The Nightmare Wars

by GigaBowser

True Suffering

Chapter 4 - True Suffering

A princess is permitted to be frustrated.

I was a very irritated pony, I will not lie. At the time, one could find me pacing about in my bedchambers, recent events replaying in my mind. I wore a sour look upon my face and grumbled under my breath.

It was the seventh cycle since Celestia's downfall. It had come to my attention rather quickly by word of the town guards that it was more difficult to tell time without the cycle of the sun and the moon. The uneducated among you would think that this would make me upset, but far from it. Nopony is perfect, and this was an honest oversight on my part. And so, I listened to their little pleas. I decided to increase the rate of the phases of the moon to compensate. Within the span of 24 hours, the moon would cycle from a new moon to a full moon and then back once again to a new moon to mark midnight.

What had once been called a 'day', I now decreed to be called a 'cycle'. Rather ingenious if I may be permitted to boast.

In any case, seven cycles had passed since I had defeated the sun princess. It should have been a glorious night, but there I was pacing about in my room fuming. Needless to say, I was rather displeased.

I sighed and paced over to the window, gazing out to see the moon still hanging high in the sky. It was like a symbol of stability for me. Even when things were not going right, it was calming and invigorating to see that the moon was still where it belonged. Nopony said ruling Equestria would be simple.

I huffed in resignation and trotted back into my bedchambers, where I began to reflect upon the cycle's events. After such time had passed, Canterlot Castle had been firmly established as a residence fit for a ruler. With the growing forces of my army, I no longer felt the need to hide the castle behind a magic barrier. In the end, it was simply a needless drain on my energy. Further defenses had been added to the castle, word had spread to the farthest reaches of our grand empire of Celestia's defeat, and all major riots had been ceased and had their instigators dealt with.

The castle was now populated by myself and my soldiers, the number of which had grown substantially. Equestria was home to thousands of bats, each one just as loyal as the last. With every metamorphosis I performed, my spell became more and more fine-tuned. I had figured it wouldn't be long before I could enable them to speak in the Equestrian tongue instead of merely screeching.

No actual ponies had yet set foot inside the castle. In time, I planned to allow in those who wished to serve within the castle walls, as such assistance would soon become beneficial. Only, however, if they could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt their undying loyalty to me.

Of course, nothing would ever dare to go smoothly. Honestly. An all-powerful alicorn with magic unrivaled stands tall before you, able to kill you within the blink of an eye, and some would still choose to worship the half-dead, magic-less lump rotting away in the castle dungeons. Those were not ponies, those were sheep.

I'm getting sidetracked…

The seventh cycle had arrived. Order had been attained in the streets of Canterlot, all instigators had been dealt with accordingly, and I had graciously allowed the population time to get over the suddenness of the coup. The time had come to officially address the populace.

A call had rung out through the city and the members of the Night Guard posted out there had assisted in organizing the commoners. Towards the end of the moon's waxing period, a crowd of unsure, anxious ponies had gathered in the main square of Canterlot.

Truly, the city was still a sight to behold. Even amidst some of the damage that had occurred, the vibrant city of Canterlot still managed to stand strong. A beautiful half-moon of structures that encircled the main plaza, directly opposite the castle. We sat amongst beautiful fields of green, fresh sparkling rivers, and a fantastic view of Canterlot Mountain in the distance, still pristine and untouched by ponykind.

The clock struck the hour, and my moment had arrived.

As they were all waiting patiently, I teleported into the airspace above the stage in a cloud of brilliant black smoke, falling down to land squarely on the wooden boards with an impressive crash. Awe-inspiring.

The ponies had all cried out in surprise, and were then left to simply stare at the larger pony on stage. I felt all of their eyes fixated on me, and let me tell you the feeling was amazing. Hundreds of ponies all gathered to witness the rise of their new ruler!

"Greetings, citizens of Canterlot!" my voice rang out, "I'm sure these last few days have been frightening and confusing for you, and for that I am truly sorry. But…! We can put all of our trouble behind us now. Allow me to welcome you to a new era!"

Many of them looked to one another in confusion, but most of them simply seemed afraid. I paused as I observed them. Clearly I had forgotten how skittish some of these ponies could be.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself," I said in a much more conversational volume, though still loud enough for all to hear, "I am the goddess of the night, and the new ruler of all Equestria. You may refer to me as 'Nightmare Moon'!"

