On the plea of her sister, Princess Luna spared the life of Opaline Arcana. Now ruling alone, Nightmare Moon must correct her mistake.
In the ancient past, when the world struggled to recover from the Reign of Discord, the lands that would become Equestria were in ruin. Tyrants, monsters, and warlords had risen, promising order in their petty domains but delivering brutality. One such domain was the Alicorn Supremacy, an oppressive regime whose subjects languished under a ruling class entirely of alicorns led by the self-proclaimed Suzerain Supreme Opaline Arcana.
War would soon come to the Alicorn Supremacy, as the neighbouring realm of Equestria under the leadership of the peacemaker Celestia and the warrior Luna resolved to end its tyrannical rule. The bloody conflict between the two realms raged for years, with the Equestrians making definite, costly progress. Yet with Equestrian victory imminent, Equestria's two leaders were divided on what to do with the defeated tyrant.
Over a thousand years later, Equestria was ruled solely by the younger sister, known then as Empress Nightmare Moon. Her forces stood triumphant and resistance to her rule was systematically crushed with an iron hoof. With victory over the scattered Celestials practically assured, Nightmare Moon learns that Opaline Arcana still lives, and may pose a threat to her burgeoning Empire. But as Nightmare Moon goes to correct her mistake, she finds herself facing not only her old foe but a truth impossible to accept.
Takes place in my New Lunar Millennium alternate universe. More information can be found here, but no prior knowledge of my AU is required to read this story.
Diluculum, the 22nd day of September. 20 years Before Lunar Banishment. Verdath Meadow
Opaline awoke to the smell of ash and blood, the pungent fumes funnelling into her sinuses like a flowing stream of despair.
Amidst the smouldering fires, shattered stone, and bloody corpses in the scorched remains of a meadow, she gathered what strength she had left to crawl out from her ditch. Her legs felt like jelly, barely able to carry her. Cuts and bruises were strewn across her body, every motion she made causing a tinge of pain to dance across her nerves. The braids in her mane had unfurled, leaving her hair filthy and matted with dirt and blood. Her limp wings uselessly dragged through the mud. Attempting to push magic through her horn yielded nothing but sparking embers.
Barely an hour after dusk, the Equestrians launched their attack, personally led by their Warmaster, Princess Luna. In spite of everything, in spite of the undeniable supremacy of the alicorn race, in spite of the fact that Opaline commanded more than a dozen alicorns and the Equestrians were led by two, and in spite of the gigantic army of mortal slaves she had raised, the Equestrians had overwhelmed them. After years of war between Equestria and the Alicorn Supremacy, the tactics of the Equestrian legions were refined and mastered to the point where a few dozen well-organised and coordinated mortal soldiers could kill an alicorn with few losses. With the very best of the Equestrian soldiery mustered at this battle, the last alicorns were dropping like flies. While the Equestrians constantly adapted to face their foe, the alicorns of the Supremacy stagnated, assured that their place in the natural hierarchical order would guarantee victory.
Worthless, Opaline considered her subordinate alicorns. They were unable to corral the pathetic mortals of this realm; such power was wasted on them and their feeble lives. She had united the alicorns who remained scattered in this world after the Exodus War nearly wiped all of them off the face of the earth, only to find they were unworthy. But the contempt for her ineffective minions barely held a candle to the disgust she felt towards Luna and especially Celestia. They claimed not to ‘rule’, but to ‘lead’ and ‘teach’. They treated their subjects with a fallacious and always dishonest presumption of mutual respect between leader and follower, an attitude that betrayed the reality of their strength.
Alicorns were always destined to be the masters of this realm, always. That these two would dare insult their kind by destroying the greatest realisation of this truth was not just shameful, but utterly deplorable. Traitors of the absolute worst sort, Opaline thought of them, sending their kind hurtling towards oblivion. If the assuredness in her own supremacy didn’t give her the strength to crawl on, then the disgust she held for Equestria surely did. By this point, she thought there were no alicorns left in this world worthy of their alicornhood other than her.
A set of hooves crashed down into the dirt in front of Opaline, splattering mud on her face. She looked up and saw the panicked, sweat-covered, scarred face of Auctoritas, one of the few half-reliable alicorns under her command. It was immediately clear that the battle had taken a toll on him; feathers fell from his wings as his shattered regalia hung from his body, pieces of his horn were chipped, and his coat, once a pristine pale violet, had been stained brown.
“Your Supremacy!” he panted. He extended a hoof to Opaline, which she tried to reach up to take. “We must get out of here, she is coming - Aagh!”
The swing of the blade was audible for a moment and visible for less. He collapsed, blood spilling from the stump where his left hind leg was once attached. Opaline gasped and instinctually pulled her hoof back. Desperately he flapped his wings to raise himself off the ground. Arcane light flared in his horn as he turned his head. A moment too late, the blade returned and stabbed clean through his head. Opaline flinched. The tip of the bloodstained blade was close enough to splatter blood onto Opaline herself. The blade was slowly retracted and Auctoritas fell to the floor, presenting Opaline with a clear view of Princess Luna.
Black armour protecting her body, the Warmaster of Equestria stood tall with her wings spread wide as light from the rising sun filtered through the feathers of her wings. By her side, she held her magnificent broadsword in her arcane grasp. Its blade gleamed with a lustrous pink glow as it was forged under the fires of the Elements of Harmony, which allowed it to slice through alicorn flesh and bone.
Opaline’s eyes bulged upon seeing Luna. “You - ugh!” she tripped. Her face met the dirt. She seethed through gritted teeth. “You!” she barked whilst pushing herself out of the mud and jabbing a hoof towards Luna, her boiling contempt momentarily giving her the strength to make a show of resilience.
With her target laid before her, Luna had no words. This monster was not worthy of words. This campaign had been the hardest fought in the struggle to unite the ponies of Equus, as they had faced a realm ruled by an elite class of alicorns. Ruling with an iron hoof, treating sentient beings as property, denying the common pony of the most basic autonomy or happiness. Opaline’s reign of terror had gone on too long and Luna had resolved that it would end today.
“Everything I have built here, you have ruined!” Opaline yelled, propped up only by her shuddering forelegs as her hindlegs were entirely limp. “All to perpetuate the lies of your cretinous sister!”
Thinking to make the most of the moment, Luna began a slow walk towards Opaline. With her eyes locked on the dethroned tyrant, Luna attempted to present herself stoically, her lips were sealed shut and motionless,every step she took was cautious and precise. She held her sword close to the ground, turning it so that Opaline could see its shimmering enchantments and the fresh crimson coat that slowly dripped from the tip.
“You are a disgrace to our kind, denying the truth of our supremacy!” Opaline was foaming at the mouth.
As she got closer, Luna carefully raised her weapon, making her intent obvious as hot air rushed out of her nostrils. Usually, the condemned were granted a final word in Equestrian culture, but as far as Luna was concerned, Opaline’s ranting and raving went beyond what was permitted. Death would come to Opaline quickly, perhaps too quickly.
“Who are you to defy me?” Opaline screamed.
Letting the rage finally show on her face Luna swung to decapitate. Opaline braced.
Yet, the blade stopped inches away from Opaline’s neck.
Blinking, Luna’s jaw untensed. With the hilt of the blade held in her magic, Luna struggled to push the sword any closer to Opaline’s neck as the blade itself had been engulfed in a foreign, golden aura which stopped it dead. It wasn’t Opaline’s doing, it couldn’t have been. Her horn gave no signs of use, producing not even the littlest light. A fearful Opaline pushed herself away from the sword, and the uninvited aura faded. Had Luna not been stumped with confusion she’d have taken the chance to try another strike.
“Luna!” a voice called from behind, the voice of her sister.
“Celestia?” Luna whipped her head around. With the rising sun behind her, the gracefully tall Princess Celestia glided into view, landing just a few metres away from Luna. She wasn’t supposed to be here, Luna believed. “What are you doing here? You should be tending to the wounded,” Luna said, rapidly switching her gaze between Celestia and Opaline.
Celestia’s mighty wings were spread wide and her head was held high. Normally she’d have towered over any other equine, but with her height and wingspan at their greatest extent, it was downright intimidating to both Luna and Opaline. “Lower your weapon,” she commanded. “Enough blood has been spilt in this destructive conflict.”
