Luna stood in front of a small crowd, Yang's face becoming a light shade of red.
"We don't have to tell them everything, Princess Luna. I'm back and that's all good and dandy, right?" Yang asked as a small bead of sweat trickled down the side of his head.
"Ssshhh, Yang! It's Story Time with Princess Luna!" Pinkie exclaimed as she flopped on her stomach, her chin resting on both of her hooves.
"Well, it began a long time ago, everyone. A time when Discord was still relatively new to Ponyville and when I was still a silly little filly, believing that the world was easygoing and carefree. You see... my sister, Yang, Discord, and I all knew each other from way back when," said Luna.
"You mean the time when he was to keep an eye on Discord, right?" Applejack asked.
"That is correct, Applejack. Yang's duty was to keep an eye on Discord, no easy task mind you. But, my sister Celestia saw something inside of him that I did not see. She saw a pony that would be able to live alongside Discord in harmony as well as correcting him for when he stepped out of line. Now, everypony, this all happened before Discord cast Ponyville into chaos and disorder. The only real conflict we were having was the decision to set up Ponyville's borders. We didn't know how far or wide to establish the boundaries, so conflicts and minor quarrels became a daily thing. Besides that, peace had returned to Equestria after the whole earth-pegasus-unicorn dispute. You all know that story well, so I'm not going to delve further into more ancient history.
It seemed that the four of us got along so well. We would talk and enjoy each others' companies in different hours of the day," said Luna chuckling. "My apologies, it's just that it seems that Discord hung out with Celestia more often than me now that I think about it. It mattered not, for Yang would keep me company after I would complete my royal duties."
"Hysterical! Luna and Yang? Really? Princess, Celestia and I thought you two, y'know..." Discord said as he looked away.
"We what?" asked Luna.
"Oh, come now, Princess," Discord said as his grin started to widen.
"WHAT?" Luna yelled in her Equestrian voice.
Discord felt the full force of her tone, his head turning sharply as if he was just punched in the jaw. "My, those words literally smacked me in the face! You don't see them of course, but I can, Luna. And words hurt..." Discord whimpered. A small tear came from his eye and gently slid down his cheek. It was then forcefully sucked back up into his eye.
"Gotcha!" shouted Discord. "A creature such as myself never cries, my dear. I have thick scales you see, so words can never hurt me. But I can hurt people with words," Discord chuckled while Luna merely glared at him.
"If looks could kill, jeeze. Ok, Luna, enough. I'll tell ya. We thought you two were practicing for a marathon," Discord stated.
"A what?" she replied.
"Let me put this another way. Playing doctor," he responded, a doctor's outfit appearing on him.
"You mean with dolls?"
"What?" Discord replied, his eyes staring at disbelief at the conversation he was having. "Doing the tango."
"Who's my partner?"
"Yang!" shouted Discord.
"But I don't dance," Yang replied.
"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!?" Discord shouted. "Are you both this slow?!? How about adult wrestling?"
"I don't like to wrestle," replied Luna.
"No, not wrestling, but wrestling," Discord stated as he turned his body into a pretzel.
"What does food have to do with us?" asked Yang.
"NOTHING!" Discord yelled, his voice becoming higher. "This shows what the two of you would look like together!"
"Like a salted pretzel?" asked Luna.
"No-no-no-no-no-no!" Discord yelled, his voice sounding like he had sucked all the helium out of a balloon. "Why are you both.....aaagghhhh!" Discord changed his appearance into the form of a bomb before the fuse disappeared, causing the bomb to explode in a shower of confetti.
"Ohhhhh, confetti!" Pinkie shouted happily, her pink body bouncing off of the ground.
"Don't you start!" Discord yelled as he pointed his claw at Pinkie, a vein throbbing on the side of his head.
Luna and Yang both started to laugh as Discord was completely baffled by what was occurring.
"You don't get it?" laughed Yang.
"Get what?" Discord said sternly.
