//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Bump in the Night // Story: Lullay Moon Princess // by Queen Sanguine Dreams //------------------------------// *Your sister takes credit for your deeds!* the voice hissed. "Show thyself!" Luna turned around in her dream, surrounded by a void of darkness. *Your sister hides you, never mentions you, keeps you on a leash!* "'Tis a lie!" *You doubt the truth? You have no place on the throne! The ponies despise you; you are not Celestia!* "Nay, we art Luna, Princess of the Moon!" *Princess of nothing! Your subjects do not recognise you, they spurn your moon!* "Our subjects love us! Why dost thou speak such falsehoods?!" *It is the truth, Moon Princess! Seek the Hall of Heroes in your castle. You will find truth in my words!* "We challenge thee to show us, Voice!" ***** "Luna?" Celestia asked, shaking her sister awake. "Aah!" Luna yelled in shock, bolting upright from her bed. "Easy, Lulu. I'm here." Celestia cooed, wrapping her sister in a hug. Luna calmed down after a moment, nuzzling her sister. "We thank thee, sister. We became trapped in our own dreams." "What is troubling you, Luna?" Luna was about to answer, before a part of her gave pause. "Tis a silly thing, Sister. We are fine." Celestia wasn't convinced, but held her sister all the same. "You know you can always talk to me about anything, Lulu." "We know, Tia. We were simply exhausted by the Day Court. We think such matters are best left to you after all." She sighed. "I'd say you did very well for your first day. You don't know how many times I've wanted to brush off a few dozen stuck up nobles' silly ideas." "We gave land to a farming couple, and approved an experimental weather team. From that, the day was a waste." She pouted. "You got -two- whole things accomplished in a single day?" Celestia asked, causing Luna to wilt. "That's outstanding, Sister!" She squeezed Luna in a tight hug. "Truely?" Luna asked after her sister had ceased all efforts to crush her insides. "I would be happy with something once a week!" She exclaimed Luna paused for a moment, raising out of bed along with her sister. "Tia, I must ask..." She paused, "Why did thou remove our throne?" Celestia was again, caught off guard. She thought she would be able to handle any noble, but the questions that Luna was asking kept coming out of nowhere. "I had it removed. Ponies kept asking who was supposed to sit there, and I told them of you. After awhile, it took most of the court just to explain to everypony who you were and I couldn't get anything done." Luna nodded her head. "This makes sense to us." She looked to the sunset, before returning to her sister. "Do you wish to watch the moonrise?" Celestia yawned despite her best efforts, "It has been an exhausting day as well for me, Luna. I agree with you about the Thestrals, but ponies wouldn't be able to accept them so easily. You know how our ponies behave." She sighed. "This much is true. Farewell then, Tia. We shall watch over the night." "Good night, Lulu." ***** Instead of visiting the dreamscape, Luna had gone down to the Hall of Heroes. She still wished to prove the voice in her dreams to be a liar, and the only way to do that was play its game. The floor was constructed of granite, representing the difficulty of their tasks. The walls were gleaming marble, to contrast the harsh beginnings and their aspirations to a better future for Equestria as time continued. The walls themselves were decorated with murals and paintings depicting their fights against monsters, sorcerers and other evils in the dream of harmony. Or so Luna had thought. Walking down the hall, she noticed a lack of anything depicting her. All of it was dedicated to Celestia. Even the murals showed her single-hoofedly defeating villains and monsters that Luna was Certain she had saved her sister from. *I told you* "Aah!" Shrieked the moon princess, whipping around to face behind her. "Show thyself!" She hissed. *I'm here* a voice said in her ear. Luna raised a hoof to strike, and saw a large mural. Lowering her hoof, she looked upon its depiction of Celestia using the Elements of Harmony to encase Discord in stone. Luna's ears lowered, and looked to the left. Another mural, showing Celestia stopping the mad King Sombra, alone. "What is this?" Luna asked the empty air. "Why should I believe my sister would do this?!" She shouted suddenly. Nothing replied. ***** Troubled by this, Luna continued her watch through the night. She had left the Hall of Heroes, convinced that she was being deceived. As the night came to an end, a messenger trotted to Luna. "Princess Luna, a message for you." Luna levitated the scroll from the courier's mouth, as he dashed away. Dear Princess Luna We hope this letter finds you well. We've just finished cleaning up after Princess Celestia's visit, and hope you will be able to visit before the next winter comes. We especially appreciated the sights of last night, and hope to bestow our gratitude for your hard work in keeping us safe. Aegis sends his best wishes, as do we. Sincerely, Elder Moonlight The letter was short, but it brought a smile to the alicorn's face. She floated the scroll behind her ear, and trotted to her room to get some sleep. It matters not that our subjects shun the night. These thestrals enjoy our gift every night of their lives, and thank us for it. *How many ponies give Celestia 'thanks' every day?* the voice hissed. "Away with you, liar." Luna grumbled. *I say only the truth! You've seen the Hall, you've seen how the ponies despise you in court.