//------------------------------// // Total Eclipse // Story: Darkest of Nights // by KrisProwler //------------------------------// With the threat of Sombra behind them, the alicorn sisters returned to Canterlot and their lives as monarchs. In the year that followed, the two quietly settled back into their roles as stewards of the day and night, respectively, happy to have left the horrors of war behind them. Because she was seen most often by the ponies under their rule, many among them began to consider Celestia the true ruler of Equestria. The public loved her and warmly embraced Celestia into their lives, happy to have a pony like her watching over them. Luna, however, did not get to bask in the same glory that her sister did. By the time she had raised her moon and cast her stars into the night sky everypony was in bed and asleep, leaving almost nopony awake to greet and talk to their other princess. Instead, Luna occupied her time with taking care of any problems that needed to be solved out of the public's view, such as fending off dangerous creatures threatening any part of Equestria. However, all the ponies credited Celestia for the tasks that Luna completed, and despite Celestia insisting that her sister deserved all the credit the ponies continued to worship her. Luna's morale plummeted and soon she stopped caring about decorating her night skies. The night princess grew even more irate and resentful when only a meager few came forward complaining about the lack of stars in the sky. Completely disheartened by everything, Luna soon started shutting herself away in her room, refusing to come out and left her skies void of any stars, though she continued to fulfill her duty of raising the moon. Celestia tried talking to her but Luna refused to see anypony, trusting only a select few Blackguard ponies to enter her room to deliver their reports. * * * Weeks later, Celestia stood alone in the throne room just after raising the sun. It had been ages since anypony had seen Princess Luna, and Celestia was beginning to grow worried about her younger sister's mental state. She had resolved herself to try, yet again, to coax her sister out of hiding, but to her surprise and genuine relief, just as she turned to exit the room, she spotted Luna approaching her. "Luna, my sister, I'm so happy to see you." Celestia said, genuinely smiling. "I'm glad to see you're back on your hooves and are feeling better." Luna took a deep breath before addressing her elder sister. "Sister, I am getting weary of everypony worshiping and praising your bright days while they shun me and my nights." Celestia sighed. They had had this same conversation innumerable times in the months before Luna had locked herself away. "I know how you must feel, Luna, and I promise, I continue to remind everypony that you are responsible for Equestria and everypony's safety just as much as I am." Celestia said, but Luna shook her head. "Yet still they continue to love you and ignore me!" Luna shouted, stomping her hoof in frustration. "I know you are trying sister, but it is not fair!" Celestia's heart ached as she was once again confronted by Luna's agitation. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel more appreciated?" she offered. Luna nodded, happy that the conversation was headed in the direction she had hoped. "Actually, there is. I know there is a small portion of ponies who do favor my night, but as so much of Equestria operates during the day they cannot stay up to enjoy the night. I wish to fulfill their desires and be appreciated for my work and efforts, and thus I wish to break off and start my own kingdom." Celestia couldn't believe her ears. "What? You cannot be serious!" she exclaimed, but Luna nodded sternly, completely intent on fulfilling her wish. Celestia walked over to her sister. "My dearest Luna, you know you are needed here with me. Neither of us can rule this land alone, and we need to both be here to defend everypony from harm. The Elements of Harmony, the gift that Starswirl gave us, we cannot wield them without the other." Luna winced as the memory of the battle against Sombra returned to the forefront of her mind unbidden, but she nodded in understanding. "I know Tia, and I promise to always come to your assistance whenever you may call. But I cannot stay here. I just wish for your blessing to form a new nation to call my own, and allow me and my followers to leave in peace." Celestia sighed and shook her head no. "I'm sorry, Luna. I love you and I understand your frustration, but I cannot allow you to leave. Equestria is still too weak to be split and I cannot lead everypony by myself. I need you by my side. I swear to try to give you all the credit and acknowledgement you so rightfully deserve and make sure everypony is able to enjoy your beautiful nights." Luna stepped backwards, tears of frustration, anger, and jealousy welling in her eyes. "You... I can't believe you! You just don't want me to surpass you in popularity! You don't want everypony to love me instead of you!" she shouted. The air in the room seemed to grow colder and an unsettling layer of fog began to build at Luna's hooves. Celestia was shocked and furious that Luna would suggest such a thing. "Luna, that's enough!" Celestia said sternly, her own voice bellowing in a rare show of anger. The sudden response by Celestia caused Luna to falter and go silent, giving Celestia a moment to breathe and speak in a calmer tone. "Luna, there is no need for this jealousy. You know that I would not wish such a thing. And you of all ponies should understand that everypony needs to sleep, and it is natural to sleep at night. You are one of the few ponies to have the unique gift of being able to master living during the night and walk through the dreamscape. Everypony in Equestria depends on you to keep them safe at