In the magical land of Equestria, peace reigned at last. After one thousand years the royal pony siblings were reunited, the Crystal Empire returned to the world and Discord the spirit of chaos and disharmony was now living peacefully alongside all of pony kind. With the coronation and ascension of Equestria's most powetful unicorn, one Twilight Sparkle, the safety of Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi, was assured for centuries to come.
Despite the bright future that lay ahead, it is important to remember the mistakes of past, of the lessons learned and sacrifices made by those that walked the world before us. These were the thoughts that plauged the mind of Princess Celestia, bringer of the day and co-ruler of Equestria.
-Act I: Celestia's regret-
High up in one of Canterlot Castle's many towers, hidden away by spells and enchantments, centuries old, was a room. Behind the plain oak door engraved with Princess Celestia's Cutie mark were tapastries and objects from a time long before the single reign of Equestria's oldest ruler.
The last relics from the time of eternal night.
Soft and quiet hoofbeats filled the silent halls as a lone pony walked down this forgotten path. Her golden horseshoes leaving no mark or scratch upon the worn marble floor, her mane flowing ever onwards with the colours of the morning sky and her amethyst eyes locked onto the old, oak door that held so much yet known by so few.
This was Princess Celestia.
The solar princess sighed and with her horn glowing gold, she opened the door to a room she had not dared to visit in centuries. Black curtains blocked out the light of the midday sun and the room was illuminated by a single chandelier as ancient as the room's other artifacts. Littered around the small room were boxes, scrolls, and rolled up tapestries and paintings from an era long gone.
Celestia lit up her horn once more, her golden magic filling the room. Curtains were pulled open, boxes forced open, and artworks revealed to the while alicorn in a burst of sunlight. She stepped forward to inspect one of the paintings. It was from a time just after she and her sister had defeated Discord and claimed the throne. A younger Luna with a light blue mane and tail that had only just started to billow with arcane magic stood grinning at her older sister; Celestia looked to be a teenager not quite as tall as her current self as well as having the light pink sparkling mane of her youth. The two of them were just starting to grow into their powers and responsibilities.
"If only I had known what would happen..." she sighed. "Luna..."
Guilt and regret from centuries past returned anew within her and although things were fine and her sister safe Celestia couldn't help but remember what happened a thousand years ago.
"There once was a pony who shone like the sun..." she sang. "Look out on her kingdom and sigh..."
"Surely there is no pony so lovely and so well beloved as I..."
She looked back at the picture once more.
"So great was her reign, so brilliant her glory that long was the shadow she caast! Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved and grew only darker as days and nights passed!"
----over 1000 years ago----
Young Celestia laid down next to her sister, the smaller alicorn had raised the moon for the first time. The amount of magic used was enough to send the blue filly to sleep as soon as she landed on the ground. The elder of the two stroked her sister's mane and softly sung a lullaby to the sleeping filly.
"Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine. Rest now in moonlight's embrace".
"Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth! Through cloud and through sky and through space, carry the peace and the coolness of night..."
----Present day---
"And carry my sorrow in kind" Celestia sang. "Luna you're loved so much more than you know, forgive me for being so blind..."
Another painting caught Celestia's eye. This one was a portrait of the first grand galloping gala, a snapshot of the night taken by a skilled artist. It showed Ponies of all kinds praising and showering Celestia with gifts while Luna was barely seen from her place in the shadows.
"Soon did that pony take notice that others did not giver her sister her due and neither had she loved her as she deserved"
"She watched as her sister's unhappiness grew..."
"But such is the way of the limelight, it swiftly takes hold of the mind of its hoost! And that foolish pony did nothing to stop the destruction of one who need her moost!"