“At last…the work of generations is complete…”

The earth trembled at its foundations. The wind howled. Storm clouds began to gather across the sky, filling up every available space except the Moon itself. The voice that had long become myth thundered across the nighttime sky. The ponies all across Canterlot looked up in alarm, feeling a cold sensation rush across their bodies. It had happened without warning. Before this, they had been going about their ordinary lives, enjoying a beautiful night out with their friends and families. The Moon was full on this particular evening, something that was a rare occurrence in Equestria. Princess Celestia rarely ever allowed it to shine to its fullest extent, lest it remind her of the sister she had banished a thousand years ago, when the Moon was also completely visible.

But on this night…it was. And this was the night that their lives would change forever. For upon the clock striking midnight exactly, they were met by a booming voice that assaulted their collective eardrums. It chilled the city to its very core. The ponies had never felt a presence like this in their lives, so sinister and so…ancient. The voice spoke again, continuing their chilling monologue to the terrified populace below.

“A GREAT ERROR HAS BEEN CORRECTED!!” The voice exclaimed proudly. “THE NIGHT OF VICTORY IS AT HOOF! THE NIGHT OF REVENGE! THE TIME OF EVERLASTING NIGHT!!”

The speaker sounded regal, but there was no trace of the warmth that would normally come from their Princess. This voice was something else entirely. They could not see her, but they could feel her constricting the air all around them. It was as if she was everywhere, but yet nowhere at the same time. The Mare in the Moon symbol on the lunar body flickered. The stars spun all around it in a circle, as if a spell was being cast. Lightning struck and thunder clapped. Some foals were knocked off their hooves as the wind tore through the alleyways and streets.

“Who are you?!” shouted Fancy Pants from the crowd, grasping onto a streetlight for dear life.

The voice cackled. It was a sick, diabolical laugh that made all the ponies below sick to their stomachs. This demon was mocking them. “Why, do you not know who I am, little pony? I am the terror that keeps your foals from sleeping, each and every night. I am the SIN which you all fear, the Adversary who rebelled against the heavens!! The temptation that ponies feel towards the darkness! I am the Alicorn of the Night! And I am here to deliver a message to your precious Princess.”

The ponies watched, eyes wide with trepidation and terror, as the stars spun once again around the Moon. Every time the Alicorn spoke, the symbol on the Moon flickered faster in an increasingly rapid pattern. The wind picked up once more. The ground shook. And with a deep and thundering cackle, she delivered her message.

“To my BELOVED Celestia…” she said the name with a hint of contempt in her voice. “Hear my words! The last seal you used to contain me has been BROKEN! In a week, upon the beginning of your Summer Sun Celebration…I SHALL RETURN! I SHALL REPLACE YOU AND TAKE THE REINS OF EQUESTRIA! OH, I IMPLORE YOU, MY DEAR SISTER. SEND YOUR BEST CHAMPIONS TO OPPOSE ME! SEND THEM ALL!! THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY HAVE BEEN INACTIVE FOR A THOUSAND YEARS! NOTHING AND NOPONY SHALL EVER STAND IN MY WAY AGAIN!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!”

And with that, the wind stopped. The storm clouds parted and the stars parted around the Moon. The symbol returned to its rightful place. The weather returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened. The only evidence that a disturbance had ever occurred was the crowd of ponies below, chattering worriedly amongst themselves.


The double doors to the Canterlot Castle throne room burst open. A royal guard ran through them, panting for dear life. He had been on a daring journey to get to the castle for the past hour, while the mysterious Alicorn had been terrorizing the city. He had braved the harsh winds and narrowly avoided rogue lightning striking him. At last, he had finally made it past the gates and through the main hallway, finally ending up where he needed to be.

He took a shaky breath, bowing before Princess Celestia herself. “Your majesty…I-I came as fast as I could! I-I don’t know how to describe what just happened. It-it happened so fast-“

“You don’t need to…” came the soft, comforting voice of the reigning monarch. Her eyebrows were creased with worry. She put a hoof around her chest to slow her heartbeat, before she finally stood up on all fours. Her presence was instantly comforting. “I felt it when it happened…like part of my essence was rocked to its core.”

“Part of your essence…” the guard didn’t understand. “You know the pony in the Moon?”

