine concern.

“Listening to you talk to me this past week was so painful,” she said. “There was sincerity in your words, but everything you said just felt… wrong. It was like a completely different pony talking to me. I was afraid to listen, unable to understand how such things could be coming out of your mouth, but then…”

Luna’s eyes lit up and she beamed in excitement.

“But then one thing you said stuck,” she continued, “and I realised that we’ve been missing something! It’s eluded us all these centuries and we never noticed!”

Celestia was lost. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Stability!” Luna shouted. “Constancy!”

“What—”

“All our lives we’ve been holding Equestria back!” Luna continued, ignoring Celestia. “We’ve kept everything running the same way without change for thousands of years. Every day the sun rises, and ponies go about their work. Every night the moon rises and the ponies sleep. Every. Single. Day! For thousands of years! We have been given so much control over this world and yet we do so little with it, just going about our daily patterns without question! We’re missing out on so much potential! Potential we could be using!”

“You sound like Sombra,” Celestia said.

Luna changed in an instant, jumping at her sister and staring her down, fury in her eyes.

“Don’t compare me to that madpony!” she shouted. “He was insane, and he was meddling with forces he had no hope of controlling! But this is different,” she continued, becoming excited again and dancing round the room. “We can control this! It is part of our very nature to be able to! And it feels so wonderful!

“It started with my room,” she said, gesturing at the mess surrounding her. “Just a small experiment, but even when doing things as simple as turning the paintings round felt so… so good! So liberating! It was so incredible, feeling this strange sensation, that I couldn’t help myself! I have had such a wonderful night, sister!”

Celestia turned to face outside again, unable to watch her sister behaving like this.

“Is that why you won’t let it end?” she asked.

Luna walked back onto the balcony and stood by her sister.

“That was a stroke of genius,” she said. “It only occurred to me two hours before sunrise, and I was so excited I just had to try it! I couldn’t even wait for you to wake!

“It’s such a simple change, but everypony in Equestria will have noticed it by now! Just that little bit out of the ordinary, but impossible to ignore! And the feeling I get from it, it’s…”

She closed her eyes, shivering ecstatically.

“I don’t even know how to describe it!” she said. “Surely you must feel it too! It’s like there’s a… warmth everywhere! It’s like the world’s filled with joy and I’m sharing in it!”

Luna looked up at Celestia, expecting her to understand.

“But what about the ponies?” Celestia asked. “Everypony’s schedules will be disrupted! The crops won’t be able to grow without daylight! Please, sister, look down at the city below. Everypony’s panicking. The whole of Canterlot is in chaos!”

Celestia watched Luna look out over the balcony as she spoke. But she couldn’t see any sign of comprehension in her sister’s eyes. It was like all of Luna’s old priorities had completely disappeared, replaced by…

…replaced by Chaos.

The implications slowly began to settle in Celestia’s mind. This was it. This was Discord’s final, unforgivable insult. He hadn’t stolen Luna away. Instead he had stolen something from her. The most precious part of her very being, he had stolen her connection to Harmony. He had taken the thing which defined them, which kept them on the right path, and had replaced it with a twisted, repulsive imitation.

He had turned Luna into a creature of Chaos. He had broken her and turned her into a sick caricature of her former self, without her ever noticing.

“They only need time to adjust,” Luna said, looking down at the city below them. “Once they understand, I am sure they will see what they have to gain.”

Celestia looked down at her sister, almost at a loss for words. Luna was so sure, so excited, that it was almost impossible to argue. And any attempt to confront her could only make things worse.

“Are you certain about this, sister?” she asked.

“I have never been more certain of anything in my life!” Luna replied, laughing with glee. “Even as I stand here I can feel the power in these little changes, and… sister, it’s calling to me! Every bone in my body aches to do more! Surely you can feel it too; even now this is the greatest feeling I have ever experienced, and this is just the beginning!”

“But when will it end?”

“Don’t you see?” Luna said, turning to face Celestia. “That’s the best part! I don’t know!”

