//------------------------------// // Descent // Ascent // Story: Il Diario della Luna - Journal of the Moon // by EOW //------------------------------// I’ve been alone on the Moon for I don’t know how, punished for my behaviour. I faced the loneliness and cold in my heart. I’m here, still waiting for them to come and bring me back. Day 392 At the end, after a year and a month they didn’t come to bring me back. The whole mountain of artistic drawings has revealed to be useless and I’ve cleared the ones made on the dust. At first I cancelled only one, but the sound of my hoof scraping the lunar dust was sweet, almost melodious. I took pleasure and I started to remove all those sketches made with Scrib. I don’t know if he took it well, but should be happy, now I’ve doubled the surface on which I can use him! Day 407 I made a doll, patiently shaping it from a rock. She’s rough and I still have to work a lot on her. I think I’ll call her Pebble[1], since it actually is a rock. Gray. I found it two weeks ago into one of the many caves of the Moon, when I saw it I said to myself, oh well, I don’t have much else to do. What attracted me to this curious piece of stone was its shape, it looked like a pony, a pony sketched and roughly designed. I felt as if it was up to me to take it and improve it. I picked up the stone, and then I took it out, I sat on my bed of soft gravel and started sanding, sanding and sanding again. Then I sanded some more. And some more. In the end I got something that looked much more like a pony than it did before, now it has a head and four legs! I placed Pebble on a bedside table, comfortably obtained from a larger, square shaped stone. Obviously it was gray. Looking better at my creation I see that it has a leg longer than the others, so it’s slightly leaning on one corner. I don’t think that this changes a lot anyway. After that check I went back to the crystal cave and took some, placing them in my room. I feel like a scientist who brings her work “of discovery” at home! I remember that one, along the way, has fell and broke. At first I was very angry, then I saw it as an opportunity to "explore" new sound combinations. +++ I walk back and forth in front of the cabinet. Pebble, I say, where are you from? She tells me she’s from the land of black and white as ambassador. Why are you here? Because I want to serve the Princess of the Night. Good answer, just happened is almost night, we sleep together? With pleasure. +++ I hold the doll close to me. It's small, about half of a normal pony, but keeping it between my legs... I do not know, it sounds heartening. Tu-Tum. How much is that I have no physical contact with anypony? At least one year and two months, the last time among other things it was not even a good thing. My sister who exiled me to the moon... Day 418 I’m starting to feel sick. I really need to see somepony, in this year I did nothing but draw and play, play and draw, sculpting occasionally and then I spoke to my heart, to my hooves and to a strange voice that makes itself heard more and more frequently. From up here, on the Moon, I cannot even enter the dreams of ponies, the first thing I always did, making sure no one did nightmares and entertaining myself seeing things more bizarre and funny. There were also things grotesque and unsuitable, I remember once I was a filly and saw a... I mean, no, better don’t remember such things… I admit, I’ve done some strange things sometimes, but after being alone for so long they were just tricks to pass the time and relieve the sadness. I'm not crazy. But I'm afraid I'll become if I don’t invent something soon... Day 500 If I kept the count well today we should be good to about 480 days since my imprisonment began. I sit and watch the Earth. The blue of the oceans is always a wonderful show, now I can taste it without being beset by excessive remorses or obliterating nostalgic memories. The voice is calling me, loud and clear. My heart is pounding. The thrill of hearing a second voice, not coming from my imagination makes me heart beat faster. Tu-tu-tum. She asks me what I'm thinking, I say that I think back to my sister and my friends that I left there. Yeah... I miss them too... She says she's sorry that I haven’t had a chance to say goodbye and I don’t reply, I just bow your head and throw down a few tears. The lunar dust stays there to filter into the ground my tears, I bet if it was fertile here would have grown a rose. I loved the roses, especially the hard to find blue. Midnight blue. My unusual companion stays in silence for a while and then asks me if I still love my sister. I nod and I explain that I have always respected her and that I always loved her so much. I still remember how much I liked to feel her hug, when I was little, I cried and she comforted me. She claims that instead Celestia was starting to forget me and probably to her didn’t made neither hot nor cold the fact of sending me