Princess Luna awoke from troubled dreams. Instinctively, she reached for the heavens, checking the locations of sun and moon like a sleepy pony would fumble for the snooze button on a stall-side alarm clock. Everything is where it should be, she thought, her mind drifting back towards sleep. There was still time; the moon was less than an arcminute from its correct location, something that she would fix as soon as she'd had a few more minutes of rest.
Despite her half-doze, sleep wouldn't come. The half-remembered dreams chased her through the twilight and she finally rolled off the low sleeping pad to stand in the middle of the room. Back arched and wings flared, she yawned mightily, then opened her eyes to the darkness. Imagine, me being afflicted with nightmares, she thought without any amusement, oh the irony. She left the room in its gloom; even though the only source of light was from under the balcony door, her excellent night vision painted the room in bright shades of grey.
Luna looked around her chamber, then frowned. The room served as a combination work space and sleeping chamber, a perfect dome of a flat, uninteresting grey that provided a distraction-free surface for her to experiment on without causing global panic. The rest of the room was as empty as she could make it, but there was always food available in a low series of storage units around the rim, for the times she was too busy for more formal affairs. Except this time, there wasn't.
"Astrid, are you there?" The hours she kept were a little stressful on the average pony, but she'd gotten used to the quiet efficiency of the unicorn mare, whom she suspected of never actually going to sleep. "Is there a problem?" A glimmer of power and the discreet door to the rest of the suite opened silently; walking through she stared at the deserted room, then closed her eyes and swept the Palace with her magic.
The world opened out before her, the solid stone and metal of Canterlot Palace fading into shadows filled with moving pastel lights, every one a pony. Why are there so few? Large sections of the Palace were quiet, while others were only half occupied. A twist to the power and she could also feel currents of suppressed aggression that seemed to flow from many of those motes -- the remainder were almost muted, like they were somehow being turned off from life. These were all ponies who were static, tucked into odd corners and out of the way spots, including...
Luna's head swung around and she stared through the wall to the small kitchen that attached to Astrid's quarters. Her building anger evaporated, replaced by worry, and she trotted smartly through the door and into the kitchen. There was nopony visible and for a moment Luna was confused, then her eye was drawn to the set of storage units that formed an island in the centre of the compact room. Ears cocked, she stepped hesitantly forward, suddenly nervous about what she might find.
Something whimpered in the darkness of the kitchen, the sound sending chills down Luna's spine. "Who is in here?" she asked, keeping her voice soft. It almost sounds like a foal, but how would one get in? There was a quiet gasp, then the silence of somepony holding her breath. Suddenly losing patience, she strode forward, magic flaring and flooding the room with a cold violet glow. Lights danced over the cupboards, then one set of doors flew open.
Inside was a grey unicorn with a pale purple mane; Astrid had managed to cram herself completely into the cupboard, wedged in with the packets of dried produce. For an instant, Luna gazed in at the mare, then Astrid gave a shriek and tried to burrow through the solid oak back of her tiny refuge. "That is quite enough of that," Luna muttered, dragging the struggling pony out by her hindquarters. Astrid finally stopped trying to run and just hung there, eyes tightly closed, her sides heaving like she'd just galloped all the way up the mountain.
Now what? Luna thought, trying to work out what to do next; it had been nearly five centuries since anypony had been this afraid of her. Shrugging, she carried Astrid to her large circular sleeping pad and dumped her in the middle, holding the pony still while pulling a set of sunrise-yellow -- and exceptionally fluffy -- blankets out of a little-used storage closet. She eyed them with distaste; they were one of Celestia's many attempts to get a little colour into her private chambers and she found them offensive to the eye, but for a pony willing to hide in the dark... Luna wrapped Astrid in layers of the things, enough that the unicorn looked like a foal in a crib, then lay down next to her.
Now for the million bit question. "Why were you hiding, Astrid?"
