//------------------------------// // One // Story: I See You. // by crystaltunes //------------------------------// The sun. A celestial body of shining light. Beautiful and bright, it would glow all day, but fade out at night, just like Celestia did. Just like everypony did. Though the night was arguably the most enchanting time around, with glittering stars galore and the milky-white orb of the moon shining down, nopony stood awake. Even for a moment, they wouldn’t look at the sky or remark- or just for a second think how wonderful it was. They would sleep. A passing of time before the sun would shine once again. Just a passage of time. But… why was the moon so overshadowed? That was a question Princess Luna had held for days and nights, unable to answer. Until finally, that mind of hers answered itself; she realized once and for all that the moon would never shine without the light of the sun. Without the sun she was nothing, she wasn’t even able to be seen. So all she was, simply a shadow, was all she would be with Celestia by her side. And nothing else. But she needed to be something else. So? She simply would be- even if the ropes of fate were never in her favor. (And why were they never in her favor? Because they were tied to Celestia.) Celestia, who had loved her for a few years, lost the adoration the second she gained power. Her attention shifted to her “subjects” and the tactics to stay in power. What they didn’t see was exactly what stung the young princess hard- the vile words which would escape Celestia’s mouth. She no longer loved Luna, and that was the truth. Nopony loved her, but everypony adored their “loving, wise ladyship”. Why did Celestia no longer love her? What did she do? Why did nopony remember her? Acknowledge her to a fraction of how they acknowledged her sister? She wasn’t enough for them, apparently. Countless nights of restlessness, in which she was locked in that little room, had led to this. The little voice inside her head, pushing her to become instead of wait, would once and for all dominate. No longer would the ponies of Equestria slumber away- not if they experienced how it felt to lay sleepless and unable to get a wink of rest. And though every bone of her body fought and screamed to keep it out, that little voice took over. She would BECOME. Celestia never thought for long. She lacked the need to contemplate- she just did what her heart knew what was right for the ponies she governed. And she was wise, her decisions always benefitting the citizens. And that’s why she gleamed so bright. Not only this, but her nature was one of a workaholic. This was something nopony outside of the castle knew, or ever would know. Celestia often locked herself away in that room of hers for hours, days even, working away. It was only half for the citizens. The other half was the drive of anxiety- something Celestia struggled with. And that anxiety really didn’t show when she met her subjects. She knew how to keep her cool. But she wasn’t the same with her sister- instead, Celestia was aware that sometimes her anger and stress would fall out on Luna, in harsh words. But Luna knew she loved her more than simple words could say. She knew that Celestia worked her hardest for the ponies. But Luna knew everything about Celestia, from her deepest secrets to her terrible motivations, even if they were never shared through words. It was inevitable. The Princess knew a lot about Luna, too. But not the way Luna knew her. It was true she remembered everything about her, yet that was a mere recollection of the past. She failed to talk to her younger sister like she did before, and she ultimately knew nothing about her now that she was grown. Luna was completely different from the bright, funny, and social butterfly she used to be as a filly. But Celestia knew not of this, and never would. It was a starry night, and finally the lady would be able to get some shuteye. Luna had finally handled getting the moon up properly- something Celestia would nag her about constantly- and she did it in time. Good. She rested her swan-like head on her feathered pillow as she made a mental note of everything she had to do by tomorrow. Another celebration was the first thing on the list, a celebration for her. Some ponies had set it up to put their respects to the princess. That was one thing she loved more than her subjects itself. The affection she received from her hard work was well sufficient, and she was practically paid by it. Though these words would never escape the lips of the princess, it was her true desire to be appreciated, as she was. And it wasn’t a vicious dream, considering she loved her citizens just as well. Another thing- Luna. The younger alicorn had been on her mind for quite a while now; Celestia knew the pressure she sometimes put her under, and realized she was quite well coping with it. Not exactly the way Celestia had wanted her to progress, but good enough. It was true that the older princess had missed the time spent with her sister, and she decided to spend some time with her tomorrow. (And obviously, she’d make it known that the time was hard for her to give in the first place, but that’s another story.) Maybe out for icecream? Luna loved that. How long had it been since they spent time together? Maybe a couple of years, Celestia thought. She winced, realizing how distant she had become. But Luna knew she loved her, and she would show her tomorrow anyways. If the stubborn princess would come along. Hopefully. It was a privilege. To… both of them, honestly. The ladyship never had time sleeping. The long, countless