Maintaining Harmony

by DiabloGuapo


Nightmare of a Princess

As the Usurper-King Blueblood and his soldiers led their captives to the balcony that overlooked the town square of Canterlot to address his subjects, a pony stirred in her sleep. In her crystal filled bedchamber, Princess Luna tossed and turned as her dreams where corrupted by Blueblood’s curse.

Sister...sister, where are you...Why have you forsaken me...What have I done to deserve this?

“You know why...” a voice answered from the darkness.

“Sister? Is that you? Where are you, and why can’t I see you?” Luna called out to her sister’s voice.

“It is your own fault this happened...”

“W-what? What is? What’s going on?”

“You brought this upon yourself,” her sister’s voice said with contempt.

“Brought what upon myself? What’s going on!?” she begged to the voice for answers.

“Why, your banishment, of course.”

“Banishment!? What are you talking about!?”

“Don’t pretend to be innocent with me!” the voice roared. “You know exactly why you are being banished. Quite frankly, I’m starting to wonder if banishment is too merciful a punishment for you.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about! Sister, please...” she tried to plead with her unseen sister, but she was interrupted.

“You are no longer worthy to call me that, wretch!” the voice roared. “I am Celestia, Queen of Equestria, and you are nothing!”

“But...”

“Don’t speak! You are nothing but a traitor! You dared to defy me, your queen! You, the lesser sister, should have known your place. You live only to serve me!”

“But we ruled Equestria together! As equals!”

“As equals? Ha! How could you ever think that you could possibly be my equal? Listen to them.” Luna could hear another sound in the distance. It was also accompanied with by a light. It was blinding, but an image soon can to view. Celestia stood before her with scowl upon her face. Luna realized that she was bound by chains and that they were standing on a balcony. There was a crowd of ponies gathered down in the square, cheering Celestia’s name. “Can you hear that? Whose name do they praise? Mine. What have you ever done to be worthy of such praise?”

“I raise the moon for them! I give them the night sky! The stars! The constellations! Meteor showers! Comets! I protect them while they sleep! I guard their dreams!”

However, Celestia laughed at her and her contributions. “Is that something to be proud of? Do you really think that they care for your little light shows? Haven’t you notice that they don’t care? You’re useless, you always have been. Honestly, I don’t see why I kept you around for so long as it is. I was doing a fine job ruling this kingdom by myself and everypony was happy. No pony missed you. To them, you will always be a story told to foals to give them a scare. Most of them didn’t realize that you really existed.”

Luna wept as her sister’s words pierced her heart. It was true, no pony missed her. She was at most a myth to them. Celestia took on responsibility for both the sun and the moon. Perhaps she only gave her back her duties just to humor her a bit. Something to do so that she would be out of her sister’s mane as she took care of the real important matters. The image before her faded away, which left her in darkness once again. This time, it was cold. It was cold and familiar. A new image came to her.

“No.” She saw something that horrified her. “No no no no no!” She was on the moon again. “No, please! Not here! Please! Help me!” She looked up and saw the planet in the sky. No pony would be able to hear her, much less help her. She fell to the lunar surface and wept. How could her own sister be so cruel; to banish her to her own moon? It was her moon, how dare she use it to torment its own mistress!? “No, please, no. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

You are never alone, my dear, a new voice spoke to her.

Luna looked around, but saw no one. “Who’s there? Where are you?” She called out to the voice, desperate for companionship.

I’m here, the voice answered.

“Where? I can’t see you.” She franticly looked all across the landscape, but she saw no one.

I’m here, with you. I have always been with you. Luna recognized the voice.

“You!? What are you doing here!?” she said with venom dripping with every word, but the voice just laughed at her. “Why have you come back?”

Oh dear, sweet Luna. I never left. Don’t you realize that I am you?

“No, you’re lying! You possessed me! You made me try to create nighttime eternal! You attacked Equestria, Nightmare Moon!”
You attacked Equestria, the voice countered.

“No, you made me do it!”

You speak as I where some separate entity from yourself. Do you really believe that I am some external force that took over your thoughts and actions? No, Luna, I am you.

“You’re lying!” Luna denied, but the voice laughed in her head.

You really should really stop talking to yourself. Ponies might think you’re crazy.

Fine, have it your way. Luna sat down, scowling at the voice in her head. What do you want anyways?

To help you, of course.

Help, ha! What help could I possible want from you?

Vengeance.

Vengeance? On Celestia? No! I love her!

Do you? Do you really love her?

Of course! She’s my sister!

Yet she despises you. They all do.

No, it’s not true. She loves me!

Do you really believe that? Do you think she loves you as much as she loves Cadance? Everypony loves her. She is your niece-who-knows-how-many-times-removed, yet the ponies of Equestria treated her like a princess more than they ever did you. That struck a chord. Everypony did adore her so much and gave her so much praise, yet she was only a princess because she was distantly related to the Regal Alicorn Sisters. What about your sister’s faithful student? It’s so obvious that she trusts her more than you. That was true. How often did Celestia rely on Twilight Sparkle? Luna did offer to go and help save the Crystal Empire, but she denied her and sent Twilight because of some test. Lives were at stake, and she risked them all on a test? She treats her like her own foal, always doting on her. She had been replaced with another, somepony who Celestia loves more than her. What about your loyal subjects? As I recall, they barely know you even exist. Did they morn when you were banished? No, they cheered. What about your favorite holiday? You do realize it isn’t really in your honor? It’s in honor of Celestia’s victory over you! They lose their princess, and how do they commemorate the event? With a celebration.

"It’s true...they hate me. They have always hated me..." As Luna spoke, the voice in her head spoke the same words. Then the voice in her head replaced her own voice. “They will pay. They will all pay.”

A wind started to blow in Princess Luna’s bedchamber. The curtains swayed in the breeze and the sleeping alicorn’s ethereal mane, which already flowed by itself, became a starry tempest. Swirling patterns of darkness spread across her midnight blue coat until it became black as an abyss. Her regalia glowed with magic and shifted until it transformed into light blue armor and a helmet. Her teeth lengthened into fangs. Teal, dragon eyes snapped open and power surged forth from the dark alicorn, shattering the crystals and obliterating the spell surrounding her. Nightmare Moon had awoken.

“Never forgive...Never forgive...”