There was something wrong with Celestia.

        Luna didn’t know what it was, and it bothered her immensely. Celestia would not talk about it, basically acting as if nothing were wrong at all. Any time Luna brought her behavior up, she seemed to dodge the question or change the topic. Luna had reports from the servants about her sister’s strange behavior, but rarely experienced it herself, as if Celestia were guarding herself more carefully when Luna was around.

        The first time Luna experienced Celestia’s odd behavior firsthoof was two weeks prior. Luna stepped out onto her balcony, which rested directly across from Celestia’s own, to raise the moon and bring about the stars for the night. Celestia had just dipped her namesake below the horizon for the evening and was turning to re-enter her chambers, not even bothering to offer a greeting to her sister. Luna, thinking Celestia had simply not seen her, called out to her sister.

        “Good evening, Tia!” she called, loud enough so she was sure Celestia would hear. Celestia didn’t even acknowledge the greeting, instead using her unicorn magic to slam the door to the balcony rather violently. Luna was confused by her sister’s behavior, but wrote it off as the product of a bad day. Luna would have to be sure to have the servants send up an extra special treat for the troubled princess. After setting the moon on its path through the night sky and filling the dark ocean of the night with its glittering inhabitants, Luna made her way to the kitchens for her breakfast.

        Luna pushed open the doors to the royal kitchens, allowing the scents of various dishes to wash over her. Her mouth began to water at the delicious smell, but she quickly snapped out of her stupor, finding it unbecoming of a princess to drool in front of her subjects. Princess Luna made her way through the maze of utensils and chef ponies, each bowing as she passed; Luna’s head tipped slightly in the direction of every pony who bowed, acknowledging the gesture as she had seen Celestia do. She was glad that these ponies no longer feared her as the dreaded Nightmare Moon, but instead embraced her as their princess. Luna quickly sought out the head chef, a young earth pony mare by the name of Fine Dining, whose cutie mark was of a fork, a spoon, and a knife, all covered in sparkles. The alicorn always preferred to deal directly with the pony in charge, so as to minimize any possible mess-ups.

        “Good evening, Princess Luna,” the pony said after a quick bow. “What can I get you for breakfast this evening?”

        “Good evening, Fine Dining. I think I shall like three eggs, over easy, some wheat toast with butter, and a pot of coffee, black. Also, I believe Princess Celestia has had a rather rough day, so it would be much appreciated if you would send up some treats for her, to put her in better spirits.”

        At the mention of Princess Celestia, all of the color seemed to drain from Fine Dining’s normally aqua colored coat.

        “What is wrong, my little pony?” Luna said, concern evident in her voice at Fine Dining’s sudden reaction. “Has something I said upset you?”

        Fine Dining seemed to regain her composure. “No, princess, it’s nothing you said. It’s just…” she trailed off.

        “Yes?” Luna questioned.

        “Well, you know Princess Celestia better than anypony, so you must have noticed how she’s been treating the serving staff lately,” Fine Dining said.

        Luna raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

        Fine Dining scoffed. “You mean you haven’t noticed!?” she immediately cringed, regretting raising her voice to the princess, whose face had transformed into a scowl. She let out a small “sorry,” which seemed to placate the alicorn for the time being.

        “My sister and I do not spend as much time together as I would like,” she began, “due to our conflicting schedules, but no, I have not noticed anything abnormal about her behavior. How has she been treating the royal servers?” Fine Dining seemed reluctant to speak, but eventually began.

        “Well, it started a week ago when I sent Soup and Salad up to serve Princess Celestia her lunch. She wanted it brought up to her, which was a little strange, but hey, I’m just the cook. They came back with horror stories about the princess being rude and ungrateful and eventually refusing the meal altogether. Soup and Salad refused to serve her meal the next day, I told the numbskulls they were overreacting, but they still wouldn’t go, so I decided to send my best server, Parsley Garnish up to cater to the princess. When she came back, she was covered from head to hoof in tomato soup. Poor mare still hasn’t been able to wash it all out. Things like this keep happenin’ until I finally decide to go up to her room myself and serve the princess the most elaborate meal I could manage, sorta’ as a peace offering. I’m talkin’ seven courses, cooked to perfection, probably the best meal I have ever had the honor of preparing, and do you know what she does? Princess Celestia, without sayin’ a word, uses her magic to flip the serving table, all the food I made, and me right out the door. It took the entire cleaning staff six hours to clean up that mess.” When she got to the end of her tale, Fine Dining shed a single tear in memory of the great meal lost that day.

        Luna just sat, listening to the story with increasing distress. This did not sound like Celestia at all. If Celestia had been acting this strange for a week, how had Luna not noticed?

        We may not see each other as often as I would like, but that is no excuse. How could I not see that something is wrong with my own sister? What if it is serious? Oh, I feel so stupid! I must resolve to spend more time with Tia in the future.

“Um, princess, are you ok?” Fine Dining’s voice snapped Luna back to reality.

        “Yes, yes, I’m fine,” Luna replied. “I must ask: why did nopony approach me with concerns about Celestia?”

        Instantly, all the cooks within earshot looked down in embarrassment, including Fine Dining. It was her who broke the silence first.