night sister... Even me." Celestia said with sincere gratitude. However, Celestia's words were not enough to soothe Luna's anger. "But still you refuse to allow me to create my own kingdom where ponies actually appreciate what I do." she said in discontent. Celestia shook her head once more. "As I said, Lulu, we cannot afford to divide our powers. Equestria needs us to protect it, both of us. So no, I cannot give you my blessing to leave." she said with some sadness in her voice. Luna's expression was a mix of sorrow and anger, but she remained silent as she turned to return to her room. Celestia bowed her head, upset that her sister was hurting this much, but with Equestria being so new and unstable, appeasing Luna was almost impossible at this point. "Please, have patience, sister." Celestia said softly. * * * Luna slammed the door to her room shut and jumped onto her bed, screaming into her pillow in frustration. "It's not fair!" she cried over and over, her hoof beating her bed in futility. "Life isn't fair, you foal." Luna's head snapped up and her eyes darted around the room. "Who said that? Who dares enter my room without my permission?" she yelled out loud. She didn't see anypony in her room, and with great caution she got up and slowly paced around her room. "Here you are, one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, one of her monarchs, yet you can't even win over the loyalty and respect of your own subjects. You're pathetic." Beginning to panic, Luna lit her horn, preparing a magical blast as her confusion and frustration grew. "Show yourself, coward!" she yelled out. The room seemed to darken as an eerie mist began to pool at Luna's hooves, and for some reason Luna found herself drawn to the oversized mirror adorning one of the walls. Walking up to it, she found that instead of seeing her reflection, all she saw was a massive cloud of fog, but as she peered closer a pony emerged from the smoky reflection. To her surprise and slight horror, the pony in the mirror looked very similar to her; it was an alicorn, but taller and with a much darker mane and coat. Caught off guard, Luna fired the spell she had been holding. The mirror shattered, along with the walls of her room, revealing a grand expanse of empty space stretching into eternity. Luna stumbled backwards in shock before she was able to regain her composure as realization finally set it. A dream... My dream. But... when did I fall asleep? Her thoughts were interrupted by what she had thought was her reflection sneering in mockery by her ungraceful steps. "It's no wonder nopony respects you. You have the grace of a three-legged cow." Luna adopted an aggressive stance and bared her teeth. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" the princess demanded. "You silly foal, you still haven't figured it out yet?" Her 'reflection' threw its head back in laughter. "You're looking at yourself. I am you... what you could be, what you truly desire to become." "What are you talking about?" Luna spat at the dark alicorn, still in her aggressive stance. "You are not me! What dark magic is this you are using?" The menacing alicorn smiled at this. "Oh? Are you so sure about that, Princess Luna?" Luna suddenly found herself back in her room staring at the mirror again, just where she had been before she had shattered the dreamscape around herself. The mirror's surface seemed to ripple as the princess stared at it, and the large alicorn faded away, but as Luna's actual reflection became clearer she gasped as her coat was almost black and her mane and tail were now a deep blue. Luna could only stare in disbelief at the transformation as the voice continued to laugh inside of her head. "You see? It is just as I said; I am what you could be, what you want to be." Luna scoffed, her mind still in denial. "And how do you know what I wish?" she challenged. "Would you rather live in your dear sister's shadow forever?" the voice mocked. "Yes, maybe you would rather just fade away into your nights that nopony ever sees. Maybe you would rather let your sister take all the glory for your hard work and be forgotten. Even Discord's name will be remembered throughout time, but not Luna. No, you shall remain alone and unloved forever more..." Luna tried her best to shut out the hurtful words, but her will soon crumbled as tears sprang to her eyes. "No... no, you're wrong..." she tried to say but her voice faltered. "Oh, I'm wrong am I? Then perhaps I should just leave you to disappear and rot away while your sister takes all the glory. Forever after shall everypony remember the name Princess Celestia, while her sister is forgotten by all. Or... if you decide to accept my offer, we can change this; we can make everypony across this land remember and respect the name Princess Luna." Though she hesitated to trust this still unknown voice in her subconscious, the prospect of gaining the reverence she so desperately sought captivated her. "You... you can do that?" she asked eagerly. "Of course. I can fulfill your every wish." The dark alicorn materialized before Luna once more, this time moving to her side and draping a hoof over the smaller pony. "You know the truth now. Your sister won't give you your own kingdom to rule over because she's afraid of you winning over everypony's trust and loyalty. She fears your power, what you can become. But I can make you strong, I can make your desire reality." Luna didn't say anything; no words were needed between them. She opened her heart and mind to the mysterious pony beside her. She suddenly felt a strange feeling envelope her entire body, as though another pony was now occupying her body. However, she also felt a sudden surge of energy and power sweep over her, and as she became used to the new feeling the voice in her head now sounded clearer and closer than before. "You can