Chapter 2: Distrust
Princess Celestia lay awake in her bed in the early morning hours. She knew she still had long before she was required to raise the sun, but thoughts of her sister had kept her awake.
Celestia had spent a thousand years convincing herself that exiling her sister to the moon had been the right decision. Still, the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to run to Luna's room, and beg for her sister's forgiveness.
One thousand years. Just trying to imagine one thousand years of isolation made the alicorn shudder.
And then there was another matter Celestia hadn't taken up with Luna. Her growth. Or lack thereof.
She was still that small, bright purple coated alicorn that she was before her transformation. Celestia had started to think that perhaps her aging had been suspended on the surface of the moon.
She should have experienced a significant growth in size, as well as a coat darkening, by this age. And this brought a horrible thought to Celestia's mind. Had she stunted the growth of her own sister? Such could cause permanent damage.
And worst of all, Celestia could not shake the suspicion that, given the chance, Luna would try to avenge her imprisonment on the moon. Who wouldn't? And this only furthered the doubt in her heart.
She looked up at the sky. She thought about mother and father. How they would have handled this whole situation. And she thought of a promise she made to a little alicorn filly over a thousand years ago.
These thoughts swirled around in her head as she waited to raise the morning sun.
The royal armory was stacked with swords, shields, and armor plating. An old, grey coated pegasus sat there, patiently polishing his armor. His name was Porthos. He was the captain of the royal guard, a veteran of many conflicts in and around Equestria. He had been the first on the scene when Nightmare Moon returned, attacking the fair town of Ponyville. And like many of the guards in the palace, he was skeptical of the moon princess's stability.
A muscular unicorn trotted in, a wry grin on his face as he watched his master polish away.
"Do you ever sleep?"
Porthos looked at the clock. "Just got up. Why?"
Shining Armor shrugged. "I don't know. You look so...ready. For something."
Porthos looked up from his armor. "Son, why did you sign up for this squadron?"
Shining Armor looked deep in thought. "You want to know the truth?"
"That would be nice."
Shining managed a slight chuckle. "The mares."
Porthos snorted. "You're a bloody imbecile Shining."
"What? Tell me you never thought about mares when you first took this job."
Porthos looked up at him. "Kid, I already had a mare when I took this job." He looked back down at the armor. "There's only one thing this job gets you kid, and it's heartbreak."
Shining Armor looked away. "Got dumped, huh?"
Porthos smirked. "Nah. I dumped her. Turns out she was sleeping with anypony willing to give her the time."
Shining chuckled. Porthos began laughing as well.
"Mares boy." Porthos said. "You gotta be wary."
Shining Armor looked off in the direction of Princess Luna's room. "Speaking of mares, what do you think dark and depressed over there is up to?"
Porthos's smile disappeared. "I would not presume to give my opinion on such a matter."
Shining frowned. "Come on. Give me something. An opinion. An observation. C'mon, the boys are really on edge."
Porthos looked up, eyebrow raised. "They don't want to talk to ME about it?"
"Hey c'mon. That's why I'm your second. They talk to me, I talk to you."
Porthos looked around. "You want my opinion?"
"Yeah. I do."
The old stallion took a deep breath. "Way I see it, maybe, maybe she isn't a threat. But that doesn't matter. The point is that not even Celestia can convince the rest of the country of that. They want her tried for a crime she committed a thousand years ago. They want justice. Their version of it anyway."
"But Celestia's given her a second chance..."
"I know." Porthos continued. "The problem is, Celestia is indecisive here. She's not willing to trust Luna enough to make any real declaration that she's one hundred percent behind her. If she declared to the public that she was fully trusting in Luna's abilities, it would probably calm the hysteria at least a little. On the other hoof, she's too protective of Luna to give the public what they want."
Shining Armor frowned. "Which is?"
Porthos sighed. "The ability to try Luna in a court, not as a royal, but as an unprotected subject. Where she would almost certainly face a harsh sentence. Maybe even a second trip to the moon, who knows how far they'd be willing to go?"
Shining Armor sat back. "For crimes Nightmare Moon committed a thousand years ago?" He paused. "Well...I'd hate to be Princess Celestia right now."