She turned and cantered back into her room, weaving in and out between the piles, randomly moving objects around with her magic as she did.

“I can feel it even in acts as small as this!” she said. “And there is so much more that can be done! The world we live in is so vast, so impossible to quantify! We have the power to do almost anything, and we could spend an eternity exploring all the possibilities! I don’t think I could ever tire of this! It’s just so much… so much fun!”

Now you sound like Discord, Celestia thought. She didn’t dare say it out loud, though, unable to bring herself to say that name in front of Luna. She closed her eyes, hanging her head in defeat. For over seven hundred years she had tried to keep even the idea of that creature away from her sister, but ultimately it had all been for nothing.

Luna then approached Celestia, lifting her head up so their eyes met again. Luna’s expression was suddenly serious, pleading.

“Sister, I ask that you listen to me,” she said. “I don’t know what happened at the empire, and what changed. But whatever it was, you are right about one thing. Our place is together. It would not be right for me to do this without my sister by my side. This is something that we should both be able to benefit from. We must put aside whatever has pushed us apart and work with each other.

“Celestia, you are, and will always be my sister. I don’t want that to ever change. Please say you will give this a try. For me.”

Celestia stared into Luna’s eyes. Her instincts told her to say yes, to do anything to keep her sister happy, but she had seen where that would lead. Equestria had come within moments of being thrown into absolute chaos once before. That could not be allowed to happen again.

Slowly, she lifted herself back up to her full height and looked sadly down at Luna.

“I have listened,” she said. “Now please listen to me. This is too much. The nation will never be able to survive if you do this. You will only bring pain and suffering to Equestria. We have sworn to protect our ponies in any way we can, so you must understand why I can never agree to this. Please, I beg you, release the sun and let the world continue as it should.”

Silence fell in the chamber and the two princesses stared into each other’s eyes. Celestia felt her heart breaking as she watched Luna’s do the same.

“How has this happened?” Luna asked. “How have we fallen so far? You used to stand by me through anything. What could have turned you so completely against me? It’s like you’re not even my sister any more!”

“Luna, please…”

“No!” Luna backed up, panic filling her eyes. “Stay away from me! I don’t know what you are, but I can’t let you ruin my plans! There is too much at stake! If you won’t stand with me, then I will find somepony who will! Then you will understand!”

She knelt down, closing her eyes, and with a burst of light from her horn she disappeared.

Celestia ran back out onto the balcony and leapt into the air, scanning the horizon in all directions, but there was no sign of her sister anywhere. Luna was gone.

~ ~ ~

For what would have been more than a day, Celestia followed her sister across the land. Despite everything they still had a magical connection to each other, and she was able to use this to work out approximately where Luna had gone. The rest she had to work out from the ponies she met.

Her journey led her across the length and breadth of Equestria, visiting dozens of towns and villages. Everywhere she went the ponies were confused and panicked by the absence of the sun. Her arrival did little to calm their nerves after the last visitor they had had, though.

In each village she was asked the same questions: “What’s happening?” “What happened to Princess Luna?” “Why is she doing this?”

But over time the questions changed, the ponies more and more confused. “Who was that?” they asked. “Why is this happening to us?” “What was that thing?”

Celestia did everything she could to try and reassure them, to tell them that everything would return to normal eventually, but she was having a hard time even believing that herself. Luna must have travelled to every city in central Equestria trying to preach her vision, but all she had succeeded in doing was spreading terror throughout the population. They were almost unable to recognise her, she had changed so much.

When Celestia finally caught up with her, she was in the village of Baltimare. Spiralling down towards the settlement Celestia could see her in the main street, surrounded by a mob of angry ponies. The confrontation looked like it was moments away from exploding, so Celestia fired a flare from her horn in an attempt to draw the ponies’ attention. Luna saw it too and for a moment their eyes locked onto each other, then she turned and bolted through the crowd, running towards the edge of the village.

