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The Elements of Lunacy

by chief maximus

Chapter 1: Prologue

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Prologue

"Princess Luna, the twilight is almost here," a guard from beyond her chamber said, knocking gently on her door.

"We are aware, thank you," she replied groggily. Luna was certainly glad to be off the moon, but she couldn't help but shake the boredom she'd grown so familiar with. Night in and night out it was the same thing. Raise the moon, craft a few dreams, maybe some nightmares if she happened to be in a bad mood, make sure ponies looking for intimacy were able to find it, and then retire to her chambers during the daytime.

The routine began to take its toll on her mental health as she raised her head from her pillow, observing the last rays of sunlight as they shone through her window. She narrowed her eyes and rolled over in a huff, crossing her forelegs and staring at the display where her crown and other royal garments sat. They were similar to her sister's, only darker.

Even though she'd been happier than ever the day the Elements purged the evil of Nightmare Moon from her, a bit of jealousy still rose in the pit of her stomach when she thought of the love, adoration and respect her sister received in comparison to herself.

It wasn't as though she wasn't respected. Far from it. In fact, she would say 'feared' would be a more appropriate term. Ponies still seemed to tremble at the mention of her name, and even the sight of her personal bodyguards struck fear into her subjects.

Luna rolled out of bed and trotted lazily to her balcony, blowing a stray strand of her heavenly mane out of her face as she charged her magic. In no time, the moon was bright in the sky, set into its course among the stars for another night. Luna sighed, facing away from the balcony. Gathering her crown jewels and royal shoes, she slipped them on and fluttered out of her room.

There were still some ponies milling about the courtyard, and some even gazing up at her night sky! This filled her with hope as she landed next to a statue in the gardens. Two ponies lay on a blanket, looking up at the heavens and simply enjoying each others company.

You see Luna? Ponies do love you and your lovely sky! she thought happily, determined to find out how much these two ponies had been enjoying her evening.

Appearing from behind the statue, she walked over to the two lovers, her shadow blocking out the moonlight and causing them to stir.

"Hey, beat it flank-hole, you're blockin' the—" the stallion began before looking up and seeing who he was addressing.

The color drained from his face as he gasped, followed by the mare he was sharing the blanket with.

"P-princess Luna!" he stammered, hastily bowing as low as possibly in her presence, as did his date. "I'm sorry, I had no idea it was you, I swear I'd never call you a—"

"That is enough, subject," Luna commanded, raising a hoof, drawing his immediate silence. "Tell us, what is it that you and this fine young mare enjoy the most about our night?"

"It's beautiful, Your Highness," the mare said quickly, all the while keeping her head at her hooves. "We are truly blessed to have it."

"Y-yes!" The stallion agreed, not to be outdone. "I'm sure it's the envy of every kingdom!" He too didn't dare gaze upon Luna.

She narrowed her eyes at the cowering ponies. This was not how she expected her subjects to act towards her.

"Why dost thou not gaze upon your princess?" she asked firmly.

The two ponies were silent for a time, before answering nervously. "We aren't worthy of an audience with an alicorn as beautiful as yourself," the stallion said.

"Yes!" his date echoed.

"You find your princess more attractive than the mare thou hast brought before my night?"

"Of course, Your Highness!" he answered quickly. Luna's expression dropped. This was exactly what she hated about being cursed by Nightmare Moon. It seemed her stigma never washed off! All the ponies still treated her as though she'd send them to the ninth plane of eternal torment if they didn't grovel at her hooves at every waking moment. Only the royal guards dared make eye contact with her, and even then, it was fleeting.

Luna sighed. It was tough being the other sister that had been banished for one thousand years. None of her advisors were still alive, and the only pony that knew her well enough not to fear her was Celestia. "Carry on," she moaned, trotting away sadly. She approached the castle steps and fluttered back to her balcony.

Looking out over her kingdom at night, she realized there must be some way to improve her image with her subjects. What she needed was a group of subjects loyal to her who would do good in her name, and spread a positive image of her through their deeds far and wide across the kingdom.

But how?

Next Chapter: The First Element Estimated time remaining: 9 Minutes
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