Fear was not something that Goku felt often, especially in situations where it felt like the appropriate thing to feel. Even when she was just a little filly, there hardly any times where Goku felt scared or terrified. This would come off as pretty unusual for most ponies that knew her, unless they were Kirins like her that is. All her life, there was close to nothing that could scare the tan Pegasus in any way. Even the scariest and most scarring of all horror stories would get nothing more than a shiver from Goku. Other times, she would be left more fascinated than terrified by the things she would be told by ponies. The only times where Goku felt even the slightest trace of fear was when any members of her family, or anypony else, was in danger. Especially if that pony happened to be her little brother or any of his friends however few that there were.

Unfortunately for her, this was one of those times.

Nightmare Moon’s malicious laugh could still be heard echoing throughout the burning Town Square as lightning continued to strike down from the night sky. It took out large chunks of earth as ponies all around tried to get away from the mare that had taken down their beloved Queen. The flickering flames on the ground below danced all around them, threatening to burn anypony idiotic enough to get too close. Smoke seeped into the mouths of ponies that got lost on its thick grey mist, causing them to go into a huge coughing fit as they tried to soak up fresh air. Unfortunately, it only made their lungs fill up with even more smoke as if floated out of the building and out into the atmosphere.

The sounds of foals near the front stage screaming and crying could barely be heard over the thunderous strikes of lightning. The swirling tornado of Nightmare Moon’s mane and tail looming over them and the Town Square and casted them in its ethereal shadow. All the while, the Thestral Kirin sisters and their friends all watched with horrified gazes, and gaping mouths. They would’ve been the next victims, had it not been for a loud powerful, yet familiar voice booming throughout the Town Square.

“GUARDS! PUT THAT FIRE OUT! DON’T LET IT CONTINUE TO SPREAD THROUGH THE BUILIDNG!” Zephyr shouted over to th Solar Guards behind him. “THE REST OF YOU, COME WITH ME SO WE CAN SUBDUE NIGHTMARE MOON!”

Goku, who was the first to snap out of her terrified state, whipped her head around to the royal blue stallion. “Zephyr?!”

“What is it Goku?!” Snowflake asked, looking over at the younger mare. “Who do you see!?”

“I-it’s Zephyr! I heard his voice form somewhere in the crowd!!” Goku replied. “He’s inside the Town Square!”

“He’s what?!” Midnight shouted, her cat-like eyes widened. “What is he doing here?!”

“He must’ve been sent here with the other guards that were here in the Town Square by the Queen.” Twilight guessed, staring up at the stallion as he flew through the air. She suddenly let out a gasped as she watched him stop just feet away from Nightmare Moon. “Oh no…I…I think he’s gonna try and fight Nightmare Moon!”

“He’s WHAT?!” Rarity yelled, her eyes bulging. “Is he insane?! Does he really believe that he stands a chance against the Mare on the Moon?!”

“I have no idea, but whatever he’s planning, I’m not going to let that bitch get away with stabbing the Queen!” Rainbow Dash shouted, snorting hard through her nostrils as her eyes flashed angrily. She once again attempted to fly at the sin black Alicorn and give her a sock to the face, but Applejack was able to keep her from doing so. “Goddammit, let me go already Applejack! I wanna give this mare the what for after what she did to Queen Celestia!”

“Ain’t gonna happen Rainbow Dash!” Applejack growled back through a mouthful of prismatic tail. “Ah understand yer anger, but loosin’ yer noggin’ an’ jus’ rushin’ in ain’t gonna help right now! So take a breather an’ calm down b’fore a drive mah hooves int’ yer skull an’ knock ya out!”

Rainbow Dash was about to retort, but the sound of chirping lightning cut of whatever comment she was going to make. They all looked up to see four Solar Guard Pegasi hovering in the air, all of them just feet away from Nightmare Moon. Multiple colorful auras surrounded their bodies as their eyes glowed the same color, lighting, wind and fire surrounding each of them. Zephyr hovered in between them, his own eyes glowing as he raised his right foreleg, waiting to give his soldiers the signal.

“Oh, how cute. My dear sister’s precious lovers of the Sun are going to try and stop me.”Nightmare Moon smirked as she hovered in the air. “Well, you’re welcome to try, but I doubt that you’ll get very far.”

“FIRE!” Zephyr shouted, swinging his foreleg down as the four Pegasi unleashed their attacks. A swirl of fire, lightning, and wind burst out from their wings, coming together in a unified attack that seemed to make the attack all the stronger. It dove down towards Nightmare Moon, who continued to smirk even as the attack hit her head on in the air. A loud explosion rocked the Town Square as those closest to the five guards looked up at the scene in front of them, wondering what had happened. Zephyr and his other four stallions stayed suspended in the sir, waiting for any sign of the sin black Alicorn to attack them from the smoke.

“Is that it?” One of guards asked after a moment of silence. “She didn’t even try to stop the attack; did she seriously think that she’d be able to withstand an attack of that caliber?”

“Of course not you little foals!”

All five Pegasi jumped at the silky and icy voice that made itself known through the smoke, before it was suddenly blown away. Zephyr and the rest of his guards’ eyes widened upon seeing Nightmare Moon still hovering in her spot, not looking to have any injuries on her whatsoever.

“What in the word?!” Another Solar Guard gasped. “She doesn’t even have a single scratch on her!”

“Impossible!” A third one exclaimed, hovering back a bit. “How was she able to withstand an attack of that caliber?!”

“How you ask? Simple, because it is not the first time that I’ve been hit with an attack like that you meddlesome fools!” Nightmare Moon replied, letting out a rather regal snort. “I’ve been hit with moves like that they no longer even phase me! I’ll be honest, I was almost expecting you all to make a unified attack like that! And now that I’ve been hit with it, I think I can say that was probably the least painful attacks that I was hit with!”

“Dammit…!” A fourth guard hissed, his ears flattening against his head. “I seriously thought we’d be able to get her down with that. At least long enough for us to restrain her…but it looks like that’s not going to happen.”

The fifth and final guard turned to Zephyr. “What do we do know Captain?”

“Here’s one thing that you all can do." Nightmare Moon said as a turquoise aura of magic appeared around her. "You can all stay right there and DIE! REQUIP!!! TARTARUS'S WHEEL!!!"

Before anypony could do anything, the aura around Nightmare Moon exploded, swirling in thick wisps of magic that threatened to blow away all of the Solar Royal Guards. This continued on for a few moments, before the light eventually died down, letting the guards see the sin black Alicorn again. When they did however, they were completely unprepared for what they saw next.

Nightmare Moon, was standing on the booth without any regalia on just moments before, was now adorned in armor what made her look like she was a warrior from the very bits of Tartarus. From her chest, to her back, all the way down to her hooves, the crimson armor stretched, looking as red as the blood she ripped form Celestia's body. The upper part of her armor consisted of a large breastplate that stretched all the way across said, chest, to her shoulders, down to her upper back and her hips. The Alicorn's waist consisted of decorated plate feathers that looked like that of feathers ending in a long ruby red skirt, with a set of crimson horseshoes adorning all four of her hooves. On both of her wings, were large sets of crimson wings blades that let the wing claws stretch out, with metallic scarlet red feathers running down her bat wings. To top of her terrifying appearance, a tiara, even larger than the one than Celestia wore, rested atop her head, also having a crimson color and with a crimson crescent moon resting at the top.

"What in the...how was she able to do that?" One of the guards with Zephyr asked, his lower lip quivering as his entire body shook. "She was only invisible for a few seconds...how was she able to adorn armor so quickly?"

"Why you ask? Well, since you're so shocked by me doing it, I suppose that it's only fair that I tell you." Nightmare Moon replied, looking up at the five guards with a fanged smirk. "This magic that I'm using is all Requip Magic, one of the long lost magical abilities belonging to many of the ponies, or rather, the Magic Mages, that live in the so called Guilds of Equestria. It allows anypony that uses it to change any weapon they have into anything that they'd like, even the magic inside said weapon. There's also Requip Magic that will allow ponies to adorn into suit of armor that'll increase any type of magic, sense, or ability that they have...like the one that you're seeing here."

"Requip...Magic?" Another guard asked himself, confusion clear in his voice. "I don't think I've heard of that kind of magic before."

"I didn't think that you would, you meddlesome little mortals. Only those that are apart of the Guilds, those secret organizations that Celestia and her naive little sister have allied themselves with know of magic like this." Nightmare Moon said, giving a dry snort. "Allow me to give you a little demonstration of it...the power by behind the all famous Magic Mages of Equestria!!!"

Rearing up on her handles, her horn ignited in a flare of bright turquoise magic, and a large flock of blue wing handled swords, doted in crimson auras appeared out of thin air. Two larger ones appeared on either side of the sin black Alicorn, while the others floated around her as if they were a flock of hummingbirds hovering in midair.

"No way..." The third guard said, his jaw coming unhinged. "She created all of those swords out of thin air! just like that!"

"Not even our Queen is able to do that!" A fourth and final guard added. "Just how powerful is this mare!"

"Powerful enough to take down your precious Queen with one strike, like I did just now." Nightmare Moon replied smugly, flicking her tail skirt. "And how that she's out...you're next! Scattering Crows!!!"

Faster than anypony could blink, the azure swords nightmare Moon had created all shot off towards the five Solar Guards. Zephyr’s keen senses allowed him to dodge the attack before the swords connected, though he was cut in his armor a few times. The other stallions with him, weren’t so lucky, and the royal blue stallion suddenly found his ears being filled with the agonized screams of his troop. He watched in horror as they all got stabbed in random places, and while none were hit in the necks or heads, Zephyr could tell some of the injuries they sustained would be fatal.

“Oh no!” Midnight gasped, a horrified look in her eyes. “She just every last one of those soldiers down!”

“And with just one strike…” Snowflake added, her voice lower and calmer but by no means any less terrified. “…just how strong is she?”

“I…I can feel her power level. It…it’s absolutely crazy!” Goku replied, her golden eyes peering right up at Nightmare Moon. She took in the sight of the turquoise aura surrounding her, and could not stop the shiver that went down her spine. “It’s even higher the Queen Celestia’s own!”

“Whoa, seriously?!” Pinkie Pie gasped, snapping her head over to the tan Thestral. “Queen Moonie is really that strong?! How can you even tell?!”

“We can all detect one another’s magical power levels Pinkie Pie.” Twilight replied, keeping close to the party pony. “We don’t even need to use things like our horns to do it. We just have to use our own inner magical power to do it…and I can feel Nightmare Moon’s too. Its’ so high that I can’t even describe it in the most accurate of words. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I do know one thing…Zephyr is in big trouble right now!”

