Working on the Darkness

The castle halls were most of time in silence, but once in a while a sneeze could be hear thanks for the echo which it made. But it wasn’t a normal sneeze which either be anybody or anypony would do when the nose itch, it was because the host was sick with a flu. But the one who have the flu didn’t got it by natural means, because it was injected by somebody special which our young alicorn loathe.

‘May your nightmares intensify, may your sickness intensify and for your sake that this dammed illness leave me as soon as possible!’

How she knows that Elijah has nightmares
That's a story for another day.

Elijah didn’t lie when he said that he really infected her with an illness, she was with the flu and it was incredibly bothersome to her, every step she gave was a test of her willpower, her head was killing her, her breaths were mostly made by her mouth rather than her nose for being obstructed, her throat ached but it wasn’t a big deal she could still talk to any other pony, her cerulean eyes could not be appreciated thanks for being slightly painted red. As a result she couldn’t perform her personal hygiene pretty well especially with her wings that needed a decent preening badly. She was too prideful for ask any kind of help for such petty acts, also her mane needed to stay in its cosmically form to the public eye because she never was able to get a proper focus when she was about to brush her mane because every time the brush touched her mane her head exploded with pain.

Despite all mentioned before Luna still walked with a goal set on her mind, it was the quest which needed to be completed if she wanted to actually plan her coup d’état so she could assume the power which always wanted since Equestria started anew. Such quest was to locate all the wards placed by her sister inside the castle and at the moment she was a the ward number 42 every single one of them were very well placed yet they couldn’t hide from the princess perception but she needed to be very cautious in her deed of detection or the ward would set off a silent alarm and all of them would be instantly relocated as Celestia would take papers on the matter. She knew it because when she ‘supposedly returned from her supposed ‘banishment’ she went into a search of said wards but she wasn’t careful and set off the alarm and Celestia immediately appeared and subdued her but was released after believing her lie, she said that she felt a weak presence watching her. She believed her sister because she was also able to sense them so it was a reasonable justification; another reason why it made the task difficult to Luna; said wards were ludicrously difficult to even sense them.

So that might give you an idea how much pain or exhaustion she is passing right now for walking even less using her magic and concentration to fin wards.

*A-ACHOO!*

Her regal composure, or at least an attempt, was lost again by the sudden release of pressure that was building in her nostrils. It was agonizing to maintain her detection spell functional, she was panting to at least cease in the slightest the pain but it didn’t work. Step after step she gave through the hall and every single one of them were small explosions to her brain, but her personal tartarus’s pit came to an end when she finally found the cursed ward at the end of the hall which was a corner leading to the meeting room where Celestia most of the time tends ambassador or other current political figure, but she knew better.
She memorized the exact location where the ward should be which later in her personal room, secret to even Celestia, will mark with a cross in the map of the castle’s insides. A small triumphant smile formed on her lips but it wasn`t over, she was only half of the castle but that fact didn’t removed her triumphant smile because despite all the odds against her yelling at her to surrender to rest and take the search to another day she did not falter. What really removed her smile were the barely audible voices behind the wall that was right next to her.
Her eyelids felt too heavy also her mane when she stopped channeling the spell, the curiosity got the best of her and slowly she neared her right ear to try to hear what was being conversed inside the room, but she could not hear anything coherent; both eardrums were affected by her illness leaving her with only two options, she will forget at all about what is being said behind those walls or she would have to endure again the killing headache for amplify the sound waves.

So did she.

First came the voice of her older sister

‘’You truly flatter me Elijah’’

Luna froze in her position, she felt like the whole side of her head was glued to wall, she couldn’t move or utter a reasonable thought, Elijah was in the castle talking with her sister and what Celestia just said made her blood boil increasing the temperature of her body which mixed with her fever temperature created a bad combination. Luna really loathed the human but there was some true behind the fake tales of her ‘banishment’, what really pissed off her was that her minor but at the same time major enemy was flattering her worse enemy in her whole existence. She wanted go inside and beat Elijah again to teach him a lesson.

But she would be lying if she say that she didn’t like his compliments despite they were with the intentions of mocking her.
Maybe was feminine pride.

‘’Princess Celestia you stated the subject so please care to elaborate what do you truly want to discuss with me?’’

‘’Is quite easy Elijah, how I find amusement in my sister’s sorrow’’

‘SORROW?! I belive you wanted to say suffering?!’

“so I want you to leave her and in exchange I will grant you ‘anything’ what you desire’’

Her eyes widened, it was clear that Celestia understood that having Elijah to her side would be better rather than an enemy but at the same time she might only want him near because when the moments present she would stab him in the back. But there is a possibility that she consider him a threat because Celestia still believes his immunity to magic, Luna could only laugh at her sister for being foolish but she cringed at the memory when she was punished for doing that to Elijah, punishment held by Celestia herself; not because she cared in some way for Elijah not Celestia didn’t care in the slightest Elijah could die and she would not care in the slightest. The real reason behind that was something too secret to share that always made her cry her eyes out the rest of the cursed day.

‘’Your offer actually interest a lot Princess…’’

Luna saw red, despite being sick her instinct took over her for a glimpse of time, her rage expressed itself by completely shattering a window with her hooves. She wanted to rip the throat of the traitorous human, he wanted his tongue cut so no lies would come out from his mouth anymore. Luna sighed the sound of shattering glass released some rage from her to at least allow her to think properly and realize that patience always is the key for everything.

