"Do you not notice how they shun you, dear princess?" She blinked, looking down at the ponies as they rushed towards their homes, the night falling. She shook her head, trying to focus her attention on the problem at hand. Discord. Right.
"Luna...? Where are you?" Celestia. Where had she gone...? She couldn't use the Elements without the both of them!
"Celes-" The spirit sped towards her, covering her mouth with his lion paw. The alicorn squirmed uncomfortably, trying to escape his grasp. He only sneered, bright eyes meeting hers.
"Oh, come on, princess. I just want to talk. Can I have your attention for just another moment?" Celestia shouted again, crying out for her sister. "Well that's certainly enough of that!" He grasped Luna closer, teleporting away.
The alicorn managed to break free of his grasp, opening her wings and preparing to take to the sky. "Whatever it is you have to say, Discord, you had better say it fast. When 'Tia gets here, you're done!" He sighed dramatically, placing his paw gently on her back.
"Dearest, sweetest Luna... Do you not see? Celestia wants power over both her Sun and your Moon. I am trying to help you, so that you do not end up like me someday. Bitter, alone, feeling cheated of his birthright... After all, what is peace without a little bit of chaos?"
Luna snorted, pulling away from him again, though she refolded her wings. "Peace without chaos would make for a much better world, I should think. And 'Tia's not after my power! Why would she want it?" Still, doubts swirled in her mind. The ponies running back home, hiding from her glorious Night. Discord smirked. Got her.
"Oh, but isn't night chaos in itself? At least, that's what I always assumed. Look at the ponies below when you raise the Moon! They flee as if you were raising ME!" He cackled, twisting himself around her, pressing his head to hers. "Don't you get it? Celestia was planning this all along! Why else would she be flaunting the fact that she can raise the Sun and not the Moon!"
She was still, heart beating quickly. It wasn't true. It wasn't! "My sister would never do that to me! It is not her fault that I was born to raise the Moon! And besides, what would she do with it? If everypony hates it so much, well, why would she want to usurp it?"
Discord laughed again, unraveling himself. "Oh, it's a little thing called 'greed', sweetie. Everyone's infected with it. You, me... Celestia... the entire world!" Luna shook her head, backing away.
"I'm not greedy! Why, I only desire peace... and for you to just leave me alone!" So the seed had been planted. Discord grinned. Poor, sweet, naive little Luna. He circled her again, grasping at her hooves and forcing her into a sitting position.
"Join me, Luna. Why, we'll show that nasty tyrant Celestia that she can't mess with us! She can't just take what she feels like!" The princess didn't outright decline, which pleased him. She actually hesitated, uneasily looking from side to side. She finally met his eyes, opened her mouth and-
"Luna!"
Her attention turned from Discord, and she cried out to her sister. The elder of the two blasted Discord, sending him spiraling as the sisters reunited. With the Elements in hand, they both began to circle the fallen spirit. Oh, he wasn't going to let that happen. He moved out of the way just as the beam began to charge, grabbing Luna's mane and pulling her down with him. She let out a cry, beating her wings helplessly against him. "Oh come on princess! Look, she's trying to make sure you don't know the truth! She'll-"
"Oh, shut up!" The alicorn bucked him, causing him to lose his grip. While he was still recovering, she began her circles again. "Now, sister! We must strike him while he's down!" He howled, trying to regain his balance as the rainbow beam surrounded him.
He had lost this battle, but the war could still be his. Casting his gaze upon Luna he grinned, striking a pose. "Oh, good princess of the Moon, heed my words! They are true!" Stone wrapped around him, leaving him eternally in the pose. Celestia sighed happily, tossing her mane before looking curiously at her sister.
"What exactly did he say to you? Luna?" Her sister grabbed nudged her with her hoof, snapping her younger sister out of her trance. The dark blue pony shook her head, slowly moving her eyes from Discord and giving Celestia a quick smile.
"Don't worry about it, 'Tia. Really. It was nothing important." Her voice shook, and Celestia noticed. "No, really. It's fine... I'm fine." Unconvinced, the white alicorn shrugged it off, turning away.
"You'd tell me if it was important... right, Luna?"
She forced another smile. "Of course, sister."
M Y L I T T L E P O N Y
They were fleeing. Again. Luna sighed, circling the clouds as she watched the ponies retreat to their homes. What was so wrong with her Moon that they could not play under it like Celestia's Sun? A part of her was tempted, so very tempted, to go and ask what was wrong. But that was forbidden! The princesses must never make contact with the mortal ponies unless it was in times of crisis! The princesses must always address mortals to whom they make their presence known with the royal Canterlot voice!
Not that they were supposed to have any mortal contact anyway, making the rule a stupid, pointless one. To the ponies below, she and Celestia existed, but were unknowable beings. It was a lonely existence, especially since no one played during her most active of times. She sighed, planting herself on a cloud and folding her wings. The alicorn desired very much to go to the surface, meet the locals, perhaps buy a tart or something of the sort. But Celestia, her dearest sister, would probably have a heart attack at the thought!
Her brooding was interrupted as something crashed into her, nearly knocking her off of the cloud. Confused, she looked up, locking onto a dazed pegasus. "Art thou alright?" Oh, the pains of formal speech. And the 'royal Canterlot voice'. The pegasus stared at her stupidly before realizing who she was and stumbling into a bow.
"Oh good Celestia! I apologize, my princess. Forgive my intrusion! I did not see you there... So sorry! Please, do not hurt me!" This only confused her more, and she tilted her head.
"What? We would never hurt thee!" She ignored the fact that he had used Celestia's name as though she was some sort of deity. He was still bowed awkwardly in the air, body shivering as he struggled to keep himself up. Luna waved her hoof, releasing him from the discomfort.
"Oh, ah, t-that's nice to know. I'll, uh, I'll go now... Before I, y'know, embarrass myself... more..." He zipped off faster than a speeding bullet. Luna sighed again, cuddling against the dark cloud. Discord's words came back to her, stronger than ever. Warning her of Celestia's deception...
She shook her head. No! Her sister would not do that to her! Never... Never...
"Luna?"
No! No! Never!
"Luna!" Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring straight into the eyes of her sister. The white alicorn smiled, nudging her gently out of bed. "It's time to raise the Moon. Besides, I think that I deserve to have a bit of shut eye now and then, hm? And aren't you due for lessons with Twilight Sparkle?" She winked.
"Oh, of course! Um, thank you, Celestia. Thank you very much!"
As the blue alicorn ran off, her sister felt a pang. Gone were the days when Luna called her Tia with such affection. Gone were the days when they would share secrets with each other, giggling at knowing something that everypony else did not.
"Oh Twilight, if nothing else, teach her the lesson that I forced you to learn! Teach her the magic of friendship."
A/N: Royal Canterlot Voice? We got it! :D
Anyway, I don't really have that much to say. This chapter contains some key elements for later ones, and shows quite a bit of Luna's mental scarring.
Review and save a Scootaloo? :D