Celestia swooped down, soaring over the heads of the ponies below, following her sister’s path. They watched her pass silently, longing to get answers, but she couldnt stop. She knew she had to find Luna as soon as she could.

But then a sound caught her attention. In the crowd below her, just where Luna had pushed through, a colt was crying.

She came to a halt and settled down on the ground, lying down next to the young pegasus and covering him with her wing.

“I’m scared,” he said, looking up at her.

“I know,” Celestia replied, trying to sound as comforting as she could. “We all are. But this will pass, and I promise that thou shalt be safe.”

“But how can you be sure?” he asked.

I can’t, she thought to herself. The crowd was gathering around her now, waiting for her to say something, but she had no idea what she could tell them.

“Things like this aren’t supposed to happen,” the colt said. “Not in real life. This is like a nightmare, and I want to wake up.”

So do I, Celestia thought.

She looked down at the colt and did her best to smile.

“Go to your parents,” she said. “Stay with them, and thou shalt be protected. In the meantime I will do everything I can to set this right.”

She stood up, looking round at the gathered crowd.

“Ponies,” she called. “I know you are all scared. I know you have no idea what is happening. But I promise you that I am doing everything I can to try and cure the sickness which hath befallen the land. I give you my word that we will all wake up from this nightmare! You will see the sun rise again!”

The words felt empty, tinged with implications she hated to consider, but she had to say something. She hoped it might help bring a small spark of optimism back to these ponies. But there were no cheers, no rallying cries. The ponies were losing hope, and she realised that seeing Celestia herself unable to bring forth her own sun would not encourage them. Summoning her strength again, she turned and cantered after her sister, following the tracks left in the dirt.

~ ~ ~

The hoofprints eventually led Celestia to a small jousting ring built near the edge of the village. She vaulted over the gate and walked into the ring, loud metallic noises leading her towards a building at the far end.

She reached the door and pushed it open, finding herself in an armoury. Luna was in the back, frantically trying to fasten a helmet over her head.

“Sister,” Celestia said as she entered.

Luna whirled round, backing into the wall. “Don’t call me that!” she screamed. “Stay away from me, you monster!”

In the dim light of the torches on the wall, Celestia could see that Luna had started to change, her very nature being warped by the new power that was slowly overtaking her. Her coat had turned jet black, absorbing all light which fell on it. Her mane and tail billowed in the air like mist, almost completely disconnected from her form and filled with a deep, endless void of stars. Her pupils had narrowed almost to slits, and her eyes looked like those of some strange, reptilian creature.

“Why are you doing this?” she shouted. “You’ve turned the entire nation against me! They’re so taken by your lies that they refuse to listen to anything I tell them!”

She cowered down on the ground, covering her head with her hooves.

“Every minute I can feel the power growing stronger,” she said. “It’s clearer than ever that this is what I have to do, but nopony will listen to me! When I show them the power I’ve found, that I want to share with them, they attack me! They hurl insults and curses at me, come at me with pitchforks, and demand that I leave!

“They used to revere me!” she continued. “I was their princess, their protector, and they loved me! But you stole all that away from me! And if that wasn’t enough, now you come after me yourself! Why? What do you want from me?”

Celestia shook her head. “I’m not here to hurt you,” she said. “You don’t need to fear me. All I want is for you to listen.

“I didn’t do any of this. You drove the ponies away yourself. I tried to warn you that they would never agree to this, that this would bring them nothing but pain, but you didn’t listen.

“I want to help you, Luna,” she continued. “I really do, but I can’t if you keep fighting me like this. Please, if you would only work with me, I can make sure your ponies learn to love you again. It will take effort on both our parts, but I promise you that it will be worth it.”

She waited patiently, hoping that some part of her sister may remain, that the old Luna may be still in there somewhere, willing to listen.

Luna squirmed restlessly on the floor, trying to move as far from her sister as she could, refusing to say anything. Celestia started to move towards her, wanting to comfort her, but the fear she was showing made Celestia hesitate.