        “Well, we didn’t want to somehow disrespect Princess Celestia or cause you distress, we just figured that you had noticed by now and were plannin’ on doing something about it.” Fine Dining looked as if she were preparing to be struck. It pained Luna to see her subjects so fearful of her, but she supposed some fear was always to be expected.

“Do not worry, my little ponies,” Luna began, smiling benevolently down at Fine Dining, “I am not upset with you, merely curious as to your motives. Please, next time anything appears to be wrong, with either of the princesses, with the castle, anything, please do not hesitate to bring it to our attention. Is that clear?”

A chorus of conformation rose from the group of ponies who were now listening to the princess.

“In addition, please do not concern yourself with the princess’s behavior. I will have a talk with her tomorrow morning at din-, er, breakfast. Please enjoy the rest of your evening.” With that, Luna turned and strode away, making her way back through the kitchen and to her chambers. Just as she reached the door, Fine Dining called out.

        “Princess Luna, wait, what about your breakfast?” But the ruler of the night was already gone.

(*)
(*)

        The royal dining room was a sight to behold. The windows lining the side of the room faced South, allowing sunlight in at all hours of the day without forcing the diners to squint in the direct rays of the sun. Sparkling silverware lined the dining table, which allowed seating for more than twenty ponies, should the occasion arise, but on this particular morning, there was only one pony seated at the table. Or rather, one alicorn.

        Princess Celestia was sitting on her royal cushion at the head of the table, levitating a coffee cup with her magic and sipping from it occasionally, and reading a book on modern Equestrian history, when her sister and fellow ruler entered from the far end. Princess Luna looked exhausted, as she always did after night court. There were never very many ponies there, but the few that did show up always seemed to have problems of a more…sinister nature than those that showed up for day court. Squabbles among thieves, one pony accusing another of some heinous crime. Sometimes solutions were difficult to come by.

        “Good morning, sister,” Celestia looked up from her book as Luna took a seat at the far end of the table. They were each sitting at the two spots at each end of the table that were reserved for royalty, as was customary, but it always made conversation a bit difficult.

        “Good morning to you as well, Celestia,” Luna responded. Then noticing the book, she added, “Getting a little light reading done?”

        Celestia smiled and said, “What, this? Just brushing up on my history. You can never know too much, after all.”

        Luna found it a bit strange that her sister was reading a history book when she had lived through it all, but her thoughts on the matter were interrupted by one of the servants bringing out a plate of steamed vegetables in a thick cheese sauce and setting it in front of Luna, who eyed it hungrily.

        “Dinner is served, your majesty,” Luna recognized the voice, and looked up to see Fine Dining looking back at her. Without saying a word, the earth pony chef simply glanced at Celestia and hurried away back to the kitchens. Luna remembered the conversation she had with the cook the night before and leveled her gaze at Celestia.

        “Tia,” she began, suddenly serious, “I must speak to you about something. Something important.”

        “Oh?” Princess Celestia looked intrigued.

        “Yes, it is about your behavior over the past week. It has been brought to my attention that you have been treating our subjects poorly in regards to your meals, and you appear to be distant, even from me. Pray tell, what is wrong?”

        Celestia simply sighed and closed her book. “So you heard about that, hm?”

        “Yes. Please, tell me what is troubling you.”

        “I’m just a little tired, that’s all. You know how stressful ruling can be. I ruled Equestria alone for a thousand years, and I feel as if it’s finally catching up to me. I didn’t want to burden you with this, I know you already have a lot on your plate, so to speak,” Celestia said.

        Luna had no reason to disbelieve her sister, but something felt…off about her excuse. She pushed it away as being overly cautious and instead smiled a sympathetic smile at her sister.

        “Tia, you know I will always be there for you. No matter what is troubling you, I will listen, and lighten your burden if I can,” Luna said.

        Celestia smiled weakly, prompting Luna to get up from her meal and go comfort her sister. Luna gave Celestia a sisterly nuzzle to lift her spirits, which Celestia returned in kind, and then returned to her seat to finish her meal. The rest of breakfast/dinner was enjoyed in peaceful silence.

(*)
(*)

        Luna did not notice any more odd behavior from Celestia, nor was any more brought to her attention, until two weeks later. It was late afternoon, and Luna had just woken up to a harsh clanging noise. She quickly realized that it was coming from the direction of her door, and reluctantly dragged herself from her bed to answer. Her horn was enveloped in a deep blue glow as she flung the door aside with her magic, giving an irritated glare to the pony that had interrupted her slumber. It was one of the two guards stationed outside her door, but she couldn’t recall the old colt’s name.

        “What!?” she said, a little more harshly then she intended, causing the guard to flinch at the sudden outburst. Luna noticed this and repeated herself, a little more calmly this time.

        “Your majesty, this pony brings news of odd behavior from Princess Celestia.” He said sternly, his face returning from one of shock to a mask of professionalism.

        The guard stepped aside and it was then that Luna noticed the pony standing behind him. He had a dark brown coat with a tousled blonde mane and short cropped tail, and a mop and bucket for a cutie mark. His dress was that of the cleaning staff, only the area around the neck was stained with sweat, and he was out of breath, eyes darting around fearfully, as if he were expecting something to jump out and grab him at any moment. This pony looked as if he had been running for his life. Luna eyed him with concern.