Now murmurs began to erupt from the crowd. The Night Guard looked as if they were going to shut them up, but I silently signalled for them to stand their ground.

"You may have heard my proclamation a week ago," I continued, "but I shall repeat it again for you tonight. From now on, Equestria shall bathe in the glory of the night, the magic of the moonlight, and the security of the shadows. The night shall last forever."

Those murmurs grew louder. I began to wonder if one of these peasants would be brave enough to speak up. I got the answer a few moments later.

"Wh- Where is Celestia?!" a stallion, hidden far in the back, shouted. The crowd erupted in a chorus of agreement.

I held up my hoof for them to quiet down, which took a little longer than I would have expected so I instead stamped it on the wooden stage. Everypony shut up. "Celestia has been overthrown," I stated simply, "She no longer holds her title, and is of no consequence to any of you. She has failed you as a ruler, something I shall not do."

"Did you kill her?!"

"She killed our princess!"

"Celestia is dead!!"

Many such panicked cries erupted into the air, making me growl a little in frustration. I stamped my hoof again, but the crowd did not settle down this time. I stamped once more, louder, and managed to recapture their attention.

"Silence!!" I shouted, "I suggest you all cease to concern yourselves with Celestia and her extravagant ways. By the end of the month, all traces of her horrible rule shall be purged from this land, and we shall all move forward. Look to the future, my subjects! Do not live in the past!"

When the murmurs started up again, I realized that something needed to be said. In the face of the common ponies, I recalled, mercy is sometimes viewed as a virtue. Such nonsense made me sick, but I spoke up regardless. "I shall say this, and no more. I did not kill Celestia."

It was fascinating to watch what happened after I had said that. I saw a wave of relief pass over the crowd, cascading through them like water. Then, almost immediately after, I began to see their anxious expressions reappear. Such fun it was to play with simpler minds sometimes. I had only told them that I had not killed Celestia, but I had not told them that she was still alive. That would ensure that no exceptionally brave and exceptionally stupid ponies tried to do anything foolish.

"With her fall," I proclaimed, drawing in everypony's attention, "comes the dusk of a new era. Where once there was blinding sun that was painful to see, there is now a beautiful array of ever changing stars against a striking canvas of black. I assure you all that every time you look up to the night sky, it will not look the same. Above us all, the moon shall guide us through the tough times. With open arms, we welcome you into the night. And, with the night by our side, we shall rise in strength and-"

"Wh…Where's the sun…?!"

"You can't do this! We need the sun!"

"Bring the sun back!"

My eyes twitched slightly. There was that spark of anger. That burning flame that slowly began to grow within me. I could tell then a faint, fiery aura was already appearing around me.

The crowd continued to shout about their love of the sun and their want for Celestia to return. Some of them began to cry, but others began to get rowdy. Again, the Night Guard moved to intervene, but I stopped them.

"Citizens of Canterlot!" I boomed, silencing them all.

"Make no mistake!" I continued, my volume lowering but not my anger, "Your 'leader' has failed you, been overthrown, and is not coming back. The era of the night is upon us, and we will graciously open the doors and allow you to become a part of our new regime."

I paused before continuing, my voice dropping low. "However…There is no place in this society for troublemakers. As your all-powerful ruler I shall lead this nation into an age of glory and victory, but I also demand your respect.

"The moon sits upon high in a position of magnificence and power, and it shall be treated with appropriate reverence. Your leader will be respected and honoured, or you will be justly punished." I closed my eyes. "And, you will all accept that your former ruler is gone. I have given you time to mourn, but there shall be no more!"

Even before I had finished talking, the crowd once more erupted amongst itself and dissent began to spread through all of the gathered ponies. This time I permitted the guards to step in, brandish their weapons, and attempt to keep the citizens in line. Some rather rebellious things had been said, and I committed to memory which ponies had said them.

"Behold the magnificence of the night, my subjects!" I proclaimed, "With order and honour we will prevail higher than ever before! Now! Bow before your leader, ponies of Canterlot! Bask in the glory of a dark rebirth!"

Whether the ponies in the square below respected me or feared me, either way I expected them to immediately drop to the ground and remain there until I commanded them to rise. Instead, however, nearly all of the gathered ponies continued to dissent and revolt, defying the Night Guard and even fighting back in a few cases.