‘No way…she took out all of those soldiers, just like that! And with just one attack!’ Zephyr thought to himself, staring at the down at the fallen guards. He shivered upon seeing the growing pools of blood surrounding them, even as they tried to rise to their hooves. ‘I’m gonna have a harder time with this than I thought…’

“Well, now that I’ve gotten them out of the way…” Nightmare Moon said, locking her eyes right into Zephyr. “…there’s just you little hatchling!”

Flaring her bat wings, she took off towards Zephyr, ready to stab him in the same manager as she did Celestia. Zephyr however, was one step ahead of her, having recovered quickly enough to see her incoming attack on him. He effectively moved to the side before bringing his right up to Nightmare Moon’s chin and slamming it onto her when she was within range. The force, combined with the armor covering Zephyr’s hoof, was enough to stop her midflight as she let out a surprised cry of agony. Not wasting any time, Zephyr then used that same hoof to punch Nightmare Moon in her chest, before spinning her around and bucking her in the stomach. The sound of cracking ribs filled Nightmare Moon’s ears as she spat out blood and flew back from the stallion. At the last, she was able to stop just short of crashing into the booth where Celestia still laid, and flapped her wings to keep herself from falling.

“You seriously didn’t think that you were going to get the jump on me that easily, did you?” Zephyr asked, flexing his neck. “I saw that attack coming before you even began to plan it; it’s going to take more than a surprise attack to get past my eyes.”

“You little insolent pest…!” Nightmare Moon hissed, wheezing slightly as she glared at the Solar Guard. “You actually struck me!”

“Yes, I did. Why’re you so surprised by that?” Zephyr asked, raising an eyebrow. “You seriously thought that I was just going to let you kill me without putting up a fight? Sorry Nightmare, but you’re barking up the wrong tree here. You’re gonna have to do a lot better than that if you want to at least one good hit on me.”

The sin black Alicorn bared her fangs at the royal blue stallion for a moment, before her lips curled into a smirk. “Oh, so you want me to try harder hm? Well, in that case…why don’t we try this?”

Before Zephyr could blink, Nightmare Moon vanished from view in a swirl of blue magic, taking the young stallion aback slightly. He quickly composed himself and looked around, the garnet orange aura surrounding his body heightening his senses and keeping him on high alert.

A second later, he felt a presence behind him and he spun around just in time to block a hoof strike from Nightmare Moon. He winced as the force of the mare’s blow bent and cracked his leg armor, only for it to happen again as Nightmare Moon aimed it his face with her other foreleg. Grinning widely, the sin black Alicorn bared her fangs and lunged for Zephyr’s neck, fully intent on draining him of his life liquid. The royal blue stallion was having none of it, and reeled back just as Nightmare Moon’s fangs grazed his throat. They snapped shut with a loud, sickening crack of her teeth as Zephyr kneed her in her chin, before delivering an uppercut to her face as he flipped back in midair. Flaring his wings, he flew away from Nightmare Moon as wind began to swirl around him.

“Sky Pegasus: Wind Slicer Wing Attack!” He shouted, swinging both of his wings out in front of him causing two large slices of wind shot out from them. As Nightmare Moon righted herself in the air, the attacks struck her right in the chest and the stomach, causing her to scream out as blood flew out. Her wings faltered slightly as she fell from her spot in the air, but managed to recover enough to keep herself from falling.

“Why you disgraceful little pony!” Nightmare Moon shouted, glaring up at Zephyr as she held her wounds. “You almost sliced me open!”

“Well, that’s what you get for taking out my fellow guards and friends!” Zephyr lowly snarled back, baring his teeth as his eyes flashed. “Now, are you going to surrender to use peacefully and forfeit the fight? Or are things going to have to get ugly for the both of us?”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened slightly at these questions, having not expected Zephyr to be asking her of all ponies to surrender to a battle. She continued to stare up at the stallion for a few moments, before letting her head fall and laughing.

Zephyr having not expected this reaction tilting his head. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh nothing, just the simple fact that you think you can take on somepony with a power of my magnitude!” Nightmare Moon replied, grinning up at the Zephyr. “Do you really think that you stand any change against me?”

“…No, I honestly don’t.” Zephyr replied after a moment of silence. “I know that I’m significantly weaker than you, be it in my Adrenaline or Ascension form, and there’s a very likely chance you kill me on the spot before I’d know what happened.” His eyes narrowed as the aura around his body grew even brighter. “Even so, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to let you escape here without trying to get past me. I’m a Solar Guard, the most Elite force in Equestria’s history, and as long as I’m still breathing, I will protect my fellow ponies at all costs!”

“Hmhm…so you’re going to protect everypony here form a divine being like me?” Nightmare Moon asked, clearly amused by Zephyr’s declaration. “How interesting…in that case, let’s see if you can protect your precious sun lovers, by protecting yourself!”

In the blink of an eye, Nightmare Moon once again transformed into a stream of ethereal space-like mist, before shooting straight towards Zephyr. The next thing the royal blue stallion knew, he felt the wind being knocked out of him as it struck him right in the stomach. There was a loud crack as his golden armor shattered like glass crashing to a hard floor as his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets.

A glob of blood flew from his mouth as the mist flew above him and dove back down, slamming right into his back. He screamed out as he felt pain flare up his spine and throughout his body as his armor shattered even more. As he fell towards the ground, he felt something grab him by the tail hoist him back up, and let him spiral through the air. Just as Zephyr’s stomach faced the ceiling, Nightmare Moon returned her normal form and ignited her horn, black lighting crackling around hit as she smirked down at the royal blue stallion.

“Black Trinity Thunder Swords!!!” The sin black Alicorn shouted, shooting down large twin lightning coated slashes with her larger swords. Zephyr whinnied in agony as the slashes struck him in the chest, cutting into his armor and sending massive volts of electricity all over his body. With another scream, he exploded in a haze of smoke, magic and lighting, the rest of his armor shattering as it scattered across the air like golden snowflakes.

“ZEPHYR!!!” Midnight screamed, her expression full of utter horror as she watched the Solar Royal Guard and her friend fall from the air. Flaring her bat wings, the beetle black Thestral shot into the air and speed towards the stallion, catching him just as he hit the ground. “Zephyr?! Zephyr are you okay?! Please, speak honey, speak to me!”

Zephyr coughed violently, groaning as he opened his eyes, looking into the worried navy-blue ones of Midnight. “Ugh…M-Midnight? I-is that you?”

Snowflake and Goku immediately raced to his side. “Are you alright Zephyr? Are you able to move?” The former asked, her voice laced with worry.

“He probably shouldn’t, that was a real nasty hit that Nightmare Moon had dealt him.” Goku said, looking over Zephyr’s charred body. “I don’t know if he can even move right now.”

“W-wanna bet?” Zephyr asked, rolling over on his stomach as he groaned softly. Ignoring the pain flaring throughout his body, he slowly and shakily got himself to his hooves, the three mares aiding him in doing so. “Sweet Faust that was a powerful attack…I thought that I was gonna explode back there for a minute.”

“Well, it was a good thing that it was only your armor that got destroyed instead of you.” Goku murmured, looking down at the piles of shattered golden armor. “It looks like that armor was a lot more durable than I thought it was.”

“Yeah well, that’s the least of our problems right now.” Zephyr grunted, looking back up at Nightmare Moon. “We’ve got other more pressing matters we need to deal with.”

“What’s the matter little hatching, could feel the thunder?” Nightmare Moon asked, letting out a cold icy laugh. “Well that’s too bad, I was hoping for more of a challenge from somepony that’s supposed to be a part of Equestria’s most elite force. It looks like you’re still just a rookie with no idea as to what he’s doing.”

“Don’t you dare talk to Zephyr like that!” Goku shouted angrily, the intensity in her voice, making Zephyr and her other four siblings flinch. “He’s one of the best elite guards ever to join in Queen Celestia’s Solar Royal Guards! There’s a reason why he’s third in command of that very same guard, because he has the power and the brains to lead that very same elite force!”

“Oh, really now? Well he’s doing a very poor job if showing it if that’s even remotely true!” Nightmare Moon retorted, clearly amused by the tan Thestral mare’s words. “ Then again, I supposed I shouldn’t really be surprised, given that it was my dear sister that’s been leading them all this time. If this is what her guards have to offer, then it’s no wonder that they fell under my power so easily.”

Goku’s cat-like eyes narrowed, her bat pony canines gleaming as she curled her lips back into a snarl, her ears flattening. “Oh, trust me, you have no idea how powerful that Zephyr can be if you give him the chance to really show off. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be able to use that power for a while, given that stunt that you pulled just a minute ago.” She flared her feathered bat wings, the golden yellow membranes gleaming as brightly as her canines as she glared up at the sin black Alicorn. “Though of you want, I’d be more than happy to show you that in another way…that is, if you feel like taking me!”

“So you’re going to take your little friends place and try to take on the Queen of the night hm?” Nightmare Moon laughed, raising an ethereal eyebrow at the younger mare. “I admit, that does sound rather interesting. I can feel the magical power flowing through your body even now. As wonderful as a challenge that I believe it will be, I think that I’m going to pass for now.”

“What?” Snowflake asked, surprise washing over her face.

“Yes, I feel that doing it here won’t really be that much of a good idea, given that there are so many ponies here.” Nightmare Moon replied, gesturing to the whole Town Square, which was now devoid of fire. “Plus, there’s too much screaming and yelling, and this place isn’t one where I’d really do battle with anypony.”

“Really now?” Goku asked, still in her fighting stance. “What’re you suggesting then?”

“If you want to fight me so badly, then you and your little friends should at least be willing to go through the trouble of finding me.” Nightmare Moon replied, her mane and tail floating behind her as her crimson armor gleamed. “I’ll give you a little hint; it’s at the old castle where me and my dear sister used to rule before she banished me to my beautiful Moon. One that I’m sure was abandoned over the last millennium.”

‘The old Castle? Is she talking about the abandoned Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters?’ Goku thought, mulling over Nightmare Moon’s words. A second later, her eyes widened as a small gasp escaped her, her tan fur paling a bit. ‘No…no bucking way! She can’t mean the abandoned castle that’s in…there!’

Nightmare Moon, seeing the look of horrified recognition on the tan Thestral’s face, let out a low chuckle, her smile widening slightly. “I see you’ve managed to figure out just where I want to meet you for our little showdown. In that case, I’ll leave it to you to find out where it is, if you’ll be able to find it due to where it is. Oh, and feel free to bring your sisters and friends with you as well. It’ll make the incoming fight all the more entertaining if I have all the more foolish mortals coming to challenge me…and their demise all the sweeter to extract on them.”

With those words, the sin black Alicorn let out another bone chilling laugh, before turning into a cloud of mist and zooming the Town Square’s double doors. Around that same time, Rainbow Dash finally managed to get her tail out of Applejack’s jaws, the latter unable to keep her at bay any longer. The cyan mare immediately went for the doors, Nightmare Moon’s misty form still in her sight as she attempted to pursue her. Right as she was about to crash through the doors, Rainbow found herself trapped in a pale light grayish orchid aura, effectively freezing her in midair. Snapping her head behind her, she saw Twilight standing just below her, with her horn ignited and alight with magic.