"We knew what you meant, but I decided rather than have you embarrass us, I would embarrass you instead. Yang simply adding to the mood of the conversation was just icing on the cake," giggled Luna.
Discord stood dumbfounded for the first time in a very long while. It had been years since someone had bested him at his game of mockery. Discord simply started to laugh at his own embarrassment and even started to clap at what had just occurred.
"My, it HAS been a long time. Hah, I haven't been bested like that in over a 1,000 years," said Discord.
"Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand, no, Discord, nothing happened between us. Even though I thought about it, nothing happened," stated Luna firmly. Yang's mouth went agape again as his face shone bright red, steam bellowing from his ears. Discord laughed as he made the thick steam pour from Yang's head in an un-ending flow.
"Oh, you never knew?" Luna stated flirtatiously. "But that was then and this is now," said Luna, her body posture standing firm and resolute on this manner. "Now then, after the four of us became close friends, something occurred. I don't know what had happened, but it changed the fate for all of us. Princess Celestia and I were visiting the Crystal Empire for a routine check up on the town. We both left, believing Yang could contain Discord. In hindsight, one of us should have stayed behind to make sure there were no problems, but like I said; We were silly foals, believing the world had order and rules.
May want to reconsider Could be a Mary Sue thing ->When we returned, my sister and I saw Ponyville completely in a mess. Citizens running from their houses, clouds raining chocolate milk, and a vast array of other disorder. We knew who was responsible for it, but to know that you helped him," said Luna as she glared at Yang. "It was your idea! You let him roam free! Because of your ideas, because of your ideology of me being the better ruler of Equestria, I was banished! I believed that your heart was pure, and as such, I could trust you! You betrayed that trust, this feeling of loyalty to you! Why did you do it, Yang? WHY DID YOU DO IT!" Luna shouted, her voice echoing off of the marble structures.
During her rant, Luna started to walk towards Yang slowly as he stood there, his hooves standing their ground. The other ponies backed up as they didn't want to get involved in this deal of affairs. Spike clung to Rarity's back out of fear. Discord started to sit in a lawn chair he had made with his magic, but sensing her tone, quickly made it disappear. He disguised himself as a potted plant with eyes, mindlessly eyeballing this unfolding scene. Yang stood his ground as Luna continued to rant, her coat glimmering and shining black. With each step closer to Yang, her color started to change from purple to black. When she reached Yang, she was no longer the Princess Luna that was speaking, but instead Nightmare Moon herself.
"What say you?" asked Nightmare Moon.
"You want answers? You want to know why I did this? That's an easy answer to give, but don't you ever say that my ideas are silly! NEVER! You are the correct one to rule, not her!" shouted Yang.
"We rule together as sisters, Yang! There is no differences between us! She rules over the sun, and I, the moon. We have established the correct order of our duties and nothing will change that," shouted Nightmare Moon.
"You still trust her so much, don't you? You're such a fool," Yang replied with spite.
Nightmare Moon back-slapped Yang across his face with her front hoof. Yang grunted in pain, his neck jerking sharply to the right. Nightmare Moon's horn glowed black as Yang re-positioned his face, a small welt appearing on his left cheek.
He sharply inhaled and held it within his chest. He released the breath after a few moments, calming himself in the process. He looked Nightmare Moon in the eyes as her horn still glowed, a warning sign to watch his next choice of words very carefully.
"I'm sorry Luna. I didn't mean to upset you; I didn't even mean to cause you this much pain and suffering. I had no idea that you had been isolated for so long on the moon. Again, Princess, I'm deeply sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I am at your mercy," Yang said as he knelt down before her, his head staring at the ground as he spoke. "The reason I wanted Discord to cause havoc to the city was my hatred for the citizens. Luna, you didn't know what was happening, so from the outside look of things, I'm a terrible person," he said chuckling. "Princess.....they invaded my house, destroyed my peace of mind, and killed my innocence. Luna, they just tore through everything," Yang said, his voice trembling in agony.
