//------------------------------//
// Do You Dare to Anger Me? 
// Story: The Nightmare Wars 
// by GigaBowser 
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Chapter 5 - Do You Dare to Anger Me?

Time passed. About a month and a half my reign had lasted so far. The cycles would come and go, but the moon would never set. Weeks and weeks had passed, and I still sat upon the throne. I was uncontested. Every single living being in this nation knew that there would never be anypony else to sit upon this throne, and so only the most insane tried. Such attempts were laughable.

Ponies bowing in the streets when I passed by…It seemed like such a straightforward request, even for the simplest ponies. I had given the entire nation a grand show of my power, not the least of which was the glorious moon reigning upon high.

And yet, despite everything, the commoners continued to act in their ridiculous ways.

As time had gone by, I had been making public appearances in many of the major cities of Equestria, and tonight I had planned yet another. In the face of adversity, I knew that one could not back down. The citizens of this nation would not be permitted to think they can simply get away with their insulting lack of respect.

Upon the approach of the full moon, I found myself riding in the back of the royal chariot. It was a wonderful craft that had been created for me by the slowly growing number of truly loyal followers. It was covered in wonderful blues and blacks, and crafted out of steel and coloured gold. From the sides protruded beautiful metallic bat wings, signifying both my own power and the power of the night.

I was pulled through the air by four members of the Night Guard, and 20 other guards followed behind. They were honestly useless to me, as there was no possible threat that was of any concern to me. They were simply there for the sake of presenting a striking and powerful image.

Furthermore, I could have just as easily teleported to my destination in less than a fraction of a second. Again, however, it was in my interest to make a grand, impressive entrance to let the ponies know for certain who I was and what position I held. I would be merciful and generous to them, but only if they recognized and respected the fact that they were beneath me.

We were headed for Galvalon, one of the major cities besides Canterlot, where I was set to make a public address. It was one of the only major cities that I had not yet set hoof upon. I had flown over it before, silhouetting myself against the moon for a few brief minutes. I had done that for all populated places a few cycles back, as a way of turning the legend into the living.

As I said before, time had passed and word had spread. A number of times now I had asserted myself as absolute ruler of the land and made it clear that only non-compliant citizens would be treated with anything less than they had received under previous rule.

I knew for a fact that they would come around eventually. Most of the dissenters were still holding on to some deluded fantasy that Celestia would be freed or that she could somehow be rescued. Soon, they would come to accept the fact that I was here to stay.

Forever…

We touched down on a major road just outside of the city. A thought had occurred to me earlier that perhaps my previous public appearances had been a little too grandiose for a nation in transition. Thus, I had decided to enter the city by land once we had gotten close enough. The carriage was fitted with wheels that were stylistically hidden. It appeared as if the carriage were floating along the ground, and it gave the appearance that even an inanimate object cannot help but hold its princess upon high.

The Night Guard landed behind me and, as instructed, began to march in ranks. When they would fly through the air, there were no ranks which gave them the appearance of a flock of bats. On the ground, however, they were a tight-fit unit with one goal in mind; to protect and serve their ruler. 

For a few minutes we marched towards the city, which was not too far away. A few of the guard detached and ran ahead to inform the guards posted there that we had arrived. I grinned and waited patiently. This time would be different. I don't know how I knew, but I just knew.

A few isolated houses appeared from the shadows of the night. It was a collection of about seven or eight houses that encircled the road leading to the city. A tiny village on the outskirts, it seemed, that we would be passing directly through. 

I looked ahead. It seemed that almost all, if not all, of the village's inhabitants were milling about in the village square. None of them seemed to have noticed my approach yet, though they did seem rather concerned. Perhaps they had been startled by the Night Guard who had run ahead, presumably straight through the middle of their quaint little town.

Ponies should know that they should not fear the Night Guard unless they have a reason to.

My approach continued, and I made sure to hold my head high and present myself as an esteemed and powerful ruler. A few of the villagers saw me. They pointed in my direction and shouted something, and soon all of the heads in the village square were looking in my direction.

Their expressions turned to confusion and fear, and then slipped straight into abject terror. That is when the panic began.

The ponies all started dashing about in random directions, darting towards their homes or just ambling about in panicked confusion. Many of them were shouting. Some of them were crying. I could see heart-stopping fear in the eyes of each and every one of them. They were quite simply scrambling to get away as fast as they could.

They were trying to get away from me. I had not even done anything yet.