“Twilight, what the buck are you doing?!” She demanded as she struggled in the lavender Unicorn’s magical grasp. “Let me out of this damn aura!”

“No Dash! Not until you calm down!” Twilight replied, her tone stern as she glared up at the athlete. “I know that you’re upset about what Nightmare Moon had done to the Queen; we all are! But losing your head and just recklessly charging in isn’t going to help any of us! You’re only going to get yourself killed if you keep doing what you’re trying to do!”

“What, so you’re telling me to just sit here and let that monster get away with stabbing the Queen right in front of us?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, yelling the last part out as her magenta eyes blazed brightly. “Not gonna happen Twilight! I’m not doing any calming down until I make Nightmare Moon pay for harming the Queen! Now let me out of this goddamn magic bubble!”

“RAINBOW DASH!!!” Goku suddenly yelled, the power in her voice making the cyan mare stop in her struggling. “What did Twilight just tell you?! With the way that you’re acting now you’re only going to make it that much easier for Nightmare Moon to kill you like she nearly did to Queen Celestia! The one thing that works against you in battle while fighting an enemy is losing your head and letting your anger and emotions get the better of you! That’s exactly what you’re doing right now! So, take a breath and calm down, alright?!”

“I’d listen to Goku if I were you Rainbow Dahs.” Snowflake said as she, Midnight and Twilight walked over to the three mares. “I know that you’re upset about that, but losing your temper and charging in recklessly will not help her right now. We need keep level heads, stick together and find some way to solve this mess.”

“Snowy’s right, Dashie! It’s not going to help if we all have big frowny faces!” Pinkie Pie said, her fur, mane and tail turning back to its normal color. “What we should be doing is turning that frown upside down as fast as we can! By that I mean a making sure that that big black meanie pants doesn’t take away the Queen Celly’s beautiful Sun forever!”

“Please Rainbow Dash, just try to calm down.” Midnight said, looking at the mare with a pleading look. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to get your shot at her eventually. For now…please don’t do anything rash. Besides, there are other ponies who need our help right now.”

Rainbow Dash’s mind briefly flashed back to Fluttershy getting attacked by Nightmare Moon, and that made the rage in her mind cool instantly. After a moment of silence, which she used to think about her friends’ words, she let out a sigh and she lowered her head. Her wings flaps slowed down for a second time, letting her body go slack in Twilight’s magical grasp. “Fine…I’ll stay here.”

“Thank you Dash, I’m glad that you’re doing the smart thing right now.” Twilight said, setting Rainbow Dash down on the ground. “Don’t worry, we’ll make Nightmare Moon pay for hurting Queen Celestia…for now, I think we should focus on what’s happening right now.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” The cyan mare sighed dejectedly, still somewhat angry as she stared at the ground. “Still, I’m gonna make that mare pay when I see her again. You can mark my words on that one.”

“Trust me Dash, we believe you.” Applejack said dryly, before looking over at Goku. “Alright, G, ya got any ideas as t’ what we’re gonna do now? We’re in a mighty tight pickle barrel right now, and Ah ain’t exactly sure as t’ what we’re supposed t’ be doin’ right now.”

“Well, for starters, we’re going to help these ponies in the Town Square.” The tan Thestral replied, her eyes flashing as she looked around at the interior of the building. “Applejack, Pinkie Pie, you’re going to find Sheton, Spike, and the fillies and make sure that they’re all okay.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie Pie replied, giving a sharp salute.

"Y'all can count on me G." Applejack replied, giving a firm tip of her hat.

Goku then turned to her older sisters. “Snowflake, Midnight, you’ll aid Mayor Mare in helping anypony that got injured in the destruction while I get the girls together.”

“Whatever you say little sister.” Snowflake said with a firm nod.

“Rainbow, you two are with me.” Goku continued, looking over to the prismatic maned mare. “We’re going to go and get Rarity and Fluttershy and make sure that Queen Celestia is okay, and then we’re going to figure out how to stop Nightmare Moon. Though not before we check on the Queen first. It looked like she had taken a real nasty hit up there.”

“No kiddin’…” Applejack murmured, feeling a shiver go down her spine at the sight of Nightmare Moon’s horn going right through the Sun Queen.

“What about me?” Twilight asked, walking up to the tan Pegasus. “What do you want me to do?”

“What do you think?” Goku asked, looking at the lavender Unicorn with a small smirk. “I want to go to the library and find some way that we can all stop Nightmare Moon. You’re the smartest one here out of all of us, besides me, so I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with a plan to figure out how we can do that.” She raised an eyebrow at Twilight’s wide-eyed expression. “You can do that, can’t you?”

“I…y-yes, I can! You can count on me, Goku! I promise, I’ll find whatever I can that I think can help us!” The magical protégé sputtered after a moment of trying to regain her composure. With a strong lash of her tail, she turned on her heels and galloped away. “Good luck to you girls! Meet me back at the library when you’re all through here!”

“We will! Be careful out there!” Goku called back as she watched the lavender Unicorn run out the door, and into the night. With a light sigh she turned to Zephyr her sisters and the rest of her friends. “Are you going to be okay down here Zephyr?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. My internal magic will work in getting rid of these bruises, so you don’t have to worry about me having to be sent to the hospital.” The royal blue stallion replied, giving a little snort. “As a matter of a fact, I’m gonna head over to Ponyville Urgent Medical Care and see if I can get any doctors and nurses over here to help the injured.”

“Ya sure about that sugarcube?” Applejack asked skeptically, raising a golden eyebrow. “This town is pretty big, and it’s got a lot o’ places where yer sure t’ get lost. Maybe ya should have somepony who knows this place come with ya t’ make sure ya don’t feel like yer goin’ through a maze.”

“I appreciate that miss, but I’m going to have to decline.” Zephyr nodded, giving a slight wave of his hoof as his bruises began to heal. “I’ve been here plenty of times before, and I pretty much know this town like the back of my hoof. So I won’t have any problem finding it even if it has grown larger over the past decade and a half. I’ll be okay on my own trust me.”

“Alright then Zephie, if you’re sure.” Pinkie Pie said, giving a little shrug. “Just try to make it back as soon as you can okay? I’m no doctor, but I can tell just by looking at these poor ponies that they’re going to be reeeeeeeally party pooped if they don’t get any help soon.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back here before anything major happens…I didn’t join the Solar Royal Guard just for my strength and brains.” Zephyr said, chuckling slightly as he smiled at the cyan mare. “Alright, I’m going now, good luck here girls. Be sure to wish me some luck too!”

With a flick of his tail, he spun around and galloped towards the door, exploding through it as he tore his way into the town. Goku and the other mares watched him as he made his way through the town, going into the direction of Ponyville Hospital, before the former turned back to the others.

“Okay, is everypony clear on what their supposed to do?” She asked, earning nods from all five mares. “Alright, let’s move!”

With that, the six ponies split up, Midnight and Snowflake heading off to assist any injured ponies, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie going in search of the foals. Goku and Rainbow Dash both took to the air, flying passed the clouds of smoke that were beginning to dissipate, and coming up to the upper booths. They flew over to the booth that where Fluttershy was, who was curled up in a ball with her hooves to her chest, being tended to by Rarity.

“Goku! Rainbow Dash! Oh, thank goodness you’re here!” The alabaster Unicorn cried, relief flowing through her voice as she held Fluttershy’s head in her hooves. “The poor dear is in so much pain! I don’t know what to do!”

“Calm down, Rarity. We’re here, everything is going to be fine.” Goku said as she walked over to the two mares, kneeling down in front of Fluttershy. “Fluttershy? Fluttershy, it’s us, Goku and Rainbow Dash. Are you okay?”

“Ugh…Goku? R-Rainbow Dash?” the buttermilk Pegasus wheezed softly as she lifted her head, her pain filled teal eyes looking straight into the golden ones of the tan Pegasus. “Oh, t-thank Fust you’re h-h-here-ah!”

“It’s okay Fluttershy, don’t move.” Goku said softly, taking the Pegasus’s right forehoof in her left. “It’s okay, just show us where it hurts.”

With some difficulty, the buttermilk Pegasus removed her hooves, allowing the tan Thestral to see her feathered furry chest and her barrel. Goku leaned in for a closer look, only to reel back in surprise a second later at the deep bloody hoof imprints in both of them.

“Sweet Shenron’s Dragon Fist …” she whispered, putting a hoof to her mouth as she leaned in again. “How hard did she stomp on you?”

“Shit, those looks like some real nasty hits.” Rainbow Dash added, shivering when she saw the blood. “Are you okay, Fluttershy?”

“Honestly, I feel like as if I’d been stomped on by Harry.” Fluttershy wheezed as she let out a grunt of pain. “I don’t think these marks are going to heal for quite a while…even with all of my medical supplies.”

“I think I can help you with that, young one.” A familiar motherly voice said from behind the four ponies, making them all jump and whirl around to the source. Their eyes popped out of their sockets when they saw a concerned Queen Celestia standing behind them.

“Queen Celestia!” Rarity cried, shooting to her hooves. “Y-you’re…you’re standing!”

“What the hay happened to your injuries?!” Rainbow Dash added, her magenta eyes scanning all over the swan white Alicorn’s lower chest. Just a few minutes ago, she had witnessed Nightmare Moon’s horn was piercing right through her chest, seeping with Celestia’s life fluid and dripping from her mouth. The cyan mare had seen the ebony Alicorn remove her horn from the Sun Queen’s chest, and let her fall to the ground, leaving her completely motionless. There was no way that she was supposed to be moving right now, let alone standing up.

“I’m sorry if it’s a lot to take in my little ponies. It’s not every day that you see a pony able to heal themselves with just a simple flare of magic.” Celestia said sympathetically. “Then again, I am an Alicorn, with a millennia’s worth of useful healing spells in my grasp.”

“Erm, yes, that makes sense.” Rarity gabled, shaking her heat to clear her shock away. She let out a gasp as her gaze shot down to Fluttershy, who was rubbing her head. “Oh, I’m so sorry, darling! I completely forgot that I was holding you!”

“It’s alright Rarity…I know that you didn’t mean it.” Fluttershy replied, smiling gently at the alabaster Unicorn. Her eyes then trailed over to Celestia, who was walking towards her. “Y-your highness…what happened to your wounds?”

“Do not worry about that right now, Fluttershy. It is your own injuries that you need to worry about.” Celestia replied softly, as she inspected the smaller mare’s injuries. “Goodness me, it appears that Nightmare Moon has left you with some rather…deep marks, hasn’t she? Not to worry, I have just the thing for that.”