"Monster!"

"Horrible Creature!"

"Murderer!"

It was not just disrespect I was hearing, it was outright revolt. This was all coming from the citizens of Canterlot. Despite what I have said about the ponies under the rule of Celestia, they still clearly knew how to respect whomever was in charge and how to revere the celestial body that reigned above them.

What was going on? During any Griffon coup, there were always unchangeable dissenters who needed to be dealt with, but after the fires had died down the new leader was always met with bows and rousing cheers. Moreover, new griffon leaders did not bring with them the glory of the night.

What was wrong with these ponies?

While the guard continued to erect order within the crowd, I tried to keep a straight face and present myself as a steadfast leader. For a while, I stood striking an impressive pose to prove that I would not be pushed out by mere protestors. Soon, however, I had begun to grow frustrated. Apparently even a week was not enough time to undo the poison flowing through these ponies' veins.

And so I left. Hours later, I was wandering around the castle in a perpetually sour mood. These pathetic fools were all blind and stupid! How could they not see the glory of the night? How could they not respect my power and authority? What was so wrong with them that they would stare death in the face simply to stay dedicated to a pony who had been beaten down and defeated?

I let out a huff of frustration.

How was I supposed to get ponies to respect me when they were all pining for Celestia so damn much? Every single time, it all came back to that horrible, terrible pony down in the dungeons. Why had I not killed her yet?!

It was painfully clear and obvious, to even the thickest pony, that it was not my intention to go on random killing sprees and crush whoever I felt like. I was a ruler, not a maniac. When it came to the general public, I honestly demanded very little from them. I demanded respect, order and obedience to the law, of which I had only barely changed.

Even the Night Guard shied away from me as I passed by. Honestly, I didn't blame them one bit. I was in a foul mood. Even I wouldn't have wanted to deal with me.

A nagging thought at the back of my mind reminded me that I would soon have to present myself to the lands beyond Canterlot as well. Night Guard regiments had been sent out to keep the peace, and those who reported back to me had informed me that order was in place. Still, though, would that change when faced with my presence in the flesh?

I just wondered what it would take, and how much damage would be done.

I had been stomping through the castle not really paying attention to where I was going, and now I found that I was standing in a room few ponies had ever set hoof in. I stopped for only a minute, staring at the intricate mark engraved on the floor; the only thing within this room besides two doorways and a window. Few knew of this room's purpose, though it wasn't as if knowledge of this 'secret' would do anypony any good. Below my hooves sat the most mysterious and unusual artefacts ever discovered, sealed away where none could reach.

We had discovered the Elements by accident one day so long ago. We had decided to keep them secret, and we found they were absolutely brimming with magical energy, but apparently useless. We had tried everything. We had cast magic onto them, focused spells through them and brought them into contact with things. They were about as useful as the rocks they resembled.

That is, until we gathered them all together. We discovered that their magical energy seemed to grow exponentially when they were joined. Still, however, it didn't seem like they could do much aside from slightly amplifying the natural magic of the area they resided in, making certain spells a little bit more potent.

Then, Discord attacked. The entire nation had nearly been decimated. Despite the awesome power of two alicorns, the creature could hardly be touched. Our only salvation came when we noticed that when the Elements were gathered in an area for a time, the area would be cleansed of his chaotic magic and returned to normal.

With no other options and nothing left to lose, we had tried to use them against him. Useless magical rocks they had once been, they transformed suddenly into shimmering jewels of various colours, and magic that was not our own struck out against the demonic being and turned him to stone.

Of course, by this point I already hated Celestia, but there had a greater threat to the both of us and so I had worked alongside her.

The Elements had successfully done what it seemed they had been meant to do, but afterwards they all suddenly vanished. The room where we had originally found them was now completely sealed, and even the strongest magic from either of us could not break through. As impossible as it seemed, the room was inaccessible to even the most powerful creatures on the planet.

The idea of turning Celestia into stone had definitely been intriguing, even back then. I had reasoned that even if she were to turn me to stone with them, I could escape. Once when the land had been overrun by cockatrices, I had worked on weaving a spell which one could use to free themselves from within a stone prison, and it worked wonderfully. Of course, Celestia never bothered to learn it; she hardly cared to listen. I'm sure that the Elements' stone prison would be somewhat more powerful, but with time I would still escape.

