My cell is dark, damp and cold.
The only sound I hear is that of the wind blowing through the bars that separate me from the rest of the world.
I know why I'm here. I'm a threat to the peace of the Three Tribes.
I can understand why, but it still hurts.
Nopony liked me. Everything I touched would be destroyed. The prince believed that I could be 'reformed', and the more I heard, the angrier I became. With every sentence proclaiming that he could 'set me right', I was enraged. Who did he think he was, some omnipotent god who knew the answer to everything? It was hardly my fault, but he still saw me as a living torch that was born to burn everything to ashes.
Soon, I exploded. I couldn't help it. Even now, years after my imprisonment, I can remember the inarticulate scream of rage that echoed over the nation. I can still feel the scars he left upon my body. They have long since faded, but they sting as if he was still striking me with his claws. After he felt that I had been sufficiently beaten, he ordered that I be sealed within a place that could properly contain my powers.
There was no place cold enough to cool my fiery rage except the heart of the Frozen North.
Perhaps it would have been less painful if he hadn't made my own sister do it.
Of course, I plan to pay my debt in full. The Three Tribes will be rebuilt, the plants will regrow, and my sister will see me forgiven! I hope to soon put this entire . . . ordeal . . . behind me.
When I return, I will see to it that all under my reign will only live in peace.
It's been a while. About seventy-nine years, in fact.
Although this is a bit . . . extreme, I can see why even my sister, the closest pony I had to a friend, would want to leave me for a while. I can't imagine that it was easy to leave the old castle behind . . . unless they rebuilt it.
That would be rather nice to see, but I still must pay my debt, and it must be paid in years.
The blizzards have been much more violent as of late, and the nights have been colder than ever. I hope that they're managing alright.
Another seventy-nine years have passed, and the cold has become almost unbearable. Every day, I see more snow gather around my cell.
Did they forget about me? Did the magic holding out the snow break? Is something causing the world to get colder? I have no idea.
Three hundred years.
Three hundred entire years have passed, and in those years, I have seen hide nor hoof of my beloved sister.
I'm beginning to think that they have abandoned me. My cell has become completely entombed by snow, and I can no longer watch the sun in the sky. Every day, my connection to it has waned, and with it, my ability to tell time.
It's becoming too cold for me to stay awake for more than an hour at once. If I try to extend that period, my body forces itself to sleep. I want to leave. I want to go back home. My home was, at least, warm, and I had a sister who loved. Now, I live in the coldest area of the nation, and I have nopony to even look at. It's torture!
Nonetheless, I can only wait.
I don't know what year it is, but I suppose that it does not matter at this instant. The cold has finally retreated.
While it isn't exactly warm, it is still a much appreciated increase from whatever temperature it had been.
The snow around my cell, however, seems to have hardened. It is nigh unbreakable, and I don't have enough magic to melt it away.
When will this end?
I can't believe it, but I have to. It must be true. Please, let it be true!
I can hear voices and cracking rocks! Miners!
I can't wait for them, I must make myself be heard!
I yell as loud as I can, I'm so close to salvation! They're getting closer, I can tell!
I can hear them, they're right on the other side! But then...they stop mining, and they leave.
I scream for them to stop, to come back, to let me out, but none return. I collapse on the wall, letting out a moan of despair. Will I never see the surface again?
I can't leave.
I can never leave.
My mind has imprisoned itself.
It's been so long since I've truly felt something that wasn't the unforgiving ice that has coated my cell.
What did the sun look like? I don't remember.
What did my sister look like? I can't recall.
What did the prince do? I know this perfectly.
He imprisoned me. He took my life away. I did nothing to deserve it. The castle was coming apart anyway, and it was time to let go. But simply for letting off a little steam, he locked me away into a cold, unforgiving box at the bottom of the Frozen North.
Or did he?
No, no. I'm sure that he did. He collapsed the cave before leaving, grinning wickedly as I was permanently sealed in.
My sister was completely innocent - I know that she never would have done anything to hurt me! She loves me! What reason would she have to hate me?
...hate.
I like that word.
After all, I feel it for that insolent little prince and his backstabbing tricks.
He'll pay for doing this to me. He will be sorry for the day that he imprisoned me into this frozen cage.
Even if I have to kill him for it.
Fire.
She could hardly see, the flames blocking out her vision.
There were screams all around - her ponies were in trouble! She had to move, she had to get to them! She attempted to cast an ice spell, but instead, the flames rose higher, engulfing her completely.
It was a searing pain that kept her from moving, a pain that she would not dare try and apprehend. But her ponies-
Suddenly, something within the flames embraced her, and held her close. Long forelegs around her neck pulled her close, and in moments, the fire disappeared with the screams. All was ash. All except her and the pony who had hugged her through the heat.
"Oh, Luna..." it said. "It's been such a long, long time. I've missed you dearly."
Luna pulled out of the pony's embrace and faintly recognized her as Celestia, but . . . not. This pony only held a passing resemblance. Her mane and tail were infernos, and her coat was a vibrant red. Her eyes were like a cat's, narrow and slit, but they were an ashen black, and the pupils were fiery. This was not her sister, it couldn't have been . . . right? Celestia was supposed to be pure white with a pink mane, although things around her occasionally caught fire if she became angry. But she sounded just like her sister, and . . .
"Luna? Are you alright?" asked not-Celestia, sounding worried. Luna snapped out of her thoughts for a minute, and looked at the fiery mare. Cautiously and carefully, she extended a magic resonance to test this pony's magic. It was just like her sister's magic, but undeniably tainted by hate. An unforgiving feeling of hate, resentment and dark magic.
She had to get to Discord - she had thought they should have at least talked to Celestia, that the isolation would have built up a bit of resentment, but this was beyond anything she'd expected. Discord had stopped her once, he could do it again. Unless . . .
". . . Celestia? Art thou feeling alright?" she asked, Old Equestrian seeping into her voice.
"I feel absolutely wonderful, dear Luna," she said, nuzzling her sister. Luna didn't so much as twitch.
"And Discord?"
Her sister's smile vanished immediately, replaced with a furious scowl. "He will be the first to feel my wrath."
Luna felt herself beginning to tremble, dreading her next question. ". . . and then?"
"Then, all of Equestria will feel my undying WRATH!" she screamed, "They will PAY for imprisoning me so unjustly!"
The sense of dread and fear coming over Luna soon came to dominate all of her being. Her legs were shaking, and her wings trembled. She had not seen her sister for over a millennium, and upon return, she wanted to burn everything to the ground.
". . . L-Luna?" Taking a deep breath, she tried to pull her sister in with her wing. "Luna, I'm sorry if I scared you. Are you alright?"
"I am sorry, Celestia, but I cannot let you do this." She backed away in a defensive position, and her horn glowed with power. "Do not make me hurt you."
"B-but Luna-"
"No, Celestia. I cannot let you destroy my home."
Now, Celestia was trembling. Red hot tears ran down her face as two emotions began to well up in her chest: anger and sadness.
"If you wish to destroy my home, then I-" she stopped and took a shuddering breath before continuing. "I will have to destroy you."
"You . . . Luna . . . my sis-"
"Don't." It was quiet for a few moments before Celestia spoke again.
". . . I hate you." she muttered quietly. "I hate you. I hate you." In a flash, hundreds of fireballs came into being around her, and each was sent directly to Luna. The last words she heard were, "I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!", chanted by her ex-sister as she sent fireball after fireball shooting towards her sister.