Then something snapped. Something changed subtly, and Luna went still. Her chest raised and lowered as her breathing turned steady, slow, unnervingly calm.

“No,” she said, lifting herself onto her hooves and walking slowly forward to face her sister. She now towered over Celestia, her face set with new determination.

“Stop pretending you’re trying to help me,” she said. “You have done nothing but stand in my way since this began. I don’t wish to fight you, Celestia, but if you continue to hold me – to hold the nation – back, then you will leave me no choice.”

She marched past Celestia, out into the arena, then turned to face her sister again.

“For what little our sisterhood is still worth,” she said, “I will offer you this chance. I am returning to Canterlot to continue my preparations for Equestria’s new age. If you do anything to try and stop me I will retaliate, and the power I have at my disposal now is more than enough to destroy you. So, for both of our sakes, I ask you to leave Equestria. I care not where you go, just leave this place and let it grow under my care. If you choose to return, you will either cooperate or die. I see no other way this can end. Goodbye, Celestia.”

A black cloud rose up from the ground, completely enveloping Luna. The churning mass of vapour lifted into the air, before flying off east in the direction of the citadel.

Celestia found herself completely alone for the second time in as many weeks. Luna had left, no longer caring if the two of them ever saw each other again. But worse, the sister she once knew had disappeared long before. The pony she had talked to was not the one she used to know. She had absolutely no idea if she would be able to save her sister any more, but at the very least there may still be time to save the rest of the kingdom.

Tears came to her eyes as she looked up at the sky, at the still-present satellite. After all these centuries of waiting it had finally, inevitably, come to this. She would have to confront her own sister and, one way or another, the moon would fall.

As she walked out of the arena she started to feel profoundly exhausted, the events of the long night catching up with her all at once. The urge to just curl up on the ground and fall asleep began to fill her mind, but was interrupted as a pair of pegasi cantered up to her, the colt she had met before trailing close behind.

“Princess, are you okay?” the colt’s mother called. “What happened?”

Celestia just shook her head, unable to summon words.

“Is there anything we can do?” the father said. “We’ve no idea what’s going on, but if we can help in any way, we will.”

The princess slowly looked up at the three ponies, and managed to smile at the kindness they were showing even at a time like this.

“Thank you,” she said, “but there really isn’t anything that…”

The sentence caught in her throat as the fatigue hit again. She looked down at her legs, almost ready to buckle under her.

“A bed,” she said. “And a meal. Please. I will need all my strength for what is to come.”

The two ponies nodded, then took Celestia under their wings and led her to their home.

~ ~ ~

Twelve hours later, Celestia was woken and given a full breakfast. It wasn’t much compared to what she would have been able to have at the castle, but at the moment it was a blessing to receive anything. She felt strengthened by the spirit of kindness in which it had been offered, but was still far from feeling prepared for what was to come.

After putting on her tiara and peytral again she thanked her hosts and said goodbye, then walked out into the night.

The village was dark and silent. A few ponies milled about in the street, trying to go about their business, but they were all too confused and weary. A few of them looked up at Celestia as she passed, staring at her with blank eyes, before continuing on their way.

On her way out of Baltimare she passed the jousting ring again. She walked over to the armoury and pushed the door open, looking round at the suits of armour hanging from the racks inside. Her own sister had come her less than a day ago seeking protection from her, and now she found herself in the same position. Luna had the forces of Chaos at her disposal, and with the amount of chaos she had managed to create in such a short time, she could be a force to be reckoned with.

With a heavy heart, Celestia picked up one of the larger armour sets and began fastening it to her body. She found replacements for the horseshoes she had left in Canterlot, but made sure to leave space for her own tiara and peytral. Whatever Luna said, she was still a princess of this kingdom, and if she abandoned them then there would be no hope left.

When she was ready, she left the armoury again and took off into the dark sky, flying slowly toward her home.