Porthos looked out the window. The sky was brightening. The sun would have to rise soon.
"Way I see it, the Princess will eventually have to make a choice. Her subjects, or her sister."
There was a clopping sound as a guard bolted towards them.
He nearly collapsed as he entered the armory. He was very much out of breath. Shining Armor grabbed him and held him up.
"Easy soldier. What's your hurry?"
He looked at him in fear, then over at Porthos.
"Nightmare Moon's armor. It's gone."
Porthos trotted briskly through the halls. He knew this news would greatly unsettle his princess, but he also knew this could be just the thing to force her into action.
He rapped on the Princesses door. He heard a yawn, then the sound of her great hooves hitting the floor. Then the door creaked open.
"What is the matter Porthos?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.
"The armor madam. Nightmare Moon's armor. It has gone missing."
Celestia's eyes widened. "What? But...it was secure. Deep in the palace depths."
Porthos nodded. "I understand madam. But it appears somepony has stolen away with it in the night."
Celestia's ears flattened. They both knew who had taken that armor.
"Should I send guards to her quarters? She could be an imminent threat, my princess..."
Celestia shook her head. "No. Sending armed guards will simply frighten her." She paused a moment, pondering the implications of her sister's move.
"I'll go. I will speak to her."
Luna backed into her bedroom, the spirit advancing towards her. Nightmare Moon looked around. "Ah yes. I remember this room. Just like our old room Luna. Did you ever wonder why our sister let the Everfree Forest consume our old home?"
Luna backed into the wall, still terrified at the vision before her.
"Because she wanted to forget us." Nightmare Moon continued. "She wanted to forget that we ever existed. You and I, we are the same."
Luna shook her head. "No. We are not." She gritted her teeth and took an angry swing at the night demon.
Her hoof went through the creature. Nightmare Moon laughed.
"Oh dear Luna. You wish to hurt me?" She cackled gleefully. "I am not a physical being Luna. I am merely an idea. And you cannot hurt an idea."
Luna cried out. The last time she had been this afraid had been the moments after being freed of Nightmare Moon. As she lay on the floor of her former home, and her sister towered over her, her eyes looking down on her in anger and suspicion.
But Celestia had always been far more merciful than her.
"Why are you here? I was freed of you!"
"You cannot be freed of an idea!" Nightmare Moon replied. "You can only be tortured by one."
Luna cowered into the corner of her room, quivering like the little filly from all those years ago. "Please...leave me alone."
"Now where is the fun in that?" Nightmare replied. Luna closed her eyes and buried her head in her hooves, as if trying to wish the fiendish spirit away. Nightmare sighed.
"You are such an infant. Stop quivering thou foalish welp."
Luna looked up at her. "Tis not fair. I was rid of you...I was trying to rebuild thy life..."
"Rebuild? How? By hiding from the world? Hiding your true self?"
Luna slowly got up off the floor. "They...they don't care for my true self."
"I am your true self." Nightmare snapped. "And they will care for us, once we have killed Celestia, and raised the moon once and for all!"
Luna looked up at her, her features become sterner. "You were not but an accident Nightmare. My emotions got out of my control. I allowed jealousy to take over. And I may spend the entirety of my life trying to live you down."
Nightmare Moon frowned. "Sounds like a waste of a life. Why not let me back in? Eh Luna? Let me back in, you won't have to play second fiddle to anypony! You'll be the one in control. Not Celestia. Not those pissant subjects."
Luna looked at her surroundings, then back at the spirit, who eyed her curiously.
Then she lifted up a hoof and slapped herself across the face.
Nightmare arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
Luna trotted to the other side of the room. "I am still in slumber aren't I? This is a dream."
She grabbed the stone wall of the room and slammed her head against it. She fell back to the stone floor.
Nightmare giggled. "If you say so."
The pain she had felt upon headbutting the wall had been quite sharp. And real. She was seeing stars as she got back to her hooves.
"How can I awaken?" She asked. "There must be some way...I have royal business to attend to, I must meet with the weather representatives from Cloudsdale to discuss the winter transition."