feel it now, can't you? I can offer you what your sister doesn't want you to have. I can give you anything you wish. With my guidance and power merged with yours, everypony will bow before you." Luna's eyes suddenly snapped open. She found herself lying on the edge of her bed facing the door. Now curious, she rose to her hooves and walked to the mirror. The pony that looked back at her was the same deep blue alicorn as always except... Luna blinked in confusion, then stared hard at herself again. The reflection looked perfectly normal, but Luna could swear that her eyes had been different a moment before... An image came unbidden to the alicorn's mind of being surrounded by adoring ponies causing her to smile. Yes... I see. Luna waited quietly a moment longer, but the voice from her dream had fallen silent. However, a plan began to form in her mind. Though she normally slept through the day, knowing that timing would be the greatest factor in her success or failure, Luna called for one of the guards outside her room to summon a pair of Blackguard to speak to her. I will get my own kingdom. she thought. Everypony will love me... Or they will know the ultimate nightmare! * * * In the weeks following her argument with Luna, Celestia did not see her sister at all. The princess of the night kept herself busy, locking herself away in her room most of the day. A few of the guard reported seeing Luna leaving Canterlot at night, traveling south to an unknown destination. More often than not she returned to Canterlot well past daybreak, but she always remembered to lower the moon from wherever she went to. Celestia tried many times to speak with Luna but every time she went to her sister's room Luna was either asleep or gone. Though she was worried about her sister, Celestia was soon faced with another problem; reports started to come in that ponies from all over Equestria were going missing. The Royal Guard was unable to unearth any clues as to how or why, so Celestia took on the task of investigating the disappearances personally. At first she thought she had acquired enough clues to safely guess that the ponies most at risk were citizens of Canterlot as all of the victims lived or worked in the capital, but as the days continued to pass by ponies from other cities began to disappear as well. There was sadly no pattern of what kind of pony was being targeted; ponies of all ages, races, and gender were disappearing from their homes each night; from simple earth pony farmers to the Canterlot elite, nopony seemed safe from what was going on. As day after frustrating day continued to pass by, panic began to spread like a wildfire; even the guards began to waver in their duties, many of them opting to rush home and protect their families. Unable to risk going off to search for the missing ponies herself without her sister to watch over Canterlot, Celestia nonetheless didn't wish to risk further destabilization by continuing her investigation on her own. With no other choice left, Celestia gave in to the last resort she didn't want to resort to using and resolved to bring in her sister's beloved Blackguard. Straining to remember the spell Luna had used in the Crystal Empire, she let her horn flare up, her magic pulsing out over the castle grounds. After a moment, she felt something respond to her probe, then another. Focusing on the two signals, she began the summoning spell. Her vision was momentarily filled with a white flash, and then, before her stood two Blackguard, one stallion and one mare. The two Blackguard favored her with their usual blank, calculating stare, patiently awaiting the orders of their princess. Their emotionless gaze unnerved Celestia, but she tried her best to push it out of her head as to focus on the task at hand. She turned to the mare. "I wish for you to watch the outskirts of the city. If you see anypony leaving the city, follow them. Inform me of their destination." The mare before her nodded before suddenly disappearing. Were it not for the fact that their power was bound to the princesses' expanded senses, Celestia may not have even noticed that the mare had teleported away. Even such complicated magic, and they are able to use it with virtually no hint of casting or evidence left behind... What a frightening power your Blackguard wield, sister... Celestia suppressed a shudder as she turned to the stallion. "Watch for my sister. The next time she leaves Canterlot, follow her and report back to me her destination." The stallion nodded and vanished, just as the mare before him. Celestia didn't have to wait long before the Blackguard returned. The next morning, just after she raised the sun the two Blackguard appeared before her and delivered their reports. Both ponies mentioned some place called "Selene", southeast of Canterlot. While she had never heard of any such village, when the unicorns spoke of its location, Celestia was certain she knew where her sister and the missing ponies had ended up. Celestia sighed in depression. There was now no doubt remaining; all the clues before her came crashing together into one indisputable answer. Luna had been up to something, and she now knew her sister had also been involved in the disappearances. Sister... what have you done? Her mind made up, Celestia completed her daily assignments and duties as quickly as ponily possible, then returned to her room to prepare for what maybe a protracted journey. She left her castle just as the moon began to rise. Celestia allowed a small smile to cross her face; whatever else Luna was up to, she still completed her duties to raise and lower the moon every night. * * * Even flying at full speed, it had taken Celestia several hours to reach her destination; it was well past midnight by the time the ancient castle she and her sister had occupied before moving to Canterlot came