~ ~ ~

Nearly an hour’s flight brought Celestia within view of the Canterlot. She perched atop a cloud looking down at the city, and was relieved to see that it still looked as it always had. Luna hadn’t chosen to exert her will on the city itself yet.

But despite this the city itself had clearly undergone a change. Even from here it felt cold and dead, all the happiness having been washed out of it. The ponies here knew very well that something terrible had happened.

Celestia jumped off the cloud and swooped down to the city, landing in the middle of the main thoroughfare. The whole place was deserted. Given the continued night-time this didn’t look unusual, but in this case the absence of ponies was fuelled by fear, and she could feel it in the air.

“Sister?” she called as she walked along the street towards the castle’s gates. “Sister, are you there?”

There was no response, but her calls drew the attention of some of the city’s residents, who peered out through their curtains into the street below.

“Sister!” she called again. “If you can hear me, Luna, then come out and speak to me!”

“Princess!” a voice called from a nearby alley.

Celestia stopped and looked over. She saw, peering out of the shadows, one of her royal guards.

“Lieutenant Halberd?” she replied, moving over to talk to him. “What are you doing out here?”

Halberd edged back into the alley, gesturing for the princess to follow.

“You shouldn’t have returned,” he said when they were both hidden again. “Luna’s put a price on your head. Anypony would be pretty stupid to try and claim the bounty, but everypony’s terrified at the moment and scared ponies can do stupid things.”

“Is it really that bad already?” Celestia said, the lieutenant nodding in response. “Tell me what happened here,” she continued.

Halberd sighed, hanging his head. “Princess Luna returned to the castle yesterday – if you could call it that – and immediately declared that any staff and guards still loyal to you were banished from the city. That was all of us, I might add,” he said, shrugging. “A few other ponies managed to leave as well, and Prince Caspar volunteered to lead them all to safety, but then she sealed the gates. The rest of us have been trapped since.”

“Why did you remain behind?” she asked.

“I’d sooner die than abandon my family,” he said. “If they can’t leave, then I won’t either.”

Celestia nodded, smiling. “How are they handling this?” she asked.

Halberd shrugged and gave a sigh. “As well as could be expected I guess,” he said. “The foals are taking it the worst; they’re too young to understand what’s happening. And I can’t exactly help them because I don’t really understand it myself. They…”

He paused, looking up at the sky. “They call it the Nightmare Moon,” he said. “Won’t go to sleep while it’s still there. I can’t say I blame them, really; there’s something… unnatural about it. But it’s more than that; it’s like…”

He trailed off, scratching his leg awkwardly.

“Please, speak freely,” Celestia said. “I know this is my sister we are discussing, but I need any information you can give me.”

Halberd sighed. “Nothing she’s doing makes any sense,” he said. “And I don’t mean the fact that she’s… well, you know.”

Celestia nodded but stayed silent, letting him speak.

“I come from a long military family,” he continued. “My dad was teaching me about tactics and strategy even when I was a colt. Luna should know even more about it than I do, but nothing she’s doing adds up. She seems to want to hold us here, but she doesn’t have any military to back her up. And now she has us, she isn’t… doing anything with us. She’s just leaving us scared. Either she has a plan that she’s hiding from us, or she’s just making it up as she goes along. Honestly, I’m not sure which is worse.”

“Thank you for the information,” Celestia said. “Unfortunately none of this surprises me, but it would take too long to explain. I thank you for your concern for my wellbeing as well,” she continued, “but I had to return. I need to end this nightmare before it gets any worse.”

Halberd nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help, Princess?”

“There is,” Celestia replied. “Just go home to your wife and children. Keep them safe.”

She then turned, facing out of the alley into the deserted street again. “I have to face Luna alone,” she said. “I cannot allow anypony else to be harmed in this confrontation.”

“As you wish, Princess,” he replied. “Everypony here’s hoping you succeed, I’m sure.”

“Thank you,” Celestia said.

Halberd turned and began to walk away into the darkness, then paused. “Oh, and Princess?” he said. “If you can, please bring Luna back safely. I’ve served the two of you for many years now, and I hate to see her like this.”