I could have gotten angry, and indeed I did feel a rather sharp burst of anger from within me, but I didn't. Their Princess and unquestioned, unchallenged ruler had decided to brighten their night with a rare, in-pony appearance. The correct etiquette is to bow and show respect, not to scream and panic like I was some kind of monster. No, why would I get angry?

I gave a quick tilt of my head, a silent command to the highest-ranking guards that were directly behind me. In a flash, they shot past me in a flurry of flapping bat wings. I kept myself calm and collected as they raced ahead, acting like a ruler would. A true leader would not snap their necks with magic simply for their disobedience.

The six guards that had gone ahead of me quickly encircled most of the rowdy ponies, preventing them from leaving the village square and brandishing their spears so as to discourage any further misbehaviour. Some of the ponies had escaped already, but that was all right. An audience was better than no audience after all.

I signalled for the carriage to stop, and then graciously stood up and stepped out of it. "Greetings, my subjects." I said, extending welcome to them as I began to trot towards them.

Now, what I would have liked to have seen was bowing and reverence. What I expected to see was this group of ponies at the very least sitting still and giving me proper audience. I had at the very least hoped for some form of terrified respect, which still would have been better than what I got.

Instead, when the villagers saw me approaching, they began to scramble again. They darted around the square, searching for some kind of exit. My guard held strong and kept every single pony in line. They were terrified but not stupid, and so none of them ended up getting hurt. Eventually, once they realized there was nowhere to go, they all huddled together in the middle of the square. They cowered together like a group of frightened animals facing down the hungry jaws of a predator.

It was time to put an end to this insolence.

Another silent signal and two more soldiers flew into the middle of the square, landing in front of the huddled group. I growled in frustration as they all quickly darted back, trying to get away from the two new intruders. 

The Night Guard was quick, though. There was a sharp sound that split the night air as they crossed their two spears together, forming an 'X' shape and cutting off the escape of one of the villagers. The stallion they had chosen at random slammed on the brakes and dug into the ground with his forehooves to prevent himself from ramming right into the spears. He sat there cowering on the ground, staring up into the eyes of the two standing above him. 

"What is wrong, my subjects…?"

The stallion's head darted around when he heard my voice, closer than it had been before. Not a second later, the two guardsponies began to march towards me, bringing their crossed spears with them. The stallion quickly found himself being involuntarily dragged towards my advancing form, and no amount of digging into the ground could stop his movement.

"…Is the moon not to your liking…?"

Before he even knew what was happening, the stallion found himself within mere inches of my head, which was lowered down to stare right at him. He was quivering like a leaf in the wind, unable to move and scarcely able to breathe. His eyes darted up to meet mine and they remained there for the briefest of moments, but then he quickly broke the connection and looked away. 

It was hard to blame him. These ponies had insulted me and it showed in my expression. My jaw was set, not quite in a frown but far from a smile, and I was looking down at him with the eyes of a silent but furious schoolteacher. Foals often say that the scariest thing to them is an angry grown-up who spoke softly.

He was whimpering like a tiny colt who was afraid of the dark. He had his hooves clutched towards his chest, shivering like a pathetic child. He was nearly scared to death, and he wasn't answering me.

The air around me burned as I leaned in even closer to him, nearly touching his muzzle with mine. I glared, bared my teeth, and I shouted. "Perhaps…you just don't see!!"

He screamed in terror and crouched back into a tiny ball, shivering and whining. I stood still for a moment, seething breaths of pure anger the only sound. This pathetic pony was just like the rest of them! He wouldn't be able to submit to a true leader if his very life depended on it!!

If the fury in the air could have struck out, it would have killed. After a moment of tense silence, I took a step back and raised my head up high. The soldiers still stood behind him with their spears crossed, but I was no longer invading this poor soul's personal space. He cautiously peeked up at me from between his hooves, a terrified curiosity in his eyes.

My expression had not changed. I held my hoof aloft and, with a mere spark of magic, my mane billowed and expanded. What had once been a tiny peek into the glory of the night was now a grand, flowing masterpiece. The colour dimmed, the stars brightened; my mane became a work of art, second only to the real thing above it.

"The endless sea of black…" My voice was profound and whimsical, as if I were speaking a poem that had existed since the beginning of time, "and…all of the stars so striking…" This pony should have considered himself very lucky to receive a show such as that. Even if he didn't, however, he should have at the very least realized who was being so unnecessarily gracious to him.

"P-p-please…" I almost didn't hear the tiny, squeaking voice of the stallion. "Please don't k-kill us…"

The vast array that was my mane shrunk back to its normal size as I stared down at the pony beneath me.

