The Fall of an Empireby adfghjklChaptersChapter One: The Solar EmpireChapter Two: EclipseChapter Three: Dread and DecietChapter Four: The Lunar PrincessChapter One: The Solar Empire“Hurry up, Luna! We’re going to be late for the ceremony!” Celestia yelled from downstairs. The tall alicorn straightened the marvelous golden crown atop her head nervously, wondering what her sister had planned for her speech this afternoon. “Just one second!” Luna shouted in reply, her voice shaking the room. She levitated a porcelain comb through her pastel blue mane and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked startlingly identical to the young, childish alicorn she knew nearly a thousand years ago, yet her spirit was much older. Luna knew alicorns lived for an extremely long time, but had next to no knowledge about the aging process of her kind, which made understanding even herself difficult. As the comb hit a knot, Luna grunted in frustration. “How does Celestia always keep her mane so perfect?” Luna whispered to herself in wonder as she envisioned having a mane as beautiful as her sister’s, long and flowing and magnificently regal. Luna lifted her jet black crown and fitted it as best as she could on her head. The crown, as well as the medallion around her neck, sparkled like gemstones. And the crescent moon on the medallion shimmered in the faint light of her room. But Luna had to admit, her attire was measly compared to Celestia’s bejeweled crown and golden medallion. Suddenly, Luna felt a sharp pain race through her head, going across the inside of her skull as if a monster wanted to escape from her mind. Luna’s vision clouded as she quickly turned back towards the mirror, and studied her eyes, which were not her own. The normally rounded pupil had dissolved into a thin, snakelike slit. The milky blue around her iris melted into a deep purple that engulfed even the whites of her eyes, while the rims of them were a bright shade of blue. Nightmare Moon’s eyes. Luna quickly shut her eyes and winced in agony as a small trail of light formed at the end of her horn and slowly flowed into the rest of her body, freeing it from any ounce of pain she had before. She sighed with relief as her eyes returned to normal. Luna did one last check to make sure she was ready and rushed downstairs to meet her sister. “Took you long enough.” Celestia joked in the singsongy voice that always hid in her everyday speech. She saw her sister’s worried face as she ran down the castle steps, and Celestia instantly knew that she had said the wrong thing. “Sorry, Tia, I kinda had, um, another, er, incident.” The look in Luna’s eyes spoke enough. Celestia gently caressed her sister’s mane. “Don’t worry, Luna. This is normal. This, er, phase you’re in will end after a year or two.” Luna slumped against the wall and sighed. As hard as she tried, Celestia could never forgive herself for what she put her sister through. And she sure as hoof knew that Luna wouldn’t forgive her anytime soon. As they headed out the castle doors, Luna stopped in the middle of the doorway and sniffed. “Tia, I don’t think I can do it. Everyone out there,” she pointed towards the general direction of the provinces of Equestria. “They think I’m a monster.” Celestia frowned and walked over to comfort her sister. “Well, isn’t that why we’re here? The whole purpose of this ceremony is to show everyone who you REALLY are.” Luna sighed once again and shuffled over to the royal carriage. “Oh, Luna.” Celestia sighed. As the sisters climbed inside the carriage, Luna noticed that the royal guards hailed Celestia with a single phrase. “Long live the Solar Empire, your highness.” The princess quickly dismissed the guards with a smile as the carriage started up in the air. For some reason, what the guards said had disturbed Luna. Something deep inside of her had flickered like a candle, and the spirit of Nightmare Moon that was still trapped in Luna screamed in protest. “What was that all about, Tia?” Luna snapped, but instantly regretted. Celestia answered before she could apologize. “Well, while you were gone, the ponies of Equestria were in distress. Without night, there was no sleep, no moments of peace in their active lifestyle. So I then took on the responsibility for raising the night as well as the day. Decidedly, the ponies hailed me as a queen, and threw themselves into a state of argument about oppression and such. So I then created a classification of a ‘Solar Empire’ to keep the ponies from starting a war amongst themselves, and the monarchy of Equestria lives. It’s nothing more than a title, I assure you.” “If you say so.” Luna shrugged in disbelief. Immediately, Luna knew that the Solar Empire was much more than just a title. Numerous flags and posters hung all over the cities below. Enlistment posters for the royal guard were posted everywhere, all with the sentence, “Glory to the Solar Empire!” Guards were everywhere. At nearly every doorstep, pathway, street, or even alley was patrolled by countless ponies dressed in silver and gold armor. The destination was a large clearing near the entrance of the Everfree Forest, where a large stage with a tall stone pillar stood shining and polished among the dirt and mud. Two huge banner displaying an image of Celestia raising the sun, along with, “Hail the Celestial Ruler! Long live the Solar Empire!” Luna was led onto the back of the curtain by two armor-clad ponies, while Celestia flew up to the stone pillar. Cheers erupted from the mass of ponies crowded below as she flew up in the air and spoke. “Fillies and gentlecolts, it is my great honor to present to you, my sister, Luna, who has prepared some quick words for you all.” Celestia beamed with pride as Luna shuffled on to the stage. Not a single sound came from the crowd. A few shocked gasps and coughs were heard, but no applause. No praise. Nothing. Ungrateful, lowly mules. Luna thought in disgust, or was it Nightmare Moon? Luna was afraid of the fact that she couldn’t tell. “Um…I…Uh…” Luna looked at her sister for help. Just tell them about yourself, who you really are. Express your feelings! She saw Celestia mouth. They want my FEELINGS? Luna thought. Oh, I’ll tell them how I feel. Chapter Two: EclipseThe night princess glared at her audience, her piercing blue eyes bearing the rage of an