Chapter 3 A Darkening Heart
"Isn't it amazing!? I just adore it!" Blue Star couldn't stop raving about her new cutie mark. Everypony was very happy for her of course, but here it was a week later and she STILL couldn't get over it. Of course this annoyed some of the dignitaries, but most ponies just found it adorable. It was a nice contrast to Luna's resent dark mood. She had, on many occasions, been heard sobbing in her room. she had begun to snap at celestia. Nopony could imagine what was the problem but most ponies just ignored it anyway, unaware of their contribution to the problem.
Blue Star skipped down the hallway, headed twards the back gardens. A gate installed in the back of the garden that opened up to the surrounding everfree forest. Midnight Beauty had decided to stay half wild and half tame. The gate was always left open so she could come and go as she pleased. Blue Star was on her way to their favorite meeting spot, when she spotted her mother scowling and clearly upset.
"Mother?" Called she. "What is troubling thee?" luna's magical mane whipped about much more deliberately than usual and her coat seemed ruffled, as it sometimes did when she was especially ticked off.
"Hmm?" Luna grunted, then she realised it was Blue Star and made a vain attempt at a smile. "Ahh my daughter. Nothing is amiss, I was just having trouble with some dignitaries about.." she trailed off as she looked away. She seemed almost...desperate, but what in equestria for?
"Never thou mind. Tis of little importance." she drew her daughter into a loving hug. Blue Star could clearly tell something was wrong, but she also knew when her mother wanted space. She returned the gesture and baid her mother adue, then, she continued on her way. After turning a corner she darted behind a drape. Hidden there she used the invisibility spell her mother had taught her. Thus hidden she began to quietly tail her mother. She couldn't be seen but she could still be heard. She had to know what the problem was, so she was going to find out.
She followed her mother to her room and watched as her head hung the whole way.
"Why must they loathe us? What hath we done wrong to deserve such hate?" luna asked herself aloud. Her tears returned.
'Loathe? Hate? Mother, what in equestria are thou talking about?' thought Blue Star as she watched and listened with growing horror.
"The ponys just ADORE celestia! But what about US!? What about OUR night!? When are they going to recognise it for what it is? How long must I wait for a scrap of the love my sister is spoiled with every day!?" Luna was growing furious. She began to stomp around the room, breaking things. Taking her despair and anger out on everything within her reach, crying hysterically all the while. Blue star just watched, mouth agape and eyes wide with terror, sympathy and mostly just shock. This was the first time she had ever seen her mother act this way. Then Blue Star had an idea, there was one thing that always calmed Luna down, it also helped her. Blue Star used her magic to teleport a picture to her hoofs. It was framed with silver and the picture depicted the gala first commemorating her arrival to the royal family. Her mother was holding her up to the public proudly. They had both been showered with love on that day. She hugged it. Then she silently floated it into the room next to her sobbing mother. It was a minute before Luna noticed it there. When she did, she picked it up and clutched it close.
"Blue Star is the only one who loves me anymore." she whispered, silent tears still falling. "The only pony who understands my night." Blue Star had seen enough. She flew away from her mother's room not caring if she was heard or seen.
Blue Star burst through the doors of celestia's bed chamber and landed with a thud on her bed. Celestia herself looked around surprised and apparently confused. That's when Blue Star remembered that she was still using an invisibility spell. She face hoofed as she removed the spell, allowing Celestia to see her. Once she saw who it was Celestia smiled, then her face fell as she noticed Blue Star's expression. Blue Star was rarely if ever this grave. Her eyes were wild, like she'd seen a manticore or something of equal horror.
"What ails thee, dear Blue Star? How may we help?" Blue Star then told celestia the whole story. As she did Celestia's face became more and more understanding and severe.
"Come" was the simple command given after Blue star had finished. "We haven't much time."
The two walked to the throne room to face what awaited them. They arrived, side by side.
"Not, another step." a voice ordered. Luna stepped out from behind her throne. Frowning she said to Celestia. "Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light? I have grown tired of you getting all the love equestria has to offer."
"Sister it's not like that." Celestia's voice was warm but sturn.
"Don't you 'sister' me." Luna said the word as if she despised it. "There can only be one true ruler of equestria! And that ruler shall be ME!" Her voice echoed on the last word. She stomped hard on the platform. A crack grew from her hoofs to the stain glass window above her, shattering it and revealing the sun. she lifted her hooves and wings as she rose the moon to meet, then cover the sun. dark beams shot out from the ellipse and the night sky was darker still. The beams surrounded Luna and then completely engulfed her. The ball of evil turned dark blue and seemed to writhe while still keeping it's shape. Then, the ball exploded and a alicorn figure could be seen. She was huge, as tall as Celestia herself. She wore glistening silver armor, her mane and tail large puffs of blue and purple smoke, her coat pitch black. Her wings those of a bat. Her fangs glimmered as she laughed and her her mane rose high above her triumphantly. She stopped laughing as quickly as she had started. She glared at Celestia. She blasted a beam of bright turquoise with dark purple lighting in it, twards a lifesize statue of Celestia, turning it to dust. Rubble fell from the ceiling exposing the night sky.
"Mother! Please! Stop! " Blue Star cried, tears flowing freely. The pony formerly known as luna walked out of the dust cloud, her bat eyes fixed on her sister.
"Luna! I will not fight you! Thou must lower the moon! Tis thy duty!" celestia spoke strong and stern, but there was so much emotion hidden in those words.