“Me too, Lieutenant,” Celestia replied, hanging her head. She didn’t dare make it a promise, unsure if she would be able to keep it.

Halberd then disappeared back into the dark alleyways, and Celestia stepped back out into the street. She turned to face the castle; the windows were all dark apart from one, up near the highest point, where a faint light could be seen shining out from between the curtains.

Celestia closed her eyes and released a single pulse of magic, summoning her sister to her one final time.

Nothing happened at first, then the room in the castle suddenly went dark. Moments later, a plume of black smoke formed in the street in front of the castle gates. As quickly as it had appeared it was gone again, Luna standing in its place.

“You came back,” she said, her voice and expression stern.

“Of course I did,” Celestia replied. “This is my kingdom – our kingdom – and you are my sister. If I am to die here then so be it, but this is where I belong.”

“I gave you a chance,” Luna said. “I told you not to return. You should have listened.”

“So is this it, then?” Celestia asked, walking slowly towards her sister. “Are you going to kill me? Do I mean nothing to you any more?”

Luna sighed. “When I look at you,” she said, “I can remember what we used to mean to each other. We were so close as to be almost inseparable. We were completely dependent on each other.”

“So what changed?”

“We changed, sister,” she said. “I don’t know when it happened, but the warmth I used to feel when you were near is gone. I no longer need you. You no longer give me the strength you used to. Now all I see is the pony who stands in my way.

“Just look at this place!” she shouted, waving a hoof through the air. “Every minute this night continues the world grows stronger! All your daytime ever did was rob us of this power which we should have been harnessing! I can see, clearer than ever, that the world doesn’t need your day any more. It doesn’t need you.”

The world needs light! It needs stability! The power you’re feeling will destroy everything! Counterarguments piled up in Celestia’s mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to say any of them. There was no reasoning with a mind like this. But even if she couldn’t argue, she needed to know just how far gone Luna was.

“If that is the case,” she said, lifting herself up to her full height and spreading her wings out, “then do what has to be done.”

Luna nodded, then knelt down, aiming her horn at Celestia. She let her magic charge, then fired a single bolt of raw energy along the street at her sister.

There was a bright flash of light. The spell shot down the empty street, crashing into a large flowerpot and throwing shards of pottery everywhere.

Faces began to appear in windows everywhere, drawn by the commotion. Luna galloped up the empty street, searching everywhere for her vanished sister. But then the gazes of the onlookers turned her attention to the sky, where Celestia was hovering high above the city.

“Come down and face me!” She screamed into the air. Celestia didn’t respond, and just waited.

There was another flash, and Luna appeared before her.

“I did not come here to fight you,” Celestia said.

“Then why did you return?” Luna said.

“Because you are my sister,” Celestia replied. “I still love you, and I will do anything I can to have you back. I came here to help you.”

Luna immediately fired burst after burst of magic at her sister. “I! Do! Not! Need! Your! Help!” She yelled between shots.

Celestia dodged back and forth through the air, firing counterspells to catch each of the bursts before they hit.

“Everypony needs help sometimes!” Celestia shouted back. “Even we do! We cannot live in this world without the help and support of others! You must remember this!”

They continued to fire spells at each other, Luna attacking and Celestia countering, the force of the exchange pushing the two of them further and further from each other. Far below them ponies emerged into the streets, watching the battle above them.

“That may have been true once,” Luna yelled over the roar of the spells, “but so much has changed! Look at me! I have access to power like nothing you’ve ever seen! I don’t need you or anypony else to help me now!”

“Then why wait?” Celestia shouted. “If you are so powerful, why hold back? You could just kill me now and be done with it!”

“I want you to understand what you are missing!” Luna responded. “It makes no sense that you would still resist! You could be gaining so much, but you continue to be so stubborn!”

Luna fired a long, continuous burst of magic, torrents of fire pouring from her horn and rushing towards Celestia.