Nightmare Moon's horn stopped glowing as her anger started to subside. Her mane changed color again, but this time, from black to purple. Princess Luna was back in the room, the atmosphere shifting from tense to calm.
"They were only monetary possessions," she reassured him.
"No...they weren't. Some of the items, yes, but my storage area. All of my photos, my family albums, my livelihood! All of them burned in an instant! All of my memories were mere play-things for them. And for what? Because they didn't like outsiders? Because Discord was the only other outsider that first ventured into the town!? That's why I did it Luna, that's why.... agggghh," Yang winced out in pain.
"Yang!" Luna shouted, compassion filling her voice.
Luna went to comfort Yang but noticed something was... off. His mane was almost purely black and his "mark" had no visible white in it. The yin-yang symbol of balance was out of order, his whole existence being put into jeopardy. She merely observed him as he held his horn with his hoof, a look of pain washing over his face. A small hue of green appeared near the tip, a color which she had not seen before.
"Yang, why is there a green aura near near your horn?" Luna asked.
"Side effects if I don't do my duty of cheering people up, Princess. Everyone, see my "mark"? Well, the white fills in when I can only cheer those up around me that need it, and the black fills up when I have to administer a dose of sadness to those who are doing extremely well in their life," Yang explained as the green aura faded.
"But why make people sad? They should be happy!" shrieked Pinkie.
"I agree with you Pinkie, but this is my destiny. My mark tells me what I should do with my life and my talents. I never did like causing sadness to those around me, but it is a necessary evil," Yang explained.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You expect me to believe that you have to cause suffering?" said Rainbow Dash.
"Yes," replied Yang.
"And you have to cause happiness?" retorted Dash.
"Yes."
"Why that's a load of malarkey! If you think you're going to fool all of us, even the Princess, you got another thing coming, buster!" Rainbow Dash yelled, her wings flapping quickly.
"He speaks the truth, Rainbow Dash," Luna interrupted. "When my sister and I first met him, we both thought it was strange that he had to cause both happiness and sadness in the ponies' lives. We didn't understand the reasoning behind it, but he explained it like this: 'Life is full of suffering and happiness. One cannot exist without the other. Where others may hate the sadness of suffering, it makes the bliss moments of happiness all the more worthwhile. This delicate process of good and bad events in ones' destiny is called life.' I was still confused by what he meant, but my sister explained it better. She stated that life was like a roller coaster; it has its ups and downs, but at the end of the ride, you are always satisfied."
"Ohhhh," said Rainbow Dash. "I just thought he was making stuff up, that's all. Gotta keep him on his toes, right?" said Rainbow Dash as she flew punches into random walls of air.
Princess Luna chuckled at this saying, "You're right, Rainbow Dash. Keep him on his toes, he's funny when he's all flustered."
Rainbow Dash saluted Luna, a small chuckle escaping the Princess's lips.
"Yang, I never knew that they did that to you. You have my deepest condolences. If it isn't rude to ask, but where are you living? Since, you know the whole incident with your house and all," she asked.
"I'm still living there. It keeps me focused on what I need to achieve," Yang responded.
"And that would beeeee?" said Discord as he turned into a giant bumblebee.
"To fix what is right. To make a name for myself and show that I'm not a bad guy," replied Yang.
"Oh, poo, you're no fun," said Discord, his old form returning to himself.
"Oh, Princess Luna, I've been meaning to ask you. How did you get banished to the moon?" asked Yang.
Sound become silence as everyone held their breath, scared at what the outcome would be.
"We can talk about that in private Yang. Come, follow me. As far as everyone else goes, please feel free to browse Canterlot and its restaurants. The delicacies here are very tasty and mouth-watering. I just ask that you do not go into any off-limit areas. And Discord? If Twilight and my sister do return to the group, appear before me at once," Luna demanded.
"At your service, highness," Discord said with bitterness.
Princess Luna and Yang walked up both flight of stairs and disappeared from view.
"Well, we might as well get something to eat. I'm starving!" said Applejack trying to change the mood.
