Shadow of Luna

by Josephi Krakowski


Machinations of the Mind

~ Era 4, Year 3646, fourth month, Day 6, Reign of the Royal Princesses~

The night shall last forever.”
Do you hear her? I do. I have heard her for ages by now. How long has been since she started speaking in my head, her accursed voice has started murmuring? A month? Four? A hundred?
I cannot tell.
My shadow. She comes silently in the night, whispering sweet soothing nothings in my head.
Comforting me when I hurt.
Eons of listening to her, with her sweet, soothing voice. Each night as I lay my tired head to rest, it is her voice that comes to my mind, telling me of strength, of resilience, of standing up for myself.
I once hated her. Yes, I despised her. Her with her endless rage and hate. Her with her anger.
But I see now.
She is right. She has always been right.
She speaks to me, of how my sister shuns me, of how my subjects fear me.
"They see you nothing more than a lesser version of your sister," she says, "of how weak you are."
And your sister? Contempt. Nothing but utter contempt. Have you seen her eyes?” she cries to me,” How she always does things herself? She hates you, she sneers at the thought of you behind your back.”
“You’re worthless in her eyes,” the voice bemoans,” absolutely worthless.”
I see it on their faces, how my subjects look away when I glance at them. How Sister looks at me with those, those eyes! As if I was one of her puny little pets that need such delicate care! I am not a child!
“No one likes you, Luna. No one.”
“But me.”
Trust me.”
She speaks, so softly, so gently. Each hurt I feel, she cares; each fall I make, she helps. The sister I never had, the mother I always wanted, the caring friend I have always needed. She is there for me.
“They do not like the night merely the day.”
“They shun you, Luna.”
“I shall make them love. I shall make them care.”
The night shall last forever.

~ Era 4, Year 3646, fifth month, Day 48, Reign of the Royal Princesses~

Celestia doesn’t trust me. Those treacherous eyes of hers, like she actually cares for me.
Each task that I can accomplish, each duty I can complete, she stops me from doing.
“I’m worried for you, sister.”
“Are you alright, Luna? You look off. Perhaps you need a rest.”
That pathetic fool even offered to raise the moon for me. That is my right! MINE!
The voice says she fears me. I think she is right.
Why else would she look at me with such false eyes? With her worthlessly worried face? With that tone of voice?
To think she was my sister.
And of my little ponies?
They think I am a failure. I can see it on their faces, as they speak. How they glance away when I talk to them. How they frown at my every suggestion, as if I some senseless fool!
I walk their dreams. Dreams tell no lies.
“They think you are weak, that you are naught but a lesser copy of your sister. They hate you”
“They all hate you.”
“But me.”
“I will prove them wrong. WE will prove them wrong.”
The night shall last forever.”

~Era 4, Year 3646, seventh month, Day 63, Reign of the Royal Princesses~

Among the guards and nobles, Concordant Advice, is the one who most despises me. He, infuriatingly, confronts my every suggestion with queries and arguments.
Fighting my every word.
Each idea I make, they will always find some pathetically weak reason to disagree with it.
As if they care about the well being of those disgusting Griffon neighbors of ours! They fears me, the voice says, he fears what I can become.
Coward.
They hate my existence.
They want my power.
“They fear your might. They fear what you can become.”
“Especially him. The red one. Concordant Advice. He is a traitor. He leads them all with his filthy lies.”
“Kill him.”
The adviser is most … Irksome. He argues with my every word and suggestion, as if I were some mad fool.
He, THEY disapprove of my idea to militarize the Wonder Bolts into an offensive weapon. A brilliant change from our current and utterly ineffective defensive strategy.
Attacking the Griffons in a show of strength will strengthen their fear of us. Perhaps it was because it was my idea. Perhaps they are weaklings.
He hates me. I see it in his dreams now.
No matter. I shall create my own troops, and train them myself. Away from my meddling fool of a sister. The Shadow Bolts, I shall call them.
They shall obey me.
Where these guards fall, they shall stand with me.
To defend me from traitors of such like.

~Era 4, Year 3647, first month, Day 52, Reign of the Royal Princesses~

I have disposed of the traitorous wretch silently. As Nightmare has advised me. But more traitors shall come, she says.
I must be ready.
They will try to strike me down.
But I will stand strong. Nightmare will aid me.
The night shall rise against the day. They will love me.
Celestia will fall.
The night shall last forever.
I see it now

~Era 4, Year 3648, third month, Day 43, Reign of the Royal Princesses~

I can sense it. Celestia plans to kill me. She has been plotting it for a while. I can feel her distrust towards me in her dreams, her stiffness when I speak to her.
It has been a year since Nightmare had first told me her true name. Nightmare looks out for me in the hours of the day, where my sister rules supreme, whispering into my ears the names of those who plot against me.
My secret army is soon to be ready, the time is nigh for me to claim that which is rightfully mine from my sister.
My throne.
A year have I waited, watching and learning. A year in which my dearest kin Celestia has spoken to me with naught but lies and showered me in false kindness. A year of fighting a silent war.
I have waited.
Nightmare knows their falseness, she says, and their treachery.
It shall be soon.

~Era 4,Year 3648, fifth month, Day 23, Reign of the Royal Princesses~

My forces are ready. Celestia has suspected as much.
Nightmare says the time is nigh
It shall be an eclipse tonight. I shall be at my strongest, and her powers will be the lowest they have ever been, in the shadow of the night.
The stars align, our might is greatest. Nightmare says that it is time we merged unto one, and fight with our fullest strength.
Soon, all shall bask in the beauty of my darkness.
Soon, I shall be the one ruler of all ponydom.
Soon, I shall be loved.