//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Number The Night // by YetAnotherBrony //------------------------------// Night 26,856 It has been over forty years since my record breaking escape attempt. I have attacked these walls every night since, but none of my attempts have come close to that one. The delusion has not been of escape but of practice that will lead to it. Yet forty years had scarcely increased my drilling distance to eight miles, which wasn’t even a third of that one night. I had thought it had just been sheer determination, or a willingness to keep going until passing out, yet both these things had driven me on other nights. Her presence was the only thing that really stands out about it. I know there isn’t really someone possessing me, since the elements of harmony would surely have done away with Her. Being sealed away in the moon was just an extra measure put in place by my sister because she doesn’t trust me. She took advantage of my desperate state. But despite this, it is easier to think of my fluctuations in my anger at Celestia, and those sun worshipping traitors who care not about my disappearance, as another entity. Some nights I can feel Her clouding my mind. Others I find myself wishing my sister and I were reminiscing about old times over a couple of shakes. Yet never has her presence felt so real as it did on that night. Since She isn’t real, this does nothing to explain the overwhelming power that was at my disposal. It felt as though this weak vessel were the only thing holding me back from being able to go on drilling forever. It made escape seen not only possible but inevitable. If I could just draw upon that energy again. Yet if somehow it really was Her who was the source of that strength, it made sense I hadn’t been able to use it since. That anger had been greatly inflated by my hopelessness. Tonight’s drilling practice would be different. Recently it had occurred to me even the markings on the counting wall could be mistaken for an attempt at escape. After all, it was a displacement of a layer of dust that held me here. Yet the elements do not repair this. Would a small enough hole be repaired? The answer seemed to be no, as the small hole I had been forming all night grew deeper the moon does not repair itself. Perhaps a certain amount of dirt that needed to be displaced, but even as my peep hole reaches the mile marker nothing happens. The small size of the hole had another advantage. It takes considerably less magic to form. Drilling this hole further was so easy it was dull. Celestia beams at me radiantly after we come to a halt on the outfield. It was no surprise that she does so, as we both knew she would be my first pick. But then the rarity of this opportunity struck me. Only once a year does our entire school play ball together (since there are about thirty of us it works out reasonably well), but more rare than that, I was one of the team captains. We were chosen at random, and given the number of students and the few remaining years I would have here, the odds were against me that I’d ever be chosen again. But for once I have power. Being first to pick, I can choose any pony I want. I could play ball with my sister anytime, however Frahdreck is the coolest pony in school. Choosing him was bound to make earn me at least a few cool points. “Frahdreck.” I call. My sister looks stunned, but I didn’t really expect to do that either. I could explain it to her later. The other captain will surely pick my sister, but would it really be so bad being the second pick? But he doesn’t pick her. My sister was the first born daughter of the ruler of Equestria, and was destined to someday have a celestial body on her flank, yet the other captain doesn’t notice her. For some reason the notion that somepony who was so popular back home isn’t here, intrigued me. So I call out another name. Still the other captain does not pick my sister. Curious how long this could go on, I pick somepony else. So does he. Each time I was sure he couldn’t possibly think of yet another pony he’d rather have than my sister, yet each time I was proven wrong. Until finally my sister was the last to be picked, and she ended up on the other team. While our team walks out into the field, I recognize the other captain. I have never seen him around, but my sister had confided that she had a crush. She hadn’t gone into great detail, but his freckled face and black mane matched the description. School was soon over, but how could time help but move quickly when reminiscing in the recent glory of our narrow victory with my team mates. I ran home so elated by our day off from school work and our triumph in the match, that I forgot to wait up for my sister. When passing the bathroom, it became apparent that my sister had somehow beat me home. There was an unmistakable young female sob emitting from it. Her tears weren’t even silent as they usually were on the rare occasion I had seen her cry. I knock at the door. “Cely?” No response. I knock again. “I’m sorry about what I did. I wanted you on my team. I really did.” A couple of seconds pass and the door opens. Her puffy eyes stare into the depths of mine. “Why didn’t you pick me then?” I don’t try to answer. There is no answer. Not