Switched

The next morning Luna was slowly walking into the throne room. The table was already laid and the Alicorn could smell several breads, fruits and salads. Honey and cinamon caressed her nostrils. Her heart hardened at the sight of these meals. Celestiar was subdueing her subjects and feasted like a queen.

Her thought were clouded, still surrounding, what she had found out. A cult, which worshipped Starswirl the Wicked, was holding its meetings in the upper floor of the castle. A torment, sugarcoated as a sacrafice, brought shrill screams and death from its victims. The sounds echoed through the hallways. Why had Celestiar not kicked them out? What did she knew?

Celestiar was sitting on her throne. In her violet magic floated a cup of tea, sweetened with honey. The mare had closed her eyes and took small sips from the drink. It made Luna flinch. The familiar movement did not suited somepony, who was supposed to be a tyrannt.

"Tia?“, asked Luna worried.

Celestiar opened her eyes. Her grim face brightened up to a sly smirk. "Lunar“, she said softly, "Good morning. Why don't you sit down and eat a bit as well?“

Luna looked at the food. She only took a small bread and some milk. While dipping it in the milk and taking a bite, she responded: "I am not very hungry.“

Celestiar lowered her tea cup just a bit. "Shining Star“, she asked and laid a hoof on her shoulder, "Something seems to bother you. What is it?“

Luna blinked. Her sapphire eyes went backwards and peeked at the evil Alicorn. Her lips went down. "I discovered something“, she said, "Have you ever heard of the Starswirl Cult?“

There was a strange glitter in Celestiar's eyes. She took another sip from her tea cup. "Yes. But they are of no importance“, she responded, "A few crazy ponies, who are killing off each other. I do not mind them.“ She placed the cup on the table and stood up. With a few gracefull steps she walked towards the window and looked at the wasteland. "This world is going to the dogs. A few more maniacs won't make a great difference.“ Her voice was filled with spite.

Luna stood up and stepped by her side. She was shocked to hear these words. It sounded as if this world meant nothing at all to Celestiar. "Why are you so evil?“, she asked, "What demon has made you that way? Equestria used to be a wonderful country. And now… You are throwing it away like it is trash!“

Celestiar stared at Luna. There was another shimmer in her eyes. Pain? Before Luna could be sure what it was the glimmer was replaced by a cold glare. Celestiar started to smile and it was the smile a mother gave to a very young child. She lifted a hoof and softly caressed the Moon Princess' cheek.

"Let me tell you something, Lunar“, she stated, "When ponies say that some sort of demon or spirit is sitting on a throne and plotting to corrupt our souls, then they are kidding themselves. They think, they understand evil, but they know nothing about it. This is not how evil is made. Now it is born in the small things.“

Celestiar smirked and slowly walked around Luna, caressing her with her wing. "A cruel taunt. A forgotten visit. The childlish urge to taunt and hurt. But these things are not something else or other.“ Her lips were close to Luna's ear. "No. They are us. Every single sin, every little evil, comitted by us day by day, gather and thicken in the psychic womb. Until we can not hold them back, and they burst out for the world to see. Once we create them, they feed our darkness back into us.“

Celestiar was walking back to her throne. "So we create the shadows. The shadows create us. Evil never has an unnatural reason. It is commited and shaped by our very own sins. It all lays within our own emotions.“

Luna turned around. I have never seen it that way. The corners of her mouth dropped. On the other hoof she understood what Celestiar was talking about. She had experienced it herself. Nightmare Moon. Many ponies had believed this was a dark force, that had possessed her and in a way it was that. But in another way it had also been her. Luna's own anger and hate, the ignorance of the people and her sister, it had all collided and filled her, allowed the dark force to talk hold on her. Or maybe it just been herself all along.

Celestiar sat on her throne and looked at Luna. "I see no reason to value this world anymore“, she stated, "Anything, what was worth living, is already gone. So why should I help this world to restore itself? It is just a mess of chaos and evil. And I sit on my throne and try to rule over it as nopony else is capeable of doing it.“

Celestiar sighted low and levitated the newspaper. Luna walked back to her place and stopped in her track. Her eyes were resting on the headliner of this newspaper. Black on white. Thick letters said LIBERIAN MURDERED.

"Starlight Glimmer!“, shouted Luna, which made Celestiar lower the newspaper.

