"And all will know the wonder, of my dark and jewelled sky,
When all the world is wrapped in, an eternal lullaby!
So say goodnight, at this, the final setting of the sun!"
The queen screamed as she was knocked forward by a fist to her cheek, falling to the floor and clutching her side, blood soaking through her silk dress and drenching her fingers. Her angelic white wings were crooked and snapped in places, cream feathers swathed in crimson ripped off and sprawled all over the destroyed throne room, rendering her unable to fly.
The shadowy creature stepped closer to her, as lightly and gracefully as a spring breeze, yet menacing and terrifying like a black hole that sucked all light and happiness from anything it passed. Sparks of dark blue magic spread around her feet, the hem of her elegant black gown seeming to fray apart with every wisp of the ethereal fog. Her wings the colour of the darkest night were spread out, making the shadows seem to bow at the creature's presence.
"Please..." the queen whimpered as she held out a shaking hand. "Please sister...stop this..."
The creature didn't make a sound, still floating towards her, a gleaming sword drenched in blood in her fist.
"We can..." The queen struggled to breathe. "We can work this out..."
"No, we can't." The creature's low, booming voice echoed throughout the room. The sound made the queen's blood run cold, a chill shaking through her entire body. She glanced out of the open roof of the immense throne room, smashed in and destroyed from their earlier battle. The stars twinkled in the deep, dark sky, the beauty of her sister's creation echoing throughout the universe. The creation that she had ignored for far too many years.
The moon was also present, and instead of making the queen feel comforted and relieved as it so often did at night, it now looked haunting and ominous, much to full, much too big, and much too bright.
Because it wasn't supposed to be there. The warm glow from her sun was supposed to be ruling the dawn, but when she tried to raise it, the moon wouldn't budge. She called to her sister, who was supposed to lower her moon, but never got a response. She had barged into her younger sibling's chambers, but instead of finding her sister's nose buried in a book, like always, the queen gasped, horrified, as a dark, shadowy creature smiled back at her, with its sharp teeth and large eyes glowing a searing white.
They fought long and hard, but it was obvious that the queen was overpowered, and while she had nearly fatal injuries and had lost a great deal of blood, the creature received not a scratch nor a bruise. The shadowy demon came to a stop before her, sword raised, ready to deliver the final blow. The queen squeezed her eyes shut, her muscles clenching, preparing for the end that was surely to come.
Until a sharp wail echoed through the halls, a baby's piercing cry sounding like music to the queen's ears. She sucked in a breath, waiting for the stab that never came.
The sword instantly drew back, slipping back into the hilt that rested on the creature's hip. The shadow spun around, the click of her heels the only sound that the queen could hear over the baby's cries resonating from down the hallway. As she watched through dazed eyes, she suddenly came to her senses, her breath caught in her throat and her stomach clenched in fear and terror.
No.
The creature, the demon, was going after her daughter. Her baby.
The queen inched forward, on her stomach, and grasped the hem of the creature's black gown, tears streaming down her face. "Sister, please, don't do this!"
The shadow stopped for the briefest of moments, before walking even faster, fabric tearing off the hem of her skirt from how tightly the queen was grasping it. "I am not your sister," she said, her booming voice low and dangerous. "You of all people should know that."
"Of course you are! How could even say such a thing?!"
"If you were truly my sister, then you wouldn't have pushed me away, ignored me for so long," she replied bluntly, her voice void of any emotion.
"I..." The queen hiccuped, "I'm so sorry..."
"It is too late for apologies." The creature spun around. She furrowed its brow, and her glowing eyes appeared even more contemptuous and terrifying. "I may have been your sister once, but never again shall I be the one to always stand in your shadow, the one who will only ever be second best."
The queen held out a shaking hand. "Leva—"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" the creature roared, effectively cutting off the queen and making her tremble even more. "That name, the one that our parents gave me, is no longer mine."
The queen's face paled even more under the bright moonlight.
The creature struggled to soothe its ragged breathing. "My name is Nightmare Moon." She turned around and smiled wickedly, a twisted grin that showed all of her teeth. With a toss of her misty blue hair, she floated gracefully out of the ravaged throne room.
