You wake up, your head slightly dazed and throbbing something fierce.
"Ow. What happened? What's going on?" you think aloud as you rub your head.
What are you, however? Are you a pony? A griffin? Something known only to the one whose mind you protect? These are not important, as you are not a 'being' by basic standards. You look around your surroundings and see that you are resting on a floating block of gray stone within a space of a very dark blue. There are mountains around you with many covered by a pouring, beautiful glowing blue liquid. The liquid's origins are unknown to you, but you see some sort of mist snowing upon the top of the mountain. Leaning slightly over the edge, you see glowing yellow lights moving slowly and flickering about like fireflies. The sky was very dark, almost like twilight, but it was filled with the gentle glow of thousands upon thousands of white dots, the whole tapestry held together by the gigantic white moon looking down upon this world with peace of mind and happiness of thought. The air is chilly and you see your breath with every exhale, and your eyes seem accustomed to the darkness of this world, much to your surprise. Your thoughts still feel scattered, but you're certain they're about to return to you at any moment.
As you gaze at the moon, you feel a gentle rumbling throughout the world and the same stardust sprinkles over you. It is at this moment that you hear the voice of an angered filly and see a blurred form moving about on the surface of the white moon.
"You never paid attention to me! You never helped me when I needed it most. No pony ever loved my night! They never came to see me. Why does everypony get to see you and love you when no pony wants to see how hard I worked to make my night sky?!" the voice broke down in tears halfway through its speech.
You put a limb upon yourself and begin to think. A sudden realization comes to mind as you see a dark mass of sludge slowly covering the moon.
"Oh no. Whatever it was that had been striking at Luna’s mind broke through. I better find her before whatever the enemy is eats her mind forever.”"
The stardust begins to fall on you in large quantities, but some sort of pathway forms through them while they fall in front of you. It was strangely shaped, but you didn't really have much of a choice, so you ran through it as fast as you could, leaving your area of awakening behind.
This place was already lost, it seemed. It was covered with the inky blackness that as covering the moon of the previous area. Curious, you keep yourself on your guard and step forward, your eyes looking up, down, and all around for any potential threats. Amusingly, each of your steps sounded like someone walking through mud imbibed with too much water. You hear something rumble to your left and dodge it accordingly. Your breath is heavy and your 'heart' is racing, but you wouldn't be done in by a simple rock. You are Luna's mental guardian! Many have others lost their guardians because they were too slow or too weak to even reform like you did, and many were lost to insanity, but you were neither weak nor would you be too slow.
Another is thrown your way and you dodge it, certain that such attacks would never land, but several smaller rocks began to pelt you at tiny intervals, so you block them with your limbs and protect yourself. Once the rocks stopped, a strange figure rose gradually from the strange products while circling around you.
"What are you? Who said you could enter this mind without my say?” you threaten. “I will break you, then I will bend you. I’ll make sure, that when I expel you from this place, your body will be broken like shattered glass”
The figure erupted in laughter causing the black substance to splatter all over you, much to your irritation and disgust. You demonstrate said disgust by forcing the gunk off of you with some slow but powerful swipes.
"Eugh. Disgusting. What is this?"
"Disgusting? I find it glorious, for it is I and I am you!"
"You are not me for I am already. I am the psyche of Luna: Princes of the Night. You are but a parasite trying to acquire a body of your own and take over it."
"And I already have! You are too late already!"
The creature, risen several feet above you, turned its reptilian eyes and melting, open mouth to the side, where an image begins forming on the gunk. It was rather blurry and faded, but you see that it is very dynamic. Apparently, Luna and her sister were fighting within their home. Pillars were falling and walls were being destroyed, but Celestia was the only one panicking and trying to flee from her enemy.
"Get back here!" the inky creature spoke from the image.
Anger started boiling up within you and you looked at the creature with fury while the world shook once more, a large amount of cracks starting to form along the walls, floor, and ceiling.
"Oh. You're starting to lose Luna. Hmhmhm. See? You're already mine! Now be a good psyche and protect your new master," the creature smirked.
