Prologue: The Beginning of the End

Snow sat limply on the Castle of Canterlot. Winter had stayed late in Canterlot, even if the other cities were in the season of spring. Most ponies would be astounded that Princess Celestia had not brought spring yet, even if it should have come two days ago.

Little did the citizens of Canterlot know that Princess Celestia could not bring the next season. She had not been seen since the return of the tyrant who now ruled the land. The tyrant that had caused the land an eternal night, or, as most ponies would call her, Nightmare Moon: the princess who had betrayed Princess Celestia to cause an eternal night and was banished to the moon. After her one thousand years on the moon, she had returned.

Nightmare Moon sat upon a pure black throne. The throne, among many other things, was different than before. The room had been white with a little bit of gold, showing the ponies that the princess of the sun had stayed there. Now it was dark blue with white stars lining the ceiling and walls. A large moon hung overhead, radiating light in the throne room. Upon her throne, Nightmare Moon wore a smug smile on her muzzle.

One of her guards trotted into the room. The female guard wore something similar previous royal guards that occupied the castle. Now it was painted black instead of the golden color Celestia had her guards' armor. The guard's yellow coat contrasted with the armor's color, as did her mane.

"My lady," the guard began, "a few ponies would like to see you now. May I send them in?"

Nightmare Moon nodded, and the guard trotted out of the room and soon three earth ponies trotted into the room.

The lead pony had a pink coat with a yellow mane to compliment it. Her cutie mark was a single stalk of corn. She had bags under her eyes, but looked more confident than the two ponies that were with her.

The stallion to the mare's left had a grey coat with a white mane. He looked more angry than anything. His teeth were bared and he gave their new ruler a death stare. The final pony was a mare with a red coat and a yellow mane. She tried to hide behind the lead mare. This was one of the places she did not want to be, and if she were never come here again, she would be the happiest mare alive.

"My lady," the lead mare began as the three ponies bowed to Nightmare Moon. "We need to ask you if you can stop your eternal night."

Nightmare Moon glared at the three ponies and stomped her hoof on the throne. "You want me to stop my eternal night? After I have worked so hard to give it to you! After I spent one thousand years on the moon! You want me to stop all that I have worked for?"

"Well, it's not that we don't like it, but our family is starving. Our crops are dying due to the lack of sunlight and we don't get any bits if we don't sell our crop," the lead mare explained. "We need sunlight to survive. Please bring the day back! Please, Nightmare Moon!"

Nightmare Moon looked to one of the guards in the room. "Take them away," she ordered.

"Please, think of the lives you could save if you brought back the sunlight!" the mare pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Four guards approached the trio of farmers.

"No stop, please! We need money for our family," the lead mare said again.

The guards approached them slowly. They readied their horns and other weapons. "We're going to ask you to leave," one of the guards said.

The stallion charged at a guard. The guard fired a magical blast of energy at the charging stallion. It hit the stallion square in the face, knocking him back to his companions.

The shy mare galloped over to the stallion's side. "Are you okay?"

"It's just a small bruise." The stallion tried to stand up, but fell back to the ground in pain.

"We promised our family that we wouldn't go back until we got the sun back!" the lead mare yelled to Nightmare Moon.

"If that's the case, then don't go home. Guards, take them to the dungeon. Oh, and do be a little rough with them."

A unicorn guard pulled out a sword from the side of his armor. "As you command, my lady." The guard chuckled to himself a bit.

The guards charged at the trio of farmers. The guard with the sword slashed at, and hit the stallion. The stallion fell to the ground in pain and tried to grasp at his cut neck with his hooves.

"Maize!" the shy mare shouted out. She looked at his body. "Maize! Please wake up! Please!" The stallion, Maize, does not respond. Tears roll down the mare's cheeks.

"Do you want us to make this bloodier than what it is?" a guard asked.

The lead mare growled at her assailants. The guards charged again.

"Enough!" Nightmare Moon shouted. "I will not have more bloodshed in my throne room! Just take them to the dungeons!"

"But, my lady, they are resisting and-"

"No, I said enough! Now take them to the dungeons!"

"Y-yes, my lady." A guard took a hold of Maize in his magical grip and began to take it somewhere else. Two more guards went up to the mares and hit them in the muzzle with the blunt part of their weapons, causing to get knocked unconscious. They, too, were taken away, but not to the same place Maize was taken to.

A pony trotted into the room. Nightmare Moon looked over to him. This one she knew quite well. This pony's forest green coat and wings matched his light brown armor. His teal mane peeked out under his helmet. And his bright green eyes contrasted the rest of him. His cutie was a golden bit with two blue wings coming out of it. The stallion that entered looked confident; he had an air to him that made him seem like he could do anything.

"Hello, my lady." The pegasus bowed to Nightmare Moon. "How have you been today?"

"Oh, it's just the usual, Wing Beat. A few ponies today came in and demanded me to give them the day back. And I ordered them to the dungeons." Nightmare Moon laughed, as did the green pegasus, Wing Beat.

"What foals, thinking that you would give them something that you despise," Wing Beat said between laughs.

"Indeed. Almost like when the 'Elements of Harmony' tried to stop me. They thought they could, but when the 'elements' hit me, they did nothing to me." Nightmare Moon.

"You still shouldn't laugh as you are, my lady." Wing Beat looked up at his ruler with a worried glance.

"Surely you don't think that I can be defeated by some mortals," Nightmare Moon scoffed.

"No, I don't, my lady. But not all of us are immortal like you are, and I'm sure that there will be rebellions. There's no doubt about that. Some ponies, like the ones in here earlier, will not want you as a ruler, and do not respect the night like we do."

"Well, Wing Beat, I want you to deal with any rebellions that come to pass."

"I will, my lady," Wing Beat, told her. "Any and all rebellions will be crushed by my hooves."

"Good, I wish to see all rebellions crushed by your hoof." Nightmare Moon told her subject.

Wing Beat had predicted the near future. Rebellions were sure to happen, but one would rise above the others and defeat the tyrant that now rules Equestria. This was the beginning of the end.