knowing what else to say I mutter, “I’m sorry.” “I’m not going to tell father if that’s what you’re worried about.” Her voice conveys neither caring nor bitterness. It was as though she really believed that was all that concerned me. She enters our room, and I don’t dare follow suit until I am ready for bed. To this day I don’t know if she was already asleep by the time I crawled into bed, or if she was pretending. This memory had long been a source of regret, but now it just made my bitterness toward Celestia more intense. To think I had regretted slighting her in such a small way, when all along she was biding her time until she could trap me in here. Excitement washed away my bitterness, as I could feel the area where my magic was drilling to be dozens of miles away from me. My tiny hole had made significant progress, but better still, the hole still wasn’t resealing itself. ~~~ Night 63,276 Despite having made a hole all the way through the moon, I have often been consumed by her lately. The idea of being able to make a small hole all the way through the moon, can only excite one for so long. Back then I used to fight her off, because I was afraid and I thought Celestia deserved better. Yet a century has passed and never has there been a single chance to redeem myself to my sister. With Celestia so clearly in the wrong, fearing Her doesn’t make sense. Have I not every right to be angry at my sister. Even if She is a real entity, and the one who possessed me, before we were sealed in the moon together, so what. She has done nothing to harm me. She has done nothing to harm anypony. All She has done is offered me strength, and allowed me to stand up for myself. Her determination, or was it my own, to make the shift from day night cycles to perpetual night, was overzealous, but surely by the time starvation became an issue we would have backed down. With each passing night She seems more like a friend, and I am more inclined to believe She is real. Yet still it is difficult to give Her control. Despite Her strength, without which I doubt I could have survived nearly this long, Her desire for complete unquestioning obedience is unnerving. She wants what is best for me, but it is difficult not to be nervous. Especially when She has shown me that nopony has done right by me. Besides, even Her strength isn’t enough to escape. It took a year to make a tiny hole all the way through the moon. At first making the hole deeper was easy, but as I had to reach further and further away from my body with my magic it became difficult. Some days no more than a few feet were added to it. For much of the year I feared that even without the moon sealing behind me a hole about the size of my eye was too much for me. Thankfully I’m not quite that pathetic, but even still, what good does it do me. Widening the hole more than a few inches causes it to reform. Even creating another hole near it has a similar effect. Before the hole had been finished it seemed synonymous with escape. There was nothing else. Now there is just nothing. I have spent more years playing with that tiny hole, than trying to drill free. Being able to see space had to mean something. But what? I sat just staring through the hole I had made. Recently I had learned a spell that let me see all the way through it. Yet even being able to see the stars doesn’t make it useful. But then again... they were my stars. I made them. Further the spell on my sight applied to voice and hearing as well. “Stars, can you hear me? This is your princess! Destroy the sphere that hath betrayed me!” It had been a long time since I had spoken that way, but when angry or trying to seem threatening sometimes the speech with which I would address my subjects (on the rare occasion this happened) would pass my lips. Tilting my ear up toward the hole a whisper entered it. “We are yours now as ever but we are far and our power is limited. Yet a night is coming when we shall align. The moon shall be weak and your escape imminent. Since your capture we have planned for that night. The shortest night on the thousandth year.” It was incredibly long time from now, yet finally escape was coming and I knew when it was. Further, though ponies had not done right by me others like my stars had. There were those who were loyal to me, and no doubt She is among them. Yet still I felt the need to give my sister one last chance. I am sitting on a stool, at the bar we had often scraped up extra bits wherever we could to get shakes at together. The tender would have been more than happy to give my sister and I whatever we liked (assuming it wasn’t alcoholic of course), but my father had a talk with him, as he had with many ponies, to ensure we weren’t spoiled. Today my sister wasn’t with me. She would be meeting me here. But as I uneasily watched every patron enter I begin to wonder if she would ever come. She still has five minutes left but after waiting for twenty five minutes it seemed impossible that something more important than me hasn’t come up. Yet a familiar white mare enters. Since she is still thirty feet away, I convince myself I am seeing things, but as she takes up a seat beside me she is unmistakable. She had grown since last I saw her and she looked more majestic somehow. “How’s