angry fire. There was a moment of brief silence before a thunderous roar of volume erupted from the young alicorn. “CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA!” Gasps of dumbfounded shock swept through the mass of ponies as they attempted to absorb the words coming from the princess. The “Hail the Solar Empire!” banners blew as if a strong gust of wind had arrived. Luna stopped as well. Had this sudden burst of power come from Nightmare Moon? Or had she always held this kind of influence in her voice? Luna wondered briefly, Should I let her take over the speech? She knew that letting her emotions get the best of her was her biggest problem, but the voice in her head, the voice that ate at her soul and begged to be free screamed in agonizing want. “WE HAVE CHOSEN TO SPEAK WITH THOU TO CLEAR OUR NAME! THY PRESENCE HERE IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA, AN ERA OF HARMONY AND JUSTICE, FREE FROM CORRUPTION AND EVIL! SO WITH THAT, WE PRESENT OURSELVES TO YOU, A PONY WHO IS DEVOTED TO THY LAND AND TO THY CITIZENS! “ Luna quickly placed her hoof over her mouth in apology, realizing what she had done, or rather, what Nightmare Moon had done. Had she no self-control? This manner of screaming would earn her no allegiance, and certainly wouldn’t help in the manner of making a good impression. She quickly glanced back at Celestia, who looked somewhat shocked, but hastily beckoning to keep going with her speech. Although, Luna couldn’t help but notice a bead of sweat running down her sister’s brow. Was it from nervousness? Or fear? Nightmare Moon grinned in relish, a thought that ran a shudder through the night princess. NO! Luna thought, attempting to conflict the feelings coming from her inner self. Luna was horrified. How insane was Nightmare Moon that she would take pleasure at the suffering and worry of her own sister? Luna wanted to break down, right then and there, and cry and scream away her pain and agony, with the impossible hope that it would end her seemingly eternal suffering. The princess’s lip quivered, her instability threatening to get the best of her, but she pulled it together and continued her speech. “We, uhh, I have come to explain to you all my true intentions, and who I really am.” Luna looked to her sister for approval, and Celestia eagerly beckoned to her to keep going. “I know you all only know me as a fearsome and evil being, one who was corrupt and had to be awoken by the spirit of good, and the elements of harmony.” Her eyes now turned to a small group of ponies standing below, the very ponies that had turned her from her blind rage in her time of need. Nightmare Moon shivered in the slightest fear, but continued to glare with deep hatred at the ponies. To the vengeful beast, those ponies had brought her to her knees, and kept her from power, and Luna. To those mares Luna was eternally grateful. “But I am here to tell you how this all happened, and why you all never need fear me ever again.” Luna closed her eyes and breathed as time seemed to freeze. She was in her room, a thousand years ago, reading a story with her father about the moon and its phases. About how the moon has no glow, no light, without the sun to provide it. The little filly sighed in disappointment at the reality of the metaphor. But there is always a time, her father said, when the sun is shining bright, and then the moon suddenly appears in front of it, creating a ring of heavenly light, blinding but pure, shining down upon the world, a passionate and powerful glow. Luna remembered the first eclipse she ever saw, how the warm light of the earth seemed to fade, only to be replaced with a bright, almost magic glow from the moon. It made her smile in glee, a filly’s joy, but only now, a thousand years of agony later, did Luna truly realize what it meant. This was her time, her eclipse, the moment when her name would be cleared, the moment she would be free of pain and suffering, the moment she could create harmony, not pain, and share her passion, her love, with all of Equestria. Celestia’s jaw dropped as the whole story spilled out all at once. And most of it was not what Celestia knew. Luna briefly summed up the story of her parents, the Elements, Discord. But surprisingly, not as much about Discord as Celestia expected. Plus, most of the ponies never really knew what she was talking about for that brief segment. But after that, Luna started talking about her time on the moon, described in painful detail. Inside of Celestia, sobs racked her soul. How had she done this to her sister? Sweet, innocent little Luna? As the princess tried to pull herself together, she stared at the crowd, who were mesmerized by Luna’s speech, some in tears. She noticed a couple of ponies in the front row glare at her in a threatening matter. They knew she had done this to Luna, and it would not go unpunished. No they won’t, Celestia reassured, I am their princess, they serve me, and their loyalty is unmatched! She nervously glanced at one of the “Solar Empire” posters, which was ripped and started falling to the ground. Right? Luna finished, all choked up and teary eyed. On the inside, Nightmare Moon paced in waiting. She knew what was coming, and wanted to be prepared for the storm that was brewing. At first, nopony spoke. Everything was quiet, besides the occasional sniffle or cough. The silence was broken by a tall mare, usually quiet, average, just a normal pony. She stood up and pointed her tear-stained hoof at Princess Celestia. “CELESTIA! YOU LYING MONSTER!” Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, guys. I was really busy with a couple of side projects and was finally able to get back to writing. I'll be sure to continue and thank you all so much for the support! GoldenOwl /) Chapter Three: Dread and DecietAfter the initial outburst, everything was quiet. Only the echoing sound of the pony’s voice was heard. The anger and tension seemed to spread across the crowd or ponies as they, one by one, stood up facing the stage. The look on their faces was unmistakable. Anger, deceit, sadness. Luna looked at the crowd, shocked; then glanced towards the Solar Empire banners, waving proudly, glistening in the soft glow of moonlight; then at the royal guards, shifting at their post, ready to defend their princess from what they knew was coming; and then, Luna looked at her sister. Celestia was backstage, and Luna expected her to look just as surprised as she was, but instead, her sister only looked guilty. As if Celestia knew this would happen. “What is the meaning of this…this madness?!” Luna yelled at the crowd, and she felt Nightmare Moon’s surprise at her actions. “Do you not know your place? Do you not serve your princess?!” Luna stamped her hoof on the ground, hard, for good measure. Celestia quickly scampered onstage, whispering in Luna’s ear. “Luna, let’s get inside, NOW. I’ll explain everything.” “So that you can fill her head with MORE of your lies, eh?! Why don’t ya tell ‘er the story you told us, Celestia!” A pegusus shouted from the crowd. The statement was followed by more angry reactions. The royal guards moved forward, circling the audience. Luna stood back, scared and confused, she turned to her sister, who was just as afraid of the mob threatening to break through the line of royal guards. Before Luna could say anything more, they were briefly surrounded by a bright yellow light. When she opened her eyes, she found she was in her room with her sister, who was sighing in relief. Celestia quickly got up and began pacing and muttering, the way she always did when she was upset. “Tia, what happened out there? What was that all about?” Luna’s confusion quickly turned into frustration when her sister continued pacing with her horn glowing in concentration. “Why didn’t I see this coming… Should have seen this coming…” Celestia looked as if she was on the verge of crying, even her mane was tense. “Didn’t see what coming? What’s going on?” Luna tried to get her sister’s attention, but nothing seemed to work. Nightmare Moon yawned in dismissal. She is hiding something from you. Is that not obvious? The snarky, but royally eloquent tone inside of Luna was no longer at the mercy of her outside body. Luna found that Nightmare Moon had a mind of her own now, even after a couple days of returning to Equestria. Why isn’t she listening to me? It’s not like her, she never hides anything from me, and I hide nothing from her. Well, I must give you the point that you are talking to me, Nightmare Moon, and your sister knows nothing of me. But from what *I’ve** seen, I think that our sister is hiding something from more than just us.* For some reason, it was the words “our sister”, “us”, that bothered Luna the most. Should I just…get her attention…somehow? I don’t know, should you? Luna sighed. Why was the spirit living inside of her always wiser, more confident and proud than she was? “CELESTIAAAA!!!” Luna’s voice escaped as a booming roar, the clouds overhead covered the bright moonlight, a shadow concealed the outside and the room was dark. The only illumination was Luna’s eyes, which were a bright shade of blue mixed with purple, and the pupil was invisible. The elder alicorn whipped around at the sound of Luna’s voice throbbing in her ears. Celestia froze in fear. How could she explain this? After what she’d already done, how could she possibly be forgiven? “Ahh, yes, er, Luna… I uh, believe I owe you a clarification, for this matter.” Celestia swallowed as she wondered how this was going to sound. Luna returned to normal as the clouds concealing the moonlight slowly faded away. “Just, umm, look in the bookshelf, it explains everything.” Celestia immediately put her hoof in her mouth directly after she said it. What was she thinking? This would be the absolute worst way for Luna to find out about what Celestia had done. But of course, Celestia thought, it would be the easiest way… “Beg your pardon, but did you say the bookshelf, Tia? Uh, which book?” Luna was confused as “A Brief History of Equestria” levitated out of the dusty shelf and onto Luna’s front hooves. “Start at page 145. It explains…everything.” Celestia lowered her head solemnly and trotted out of the room. “Alright, Tia! I’ll just be reading then, I guess.” Confused, Luna flipped through the pages until she reached 145. The title was “The Legend of Nightmare Moon”. The front cover of the chapter was a painting of a tall black mare with a purple, starry mane. Rearing up into the air with silver armor and pointed hooves, she was menacing and fearsome. Luna turned the page and found that this legend really DID start at the beginning. The first chapter was all about Luna and her sister, about how Tia raised the sun, Luna brought the night. Luna appreciated the drawings, they were rather beautiful, and the calligraphy was smooth and elegant. She ran her hoof over the pages, trying to remember the days when she and her sister were happy, with their parents, without Discord. A tear slid down Luna’s face and dripped into her soft blue mane. Luna shook her head and turned the page. She stared in concern at the drawings on the next page. The lovely, bright blue alicorn now stared at the dark ground, eyes glowing in anger at the sleeping ponies below. “Resentful”, the book described her as. Resentful of the fact that the ponies of Equestria frolicked in the daytime, but ignored the night Luna brought to them. Luna wanted to yell at the book, to scream and change the words on the page, to stop anyone else from believing these lies that somepony had written about her. Reluctantly, Luna turned the page, waiting to see what false stories and rumors lay on the parchment ahead. And she was right. Luna shuddered at the moment, the moment when her soul was shredded open, and another was shoved inside. Nightmare Moon looked truly evil as she stared down upon the frightened ponies below. She vowed she would shroud the land in eternal night, the book said. Luna wanted so badly to cry, who would write this about her? And why? She turned the page slowly, and felt an instant burning all over her body. She felt it, she was there, the moment when she was ripped away from her familiar, her hopes, her dreams, her sister; banished to a barren, empty landscape, only to be torn apart every second of every night, clinging on to whatever pathetic hope there was that Luna would ever return. Patience had to fade. But as Luna was reading, her bottled rage grew fuller still as she read a disturbing sentence. Reluctantly, the elder sister summoned the Elements of Harmony, and banished her sister permanently in the moon. The young alicorn