The comment earned a scoff from Luna and a gasp from Opaline. “Surely, you jest!” said Luna, pulling a hoof up to her chest as she moved her head to the side.
Lowering her eyebrows, Celestia gazed down at Luna. “I do not, Luna,” she affirmed. “As a Princess of Equestria, you have a responsibility to uphold the principles of harmony. To execute another creature in cold blood, however despicable that creature may be, is anything but harmonious.”
“My responsibility is to the creatures who cry out for justice!” Luna seethed, taking a step towards Celestia and pointing her sword at Opaline. “To the ponies who languished in squalor due to her greed! To the ponies who fell victim to her brutality! To the soldiers who gave their lives to end it for good! Not to some inane notion of respectability and decorum, especially for a monster worthy of none!”
“I am invoking our pact.” Celestia asserted, cautiously raising a hoof. “You lead Equestria in war, I lead it in peace. Now that the war is over, those at our mercy become my responsibility.”
“This war will not be over as long as she lives!” Luna barked back. She turned herself back towards Opaline with her sword raised and ready to strike. Luna could see the contemptuous look on Opaline’s face had fallen, teeth chattering and eyes going wide as she shrank away from her imminent executioner. “If you do not wish to watch, go! Let me finish what must be done.”
“We are not murderers!” Celestia yelled with a stomp, startling Luna to the point that the sword nearly fell out of her aura. Celestia looked like she hadn’t realised how much she’d raised her voice, and she promptly calmed down. “Luna, please. Don’t do this. To take a life without necessity, you perpetuate the same cycle of violence we are trying to end. We must take her as our prisoner and treat her justly.”
“Mere imprisonment? For this monster?” Luna retorted. “In what world is that treating her justly? What of her victims? You know what she has done, what she is capable of!”
“Then we will strip her of her magic by using the Elements,” Celestia said. “Surely, that is a fair punishment? To inflict on her the same fate done to her victims?”
“It is not enough to merely punish her, sister!” Luna threw out a hoof. “As long as she lives, she is a threat to harmony. We have a chance now to ensure this threat never arises again. Should she escape captivity and regain her strength, and use that power as she already has, that is blood on our hooves! Now would you rather have the blood of a tyrant or the blood of her victims on your hooves? How can you assure an ultimate end to this danger without ultimate measures?” Luna took a step closer to Celestia, her voice loudening. “How can there be any other way to assure she never rises again?”
Celestia tenderly laid a hoof on Luna’s shoulder. Luna shuddered for a moment, but quickly settled and allowed her sister to speak. “I won’t let her,” Celestia said, folding her wings. “As long as I am a Princess of Equestria, not a single pony will fall victim to her rule again. This I promise, to you and to all our little ponies.”
Shrugging off Celestia’s hoof, Luna took a step back. She turned to look at Opaline, weak and enfeebled, barely able to lift a wing or cast simple spells. Yet behind Opaline’s eyes, Luna was sure she could see the cruel, callous evil of her ideology still burning strong, strong enough to match Luna’s then-suppressed anger. A flame that would surely burn and risk bringing devastation until it was snuffed out for good. She then turned back to her sister, their eyes meeting as Celestia presented her with a look of warm assurance, as certain as clear skies in summer assured a sunny day. If there were anypony in Equestria, or the whole world, who could keep a promise as monumental as that, it was Celestia. Unconvinced by her arguments, Luna couldn’t help but be convinced by her promise.
Luna released a quiet groan and bowed her head. “Very well,” she muttered. She swiftly wiped her sword clean of blood and returned it to its sheath. “I accept.”
Celestia smiled. “Thank you sister,” she said. Her warm expression faded as she turned to approach Opaline, glowering at the defeated despot. “Now let’s get this over with.”
Still immobile, Opaline growled at Celestia. “Princess Celestia,” she spat, using the remnants of her strength to glare daggers at the towering white alicorn. “The self-professed teacher of mortal ponies. It is sickening that - augh!”
Opaline’s taunt was cut off by a blast of magic from Celestia’s horn, hitting her square between the eyes. No physical marks were left, but Opaline’s eyes slowly closed as the few still and active parts of her body went limp. Both sisters moved to get a better look at Opaline, she was clearly still breathing but otherwise motionless.
Sighing, Celestia solemnly gazed over Opaline’s silent body. “The spell should keep her unconscious until dusk. That should be more than enough time to prepare the Elements of Harmony. Now, sister, I -”
“I shall retrieve the Elements,” Luna said, enveloping Opaline in her magic aura and lifting her out of the mud. “I was serious, by the way. You must tend to the wounded if you seek to prevent bloodshed.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow and loomed over Luna. “Can I trust you not to kill her?”
“I accept your terms,” Luna reiterated, her eyebrows low and lips quivering. “I won’t lay a feather on her unless it is absolutely essential. Now go.”
Celestia retracted herself, nodded, and took to the air, making her way to the hospital tents. Opaline’s fate had been left in Luna’s hooves.
With her sister out of sight, Luna turned to face Opaline. With the tyrant in her arcane grasp, Luna could feel just how much the battle had taken out of her. Opaline felt almost brittle, like a twig ready to be snapped in two. Her eyes, once burning with malice, were shut and still. But no matter how much Luna tried to force herself to feel an ounce of sympathy, all Luna could see when she looked at Opaline were the scars of her tyranny. Ponies drained of their magic, ponies forced to live lives of servitude, and now ponies robbed of justice by her sister’s petty moralism. Luna grit her teeth, magic flared in her horn. Her aura burst with intensity, tightening around Opaline, ready to snap her in half and -
She forced herself to stop and take a deep breath. Count to four, breathe in. Count to four, breathe out. The ritual hadn’t stopped Luna’s anger, but it was cooled enough to be pulled from the brink of boiling over, reducing it to a low fizzle. Opaline was still unconscious, her expression unchanged. There was a chance she didn’t even feel it. Difficult as it may have been to uphold, she had a commitment to her sister. She knew it would sting to leave Opaline alive, and thus to maintain her as a threat, but it would sting far more to violate her sister’s trust.
Luna launched herself and Opaline skyward and banked west. It was a long way to the Everfree.
Meridies, the 26th day of September. 20 years Before Lunar Banishment. Opalight
Amber fields of wheat stretched for miles all across the former territory of the Alicorn Supremacy, worked by dull-coated ponies of all tribes who were so skinny you could see their rib cages pressing against their skin.
Above the fields, Luna and Celestia flew side by side with their sight on a small collection of ramshackle peasant houses. In their respective auras, Luna carried crates of newly crafted construction equipment and farming tools, while Celestia carried sacks of diverse seeds and barrels of fresh food as well as an Equestrian flag. Though she knew she wouldn’t need it, Luna still carried her sword. Owing to their magical strength and ability to fly, they could carry far more supplies over much longer distances compared to the average pony. The sight of the pair streaking across the sky prompted the ponies on the ground below to flock to them.
Once the sisters gracefully touched down, they set their cargo before them and planted the flag. The resident peasant ponies, a little more than a couple dozen, formed an irregular circle around the princesses. Many of them were foals. While nopony was likely older than forty, even the younger adults appeared haggard and drained. The sisters knew it wasn’t enough to militarily seize the lands and declare it Equestrian territory, they had to ensure the welfare of the ponies who lived on it.
“Princesses!” one pony shouted in a croaky voice. “They have freed us!”
Like an instinct drilled into them since birth, the vast majority of the ponies fell to the ground in a deep kneel, practically shoving their snouts in the mud.
“Please, rise,” said Celestia. “There is no need to kneel.”
Appearing at first confused and shaken at Celestia’s request, the peasants exchanged glances at one another. Steadily, they rose to a usual stand.
“My little ponies,” Celestia spoke gently. “We come to you, not as conquerors or new rulers, but as protectors and as teachers. To satiate your immediate needs I have brought food, and to sustain you over the long-term I have brought seeds that you may use to grow a diverse set of crops. My sister Luna has brought the tools that will allow you to better your own lives. These are yours, do with them as you wish as long as you all prosper.”
A small number of peasants took tentative steps towards the delivered supplies. The sisters made no move to stop them.
