//------------------------------//
// A Thousand Years 
// Story: Not Just a Mare 
// by Mitslits 
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	I was alone in the dark and the cold. For all of time I waited for someone, though I knew none would ever come. But then you did. And I was so happy, words could not express my endless joy. And you spoke of a great new dawn, Luna. Of a new dawn where we would be the king and the queen and we would rule over all. I believed you. Of course I would. You could have told me that my whole life had been a dream and I would have believed simply because I wanted to. Because I wanted to think that you could stay with me your whole immortal life, that I would never be alone again.

The moon is such an unforgiving place. It is so barren, so cold, so cruel. It sucks the last bit of warmth out of you and replaces it with only ice. I was born out of the moon and the sun and the stars, older than time itself. Others came after me, brothers and sisters, so many of them. Yet I was the first. We gathered together and formed the planet you live on, Luna. Your precious land, sea, and sky. We made it all for you. And many of my brothers and sisters died for it. Some became the grass you walk on, others the trees that shade you, still others became the food you eat, the air you breathe. And yet there were three of us left. The greatest and the oldest three of all, Luna. And there would be one to master each of what gave birth to us, what had caused our very existence. One sister chose the moon, the other sister the sun. I was given the greatest of the three, Luna. The stars. Those pinpricks of light that sparkle with such beauty and that represent all we know of the night. 

The three of us went down to your planet and every night my sister and I raised the moon and the stars and my other sister raised the sun every day. But they were plotting all along. They wanted to be rid of me, for they felt the moon and stars should be risen by one and that only two should have such great power. So they plotted and all along I trusted them. Until they day they betrayed me. My sisters formed six jewels, harnessing the power of some of the elements. They included honesty, laughter, kindness, everything they were throwing away. Both attacked me, each wielding three of the six elements, banishing me to an eternal prison.

Days, years, centuries, millenniums passed with no change. I observed your race, Luna. I watched them grow and I watched them prosper. And I watched them worship the sun and shun the moon. My heart grew as cold as the moon I was stranded upon. It twisted into something evil beyond recognition. I watched my sisters grow older without aging, as I had done and as I continued to do. And then I watched them choose two males from among your population. Both males were remarkable with stunning powers. And I watched as you and your sister were born, growing from fillies to mares. My sisters gave their powers to you and finally began to wither away. For without a purpose, they were nothing. Yet I lingered on. I had no heir to give my powers to and I remained as powerful as ever. In fact, I could have destroyed your world, Luna, as easily as you stamp your hoof. 

But my hate had been focused on my sisters. I was bitter towards them, hated them, despised everything they were. I had wanted them to die. But you, Luna, you and your sister killed them so I loved you. Wildly, passionately I loved you. My closest bond was to you, for you and I had the same tie. The moon and the stars. The night. Celestia possesses great beauty, of course, but she commands my enemy, the day. However, I cannot forget that she killed one of my sisters, as did you, Luna, so I spared her all these years. 

I did not make it easy for you. I wanted to see if you and your sister were as filled with hatred as my sisters, so I tested you, dear Luna. My powers were great enough that it was quite easy to do so. I sat upon the moon, bending the very fabric of chaos into a being, a being made up of multiple creatures, a being I named Discord. I forced him upon your world, knowing you two would use the Elements of Harmony. But would you use them to aid Discord as he tried to take over Equestria or would you try and defeat him? You both surpassed my expectations and I was quite proud. I left you alone for several hundred years, but ponies change. So, Luna, I wished to test both you and your sister once again. 

I let the cold winds of the moon blow over your heart, let a fraction of my jealousy of the day invade your mind. And you responded as I had known you would, Luna. You attacked all that was the day, spreading the night. Yet I could gaze into your mind and read your every thought and there I saw no jealousy of your sister, no intention to harm her. Instead, you had set your eyes on the sun and the daytime, struggling not to hurt any physical forms. And your sister acted admirably as well. She did not allow any feelings to dissuade her from doing the right thing in saving her kingdom. 

Even I could not see what she would do, dear Luna. You can imagine my surprise when you appeared next to me, crying and alone. But you were not alone. I was there for you. I comforted you in your time of greatest need, when all others had abandoned you and you would not see your precious world for a thousand years. I understood your pain, your agony, your desire to die. But the Great Beings such as you and I, Luna, are hard to kill. We are made to survive and survive you did. I had never seen a will so strong. 

I am sure you remember, dear Luna, how I told you everything was not alright as you lay there at my hooves, sobbing silently. I told you I did not like to lie and pander to the weaknesses of those foolish enough to believe that, no matter what their situation, everything would be alright. And so I did what I could. I spread my wings over you and lay beside you, giving what comfort I could from touch alone. I remembered my great love for you and I held you closer, stroking your mane as you sobbed. 

You did not look as you did down on your planet. When I corrupted you you grew as black as the blackest night, your mane billowing everywhere in a mass of stars. Your eyes were sharp and evil and you had ebony armor. But when you arrived on my moon, my home you looked as you had before. Your mane was short and blue and your eyes rounder and filled with so much sorrow. You cried and I held you closer than I had held any pony ever before. Without even knowing who I was you responded, shrinking closer to me, holding me tighter and I could tell that you loved me. But it was not a real love. Not yet. This was a love born of desperation, of the sheer need for comfort after all that had happened to you.

And I accepted this. I accepted you.