//------------------------------// // The princess // Story: Mommy // by NeuPferdfurt //------------------------------// "A ROYAL THANKS TO YOU, MY LOYAL SUBJECTS!", Luna said, "YOU HAVE DONE VERY WELL!" The royal plumbers were bowing down to the Princess of the night. They left the room by walking backwards, so they wouldn't offend their master by showing her their rears. Luna was pleased. Etiquette was essential. Why did her honourable sister have to insist on more casual forms of interaction? If Celestia continued like this, she would end up undermining their beloved subject's discipline. While studying physics and chemistry, Princess Luna had started to ponder about the many little mechanical wonders around her. She had been living in Canterlot for so many years, and never had she even bothered to ask why they always had hot water flowing in the pipes, or how they ran the underfloor heating even in the coldest of winters. Of course a lot of things were provided by unicorn- or alicorn magic, but she realized that wasn't the whole picture. So she had requested plans and records detailing the conduit systems, the central heating, the mechanics behind the fountains in the palace garden. And there it was: The central piece. The dragon. - Luna knew about the dragon, of course. It was providing giant eggs, so very important for magical experiments. It seemed logical to use it for heating as well. Luna had just not realized that it was the very heartpiece of the palace. And so she started wondering what it was like, this great, ancient creature, forever locked away in silence and darkness. She decided to honour it with a visit. Escorted by two proud veterans of the royal plumbers, Luna descended into the dungeons of Canterlot. The plumbers were reluctant of opening up the ancient passageways, but it would never even have occured to them to question the orders of a princess. - Even though much of its body was hidden by cables and pipes, Luna could tell it was a beast of magnificent size. At first glance, the dragon was repulsive. It wasn't anything like the feral dragons the princess had encountered before. The scales were grey and dull. The body was bloated, the arms and legs atrophied.The stench was almost unbearable. Its belly was producing a whole orchestra of disturbing noises as the dragon was blowing out flames out of its nostrils and experiencing the joys of motherhood at the opposite side. Overall, it resembled the pale, sickly creatures that inhabited subterranean lakes. Still, Luna was fascinated by this creature. How had it ended up in the bowls of the palace? What was going on in the head of an animal like this one? Was it dreaming? Could it think? Was it even aware it was a prisoner? She was going to find out. Before she knew it, she had put her horn on the dragon's forehead. "Wake up", she whispered, "Awake for your princess..." The plumbers were scared. This sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen! The dragon opened its eyes. - Luna screamed in pain and terror. In the fraction of a second, thousands of images had flashed before her inner eye. And not only pictures. Voices. Emotions. Pain. And while part of the dragon's mind had flown into hers, she realized the opposite was true as well. And not only that: The creature had also absorbed part of her magic. Her eyes and the eyes of the dragon met. She gasped. She had never been faced with so much hatred. Pipes were torn apart as the dragon started to move. The ponies watched in shock and awe as its scales changed color. They were purple now, and looked almost polished. The stubby legs grew until they could carry the dragon's weight. With a mighty scream, the dragon pulled apart its lips which had been stitched together for so many years. - The whole castle was shaking as the dragon was fighting its way outside. Panicked ponies were running around like headless chicken. When the dragon breached the palace walls, feeling the wind on its scales once again, tears of fire were running down its face. There was nothing that compared to freedom. Nothing at all. It was gazing upon the city below. This was no time for joy. This was a time for sharing the pain. All the pain which had accumulated inside the creature's soul. And as the purple dragon was ripping Canterlot apart with its fire breath, the first thought in years appeared in its mutilated mind. Boarding school? More like barbecue school. Whatever that was supposed to mean. - "I am sorry, Celestia", Luna said, tears running down her face, "Can you ever forgive me?" Princess Celestia knew that with every passing minute, the rampaging beast would cause more destruction and suffering, but Luna deserved to hear this right now. "It is as much my fault as it is yours, little sister. I should have talked to you about this a long time ago. I kept the dragon imprisoned under the palace without sharing its story with anypony. You need to understand that it isn't evil, Luna, but years of agony have corrupted its mind. When we inherited the palace, it was already too far gone. I cast a spell upon it that would keep its mind in permanent hibernation. The story of this dragon is the story of my biggest failure. I couldn't heal her, Luna, so I locked her away." She looked at her sister and smiled. "That alone is proof that I can't handle things on my own. I need you, my dear little sister. Will you lend me a hoof?" Their eyes met. Side by side, they descended upon the city, to put the dragon to sleep once again. And again, it was sealed away. It was the year before the rise of Nightmare Moon.