into view. The sun princess found herself speechless as she neared the ancient castle. When the two sisters had left Discord's old castle they had intended to never return to the foreboding structure deep in the forest, but what lay before Celestia's eyes was anything but deserted. Where tangles of brush and vines once stood, overtaking the abandoned castle grounds, now was a large grove dotted with small houses and stores. Through the now open canopy, there was enough light for Celestia to see that the small town was actually populated by ponies, the inhabitants coming out to see who their visitor was. As she approached the castle, Celestia became aware of a familiar sensation. Somepony else's magic, a magic that she had felt quite recently, was approaching. Then, just outside the castle, she saw them, the two Blackguard that she had summoned back in Canterlot hours before. She landed upon the ornate stone bridge leading up to the castle and the Blackguard approached her. "Welcome, Princess Celestia." The mare said as they approached the sun princess. "Princess Luna has been expecting you." "Luna. Where is she?" Celestia asked curtly, a hint of the agitation she felt showing in her voice. If the two Blackguard were at all affected by the princess's tone, neither one showed any outward signs of it. "Princess Luna awaits you in the throne room, Princess." the stallion said, gesturing towards the castle Discord once occupied. "Please follow me." Celestia fell into step behind the Blackguard. Outside the throne room, she saw two guards on either side of the double doors. As Celestia approached them she recognized them as some of the royal guards who had worked for Luna, but the armor they wore looked as if somepony had modified it and had dyed the metal dark blue. The guards saluted Celestia as she walked by, and her Blackguard escorts opened the doors with their magic before disappearing again. Celestia found herself in the old throne room. Alone. Looking around the room, Celestia noted that while Luna had kept the twin thrones and regal banners of the sun and moon, the younger alicorn had changed the rest of the decorations in the castle. The new decor was now to Luna's tastes and portrayed the glamour and wonders of the night, midnight blue and silver banners dominating the halls and rooms. Celestia would have been genuinely impressed by all the work that Luna had done in such a short amount of time if it weren't for that fact that she had gone against Celestia's orders, not to mention that she was responsible for the missing ponies across Equestria. Celestia's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a heavy door swinging open on the side of the room. Turning to face where the noise came from, she spotted Luna entering the throne room flanked by the two Blackguard. Celestia was immediately struck by the regality and confidence her sister seemed to radiate as she walked to her throne, something she had not seen in the moon princess since before their battle with Sombra. Once she reached the throne, Luna turned to address the two Blackguard dutifully following her. "You have done well Specter, Nightshade. You are dismissed." The two unicorns nodded in unison before once again vanishing. Luna then turned to face her elder sister, her face the very picture of composure. "Welcome, dear sister, to Selene; my new kingdom." Luna said in greeting, opening her wings to embrace Celestia. Celestia didn't return the gesture, instead concentrating as hard as she could to refrain from exploding with anger and betrayal. "Luna, what is the meaning of all of this? After I had told you that we need to stay united!" Luna's smile quickly fell away as she defended her actions. "I have no intention on isolating my kingdom from you! Do you not see your throne still in place beside mine? All I did was create a place that can thrive and prosper under my moon as Canterlot does under your sun." Celestia was in shock but managed to contain her growing fury. "That doesn't excuse foalnapping Tartarus knows how many ponies!" "Foalnapping?! How dare you even suggest such a thing!" Luna stamped her foot in anger, a large crack in the ornate marble floor forming beneath her. Celestia was taken aback by the show of anger, taking an involuntary step back as she felt her sister's power rising at an alarming rate. Moments later Luna's expression softened and the oppressive force building around her vanished. "Sister, I know how this must look, but I assure you that everypony in Selene came here willingly, not under any force! I simply called out to those among our subjects that felt more at home in my night; those that heard my call came to me of their own free will to join my new kingdom." Regaining her composure, Celestia's own anger began to build once more. "Be that as it may, your actions have caused widespread panic across Equestria! The ponies that have come to this place left friends and families behind! Whether or not you've done so with force, you've whisked away so many ponies without at least allowing them to inform their loved ones!" Celestia paused to carefully consider her next words before she finally spoke again. "The best course of action now is to allow everypony to return home and we can discuss this whole matter later-" "No!" Luna interrupted. "I will not allow this, my dream, to die simply because you wish me so stand in your shadow while you selfishly keep everypony's love and admiration for yourself!" "That is enough!" Celestia said, her anger finally reaching the breaking point. "Your baseless jealousy had led you astray! That you could even think that I would ever think of you in such a way insults us both!" The sisters stared each other down, anger evident in each alicorn's features. Finally Luna spoke up again, her words and voice surprisingly calm. "Perhaps we are looking