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// Chapter 5 
// Story: Luna's Descent 
// by X3n0heart 
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	As the fog began to clear I opened my eyes and saw that I was alone once again. It was still night time and I was still in a forest that I did not recognized but at least what seemed like a nightmare was over. Breathing a sigh of relief I tried to take a step forward but my legs would not move for some reason. I attempted to look down to see if I was stuck on anything but my head wouldn't move either. What is going on? I thought as not a single inch of my body wanted to listen to me.
Then I heard the laughter and after a moment I realized it was me laughing and not in a good way. I couldn't stop myself as I fell to my knees holding my sides as tears formed in my eyes as I continued to laugh until I was out of breath and had to force myself to stop having bursts of laughter here and there before I finally calmed myself enough to wipe my eyes and sit up strait. That's when I heard myself speak.
"It work! I can't believe she was so weak that I was able to take over so easily." It can't be! I thought as I continued to spectate having no control of my own body. Is this how she felt, watching all the time from the inside, just waiting for her time to strike? And now she has, this Nightmare Moon has taken complete control of my body and all of my magic. How could I have gotten so weak? I thought I was much stronger than this and had the strength to repel her but I was wrong.
I continued to watch as she got up and started to walk around testing out her new legs and then her wings flapping them up and down a few times as I felt her smile to herself. "Oh ho ho ho ho. This is going to be very good. My most heartfelt thanks to you, Luna. This is amazing! I didn't think freedom felt this...good!" She said excitedly half to me and half to herself. It wasn't my voice anymore either and I bet it is safe to say that I now look like Nightmare Moon on the outside as well.
It was not long before my assumption was confirmed as she made her way to a small lake and looked down upon the still waters as her eyes lit up with glee as it was definitely Nightmare Moon and not Princess Luna anymore. I sighed to myself knowing that there is no way I can take back control of my own body but I was sure as the night I wasn't going to make it easy on her. I just pray that Celestia heard me and will be able to stop her before anything bad happens to any pony.
I found myself rising into the air and it was a bit unsettling at first as I watched myself fly through the air yet I could not feel the wind on my face or the flapping of my wings on the cool night's breeze. I was both scared and curious to find out where she was going and what was her initial plan. Nightmare Moon flew around for a bit and then turned sharply and started to head towards my home. I now knew that was a very bad idea and I tried everything in my power to stop her.
"Stop this at once!" I screamed not knowing if she could hear me.
"Huh? Oh you're still in there?" She responded to me out loud.
"Of course I am still here and I demand you stop this and give me my body back, now!"
"Ahahahaha. I didn't know that royalty had a sense of humor." Nightmare Moon just laughed at me as she continued to drift along the currents towards home.
"Please....don't do this..." I tried to plead with her fearing the worst if my own dreams were to come true.
"You are the one that started all of this. You are the one that created me in the first place with those ponies who you thought loved you as much as your sister." She spat back at me as she rose a bit higher in the sky. "You've seen how they show her all the love while you get shadowed by the light she spreads all over Equestria." Nightmare Moon continued trying to lock me away deep down in her forever and the funny part about all of this is that it is all true. 
Yes, it was all my fault. Yes, I was always in my sister's shadow only watching over the night as I raised the moon every night. Yes, I did bring Nightmare Moon to life as the pain and frustration grew deep inside of me before it finally spilled out and I could not control it anymore. I also knew that it was stubbornness that kept me from talking to Celestia for I thought I could deal with it on my own and perhaps let the ponies see how much I wanted their praise and adoration just like my sister received.
Nightmare Moon is right. I started all of this and now I have no idea what to do or how to even fix it. I noticed that we were only minutes away from landing on the summoning platform as the panic and fear gripped my every fiber as I continued to scream and beg for her to please stop and not do anything to harm any pony. I have given up and sat in that emptiness as she landed gracefully on the summoning platform as the first rays of light began to show themselves over the tops of the distant mountains.
Turning slightly so she can face the raising sun, I watched Nightmare Moon spread her wings and begun to gather her magical energy as her horn glowed brilliantly before her eyes went completely white and what looked like an over glow formed on top of her glowing horn. Suddenly I noticed that the sun was not moving any higher up and was staying in the same spot for a few minutes before things started to slowly get a bit darker. At first I thought it was just my imagination but as the sun began to slowly sink back down behind the mountains and the light slowly faded away to reveal the night sky once more I realized then just how much power she really had to be able to counter Celestia's magic in such a fashion.
As Nightmare Moon lowered the sun all the way back down and brought out the moon, placing it high in the sky, a few of the royal guards stepped out onto the platform and demanded her to identify herself. Composing herself she turned and faced the guards and just smiled to them as she started to step slowly towards their direction.
