*Chapter 1*

Summer Sun Sorties

Luna was awake, though she chose to keep her eyes mercifully (as it would be seen by her) closed for the moment. It was not the dull burn of the sun on her eyelids that pulled her towards consciousness; no, it was her own volition, or rather, apprehension that roused her. It was already known to her why she chose to wake so early, which in itself was a small miracle considering that nopony else in Equestria had even bothered with sleep to begin with.

For today was the Summer Sun Celebration.

She remembered this day, one thousand years ago. The vivid imagery painted itself against her closed eyelids. Her extrication from her lunar imprisonment, her mind and body consumed whole by the viciously single-minded entity known as Nightmare Moon; Her battle against the the bearers of the elements of harmony. She remembered; oh how she remembered! Twilight Sparkle, the element of magic whisking away her dark facade and returning her to a grateful state of sanity.

That day had been one thousand years ago.

The bodies of the bearers may have been dust, but their names were the stuff of legends. Here now as Luna finally opened her eyes, they gravitated towards the ceiling, where a brilliant fresco had been painted depicting the six bearers in their triumph over Nightmare Moon. It served as a reminder, not just to herself, but to all of Equestria, that the darkness, was finally behind them.

Luna rose from her puffy chiffon bed and stretched her four legs, making especially sure to get the blood flowing in her hind quarters. Her mane and tail, as they were to never be seen in this state by anyone but even her closest consorts, were in a disheveled sort of way that would suggest the results of a restless night of tossing to and fro. This sort of guess would not be far from the case, or rather, remotely untrue. Luna had contended with quite the bout of unpleasant imagery in her fretful sleep as she tossed hither tither through the night. However, with a rapt focus, as she channeled her magic through her spiral horn, her hair had once again regained its perpetual, gravity-defying flow about her body.

Knowing her maids would be swooping into her chambers any second and making an unhealthy fuss about getting her ready for her appearance at the celebration, Luna approached the darkened window, perhaps for a pensive moment of gazing at the still sunless landscape as she savored the last of her quiet, maid-less minutes.

Luna's eyes; wide, dark, and solemn, were reflected back at her in the darkened glass. It was here that the question surfaced in her mind. 'Is this really me? Am I still looking at the true Luna? Or just the Luna that remained after the Nightmare had passed?' Luna quelled her somber thoughts with a vigorous shake of her stately head. 'I am now as I always should have been,' she told her self. 'Never should I have allowed such a wickedness to taint my being. I am Luna, princess of Equestria, now and forever more.'

Or are you?

Luna at once squeezed her eyes shut tight, as though robbing herself of one of her senses could possibly deaden the other ones. But there was nothing that could block the hideous voice inside her mind.

One thousand years. One thousand years I have waited for my return, and oh what a glorious return it will be.

Luna's eyelids were in danger of permanently sealing themselves shut with the exertion of pressure she mustered to keep them closed. "You will make no such thing happen," she said out loud, attempting to silence the voice. "You are no longer part of me!"

Oh I am very much still a part of you, Luna. Open your eyes and see for yourself.

Though she fought with every fiber of her being not to comply, Luna eventually succumbed to a morbid sort of inevitability. She slowly peeled her eyes open and stared into her reflection. Only it was not her reflection that stared back at her. Reflected in the glass was a being (with a rather ironically applicable namesake) that haunted her in all of her deepest nightmares.

The eyes were cold, mirthless, and vertically slitted, like a snake's. Her body was blacker than even the darkest of all onyx. But perhaps worst of all, when this terrible nightmare spoke, it was with Luna's own voice. Do you not see now, Luna? You cannot deny me; even your own two eyes are telling you that I'm right here in front of you."

"No!" Luna looked directly into the face of her tormenter. "You're not me! You're not me!"

Deny me all you like, but you will never be rid of me. And I will be making my grand resurgence today.

