Celestia sat in court, alone aside from her guards. The day was as quiet as always, the sun behind a thick layer of clouds to shield the ponies of Equestria from its harsh rays, leaving things pleasantly cool.
The doors opened, and she perked up, her pale pink mane whipping back like a wind had caught it, responding to her excitement before she managed to calm herself, the flow of magic through it tempering back down as she composed herself.
“Greetings, my little pony,” she said. “How can I help you?”
The pony in question looked around. He was an earth pony, and the farmer looked out of place amidst the dark grey marble and silver of the palace, but she was thankful to see anypony at this hour.
“Greetings, yer highness,” the earth pony said. “Uh, I know this is a mite irregular, but your sister’s schedule is filled up and… I was hopin I could at least talk to somepony before I had to go back to the fields.”
“Of course,” Celestia said, her smile straining at the mention of her sister’s packed schedule. It was always packed. She never had to worry about being alone for hours on end, about ponies ignoring her. “I’m always happy to help.”
“Thank you,” he said, looking grateful. “Now, we’re pretty tough and used to workin’ the fields so we can handle not havin’ cloud cover like you have here in Canterlot, but we don’t have near enough rain. Is there anythin’ you can do?”
“I’m guessing you already wrote to the House of Cloudsdale?” Celestia asked.
“They said since we didn’t have any real weather team, we didn’t have the right to ask them.”
“I see,” Celestia said. “I’ll write you a letter for special dispensation for now, but they’re right that you’ll need a local weather team. I’ll see what I can do. There are quite a few farms in the east that are suffering from the same problems -- the griffons didn’t maintain the land when they were in control, and it’s suffered badly from it.”
“Trust me, I know,” the farmer said. “It’s hard land to work. Mostly scrubland, really, but somepony’s got to do it, and plantin’ the right crops will help heal the soil.”
Celestia nodded and listened to him talk about farming, half paying attention but responding to him and keeping him talking while she wrote a few letters, sealing them with a ribbon and the seal of the Equestrian throne, a moon eclipsing a sun.
“Here,” she said, handing him the letters. “These should help. You’ll have the weather you need, and so will the farms around you.”
“Thank you, yer highness,” he said, bowing.
Celestia smiled and watched him leave. Once he was gone, she was alone again. She glanced at the clock. It was still hours until dusk.
She sighed and sat back in the throne, made for a pony far larger than she was.
Maybe it was time to go out and do something to help them if they weren't going to come to her.
Celestia panted with exhaustion, sweat dripping from her body and matting her coat as she stumbled into town. It was the middle of the day, and most of the ponies in town were staying out of the heat and glare of the sun in the cool darkness of their homes. The town stood quiet and dead, dust blowing in the streets and heat haze turning the air into a wavy blur.
The pale princess trotted to the well in the center of the village, drawing up a bucket and pouring it over her head, cooling herself and washing some of the sweat away, the ice-cold water helping to revive her. She shook out her mane and looked around. Nopony had come out to look or greet her. Celestia hadn't been quiet, but she'd been out here for hours now, and nopony had interrupted her or offered her any aid.
"The blockage in the river is gone," she said, exhausted, her voice echoing through the empty streets. "The famine will be over soon. Your fields are already starting to grow again." She'd spent those hours using her earth pony magic to force the trees to grow new leaves to replace the ones that had wilted in the harsh sunlight.
A door creaked open behind her. Celestia turned, smiling.
"P-please go," a mare's voice said, from behind the door, the pony invisible in the shadows. "I'm sorry. We can't offer you a feast or tribute. We have nothing."
"The only thing I want is-" Celestia started. The door slammed shut before she could finish. "-to do my duty to you all..." she finished, trailing off in silence. She stood there for a few moments longer, her head bowed, before leaving, vanishing in a flare of light and swirling dust.
“It’s always a beautiful sight,” Luna said, as the weather teams peeled back the clouds in preparation for sunset.
Something about that tickled at the edge of Celestia’s consciousness. There was something important about Sunset...
“Are you feeling alright, Sister?” Luna asked, looking down at her, her aurora-colored mane swirling as gently as the nightly breezes that kept the sky clear.
“Just... tired, Sister,” Celestia lied.
“Oh yes, I heard you had a caller at court today,” Luna said, smiling serenely. “I’m glad. Sometimes it seems like ponies don’t enjoy the daytime as much as they should.”
“How can I blame them?” Celestia said, sullenly. “All of them just sleep through it because there’s nothing to see. Even if they weren’t blinded by the light, there’s nothing except the blank blue sky. I wish it was as beautiful as your night.”
