A bat-pony mare shot out of her bed like an arrow in a cold sweat. The memories of the war with King Sombra haunted her dreams, the screams of ponies dying and the smell of blood in the air still fresh in her mind despite how much time had passed.
The mare flew towards her bathroom and turned on the shower, sending cold water cascading upon her head before she quickly pulled back, shocked by the frigid waters. She grabbed a towel from her sink and wiped away the beads of sweat that had started to cake the top of her head. She then discarded the towel as more memories came tearing into her mind, practically sending her to the floor. Without a second’s hesitation, she threw down the towel and all but barreled into the running shower.
The still chilling waters now quickly soaked her entire body, sending shivers through every pore whilst her teeth chattered so fast for a brief moment she thought they’d chip. Yet, even as the water rushed over her, the cries of the mindless Cyrstal soldiers she killed, the ever-present fear of death coming from every direction, and the iron smell of blood in the air still threatened to tear her mind apart. It was too much for her, as she collapsed into the tub, her tears mixing with the water, while her sobs were drowned out by the faucet. This continued for some time until she finally noticed that the sun had started setting..
Despite her situation, the mare knew she had duties to attend to and reluctantly turned off the shower, before getting out of the tub and drying herself off. A single glance into the mirror and she almost flinched at her reflection. Tear stains, noticeable bags under the eyes and disheveled fur, one would be forgiven in believing she’d just returned from a depressing night at a local bar. Part of her just wanted to lay in bed for the rest of the day, possibly hoping her lack of sleep would knock her out in one go. However, she had to attend to her duties, thus she did what she could to clean herself up and flew to the castle, and grabbed her armor, ready to perform her daily tasks.
"Artemis, you're late," called out a blue Alicorn, walking down the castle hallway. Artemis froze in place, as the voice of the last pony she wanted to see right now ripped her out of her daze.
"L- Luna, I'm sorry that I was late to work. I was...I lac...I lost track of time," Artemis looked down at her hooves.
"Calling the Princess by her first name, pretty unprofessional of you Artemis," a bat-pony stallion spoke, a particularly smug grin on his face, that only grew wider as Artemis realized her blunder.
“I’m so sorry Princess Luna. Forgive me.” The Princess of the Night, however, let out an annoyed huff at her guard’s panic. “It’s fine Artemis. While I do tend to favor a more traditional approach to my position, I’m not against informality from time to time. Just remember to be on time in the future please.”
The bat-pony mare let out a sigh of relief. “I will, thank you for understanding Princess Luna.”
The Princess nodded and turned her attention to the other guard present. "As for you Anvil, while I appreciate a joke as much as anypony, I find that tact is something that is also important, of which your comment was sorely lacking. Please keep that in mind the next time you decide to try and be funny.”
The Princess’s demeanor quickly shifted back into serious as she turned her attention back to Artemis. "Now Artemis fall in." Quick to respond, Artemis and Anvil flew behind Luna and followed her throughout the castle. However, Artemis had all but lost track of time having spent the bulk of her time staring at Luna's rather well-proportioned backside, but she could just imagine Luna's disappointing thoughts running through her beautiful head.
Anvil for his part was giving Artemis funny looks, who was doing her best to not look at her fellow guard. Instead, she was content to let her mind wander through memories of a particularly memorable encounter she’d had.
--00-00-00--
Artemis found herself, along with many other bat-pony soldiers, inside of a castle, mind-controlled soldiers dead at her hooves, their blood smeared across her face, her hooves standing in a small pool of what was their blood.
Yet, despite the horror that lay before her, her attention stayed squared focused on the pony who had started all of this, King Sombra. Sombra was once a noble and great king to those called the Crystal Empire home. But, almost ten years ago, Sombra looked for a way to gain more power to protect his empire. However, he found an ancient power, which ascended him to Godhood, at the cost of his mind.
Artemis hissed at the false King and spat, rage burning inside at all the misery and pain the tyrant had caused. In slaving his own subjects, invading Equestria, among other things.