"Yeah! I haven't eaten anything all morning!" shouted Pinkie.
"A snack would be nice, if that's ummm, ok," whispered Fluttershy.
"Then let's go darlings, what are we waiting here for?" Rarity chimed in as she donned a fancy hat.
Spike nodded in agreement with everyone else. Everyone was ready to leave except Discord. He refused to move from his spot. It took some staring persuasion, but Fluttershy finally made Discord agree to eat with the group and not cause any mischief. He promised as the group went to a nearby outdoor cafe in Canterlot.
While Princess Luna was giving Yang a piece of her mind and explaining the reason of her banishment, Celestia and Twilight were talking privately in Celestia's quarters.
"Twilight, here is what happened those years ago," said Celestia, her eyes slowly closing as she remembered that day. "My sister Luna and I had just returned from visiting the Crystal Empire. We were checking up on the citizens there, making sure that the town was at peace as we tried to find a rightful heir to watch over the citizens. We had come up with a list of possible candidates, making sure that they would rule with love and harmony in their hearts. Upon returning to Ponyville for another visit, it was in complete chaos. Ponies of all races running everywhere, houses flipped upside down, and worst of all, our beloved bond with the citizens was shattered.
In the midst of it all stood a lonely draconequus laughing and enjoying the view. My sister and I quickly decided to join forces to take him down. It was a struggle, but we managed to defeat him. We didn't have the elements you see, so it took quite a deal of magic to bring him down. After we punished him to clean every inch of Canterlot, we sent him away to reflect on his actions. But before he left, he sent a nerve down my spine. 'Well, it seems our plan didn't work. My, my, dear sisters, I wonder how this could've happened.' This was all he said before disappearing into thin air. We pondered his quirky remark while fixing the balance of the moon and the sun. I voiced an opinion to Luna of Yang being the cause behind all of this since he was seen last with Discord. Also, Twilight, Yang was never present when Discord went rampant. Luna retorted that I was crazy to think of something so preposterous.
Unannounced to her, I left the castle during her duty and found Yang near the outskirts of Ponyville. I questioned him about the incident, but he merely grunted and walked away. I asked him again about the incident, but this time with more force. He held his ears tightly and told me to stop. I silently obeyed, my eyes staring into his very soul. He looked up at me and began to shake. He admitted to letting Discord do as he pleases, despite what his duty was. He said that this was my punishment. I destroyed his life, so he wanted to destroy mine. I did not know what he was talking about. I never destroyed his life, nor his very existence. He yelled again calling me a liar before his horn grew. I reacted by instinct and cast him into the Everfree Forest with a crystallization spell. It was a little something I picked up from the Crystal Empire in order to subdue and question enemies. After all, we had just survived the Griffon War, so every new spell I could learn, I wanted to learn quickly to protect my people.
He was thrown into the forest as his body became further encased in crystal. I flew back to the castle in order to get some rest. Unfortunately, my sister had noticed me sneaking out of the castle and only saw the glimpse of what had occurred between Yang and I. When I awoke the next day, she declared that I was unfit to lead the masses. She also declared that the citizens loved me more since they enjoy the sunlight over the moonlight. She became inconsolable, her mind broken into two. That is when she transformed herself into Nightmare Moon.
And from that dear Twilight, is the reason why I am suspicious of Yang. He is not back here for no reason. He is most likely out for revenge against me. I want you and your friends to keep an eye on him, please. Every day send me a report of what had happened. Now go my most faithful student, show me what that fiend Yang is planning."
"Yes, Princess Celestia, as you wish," replied Twilight. She bolted out of the room in a frantic search for her friends to tell them of their mission.
Meanwhile, in Luna's private quarters, Yang and Luna were discussing a plan to overthrow Celestia yet again.
"Well, maybe not overthrow, just have you control both the sun and the moon and well, be the Queen!" shouted Yang enthusiastically.
".....overthrow you mean?" Luna said, her voice saturated with sarcasm.
"Well....."