here. It is not possible, though... Even if, in last few years we were a bit apart, she was more and more involved with the management of Equestria and there were problems everywhere here and there. A draconequus throwing chaos, a black-hearted unicorn... All stuff that my sister, taking me with her, has faced. I explain to the voice that I'm sure it’s only my impression and that she still loves me. The voice doesn’t speak, but I feel as if she’s watching. Straight into my soul. Day 515 I run out of things to do. I’ve already made a lot of drawings and I don’t know what else I can represent. Listening to my heart or my hooves makes me feel crazy and I’ve played around enough either with Pebble and the colored crystals. Music, drawing, exploration... All done ad nauseum, I need something new. Now that I think about... I hardly ever flown! I get up, pompous as the discovery and immediately I rise in the air, doing a couple of simple pirouettes. I had almost forgotten the beauty of the flapping of wings. Flap, flap, flap, flap. Tu-tu-tum, tu-tu-tum. The heart beats again wildly, The joy of the air on my face (or at least, the air I imagine flows on my face, because here on the Moon there’s no air), This strengthens my spirit. +++ After flying over the entire lunar surface I'm going back to my warm, so to speak, house and I lie happy on the bed. I get close to me Pebble and put a paw on her shoulders. I tell her everything aloud, as befits the rank royal that belongs to me, describing her all the emotions I felt. She hangs a little to one side. She finds it odd that I stayed almost three years without flying and she’s right to ask me why. Why I haven’t flown before? I really had so much to do that I didn’t think about it? Why I'm speaking to a doll made of stone? Day 580 TO HELL! They aren’t going to pick me up yet? It's a hell of a year and nine months that I'm here, where are they? WHERE ARE THEY?! Who knows why, but the voice makes hear herself the most in the moments when I think of Celestia or when I'm angry. This time she makes me note that this is because my sister doesn’t care about me at and that she’s going to leave me here very very long, something that could last a thousand years. Tsk, a thousand years, even if I did something SO dramatic. Ok, I refused to lower the moon, and perhaps this deserves a severe punishment? Yes, the voice says. I don’t think so. We'll see who will win the day, I say. I hear her disapproving what I say and she claims that I should invent something lasting and not be ashamed to talk alone or with dolls or with my heart, not with other strange stuff. Have some fun and leave behind these worries and mental dilemmas, she said before disappearing. Day 602 I decided to try recreating the atmosphere of when I was down there as a princess. I sculpted a throne of stone wonderfully inlad and full of fancyful doodles, designed by myself. I sit on it, taking Pebble close to me and ask her how is going the realm. All goes well, milady, your dear sister is thinking about everything, she tells me. I don’t like this. Isn’t something I can do? I asked placind my head over a hoof, while I point my eyes toward ceiling pretending an annoyed expression. Could milady create me a companion, I feel so lonely, she explains, divagating completely from our speech. But poor filly, I under stand her… I know what means feeling lonely, expecially here on the Moon. I ask if she preferes an earth pony, a pegasus or an unicorn. None of those three, she doesn’t want friends? Seriously? What happened to seriousness here? Pebble, I under stand that you suffered bizzarre traumas from your broche when he locked you into your bedroom, but that doesn’t justify senseless dialogues. Finally I ask for a cup of tea, I stand up and pretending to be my faithful servant, I fill myself a cup of lunar dust. I sit back on throne, thanking Pebble and smelling the infuse. Ah, I say, what a nice and warm aroma, there’s some mint in this, isn’t it? Is vanilla this I taste? I drink, for feint obviously and thank her for the warm drink. In here is always good to drink something warm, isn’t it? Yes, her majesty. +++ I left my mind at the mercy of unbridled imagination and allowed her riding the whole day. Pretending all this has revealed unexpectly funny and bizzarre, even if at the beginning I felt dazed. I don’t want to become completely crazy, I, but I don’t think i would go crazy if I proceed without haste and keep polling the plug to imagination sometimes. Till I’ll be able to distinguish the true from false I won’t go mad and I can continue to have fun and pass the time. Just like on vacation! Day 603 This morning I said bye to Pebble and left her to do housework, that I'll do them myself when I come back, thanking her. I went towards the bottom of a crater, holding in my hoof Scrib, my beloved pen/pencil/paintbrush, that to be honest is an oblong rock. I really want to draw something and I’m sure