Nightmare shrugged. "You'll have to cancel, I'm afraid."
She began inspecting her bedroom for ways to wake herself up. All the while her panic level rose.
"Sister will be upset should I oversleep again..."
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. "Luna, you are not sleeping. You are very much awake. And while this is quite amusing, we are wasting time."
Luna's eyes darted from the bedroom wall to the spirit hovering before her.
"This...this must still be the dream. You are not real...I will not allow you back into my life!"
She went back into the bedroom and ran the sink. She put her whole head underneath the water, letting it wash over her.
She frantically looked in the mirror. The water. Surely it would awaken her.
"Oh. Water. How horrifying. I'll certainly leave you alone now." Nightmare sneered. Luna looked up at her. She smashed her hoof through her mirror in frustration. She collapsed to the floor, panting.
"I'm not dreaming am I?" She asked.
Nightmare shook her head. "I fear not."
Luna walked through the spirit. She headed for her door, and roughly shoved it open.
"I shall tell Celestia." She declared angrily.
Nightmare Moon laughed. "Well then good luck to you!"
Luna paused. She slowly turned around. "Why?"
Nightmare Moon nodded and gestured towards the door. "Go. Tell Celestia how you are seeing visions that nopony else can."
"What dost thou mean..."
"I am only visible to you, Luna. So go. Tell Celestia how you are talking to a vision that's telling you to do horrible things. Then try to convince her that you're not turning into me."
Luna's heart sank. Her words were true. Her recent behavior, combined with talk of having a demon inside her head, would surely lead her sister to suspect the worst.
"And then beg her not to throw you into her dungeon." Nightmare finished with a grin.
Luna felt her breathing get heavier. She sat down on the cold stone floor. "You...you..."
"No." Nightmare Moon sneered. "We."
"What do you wish for me to do?" Luna asked.
"For now, merely follow me." Nightmare said. She began trotting down the hall. Luna hesitantly followed.
Five minutes later, Celestia gently knocked on her sister's door. She tapped her hoof on the floor impatiently, waiting for a response.
"Luna? Are you in there?" She called. No answer.
She sighed, then carefully turned the knob, and pushed open the door.
The room was empty. Celestia gasped.
"Luna? Luna?! Where are you sister?"
She turned and ran down the hallway.
Nightmare arrived at a large black door. It was considerably less attractive than the other doors in the palace. Luna recoiled at the sight of it. Nightmare gestured for her to open it.
"No! Celestia does not wish for me to intrude there! I could get in trouble!"
"Oh posh. You are no longer a foal, Luna. You make your own rules. Just as I do."
Luna hesitated. She placed her hoof up against the door. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"If you ever want to be rid of me, you'll open this door right now." Nightmare hissed.
Luna grimaced, then pushed the door open, unsure of what horrors lay inside.
It was a dark corridor. Only a single row of torches on one side illuminated it. The air was stale, and humid. She began trotting down the corridor, each step building more fear in her chest.
Celestia must have banned this section of the palace for a reason. Perhaps a secret library? A private sanctuary? As she reached the end, she entered a large chamber. It was circular, with a marble floor. Stones stuck up from the polished surface.
Approaching brought a shudder out of the small alicorn. They were gravestones.
"What is this?" Luna asked, her eyes wide.
"This is our handiwork." Nightmare Moon replied. "Every guard and soldier that tried to stop us from taking the throne."
Luna's ears went back. Her heart dropped into her stomach. "I killed ponies?"
"We killed our own bodyguards." Nightmare replied. "And some of Celestia's. And every foalish soldier who attempted to stop us. This is our legacy, Luna."
Luna sank to her knees. She looked around at all the gravestones. So much blood on her hooves. Celestia had never told her how many had been hurt by Nightmare Moon's brief reign.
She looked back up at the mirror image of herself. The armored alicorn smirked back at her. Luna's eyes seethed with hatred. But not for the spirit. For herself.
There were hoofsteps behind her. She turned to see her sister, looking down at her, her eyes wide, a frantic expression on her face.
"Luna...this was not meant for you to see..." She began.
"How many?" Luna asked.
"What?"
Luna turned to her, her eyes glistening with tears. "How many did thy murder?"
