Chapter 2: Nebula meets John Doe
---
He opened his eyes. Rather, he opened the eyes of the pony that he had control. A small dribble of drool had just started forming on the pillow as he lifted Celestia's head. He wondered what mischief he could cause tonight. He didn't need a reason and he certainly didn't need a rhyme. He could step in time all of the darn night if he wanted to.
Heh, Luna's watching me again, he thought with a smirk, That b***h still thinks she can keep me in order. What a fool.
"Hey, there pretty mare," he called using Celestia's voice in ways that it wasn't meant to move, "What's for tonight?"
Unlike the previous night, Princess Luna just stood there without saying anything. He wasn't sure whether he should have been surprised or amused. Either way, he found himself chuckling.
"What's wrong? No Royal Caps lock?" he taunted while laughing, "You think giving me the cold shoulder will make me 'behave'?" He emphasized the word behave by using Celestia's hooves to imitate air quotation marks.
"Actually, I have a better idea," stated Luna flatly and calmly. She lowered her horn toward the boy in her older sister's body.
"What're you going to do?" chuckled the boy cockily, "Magic me into submission? Go ahead! Celestia will be the one who suffers in the end."
"No, she won't," said Luna with the same calm tone, "In fact she won't feel a thing."
Luna's horn released a small blue spark as she declared, "Petrificus Totalus!"
The verbal incantation caught the boy off guard. In the next moment, he found that he couldn't move Celestia's body no matter how hard he tried. It felt like all movement had become restricted in a block of ice. He could breathe, but none of the other muscles that he could feel were responding. His stiff form fell back to the bed in a horizontal position.
"Sweet dreams," said Luna as she walked off to another section of the room. The body tried to follow her motion with an eye, but couldn't move the head to pan his vision.
---
Nebula found an unused piece of parchment and a quill that was sitting in an inkwell. He didn't know how long he had, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he lost control of the body. In really horrible mouth writing, he transcribed the message that he needed to pass on to Luna. He had immobilized Celestia's other presence. Now it was up to Luna to handle the rest.
This'll have to do, Nebula thought. The message he wrote was just barely more legible than filly scratch, but he hoped it resembled enough of the Equestrian language for Luna to get it. He replaced the quill and inkwell as his control began to slip again.
---
Luna,
I have paralyzed Celestia's body.
Please use a follow-up spell to put her to sleep.
You can do that better than I.
Good luck,
Nebula
That was what Luna could read of the letter she found unfolded in front of her. Frankly, she found Nebula's penmanship to be quite sloppy but now wasn't the time to think about that. Reluctantly following the advice that she was given, she walked over to Celestia's bedside. With a midnight blue glow, she cast the spell that allowed a pony to sleep easier. Celestia's eyes slowly drooped until the spirit possessing her could see no more.
---
Celestia woke up feeling very well rested. She felt as though she had regained three hundred lost years of sleep in just one night. She didn't even feel weary guiding the sun on its morning path. The effortless motion was a familiar and welcoming feeling. She almost didn't notice her sister lying down on the floor at the foot of her bed.
"Good morning, Luna," she greeted with radiance.
"Mommy," muttered Luna's voice with her eyes still closed, "No more cake. It keeps lying to me."
"Luna?" Celestia repeated. Out of concern she tapped her little sister's shoulder with a hoof.
"Exploding egg!" Luna shouted as she jumped into a standing position. Celestia flinched in surprise pulling back her hoof.
"Are you okay?" she asked as a standard question.
"Er, yeah. Just a weird dream. Forget about it, Princess. Oops, I mean Celestia."
"Oh, it's you," realized Celestia.
---
"Okay," said Nebula assuming a face that said business as usual, "I know I'm limited on time, so I'll just cut to the chase. Last night was just a test to see if Luna is capable of using certain powers that I know of. Turns out she can, so that's no longer a worry. Now it's just smooth sailing from here on because I know just the thing that'll tear out that pesky presence that plagues you in your sleep."
"And just what 'thing' are you talking about?" inquired Celestia still not sure where he was going with this.
"The 'thing' will be a technique that will rip both that presence and me from your majesties' bodies," answered Nebula vaguely, "Hopefully after tonight, neither of us will bother the two of you again."
"Wait... you'll be leaving permanently?"
"That's the idea, Celestia."
"But as far as I can tell, you don't have the same nature as the other presence in me."
"It's best if neither of Equestria's rulers have any extra weight," stated Nebula solemnly, "Besides, power can corrupt even those with good intentions. I don't wish to see how it can corrupt me."
"Surely we can somehow find a way for you to stay that doesn't put you in such a compromising position."
Nebula shook Luna's head, "Mm-mm. As far as I can tell, this world wasn't meant for the interaction of me or the interference of John Doe."
"John Doe?"
"Yeah, that's what I'll call that other presence in you. It's kind of my world's way of addressing a mystery man."
Silence did most of the talking for the next five seconds.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" asked Celestia.
Nebula nodded, "As I said before. I only wish to serve."
"Under different circumstances, I believe you would have been a wonderful gentlecolt," smiled Celestia sadly.
Nebula smiled too, "Thank you... Tia."
---
As Luna regained consciousness, she briefly wondered, Why are there tears streaming down my face?
---
The darkened room filled his vision upon waking up. Out of force of habit, he cracked a couple bones and joints in random places.
What the hell happened last night? he thought with a frustrated scowl, Wait... that b***h! She pulled a spell right out of Hogwarts. How the *eff* did she do that?
At this point, he looked over to the foot of the bed. It looked like Luna was holding her front hooves together while using her wing power to allow a bipedal stance.
"Woman, I've got a bone to pick with you!" growled the boy in Celestia's body.
"Forbidden Jutsu," whispered Luna, "Reaper's Death Seal."