Without another word, her horn lit up in its golden yellow glow, and enveloped Fluttershy in its beautiful aura. The Pegasus jumped at the feeling, but soon relaxed, finding the sensation to be very soothing and comforting, as if she was being held in the loving embrace of her mother. She closed her eyes as she felt Celestia’s magic do its work, feeling the pain where Nightmare Moon had struck her slowly begin to recede. The tightness in her chest slowly began to disappear, allowing her to breath more easily. A minute later, the magical aura disappeared with a sharp ‘poof’, allowing Fluttershy to look down at her chest. Her eyes widened in amazement when she saw the hoof imprints on her chest and her stomach were gone, with nothing, not even a scar remaining.

“There we are.” Celestia said, not looking the least bit winded. “Is that better?”

“Y…y-yes, much better. Thank you, your highness.” Fluttershy replied softly, giving the swan white Alicorn a grateful smile. She slowly got to her hooves, her roseray swaying as she found her equilibrium, before giving a ruffle of her wings. “Oh, I feel much better now. Whatever you did to me really did the trick.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Celestia said sweetly, happy that she was able to relieve one of her subjects of any pain. “Those must’ve been some really nasty hits for it to hurt that much.”

“Yeah...they were.” Fluttershy murmured, as Rarity rubbed her back comfortingly.

“Um Queen Celestia, Fluttershy, not to interrupt the sweet and tender moment or anything, but…” Goku said, gently tapping the Alicorn on her shoulder“…I think we have some bigger problems to worry about right now.”

These words brought Celestia and Fluttershy sharply back to reality as they both looked at Rainbow, then at the chaos down below. Immediately the warm expressions on their faces faded, soon replaced with ones of fear and worry as they watched the panicked frenzy from above.

“Dear Faust…to think that this is what happens right when I’m going to partake in the most glorious celebration with my beloved subjects.” Celestia whispered, silently taking in the chaos down below. “I suppose that not everything goes to plan…even in important events like this.”

“Um yeah about that…” Rainbow Dash began, hovering over to the Queen with a grave expression. “Would you mind explain to us what the buck that was back there?!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said sharply, giving the cyan mare a reprimanding glare. “I understand that you’re scared and confused at the moment, but that is no way to talk to the Queen!”

“No Rarity, it’s alright. I know that Rainbow Dash did not mean anything by it.” Celestia said as she raised a covered hoof. “She just wants to know what is happening right now, and I think I’d be best if it did. However, I don’t think that it’d be best to explain it here. I’m afraid that there’s too much mayhem for us to have a quiet conversation.” She looked back at the other mares, seeing there were only four of them with her. “Where are the rest of your friends?”

“Oh Midnight and Snowflake are helping Mayor Mare with whoever’s been injured.” Goku replied, gesturing down to the bottom. “Pinkie Pie and Applejack are searching for my little brother and the rest of the foals, and Twilight is back at the Golden Oaks Library, trying to find some way to stop Nightmare Moon before she shrouds all of Equestria in Eternal Night. Do you need to see them, too?”

“Yes, I think I’d be best if I have all of you with me to explain what’s happening, so I don’t have to keep repeating myself.” Celestia replied as she walked over to railing. “First things first, we have to find your sisters and the rest of your friends.”

“Good idea. I think Twilight can wait just a little bit longer while we help my sisters, Applejack and Pinkie Pie.” Goku nodded as she took to the air. “Come on everypony, let’s get to it!”

“Right!” Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy all nodded as they and Fluttershy all followed Goku down to the bottom, Celestia following close behind.

The sound of hooves galloping, and books being thrown and hitting ground could be heard all throughout the Golden Oaks Library as Twilight Twinkleshine Sparkle worked herself into a frantic and anxious frenzy. She ran about the large tree house, magic ignited as she levitated numerous books out of their engraved bookshelves and flipped through the pages in less then a few seconds, before tossing them to the side when she was unable to find anything useful. Books could be seen scattered all over the floor, either alone or in large piles as the lavender Unicorn continued to desperately scan through them.

“Come on, come on, come on! Where the hay are you, you stupid book?! I know I had it hear somewhere.” Twilight cried with frustration as she continued to look through the bookshelves. After a few more minutes of scanning through the books, she gave up and threw the ones she had in her magic off to the side. She ignored the thumping sound they made on the wooden floor as she fell on her haunches and slammed her forehooves onto it. “Ugh, this is not good! How can me and the girls ever hope to stop Nightmare Moon if I don’t have the book to the bucking Elements of Harmony?! Goku’s counting on me to find something to stop her, and I can’t even find a simple book that will specify how to do it! Ugh, what am I gonna do?!”

Right at that moment, she heard the door to her tree house burst open with a loud bang, causing her to jump in surprise. She spun around just in time to see a prismatic blur zooming straight towards her. Instinctively she ducked, watching as it crashed into the giant wooden horse head sitting on the table that was in the center of the room. As it fell to the floor with a loud clatter, the multi colored streak slammed into one of the wooden walls, causing the books in the shelves closest to it to shake violently.

“Rainbow?!” Twilight cried out in surprise, having recognized whom it was the moment she saw the multicolored streak. She watched, mouth agape as the cyan mare struggled to get her hooves from out of the wall. “Why did you barge into my house like that?!”

As if to answer her question, her ears picked up the sound of multiple hooves thundering from outside, before coming into her home. She once again turned around to see the Thestral Kirin sisters and the rest of her friends, with Sheton and the fillies, Crescent Shield and Spike trailing behind them.

“Twilight/Big Sis!” They both shouted in unison as they galloped up the lavender Unicorn.

“Crescent! Spike! Oh, thank goodness you’re are alright!” Twilight cried joyfully, wrapping her forelegs around both foals as she nuzzled the top of their foreheads. She looked up at Goku, who was standing in front of the group. “What happened? If everypony in the town Square okay?”

“Me, the girls, and Celestia all helped Mayor Mare try to keep everypony from going into a panic and help any of those who were injured. Applejack and Pinkie went to look for the foals and see if they were alright too. Thankfully, they weren’t injured, crushed or burnt in any way.” Goku replied calmly, her expression formed into a grimace. “I wouldn’t say that many of them are okay, or even fine but…they do have some help that’s soon to arrive. Queen Celestia sent Zephyr over to Ponyville Urgent Medical Care to get some help, so they have a chance at least.” Her face brightened somewhat, though her eyes still held some uncertainty. “We were able to bring somepony else back with us, though.”

“Who?” Twilight asked quizzically, and right at that moment, a loud gasp to as she saw Celestia slowly enter the library. The moment she did, she released Crescent Shield and Spike, shooting to her hooves and bolting towards the swan white Alicorn. She leapt into the air and spread out her forelegs, slamming into her so hard that Celestia almost lost her footing and fell to the floor.

“Queen Celestia!” She wailed as she nuzzled Celestia’s neck, tears running down her cheeks. “You’re here! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“There there…it’s alright my faithful student.” Celestia said soothingly, leaning down and nuzzling the top of Twilight’s head. She ignored the cold feeling of the lavender Unicorn’s tears that dampened the fur on her neck as she wrapped a vast wing around the smaller mare. “I’m sorry that you and your friends had to see that. I can only imagine how terrified you must’ve felt when you saw me get impaled.”

“I was…it all happened so quickly. She moved so fast that I wasn’t able to keep track of her…” Twilight whimpered, hugging her mentor tighter. “…a-and when I saw her horn go through your chest, and your blood…I-I…I just…”

“Shhhhhh.., don’t worry, it’s okay. It’s over now, I’m alright now.” Celestia whispered, stroking Twilight’s mane in a motherly fashion. After a few moments, she gently lowered Twilight back to the ground, slowly unfurling her wing form her back as she used it to wipe the tears from the mare’s eyes. Once the lavender Unicorn calmed down, the Solar Queen looked back at the rest of her friends. “Thank you all for coming. I was hoping that I’d get to meet all of you under different circumstances. Unfortunately, it seems we’ll have to put that on hold for now. I had Goku gather the rest of you here because I wish to discuss a matter of great importance to you, which has to do with what happened at the Town Hall earlier.”

“Yeah, Ah think we all want to know about that, yer majesty.” Applejack said, running a hoof down Apple Bloom’s back. “Jus’ what in tarnation happened back there? One minute we were all waitin’ fer yer arrival, watchin’ you raise th’ Sun, an’ gettin’ ready to celebrate the year’s longest day. Then the next the whole Town Hall roof caves in like a giant thunderstorm an’ this monstrous lookin’ pony comes declaring that the night will last forever!”

“I must agree with Applejack, your grace. I was certainly not expecting her to just barge in like a barbarian and interrupt such a marvelous event!” Rarity chimed in, using her left hoof to rub Sweetie Belle’s back comfortingly. “I mean, did you see the way that she looked at all of us?! That had to be the most horrifying sight that I have ever seen!”

“Yeah! I’ve never felt so scared in all of my life!” Pinkie Pie cried, giving a light shiver. “Who was that meanie pants of a mare?! And why did she look like an Alicorn?!”

“Yeah, the only other Alicorn that I’ve ever seen and heard about is you.” Twilight said softly, her mind still trying to grasp what she had seen in the Town Square.

“Plus, by the way you were talking to each other, it seemed like you knew each other personally. Would you care to explain to us about that?” Fluttershy asked quizzically, raising a cherry blossom eyebrow. She suddenly shrank back and retreated behind her mane, thinking she may have overstepped her boundaries. “Um…if you don’t mind doing so that is.”

All of a sudden, a giant multi-color feathered bat wing flared out in front of the mare’s, effectively silencing they’re ongoing questioning. They all looked over at Goku, who was standing just off to the side looking at all of them sternly.

“Calm down everypony.” Goku said calmly, yet firmly as her voice resounding about the tree house. “I get that you’re all terrified and want to know what’s going on, but we’re not gonna get anywhere if we keep bombarding the Queen with questions, especially ones she may not be okay with answering.” Her golden eyes glanced up at Celestia, who was looking off to the side, the slightest flash of pain visible in her pale magenta eyes. Once she was sure that everypony had calmed down, the tan Pegasus folded her wing and made full eye contact with the Queen. “Sorry about that, your majesty. We were just a little shaken up about what had happened that’s all. Please, take as much time as you need explaining the situation.”

“Um, you guys!” All eyes turned to see Rainbow Dash, who was still stuck in the wooden wall. “Before you go on and do that, would somepony mind getting me out of this bucking wall?!”

“Rainbow! Please watch your language!” Rarity barked, putting her hooves over Sweetie Belle’s ears. “Can you not see that there are fillies and a colt here?!”

“Jeez sis, what the heck happened to you?” Fire Flash asked, holding back a giggle. “Were you trying to make a pair of wooden peek holes, so you could spy on Twilight?”

“Oh buck off, Fire Flash!” Rainbow Dash shouted, blatantly ignoring Rarity’s admonishment as she continued to struggle in a vain attempt to get her hooves free. With a cry of frustration, she snapped her head back to her friends glaring at them expectantly. “Seriously, is anypony gonna get me out of here?! I can already feel my hooves starting to get sore!”

