The moon, high and unmoving in the night sky, cast its soft glow over the city of Everfree. There was not a single cloud in the sky to obstruct the normally breathtaking view of neither the moon, or the thousands of diamonds that dotted the dark sky. The streets below were deserted, the inhabitants of the homes that lined them were either asleep, or anxiously awaiting an end to the crisis that had befallen them. There was likely a crowd gathering in Celestia's throne room, pleading to their precious solar princess to save them from what appeared to them as the end of times.
Like the putrid, unappreciative worms that they are...
Luna, Princess of the Night, gave a small, sad sigh as she sat near the window, giving a thorough look upon her creation. A tight, fearful feeling in her stomach reminded her of the possibility that she might not ever see it again. She had passed the point of no return when she had refused to lower the moon in defiance of her sister, then disappeared without a trace. Finally deciding to go through with her plan was a bold--or very stupid move. Years of emotional abuse and torment had lead to this. It was almost time, she couldn't lose her nerve now.
"Nervous?" A voice from behind her asked.
"Yes..." She replied, not turning back. "...Very..."
The mare of the night maintained her blank gaze to the sparse and dimly lit star-filled sky. Since her unannounced departure from the throne, she had not been particularly inspired to strike beauty into the night sky, not that anyone cared. She could invert entire constellations and not a single soul would notice. For thousands of years it had been like this, and had finally reached a breaking point with the sudden and highly insulting introduction of the Summer Sun Festival, a celebration praising her sister Celestia in all of her greatness, and her glorious day for banishing the dark, ominous night for the longest time of the year. It made her sick that her sister was put on a pedestal for any meagre accomplishment, yet she was continuously feared and loathed simply for the astral entity and element of darkness that had been arbitrarily imposed on her whenever it was she came into existence.
She heard the sound of shuffled bed sheets and the clopping of hooves on the hardwood floor as the owner of the voice behind her drew closer. She let out a small, pleasurable gasp as he nuzzled the back of her neck. "Onyx..." She breathed, her eyelids falling just a little. The General of her Lunar forces and secret consort of two years knew exactly how to relieve and soothe her when the stresses of everyday life became difficult to bear. Onyx Sin could never fully understand how deep Luna's misery ran, but he tried his best, and devoted himself entirely to the will and desires of the princess. She loved him with all of her heart.
Taking her in a warm embrace from behind, he brought his face closer to his princess's to place a kiss on her cheek. "You shouldn't be." He assured. "You have the element of surprise, and she has no idea what you're planning. With that said, neither do I... but I have faith in you." Another nuzzle. "If you say that this 'secret weapon' of yours, whatever it is, will guarantee our victory, then I'll trust you."
Luna swallowed. Her 'secret weapon' would secure her victory and bring ruin to anyone who stood in her way... If it worked, that is. She appreciated the confidence her General had in her uncertain plan that even she lacked. The hope was there, however. She wouldn't be taking such a tremendous risk if she didn't have even a small bit of faith in her means of overpowering her sister, the goddess of the sun.
Discord, that vile, wretched beast might actually have something to be thanked for. The short, secret relationship that he and Luna shared had been mostly loveless and empty, and he was most likely using her simply for his own carnal desires. Needless to say, there was no love lost when, against all odds, the King of Chaos was overthrown by Celestia's insane coup d'état.
Discord's magical ability was substantial, with his only known weakness being the Elements of Harmony. During their 'relationship strengthening rituals'--as the twisted fiend himself had called it--Luna discovered that some of his incredible power could be captured and saved, the potential for advancing her own magic was too tempting an offer to pass up. Luna took no pleasure in recalling their unholy union of flesh.
Initially, she had been hesitant to experiment with the energy she had collected from the monstrous king, as his corrupting influence was one of his best known traits. After his defeat by the Elements of Harmony, however, his corrupt connection had been severed, leaving Luna with a reserve of malleable, insanely powerful raw magic. It looked like something good might actually come from their weak, hollow romance.
His magic was beyond anything Luna understood. After hundreds of years of reading, learning, and careful experimentation, she had been able to tap into the powerful magic she had reserved, and began the slow, trial-and-error process of manipulating it into her dark magic. The powerful, negative emotions she had bottled up year after year only served to further fuel the new, lunar magic. Wielding this power, she would be strong. Strong enough to overpower her usurping, neglectful sister.
