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// Darkness Which Creeps Upon Us 
// Story: From the Eternal Love of a Sister 
// by Scootareader 
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We cast our gaze over the darkened pastures of Equestria, letting out a long sigh. We are alone.

We could not stand to be in the castle tonight. It oppresses us at times, reminding us all too heavily of our redundant duties and the important matters which my sister believes only she alone can do. We must leave at times, to clear our muddled head of these dark, sinister creepings of resentment.

Were it not for my dear sister, Equestria would have long ago collapsed to chaos. She wields the most powerful of the Elements of Harmony, that of Magic—but she also wields the Elements of Kindness and Generosity. She has exemplified these personifications of herself, proving her worthiness as a ruler by having the characterization of such esteemed traits.

I, on the other hoof, have the Elements of Loyalty, Honesty, and Laughter. We have been told of late that I have displayed these traits progressively less, that I have become a shadow of my former self.

Perhaps we are a shadow. We portray only the negative of what my dear sister shines upon her subjects. We are forced to writhe in the darkness, to reach our sickly fingers up in hopes that we may feel the warmth of her glow, only for it to burn us as we near it.

The Moon is gazing down upon us this evening, as She does every night at our request. We never command Her to grace us with Her presence, simply knowing that we are a whimsy of Hers. She may decline to look down upon Her subjects tomorrow... and we would be helpless as to Her decision, much as our subjects would disapprove.

My sister commands the Sun to rise each morning. She thinks herself a powerful, noble creature. We know that we are not, and must submit ourselves to the power of those greater than ourselves.

We would like to claim that we are humble in this respect, but we see no need. It is enough that She has never refused our request. Even Her own subjects, the stars which have captivated so many of the night dwellers of Equestria, have never missed a single evening. The Sun must have its own subjects, but they do not follow it, despite its blazing glory.

This echoes our own loneliness back to us. My sister commands and is given fealty through submission, yet our subjects love and relish in her presence; I request and get not only just as glorious a creature as hers, but Her subjects as well... and our subjects often neglect to acknowledge our existence.

Perhaps the citizens of Equestria want a firmer hand?

We speak into the darkness. “Moon, if we were to command Thou to sink and let the Sun rise before its time, what wouldst Thou do?”

Silence is the only reply She gives. The Moon cannot speak to us; even if She could, She would not deign our arrogant question worthy of her time. Who are we to ask things of her?

Perhaps, if we were as great as my sister, She would find it in Herself to speak with us.

You can be as great as She.

We rise wearily to my hooves.  The darkness creeps upon us, seeping into my bones and causing us to shiver involuntarily. We speak to the darkness. “Thou seek only to tear apart the foundations of all which we hold dear. We shall never submit to the temptations thou offer.”

We need convince you of nothing, the silken voices assure us. You will seek us out in time.

How long have we held this darkness at bay? For as long as we can remember. In our greatest moments of weakness, it has made every effort to seduce us. We have never had our resolve threatened before, and this is no exception.

This offer is no less tempting as it has been every other time, however. We would never give in to such weaknesses, but it brings no harm to imagine it. We toy with the idea for a time.

Were we to accept these powers, perhaps our sister would give us more responsibilities. Perhaps I would even be able to raise her precious Sun for once. Perhaps I would be able to make her let me, just as she makes the Sun rise every day. To force her into submission, even once, would erase all her prudent arrogance, perhaps. All if I accepted these powers.

I—we shake our head. We are still under the Moon’s thrall, now and forever. If She will not do as asked, that is because She has reason not to. It is not our place to question such a being. Perhaps we have always been meant to be the submissive one, and my sister be the dominant, commanding creature she is.

That does not make her deserving, or worthy. We refuse to accept that she be our better. The Moon is no less magnificent than her Sun, and it would be wise to teach her this lesson.

Perhaps the darkness would offer us this power. Perhaps it will bring only misery. We may be willing to take that chance.