“14 minor injuries… zero casualties…” listed off a sergeant. “No equipment lost…” he turned a page. “Over 9,000 Griffons routed, making an estimated ten Imperial legions disband… And several tons worth of weapons and armor scavenged.” He put the paper down. “All Griffon’s accounted for… Princess Celestia… I think it would be an understatement to say this operation was the best military operation this century.” The stallion said to the Council of War.

“Thank you Strong Arm…” Celestia stated. “You may return to your family.” Strong Arm bowed and left the throne room. “What do you think about this Luna?”

“I will not say anything on the matter until everypony else says their due.” I stated loudly. My sister nodded in understanding.

“Will Perfect Vision step forwards please?” Celestia called. The pegasus observer stepped in front of the throne. “You were assigned to observe the fighting effectiveness of the Lunar First…” Celestia began. “Can you put into your own words your opinion of the legion?”

“I had my doubts when I first heard of the assignment…” Vision started… “I can only confirm them.” Multiple gasps erupted from the council, including my own mouth. “Before the first battle began, Princess Luna had instructed that a tree be booby-trapped for an ambush... The legion was then instructed to hide along the paths and wait. When the Griffons came, it wasn’t a fight, it was a massacre.” he continued. I became aware of a very hot forehead. “Ponies aren’t for massacres, or ripping out throats with their bare teeth.” This got more gasps. “I have no doubt in my mind that Thestrals are unfit to serve in the Equestrian military, such animalistic violence is below us, and our military should be respectfully civilized…”

“If I may…” I interrupted.

“I have not said my ‘due’... Princess…” Vision stated, adding my title as an afterthought. I begrudgingly closed my mouth. “And our military should be respectfully civilized, to make an example to our foreign neighbors… And I refuse to let such animals be our image to the outside world…” Vision turned away.

“You have not been dismissed yet.” I growled.

“My… apologies.” he stated, turning back around.

“Luna? You look like you have something to say…” Celestia soothed.

“Zero casualties Vision, not a single pony soul was lost.” I started, circling the traitor. “While the Griffon Empire, lost well over half its army in the conflict. That is a better track record than the Solar 1st. Now, forgive Us for being accepting of those unlike us, as a pony should, but We’d be willing to accept a frightening image that works very well than a mediocre reputation with a perfect image, Perfect…” I growled at him.

“Luna!” Celestia exclaimed. I turned away, but I was far from done.

“As for their fighting style? Yes, they bit several of the Griffon’s… But it certainly wasn’t ‘ripping their throats out’. They were using what nature gave them to use, not unlike a Pegasi’s wings or Unicorn’s horn…”

“Luna!” Celestia warned.

“Trottingham is still ours, if we weren’t there, imagine how many we would’ve lost.” I said loudly, before turning towards the door and leaving.

“Luna… I don’t think you realize what you’ve done…” Celestia said to me.

“I am trying to ensure our kingdom remains safe from harm sister… Excuse me if I have to bend a few rules to do so.” I growl.

“But encouraging the ripping out of throats?”

“Go examine the corpses of the Griffons sister, I can wait.”

“Luna…”

“Or better yet, listen to the opinion of someone who is clearly biased!”

“Luna!” Celestia exclaimed.

“I’m not biased! I am merely repeating the facts! Facts nopony else will listen to!”

“The council has decided to disband the Lunar 1st…”

“WHAT?!” I shout

“We’ve disbanded the Lunar 1st on grounds of unnecessary brutality.” Celestia stated, hardening her voice.

“WE?!”

“Luna, we must not stoop to the levels of our enemies… The moment we do that is the moment they win.”

“You voted in favor of disbanding them…” I stated.

It was not a question.

“I had to!” Celestia exclaimed. “If I looked like I was in support of brutal tactics and guerilla warfare that would be giving others permission to use it against us!”

“No that’s not it…” I growl “That would allow us to downsize our military by a huge margin, reducing civilian casualties and structural damage overall… Something you’d be all for… No, you did it to fit in with your favorites!” I accused.

That wasn't my main concern, but it was still true enough to challenge Celestia with.

“N-no…” she stammered.