choked on her own breath as she reread the sentence over and over again, repeating that one word that did much more than bother her. Luna could handle being bothered, but the word melted away her anger, and turned it to petty sorrow. Permanently. Was she truly meant to be there, in that hell of a place, forever? Had she escaped out of pure luck? Was she fated to a life of torture? Luna’s mind raced with questions as she turned to the last page, wanting to see this liar, this horrible, horrible pony that had written this, this filth! The last page was of Celestia, surrounded by happy, frolicking ponies, whilst in the background, an imprint of a pony, trapped in the moon, stood sadly, depressingly. Luna almost ignored the page as she skipped to the end, to where the author’s name was, where the identity of the pony who communicated her as a monster was. When Luna finally saw it, she almost fainted, and almost collapsed in horror. Signed: Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia Chapter Four: The Lunar PrincessLuna cried out, but quickly stopped herself. If there was anything Luna learned in her life, it was not to sob at her problems. But this… this was… intolerable. It… it made Luna feel dead inside. Her head instantly raced with piercing pain as memories of being on the moon flooded Luna’s mind. She saw the glowing being standing tall in front of her, a light in the blackness of never-ending space. Luna reached out, asking for help, having no idea of where she was or what she had done, but her wonder and curiosity ended as she felt a tearing sensation deep inside of her body. Luna wanted to cry out as she saw the blackness, the evil being ripped out of her soul, only to be consumed by the heavenly being. Luna tried to scream in pain, but any sound that escaped her mouth was no more than a pathetic croak of a dying animal. Her body contorted and thrashed under the harsh treatment of whatever stood above her. As Luna lay there, limp and lifeless on the cold, alien rock, ready to face the new hours of the day of agony and suffering, she saw the glowing shape of a planet, the world that Equestria shared with all other walks of life. A thousand years, supposedly meaningfully eternal torture of this, all done at the hooves of her beloved sister. Patience had to face. “Hey, Luna. Are… are you okay?” Celestia walked in silently, keeping safe distance from her tense sister. She walked beside Luna and placed her hoof on her shoulder as Luna choked down another cry of sadness. The sun princess ran her hoof through the light blue mane of her sister, which was filled with tears. “ Look, I know this is hard, but we can make it through this, I understand –“ “You understand nothing. Get away from me.” Luna pushed her sister’s hoof off of her, she sulked to the other end of the room. Celestia relentlessly followed after her. “I know how you feel, Luna. But you need to trust me when I say-“ “And just WHY should I trust you? And saying that you know even CLOSE to how I feel is yet another example of why you, dear sister, are a cruel hypocrite.” Luna then pushed forward, edging her sister towards the other end of the room. Each of Luna’s words cut Celestia like a blade. Luna continued to pace forward; her tears began welling in her eyes as she released all of her pent-up fury. “You know NOTHING about how I feel, you know NOTHING about what you did…what you HAVE DONE TO ME! Imagine being ripped apart and put back together, every single hour of every single day of your life, clinging on to an ever-dwindling hope that you sister LOVES you enough to save you from this TORTURE! A thousand years, Tia. And I barely escaped. Imagine returning home, saved from all of the pain and suffering that blinded you for what seemed like eternity, only to find out that the one you thought loved you most has BETRAYED you, turned you into some kind of monster and shredded any ounce of reputation that YOU EVER HAD!” Luna’s mane flickered as it dissolved into a river of deep blue, stars appearing like crystals in the shadowy appearance of her new mane and tail. Like Celestia’s it moved, but what set Luna’s mane apart was the transparent border of it, constantly moving. Luna’s eyes had gone full nightmare, the blackness filling her entire iris, with nothing but the glare of her glowing horn and Celestia’s horrified face reflecting off of the glassy surface. “Luna… I… I can’t say I put myself in your hooves, but please, I can fix this, everything can be back to normal, I promise. I just…” Celestia’s tears rolled slowly down her face as Luna’s expressionless eyes stared back into her. “I just want things to be back to the way they were, before Discord, before our parents left. I admit, I screwed up, bad, but you need to trust that I can fix this.” The smaller alicorn stepped back, her eyes remaining black and glossy as she walked slowly towards the window of Canterlot Tower. As she scanned across the lands of Equestria, chaos erupted like fire. The angry screams of ponies could be heard clearly from high up in the castle, and Luna knew what was coming. She remained silent as Nightmare Moon smiled in delight. You know this was bound to happen. What was? This horrid disharmony, yes, quite disappointing. Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy it, Luna, this is why I was created, this is why we were made to work together. Take advantage of this chaos, strike while the iron’s hot. You can show these ponies that they need not ridicule you. Ridicule? Yes, Luna. They don’t believe the lies your sister wrote about you. The other ponies think you’re pathetic and weak. We’re going to prove them wrong. They’re going to FEAR you. Luna then turned back to her sister, who was trying to hold back tears. Luna walked past her as she stepped out into the hall. “I can help you fix this,” Celestia called as Luna was about to walk out of the room. “I don’t need your help anymore, I know now why I came back.” Luna crossed over to the open book, seeing the image of Celestia imprisoning her in the moon. “Never again…” Luna then let her last tear drop to the ground. “Luna, please.” Celestia begged as she forced her hoof on to her sister’s shoulder. Luna immediately shook her sister off of her. The night princess used her tail to knock over an urn on a shelf, sending it crashing atop the open pages. Luna said softly with a smile, “This is war, dear sister.”