Luna stepped forward. “We are aware that many of you have fallen victim to the cruel punishment of magic draining, and lack the materials or knowledge to utilise these tools to their full potential. To assist, we have ponies ready in the nearby town to teach you crucial skills, provide necessary materials, and show you the ways of Harmony. The town in question is a little more than twenty furlongs in that direction,” Luna explained, pointing west. “This we provide without an expectation of worship or glory. We ask nothing more from you other than that you respect the values of Harmony in your dealings with other ponies.”
A pony in the assembly wearily raised their hoof. “What’s Harmony?” the pony asked.
Luna took a step forwards, clearing her throat and holding her head up. “Harmony is both the dissolution of the ephemeral boundaries between souls and the highest expression of the individual soul. It is how hearts and minds interlace in an intricate choreography of understanding, compassion, and unity. It is the divine, universal truth, where oneness with the community and the natural world is attained,” she said, a smile had formed on her lips as she spoke.
The peasants shared confused looks, some scratching their heads. Luna’s smile faded.
Celestia stepped in front of Luna. “For you, Harmony is about ensuring a lasting peace and prosperity, resolving conflict cordially and fairly where possible, and treating others with respect,” she summarised. “As my sister said, there are ponies in the nearby town prepared to teach you the ways of harmony in greater detail, as well as how you may apply them to your daily lives.”
Nodding heads and earnest smiles met Celestia, as well as utterances of understanding.
“Is there anything else you require from us?” Celestia asked.
She was mostly met with shaking heads and gracious bows, as well as murmurs of ‘no, thanks’ or simply ‘thank you’.
Then a pegasus mare, her coat a dulled grey, rushed out of one of the village shacks with a bundle of assorted flowers in her mouth. She dashed up to the princesses, dropped the flowers at their hooves, and bowed. “Thank you so much, princesses!” she croaked. “For striking down that monster you have our eternal gratitude! May your reign be long and prosperous!”
Celestia motioned for the mare to stand up. “Please, we do not seek praise or glory, only what is best for -”
“Striking down that monster?” Luna butted in, poking her head forward.
“Word has come to our settlement, princesses!” the mare stood up, a delighted grin on her grey wrinkled face. “That you had slain the despicable Suzerain Supreme! Now she is gone forever, we are free of her!”
Both sisters suppressed their gasps, their wings flinching slightly. Luna looked up at Celestia, and Celestia looked back. Luna gave a tilt of her head, motioning for Celestia to speak. After all, it was Celestia’s decision to spare Opaline’s life, it was only right that she explain it. That is if she was going to explain it at all.
“We must leave now, our ponies need us,” Celestia said. “We bid you all farewell and promise you good fortune,” she finished, then took flight. Luna followed after her, looking below as the thankful peasants waved them goodbye.
It was true that they needed to leave, there were many more settlements that the pair had to deliver aid to. But Luna immediately saw that Celestia was dodging the inevitable confrontation that would come from telling the villagers of what had really been done with Opaline.
“The ponies cry for justice, Celestia,” Luna asserted, catching up to her sister and flying by her side. “Will you heed their calls?”
“Showing mercy to a conquered foe is not incompatible with justice,” Celestia dismissed.
“You cannot honestly believe that Opaline is worthy of mercy, or stars forbid, forgiveness!” Luna scoffed.
“Forgiveness, perhaps not. Forgiving her would not be our decision to make, that would be up to her victims,” Celestia admitted. “Choosing not to murder her in cold blood? That is absolutely a decision we can make.”
“What use is there in leaving her alive?” Luna returned. “To just sit in a lavish castle as a dormant threat? Or do you intend to execute her slowly, through deprivation of sustenance? Perhaps neither, and you hope that she may be redeemed one day. Is that it?”
Slowing her flight and looking at Luna, Celestia furrowed her brow. “You’re not going to do anything to her, are you?”
“I would not act behind your back,” Luna said. “But I do beg for you to change your mind about all this. No matter how I look at this, I cannot see the sense in it.”
Gliding to the ground, Celestia sighed. “Sometimes Luna, we have to adhere to certain principles, even if that may make us uncomfortable. Succumbing to simple outbursts of raw emotion in the moment may lead us to become what we hate.”
Luna remained unconvinced but chose to bite her tongue for the time being. They had touched down at their destination, the small town that acted as the centre of life for the whole surrounding area. At the entrance to the town, a sign bearing the town’s name lay shattered on the ground, its text barely legible.
“Opalight,” Luna read. “I doubt the town will retain this title.”
“Absolutely not,” Celestia agreed. “Renaming this place will be one of the first steps to wiping away the Supremacy’s legacy.”
Such a name was not a coincidence. It was imposed upon the small village once Opaline seized control as a sign of her dominance. All across the Supremacy’s former territory, towns and villages had their old local names wiped away and replaced with names of their alicorn rulers. Given that this village and the surrounding fields stood in the shadow of Opaline’s personal residence, she named it after herself. For the freed ponies to reclaim their lives, reclaiming the names of their homes was among the most simple yet vital steps to doing so.
Luna followed beside her sister as they strode into the village streets, abuzz with ponies working to ensure that food, clothing, medicine and magic revitalisation were distributed fairly amongst the freed village folk.
“This village was liberated by Commander Jade Lustre,” Luna noted. “Perhaps a new name could be in her honour? Jadley? Lustredale? I might speak with her about it. Have you any ideas?”
Quietly trotting on, Celestia took a moment to think it over. She turned to Luna to make her suggestion. “The locals call it Hayfield.”
“Hayfield?” Luna tilted her head with an eyebrow raised. “Sister, I have lost count of how many towns and villages named Hayfield we have liberated. Surely, we should give it a different name, something to reflect its unique history! To honour the heroes who rescued it from Opaline’s clutches and welcomed it into the realm of Equestria!”
“Yes, but in the minds of the common pony who lives here, this village has always been called Hayfield,” Celestia countered. “Even during Opaline’s rule, that is the name they used behind the backs of their oppressors. Ask any of the locals where they’re from, they’ll say they’re from Hayfield. Regardless, it is most definitely not our place to impose new names on freed lands, that choice should belong to the ponies who make their lives here.”
“Hm,” Luna shrugged. “Fair enough. Though the cartographers will absolutely hate us.”
The rest of the short walk into the town centre went without conversation. Once they arrived at the market square and were noticed by the dozens of ponies present, Celestia was greeted with bows and Luna was greeted with salutes. Previously, the town centre was a lively and rustic market square, later rendered empty and lifeless during the rule of the Supremacy, but once again it found life as the epicentre of relief efforts for the area. Already enough tools and supplies to assist multiple villages like the one the sisters had just relieved were prepared and awaiting delivery.
“Will I be needed by your side much longer, Celestia?” Luna asked, levitating a crate of tools. “There are many more settlements in need of immediate aid, and we will cover more ground acting separately.”
“If you think it would be more useful, there are more towns to the east and the south who could certainly use a hoof,” she said, pointing in the respective directions.
“I’ll go there, then,” Luna said. “See you shortly.”
With supplies in her magic, Luna took to the air. The extra load did provide additional strain on Luna’s magic, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Across the land below, she could see several small collections of houses with Equestrian flags planted on or around them, signifying to her that the settlement had already received necessary aid.
Yet her flight path took her directly over Opaline’s castle, now the tyrant’s prison. As she got closer to the castle itself, she slowed down and by the time she was directly above it, she came to a complete stop. The mere fact it was standing at all gnawed at her, its tall and imposing acted as a beacon of Opaline’s power. Up until then, the last time she had seen Opaline was when she and Celestia had used the Elements to render her powerless and seal her in the castle, and Luna hadn’t had a chance to confront Opaline without Celestia present. She knew she wouldn’t harm their prisoner, but she had to get a final word in. Even if only for a sense of closure.
Resting at the edge of a hillside cliff, the castle was like a gangrenous, knotted growth reaching high out of the earth. Its turrets reached high into the sky, needles stabbed into the landscape. A single arch bridge connected the main entrance to where Luna descended, noticing that the exterior of the castle was swarming with guards. An essential part of the arrangement was that nopony, aside Celestia or Luna, would be allowed inside the castle as an assurance that nopony could ever be subjugated by Opaline ever again.
Luna set the tools and supplies on the ground, quickly getting the attention of the castle guards. “Watch these,” she told a nearby guard. “I will only be a moment.”
