It was a wonderful day centuries ago. All of Equestria had gathered outside the Canterlot Palace, the crowd spanning for miles across the plains. Princess Celestia had alerted the doctors that she was going into labor from her pregnancy. The father, who was unknown, had perished in battle against Discord months earlier. In the palace, half a dozen doctors and nurses were at the Princess's bedside, preparing her to give birth. "Okay, Your Majesty, just breathe normally, alright?"
Celestia panted hard. "It hurts! I-I cannot breathe normally!" She screamed as she as in labor and felt the filly coming out of her anytime.
A nurse quickly administered and soon there was newborn pony whining squeaking from below. "C-Congratulations, Your Majesty... It's a female alicorn!" She hooved over the bundled newborn princess to Celestia and there was shouting and cheering from outside the palace. "What... will be her name, Princess?" a doctor inquired.
Celestia smiled and held the newborn filly and smiled brighter. "Her name...is Schala." Celestia said proudly as she gently hugged her newborn daughter.
The newborn faol couldn't open her eyes yet, and continued neighing for her mother. Tiny cerulean mane folicles were beginning to sprout on her healthy light lavender coat.
Celestia giggled lightly as she continued to hold Schala, but also close her eyes. Celestia was exhausted from labor, and didn't have enough energy anytime to stay awake.
So a few years passed. Schala was now a foal, roaming on her own. She hadn't known her aunt Luna that well. Celestia and the others didn't talk about her other than she was no good. That would soon all change, though. One night Schala saw some foals her age, but as she approached them to play with, they would giggle and run off. Poor Schala would eventually wander to the outskirts of Canterlot and into the Everfree Forest. She was scared of the forest at night, but too lost to find her way out. Suddenly, a dark blue mist passed her with the sound of wicked female laughter. She stopped in her tracks. "A-Ahh... uhm... Is... somepony there? I... I think I heard you just now..." she said out loud to the wilderness.
Nightmare Moon appeared from the mist and looked down at the foal. "Schala is it?" The mare said as the mist surrounded them both completely.
She turned around and looked up at her aunt. "Y-Yes... That's my name... Who are you? You look powerful!"
"Of course! I am the princess of the night, you may call me, Nightmare Moon!" The mare said as she walked up to the foal and said, "I am your aunt, the sister of...Celestia...I'm here to show you to use true power!"
"That sounds fun! But... mommy told me that you're a bad pony... Are you a bad pony?" she looked up at Nightmare Moon, curious.
"Of course not. Ponies...misunderstand me is all. I just want my night to be appreciated as much as the day, does that make your dear aunt evil?" Nightmare asked Schala as she sat down in front of her.
"Of course not. Ponies...misunderstand me is all. I just want my night to be appreciated as much as the day, does that make your dear aunt evil?" Nightmare asked Schala as she sat down in front of her.
"Not at all... I find it perfectly understandable! I just... wish I didn't have to sleep every night... Going to bed is boring... but mommy says if I want to grow up healthy and take her place one day, I need to-Oh no! I... It's almost my bedtime! Mommy's not going to be happy if I'm not in bed." Meanwhile, palace guards approached Celestia. "Your Highness, we cannot find Princess Schala anywhere within Canterlot, but we've been altered to foal-sized hoofprints in the dirt trail leading into Everfree Forest... Only... the further we investigated, the nearer our unicorn troops could sense a dark presence along with a foal's presence..."
Nightmare Moon smiled and laid on the ground. "Get on my back niece, together we can rule the night! You won't sleep tonight with me." The princess of the night said smiling at the foal.
"What?! How could you lose sight of her!" Celestia said as she dashed out of the castle, quickly heading to the forest to search for her daughter.
Delighted at her words, Schala climbed up upon Nightmare Moon's back, holding on tight. As they disappeared into the night, both presences would fade long before Celestia could arrive. Princess Schala was gone with her aunt. Though Nightmare Moon was eventually defeated and banished to the moon, no sign of Schala was ever found again. A thousand years later, an advisor had come forth to Celestia, who despite years of grieving long earlier, had grown to become a more strong and wary leader in the loss of her daughter. "Princess... with the thousandth day of the Summer Sun Celebration quickly approaching, we've had dire omens about... Nightmare Moon... Somepony or something... has weakened her lunar prison and any day now we fear she may return... What... do we do? The Elements of Harmony are lost from her defeat long ago..."
Celestia sighed and replied saying, "My number one student Twilight is taking care of that...if anything goes wrong, then I, myself will step up and take on my sister. I have defeated her before, I shall not fail this time."
With the Mane Six having been befriended by each other, it was almost time for Celestia's appearance at Ponyville town hall. A shorter night mare stood before Nightmare Moon behind the curtains and smiled. "You're absolutely stunning, Auntie." the dark female voice told her. "Ready for your emerging to your people?"
"Of course my dear niece." Nightmare Moon said smiling at the young filly, "Let us leave now, we do not want to keep our subjects waiting for our return." Nightmare Moon left the curtain with shinning new armor and stood still. "You may get on my back if you wish dear." She said still waiting.
Celesta was in the back of Ponyville's City Hall. In just mere minutes the princess would make a special appearance for the ponies of Ponyville, a rare sight for all of them to enjoy.
Schala would giggle. "Auntie, I'm a thousand and five years old and three-quarters your size. I think I can manage." She gestured her head towards Celestia. "What about mother? Can't have her ruining your grand plan..."
"She is not a problem. Without the elements she will not even think of getting in our way." Nightmare Moon said smirking proudly.