“I can’t believe you!” I shouted

“Luna…”

“No! Don’t you ‘Luna…’ Us!” I shouted. “We’re trying to secure our kingdom’s future peace and all your cronies want to do is stagnate! It’s a rule of life Tia! Even for us! You stagnate you DIE!” I screamed in her face.

“Luna…”

“No! We don’t want to listen to your drivel anymore!” I growl as I stormed away.

“She keeps backing down when she should be taking her own stance…” I growled as I paced in my room. “Not once does she recognize those who deserve recognition…”

“Often, but the heroes should be at least rewarded during the aftermath.” I reasoned.

“Which is completely asinine.” I said, rebeginning my pacing cycle.

Knock Knock Knock.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“It’s me…” came Celestia’s voice.

“Oh, go away then.” I growled.

“Please Luna…”

“No sister!” I snarled at the still closed door. “You’ve been doing this for years! Downplaying the accomplishments of hardworking ponies while magnifying meager accomplishments of your nobility!”

“Please…”

“I’m sick of it! You do it to the citizenry, you do it your best generals… You even do it to ME! Go! Away!”

“I don’t want to raise ponies over others…” Celestia whispered. The sounds of her sitting down outside the door could be heard. “I just need them to share their wealth so I can do what I can for our less able citizens…” she sighed. “I don’t like them any more than you do, but I have to be friendly to them to butter them up…” I heard something metal being put on the floor. I heard Celestia sigh again. “What are we doing Luna? We used to be closer than two siblings ever had any right to be…” Celestria grew silent. I said nothing. “Do you remember when we were foals? How we ran through the streets and pretended to be a pair of heroes on some adventure?”

“Yes We do…” I replied sitting down with my back to the door.

“What ever happened to those foals?”

“They grew up.”

I walked down the evening lit halls of the Castle Everfree. Celestia had left the threshold of my room a while ago, we didn’t say anything further after I said what happened to the foals we had been. We just sat in silence for a long half hour afterwards.

It was that time of day when the Citizenry were off to bed, yet the Sarosians and I were fresh from breaking our fast. Thus, I walked the halls of the Castle, as I awaited the time for the Sun to set. With no guests to any Court I held, I could walk laps around the Castle for hours at a time. Tending to the Dreamscape as I did so. It was like my version of knitting, only I could do it literally anywhere instead of having to sit down like an old mare. I giggled as I realized I was technically older than the most wrinkled of ponies.

“Something humorous?” came a stallion’s voice from above.

“Hello ‘Perfect’ Vision… ” I said, not even turning my head. Nothing hides from the Princess of the Night, especially when somepony tried hiding in a shadow. “And We believe you're missing a title somewhere.” I growled.

“That depends.” he stated, gliding down from where he was perched.

“Depends on what pray tell?” I asked, with no small amount of disdain tainting my voice.

“Do you consider yourself a Princess of Equestria?” I saw his eyes glint ahead in the darkness. I couldn’t help myself… I laughed.

“Do you know what We’ve done for my little ponies?” I chuckled after a few moments. “After the unification of the tribes, the Pegasi rebels called Us ‘Lun the Terror of the Night’… The Unicorn supremacists called Us ‘The Night Traitor.’ And the Earthen Fanatics named Us ‘Dark One’… We crushed each and every single one of them before We even earned Our wings… When Discord awoke We stared directly into the face of chaos as it warped our world. When Sombra rose to power We spent weeks devising ways to break him! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to frighten even the most novice dark magic practitioner?” I laughed. “We’ve sacrificed so much of our self to uphold this country We don’t even know where to start!” I force him to land with a painful thud. ”We’ve killed, terrorized, and even tortured the enemies of Equestria so other ponies wouldn’t have to!” I force his head to the floor with a telekinetic thrust. “We’ve sacrificed even Our right to die for Our citizens! And what do We get? We get hatred and disgust for what We’ve done!” I lift a hoof over his head. “Do We consider ourself Princess of Equestria? No, We consider ourself Equestria’s slave with what We’ve put up with!” I shout in his face.

“Luna!”

I look up to see Celestia and her favorites staring at me with horror. Perfect Vision scrambles towards them.