Once she was allowed inside and made her way through the grand, spacious entrance hall, Luna took notice of how polished and clean everything was. It felt too clean, too spacious, too pristine. Luna recalled the shabby, soily villages where most of Opaline’s former subjects lived, and how heavily they contrasted with this place. Destitute squalor for the victims, pristine luxury for the perpetrator. If Luna’s blood wasn’t already boiling it certainly was then.
After a short search, Luna found Opaline in a side room leaning against a windowsill. Compared to how she looked when Luna last saw her, she was vastly better for wear, the filth purged from her coat and mane with her hair styled into flowing curls that draped around her body like curtains. Of course, Luna wasn’t deceived by the superficial beauty, there was no amount of makeup that could cover up a soul as black as hers - and there was a lot of makeup.
Opaline glowered at the landscape below and grumbled something under her breath about being robbed of her rightful realm. She must not have heard Luna enter, as for a moment she continued to grumble as if she were alone. Suddenly Opaline went quiet and she snapped her head around. She practically retched upon seeing Luna in her castle.
“You?” Opaline fumed. “Why are you here? Are you here to gloat? Has your muttonheaded sister changed her mind and sent you to finish me off?”
Luna said nothing, standing still as a statue.
“No? Not going to speak? Well, I might as well,” Opaline stomped up to Luna. She spread her wings out and held her head up in an attempt to intimidate. “This prison will not hold. Either I will have my revenge or you shall see the truth. You can only deny the reality of -”
With a quick, sudden motion, Luna raised the edge of her sword to Opaline’s throat.
Opaline promptly shut up. It felt like her heart had momentarily stopped. She stared at the glistening blade with pinprick pupils and then met Luna’s eyes. Luna’s fierce glare carried the fury of every last one of Opaline’s victims. Alone it was threatening enough to terrify a pony into cowering. Along with the sword, it was petrifying.
“Should you even attempt to subjugate one more pony,” Luna hissed. “I promise that I shall come to you bearing my sword, and you will taste its blade.”
Her message delivered, Luna retracted and stowed her sword. A wide-eyed Opaline staggered back with her wings clenched close to her side, thick beads of sweat running down her forehead.
Then Opaline’s fearful expression faded, giving way to a cold smirk. “Even now you aren’t going to do it, are you? Ha! I knew you were too weak willed to defy your sister, keep it up and you’ll never attain real alicornhood. A true alicorn leads, a true alicorn doesn’t hold back -”
Luna punched Opaline in the face.
A stunned Opaline was thrown off her hooves, crashing into a bookshelf and sending a cascade of books toppling on top of her followed by the bookshelf itself falling onto her, pinning her to the ground.
“Good thing I am nothing like you,” Luna said, allowing herself to smirk slightly after releasing the rage within.
Crawling out from under the bookshelf Opaline slowly pushed herself to her hooves, rusting her wings and shaking herself free of books. By the time she was able to stand and glower at Luna, Luna had already turned to the exit.
“Goodbye, Opaline. May we never meet again,” Luna finished, trotting away and not looking back.
An armoured guard stepped into the Empress’s dimly lit chamber. “Your Highness!” he said, snapping to a salute. “General Selenite has arrived with good news.”
Standing before a mountain of dusty books and rusty relics, Nightmare Moon was flicking through a book, skimming its pages one after the other. She paid the guard little heed at first but glanced at him after a few seconds had passed. “Send her in,” she said plainly.
The guard lowered their saluting leg and retreated out of the chamber, Nightmare Moon returned her gaze to the book and flipped the pages some more. A moment later, a short thestral with an exceedingly long silver mane tied into a loose bun entered in a stiff trot. General Selenite, commander of the forces entrusted to pursue the routed Celestials who had fled north of Canterlot, saluted.
“Your Highness! Our forces have achieved victory in the town of Bales. Both Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain Shining Armor have been apprehended and signed declarations of surrender. They have been transported back to Canterlot, and a proper ceremony to officialise their surrender will begin shortly. Your presence is expected.”
“Excellent,” Nightmare Moon turned to Selenite, a smirk creeping onto her lips. “Put yourself at ease, General.”
Selenite’s stance relaxed, at least as much as it could’ve in the presence of Nightmare Moon.
“Tell me, how did you capture Mi Amore?” Nightmare Moon asked.
“We overwhelmed her with stun spells, Your Highness. A single stun spell from an ordinary mage had practically no effect, so sustained fire from multiple mages was required. There had to have been at least a dozen unicorns all rapidly firing on her at once until she fell unconscious,” Selenite explained. “But before that, she was ridiculously resilient. Even taking a direct shot from a tank cannon or even heavy artillery barely slowed her. You can’t imagine what it must be like to restrain an alicorn.”
Nightmare Moon glanced down at Selenite, raising her eyebrows and tightening her jaw. “Really now?” she said plainly.
Selenite froze. She forced a small smile and cleared her throat. “Uhm- Of course you’d be able to, Your Highness. Restraining alicorns must be trivial for a mare of your strength. I mean what it must be like for common, mortal soldiers to restrain an alicorn -”
“No, I could,” Nightmare Moon countered. “I have witnessed it.”
Her wings unfurling a little, Selenite gasped. “Oh! Of course, you led Equestria’s armies in the War of the Supremacy!” she laughed, her gaze unconsciously shifting around the room as a tight smile and blush showed on her face. “My apologies, ancient history never captivated me quite like more recent history, especially as all the facts and sources were muddled by Celestial bias and misinformation. It has the habit of slipping my mind…”
“Humorous of you to mention the War of the Supremacy,” Nightmare Moon said. “I’m curious, what do you know about the Alicorn Supremacy?”
“Oh, gosh,” Selenite’s lips were pressed together. “Is there anything specific you’re asking for? I only know a few scant details and the general overview of its history.”
“Don’t be concerned,” Nightmare Moon nodded. “All I ask is that you briefly explain what it was, as you would to a novice. I want to know how it is perceived in the modern day.”
Selenite put a hoof to her chin. “Well, Your Highness. The Alicorn Supremacy was a… kingdom? Empire? Realm? State, I’ll say state. A state that existed sometime during and after the Reign of Discord. Hard to say how long it lasted given, you know, Discord, but I know you destroyed and dismantled it twenty years before your banishment. As the name implies it was ruled by an elite class of alicorns at the top of a strict hierarchy, common ponies were forbidden from using magic and frequently had it drained from them as punishment for disobedience. Alicorns amongst its elite treated common ponies like property, as something that could be used, misused, and discarded as they saw fit. Said alicorns were those who remained in this world after the War of the Exodus, most of whom belonged to the Suzerains. You and your armies must have wiped them out, given records or sightings of alicorns aside from you or the solar usurper vanished from history afterwards. Shoot, do you also want me to explain the Suzerains, the Centurions, and all the Exodus stuff?”
For a moment Nightmare Moon was quiet, taking Selenite’s retelling in. “No, leave that for another time. What do you know of its ruler, Opaline Arcana?” she asked.
“Hmm,” Selenite said, eyes turning to the corner of the room. “United the scattered alicorns during the Reign of Discord, founded the Supremacy and its brutal social order, tried to wage war on Equestria, eventually defeated by you. If you’re asking what she was like as a pony, I don’t know, but anypony who did the sort of things she did has to be awful.”
“And what do you know of her fate?” asked Nightmare Moon.
Selenite shrugged. “Sources differ. Some say she was banished, some say killed, and some say imprisoned. The usurper never publicly clarified, quite typical. What actually happened?”
A small smile appeared on Nightmare Moon’s lips, her eyes narrowed on Selenite. “I was hoping you’d ask that,” she said. Magic glowed in Nightmare Moon’s horn and her aura grasped the book on the desk and levitated it towards Selenite, a page already open with a specific line highlighted. It was immediately obvious to Selenite that the book was a diary, given the pages were dated at the top and the words were hoofwritten. Exceptionally hoofwritten, like it was done by a master calligrapher who had honed their craft for decades. The page was dated to a day a couple months ago.