“That’s what ya get fer bargin’ into Twi’s house like that.” Applejack said smugly. “Honestly, Ah can’t even begin ‘t’ count the number ‘o’ times ya did this! Maybe this’ll teach you t’ actually knock instead of just chagrin’ in like a bull after a cloak of red.”

“Well excuse me for not finding the common courtesy to knock on somepony’s door before asking them if they found a way to save all of Equestria from as sadistic psycho murdering bitch!” Rainbow Dash snorted, glaring daggers at the farmer. “Now, can somepony please get my hooves free form here?!”

At that moment, a teal aura enveloped the prismatic maned mare, courtesy of Crescent Shield igniting her horn. With as much gentleness as her telekinesis would allow, she slowly began to pull Rainbow backwards, who winced in pain as she felt the strain on her hooves. After a few anxious moments, a small pop was heard, as Rainbow’s hooves were pulled free from their wooden prison.

Crescent Shield gently levitated Rainbow over to the rest of the group, and gently set her on the ground, before letting her out of her telekinetic grip. The moment she did, the cyan mare flared her wings and take to the air, not trusting herself enough to let her hooves touch the ground.

“Thanks, squirt…” Rainbow mumbled, giving the ocean blue filly a small thankful grin.

“Your welcome!” Crescent Shield said softly with a sweet smile on her face. It soon vanished and was replaced with a more concerned expression. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…just a little sore in the hooves, that’s all.” The cyan mare replied, gently rubbing her hooves to sooth the pain. “Ugh…I’m gonna feel that for a week.”

“That’s what you get for not asking to come in.” Rarity huffed as she gave Rainbow a disapproving look. “Like real lady would.”

“Shut up.” Rainbow growled, giving the alabaster Unicorn a slap in the face with her tail. “I am so not in the mood to hear your shit.”

“Anyway, now that that’s over with…” Goku said as she raised her voice slightly, giving the three mares a warning glare, before turning back to the Queen. “Please, proceed your majesty, whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you Goku. I must admit, I too am still a bit shaken up by what happened. However, I believe I’ve collected myself enough to explain.” Celestia replied, giving the tan Thestral mare a thankful smile. She let out a deep sigh, before slowly sitting herself down on her haunches, her flowing tail skirt wrapping around her like a cat getting ready to take a nap. “Now before I begin, let me ask you all something: How many of you know the tale of the Mare in the Moon?”

“The tale of the Mare in the Moon?” Applejack repeated quizzically, giving a title of her head. “What the hay kind of story is that?”

“It’s the ancient tale that dates back to the earlier centuries of the Queen’s rule.” Goku answered, her academic side kicking in at Celestia’s question. “Me, Snowflake, Midnight, and Twilight used to read it sometimes whenever we went to the Canterlot Library when we were fillies.”

“Yeah, it tells of how a mare named Nightmare Moon had threatened to overthrow Celestia and shroud Equestria into everlasting darkness.” Twilight added, memories of the story flashing back into her mind. “Fortunately, Queen Celestia was able to defeat her and bring peace to Equestria once more.”

“Seriously?” Applejack asked, blinking a few times. “Did that really happen t’ the Queen?”

“Yes Applejack, everything that Twilight and Goku have said about the story of the Mare on the Moon was true.” Celestia nodded to the farmer. “However, there is one little detail that was left out. One that I believe will give you all a better understanding of what’s going on.”

“Well, what is it?” Rainbow Dash said impatiently, her eyebrows furrowing as her nostrils flared. “If you know why that freak came here and tried to bury everypony in the Town Hall alive, then just come out and say it already!”

“Rainbow! Don’t be so rude to the Queen!” Fluttershy scolded firmly. “We all want to know why all of this is happening, but like Goku said, we’re not going to get any answers if we keep putting pressure on the Queen! Now sit down, take a breath, and calm down. You’ll get your answers soon enough if you just be patient, alright?”

Rainbow recoiled at the stern glare given to her by the buttermilk Pegasus, seeing a faint flash of orange dance about her eyes. After a moment, she let out a sigh as she sat on her rump, crossing her forehooves as she furrowed her brows. “Fine…”

“Thank you.” Fluttershy said softly, before turning back to the Queen. “I’m sorry about Rainbow Dash your majesty, she’s just a little stressed at the moment.”

“Thank you Fluttershy, and don’t worry, there’s nothing to be sorry for. I wouldn’t expect any of you to not at least be somewhat anxious and stressed out by something like this.” The swan white Alicorn replied, giving both Pegasi a forgiving smile. “Now, where was I? Oh yes, I assume you all know about my history. Being the ruler of Equestria, bringer of harmony, and the raiser of both the Sun and the Moon, correct?” At almost everypony’s nod, minus Twilight and the Kirin siblings, she let out another breath and said, “Well, that’s not entirely true…at least not the last part.”

“What do you mean, Queen Celly?” Pinkie Pie asked innocently. “You’re the most powerful pony in all of Equestria! You have the power to raise the Sun and the Moon all on your own! That’s what my parents always told me and my sisters anyway! How can anypony else accomplish something like that?!”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Pinkie Pie has a point. Fer as long as me, mah brother an’ sisters can remember, the only one Alicorn who’s ever been known to bring day an’ night was you, yer highness.” She scratched the back of her head as she let out a sigh. “No offense, but Ah have a real hard time believin’ that anypony other than you can do somethin’ like that.”

“I’m not surprised that you think that, Ms. Applejack. Due to how long I’ve ruled Equestria on my own, as an Alicorn no less, it would only make sense that ponies would find it hard to accept that there was another pony just as powerful as me.” Celestia nodded, not looking the least bit offended by Applejack’s comment. “The sad truth is, there was, and still is, another pony who is on par with my strength. Somepony that I failed to save a very, very long time ago.”

“Whatever do you mean, your highness?” Rarity asked perplexedly with a tilt of her head, wondering where this is going. “Who could you have possibly failed to save during your extended reign?”

“While it is true that I did raise the Sun and the Moon for over a millennium, at the same time, I wasn’t the only one to do so. Nor was I the only ruler of Equestria since the first day it happened.” Celestia explained, gaining everypony’s attention. “For those of you who don’t know, before I stepped up and took my title as Queen, I had a sister.”

A quiet gasp escaped Fluttershy as her left forehoof lifted off the ground to cover her mouth, her teal eyes widening in shock. Most of her friends weren’t that far behind her, letting out gasps of their own while their jaws dropped. The only ones who didn’t seem shocked were Twilight, Goku, her sisters, and her brother, though Twilight did have a look of surprised realization on her voice. Celestia noticed this, but before she could question their protégé on her lack of shock, Rarity broke the silence.

“I…I’m sorry your majesty. I’m not sure if I heard you right.” She stuttered, regaining her composure after a few seconds. “I could’ve sworn that you just said that you had…a sister.”

“That’s exactly what I said.” Celestia said softly, never once losing her composure. “I had, and still have, in a way, a sister.”

“Wow really?! So, besides that scary pony that we saw back at the Town Hall, there’s another Alicorn jus’ like you?!” Apple Bloom asked, leaping out of her sister’s embrace as she stared at the swan white Alicorn with wide eyes. At Celestia’s nod, a large smile spread across the sun yellow filly’s face as she bounced in the air. “That’s so amazin’! I never knew that you had a sister to rule alongside ya! Congratulations your highness!”

“Hmhmhmhm, thank you little one. It’s been quite a long time since ponies have congratulated me for getting to be a big sister. Her name is Luna by the way, in case you were wondering. Perhaps if things go as planned tonight, you all may be able to meet her and possibly become friends.” Celestia chuckled, smiling down at the sun yellow filly. “Though I must warn you she has a very…uniqueappearance, so you may be a bit taken aback. For now, I think I should get back to why Nightmare Moon is here and how I know here, while also explaining me and my sister’s history.”

Twilight’s lips pursed in preparation. ‘Here we go…’

“For the last few millennia or so, long before even the peaceful town of Ponyville came to be, Luna and I were the ones to rule all of Equestria, keeping any enemy forces from trying to take over the land. As the Queen of the Sun and the ruler of the day, I was in charge of watching over the ponies during the day. While Luna, being the Queen of the Moon and ruler of the night was in charge of watching over the ponies during the night.” Celestia said, shifting to the side slightly and pointing to the sun symbol on her flank. “Luna and I were both quite efficient in doing these tasks, and sometimes we even took the liberty of doing each other’s royal duties if the other was not able to. There were many trials ahead though, and many foes that we had to defeat to make it to where we did. There were times that we felt like we couldn’t continue on, me being the main one. You do tend to think that after a whole three thousand years of ruling.”

She gave a little chuckle at these words, followed by Goku and a few of her friends before the swan white Alicorn continued. “Despite our doubts and insecurities, we managed to push through, and before Luna and I know it, we both managed to create a land of true peace and harmony. We loved our subjects, and they loved us, and for a time, life was perfect. So perfect in fact, that my sister and I didn’t think that it could get any better.” Her smile slowly fell as she sighed sadly. “Alas, it was not meant to last forever, for darkness came and reared its hideous head once again in the most horrible way possible, coming in the form of my own subjects.”

“Your own subjects?” Applejack asked. “What do ya mean by that, your highness?”

“As I have said before, thanks to the many victories and challenges that we have overcome during our thousands of years in this land, the ponies of Equestria looked to us for protection and . They loved us more than anypony that they’ve ever meet in their lifetimes.” Celestia explained, looking over at the farmer. “However, there were some ponies who loved one Queen more than the other, possibly a bit too much for when it came to Luna.”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Why is that your majesty?”

“For as long as me and my sister can remember, all the ponies of Equestria have loved one part of their lives more than the other. While they basked and played during the day, they shunned and slept through my dear sister’s night. Never once did they stay up to see the moon she controls, or the stars she brought out when the day ended, and the night began.” Celestia said, looking out the window of Twilight’s tree house. “Because of this, my sister felt that our subjects loved me more than they did her, instead of loving us both equally, due to both of us working together to make Equestria into what it is today.”

“Oh my goodness, that sounds positively dreadful.” Rarity said gravelly. “I’m assuming that didn’t bode well with your poor sister.”

Celestia nodded, looking back at all the ponies in the room. “It also didn’t help that there were ponies whispering behind her back about her, and the Lunar Guards that served her. They saw them as ponies who were not fit to protect the kingdom and not worthy of being called a Queen, since they usually didn’t see her unless she was with me. They called her a monster, a menace, an unholy manifestation of an equine, every vile thing you can think of.”

Celestia then closed her eyes as her brows furrowed. When she spoke again, her voice had a slight undertone of darkness. “Some even said how she was a demon from Tartarus working in the shadows, planning to overthrow me, with her, “abomination of guards”, by her side, so she could take the throne for herself as the only Queen in Equestria.”