        “Well?” she asked gently, for fear of frightening the pony away “What is so important that I am to be disturbed in the middle of my slumber?”

        The pony gulped and approached slowly, refusing to look Luna in the eye.

        “W-well, i-it’s, I mean, I, um, I didn’t know w-what to d-do, so I ran as f-fast as I could, and I was scared, and-“ Luna cut him off, quickly growing impatient.

        “Spit it out,” she commanded. She felt sympathy for whatever this pony had gone through, but her mood was still foul from having been woken up so early. He jumped at her outburst, but then took a deep breath to collect himself.

        “Princess Celestia’s gone crazy!” he shouted suddenly, immediately covering his mouth with his hooves afterward.

        This got Luna’s attention. She had noticed a bit more of Celestia’s odd behavior, but nothing that was harsh enough to prompt her to act and certainly nothing that could be described as “crazy.” Luna had already ruled out another changeling invasion, deciding that Chrysalis would be far too weak and her hive too disorganized to try again so soon.

        “What do you mean?” she questioned, “What has happened?”

        The pony, deciding that it was safe to speak again, began his story.

        “Well, I had just finished cleaning the floors in the royal throne room, just like I do every day before day court is held. The guardsponies let all the ponies in who had a plea, just like every day, and they waited for Princess Celestia to show up. When the princess came in, one of the ponies in the crown accidentally dropped a bunch of papers he had brought with him, and didn’t notice the princess while he was pickin’ ‘em up, and he didn’t bow like the rest of us. I guess the princess sees this and she freaks out on him, yelling and screaming and gettin’ real angry, and everypony in the room is just sittin’ there, stunned, mouths hangin’ open, including me. I mean, nopony had ever seen the princess act like this, she was actin’ crazy! She finally tells the guards to take him to the dungeon. The dungeon! Can you believe it? Then this fella’s wife starts pleadin’ with the princess to let him go, and she tells the guards to throw her in with him! Then it got really bad. One of the guards refused, said it went against what he stood for, and I’m sittin’ here thinkin’ she’s gonna throw him in the dungeon too, but she just picks him up with her magic and flings him against the far wall as hard as she can! Then I remembered you tellin’ the staffponies to come to you if Princess Celestia ever started actin’ funny, so I ran here as fast as I could.”

        The pony had barely finished his story when Luna blew past him and sprinted down the hallway. She took the stairs down the tower three at a time, her body racing almost as fast as her mind.

        What is happening!? I have to get to the throne room.

        Luna made her way through the twists and turns of the royal palace with ease, having committed nearly all of it to memory. When she arrived at the throne room where court was held, she stopped, listening for any sounds that might prepare her for what she would encounter on the other side of the door. When she finally pushed the door open, a wave of confusion spread over her. Bodies lay everywhere, lifeless ponies lying on top of one another in small heaps. All of them were dead.

        No, Luna thought, not dead.

        As the princess of the night made her way further into the room, she realized that the ponies were simply unconscious, not dead. Her sigh of relief was caught in her throat as a voice rang out.

        “It is about time you showed up.” It was Celestia. She was sitting in one her throne at the far end of the room, leaning back in a disturbingly relaxed position.

        “Sister,” Luna regarded, advancing cautiously toward the throne.

        “Not quite,” Celestia said. Her voice was playful, like she was enjoying what was going on around her.

        Luna ventured another guess, creeping ever closer to the creature on the throne. “Chrysalis?” she asked. Not-Celestia threw her head back and let out a short laugh.

        “Do you really thing that pathetic excuse for evil could do something like this? Imitating Celestia!? I can barely do that. She’s so demure, so proper, so nice that it make me sick.” The Not-Celestia seemed to spit out her words as if they were venomous.

        “Who are you, then? Are you in league with Discord?” Luna just had to keep the creature talking until she could get close enough to get a knockout spell off. What she failed to notice were the legions of unconscious ponies around her that would rise as she passed them, their eyes blank and expressionless. They silently soldiered toward her from behind in a zombie-like state.

        “Discord? That buffoon couldn’t hold this kingdom down for a week without destroying everything. Come on, Luny, do you really not remember me? I’m hurt,” the creature flashed big, watery eyes at Luna, the words drenched in mock pain. Luna resented the use of her sister’s pet name for her in such a way, especially when the words came from Celestia’s mouth but were clearly not her own.

        Just a little closer…

        All of Luna’s plans were dashed by the feeling of rough hooves seizing her hind legs. She reared up in surprise, and two more sets of hooves lunged forward and grabbed her now exposed forelegs, forcing her to the ground and holding her there. Her horn ignited, but before she could even think of a spell to cast, the Non-Celestia was on her. Non-Celestia’s horn was aglow, but not with its usual golden aura. Now, the ethereal light was colored blood red. Luna had seen it before, but she couldn’t recall where, the memory just barely tugging at the edges of her consciousness. The Non-Celestia touched her horn to Luna’s, and the princess of the night immediately felt her magic go dormant. She looked up at her horn in horror as she tried in vain to ignite it, her face twisted into a scowl of concentration. The Mock-Celestia laughed at the sight.