"What is it?“, she asked and looked at the headliner. "Oh, this.“

The newspaper was enwrapped by Luna's blue magic as she pushed the paper towards herself. Her heart raced her and her mind went crazy. "This is impossible“, she called, "I have talked with her a few hours ago!“

Dropping the newspaper, she whirled around and sprinted out of the throne room. Celestiar merley folded the paper and said: "Well, I would not deny what is said here!“ The evil Princess closed her eyes and with a sigh pressed a hoof against her head.

***

Lunar was running like thousands of helldogs were on her ancles. Her heart raced and her eyes were wide in terror and fear. This can not be real! It just can't! She had to check for herself. It had to be a nightmare! It had to be! Sprinting out of the castle, Luna took into the air with one great jump.

Despite only having visited Starlight once, Luna had the feeling, she knew, which way she had to go. Her wings flapped through the air. Her longues burned from her sharp, gasping breaths. A knot laid in her throat. Luna tried to prepare herself for what could have happened. Onethousand worst case scenarios raced through her mind.

Being the Princess of the Night made Luna also the Guardian of Dreams. It was her duty to protect her subjects from nightmares. Because of this the blue Alicorn had already seen many horrible images. The minds of her subjects could come up with graphic images in great detail. Slit throats, guts falling off, burned skin, insane smiles, impaled bodies. Luna had seen it all. Still that could not prepare her for what, she was about to find in the library.

Luna panted. Sweat made her fur wet. She slowly landed on the roof of the library. Her wings folded on her back. Please, please, please. Starlight Glimmer don't be dead. The hopper window was partly open to let some air inside. A dreadful silent laid on the place.

Luna gaged. Fear pumped through her veins, thick like toxic. Her steps were slow as if iron chains slowed her down. With her body stretched Luna approached the window. She carefully peeked through the gap and looked inside the library. „Oh my god!“ The shout left her lips and her eyes widened.

Starlight Glimmer was laying on the floor in her own blood. The attacker had somehow ripped off her head. Her legs were weirdly twisted. The staff laid next to her, broken. Perhabs the unicorn had used it in some defence. Her neck was covered in blood and one could see parts of her bones, flesh and fur, ripped appart.

The head was laying a few feeth by her side. Her eyes were wide in terror and blanc. Her maw was opened and twisted in the incredible agony of her fast and painful death. Blood laid around the head. From the position Luna could tell that the murder had probably casted a spell to ripp of the head and as it had happened, Starlight's body had tumbled to the other side.

This can not be. Oh, Starlight! I am so, so sorry. Luna felt a bad taste in her mouth as she slowly turned away from the window and left.

***

„And her eyes… They were wide as if she hoped to see Equestria in its old beauty. Even in her moment of death.“ Luna was laying in the grass by the shore. The Malicious Six were gathered around her. They had heard of Starlight's death and Luna's crazy chase with the cult members.

Fluttershy looked rather disturbed at the describtion, Luna had just given them. She might be cruel and enjoyed taunting and teasing, but even she had her limit. Luna was sad and angry. Starlight's death had wounded her much. This mare had been so friendly and so nice. For being helpful to a pony in need, she had paid a terrible price.

"Life goes on, Luna“, said Rarity, trying to comfort her.

Applejack pushed her in the side and asked: "Where did you get that bullshit from? The book, you are reading?“

The unicorn pouted. "Well, what would you say?“

Applejack spat on the floor. "Definitley not such therapeutic nonsense.“

Luna scratched her neck. The red boot felt silky on it. Her eyes were narrowed. Anger and rage boiled inside her. Together with the hunger for revenge. Starlight did not deserved this. "Whoever had done this to Starlight Glimmer“, whispered Luna and closed her eyes, „will pay for this.“

Her eyes flashed open, her head yerked upwards and she roared: "CAN YOU HEAR ME, RIPPER?! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!“

Fluttershy, who was sitting on a tree, shouted: "We will get you, swine!“

Luna stood up. She cleaned the leaves for her coat. "I do not care, what the newspaper says“, she said, "They may have no clue, what is going on, but I am certain: Starlight Glimmer had to die, because she was an attesetor. We or at least I have been tailed the whole time. Our murder is not a crazy psychopath. He goes on cannily, planned and coldhearted.“

The mare slowly walked up and down in front of her friends. "I do not like this“, admitted Luna, "I mean, I wake up in another world and then all those events are happening around me. It feels weird. Not natural. As if every of my steps is watched. As if I am part of something way bigger.“ She gazed upon the sky with a questionable glance. "But of what?“