"I'm s-sorry, D-Darkness, please don't hurt me. The kitchen had run out of cherries for your breakfast, and I know how much you like them... I-I tried to get some more, but a guardpony shouted at me and I had to come back." Tears were running down Astrid's muzzle as she spoke, her words distorted by the tremor in her voice. "I couldn't face you, knowing I had failed, couldn't leave because of the Guards, so I hid..." Her voice trailed off into a sob-wracked mumble.
I have not been called that in a long time, Luna thought, even more confused. There were traces of the old religion in the more distant corners of Equestria, a relic of the days when she'd been instrumental in exterminating the monstrosities left behind by the reign of Discord. I wonder what 'Ghost' thinks of all this, she thought, then frowned. Why didn't Celestia wake me? She always thinks she can do it all herself. Astrid cringed and whimpered at Luna's expression, making the Princess roll her eyes. This is ridiculous! Is every one of those other hiding ponies in the same state as Astrid?
I don't have time for this. Irritation mounting, Luna reached out with her power and tickled the unicorn's somatic nervous system until she slumped and started to snore. Standing up, Luna threw the doors open and stalked into the corridor, making the single Guard drop his ceremonial spear with a loud clatter. "You!" Luna snapped. "There is a pony asleep on my bed; you will make sure she is not disturbed."
"Y-Yes, Darkn--"
"Don't call me that!" she snarled, involuntary twinges of magic boosting her voice to a bellow.
The Guard, not one of her chiropt, looked stunned for a second, then snapped to attention, metal-shod hooves ringing off the flagstones. He stared into the distance over Luna's shoulder, the very picture of a Guard recruiting poster. "Yes, Princess!"
Luna stared at the Guard with narrowed eyes, long enough that he started to sweat. Finally she nodded and stalked away down the corridor, looking for her sister.
===
Luna's temper was a fragile thing by the time she located Celestia. Her steps had become louder and more martial, and only iron self-control stopped her from accidentally leaving cracks in the ancient stones with every hoof-fall. Some of the ponies she'd met had fawned over her, or trailed behind her with doe-like eyes. Others -- many of the Day Guard -- had stared back with barely concealed distrust and contempt. This fear had followed her for a long time -- ponies who only knew her by rumour and what they read in the history files had a hard time shaking what she had been for what she was now. She understood this and made allowances, considering it penance for mistakes she'd made over fifteen centuries earlier.
But this was Canterlot. All the Guard knew her -- she sponsored and helped to select and train the FOAL teams -- so there was no excuse for this behaviour. There was something behind their eyes, something alien like a half-glimpsed shape in the fog, but it was faint and elusive. The temptation to pin one of the Guard down and forcibly pull his mind apart to chase down the cause was getting harder and harder to resist. If Celestia has no answers, I may do it anyway. Better one should perish if it provides a clue to this... taint.
As she walked the long path to catch her sister, Luna kept enough of a hold on her anger to observe the Palace. It was painfully obvious what was happening, even if the cause was still a mystery. They are segregating clade by clade, she thought, the old racism is returning. It had taken generations to cajole, coerce and sometimes threaten the pony subspecies to work together, despite their common origins. To see all that work undone over the space of a single day should have been heart-breaking, but instead it filled her with fury. Whoever has done this will pay.
===
There was five times the number of Guard outside the Sunset Room than might have been expected, even during a crisis. She strode up to the door, not slowing as the guardponies hustled to get out of her way. The last set didn't move, the higher ranking of the pair stepping forward. "Your Highness, Princess Celestia is in conference and is not--" A wash of violet light picked the pegasus up and threw him down the corridor; whinnying in fright, the other Guard struck sparks against the stone floor in his haste to avoid the same fate.
Luna threw the doors open with a thunderous crash, the whispers of 'Darkness' from the guardponies only serving to fuel her anger. "Celestia! Why have I awoken to this madhouse?"
