Luna sailed through the sky on wings of steel. She was having trouble keeping her balance in the air. Exhaustion was taking its toll on her despite her being bolstered by her own magic. The world seemed such a strange place, blurring around the edges of both her vision and hearing.

Despite her exhaustion and weakness, her duties demanded that she fly east. Apparently, some Diamond dogs have been causing trouble for some ponies. Either they steal gems or they destroy crops with their digging. All attempts of diplomacy have yielded not succeed. And so it falls upon her to resolve the issue, to make what is right.

For some reason, Luna had decided to wear her set of ebony armor. She felt... right in the armor tonight. It was not the bulky and battle-worn pieces of metal she had known. I felt more like a protective wrap, like a foal with its blanket or a cocoon high in the trees. Despite its weight, it was the only thing that felt good to her in a long time. A feather brush went down her neck. She would feel agitated if she could spare the energy.

A lone, small, and feeble fire caught her attention. That was the settlement with the problem. Despite being a large size for a farming town, she could see nopony anywhere. They must be asleep, ignoring her hard work. She felt agitation growing in the tips of her wings. She pushed the thought out of her mind.

Landing by the fire, nearly extinguishing it with the wind alone, she looked for the messenger to give her the details. Empty silence crept through the town on light feet, playing in the void between the buildings. "Nopony cares even enough to greet their royal princess who works so hard for them," Luna thought to herself. As a displeased frown began to grow, she noticed very slight and gentle movement and the very edge of the fire's light. Under a massive pile of blankets, which she originally mistook for some kind of trash, was a sleeping pony. The messenger had fallen asleep before her arrival.

"Arise,subject! You are in the presence of your royal princess! Yet you dishonor us by shirking your duty," Luna said in a loud voice. The pony jumped and scrambled at her voice as it bounced off all the walls. Fumbling with the pile of cloth he was under, the pony eventually freed himself from his voluntary net. He was a royal guard, clad in dirty yellow armor. He had failed to keep it properly maintained, wearing the dirt and grim like some kind of badge. His helmet was also missing. Not even respectful enough to be properly dressed.

"Luna! I am so sorry for keeping you waiting. I got cold waiting and covered up to get warm. I guess I fell asleep before I knew it," The guard stammered out with a nervous chuckle. No proper bow nor a proper greeting. Luna dislike began to simmer as the brush of a feather swept up her neck again. It felt more like the touch of a friend who was there for her rather than an enemy.

"Why are you improperly dressed? And why were you asleep rather than keeping vigilant," Luna demanded, flaring her wings for a moment. Despite the weak lighting, shame and awe poured on his face, as it should. He avoided looking into her eyes and backed away slightly, his shame so great.

"I... I... I have been so busy lately that... cleaning my armor fell by the wayside. As for sleeping... I... do not... enjoy the night. It scares me. Ever since I was a foal," the pony stammered out, shrinking away from her even more. Contempt began to brew within Luna for this town. Not only are they disrespectful of her beautiful creation, they actively dislike it. They hate all the work she puts into the night and wished it would disappear completely. They probably wished the same about her.

"Where are the diamond dogs located so that we may weed out this problem," Luna finally said, venom slipping into her voice. The guard's expression softened a little, like he saw danger far off on the horizon. A strange reaction indeed.

"Their tunnel is farther to the east, near the crop fields. There is a tunnel that burrows into a hillside. That was were the original mine was before they took it over. We cannot fight them within their own territory. We are simply not equipped for it," the guard replied cautiously. He seemed to have toughened up for a moment. His training finally showing itself in light of his lax behavior, Luna

thought.

She soared into the sky with a push of her wings. The dirt and wind put out the fire and probably blinded the guard for a while, she thought. It's just as well. She would have to punish him for all his wrongdoings. That was her duty as a ruler, after all.

Luna landed beside a field with a loud thud. Even in the starlight, she could see the crops were pathetic and damaged. They looked like they had been abandoned and trampled, wasting any value there was in the harvest. Despite its sad form, Luna found it oddly beautiful. She somehow felt a connection to the spilled grain and torn stalks.

She pulled herself away from the field and continued onward. The ground felt soft and weak, almost like it was hollowed out. A symptom of the problem obviously. Eventually, she found herself face to face with a gaping hole placed on the hillside. It made the hill looked surprised, as if it was completely absorbed in something fascinating. A simple set of mine cart tracks lead further in, prompting her next action.

As she entered, the mine stole what little light there was, plunging her into pitch black. A mild light came from her horn as she used her magic to light the way. Dull uneven rocks made a strange contrast to the points of shinning jewels embedded into the walls. Her hoofsteps echoed deep into the cavern, an imaginary army in front of her. At random intervals, holes appeared at any and every angle. Whenever she walked by these mini tunnels, small sounds would scamper away from her, scared to be discovered.

Her tunnel abruptly opened up into a massive cavern. A thousand points of light watched her as she stood on the edge of a deep gorge. The room was so large and so deep that she could not see the end of it. She was standing on the last piece of land before the black void. The end of the world stretch out before her, staring at her with unmoving silent eyes.

Suddenly, pain shot through her leg. It felt like a terrible bee sting as she pulled out the foreign object. She examined the thin metal object that bit her.

"A dart." Luna said out loud. Her world began to tilt and move, threatening to throw her down. She struggled to keep her head up, like her skull had suddenly gotten much heavier. Distant laughter and growling caught her ear, the source now blindingly obvious. Straining against her failing vision and hearing, Luna cursed herself for being caught off guard so easily.