Everypony, four Thestral Kirin siblings all let out shocked gasps, their eyes going wide at this revelation as Celestia once again looked back down at the floor. She could practically feel the disbelief and horror radiating off of them thanks to their combined magic, due to them all being in the same room. For a few moments, none of them spoke, silently taking in what the Queen had said to them about how her sister was treated by their subjects. When the information finally sunk in, a soft and timid voice spoke up.

“I…I can’t believe it. All those ponies, they really said all those horrible things about Q-Queen Luna?” Sweetie Belle asked disbelievingly, her wide emerald eyes staring into Celestia’s pale magenta ones. “T-that’s…that’s horrible! Why would anypony say something so cruel?!”

"Yeah! It's not like Queen Luna did anything to them. She didn’t give them any reason to be afraid of her!" Spike shouted indignantly with a stomp of a hoof as he snorted through his nostrils. "What gives them the right to treat to her like that?!"

“They were afraid of her, simple as that.” Celestia replied, giving the Kirin colt and Unicorn filly a sympathetic look. “Ponies fear something, or somepony, that they cannot understand, and can act on that fear in many ways. My sister just so happened to be the victim of that very same fear, and what came along with it. It ate away at her, tore at her heart, and caused her so much pain. It soon came to the point where she practically shut herself out from the world and everypony in it. Every time me, or anypony tried to help, she would push them away and demand them to leave her alone. If they didn’t, they’d face her wrath, and while she never physically harmed them, they were given quit a scare.”

A light shiver went down the Sun Queen’s spine as she said this. Her mind recalled the many days and nights where the Lunar Guards and servants would try to comfort their leader. Only to utterly fail as a result of being scared out of their fur. “It went on for months on end, with no stop in sight. It just kept coming and coming, and my sister was pushed further and further to her breaking point. I didn’t think that it could get any worse than that.” Her face suddenly darkened again, causing Twilight and a few of her friends to take a few steps back. “That is until it appeared…the foul creature Miasma.”

“Miasma?” Rarity asked, tilting her head to the sight. “Your majesty, if I may ask, what is this…Miasma?”

At that moment, a soft voice made itself known within the group.

“I-it’s not exactly a what, Rarity. I-it’s more of a who.” Sheton said softly as everypony’s heads turned to him in surprised, minus Twilight and his sisters.

“You know who Miasma is, little one?” Celestia asked, a look of surprise on her face.

“We all do.” Crescent Shield said as she and Spike came on either side of Sheton. “Miasma is known to be one of the most dangerous creatures of all the history of Equestria. It’s said to have come from the very pits of Tartarus itself, representing every dark thing that Equestria is not known for.”

“Miasma is known to have a form just like that of a pony, having the abilities of all three Pony Tribes, despite the fact that she doesn’t totally look like on.” Spike explained, a light shiver going down her spine as she hugged herself. “The reason she’s called a nightmare, is for a much more…well, scarier reason.”

“Miasma is known to draw power and feed off of the negative emotions of ponies, be it anger, hatred, sadness, depression, jealously all those types of emotions. In other words, the stronger those emotions are, the more powerful it becomes. It continues to feed off of the pony that’s suffering and being tormented by those same emotions, until their nothing more than a shell of their former shelves.” Sheton added quietly. “However, there’s still one more thing that Miasma needs to do to become completely whole."

“W-what’s that?” Scootaloo asked, afraid of what she was going to hear. “W-w-what else d-does she n-need.”

“In order to reach the full height of her power, she needs the body of the pony she’s trying to take control of." Sheton explained. "So she tries to coax them into letting her use their body, filling their minds with lies, false promises that their pain will stop.”

“After that…the victim is no more.” Twilight concluded, her mane shadowing her eyes. “They’ll be forever lost in the very darkness that they gave into, while Miasma uses their body how they see fit.”

The silence that followed was only broken by the sound of almost everypony’s slow, quiet, yet audible breathing. None of them said a word as they tried to comprehend what they had said about the creature that Celestia had mentioned. After another long moment of nopony speaking, sudden burst of laughter broke it, causing everypony’s heads to turn and see that it as Applejack.

“T-that was a good one, ya’ll. That was a real nice joke ya pulled on us there, heheheh.” She said with a smile that was clearly forced. “There’s no way that somethin’ like that could exist, right yer highness?” She asked, hoping that the swan white Alicorn would agree with her. When her expression didn’t change, the farmer’s smile faltered. “R-right?”

“I’m sorry Ms. Applejack, but I’m afraid that it is anything but a joke. Everything that those little ones have said about Miasma was spot on, and it was the truth.” Celestia replied regretfully, looking the Applejack right in the eyes as the farmer’s eyes widening with horror. “Miasma does have the ability to gain power off of ponies negative emotions, and take control of their bodies. Many ponies have fallen victim to it…and Luna just so happened to be one of them.”

She bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she tried not to cry. “She tried, to force Miasma away from her, not wanting to be in more pain than she already was. Unfortunately, it was a battle that my dear sister was destined to lose…her negative emotions were too much for her to handle. By that point, she was willing to do just about anything to stop the pain and the heartache…and so…she finally gave in. She eventually became a creature of nightmares, the very same monster that the Tale of the Two Sisters said she’d become. The one that I banished to the moon of one thousand years…and the one that you all saw at the Town Square.”

By the time she was finally finished, nearly everypony in the tree house had looks on their faces that ranged between shock, horror, and sadness. They were at a complete loss for words, unable to come up with anything that could properly explain what they were feeling. Nor could they explain the deep seeded pity and sympathy that they felt for their Queen. They didn’t need to, for Celestia could see it by merely looking into their eyes, and she felt her heart fill with sympathy for them. She wished that she didn’t have to dump her sister’s onto them like that. However, she felt that it was necessary in order for them to fully understand why everything that happened was happening, and for her plan to work.

A loud sniffle suddenly broke the silence snapping Celestia out of her thoughts. She looked up to find the source and saw Scootaloo looking up at her with a single watery indigo eye. Before anypony could do anything, the little Pegasus bolted towards the Queen wrapping her forelegs and wings around her in a hug.

“Q-Queen Celestia! I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry that all that happened to your sister! She didn’t deserve that! She didn’t deserve to have all those horrible things done to her, especially not her Thestral Lunar Guards!” She whimpered as she nuzzled Celestia’s upper chest, her body quivering. “I-I can’t believe p-ponies would say all those, t-those…m-mean things! W-why would they d-do that to somepony who only wanted to be loved just like y-you were?!”

Smiling sadly at the little filly, Celestia lifted a hoof and wiped away her tears. “As I have said before little one, they were scared of her and what she would become. I know that does not excuse them for how they treated her, but…they were afraid of her.” She gently put a filly’s hoof to her chin and lifted her head to look her in the eyes. “I do thank you for your kind words though. It’s been quite a while since I’ve heard somepony speak of my sister so highly. You must be quite a fan of her’s, hm?”

A deep blush made its way to Scootaloo’s face as her ears flattened. Slowly pulling herself away from the swan white Alicorn’s winged embrace, she looked down at the ground and poked her hooves together. She then felt a warm wing wrap around her and pull her close, causing her to look up and see Fluttershy standing next to her.

“Well, Loo-Loo had learned about some of yours and Luna’s history in school. About how you both came to be the rulers of Equestria and…she got curious.” Fluttershy explained, looking down at her little sister warmly. “She wanted to know more about Queen Luna especially, since she thought she was pretty, and loved the nighttime like me and her do, and the creatures that resign in it.”

“Is that so?” Celestia asked, looking down at Scootaloo with a raised eyebrow. She giggled when she saw the filly timidly recoil under Fluttershy’s wing when her gaze fell upon her. “Well if that’s the case, then you two are going to get along pretty well. I’m sure she’ll be quite happy to meet somepony who loves the night and its inhabitants as much as she does.”

“Oh I bet she will.” Fluttershy nodded with a chuckle, looking over to where Sheton was. “And she’s not the only one either.”

“Wow, that was quite the explanation that you gave us, your majesty. I never would’ve thought that you of all ponies would actually have someone related to you, let alone being as powerful as you.” Rarity said softly, a somewhat bewildered expression plastered on her face. “Though I will agree with the others. It wasn’t fair that your sister had to go through, and I’m sorry that she had to go through something so revolting.”

“Same here, and I’d also like to thank you, for explaining how Nightmare Moon came to be, and what it’s capable of.” Twilight added, her expression morphing into determination. “Now that I’ve heard the tale, and how your sister turned into Nightmare Moon, I know more than ever how important it is to save her. Especially since there’s one more pony that we have to save!”

“Um, Twilight darling, not that I don’t admire your determination, but how in Equestria’s name are we supposed to do that?” Rarity asked quizzically. “For one, we don’t know where that dreadful creature that’s taken control of our Majesty’s dear sister is. Two, even if we did, we don’t have any of the resources needed to get to our destination or to defeat her. You do realize that we are all going against a creature form Tartarus and an Alicorn, do you not?”

At this statement, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and gave a ruffle of her wings. “Yeah, I think we all got that, Rares. What happened at the Town Square can definitely back up that claim…but do you realize that we come from six of the awesomest, most powerful clans in all of Equestria?” Upon hearing this, Goku looked over at her with a raised jet-black eyebrow, causing the cyan mare to recoil and quickly correct herself. “Sorry…make that seven.”

“Er…yes I suppose you have a point there, dear.” Rarity murmured, her face flushing in embarrassment. “Still, this isn’t some ordinary or minor danger that we can deal with on our own! This is on a completely different level! It will take all the combined power we have just to slow Nightmare Moon down! Even then, we still won’t know how to cure Queen Luna of the monster that plagues her!”

“Ms. Rarity does have a point. It is going to take all of your combined power to have even the slightest chance of stopping Nightmare Moon in succeeding in her plan.” Celestia said, nodding in agreement. “Which is why I know of the perfect backup tool that you can all use at your disposal.”

“You do?” Twilight asked, having a feeling that she knew what her mentor was talking about. “What is it?”

“Twilight, I’m sure that upon reading the story of the Tale of the Two Sisters, you, Goku and her sisters all know of the weapons that I used to defeat my younger sister and banish her to the moon, do you not?” Celestia asked, looking at her student and the three Kirin sisters expectantly.

“The Elements of Harmony…” Goku whispered as recognition clicked into her eyes. “The Six Gemstones of Harmonia.”

“Th’ Elements o’ what now?” Applejack asked, a look of perplexation on her face.

“The Elements of Harmony; also known as the Elements of Friendship.” Snowflake repeated softly. “They are six ancient and legendary gemstones that were created by the very creator of pony kind, Lauren Faust, the Goddess of the Ponies, long before the three Pony Tribes united, each of them representing one aspect known to friendship. It is said that they are the most powerful weapons in all of existence, completely on par and able to match any dark forces of evil that are thrown at it. Legend has it that they were made specifically for vanquishing all evil and keeping peace in Equestria…along with spreading the magic of friendship all throughout the land.”