If it worked. Tonight would be the night to put her experiment into application.
"You have more faith in I than I myself have. Perhaps I am just simply creating more stress for myself, but... there are so many unknown variables that could ruin us... What if the spell fails? What if I've underestimated her and she is able to counter-act it?" She gave another sigh, much less pleasurable than the last. "The price of failure is unnerving. I find myself wondering if it would be best to simply give up this ridiculous plan and try to apologize to Celestia."
"...And go back to being just the other sister? The one everyone fears rather than loves?"
"Perhaps I should just attempt to change my public image once more. It has been a century since my last attempt, so any memories from that should be long passed by now..."
Onyx frowned, bringing himself beside Luna to look her directly in the eyes. "And where will that get you? All my life, I've been enamoured by you, and I've seen first-hoof the damage that all this abuse and neglect is doing to you. This isn't your fault, Luna. You've been just as caring and benevolent as Celestia, yet they still favour her instead."
Celestia. The root of it all.
"She's taken complete control of the kingdom that was meant to be shared between the both of you. She's turned your own subjects against you by perpetuating these ridiculous thoughts that you--and your night--are something to be feared! It's insane, Luna!"
Something in Luna began to stir. Her sister would not listen to her, wouldn't let her rule as her equal. Ever since they had come into power after Discord's defeat, she had constantly overruled Luna's decisions and undermined her position. She had been left with no choice but to use force. "And what about you personally?" He added. "Remember..." He looked away from her for a moment, recalling an unpleasant memory. "Remember all those years ago, back when we first met? By the lakeside?" Luna remembered it well. It warmed her heart to see that he did, too. "I was just a colt... and I couldn't understand why one of the princesses of Equestria was all alone, crying. I couldn't understand it, but it was heartbreaking to see..."
"And ever since then, I wondered... I wondered why your sister would let this happen. In the face of all this unappreciation, this fear, this... this... utter hatred, why was she not there for you?" His expression soured. "And why is she still not?! This isn't fair for you, Luna! She's your sister, but she sure as hell isn't acting like it! She's made power more important to her than you, her own sister!"
He was exactly right. This wasn't fair at all, and she needed to fix this. She was going to fix this. Onyx let out a sigh of exasperation. "I just... don't want to see you living like this. I feel that if we don't do something about her... It's just going to keep going on and on."
Luna brought a hoof under his chin. "You've come so far since then..." She smiled sadly, softly caressing the side of his face. "So far... since the silly little love-struck colt who hugged me when I was feeling down..." She gave a light chuckle in remembrance before deciding to lose herself in his blue eyes for a moment. "When I am with you, I am happy. Your companionship has brought so much joy into my life, Onyx." She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his muzzle. "And perhaps... If we succeed..." She paused momentarily. "Our love will not have to remain in the shadows of secrecy..."
She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. "Alright..." She whispered. "We will continue as planned. I can only hope with every fibre of my being that we do not fail..."
"We won't, my love. We'll bring down Celestia... or die trying."
Luna smiled as she brought the stallion she loved into a tight, warm embrace. No matter the outcome of tonight, he would follow her order to the letter, and be by her side through the entire thing.
This would be it. One way or another, it would finally be the end of her misery.
"I love you... So much..."
If there had been anything good to come from Luna's temper tantrum, it was that it was good to see the nobles and common pony alike coming together, even it wasn't under the best of circumstances.
Celestia had been dealing with growing crowd for hours, doing her best to reassure the populace that she had the situation well in hoof, exactly as expected from the sovereign ruler. In truth, she had little idea of what was going on. After an intensely heated argument with Luna regarding a supposed "imbalance of power", she had refused to lower the moon, and had taken off. Celestia had tried to determine her sister's whereabouts by inquiring with the General of the Lunar Guard, whom Luna seemed to becoming suspiciously close with.
Luna's behaviour had been on a downward spiral ever since they had come into power. She had claimed that her subjects did not love her the same way that they loved their ruler of the sun, and instead feared and loathed her. It was probably all just in her head. Regardless, loved or unloved, they still had a job to do. Keeping Equestria running was more important than petty feelings and sentiment. It was a tough job, and Celestia knew that cold decisions were a part of it. She wished Luna would see it that way, as well.