In any case, it hardly mattered. Even with the power of two alicorns coursing through me, still I had not been able to break through to the room with the Elements. This castle had been built long ago so that this room sat atop the room with the Elements, but still they were unreachable.

Sorry. I got off topic. Where was I?

I barely gave the room a second thought before I continued on, resisting the urge to reduce the walls around me to rubble. Being in the same room as an obstacle I could not overcome was only making my anger worse. A fiery aura erupted around me, and it took all of my concentration to keep it from combusting the rugs and tapestries that I walked past. Everything had to be so difficult, and it was all because of her. None of this would have happened if she hadn't been such a…

Such a…

Words failed me. A beautiful chair to my left burst into flames. Simply thinking about the injustices I had suffered through got my blood boiling. It had taken me so long and so much effort to overcome said injustices and get to where I was standing today, yet a part of me still hungered for revenge. Taking away her kingdom, her throne, and her magic wasn't enough. Outright hurting her wasn't enough.

I shook my head slightly as I realized where I was now; halfway down the stairs to the dungeons. Before me stood the guarded door that kept all behind it from the outside world, including my old 'friend'. I wasn't sure why I had come here, but I found that I wasn't complaining. Perhaps some entertainment would do me well.

The guards parted as I approached the door, opening it for me and allowing me to step through. I crossed over to another, more heavily guarded doorway and passed through that one as well. The dark, shadowy room beyond welcomed me with its faintly-lit torches. The stench of an unkempt pony was the room's way of greeting me.

I silently trotted over to Celestia's cell. She was lying on the ground with her head facing away from me, and she did not move as I approached. Once I was standing in front of the bars, I stopped and stared in at her. I could tell that she was not asleep or unconscious, but she still did not move.

A number of silent minutes passed, and I simply stared at this pony. Fire was dancing within me; rage at the mere existence of the being in that cell. Her refusal to even look at me was an insult. Her fur was still stained pinkish-red, especially around her midsection. I could see two nearly-healed wounds there, scars left behind from her previous indiscretions.

I had a million things to say to her, but for a while no words came out. Do you ever get that feeling where you have so much to say, but your tongue is tied anyway? Perhaps I simply couldn't decide where to start. Still she didn't move, and all this did was tick me off.

"I hate you."

Not exactly the most eloquent thing I have said, but I think it got the point across quite well.

Her ear twitched in response, but nothing more. Another period of silence passed and my already-thin patience grew even thinner. I let out a groan of frustration.

"You know…" I spoke, "Ponies ignoring me is why this all happened in the first place. Perhaps it may not be in your best interest to do so."

Finally, she began to sit up. Her movements were stiff and slow, no doubt from all of the injuries she had received. She was healing, yes, thanks to her alicorn body, but without her magic it was a very slow process. She should have, of course, been thanking me for not doing even more harm to her. In fact, if I was given no other choice but to say so, I would have said that the bloody markings on her body gave her the appearance of a warrior.

A defeated one, but a warrior no less.

She slowly rose up from off of the ground, having the appearance of a pony who had just run five marathons. It looked like all she wanted to do was sleep for about a year. Slowly but surely she raised herself into a sitting position and turned her head to look at me.

I was momentarily frozen by her expression. If you had beaten a pony to within an inch of their life and stuffed them in a filthy cell for a week while you took over their country, what sort of expression would you have expected? Abject sorrow with tears flowing and pleas for their life? Livid anger, rage at their captor, and pure, simple hatred? Perhaps even a confident look that showed there was some crazy plan brewing in that crazy brain of theirs?

I saw none of that. Celestia looked at me with a completely calm expression, not a single volatile emotion to be seen. Her eyes were ringed with the signs of fatigue, but other than that she looked completely content and patient. It was as if she were sitting in a diplomatic meeting, waiting for the other party to speak.

She was totally calm and collected. Even under these most dire circumstances she was as cool as a cucumber. She was always calm. Why was she always so damn calm??

"Today," I said to her, hoping to spark some sort of emotion from her, "I presented myself to the citizens of this city and proclaimed the beginning of this new era. I made it clear that my place as ruler is true and absolute. If they didn't before, the ponies now all know of your defeat."

She blinked. Then after a moment of silence, she opened her mouth to speak. Her voice was raspy, but she didn't seem to notice or care. "And how did that go?"

