Switched

Lunar was pacing up and down in the throne room. Her head was lowered and her wings trembled. Her thoughts raced. The sudden threat provided by Celestiar stung in her coat like splinters. She tried to figure out what to do.

Celestiar wanted to conquer her world. And for this she needed to find out how to get on the other side of this portal. Just like Luna. They both wanted the same but for different reasons. I just cannot let her reach my world! If Celestiar did this, her own Equestria would turn into a wasteland just like the Reflections world.

But how could she stop her? Could Luna maybe talk Celestiar out of it? After all she was her sister. Well, she posed as her sister. She had to try. Maybe she could make the evil Sun Princess change her ways. Luna lifted her head as she heard hoovesteps. Turning around she spotted Celestiar, walking into the room slowly.

Luna coughed and approached her. “Ehm, Celestiar, can we talk?”

The dawn coloured eyes showed now encouragement. Wrathful glances stared down on her as Celestiar lifted her head and asked with a snarl: “What is it, Shining Star?”

This will be more difficult then I thought. Luna gulped. She suddenly felt incredible small and worried. The mare felt the thread and hate like a shadow on her skin. But she had to keep herself together. Celestiar was no god! She was an Alicorn just like her. Luna could stand her ground.

“I was wondering”, responded Luna, “if you could change your mind? Why do you want to conquer this other world? We have a kingdom here! The mere land mass will be hard to control. Leave alone you would have to jump between the worlds again and again. Isn't that a bit complicated?” Luna wanted to say more, but she fell silent. Her argumentation sounded silly and she felt like a fool.

Celestiar immediately proved that she had every right to feel this way as she responded: “I will not change my way. I have been waiting far too long for this. You will not ruin the last steps of my master plan...” – she suddenly turned her head to look Luna really in the face; a slight, dangerous smile on her face – “Luna.”

Luna's ears went backwards and her maw dropped. Her eyes widened and she took a step backwards. “Y...you knew?”, she asked.

Celestiar's smile was cold and she remained calm like someone who has the upper hand and knows it. “I knew it the whole time.”

“How?!”, blurted Luna out, “I mean, the other ponies all thought I am Lunar. So how were you not fooled?” She felt her words tumbling, started to stammer.

The smile on her opponent's muzzle turned knowingly: “You never asked yourself how you ended up in this world?”

“No”, admitted Luna and shook her head.

Celestiar smiled and slowly walked around her. “Well, I know it. Because I sent you here. I used a spell that switched your body with the one of my sister.”

“Why?”, asked Luna in confusion, “What possible use could I have for you?”

“Don't you already figured it out? My little riddle?”

Luna responded: “I got most of it, but there are still a few gaps. Maybe you are willing to fill them.”

Celestiar smiled and chuckled darkly. It seemed she had waited a long time for this reveal. The mare placed a hoof on her chest. “Let me tell you a story, Luna. A story of love and rejection. A true story.”

“Yes”, she admitted, “The only reason I am doing this is because I got betrayed by the ones I loved. I loved King Sombra when I was younger. And he rejected me. Me, the perfect ruler for his kingdom. I was angry. He had chosen my sister as his advisor. But then this newbie appeared.”

Her ears went back and her glance hardened. “A goodie-two shoe version of me! And Sombra immediately fell for her. Because she was nice, friendly and kind.” A snort escaped her nostrils and Celestiar bared her teeth. “I was hearth-broken. It felt like a slap in the face. As if everything I hold dear was taken away from me in this one act. I was humiliated! I never wanted to be hurt like this again!”

Celestiar laughed and looked at Luna. Her dawn coloured eyes flashed. “So I thought, she takes something precious from me. I will take something precious from them! I had always believed that I was the natural born ruler of a kingdom. And so being an Alicorn Princess I took, what I regarded as mine. I shaped my own kingdom around the castle. I took Ponyville, I took Appleloosa, I took the Doge City. I caused draughts and made Sombra's kingdom fall apart, turned his people against him.”

Celestiar stopped briefly. She shifted her wings. “I knew the population would never call me their Queen if I had no good reason. And so I invented the cult around Starswirl the Wicked. I knew he was fiction, but I knew that Celestia's old, creepy wizard friend literally begged to be deformed by my will.” Celestiar smiled. “Ponies can endure horrible things, torments and dreadful conditions if they just have the right mindset of believes. I knew the idea of an afterlife, a better life was tempting for everypony. So I made Major Mare my prophet. Before she resided in Ponyville, she travelled far and wide and spread the ideology of Starswirl the Wicked. That this world was hell and worthless and that the only way to have a better life was reaching another side.”