“It is beautiful,” Luna assured her. “And if it wasn’t for the sun, plants wouldn’t grow. Ponies need the sun.”
“Maybe, but they aren’t inspired by it,” Celestia sighed. Luna nuzzled her, and she froze up for a moment.
“Even if they don’t appreciate you, I do,” Luna assured her.
Celestia gave her a weak smile. “Thank you. But it’s time, isn’t it? We have a ball to get to.”
Luna nodded, and their horns lit up, the sky fading from red to black. Below them, Canterlot came to life, the lights of the city mirroring the lights in the sky above.
"Sometimes I feel like you don't take me seriously," Celestia said. "I need your help."
Luna sighed without breaking the placid smile on her face, looking out over the ball from where she and Celestia were perched on a high balcony. "Celestia, you're jumping at shadows. We're at peace."
"It isn't peace I'm worried about," Celestia said, more quietly. "The nobility shuns me, Luna. There are barely enough ponies coming to Day Court to justify even opening the doors."
"Well you can't blame them, Tia," Luna said. "Most of them have to sleep during the day! Don't you see them anyway when you go out on your little adventures?"
"Yes, but..." Celestia hesitated. "Most ponies don't want to admit they need help. The land isn't tamed and they need to believe they're doing it all themselves."
"You could change that," Luna suggested, turning away from the ball to give Celestia her full attention. "You've been helping our little ponies turn this land into a beautiful, fertile home. You should remind them that you've been lending a hoof."
"I suppose, Sister," Celestia considered. "But there are some ponies that think I'm not worthy to sit on the throne. I've heard rumors they want to petition you to have my authority reduced."
"They can make as many petitions as they want, Celestia, but it will never change anything between us," Luna assured her, leaning down to nuzzle her little sister.
"What if we tried a combined court?" Celestia asked. "Then they would see us rule side-by-side, as equals."
"Let's try my idea first," Luna said. "If ponies knew how much you were helping them, you'd have a swell of support from below. Besides, you deserve to have total authority over the day."
"I suppose," Celestia sighed.
"Come," Luna said, sounding excited. "I think I see just the thing to brighten your mood -- chocolate cake!"
“It’s not fair,” Celestia huffed, pacing around her quarters. “Why do they all love her? The sun is just as beautiful as the moon.”
“Is it? They wouldn’t know, since they can’t look at it without going blind,” somepony asked.
“Who’s there?!” Celestia demanded, spinning around, looking for the intruder.
“Over here,” the voice said. She followed it, and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from until she looked in the mirror. And there, she saw herself, but it was all wrong. She was tall, maybe even taller than her sister, with a mane of flowing, glowing fire.
“What- who are you?!” Celestia demanded, though part of her instinctively knew she was looking at herself, in the same way being in a dream could just make you know things. It didn’t matter that it didn’t really look like her. She just knew what it was.
“I’m what you could be,” the apparition said, showing fangs in her mouth, teeth as black as glittering coal. “If you weren’t under your sister’s hoof.”
“My sister loves me,” Celestia snarled.
“She does,” the figure agreed, nodding and blinking eyes that were glowing from within, the pupils like hourglasses, like a goat’s eyes. “But she still walks all over you, and you let her. The ponies of Equestria don’t even care about you, the sister that waves the burning sun across the sky, the sister that asked for peace and friendship when they wanted war with Griffonstone.”
“T-the war was wrong,” Celestia whispered.
“Perhaps it was. But that doesn’t matter, does it? What matters is that ponies saw how weak you are. How pathetic you are!” Her double snarled. “Look at you! You can’t even stand up to yourself!”
“This is just how the world is,” Celestia said, turning away. “There’s nothing I can do to change it.”
“No. But you can change yourself.”
“What are you--” Celestia turned, but the only image in the mirror was hers. Not the huge, powerful pony she could be, but the small, meek one she was. Her eyes were wet, the tracks of tears down her cheeks plainly visible in the candlelight.
Another night passed, with Celestia sleeping while Equestria was awake, not even getting out of bed until a servant came to wake her up, reminding her that it was time for dawn. By the time she got to the balcony, the sun was already rising.
“Ah, Sister,” Luna said, a little sheepishly. “I heard you weren’t feeling well, and I was just taking care of things for you.” Grey clouds started across the sky like a tide, covering up the unsightly blue sky.
“It’s fine,” Celestia said, quietly. “I’m sorry I was late.”