“Yes.”

The other guards snapped to attention at this. This was something they were not expecting to hear today.

Celestia held her head high, keeping herself calm and in control. She then looked around, surveying the loyal soldiers at her command before she spoke again. She sighed deeply. “I did know her once. That was the Mare in the Moon. Nightmare Moon. My sister.”

The guards gasped. One of them stepped forward. “But-but, Princess. The Mare in the Moon…that’s just some Old Pony’s Tale! A story to read to foals, not something that is real!”

“It WAS real,” Celestia countered solemnly. “The story became myth because I allowed it to be. I wanted future generations to forget the horrors of what happened…instead view my Pyrrhic victory as something to be celebrated in legends. No one for a millennia knew I had a sister. Except…for myself.”

The guards listened intently.

“But the spell has been broken,” she continued. “It was only meant to last for a thousand years. I had hoped the time away would allow her to beat the darkness on her own and come to her senses…” Her eyes hardened. “But clearly, the banishment has only made her stronger. She broke every seal I ever placed on her. Now…we are hopelessly outnumbered.”

“Can’t you use the Elements of Harmony again?” asked another guard, Steel Gaze. “I mean, if the stories are true…surely, you must have some sort of plan to use them!”

Celestia shook her head. “Sadly, I cannot. I used the Elements for banishing instead of healing. In doing so, I lost my connection to them. They will not respond to my calls. No…to defeat Nightmare Moon, the Elements must be given new Bearers. A new generation of ponies that can carry the virtues.”

“Where…would we find them?” the first guard asked. “Any group of ponies can wield the Elements. Isn’t that why you opened your School For Gifted Unicorns? To train the next generation?”

“It is,” admitted the Princess. “But over the course of generations…my students have become far more focused on their academia than anything else. And I know deep down that not just any ponies can wield the Elements. Luna and I were able to because we were of Skyrosian descent, pure Alicorns that represented the light at its purest. But these new Bearers must not only be skilled in power. To activate the Elements…these champions require something far greater.”

Steel Gaze blinked. “But surely there can’t be anything greater than power?”

“Friendship.” Celestia responded bluntly. She turned her attention to the stained glass windows that adorned the castle walls. She cast a spell at a display of she and Luna wielding the Elements to defeat Discord. “In ancient times, there were six known virtues known to activate the Elements. Luna and I represented them all. Honestly…”

A holographic orange gem anmulet appeared on the wall.

“Kindness..”

A pink gem appeared.

“Generosity..” Celestia continued listing off the virtues and the process repeated for each one. “Laughter, Loyalty, and…” She smiled wistfully. “…Magic.”

The final gem appeared on the display, this time in the shape of a pink star. Celestia then lit up her horn again and the holographic gems vanished from sight. She turned back to the guards behind her and resumed her walk around the throne room. “Such virtues could only be obtained by embracing friendship. I have been watching six potential candidates for years…since their earliest days.” Her expression became hard once more. “But time is of the essence. The Summer Sun Celebration is only one week away, and my sister WILL return to claim the realm.”

She stood tall, commanding the attention of the six guards that were in the room with her. Seeing her do so, they saluted her, awaiting patiently for their next order. And what came next from the Princess’s mouth would change the fate of Equestria as everypony knew it.

“Five of you will go to Ponyville,” Celestia ordered. “Watch over six ponies for the next week as preparations begin. Captain Shining Armor has the files on them; names, personalities, everything. They’ve become part of a much larger universe. They just don’t know it yet. And Battle Shield…” She stared at the guard who had initiated the whole situation by barging into the throne room. He stared back attentively.

“Send for Twilight Sparkle’s family. Night Light, Velvet…they have to know what must be done, though they must tell their daughter nothing. Harmony will not materialize in my faithful student should she know she’s doing this out of obligation.”

Battle Shield nodded. “I will at once. The storm seems to have let up. No matter how difficult this may be, we will not fail.”

“I appreciate it.”

“But what is this ‘larger universe’ that Twilight and these other ponies aren’t yet aware of?”

Celestia smirked. “Twilight will be surprised once she knows she’s not the only pony who I have been watching for all this time. Allow me to introduce you to the Guardians Initiative.”