hours she worked was enough to tire her out by night. So after a couple of thoughts racked her brain, she fell into a light slumber. She wasn’t aware of what Luna had to deal with, though. And frankly, the dark blue alicorn doubted if she’d care. As if it was a subtle curse, each night she would lay awake for hours. Thoughts of self-pity, confusion, and self-hatred spiraling her head, unable to turn off. She couldn’t sleep, through the long hours of the night. No purpose. Nothing. And for everypony, the moon set as quickly as it rose. But not for her. Never for Luna. Celestia woke in a cold sweat. A loud “pang” echoed through the castle, as she glanced out the window in shock. Still night, why was she up? In a daze she rose up from the bed. What was happening? Did a guard drop something? The princess sighed and yawned, peeking her head out from the door. A scream. A yell of pure terror, of agony. One she had hoped to never hear. The voice was familiar- which made the alicorn’s eyes water- and it begged and pleaded in pure helplessness. As if it was being tortured. It continued, and Celestia was frozen to her place. The scream only got louder as she heard a shuffle of hooves pace towards the room it was coming from. And on the door, etched out- “Princess Luna, her majesty.” Abruptly, the screaming stopped. The ground shook, and sobs ensued. “No, please, no.” Luna’s voice begged one last time. The guards rushed in, Celestia thought. But she couldn’t think. The princess, the sun, her excellency- the kindest and bravest heart Equestria had to offer- couldn’t move an inch when she heard her sister screaming, shouting, begging. Useless. The scurrying hooves made a harsh stop, and more screams (now, male) clenched the castle. Thud. Thud. Thud. All guards were down. It was silent for a moment, and a bright light shone. Brighter than anything the princess had witnessed. Brighter than herself. Celestia could not shield her eyes. She could not blink. She just stood there, waiting for something to happen. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. A menacing laugh, following one last shriek. Her sister was being attacked, tortured, murdered by whatever was in that room. And Celestia, as the goddess she was, should’ve saved her. But all she could do was run in the opposite direction. Away from her dying sister, away from her troubles. Celestia ran. She didn’t even look back to check what was mercilessly following her with ominous footsteps. Creak, creak, creak. A laugh emerged from the dark once again, followed by silence. She didn’t have time to look back, or lift her wings to fly. She didn’t have a moment to question what was going on- how her night had turned from a peaceful slumber to… whatever this was. Hell. Maybe it was hell she was confounded to, to punish her for the sins she had committed. And maybe she had died a tragic death and would never escape. She’d run, and run, and run until her hooves could no longer carry her. And then she’d do it all over again. But no, this was no nightmare. It was no hell. It was reality, and if the princess stopped to think for a second longer she’d… Her train of thought wandered as she reached a dead end. Shaking in fear, she swiftly turned around. It was worse than she could’ve ever imagined. The monster was taller than her by at least a foot, it’s piercing black coat contrasting it’s bright blue mane. It’s eyes shined with passion, passion to hurt. Kill. When it opened it’s mouth, a set of sharp teeth were revealed, with a pointy red tongue. It overshadowed Celestia as it moved towards her. What was this creature? Celestia held no thought as she used her magic to attempt to push it away. “Violence, now? How rude, sister.” “What are you?” yelled Celestia, her heart pounding recklessly in her chest. “What have you done to Luna?” “Do NOT SPEAK THAT NAME. I am no longer the weakling overshadowed by your bright sun. I am the victor, I am Nightmare Moon. I am majestic, stronger than any creature you could’ve ever imagined.” It screeched, shocking the princess. No. What was going on? This wasn’t Luna. This wasn’t her sister. And suddenly, the room went black. Celestia held her ground, though tears were almost pouring out. “Where is she? Why would you hurt her?” Her horn shone, hopelessly trying to find the Nightmare. “Hurt her? HURT ME? You hypocrite, you stupid, egoistical lunatic- you have hurt me. YOU have brought me to this monstrosity. You never loved me, and neither did the people.” A sharp breath was taken. “You have pushed me to the depths of tragedy undescribable. I am no longer that pony who cried over her majestical sister. I’m here to mark my place, and be feared.” Her eyes gleamed as Celestia froze up. Celestia thought quickly. “GUARDS!” she squealed, turning to face the pony behind her. “You’ve nopony to save you now. They’re all gone. I would advise you to keep it quiet here. Or shall I order you, your ladyship?” She ended with a smile, hissing the words out. A pause of silence as Celestia tried her best to get out of the corner she was in. Just as the Princess was about to try to kill the beast with magic- it spoke. “Why did you forget me? Forget me after you got something better, those stupid subjects of yours? You decided to no longer feel for your own sister- to throw her into such despair unspeakable- for your own glory? Why?” The Nightmare’s voice suddenly dropped to one of sadness, true pain, though just for a moment. As if she still wanted to forgive Celestia. As if the anger had washed away. But it was still there, as her tone bounced back in a second’s notice. Luna was in