"No, Yang, it's been 1,000 years. Forget your petty revenge. Forget your minor hatred and bury it. It is better if you do this. If not for you, then for me," she announced, her body nearing Yang's frontside.
Yang babbled out random sounds as his horn grew a small green.
"Ok, what is up with your horn? What is that?" she asked frantically.
"Minor effects, nothing to...." was all he muttered, hid body becoming limp and falling to the floor.
Luna rushed to his side, trying to wake him up, console him, anything to formulate a response. She nudged him and shook him, any effort to try and wake him. Yang's eyes slowly opened, his horn growing a brighter shade of neon green. She took a step back, unsure of what was occurring.
"It seems he has fainted," Yang whispered.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, it is the other sister. Hmmm, what's your name?"
Luna slowly realized that Yang was no longer in control of his own body, but by another force.
"Identify yourself at once demon!" she yelled.
"Or what? Shoot me? You can't possibly do that. But I on the other hand, have no problem. Your little stallion here is mine. Understand? Mine. You can't fathom what kind of power I have tasted, Princess. I will feed off of him for the rest of his days. And neither you nor your sister can stop me."
"Feed? Wait, my sister told me of some strange creature that feeds. Just who was it?" she asked, her eyes slowly drifting to the side of her head.
With a quick motion, bright light filled the room, instantly blinding Luna. Yang's body sprinted towards Luna and stopped by her side. With a slight movement of his hoof, he opened the princess's mouth and inserted his tongue into hers. As their saliva mixed, he forcefully held her head straight up. She responded with a powerful kick to Yang's midsection, causing him to tumble backwards. While she successfully kicked him away, she accidentally swallowed Yang's saliva in the process. When the light faded, Yang stood there, a demonic laugh spilling out of his throat.
"Now, then, princess. Here is what you desire, but not what you seek. My identity is Queen Chrysalis, but unlike the past, I have made to sure to not show my presence so early. So, tomorrow night at the stroke of midnight, you will fly to my location."
"I will do no such thing!" she roared, her coat starting to turn black.
"Ah, can't have that can we? Well then, time for some discipline...armor."
Upon hearing this word, a horrifying vision crossed into her mind. Ponies dead, organs spilled on the ground, and countless bodies filled her mind. She could only scream in pain as her head was struck with intense pressure. A sudden, painful migraine constantly attacked her physical body. In her mind, unpleasant horrors and unspeakable acts were being committed to helpless ponies. The final image that sent her over the edge was Celestia using her magic to slowly and sadistically pull Scootaloo apart in five different directions.
"STOP! STOP! STOP THIS NIGHTMARE!!" she screamed.
"Oh, but I thought you were Nightmare Moon," he said, his tone dripping with mockery. In an instant, the images and the migraine stopped altogether. "Now remember, Princess if you do not show up on time or at my location, I will have you experience this pain and suffering constantly."
"B-But how will I know of where to go?" she asked.
"You will know. At that time be on the balcony looking out to the edge of the city near the forest. From there, I will guide you to my location. Also, one last thing. I can see into your mind. Every thought you have, every desire you feel, I will know. Try and tell your sister or any other breathing being, I will be back to inflict this endless torture. And if you write what happened? Ohohoho, I will have fun in other ways than torture, my dear. You can count on that. Now then, tomorrow at midnight. Do not forget."
Yang's eyes closed, his horn stopped glowing, and his body fell to the floor like a rag-doll. Luna meekly walked over to him and lied down next to him, her head still hurting from both the mental and physical abuse. She merely laid her head on the cold, marble floor; her breathing becoming shallow and inconsistent. Yang woke up, his hooves rubbing his head.
"W-What happened?"
"You fainted," Luna replied.
"Oh, yea. Sorry, that seems to happen quite often. I apologize if I-"
Yang was interrupted by Celestia and Twilight bursting into the room.
"Dearest sister, are you alright? We heard screaming from down the hall!" said Celestia.