With a final buck, the mine turned and threw her down the gullet of the cavern. Stone teeth rushed past her ears. A final thought crossed her mind before she lost control: she was timeless, but was she immortal?

A foul stink greeted her as she awoke on the hard dirt. She was in a mental fog, barely able to process her surroundings. Unintelligible words surrounded her, hotly debating something. She felt strangely numb, like she was feeling everything through a cloth sack. Her vision begrudgingly returned, revealing the trouble she was in.

Surrounded on all sides, were diamond dogs. Filthy and foul, their stench made her nose burn. Most had weapons of some kind; a club, a sword, or what looked like a crude blowgun. They looked mangy and barbaric with their crude torches and crude actions. Disgust began to fill her throat, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

She had to get out, She had to escape. But she felt so calm, so quiet, so relaxed. She could just fall asleep right now and not wake up for a long time. A rest sounded so good to Luna. Celestia can take over for a while.

No, she can't make both day and night, Luna thought. She was never as strong as me. She was always the scared one, coming to me for comfort. No, she needed me.

Struggling to pull herself up, the ground refused to stand still. Not even her wings would obey her, choosing there own actions over hers. Rather than standing tall and proud like the princess she was, she was just grinding herself into the dirt even more. It was embarrassing to be in such a pathetic position.

Something smashed into her helmet, knocking it clean off her head. She didn't feel any pain, but it did inconvenience her. Annoyance danced through her body as it refused her. She was rooted in place. Sleep was sounding even better to her.

"Stop! This is an important pony," one of the diamond dogs said. Luna could just barely see him from the corner of her eye. Squat and hunched over, his shrill voice matched his looks. She could feel her breathing getting lighter. Her eyelids were getting heavier.

The diamond dog's voice changed somehow. "This is Night-Wing. This is who we are to dispose of. That way Bright-Wing will give us all the gems we want," he exclaimed gleefully. His words did not match mouth movements, but it's probably an effect of the poison, Luna thought. She had heard her called Night-Wing before, but who could...

Luna stopped completely. Bright-Wing. Her sister. Did she stage this whole thing? The guard, the crops, the story. Was it all an elaborate ruse to trick her? But to what end?

"She aims to assassinate you, my princess," the voice whispered inside her head. Luna tried to fight the voice out of force of habit, but something within its words calmed her. Something in its siren's call drew her in, wanting its comfort. It sounded sincere.

"She wanted to humiliate you before she killed you. It was not enough to be rid of you. She wanted you to be caked in mud and sweat like a filthy animal. And she succeeded."

Luna didn't want to believe it. But everything told her that the voice was right. The disrespectful nature of the village. The diamond dogs' reward. Celestia was probably laughing at her right now, a smirk of victory to finally be rid of her pathetic sister. Luna felt her heart break into a thousand pieces, sparkling and sad like a shattered gem. She was done.

"But I can offer a way out," the voice said. "I can exact your justice. You are not dead yet. You have a chance to punish your wicked sister. But you cannot do it alone. You would hesitate. And in your hesitation, your sister would ram a sword into your chest, removing you by her own hoof."

Justice. She strove for justice. It held her world together. Otherwise, it would simply burn with chaos. To punish the wicked for their actions. But something seemed wrong to Luna.

"I shall be your knife to purge the rotten fruit. But a knife needs a wielder. Let us become the true god of this land and make it beautiful. A land where your work is appreciated. A land where you are respected and loved as you should be. A land were the unjust cannot find refuge from their fate," the voice cooed.

"Sweet honey is it's words. True and pure is it's intentions. And I have belittled and berated it since the day it visited me. I thought it was a demon with a crooked tongue, but it was a messenger of righteousness. It warned me of this fate and I ignored it. I do not deserve redemption nor salvation," Luna thought to herself, the world growing colder and darker. Sleep sounded so good.

"If you do not right this wrong, who will? Do you wish to see the land fall into despair? Do you wish to see innocents suffer? Do you wish to see your sister become Discord," The voiced whispered.

A moment of clarity came Luna. How could she be so selfish? She must protect and shield her subjects, not because she wants to but because she is the only one who can. Distant memories reemerged and assaulted her, each clambering and crowding for her attention. Murder. Fire. Starvation and death. Lost of not only friends, but also of hope. She would not let it happen again. But she could not do it alone.

"Come Luna. Let us walk the path of truth and save everyone, including your sister, before they stray too far into the forest."

Bright Gem frantically scrawled a message on the stained paper. He thought that Luna would be the caring and sympathetic leader from the stories. Maybe they were simply fairy tales to hide the real pony. She was certainly menacing when he told her of he diamond dogs. But now... Now she had turned into a monster!

Screams of panic and pain seeped in through the walls. He was only one of a handful of guards in this little village. Perhaps the only one alive now. The unspeakable horrors he saw disturbed him to no end. His princess, whom he gave his life to, was now a demon of death. And he could only watch.

Bright Gem slammed the stamp on the piece of paper. It burst into green flames, teleported on silent winds to the castle. Reinforcements could arrive in time. There was still hope to stop the carnage.

The wall of the shack was ripped apart, showering him with splinters. Darkness engulfed him, squeezing him tight in its fist. His mind raced as he swam through this evil sea. Monsters hide in the dark. That was what he believed as a foal. It was what he believed now. His nightmare was real. So he screamed.