On the way back from Fillydelphia I stopped at Opaline’s prison. Thankfully, the spell is still holding and the guards have reported no breaches. I didn’t speak with Opaline herself, I have nothing to say to her and she won’t have anything to say to me I haven’t heard already. As a precaution, I made an effort to reinforce the seal. It has held for over a thousand years at this point, I do not expect it to break. I do worry as the date of Luna’s expected return draws near. If the Nightmare still holds her soul hostage, she may attempt to destroy the Elements of Harmony. Any damage to the Elements, or their outright destruction, would risk rupturing or breaking the spell on Opaline that has stripped her of her magic. Should that happen, she may build the strength to break the seal on her own.
While I have nothing but faith in Twilight, I don’t know if she is ready to face the corruption that consumed Luna. She certainly couldn’t wield the Elements in her state. Perhaps I should’ve brought her under my wing sooner. Tomorrow I should make her attend a party with her friends, I am constantly stunned…
Selenite stopped reading. After that it appeared to be grievances about one of her students and a half-assed recollection of other mundane events typical of Celestia’s mopish rule, as Selenite considered it. “What’s this?” she asked.
“It was my sister’s private diary. Or at least the most recent of its numerous volumes.”
“So, Opaline was imprisoned, and she’s still alive all the way up to now,” Selenite muttered. She looked up at her Empress. “What really happened?”
Turning towards the stash of relics, Nightmare Moon sighed. “Unlike what the myths propagated by my sister alleged, Equestria was a realm forged through war. When the Supremacy waged war on Equestria, the circumstances seemed hopeless, but through our ability to adapt and overcome, we bested their forces and liberated the ponies under their tyranny. By war's end, we had specialised battalions wielding weapons capable of defeating even the hardiest alicorns with skills that could match even the toughest of them. After a gruelling campaign, my soldiers and I had killed every alicorn within the Supremacy sans Opaline herself, who I held at the mercy of my blade at the conclusion of the last battle.”
Selenite was fully engaged in Nightmare Moon’s retelling, eyes and ears locked attentively forward.
Nightmare Moon grimaced. “Then, my sister intervened,” she hissed. “That feckless, moralising, idealistic nitwit. Even though we had killed every other alicorn who pledged allegiance to Opaline, for some utterly insane reason, she wanted to spare that maggot’s life. As if that would place us on some moral high ground! And because I was weak-willed back then, I acquiesced to my sister’s demands. We stripped her of her magic and sealed her within her castle.”
“What was all that in the diary?” Selenite asked. “About the Elements?”
“Yes, the Elements. They are what we used to render Opaline impotent and they have passively sustained the spell over the ages. Of course, to prevent them from being used on me a second time, I had to destroy them. Though with the benefit of hindsight,” Nightmare Moon’s voice was getting lower, “it seems… rather…”
“Short-sighted?” Selenite suggested with a nervous tilt of the head.
Nightmare Moon glared at Selenite in a way that felt physically threatening to the tiny thestral. In the same moment Selenite gasped and tensed up, shrinking away from Nightmare Moon.
But barely a moment later, Nightmare Moon blinked the glare away and pouted her lips. “Yes,” she grunted. “It seems rather short-sighted.”
An awkward silence briefly hung in the chamber. Both ponies avoided eye contact.
“Regardless,” Nightmare Moon breathed. “If the Elements are gone, there is a risk that the spell on Opaline is fading. Fortunately, the seal keeping her inside her castle was a spell cast by Celestia, but that risks being broken if Opaline is able to regain her full strength.”
Selenite muttered a curse. “What are you going to do? Will we need to deploy forces?”
“No,” Nightmare Moon asserted. “I will deal with this matter myself.”
Resting at the front of the pile of relics was a sword held in a dusty metal scabbard, bearing intricate patterns representing the moon and stars. The light of Nightmare Moon’s magic enveloped the sword and levitated it up to Selenite took a tentative step forwards, curiosity and wonder locking her gaze on the magnificent weapon. Nightmare Moon carefully pulled the scabbard away, revealing the brilliant silver gleam beneath.
“Sparing her life was a mistake. A half measure I was forced to accept,” Nightmare Moon said as her gaze followed up and down the ancient weapon. The room’s dim light glistened off the blade, having not lost an iota of its sheen or sharpness even after a thousand years, leaving Selenite awestruck. There was a brief glint of nostalgia in Nightmare Moon’s eyes, but it was soon engulfed in a flare of anger as she held it upwards. “I am done with half measures.”
Nightmare Moon held out a foreleg and rested the edge of the blade on the lower part of her leg. She sucked in a deep breath, bit her lip, and delicately cut her own flesh.
“Oh shit!” Selenite wailed, stumbling backwards. She was used to the sight of blood, but couldn’t have imagined seeing her Empress bleed. “Did you just - oh stars oh stars oh stars!”
“Calm yourself. This will heal shortly, I am just assuring the power of the blade has outlasted the Elements,” Nightmare Moon said nonchalantly, blood trickling from the cut. She magically closed the wound and conjured a black bandage that matched the shade of her coat, which she swiftly wrapped around her leg. Once applied it was hard to notice it was even there. She turned to Selenite. “Now, when is this surrender ceremony supposed to begin?”
Selenite was still frozen in shock and it took her a few seconds to register the question. “Huh? O-oh! It is scheduled to begin…” she looked up at a clock and saw it was five in the morning, “half an hour from now, Your Highness. It’s to be in Brightwater Park, not far from here at all, but you are expected to arrive early.”
Nightmare Moon smirked and trotted to the exit. “In that case, I won't keep my subjects waiting.”
02:51 - 03/07/1000 - Bales, Canterlot Province
With enough force to stagger an elephant, Cadance was thrown onto a steel chair. She was still reeling from the impact when a shackle, attached to a chain bolted to the concrete floor, was then locked around one of her hind legs. As if the wing binders, muzzle, suppressive horn ring, and strength-nullifying collar didn't provide enough in the way of restraint. Dust and dirt oppressively clung to her shambolic coat and mane, which only served to apply an additional layer of discomfort to the imprisoned princess.
Robbed of her ability to speak or fight, Cadance could only glare at her thestral captors. There were four others in the repurposed interrogation room with her, the two Lunar militiaponies who had dragged her in there, a bald bat stallion in a lab coat, and a thestral mare in a sharp, black suit.
It was on the last pony that Cadance’s attention went, given she was well-lit underneath the single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Separated from Cadance by a small metal table, the suited mare was nearly as tall as Cadance herself was, and her general appearance displayed an attitude of authoritative professionalism. Even the platinum colour of her pristine coat and the vibrant teal of her tightly bunned mane looked chosen to say that she meant business.
“I apologise if the restraints seem excessive, but we aren't taking any chances with alicorns,” the mare said, her voice deceptively refined like a slick salesman or lawyer. “We would prefer not to cause you any discomfort.”
Sure you would, Cadance thought, silently seething through the tight metal muzzle.
“Right,” the mare gestured to one of the militiaponies. “Remove the muzzle, we need her to speak.”
They acted quickly, walking behind Cadance and fiddling with the straps on the back of her head, unlatching and removing the muzzle. Immediately Cadance let out a heavy grunt through her now-free mouth and moved her jaw. It already felt better. Still a prisoner, but she felt like she could actually breathe real air. For the last four hours she'd had it on she wondered what the point of it was, she had nobody to talk to in her cell; it just seemed like a meaningless act of cruelty.
“Gah,” Cadance groaned, raising a hoof to soothe her jaw. “What, is this an interrogation?”
The suited mare held her chin up. “Please, Ms Cadenza, there’s no information you can give us that we can’t simply take,” she said coldly. “We simply don’t want to waste anypony’s time. If you do waste our time, meet Doctor Side Winder,” she gestured to the one in the lab coat.
A loud metallic bang sounded through the chamber, startling Cadance, as Doctor Winder dropped a case of sharp, metal instruments onto the table. Scalpels, needles, tiny drills, even screwdrivers. He crept into the light, giving Cadance a good look at his pale, unhealthy face. One of his eyes bulged out of his head and appeared significantly larger than the other, both of them locked on Cadance like lasers.
“He is a real doctor, but I see him more as an artist. His art is in inflicting as much pain on a subject as possible whilst doing minimal physical damage. Theoretically, if little to no damage is inflicted he could go on forever. His methods are untested on alicorns, and he was very eager to test them on you…” the suited mare paused, she took a piece of paper out of her jacket and set it down on the table. “But I’m afraid he’ll have to wait.”