Her sister was in deep discussion with General Buckler, and looked up with a smile as she entered. "Ah! You are early, excellent. Come, I could use your advice for our military operations."
Unlike Celestia, Buckler didn't seem at all pleased to see her; the unicorn's eyes narrowed and her ears folded back. "Princess Luna, I must ask that you don't interfere with my Guard. Morale is very important to the common pony."
"Then you should instruct them more thoroughly, General," Luna said, not looking in the unicorn's direction, "because a pony that stands in my way will not have much need for morale in the future."
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, sister, but there is much you do not know. Let me brief you on the events of the day."
Celestia spoke and Luna listened, her anger fading to a mounting horror. The Zebra Alliance in league with a number of gryphon kingdoms. The deliberate spreading of a memetic weapon among the cities between Canterlot and the coast. What she was planning in reprisals if a cure for this plague was not delivered. What she would do as punishment even if it was. Luna listened, not just to the words, but how they were spoken, the body language Celestia was using.
Who are you, and what have you done with my sister? You couldn't fool thousands of years of familiarity so easily; something was desperately wrong. Under the guise of closing her eyes in thought, Luna carefully opened her shadow sight and inspected Celestia. It was easier to see than in the comparative dullness of the unicorn general; something not quite right in the tides of magic that flowed through her sister. The sense of déjà-vu became very strong, and for a moment Luna was sure she'd seen something like it before. Then there was a sudden sensation of falling, and--
"--so the only way to assure the safety of my little ponies is to expand our influence over the whole world. Imagine that, the sun will never set on the Equestrian Empire!"
--the night will last forever. She sounds just like I did. The thought ripped through Luna and she flinched, breaking the connection. "What? What did you just say?"
For the first time during her monologue, Celestia looked uncertain. Her confusion only lasted a second, then her features smoothed and she tossed her head in irritation. "A figure of speech, nothing more. So, what do you think?"
I think you are insane if you think you are immune to this malady, but I have seen it before -- only from the inside. The megalomania, the increased aggression, a conviction that you were right, despite any evidence to the contrary. Even if I went along with you, you'd still turn against me. Suddenly realising she'd been silent too long, Luna made a show of pacing the floor.
"Your plan is interesting, sister. I agree that security should be our priority -- but surely what you suggest will overstretch our forces?" How did you let this happen to yourself, did you not recognise the nature of the threat? Feeling sick to her stomach, Luna realised how easy it would have been to fall victim to that alien voice, so similar to your own thoughts, especially if you were not expecting it. I always skirted around the exact cause of my failure, the incident was too tied up with my jealousy. That little snap in my head that pushed me over the edge. Fighting the urge to gallop away, Luna stood her ground and stared back at her sister. It must be him. Despite our best efforts, the Lord of Chaos has sunk his teeth into you. How has he done this?
"They will not dare stand against us!" Celestia's eyes flashed, their depths filled with the glimmer of distant flames. "If our enemies fight, they will lose. An enforced peace will serve all those fractious gryphons as well as it will us. In time they will come to see we were right."
"And if they don't want our peace, and fight us anyway? What then?"
"Then we shall make ourselves a silence and call it a peace," General Buckler said.
Luna looked at her in shock, waiting for Celestia's reprimand. Instead all her sister did was nod slowly.
"We must hope it doesn't come to that, but we will be ready," the Princess said sternly. "I still regret not finishing the Changelings when we had the chance."
"Quite so," Luna said faintly. "Sister, this is a lot to take in. I-I need to clear my head." And get away from you before I do something stupid. "Our people are in dire straits; while I think on this I will make tonight's sky especially uplifting." Luna started to back away. I will not make the mistakes you did with me. I will need to act quickly before the madness sinks too deeply into your soul. If only you had noticed the change in me and not waited until the Elements were the only option. Memories of those distant, bitter days, still as fresh as if they were yesterday, welled up and threatened to fill her eyes with tears. No, not again. I will not allow history to repeat itself.
