The halls of Canterlot castle normally were busy with the hustle and bustle of the castle's ponies going about their everyday tasks. A frilly aproned maid pony dusting the shelves where stacks of ancient tomes were held, a pair of royal guards patrolling alone their route, or even one of the cooks quietly humming to herself while preparing the afternoon's meal. But today the halls stayed empty and the walls remained silent.

Except for a cheerful but quiet little tune that danced its way down the corridors.

A gleeful little blue alicorn filly skipped along, humming to herself. The afternoon light glinted off her blue tiara as she bounced cheerfully along the hallway. Princess Luna always enjoyed the afternoon air that flowed through the arching windows in the castle. Her work of raising the moon would begin as soon as her sister's sun had set and she had been practicing changing the shape of her stars all day. Celestia would be so proud of her when she showed her all she had accomplished on her own.

Luna eventually arrived at Celestia's chambers and gently opened the large ornate doors as to not disturb her sister. Quietly walking in the over-sized and ornate bedroom, Luna wondered why it was so dark in here.

"Tia?" Luna spoke to the darkness surrounding her. Her sister could have been asleep but it was unlike her to take a nap this late in the afternoon.

Luna stepped a little further into the blackness that used to be her sister's room, the door creaking shut behind her.

"Sister? Are you in here? It's almost time for me to raise the moon."

The question was met only with silence.

She had never seen her sister's room like this. The comporting fire was out, leaving the room in discomforting cold. The shadows swallowed everything, distorting the furniture into ominous shapes that watched her from the high ceiling. She didn't like it here. something wasn't right.

As Luna turned to leave a quiet but forceful voice crawled from the blackest corner of the room.

"Moon?"

Startled, Luna searched for the source of the disturbing sound. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she could make out a figure crouching silently in the corner. The strange pony bore a coat of pure white that seemed out of place with the overbearing blackness of the room. Her wings were tensed but folded to her side and an elongated horn that spoke of her immense power. An elegant crown adorned her head that marked her as a Royal Princess of Equestria. The pony had her back to Luna and she could see the heightened rising and falling of her arched back. As if she was barely in control.

Luna took a cautious step toward the terrifying figure. She saw the tension in the other princess rise as she placed her hoof down.

"Sister? What are you doing? What's wrong?" The fear that she was feeling crept into her voice. She had never seen her sister like this.

The figure in the dark kept it's back to Luna. Drops of aggravated sweat fell from her body as she slowly rose to her hooves.

"You know all too well what's wrong, sister." Celestia snarled, biting off the last word.

Celestia careened her head and Luna gasped. Looking at her was a bloodshot eye filled with an unspeakably terrifying hatred. They shot into Luna's eyes and ripped their way into her soul. Like fiery wasps stinging every fiber in her body she felt a burning storm rage in her mind.

Luna stumbled back, instinctively backing away from the terror in front of her. Celestia turned completely and faced her sister, her piercing eyes never straying from Luna's.

"I believe the time has come to deal with a little problem I have been having. Perhaps you could help me."

Celestia crept out of the darkened corner and approached Luna. Her wings spread in a menacing pose and she glared down at the filly in front of her.

"I ask you sister, why was the responsibility of the moon given to you?"

"B-because ... we are the Royal Sisters. It is our duty to guide the sun and moon and watch over the land. Why are you...?" Luna stammered, never expecting a question such as this.

"Because as is my duty to see that the land is well kept and that the subjects are happy, I think our duties would be more efficiently fulfilled if there was only, say... ONE of us."

"WHAT?!?! You cant just decide something like that! That decision isn't up to you!" Luna was furious, even with Celestia as the co-ruler of Equestria she didn't have the authority to declare something that drastic.

Smiling, the elder princess leaned in close and whispered into her ear.

"Oh but it is, you see Luna, this order does not come from me. It comes from the ponies."

Luna's world suddenly fell away. Suddenly, she found herself thrust into a chair and an accusing light shined upon her. She was in the Royal Courtroom surrounded my ponies of all sorts and sizes. Their faces throwing a condemning glare at her as she wrestled against the invisible restraints.

"Princess Luna of Equestria!"

The words hammered down from atop an impossibly tall podium where Celestia ruled the courtroom. In her magical grasp was a judge's mallet that thundered as she hit the podium. A sole judge upon a mountain.

"You stand accused of treason to the throne and threatening the balance of harmony in Equestria. The honorable ponies of this courtroom bear witness to your crimes. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty!!! Tia?!?! How could you do this to me?" Ponies murmured amongst themselves and a storm of disapproval churned in the crowd.

The courtroom thundered again as the mallet struck again. "ORDER! WE SHALL HAVE ORDER!" Boomed Judge Celestia

The storm settled but didn't dissipate. Celestia rose and nodded to a group of twelve ponies on her right. A tan colored mare with a grey mane rose from her seat and took a step forward.

With a cruel grin she spoke. "We find the defendant... GUILTY."

No amount of thunder from her mallet could have calmed the storm that raged behind Luna. The endless mob of unsympathetic ponies ranted and shouted at her.

"She's unworthy of Equestria!"

"Nobody cares about her!"

"We would be better off without her!"

Above the tempest of enraged ponies, Celestia raised her voice.

"It is agreed then, Luna is to be striped of her rank and banished from our fair land of Equestria."

Suddenly Luna found herself surrounded by a yellow aura and lifted to the peak of the podium. Celestia's horn glowed as she moved her muzzle in close to Luna's ear.

"And I believe I have the perfect place in mind for your banishment."

Author's Note

Thanks for reading everypony. I know iv been unforgivably slow getting these out and I appreciate any feedback you can give me.