It had been quite a party. Of course, that was to be expected when a certain pink pony was given charge of the whole event. Luna was just glad she had managed to go through the event without any world changing faux pas. As the celebration died down, Luna excused herself. She had a visit to make.
Luna walked over to the balcony and overlooked her kingdom. It was calm and dark, a beautiful night. She looked down at the city. There were holes in buildings and streets, but aside from a small lingering scent of smoke, any fires of that day had been put out, the city revealing its gentler hues in the starlight.
The princess turned her gaze upon the swamp where the last of the changelings was. She scowled, but her task was not quite complete. She had one final message to send. With a glow of her horn, she sent herself into the dreams of her foe.
The dream was a nightmare, even before Luna's arrival. She found herself in Canterlot, witnessing the dream play out. The queen sat there in the chapel as the sun began to grow in the sky, expanding ever closer, setting fire to the realm as the queen recoiled at the heat. The sun bulged and swelled, changing colors in until it was a massive magenta wall, colliding with her and banishing her to the darkness, which only grew darker as Luna heard her own laugh echo through the darkness, as the changelings screamed in terror, just as they did when Luna had sealed them within herself.
Normally this would be when the Queen woke up, but Luna had a message to pass on. Changing her dream's form, she took on the image of her monstrous self: Nightmare Moon. Even upon the moon, this monster had sometimes found the opportunity to prey upon the thoughts and dreams of others as her namesake implied, twisting them in her own sadistic way as Luna watched on helplessly. Even though that dark presence was destroyed now, the form remained a powerful and frightful symbol to every intelligent creature.
The nightmare began as a sweet voice called out. “Oh look how the mighty have fallen. Alone in the world, your entire race banished to a realm of wickedness. Chrysalis, queen of the muck and the rot. A pity your subjects shall never return. Without them, you could not have stopped the Elements of Harmony from sealing you away, and never will be able to stop them again. All vengeance has been denied to you.”
The defeated form shook in terror. “Are you here to gloat, monster?” she squeaked. It was hard to put up a front when one was unaccustomed to lucid dreaming.
The nightmare replied in a temptress' voice, putting on a false sympathy. “Gloat? Why would I do that? No, I'm here to offer you a choice. You may remain here, dead in the land of the living, an empty shell of your former self. Or, you may join your kin and live in the land of the dead. I have been generous, and Charon's toll awaits you upon the dead grasses above the gate. I have seen that Cerberus will allow you a one way ticket into that realm. The choice is yours.”
Luna then ended her connection, finding herself lying down upon the balcony. Chrysalis would wake up with a start now, possibly screaming. Even for a loveless creature such as that, this day's events must have taken their toll.
The princess glanced down. The reception was over and everypony had gone home, silence once again filling the air. Even after all this turmoil and chaos, everything was back to normal, as if nothing had happened at all. Luna decided to spend the rest of the evening reading a book, she still had history to learn, and to be as effective a ruler as her sister, she would have to become as well versed as a history professor, as Celestia had been there at the center of it all for a thousand years whilst Luna had existed in an unwilling ignorance.
Luna walked down toward her room, about to enter when Midnight walked up to her. “Pardon me, princess, but would you mind coming with me?” he asked. The princess nodded and walked beside the captain. She may as well, anyway; she could not allow herself sleep until she lowered the moon in several hours. Sure she had been tempted to ask Celestia to do it for her, but as far as everypony else knew, Luna had been the one who had not done anything all day, and this was a tale she was not sure she wanted anypony but Celestia to know. She would have to regale her sister tomorrow at supper.
Midnight led her to an unassuming room and opened the door. There inside was a brightly lit room with streamers and a cake. “Hi Luna!” a voice yelled right next to her, startling Luna and making her jump. “Oops! Sorry!” Maria replied, turning visible once again. She was not wearing her armor, revealing her natural chestnut coat and cyan mane, but her eyes remained forever golden and draconic. A cutie mark of an eye made of a dashed line decorated her flank.
Luna looked about room the rapidly, still a little caught off guard. “What is this? I don't even. When did you-”
“I was stealing a piece of cake when a pink pony called Pinkie caught up to me. We talked a bit and decided we'd arrange a small victory party” she giggled.
Several questions popped into Luna's head all at once. First off, how Maria had gotten caught? It wasn't as if she could be heard in that tumult. Second, Pinkie Pie and Maria Breeze together? The mere idea of those two hyperactive ponies in the same room sent shivers down her spine. Third, just when the hay did they have time to set this all up? Pinkie never left a party and her train left for Ponyville not too long after! Of course, her mind soon relented and accepted that if Pinkie was involved, it was best not to ask questions, and if there was a party being planned anywhere near that pony, she would somehow be able to sense it.
Luna looked to her captain. “Victory celebrations are good for morale, your highness, even with this lot,” Midnight stated.
The princess shrugged and smiled. “I guess I can go to one more party.”
The celebration lasted several hours. Maria and Fletch played a game of checkers, in which the unicorn had won a crushing victory, and then Fletch had won a game of darts against her. Even though she had magic and he was using his teeth he had managed to easily beat her. When the party ended, the two were still in the middle of a tie-breaker staring contest.
Midnight had been regaling the guard with some old stories from his mercenary days, including a particularly funny story about when he had to ditch a tail and wound up tricking him into going into an Ursa's den. Of course he had a little trouble with the homophone, which confused some ponies for a little bit as to why he would want to lose his tail.
The evening ended and Luna saw that it was once again time to lower the moon. Reaching out to it, she tucked it gently beneath the horizon as Celestia's sun rose once again.
Luna was exhausted. Parties, assassination attempts, powerful and exhaustive spells, lots of travel, dueling with a creature able to best the goddess of the sun herself, and damning an entire race of wicked creatures to Tartarus. Not bad for four hours of sleep.
The princess of the night tucked herself in for the morning, falling asleep once more and taking her well deserved rest.
Eight hours later, Fletch heard an alarm clock go off, and a loud BANG shortly after coming from princess Luna's chambers. He opened the door and poked his head in, seeing the princess pointing her horn at a gently smoking spot with a burnt out wire leading up to it. “Is everything okay, your highness?” he asked.
The princess glared at him out of the corner of her eye. “From now on”, she growled sleepily as she lowered her horn and rested her head on her pillow, “the guard wakes us up personally.” Fletch bowed his head and ducked out, closing the door behind him as the ruler of night drifted off to slumber once again.