"As you wish."
Celestia watched her go, a faint frown of... What is that; disappointment? Suspicion? Luna shivered, glad when the Day Princess bent her head to resume her discussions with Buckler.
===
Luna took the shortcut back to her quarters, leaping out of a nearby window and soaring around the turrets to the high tower that held her workroom. Alighting on the balcony, she carefully nudged the door open, nosing past the heavy drapes and into the still darkened room. Her eyes, one of the few things she'd reacquired from her time as the Nightmare -- although without the draconic pupils -- had already adjusted, and she could see the still sleeping shape of Astrid.
That is something, at least, she thought, gazing down at the unicorn, then trotted over to a blank section of wall. A glimmer of magic woke the wall screen, turning a quarter of the dome a glossy black. A few fumbles later and the tired face of Topsy Krett peered out of screen. The camera at the other mare's end was very good; Luna could see every capillary in her bloodshot eyes.
"Princess Luna? Is that you?"
"How are you feeling, Topsy? Answer quickly."
Topsy blinked, then frowned. "I should ask you the same question, your Highness. If you mean 'are you feeling like hiding or starting a fight', then no, I'm fine. I sealed Panopticon before any of the infected got inside; as long as Buckler thinks I'm cooperating, she won't order the doors breached. Have... have you talked to Princess Celestia? She has been saying some interesting things lately."
"I have. It does not look good." Luna said, turning up the lights at her end and letting Topsy see her face.
The earth pony was visibly relieved, her head sagging to her hooves. "I'm so glad you called; every time I contact the Palace I get Buckler or one of her aides. Listen, it is vital that you stay away from the infected as much as possible. Celestia fell under the influence of the plague after visiting Canterlot General; I have to believe that the Palace is just as much a toxic environment -- although there is another possibility, if all of this is just a smokescreen to get to Celestia and you. As far as I can tell, the last patient Celestia visited was Equilibrium."
"Director Neighmann's mate?" Luna asked sharply.
"Yes, she was the one the gryphons returned, and apparently she infected the passengers of the airship Canterlot Dreaming."
A pony that was bound to attract the interest of Celestia or myself, either directly or through Neighmann. Luna nodded; it all made a horrible sense. "In that case I am safe from infection from any other pony. It is obvious that she was prepared as a weapon to strike against us." My sister too, I think, Luna thought, remembering that odd sensation of falling before Celestia had shocked her out of her shadow sight. Sweat abruptly dampened her flanks. Is that all that saved me? A chance word?
"Do you have any orders for me, Princess?" Topsy's voice was calm and even, but held a note of pleading.
"I do. Despite the fact that Discord is still under the Element's influence, this event has his nasty little claws all over it. Contact Director Neighmann, I have questions for him."
Topsy nodded, doing something to a control panel out of sight of the camera. The screen split, one half blank for a long minute, then lighting up with the foxy face of a chiropt in partial Night Guard armour. He was in the process of yawning, pearly-white fangs glinting in the light, when the call was connected. For an instant he froze, then his mouth snapped shut. "Mistress! Ah, I mean, your Highness -- how may I serve?"
At least he didn't call me 'Darkness'. "I need to speak to Director Neighmann, immediately."
"Then you are closer to him than I. He was delivered to the detention block beneath the Palace a few hours ago. He wanted to speak to you, Princess, had some story about how all the sensors around Discord were lying to him."
"Why was he imprisoned?"
"I didn't know at the time, but he must have caught the same madness everypony else has. He assaulted a co-worker when she tried to stop him from activating the specials in the Monster Room."
Luna looked thoughtfully at the Night Guard. You were in close proximity to two of the infected, yet you appear perfectly normal. Is it that finely tuned to a pony brain? Perhaps it is the alterations I made during their inception... Their sonar had required a significant revision in brain structure before it had functioned. The guilt at her thoughtless creation of a new species, first for somepony to appreciate her work, then forged into a weapon against Celestia, was still there -- although faded and faint from the intervening centuries.
