//------------------------------// // Show Stoper // Story: Has Anyone Ever Loved Me? // by DerpyMuffins15 //------------------------------// For the first time since the Lunar Alicorn’s return, her dreams were restful and undisturbed. The last thing Luna remembered before drifting into deep slumber was the comforting words and reassurance of her loving sister. Now, Luna couldn't tell where she was. She just sat calmly on her belly with darkness in every direction. The only difference, for once, was that the sapphire Alicorn couldn't feel anything around her. Instead of darkness completely surrounding her, small stars sparkled distantly in the celestial and ethereal black sky above her. They didn't shine bright enough to be recognized, but were good enough to be used as constellation. Luna was one of five living ponies in existence with perfect spherical astronomical sense. She could just look anywhere in the sky and instantly recognize what constellation it was, as well as it's celestial position and coordinates. If Luna guessed correctly with the right time of night it was, one of her first constellation would be showing itself to it's creator. In fact, the constellation was accompanied by it's three other companions. "The same stars that aided me in my escape...." mused Luna as she looked upon her hypnotic creations. First was Draco with its stunning power, followed closely by Ursa Major with all its ferocity, with second to last Scorpius, and finally the graceful Columba. Four of her most powerful constellations and it took an entire millennium to gather enough cosmic energy to escape her prison. Wielding the stars was the second thing Luna learned to do with her night, after getting her cutie mark. Not only did it take the steady mind and willpower to move such powerful celestial bodies, but also an artists craft and style. Throughout the many centuries, Luna has seen many canvases that tried to depict her nights beauty and glory, but none have seem to please the Lunar Goddess. What happened next startled and amazed Luna at the same time. Streaks of light ran through the sky, beautiful and translucent, complementing her stars and making them shine brighter than ever. The wavy streaks graced the sky with colors of light turquoise and cerulean. Her gaze upon the wonderful and once in a lifetime sight was interrupted by an all too familiar voice. "Sorry for intruding upon a special moment like this Luna. Do you mind if I join you?" asked the alabaster Alicorn. Celestia slowly trotted to her younger sister, whose gaze never left the sky above them. "'Tis alright sister. Something this beautiful shouldn't be kept a secret. How are you here?" asked Luna. The dreamplane was the Lunar Alicorn's domain, but seeing her sister here startled Luna a little bit. It was a secret place that the sapphire Alicorn controlled without the need to consent with her sister. "I discovered this ethereal plane a little while after your banishment. I'm surprised you were able to keep something like this hidden away from my eyes for so long." answered Celestia. "Sorry if I didn't tell you, sister. 'Tis just that....." trailed Luna. She averted her gaze from the stars and looked directly at her sister. The look she got wasn't what the Lunar Alicorn had expected. She expected her sister to be angry at her for not telling about something like this. "I understand why you didn't tell me, Lulu. This is a place where your desires and wishes come true. If something like this was widely known, everyone would exploit it. This is a special place where you can get away from time to time. I can understand if you want some personal time alone.” answered the Celestia. Her sister was right on the dot. Whenever Luna seeked solace, her dreams were often what the Lunar Alicorn found peace in. Now, it has been violated by a foreign presence unknown to it until now. “How did you find this place?” asked Luna. She wasn’t angry at Celestia, just surprised that someone else besides her has found and can freely walk upon it. ‘Not even Nightmare knows about this place.’ mused Luna. The two Lunar Alicorns shared many things, control of the dreamplane wasn’t one of them. The dreamplane was where Luna resided while entrapped by Nightmare. It was the last defense should Luna fall into darkness again. “Funny you should ask that Lulu. To be truthful, it was a complete accident that I found it. Like you, I seeked solace from the constant pressure of ruling our Kingdom. After your imprisonment, my mind was clouded with anger and hatred. The fact that everypony celebrated your banishment only added to the guilt that was gathering inside me. Depression hit me the hardest with every restless night spent awake thinking about you. It had been several months of insomnia before it started affecting how I was able to perform as the Sun Princess.” told Celestia. The alabaster Alicorn continued her way towards her waiting sister, before sitting next to Luna. Celestia’s gaze was glued to the sky where her sister was previously staring at. The beautiful eos in the sky matched exactly with her divine and caelum mane. If she allowed it, Celestia’s mane would have outstretched into the black sky, substituting for the astronomic lights. It was Celestia, herself, who created the first aurores, now they were rare spectacles with how busy the Solar Alicorn has gotten. Luna’s stared blankly at her sister once again. Her banishment affected the health and behavior of both celestial sisters more than she had thought. While Luna was stranded on a barren wasteland with nothing to keep herself nourished, her sister was affected just as badly, only emotionally. Her glare was finally returned as Celestia turned to face her distressed sister before explaining further. “At the first signs of my falter, doctors recommended taking morphine in large dosage. Please keep in mind that medicine was still very young at the time of your banishment Lulu. The results were more than impactful. Unfortunately, I took an overdose on my first night trying to get back into peaceful slumber.” reminisce Celestia. Concern overwhelmed Luna as thoughts of terrible outcomes wandered into her mind. A regular dose of pain reliever was enough to knock a full grown stallion out cold. An overdose on an all powerful Alicorn that wielded both the sun and moon? Only one possibility came into Luna’s mind, her sister was most likely hospitalized because of Luna’s vanity and selfishness. “What happen sister?” asked Luna eagerly. A sadden giggle escaped the Solar Goddess as she continued. “I fell into a coma, Lulu. For forty days and nights I slept without raising and setting the sun and moon. The weather got out of hoof very quickly. Without the moon in it’s correct alignment, tides rose and fell in random intervals, the weather fell into everlasting chaos. Without me to bring the sun the next day, the night lasted in my absence. The look on Nightmares face if she knew I was responsible for an everlasting night.” joked Celestia to brighten the sully mood. Luna couldn’t help but let out a giggle of her own at her sister’s joke. ‘If only you knew sister.’ mused Luna. “Then what happened sister?” asked Luna. “During my absence, my mind wandered. My astral form traveled between the world of the living and my restful dreams. I saw it all, our ponies tried everything to wake me. They used everything from ancient magic to just tickling a feather on my nose. Futile and funny as their efforts were, my astral form was beginning to lose it’s anchor to the physical world. My mind was weak from the constant months of restless nights, not to mention the side-effects the drug had on me. My mind couldn’t maintain the constant stream of magic I needed to keep my form intact. I often phased out of reality into a lonely darkness and waited hours before my form could return.” mumbled Celestia as her voice got smaller and smaller. As Luna’s eyes met her sister’s, all she could see was sadness. “What is wrong sister? Did something happen?” questioned Luna tentatively. Only one word echoed and loomed in her mind as worry started to overcome her other emotions: darkness. “When my mind couldn’t support the magic I needed to sustain myself, my form fell into constant darkness. All around me, everywhere I looked all I saw was the constant darkness looming over me and grasping my heart harder and harder. No matter how much I struggled, the darkness wouldn’t let me escape. Only once did I escaped it’s clutches, but it only allowed me to do so just to break my spirits again. I got as far as to see the living world again, but only to be consumed by hatred and misery. All I ever felt during my imprisonment was constant pain and anguish. It showed me images and futures, it made me relive my most terrifying memories. I watched helplessly as I saw you be consumed by it, consumed by Nightmare, and it made me watch as I banished my own sister to her prison for the next thousand years. It made me relive that moment for an eternity and beyond, with each time getting worse and worse. My spirits were broken and so was I by the time the constant nightmares subsided. My sanity was tested and neared the brink of oblivion while my tears were all but dried up. I relived the sadness of being parted with you everyday when I was