Eyes twitch. Faint aura erupts. "Don't you care?!" I exclaimed, thrusting my head right up to the bars and glaring down at her, "Do you not understand the magnitude of what has happened??"

"How did it go?" she repeated.

"Your precious little ponies are mine, Celestia! After this formal address, and the ones to follow in other cities, they will all respect and revere their new leader. I hold the power now, Celestia! And there is nothing you can damn well do about it!!"

For a moment, the only sound that permeated the chamber was my heavy breathing. Celestia's expression did not change. After a number of tense seconds had passed, she spoke once more.

"And how did it go?"

The ground in front of her became a blackened smear as my magic strike just barely missed her hooves. I let loose a loud groan of frustration. "Damn you, Celestia! No matter how far I strike you down, you still choose to insult me! You think you have all the answers, don't you?! Well look where you've ended up!"

"I take it…not so well, then…?" she spoke calmly.

"Whether it went 'well' or not is meaningless. The ponies of Canterlot now understand the authenticity of your downfall and my ascension to the throne. Before, they were lost and confused, but now they will truly understand. The night is here to stay, just as I am, and they will have no choice but to respect me."

"'Respect', is what you would call it?"

I nearly tore off her wings right then and there. "Yes, I would call it 'respect'. Respect is what rulers get. Respect is what leaders get! If a pony is sensible, they respect those who have power! What would you call it?!"

"They're scared," she replied simply, "I have not seen them, but I can tell. The ponies are all scared. Most of all, I think, they're scared of you."

I gave her a huff of indignation. "I do not require their friendship, if that is what you are implying. What good has friendship ever done anypony?" I turned my head away from her before I said, "I am merely trying to undo your distortion of these ponies."

Finally, I noticed a subtle change in her demeanour. "My 'distortion'?"

"Yes. Your dark influence. Your poison, Celestia."

"I have done no such thing…"

"I bring them all the glory of the night and the might of an invincible ruler! At first I had thought that ponies ignored and shunned my night simply because you made them sleep through it, but I see now that it is far more than that. You were like a toxic influence on their minds, Celestia! Faced with the power of the moon and its invincible goddess, they forego the respect I deserve to instead cling to you like some lifeless parasite!"

"They only dislike the night because of the absence of day!"

"So you admit it then?!" I could feel the aura burning around me, and I tried my best to contain it. It wouldn't do to have the bars of her cell melt and set her free, though that did carry the possibility of engulfing her in flames.

"I…You are putting words in my mouth!" she replied, incensed, "You have altered the course of nature, violently and bloodily usurped a leader and a goddess no less! What did you expect?!"

I glared at her. "Power is absolute, Celestia. The ponies of this land, in their early days, flocked to you and worshipped you because you were the most powerful being on this planet. Even with me by your side, this continued for an immeasurable amount of time, during which you took advantage of their poor, tiny minds. Now I have the power, Celestia!"

"You insult them! How can you expect to earn their cooperation if you insult them like that?"

"Have I not been clear?" I shot back, "I have no need for friends."

We paused, staring at each other as a mix of emotions flowed through the both of us. I began asking myself why I had come down here in the first place, and yet a part of me refused to leave the spot. Celestia had lost her calm manner and had grown upset. I was honestly taken aback a little bit by her eyes. Despite the rest of her body being in a state of injury and mistreatment, her eyes were still bold and powerful. I couldn't help but stare straight into them, wondering if my own eyes had the same effect.

"Listen…" she finally said, "If nothing else, please just listen to me. I know there is no use pleading for my release, or pleading for you to stop what you are doing. I suppose there's even little point in pleading for my life, isn't there?"

I gave her an annoyed smirk. "The last pony crosses the finish line."

"But please…" she continued, "If you intend on continuing like this, then you must change your ways. The ponies out there…They're suffering. They're dying. They need a strong, powerful leader who also listens to them and is there for them when they are in need. They need somepony they can trust. I know nothing I say now can make you lower the moon, but at the very least you must go out there and help ponies who need it. I can't promise that it will go well, but that is the way you will earn respect."

I stared evenly. "The ponies of this land will receive my attention should needs arise." I paused and leaned in a little closer. "But only if they are loyal and faithful to the night."

"Don't be a fool!"

"I am no fool, Celestia. I stand looking upon one."