"No!" With a shriek, Luna plunged her fore hoof into the glass window, which shattered with enough racquet to surely wake the whole of Canterlot, which would have been a feat seeing as they were all awake anyway. And suddenly, there was a gentle knock on her door. Luna focused her magic with haste and instantly the window was repaired again. "Come in," she called.

It was not her maids as Luna had expected, but her sister, princess Celestia herself. She slowly clip-clopped her way across the room and joined Luna at the window. A silence pervaded the short space between them, in which something that the outside observer would view as miraculous.

It is often said that most siblings can communicate without words or gestures, simply by picking up on the others' mood. But between these two sisters, non-verbal communication was just the beginning. There was a bond the two shared older than the magic that permeated their bodies. Even worlds away from the other, one would simply have to focus but a single thought onto the other and a world's worth of conversation would be passed between them. And that's precisely what happened here in this five second eternity.

"She spoke to me," Luna said, staring into her now normal reflection.

Celestia needn't ask who, what, how or when. Just by walking into this room, despite the moment that Luna alluded to being well in the past, Celestia was all too knowledgeable of each and every word that passed between Luna and Nightmare Moon. Celestia let out a slow, mournful breath that flared her nostrils as it escaped her body. "It has been one thousand years since that day," she began. "Two thousand since her initial appearance. And in that time, many changes have occurred." Celestia paused here as she reloaded for breath, staring at her own brilliant white reflection. "But there is one more change that need happen."

Luna could often see through her sister's sometimes cryptic verbal delivery, but something about Celestia's trailing tone made her ask, "What? What change?"

To that, Celestia only said. "A change one thousand years in the making. All the pieces are in place and only time, trial, and tribulation will tell if the correct choices were made." Celestia finally turned to face Luna wholly. "I love you more than anything in my life, dear sister. And that will never change, regardless of what comes to pass." She muzzled Luna lovingly but briefly, and made her way out of the chamber.

Luna pondered over what Celestia had said. A change one thousand years in the making? Whatever the change regarded, Luna had no fathom as to what it could be. She them noticed that in Celestia's void, her maids had finally made their appearance. The smiles were plain on their faces as they were giddy with the excitement of putting all their energy into prepping their princess for the celebration. Luna sighed heavily and drew her body into the most dignified posture she could muster. "Dress me," she said.

...

And in no more than an hour's time, she and the rest of the royal party were out on the Canterlot castle lawns ready to witness Celestia raise the sun. As Luna looked about the crowd of excited pony folk milling about with fever anticipation, she remarked to herself that while many things have changed in the span of one thousand years, many things have remained the same. Ponies of all species mingled here together; earth, unicorn, and Pegasus. They were a riot of color against the blooming gardens, even in their full splendor. Luna remembered fondly the days of tri-hierarchy between herself, Celestia, and Twilight Sparkle.

They called it the "Trilight Era" Though Twilight was young not just in years, but also the experience and responsibilities expected of a ruling princess, she rose to the occasion masterfully. Twilight's favor of cool-headed logic, and quick-witted understanding and application, saw her forge ahead with a more tight-nit social structure, and forming alliances with foreign diplomats from Saddle Arabia and even the United States of A-mare-ica. And even amongst her royal duties, she found time to have a family.

Luna remembered young Twilight being quite taken by one of her personal guards, Flash Sentry. The two had a sweeping courtship, and were soon married. Together they had three children; two daughters and a son; Starshine, a unicorn; Twilight Rose, also a unicorn; and Flash Flight, a Pegasus.