“I see…and it’s these ancient weapons in life that keep Equestria free from strife?” Rarity asked, earning a nod from the mountain blue Thestral. Then a thought struck her. “Wait, if these weapons were made by the Goddess of the Ponies, then why can’t you use the elements yourself, your majesty? Can’t you use it yourself since you’re a goddess as well?”

“Well, yes the Queen can do that if she so pleases. That way, she can save Equestria on her own without us needing to assist her very much if things get too dangerous. Unfortunately, there’s one big problem with that.” Midnight said sadly. “While it’s true that anypony, even a goddess, can use the Elements of Harmony at will, there is a major setback to that. In order for them to work and reach their full power, there has to be a pony that represents more than one of the aspects of friendship. Furthermore, there has to be at least one other pony in order to make the Elements work. No single pony can use the Elements of Harmony on their own, not even a goddess.”

“It is true. That is the number one weakness of the Elements that I did not learn until it was too late. That they would be rendered useless if just one pony used them, especially of they were used by force. It was a lesson that I had to learn the hard way the night that I banished Luna to the Moon.” Celestia sighed with a nod of her head, giving the beetle black Pegasus a reassuring look. “Now that Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements, thanks to me angering them by forcing their power on my sister, I’ve had to defend Equestria without their power to help aid me, all the while trying to find ponies that would take my place as Elements’ new bearers.”

“Let me guess...” Goku began, her expression calm, cool, and collected. "You want us to be new the bearers of the Elements of Friendship?"

“Y…yes, I am.” Celestia replied, lowering her head for what seemed like the fifth or sixth time that night. “I know that I am asking a lot from you all, and this is so much to take in at once. Believe me, I’d be in the same position if I were any of you and one of you was the ruler instead of me, but…you must understand.”

She looked at them with pleading eyes. “My sister’s life, and fate of all of Equestria hangs in the balance now that Nightmare Moon is free. It is crucial that the Elements of Harmony are found by those who both have the tributes to friendship that they each represent, and are willing to be their new wielders. It is the only way that they can work against the evil that plagues this land now, and any other forces of evil that will come in the future. I won’t force any of you into this if none of you feel that you can do it yourselves. The last thing that I want to do is to risk my precious little pony’s lives in the face of danger, but time is of the essence right now. Just know that if you do, me and everypony else would be eternally grateful to all of you for it. So I ask not just as the Goddess of the Sun, or Queen of Equestria, but as a fellow pony, will you help protect everypony, help me save my sister, and all of Equestria?”

The whole room went totally silence after that, one that none of the mare’s on the room replied to immediately. They all stayed where they were looking at one another, silently contemplating whether or not they should accept their Queens offer of helping her stop Nightmare Moon. As well as being the new bearers of the most powerful sources of magic ever known to pony kind, Goku especially. One on hoof, she knew that if she and her friends did accept their Queen’s offer, they would also run the great risk of potentially not only losing the fight, but also their lives as well.

On the other hoof, if they didn’t accept Celestia’s hoof in aiding her in taking down the infamous Mare of Darkness, then she would have to deal with her all on her own. Sure, she may have the help of her Solar Guards, but that probably wouldn’t help much. Plus, if the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon was anything like the Tale of the Two Sisters said it was, then they would stand little to no chance against the dark Alicorn’s might. Not without their own powers and the powers of the Elements at their side.

As these thoughts raced through Goku’s mind, it became all too apparent to her what she and her friends had to do in order for all to be safe. Upon seeing the thoughtful looks on her friends and her sisters’ faces, they were all thinking the same thing as well. While none of them new what the future held for them if they agreed to the Queen’s offer, they certainly knew one thing; their lives would never be the same again.

While this was happening, Celestia continued to silently sit, waiting patiently, for at least one of the mare’s to respond to her request. She studied their faces closely and intently, and it was only thanks to a millennia’s worth of practice that she knew that they were thinking about whether or not they would accept her offer. For single moment, a small part of her believed that none of them would be willing to put their lives on the line to save Equestria, especially since the enemy they were facing was a member of the most powerful, and rarest, species of equine in the world. As the silence continued to grow, that little voice in the Sun Goddess’s head continued to grow, pushing her to believe what she feared more and more as her hope slowly began to die.

Just as she was beginning to believe that they weren’t going to help her, she felt a warm and gentle hoof firmly place itself on her shoulder. She lifted her head and meet the eyes of Goku, staring back into her own with a fiery determination that matched that of the very Sun that she raised. Before the swan white Alicorn could say anything, the tan Thestral spoke up first.

“Queen Celestia…” She began slowly. “We’d be honored to help you save Equestria from Nightmare Moon’s terror and save your sister.”

Celestia paused, her pale lavender eyes growing wide as she stared at the tan Pegasus with her jaw slightly agape. “You…you will?”

“You bet yer boot’s we will!” Applejack nodded, coming up to the swan white Alicorn with a wide grin. “Ah admit, Ah was a little apprehensive about steppin’ in an’ and helpin’ stop that pony. Once you explained everythin’ in full however, Ah can now see just how important it is t’ do so.” A stern expression of determination came to her face as she adjusted her hat over her eyes. “As a member of the Apple family, and the Titan clan, Ah’m willin’ to do whatever it takes t’ ensure that mah family is safe. If that means helpin’ you in savin’ yer sister, Equestria, an’ becomin’ th’ new bearer of these Elements, then Ah’m willin’ t’ do jus’ that!”

“Yeah! Me too, your highness!” Rainbow Dash said confidently, her magenta irises flashing a bright yellow. “Nopony’s gonna just come into Ponyville, attack our Queen, and expect get off without a nice good plot kicking! The least those assholes deserve is a nice good sock across their bucking face!” A wide grin made its way across the cyan mare’s face, her magenta irises flashing a bright yellow. “Like I’ve told many ponies before, I never leave anypony hanging for whatever bucking reason! That is the way of the Wisps! Always has been, always will be!”

“As vulgar as the way Rainbow Dash had put her rather loyal statement, I completely agree with her.” Rarity said, a warm expression on her face as she locked eyes with Celestia. “I can’t even begin to imagine all of the pain and heartache that you went through after losing your sister. I certainly wouldn’t how I’d feel or what I’d if that were to happen to my dear little sister…” she looked down at Sweetie Belle, who was looking up at her with a sweet smile. After giving he a quick kiss to her forehead, she turned back to the Solar Queen. “Queen Celestia, I too will assist you tonight. Both in the safety of Equestria and freeing your sister of the monster that has her in it’s vile clutches. I will to anything that you ask of me in order to do so, and if that means resorting to more…hooves on tactics, then so be it.”

“Hey! Don’t’ forget me, girls! I’m in coming to this party too!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and raising her right foreleg as if she was a filly in a classroom. “I want save the day, the Sun and Queen Celly’s little sister just as you guys do! This party can’t be complete without Ponyville’s number on party pony in it! heeheehee!”

“I’m not really one for fighting…at least, not when there are other options at hoof for us to settle disputes.” Fluttershy admitted softly as she looked at the ground, gently pawing at it with her right forehoof. A few seconds later, she sighed and looked up at the Queen with determined teal eyes. “Still, if it’s the only way that I can protect my friends, my family, and Scootaloo…then I’ll do it!” she said firmly, the crimson eye on her roseray giving a momentary glow.

“So will I, your highness.” Twilight added, walking up and standing just next to Goku. “As a member of the Twinkleshine Sparkle clan, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to ensure all of Equestria is safe from evil. Even if it means being the next bearer of the very weapons that the Goddess of Ponies herself created to protect this word.”

“Whatever you want us to do, we’ll do it.” Snowflake said as she and Midnight all came to stand beside their youngest sister. “As members of the Kirin clan, it’s our duty to make sure that our family and all other inhabitants of our land are safe. That includes any other places that is not of the place that our clan and everypony else’s came to be.”

“Mhm!” Midnight nodded, giving Celestia a gentle smile. “No matter who it is, we’ll always be there to keep them from harming the innocent!”

“Hey, don’t forget about us!” Fire Flash cried as she shot up into the air. “We’ll help too!”

“Yeah!” The other foals shouted in unison.

Celestia didn’t say anything for a minute or two, just staring silently at all the ponies that were all looking back at her warmly. Throughout the entire time she explained to them the reason about the dark Alicorn returning to Equestria, she honestly thought that they would be too afraid to be up to the task. Especially since this was somepony with power that was very easily on par with her own, if not even at a higher level. Against all her expectations, that didn’t seem to be the case here. What she was seeing where not ponies who were wanting to hide away inside her homes to avoid the wrath of Nightmare Moon. What she was seeing were ponies who were willing to fight to ensure Equestria was safe along with all in it. Ponies that would change all of Equestria for the better, including the one who she saw leading them.

“Thank you…thank you all. You have no idea how much this means to me. For you to put your lives on the line like this to save all of pony kind...no words can express my gratitude to you.” Celestia said after a long stretch of silence, her expression one of sheer gratitude. “If you make it through this, I swear to you, I will do everything within my power to make sure that you are all repaid in full.”

“That won’t be necessary your highness.” Goku said casually with a wave of her hoof. “We’re just doing what anypony would do, helping a pony in a time of crisis. That’s a good enough reward for us.” She giggled, the adorableness behind it melting everypony’s hearts. “Besides, we still have the Summer Sun Celebration to look forward to after this. I’d say that’s an added bonus to our hard work, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Hmhm, yes…I suppose you do have a point there, Goku. Still, don’t hesitate to ask me for anything if you change your mind. As with the many other heroic ponies I have meet in my lifetime, I don’t allow any good deed to go unrewarded.” Celestia advised with a chuckle as she rose to her hooves. “Alright, I believe that we’ve spent enough time resting and recovering, and it is time to take action. I trust that you all know what to do now that I have properly explained everything to you?”

At these words, everypony gave the swan white Alicorn firm nods. She let out a relieved sigh as a gentle smile formed on her face. “Then I wish you all the best of luck on your quest for the Elements of Harmony.”

“Wait, you’re not coming with us your majesty?” Twilight asked in bewilderment.

“I’m afraid not, my faithful student.” Celestia said sadly, looking at her protégé sympathetically. “I must make a trip to Canterlot City, back to my castle so that I can prepare for the upcoming battle that is soon to come. I will also be sending my Solar Guards here to watch over the residents of Ponyville while you’re gone, for I have a feeling they’ll need all the protection they can get. I’m sorry, but you will have to search for the Elements of Harmony on your own.”

“On our own?! All by ourselves?!” Twilight repeated, her violet eyes widening in fear and panic. “Queen Celestia, we can’t do that! We don’t even know where the Elements are located! Even if we did, we have no idea how we’d to get there, especially if we don’t have a map!”