"Please…!" he continued to beg, "We…We didn't do anything…We're just simple ponies…We don't know what's happening and…We have families…"

I took a single step towards him so that I was now towering over him as much as possible, staring down at him with one scrutinizing eye.

He began to cry. "Please don't kill me!!" he said between gasps of breath, "Yes, y-yes I see now…The night! It's all…night-y and stuff! But we…We just want…Suh-"

"DO YOU DARE TO ANGER ME?!"

The stallion cried out like a banshee and was quickly on his hooves, scrambling in a panic to get away. He was incredibly frantic, pushing and shoving his way past the Night Guard and the spears behind him. The two guards were taken aback by his sudden move and were about to retaliate, but one glance at me and they knew where their place was.

I was furious. I could see literal fire encircling me, and my normally calm mane had transformed into a sea of fire and lava. It felt like my entire body, inside and out, was blazing with anger. I could barely control my heavy breathing as I held my head low, staring daggers at these ponies.

These insolent…!

I knew what that stallion wanted before even needed to say it. I knew what they all wanted. Every damn pony in this whole nation, and I knew what they wanted. They all wanted what they could not have, and because of that, not a single one of them would even consider bowing before me! Before their leader!!

"Celestia…is gone!!" I screamed at them, stamping towards them and leaving small fires where my hooves landed. The ponies shrunk back again, though they were still encircled by the guards. As I approached them, they cowered on the ground and stared up at me in abject horror.

"The sun…is gone!!"  I exclaimed as I pounced suddenly on a group of ponies to my left, catching them by surprise and frightening the living daylight out of them. The entire village was screaming now, running about and trying desperately to push past the stronghold that was the Night Guard.

"Like it or not…they are all gone!!" My voice thundered through the village as I stood tall once more, the ground burning beneath me. I had become a blazing fireball of pure anger, ponies running left and right to get away from my fury. The situation had very quickly devolved into absolute pandemonium.

Finally, after I had stood there for a couple of minutes simply being enraged, I let out a low growl and the fire died down. I signalled to the guards, who lifted their spears and flew back to their ranks behind the chariot. With nothing left to block them, the citizens all fled.

"You would all…be so foolish…"

These ponies saw only one thing. All ponies saw only one thing. Every single citizen in this damned country was completely blinded. Other creatures are smart. When a leader is usurped, they recognize the weakness and failure of this leader and turn to the more powerful individual. Small groups will always cling to the one they have lost, but not the entire nation.

I did not care if the ponies of this village were terrified. I didn't care if they were afraid for their life and viewed me as a threat that could end it. No matter how they felt, the ponies of this land should at the very least bow. Any pony that bows before me can look forward to a much better future than one who does not. 

I turned around and began to walk through the ranks of the Night Guard and return to the chariot, the visit to Galvalon effectively cancelled in my mind. They all looked up to me with steadfast military resoluteness, but even in these mere soldiers I could see dedication, reverence and admiration. They were all standing there, patiently waiting for me to give them an order. No matter what I said, they would do it without question.

I stopped when I was right next to the chariot. There was a scowl on my face as I stared forward, not looking any of them in the eye. A moment of silence passed, and then I spoke in a calm whisper.

"Burn it to the ground."



…



The castle staff fled at the mere sight of me and curtains and tapestries I passed by burst into flame. Honestly, a lot of our budget went towards curtains and tapestries.

Such was the sight of a frustrated goddess. I had gotten almost everything that I had ever wanted, but sometimes 'almost' is just not enough. I was headed through the castle, having just returned there, with a single destination in mind. I was far too angry to even entertain the thought of simply teleporting there. Actually, the thought had occurred to me, but I was concerned that my anger would amplify the spell and I would end up at the North Pole or something.

A metallic door was ripped off of its hinges, punishment for standing in my way. The Night Guards who had been defending the door even cowered away in fear. I marched right past them without paying them any mind, focused on nothing more than my destination and my anger.

I made my way down the stairs. All too familiar stairs that I realized I was traversing too often. I barely cared at the moment, but it was certainly on my mind. I passed by more stairs and more doorways, though I left these doors intact. I was not about to do something foolish simply because I was angry.

Finally, I stepped through the final door, having slammed it against the wall loudly. The guards in the room leapt at the sound before bowing to me, but the target of my fixation did not move. Flames danced in my eyes; perhaps even literally, I wasn't sure. I pounded my way across the cold stone floor towards her, baring my teeth and trying in vain to keep myself from growling. The pony that I stepped towards remained curled up on the ground, seemingly fast asleep. I neither knew nor cared if she really was or not.