Cadance slowly reached forward and lifted the paper up to her bleary eyes. As the small printed text slowly unblurred and became clear, Cadance gasped. It was an instrument of unconditional surrender. It ordered all Loyalist forces to stand down, ceded all Equestrian territory to the Lunar Empire, and made a pledge of utmost loyalty to Empress Nightmare Moon. At the bottom of the page were two spots for signatures, a blank space marked for the Interim Princess of Equestria, and a space marked for the Captain of the Royal Guard bearing the familiar signature of Shining Armor.
“We originally thought that Doctor Winder would have to spend some time alone with you before Captain Armor would have signed this, but we thought wrong,” the suited mare taunted. “The good Captain seemed very eager, but unless both of the necessary signatures are on the document, the Doctor might need to see him. That’s where you come in.”
The threat registered immediately. It was like a black pit had opened in Cadance’s chest.
“Doctor Winder has business in this building, and Captain Shining Armor is being kept elsewhere. If, for whatever reason you choose to delay, that would waste everyone’s time and get your beloved coltfriend hurt. So, please,” the suited mare carefully placed a pen on the table. “Do everypony a favour and sign.”
Cadance’s instinct was to recoil away from the pen, only for a horrific image of Shining being tortured at the hooves of the pale freak in the room to flash through her mind. She writhed on the spot as the images conjured in her mind's eye felt as real as a heart attack. Looking away from the pen only brought her eyes to the Doctor, his toolbox, or the sinister smirk of the suited mare.
Cadance gripped up the pen tightly and scrawled her signature on the document. When she was done she tossed it back onto the table, clattering inches away from where the suited mare stood.
“My, that was fast!” the suited mare smiled. “Thank you for your cooperation, Ms Cadenza.”
As much as she may have wanted to remain a defiant symbol of Equestrian Loyalism, Cadance knew that it was only a matter of time until the Lunarists brought all of Equestria under their boot. Maybe she was just trying to rationalise her decision post-hoc, but it seemed abundantly clear to her that the question was simply over whether it’d be through bloody conquest or through a quick transition of power. Even still, a committed Loyalist wouldn’t give up at a mere signature, so there still remained some hope.
“One more thing,” the suited mare then reached into a drawer on her side of the desk and retrieved two items, an audio recording device and another document. “Seeing as you are ostensibly the head representative of the Celestial government, you are worth more than just a signature on a declaration. Ponies hearing the surrender announced in your voice, broadcast over radio, would surely bring all fighting to a stop.”
A quick look at the document showed it to be more than a mechanical instrument of surrender, but the script of a humiliating speech, announcing Equestria’s capitulation. Cadance glowered up at the suited mare. “Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t be asking you if I wasn’t,” said the suited mare. “When you’re ready. I assume I don’t have to repeat myself about wasting time,” the mare said, motioning to the doctor.
In a dry, monotone voice, Cadance read from the document. “My little ponies, this is Interim Princess of Equestria Mi Amore Cadenza -”
The suited mare loudly scoffed, cutting Cadance short. “Try to read it with more conviction. Less like you’re reading from a script.”
“I literally am reading from a script,” Cadance retorted.
“You know what I mean,” the suited mare dismissed. “You’ve given speeches before.”
Cadance started from the beginning, forcing herself to speak solemnly. “My little ponies. This is Interim Princess of Equestria, Mi Amore Cadenza. After- deep consideration?” Cadance stopped, blinking a few times and then staring at the page. Deep consideration? What deep consideration was there in being forced to read a prepared surrender? She could barely repress a laugh at the sheer absurdity of such a statement.
A hoof tapping on the table pulled Cadance’s attention towards the suited mare. “It would help if you read the whole thing first,” she said. “No surprises, then.”
Groaning, Cadance read ahead. It was only a page and a half long, it would take no longer than five minutes to read, but it felt so much longer. The line about ‘deep consideration’ was one amongst many that distorted the reality of the situation and gave the appearance of sincerity. It mocked and twisted the principles of harmony, alleging that there was somehow loyalty in accepting Nightmare Moon’s domination or kindness in respecting her as an authority.
Nonetheless, Cadance read the whole document aloud from beginning to end. For most of the first page, she spoke clearly and delivered the lines with a convincing-enough sense of solemn conviction. Towards the end of the first page, the act was fading. By the final paragraphs on the second page, it was almost gone.
“Now,” she sighed, “the prosperity of the Lunar Empire is the prosperity of all of Equestria. Let us all continue into the future as a single nation, united by our friendship and our hope for a better future. Thank you,” she finished, setting the paper down on the desk.
“You’re not done,” the suited mare said.
Indeed, there was a final line on the document that Cadance had neglected to read. Glory to the Lunar Empire.
Cadance folded her hooves. “I’m not reading that.”
The suited mare blinked, her eyebrows went up. Even the militaponies and Doctor Winder turned their heads. A moment later though, the suited mare narrowed her eyes and smiled coldly. “What makes you think you have any leverage? Come on, Ms Cadenza, do the sensible thing.”
“I’ve given you your surrender, that’s all you’re getting,” Cadance said defiantly.
Doctor Winder, motionless before then, suddenly slammed his case closed and got up from his seat. “Perhaps I will have to pay your coltfriend a visit,” he said, grinning.
An idea flashed into Cadance’s mind, her eyes lit up. “If I say that, ponies will know I was coerced into reading this,” she bluntly stated. On the face of it, it made sense. Any pretences of the surrender announcement being hers would be shattered if she hailed the pony she was fighting against earlier that same night. If anything, it’d delegitimize the surrender, and would absolutely contradict the supposed sense of sincerity that previous lines were meant to be delivered with. The corners of her lips turned up in a small, yet clearly proud, smile. There remained a chance she could come away from this with some of her pride intact.
“Really?” the suited mare raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Then read it.”
The light in her eye immediately dimmed and her smile fell. The look from the suited mare said everything. Supposedly, she was the most powerful pony acting in defence of Equestrian harmony, both politically and magically. If Equestria knew that not even she could resist being captured and forced to bow to Nightmare Moon, what hope was there for the common soldier? The consequences of such an announcement were clear. They wanted everyone to know she was coerced into reading it. They wanted Equestria to know Cadance was powerless against the Lunar onslaught.
It would cripple Loyalist morale.
Clenching her eyes closed, Cadance pulled the microphone to her lips. “Glory to the Lunar Empire,” she spat. As the words left her mouth, she felt what was left of her dignity go with them.
The suited mare clicked the ‘stop’ button on the recording device. “Perfect. Thank you for your cooperation,” she said, collecting the documents on the table and stashing them into her jacket.
“Shame,” Doctor Winder grunted, collecting his tools and making for the exit.
“Alright, get her ready,” the suited mare motioned to the militiaponies. “She'll be up on stage with him in a couple hours.”
Cadance expected the shackle around her leg to be unfastened, but instead, a mask attached to a tube was shoved over her muzzle. Surprise made her gasp, which might have been a mistake as a sedative gas flowed through the tube and into her lungs. Her thoughts went cloudy, her eyes struggled to stay open, and her hearing was muffled. Moments later she fell face-first onto the table and she was out cold.
By the time she awoke, she had no way of telling how much time had passed, but she felt distinctly different. After giving herself a minute to properly awaken, she realised she was slumped over in a comfortable chair and a mirror was in front of her, presenting her with a view of herself. Her mane and coat were immaculate and well-groomed, their bright colours on full display. A few layers of tasteful makeup had been applied to her face, covering her bruises and bringing out her more attractive features. She even had a comfortable set of formal clothes on. However, she still felt the various binds oppressively weighing on her wings, horn, and neck, even though some spell or enchantment had rendered them invisible.
“Oh good, you’re up,” a thestral militapony in the corner of the room said. “On your hooves, the ceremony starts soon. And your coltfriend’s dying to see you.”
The mention of Shining alone was enough to convince Cadance to get up. She dashed out of the room, guided by the militapony, and straight into the awaiting embrace of her coltfriend. They hugged, and both nearly burst into tears. Part of Cadance wanted to say he was wrong to surrender and that she could’ve handled whatever torture the Lunarists forced onto her, but there was a much larger part that was simply happy to see him and allowed both to savour the moment.