She reacted in an instant, pulling herself tight into a ball and throwing a shield spell around herself. She could feel the heat of the fire burning inches from her, searing the exposed parts of her body. Only her polished armour was able to protect her from the worst of the onslaught.

Then the torrent passed. Celestia collapsed the shield again and was about to turn and face her sister, when she saw the fire continuing through the sky away from her, slowly falling towards the city.

Celestia’s eyes went wide as she saw the ponies far below, running through the streets in panic, trying to find cover. Without a second thought she abandoned the battle and swooped down, intercepting and extinguishing each tongue of fire before it could hit the city below.

Eventually she managed to catch the last of the fireballs, but as she did so a terrible realisation hit her. Worse, she knew with certainty that her sister would have realised it at exactly the same moment.

Please, no.

She spun round and looked back up at her sister, but it was too late. Luna had indeed seen it. No doubt she had felt the chaos the fire had caused as well, but for a single moment Celestia had shown a weakness. A weakness which could be exploited.

Moments later, fire began to rain down from Luna’s horn. It fell in all directions, pouring towards the city below. Celestia darted back and forth through the sky firing shield spells, water jets, anything she could to keep the city below safe. The onslaught lasted for nearly a minute until Celestia was being stretched to her limits, all of her concentration being taken up just to stop the fire reaching the houses.

Then all of a sudden it stopped, the sky turning deathly silent. Celestia turned in mid-air, looking back up towards Luna, just as a stunning spell collided with her wing.

She fell out of the sky, her one good wing flapping in a desperate attempt to keep her aloft. She hit the ground in the middle of the City’s park, rolling to a stop at the bottom of a grassy hill. Her body bruised, her armor dented, she lay on the ground barely able to move.

Luna circled down to the ground, landing a short distance from her fallen sister.

“You can see now that I am not playing games,” she said. “I was serious in my threats, and I will carry them out if I need to. But it should not be necessary to kill you. I offered you a place in this new age, but your stubbornness forced you to refuse. Just say yes and I will allow you a place here along with your fellow ponies. You can in time benefit from this new power, as will they all. This is your final chance.”

Celestia lay on the ground, drawing spluttering breaths. Her entire body ached from the fall.

She remembered back to the day, all those centuries ago, when it felt like she had pushed through the pits of Tartarus to reach Everfree, to try and stop Discord before it was too late. But that was different. The pain that day had been so much worse, the damage to Harmony sucking the life out of her as she ran, but back then she had wanted to fight. She had wanted to do anything to stop Discord, to save the nation and protect her sister.

But it had been for nothing. The nation now hung on a knife-edge, moments away from beginning an irreversible descent into chaos. Worse still, her sister stood before her, already lost. She was losing sight of how the world could ever return to normal. She no longer wanted to fight. She just wanted to wake up.

“What is your choice, Celestia?” Luna asked.

Gathering what remained of her strength Celestia slowly picked herself up, lifting herself off the ground one hoof at a time. She limped forward to her sister, her wing trailing across the grass at her side.

Luna was right. This was her final chance. If this were ever to end, it would have to be now.

Bowing her head to Luna, she closed her eyes and began to release the clasps on her borrowed armour. The dented plates fell to the ground one by one, lying in the dirt at her hooves. She slipped her shoes off and took the final few steps forward until she was nose-to-nose with Luna.

“You have been far more generous with my life than you ever needed to be,” she said. “I hope this is because somewhere inside you still know that I am your sister, and that we should not be fighting. I know this myself, more than anything else, so I will give you what you want.”

With her magic, she lifted her tiara off her head, placing it on the ground between them.

“I stand here before you,” she continued, “not as a princess, or as your enemy, but simply as your sister.”

“Is this it?” Luna asked. “Are you finally surrendering?”

Celestia didn’t answer the question, lowering her head as she removed her peytral and lay it on the ground next to the tiara.

“I am doing what I have always done,” she continued. “I am standing by you, protecting you, keeping you safe from all harm. Even now, as fate has pushed us apart, as you have lost touch with your love for this world, I will always love you unconditionally.”