that even Scrib will be happy. On the trip I’ve alternated flight and walking, both Clop-clop and Flap-flap have enjoyed so much, while Tu-tum… well he keeps saying the same sentence every second, without changing. I’m sorry to say so, but I don’t gave often attention to him. I flilled the crater with drawings, all of them portraying me as “Queen of everything that goes from here to horizon and even beyond”, a title a bit long that I abbreviate in “qoetgfhtoaeb”. Now that I think “qoetgfhtoaeb” is even more difficult to remember of “Queen of everything that goes… and so on”, so I discard the idea. Let's say that “Queen of everything that goes from here to horizon, over the horizon and even beyond, then just of everything” is shorter and of impact. +++ Ah-ha! The fun has been doubled! Guards, at attention! You, put the uniform in order, have a button unbuttoned! I say those sentences aloud, walking back and forth. I’m aware that this isn’t real but, hey, when happens I have another chance to rebuke those stern guardponies? Between a clop and a tum I see in the dust the picture of Tia thanking one by one all those loyal guards. When needed she always had the right word sto cheer up each of them, she was able to pull up the moral of everypony that felt unsure or scared for the future. She’s always been a great leader, capable of taking in her hooves the situation, even in the most difficult circumstances. I’ve never been able to do so. In fact… It wasn’t only that no pony liked the beautiful night I wore, I admired and envied everything of my sister. Her nature, her movings… all in her was perfect. Everything. May god strike me deadif I didn’t think at times to fall in love with her, for how much she was charismating and charming! Full of emotions, I jumped and flew at great speed, then slowing down and let me fall, slowly, enjoying the low gravity. While falling, seeing the Earth upside down, I think at our great undertakings. We faced King Sombra in the Crystal Empire, segregating him, but he had the time to curse his own reign, so as not to let us win. Discord had been even more difficult, we had to deal with a spirit eally whimsical and unstable, that removed order from everything. Opponents that we were able to defeat only tanks to the experience and personality of my sister, mi dear big sister Tia. +++ Luna, you know, you should stop commiserating yourself, you’re better than your sister, but nopony wants to recognise this to you! The voice returns, this time Tu-tum responds to surprise with a beat, I don’t want to talk to her after our last debate. I intimate her to be quiet before I get angry, but she continues to insist that I should quit thinking and have some fun, like I was doing before with the guards. I decide to ignore her untli she speaks no more. I would never said that I would liked to listen again to the silence. Day 609 I flutter here and there, bringing Pebble with me. I these last days we become very good friends. I place her over a rock and sit down next to her, improvising a dialogue. Some laughs escare me when she tells about her father Clayey and her mother Quartzy, it’s a shame that the two of them are to be found only on Earth, isn’t it? Sigh. Tu-tum. I look at the dool of stone beside me. I admit, it seems a bit stupidto talk with a rock, but trust me, it’s the only way to survive up here. I realized that without a little imagination, without pretending that there is somepony with me, it’s impossibile to last long in a situation like mine. So… if it helps I can quit whenever I want, I’m not crazy. I just need to “insert myself” in an imaginary context. +++ I draw a little on the ground, with my faithful Scrib, while Pebble watches me curiously. Only one thing I don’t like much… she makes no sound, unlike my other friends, but at least I can identify her with a shape. It’s a strange thing, the only suonds she makes are her rubbing on the ground and the brief “thump” when I set her somewhere, because of the hoof a little longer than the others. I have to file it one day, I’ve to do it. But not today, cause I’ve to complete this drawing. +++ Tling, tling, tintintang, tlilili tlang tlang. Lights, Sounds, Colors. The sweet music of lunar crystals accompanies me at night before going to sleep, lulled with its bizarre rhythm always different. Pebble watches me admired as if she too wanted to play. I make her levitate with magic and tap her hoof, the one slightly long. She seems to be enjoying so much and I don’t want to stop her. I don’t want to lose my first (and only) friend in this damn of a place, from where only god knows when they’ll let me free. Already the first twenty months have been hard, but I’m sure that if this is going to last an tundre years I’ll always be here happy and proud to be the Princess of the Night. And what if this going to last longer? Nah, Celestia isn’t that cruel! Now… Pebble… Would you like to see my realm? My new, fantastic realm!