at this the wrong way; it is, after all, not just our lives that are affected by all of this. If you were to see what I have created for yourself, I know you would understand." Celestia's anger waned as she considered her sister's words. Luna, ever brash and quick to action, was using diplomacy to try to breach the gap between them. Celestia smiled inwardly at this. "Very well. Let us go, Lulu." The sisters walked in silence out of the throne room and back to the entrance of the castle. Once out on the bridge, the two took flight, heading towards the town growing around the ancient castle. The two alicorns landed in the center of town, where a large fountain was being constructed. Even as they did, ponies from around the town began to gather, staring on in curiosity. "Citizens of Selene, listen well to our words!" Luna's voice thundered out across the town as she adopted the royal voice the sisters used to address the public. The ponies of the small city quickly converged upon the princesses, waiting expectantly for Luna's words to them. "Our sister, Celestia, believes we have brought thee to this land under false pretext! She believes ye have come to our kingdom against thy will! We come before thee tonight to show our dear sister the truth! That ye remain with us because of your love of the glorious night!" A boisterous cheer rose through the gathering at this, but Luna quickly raised a hoof to calm her subjects as she continued. "We know that many among us have left loved ones behind to come to Selene! Your princess knows and is moved by your sacrifice! Each and every pony before us knows the truth of thy desire in thine own heart! It is time that desire was made known to us! Anypony that wishes to leave Selene for any reason, please do so now!" The ponies before them fell silent; for a long moment, nopony moved at all. Celestia scanned the crowd for signs of some coercive magic, but aside from the small bit of magic Luna had used to amplify her voice, she could not sense anything out of the ordinary. Then all at once, the gathered ponies began to bow before their princess. A single foal emerged from the congregation and ran to Luna's side, lovingly brushing her tiny frame against her princess's foreleg. Luna smiled at the filly and gently levitated the tiny earth pony onto her back, at which point the filly quickly wrapped her hooves as tightly as she could around the princess's neck. Luna allowed the embrace to continue for before she finally took the filly in her magic once more and gently lay her back on the ground. The filly, once released, quickly disappeared back into the crowd. Luna turned back to her sister. "Do you see now?" Luna's voice returned to its normal volume and cadence. "Nopony here has come against their will; they know who their affection and loyalty lies with, as does every pony under my rule. They are at home here with me. I am at home here, among ponies who love and revere me. Surely you would not force us to abandon that now that we have finally found the peace with one another. "Your ponies are panicked because they do not yet know what has become of their kin. But there is no reason Selene be kept a secret to them; it is just as much a haven to them as Canterlot. Those who wish it are free to come and go as they please; the families of my subjects may come to live or visit their loved ones as often as they desire. Please Tia, return to Canterlot and tell the ponies of what we have done here." Celestia looked from her sister to the ponies that had gathered under her; the pleading look she saw in her sister's eyes was mirrored by the hundreds of ponies surrounding the two of them. They truly are loyal to her. Perhaps this would be the best thing for the two of us, in time, when Equestria is stronger... Her thoughts were interrupted however when she once again felt her sister's power surging. "But know this before you make your decision, sister. Selene is ready and willing to fight for its independence. If Equestria refuses to be our ally, than it shall become our enemy..." Again Luna's fierce determination was echoed by the congregation around them. Well-played, sister. Celestia thought darkly. Even now, she knew her hooves were tied. She could not allow Equestria to face the ravages of war; she had been made its monarch in order to prevent just that. "Very well... As of this moment, Equestria hereby recognizes the sovereignty of the kingdom of Selene and its ruler, Princess Luna, under the condition that Selene and Equestria remain united in the ideal of promoting peace and prosperity for everypony." "You have my word, sister. Thank you." Luna reached up to hug her sister. Celestia returned the familial gesture, but even as she did she struggled to hold back tears as inwardly she was wracked with pain. Is this truly what you desire? To be separated from me? Are you truly willing to fight to be free of me? Oh Lulu... I'm so sorry for letting things get this bad. Please, sister, don't cut me out. I can't lose you! Not you...! * * * Luna sat alone amongst a seemingly endless field of lunar flowers, the moon high above her. She had always loved the delicate silver flowers which only revealed their true beauty to the light of her moon. She sighed contentedly as the night's events replayed through her head. I have finally done it! I finally have all that I desired! Sudden laughter shook the night princess from her reverie, and she frowned as a familiar voice could be heard from seemingly everywhere. "Do you now? Is this pittance all you truly desired?" "You would question that now?" Luna shouted into the emptiness. "This was your plan, was it not? And it has worked to perfection!" The black alicorn, which Luna had begun referring to as 'the Nightmare', appeared before her, just as it had every night since she first heard its voice in her room in