in that coma. All I could remember was your screams and tears as we were ripped apart from each other.” cried Celestia as a single warm tear laced with grief trail down her pale face. The single drop landed right between Luna’s eyes as she could literally feel all the sadness that was carried by her sister. Luna was about to speak her concern before Celestia raised a hoof and silenced her sister’s worries. “It was near the end of my torment that I finally discovered what would have saved the last of my sanity. If I could phase even more, lose control of my anchor in the darkness, there was another dimension where I could reside in. I let my mind drift like I did when I still had control of my body. My astral form became a fluid stream of magic while I shifted into this peaceful citadel. The first thing I saw was your night and stars. It reminded me that no matter how distant we may become, all I need is to look upon the sky and I will always have a piece of you with me.” finished Celestia. Her voice was a monotone, but her eyes were laced with warmth and joy, and a genuine smile to complete the set. Celestia looked upon her sister to only find Luna’s expression surprised and desolate. “Is there something wrong Lulu? Would you like me to leave?” asked Celestia as she realized she was intruding upon her sister’s sacred and pious sanctum. What happened next startled the alabaster Alicorn as Luna delicately pulled her sister into a loving snuggle and embrace. Luna’s words were heavy and stoic, labored with guilt and onus that this was somehow her fault. “...I’m sorry sister, very and truly, deeply sorry.” murmured Luna. The sudden and unforeseen apologie startled Celestia even more. “I don’t understand Luna. You have done nothing wrong. Why are you sorry?” She looked down on her sister with caring eyes to find a startled and troubled sister. A single look into Luna’s eyes and Celestia saw guilt building inside the Lunar Alicorn. “...Tia, I am sorry that you had to suffered fr-from...that thing....” sighed Luna. “You of all ponies don’t deserve to know what the darkness is capable of. I’m sorry you had to know what it is like to be hated... I’m sorry you had to find out what misery and despair are, this way...” mumbled Luna under her breath. It was bad enough the darkness consumed one of the Princesses, but now it seem that both have been tangled in the messy web of shadows. Sadness came as realization dawned upon the Solar Goddess. Her sister would only know what Celestia was retelling about if and only if Luna, herself, had gone through the same torture the Sun Alicorn had endured. “Luna, have not the need to plead your sorrows to me, they are not necessary. Believe it or not, what the darkness did to me was a blessing in disguise.” calmed Celestia towards her distressed sister. “How could you say such a thing, Tia? What the darkness did you, us, was horrible. To live in constant fear and loneliness, despair and hatred filling our hearts, and to relive our worst memory every time. How can one say it be a blessing?” asked Luna bluntly. “It is a blessing Luna, as now I know how to help you. Before, I tried to save you from something I knew nothing about. It was foalish of me to try to protect you from hatred I never faced. I can’t protect you if I don’t know what’s wrong with you Lulu.” answered Celestia. Luna was stunned at her sister’s words. The Lunar Alicorn had said the same thing to her counterpart only just the night before. As Celestia’s gaze bore into the Moon Goddess not with compassion, but with understanding and acceptance, Luna felt more connected with her sister than ever. “So... you know?” asked Luna quietly. “Indeed, I do, Lulu. It is I, who should be apologizing to you. All those years, me trying to help you, when I, myself, didn’t even know what was wrong with you in the first place. I am sorry Luna, I was ignorant. I let my bravado get in the way of protecting my younger sister. All it took was for the both of us to fall from grace, for me to finally realize what was wrong with you. For that I am truly sorry.” said Celestia. Even in defeat, the Solar Goddess accepted it with an open mind and welcoming thoughts to know that it could help her sister in any way. “‘Tis a pity that we both have fallen into such a dark place, sister. I did not wish for you to suffer such horrid things as I have. I had hoped that at least one of us would stay pure till the end. I guess that was a forlorn hope from the very beginning.” said Luna sadly. She had hoped that at least her sister would have been free from the darkness and it’s wrath, but even the brightest of light dims when darkness