My little Pony Friendship is Magic doesn't belong to me.
R&R please.
Celestia nervously paced back and forth in the town-centre. It worried her that Destiny had a traitor this deep in her rows. What worried her even more, was the fact that Spirit had clearly spoken out against her plan to send a few members of the royal guard after her. Spirit had asked Dream, Faith, Justice and Moral to follow their leader, while he'd used his magic to telelport Rainbow Dash back to them. So now he and Hope were the only remaining tribe-ponies here.
Hope seemed as nervous as Celestia, if not more so, while Spirit seemed calm and discussed battle-strategies with Shining Armour. A bit farther away her sister and Princess Cadence talked about different shield-spells to protect Ponyville. Celestia took deep breaths to calm down, though they didn't help much. What she usually truly wanted to see, was now something she deeply feared.
A shiver ran down her spine when she saw it. The sunset had begun.
Everyone's eyes were on the sunset, while Shining Armour's and Spirit's horns glowed in preparation for magic. Celestia concentrated on her magic as well, followed by Luna and Cadence. The two unicorns and three alicorns stood together, watching how the sun started to set. Luna had delayed the sunset as long as possible, but sometime the sun had to set, and now this time had come.
Fear spread in the Sun Princess. A fear she hadn't felt since long. Not since Nightmare Moon had appeared the first time. No, not even Discord had ever scared her like Nightmare Moon. Then it happened. The sun was gone and suddenly Spirit shot a white beam of magic forward, shielding a part of the sky over Ponyville.
It sounded like something was blocked by it and then Celestia saw it. The familiar shining dark-blue of Luna's mane, of Nightmare Moon's mane. Immediately she followed Spirit's example and the shield grew in size and once again Nightmare Moon's advance was blocked. However this took a toll on the princess.
She glanced to Spirit, who'd also narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth in his effort to keep the shield up. The shield grew and grew and then Shining Armour, Princess Cadence and Luna joined their attempts, followed by every unicorn in the royal guard. The shield soon covered all of Ponyville and with so many ponies keeping it up, every advance of Nightmare Moon, took just little of Celestia's strength.
That was when another thing happened.
She screamed when a sphere that radiated with pure magical power crashed into her flank. Clenching her eyes shut, she managed to remain standing and kept the spell up, however her whole side felt like it was burning. Opening her eyes, she gasped.
Skull advanced to them and she saw how Shining Armour made a move to stop the green stallion, when Spirit stepped forward, his magic retreating from the shield and forming a blade out of his horn.
Skull laughed and did the same.
"You and me again Spirit, I see."
Spirit scowled at him, however made no move to attack yet. Celestia groaned when he sight became blurry. Her injured flank took its toll on her strength.
"Princess", called a familiar voice and Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash rushed up to her, the elements of harmony with them. Rainbow Dash also had a bag. "Princess are you alright?", asked Fluttershy in fear.
She smiled weakly and answered: "I will be…I see you got the Elements of Harmony…but Rainbow Dash, what is in the bag." The Pegasus shifted nervously, then answered: "Twilight's crown." Celestia felt a painful pang in her heart, but nodded. The five waited with her, since no one knew what exactly was to do, when something touched the Princess' injured flank.
She hissed in pain and glanced down at Hope. The filly looked at her apologetically, then touched her horn against Celestia's wing. IT started to glow in a slight green, but intensified and soon illuminated the whole street. The fighting sounds of Spirit and Skull stopped when both glanced at Hope. The young filly gasped hard, but continued to push her energy into her horn. Celestia felt how comfortable coldness spread over her side, but whispered: "Hope it's enough, don't overwork yourself."
Hope shook her head slightly and the glowing of her horn intensified once more. Suddenly, in a heartbeat, it disappeared and Hope collapsed onto the ground.
"Hope", exclaimed Spirit, before he had to block an attack of Skull. Celestia bent down to the filly, who lay on the cold ground, weakened, but conscious.
"G-Guess it w-worked", panted the sapphire furred unicorn.
"Hope, never do something like that again", asked Celestia worriedly.
"No promises", answered Hope and pushed herself up.
Celestia was about to argue, when a Pegasus-Guard flew up to their group. He landed in front of Celestia and Shining Armour and reported: "Three Unicorn Guards in the north and five in the west collapsed. The shield won't hold much longer, we await orders."
Celestia caught a questioning glare from Shining Armour and nodded before she returned her attention to the night-sky. Shining Armour gave the order.
"Every Guard has to be ready to run. You all have to be at the location where Nightmare Moon breaks through as fast as possible."