As she spoke, she silently lifted five spheres of crystal up out of the lining of her peytral.

“And so,” she said, “for what I am about to do, I am truly sorry.”

Celestia’s horn pulsed, magic flared out of the crystals, and the world melted away around them.

~ ~ ~

The universe opened up before Celestia. She could feel every spirit flowing past her, connected in an intricate web. And there, still connected to her by a single, thin strand, was her sister’s spirit.

What is this? Luna’s voice echoed in her mind. What have you done?

I hope that I am saving you, she responded. I feared that I would one day need to wield the Elements on my own, without your love to fuel me. So I had these crystals forged centuries ago in the Crystal Empire. Each is connected to one of the Elements of Harmony, and enchanted with the necessary magic for me to be able to summon and fuel them on my own.

Why would you do this? Luna’s voice screamed. You betrayed me!

No, Celestia replied. I could never betray you.

She searched everywhere through Luna’s spirit, the two new Elements at last giving her the clarity to single it out from the crowd. It was such a familiar place, almost a mirror image of her own. But it was broken, disconnected, the bond holding the two of them together one of its few remaining connections to the rest of the world.

There were gaps everywhere. It was being torn apart, falling further and further into chaos. The Elements swarmed through Luna’s mind, latching onto the gaps, preventing them from widening any more.

But they stopped there. Celestia tried to push them, willing them to close the gaps, to heal her sister’s mind, but nothing happened. The Elements went cold and inert, refusing to be moved by her will.

I can’t do it, she thought.

Of course you can’t! Luna shouted back. There is nothing to do! This is what is supposed to happen!

No, Celestia replied. It can’t be. There must be more.

What more can there be? Even with the Elements of Harmony you can’t beat me!

No, there is more, Celestia continued. There will be another awakening. I have already seen it.

That had to be it. The Elements had only ever truly succeeded in their aims when wielded by their true bearers. If a sixth were to awaken, that might be enough. But how long would that take?

You’re grasping at straws! Luna shouted. You’re looking to powers you can’t possibly hope to control in your misguided attempts to stop me! And what are you even expecting to happen? When you release me from this, I will kill you immediately! You know that!

No.

What?

I said no, Celestia replied. I must do anything I can to protect my nation, even if that means protecting it from you. I cannot release you. Not yet.

Then what? What will you do?

The only thing I can do, Celestia said. For your own protection, as well everypony else’s. Goodbye, my sister. I am truly sorry.

Her sister’s screams died away as she withdrew from Luna’s mind. Celestia then severed the bond that connected the two of them, followed by all but one of the Luna’s remaining ties to the outside world. With only that single, ancient connection to the moon left, Celestia retreated fully.

~ ~ ~

The world reformed around Celestia. The rest of the park was completely deserted. Luna was gone.

Dressing herself again she turned and left the park, walking back across the city. Ponies were emerging into the street again, coming up to her, asking questions, but she couldn’t hear any of them. Her world felt muted, empty.

There were screams from around them as some ponies looked up to the sky, pointing to the distant moon. Celestia continued walking through the panicked crowd, ignoring everything.

She opened the palace gates with her magic and walked inside. In a trance she walked through the empty corridors, up the long staircase and into her room.

Standing alone on the balcony, she stared up at the moon. She stayed there in silence for a long time, looking into the eye of the ghostly apparition that now covered its surface.

“Please forgive me,” she said. “I don’t think I can.”

Her horn pulsed. Slowly the moon began to move again, descending toward the horizon. Her sister’s image glared back at her in silence until the last of its light disappeared behind the distant hills.

…and the moon will fall.

With another burst of magic, she lifted the sun up in the east. She felt a wave flow through Harmony, millions of ponies across the land all cheering in unison, but couldn’t bring herself to join them.

Her energy slowly faded away and, laying down on the balcony, she cried.

Comments

[zero588]

A powerfully moving chapter