“Well, we may not have any maps that show all of Equestria, but you certainly do Twilight.” Goku pointed out, smiling at the lavender Unicorn. “Besides me, you are the most organized and prepared out of the nine of us. There has hardly been anytime where you have not been prepared for something. So I highly doubt that you of all ponies don’t have anything as useful as a map at your disposal.”

“Your friend speaks the truth, Twilight. If there is anypony who is prepared for anything no matter how trivial it may seem, it’s you.” Celestia said, nodding in agreement. “Plus, there is also the book to the Elements of Harmony that I let you take on the day that you moved here to Ponyville. That’s another even more useful tool that you can use at your disposal, since it explains where the Elements are, wouldn’t you agree?”

Twilight didn’t reply to her mentor’s question. Instead, her ears flattened as she lowered her head and nervously pawed at the ground with her hoof. This took everypony by surprise, and they couldn’t help but voice their curiosity on it.

“What’s matter, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked softly, her face morphing into one of concern. “Is there something troubling you?”

“Um…no…I mean—well…yes. You see, your Majesty…” Twilight began nervously. “I…don’t know where the book is.”

Celestia blinked, wondering if she had heard the lavender Unicorn correctly. “I’m sorry?”

“I don’t know where it is.” Twilight repeated, her voice slightly louder. “I know that it’s somewhere in these bookshelves, but I can’t really remember exactly which shelf I put it in. I’ve looked in every last one of them, even before you guys came, but haven’t really been successful, as you can see.” She motioned her hoof to the large piles of books that littered the floor. “It’s somewhere in these shelves, I know it is, but…I just don’t know which one.”

“Is this what your looking for Twilight?” Pinkie Pie’s cheerful bubbly voice asked from behind Twilight. The moment she laid her eyes in the bubblegum pink Earth Pony, she felt them nearly bulge out of their sockets. Her whole body whipped around along with her head as her jaw dropped in complete disbelief at what she saw. There, clutched in Pinkie Pie’s forehooves, was a book that Twilight recognized all too well. The very same book that held the key needed to stop the pony that was now free from its millennia long prison.

“The Reference Guide to the Elements of Harmony!” She cried, joy, happiness, and relief filling her voice all at once as she galloped over the Pinkie Pie. Twilight moved so fast she slammed into the Earth Pony, sending her into one of the bookshelves. “This is it! This is the book that we need to help us find the Elements of Harmony!” She snapped her head over to Pinkie Pie, who was picking herself up from off of the ground. “How in the world did you find it?!”

“Heehee, silly filly! Didn’t you look up at the letters above the shelves?” Pinkie Pie giggled as she bounced back over to her friends. “It was under E~!”

At these words, Twilight paused. She looked up at the bookshelves, taking notice of the large letters that were engraved in each of them. Once Pinkie Pie’s words fully sank into her mind, an embarrassed blush made its way to her face as she weakly murmured, “…Oh.”

“So, this is the book that will help us find what we’re looking for?” Rainbow Dash asked as she flew up next to Twilight and looked at the cover of the book. “Those Element things that the Queen was talking about?”

“Indeed, Ms. Dash. It will tell you everything that you need to know about the Elements of harmony” Celestia nodded as relief washed over her at the book being found. “Though I must warn you, you may a bit taken aback by exactly where the Elements are located.”

Fluttershy suddenly froze, a large knot forming in the bit of her gut as she slowly looked over at the Queen. A bead of flowed down her face as her heartbeat quickened in rate as her pupils contracted slightly.

‘No…don't tell me the Elements are where I think they are.’ She thought, giving an inaudible gulp. 'She can't possibly mean that they're in...there of all places!'

“Whaddya mean by that, yer highness?” Applejack asked perplexedly.

“I’m sorry Ms. Applejack, but I am afraid that I cannot explain. I have wasted too much time doing so already. I must get back to Canterlot to alert the guards of what has happened, so you’ll have to see for yourself.” Celestia said softly as she ignited her horn, covering it in a gentle golden yellow aura of magic. As she did so, she looked down at Goku, Twilight and everypony else with a motherly smile as she said, “Son Goku Kakarot Shenron…I leave the search for the Elements of Harmony in you and your friends’ capable hooves. Good luck, and please…be careful.”

With that, she closed her eyes as the magic around her horn glowed to the point where it covered her whole being. Then, in a flash of pure golden yellow, the Queen was gone, leaving Goku and her friends alone in the library.

“Well…that was quite the regal exit the Queen graced us with, wasn’t it?” Rarity asked after a short silence.

“Well, she is the ruler of all of Equestria. Everything about her is regal, including the way she exits.” Snowflake giggled. “I’d expect no less from the most powerful pony in existence.”

“You’ve got that right, Snowy!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I gotta admit though…I am reeeeeeeally excited to see Queen Celly go into battle! I’ve heard stories about her fighting in all the battles and wars in the past by my parents, but I never thought I’d actually get the chance to see it with my own eyes!” A rather adorable squeal escaped her lips as she trotted in place, her mane and tail giving little bounces as she did so. “Ooooh, I just know that’s gonna be so AMAZING!!!”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Applejack chuckled as she gave an amused shake of her head Pinkie's antics. “Anyway, what does the book say ‘bout where these Elements Twilight?”

“Oh, right! Hold on, just give me a couple of seconds.” Twilight replied, snapping out of her embarrassed and returned her attention to the book. Igniting her horn, she encased the Reference Guide in a brilliant raspberry aura and began to frantically flip through the pages. A few seconds later, she stopped in a specific part of the book and began to read. “Ah, here we go! The Elements of Harmony are known to be the most powerful weapons in all of existence, made by the Goddess of the Ponies, Lauren Faust herself. It is said that they are the most powerful sources of magic known to all pony kind, containing power unlike anything ever seen by anypony anywhere, other than the Creator herself. They are the one and only weapons known to withstand against any source of evil. Along with that specific purpose, they’d also keep everlasting peace and harmony in the world.”

“As if we didn’t just find out about that already…” Rainbow Dash murmured dryly

“Don’t interrupt her darling, she’s trying to read.” Rarity said quietly, holding a hoof to her lips. “We are in a library after all…more specifically Twilight’s library.”

The cyan mare snorted softly, but said nothing as she looked away while Twilight continued to read. “According to the Creator herself, there are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known to exist, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. Nopony knows where the sixth Element, the Element of Magic is, but it is said that it can be activated if the rest of the Elements are there with it. There has also been a saying that, while not officially proven, there is seventh Element of Harmony existing as well.”

‘A seventh Element? Now that’s something even I wasn’t expecting…’ Goku thought, both her and everypony else’s eyes widening at this revelation. ‘I wonder…does the Queen know there’s a seventh Element? I’ll have to ask her about it once this is all over…’

“The last known location of the Elements of Harmony was said to have been in the Castle of the Two Royal Sisters. They have been known to still remain there, unused and undisturbed for the last thousand years, and still do to this very day.” Twilight read, bringing Goku out of her thoughts. “While nopony has ever been there, it is said that abandoned castle is located in what is known as-”

As her eyes trailed down to the last few words, Twilight abruptly stopped reading as her voice caught in her throat. Her eyes slowly widened as the color in her face slowly began to drain, her pupils shrinking to mere pinpricks.

“Twilight, what’s the matter darling?” Rarity asked, pulling herself out from under Fluttershy’s wing and putting a hoof on her friends’ shoulder. “You were about to tell us the location of the Elements. Why did you stop?”

“Yeah, you look like you’ve seen a Windigo or something.” Rainbow murmured, earning her a glare from Fluttershy. “What? She does!”

“No, no…no no no no no! It just can’t be!” Twilight cried as she backed up, her magic going out and letting the book fall to the floor. She only stopped when she felt her rump bump against one of the bookshelves. Her body shook is if she had just come out of a snowstorm, her lower lip quivering in terror. “It’s not possible…it’s just not possible! There’s no way that the Elements can be located there of all places!”

“Now what in the hay or ya talkin’ ‘bout, sugarcube?” Applejack asked quizzically, looking at the lavender Unicorn with a raised golden eyebrow. “Ya jus’ said that the Elements ‘o’ Harmony ‘re located in the two Queen’s abandoned castle. What could be so scary ‘bout it’s location that it makes ya look like yer ‘bout ‘t’ be trampled by a herd ‘o’ fightin’ bulls?”

Goku, who was also curious and concerned about Twilight’s sudden change in demeanor, walked up to the book. Her eyes scanned through the pages, rereading what Twilight had, before coming to the bottom. When she read the last few words, she couldn’t help but let out a gasp as her eyes slowly widened, letting out a low, “Oh dear...”

'Oh goodness...I'm right aren't I?' Fluttershy thought to herself, biting her lip as her wings ruffled. 'The Elements really are located in there!'

“What is it, Goku?” Midnight asked gently, taking notice of the grimace forming on her youngest sister’s face. “Did you find what Twilight was looking at?”

“Yeah, think I did...along with the reason why Twilight is so freaked out.” The tan Thestral replied, looking up at her sisters and friends with a grave expression. “It’s true that the last known location of the Elements of Friendship is in the Castle of the Two Sisters. However, the location of the castle itself is what scared Twilight. According to the book, Queen Celestia and Queen Luna’s castle is located in the one place that nopony’s ever gone to, or ever come out of.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before looking at the others with an expression full of seriousness and slight fear. “The castle is in…the Everfree Forest.”

Author's Notes:

Well, there you have it folks, the 11 chapter of the Elements of Harmony down and out for all to read! I admit, this one took bit longer to do, probably because in the past one I was focusing a bit more on the timeline that focused on the main story of My Little Pony, at least that's what I felt, and I wanted to add more scenes of Zephyr, just like I did in this chapter, however short it was. Not only that, but because I believed that this chapter was a bit too long for my taste, and it could've been more better done if it was in a two parter, especially for what I'm about to put it it for the next chapter. As for the rest of the chapter...I can see that it was a bit too wordy and the explanation about Nightmare Moon's origins stretched way too long for anyone that was reading it. So I decided to shorten it up a bit, along with cutting it off at the spot where Goku had told all of her friends just where the Element of Harmony will be located. What that'll hold, I won't spoil, but l'm pretty sure that all of you are going to like just what I have in store before things really go down. As for the techniques that Nightmare Moon had used against Zephyr and the other guards, that was Requip Magic, the very same type of magic that Erza and Bisca use from Fairy Tail, only I stuck more tom the framers side since I felt that it would be more interesting. Not that I'm saying that Bisca's magic isn't cool but...you guys know what I mean by all of this.

Anyway, that's it for today; tune in next time for the next chapter! With this one, it won't be one of the ones that I'll be rewriting, at least not entirely, though I will say that I have quite the surprise in store for you all.