“We’re all allowed to have off days,” Luna said, so wise and understanding and perfect. Celestia felt her heart thud in her chest, a combination of envy and rage almost overtaking her, leaving her dazed and shivering. She missed what Luna said next, everything a blur until she looked up and saw her sister’s worried gaze.
“Are you sick?” Luna asked. “I’ll get a doctor.”
“No, I’m... I’m fine,” Celestia said. “I just didn’t sleep well.”
“I’m sorry, sister,” Luna apologized. “I’ll try to find more time to watch over your dreams. I’ve been neglecting you, and you only take rest when our subjects are awake and the matters of state-”
“Luna, it’s nothing!” Celestia snapped, with anger in her tone that surprised even her. Luna jerked her head back. “I’m sorry,” Celestia said, looking away. “I just--”
“Whatever’s bothering you, you can always talk to me about it,” Luna said. “If you want. My door is always open for you.”
Celestia nodded, and Luna hugged her before she left. Celestia looked down at the city. There were still a few lights on at this early hour, but they were being extinguished one by one as ponies retired to sleep. In the grey light of day, the city was like a tomb, with no sign of life like the rivers of light and sound that streets became at night.
She turned away from the dead-looking city and stalked the quiet halls to the throne room.
“Your highness, it’s good to see you,” the griffon said. Celestia nodded slowly.
“I don’t think we’ve met,” she said.
“Few griffons are willing or allowed to travel to Canterlot,” the griffon explained. “And even those who can, don’t want to deal with your sister, the Warmonger.”
“Please don’t insult her,” Celestia said, sighing.
“You called her the same thing when she raised companies of ponies to conquer Griffonstone in the name of peace.” He snorted and spat at that. “She didn’t even want to try negotiation.”
“Is there something you wanted?” Celestia asked, frowning.
“I’ve been told that you have few friends these days,” the griffon said. “The griffons would be far more willing to listen to you, the pony who advocated for peace and understanding, than the one who killed so many of our friends and families.”
“I see,” Celestia considered. “I am of course happy to assist with anything I can. I always have been, and now that you’re citizens of Equestria it’s my sworn duty.”
“Of course,” the griffon said. “And in return, we’d want to help you, with whatever you desire.”
Celestia tossed and turned, half awake and half asleep.
In her dreams, she saw Discord, her oldest friend.
Images, as disjointed and ill-fitting as Discord's anatomy, swept past her.
From time to time, Celestia had suffered through dreams like this, visions of terror and danger that she could do nothing to change, prophetic visions that never revealed the solution to a problem. They'd always come true.
This time, she saw Discord released, sitting on the throne. And she knew, for a fact, the way one sometimes just knows something in a dream, that he would never be imprisoned again.
She saw the Elements of Harmony being turned on one of their own.
From her mirror, her reflection watched her with yellowed, slitted eyes.
"Isn't that interesting..." It whispered, before vanishing in a flash of light.
Celestia groaned as she got up. She felt like she hadn’t slept at all, but it was time for dawn. This time, she managed to stumble out to the balcony before Luna could take care of things for herself.
“Good evening,” Luna said, jokingly. “Should I assume you’re feeling better after last night?”
“I don’t even remember what I did,” Celestia mumbled, her head pounding. The sunrise was nothing special, barely any color or art to it. It hardly seemed worth it, these days. Ponies didn’t really watch it. She was playing to an audience of one.
Two, perhaps. Luna always watched.
“I would guess it involved quite a bit of drinking,” Luna said, with an edge of judgement to her tone. The way she said it implied that she’d never get caught drunk, with a massive hangover. Implying that Celestia was inferior. Unrefined. Improper.
Celestia considered telling Luna about her dream, but the headache spiked, and her feelings of anger were washed away for a moment with a painful throb. By the time she found something to relieve the pain, she'd decided to keep it to herself.
“What?!” Celestia yelled, slamming her hoof on the table in alarm. Her glass toppled, spilling cider across the tablecloth, forks and spoons clattering to the floor.
“It’s a simple request, sister,” Luna said. “The ponies just asked for a holiday where the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon for a full day.”
“But-” Celestia shook with anger. “Even if it caused no harm, the other nations won’t understand! They’ll accuse us of playing with the heavenly clockwork like foals, and they’ll be right!”
“I’m not concerned with what they think,” Luna said. “I’ll inform them, of course, but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. They’ll be reminded about who controls the sky, and they’ll have to explain to their own people that we can do things that they cannot countermand. Besides, with the sun down, it’ll give us both a chance to sleep in for a day.”