Canterlot. "Look around you Luna. This 'kingdom' of yours, it is little more than a speck of dust at the foot of your sister's empire!" A massive vision of Celestia appeared before the two alicorns, blocking out the light of the moon and casting them in darkness. The sun princess appeared to be laughing, but no sound came from its mouth. "Do you not see? Celestia does not love you, she pities you. This land you call Selene was given up to distract you from that truth. "But... perhaps you are right. Perhaps this is in fact all you were meant to be; a footnote in the pages of Equestrian lore, hidden away forever in your sister's oppressive shadow until the next time she has need of you..." Luna sighed, determined to not be moved by the Nightmare's taunts again. "It matters not now. I have finally found ponies that love and respect me and my night." "You can't lie to yourself, princess; you and I both know this is far from enough for you. We have the power to do so much more than this... We have the power to make them all love you and you alone!" The Nightmare suddenly unleashed a blast from her horn, striking the towering likeness of Celestia, which quickly crumbled to dust before their eyes. "You will not sway me this time, Nightmare. My subjects love me; that is all I need." "And do you know why they love you?" "They love me because I am their princess!" "They love you because you are strong! Because you have the strength to face the harsh realities of rule!" The ground beneath them shook as if to punctuate the Nightmare's point. "Have you forgotten your own conviction so quickly? Think back upon your encounter with Sombra..." Even as the Nightmare spoke, the scene around them changed, and Luna suddenly found herself at the foot of the blackened crystal spire. Around her, frozen in her memory were Celestia, Sombra, bound by the Blackguard, and... herself, her eyes aglow with dark magic. Luna's face twisted in rage and frustration. "Why have you brought me here, Nightmare?! Why remind me of my greatest failing?!" "Failing?" The Nightmare's ethereal laughter seemed to rain down from all directions. "You really don't wish to see the truth of it, do you? You really are content to be your sister's pet forever, aren't you?" "You see it differently? I doomed an entire country to oblivion because of my actions that day!" "Nay, Luna, you saved countless lives that day! You saw with your own eyes what Sombra was prepared to do to Equestria. Can you honestly say that the outcome would have been any better if you hadn't ended it then and there? You and your sister would be fighting the same battle over and over every time the seal weakened, just as you will be struggling against Discord eternally." The scene began to shift again, but this time Luna's horn flared to life, and instead the dreamscape crumbled away, leaving them in an empty expanse. "I grow weary of this nonsense. Make your point, already!" "You took decisive action when the need arose and dealt the decisive blow your sister could not! That is why these ponies are drawn to you... because they understand the truth, just as you do. You said it yourself, Luna, sometimes strength is the only true solution!" "Enough!" Luna fired a blast from her horn at the Nightmare; while the attack passed right through the phantom, the Nightmare's body began to lose cohesion and fade away. "I will hear no more of this from you! Do not forget that I am this land's princess, and the course of action we take shall be by my will!" "Of course, 'princess'..." The Nightmare's fading voice said, applying an unusual emphasis on the title, before it fell silent once more. At once Luna awoke to find herself at the foot of the lake just west of Selene, where hours before she had bid her sister farewell. Slowly she rose to her hooves and stared down into her reflection in the water. As always her reflection appeared normal except... No, she had definitely seen it this time. For a moment, her eyes appeared savage and bestial before returning to their normal shape. Luna paid this little mind though, her focus now clear. Selene would expand, one way or another... * * * Celestia returned to Canterlot the next day and officially announced to the ponies of Equestria the existence of her sister kingdom, Selene. To her surprise, the panic that had been spreading steadily among the ponies quickly evaporated when news that their loved ones were safe and secure under the rule of Princess Luna. In the months that followed, a great number of ponies, mostly friends of the ponies of Selene and the destitute, migrated to the new kingdom, and the small village quickly grew into a city comparable to Canterlot. Celestia herself began to fall into a depression as the months passed; while the sisters communicated via letters on a regular basis, the pressures of their growing nations prevented either ruler from finding time to visit the other. Celestia had not seen her sister's face since the night she had flown out to confront her sister... Seven months after the princesses parted ways, reports came from the northeast of a clan of griffons attacking the coastal cities. Celestia assembled the Royal Guard and, true to her word, Luna sent a faction of the Lunar Guard, along with a compliment of her Blackguard to address the situation. The resulting war was swift and terrible. The Royal Guard reported back to Celestia that the Lunar Guard ponies had been merciless in their execution and tactics, slaughtering the griffons down to the last. What's more, the ponies themselves had been changed and were frightful in appearance. All of the soldiers of Selene had been changed, their coats a deep gray, their eyes cat-like slits and their ears tufted like some manner of wild beast. The pegasi among them had had their wings transformed into leathery appendages, resembling a bat's wings, where