Part 1

Chapter 4: Night Mare Moon

All the ponies in Ponyville found themselves in the town hall, eagerly awaiting the moment when Princess Celestia herself would arrive and raise the sun. Pegasi floated in the air, while unicorns and earth ponies stood in the middle of the hall, or on slightly raised balconies on the left and right. Rarity’s decorations glimmered in the moonlight from the hall windows.

Down in the middle, Twilight and Spike stood waiting. Pinkie Pie rushed up to her.

She started talking in a rushed voice, words spilling out of her mouth one after another. “Isn’t this exciting? Are you excited? Cause I’m excited! I’ve never been so excited! Well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went” for the third time, she did her gasp, “but, I mean, really? Who can top that?”

Immediately, many trumpets started playing and birds, conducted by Fluttershy, started singing. The Summer-Sun Celebration was starting.

A grey-maned tan pony walked onto the stage. She had a warm, motherly look to her, though painted over with a very businesslike appearance. Her cutie mark was a scroll, tied with a blue seal. Suddenly, she was in the spotlight. “fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer-Sun Celebration!” She declared with a Canterlot accent.

Great cheers erupted from the entire audience. Nopony could wait. Spike was now on Twilight’s back to get a better view, being hardly two and a half feet tall.

Once the cheers died down, the mayor continued, “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!” Everypony looked up to the bright yellow banner. Twilight looked at the moon through an open window. Something was wrong. It looked different. Disturbed. Deadly.

“And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land. The very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day; the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria:”

Fluttershy turned to her songbird chorus. “Ready?” she asked quietly, smiling.

“Princess Celestia!” Trumpets blared, birds sang, and Rarity pulled a rope, opening curtains on the raised balcony on which she was standing. The spotlight swiveled to the space between the curtains.

But it did not illuminate Princess Celestia.

She was not there.

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Rarity gasped. Twilight looked up with a terrible unease. “This can’t be good.”

The mayor settled the confused and murmuring crowd. “Remain calm, everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation.”

Pinkie Pie piped up, jumping up and down, “Ooh! Ooh! I love guessing games! Is she hiding?” She began looking around.

Rarity walked out from where the Princess should have been, and said in a scared and confused voice, “She’s gone!”

The entire hall gave a collective gasp of shock and bewilderment. How could this happen?

“Ooh, she’s good,” Pinkie said, still looking around. She then gave a great shriek, her eyes up on the balcony.

A violet mist, glittering with hundreds of tiny white sparkles, came up on the balcony. Everypony gasped yet again. Rarity had the good sense to remove herself from the presence of this mysterious phenomenon, and joined the ponies on the ground.

“Oh, no,” Twilight said quietly, Spike still on her back.

Out of the mist appeared a tall, thin, jet black pony. She had both a horn and wings, spread out frighteningly. Her eyes were a light blue, though somehow resonated darkness. On her head was a curved blue helmet, stretching down on either front or back of her head, and on her chest was a curving blue piece of metal. On it was a c-shaped symbol. Both her mane and tail wavered superiorly, made of the same substance as the violet mist. Her cutie mark: violet covering her flank, with a single crescent moon.

Night Mare Moon.

Twilight whispered the name, scared, but not surprised. The same could not be said for Spike, who fainted and fell off of Twilight’s back.

“Oh, my beloved subjects,” the younger sister said with a happy Canterlot voice, though every word dripped venom. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious little sun-loving faces.” Many ponies recoiled slightly. Applebloom and two other fillies cowered.

“What did you do with our princess?!” Rainbow Dash shouted at the mare, not afraid at all. She started to fly at her, but was stopped by Applejack, who caught Rainbow’s tail in her teeth and kept her from doing something foolish.

“Whoa there, Nelly,” she said through clenched teeth.

Night Mare Moon laughed. “Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don’t you know who I am?”

At this point, in an act of sheer foolishness, Pinkie Pie started saying, bouncing up and down, “Ooh, ooh! More guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about, Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty-” she could not continue for Applejack, still holding Rainbow’s tail, had the good sense to shove an apple in Pinkie’s mouth, stopping her monologue. Pinkie continued to try to talk, but only made quiet muffled noises, then stopped.

“Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?” She asked, turning to Fluttershy, who cowered, her birds scattering. She turned to Rarity. “Did you not recall the legends? Did you not see the signs?”

“I did.” It was Twilight who spoke up. “And I know who you are.” Everypony was quiet, and her voice traveled easily. “You’re the Mare in the Moon, Night Mare Moon!” Nopony else had figured this out, and because of it gasped again.

“Well, well, well. Somepony who remembers me,” she said, satisfied, to Twilight. “Then you also know why I’m here.”

“You’re here to… to…” she gulped, straining to say what she knew she didn’t want to admit was true. She simply couldn’t.

Night Mare Moon chuckled. “Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last.” She was now speaking with terrible power behind her words. “From this moment forth, the night, will last, forever!” Great bolts of lightning cascaded down on either side of her, while a great swirling mist started to consume her.

She laughed loudly into the night.

Twilight looked on in shock.