“That’s not the point,” Celestia said. “The cycle of sun and moon is a symbol of stability. It’s about the Harmony that we restored after defeating Discord!”
A jolt of pain ran down her horn, and she winced. Luna used the opportunity to pounce on the hesitation, standing up to her full, imposing height and looming over her smaller sister.
“I think you’re just caught up in your own feelings, sister,” Luna said, disappointed. “This is about the good of Equestria, not about feeding your ego. I know you haven’t been feeling well, but part of being a Princess is about sacrifice and doing what’s good for our little ponies, not just what’s good for you.”
“I know that,” Celestia mumbled.
“Good. We’ll have the celebration on the winter solstice. That gives us a few months to prepare for the event, and for you to recover your composure.”
“Is she really doing what’s right?” Celestia asked, pacing in her quarters. “This stupid… Winter Moon Celebration… is it about showing Equestria’s power, or is it just about her?”
“It’s an excuse,” said the voice in her mirror. Celestia didn’t look at it, just pacing, the form reflected in the silvered surface huge and regal in all the ways she was small. “Luna already controls everything. You’re just the spare.”
“She didn’t even consult me,” Celestia continued, only half listening. “She decided on her own and just… informed me. Like I’m a servant!”
“The servants are treated with more respect,” the voice retorted. “They do something to contribute. You’re more like the furniture. Something pretty to look at.”
There was a knock on the door. Celestia started, her wings flaring in surprise.
“Sister? Are you awake?” Asked Luna, her voice gentle and light
“Y-yes, but--” Celestia looked in the mirror. The ominous form was still there, smirking, obviously with no intent to leave.
Luna opened the door, and Celestia froze. The mirror was visible from the doorway. There was no way her sister would miss it.
“I just wanted to see you,” Luna said. She stepped in, glancing at the mirror. Celestia waited for her to react, but the larger alicorn just continued, as if she didn’t see anything at all.
“Of course not,” the other voice said. “I’m just in your head. She can’t hear me.”
“I’m worried about you,” Luna continued. “You barely leave your room now, much less the castle. I was at least hoping you’d come to the annual Grand Victory Gala. It felt hollow celebrating the end of the war without you there at my side.”
“Did anypony even notice but you?” Celestia asked, with more venom than she intended.
“Of course they did. They were too polite to say anything, so I had to make excuses for you.”
“They likely enjoyed the excuses more than my company,” Celestia grumbled.
“Sister, they’re our subjects,” Luna said, frowning and stepping closer. “You need to make more of an effort to reach out to them.”
“To-” Celestia hissed, almost spitting. “You want me to reach out to them when they shun me?! Even the griffons are more polite to me than your little ponies!”
“‘Your’?” Luna questioned. “You mean ‘our’. You’re just as much their ruler as I am.”
“Tell that to them!” Celestia motioned to the window, the lights of the city just barely visible through her gossamer curtains. She didn’t need the thick light-blocking curtains that had become common in the city, since she slept at night, unlike most Equestrians.
“You’re acting like a foal,” Luna said, disappointed. “You can’t expect them to change unless you change. I know that better than most.” She stepped over to the mirror. Celestia froze as Luna faced the spectre within, apparently invisible to her.
“Just leave,” Celestia snapped. “You have more important things to do, like your Victory Gala!”
“If that’s what you wish,” Luna said, still looking into the mirror. “You should be careful, though, sister. Stare too long into the sun and even you will go blind.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Celestia asked, snorting with anger.
Luna turned and trotted to the door, not looking at her. “It would be pointless to explain it to you now. You’ll understand soon enough, I think.”
Her sister left, and Celestia followed her to the door, slamming it closed behind her. She spun on the mirror, expecting to confront the sinister shape within, but all she saw was her own reflection, her eyes red and watery with unshed tears.
"Out!" Celestia screamed, the petitioner running from her fury, the edge of her mane roiling like flames. "Luna, I demand to know what this is about!"
She threw a scroll at her sister, Luna picking it out of the air without even looking at it.
"Court is, apparently, canceled for tonight," Luna said, motioning to the ponies around her. The nobility started moving at a slow, stately pace.
"OUT!" Celestia bellowed, the room heating like an oven, the glass in the windows cracking from the volume of her voice.
The nobility, now sufficiently motivated, fled the room in a stampede. Celestia seethed, waiting for Luna to respond to her demand.
