Dream, Dream Princess
by Lyi
"Step back, Celestia. Your light is no longer worthy of my darkness!"
Dark smoke rising from the earth.
"Come on, Lulu. If you're mad at me because I ate your cookie - please - don't be. I was very hungry, and somepony ate all of my cake."
"I have lived in your light for too long, Celestia!"
A step towards the altar.
"Lulu? What are you talking about? What are you doing, Luna?"
"Luna? Ha! She is long gone! Dissolved under your shadow and dissipated under your Sun."
Another step towards the altar.
"Luna, if this is another prank, it isn't funny. Stop this right now!"
"Stop this right now! Stop this right now! Ha! See what I mean, Celestia - when did I get a say in anything?"
A blast at the altar.
"Luna? Are you alright? I said: This isn't funny!"
"I told you that this Luna is gone! Your wretched rule will end now and forever!"
An eclipse of the moon over the sun, forever!
Filly Princess Luna of the Moon, Ruler of the Night, Protector of the Stars, and Co-Heir to Equestria instantly woke from her slumber. Gasping, she reached for her nightlight with her royal hoof. As soon as she managed to flicker the light on, she stared at the makeshift stars on her mobile. It was just a dream, just a dream. She shivered, despite being covered by two blankets, and closed her eyes once more. I am the Princess of Dreams, I can control this, this - nightmare! But, as soon as she closed her eyes, a strange feeling of unsettlement so strong it was more like unease washed over her. Was the monster in her dream really her future? Is this who she is to become? Luna shivered once more, this time because of the dull thud of painful realization in her stomach. Taking out her bedside supply of lavender cookies, she made a quiet vow to stay awake for the rest of the night. If you can't sleep it, you can't dream it. And so the Dream Princess stayed awake and away from her odd dreams...for about five minutes. After that, she promptly passed out, snoring the night away.
"Now, Celestia, watch me make your precious Sun never rise again!"
"Luna, stop this - leave the Sun alone"
A cautious step towards Luna.
"Wait a moment, who wouldn't love a little torture before the execution?"
"Ah! Ow! I'll never fight you, sister. You and I are equal, don't you know that?"
A dodge from Luna's blast.
A shield spell to block her blow.
A jump to avoid her magic.
"Equal? Equal! If your rule, your supposed co-rule with me, was supposed to be equal, perhaps you might have gained a chance to save Luna!"
"Wait! Come back! What have you done to my sister? Leave her alone!"
A flap of wings to follow Luna.
A chase to find her.
"Oh, Celestia: I was Luna, but now, I am Nightmare Moon!"
Filly Princess Celestia of the Sun, Guardian of Daylight, Protector of Planets, and Co-Heir to Equestria was frightened awake from her dream. As she flickered on the bedroom light with her magic, she performed a quick spell that dissolved dreams. She was afraid. Afraid because she was smart. Smart enough to know that princesses rarely dreamt. She was afraid that this prophetic vision would come true. Walking down the long hallways to her sister's room, she readied her horn to channel magic in case the monster called Nightmare Moon appeared. However, as soon as she reached her Luna's room, an odd but frightening thought halted her. What if the creature in Luna's room was the monster? The creature, with its slit pupils, midnight black coat, sparkling fangs, and ghastly mane. Full of fear, she crept away from her sister's room and into her sanctuary: the Royal Library. Celestia spent the rest of the night there, trying to do a bit of research about Nightmare Moon. Is there any way in which she could alter the future to change this frightening fate? It was a sad thought, really, because she already knew that no magic, not even the strongest of kinds, could move the paths of life and fate. Needless to say, fear, not her love of researching, kept her awake during the long, long night.
"Ever since I was a foal, you have always out shined me. Ponies wanted to see you at the galas, they wanted to watch you walk with mother, they wanted to enjoy your company, they wanted to play with you, not me! No pony ever listened to me, no pony ever played with me! I was the second child, the unwanted one, the useless one! No pony truly cared about me! Even though many have come to me to declare their love, not one of them truly loved me. I have been alone in this isolation for far too long. Everywhere I turned, ponies called out ‘Celestia!’, not ‘Luna!’. Everywhere I went with you, they bowed to you, not to me. They showered praise and gifts over you, not me. I was ignored and neglected! You were the shining one, you were the bright one, and you were the spotlight of every event. No pony wanted the Queen of Darkness, not one! No pony wanted to see my beautiful stars or watch my beautiful night. They relished your day and your precious Sun and slept throughout my immaculate night. You see, Celestia, this is not just about me - this is about neglecting both me and my night! They adore your Sun and give thanks to its life giving rays, yet no pony bows and adores my Moon. This time, I can finally get the light to shine in. Your turn is long overdue, Celestia! The Moon shall rise and never again pave way for your Sun. The Stars will not move for you. All shall worship my power, and you will be forgotten as I was. No pony will remember your daylight, no pony will remember your Sun. All they shall see is my Moon and my Stars. The night shall last forever!"
Dark magic brewing from Nightmare Moon's horn.
"Then you give me no choice but to use these."
Magic from Celestia's horn opening the jewelry chest.
Queen Galaxia, the Ruler of Equestria, Empress of Time, Guardian of the Planets and Stars, Overseer of Day and Night, Controller of Dreams, and mother to both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sadly watched her children’s dreams unfold. A single tear streaked down her cheek as she swallowed the truth. The young and beautiful Luna would become this monstrosity. And her elder child will be forced to fight her sister. Such a miserable fate to become of them! As she watched more of the scenes in their dreams unfold, another wave of tears washed down her. She knew that this was wrong: spying on other pony’s private dreams. But she had been so curious about what her fillies were dreaming of. Now, she wished that she hadn’t violated the rules. The only thoughts that were in her head were full of misery, sadness, and despair for her children.
As she walked away from the dreams and slowly woke up, she came up with a sick idea. What if she killed her children first to let them avoid such fates? She walked quietly towards the library, aiming her horn towards Celestia and summoning up her magic. She walked closer towards the white filly, only to realize that she couldn’t kill her. Celestia was too innocent, too kind, and too gentle. She had done no harm yet to deserve such a miserable fate. The Queen watched her child’s soft breathing, the pages of a book flipping softly. She bowed her royal head and left. She couldn’t place harm upon an innocent being, no matter how not innocent their futures might be.
Knowing that she couldn’t bring herself to relieve Celestia from her miserable future, she also knew that she wouldn’t be able to kill Luna. Luna was still young and pure. Still, the Queen trotted towards her younger child, a miserable pain in her conscience. The knowledge that her children would endanger her whole kingdom was too much for her. The knowledge that she couldn’t alter this fate for her fillies killed her. No matter what she could try to do or what she did, Luna would still become Nightmare Moon, and Celestia would still need to fight her sister. Fate could not be altered. Staring through the door at her small filly, Luna, she knew what she had to do. She couldn’t live with this knowledge in her head. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her children what she knew about their futures. Her fillies could wake up and forget the dream, but she couldn’t. And she couldn’t live knowing that it would happen and that she couldn’t change it.
The Royal Queen Galaxia peered towards the gleaming window at the end of the hallway. It was always kept open for ventilation. The Queen walked towards it, grieving for her innocent children. She had made a decision that could not be remade.
“Where’s mom?”
“I don’t know, Luna.”