Soon after, their reunion was broken up by militaponies. One of them, presumably an officer by how they were dressed, demanded that they go along with the show by performing fake similes and robotic waves, and he threatened nonspecific consequences if they didn’t comply. Then they were hoisted up onto a stage beside a sickeningly smug Nightmare Moon and before a crowd of howling Lunarists. Blinding stage lights forced Cadance to squint. Surrounding cameras captured every angle of the stage. The shouts and praises of the energetic audience were deafening.
First Nightmare Moon spoke, giving a gloating, self-congratulatory speech on her victory whilst literally showing off the signed notes of surrender. Next was Saturn Hawkrich, the commander in chief of the Lunarist armies, who gave a similarly haughty speech. After him were a few soldiers, who to their credit were far more modest in what they said.
For the whole length of the ceremony, Cadance had an artificial smile plastered on her face just as the officer had demanded. How long was the ceremony? Far too long. She wasn’t counting the minutes, but her mouth hurt from so much forced smiling. At some point, Cadance’s eyes drifted to the back of the audience, past the cheering Lunarists at the front, and spotted many ponies in Equestrian Royal Guard and Army uniforms with solemn looks on their faces. A few looked ready to break down into tears. Cadance wondered if they were in a similar situation to her, forced to participate in this farcical celebration of Equestria’s new masters.
The last speaker gave a final triumphant word, and a band on the adjacent stage started to perform a grandiose anthem. Yet the moment the cameras were turned away from her and towards the band, Nightmare Moon launched herself off the stage. Cadance didn't even see the takeoff, she only felt the sudden rush of wind fly through her mane and wings. When she looked up, she saw a misty dark streak soaring east. She even heard the crash as the sound barrier broke.
Was she not going to stay and gloat some more? Cadance thought, grimacing, finally letting her lips rest. Yet she could only ponder for so long, as moments later she was dragged off stage by Lunar guards and away from Shining Armor. Doubtlessly back into a dark, damp cell.
06:16 - 03/07/1000 - Hayfield, Ponnsylvania
As much as she loved hearing the jubilant hails of her loyal subjects, Nightmare Moon knew she had to leave quickly. Distance wasn’t a problem, she could fly the five hundred kilometre distance between Canterlot and Hayfield at a leisurely pace - for a mature alicorn that is- in around fifteen minutes.
She soon arrived at Opaline’s castle. While the settlements that surrounded it had shifted and evolved with the times, the castle exterior itself was almost exactly how she left it. No Royal Guards were in sight, they must have abandoned their posts to fight in the civil war or been chased away by overzealous Lunar militias. Such oversights in discipline were disappointing, but unavoidable. Light glowed from a couple of windows, signifying to Nightmare Moon that someone was still living in there, hopefully her target. The years were kinder to this prison than they were to her own castle in the Everfree.
Nightmare Moon touched down on the bridge and entered the castle foyer. Right away, the sight was unfamiliar, dust caking every surface as uninviting crystals reached out of the floors and walls. Nightmare couldn’t help but feel personally insulted on multiple levels. She had been banished to the cold unwelcoming expanse of the lunar surface for the crime of standing up for herself and her legions, while the hated tyrant had been given a castle. A castle that the prisoner made no attempt to maintain. Ungrateful hag.
But Nightmare Moon stowed her bitterness as she heard an unfamiliar voice echo through the halls.
“Are you sure this is necessary, Opaline?” the unfamiliar voice said. Even with the distance and distorting echo, Nightmare Moon could tell that it belonged to a young mare. They spoke anxiously, unassured of themselves and with a tinge of fright. Whoever it was, their voice seemed to originate from the throne room. “I mean… a baby dragon?”
“Absolutely. It is essential that you trust me,” came another voice. A cold, sinister, and unmistakable voice that hadn’t changed at all in the thousand years between the last time Nightmare Moon had heard it. A deceitful layer of concern flowed over the words, easy enough to hear through for anypony who understood its true nature. “I fear what may come if I am not restored to my full strength before it is too late,” the voice finished.
The sound of Opaline’s voice was to Nightmare Moon what the smell of blood was to a pack of hungry wolves. Nightmare Moon picked up her pace. She’d remembered enough regarding the internal layout of the castle to swiftly navigate its halls and locate the throne room. More snippets of the conversation between the two other voices echoed through the castle, but Nightmare paid little heed to what they said. Soon she stood at the entrance to the throne room.
Standing before the gilded throne, Opaline Arcana. Her wings were reaching out at their greatest span, domineering over the other mare who stood in front of her. Considering it had been a thousand years since Nightmare had last seen her, she hadn’t aged a night. The throne room too hadn’t changed, the one part of the castle Opaline cared to maintain.
The other mare was a short and nervous pegasus with a blue coat and a curly dark-purple mane. They were rubbing their forehoof, their wings were twitching, as she appeared to look up at Opaline with a small degree of awe and reverence and a much greater amount of anxiety.
“For only together can we prevent the destruction of your - ” Opaline stopped. She looked up from the small mare and towards Nightmare Moon, her brow furrowing and mouth going agape. “...who are you?”
“Oh Celestia, it’s her! It’s her!” the mare panicked. Backing away from Nightmare Moon and cowering beside Opaline.
Opaline flared her wings and lowered her head to point her horn at the intruder. “Luna,” she glared.
Suddenly the pegasus mare stormed forward, her wings flared. She growled and moved to a battle stance. “G-get out of here, you- you monster!”
“Scram,” Nightmare Moon said to the mare. “You have no reason to be here.”
“No! I’ll never back down to the likes of you! If you want - uh?” the mare was shrouded in a turquoise glow, hoisted up into the air, and then was literally gone in a flash.
The aura around Nightmare Moon’s horn dimmed after the completion of the teleportation spell. “She should be in the town of Hayfield,” Nightmare Moon said. “Now, what was it I said I’d do if you tried to subjugate another pony?”
“You’ve been busy, or so dear Fuzzy has told me. I have to say, I’m impressed. I didn’t think you’d ever be anything more than a useful pawn to that idiotic elder sister of yours, but here we are,” Opaline said, slowly pacing around the reflecting pool at the centre of her throne room.
Nightmare Moon pulled her sword from its scabbard, staring Opaline down.
“But you’re still you, aren’t you? Still the whiny child who has deluded herself into thinking the mortal peasant is worthy of respect, even if you might’ve grown a few inches and gotten a bit fed up with your sister’s harmony.” Opaline pawed at the floor with a smug look in her eyes. “What will it be then, Luna? A fatal duel to decide the fate of this realm?”
Nightmare Moon scoffed. “As if you are worthy of a duel.”
Opaline laughed. “So you've come for an execution then.”
The turn of Nightmare Moon’s sword and the glare she gave with it confirmed what Opaline thought. “It is customary in Equestrian society to grant the condemned their final words,” Nightmare Moon said, aiming the tip of her sword at Opaline's throat with a glare to match the sharpness of her blade. “Have you anything to say?”
Bowing her head and closing her eyes, Opaline chuckled. “Your execution… will not come easily!”
Quicker than Nightmare Moon could’ve possibly reacted Opaline launched a torrent of magical fire out of her horn. An unprepared Nightmare Moon was lit ablaze and sent tumbling backwards. She crashed through the doors of the throne room and hit the floor rolling. While she managed to control the roll and regain her footing she quickly had to cast a spell to extinguish the flames that singed her body. Consequently, she had no time to prepare a defensive spell.
Nightmare had barely put out the fire when Opaline flew towards her, a vile grin on her face, another attack at the ready. Fire erupted out of Opaline’s horn, streaking towards Nightmare. Nightmare leapt into a side room to dodge the oncoming attack, crashing through a door as the flame seared her hind hooves. Nightmare hit the floor, the pain in her hind legs subsiding quickly. She hopped up to her hooves and backed away from the door, gritting her teeth in determination. She’d been cornered in hostile territory before and it hadn’t wilted her will in the slightest. But she then gasped and felt her resolve falter when she noticed in her haste to defend herself from Opaline, her aura had faded. The sword had fallen from her grasp.
Why, she silently groaned, why bother with the bravado and not just make the killing blow? She pushed the regret out of her mind, it wouldn’t do her any good now.
Instead, Nightmare took stock of her situation. Looking forwards she could see Opaline’s aura approaching, with the light cast from the fire in her horn reaching across the ground. From the way Opaline walked alone, loud and haughty steps, it was like she assumed she’d already won.