Three bat-ponies rushed towards their foe, only for his blood-stained sickle to relieve them of their heads, while a magic barrier kept him unstained by his victim’s blood.
Two unicorns attempted to follow up, shooting beams of magic at the dark king only for him to easily block it with a dark red shield, before the two met the same fate as the three bat-ponies.
Sombra’s attention then shifted to Artemis who was frozen stiff, paralyzed at the sight of her allies being so easily slaughtered. She wanted to fight back, run, something, but her body refused to move, her hooves all but literally anchored in place. Yet before Sombra was able to reach her, a dark blue beam of magic shot towards him. While Sombra attempted to block it with another shield, the spell easily pierced right through it, narrowly missing his head but leaving a noticeable gash across the left side of his face. His crimson red eyes, immediately started to glow, visible hatred directed at the Princess, as he directed his scythe’s blade right for her neck.
However, his anger had caused his swing to be too wild, allowing Luna too easy avoid it before blasting a sharpened wave of magic directly at Sombra’s exposed neck. However, the crystal king was able to duck to just narrowly avoid it, though he could hear the blade screech against his armor, sending sparks in every direction.
Yet, Luna took advantage of the distraction and closed the distance between the two, quickly smacking the king with one of her armored wings, sending him on his back. Fast as lighting she drew her sword from its sheath and prepared to slash, fury evident in her eyes. Sombra however, was able to put up a weak shield to stop the blow, allowing him to roll away and get back on his hooves, horn pulsing with Dark Magic. However, he took a quick glance at the group before him, while Luna and several other ponies took a step towards him.
Seeing the odds didn’t favor him, he changed tactics and he unleashed a magic blast from his horn, only for it to create a massive explosion that clouded the entire area in thick black smoke. All those present were left coughing and hacking, until Luna shot up into the air and quickly blew away the smoke, along with a few of the Bat-ponies.
Sadly, by the time the area was clear, Sombra was gone and no clues left of him. “That wretched curse. Captain, scan the area, look for any trace of Sombra or his magic. If there is even a single hint of where he is, I want it brought to me.” Luna’s royal voice echoed as several of the Bat-Ponies and Pegasus quickly took off.
Meanwhile, Anvil and two Earth-ponies ran at Artemis, who’d finally managed to regain enough of her senses to look around at her allies and the field before her, only to then pass out, right on the spot.
"I really hate snow," the words slipped out before she slipped away into a better world.
--00-00-00--
Artemis, so engrossed in her flashback, lost track of her surroundings and walked right into Luna's back leg. Artemis, briefly panicked at her blunder, only to notice Luna’s attention seemed to be lost and looked ahead to see the source. A young maid Nightwalker mare bowed so far down to the floor Artemis thought she would sink through the floor. She noticed that the mare was shanking, though for what reason she didn’t know.
"Sparrow why do you cower in fear, is there something you have for me?" asked Luna in the sweetest voice she could. The maid simply nodded and gave Luna what looked to be a scroll, which Luna was quick to read. However, as she read her posture became tenser and angrier, until she let out a stomp that cracked the tiled floor, causing all those present to leap in fright. Luna's mane briefly turned from its normally starry night to a cruel, everchanging mist. The sight of the mane sent Artemis’s mind back to her memories of the battle with King Sombra.
--0-0-0--
Anvil grabbed Artemis and started leaving the castle when she finally awoke, she noticed that Luna was using her Elements of Harmony,Optimism, Integrity, and Loyalty, to provide some support to her subjects. Yet, as Artemis took a closer look at the Princess, she could see Luna coat was darker than usual, and her mane looked more like a sinister looking mist. However, she had to put those thoughts aside, as she, Anvil and their fellow soldiers exited the castle, only to be met with a large army of Sombra’s drones.
As if to make things worse, the made cackling of the dark king could be heard across the field, as Sombra arose from behind his army, perched atop a massive shard of black crystal. He looked down upon the Princess and her remaining soldiers, cackling at their situation.
“Ah Princess Luna, you may have surprised me at the beginning of this little game, but now it ends for you all. You pitiful army is all but exhausted and your alone, you haven’t the power necessary to defeat me. It is time for you to accept your fate.”