Celestiar laughed dryly. “Little did she know that this was a codeword. I wanted to harm both. Sombra with the loss of his people and his blossoming kingdom. And Celestia with the loss of hers. I knew if I could get both worlds under my rule, they both would cry bitter tears of remorse. Your Equestria is a true gem for Celestia and I will take this gem from her! Just like she took Sombra from me.”

Luna flinched. She had watched Celestiar. This mare was not just fuelled by hatred and her grudge. No her obsession with revenge had drawn her insane partly. She wanted to reign terror over two kingdoms just because of a broken heart. Love. It made people do crazy and wonderful things. And a broken love only made these things worse.

Luna asked: “How do I fit in this? Why am I here? What use do I have for you?” She shook her head energetically. “I can tell you right now that I won't help you in any way!”

Celestiar laughed. Tears of anger ran down her eyes. “Oh, but you already did”, she responded and pointed at her like a child mocking another one.

“With my sister by my side”, Celestiar told Luna, “I could start my actual master plan. I knew if Celestia did not want to give me the key to her world, I would have to make the worlds collide.”

“Make the worlds collide!”, called the moon princess in shock, “But that…..that is impossible!”

It was the work of a mad man. And yet Celestiar's twisted logic worked so precisely.

“Oh, it is far more easier then you think. Your sister and Sombra have met a lot in the past. And this often meeting caused a crack in space and time. The walls of our worlds lost their stability. I am simply quickening the process. With your help.” Celestiar smirked. “I found a spell in an ancient book that allowed me to switch to person's bodies. I used the spell on you and my sister. You switched your bodies and by doing so the crack grew and deepened.”

Celestiar's smile widened and her eyes showed the glitter of knowledge and being aware of it. “You are not supposed to be in this world, Luna. Especially not in this body. When you woke up in my world, I had to buy time. I needed to make sure that the little effect worked on both worlds long enough so that our walls became very thine.”

Luna felt more and more panic and shock in her as Celestiar revealed with pleasure how her great plan worked: “I ordered Mayor Mare to held the cult meeting over your bed chambers. I was sure the noise would wake you up and when you saw their doing, you would most certainly try to figure out more. When you reached Starlight, I had to kill her. I knew this librarian knew a few things and I could not let her share you with things you were not ready. I also made you find my diary. I gave Fluttershy the old newspaper. After all, why should she own such a thing? I gave you all the keys you needed to figure it out.”

Celestiar smirked. “And now that you have finally figured, I can get your good-for-nothing sister on the other side and get the key to your world”, she concluded proudly.

This loosened Luna's shock paralyse. She took a step backwards and put her ears back. “My sister will never fall for any cheap trick to lure her here!”, she responded angrily.

Celestiar gazed upwards and pouted her lips. She responded offended: “Oh, I am not talking about some cheap trick. I am sure she will come running” – her expression changed to devilish all of the sudden – “if her sister's life is in danger.”

“Wait! What are you…. Aaaaaahhhhhh!” It happened too fast. Celestiar's horn flared blood-red and a large shot of dark red fire slammed itself against Luna. The Moon Princess buckled over in a desperate way of protecting herself. But it was in vain. The flames were everywhere. They burned themselves through her fur, her head jerked backwards and her wings snapped.

Fuming with smoke, Luna was catapulted through the air and slammed against the next wall. The blue Alicorn tumbled down and crashed on her side. Her feathers were flying around and her mane was all messed up. Legs and necks ached and her lids hurt as she forced them to open.

Luna gazed at Celestiar. She was in a miserable state. “Please...”, croaked Luna and coughed, “You don't have to do this.”

The solar tyrant responded coldly: “I thought you would understand. You too know how its feels like to be rejected. Besides it is already too late for me to stop. And my sister knows our plan. If her damage won't make Celestia go through the mirror, her words will.”

No! Luna's eyes widened briefly in terror and fear. I have to stop her. I have to. But her whole body felt as if someone had tried to roast it. The pain numbed her muscles and she could hardly move. Celestiar called: “Guards! Take her to the dungeons.” Her dark dawn coloured eyes glittered like rubies as she eyed Luna and said with a smug smile: “Oh, and a little thing by the way: Even if I had not send you here, you would have betrayed yourself. Because my sister does not call me Tia, only Celest. If she ever calls me anything. Now if you excuse me, I have a world to take.”