Celestia sighed. She looked away, knowing her response would push Luna closer to that edge.
"HOW MANY?!" Luna shouted.
"Eighteen." Celestia replied. "They attempted to defend the palace from you. They didn't stand a chance."
Luna turned back to the gravestones. She could feel the sadness and guilt welling up inside her.
"Luna. I know you must be...dealing with a lot of emotions right now. But we need to discuss something. Nightmare Moon's armor has disappeared."
Luna looked over at Celestia. She could see now the real reason Celestia was here. An accusatory glare on her face told the whole story.
Luna turned, pointing her hoof at the spirit. "You...!" Nightmare Moon was gone. She was alone with Celestia.
She turned back. "I...I don't...know..." She stammered to find the right words.
Celestia looked somewhat puzzled. She grabbed Luna's foreleg firmly. "You must come with me now Luna."
Luna looked up at her big sister, panic in her eyes. "Celestia, I didn't do anything."
"Alright, well until I know that for sure, I have to bring you with me."
She trotted back through the corridor, pulling Luna along with her.
The chamber was windowless. Dark. Cold. Celestia stood just outside the room, surrounded by her advisors.
"Have we searched her room yet?" Celestia asked.
"Yes. We have. No trace of the armor." A green coated unicorn replied.
"Alright. She must have hidden it somewhere. Maybe I can get her to tell me."
"And after that ma'am?" The unicorn asked.
"What about after that?"
"Well, she needs to be punished in some way ma'am. I mean...the dungeon, the moon, Cloudsdale Penitentiary..."
Celestia raised a hoof. "Excuse me. If you ever use Cloudsdale Penitentiary, and my sister in the same sentence again, I'll send YOU to the moon. Is that understood?"
The adviser backed away, nodding fearfully.
"Very good. I'll go talk to her."
Luna shivered in the chilly air. This room felt like a torture chamber. Cold. Impersonal. Her fear seemed to build with every minute she spent in it.
Finally, with a creak, the door opened, and her sister trotted in.
She would not admit that seeing her sister brought her comfort, but it did. She quickly put on an childish pout. No need to show Celestia how scared she really was.
"Why put me in a room without windows Tia?" Luna asked. "Do you wish to frighten me?"
Celestia arched an eyebrow. "I thought you liked the darkness."
Luna nodded. "I do. But you do not. So this must be quite serious."
"It is." Celestia replied. "Where did you put the armor Luna?"
Luna sighed loudly. She was still quite tired from being awakened so early. Her eyes had bags beneath them from her lack of sleep.
"Can I go to bed Tia?" She asked.
Celestia edged closer to her. "As soon as you tell me where the armor is. Then I'll send you back to your room. You can sleep as much as you want."
Luna's expression hardened. She wished she could believe that. For now, she tried the truth. "I didn't take it Tia. I swear. I didn't."
Celestia continued staring at her younger sister. She noticed the bags under her eyes. As much as she wished to find out more about this armor, her big sister instincts were kicking in.
"Didn't sleep well, huh?"
Luna shook her head. "I had an unsettling nightmare."
Celestia seemed to show genuine concern. She reached forward and gently stroked Luna's mane gently. She knew that while this was technically an interrogation, Luna was far too sensitive to simply hammer away at. A creature who had spent a thousand years in isolation deserved at least a little warmth.
"Do you wish to talk about it?"
Luna began to shake her head. But this had to get out in the open. "Well...it was something from our past. You probably wouldn't remember it..."
"You underestimate my memory, sister." Celestia replied.
Luna nodded, taking another deep breath. Her heart was racing. Sweat poured from her brow. She knew that all this made her look more guilty than she was. But she couldn't stop it.
"It was a long time ago. When I was a...a filly. Do you remember the royal picnic?"
The memory brought a smile to Celestia's face. "Of course. You and I had so much fun together on that day. Little Woona."
Luna's ears went back. She managed a light chuckle.
Celestia's brow furrowed. "You saw this as a nightmare?"
Luna shook her head. "Things changed, in the dream. It...did not conclude well."
Celestia looked at her, puzzled. "Well...do you want to talk about that?"