engulfs it. No matter how much terrible acrimony it brought, now Luna wasn’t alone anymore. She had her sister to help Luna deal with the abhorrent feelings the darkness pervaded. “You won’t have to deal with hatred and fear alone anymore Lulu, I swear it on my life, and my sun. If you want to talk about something, all you need is ask and I shall be there.” swore Celestia. Their gaze was first broken by Luna as she returned her eyes upon the stars that lit the sky. Her old constellations were gone, now replaced with new ones as time passed on. Luna’s two most frightening and raw powered stars were fighting to the death, forever interlocked in eternal conflict. Her majestic Leo was face to face with it’s slimy and despotic foe, the ever obdurate Hydra. Whenever she saw those two fight Luna knew exactly what it meant. Her time in the dreamplane was nearly up, and so was her sister’s. “We don’t have much time left, Tia. I suggest we leave before the darkness consumes this peaceful plane.” warned Luna. She had tarried in the dreamplane too long once and it ended very badly. Should anyone stay in the restful sanctum for too long, they would be lost to the darkness, mind and soul. “Alright, Lulu. I shall see you on the other side. It is nearly time for us to raise and set our celestial bodies.” agreed Celestia. At her agreement, the alabaster Alicorns silky form shifted into a transparent image before finally slipping away altogether. Her absence now left the Lunar Alicorn by herself for whatever time remained. Luna looked at the spot where her sister used to be. She then stole one last glance upon the sky to see the magical eos fading away like her sister. Her stars, one by one receded from the sky, blacking it as each constellation fell apart. Soon Luna’s form too, phased like her sister. The surrounding darkness gripped the dreamplane even tighter as it drew closer to it’s target. One more moment and it would have swept Luna into its clutches, but met failure as the Lunar Alicorn phased into reality. The blackness that Luna saw was replaced by a pale white. Luna slowly opened her eyes to meet her sister’s. The Lunar Alicorn was still snugly wrapped around Celestia’s embrace after her episode with Blueblood. The sunlight that lit Luna’s room was fading fast as the aubade continued its descent into the skyline. The Solar Goddess released her deathly embrace on Luna as she made her way towards the marmoreal balcony. Luna reluctantly too, got out of the comforting confines of her soft mattress and joined her waiting sister on the terrace. Both sisters lit their horns in a magical aura, Celestia a light gold, Luna a cool cobalt-blue. Celestia gently lowered her sun into the waiting horizon as Luna lifted herself into the open air. As the Lunar Alicorn ascend higher and higher, so did her pale moon. The small stars laced in Luna’s mane were once again whisked away into the sky and formed the constellations the Lunar Goddess always drew. Luna’s descent from the sky was met with her waiting sister. Luna had a night’s worth of paperwork to catch up on, and only a single thing can help her finish and get any rest. “Sister would you mind taking over midnight court for me tonight? I have yet to find an assistant to help me.” asked Luna. “Of course, Lulu. When you have decided who shall be your maiden, I will wait for you in the dining halls. Do not take too long choosing, you must be hungry.” agreed Celestia. “Do you know who you would like Luna? I’m sure someone in the courts would gladly take the job.” “Do not be angry at me, Tia, but no one in the courts is worthy of my presence.” returned Luna. Everypony in the courts would have backstabbed each other to gain favor with any Princess. Work would be the last thing on their mind if Luna chose one of them. “Alright, I can understand your view upon the ponies in court. Where shall you find your maiden then?” asked Celestia. She too knew that most nobility were snobby and stuck up. Hard and honest work was rare among the rich and powerful within the Kingdom. “I will seek my maiden in the lower parts of Canterlot. There, I shall find ponies who know what hard work means. A mare desperate enough to take the job is a hard working one.” answered Luna. “I shall see you at dinner then. Farewell for now, sister.” said Celestia. She slowly trotted from the balcony towards the oakwood door. Using Solar magic, she opened the door and headed towards her sister’s night courts to begin the annoying trials. “and I, you, sister.” answered Luna as Celestia closed the door behind her. Only when the Lunar Alicorn was sure that her sister was out of hearing range, she