        “What’s wrong Luny, can’t cast spells?” It’s tone was harsh and mocking. Even though it was Celestia’s voice, Luna knew that it was not her sister. Then, the Mock-Celestia smiled and gestured to the ponies holding her down. “Like ‘em? I designed the spell myself. Doesn’t last as long as I would like, but it serves its purpose.”

        “What have you done to me!?” She shouted, “What have you done with Celestia!? WHO ARE YOU!?” Luna was screaming now, allowing the full strength of the Royal Canterlot Voice to come forth. Now, other zombie-like ponies had piled up around her and were holding her down as well. Luna couldn’t move, no matter how much she wanted to give the thing in front of her a taste of her hoof. She would never lay a hoof on her sister, but that thing was not her sister.

        “Calm down,” the thing said, now sitting comfortably three feet away from Luna, “it’s just a magic block. It should wear off in, oh, I don’t know, half an hour maybe? I’m not quite up to full strength yet, so I couldn’t face you head on. Not yet, at least. I’m not going to answer your second question, because the answer is currently staring you in the face. As for question number three, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet. Here let me give you a hint: remember dear ol’ mom and dad?”

        Luna stopped struggling against the ponies that bound her. Suddenly, all the memories came rushing back to her. The Mock-Celestia’s grin grew wider and wider as Luna showed more and more recognition on her face.

        “Azzini,” she said, so quietly the thing in front of her almost didn’t hear. A large smile spread across its face as the name reached its ears.

        “So,” it said, “you do remember me. I’m glad you finally figured it out. I was so tired of keeping up this charade.”

        “But, but,” she stammered, “You’re supposed to be-“

        “Imprisoned in Tartarus, I know, believe me do I know. But I’m not. I got out, and here I am, back in business, ready to bring the kingdom to its knees once again.” The creature known as Azzini made a grand sweeping gesture with her hooves. “And what a kingdom it is! I’ll have to change a few things, like, say, all the décor, but all-in-all, I think Celestia did a fine job with this place. It looks much better than the first time around, when it was your parents who ruled. I just still can’t believe I managed to kill both of them before they stopped me!”

        Azzini glanced at Luna after it said this, waiting to see what kind of reaction he would get. He was not disappointed. Luna was furiously struggling against the ponies that bound her, trying with all her might to break free, once again futilely attempting to ignite her horn to cast a spell, any spell, but it was all useless. Angry tears were streaming down her face. She was facing the creature that robbed her and Celestia of their parents, and it was laughing at her. She knew that if she checked the back of Celestia’s neck, she would find a small black insect with its mandibles sunk into the flesh, connecting itself directly into the brainstem. It was controlling her every move, completely overpowering her will and dictating her actions. Luna eventually stopped struggling and simply stared at the beast in front of her, her eyes full of the hate and rage felt by a child confronting her parents’ killer.

        “Sheesh, if looks could kill,” Azzini said, looking away. “Anyway,” he continued, “I think I best be going.” Luna looked up at what used to be her sister (no, don’t think like that, you can still save her), her look changing from anger to confusion for a short moment. “I know, I know,” Azzini went on, “I wish I could stick around, but, you know how it is, a princess never rests.” He leaned Celestia’s head down and whispered the next words directly into Luna’s ear.

        “Besides, I have a faithful student to see.”

        Luna gasped and struggled against the ponies even harder, her grief temporarily forgotten in her worry for Twilight Sparkle. It was no use, though, as she still couldn’t get free. She sighed and slumped her shoulders, consigned to wait for the magical block to wear off. Azzini trotted away toward the exit, laughing in Celestia’s voice all the way there.
        

        Princess Luna was once again struggling under the weight of the zombie-like ponies that surrounded her, holding her wings and hooves down and forcing her to stay where she was. Her endeavor yielded no results, however, as the ponies didn’t budge. Luna could feel the magical block that Azzini had placed on her slowly wearing away, and knew that it would be gone soon, and she would be free. It was useless to struggle until then, but the princess’s concern for Twilight Sparkle overrode her logical thought processes. If Azzini was going after the lavender unicorn, then she was in terrible danger.

        Luna decided to try and access her magic once more. She could feel it, just out of her grasp. She could see the magic in her mind’s eye, like it was a beach, just below the tide. Her magic was the beach, stretching infinitely in all directions, but it was just below the tide of the magical block. As the tide rolled out, she could feel her magical power creeping closer and closer to her grasp, frustratingly close, but still inaccessible.

        Come on, she thought, her face contorting with concentration, come on! So close…so close…there!

        Her horn ignited. She felt the magic coursing through her, pulsing, changing, living. She never thought she could miss being able to use her magic so much. It was a part of her, a part she never hoped to lose again, no matter how temporary it was. She felt so helpless without it, so powerless against Azzini, just like when she and Celestia were fillies. Luna repressed her childhood memories for the time being, pushing them to the back of her mind. Her primary concern now was for Twilight Sparkle.