He spoke this with vigor as his army started to advance on the small group, their hooves shaking and booming like thunder across the plans. Artemis and her group felt fear grow inside of them, as they gathered together, ready for the end. However, Princess Luna stood before the group, as light shined from her, brighter than any had seen before and it stopped the soldiers advance. However, Sombra didn’t seem amused.
"Princess Luna, you think just because you rule over the night, that shadows will bow before you, before your name? You think that the power you barely tapped into, will obey you?" Sombra mocked, his crystals growing in size and advancing further towards them, though Luna remained defiant.
For a brief moment Artemis looked at Luna's mouth and saw her speak something, but she couldn't hear the words. However, what followed after was a laugh that could only be described as belonging to a she-demon. In that instance, Artemis, Anvil and even the drones all were suddenly overcome with an almost suffocating sense of dread. It only lasted for a few short moments, but it felt like an entirety to Artemis and she almost couldn’t bear it. Yet, in a single instance the oppressing terror vanished all Loyalty, Optimism, and Integrity washed back over her,
Suddenly, Artemis felt joy? Confused, she looked towards the sky to see Celestia had joined the fray, and along with Luna, wielded the Elements of Harmony to cast Sombra away to exile. Sadly, she also bore witness to Sombra’s last cruel act, casting a spell so that the Crystal ponies, as well as the entire Empire, would share his fate. The only thing left behind was the dead, Sol and Noc- pony alike.
--0-0-0--
Luna read the scroll that Sparrow Melady had given her, going over it twice just to be sure. To her growing ire, it appeared that Celestia's Sol-ponies would be receiving the bulk of the credit for all the positive contributions made to Equestria recently, even for winning the war with Sombra!
A low growl escaped from Luna's lips as she stomped the floor again.Luna moved the maid out of her away and traveled to her bedroom. She kept up a pace that Artemis had trouble following yet as she struggled she noticed that the maid was also following Luna.
However, said Princess paid none of that information any mind as her rage continued to build, enraged that the Noc-Ponies who were like family to her, were not receiving any of the praise they had rightly earned. Her mouth clenched tightly as her anger grew, only for a sharp pain to pull her back to reality. A quick check with her tongue caused a weight to form in the pit of her stomach, as she felt several sharpened fangs forming where her teeth once were. The Princess quickly tried her best to regain her composure, only for a whisper to echo in the back of her mind.
"Luna how can you let this happen? Your subordinates sacrificed their lives for Equestria, yet your Sister and her little hoard are given the praise. How is that fair?” The voice was small, yet it spoke with an eerie calm that sent shivers down Luna’s spine. It was a voice she’d heard once before, back in the Crystal Empire, yet she’d thought, hoped it would stay silent. Yet, she knew that was wishful thinking and knew she had to act. Thus she quickly formulated a plan and turned to the ponies before her.
"I used to much power," Luna cursed herself while she looked at her legs, noticing that they were slowly turning a darker blue. "Artemis, Anvil go round up the rest of the maids and guards, bring them to my meeting room at once." Both ponies nodded and went off to do as their princess command, whilst Sparrow merely walked away. Luna then took a moment to walk onto her balcony and observe the beautiful night sky, the source of her pride and passion, of which she’d put her all into.
“And yet, everypony only ever sees the day, never the night. They should love ME!”
Another call from the voice made the Princess’s panic return as she quickly walked back into her room, finding Anvil and Artemis had returned. She stole a glance at her body mirror and saw that her eyes matched those of her children; she gave a smile and noticed that her normal teeth where now sharp, very sharp. Luna thoughts where turned to the war.
--0-0-0--
"Princess Luna, you think just because you rule over the night, that shadows will bow before you, before your name? You think that the power you barely tapped into, will obey you?" Sombra mocked. However, to his surprise, laughter escaped Luna's lips, meriting an unamused stare from the crystal king.