"You cannot continue without the kinship of the ponies! This nation can only flourish if all of its residents work together as a family! If this continues, then Equestria will crumble and die!"

"Equestria will be fine once they remember how to treat those who are in charge."

"Luna, please!!"

I sighed and glanced at my raised hoof. "Honestly, Celestia…" I murmured as the pony in the cell cried out in horrible pain, "I would have thought a pony as smart as you would have learned by now…" I then put my hoof back down and returned to looking through the bars. There was already an astonishing amount of blood covering the shivering body.

"Do you think I like hurting you?" Yes. "Honestly you're just doing this to yourself, so you'd better be more careful with that tongue of yours."

Celestia heaved heavy breaths, clenching her eyes shut and enduring the pain. She was remarkably good at that. Eventually, she let out a long, shuddering breath and whispered, "Please…"

"I have no desire to 'please' you…"

"I don't…" she spoke in a very laboured voice, "I don't care…what happens to me. I don't care if I spend the rest of my life down here…But please…Think of the ponies…" She had somehow managed to sit herself back up, drag herself a little closer to the bars, and hold her head up high to stare at me. "Don't…Don't let them suffer…"

I regarded her pleading gaze with a neutral expression. For a long while, the longest pause that eve, we stared at one another. A million things were being said, though neither of us spoke a word. Just a simple moment of silent contemplation. I could not to begin to imagine what was going through her mind. What was the mind of a broken pony like anyway?

"I won't," I said, plain and simple.

She blinked and tilted her head. "Huh?"

"I will not let the ponies suffer."

The look on her face told me that she had not expected to hear those words.

I closed my eyes as I continued to speak. "I will not let them suffer," I repeated, "because nopony deserves to go through what I had to go through. What your hooves put me through. The ponies out there will never endure suffering because not one of them knows what true suffering is!"

Her expression had shifted from pleasantly surprised to rather distraught.

"True suffering, Celestia, is being your sister."

I could almost hear a crack as I stared into her eyes; the sound of everything simply shattering. She was frozen for a while, unable to speak or move and barely able to breathe. Her lip quivered as she stared right at me. I could see so much behind her wide open eyes. I could see that something inside had broken.

And so, Celestia began to cry.

I watched her for a few moments as she fell under the assault of powerful cries and a torrent of tears. She remained sitting up, but her head hung low as her entire body began to shiver. Such incredibly loud cries filled the entire dungeon, carrying with them unbelievably powerful emotions that may well have broken any normal pony. She looked so pathetic. I couldn't decide whether this was enjoyable to watch, or if I should leave so that my eyes didn't have to witness this.

I settled on speaking instead. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

No response; just more rears.

"This is what it feels like, Celestia," I spoke smoothly, "You've lived such a perfect, unblemished life for eons and eons. You've never had a reason to truly break down and cry. It's awful, isn't it? It feels like there's a gigantic hole in your chest where your heart used to be. It feels like there's something wrong with you, but nothing you ever do can make it feel right again."

I could see that she was trying to stop herself from crying, but she simply couldn't. I did not smile, but there was a sense of grim satisfaction that I felt.

"Every night, Celestia. Every night we cried."

"I…" she managed to choke out.

"Hm? Speak up."

It was clearly difficult for her to speak, but she tried her best anyway. "I…I'm sorry…"

"You lie."

"No!!" she shouted, swiftly bringing her head up to look at me with red puffy eyes. She looked even more a mess than before. "No, I'm sorry!! I'm more sorry than…I've ever been in my whole life! And…And I will be sorry for the rest of my life as well…I never meant to…I…"

She couldn't speak clearly. She was mostly just blabbering at this point, pleading desperately for whatever her fragile mind told her she needed. She had been so calm and collected earlier, but it had all been a façade. I knew that I had broken her, and it was just one more victory under my hooves.

"I just…I…I just…"

I continued to stare emotionlessly at her. "Your feeble apologies mean nothing to me," I spoke, "because I know that you still do not understand the magnitude of what you have done to me. You weep because you have lost everything that is important to you, not because you are truly remorseful for the despicable things you have done."

She was shivering and clenching her eyes shut. I could tell she was trying to say something, but it seemed as if even opening her mouth would just send her into a fit of tears again.

I stood up. "Expect not to see me for many days. In fact you may not see me at all from now on." I began to turn around. "You are no longer amusing to me."