Where are most of my Guard, then? If they are immune to the infection they have probably been maintaining order as best they can. She'd never had the numbers of the Day Guard, partly because of the lower population pool to draw from, but mainly because such fawning was too close to what the Nightmare had wanted.
"What is your name, Guard?"
"I am corporal--" There was a high-pitched squeal of noise, loud and complex. On the other screen, Topsy winced. "NG five five seven one zero..." The chiropt glanced to one side, looking at the part of his own screen that held the image of Topsy. "...but everypony calls me Chirr."
"Is your station secure?"
"Yes, Princess. After the incident with the Director and what's happened in the city, almost nopony has turned up for work. I can handle any security requirements."
"Excellent. Remain at your post; I will be joining you shortly."
Luna nodded to Chirr, cutting him out of the call. "Director Krett," she said formally, "continue to feed information to Celestia and General Buckler. Keep them happy, but be vague about my actions. I will take my secure earpiece; contact me as required. I will especially need updates on any military movements. Avoid talking directly to my sister if at all possible; she is excellent at reading ponies and it is unlikely you will be able to lie to her, even on a voice-only line."
"Yes, Princess. What should I do if she asks me to locate you?"
"Do as she asks. In her current mood she may break down your door and ask questions later." Luna gave Topsy a twisted smile. "Also, I don't plan on telling you anything useful."
===
Luna launched herself off the tower's balcony and into the night sky, sweeping past the white stonework and heading for the lower levels. Shadow sight turned the palace into a ghostly, translucent model, picked out by the jewelled lights of ponies. She frowned, then nodded, turning over in the air and diving to land outside a small door in one building. A teleport would have been quicker, and taken her to right outside the detention block, but also would have broadcast her actions to Celestia and any unicorn within a dozen kilometres. I need to be ready before I face my sister and rip out that thing growing within her.
Ever present in Luna's mind was what might have to be done if she was too late. Forced to use the Elements under the same circumstances as before, the results were bound to be the same, only the consequences would be worse. With Celestia locked away, she would have to face the Lord of Chaos alone, when he finally came out of the shadows. Even if I win the cost may be too high. She quailed at the thought of a millennium alone. At least her own banishment had passed at the distorted speed of a relativistic time frame; the idea of having to take the long way around terrified her.
This part of the palace was practically deserted; the few remaining ponies were either huddled out of sight or ferociously guarding entrances that nopony cared about. She saw nopony as she flew through the warren of passages, wings practically touching the walls, alighting before the heavy entrance door to the small cell block. The two Day Guard -- one a white pegasus, the other a grey unicorn -- crashed to attention, ceremonial spears crossing in front of the door.
"Halt! None may pass without permission from General Buckler," the pegasus said, his voice booming out in the classic drill sergeant tones.
The infection must also affect a pony's eyesight, Luna thought, suppressing the urge to laugh in his face. "A Guard with a sense of humour, how novel. Open the door."
The pegasus blinked and shook his head, staring at her in shock before stumbling to one side. "Princess? I--" There was a flash of blue-white light and electrical arcs spidered over his body. Luna stared open mouthed as the pegasus crumpled without a sound.
"Not my Princess!" the unicorn snarled, lashing out with a hind leg to strike the emergency panel on the wall behind him.
Luna reached out with her own magic, phantasmal claws folding around the suddenly terrified Day Guard. Her anger bubbling over at this act of disloyalty, she lifted him off his hooves, then realised her mistake when laser-pure colours erupted from the floor and ceiling. Luna’s wings flared in surprise, then froze at half extension as telekinetic fields made the air feel like molasses. She released the Guard, scrabbling for the detention block’s defence system controls, but more magic lashed out and folded over her like a suffocating blanket.