"You think that shadows bow before your name? Don't make me laugh, I rule over the realm of dreams, it’s by my hoof, that ponies all over Equestria have pleasant dreams, when I could just as easily drown them in nightmares," Luna spat as shadows began to surge around her, coat turning darker and mane turning into a winter like mist. "Let us see what you fear?" Luna, spoke, her voice split and warped Sombra's eyes opened in horror as a dark mist started to form around him, his fears suddenly laid out before him. Luna chuckled as all her shadows fled when she took to the air, the false alicorn looked up at the sky to see Luna and Celestia shooting beams of magic at him.
--0-0-0--
"I'm glad you came, we need to talk," Luna said, but with a distortion to her voice. Her children looked at each other confused.
Luna began to pace around, her fur growing darker as she did. “For a great many years, you have served Equestria faithfully and admirably. Crime rates have never been so low in the last sixty years. It was you, who brought swift and silent justice to those who would prey on the weak. Your accomplishments simply cannot be overstated.”
As she paused her teeth clenched again, though her fangs grew longer, now fully visible to all. “And yet, despite all your work and sacrifice, you have been pushed aside and ignored in favor of my sister's forces. They are given the praise you rightfully deserve, just as I have been denied gratitude for my night in favor of my sister and her wretched sun.”
By then, Luna’s voice was booming as her entire body was slowly consumed by dark magic, the air growing sinister. “The Moon has been pushed aside long enough. This day, she shall stand her ground. So say 'Good night', as this is the final setting of the sun. Tomorrow dawns in darkness." Luna was fully covered in amour as the shadow bent around her.
Her subjects had mixed feeling about what Luna had said. Despite some mixed feelings, many had felt a growing sense of animosity and frustration at the current state of things. They’d fought and died for Equestria, only for the other ponies to look upon them with disgust and fear. What Luna was saying, despite her change in appearance, was something they agreed with and wanted more than anything. However, Artemis and Sparrow simply felt fear wash over them seeing Luna’s transformation, how the shadows circled around her like snakes. Anvil meanwhile, was all but ready to follow Luna, completely on board with her decision, ready to bow before Luna’s hooves as her transformation finished..
"From this day forward, the sun will never rise again, the ponies of Equestria will show us the respect, the admiration we have more than earned. And to all those who dare stand in our way, shall face the wrath of their new empress, their new goddess….Nightmare Moon!" the dark Alicorn laughed, her wings spreading out revealing her completely transformed state, dark mist forming around her like a whirlwind, whilst all those ponies before her bowed. Artemis could only follow suit, yet sweat slid down her face as she felt fear grow in her heart.
“Luna, what’s happened to you?”
--0-0-0--
In a dark cold world, Luna walked through a thick mist, trying to navigate her way out,. Yet as she moved further, the mist changed and before her eyes were all her fears, weakness, and failures.
“What vile magic is this?” Luna cried as she attempted to flee the images, only for them to continue to form on either side of her and a familiar laughing to stop her in her tracks.
“Vile? That’s an interesting thing to say. After all, these are your memories and your experiences. It’s simply a part of you...just like me.” A dark Alicorn quietly walked out the mist towards Luna and smiled.
"What are you doing? I never wanted this, who in Equestria are you?" Luna asked somewhere between crying and snarling, the memories still playing around her.
"Did you hear me before, I'm you, or part of you at least." the Alicorn replied with a smile that made the Princess of the Night want to slap her.
"What do you want. Why are you antagonizing my subjects and provoking them towards war?" Luna managed to get out before tears began to overtake her.
"Provoke, I’m simply revealing the truth they’ve all been thinking. They’ve been suffering for decades and you’ve simply been too weak to help them. I’m simply succeeding where you failed. And soon, they’ll all agree with me...even Art..." Luna cut the Alicron with a magical blast to her face, only for her darker half to turn into mist and avoid the attack."You can't defeat me little Luna. Though don't feel discouraged, I will lead these ponies into a great and peaceful future. Now you can simply sit back and watch as the world you dreamed of for so long finally comes to pass."