"Oh yes, it is alright, my sister. Yang collapsed on the floor and his head bounced off of the hard tile. I was concerned that he had injured himself very deeply," Luna replied.
"I see. That is a cause for concern. If he is still not better by sundown, he can rest in one of the guest houses. As for now, Luna, we have an important task at hand; we seem to have a very urgent incident. Twilight, may I ask you to please escort Yang out of the castle for now? I do apologize we had to cut our meeting so short. Until next time?" Celestia asked, smiling.
"I understand, Princess Celestia. C'mon Yang, let's escort you home," said Twilight. With a teleportation spell, Twilight teleported Yang and herself out of the room and in front of the castle. Twilight's friends saw the duo appear before the castle. The group was on their way back to the main hall to see if Twilight and Yang had finished their meetings. Meanwhile, back in Luna's quarters, the two sisters were discussing the issue at hand.
"What would be the problem, sister?" asked Luna.
"We have reports of someone trying to attack Canterlot. We have no visual of the pony, but we believe that the attack will happen fairly soon."
"How soon?"
"Within the month," Celestia replied.
"That is a problem. Should I send my guards on patrol tonight?"
"No, not tonight. We will launch an inquiry tomorrow night. We need half of your units to scan the Everfree Forest perimeter and the other half to scout out the town. Are you ok with this, Luna?"
Before Luna could respond, a flash of a pony with its head decapitated appeared in her mind. "Yes, I am dear sister. I will make sure the scouting operation is a success."
"Thank you, Luna. I knew you would understand. Now then, we have all been through much excitement and drama today. I will take my leave and let you rest."
"Good night, sister."
With a nod, Celestia walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind herself. Luna walked over to her bed and tried to sleep, her mind still wavering on the decision of what to do next.
"Is he alright?" Pinkie asked, her hoof pointing at a worn-out Yang.
"Yes, it appears he fainted and smacked his head on the floor. I'm ready to take him home, despite of where it might be. Yang, where is your home?" Twilight asked.
"M-My home? It's in the-" Yang's head started to pound again, his teeth grunting in anguish.
"Ah, he needs to be seen by a doctor quickly. Everyone, hold on, I'm teleporting all of us home. I may collapse when we arrive as this will use much of my magic energy. Is everyone ready?" said Twilight.
"Actually, Princess Twilight, I will be sleeping here tonight, so you don't need to take me. Until our next visit," Discord stated as he smiled warmly.
"Well, alright, if you say so. Hang on!" Twilight shouted.
The group dispersed in a puff of smoke, Discord waving goodbye to them.
"My, my, Yang. You do seem to be a center of attention. Just like the old days, I wonder when your ego will be smashed. Hmmph, it seems things here will become lively once again," he muttered, his tail swaying back and forth in amusement.
Meanwhile in the Everfree Forest, Chrysalis was preparing to depart towards Ponyville.
"Hmmm, a doctor you say? Well, I guess I better find the hospital. Wait, hospital...." the word echoed inside of her head.
"Sick ponies. Injured ones as well. Hahahaha-hahahaha-HAHAHAHAHAHA," she laughed maniacally.
"This will surely be amusing for me," she muttered, her body changing to a hot pink. She pinned her wings to her side, her concentration on blending the wings into the skin. With some powerful magic, the wings were perfectly concealed from sight; it looked like she was just another earth pony. Deciding that it would be bad to have a green mane, she changed the hue of it to a light, sky blue. She chuckled to herself, her excitement being brought to light.
"I remember this pony from when I was getting a massage as Princess Cadence. Ohoho, I can't wait to see that dumb look on Twilight Sparkle's face when I dupe her. Well, I just need to play it cool. Act like royalty last time.....or should I act like a crazed, obsessed lover? Aggghhh, I can't decide what to pick!"
In her frustration, her wings sprang out and opened fully. She blushed in embarrassment.
"Well, I guess I need to be poised, then," said Chrysalis. She calmed herself and hid her wings once again before leaving Yang's house and heading into Ponyville.