        Luna’s horn was enveloped in an indigo aura, which in turn engulfed the ponies who bound her. With a little effort, she lifted the ponies off of her, some of them clinging uncomfortably to her body, their hooves clamped around her legs or her wings. One took a feather with him when she finally managed to pry him off, causing Luna to wince a little. Once all of the zombie ponies were safely away from her, she brought one on front of her eyes to examine it a bit more closely.

        It was a pegasus mare with a dark blue coat and a mane that was a bright yellow, a stark contrast. The pony’s eyes were lifeless, her pupils the size of dinner plates, dilated beyond any natural limit. She stared blankly at Luna, her hooves stretched out toward the princess. Under normal circumstances, the pegasus could’ve been trying to give Luna a hug. These were not normal circumstances. Luna telekinetically bound the pony’s arms too her side and leaned forward in a gesture eerily reminiscent of the action Azzini had performed only on Luna only minutes ago.

        Luna touched her horn to the pegasus’s forehead, attempting to find and undo the spell that Azzini had placed on her. No matter how worried Luna was for her sister’s student, the ponies in the throne room desperately needed the help of their princess, and she was not about to abandon them. She searched through her subject’s mind, careful not to touch her memories or invade her privacy, and found the spell. She gasped as she probed the spell with her mind. It was like a tumor, growing in the mind of the pony afflicted. Luna only had one word for it.

        Evil.

        She felt out the magical tumor, attempting to discern the mechanics of how the spell worked. The more she examined it, the more horrified she became. This spell was not a temporary mind control spell, like Chrysalis had used on Shining Armor in the time leading up to the changeling invasion, or some type of personality modifier, like Discord had used to fracture the Elements of Harmony upon his return. This was much more sinister. The spell was implanted in the mind, small at first, without the pony even noticing something was even wrong. Once there, it grew, slowly taking over the pony’s will, influencing their decisions in everyday life based on a direct link to the pony who cast the spell. Or, in this case, the demon who cast the spell. Luna looked around her, marveling at how Azzini had been able to infect all of these ponies. It gave Luna chills to think at how Azzini had so quickly undermined the kingdom her and Celestia had worked so hard to create.

        Luna found that, with a little magical prowess, she could unravel the tumor and return the pony to normal. After the spell was complete and the tumor was purged, the pony opened her eyes and blinked at Luna.

        “P-princess…” was all that escaped her lips before she promptly lost consciousness again, no doubt a result of the stress that had been placed on her mind. Luna set her aside gently and went to work cleaning out the other pony’s minds. One by one, they were freed from Azzini’s influence, and Luna would move on to the next one. Luna had just finished cleansing the last pony’s consciousness when she heard the door to the throne room open behind her. She whirled around, horn igniting once again and a fierce snarl forming on her face, and faced the invader.

(*)
(*)

        In the small village of Ponyville there was a large, hollowed out tree that served as the town library. On this particular day, however, it had turned into the town Twilight-Sparkle-is-freaking-out-so-don’t-come-in-bye building. The unicorn was frantically pacing back and forth across the library’s main floor, in front of her ward, a small, purple and green baby dragon.

        “Come on, Twilight,” he said, “it’s just a visit from Princess Celestia. It’s no big deal.”

        Twilight stopped, her head slowly spinning to face him, a crazed grin forming on her face. The dragon shuddered and muttered “wow, that is really creepy,” under his breath.

        “Of course it’s a big deal, Spike! Princess Celestia is always a big deal! You read the letter, she’s coming for a surprise visit! We need to organize a parade, or a feast in her honor!” She gasped. “I need to tell my friends! If they don’t know and the Elements aren’t here to greet the princess, oh, I don’t know what she would do! Something horrible, I’m sure. Something involving banishment, or imprisonment, or—“

        Spike interrupted her with a sharp slap.

        “Twilight, snap out of it!” he grabbed her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “Everything will be fine. Nopony’s getting banished, or imprisoned, or whatever, least of all you. Now, I’m gonna go get the others and bring them back here to meet the princess, and you’re gonna stay here and calm down. Got it?” Spike had eventually figured out that the best way to deal with Twilight’s “crazy mode” was to take charge of the situation. Twilight, master of lists, the grand organizer, sometimes just needed somepony else to take charge for a while. Or, in this case, some dragon. Twilight had calmed down a little and simply stood in the middle of the library.

        “You’re right, Spike,” she said, “I just need to calm down. I mean, it’s not like Princess Celestia would ever hurt me or anything, that’s just silly.” Spike breathed a sigh of relief. His tactic didn’t always work, but it was better than just letting Twilight freak out. He started toward the door, but was halted as Twilight swept him up into a big hug, nuzzling him affectionately.

        “Thank you, Spike. You really are my number one assistant,” she said, releasing him, a genuine smile of appreciation replacing the crazy grin from moments before.

        Spike’s cheeks turned beet red as the young dragon rubbed the back of his head. “Thanks Twilight,” he said.

        The pair stood there awkwardly for another couple seconds.

        “Well,” Spike began, “I better go get the others.”

        “Good idea,” Twilight replied, “I’ll stay here and make sure that the library is prepared for the princess.” With that, Spike left Twilight alone in the library.

        Twilight spent the next few minutes straightening up the library, picking up stray books and putting them in their proper places, making sure that everything was immaculate for Princess Celestia. A sharp rapping on the door interrupted her work.

