The Battle For Luna, Part 1

"Luna-let-me-in," said Nightmare in a rich, low, sing-songy voice. Luna heard it in both her head and her ears, and covered her ears with her hooves, trying desperately to shut out the voice.

"Look at what your sister did to you," she said. "Exiled you to the moon for a thousand years!" Nightmare was stepping around Luna now, her voice sickly-sweet. "I can help you get back. Aren't you angry? Don't you hate her?"

"No," Luna whimpered. "No, stop, please!"

"All this pain you feel, it's her fault. I can help you get back at her. She thinks she's better than you. We can show her that's not true. We can make her feel what you feel."

"N-no," Luna stammered, her voice growing stronger, defiant. "No, I'm not falling for that again. You tricked me, and used me! I love my sister, even if she wasn't always there for me. She did what she had to. Nopony's perfect."

"Fine," Nightmare snarled, baring her sharp teeth. "We'll do this the hard way."

Moving quickly, she darted forward and gouged Luna in her flank with her horn. Luna gasped with pain and jumped into a defensive stance, but Nightmare had faded into the shadows. Cautiously, Luna prepared to cast a simple lighting spell, and quickly released it. The whole cavern glowed with a sourceless light, and Luna saw Nightmare charging her. She dodged to the side and, twisting around, kicked Nightmare hard in the ribs.

Nightmare didn't even react, just turned and gouged Luna again with her horn. She laughed, deep and evilly. "Oh, child, you cannot touch me. I am more powerful than a little pony like yourself could ever imagine!"

Fine, Luna thought. It'll have to be magic. If I can raise the moon, I can certainly beat her.

She drew upon her magic carefully, dancing out of Nightmare's way as she slowly healed her wounds. She could feel Nightmare tugging at her magic, almost playfully, as if she didn't care that much if Luna healed herself.

Why aren't you stealing my magic? Luna wondered.

Because, my dear, Nightmare replied in her mind, making her trip and yelp. I can hurt you more. The more you have, the more you have to lose.

"Get out of my head!" Luna screamed with rage. Summoning a huge burst of magic, she hurled it at Nightmare. In the air, it coalesced into a spear of ice. Laughing maniacally, Nightmare swung her horn at it and it shattered in a burst of darkness that rippled outward and passed through Luna. Then the darkness drew back in and swelled around Nightmare's horn.

Light swelled from Luna's horn as she tried to match Nightmare's growing darkness. Try as she might, she could not help a small trickle of magic from being siphoned from her.

The light and darkness grew, and Luna clenched her whole body, blinking back tears from squinted eyes as she struggled to control the magic. Finally, she could hold it no longer, and released it, just as Nightmare did the same. Luna watched as, as if in slow motion, their magic collided and exploded out like a supernova, hitting them both and hurling them to the edges of a large new crater on the dark side of the moon.

Luna blinked and gasped, then moaned. Flexing her wings, she used them to haul herself to her feet, then flapped laboriously, lifting herself into the air.

Retreating, she found herself on the edge of the glowing side of the moon. Not glowing, though, she remembered. Reflecting the light of the sun. Her sister gave her light.

"Celestia, lend me strength," the little pony cried to the watchful stars.

Nightmare Moon flew over the horizon, eyes mere slits. Summoning the last of her strength, Luna summoned the one power that Nightmare could not touch: the power of the sun.

She gasped at it burned through her, eating away at the deep, deep cold, but also at her very being. This element was a deep part of her but also the opposite of her, and she could barely handle it. Concentrating the sun's light into a single bright ray, she directed it right at Nightmare.

Nightmare wailed in agony and fell, skidding in the dust to come to a stop yards away from Luna. Staggering to her feet, she made a clumsy pass with her horn, but Luna wearily fended it off.

Luna's front legs gave out and she sank, gasping for breath. Nightmare too collapsed in front of her, and looked up at her with exhausted fury.

"We can't both be here for a thousand years," Luna managed.

The anger in Nightmare's eyes blazed as she realized what Luna meant.

"No-" she croaked.

Closing her eyes, Luna summoned the last of her magic.

"Nightmare Moon, I banish you to the dark side of the moon," Luna said, knowing she did not have enough power to hold her there for more than a hundred years. But that would be a hundred years of peace.

"Go," Luna said, releasing the spell, and Nightmare rippled and vanished. Luna flopped over onto her side, lungs heaving. She never could get enough air. Somehow she could breathe, but never enough, never enough. Oh, the pain. Tears leaked from her eyes, sliding over her nose and down onto the sharp, crystalline lunar surface. But for now she was safe. For now she was free.