there. She was in there, somehow. Those words floated around Celestia’s head, stopping her from charging at the beast with a sword from the lifeless bodies of the guards nearby. Because her sister was in there. “… Sister, I know not what has happened to you. But I know you’re in there, and that you love me, and know I love you truly.” it came out in a whimper. No guards would save her, no magic could save her here. In a panic, she attempted to negotiate. “All I was in your shadow was unimportant, useless. I was nothing without you. I will be nothing with you by my side. So ‘Sister’, as you say, let us battle for the throne of victory. I’m willing to battle to the death, I’m willing to die to prove my point. But I won’t die. The moon will stand her ground.” The lady had no time to reply, as a loud bang emit. Celestia screamed and closed her eyes as the ground below her tumbled. She struggled to flap her wings open as everything around her collapsed. The celing came down at such force that she swooped out of the way- just seconds before it would’ve crushed her. The castle was falling apart quickly. She couldn’t comprehend what was happening. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t defend. In the blink of an eye, the Nightmare flashed in front of her eyes. Teleportation spell. The monster grinned as Celestia coughed from the debris, with hatred in her eyes. “You… you idiot,” Celestia choked. She couldn’t hurt her sister. “Let us begin, shall we?” The beast graced her with a cursty- as to humor her, as immediately dark magic flew out of her horn. It spiraled around the forest- or the remains of it, since the castle’s destruction had nearly destroyed half of it. The magic sprung and split, dragging a batch of wolves out. Celestia wielded her aura, shining a quick protection spell, shielding it around herself. She concentrated on strengthening it, sweat slowly streaming down her face. The wolves howled in terror as the magic slipped around them, and vanished. The princess could only gasp in horror as they started browning up, their grey fur turning woodlike. Their eyes were now green and malicious. They were like little wood-puppets. Not just puppets. That’s what the lady learned as they all simultaneously launched themselves onto her shield, barking and slobbering to get her, to eat her, to attack her. The shock manipulated her aura, the shield weakening, and the “Timberwolves” slowly reaching in. In a flurry, Celestia pulled a tree out of it’s place, its roots dusting off soil everywhere. She winced as she slammed it with all her willpower down on the Timberwolves, which were just about to attack her. In their place lay destroyed materials. But as soon as they had gone, more emerged. Nightmare Moon lifted itself into the air, spitting down on it’s sister. Celestia was focused on killing those wolves. She quickly manipulated the debris into forming a sharp sword which easily slashed the throats of the Timberwolves. But she didn’t see Nightmare hovering over her. In a fright, a rush of magic attacks landed down on Celestia, each one wielding a scream of pain intolerable. She couldn’t even take a second to breathe it in or check herself, as she decided finally; She had a choice to make. Her sister, who would brutually torture and murder her, or the people. And herself. She couldn’t waste a second. The biggest decision of her life lay in her hooves, with no time to think. Celestia never thought for long. She lacked the need to contemplate- she just did what her heart knew what was right for the ponies she governed. And she was wise, her decisions always benefitting the citizens. But tonight, she needed to think swiftly, quicker than she ever had before. In her choice lay the happiness of the subjects around her, or the life of her sister. And when a pony loves two things, she’s bound to pick one over the other. She needed to save her citizens and herself, no matter how much she loved Luna. No longer did Celestia gleam. She shot back strong magic of her own, pushing Nightmare down in shrieks. She continued, hastily, as she attempted to lift herself in the air. Her body hurt like hell. Nightmare hissed as she slashed her aura across Celestia’s stomach. The princess winced in pain, not even able to open her mouth. A couple inches above and Celestia’s neck would’ve been gone. Once Celestia was down, Nightmare held no mercy. She blasted her with magic, unleashing her wolves against her once again. Celestia couldn’t feel. She couldn’t think. But she needed to save. In agony, she closed her eyes, once more fixtating the shield around herself. Think fast, think fast. FASTER. This wasn’t good enough. But she had no choice but to summon the elements of harmony, the strongest weapons to exist. They were but mere stones, yet they held the power to demolish any source of evil. With a swift prayer, she teleported them in front of her. “I don’t want to do this to you, Luna. Please… Just give up,” she cried in pain. No reply, except a few more attacks (which had not gone through the shield, luckily). Celestia had no choice, and tears streamed down her face as she hesitantly wielded the six stones together. A light shone. Celestia shielded her eyes, finally. A scream, a scream of terror louder and more pleading than the one Luna had screamed. “Don’t let this… be the end,” Celestia opened her eyes. In front of her was not the body of the dead monster she had slain, yet the curled corpse of the small sister she had once loved. And right before she collapsed, Celestia stared at her hooves. Her bloodstained hooves. She had murdered her little sister.