        “Wow, Spike,” she said, making her way to the door, “back already? Did you forget—“ Her words died in her mouth as she opened the door. There stood Princess Celestia, god-empress of Equestria, at her doorstep.

        “P-princess!?” Twilight Sparkle cried out. “What are you doing here so soon? The letter said it would be a couple hours at least before you got here.”

        The thing controlling Princess Celestia leaned her head down until her eyes her level with Twilight Sparkle’s, and used her voice to speak in the most caring tone it could manage.

        “Hello, my faithful student,” she said, “it is so wonderful to see you again. May I come inside?”

        “Of course,” said Twilight, moving aside to allow the princess in. The thing moved Princess Celestia’s body through the threshold, barely able to contain it’s excitement for what was to come next.

(*)
(*)

        Shining Armor was not having a good day.

 Complaints had been rolling in for weeks about Princess Celestia’s odd behavior, like ponies expected him to be able to do something about it. What was he supposed to do? Arrest her? That was not going to happen. On top of that, more and more guardsponies had been sick with some type of severe headache or another, forcing Shining Armor and the other royal guards to pick up the slack. No, this was not a good day for the captain of the Royal Guard. In fact, the last three weeks in general had been downhill.

        Shining Armor sat at his desk and sighed, wanting nothing more than to abandon his enormous workload and go home to his wife, Cadence. A smile formed on his lips as his thoughts drifted to those of his love.

        Her perfect smile, the cute way she laughs when she gets embarrassed, her adorable brow furrowing whenever she concentrates really hard on something. Another sigh escaped his lips as his gaze returned to his workload.

The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can get home. And with that thought guiding his actions, Shining Armor went diligently to work. Or he would have, had he not been interrupted at that very moment by one of his subordinates bursting through the door. Shining Armor recognized him as one of the new recruits to the Equestrian Royal Guard, a pony by the name of Brightsteel. He had a plain brown coat, but his mane was a bright orange, and his cutie mark was two swords crossed behind a shield. The pony’s eyes were wide with fear, and Shining Armor could tell that something was seriously wrong.

“What is it, Brightsteel?” Shining Armor said as he stood up from his desk.

Brightsteel gulped and saluted before beginning.

“Captain Shining Armor, sir, we have a situation. A pony has just arrived at the guardhouse, and he’s one of the guards. He has some serious injuries and is ranting and raving and acting crazy. I came here to tell you as fast as I could; he asked for you specifically.”

What in Tartarus? Shining Armor thought to himself.

“Take me to him,” Shining Armor responded. Brightsteel turned tail and led the way.

Brightsteel led Shining Armor down the spiral stairs to the base floor of the guardhouse and down the hall to the infirmary. As they approached, they could hear muffled moans and screams coming from within the medical wing. When they reached the door, Brightsteel simply stood outside and nodded toward the entrance. It was clear that what he had seen in there before discouraged him from entering again. Shining Armor placed his hoof on the door and, ignoring the dread in the pit of his stomach, pushed it open.

The infirmary was in turmoil. IV stands and medical carts were knocked over, sheets had been torn off of some of the beds, and the staff doctor was nowhere to be seen. On one of the beds was the guardspony Brightsteel had described. He was thrashing about, his hooves held in place by improvised ropes made out of torn bed sheets, as none of the guardsponies present were unicorns. He was a sandy blonde color, with a pitch black mane that was currently disheveled. Shining Armor recognized him as an earth pony colt named Winter Bane. They had never spoken personally, but Shining Armor knew from his peers that he was a good pony. His armor was dented in the back, as if some great impact had struck him there, and his helmet was missing completely. Shining Armor could see dried blood caked on the back of his head and neck, the product of a wound that had only recently stopped bleeding. The pony thrashed back and forth, throwing his body this way and that, trying to free himself of his bonds, all the while screaming at the top of his lungs.

“What happened to him?” Shining Armor asked one of the guardsponies who was standing near the door. The pony saluted before responding.

“Sir, we don’t know. He came crawling toward the guardhouse a few minutes ago from the direction of the throne room. When we asked him what had happened, he just started screaming and thrashing and trying to get away. We sent somepony to find the doctor, but they haven’t returned, and we just got him tied down before you came in. That’s all we know, sir.”

Shining Armor nodded and approached the bedside where a psychotic Winter Bane was. When Winter Bane saw Shining Armor approaching, he began frantically tearing at his bonds, trying to get away.

“No!” he shouted. “No, stay back! Get away from me! STAY BACK! He’ll come for you, and when he does, you need to be far away from me! I’m not dying for you!”

“Calm down, Winter Bane. Nopony is coming for me or for you. Now, can you tell me what happened?” Shining Armor knew the pony had lost his mind, and tried to ignore his ramblings.

“No, he’s going to come for you, and then he’s going to come for me! You can’t stop him! Everywhere he goes he sows death and destruction! Nopony is safe! Please, let me go! We have to run, running is the only way to survive! UNTIE ME!”

Shining Armor knew better than to believe this madness, but the pony’s ramblings left him with a sense of dread. He needed to know what the pony was talking about.

