Octavia stared wearily at the white unicorn. Her dark mane waved lightly in the soft night breeze while the other mare’s electric blue mane stayed angled defiantly against it. The ponies downstairs inside the town hall were restlessly chattering and the crickets outside were chirping. The entire world was oblivious to the stand-off. Both ponies stood still for several moments. Octavia narrowed her eyes, waiting for that white horn to let out a burst of deadly magic. The unicorn, stood tall, smirking at Octavia. The expression in her eyes was hidden underneath her dark spectacles.

“Hm. I was at least expecting some sort of response.” The unicorn said at last.

“Well you failed to introduce yourself” Octavia replied, her tense body standing as still as a statue.

“Oh yea, I suppose I did. Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt. My name is Vinyl Scratch” she said, placing a proud emphasis on her own name. “There. Now we are properly introduced” Vinyl said with another smirk.

“Good. Now I know what to put on your tombstone.”

“You’re pretty confident considering our little tussle in Canterlot.”

“You caught me off guard. This time I can see you clear as day.” Octavia glared with fury while recalling her defeat at the hooves of Vinyl. “You should have killed me when you got the chance.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Through the window into the town hall, Octavia heard the crowd gasp as somepony said, “She’s gone!”

Octavia glanced at the window and saw Rarity standing where the Princess was supposed to make her appearance. The ponies inside were beginning to panic.

She snapped back at Scratch, but was met with a brilliant flash of light. Octavia was blinded. A burst of heat collided with her back, sending her to the ground. The unicorn landed on top of her and grabbed Octavia’s hooves – wrapping them around her back and immobilizing her. “WHERE IS SHE?” yelled Octavia, struggling.

Scratch bent over and spoke into Octavia’s ear. “Now this I think is the best seat in the house. Prepare yourself, Octavia. You’re about to witness the beginning of a new era!” She pushed Octavia’s head toward the window and forced her to watch the events downstairs unfold.

A dark mist with various twinkles mimicking the night sky formed on the platform. The ponies gasped with fear. She found her fellow teammates franticly looking around, presumably searching for their team leader. It seemed everyone had no choice but to watch. The mist parted swiftly, revealing a tall, slender alicorn. Her coat was black as the abyss and her mane and tail were formed of the night sky. Her serpentine eyes glared with a mixture of triumph and disdain. The townsponies gasped once more. Three small fillies clung to each other in fear.

“Oh my beloved subjects. It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious little sun loving faces!”

“What did you do with our princess?!” somepony yelled.

The alicorn chuckled. “Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don’t you know who I am? Does my crown no longer count now that I’ve been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”

Twilight Sparkle answered “I did. And I know who you are. You’re the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon!”

“Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I’m here!”

“You’re here to….to...” she was afraid to say it.

“Remember this day little ponies, for it was your last! From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” Nightmare Moon announced with a booming laugh.

Octavia struggled more, to no avail. Scratch tightened her grip on her arm, putting Octavia in fear of it breaking. Octavia growled.

A few royal guards charged at Nightmare Moon. Tendrils of night extended from her mane and conjured fierce lightning, sending the guards crashing to the ground. Nightmare Moon laughed maniacally. She formed once again into her mist of night and floated snake-like out the door. The ponies ran around, trying to flee. The hall was utter chaos.

Octavia could see the pride painted on Vinyl’s face out of the corner of her eye. She struggled against the unicorn again, who had her locked tight in her grip. There was no moving.

Downstairs, she saw Derpy point up at the window and she, Lyra, and Bon Bon rushed out of the front door.

“Where are the Elements of Harmony? We know you’ve been sent here to protect them. Where are they?” Vinyl asked again, grabbing Octavia’s hair and pulling her head back.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me where the Princess is” Octavia growled.

Vinyl chuckled, “In a few minutes she’ll be suffering the same fate she sent her own sister to a thousand years ago.” She released Octavia’s mane and glared at her. “Your turn”

In answer, Octavia bucked her head back, bashing Vinyl in the nose and sending her stumbling backward. Octavia jumped to her hooves. Vinyl regained her balance just in time to dodge a hard punch from the gray earth pony. She released another brilliant flash of light and jumped down off the roof of the building.

Octavia held her forelegs over her head for a few moments, protecting herself from any attacks as long as she was blinded. When she finally readjusted to the dark night and noticed Vinyl fleeing toward the forest, she jumped down from the ledge. Lyra, Bon Bon and Derpy came careening around the corner and met with Octavia.

“Follow her! She knows where the princess is!” Octavia called to her teammates who promptly turned and chased after the unicorn. Octavia followed a bit behind. As she galloped she didn’t notice the purple unicorn running toward her until they crashed into each other.

Twilight Sparkle lay groaning on the ground. Octavia helped her – or more accurately, lifted her – to her hooves and ran off before the element of magic could utter a “sorry” or a “thank you”. Twilight scratched her head for a moment, but didn’t think twice about it; ponies were definitely in  panic state right now. She turned and ran off toward the library once more.

Octavia’s team disappeared into the trees of the Everfree forest, and she quickened her pace. Ponies were running frantically all over the place and she was forced to dodge, weave and even leap clear over other ponies. Some ponies might wonder about the acrobatic skill, but there wasn’t time for camouflage anymore. She at last came to the edge of the forest and entered without hesitation. Behind the trees, seemed like utter chaos.

A dozen masked unicorn cultists were gathered in a circle, casting a pitch black aura around Princess Celestia. Outside the circle was another half dozen battling with Octavia’s team. Vinyl was standing on a tree branch barking orders at them. So far as she could tell, nopony had noticed her yet. So she took the opportunity to think a minute and try to figure out a strategy.

