Market District, Everfree City - 13st of Megan 4122 RHMarket District, Everfree City - 13st of Megan 4122 RH
1,037 Years Ago - The End of Renneighsaunce
Perhaps it would sound depressing to most, but I rarely went outside during the day. How early? Once a decade or so, at the most. When I did, it was normal to inspect a military fortification or to assist in a frontier clearing operation. I was simply busy at night, trusted my Captains to do their jobs properly, and well... The day was my time to relax. I can think of few ponies who would want to go out and about after forcing a dragon out of a mine the previous evening.
Of course, there were those rare occasions where I did want to venture out during the day for my own reasons. Today was one such day, and I had decided to venture out into the market of Everfree. The options had been sending a servant to pick up a snack for me, bother the kitchen for such a trivial desire on the day before a diplomatic meeting and accompanying feast, or simply go out and purchase my own treat.
I had never been the kind of pony who would make someone do something for me when I was unoccupied. It is one thing to have a servant fetch coffee while going over invoices for the last month. It’s another to ask them to get you a snack when you're unoccupied.
It was always fun to see how the city had changed between my last day based visit. The sprawling sea of winding roads and gracefully designed buildings rarely changed. The city simply grew. But the people, they would change. I enjoyed seeing the ebb and flow of time in their actions.
I couldn’t have chosen a better day for a walk either. Celestia had recently tweaked the sun’s path across the sky, which led to a much softer light for the city. The soaring greens of the trees we had built into the tower-like pyramids of buildings were highlighted by the softer light, casting lovely dappled shadows onto the marble and granite fresco-laden walls. The clay cobblestones shimmered and shone, the bronze dust they were infused with making the streets shine like gold without the insane expense and horrible bright glare true gold streets would have.
I loved this city. I may have had no say in its design or it’s runnings, but it stayed here because I kept it safe. The trolls which once lived in the forest, long dead. The dragon who roosted in the nearby mountain, driven off. The small lizards which had been come to be known as ‘Gelders’, probably exterminated. Could be a few left someplace. Tenacious little things.
I might not have built this place in terms of bricks and laws, but I certainly helped put it here as much as anypony else. They had to appreciate that at least. The peace, safety, tranquility of Everfree… All my doing.
There was a small marketplace near the castle, a little one, but a popular one. There used to be a fountain in a small plaza, but over the years it had been converted into a wooden stall market, surrounded by more permanent shops. It was the place to go for exotic goods, particularly spices, thanks to being near the castle. It meant that diplomats’ guards would sell those exotic items common to their homelands, knowing they would fetch a good price.
I was hoping there might be some licorice.
While yes, it was supposed to be a medicinal concoction and not a snack, I still liked the flavor greatly. I’d also worked out how much I could eat before it functioned as a laxative. An important thing to know if one wished to keep up good relations with their chambermaid.
As I entered the market, a silvery glint from one of the towers above caught my eye. Fearing a sniper’s bolt was being aimed at me, I quickly stepped to my left while focusing my eyes onto the spot, searching for the-
Oh! That was just a polished-
I felt my left flank smack into someone and managed to turn my head in time to see I had accidently knocked a pale blue earth pony mare over, scattering her bagged goods across the cobbles.
“My apologies,” I began, picking up her bags for her with my magic’s grip.
The mare looked up, noticing me for what I assumed was the first time. To my shock, her eyes instantly narrowed with anger.
“Of course it would be you! A barbaric oaf, that’s what you are, isn't it!?” She spat.
I frowned, wanting to object to her insult, but I had just knocked her over. I understood her being upset.
“I am sorry for knocking you over,” I apologized. “I did not see you. I can set your bags on your back for you if you would li-”
“No pony needs your help! Go back to plotting murder, canker!” The mare spat, snatching her bags from my magic’s grip with a hoof and trotting off in a rage.
I shook my head slowly. It would seem I had just encountered the city’s least likable mare.
Turning to one of the stallions whose attention had been drawn by her outburst I asked. “Can you believe her? She should be careful, someone less forgiving would challenge her to a duel over that tongue of hers.”
To my astonishment, the stallion rolled his eyes and turned around. “Of course the General would have violence on the mind. What a savage,” he muttered while walking away. “You lot aren't going to associate with her, are you?”
I felt my jaw drop at his insult. Now THAT was truly words to draw steal over. But before I could even get a word out to begin to defend my honor…
“You’re not welcome here, barbarian. Piss off!” Somepony shouted.