“Who is coming?” he asked. “Who are you talking about?”

“The greatest evil Equestria has ever known! The Tartarus Parasite returns to reap the land and destroy its citizens! Nopony is safe from his wrath!”

“How can I stop it?” Shining Armor asked despite himself.

The pony stopped thrashing and threw his head back, letting out a great chortling laugh that came out raspy, like sandpaper. The sudden change in demeanor startled Shining Armor, but before he could react, Winter Bane had stretched to the limits of his bonds toward the captain, snouts resting only inches away from each other.

“You can’t stop it,” he said in a calm, rough voice that seemed like it didn’t belong to him. “Equestria is going to burn, and all of you are going to burn with it.”

With that, Winter Bane promptly lost consciousness and fell back on his bed. Shining Armor backed away from the bed, deeply disturbed by the conversation. He knew he shouldn’t lend to the ramblings of a pony that is clearly mad, but it still unsettled him. He looked around to find the other three guards staring at him, but they looked away as soon as he met their gaze. As captain of the Royal Guard, he knew it was his duty to investigate the matter further. He approached the guard by the door, whom he had spoken to before.

“You said he came from the direction of the throne room?” Shining Armor questioned.

“That’s right, sir,” the pony responded.

“Alright. I’m going to go investigate, and I want you to accompany me.” He turned to one of the other guards. “You too.” Then he looked at the third and final guardspony in the room. “I want you to stay here in case he wakes up,” he commanded, nodding his head toward the unconscious form of Winter Bane. The guardspony saluted and stepped closer to the bed.

Shining Armor, with two guards on his tail, exited the infirmary. It was a short walk to the throne room, but Shining Armor couldn’t imagine crawling that far with the injuries that Winter Bane had sustained. The three guardsponies crossed the small courtyard that led to the primary atrium, the evening sun just now dipping below the horizon. The castle was eerily quiet. The usual bustle of nobleponies and onlookers and serving staff was completely absent. Shining Armor quickened his pace.

The three ponies entered the atrium, which was just as deserted as the courtyard had been. At the far end of the room were the large doors that led to the throne room. A faint glow of magic could be seen emanating from underneath the door. Shining Armor slowed down, now carefully creeping along so as not to alert whatever could be on the other side of the door. Once he and his accompanying guards were in position around the door, Shining Armor flung it open with his magic and prepared to face whatever horrors the throne room held. Once he caught a glimpse of what was on the other side, he dropped his guard out of shear confusion.

“Princess Luna?” he said

(*)
(*)

        Princess Luna turned to face the invader.

        “Princess Luna?” It was Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle’s brother. Luna had not had the personal pleasure to get to know him, but of course she knew of him. He wore a confused look on his face, and Luna realized that she probably looked very suspicious with her horn ignited in a room full of unconscious ponies. She straightened herself up to her full height.

        “Yes, Shining Armor, and this is not how it seems,” she explained, “I am not responsible for what has happened to these ponies.”

        Yes you are, a small voice in her mind said, you should have seen it coming. Luna shook the thoughts away.

        Shining Armor started to approach the princess when one of his guards laid a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Captain, are you sure we can trust her?”

        Thoughts flashed through Shining Armor’s mind of Winter Bane, and how he had come from this throne room not even ten minutes prior, where the princess of the night, previously Nightmare Moon, was standing over the bodies of dozens of unconscious ponies. Then his thoughts flashed to Chrysalis and her changeling hoard. He ignited his horn.

        “How do I know you’re not lying to me?” he questioned, suddenly suspicious. Luna scoffed.

        “You would have the insolence to question me? I am your princess!” she said, igniting her own horn. Then, “Stand down, captain!”

        “How do I know you’re not Chrysalis, trying to take over Equestria again? Can you prove to me that you’re really Princess Luna?” Shining Armor stood his ground against the princess.

        Luna sighed and relaxed her posture, allowing the glow on her horn to fade to nothing.

        “I wish I had the time to prove my identity to you, Shining Armor, but I do not. I can offer you my word as a princess of Equestria that I am who I say I am, but that is all I can offer you. It is not I who was responsible for what you see, but a powerful evil force that has returned to Equestria after millennia of imprisonment and has possessed my sister.” Luna did not have the luxury to break it to him gently, but saying the words out loud made it all the worse for her. Her eyes began to well up, and she turned away, attempting to hide the silent tears that began to flow freely from her eyes.

        Shining Armor didn’t know what to say. What Luna said seemed impossible, yet it would explain what had been happening for the last few weeks. He could feel all the pieces falling into place in his mind. Princess Celestia, the guiding light of the kingdom, the all-powerful ruler of Equestria, had been possessed!? She had always seemed so untouchable that the news just felt surreal. Now, not only was Princess Celestia gone, but Princess Luna was crying. She was showing a weakness that Shining Armor had never suspected existed. It was too easy to see the princesses as figureheads instead of ponies, but they had real emotions just like every other citizen of Equestria. Shining Armor trotted across the room to his princess and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Luna looked at him, seeing him smile at her reassuringly, and returned with a small smile of her own. She sniffed and blinked away the tears, composing herself.

        “Thank you for the gesture, captain, but I feel I must apologize,” she said.