Luna shook her head. "No."
Celestia leaned in close to her sister. "Luna, there needs to be a trust between us. We are sisters. We are no longer enemies. At least, I hope we're not."
Luna sighed. "I cannot trust you. Right now, you are trying to draw out a confession for a crime I neither committed, nor had any part of."
"Luna, I need to know I can trust you. Tell me the truth." Celestia said.
Luna stood up. "Do you wish to know the truth Celestia?"
Celestia stood up as well. "Yes! Is that not clear?!"
"This morning, I was visited by Nightmare Moon. She appeared, in spirit form, in my bedroom and spoke to me. That is why you found me in that chamber. She led me there."
Celestia looked at her sister, wide eyed. "Do you think that this spirit had anything to do with the missing armor?"
Luna shook her head. "I know not sister." Her gaze shifted elsewhere. "All I know, is that she is standing over your left shoulder right now."
Indeed she was. Glaring at Luna, with that hideous, toothy grin.
Celestia turned quickly. She frowned.
"Luna. There's nopony here but us."
Luna stared at her incredulously. "You cannot see her?"
Celestia stared back at her. "Luna, there's nopony here!"
Luna sank back to the floor. Of course Celestia couldn't see her. Suddenly, the little alicorn was desperate to get out of the room.
"I...I'm so tired. Please, just let me sleep."
Celestia sighed, then turned to leave the room. "Do not worry Luna. You'll be back in bed soon enough. Promise."
As she walked away, she thought of just how badly this situation was getting. And what, if anything she could do to keep it from spinning out of control.
"You dare walk away from thy master?!"
Celestia froze. The voice was not that of Luna. Not entirely.
She turned. Luna's expression had changed entirely. Her face was carved into an evil grin.
"The real princess of Equestria is here now. You, Celestia, will die along with your precious sun!"
She strode back to the table. "Nightmare Moon I presume?"
Luna smirked. Her venomous voice sent chills down Celestia's spine.
"Did you not think I would return? Did you not think I would avenge? The moon will rise. Permanently. There will be no stopping it this time. And our subjects..."
Celestia grabbed her by her lunar necklace. "I will send you straight back to your moon if you even TRY to harm my subjects."
The alicorn smirked. "You wouldn't do that to me, your beloved sister. Not again."
Celestia gritted her teeth. "You don't think I'd do it? I will defend my subjects at ALL COST LUNA!!"
As quickly as she came, Nightmare Moon was gone. Luna's eyes widened, and she looked at the anger on her sister's face with fear.
"No! That was not me! I swear it!"
Celestia felt all the anger rush out of her. Her expression turned to one of confusion. She released her grip on her sister. Luna tried to shrink down again, make herself as small as possible.
She was not but a huddled purple mass now. Celestia closed her eyes and embraced the shaking alicorn. "It's okay. It's okay. Calm down."
Tears streaked down Luna's muzzle. Celestia looked into her eyes. Her heart was screaming at her, telling her that her sister had to come first. Telling her to further comfort the troubled alicorn. To help her rid herself of whatever was left of the demon that possessed her. She decided to listen to her brain instead.
"I'm sorry Luna. But you are a danger to this palace. And this kingdom. Guards?"
The royal guards entered the room. Luna looked at them fearfully.
"Where would we be taking her?" Porthos asked.
Celestia thought it over. "I have a promise to keep. Take her to her room. She is not allowed to leave." She looked down at her smaller sister. Her mind took her to the day she had spoken of earlier.
The day she had brought the filly out into the world. To see her subjects, and to see the land she would one day rule. She remembered those big, blue eyes as the filly looked out across it.
A kingdom that was supposed to be shared. And Celestia's heart was near breaking as she spoke her next words.
"I hereby relieve you of your royal duties and obligations. You will be taken into royal custody. You are not allowed to use any magic, nor attempt to utilize your wings. And you are stripped of your princesshood indefinitely."
She removed the crown from Luna's head. Luna looked up at her with a mixture of sadness and anger.
"Tia? Don't...don't do this to me." She begged.
"I have no choice." Celestia gestured to the guards. "Take her away."