"Your majesty, please! You must do something! If this night goes on, there's no telling what kind of damage this year's crops will face!" The throne room was filled with ponies, rich and poor, begging to their beloved sun goddess to help them.
For hours, she had been doing her best to not let her rage towards her sister get the better of her. Celestia regarded the panicking farmer pony as calmly as she could. She knew exactly what the consequences would be if the night lasted for too long. All plant life would be wiped out, and subsequently, so would all other life. Luna needed to be brought back to her senses now.
"Rest assured, my little pony, I am doing all that I can possibly do at the moment. My Royal Guard have been tasked to search all of Equestria if need be. We will find Luna and convince her to end this... childish outlash."
Much of the crowd remained unconvinced. "But Princess!" Clamoured another, this time, a rich-looking Pegasus stallion. "You are clearly more powerful than she is! Could you not simply overpower her and lower the moon by yourself?"
The sun regent shook her head. "I am afraid not. The moon and night sky are not mine to manipulate. They belong to Luna, and I cannot forcibly assume control from her, just as she cannot take the sun away from me."
The crowd of scared ponies continued to grow even more uneasy and restless. If Luna couldn't be stopped, they would all surely perish. Again, Celestia spoke. "As I have said, my guards are searching every corner of Equestria to find my sister, but if she does not want to be found, she will not be found. The night is her cloak, and concealment is her strength. All we can hope is that she comes to her senses soon and reveals herself to us."
Suddenly, a burst of magic shook the entirety of the throne room. The large, wooden doors on the other side were thrown open, startling every pony in the room. Celestia looked across the crowd to see what had caused the disturbance, and then realized that she would not have to look very far.
The last of the golden-armour clad Royal Guards fell to the floor, unconscious, as Luna's magic acted quickly. Most of the other guards were not as fortunate, as their incapacitation came in the form of a night-armoured Pegasus knocking their heads together. Even against multiple opponents, Onyx disposed of the soldiers with relative ease. He hadn't earned the rank of General by being slow-witted in hoof-to-hoof combat.
As regretful as it was to batter and bruise a soldier whose only crime was his loyalty to his princess, it was absolutely necessary. Not only did removing Celestia's guards reduce the amount of bodies at her side that could help her, but it also spared them from what would likely be a tragic, unfortunate death in the crossfire of two raging goddesses.
"That should be the last of them, at least in this sector." Onyx panted, removing his helmet momentarily to wipe the sweat from his brow. "The rest of the forces should be out who-knows-where looking for you." He placed the helmet on his head once again, completing the circuit of the purple armour's enchantment, turning his black coat into a shade of grey.
Disposing of the Royal Guard hadn't been particularly difficult. Celestia's soldiers had always been about quantity, not quality, with sergeants in the Lunar Guard having been known to topple Captains of the Royal Guard during sparring sessions. Their training was likely to blame, as Celestia was mostly unfamiliar with anything related to military practises. It had been Luna who had convinced her sister the benefits of establishing a military force in the first place. Ponies from all across Equestria were eager to serve Celestia as her loyal, dependable guard, but evidently, not everyone had been cut out for the job.
Luna looked over the unconscious bodies of the soldiers. They were meant to serve them, primarily Celestia, but now they had just been attacked by one of their own rulers and comrade-in-arms. She couldn't imagine the confusion and fear they must have felt, unsure of whether or not to defend themselves by attacking the princess. She shook her head to rid herself of the guilt-bearing thoughts. She could apologize to them later, when she informed them that they now served her, and her only.
If they didn't immediately band together and launch a rebellion against her, of course.
"The only ones left will be with Celestia; her personal bodyguards."
Luna look to the other side of the long hallway. The throne room of the Royal Pony Sisters lay just behind those doors. She gave a small nod, as she and her companion made their way to the large, Oak wood portal.
There they were, literally at the doorstep of their final battle of the night. Luna could hear the voices on the other side, panicked ponies scrambling to the safety of her sister, pleading her to bring an end to the terrible night. A small scowl formed on her face.
"Nervous?"