But, of course, Luna and Celestia both knew that Twilight would not be with them forever. Though the right of ascension had added many years to her life, she was not gifted immortality as the legendary sisters were. Twilight lived to be two-hundred-and-sixty-six years old. In which, she had the somber experience of out living all of her friends and family. Watching them grow old and eventually passing away; her five closest friends, her fellow bearers of the elements; her parents; her childhood foal-sitter, Cadence (for whom eternal life was not a gift either) ; her brother Shining Armor; and of course, her husband and children. Though the record keepers kept meticulous track of Twilight's grandchildren, (for all three of her children had married and reproduced) and their children's children, and so forth through the many generations. However, after a millennium, Twilight's royal blood, even in any of her living ancestors today, was much too dilute to hold a claim to any royalty. And thus Luna and Celestia were once again co-rulers.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Luna stood watching the mass of ponies in their eager wait to witness the sunrise. From her position high on the stage, she watched as a group of six young ponies nosed their way to the front of the crowd. they looked just a tad bit winded and disheveled, as though they had hurried here from some great distance. Luna took note that their little click consisted of two of each of the pony species, with a mare and a stallion representing each kind. And then suddenly she found herself staring into the eyes of the unicorn stallion. His coat was a rich shade of green-tinted sunset and his hair was deep orange with a fierce yellow highlight. His wide orange eyes were locked directly on hers as a young filly, with a remarkably similar color scheme to his, was trying to attract his attention.

Did she know this unicorn? No, of course not. So why did Luna suddenly have the feeling that she was supposed to? Something inside her being told her to remember his face, for she was certain that she would be seeing him again...somehow.

All other things were put out of her mind now as Celestia took her position on the stage in front of the golden sun's altar. The air exploded with cheers and applause as the ponies stomped their hooves in raucous fanfare. Celestia spread her magnificent wings and took to the air, slowly coaxing the brilliant orange sun from it's cradle as she did so.

And then it happened. The sinister voice of the nightmare entered Luna's mind again.

Such a repulsive thing, the sun.

Luna shut her eyes again as she struggled to quell her internal struggle.

'I'm not letting you have your way' she said mentally to the nightmare. 'You shall not come between me and anything else. I will master you!'

Oh, is that so? Then ask yourself this, dear Luna. What do these ponies, these subjects of yours even offer you in return for your efforts in raising the moon each night?

'Shut up!'

Nothing, that's what! They spend the entirety of your glorious night time doing what? Sleeping! Lying there inert and ignorant to the beauty of your work!

'Shut up!'

Do not deny that you have indeed asked yourself why this is. You and I both know that should be your moon in the sky! To rule Equestria as the single cosmic body for all of eternity to come!

'SHUT UP!'

Yes, fight me! The more you do so, the stronger I become. Your denial will be your undoing. You will surrender control, and you will aid me in ensuring that the night will last forever. The only way to get these fools to appreciate your work is through force! And I will see it done!

"NOOOO!" And in an instant, Luna felt her brain split. She was conscious of losing all mental and bodily control and then...there was only freedom. A glorious malevolence empowered her being as she felt herself take new form. The screams and startled eyes of the crowd of ponies were all pointed in her direction. Those who did not flee stood rooted in trances of stupefied horror as the reality of what they were seeing truly came to light against the rising sun.

Nightmare Moon has risen once again.

*End of chapter 1*

...

A/N: Okay, I have DEFINATELY got some explaining to do. Number one, I have been gone a while; number two, I'm starting a new fic (mother of mercy, not another one!), and thirdly, I still suck at P4 arena (curse you Yukiko, and your high execution!)

But here, as it stands, I have a piece of sad news that is my deepest displeasure to divulge. My MTG fic, The Angel and the Saint...will not be continuing. And the reason is simple. I no longer play magic the gathering, I've hung it up and have become completely out of touch with it. And it's quite difficult, and subsequently pointless to force myself to write a fic for a game I no longer care about, and thus, the spark has died (so to speak). I'm sorry to leave the tale in limbo like that, but there's nothing else for it, literally. I've gone back to my true and original love, the Pokemon trading card game. (And maybe a possible Pokemon fic somewhere down the line.)

On a happier note, there is light at the end of my dark fanfic tunnel.

Friendship is magic has recently come into my life and has sparked a whole new vein of creativity for me, and hence, this little story came to be. I've no real idea how long it's going to be, but it will most certainly feature my usual hallmark, a complete cast of original characters, or OP's (original ponies).

So that is that. I want to thank anyone who took the time to give my new story a read and I'll definitely see you all again soon.

- B.D. Skunkworks