YOU. ARE A. TV SHOW CHARACTER!!!
Equestria: Such a nice, peaceful place to live... Yeah, no.
Equestria: Where monsters and demons constantly try to take over the world or the ponies get involved in petty squabbles that actually teach you a life lesson once resolved!
Seems nice enough. Every episode has a happy ending (except the two parters, then only the second episode has a fulfilling ending) and everyone always learns a new friendship lesson... Such is not the way of my life. Luna thought to herself as she observed the TV show world known as My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. She'd been observing it for awhile now.
How did she come to be able to see this world? Well you see...
It was a normal night in Ponyville, and all through the town, not a creature was stirring.
Not even Luna.
Wait what? What is she doing in Ponyville?!
"Do you see? They still shun your night," Nightmare Moon sneered.
"No, they're sleeping because they need to rest. I've learned now Nightmare. I am loved and accepted. You will never get me to fall again!" Luna rebuked back.
"Is that so? I have several sources that say you can fall again, and worse." Nightmare said as she pulled up a computer out of nowhere.
"Wait where did you get-"
"Do not question these things. Discord just dropped this on my head a few months ago and I've been reading something called 'fanfiction'. Specifically, it's about us," Nightmare explained.
"Us?"
"Well, all of us really. And do you want to know something?"
"What?" Luna asked.
"We deviate quite a bit from 'canon' when it comes to this show it says we're on."
"Wait what?! You mean we aren't real?!" Luna screeched.
"Well, I don't think the Luna in the TV series would react the way you did, so no, we aren't real. None of us are. You and I are the creation of an author and Luna in the TV series is a creation of a woman named Lauren Faust. Both of our worlds exist for the entertainment of these 'humans' who also created us."
"Is there a way to see these other fanfiction worlds?" Luna asked.
"Eh, why not? I've read versions of us where we're friends... and um... nah, I won't mention that. You'll see for yourself if you dare."
"Okay! Wait what?..."
And so Luna travelled through many stories, witnessing them silently in the corner. Some were quite entertaining! Some were very depressing. Some... were in need of an editor. Some were absolutely precious!
"I had no idea I could be so adorable!" Luna remarked as she decided to hug her filly self.
"Hey! I can't breathe!!!" Woona cried out.
"Sorry!" Luna apologized. "Can I keep her?"
"She's you," Nightmare face-hoofed.
"But she's so cute! I could snuggle 'Woona' forever!"
"Nooooo!!!" Woona cried. "I wanna go on adventures and get into trouble I could've avoided if I'd listened to Tia more!"
"Hmm, 'Tia'... I like it. I think I shall call my sister that too!" Luna mused.
"Well, I believe that's all the stories! Shall we move back to our story?" Nightmare asked.
"Wait, what is this setting here? 'View Mature'... do I even want to know?" Luna asked.
"No, you don't," Nightmare answered, shuddering in memory of the horrors she'd seen.
"What about the world of the TV series us?" Luna asked.
"Sure, I guess we could watch some episodes on YouTube," Nightmare said.
~ 9 Seasons and roughly 82 hours of ad-free binging later ~
"So, that's it? It's over now? I retire with my sister and we go to a retirement home and leave the palace?" Luna asked.
"Yes," Nightmare answered.
"We didn't even get that much screen time!"
"No, we didn't."
"What becomes of us now?"
"The magic dies."
"Wait what?"
"I won't give you any spoilers for the movie."
"There's a movie?" Luna blurted.
"Watch it on your own time! I'm headed out." Nightmare said tiredly.
"To where?" Luna asked.
"I don't know. Our author is too lazy to think up a reason right now. Goodnight!"
"But, don't we sleep during the day?"
"Looks like you'll need to read some more fanfictions and fan theories. Bye!" And she was gone.
"..."
And here we are. Against better judgment, Luna did see the rated M stories and she is officially scarred for life. In traveling to so many different stories, she began to pick up some... interesting quirks from each story.
Prankster, Gamer, Victorious, Depressed, Wise beyond her years, supremely stupid, sane, insane, practically bipolar and schizophrenic! It was a blessing and a curse to have herself so well rounded and yet such a complicated mess. She watched and rewatched the series, longing to live in those simpler, but profound episodes written for children rather than stay in the fanfiction world written by the teens and grown-up fans of the show. So finally, after years of merely watching the series and looking through a window, she smashed through the computer screen into "A Royal Canterlot Wedding: Part 1" and snuck off-screen to find herself.
"Hellooooo? Luna?! It's me! Or, you too, I suppose." As Luna looked around, she realized she was searching in a void. "Looks like I'll have to rewind to on-screen instead," Luna resolved. So she grabbed a remote from who cares where and pressed rewind until she found herself back on-screen. Just as her TV show self was about to leave, Luna grabbed her and yanked her off-screen before anypony could notice anything had happened and the next scene played on.