"Do you not recognize the Princess of the Night?" she said authoritatively as she stopped in front of the guards as they quickly bowed and said their apologies.
"Please forgive us, Your Highness. You just look a bit..."
"Different?" Nightmare Moon finished for him.
"Yes, ma'am!" they both responded in unison. She just sighed and waved them away with her hoof before turning back and looking up at the moon, once again smiling to herself.
"Look at that Luna." she told me as I also gazed up at the moon. "Tonight is the first night of Eternal Darkness!" Laughing once more she walked inside and made her way to Celestia's throne room taking a seat upon the throne as one of the servers bowed and she told them to get her something to eat and drink as she relaxed and took a look around the room. It wasn't long before the servant pony returned with her order and she placed it on a small table next to the throne. I watched as Nightmare Moon levitated the glass to her muzzle, took a sip and spat it back into the other pony's face throwing the glass against a wall which shattered to pieces.
"What is this?" She demanded as she stood up glaring down at the shivering pony. What in Equestria was she thinking? That's not how you talk to any pony. I thought as all I could do is watch the events unfold.
"I-I'm sorry, Princess. Is that not what you wanted? I can get you a new one if it pleases you." she said from the floor not daring to even look up at Nightmare moon.
"Begone with you! All of you get out!" she shouted as every pony scattered for the nearest door and it was only moments before she was alone in the giant chamber with the only sound was of her breathing. "Argh. Is every pony going to be this annoying?" she asked herself.
"No they won't be but you have no idea what you are doing or how to talk to them." I said not really caring if she could hear me anymore or not.
"Oh I think I know plenty well what I am doing." Her response made me jump slightly as I was staring at myself in a mirror or should I say she was looking at me. It was like when she first appeared but in reverse. I was on the other side of the looking glass as I stood there glaring at her before taking a quick look at my body and giving a slight smile.
"What are you smiling about? It's not like you'll get that body back anytime soon. In fact you may never get it back." Nightmare Moon grinned back as I took a step closer to her.
"Then you do not know my sister very well at all. She has the power to stop you and I know she will do it soon!" I was as confident as I possibly could be without sounding resentful in any way.
"Oh here we go again with the Celestia talk. Don't you think that with all her so called "power" she would've been here by now?" she taunted back at me. I had no answer to that question. It was true, with all the magic my sister has she would have been here and put a stop to Nightmare Moon. I did not understand it. Where was she in my time of need? What could be so important that she just had to be away from the kingdom, leaving it in the hands of her unstable younger sister?
"Let me say this one last time," she continued on, "Celestia. Is. Not. Coming." As Nightmare Moon finished that last word it hit me like thunderbolt and everything I knew of my sister, all the hope and dreams and love for her drained out of me as I shriveled into nothing more than a distant memory. Celestia....not coming? I kept repeating the question over and over as Nightmare Moon turned from the mirror, my body vanishing in a poof of smoke as she strutted down the middle of the hall throwing the giant double doors open with her magic as she made her way out towards the main balcony and stood there looking down at the gathering ponies for they were starting to wake up and when they noticed that the sun wasn't up they made their way towards the castle most of them having the same question run through their minds.
As a good number of them filled the court yard, Nightmare Moon used her magic to make her voice louder as she addressed all the earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns that have gathered on what would have been a bright sunny day if the moon still was not out, hanging high in the star lit sky.
"Good morning, every pony!" she started with as I watched the confused ponies on the ground turn and look at each other before returning they eyes back on her. "Yes it is morning I can assure you of that. You may be asking yourselves: but if it's morning why isn't the sun up? That is a very good question and I will tell you exactly why, my little ponies." Nightmare Moon slowly paced back and forth as she went on.
"You see Celestia was getting to big for her britches, so to speak, and the light she was casting drowned out everything else it shown upon. So now that she isn't around I have taken this fine opportunity, as the REAL Princess of the Night, to be recognized as the one true Princess and to receive all your praise and respect that is deserving of me."
"But we need the sun!" some pony called out.
"What are we going to do?" asked another.
"I thought Luna was the Princess of the Night. You're not her!" shouted a third.
"Yes, yes, yes." Nightmare Moon nodded as the ponies fell silent once again. "The moon will be your new sun and it will shine brightly down upon all of you forever now." There were a few gasps in the crowd as I could see panic and worry began to slowly spread through out every pony. "Let me tell you this!" she shouted as fear began to replace every other emotion on the ponies faces. "Do not forget what you hear today. There is no more Luna. There is no more Celestia. There is only the Night and all that it brings. For I am Nightmare Moon and I shall rule Equestria from this night forward until eternity!"