school?” I ask. “You see your sister for the first time in months, and the first thing you want to talk about it school? Looks like someone has lost her sense of fun while I’ve been gone.” Celestia smirks. “You think just because you know school isn’t fun you can make witty retorts? If you know so much about fun what should I have asked?” “Er.... “ She paused for thinking for a moment. “Broken any laws?” she says sheepishly. At this we both laughed. “Just because you don’t know how to have fun, doesn’t mean anything you don’t want to do is enjoyable.” “Strange I could have sworn you told me almost exactly that once.” “I never said it wasn’t an easy mistake to make. Anyway if you want a more interesting question. What about boys?” “Er.. yeah there are some there.” says Cely blushing. “Well I should hope so,” I say chuckling slightly. “Do you have any crushes?” I continue. To this she shrugs and says, “A couple of them are kinda cute.” “You going to ask any of them out?” “What for? It’s not as though we can get married. There aren’t any alicorns left we aren’t related to,” says my sister sighing. “I never said anything about marriage. Lighten up Cely.” “It probably means I’m too serious but I don’t see the point if I know I won’t marry them.” “Does there always have to be a point? Can’t you just have fun.” “It’s a personal weakness.” she says shrugging. “Besides, who says you have to marry an alicorn?” “Any other pony would die way before me.” “So, It could be good while it lasts.” “You have always been stronger than me when it comes to that sort of thing. You could probably handle it, but I never could.” says Celestia staring solemnly into the counter. I pound the counter while putting down a handful of bits and blurting out, “A couple of shakes in dirty glasses. Don’t skimp on the ice cream.” My sister looks at me, but she is completely unfazed by my antics. “Why so serious all of the sudden Cely?” I look back into her eyes with a rare look of concern. “I know we’re young, but Luna I made a life decision at that school I’m positive I’ll never break. All I wanted to do was hang out with one of those cute guys who asked me out but I just couldn’t. I’ll never be able to do it. Making friends is hard enough knowing they’ll die around you. How do you deal with it?” Our shakes arrived, and I was grateful to have the moment sipping on it to think. “Some of us don’t think about tomorrow. When tomorrow does come we’ll just confide in our other friends. I’d travel the world and meet everypony if I could. I know the crown is an honor that so few receive, but to me its always felt like jail. It makes it difficult for ponies to get close to me...” say I staring intently into my shake before realizing I’d been of no help. Sorry, I’m just answering your confusion with more confusion.” I add. “It’s okay.” she said smiling. “Sometimes it just helps to realize you’re not the only one who is confused.” she continued. “Does the crown really feel like jail to you?” “Absolutely. I’ll have duties and won’t be able to live a normal life, and though I try to have friends, they have a bad habit of getting very formal around me. Or sometimes I find out the only reason they gave me the time of day was for their dad’s political career.” “And I feel exactly the opposite. By serving the citizens this way I feel like we’ll really have the opportunity to inspire them. Not to mention we’ll get to watch society evolve. Being a princess makes being an alicorn bearable.” “But just being an alicorn means you can get to know so many ponies intimately in a lifetime. You can do so much good on the personal level and learn so many interesting stories.” “For what its worth I think that sort of thinking is exactly what we need in a princess. With just me things would go well overall perhaps but there wouldn’t be that intimate touch that makes Equestria. Also you’ll be more in tune with the populous. What would I do without you?” “I don’t know” I say blushing. “Sorry I wasn’t able to help.” I add. “Sorry I wasn’t able to offer you any advice either, yet just talking with you makes me feel so much better.” We both clang the class cups of our shakes together, before saying, “To sisters.” and drinking deeply. Yet even this memory that has always been one of my fondest now feels bitter. There will be no forgiveness. In over eight hundred years I will escape and Celestia will not have the elements of harmony on her side. I am no longer divided. ~~~ Night 108,455 It was hard not to wonder if numbering the night wasn’t more effort than it was worth, now that the number of the night of our escape could easily be calculated. Yet if somehow we escaped sooner, we have to know exactly how many nights it has been. Some nights we check the number multiple times to make sure we counted the night and did not add wrong. But tonight we are doing something far more interesting. The finishing touches are being made to our masterpiece. With the help of the entity I used to call Her, it is easier to use magic on things great distances away, and even to see what is occurring there. But She is no longer She, for I do nothing without Her. Our masterpiece has taken several decades to etch into the moon’s surface; we were greatly hindered by knowing nothing of sketching