the unicorns' horns all ended in wicked-looking points. Even the earth ponies managed to look bigger and more menacing somehow... In the aftermath of the war, many ponies, including Luna, wished to continue their campaign into the griffon territories and extinguish the beasts once and for all. It was all Celestia could do to keep her ponies from following through on this, in particular after Selene offered to shoulder the bulk of the forces, but eventually, she was able to broker a call to negotiation with the remaining griffon clans. With all of this going on though, Celestia's attention was distracted away from some disturbing reports coming out of Selene itself, that nopony that visited the kingdom ever left again... * * * Luna surveyed her kingdom from the balcony of her room. What had only months before been a tiny village was a sprawling cityscape stretching out in all directions from the castle. She smiled at this; her followers grew on a daily basis, it seemed, and would soon rival that of Celestia's. They have seen our strength now; the ponies and those detestable griffons. They all must see it now, that I am most fit to rule them... Contented at the sight of the lands and ponies under her rule, she turned to enter her private chambers once more. No sooner had she passed through the curtain separating the two however did she stop in her tracks, unable to process what lie before her. On her bed lay several foals of varying size and race. Yet more foals were strewn about various places in the room. What? When did... Where did you all come from? All of the foals appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but upon closer inspection, Luna saw that they had all been placed in an enchanted dream by somepony. Of course, Luna knew of nopony other than herself that could command the dreamscape. But then, how could this have happened? I know I didn't bring them here... With no other leads to pursue, Luna resolved to look to her unexpected company themselves. She quickly summoned her magic to break the enchanted sleep over the gathered foals. One by one, the foals awoke; no sooner than they laid eyes upon the princess did the foals begin to scramble to their feet and move to cuddle into her. The night princess was further bewildered, though she could not say that she completely disliked the attention of the immature congregation lovingly amassed around her. Luna finally managed to find her voice. "My little ponies, what are you doing?" A tiny filly that had latched herself to Luna's left foreleg looked up at the princess with as big a smile as her diminutive form could allow. "We just all wanted to show you how much we love you, Mother Moon." The other foals nodded, even as they continued to attempt to pile onto the princess. These foals... they're being brainwashed in their dreams! Nopony but I could have done this... Not even Celestia can alter a pony's subconscious! There's no other explanation... Then, it finally dawned on her, the truth to the mystery before her. There was in fact one other pony that had the power to command the dreamscape... Her mind made up, she sent the command to the gathered foals to clamber onto the bed. With a mild amount of shoving and jostling, the miniature congregation was finally able to fit neatly atop the massive bed. Once in place, Luna used her magic to once again send the foals into an enchanted slumber. Rest now, little ones. I promise you I will make this right, once I deal with the one responsible... she thought before she too succumbed to the touch of her own magic... Once in the dreamscape, Luna wasted no time in calling out to her 'other half'. "Nightmare! Show yourself this instant!" The dark alicorn appeared beside her a moment later. "I am always here, princess, there is no need for such dramatics here." "I am in no mood for your games tonight! I know you are responsible for this infestation of foals in my bedchamber...!" The dreamscape shifted to display Luna's room as it currently appeared, with a mass of foals piled atop her bed. "The foals... I called them here from Trottingham. They are... an experiment of sorts; I wished to know the extent of our dreamscape abilities." "You... you cannot be serious!" For a moment, Luna's thoughts were distracted by the knowledge that her abilities were strong enough to spirit away a pony from such an extraordinary distance, but the memory of the foals and their distressing actions and words brought her back to the moment. "This has gone too far now. To involve the most innocent of all our subjects for a reason so petty?" The Nightmare laughed. Luna had heard the shadowy creature's laugh innumerable times in her dreams, but tonight it seemed especially malicious, slightly unnerving the night princess. "You are in no position to talk of innocence, you who orchestrated the slaughter of an entire clan and sought to eradicate the rest of their race." "The griffon threat needed to be dealt with; I was doing what needed to be done to protect my people!" "Indeed you were, but you cannot have it both ways, princess... To achieve the strength necessary to rule, you must surrender any such childish notions. I know you understand this; you are not your sister, after all." "Do not speak of Celestia thusly; she may be weak-willed, but her compassion is just as necessary as my strength! And no matter what else happens, she is forever my beloved sister!" The Nightmare's laughter rang out again, seeming coming from everywhere at deafening level. Luna stood quietly for a long moment before she had finally had enough. "Be silent, you conniving phantasm!" "You should know by now that you can't lie to yourself, Luna." The Nightmare appeared directly in front of Luna, leering down at the smaller alicorn with a look somewhere between amusement and contempt. "You long to replace Celestia, to destroy