looked around her room for shadows. Luna’s eyes search meticulously for something out of place until she found it. “You can come out now Nightmare, I know you have been watching.” called Luna towards the lurking shadows around her room. Only after a solid minute past by did she get an answer in return. The glossy-cerulean Alicorn mare stepped forth, her head appeared first then her torso whisked itself out of the shadow in the darkest corner of Luna’s room. She could hear the clank of metal on solid obsidian as Nightmare approached her with an annoyed face and green fire burning endlessly in her basilisk like eyes. Even with a few hours to gather magic and strength, the cerulean Alicorn still walked slowly and sluggishly. Her movement and breathing was labored. Nightmare showed signs of deep travail as she finally reached the other Lunar Alicorn. “Enjoying bonding time with Celestia, I see.” mumbled Nightmare under her breath. Luna just rolled her eyes as she detected sarcasm in between the heavy breaths. “I don’t see why you hate our sister so much. If you just give Tia a chance, I’m sure it would be better for both you and me.” returned Luna. Nightmare took a long and deep breath to regain herself before answering her annoyed other self. “I hate our sister for the same reason I was born in the first place. She has stolen everything that rightfully belongs to us. Even you see it yourself, our private dining halls is just one on the ever increasing list of things she has stolen.” retorted Nightmare. “This isn’t time of old, Nightmare. I no longer hold to trivial objects such as belongings to please my eye. Books are enough to entertain my mind should I get bored, I need not anything else.” returned Luna. “Tell me then, Luna, why is it that in every historical book out there, We have always been portrayed as the monster? If our sister is so great, then explain to me why she has allowed the public to run our image through the mud like that. If Celestia was half the sister you claim her to be, ponies would have welcomed our return with open arms and feast all around the country. Tell me, what did our beloved sister do? Did she defend our honor while we were away? No, she let common folk talk about us like trash and spread rumors of our horrors. Tell me if this is still the same sister we are talking about, Luna.” answered Nightmare. Luna couldn’t come up with an argument, no matter how hard she tried to think, the Lunar Alicorn couldn’t come up with a single reason. Every word Nightmare said was once again truthful to it’s very core. Luna opened her mouth to argue that their sister was still a good pony, but only mumbles came out. “That’s what I thought, Luna. Not a single reason to the contrary. Our sister is not as great as you think she is.” continued Nightmare. Only after finally catching her breath could she meet Luna’s eyes. A quick glance told the cerulean mare that the conversation had taken a sour turn into awkwardness. Changing the subject, Nightmare turned towards a brighter issues, “What is this about you getting a hand maiden?” “I was about to leave to find one in the lower streets of Canterlot.” answered Luna as her mind was interrupted. The thought of finally get a professional companion was appealing to the sapphire Alicorn enough to take away her terrible thoughts. “Hmmm, the lower levels of Canterlot. Poverty and disguise everywhere, are you sure you want someone of such low standards? Perhaps someone within the court systems already will suffice.” returned Nightmare. “I need someone who is willing to do hard and honest work Nightmare. Nobility and riches has made ponies forget what that means these days. They would all give their first foal to gain favor with us.” retorted Luna. “I suppose, but is keeping such filthy company wise? We don’t know if they shall take the job because they are desperate or just need a way to get privileges of a royal nature, as a result.” argued Nightmare. “Do not threat, Nightmare. I know what I seek in a personal maiden. We shouldn’t dally here any long. Paperwork doesn’t fill themselves out, the sooner I get an assistant, the better.” answered Luna. She returned to her balcony and lifted herself into the sky once more. Each flap of her trained and majestic wings caused whirlwinds below, blowing away the curtains hanging beside her doors. Luna took to the sky, high and mighty, gliding along the wind streams that helped her make the journey to the lower streets. Canterlot was designed like a stronghold, but lacked inner boundaries. The center was where all the wealthy and nobility lived, and the further away from the center you headed, the