"I want my sister back!!"

Celestia's loud outburst was followed by another onslaught of uncontrollable sobbing, louder than before. I paused, but I did not turn back around. I simply listened to the raw emotion in her voice. I had heard few ponies cry this loudly and this painfully before, and this was from the heart of Celestia.

I heard the sounds of something touching the bars of her cell and I imagine that she must have been reaching her bloody, dirty hooves out to try to reach me.

"I…I'm sorry! Please!!" Her words were nearly unintelligible, as her voice was muffled by the heart-wrenching cries. "I know I was wrong! I was a fool! I hurt you in ways that nopony should…Luna, I just want…Please, come back to me! I love you!!"

The dungeon resonated with the sound of my hooves upon the ground as I began to depart. "Goodbye, Celestia," was all I said before I stepped through the guarded doorway. Just before the entryway was sealed shut, I listened to the sound of her gasping and screaming in pain once again.

…

A subtle grin had found its way onto my face as I made my way through the castle.

Night Guards bowed to me as I passed. A few higher ranking ones fell in line next to me and gave me a few squeaks, telling me of what was happening in the lands beyond. The news was not perfect, but I was at least relieved to hear that my faithful bats were performing their duties extraordinarily.

Tonight had been a momentous occasion, as the castle was now occupied by two ponies who were not bats. A former Canterlot lawpony and an admittedly unusual pony who was now a part of the cleaning staff. It was encouraging to see ponies that were able to see past their ridiculous fixation on their former ruler. They were clearly not admirers of the night, but they were smart enough to recognize power and rule.

The new moon crested high overhead, approaching the end of the current cycle. Most of the ponies in Canterlot were fast asleep, but this no longer bothered me. I knew that their mortal bodies would demand sleep and I was not going to take that away from them. It was no longer an issue, though. When they would awaken hours later, the beautiful night sky would be there to greet them.

Truly these were wonderful times. I was confident that it would not be much longer before the ponies fully adjusted to this new way of life and this new leadership. In three cycles I would begin to make public appearances in locations outside of Canterlot. What's more, with the incredible power of two alicorns churning within me, I would be able to teleport both myself and a division of guards to the farthest reaches of Equestria in mere moments. Ponies everywhere would be bowing before me.

I am not ashamed to admit small errors, as not a single solitary soul is exempt from them. I had clearly been too impatient in expecting undying loyalty and respect from these ponies. Ponies were not griffons, after all. They were not used to such coups yet. Still, there had to have been a first griffon coup at some point. Smarter heads would prevail, hope for Celestia's return would die out, and the ponies of Equestria would accept their new leader.

As I cantered leisurely through the magnificent castle, my mind was going wild with prospects. I remember at that moment something was going through my mind that somepony had told me once.

'Anything worth earning shall involve the most difficult journey.'

I had already reaped such incredible rewards for my bravery and perseverance, but I had set my sights as high as possible. Even for an invincible all-powerful alicorn, it was going to be difficult to get all the way to the top.

But I could do it.

I knew I could do it.

What could the ponies possibly do? Revolt? The thought was certainly humorous. Celestia was gone and not a single living being could stand against to who I was now. They could find their leadership in me, or they could simply go without, and I knew that they would not be able to handle the latter.

The biggest obstacle had already been surmounted. The night had stood its ground, and now the moon sat upon its throne. My beautiful, wonderful moon on display for all to see. Now, if only the ponies would recognize their true leader, we could become an unstoppable nation.

'The most difficult journey.' Indeed it would be.

My mood immediately soured when I remembered which alicorn's mouth this pearl of wisdom had come from.

Author's Note:

Songs Referenced in this Chapter:
The Moon Rises - by Ponyphonic
Luna's Rebellion - by GatoPaint ft. Feather
Please click the links and support these artists! ^_^

Comments

[jaroslav]

I am still waiting for some logic in this fiction. Behaving of Luna doesn't make sense. In the show she was possesed by Nightmare, but here she has hundreds or thousands years of experience and she behaves like little foal.

[GigaBowser]

6281067 Okay, for three chapters in a row now, you have voiced your displeasure of my story, and that's fine. I know I'm not going to please everyone. But if you don't like it, then just don't come back. I don't need you antagonizing me every step of the way. Change the channel.

[Lunastar2099]

Look fowerd to see what happens nexts