Chapter One: The Solar Empire“Hurry up, Luna! We’re going to be late for the ceremony!” Celestia yelled from downstairs. The tall alicorn straightened the marvelous golden crown atop her head nervously, wondering what her sister had planned for her speech this afternoon. “Just one second!” Luna shouted in reply, her voice shaking the room. She levitated a porcelain comb through her pastel blue mane and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked startlingly identical to the young, childish alicorn she knew nearly a thousand years ago, yet her spirit was much older. Luna knew alicorns lived for an extremely long time, but had next to no knowledge about the aging process of her kind, which made understanding even herself difficult. As the comb hit a knot, Luna grunted in frustration. “How does Celestia always keep her mane so perfect?” Luna whispered to herself in wonder as she envisioned having a mane as beautiful as her sister’s, long and flowing and magnificently regal. Luna lifted her jet black crown and fitted it as best as she could on her head. The crown, as well as the medallion around her neck, sparkled like gemstones. And the crescent moon on the medallion shimmered in the faint light of her room. But Luna had to admit, her attire was measly compared to Celestia’s bejeweled crown and golden medallion. Suddenly, Luna felt a sharp pain race through her head, going across the inside of her skull as if a monster wanted to escape from her mind. Luna’s vision clouded as she quickly turned back towards the mirror, and studied her eyes, which were not her own. The normally rounded pupil had dissolved into a thin, snakelike slit. The milky blue around her iris melted into a deep purple that engulfed even the whites of her eyes, while the rims of them were a bright shade of blue. Nightmare Moon’s eyes. Luna quickly shut her eyes and winced in agony as a small trail of light formed at the end of her horn and slowly flowed into the rest of her body, freeing it from any ounce of pain she had before. She sighed with relief as her eyes returned to normal. Luna did one last check to make sure she was ready and rushed downstairs to meet her sister. “Took you long enough.” Celestia joked in the singsongy voice that always hid in her everyday speech. She saw her sister’s worried face as she ran down the castle steps, and Celestia instantly knew that she had said the wrong thing. “Sorry, Tia, I kinda had, um, another, er, incident.” The look in Luna’s eyes spoke enough. Celestia gently caressed her sister’s mane. “Don’t worry, Luna. This is normal. This, er, phase you’re in will end after a year or two.” Luna slumped against the wall and sighed. As hard as she tried, Celestia could never forgive herself for what she put her sister through. And she sure as hoof knew that Luna wouldn’t forgive her anytime soon. As they headed out the castle doors, Luna stopped in the middle of the doorway and sniffed. “Tia, I don’t think I can do it. Everyone out there,” she pointed towards the general direction of the provinces of Equestria. “They think I’m a monster.” Celestia frowned and walked over to comfort her sister. “Well, isn’t that why we’re here? The whole purpose of this ceremony is to show everyone who you REALLY are.” Luna sighed once again and shuffled over to the royal carriage. “Oh, Luna.” Celestia sighed. As the sisters climbed inside the carriage, Luna noticed that the royal guards hailed Celestia with a single phrase. “Long live the Solar Empire, your highness.” The princess quickly dismissed the guards with a smile as the carriage started up in the air. For some reason, what the guards said had disturbed Luna. Something deep inside of her had flickered like a candle, and the spirit of Nightmare Moon that was still trapped in Luna screamed in protest. “What was that all about, Tia?” Luna snapped, but instantly regretted. Celestia answered before she could apologize. “Well, while you were gone, the ponies of Equestria were in distress. Without night, there was no sleep, no moments of peace in their active lifestyle. So I then took on the responsibility for raising the night as well as the day. Decidedly, the ponies hailed me as a queen, and threw themselves into a state of argument about oppression and such. So I then created a classification of a ‘Solar Empire’ to keep the ponies from starting a war amongst themselves, and the monarchy of Equestria lives. It’s nothing more than a title, I assure you.” “If you say so.” Luna shrugged in disbelief. Immediately, Luna knew that the Solar Empire was much more than just a title. Numerous flags and posters hung all over the cities below. Enlistment posters for the royal guard were posted everywhere, all with the sentence, “Glory to the Solar Empire!” Guards were everywhere. At nearly every doorstep, pathway, street, or even alley was patrolled by countless ponies dressed in silver and gold armor. The destination was a large clearing near the entrance of the Everfree Forest, where a large stage with a tall stone pillar stood shining and polished among the dirt and mud. Two huge banner displaying an image of Celestia raising the sun, along with, “Hail the Celestial Ruler! Long live the Solar Empire!” Luna was led onto the back of the curtain by two armor-clad ponies, while Celestia flew up to the stone pillar. Cheers erupted from the mass of ponies crowded below as she flew up in the air and spoke. “Fillies and gentlecolts, it is my great honor to present to you, my sister, Luna, who has prepared some quick words for you all.” Celestia beamed with pride as Luna shuffled on to the stage. Not a single sound came from the crowd. A few shocked gasps and coughs were heard, but no applause. No praise. Nothing. Ungrateful, lowly mules. Luna thought in disgust, or was it Nightmare Moon? Luna was afraid of the fact that she couldn’t tell. “Um…I…Uh…” Luna looked at her sister for help. Just tell them about yourself, who you really are. Express your feelings! She saw Celestia mouth. They want my FEELINGS? Luna thought. Oh, I’ll tell them how I feel.