You become lax again and start laughing at the creature, tears of joy dripping from your eyes.
"What? What is so funny? Why do you mock me, psyche?"
You've vexed the monster.
"Stupid creature. That is not how a mind guardian functions, now leave Luna be!"
"Leave her be?" it replies with bellowing laughter. "And how would I do that? She is to become mine now. The mind guardian only has as much power as its host, and it is clear that you have no power."
"A mind guardian can only take so much as the host is willing to endure."
The creature rose slightly higher and whipped what seemed to be hair made of black sludge. "Then your host is a weakling and you should give up on her, as have many of your own kind."
"We may only rest when the host reaches the last of their days with their whole mind and memories intact. Until then, insignificant one, not even your kind, can stop us!"
"Yet we already have. Do you not see the world breaking apart around you, remodeling itself to fit my desires?"
"It will not endure."
"Unfortunately for you, it will, for I am Luna and she is I. I am born from her envy. Her jealousy. Her loneliness. You cannot destroy the one you are meant to be protect," the creature mocks. "When I have taken full control, I shall destroy the source of Luna's grief: Her sister."
You can feel the rage growing within you as you bare your raw anger at the creature. Your body tenses and your energy begins to build up, and, without hesitation, you threaten her by saying:
"You won't have a chance at doing something like that, because I'm here to stop you!"
The creature growls loudly and swarms at you from all sides with its strange mass, but it is no match for you, and a blinding blast of starlight erupted all throughout the room, burning away massive pieces of the monster. When you finished, you collapsed onto the floor from fatigue, and another, more violent rumbling shook the room.
"N-no! Sh-she's m-mine! N-n..."
The monster was trying to protest while her pieces remained in place all across the room, their masses dissolving, but she was feeling...sick? You protect your face from the imminent bile emission but, before you do so, you witness Luna coming out of the melted mouth of this creature, catching you off guard. Luna was completely horrified at her situation and the substance she was covered in.You protect your face from the imminent bile emission, but as you do so, instead, Luna came from the melted mouth of this creature. She was covered in the gunk and was horrified at wherever she was.
"Luna! Come with me!" you cry out to her as you run. "I can help you! It's my job! I care for you! Even your si--"
The pony did not pay attention to your words and jumped through a wall, creating a hole that looked like it was being covered by pouring blue water on the other side.
"N-no. Please! Bring her back! I must have this body!" the creature plead.
Its pleas fell on deaf ears as you made your way through the hole and into a very bizarre looking hallway, although it was a very short hallway, and there was nothing to your left. This place seemed similar to Luna's home. You poke and prod the gray-blue bricks comprising the wall then look up to see windows letting bright, white moonlight through and into this place. There was an opening in the wall to your right, and the black gunk was present as a large puddle. Determination filling your purpose, you run forward and use the wall to sharpen your turn, but what you saw at the end of the hallway brought great confusion to your mind. This room looked like a miniscule version of the meeting hall, and all across the windows you could see forms showing Luna being struck by six orbs of colorful magic. A black pony as big as Celestia was being struck by the orbs. It was furious, its teeth sharp and its tongue sticking out like a serpent's while a teary white alicorn used the orbs to banish Luna into the moon.
But, as for the room itself, there were hundreds of different Lunas, many you did not recognize. Some even looked similar to the black alicorn in the stained glass windows. Was this caused by the creature taking over Luna's mind her with jealousy and envy? Some looked like it but without the blue armor. Some seemed much smaller and younger, the ages varying. Others seemed older and wiser. Others had Luna's usual bluish appearance while many more had the same types of variations.
"Luna? Luna! Where are you?" you cry out as you fumble through this mess. "Curses! What’s with all these aspects of her psyche? I can’t seem to find the right one...Is it even present here or has it been taken elsewhere. Well, only one way to find out!” you shout as you clench your courage..