"It was a simple, harmless request," Luna replied, sounding amused. "One of the nobles petitioned the court to reduce the length of the day by an hour to help cool the land in this time of drought. It should only be a few months until the pegasai can produce enough rain to turn things around."
"And you agreed without even consulting me!" Celestia yelled, stomping her hoof hard enough to crack the tile floor.
"I tried," Luna said. "For some reason, you decided to lock yourself in your chambers for a week instead of holding court."
"What's the point when I am the only one who attends?!" Celestia demanded. "They'd all rather bend knee to you and pretend I don't exist! I've slaved to make this land bountiful for generations!"
"What is wrong with you, Celestia," Luna asked, softly, with an odd amusement in her voice. "You weren't like this before. You used to put your duty ahead of your own desires."
"I don't even have a duty anymore!" Celestia screamed, tears running down her cheeks. "You took it all away from me!"
"Celestia--"
"I know what this is really about!" Celestia interrupted, stepping back, suddenly wary and paranoid. "You want to be the only ruler of Equestria! You wanted me out of power!"
"Is that what I wanted?" Luna asked, barely holding back a giggle.
"I won't become a new piece for your statue garden," Celestia growled, vanishing in a flare of teleportation.
Luna broke down with laughter, unable to contain herself.
"Not another step!" Celestia warned.
Luna stopped and looked up at her sister, the smaller white alicorn twitching and paranoid, looking at the shadowed corners as if they might be full of assassins and spies.
"Tia, you're not looking well," Luna noted. "Perhaps you'd like a glass of warm milk and a slice of cake?"
"Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious night?!"
"So this is what it sounds like from this side," Luna muttered. "No wonder she didn't take me seriously. She sounds like a pouting foal."
"There can only be one Princess in Equestria! And that Princess... will be me!" Celestia stomped, cracking the dark obsidian under her hooves, flames erupting around the throne room, the light and heat becoming stifling.
Celestia's form was consumed in a ball of light, her small form twisting and expanding. Laughter rolled from within, mad and biting.
When the light faded, Celestia stood as tall as Luna, with a mane of solar flame and a sneer that hadn't ever been there before.
"It's really not a good look for you, Celestia."
"Celestia? No, that name won't work anymore. I don't need you anymore, Luna. I can do anything I want, and all I have to do is get rid of anypony who stands in my way!"
"So what should I call you? Hot Flanks?" Luna asked, unconcerned.
"I think from now on you can call me... Daybreaker!" The stars vanished as the sky brightened, the sun rising to its apex, banishing the beautiful night, burning hot and red like a furnace threatening to turn Equestria into ashes.
"Cute," Luna snorted, before firing a concussive blast at her sister, knocking her through the stained glass window behind her.
Daybreaker dodged and weaved, trying to avoid Princess Luna's attacks. How had it come to this? She wasn't supposed to be running! She should have been winning, filled with power and rage and fire!
A beam clipped her wing, nearly taking her out of the air. Blackened feathers tore free as she forced her larger body through a tight maneuver, using the castle's bulk to avoid another blast.
"This is insane!" She hissed. "I'm powerful, I'm better than her! How can I be losing?!"
Daybreaker banked, making a tight turn and spinning. It was a good trick, the barrel roll letting her avoid another barrage of shots and bringing her around to face her sister.
"Here comes the sun!" She cried out, letting loose with a barrage of flames, hitting... nothing. Luna wasn't even there.
"You're so predictable," Luna sighed, from behind her.
Daybreaker hadn't seen the flash of the teleportation. A burst of magic sent her spiraling down, smashing through the skylight of the front hall and crashing into the mosaic floor, shattering what had once been a detailed diagram of the night sky.
"How could this happen?" Daybreaker groaned. She pulled herself across the ground, crawling across the floor until she reached the base of--
It should have been the base of the stand holding the Elements of Harmony, but it was empty. No stand, no Elements. The sun shone through the broken roof like a spotlight giving center stage to the empty stand.
"Don't stop now! Things are just getting good!" A pony stepped out of the shadows. "You were just about to really show your sister who's boss around here!"
Daybreaker looked at the strange stallion, frowning.
"Well, you weren't doing as well as I expected," the bearded pony admitted. "But maybe you'll have a strong second round. I've got a dozen bits riding on you, so at least try to beat the spread."
"Who are you?" Daybreaker demanded, getting to her hooves.
"Just a concerned... well, I don't want to say friend." He smiled a crooked smile.
"I asked you a question!" Daybreaker demanded. She tried to grab him with her magic, and he slipped free like a greased eel.