"Luna?" the pony repeated as if trying the name on her lips and disliking it. "I am, Nightmare Moon!" Celestia didn't hide her emotions anymore, fear and sorrow showed clearly on her face. "I have but one royal duty now, TO DESTROY YOU!" as she screamed the last words, she blasted directly at celestia. Celestia dodged just in time and the beam hit another statue, disintegrating it along with a patch of wall behind it. By this point Blue star was simply cowering on the floor with her hooves over her eyes and her ears pressed flat against her skull. Celestia fled out through the hole in the roof. Nightmare Moon spread her wings to follow but then she caught sight of Blue star huddled up in a corner, emanating utter terror. Nightmare Moon's heart was filled with hatred, but not twards her daughter. She loved her daughter, she loved her ponies, she loved her night, and her sister was standing in the way of that love being returned. She allowed Celestia to escape, having a daughter to attend to.
"My dear daughter,"she said gently. "Thou need have no fear. I mean thee no harm." Blue Star looked up ears still down and pupils shrunk in fear. A diamond-like tear escaped her eye as she said-
"Who are you? What have you done with my mother!? Where is she?!" Nightmare Moon chuckled.
"Why my dear Blue Star!" she exclaimed. "Hast thou gone blind? We are standing right in your sights."
"No." Blue Star said still letting her silent tears flow "my mother would never do this. She isn't evil like you, and she wouldn't try to kill auntie Celestia." these words genuinely stung nightmare moon's heart and she showed this hurt freely in her face.
'No' she thought to herself. 'Blue Star is too young to understand sacrifice for the greater good.' "Blue Star," she said aloud as she wiped away her daughter's tears "We are no monster. We love thee, and the ponies of Equestria. We only wish for the best of ponykind to come about, and our sister is standing in the way of that. I understand this is hard, so we won't ask of thou to help us with this part. However once Celestia is no more, then thou shalt rule by my side, and the pony masses will love and adore us for who we truly are." Blue Star couldn't handle this bombardment of information. 'Stand in the way' 'once Celestia is no more', 'rule by my side' 'we love thee' the phrases echoed and screamed in her mind, over and over, faster and faster. She couldn't take it.
"NO!" she screamed. She cried hysterically as she flew out of the room as fast as her wings would carry her. Nightmare moon was hurt, but at the same time she had expected this. After a life of being brainwashed to Celestia's side, how else could she be expected to react when finally confronted with the truth.
'She shall come around eventually.' she told herself. At any rate, she had business to which to attend, and said business would NOT go unattended to!
"STOP FLEEING AND FIGHT YOU COWARDLY FOOL!" It had taken Nightmare Moon less than five minutes to find her sister. Knowing her so well, it was easy to be able to tell where she would be. Now they were fighting, or at least Nightmare Moon was attacking, but Celestia was true to her word. She had so far refused to use any kind of attack on her sister, but the time to put off a return was running short. The castle was being destroyed quickly by the blasts. If she didn't stop this soon, the castle would collapse killing countless staff and delegates. She had an idea but hated it with all of her heart and soul. She flew up. Up. Up. she hid in a cluster of clouds. As nightmare Moon followed, she lost sight of her target. She used her magic to blast the clouds into oblivion, revealing her sister. She blasted with all her might. Her sister blasted back. The power of the two most powerful beings in the world hit and caused an explosion so large it could be seen from every corner of equestria. The sisters both stood their ground. Their blasts continuing. Neither seeming to get the upper hoof. One sobbing tears of pure sorrow and remorse. The other flooding tears of anger, jealousy and fury. Celestia began to lose her strength. Her beam weakened. The ball of pure power tipped towards her. It came like an approaching nightmare. Celestia thought fast. She stopped the blast and teleported herself out of harm's way. But the blast did hit her mid teleport despite it being instantaneous. Her wings were signed as was her coat and a bit of her mane. She had a few burns and scratches, but was otherwise unharmed. Despite them have been fighting almost a mile into the sky, she could hear her sister scream of rage as she realised what she had done.
"Oh dear sister" she whispered to the tiny bit of heart that luna still controlled, "i am sorry. But thou hast given me no choice but to use these!" she activated secret doors in the floor, and a cranking contraption rose from the hidden room. 5 jems floated and spun slowly in place on decorative pedestals. Celestia removed them from their pedestals, along with a 6 pointed star jem previously hidden in a ball of marble. The elements of harmony. Blue Star watched Celestia from around a corner. Young though she was she understood exactly what was happening. No! Her mother was her mother evil or not. She knew what Celestia was about to do. She couldn't let it happen. She cast the invisibility spell, intending to grab at least one of the elements. They couldn't work without all of them. But before she could, Celestia began to twirl the elements around herself, harnessing their power. She glowed as bright has her sun, and the power of the elements reiterated off her. Her scars healed in an instant. With one beat of her huge wings she was up in the sky yet again. Blue Star followed as fast as she could. Nightmare moon prepared for another attack, celestia arranged the elements, Blue Star flew as fast as she could to get to the fight. She had to stop this. The blast fight started again. This time there was no doubt who would win. No power was greater than that of friendship. Blue Star flew faster than she ever had before, just before the beam hit her mother she planted herself in it's wake. The beams disintegrated her invisibility spell and as soon as Nightmare moon saw who it was she stopped her blast. To late she realised her mistake. With no resistance, the elements blasted both Blue Star and Nightmare moon into banishment. They were now sealed in the moon, for a thousand years to come.
To Be Continued...