“Yeah! Nopony needs your kind around here, murderer!”
“There’s no place for roguish villains like you here!”
“Take your band of villains with you into the desert and die!”
The rest of their insults blended together into a sea of hatred, dotted with islands of hatred their faces became.
In that moment I knew exactly what Celestia’s rule had done. It had created a culture that so abhorred violence it despised the very force which protected it from harm. A thousand barbed words conveyed the message all too clearly. In that moment, the last shred of fulfillment I had left in my heart snapped.
They hated me. They hated the peace and security I bled to give them. And they hated all of those who would stand at my side to protect them from the monsters and evils that roamed the world in places they would never tread. All because of the Princess’s foolish ideas and idiotic moral stances.
That was the very last straw. Within a generation these fools would believe simply asking a hostile force nicely to go away would work. They would believe that ‘no arms’ signs posted above city gates would stop people from bringing weapons into cities. They would assume that the monsters in the darkness would leave them alone if they didn’t bother them.
They no longer knew that the price of peace is the willingness and ability to use violence. The fools would throw those who would shield them away, and pat themselves on the back for it. Never realizing they were simply marinating themselves in their idiocy as the future main dish at a feast held by evil.
All because of her.
All because of the princess.
She had done this to them. She made them into these fools who could not see the error of their ways through the rose tinted moralizing.
She had to go. There was no other option. Before they fell any further, Princess Celestia needed to be dethroned. I lacked the strength and the means to do it today. But I would find what I needed in time.
I would restore sanity to this land before it was devoured.
Night Court, Canterlot - 8th of Solardusk 17 EoH
Present Day
“That’s how I felt at the time. That it was all her doing,” Luna sighed. “Of course, I did not realize that it was truly my own fault for insisting on being… Secondary. I was the fool in this scenario.”
“W-well yes,” Lyra agreed, her voice hinting at something more she wished to say, but her lips shutting themselves tightly.
“But?” Luna asked curiously.
“But even so… Blames sort of on Celestia too,” Lyra admitted. “She never thought to go ‘Hey, my sister caught up to where I was. Let’s elevate her responsibilities now.' Did she?”
Luna paused for a few long moments, eyes narrowing as she thought back over the millennia.
“That is a very good point, Lyra,” Luna admitted grimly.
“I mean, I don't think she intentionally marginalized you!” Lyra added quickly. “But even the best ponies sometimes don't realize they are doing something wrong. Also… Ponies really said THAT to you? I can’t even imagine being insulted like that.”
Luna nodded. “I agree with you Lyra. But regardless of what Celestia intended, what happened happened. Nopony can change that. But at least now you know what happened. At least, from my own perspective.
“As for their barbed words, this was before the social reforms Celestia did during the Solar Era. I’m still reading up on everything, but the majority of ponies being so polite is frankly bizarre from my perspective. Quite alien to my own experience and life. I remember most not really saying much of anything, a lot being rude, and a few kind souls.
“Anyways, that’s it. The kingdom came to hate me, I blamed it on Celestia's influence and ideals. So for the sake of Equestria, I sought to kill her and repair the damage.”
Lyra shook her head as Luna finished. “No, there’s more to the story. What did you do to become Nightmare Moon? What was your banishment like? I mean… If you don’t mind talking about that,” Lyra asked, ears drooping as she realized it might be too stressful for Luna to discuss.
Luna frowned, turning her head to look off into a shadowy corner of her throne room for a few long minutes. Sitting. Thinking.
“If I tell you, do you promise never to do it yourself?” Luna asked at long last.
“Woah, woah, woah!” Lyra exclaimed, holding up a hoof to stop Luna. “One, you actually trust me that much? Two, what you did is something just anypony can do? Three, you really seriously trust me that much!?”
Luna smiled, looking honestly happy for a brief moment before her usual calm demeanor reasserted itself. “Not just anypony could do as I did, but of the few I think could, you are the one who would succeed. After all, you have the time, the talent, and well… You are nothing if not tenacious, miss human relic hunter,” Luna teased in a friendly voice.
Lyra smiled. “Heh… Fair enough. But do you really honestly trust me not to do it? Ever? In like, the entirety of the rest of my life?”
Luna paused again, then nodded.
“Touché, who knows what the future holds. I’ll tell you the what, but not the how,” she decided. “First, you will need to know a few things about the Dream Realm…”