The walls echoed with the sound of my metallic hoofguards smashing against the iron bars. "WAKE UP!!"

I had been in the room for less than 30 seconds and already Celestia was trying my patience. She made a show of moving incredibly slowly as she woke up, yawned, stretched, and began to sit up. She was toying with me, moving as slowly as possible. The mare blinked her eyes, shook her head slowly, and yawned again.

My anger only grew as I stared at her acting so nonchalantly. Her time in the prison cell had not been kind to her. She had not been cleaned and so the stains of blood still covered her coat of fur, and the scars of previous injuries were still visible. Her alicorn body had mended her wounds, but without her magic they were not completely gone. She was even more decrepit than when I had last seen her, and still she didn't seem to care one little bit.

Finally having 'woken up', she rolled her neck around and let out a soft groan before finally turning to look at me. "Good evening, L-"

"SHUT UP!!"

Her mouth closed and she stared at me. A moment of tense silence passed before she heaved a heavy sigh and looked away.

I narrowed my gaze and spoke. "What have you done?!" It was not a question, nor a plea for advice. It was a simple, direct command. I wanted information from her, and I was going to get it one way or another.

She looked at me with one eye. "What?"

"What have you done to them??" I spoke again, with a little more force, "What secret black magic is this?? Not even the stupidest, most foolhardy creature would act this way!!"

More silence passed. I was breathing heavily. Bubbling, boiling rage was welling up within me, just begging to come out.

Celestia's head sunk a little. She did not smile or smirk, but rather frowned. It seemed like a very genuine, sad frown. "I take it…things are not going well?"

Fiery aura. Par for the course, it seemed. "Why you?" I spoke in a low, venomous voice, "Why is it always you?! I give those pathetic, whining ponies what they want and still they cry out for you to return and take my place again. I have defeated you and earned my place on the throne!!"

Celestia slowly turned to look up at me, that frown still upon her face. 

"They say that it's too dark and dangerous out there. I flood the sky with even more beautiful constellations and increase the brightness of the moon. They say that without the sun, the crops will not grow? Ha! Barely a chore for one as powerful as I. The crops now thrive on the light of the moon. Too cold? The moonlight is now warm!" I began to pant heavily. Time on the throne had been both very enlightening and incredibly frustrating.

"You…did all of that?"

"Yes! I am more than willing to accommodate the needs of the ponies so that we may all live and thrive below the glory of the night…" I paused and narrowed my gaze even further. "But still, as an outright affront to their leader, ponies demand that you return. The ponies refuse to show respect."

Celestia was silent for a moment as she gazed at me. I saw something rare within her eyes; uncertainty.

"What…did…you…do?!" I spat at her.

"I…I haven't…" she muttered, "I simply don't understand…I mean, what did you expect?" 

I stamped my hoof, making her flinch back. "I expected respect! I am Equestria's new leader! I now sit upon the throne! I have earned this!!"

"You-"

"SHUT UP!!" My rage made her shrink back into the corner of the cell. "It is taking every fibre of my being to prevent myself from maiming and mutilating you just to make me feel better! I hope you realize that!!"

There was an empty, horrified look in her eyes. She was cowering in the corner of her cell, quivering and trembling.

"Ponies should be bowing before me when I grace them with my presence!! Do they not realize who I am? Do they not understand the power I wield?!"

"Please…" Celestia mumbled.

I growled, the bars of the cell growing hot from the fiery aura. "It is becoming difficult to believe that so many ponies would blindly follow you this far under threat of persecution or worse. This is some trick of yours. Something else you never shared with me."

"You're…" she whispered, "You're not making sense."

"I am aware," I replied, catching her off-guard, "but I would not put it past you of all ponies to do something so abhorrent just so that you keep your position and popularity amongst these simple fools. To once again smile and sing about how nopony is as lovely and beloved as you"

"But-"

"Reveal to me how you have brainwashed those insipid ponies. Those freaks! Those sun-lovers!!"

Celestia gulped. "I-I have not brainwashed our citiz-"

"You are a filthy liar, just like you always have been! My night is glorious and my might is unquestioned! None can deny it! I have brightened the lives of these ponies by showing them the wonders of the shadows! I have fixed whatever small flaws may have arisen! How can these fools still outright refuse to show me that which I deserve?! Do they consider their own lives so meaningless?"