This room had four pillars with half-arches built into the corners of this room, and to the right of this place's entrance, right in the middle of the wall rose a painting whose contents you could not observe as the many aspects here blocked your view. Your travels brought you close to some very uncomfortable psyches of Luna. Most notably a very young one of a bright blue and non-detailed mane and tail who had no self-respect and preferred to belch straight into your face as well as a much older version with a dark-blue coat and a starry mane and tail. This one's pupils were pink hearts, indicating that this was Luna's 'love' and not her affection, as shown by the taller Luna hugging everyone she could find. This Luna preferred to grab your limb and lovingly hold it close to her while she placed her head gently against it. Strangely enough, none of these aspects of Luna said anything. Even the Loving Luna whom you expected to 'purr' against your arm remained silent.
"I don't have time for this," you say as your jolt your limb from the Loving Luna's grasp and disappearing into the crowd.
While you continued to look, you could feel your 'heart' stopping during moments, and this made you very uncomfortable. Time was running out, and even this room was cracking and starting to split apart to show that beautiful bright and blue area from outside. You clench your chest by reflex and see a Luna fleeing from you. Naturally, you followed her, but as she came within your reach, another one of the black alicorns blocked your way. This one seemed to represent Luna's anger and wore a blue armor. You simply look at it with apathy and push it aside. Hoping to find Luna again, you look to see that the mare jumped into the painting, making its surface vibrate as if a drop of water hit the surface of a lake.
"What is this castle?" you think aloud.
The painting depicted some sort of castle floating in the air. There was a long, extended platform with a large, circular end connected to the main building depicting several twisted, gray brick towers with blue roof tiles on the sides of the main body housing a throne covered by an outdoor roof. Before you could jump, you felt the ground break underneath your feet, making you tumble into the 'portal'. The previous room had broken apart, but wherever you were, you couldn't see the rest of this place. It was surrounded by a violent and powerful storm pushing against you strongly. Unfortunately for you, there was nothing to hold onto as you were falling from a great height and so your fall was a frightening experience with a painful end.
Struggling to stand back up, you hold your limb in pain as you can feel yourself fading away, the strong, thunderous winds eroding your body. You landed on the extended platform of the castle and, from here, you could see that the pathway extending to the castle gradually rose higher and higher. You could hear Luna crying as the voice of the monster echoed throughout this place chanting about its newly acquired freedom.
"Luna!" you shout. "Luna!"
"Who is it? Leave me alone!"
"I can't! I am the guardian of your mind! I must help and protect you," you answer to her as you walked to the throne.
"No you aren't! You're probably with her!"
"Who? Your sister?" you shout while the storm starts becoming louder and louder.
"No! The nightmare! She's the only one who listened to me and helped me! She was my only friend, the one who admired what I created and made. No matter what I did, Celestia never cared for me. She doesn't care for me anyways and no pony ever listened to me."
"That's because she was busy and in a dire state of hard work! The kingdom had just been made and the ponies had just settled into Equestria. You were young. You couldn't have understood what she needed to do."
"Oh, so ignoring your only sister is the only way to go?!" she began to cry.
Finally at the top of the stairs, you could see a mare with a beautifully sparkling mane and tail. She was very similar to the Lunas with a dark blue coat and the starry mane and tail, but her facial fur had become wet and humid from tears.
"Do you know what it's like to have no pony love you? Our parents died and all I had was my sister! No pony else ever tried to listen to me and they would never tell me what they liked about what I would make!"
"Luna!" you complain. "You were the next 'ruler'. No one wanted to spoil you or make you feel superior. The rulers of the previous tribes had fallen and you were now the future rulers! Did it not occur to you that you could have become corrupt with power? Plus, you were so small and young! Every pony wanted to see a grown ruler help them develop and spread throughout this new land. You were just a filly playing with toys!"
"But that's NOT an excuse for my OWN sister to ignore me!"
As much as you wanted to fight it, you fell to the ground, almost bowing to the torn alicorn.
"Everypony was interested in your sister and her sun because it brought warmth and certainty during the day. They would know what was coming and what they had to do. They could grow crops and play with their own, but there were always threats, and your sister knew this. Ponies feared what was to come and would hide during the night. Things like Discord were a reason why they were all afraid. Your sister feared that you would be hurt in the process and you were kept safe while she was looking for ways to keep you and the others safe. She was overworked."