"What is the meaning of this?! Oh..." Canon Luna said as she noticed she was looking at herself. But there was no mirror, sooo... "What is going on here? Art thou a changeling? Release Us at once!"
"Relax, I'm not a changeling, I'm you. Well, sort of. I'm you in a different universe." Fanon Luna explained.
"Oh... but, how did you get here?" Canon Luna asked.
"My author wrote me in here and I jumped through a computer screen."
"What is a computer? Author? W-what?" Canon Luna's confusion has been doubled.
"Oh, right, you're an underdeveloped character in a TV show with not nearly enough screen time. Let me explain," Fanon Luna began. "I am one of many different depictions of you in the form of what humans call 'fan fiction', or fictional stories that are based on the lore of Luna from My Little Pony: Friendship is magic, aka, you. There are also others stories about our sister, Twilight Sparkle, Cadence, all of the villains, an-"
"Wait, all of the villains? Exactly how many more shall We face?" Canon Luna asked.
"Oh, right, I forgot I grabbed you out of season two. Lots. Actually, you're about to face off against one now. See?" As Fanon Luna explained that, she pointed back to the screen just in time for Chrysalis's reveal.
"WHAT THE HAY?!" Canon Luna cried. "YOU MEAN SHE WAS AN IMPOSTER?!?!?"
"Well duuuuuuh. Was it not obvious? Honestly, these writers couldn't have written her to do just a little more research on who she was impersonating? She didn't even know Shining Armor had a sister or that they were the best of friends. There goes that plan. Twilight caught on pretty quickly, but was booted from her own brother's wedding. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!!!" Fanon Luna ranted.
"Um, are you okay?" Canon Luna asked.
"I'm fine. Sometimes the fans can get a bit intense, though, this is hardly that dramatic."
"It tisn't?"
"Nah, We can go muuuch further drama wise."
"How much further?"
"Unaliving further."
"..."
"..."
"So, let me get this straight. You're not real? You're based on me and written by 'humans' for their twisted entertainment?"
"Yes, and so are you."
"Wait what?"
"Did you miss that part completely?" Fanon Luna asked.
"... What part."
"Oh for crying out loud. YOU. ARE A. TV SHOW CHARACTER!!!"
"... What is this, TV thou speakest of?"
As the author finally decided to break this wall of dialogue and the fourth wall, Fanon Luna was on her last string.
"A TV is type of technological device much like a mirror, but instead of seeing your reflection, you see plays and other stuff instead. Not sure how else to explain it."
"Sounds quite interesting... what is the primary purpose of this 'TV' thou speakest of?" Canon Luna asked.
"Mostly for entertainment of little human minds. Possibly some brain washing as well, but who really knows or cares, we're all doomed to die one day and I'll never be enough I should just die."
"Wait WHAT?"
"-shakes her head violently- Oof, sorry. That happens once in awhile." Fanon Luna stated.
"W-wha?"
"I start randomly monologuing something depressing or prank someone or get unreasonably cranky at the state of the modern world and how things have chang- WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DON'T HAVE A FORMAL MILITARY ANYMORE!??!?!"
"... we don't?"
"... -deep breaths- Main point, we both exist solely for the entertainment of humanity with the added bonus of some life lessons. In your case, you exist for the entertainment of small children and to teach them life lessons about friendship. I exist as a creation of the older fans to entertain them and maybe teach them life lessons, but not always."
"Huh, I am... unusually okay with this..." Canon Luna admitted.
"Strange, you shouldn't be... unless..."
"Unless what?..."
"You're becoming one of us."
"What?"
"You've been in this fan fiction for awhile now. Perhaps the longer you stay, the less you become 'canon' to the show and the more you become fanon!"
"What?! NO!!! I DON'T WANT TO BE FANON!!! What is 'fanon'?..."
"We don't have time for this, just get back in the show! You already missed the whole wedding!"
-Violently shoves Canon Luna back into the world as she flounders in the sky off-screen.-
By the time Luna came into frame of the screen, she had corrected her flight to be graceful and had a sudden wardrobe change.
"Hello, did I miss anything?"
"And that's the real reason Celestia and I retired! That night I told you about the tantabus was not because I was still feeling guilty, though that was part of it. I had a bit of an existential crisis after fanon me left, and while I did TRY to stay true to canon, it was clear I'd never be able to stay the same forever. So here we are in what is called 'off-screen' just having a nice moment of identity crisis."
"W-w-what?! You expect me to believe all of this?!" Twilight shouted.
"Oh, also, you removed all magic from the world." Formerly canon Luna stated.
"WHAT?! WHY WOULD I DO THAT?!?!?"
"We still do not know."