"I don't know..." Schala said, looking out at the group of six in the crowd. "I sense formidable power coming from those six fillies..." She gave her aunt a worried look.
"Dear I can defeat them easily, there is no trouble at all, now abandon your worries, let us give these ponies a surprise." Nightmare Moon said chuckling.
Schala looked at her mother and the six before dispersing into lavender mist, mostly unrecognisable except for her mane. Nightmare Moon followed the six mares as they searched for the Elements of Harmony, and Celestia went another direction.
Celestia went to her castle to think of plans to defeat her sister. She paced up and down in her room until she tripped and fell beside her bed. Underneath the bed she noticed something, she pulled the object out and it was a picture of her and Schala. Tears fell from her eyes as she looked at it. "Sc-Schala..." Celestia said as she looked at the picture.
Violet mist hovered above her head and she could hear a dark warped female voice whisper "...Mother..." before it dissipated. Nightmare Schala reformed outside and peered through the window, sadly placing a hoof on the glass as if to reach for her mother.
Celestia heard the voice and she shook her head. "I-I'm sorry Schala...I miss you...I-I love..." Celestia couldn't finish as she fell to the ground with her hooves over head and cried hard with the picture under her.
Schala grabbed her head, struggling to restrain herself, before flying over to her mother in her nightmare form and placing a hoof on her head, caressing it gently. "Mother..." a dark, female voice said to her.
Celestia was shocked at what was happening as she quickly looked up and jumped back. "Wait! You're not Luna! Who are you?!" Celestia asked as her horn began to glow.
Schala lowered her head. "I... I..." she said, before shedding tears and putting her hooves over her eyes. "I'm sorry I disobeyed you so long ago, Mother! I shouldn't have left Canterlot and wandered into the forest that day! I-I'm sorry! I really am!" she cried out as her nightmare form disintegrated, leaving a matured mare in its place about the size of Cadance. The mane, eyes, and flank colors were unmistakable - Princess Schala was back, having grown up under Nightmare Moon's care.
Celestia's horn stopped glowing as her eyes widened. She remained silent and hugged Schala tightly, not saying a single word or letting go of her daughter. She was shocked, but overjoyed at the same time that her daughter was fine and back home.
Schala wrapped her arms around Celestia, sniffling and fearing she would get punished for aiding her aunt all these years.
"I love you..." Celestia said as she continued to hug Schala tightly.
"Mother...*sniffle* ... I love you too..." she said wiping her tears with a hoof. "Auntie... she..." she said amidst tears.
"Wait...Luna...she didn't hurt you did she?..." Celestia asked her daughter as she thought that there might be some good left in Luna then.
"She... raised me... alone... gave me an education..gave me presents for birthdays and Christmases.. And before she was exiled, she gave me the Blessing of the Night, giving me the form you previously saw. It was I who spent the last thousand years attempting to break the seal on her... and bring her back... Because she's the one who raised me... I knew her concern with the besmirching of the night by ponies everywhere was a justified one... Please don't hurt auntie..." she said, tearing up in her eyes.
"Come on quickly then! If you want to help your aunt we have to stop Twilight and the other mares!" Celestia said to Schala and quickly ran out of her room and ran outside of her castle.
Within minutes, Princess Schala confronted the Mane Six. "S-Stop! Don't hurt my auntie!" she cried out just as Twilight was about to defeat Nightmare Moon with the Element of Magic.
Celestia landed beside Schala and demanded them to stop, but it was too late as their last attack had hit Nightmare Moon looking like it killed her. The ashes cleared away from the attack, and there appeared what looked like a filly of Princess Luna.
Schala gritted her teeth and her nightmare form flared up with a vengeance, seeing Luna hurt like that. "Nobody hurts my aunt!" Schala's dark nightmare voice boomed before her horn began charging up with a powerful attack.
Luna blinked and ran up to Schala quickly. "No! Stop please!" Luna said as she tried to stop Schala from attacking, and Celestia joined in with Luna to try to cease Schala from attacking.
Schala turned her head, her horn's aim being diverted and the spell firing, letting off a distant BOOM! and leaving the far side of the forest wilderness a giant charred crater. "A-Auntie?" the dark voice asked, Schala reverting back to her normal form, though a charred outline of a big gaping hole in the side of the cathedral was now present.
Celestia blinked as she watched her, surprised that she was so powerful. "Don't be so mad...I'm free now..." Luna said as she hugged Schala's leg, since she was to small to hug her neck.
She smiled and wrapped her wings around Luna warmly. "I... I just feared they...killed you, auntie..." she said before looking up and seeing the mane six frozen in fear from the frightening display of power the young princess had.
Luna blinked and looked over at Celestia. They both stared at each other for minutes, then they both ran to each other and hugged each other tightly. "I'm sorry sis..." Luna said crying to Celestia.
Schala meanwhile trotted over to Twilight Sparkle and nudged her with her hoof. "Uhm... Are you okay?"
"Umm yeah..." She said blinking at the alicorn. "Who ARE you?!" Pinkie asked as she jumped around Schala and Twilight.
"I...I uhm..." she trembled, very nervous and watches her mother approach, looking up to her.
"This is my daughter, her name is Schala." Celestia said with some pride in her voice as Twilight nodded slowly.
Schala nodded, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm afraid I've been rather... away the past thousand years."
"I see..." Twilight said as she starred at the alicorn. "Don't worry dear, everything will be fine." Celestia said smiling to Schala.