Chapter Two: EclipseThe night princess glared at her audience, her piercing blue eyes bearing the rage of an angry fire. There was a moment of brief silence before a thunderous roar of volume erupted from the young alicorn. “CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA!” Gasps of dumbfounded shock swept through the mass of ponies as they attempted to absorb the words coming from the princess. The “Hail the Solar Empire!” banners blew as if a strong gust of wind had arrived. Luna stopped as well. Had this sudden burst of power come from Nightmare Moon? Or had she always held this kind of influence in her voice? Luna wondered briefly, Should I let her take over the speech? She knew that letting her emotions get the best of her was her biggest problem, but the voice in her head, the voice that ate at her soul and begged to be free screamed in agonizing want. “WE HAVE CHOSEN TO SPEAK WITH THOU TO CLEAR OUR NAME! THY PRESENCE HERE IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA, AN ERA OF HARMONY AND JUSTICE, FREE FROM CORRUPTION AND EVIL! SO WITH THAT, WE PRESENT OURSELVES TO YOU, A PONY WHO IS DEVOTED TO THY LAND AND TO THY CITIZENS! “ Luna quickly placed her hoof over her mouth in apology, realizing what she had done, or rather, what Nightmare Moon had done. Had she no self-control? This manner of screaming would earn her no allegiance, and certainly wouldn’t help in the manner of making a good impression. She quickly glanced back at Celestia, who looked somewhat shocked, but hastily beckoning to keep going with her speech. Although, Luna couldn’t help but notice a bead of sweat running down her sister’s brow. Was it from nervousness? Or fear? Nightmare Moon grinned in relish, a thought that ran a shudder through the night princess. NO! Luna thought, attempting to conflict the feelings coming from her inner self. Luna was horrified. How insane was Nightmare Moon that she would take pleasure at the suffering and worry of her own sister? Luna wanted to break down, right then and there, and cry and scream away her pain and agony, with the impossible hope that it would end her seemingly eternal suffering. The princess’s lip quivered, her instability threatening to get the best of her, but she pulled it together and continued her speech. “We, uhh, I have come to explain to you all my true intentions, and who I really am.” Luna looked to her sister for approval, and Celestia eagerly beckoned to her to keep going. “I know you all only know me as a fearsome and evil being, one who was corrupt and had to be awoken by the spirit of good, and the elements of harmony.” Her eyes now turned to a small group of ponies standing below, the very ponies that had turned her from her blind rage in her time of need. Nightmare Moon shivered in the slightest fear, but continued to glare with deep hatred at the ponies. To the vengeful beast, those ponies had brought her to her knees, and kept her from power, and Luna. To those mares Luna was eternally grateful. “But I am here to tell you how this all happened, and why you all never need fear me ever again.” Luna closed her eyes and breathed as time seemed to freeze. She was in her room, a thousand years ago, reading a story with her father about the moon and its phases. About how the moon has no glow, no light, without the sun to provide it. The little filly sighed in disappointment at the reality of the metaphor. But there is always a time, her father said, when the sun is shining bright, and then the moon suddenly appears in front of it, creating a ring of heavenly light, blinding but pure, shining down upon the world, a passionate and powerful glow. Luna remembered the first eclipse she ever saw, how the warm light of the earth seemed to fade, only to be replaced with a bright, almost magic glow from the moon. It made her smile in glee, a filly’s joy, but only now, a thousand years of agony later, did Luna truly realize what it meant. This was her time, her eclipse, the moment when her name would be cleared, the moment she would be free of pain and suffering, the moment she could create harmony, not pain, and share her passion, her love, with all of Equestria. Celestia’s jaw dropped as the whole story spilled out all at once. And most of it was not what Celestia knew. Luna briefly summed up the story of her parents, the Elements, Discord. But surprisingly, not as much about Discord as Celestia expected. Plus, most of the ponies never really knew what she was talking about for that brief segment. But after that, Luna started talking about her time on the moon, described in painful detail. Inside of Celestia, sobs racked her soul. How had she done this to her sister? Sweet, innocent little Luna? As the princess tried to pull herself together, she stared at the crowd, who were mesmerized by Luna’s speech, some in tears. She noticed a couple of ponies in the front row glare at her in a threatening matter. They knew she had done this to Luna, and it would not go unpunished. No they won’t, Celestia reassured, I am their princess, they serve me, and their loyalty is unmatched! She nervously glanced at one of the “Solar Empire” posters, which was ripped and started falling to the ground. Right? Luna finished, all choked up and teary eyed. On the inside, Nightmare Moon paced in waiting. She knew what was coming, and wanted to be prepared for the storm that was brewing. At first, nopony spoke. Everything was quiet, besides the occasional sniffle or cough. The silence was broken by a tall mare, usually quiet, average, just a normal pony. She stood up and pointed her tear-stained hoof at Princess Celestia. “CELESTIA! YOU LYING MONSTER!” Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, guys. I was really busy with a couple of side projects and was finally able to get back to writing. I'll be sure to continue and thank you all so much for the support! GoldenOwl /)