In other words she kept hearing the conversation so she could all the information gathered against the silver tongue of Elijah.

‘’But I have to reject your ‘supposedly’ generous offer for two reasons.’’

‘’Number one: I hate you more than your sister’’

‘’Number two: You are lying…again’’

For some unknown reason to her she felt a great relieve when she heard his rejection, but also she felt a bit disappointed his betrayal could have been her excuse to get rid of him.
Luna stayed beside the wall hearing the whole conversation but once in a while she sneezed, but it wasn’t a conversation in her opinion it was most like stating statement and threats. She pondered the reason behind the invitation because it was rather obvious that Celestia wouldn’t have invited him only to offer him a deal, there should be something else in her mind.

*Slam*

Slightly did she recoil after the strenuous sound of a slamming door, followed by the action of yell from Elijah.

‘’FUCK’’

‘’YOU’’

She couldn’t believe her ears but it was real and it happened. Elijah just insulted her sister like any other being insulting to another, Celestia defiantly had to say something that enraged him that bad and defiantly Celestia would take against for such disrespect.
Silence

Luna grew worried y the silence that followed, she thought that they might be talking but in low tone too low that her spell amplification wasn’t enough. But such possibility to be real was low.
Patience is a joke now.

Anxiety reign now.

But it was short lived when she heard the door open, carefully she gave a small peek using the corner as cover and her eyes caught the form of Elijah Collins from a considerable distance but there was something off, he didn’t have his cocky smile that he always wear in the presence of any of the sister he looked serious or dread. But an article stood out, the color black was around his neck and the resemblance to a dog collar was high, it wasn’t long that she realized that Celestia put him that collar; the reason could be asked later.

*A-achoo!*

Almost instantly she hide behind the corner she didn’t want to be found by him in her current state it would hurt her pride; for her bad luck the little action caused her head to throb by the abrupt movement making her to bring a hoof to her forehead as her eyes shut. But the pain didn’t go away and remained there; she had to sat and brings her other hoof to rub her temples. For some reason the pain still remained and Luna had to ponder why, her face contorted into an expression of pain as she tried to think a reason and a cold horseshoe resting on her right shoulder brought the answer which she was seeking for.

The night princess perfectly knew who was the owner of the hoof which was resting on her shoulder, shiver was the first reaction as she slowly turned back to face her unwanted enemy.

Celestia was behind, there was no surprise, only a hardened glare that showed her disapproval but not like a mother, it was far different. Both of her white wings were extended expressing her dominance, and Luna knew that she was no match for her. Every day she curses the day when she accepted the terms of her ‘banishment’, she never in that time expected Celestia to memorize all about her magic and how to effectively counter anything that Luna might have under her sleeve. Even her knights were not match against hers; Celestia got the secrets of her or private army and taught her knights every single move. She was useless and Celestia had another big advantage against her, the population approval. Luna could only stay hidden in the shadow of her sister and show submission to her if she wanted to stay alive, unless she learn something that Celestia didn’t know and use it against her. Meanwhile she will stay as a prisoner.
Luna’s mane was pulled downwards and her muzzle met the floor hard.

“I believe that I stated a few rules here if you wanted to live within these walls rather than the dungeons sister”

Luna gritted her teeth, endure such psychological abuse was degrading and she just wanted to snap as Elijah did but she didn’t want to face the consequences which her sister had stored.

“I hope that this small offense doesn’t repeat again or the next year will be worse Luna”

‘Do not shed tears, do not shed tears’

She couldn’t give her the pleasure of her sorrow but every time she brought that topic the pain resurfaced with more intensity than before.

“Smile my little sister; such angry face might ruin your image”

Luna didn’t want to endure anymore Celestia’s wrath

“Just leave me your highness, please” She said without looking upwards.

Celestia stopped channeling her magic that was restraining Luna to the floor and walked away.

“Only because you begged” Then she was gone

Luna after weakly checking her surroundings she allowed her tears to fall and damp the floor below. Her tears were warm and the fur of her muzzle got wet, there was no sound coming from her only warm trail of tear; but she was weeping inside. The pseudo-princess remained on the floor curled like a cat until she felt her willpower return to her.

The shame that she had to endure still weighted on her back as she walked to enter the meeting room in the search of anything that might be of any use to her. Once inside she started to check her surroundings but fining nothing of use; she checked the table at the center the cushion the corners but nothing. Luna sat and sneezed again before she could return to her regal stance her right eye caught a stain on the floor; without a hint of hesitation she approached the slick, and tried to catch its scent but mentally kicked herself at the realization that she he sickness wouldn’t allow her five senses work properly so much to her pain she casted a spell and her eyes widened in surprise.

It was a beverage for mind control, the missing piece was finally found; Celestia called for Elijah because she wanted to control over him because Celestia greatly dislike anything or anybody that cannot be controlled by her; despite Elijah is under a leash she can’t control him. And the potion maybe has been the last attempt to gain control over him; the night princes laughed in low tone for her sister mistake.

“How could she have expected Elijah to trust her?”

And Elijah clearly stated that he trust Luna more than Celestia giving her a great advantage against him. The beverage was imported, that was clear, and the color that its aura was giving said clearly that was from the Zebra’s country.

Luna with the new information made her way out of the meeting room as a maid entered the room with a bucket and a sponge. But she couldn’t care less; after all she have to write a letter to a certain expert in plants and another letter to her ‘friend’