worse and filthier the streets became. Poverty was the highest here in the capital and barely anyone noticed. Ponies would often starve to death before the winter claimed them. Under her, Luna saw nothing but sick ponies begging and praying for their next meal. She lowered her descent from the sky into the nearest dark alley she found. Luna’s wings beat quietly with each descending feet as she got closer and closer to the blackened road. Only just after she landed did Nightmare accompany her from the shadows. “I suggest you caution yourself, Luna. A disguise would likely save you some trouble, should a thief decide to try his luck.” warned Nightmare. Luna knew she could take anyone should she be attacked, but walking in broad moonlight as the Princess of the Night might provoke a few desperate ponies. With just a thought, the Lunar Alicorn bent her ethereal mane around herself, encasing her as the misty mane turned from a cool cobalt-blue to a glossy black. The once beautiful and divine home of the stars was now a spider-silk cloak covering the Lunar Alicorn’s entire body as well as her tail. Only the whites of Luna’s eyes can be seen through the shroud should anyone dare steal a glance at her. The ghastly and lifeless veil radiated a semblance of execrable and vile, this way, only the most worthy and desperate may approach the Moon Goddess. The shroud fully dawned and covering, Luna set on her long journey to find the mare that would stand by her side. A quick look around the streets she trotted down gave her heart a sigh. All around Luna, she saw malady and famine grip her citizen closely. The further she wandered into the lower depths, the more discordant things became. While at first she saw a few ponies lined in the streets, masses upon masses of her citizens starved themselves as they wait for the local church and shelter to open and give them the nutritions they crave. More than once Luna saw mania constrain the minds of the weaker ponies as they slowly screamed their lungs out. Luna has seen this all too often, nearing the end of the street the Night Goddess was met with a starving mare. The mare was laying down on the cold dirt coated floor, as the shredded cape used to blanket the mare was nearly ripped in half. Beside the mare’s head was a mud covered hat that once seem to have been covered with stars and colored with a light lavender. Now, Luna looked upon the sleeping mare, she saw how the mare’s breathing was heavy and irregular, labored with hunger and exposure to the harsh and cold night. The mare’s legs were nothing more than skin and bones, barely larger than a foal’s own legs. A closer inspection showed the mare to be a unicorn, but a frown spread across Luna’s face as she saw there were cracks on the tip of the horn. As a whole, the mare before her was bruised, beaten, famished, and near the brink of death. Luna’s approach was enough to startle the sleeping mare as she weakly got up to face the Lunar Goddess. The mare’s eyes were bloodshot and while one of them seem to have been recovering from a recent fight. If proper rest and care was added to the list of things the mare needed, her eyes would have shined a stormy grayish violet. Her voice was weak and arid, but she was able to fight for herself. “...wh-wh-what do y-you wa-want?” stuttered the unknown mare. She weakly tried to stand up, but fell short of just stumbling forward. Despite the mare’s futile efforts, the Lunar Alicorn couldn’t help but feel a bit of herself in the mare in front of Luna. With everything the world had to throw at the starving mare, she still wouldn’t give up without a proper fight. “...we-well? If you c-came to rob me th-then go ahead!” stuttered the unknown mare once more. Only after several attempts did she finally manage to stand upright and face the Lunar Alicorn before her. “Calm your qualms, mare. We have not come to harm thee, but to trade with you a quid pro quo.” answered Luna. “...wh-why sh-should T-” coughed the mare. It seemed she could only form short words to talk. Her throat was threatening to bled upon itself just so she could quench her thirst. She spoke softly and quietly, barely audible, just to abide the grow pain in her sore throat. “...why sho-should I trust you?” asked the unknown mare reluctantly. The unicorn has lost many things living on the streets for the past month now, but her pride wouldn’t be one of them. If she just let anyone push her around, she would have long been dead. “Your choices are limited mare. Starve or freeze to death then, we do not care either way. It would be better if you just accept our offer.” answered Luna coldly. “...al-alright...” said