No, Nightmare wasn’t at a disadvantage. Her foe was mirroring the mistake she’d just made. Better than that, Nightmare wasn’t confined inside the castle. Nightmare wasn’t cornered in with Opaline, Opaline was cornered in with her.
“Running already?” Opaline taunted, rounding the corner into the room and presenting Nightmare Moon with a malicious, confident grin. “I expected more from -”
Nightmare charged at blurring speeds and barreled into Opaline. The hit took the wind out of Opaline. Nightmare kept flying straight and crashed through the wall. That impact took the orientation out of Opaline. Nightmare carried on to crash through a window. Opaline slammed to a stop upon contact with the castle’s exterior seal as Nightmare was thrown clear into the night sky. Shattered window glass poked at Opaline’s skin as the sudden stop nearly knocked her unconscious. In a matter of seconds, the tide had definitively shifted in favour of the Lunar Empress.
Not wasting a moment, Nightmare used her wingspan to brake and swing around. Reaching into the window, she locked her forelegs around Opaline’s neck before her foe had even hit the floor. Nightmare launched herself back out of the window with Opaline in her clutches, The fire alicorn held in place by the arcane barrier as Nightmare kept pulling, furiously beating her wings in her attempt to strangle Opaline against said barrier. Nightmare was sure her foe would break before the barrier could.
Grasping at the oppressing legs around her neck, Opaline wasn’t content to give up. She sucked in what breath she could and threw her hooves out, channelling her infernal energy into her horn and blasting Nightmare’s forelegs with blue-hot fire. Nightmare grunted, involuntarily loosening her grip. Loosening it enough for Opaline to kick herself free, spin towards Nightmare, and take up a steady combat stance with another arcane attack prepared.
“Enter this castle and I’ll fry you to a crisp!” Opaline bellowed.
Nightmare barely repressed a laugh. Lightning crackled in her horn and a bolt was shot at Opaline, hitting her square in the chest. Opaline shrieked, stumbled, and her spell dissipated. It provided enough of an opening for Nightmare to launch forwards and tackle Opaline. Nightmare barreled forwards whilst tackling her stunned foe ,taking a hard turn towards the throne room.
Immediately upon reaching the throne room, Nightmare released Opaline and flared her wings to brake. Opaline was sent cascading towards the throne, crashing down as something cracked. A pained cry rang out as Nightmare’s attention went straight for her sword, her magic seizing it in an instant. Opaline staggered to her hooves and was greeted by the flash of a blade that cut her horn from her head. Before it even hit the floor the blade returned and chopped off her right wing, sending horrendous pain across that whole side of her body. Opaline opened her mouth to scream only to have the breath thrown out as Nightmare raced towards her and punched her in the chest with enough force to derail a train.
Leaving a trail of blood, Opaline rolled across the floor and slammed to a stop upon hitting the wall.
“Is that what you expected out of me?” Nightmare screamed. “How’s that for a fight, you wretched hag? Who are you to defy me?”
Finding herself again defeated and at the mercy of the same blade as before, Opaline tried to push herself up as a harsh ache spread through her body. She hadn’t registered what Nightmare had said at first, but once she did she froze on the spot. Then, she laughed. First a coughing chuckle, then a wheezing cackle.
“What do you have to laugh about?” Nightmare seethed.
“It’s… it’s all so clear…” Opaline wheezed past coughs and splutters. “Everything Fuzzy said, agh- about you, it didn’t match the Luna I knew… but I look at you, Nightmare Moon… and see somepony so much greater!”
“Please,” scoffed Nightmare Moon, slowly closing in on Opaline with her sword pointed at the floor. “These are the lows you stoop to when faced with death? Nothing you can say will save your pathetic life.”
Opaline forced out a snicker, putting the final vestiges of her life’s force into her voice. “Kill me, spare me, it will change nothing. I… I congratulate you, Nightmare Moon, for banishing that cretin Celestia and killing that twerp Luna for good.”
“Cease,” Nightmare commanded. “I have already given you your chance to speak, and you have squandered it.”
Opaline made a weak gesture towards Nightmare. “All these years I lived afraid, afraid that I was the only alicorn left in this world capable of seizing what was rightfully ours. How wrong I was. A shame I won’t live to see it.”
“Stop, you worm,” Nightmare raised her sword.
“No, this is good, I don’t see the petulant child who destructively raged against a truth they so foolishly denied anymore!” Opaline’s smile turned to a full-mouth grin. “I see a true ruler! I see an alicorn who understands her place above the inferior creatures of this world! I see a worthy successor to me!”
With a lightning-quick swing of Nightmare’s sword, Opaline’s head rolled across the carpet, stopped only by the stump of the horn. Its lips were pointed up in something resembling a smile, even with the jaw hanging loose. In the same moment, the headless body went limp and crashed to the floor, the neck turning into a sanguine fountain.
Heavy, panting breaths were pulled in and out through Nightmare Moon’s muzzle as she stared at the corpse. She brought her sword in front of her and turned her gaze to the bloodstained metal. For over a thousand years this sword had thirsted for the blood of the Suzerain Supreme, and at last, it had been quenched. The threat of this monster rising again had been quelled permanently.
Was it, though?
Yes, she thought.
Absolutely, the threat was eradicated and the righteous crusade was complete. Another thousand-year injustice had been corrected, and what an injustice it was to let her live. From top to bottom, her regime was grotesque. Ponies were forced to dwell in the most rancid conditions whilst their rulers lived it up in opulent palaces. Those who stepped out of line were stripped of all they were worth and humiliated. Absolute obedience was enforced at the point of a magically charged horn. All complete with a consolidation of power into the hooves of a single self-serving -
I am not self-serving. I am a champion of the downtrodden, she insisted internally. Justice stands victorious. My Empire stands victorious.
Yes, her new Empire. An Empire of order, justice, and progress. Built out of the ruins of an Equestria constrained by compromise and cowardice. So much had been done in such a short time, but there was still so much more work to do. Work that had to be carried out with hardened determination. Already she and her subjects had been ruthless, but what choice did they have? Had she flinched, had she shied away from authoritarian methods, the self-styled 'Loyalists' would never have bent the knee. Only by utilising the strictest measures could she ensure absolute and unopposed authority behind her throne. All would have to learn their rightful place beneath -
“No, it is nothing like that. I am nothing like that. I am better than her. She sought only her own aggrandisement, I use my power for the betterment of my subjects,” Nightmare muttered.
Nightmare mumbled more reassurances and ran through everything she’d accomplished in her head. Two separate thousand-year injustices had been corrected in less than two weeks. Legions of downtrodden thestrals were finally the masters of their own destinies. The truth of Equestria’s history was finally being brought to light. But no matter how hard she tried to force it out, the voice spoke over everything else in her mind and its central question jumped to the forefront of her mind. All else was buried and clouded beneath a voice that spoke so softly but nonetheless boomed.
Have you become what you hate?
“No, she's dead, it's over!” Nightmare Moon shouted with the stomp of a hoof, her voice and the clap echoing around her in the dead chamber. Her breathing steadily slowed, and she whipped her head in every direction. Of course, she was alone. Nobody was in here but her and the limp corpse of a monster finally slain.
After taking a moment to clean and sheath her sword, she closed her eyes and took deep, controlled breaths to clear her head. Count to four, breathe in. Count to four, breathe out.
Nightmare Moon opened her eyes, her mind was clear and focused. Time to bury this wretched place once and for all, she resolved.
She channelled magic into her horn and discharged it towards the ceiling. On contact, the spell exploded into enchanted flames that spiderwebbed across the ceiling and walls. Turquoise fire ate through stone and wood like acid, chunks of debris fell from the ceiling and disintegrated into rubble as they hit the floor, the impact causing the floors themselves to crack and crumble. Nonchalantly, Nightmare trotted to the nearest window and jumped out, letting her wings take her into the night sky and not looking back as the castle behind her collapsed in on itself in a cyan blaze that illuminated the surrounding landscape, brighter than any other light for miles.
Whatever remained of Opaline, whatever remained of the whole Alicorn Supremacy, would certainly be swallowed by the inferno and buried beneath a pile of debris. With it all behind her, with all of it finally destroyed, Nightmare Moon could rest easy for a time.