If she could free Celestia, then every problem would be solved. Checkmate. To do that, the unicorns had to be interrupted from their spell. To do that, she had to get around the ninja ponies, not to mention Scratch’s spells. Her team seemed to be holding off the ninjas well enough for now. A plan formulated inside her head: sneak around, get behind marshmallow, give her one good punch to the back of the head and knock her out cold, finish off the ninja cultists, and then take out the rest of the unicorns – most of whom probably can’t cast battle magic like Vinyl. Checkmate.

She darted around behind the bushes and found the tree that held Vinyl. She leapt from branch to branch, and clung to the tree branch just beneath Scratch. As she dangled from the branch, she gave another look to her team.

Bon Bon was dragging an unconscious Lyra while Derpy swung her battle hammer back and forth, discouraging ninja ponies from closing anymore distance. Bon Bon desperately shook Lyra, who finally responded with a few half-conscious mumbles as she finally returned to the waking world.

Damn it. Octavia had to move quickly. She leapt up to the branch and snuck up behind Scratch. She whirled around to give Scratch a good roundhouse kick to the head, but when she should have connected with stupid marshmallow skull, she met only air – sending her off balance a little. Vinyl ducked beneath her and blasted her with a blazing hot bolt of electric blue.

Damn it. Octavia was launched off the tree and landed just inside the circle of unicorns. She ignored the brutal pain in her ribs and made to interrupt one of the unicorns from their spells. Before she could connect with the elderly bearded colt, Scratch collided with her back, sending her to the dirt once more. She looked up to see Celestia hovered in a dark sphere, pleading with the other unicorns.

“Please think about what you are doing! Equestria isn’t the only land at stake here! The entire world will be cast into darkness! Nightmare Moon isn’t-“ one of the moon cultists cast a quick spell to silence the bubble. The circle of unicorns parted behind Octavia, revealing Derpy and Lyra being dragged in by ninja cultists – ropes tied around their hooves.

Damn it. Bon Bon was missing, and Octavia looked at Lyra. “She ran away. Left, just like that. I told you it was a bad idea to bring – “

“Silence!” barked a voice from above. Everyone looked up. Nightmare Moon hovered menacingly in front of Celestia, who watched with grief.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

“Well, well dear sister. It’s been a long time. A thousand years, was it? No matter. Equestria knows just who its rightful ruler is. Its citizens have risen up to replace the throne, and my loyal subjects have demanded that Equestria be ruled by eternal night once more!”

A tear rolled down Celestia’s cheek. “Sister, please…”

“Sister? Do sisters BANISH EACH OTHER FOR A MILLENIUM?!” Nightmare Moon’s voice abruptly began booming, nearly deafening the spectators with its rage. “ALL I WANTED WAS FOR THE NIGHT TO BE APPRECIATED! ALL I WANTED WAS MY FAIR SHARE! AND WHAT DO I GET FOR DEMANDING EQUALITY?!”

Tears flowed freely from Celestia’s eyes and dropped from her cheeks to the soil below. Her face contorted with grief. Octavia had never seen her beloved princess lose her composure even the slightest, and to see the pitiful spectacle above her stabbed at her heart.

“Banishment…” The pitch black alicorn quietly finished.

“Luna! Please!” Celestia cried.

“And banishment shall be your punishment as well! Princess Celestia, of the royal Equestrian court! I hereby banish you to your namesake. You shall spend a thousand years inside your precious sun!” Nightmare Moon hovered close to the princess. “And unlike you, only the great moon shall grace my subjects with its presence. You and your sun will be forgotten.” She hovered back and joined in with the spell the unicorns were channeling.

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, blinking away her last tears. A pale, moonlight glow began to emanate from the horns of those casting the banishment spell. Lyra struggled harshly with her bonds and Derpy sobbed into the grass underneath her. Octavia locked eyes with Princess Celestia. They stared at each other for more moments than Octavia cared to count. She wanted to apologize to the princess for failing, for letting Equestria down, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter the words. So she hoped she could convey the feeling with her eyes. The princess returned her look with one of her own that betrayed her own sorrow for the situation at hoof. But her eyes quickly changed to that of a caring teacher.

The glow continued to grow. Celestia gave a quick glance to the unicorns, to Vinyl Scratch, to Octavia’s team and finally back to Octavia. “Remember, when the light changes abruptly, it pays to be able to adjust your eyes.”

The moonlight glow grew to a blinding level. For a moment, the night had ended and the world was bathed in pure white. But the moment passed, and the light faded, revealing a circle of moon cultists, Nightmare Moon, Octavia and her team, and no Princess Celestia.

Lyra was the first to break the silence. “You’re not gonna get away with this Nightmare! I swear it! When I get out of these ropes I’m gonna-“ a moon cultist connected a hoof hard with her face.

Vinyl spoke, “What about the Elements of Harmony, your majesty?”

Nightmare Moon turned toward the dense forest. “They are assuredly at the old castle. But they can’t be used without a host. We shall go there, and make sure nopony becomes that host” She formed once again into a twinkling mist and darted deeper into the Everfree Forest.

“You heard her! Unicorns and pegasi, make for the castle!” She gave a look to Octavia and her team. “The rest of you, finish them off, and then catch up” Vinyl Scratch and the unicorns sped off into the forest while the few pegasus cultists launched up into the air and soared above the treetops.

The remaining earth ponies turned to Octavia, Lyra and Derpy. The bound ponies struggled to free themselves of the ropes. Octavia stood up weakly. She needed to free Derpy and Lyra but a dozen ponies stood in her way. A dozen ponies in her condition. She knew it couldn’t be done. Octavia narrowed her eyes.

Since when did that stop her?

Next Chapter: Into the Everfree Estimated time remaining: 6 Minutes