Her power was pulled away, sucked into some bottomless pit as fast as she could collect it, by spellcraft systems designed to cope with a dragon or another super mutant like the self-styled King Sombra. Her mind started to fill with random sparkles and strange atonal noises, the anti-magic user ‘dazzlers’ tapping into her senses and further disrupting her efforts. Luna saw the Guard out of the corner of one eye, his face screwed up in the glare of waste light from all the magic being thrown around, start to cast a spell of his own. She opened her mouth to try and talk some sense into him, but a point of hot, white light lanced out from his horn to strike her on the shoulder.
It was like being struck by a hammer. All her muscles locked up and her teeth snapped shut on the end of her tongue. Mouth filling with the taste of old iron, Luna struggled to get a grip on her magic, but the shock spell did something to her concentration and allowed the dazzlers to get a grip on her mind. The spell she’d been building to destroy the defences turned into randomised blasts of telekinesis that punched craters into the hewn stone of the deep tunnels.
Stupid filly, getting caught with your guard down! All these years of peace and prosperity have made you soft. The unicorn deftly dodged her wild magic, channelling the raw power away from his body with the skill of a martial artist. I trained you all too well, she thought fleetingly, then the Guard charged another spell. There was a flash and the high voltage electric arc sound of the enchantment, filling her nostrils with the smell of burning fur.
The world went away, shrinking to a bright pinpoint and blinking out.
===
Neighmann watched the unicorn carry Princess Luna past his cell door, the feeling of unreality making him think he was dreaming all of this. The deadness in the air, a direct result of the magical shielding built into the walls, increased the feeling. He'd suffered from his share of 'loss-of-magic' dreams -- mostly from when he'd just come into his power -- and the memory of waking up in a cold sweat prompted him to bite his lips hard enough to make them tingle.
No such luck; a nice nightmare would be a relief from this mess, he thought. He watched carefully as the Guard deposited the Princess none-too-gently in the next cell, half-heartedly reaching out with his magic to soften her landing. The transparent dividing wall, probably the same stuff as he'd commissioned for the Monster Room, just seemed to soak up the power as if it wasn't there. It had that same 'fishtank' optical effect, a sure sign of a thick layer of something dense. Artificial sapphire, he thought gloomily, tapping the wall with one hoof. It clanked dully, giving an impression of immense solidity.
He stared hard at the Princess, trying to see if she was having any difficulty. As far as he could tell she was breathing normally, but red had dripped out of the corner of her mouth. "You were supposed to be indestructible," he whispered, the sight of her minor injury more of a shock than he thought it would be. Speculation was rife about the true nature of the Princesses, something they refused to comment on in any depth. To see one of the theories confirmed was deeply unsettling. She looked different somehow; smaller and lighter in colour, her mane and tail no longer star-filled depths, but just light-blue hair.
Neighmann reared up and pounded on the wall hard enough to make his forelegs hurt, sure that it would be inaudible in Luna's cell. Despite all expectations, her ears pricked up, swivelling in his direction. One large teal eye opened, then the Princess jerked upright, head swinging left and right in panic. Hooves scrabbled silently against the slick flooring and she fell, landing heavily. The impact seemed to shock the panic out of her, because she lay still for a long minute before climbing carefully to her hooves.
Violet light flared over Luna's horn, but it was a dim and flickering thing compared to what it should have been. More light danced over the door, glowing worms of a purple so deep that they were hard to focus on. Neighmann's eyes widened as the door twitched and rattled. "Come on," he shouted, "you can do it! You move the moon for Tartarus' sake; you must be able to shift that little door."
Something groaned, faint and far away, a mechanism being stressed past its design limits, but Luna was flagging. Her sides were heaving like bellows, sweat turning her flanks a darker blue. The violet glow flicked out and her legs gave way, dropping her to the too-small sleeping pad, eyes closed and gasping for breath. Neighmann slumped, staring through the wall at the creature he'd always thought to have infinite power, now huddled against the opposite wall and refusing to meet his gaze.