her. That has always been your deepest desire. I know this because I was born of that desire..." "No, that is not true. I have what I desired now, I am no longer jealous of her! From my throne here in Selene, I will stand together with Celestia as her equal!" "Don't make me laugh; you will never be her equal as you are now. You could never have hoped to rule or know the love and respect of anypony as your sister does without me! I made you into what you are now, the leader of ponies you always desired to become! A pony worthy of adoration!" "Enough of this! You claim to be a part of me, but your words and actions betray everything I believe in! This has gone too far, Nightmare! I will not condone foalnapping or any such despicable actions under my rule!" "Think about this before you make that decision, princess. The foals you see here are all orphans; much like you before I came to you, they would not be missed by anypony if they simply vanished, their lives would have been cruel and meaningless." The Nightmare gestured to the bed and, at once, the foals 'awakened' and began to climb down from the bed to stand beside her. "But here, with us, they can become something greater than their miserable fates. Their hearts are so pure and malleable; so easily can they be swayed to our way of thinking." The dark alicorn placed her hoof upon the mane of one of the foals at her side as a wicked grin began to spread across her face, echoed by the foals gathered around her. "With but the merest touch of our subliminal power, they can be made into our most loyal and valuable subjects-" "You mean made into slaves...! I will not allow you to turn me into a monster; I will not become Sombra or Discord!" The room in which they stood was suddenly tinged red and the illusionary foals vanished. Luna's horn lit intensely with power as the Nightmare looked on in seemingly bemused curiosity. "You have overstayed your welcome here, you contemptible creature... now, be gone!" Before the dark alicorn could react, the shadow that had been slowly building in size below it suddenly took shape, ensnaring its prey. It's over, you wicked spirit! The spell, meant to contain and destroy the most dangerous of night terrors, quickly spread over the alicorn's form before expanding out into a massive sphere of pure nothingness. All that remained was to dispel the void sphere and all within it would cease to be. "Very well then, have it your way..." The void sphere pulsed once before suddenly exploding in a violent flash of light; when the light dimmed enough Luna saw that the dark alicorn stood in the same spot she had occupied before the void had swallowed her, apparently unharmed, her horn glowing a brilliant cyan. What is this...? The void erases anything it touches within the dreamscape, how does she yet remain?! Luna stared on in disbelief a moment longer, but then resolved to cast the spell on the hateful creature once more. When she attempted to call her magic into her horn, however, she was shocked to find that she was being blocked from her power somehow; moreover, she realized, she could not move or feel her hooves. She looked down at her hooves to find, to her shock and horror, that the void had begun to consume her instead. No, impossible! How could my own magic be turned against me?! The Nightmare strode over to Luna's panicked form, staring down into the smaller alicorn's eyes and laughing wickedly. "Poor, pitiful Princess Luna. Even now you just don't seem to understand..." Luna struggled against the void with all her strength, but without access to her magic it continued to spread over her unabated and with her legs gone she could barely move at all. "You have long since lost the ability to decide your fate. From the moment you allowed me into your heart, I have been in control." As the void continued to spread over her, Luna's struggles waned and a cold, empty feeling began to set into her mind. Before long her entire lower body up to her throat had been consumed, robbing her of the ability to even cry out. "I have known since the beginning that you didn't have the strength of will to make use of your full power. I have no such weaknesses, however! I am the true master of the night! And you... you are no longer necessary!" The dark alicorn then disappeared, but its mocking laughter rained down on Luna for what seemed like an eternity until the creeping void consumed her ears; then her world fell silent. As the mass of blackness finally closed over the princess's eyes, completely engulfing her, a single thought formed in her mind before her entire being fell silent; Tia... * * * Luna awoke with a start from where she had collapsed on the floor. She immediately rose to her hooves and walked to the side of her room to where a full length mirror hung. The pony staring back at her now greatly resembled the one in her dream; her coat was now a deep midnight blue, nearly black, and her mane also a noticeably deeper blue than before. She had grown noticeably taller and her eyes had taken on the same feral appearance as that of her guard. She smiled as she looked over her new body. She was the perfect expression of beauty and power, a ruler that could command both love and respect. At long last, she was her true self. Luna closed her eyes. At her will, her body was engulfed in a blinding aura, blocking her vision for a moment; when the spell faded and the mirror her body had returned to the smaller, weaker appearance that her sister and the ponies had come to know. Luna stared at herself once more, her face growing expressionless. This will have to do for now, but the time is almost at hand to cast off these petty illusions. Very soon now, all ponies shall know the wonder of my glorious night. All that remains is to create a weapon against Celestia, and then nopony will be able to stand against me...!