"But I could help her! I didn't stay a filly for long."
"But your jealousy did. The more liberty you were given, the more you began to notice the fear of the ponies, and the more you tried to impress, only to be crushed by disappointment. Your sister loves you, Luna, but you can't seem to see that!"
"How do you know?"
"You two are sisters, and sisters have special links no matter what their relation is. I know what ails her, and ever since she struck you with the elements, she has been in torment. Every day her heart aches as though it has a knife being pushed through it...Much like...my own..." you struggle to say as you collapse onto your back.
You can feel a tremendous pain around your heart as if a metal vice grip had grabbed hold of it and was trying kill you slowly. You greet the stone ground with an exhale of cold air while the storm swirling around the castle begins to approach, the last bastion of Luna's mind slowly crumbling to pieces. A smile forms on your face as you realize that you have failed, but will be laid to rest knowing that you did all that you could. Your vision begins to fade, but you feel your head being lifted by something, and your vision starts to stabilize once more. Turning your head, you see Luna sitting on her haunches and looking at you with worry and despair.
"Is it...is it true?"
"Of course it is, Luna. Why would I lie to you?"
"I...I don't know!"
"I wouldn't...Mainly because if you lose your mind, I die. So, really. It's a lose-lose for both of us," you joke.
Luna looks at you with disapproval, but you ignore it and look to the approaching orb of destruction.
"But...if you're telling the truth, couldn't she have at least told me? Couldn't she have at least tried to make time for me?"
"In a world of panic and stress, sometimes those with the best intentions end up being consumed by that which they try to hold back. She was so intent on making everything better for all those distant that she did not stop to think about all those closest to her. It is not her fault, and it is not yours for having felt neglected and abandoned. Being your mind guardian, I feel what you feel and can understand completely."
"Mind guardian?"
"Yes. I failed in my...initial task to protect you...so my second objective was to keep you sane and...safe."
"Have you failed at that too?" Luna asked.
"It seems so...but I will rest easy knowing that I did my best to help you and that you cared for your sister even after having been consumed by hatred and jealousy."
You see several tears forming around her eyes and beginning to drip into her moist fur, so you do what you think is best and wipe them off.
"Why am I crying? I barely know you and I'm about to become consumed by the nightmare!" Luna sniffed.
At this point, the storm had torn away both the surrounding towers and much of your body despite you having barely felt anything.
"Because I am still a part of you, and no true being wants to lose a part of their self. You even realized that Celestia still cared for you, even if you don't want to fully admit it yet, and that's enough...for...me..." you trail off as you finally rest within Luna's arms.
"Hahaha! Silly foals! I have defeated Celestia and your elements, and you still defy me?" a voice spoke through the storm.
"Wh-what? Who is it? Who is that? Sister?"
"We don't need the elements to defeat you, Nightmare Moon! Our friendship is enough!" an unknown voice replied.
Luna started to panic with your body slowly degrading to dust in her forelegs.
"Sister! I am sorry! I do not want this anymore! I want to return! I want to go home! Please! Please let me go home with you...I know why you acted as you did..." Luna cried.
The mare hugged what was left of you in her forelegs while pearls grew at the edges of her eyes. She kept them tightly closed and held you ever so closely to her like a plushie, but, eventually, you finally faded away into the storm, leaving your protégé behind. Luna tightened her hug, unknowing of your passing, as the storm was now only a few feet from her. With her last words, she said:
"I'm so sorry, sister. I love you."
Suddenly, without warning, a yell of panic resounded in this strange place, and a painfully bright light burst through the storm, shattering everything. Luna could do nothing but stare at it as it filled her with a warmth she had not felt for so long. She had been stuck in the cold and the dark that she no longer knew what these feelings were, but she embraced them fondly. She was saved, and she would never forget the one who gave her those vital few minutes to keep the nightmare at bay. When the light faded, she found herself on the ground, in an unknown area. Her vision was still blurry, but she could see a white figure standing in front of her.
"Sister?" she wallowed.
