Wrong Place Wrong Time: The Corruption of Princess Luna

On a cold, rainy night, Luna awoke from a long rest and slowly sat up from her bed. Despite the horrendous weather outside, she was still warm and comfortable to the point where she barely wanted to get up; the flames from her fireplace crackled and radiated a soft, warm glow, and her mattress was really soft. She knew that fireplaces were very old-fashioned, but in her mind, nothing could beat the rather soothing and relaxing sound of one. The sound of raindrops gently pelting against the glass doors to her balcony only added to the experience.

'I really should get up now, but on the other hand, I honestly didn't think that this would work for as long as it currently has, let alone at all. My ingenious idea of feigning my death and writing my former self off as an old Equestrian myth when things didn't go as planned last time has everypony in Equestria fooled... even my own sister! Of course, I couldn't have done it without a little bit of outside help, and my sister wouldn't have fallen for it if we weren't separated from birth due to our parents having a massive disagreement and divorcing afterwards, but that's beside the point. This time, I'm going to be very careful, take it slow and get it right, as there's no such thing as "third time's the charm" for something of this nature. Nopony will fall for it twice... especially Celestia.'

Rolling over towards the edge of the bed, she reached over to her bedside table and took a quick sip from a glass of water before she continued to reflect on her current situation with her sister.

'If I'm completely honest, I would have preferred to not go down the route of playing dead, but it's the only way I could have had another chance. Celestia was so happy to see me as her long-lost sister that the thought of connecting the dots and figuring out who I really am apparently didn't occur to her at all. Not that I'm complaining though, the fact that she is clueless just means that I will have an easier time achieving my goal because I'll be able to attack from the inside out. However, at times she is more intelligent than I give her credit for, so I cannot afford to waste any time or else I'll run the risk of her catching on before I make my move. It's quite laughable that after all of these years after my so-called "return", she still appears to be completely oblivious. I mean... I don't look and sound that different compared to my Nightmare Moon self, do I? Maybe that's not the case, and rather I'm doing a much better job than I initially thought when it comes to covering up my past.

On the other hand, I don't know what on earth I was thinking when I told Trixie though... I know she's unlikely to tell anypony, but at times I do feel that I'm a little bit too trusting and talk too much about myself to those who happen to know me closely. On the bright side, she seems like a nice pony; really fun to talk to, she learns fast when I teach her a little bit about magic and we laugh a lot together. I'm genuinely looking forward to the next time we meet as it's nice talking to her and sharing things with her, as everypony needs somepony to connect with... myself included. I don't want to end up alone again with nopony to turn to for comfort at my lowest points in life... not again.'

Luna eventually got up from the bed and started to pace around the room. She bit her lip as she continued to consider whether or not telling Trixie about who she was in reality was a mistake, but then more ideas came to her as she stopped pacing for a moment and began to ponder about her next steps. Trixie mentioned two days ago that she will be visiting soon, and as a result, Luna momentarily decided to plan for her upcoming visit.

'Maybe I can get Trixie to help me out in return for helping her out for almost four years now. I've taught her magic, I've taught her how to be a more likeable pony, and from what I've been hearing, she's been doing pretty well in being a magician for a living. Many ponies actually like her now, compared to her old obnoxious self. The last time I saw her, she told me that everypony in the audience was amazed at the fact that she could control the weather to her will for a few moments... and when she shapeshifted into Celestia on stage and did her best voice impression of her, everypony started screaming, laughing and cheering. I'm happy for her, but I'll never forget who taught me that in the first place though...'

Shortly after Luna had this thought, she smiled and began to giggle as she walked over and peered out of her window; she could see a full moon which peeked at her through holes in the clouds as the heavy rain started to ease up a little, and for a brief moment, this brought back memories of when she was younger. In terms of her own plans, Luna considered that she was doing pretty well. However, there was one major obstacle in between herself and her goal, and that was a new mysterious being that she spotted when she visited Ponyville around two weeks ago.

'As for that tiger guy, after I did a little digging and found out who he was, he could easily take me down single-handedly if he wanted to, or at least be able to do most of the work in doing so. He has magical abilities that I've never seen before, and he's also quite good with technology, so I will have to take him out by surprise. Celestia is stronger than myself too, but I've known her long enough to be able to know all of her weaknesses by now... her biggest one is that she's afraid to fight by herself.'

Luna softly chuckled and wrapped a dressing gown around herself before she headed out onto her balcony, overlooking the city of Canterlot on an unusually sedate and calm night, which is normally buzzing with activity at all hours, even given the current weather conditions. In the far distance, she could see some street lights just outside the boundaries of the palace gently flickering, as well as the branches of trees swaying back and forth in the rather heavy winds. Her hair started to flail around, and she let out a quiet groan of frustration as she brushed it back away from her face using her left arm before she continued in her thoughts.

'It's a little cold and windy out here, but I don't care because even she has her own insecurities, and she's absolutely terrified of being in a one-on-one situation... or if she's ambushed, she'll completely lose her mind. I'm not too worried about her, but for now, I'll get Trixie to do some reconnaissance for me and figure out whatever she can about this guy. I need to be well informed of what I'd be up against if I'm actually going to do this, but whatever it takes, it will be done... I will show my sister what it's like to be a real leader, as I feel as if she's been getting a little too comfortable lately, contrary to whatever she would say.'