The Guard nodded and flew off. Forcing her attention away from the night-sky, she looked over the Ponies with her. Luna and Princess Cadence looked scared to no end, but bravely kept the spell up. Shining Armour seemed restless and worriedly watched the battle between Spirit and Skull. Celestia knew he liked to help, but they needed every Unicorn who could use magic good, for the shield. The five Elements of Harmony stood, flew in Rainbow Dash's case, near Hope and scanned the night-sky, trying to find Nightmare Moon, just like Celestia had done it.
Rainbow Dash seemed to murmur something and she strained her ears to hear it. "…too late. Oh please Twilight hurry. The Princesses can't…" At this Celestia gasped and narrowed her eyes at the azure Pegasus. She knew where Twilight Sparkle was? More, she knew Twilight would come to help? But how can she know?, wondered the Princess. Twilight has been gone for four years, why would she return now?
Suddenly she heard a scream and Luna exclaimed: "Cadence!"
Celestia spun around, to see Luna, steadying a fainted Princess Cadence. "Cadence", shouted Shining Armour ran up to his wife. Now that Cadence, and surely more than half of the unicorns who kept the shield up, had fainted, she felt Nightmare Moon's attack on their shield stronger. It would only be a matter of time until she would have to stop the spell as well, be it because she fainted too or that she just had to pull it back.
Suddenly Fluttershy screeched: "THERE!"
Everyone's head snapped to the thing she pointed at and Celestia gasped. A dark-blue, almost black, spear shot to the shield and crashed against it. Celestia screamed in pain and instinctively her magic was cut off. In a matter of seconds the shield broke and the spear continued its way to the ground. There it exploded. Black light covered everything, then it faded away and Celestia gasped.
There, in all her evil glory, stood Nightmare Moon.
Rainbow Dash gulped when the black light faded away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw how Spirit backed away from Skull and back towards them, while Skull backed off too. Then laughter reached her ears and she heard a whimper from Fluttershy. The azure Unicorn was scared to no end, but would never admit it. Not in front of Nightmare Moon.
The dark Alicorn looked at all of them scornfully, her black fur turning her almost invisible in the night. She grinned and her voice echoed through the town. Like Luna used to, she spoke with the traditional Canterlot voice.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? The royal Princesses, the Captain of the Royal Guard, the Elements of Harmony and one of the mightiest warriors in the tribe behind the Everfree forest, not to mention a young healer-apprentice. So much just for my return?" She laughed. "I hadn't expected to be counted that dangerous."
Dash swallowed a growl while Nightmare Moon walked forward, to come face to face with Princess Celestia.
The Sun-Princess glared at the dark Alicorn hatefully and spoke: "I give you a while, if you haven't left then Nightmare Moon…" She trailed off, leaving everyone to imagine what the white Alicorn would do to the evil creature.
Nightmare Moon grinned and answered: "Do you really think you can eve scratch me Celestia? You…" She broke off when Celestia moved forward like lightning and returned as well. A red mark was on Nightmare Moon's cheek and she stared shortly, then laughed: "Very well. You made your point. I hadn't expected the just so kind-hearted Princess of the Sun to attack this fast."
"Even my patience has its end", answered Celestia, standing straight and glaring at the other.
Nightmare Moon laughed again and asked: "What's the matter Celestia? Does the disappearance of your just so dear student still bother you?" Rainbow Dash gasped at the mention of Twilight and the unicorns words from the last night came back to her. "Nightmare Moon didn't even realise it was me." She shook her head and couldn't stop but feel a bit relieved. Nightmare Moon still believed Twilight was gone.
Suddenly she heard a strange sound and gasped. Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon had picked up a fight in the same way Skull and Spirit had fought. And to speak of them, they'd started to fight as well.
"We have to help", gasped Princess Cadence weakly.
"Oh yeah", asked Applejack sarcastically. "Don't kno' wha about ya', but ah' can't move."
Dash looked at AJ, then tried to move forward, something kept her in place. She couldn't even land. "What the…", exclaimed the Pegasus and struggled in mid-air.
Nightmare Moon laughed and explained: "Ah, what isn't the magic of the tribe-leader good for, not? I can fight Celestia and still keep you all away from it. And I'm not even using the full power I possess now."
At this everyone gasped and Celestia backed off in shock. The black alicorn looked at Spirit and her horn glowed shortly. Suddenly Spirit froze in his fight and Skull's blade hit his neck. Spirit screamed and collapsed onto the ground while blood ran out of the wound.
"SPIRIT!", screeched Hope and struggled against Nightmare Moon's Power. The grey stallion glanced at the filly shortly, then to the sky and smirked.
"It…isn't over yet…"
The next second light flooded through the town and Rainbow Dash fell to the ground when Nightmare Moon's grip on her disappeared.
She looked up and gasped.