Chapter Three: Dread and DecietAfter the initial outburst, everything was quiet. Only the echoing sound of the pony’s voice was heard. The anger and tension seemed to spread across the crowd or ponies as they, one by one, stood up facing the stage. The look on their faces was unmistakable. Anger, deceit, sadness. Luna looked at the crowd, shocked; then glanced towards the Solar Empire banners, waving proudly, glistening in the soft glow of moonlight; then at the royal guards, shifting at their post, ready to defend their princess from what they knew was coming; and then, Luna looked at her sister. Celestia was backstage, and Luna expected her to look just as surprised as she was, but instead, her sister only looked guilty. As if Celestia knew this would happen. “What is the meaning of this…this madness?!” Luna yelled at the crowd, and she felt Nightmare Moon’s surprise at her actions. “Do you not know your place? Do you not serve your princess?!” Luna stamped her hoof on the ground, hard, for good measure. Celestia quickly scampered onstage, whispering in Luna’s ear. “Luna, let’s get inside, NOW. I’ll explain everything.” “So that you can fill her head with MORE of your lies, eh?! Why don’t ya tell ‘er the story you told us, Celestia!” A pegusus shouted from the crowd. The statement was followed by more angry reactions. The royal guards moved forward, circling the audience. Luna stood back, scared and confused, she turned to her sister, who was just as afraid of the mob threatening to break through the line of royal guards. Before Luna could say anything more, they were briefly surrounded by a bright yellow light. When she opened her eyes, she found she was in her room with her sister, who was sighing in relief. Celestia quickly got up and began pacing and muttering, the way she always did when she was upset. “Tia, what happened out there? What was that all about?” Luna’s confusion quickly turned into frustration when her sister continued pacing with her horn glowing in concentration. “Why didn’t I see this coming… Should have seen this coming…” Celestia looked as if she was on the verge of crying, even her mane was tense. “Didn’t see what coming? What’s going on?” Luna tried to get her sister’s attention, but nothing seemed to work. Nightmare Moon yawned in dismissal. She is hiding something from you. Is that not obvious? The snarky, but royally eloquent tone inside of Luna was no longer at the mercy of her outside body. Luna found that Nightmare Moon had a mind of her own now, even after a couple days of returning to Equestria. Why isn’t she listening to me? It’s not like her, she never hides anything from me, and I hide nothing from her. Well, I must give you the point that you are talking to me, Nightmare Moon, and your sister knows nothing of me. But from what *I’ve** seen, I think that our sister is hiding something from more than just us.* For some reason, it was the words “our sister”, “us”, that bothered Luna the most. Should I just…get her attention…somehow? I don’t know, should you? Luna sighed. Why was the spirit living inside of her always wiser, more confident and proud than she was? “CELESTIAAAA!!!” Luna’s voice escaped as a booming roar, the clouds overhead covered the bright moonlight, a shadow concealed the outside and the room was dark. The only illumination was Luna’s eyes, which were a bright shade of blue mixed with purple, and the pupil was invisible. The elder alicorn whipped around at the sound of Luna’s voice throbbing in her ears. Celestia froze in fear. How could she explain this? After what she’d already done, how could she possibly be forgiven? “Ahh, yes, er, Luna… I uh, believe I owe you a clarification, for this matter.” Celestia swallowed as she wondered how this was going to sound. Luna returned to normal as the clouds concealing the moonlight slowly faded away. “Just, umm, look in the bookshelf, it explains everything.” Celestia immediately put her hoof in her mouth directly after she said it. What was she thinking? This would be the absolute worst way for Luna to find out about what Celestia had done. But of course, Celestia thought, it would be the easiest way… “Beg your pardon, but did you say the bookshelf, Tia? Uh, which book?” Luna was confused as “A Brief History of Equestria” levitated out of the dusty shelf and onto Luna’s front hooves. “Start at page 145. It explains…everything.” Celestia lowered her head solemnly and trotted out of the room. “Alright, Tia! I’ll just be reading then, I guess.” Confused, Luna flipped through the pages until she reached 145. The title was “The Legend of Nightmare Moon”. The front cover of the chapter was a painting of a tall black mare with a purple, starry mane. Rearing up into the air with silver armor and pointed hooves, she was menacing and fearsome. Luna turned the page and found that this legend really DID start at the beginning. The first chapter was all about Luna and her sister, about how Tia raised the sun, Luna brought the night. Luna appreciated the drawings, they were rather beautiful, and the calligraphy was smooth and elegant. She ran her hoof over the pages, trying to remember the days when she and her sister were happy, with their parents, without Discord. A tear slid down Luna’s face and dripped into her soft blue mane. Luna shook her head and turned the page. She stared in concern at the drawings on the next page. The lovely, bright blue alicorn now stared at the dark ground, eyes glowing in anger at the sleeping ponies below. “Resentful”, the book described her as. Resentful of the fact that the ponies of Equestria frolicked in the daytime, but ignored the night Luna brought to them. Luna wanted to yell at the book, to scream and change the words on the page, to stop anyone else from believing these lies that somepony had written about her. Reluctantly, Luna turned the page, waiting to see what false stories and rumors lay on the parchment ahead. And she was right. Luna shuddered at the moment, the moment when her soul was shredded open, and another was shoved inside. Nightmare Moon looked truly evil as she stared down upon the frightened ponies below. She vowed she would shroud the land in eternal night, the book said. Luna wanted so badly to cry, who would write this about her? And why? She turned the page slowly, and felt an instant burning all over her body. She felt it, she was there, the moment when she was ripped away from her familiar, her hopes, her dreams, her sister; banished to a barren, empty landscape, only to be torn apart every second of every night, clinging on to whatever pathetic hope there was that Luna would ever return. Patience had to fade. But as Luna was reading, her bottled rage grew fuller still as she read a disturbing sentence. Reluctantly, the elder sister summoned the Elements of Harmony, and banished her sister permanently in the moon. The young alicorn choked on her own breath as she reread the sentence over and over again, repeating that one word that did much more than bother her. Luna could handle being bothered, but the word melted away her anger, and turned it to petty sorrow. Permanently. Was she truly meant to be there, in that hell of a place, forever? Had she escaped out of pure luck? Was she fated to a life of torture? Luna’s mind raced with questions as she turned to the last page, wanting to see this liar, this horrible, horrible pony that had written this, this filth! The last page was of Celestia, surrounded by happy, frolicking ponies, whilst in the background, an imprint of a pony, trapped in the moon, stood sadly, depressingly. Luna almost ignored the page as she skipped to the end, to where the author’s name was, where the identity of the pony who communicated her as a monster was. When Luna finally saw it, she almost fainted, and almost collapsed in horror. Signed: Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia
Chapter Four: The Lunar PrincessLuna cried out, but quickly stopped herself. If there was anything Luna learned in her life, it was not to sob at her problems. But this… this was… intolerable. It… it made Luna feel dead inside. Her head instantly raced with piercing pain as memories of being on the moon flooded Luna’s mind. She saw the glowing being standing tall in front of her, a light in the blackness of never-ending space. Luna reached out, asking for help, having no idea of where she was or what she had done, but her wonder and curiosity ended as she felt a tearing sensation deep inside of her body. Luna wanted to cry out as she saw the blackness, the evil being ripped out of her soul, only to be consumed by the heavenly being. Luna tried to scream in pain, but any sound that escaped her mouth was no more than a pathetic croak of a dying animal. Her body contorted and thrashed under the harsh treatment of whatever stood above her. As Luna lay there, limp and lifeless on the cold, alien rock, ready to face the new hours of the day of agony and suffering, she saw the glowing shape of a planet, the world that Equestria shared with all other walks of life. A thousand years, supposedly meaningfully eternal torture of this, all done at the hooves of her beloved sister. Patience had to face. “Hey, Luna. Are… are you okay?” Celestia walked in silently, keeping safe distance from her tense sister. She walked beside Luna and placed her hoof on her shoulder as Luna choked down another cry of sadness. The sun princess ran her hoof through the light blue mane of her sister, which was filled with tears. “ Look, I know this is hard, but we can make it through this, I understand –“ “You understand nothing. Get away from me.” Luna pushed her sister’s hoof off of her, she sulked to the other end of the room. Celestia relentlessly followed after her. “I know how you feel, Luna. But you need to trust me when I say-“ “And just WHY should I trust you? And saying that you know even CLOSE to how I feel is yet another example of why you, dear sister, are a cruel hypocrite.” Luna then pushed forward, edging her sister towards the other end of the room. Each of Luna’s words cut Celestia like a blade. Luna continued to pace forward; her tears began welling in her eyes as she released all of her pent-up fury. “You know NOTHING about how I feel, you know NOTHING about what you did…what you HAVE DONE TO ME! Imagine being ripped apart and put back together, every single hour of every single day of your life, clinging on to an ever-dwindling hope that you sister LOVES you enough to save you from this TORTURE! A thousand years, Tia. And I barely escaped. Imagine returning home, saved from all of the pain and suffering that blinded you for what seemed like eternity, only to find out that the one you thought loved you most has BETRAYED you, turned you into some kind of monster and shredded any ounce of reputation that YOU EVER HAD!” Luna’s mane flickered as it dissolved into a river of deep blue, stars appearing like crystals in the shadowy appearance of her new mane and tail. Like Celestia’s it moved, but what set Luna’s mane apart was the transparent border of it, constantly moving. Luna’s eyes had gone full nightmare, the blackness filling her entire iris, with nothing but the glare of her glowing horn and Celestia’s horrified face reflecting off of the glassy surface. “Luna… I… I can’t say I put myself in your hooves, but please, I can fix this, everything can be back to normal, I promise. I just…” Celestia’s tears rolled slowly down her face as Luna’s expressionless eyes stared back into her. “I just want things to be back to the way they were, before Discord, before our parents left. I admit, I screwed up, bad, but you need to trust that I can fix this.” The smaller alicorn stepped back, her eyes remaining black and glossy as she walked slowly towards the window of Canterlot Tower. As she scanned across the lands of Equestria, chaos erupted like fire. The angry screams of ponies could be heard clearly from high up in the castle, and Luna knew what was coming. She remained silent as Nightmare Moon smiled in delight. You know this was bound to happen. What was? This horrid disharmony, yes, quite disappointing. Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy it, Luna, this is why I was created, this is why we were made to work together. Take advantage of this chaos, strike while the iron’s hot. You can show these ponies that they need not ridicule you. Ridicule? Yes, Luna. They don’t believe the lies your sister wrote about you. The other ponies think you’re pathetic and weak. We’re going to prove them wrong. They’re going to FEAR you. Luna then turned back to her sister, who was trying to hold back tears. Luna walked past her as she stepped out into the hall. “I can help you fix this,” Celestia called as Luna was about to walk out of the room. “I don’t need your help anymore, I know now why I came back.” Luna crossed over to the open book, seeing the image of Celestia imprisoning her in the moon. “Never again…” Luna then let her last tear drop to the ground. “Luna, please.” Celestia begged as she forced her hoof on to her sister’s shoulder. Luna immediately shook her sister off of her. The night princess used her tail to knock over an urn on a shelf, sending it crashing atop the open pages. Luna said softly with a smile, “This is war, dear sister.”