“It’s just as I said! She’s too wild to be the patron of the night!” he cried as he groveled.

“I hear you…” Celestia said as she lay a hoof on his shoulder.

“Celestia, what are you talking about?!” I growl.

“How dare you talk to the Princess like that you cur!” one of Celestia’s guards grunted while he raised a spear to strike at me. I gripped it in my strong magical grip before he could hit anything.

“WHAT. ARE. YOU. TALKING. ABOUT.”

“I didn’t want to believe them Luna…” Celestia’s head lowered. “Talking to yourself? Brutality to ponies?” she shook her head. “That isn’t what a Princess should act like. So, as of this evening, Equestria shall only have ONE princess…”

“Tia… What are you doing?” I asked.

“Luna… You’re far too wild and erratic to be the Patron of the Night… So, with regret, I strip you of all your titles and duties… I will beseech the Sun tomorrow to sever you from the Moon." she lowered her head further and turned away.

"Be very careful sister." I warned with a snarl. "You and I both know that is not your decision to make."

The white mare stopped in her tracks.

"And what could you do to stop me?" she retorted without turning around.

It was as if she had slapped me.

Was she that delusional? Did she think herself above the Moon? How out of touch with reality did she have to be to even consider such a thing?

She must've thought my silence was an acquiescence for she continued.

"That's what I thought."

She continued her walk.

She dared?! The arrogance! The audacity! Did she think I would simply roll over and accept this decision?!

“How can you do this Celestia?!” I shouted at her retreating form. “We are your sister! Your FRIEND!” I scream. “Not ONCE have We ever betrayed you! Not once did We doubt you!” Guards surrounded me and I lost sight of my sister.

“Stand down wretch.” the commander ordered. I seethed at where I last saw my sister…

And something in my soul, long strained, snapped.

I found myself chuckling darkly.

“Not once have We ever considered raising a hoof at you… UNTIL NOW!” I scream and push the surrounding guards down with the might of my magic. Before they could stand I grabbed all their spears and buried them in their owner’s chest.

A plethora of bloody spears began to circle me.

“Equestria shall only have ONE Princess…” I quoted. “Then ONE there shall be…” I vanished with a flurry of feathers.

I stepped from behind the solar throne as Celestia stepped into the throne room.

“Luna?” she asked, eyes widening. I reared onto my hind legs and slammed them into the gilded chair, reducing it to rubble.

“Equestria can have only one Princess…” I quoted again. “And she will be ME!” I lifted my forelegs and brought the moon up behind me.

I then did the unthinkable.

With a will of iron, I grabbed her Sun and forced it below the horizon.

"Unhoof me you cur!" a voice of brass rumbled in my mind.

Below, Celestia gasped as I broke an unspoken taboo between us.

I had directly touched her charge.

Her Sun.

Her toy.

“You can’t take her from Us at dawn if the dawn never comes!” I shouted, shooting a blast at Celestia. She dodged with a shout of surprise.

“Luna!” she shouted. My stolen spears appeared from behind me and I saw her eyes widen.

“Die well TRAITOR.” I growled angrily. I threw the spears, propelling them so hard they sunk halfway into the stone before stopping. Celestia stopped the ones that would hit her and threw them back. I deflected them with a thought.

“Don’t do this Luna…” Celestia warned.

I snarled and summoned all my knowledge I knew of umbramancy, and like a ship sailing past the twilight into the deep and dark night... I abandoned the light.

Black tendrils erupted off my shadow, wrapping themselves around my physical body. My power surged as I revealed just how deep my well of mana went.

“Luna no!”

When I first started writing this, years ago now, I initially used the word "thestral" for the Bat Ponies. Obviously based on the skeleton horses from Harry Potter.

So when I started writing again, I cut out the terf's word and replaced it with 'Sarosian', which is a term for Bat Ponies used in one of my all time favorite fics.

If you know, you know.

But rather than just replace the word completely, I decided to add lore to the world.

Yeah, "thestral" is a hard slur in this universe. Like, if a Bat Pony hears you say it, you better expect an ass whooping or a shallow grave in a ditch somewhere.

And yes, there is a lore reason why they react so extremely.