Princess Celestia woke with a start, gasping as she sat bolt upright. Her heart hammered against her chest as she struggled to take deep breaths. Sweat dripped from her brow and soaked through the thin cotton blouse that covered her breasts.
She was still trapped. The darkness had never faded, it merely seemed to have grown larger, stretching in all directions. It was impossible to escape, but at least she could see where she was trapped in this nightmare.
The air smelled faintly of sulfur. There were no walls or any ceiling, just endless black nothingness, stretching out endlessly into the darkness.
Her breath came quicker now and sweat dripped off the tip of her nose. Her heart pounded so hard she thought she might be deafening herself.
“You can’t hide forever, Celestia!” her sister called from behind her, her voice echoing throughout the empty room. “You can run away, you can fight back, you can even scream
if that will make it hurt less! But you know what else? It won’t stop me!”
Princess Luna stepped closer and grabbed her foreleg with her magic, forcing Celestia to turn to face her sister. Tears streamed down the princess’s pale cheeks, her eyes widened in terror.
“You are mine, Celestia,” said Luna, tightening her grip on the pony princess’s leg. “And I intend to own you.”
Celestia screamed again and kicked Luna hard in the chest. Luna cried out and released her hold, stumbling backwards.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll lose your only friend,” said Luna, glaring back at her older sibling as she slowly straightened up. She looked angry and determined.
"It won’t do you any good.”
The pair stood there staring at each other, both shaking with fear. Neither dared move as Luna continued to watch her sister with intense, angry eyes. Finally, Celestia dropped onto her side, curled up into a ball.
Light. Blinding light.
Again. It happened again. Another dream, another nightmare. A thousand years have passed since the banishment, and yet, so much still lingered on, so much still on her mind...
Princess Celestia stood up from her spacious, royal bed and went downstairs through a long, spiral staircase. It was today that her search would start. The search for something she should've looked for long ago. The search for a scroll that might, just possibly, turn back the turn of events... or, if she was really lucky, maybe even prevent them entirely. She walked through a large, brightly lit hallway and approached the kitchen where the cooks always waited for her.
When she got inside the dining hall and took her usual seat, she saw an enormous feast spread before her. Servants lined up with platters full of delicious food, waiting patiently for her attention. She smiled shyly and lowered her gaze to her plate.
"Celestia," one of the servants whispered. "Have some wine."
A small glass of white wine appeared next to Celestia's hooves as she lifted it to her mouth. She sipped it and nodded at the servant with gratitude. The servant returned with a second glass and placed it near Celestia's lap.
As the servants left the room, Celestia sighed deeply and leaned back in her chair. She needed to be well fed for the journey afoot... It was almost time to leave.
The sound of footsteps made Celestia jump slightly and she glanced toward the door nervously. When she heard the soft click of horseshoes approaching, she relaxed ever so slightly.
"Princess!" said a familiar voice. Princess Celestia turned around and grinned when she saw Twilight Sparkle.
She was wearing her favorite purple dress with golden embroidery, as usual. This time, however, she was holding a bouquet of flowers wrapped tightly in brown paper with her magic. "You're going to need this," she said blankly with a wide, friendly smile. "Or, well, at least you can use a little smile before you set off."
Celestia laughed, taking the flowers gently with both of her hooves. She knew she couldn't wear them on the trip through Equestria, but it was nice seeing that Twilight thought to bring them to her anyway. "Thank you, my dear. This is lovely..."
"Well, it's not exactly traditional, but it'll have to do," said Twilight as she sat down across from Celestia and began unwrapping the flowers. "I'd hoped we'd find some roses, but these are fine. At least they weren't wilting."
Celestia nodded, before slowly heading past an ever so slightly disappointed Twilight. Normally so considerate of everypony else's feelings, currently, Celestia couldn't help but focus her mind oh so utterly on something completely different.
Snow. Blizzard. Storm. Princess Celestia had forgotten how cold Equestria could get at times. It felt like the cold wind blowing against Celestia would freeze her right to the bone. She shivered and hugged her cloak closer around herself, hoping to ward off more of the chill.
