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I started thinking of this after my Mom and I watched an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It introduced the idea of evil ponies, and I started thinking about story ideas for Mom. I tried to think of something that could start off with the ponies turning evil, but couldn't find a way to make it work. Instead I thought of this, what if the bright Princess Celestia wasn't as she seemed? What if all the ponies were living in ignorance of their past? I came up with this, discussed minor details with Mom, and got Dad to read some of it. I do not own the Canon My Little Ponies, or the places that I got off the TV show or the other things I remember from the cartoons from when I was little. I am not making any money from this. Eternity and this plot, I do own. This may get a little graphic later on, which is why I'm going to rate it as I am, on , under my pen name: Alice Bekett. I hope no one take offence to making something so childlike and twisting it until almost nothing of the childlike beginnings remain. There may be romance later on, but I doubt it. Please read and review and let me know what you think. Please, no flames, and thank you.

I watched from my place at the edge of the broken brick wall of the ruins. These six ponies were disturbing Nightmare Moon. This could not be allowed. I started to limp quietly forward before the pink one's loud, annoying voice bounced off the walls.

"We'll go now, Twilight needs to concentrate."

I pressed more into the cold stone, wishing I could melt right into it. The purple unicorn stayed and started working her magic. A bright spark lit the room before Nightmare Moon's cloud of blue power swept them up. Twilight dove after them and was transported to where Nightmare Moon was in her tower. I inwardly cursed, not again!

The other five soon followed and I willed my wings to carry me to the tower so I could see what was happening. I flew to the top of the room and rested on a beam. Twilight was starting to charge at Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Moon returned the challenge. I cursed again. Why doesn't she ever listen to me? I asked myself inwardly. I already knew the answer. Celestia had programmed Luna's clones this way: it was easier to stop her this way. Do not allow a possible threat to become too powerful, or something might come of it.

I winced when Twilight defeated Luna's clone. Where the real Luna had went, I know not. Celestia had had many clones of herself and her sister made before the Fall. Afterwords, I never saw the real Luna again, only her clones and the madness which created her counterpart, Nightmare Moon, to come into fruition.

Celestia appeared and I almost growled and hissed at her. I Didn't breathe, didn't move. She made her grand speech to the Elemental ponies. They then left with a newly transformed Luna. She would not remember why her drive to rule would become strong in years, maybe even hundreds of years from now. Celestia would keep the memories away from her for as long as possible, or until she thought Luna could finally accept the information.

I shook myself, it was an never ending cycle. I could not do anything to stop it for the last four thousand years, what could change that now? Celestia had reigned for so long that no one remembered the time Before the Fall. No one except me and Celestia. I wondered if Luna remembered, or if she just chose to forget, and when the memories resurfaced, she returned to me; her one, lone follower.

I flew back down the the floor and switched to my human form. Before the Fall, we were highly advanced, and looking at other dimensions. We had found Earth entirely by accident, and I found myself volunteering to go there for my freedom from the war. I came back changed. I could switch between a human form and my original form at will and had a greater hold of myself and my magic. I was never freed, only tested on. My family left and never came back. The day they left had been the last time I had seen them. I could no longer remember he pony name I was given at birth. I was known as Dark Shadow or Eternity to those who knew me and nothing more.

I slowly made my way away from the ruins and went deeper into the Everfree Forest and scoffed at the name. I found my way to my debilitated shack and slipped inside. I found myself face to face with a full length mirror.

Unlike humans, I had sharp teeth and pointed ears; something to do with the differences between the DNA that made up our races. Shaggy black hair hung in tangles around my face. I half-heartedly ran a hand through it, but grimaced as the tangles got stuck on my fingers. I tugged my fingers free and sighed. I would have to make a hairbrush, or another pair of scissors. Nightmare Moon had destroyed my last pair when we went into hiding, a little more than a thousand years ago. I sat in a chair that dated back to Before the Fall. It was falling apart and was very uncomfortable, but I couldn't depart with it. It was one of the only few artifacts left. I had found it in the castle of the sister ponies. I laughed out loud, a hollow, hoarse sound. The sister ponies were Luna and Celestia, before Celestia had gone power hungry and half-mad.

"I wonder how she stays so happy and wise all the time," I wondered aloud, the metallic, raspy sound of my voice surprised me. Had it been that long since I had talked? I thought back, but found it hard to separate the days and weeks from each other. When you are alone, everything bleeds together. I laughed aloud again and briefly wondered if I was going mad.

I had to start from scratch again, wait for Luna to turn from her sister, and hope she runs here before Celestia finds her out. If Celestia did, I would have to wait even longer before the new clone was programmed properly and all the kinks worked out. Then she would figure out Celestia wasn't who everyone thought she was.

I flopped to one side. This is useless. I am never going to get rid of Celestia, or kill her. I can't even find the real Luna, our rightful Queen. I looked over to the various maps I had hung up all over the walls, they all formed the whole of the surrounding area. Much of it was filled in. I had searched on and off for three thousand years and I was still empty handed.

I remember Luna, the real Luna. She could never be compared to the clones. She had once told me; "She left me in the dark, so darkness I became."

I remembered feeling sorry for her, we both lost our families due to the war. We had both been powerless to stop it and in the end, sacrificed everything to save Equestria. I only wish was that I wasn't alone. I knew my exile had been mostly self inflicted, if I had been a good little lab rat and not stolen the ageless serum I would be long dead and at peace. I had often thought about death, in between the cycles of trying to reprogram Luna's clones. I didn't have the courage, or the strength, to do it.