when we started. Yet after several attempts Celestia undoubtedly knew now that we were coming for her. Our face is now a permanent fixture on the moon’s surface. It is only too bad we can not see the expression on her face. Perhaps she thinks she had broken our spirit long ago. Maybe she has been operating under the delusion that these centuries have somehow cooled our temper. But the angry face of the mare of night left no doubt. It conveys a simple message of revenge. Though three hundred years had passed, and the memory of any taste other than the taste of dust had long since died, the remaining seven hundred years don’t sound so long. Surely they would have, when we were constantly back and forth on emotional highs and lows; uncertain how to feel about our sister. But since becoming us, time is easy. Still annoying but easy. Even without any more canvas with which to convey it upon, we could vent our ire for seven hundred years. But it isn’t just her. It is the world that pretends to care. I am quietly inhaling a late dinner at a twenty four hour dinner. From what little I have seen of him had a certain girth and grunt that gave him a seedy down to earth feel, that my adventures had proved to be surprisingly uncommon in these establishments. It has been many years since we had left that note in the palace. Even when leaving I knew part of me wanted Celestia to stop me. After wandering aimlessly around Equestria I now knew all of me wanted that. Some nights I even considered not lowering the moon, just to see if she would notice. But stubborn pride was no reason to not perform my one duty. Only one royal duty remained for me and it benefitted everypony. I could at least do it. Has Celestia even noticed my absence? Does she care I was off trying to find myself? Ever since father died, that trip throughout Equestria (a recurring fantasy of mine) appealed even more to me. As royal duties stacked up it seemed like the perfect time to run away from it all. Yet somehow when dreaming of this adventure, I hadn’t been alone; all of the bar keeps and dinner owners magically knew my name, and my sister visited periodically. No doubt my absence had created extra work for her, but was there really so many urgent matters she couldn’t spare a moment for me? I had never told her exactly where I was going, but she could have found me if she wanted to. Yet I ate alone  on a stool at a dingy diner. The place was empty, but the guy on the other side of the bar didn’t ask about my troubles while cleaning a dirty glass. Instead he was usually in the back, except for when he occasionally came out to see if I needed something. He didn’t recognize me, for I knew from the very beginning of this trip, if I intended to see how normal ponies behave and befriend them without wondering if it was because of my crown, using illusions to disguise my appearance was necessary. I had received kindness from a stranger or two, but invariably they would eventually be busy when I needed them. Except for one mare. When we first meet I thought for sure that failing to even produce a believable name had blown any chance I might have had with him. Yet he introduced himself with an equally feeble pseudonym and a smile. Several fun nights on the town later and there were still no real introductions. That was okay, we were just having fun. But then he mentioned in passing that he prefered the sun over the moon. No matter how much I tried to smile at this, my tears shown through. It was impossible to explain to him why this seemingly harmless comment had upset me. His preferences weren’t the real problem so much as the dawning realization that he knew nothing about me and I would never be willing to change that. How could I admit to being the Luna who disgraced the throne by abandoning her crown? Watching him wither and die doesn’t sound fun anyway. After running out on my dinner with him, tears still streaming down my face, not saying a word, I trod alone for a few hours in a nearby forest. But after much thought that illuminated nothing my stomach reminded me I had eaten nothing. That is how I ended up here. Still it was hard to shake the feeling that maybe somehow I hadn’t given the world enough of a chance to shine. It occurs to me that perhaps ancient wisdom lurks in this purveyor of food and beverage that would make sense of everything. Of any of these purveyors had a unique brand of wisdom from watching ponies come and go, this was the guy. “If everything is shrouded in darkness what do you do?” I asked, as the server re-entered and began wiping of the counter. Would he say, “There can be no darkness that shrouds everything. The darkest nights are illuminated that much more by the stars?” Or perhaps he would say, “Why flee before the darkness. The unknown is nothing to fear.” But instead he killed my reeling dreams about the world as he grunted, “What kind of question is that! Turn on a light!” The world was not prepared for the subtle beauty of our nights, nor were there the many friends just waiting for us to meet them. Even our old friends from school grew distant. But our true strength was in being alone, for even alone we were still together. Only She who shared our mind was a friend, and we were the only friend the other needed.