> Calígine > by LuneLover > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Before the Chaos > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Great Gallloping Gala was usually an event which only some of Equestria's nobility and several ponies who where close to the princess would attend, since not everypony found it entertaining. But it seemed as if they had changed their minds, because the size of the Royal Ballroom suddenly seemed a lot less exaggerated. It wasn't exactly bursting with ponies, but there were a lot more than normal. For Princess Celestia, this meant a lot more fake friendliness, politics talk, kissing her hooves, blind devotion and annoying, stupid proposals. It was a good thing she knew how to fake a motherly smile, because it probably wasn't a good idea to show just how bored and frustrated she felt in the outside. Somehow the Sun Princess managed to endure a whole forty minutes, all about one of the many propositions a noble had before excusing herself, using all of her willpower to not run away and instead walk at a calm pace. Once she reached the desserts table, she took a deep breath, happy that she had escaped, even for just a moment. "Ah, Your Highness! I was hoping we could talk." A grey unicorn stallion with a short black and deep blue suit mane greeted her with a smile. "Hello, Lord Black Onyx." Celestia greeted back, mentally asking the heavens just why of all the nobles that existed, the worst of them had to come talk to her. "May I ask what you would wish to speak with me?" The stallion's horn lit up, and from one of his pockets a scroll of paper levitated and unrolled itself in front of the alicorn. "I reviewed my terms again, and I hope you will find them satisfactory this time." Celestia knew from experience that there was no reasoning with that unicorn. Even if proposals where strictly restricted to Court, he would just keep on insisting like a childish foal. So she read the scroll without complaining. "I appreciate the time you spent in this particular proposal, yet my answer remains the same." The white mare rolled the scroll carefully and levitated it over to his partner. "The problems lays on the concept itself, not the details or the presentation. Even if it had a completely different approach, I would still deny it." "I understand, Your Highness. I shall review it once more before bringing it to your attention again." Onyx nodded before finally wandering off to do who knows what. Celestia's secretary approached her before she could even react to the noble's stupidity and told her it was time for the announcement. The alicorn had approved a few important laws recently, and what better way to announce them than in the Gala, where it would spread like wildfire? She strode over to one side of the ballroom, pretending not to hear any of the nobles that called for her on her way. Once she was there, she celared her throat, succesfully catching the attention of everypony in the room. "I would like to thank everyone for coming to this year's Great Galloping Gala, and of course the staff for helping it become a reality. Now, I have a few announcements-" Clank. Both the low murmur from between the crowd and Celestia's voice stopped abruptly. Clank. The sound was strange, like it was far more louder than what it should be. Clank. Clank. It gained a steady rhythm, just as the crowd parted to reveal a pony-like figure. For some reason, Celestia couldn't exactly make out their features. Clank. Clank. Clank. For some reason, a small part of the alicorn's mind was screaming at her to run, to flee away from this being and never look back. Maybe she should listen to it. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank. The sound came closer and closer to the Sun Princess. Clank. It stopped. Just a few meters from her. Celestia focused on the thing. It was a mare, or at least what remained of it. There seemed to be absolutely no flesh or muscle in her body, instead showing just a skeleton covered by skin. Both her mane and tail ware completely covered by dirt, letting out only a few glimpses of its original blue color. Black mist sorrounded her, coming out of her pores like she was made of dry ice. Her wings had very few feathers left while her horn was cracked. The only thing that seemed to be alive were the eyes, turquoise in color and filled with emotion. "Celestia..." Her voice was raspy, as if she hadn't used it in a long time. The Sun alicorn felt fear flood her heart as she finally understood who that mare was. "L-Luna?" "Not anymore-I am but a mockery of the past." 'Luna' let out mist of her mouth every time she spoke. "And it's all your fault." Celestia's eyes widened. "I-I did what was necessary, Luna! I saved-" "Save it." The mare's voice became more solid with each word she spoke, and mist no longer came from her mouth. "You saved your little country, but you have condemned the little sister you claimed to love so much." The solar alicorn lowered her gaze in shame. "I know, Luna. I'm a horrible sister. I'm sorry." 'Luna's eyes were filled with indescribable rage. "Sorry," She began. "will not save you from your punishment." Her cracked horn glew with a black aura as she roughly lifted Celestia's head. "I will pull out every single one of your organs, and crush them beneath my hooves. I will feel the tissue and the blood. I will break every single one of your bones, and then I will stab you again and again with the sharp edges. " "I will force you to stay alive through it all, and you will feel every single bit of pain. And when you can no longer stand, I will bring down the sun, destroy twons and cities, and Equestria will fall to chaos and anarchy-the two things you feared so much." 'Luna' moved her magic a bit lower, and grasped her sister's neck with incredible force. "And only when the last drops of your sanity have melted away, when you have seen everything you love die slowly, when you are begging for death, only then I will deliver it upon you." "I will break you, Celestia-" The slar alicorn tried to free herself from her grasp, but 'Luna' was too strong. "-Just as you have broken me." Princess Celestia woke from her slumber with a scream.