This trip wouldn't be easy. She had come here specifically because of something she needed to retrieve; her scroll. But there were several problems. First, the scroll itself could just as well not exist anymore. In fact, its location was unknown to her. Second, she could almost sense the Nightmare nearby, lurking behind the corner and watching her. Her, or maybe her minions, not yet banished for a lack of location... at this point, who really knows. And lastly, the entire reason she had come was because, according to the records, there was a great danger coming upon her kingdom: Nightmare Moon's return. If she didn't turn back what happened soon... not only her psyche, but the entirety of Equestria would face a downfall. She was certain of that much.
In order to fulfill her destiny, she needed to defeat Nightmare Moon and restore balance to the realm. She was sure, once the unicorn princess was defeated and returned home, that everything would go back to normal. But, there was another problem; the scroll itself.
The scroll had been lost for centuries after the fall of the Evil Queen usurper, Eternal Flame. Many speculated that she, along with a few others, died during the attack by the evil forces. Others theorized she disappeared, leaving a trail of dead unicorns.
Celestia shook her head once and twice; this was not the time for such demoralising thoughts. She had to get to the scroll, as soon as possible... for the Eve of the thousandth year was approaching soon as it came.
Celestia stepped through a cave filled with looming dripstone. according to her only source, this is where the scroll was last seen.
She looked around the dark, dripping cavern, trying her hardest to keep the growing sense of dread from creeping across her face. Even though her memories remained vague, she knew this place well enough; she had been here so long ago, though for what purpose remained beyond her.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tall shadow loomed over her. She gasped and spun around to face the source, only to see nothing there. Only then did she realize that the shadows that surrounded her were actually the same shadowed forms that had once hung menacingly above the castle... ones she herself battled, ones she thought she had sent to the Moon together with her sister oh so fallen.
Now, they simply loomed over her menacingly.
One creature suddenly moved towards her. She flinched and tried to step back only to collide into another wall.
"Why have you come to us?" he said. His voice sounded as old as the rocks surrounding them.
"I... have a business with you, mighty Guardian of Balance," uttered the Princess, quickly quessing her interlocutor's identity. "For the fate of all of Equestria... I need to fiddle with time."
"Fiddling with time is a dangerous practice," warned the Guardian. "It means giving up your control over life and death itself, oh Princess." He stopped moving and narrowed his piercing blue eyes at her.
Celestia shook her head. "You are no longer under the rule of Eternal Flame the Rebel," She glared back angrily. "I can maintain control. Please. Give me the scroll."
"Is that why you've come here? To have the Rebel crisis possibly occur again? To have the sorceress harass and subjugate me once more? To have to journey here, to the most remote place in the Frozen North, to free me again?" the Guardian seeped, returning Celestia some of her memory.
That was why she had come here the first time... to free the Guardian from the clucthes of what remained of the Nightmare. Clenching her teeth, Celestia spoke up once more.
"Noble Guardian. I believe that with the sacred scroll, I can traverse back to the day my sister was banished. I can turn back the way of events. Prevent the Darkness from spreading altogether!"
"Then show me your power," the Guardian said with a sudden change in tone. "Show me your true power."
Slowly but surely, Celestia's eyes glowed gold, and the air around her grew warmer and heavier. Soon her body was enveloped in a thick layer of ice crystals. The shadows receeded back as the Princess' glow slowly dissipated.
"Y-you posses Crystal magic?" the Guardian stuttered, mumbling a bit to himself. "But... with the Empire banished..."
"My means are beyond your comprehension, entity," Celestia seeped, lighting up her horn in threat. "Now, give me back my scroll!"
The Guardian remained quiet for quite some time. Finally, he raised a single finger and pointed directly at Celestia.
"You... you! And I thought of you as my saviour!" the shadows seeped, as if through raw tears. "The scroll is behind you... but I will make sure you don't misuse it."
Celestia turned around, finding the now-materialised piece of paper. Taking it from the floor, she examined it for signs of deterioration that could hinder the contents. Quietly muttering every word as clearly as she could, Celestia lit up her horn.
And so, without any fuss, the Princess vanished from the dim spaces of the caves below.