I looked at the clock, before realizing that it was still broken. I got up off the chair and looked outside. The stars were out and the moon was shining at its brightest. I sighed and took of my clothes. I sank to the ground and crawled to the nest of cloths, blankets, pillows and whatever else I could find. It was an uncomfortable bed, but a bed nonetheless.

I awoke the next morning half expecting Nightmare Moon making tea on the wood stove. I shook myself of the notion immediately. I stood and started making tea myself. I started humming absentmindedly. It was an old tune that my mother had sung to me when I was a filly. I barely remembered the words, but the tune was always stuck in my head. I soon finished my cup of tea and turned to look at my reflection in the mirror.

My skin was unnaturally pale, and I was too thin for my height. I could see all the bones in my body. My hair hung in my eyes, I brushed it aside and looked into my dull, lifeless, green eyes. They looked almost dead, but a small spark still remained. I switched into my pony form and found my appearance much the same. My eyes remained the same, and my black mane and tail were still very tangled and my fur was pure white. My ribs clearly showed and I could see every bone clearly.

I sighed, and my stomach grumbled. I switched to human form again and decided to go get some food. I walked around back to a small plot of fertile land that grew the majority of my food. I tended to it carefully and grabbed my hunting knife. I would check my traps and hope for the best.

As a pony, I couldn't eat meat, but as a human I could. Meat made most of my diet, seeing as vegetables were relatively rare. The first three I checked were empty, but I found one with a rabbit in it. I killed it easily and brought it back to my shack. I skinned, cleaned and took out the parts that I couldn't eat before I laid the strips over a pole and started the fire. I placed the pole over the fire, and put some salt on them. When they finished cooking, I munched on them happily.

After a little while, I put out my fire. I changed into my pony form and put on my cloak. I walked to the edge of the forest to watch Ponyville from afar. I saw various ponies playing and flying up above the town. I remembered when the area had been part of my forest, before Celestia had expanded her grip on the world. If she expanded much more, I would have to move and rebuild my cabin, something I had never done.

I was so lost in my thoughts that a loud yell startled me, "Hi! What's your name?" I turned and almost growled. It was the Element of Laughter, "Can you talk? I'm Pinkie Pie!" The pink pony smiled widely.

I blinked, I had to leave. I was breaking the rules. One of the other Elements, her fur was white and she had a long and purple mane with a tail to match. What was her Element? I thought, before remembering. It was Generosity, wasn't it?

"What's going on?" she asked Pinky Pie. She turned to me, and without waiting for an answer, gasped and looked straight at me, "Oh dear. Look at your mane and tail! It's all matted, I can make it better!"

Before I could try to do anything, her horn lit up and I felt the mats in my mane and tail undo. Fear gripped my heart. This had been the first time a fellow pony had used magic on me for almost two thousand years; I had forgotten what it had been like.

My mouth went dry, and I found I couldn't say anything, "There, that's better." The unicorn looked closer at me, "Can you step into the sunlight for a moment, I need to see you to make you even prettier."

I blinked, It had been a while since I had even set a hoof out of the Everfree Forest. I coughed, clearing my throat, "Celestia?' I rasped.

Piny Pie and the unicorn shared a glace, " I can go get her!" Said Pinky Pie energetically.

"NO!" I shrunk back into the forest a little, the power of my underused voice had startled me.

"Please don't go. Celestia isn't here. She's back in Canterlot." The unicorn said softly, "Can you come out from there?"

I stepped forward and grimaced as bright sunlight hit my eyes. Celestia made sure it was always dark and foggy in the ruins. I squinted, and my eyes burned.

Pinky Pie and the unicorn gasped, "Uh, Rarity, you might wanna go get Doctor Whooves." Pinky Pie said. I flinched back into the shadows again, the cool darkness soothing my burning eyes. I shook my head wildly, but Rarity, the unicorn, was already gone. I ran away from the edge of the forest, panicking. What if they find me? What if they lead Celestia here? What if Celestia finds me? A billion questions bounced around in my brain as I fled.

I stopped after a few minutes of my frantic pace, leaning against a tree. I faintly heard Pinky Pie calling after me, but it was too late, I would vanish in thin air and they would never see me again. I transformed into my human state, and my cloak changed with me.

I felt my hair, it was still filthy, but it felt as if it had been brushed with loving hands. I turned back into my pony form and started running again, looked around. I was near the lake, I could have a bath and swim for a while, maybe find enough wood for me to make a comb, or find one of the swords of old in the nearby ruins and finally cut my hair. I doubted I would find the sword, but it was a nice thought.

I turned into my human form when I reached the shore. I slipped off my cloak and stepped into the water. It was cold at first, but I began to get used to it. I swam around before using my handmade soap to wash my skin and hair. I soon felt clean and refreshed.

I swam around for a while longer before climbing out and drying off in the small amount of sunshine that passed through the gloom. I slipped my cloak back on and transformed back into pony form. I made my way back to my shack, checked my garden and fell asleep.

I awoke late at night, with all six Elements of Harmony staring at me. My fears were becoming reality, but I realized that the cycle was bending, the endless circle of failure on my part were breaking.

Hope shined in my heart for the first time in three thousand years, I had a chance to defeat Celestia after all, and maybe help ponies remember what we had lost.