Luna looked to Onyx, her anger fading. "Yes." She lightly scoffed. "Very."
"You shouldn't be." Onyx grinned devilishly. He tensed as he readied himself behind the throne room's doors the same way he would a door leading to a dangerous gang leader. He looked deeply to Luna. "Remember, no matter anything that happens, I'm going to be right beside you."
She knew that he would. He had been beside her every step of her crazy scheme, playing his part simply because he wanted what she wanted. He knew damn well that he was gambling with the possibility of being killed right then and there, or being thrown in the dungeon, and then executed for treason. Luna felt her eyes becoming misty. She brought her face to Onyx's for what could possibly be one last kiss, savouring the taste of her lover's mouth as he did the same to her.
Slowly and reluctantly, she broke the kiss and made her final mental preparations. After one last deep breath, she faced the doorway...
The entire room shook as the throne room doors swung open, revealing the two forms of Luna and her armoured General. Every pony in the room turned to face the new arrivals, though not a single one made any sound. Slowly, Luna began her approach the throne that held her sister. She scanned the crowd, her eyes were cold as ice. Most of the ponies returned the glare with their own looks of fear or malice, but remained silent.
The crowd had cleared a path in front of the approaching pair. Luna and Onyx finally stopped directly in front of Celestia, whose eyes burned with stark flames to counter her sister's ice. The mare of the night then turned towards the crowd.
"Leave us. Now."
A few ponies in the crowd had shifted nervously, but held their ground.
"BEGONE FROM US!!" She boomed, her royal voice shaking her subjects to their souls. The ponies immediately made their way to the door and filed out as quickly as they could. Only Onyx, Luna, Celestia, and her two bodyguards remained. An unnerving silence gripped the room, particularly the three mortals that currently residing within it.
"Luna..." Celestia seethed, glaring daggers at her sister from atop the dais. "You will explain yourself! You are going to answer for this childish tantrum of yours, and you will be punished! Have you any idea of the chaos you've caused?!"
Chaos. She laughed inwardly. The irony was not lost on her. Luna turned to face her angry sister, her eyes retaining the icy cold leer she had used on her subjects. "Explain myself? Very well, Celestia." She said calmly, her voice carried no love. "You have taken from me, that of which does not belong to you. You have usurped and stolen my kingdom from me." Her voice began carry the anger and resentment in her heart. "You have turned my own subjects against me by poisoning their minds with ideas that the night--and I, are to be feared and hated! It is because of you!"
"I have done no such thing!" Celestia rebuked. "Forcefully imposing the night your subjects? Terrorizing them? You have poisoned their minds yourself, Luna!"
"LIES!" Luna shouted, the tension threatened to shatter the stained glass windows lining the room. "These are the measures that I have been driven to after centuries of alienation and conspiring against me! What have you done to speak against this prejudice against me, sister? Nothing! You have taken advantage of my unfortunate position to gain the public's favour while you usurp the control that was meant for us to be shared!"
The air in the throne room began to feel heavier as tempers continued to rise. Onyx's heart pounded inside his armoured chest. "You are clearly not responsible enough to make decisions for the entire kingdom, Luna! You are young! Until I feel that you are ready to handle the burden that comes with maintaining hundreds of thousands of lives, you are not prepared to rule with the same authority as I!"
Something was clearly wrong, but neither the Lunar nor Solar bodyguards new exactly what it was. It was as if there was something in the air making it harder to breathe. Heavy magic, maybe?
Luna's teeth gritted with unparalleled frustration, her blood boiled and demanded retribution for the injustice that had be beset upon her for hundreds of years. "I am thousands of years old, Celestia. It was I who organized our kingdom's military. It was I who strengthened our nations defences against the Griffons. It was I who personally protected our subjects during the nightly Hydra attacks."
Cracks suddenly began to form and snake their way across the tall windows of the throne room. Every other pony in the room regarded them with worry. Luna continued to boil in her own rage, never taking her flaming glare from Celestia's now clearly worried face. "You have took from me what is mine, and now... I am taking it back. By force."
Celestia's attention snapped from the incurring structural damage to her enraged sister. "You can't be serious." She scowled. "Luna, enough of this ridiculous farce!"
Luna did not waver, nor did her General. "This is a coup, sister. Submit to me immediately, or prepare to defend yourself."