        “It’s okay,” Shining Armor replied, removing his hoof from her shoulder, “we’re all equine, after all.”

        Luna suddenly grew serious. “Not for my behavior,” she said.

         Then, Luna dropped the bomb.

        “The thing possessing Celestia, an evil entity named Azzini, is going after Twilight Sparkle.”

        Shining Armor’s eyes went wide before he turned and attempted to run as fast as his hooves would carry him to Ponyville, but was stopped by Luna’s telekinesis.

        “Let me go!” he shouted, struggling against the ethereal glow. “I have to protect her!”

        Luna looked at him sympathetically. “I am sorry, captain,” she said, “but I cannot let you do that. Azzini would destroy you without giving it a second thought, and I need you here to take care of Canterlot.” Shining Armor glared at the princess, but stopped struggling. “What do you mean?” he questioned. Luna levitated him over to her and set him down.

        “I need you here to take care of these ponies,” Luna said, gesturing to the dozens of unconscious ponies around the room. “Also…” She leaned down and whispered in his ear. His eyes went wide.

        “Are you sure?” he asked uncertainly.

        “Quite,” Luna said somberly. “Do not worry; I will make sure no harm comes to Twilight Sparkle.”

        “Ok, princess,” Shining Armor responded, “I don’t like knowing Twily is in danger, but I trust you.”

        Princess Luna smiled and made her way to the entrance of the throne room, leaving the three guardsponies alone.

        “Make sure these ponies are safe and informed on the situation when they wake up. I want you to take any injured to the infirmary, and see if you can find the doctor while you’re at it,” Shining Armor commanded the other two guards. He then made his way out into the courtyard after Luna, watching the alicorn take off and fly into the fading sun, off toward Ponyville. Then he turned around and set off to carry out her instructions.

(*)
(*)

        For Luna, flying was easy. Every action was done instinctually, every minute change requiring barely the smallest of efforts. This, for better or for worse, left her alone with her thoughts during the short flight to Ponyville. Ever since she had returned to Equestria and the Nightmare had been banished, Luna had a small voice in the back of her head that doubted every decision and focused on every mistake.

        You’re weak, it said.

        Luna recognized it as the voice of the Nightmare, remnants of the power that overtook her all those years ago. She could usually ignore it, but the day’s events were causing it to come on much stronger than usual.

        You let your sister become controlled by this thing, and you are powerless to stop it.

“Shut up,” Luna said under her breath.

        You even showed your weakness to one of your subjects! How does it feel to know that you’ve failed so completely as a princess?

“Shut up!” Luna said in a volume slightly above her normal speaking voice.

        Aw, what’s wrong? Don’t like facing you fears? I knew you were weak, but come on. You haven’t failed this badly since when you let mommy and daddy die.

        “SHUT UP!!” Luna screamed at the voice as loud as she possibly could, even louder than the Royal Canterlot Voice. Fresh tears began pouring from her eyes. She was panting, anger and frustration at her failure filling her thoughts with self-loathing.

 It was only then that she heard the soft whispers below her, and looked down to realize that she had already arrived at Ponyville. The citizens of Ponyville looked up at her, some with concern, and some with terror. A few were even cowering on the ground. Luna sighed and attempted to compose herself. She couldn’t let her subjects see her like this. Luckily, the light was fading from the sky, hiding her tears from their eyes. She took a deep breath before flying toward and landing at the entrance of the library.

I hope I am not too late, she thought.

She knocked on the door and waited. No noise came from inside, even though some of the lights were on. Panic began to well up inside her until she couldn’t take it anymore and went inside.

“Twilight Sparkle?” she called. “Are you here?”

There was no answer. Princess Luna began looking around frantically, but couldn’t find the lavender librarian. She heard the door open and looked to see Spike, followed by the Elements of Harmony come in. Luna sighed in relief, but the panic returned when she saw that Twilight wasn’t with them. They all looked surprised to see Luna.

“Huh?” Spike said. “Princess Luna? I didn’t know you were visiting too.”

“Spike, listen. I must find Twilight Sparkle. It is very important.” The agitation was evident in Luna’s voice.

“She’s not here?” he asked.

“No, and I fear my sister may have taken her, but I know not where,” Luna said.

“Whaddaya mean, ‘taken her?’” Applejack questioned.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed, “what happened to Twilight?”

“I do not have time to explain,” Luna said, “just please trust me. I must find them. Celestia is not acting like herself.”

“Of course we trust you, princess,” Rarity said, “We are merely concerned for our friend.”

“As am I,” Luna responded.

Spike walked over to the coffee table in the middle of the library and looked at an open book that was resting there. “Could this have something to do with it?” he asked.

Luna, along with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, walked over to the book. Well, Pinkie more bounced than walked. When they reached the table, they found that there was a message scribbled in ink on the page it was open to.

Luna’s face transformed into a grimace, while the ponies around her simply looked confused.

“Who’s Azzini?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah,” continued Pinkie, “and what could he want with Twilight?”

Luna just turned away. She had been hoping that Shining Armor would not have to do what she had asked of him, but now it was inevitable. Her worst fear had been confirmed.

Azzini had taken Twilight Sparkle.