* "Untrue, the Apples and Dashes enjoyed our decree." *Because you gave them what they wanted.* This gave Luna pause as she reached her room. She floated the scroll she had read over to her dresser, setting it down. "What do you want, voice?" *I want other ponies to appreciate you for who you are.* "And thou would claim to know us?" *I know you better than yourself, shunned sister of the moon. Bringer of darkness and nightmares.* "We do not bring nightmares!" Luna protested. *Ponies fall asleep, they have nightmares, and they run away. From you.* "Another lie! We save our subjects from their terror." *Try it when you sleep this day. You will know the truth.* Luna rolled her eyes, and decided that the voice wouldn't stop pestering her until she slept. ***** The dreamscape was different this time. More ponies were asleep than usual, and most slept during the night. In this case, it seemed that the two had bern reversed. Thousands of doors were shut, signifying a great many sleeping ponies. She noticed a door was rocking, a sure sign of a nightmare. Flying to it, she let herself inside to confront the horror of it's creation. A pegasus was flying away fom something, the dream rendering everything a thick fog. Luna followed, keeping out of sight until the monster could be found. After a while, Luna grew curious as nothing was happening. She landed in front of the pegasus, far enough away to avoid startling her out of her sleep. "Hold, Subject." Luna asked. The pegasus skidded to a halt, the floor dissapearing beneath her as her entire focus shifted to Luna. "Wh-who are you?" She asked nervously. "We are Princess Luna. Who are you?" "S-Slipstream!" She stammered. "Why dost thou flee, Slipstream?" "I was being chased!" "By what? A monster? A foul creature or beast?" Slipstream, a pure white pony save for blue eyes, rubbed her neck nervously. "Well... Actually it looked like you." She said while cringing. "What?" "Well, like you but bigger, with slit pupils and lots of pointy teeth?" Luna blinked. "You are terrified of us?" "Wh-um-w-no!" "Then why did thou flee?" Slipstream sighed. "Alright, fine. I guess honesty is a virtue and all. Yes, I was running away from you." "Why?" "Because... Well when you let the moon come out, then it isn't safe anymore! All the bad poniesand monsters come out at night." "We do not see how this is our fault." "Well, if all the monsters come out when you say so, doesn't that make you Queen Spooky?" Luna mulled the idea around a moment. "If that is what you wish to believe. I will endeavor to free you of your fear of me, Slipstream." "Um... Thanks?" ***** Luna spent the rest of the night encountering pony after pony that had been terrified of her. Most had heard of her as hearsay from those nobles that had bern at the day court. She had assumed the nobles would be upset, but to paint her as an eater of foals? She awoke to Celestia brushing her mane. A stubborn knot had requested her attention, and caused her to yelp in pain. "You're awake!" Celestia said brightly. "Sister... We art having most peculiar dreams of late." "Oh?" "Ponies are frightened of us. They see us as a monster." Luna's head rested on the bed as her mood deteriorated. "Lulu, you're not a monster. Everypony knows you!" "Tia, not a single pony knew us in day court. Nor had they heard our tales." "Well... Im sure some ponies dont research history, right?" "Tia, we art serious. We studied the Hall of Heros last eve, and noticed ourselves absent of every piece of art." "Oh, thats right!" Celestia tapped a hoof on her own forehead. "A representative from Trottingham sent those to us as a gift! I was letting them all be on display for awhile before we put ours up again." *She lies!* Luna gulped. "Sister... Are thou being thruthful to us?" Celestia looked to her younger sister, seeing the doubt and suspicion in her eyes. "Luna... Why would I lie to you?" *She gains the admiration of all ponies, and you receive scraps!* "We..." She hesitates. "We must think on this matter, Tia." Celestia is concerned, but wishes her sister well and leaves the room. ***** *She uses your accomplishments to lever her own prestige over others! She could never have saved Equestria on her own.* "Voice, We will tell you once to cease lying to us, or we will destroy you." Luna looked into a mirror, before leaping backwards in alarm. *Destroy me? I'm you!* it taunted. An ink black alicorn with a mane and tail like black starry night stood in reflection to Luna. It was adorned with midnight armor and a crecent moon on its chestplate. It stood equal to Celestia in height, and smiled with sharpened teeth. "What are you, creature?!" Luna shouted. *I am you, Luna.* it replied in a mature form of Luna's own voice. "What do you want of us?" *To see the truth!* The figure shimmered in the mirror, revealing the Hall of Heroes. *What did Tia say about the hall?* Luna growled in annoyance at the mirror calling her sister Tia. "Twas a gift from Trottingham." *And why did this giver of gifts not include the other ruler of Equestria?* Luna thought a moment. "Our sister reached an agreement with Trottingham, not us." *So you dont suspect that said giver would be concerned if he left out half the Diarchy in his gift?" Luna was silent on this. *What about those ponies in sleep? How many fled at the sight of you? Silence. *What of the day court, where nopony knew who you were?* *What of the throne room, excluding you?* *What of the nobles, spurning your very existance?* "Enough! You will not turn us against our sister!" Luna shouted, spearing the mirror with a lance of magic.