Instead of answering, Celestia turned her attention to the Lunar stallion. "General Onyx Sin." She commanded sternly. "Place Princess Luna under arrest. She is to remain in her chambers until-"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, your majesty." Onyx took a defiant step forward, further tensing the already high-strung guards at Celestia's side. He made eye contact with the fellow soldiers, silently daring either of them to make a move.
Celestia's teeth became subject to horrible abuse as she ground them between each other. She regarded the stallions at her sides with fiery eyes. "Seize him! Place him in the dungeon to be charged with treason!"
The two stallions looked at each other momentarily, rightfully fearing for their lives. Hesitantly, they stepped forward to arrest the Pegasus. Onyx tensed into a combat stance and prepared to draw the blade sheathed at his side.
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!!"
A terrible explosion of dark magic pulsed from where Luna stood, engulfing her completely, and shattering every window in the room. Every other body in the room stumbled as a piercing dark energy filled the room, gripping the mortals' hearts with a paralyzing, vise-like grip of fear. All four ponies stared fearfully at the veil of dark magic that had enveloped the lunar princess, terrified of what was happening.
The two soldiers at Celestia's side managed to snap themselves out of their paralysis. Noticing that their enemy was sufficiently distracted, the golden-armoured guards charged towards Onyx. With his peripheral vision, Onyx regained his composure as his mind registered the imminent danger of the two ponies coming right towards him. A moment before it was too late, he swiftly ducked under the first soldier, lifting him, and tossing him aside with his own momentum. The other guard quickly drew his blade and made a strong, downward strike at the General, only to be thrown off-guard by Onyx sidestepping, and pushing the soldier's arm away. The next thing he felt was the agonizing pain of his jaw being shattered as Onyx slammed his armoured hoof into it; his weapon fell uselessly to the ground. The pain did not last long; however, as he soon found Onyx Sin's sword suddenly thrust deep into his chest. After a quiet rattle, the soldier fell to the ground lifelessly.
Onyx turned to finish the dead pony's comrade, only to be tackled to the ground suddenly. Pinning him, the other pony prepared to bring down a sharpened combat knife into his throat. With his superior reflexes, Onyx managed to grab the soldier's hoof half a second before it ended his life. Both guards pushed with all of their might against the knife. At first, both were evenly matched, but Onyx was at a disadvantage. The knife slowly inched closer and closer to his neck, when suddenly the opposing force begin to slacken.
A dark, purple aura had begun to form around the guard pony's neck, causing him to falter in his struggle with Onyx. Seizing the opportunity, he pushed hard and threw the guard's hoof away from himself; the knife falling out of his grip and sliding across the throne room tile. The guard pony instinctively brought a hoof to his throat as the aura tightened considerably around the vulnerable area. After a moment of desperate gagging and struggling for breath, he was suddenly levitated into the air. His life was cut short as his head was suddenly jerked to the side, snapping his neck.
Perplexed at what he had just seen before his eyes, Onyx quickly rose to his hooves to find out what force had just saved his life. Where Luna had once stood, a tall, jet black mare had taken her place. An intimidating--yet mysteriously graceful--sight, the dark mare wore an armoured helmet and chest-piece. She bore an uncanny resemblance to Luna, having the same cutie mark--albeit purple, and the same mystical, astral-like mane. Her slitted, draconic eyes glowed a piercing cyan meant to fill those who saw them with dread, but instead struck Onyx with a kind of misunderstood beauty. Luna regarded the body of the dead soldier with disdain, and with a flick of her magic, she tossed the limp body in Celestia's direction.
Celestia could only stand, mouth agape, at the gruesome sight that had rolled in front of her. "How..." She began.
"Do not call me by that name anymore, Celestia." Luna stated. Her voice was different now. It was colder, deeper... but distinctly and darkly feminine. "That name is from a time when I was a weak foal, who did nothing but submit to your neglect and abuse. No longer."
Celestia shook her head disbelievingly, trying to convince herself that her sister was not doing the unthinkable. "No..." She whispered, her voice faltering.
"Your time is over now, Celestia." She boomed. "I am Queen Nightmare Moon, AND THIS KINGDOM. IS. MINE!"