"I'm sorry…" Celestia said, looking away from me.

"If you're not careful, you will be sorry!!" I shouted, punctuating my words by slamming a hoof against the bars. She didn't even jump. "It is my turn, Celestia! Don't think you can somehow play to my emotions and convince me to let you out for whatever reason. I have defeated you. The citizens should be glad they do not live in the Griffon Kingdoms where rulers are upturned on a nearly bimonthly basis!"

"You have defeated me…" Celestia spoke in an emotionless tone, "This is true… I am defeated, and now…the price is being paid…"

Another twitch. "What?!"

"I…I am truly sorry…"

"Are you insulting me further?!"

Celestia once again gave me that horrible look, where she turned her head to gaze up at me with a single eye, filled with infinite emotions. Her gaze alone seemed to drain what little pink colour was left in her mane.

"What's become of you sister…?" she whispered with a haunted voice, "Don't you see…?! This anger burns for me!"

She fell silent, and I did not immediately respond. I simply stood there for a few seconds, staring at her in disbelief. She remained still, as if that one visible eye was staring right through me. Staring into my soul.

"Please…" she whispered after many minutes of silence, "End this…"

Like a flash of lightning, I moved forward. I walked through the bars of her cell as if they were not even there, and my horn began to glow. She had less than a second to react in fear before my dark aura picked up her nearly-lifeless body off of the ground and slammed her back-first into the brick wall behind her. The bricks broke and caved into a small crater and Celestia let loose a loud, strangled cry of pain.

I held her there by the neck with my magic and stepped right up next to her. I stared down at her directly into her eyes, aura burning around me and a blazing inferno behind my eyes. A desperate groan of pain escaped her throat as she struggled uselessly to escape my grasp.

"Now…You listen to me…" My voice was low yet strong. I didn't raise it, but the icy tone in it made every other creature in the room shiver. "You should consider yourself extremely lucky that I have allowed you to live this long…"

She opened her mouth to respond, but instead I pulled her away from the wall and slammed her into it again. Blood trickled down her back as she grit her teeth in anguish. 

"Choose your words wisely, pony…or I shall not let this courtesy continue."

Her entire face was screwed up in pain as I held her there. It was difficult for her to breathe with my grip tight around her neck. She wrenched open one of her eyes to give me the most pleading look I had ever seen from her.

"Do you understand?" 

She didn't respond.

"Do you understand??"

"Please…"

Another slam into the wall, another guttural cry of pain. I raised one of my hooves and pressed it against her neck as well. "Do you understand?!"

"Luna, please…Come back to me…!"

Though she was now leaking a puddle of blood onto the ground beneath her and what little strength she may have had was now completely gone, she still turned her head to look up at me. There were tears on the edges of her eyes, but there was this sad hopefulness in them as well.

Those eyes clenched shut when I drove another dagger into her midsection. "I will not stop doing this to you, Celestia," I spoke evenly as even more blood fell to the ground, "I will not stop harming you whenever you speak that name. I will not stop treating you like this. Yet you still hold on to dead hope, even though it hurts." Celestia's moans of pain grew louder as I twisted the dagger slightly. "It hurts…"

"I know you're in there…" Celestia whispered, looking up at me once again. Her entire body was quivering and it looked like she was having difficulty focusing her vision, but still she tried. "You're in there somewhere…Luna, please…!"

I'm sure you can quite easily guess what I did next. Once the second dagger was embedded in her, she began to cry. Yet, it was not cries of pain, but rather tears of heartbroken sadness. She cried like a little foal who was lost in the woods, or like a mother whose child had died. She couldn't move, even after I let her drop to the floor. All she could do was close her eyes and cry.

"I love you…!" she wailed out between her cries, "I'll love you always!! If you come back to me, I'll still love you!"

I stared down at her. "If you speak that name again, you know what will happen. How much blood you've already lost holds no consequence for me." There was still a bonfire of anger within me. I despised this creature beneath me. I was asking myself why I had come down here in the first place yet again, and I did not have an answer.

Did I enjoy seeing her suffer? Yes, immensely. But was it worth the insults and the anger that came with it? Did I really need to keep this pet any longer?

"Siisterrr~~" Celestia wailed like a banshee, though I was no longer looking at her. "I love you!! I'm sorry!!"

Why had I come down here? I honestly didn't know any more, but I did know one thing. This one thought stuck with me as I silently teleported away, leaving the pathetic snivelling pony to lie upon her bed of pain.

Killing her would be too kind.