--0-0-0--
As the now christened Nightmare Moon continued to posture, Anvil remained unsure of what to think, on one hoof he was down for a takeover, but on the other hoof, he was nervous. If Princess Luna wanted to overthrow her sister, that was for her to decide and his job to follow. There were some guards he wanted to show up. Still, he was concerned about facing down Celestia and her supporters. In fact, that made another thought enter his mind.
"Nightmare Moon, what about the servant ponies? Do you want us to dispose of them?" he asked raising his hoof in the air. The Princess The Princess looked at him, and all of her children, pondering his question.
"If you have to, yes. However, I’d prefer to simply restrain them in the dungeon for now.”
Anvil looked at Artemis, whose previous tension seemed to disappear, if just for a moment, while a quick glance at while a quick glance at Sparrow showed she was crying. The maids just looked at each other trying to make sense of what was going on, some dreading the uncertainty of the situation, some dreading the uncertainty of the situation.
"Artemis, take a group of twelve towards my sister's chambers. Anvil, go down to the barracks and take care of the royal guard, take fifteen ponies. The rest of you, I need twenty of you to stay here and guard the servants. And Sparrow, stop that incessant crying.” Her tone was harsh and blunt, with the desired effect achieved.
Anvil was quick to select his team and move towards the barracks. As they walked towards the East-Wing, they caught sight of four Pegasi and a single Unicorn standing watch. He grinned as three of his Bat-ponies flew towards the ceiling before the group could continue forward. With a quick blast of magic, the candles were out and they made their move.
"What the hay is going on?" asked one of the pegasi in a raspy voice. The Unicorn illuminated the tip of his horn, only for the three Bat-Ponies to quickly drop down and tackle him along with two other ponies, quickly knocking them out with well-placed strikes to the skull. The remaining guards quickly hit them stun spells and tied up. Anvil looked down at the ponies with anger, hatred, and with a hint of pride. A single kick to one of their bodies, he and his group continued onward, dispatching every guard they came across.
The group eventually reached their destination. Anvil singled his soldiers, and they moved into pression. Anvil put his hoof towards the door and knocked. A giant of an Earth-pony opened the door.
"What do you want you skin-winged fre-" The Earth-pony started but was cut off when Anvil stabbed him in the chest before slamming his head into the floor. Not once or twice, but thrice. The earth-pony fell to the ground, and once it was clear he was out, the squad ran inside and began killing the sleeping guards.
"Alright, I want six of you to go to the servants' chambers and bring them to the dungeon. The rest of you let's meet back up with the Princess.”
However, as Anvil and his soldiers left the barracks, he saw a spear coming towards him. While he managed to lower his head enough to avoid a fatal blow, the spear cut his left ear, Anvil snarled as he flew towards his attacker. Before they could spear him, he cut the spear handle in three pieces with his hoof blades, and slit the Earth-pony's throat in front of him, while the remaining ponies of his squad began their own attack.
--0-0-0--
Artemis and her squad left shortly after Anvil left and said pony was still wrestling with several emotions. She knew whatever was giving them orders was not Luna, but some kind of she-demon. The way Nightmare Moon was speaking felt like she was partly Luna but at the same time not. Yet, she still felt a spark of hope that Luna was still in there, somewhere. The only question was setting her free.
However, in the meantime, she’d need to play along and hopefully get an opportunity to act. It was this mindset that helped her as she actively restrained a group of guards they’d found half asleep at their post.
"Good work, now I need nine of you to go to Celestia's chambers and I'll take the rest of us through a secret passageway. Do not engage until we are in position. We can’t afford to underestimate Celestia,” Artemis ordered. The guards nodded and split off. When Artemis and the three ponies she chose we're alone, they headed towards one of Luna's passageways, only to run into four maids.
“Quickly, restrain them,” Artemis snapped. They managed to bind the four in magic as Artemis pointed to one of the remaining guards. “Take them to the dungeon and meet us at the passageway.”
Once the guard left, the two remaining guards and Artemis made their way towards the passage, Artemis feeling dread building with each step she took, knowing that in a matter of moments she’d be attempting to take down one of the most powerful beings in Equestria.