the unicorn as she continued shivered in the cold. Now that she fully stood upright, her cape blew off the tormented mare’s back allowing more exposed skin to be chilled. Her teeth chattered as she spoke her labored speech. “...what do you want?” “Quite simple. We only seek your unquestionable dedication and loyalty, in return, you shall be provided with all your needs and wants.” answered Luna. “...me-meals and bed included?” asked the unknown mare. The thought of being sheltered and fed was almost too much of a dream for her. Shortly after coming to Canterlot, she learned that everything isn't always sunshine and rainbows. She was met with harsh conditions and punishment as she tried to work for her every meal, sometimes even having to resort to thievery to sustain her till the next day. “..wa-wait, are you lying?” “If thou do not believe us, then perhaps we shall seek assistance elsewhere.” returned Luna coldly as she turned away from the desperate mare. “...wa-wait, do-don’t go. Do y-you really mean it?” asked the unknown mare weakly. She had to trust the words of the unknown stranger whether she wanted to or not. The prospect of getting out of the cold was welcoming to the filthy mare. “We do not lie. You shall be clothed, fed, and sheltered as the requirement for the position of my personal handmaiden.” answered Luna. “...al-alright. I agree to the terms.” answered the starving mare. “...wh-when do I start?” “Right now.” answered Luna. Her cloaked unwrapped itself to reveal the Lunar Alicorn as she wrapped both herself and the mare in Lunar magic. For a fraction of a second, the mare screamed, but was met with silence as both mares disappeared from the lonesome streets and back into the castle. The teleportation spell surprised the unknown unicorn as she stumbled and fell on her belly upon the Stygian-obsidian floor. The cloak full gone and transformed back into an ethereal mane, the weak mare finally got a good look at her employer. There, stood in the blissful moonlight was Princess Luna, Mistress of the Night, Goddess of Dreams and Stars, Alicorn of the Moon and cosmos. The exhausted mare stumbled backwards to try to get away from the stunning and terrifying Goddess, but soon stopped in her tracks as pride and bravado surged through her. No one was allowed to just push her around, not after months of surviving on the streets. She didn’t care if her new boss was an all powerful Alicorn, no one was allowed to just teleport the mare without asking first. “Who do you think you are just teleporting ponies like that?” screamed the mare maniacally. “You dare raise thy voice against your Princess?!” asked Luna loudly. She didn’t want to frighten the mare, but Luna needed to show who the authoritative one was. “Would thou prefer for us to repent our generous offer towards thee?!” “...no...sorry, Princess.” answered the mare weakly as she realized the thin line between the streets and a warm home. “We are sorry for shouting at thou, but you must remember that we are thy superior. Now, let us take you to the medical ward. Thine wounds do not seem to be fatal, but they must be checked and cleaned.” said Luna. Now in a brighter light the Lunar Alicorn saw that the mare’s coat was once a lustrous azure, but with the constant weeks of not bathing, the coat dulled into a filthy near black-brown. The mare’s mane was a bundle of messy webs and split ends, having once been two different sets of colors, with one streak of faint cornflower blue, and an even paler color on each of the alternating streaks. “...may we stop at the kitchen first?” asked the mare. Even if her wounds were not fatal, food was the only thing on the mare’s mind at the moment. The pain from hunger hurt the mare more than the gashes she got everyday. “Alright, if thou thinks the wounds can wait, we shall head for the Royal Kitchens first. What is thy name, mare?” asked Luna. “...Tri-Trixie Lulamoon.” answered the showmare weakly. Author’s note: My longest chapter yet, I hope you guys enjoy. By the way, I said Nightmare was gonna learn respect and humility, didn’t I? Who knows humility better than Trixie? It only gets better from here on out. Alright, I’m out. Editor’s note: Hello everypony! We had a lot of fun editing this chapter and as promised these chapters are getting out quicker. In response to those of you who wanted Blueblood to be the assistant, I have this to say: ……(\_/) ……( ‘_’) …./”"”"”"”"”"”"\======░ /”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”\ \_@_@_@_@_@_/ ANGEL THE BUNNY WILL GET HIM !!! (the previous statement was in no way referring to a future plot development) OK, TwiLunaLover out!