"Ooh! Please, we're not intimate enough to probe each other with spells. You have to buy me flowers first!"
Daybreaker snarled and threw a burst of flame, her patience dried up like a raisin in the sun.
The stallion vanished in a flash of light just before the flame hit, the fire hitting nothing at all.
"That was--" Daybreaker gasped, recognizing the magic instantly.
Daybreaker's expression fell, and she was surrounded by flame for a moment as her form collapsed down into Celestia's smaller shape.
"I've made a terrible mistake," she whispered.
“Luna, this is all a dream!” Celestia panted, trembling with fear and exhaustion. “I remember everything now. It has to be Discord. He’s--”
“I know,” Luna said, her voice low and dangerous. “I am the Mistress of the Dreaming. I’ve known since he threw us into this absurd world.”
“Then-- then why haven’t you tried to tell me?” Celestia demanded.
Luna turned around, her eyes glowing with cyan light, her pupils slitted like a dragon’s and looking down with unrestrained disdain at her sister. Her coat darkened, from navy blue to black, as she stepped forwards.
“You wouldn’t have listened. Until you worked it out for yourself, the dream would have carried you along in its swell.” She sighed, looking vulnerable for a moment. “And I suppose I was having a sappy dream, too.”
Celestia watched, taking a step back in fear as Nightmare Moon moved, the larger pony stepping away from her to look outside.
“It’s a simple trick,” Nightmare Moon continued. “He just swapped the parts we played in real life. And he had to bend the world to the breaking point to make it work.” She pointed. “Look at that city! Outdoor lighting like that didn’t exist a thousand years ago. Even this castle wasn’t here. He doesn’t care about the logic of it.”
“What did he want from all this?” Celestia asked, quietly.
“Simple enough. He wanted to drive you mad.” Nightmare Moon shrugged. “He assumed since this path drove me to strike you down, it would do the same in reverse.”
“But I didn’t fall for it! I’m free!”
“He also wanted to see what I would do when this was all taken away from me,” Nightmare Moon continued. “Taken from a world where I’m wanted, and thrown back into the reality you made, where they shun me.”
“But--”
“I’m not done talking,” Nightmare Moon hissed. “The reason I knew this was false is because I’ve explored all these possibilities, for a thousand years. Compared to what I was able to create, this is bad comedy.”
“Is this what you wanted?” Celestia asked, not backing down as her sister advanced on her, the larger alicorn close enough that Celestia could feel the chill radiating from her body. “This world, I mean. Ponies enjoying your night sky, shunning me, being the big sister for a change. Is it what you really wanted?”
“No,” Nightmare Moon admitted, turning away, losing her nerve and blinking before Celestia. “This, all this, it’s sickening. They don’t love me for me, they’re just… blind. I could order them all to drown themselves and they’d happily walk into the waves.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Do you know how I was freed, Sister?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Two fillies decided to release me in the hopes that I would save them from Discord. A stupid idea, of course. It’s rather like trying to bait two dragons into attacking each other.”
“Twilight and Midnight, I assume.” Celestia sighed.
“Ah, yes. They did mention they were your students. I suppose their talent but total lack of common sense makes that rather obvious, in hindsight.”
Celestia frowned at that, though her small stature made it look more cute than upset.
“They, at least, had proper respect,” Nightmare Moon said, quietly. She chuckled weakly. “They weren’t afraid of me at all. No, for some reason they were glad to see me. I'm not sure if they're foolhardy or simply fools.”
“A thousand years is a long time. Even enough for a fresh start.”
“Some things never change,” Nightmare Moon said, sharply. “I want you to understand something, sister. I will defeat Discord. Equestria is mine by right, and I won’t have that idiotic draconequuis ruin it again. After that, I will see to you.”
“But only afterwards?” Celestia asked.
“One thing at a time,” Nightmare Moon retorted. “I can’t defeat both of you at once. Nor can you face me and the chaos spirit at the same time. We have scores to settle, but they will have to wait.”
“If you can save them, especially those fillies…” Celestia shook her head. “You can do what you want to me.”
“Oh good. That fits in well with my plan for escaping this place.” Nightmare Moon smiled widely, showing fangs. “We are, unfortunately, trapped in your dream, and so I need to wake you up. If it was my dream we wouldn’t need such theatrics.”
“What are you talking about?” Celestia asked. The way Nightmare Moon was looking at her made her worry.
“The fastest way to wake up from a dream,” Nightmare Moon said, her horn glowing. “Is to die in it.”