The queen's eyes were wide in terror and panic, and blood was pooling from her wounds, leaving smears as she dragged herself across the marble floor. The pain was blinding, but her desperation was stronger. She had to get to her daughter. She had to save her.
She stopped moving and focused all of her magic and energy at her core, her brow creased in concentration, as she recited a simple teleportation spell. A nearly impossible feat, as she felt even more faint with every second that passed.
Please work, oh please work! Take me to the nursery!
A golden aura surrounded the queen and she disappeared with a flash, reappearing a second later in her daughter's nursery, and she let out an overjoyed and relieved sigh. She somehow found the strength to rise to her feet, and she ran eagerly to the crib where the child rested, on the opposite side of the room.
She celebrated too soon.
She skid to a halt, her beautiful face contorted with terror, as she saw the creature looming over the crib. Tendrils of dark magic wrapped themselves around the cradle, making it glow with an eerie teal light. Her ears were filled with the sound of jovial, tittering laughter as the creature unsheathed her sword and raised it over her head, ready to slaughter the young child.
In that single, tilting moment, the world froze, and all worry that the queen felt for her sister vanished, replaced with murderous bloodlust. She sneered, a guttural and primal growl tearing itself from her throat as adrenaline flooded through her veins. She descended into her hunter's crouch and pounced, tackling the creature to the ground. The sword fell away and landed with a clatter on the floor.
Nightmare Moon thrashed and kicked under the queen's vice-like grip, her fangs bared and her eyes glowing bright. She roared and screeched, sounds that nearly made the queen's ears bleed. The monarch's once-brown eyes started to glow white themselves as a strong, powerful energy brought her magic back to life, and her chestnut hair grew longer than before, rippling and moving as if it were a living thing. She summoned a beam of golden magic in her palm, preparing to deliver a shot, but the creature threw her off of her body and retaliated with a shot of her own, the queen ducking to avoid it as it tore a hole in the wall.
As suddenly as it came, the murderous desire disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the queen's heart. She saw the creature, not as a demon, but as her poor, helpless little sister, and she lowered her hands, silent tears running down her face.
She couldn't do it.
She couldn't harm her sister, yet alone kill her.
It was the only thing she could think of; the queen summoned every ounce of her power, from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair. She began to chant an ancient, forbidden spell in her mind, magic searing and burning her skin as it travelled to her palms, forming a large, blindingly bright sphere of energy, and through all this, the tears continued to flow and pool on the floor beside her.
The creature sneered and prepared to fire another shot, but was stopped by beams of the queen's golden magic wrapping themselves around her body, rendering her immobile, and she shook her head and roared so loud that the glass windows in the room shattered, giving the queen a perfect output for her spell.
And banish this wicked soul, forever.
She finished the spell with a flick of her wrist, and she threw her head up to the sky, her tears drying up with the heat of the blast.
She slammed her eyelids shut. "I'm so sorry...little sister..."
The words were lost, however, in the thunderous explosion that followed, the beam surrounding the creature shooting out the window, towards the moon, in a brilliant flash. The queen expected cries of help or pleas of forgiveness from the lingering voice of her sister once the smoke cleared.
However, all she heard was the creature's booming voice, screaming and leaving promising threats of revenge behind in the demolished nursery. She continued to weep and stood up, her hands smoking and dangling at her sides, until her mind cleared up enough to allow her to hear the shrill cries of her daughter, whose crib was thrown across the room. Thankfully, it had stayed upright and the child hadn't been harmed, if only slightly traumatized by the flashing lights and loud noise.
She walked over shakily to the crib and scooped the baby up in her arms, cradling her close to her chest. The baby didn't calm, but the queen was too fazed by what she saw outside the window to notice, her gaze glued to the bright moon that lingered in the sky. It looked nearly the same, save for a big spot next to the mark of one of the old lava lakes; a new crater. Caused by her blast.
The queen's legs gave out and she fell to her knees, still clutching her daughter tightly. A wave of sobs wracked her body and she used the last of energy to lower the moon from the night sky, making way for the sun and the dawn. She let the rest of her body fall to the floor, curling into the fetal position, holding the child close, and the last of her consciousness faded away, her daughter still crying as the sun rose up from over the horizon.
"For tomorrow dawn's in darkness, the nighttime has begun!"