//------------------------------// // Loathsome // Story: From the Eternal Love of a Sister // by Scootareader //------------------------------// Nightmare Moon slumbers, her body relaxed as she dreams, perhaps, of a time in which she was happier. The days of innocence and joy which we remember as a filly, our imagination swiftly departing from the reality of our life to greet the stars in their great, open expanse of blackness, the Moon Herself doting us and knowing that we are a worthy subject of Hers. We remember the fascination with the slowly breathing earth beneath us, so different an experience from that under daylight, and believing that there were other ponies who shared our appreciation of the sleeping vastness of Equestria. Now, as we quickly learned then, we are alone. Not even Nightmare Moon may stay awake forever, and when she does, we are isolated. There is naught but blackness which we can see, nor any sound or feeling, save the muffled exhalations and slight rise and fall of the chest of the pony we are a part of. We focus on these small movements, giving ourselves consolation that all is still well with our body. We find ourselves overtaken by fear every time she sleeps. We are resigned to the loneliness we experience every day now; it is only deserving of us to take our punishment without pitiful sniveling. Still, we can never forget how truly alone we are when our only companion takes her leave of us. We assume a month has gone by; we know not if the days truly pass, but our body has always maintained a rigid schedule with which to sleep. With little else to do that would entertain us, we have kept a count of all the times our host has slept. This has been the 30th time she has slept, so we are led to believe that our first month in this solitary prison has gone by. We do not expect forgiveness overnight; we do not expect it for many years. Yet, we do not know how long we can maintain our mental stability in a place such as this. We think we will drive ourselves insane. Nightmare Moon is also an unknown variable; we know not if she may be depressed... though, a departure from this existence that would mean removing the danger of this mare may be for the best. We can also think of no better death than one in the embrace of the Moon. This is crazy pony talk. A month in, and we are plotting our own demise. This is no permanent prison; we must find a way out. “And how do you suggest we do that?” Nightmare Moon’s droll voice rings harshly within the Moon, the echoes bouncing eerily back to us. We are not alone anymore! We exalt in this fact. “Not long ago, I recall you telling me that I’m a despicable creature, unworthy of love or attention. Now I can’t have a moment to myself.” Nightmare Moon smiles at us. “Can it be that we’re finally getting to know each other, Princess Luna?” If we had skin, it would be crawling right now. We remember promptly who it is which we are addressing. This mare would murder our sister. Yet, we cannot help but rejoice in this socialization again. We realize somewhere in our thoughts that this may be pathetic or unbecoming of our station, but we cannot bring ourselves to care. Perhaps, in some manner, we are beginning to like her. Luna. She’s all I can ever think about anymore. My life is a whirlwind of emotions, my sister the epicenter. In any given hour, we jump from joy to sadness to anger to resentment to pride to an enormous void feeling which I have never experienced before. My brain says to call it loneliness, but I scoff at the notion. I have hundreds who wish to see me constantly, guards which open doors without me even asking, talk when I want to talk, and do everything that they can to make my life better. Yet, none of them are Luna. I look up at the Moon. It is by itself in the sky right now, its ever-gleaming face watching me and laughing. It has my sister, and I don’t. I suppose I ought to be grateful; it is housing the greatest threat Equestria has ever known, excepting Discord. I can’t bring myself to find happiness in this, though, because Luna is up there, too. I wonder briefly if she’s watching me. Maybe she’s standing on the surface of the moon, looking down at our nation of Equestria. I hope she can see the struggle she’s caused me. Equestria is dying without her. Simply put, I don’t know how long we can go on like this. The farmers were all reimbursed their missing seeds—at least, what small amount we’d stockpiled. There was an enormous vault that contained all the different edible plants of Equestria, and not a single one of them is managing to grow in either the moonlight or the bizarre orange light that both the Sun and Moon create together. The change in daylight pattern has severely affected some of the animals as well. I will occasionally walk through the gardens, and every time I do, a large number of the creatures that are normally active during the day just stare wide-eyed at the Moon. They don’t seem confused or worried, only curious. I get the feeling that I’m on a precipice. There is something holding it back right now—what that is, I have no idea. I leave the castle swiftly. I need some fresh air to clear my head. I find my hooves leading me to the gardens, but decide I don’t want to see the strange spectating animals to give me more stress. I go through the fountained, architectured courtyard instead, nodding silently at the guards I pass that salute me so readily. As if I’ve done anything to help them. A cool breeze is blowing through the garden tonight, causing me to shiver. Perhaps the Sun is glorious and majestic... the Moon seems to be the more powerful of the two based on what has transpired, however. I never thought I would be bested by what I assumed to be the lesser of the two planets. The Sun bows before my power, but the Moon glares back at me in defiance. Never have I had cause for such shame before, and this shame is starving my nation and striking fear into its inhabitants. I may have banished Nightmare Moon, but she left a nightmare in her wake anyway. A guard bustles up to me. “Princess, um....” “Yes, what is it?” Being a ruler is sometimes nice. It can distract me from my dark thoughts. “I apologize for the intrusion, and I assume you planned this, but—“ he glances up at the sky briefly “—the Sun should have been up almost an hour ago.” “Ah, thank you for the reminder. Yes, I did indeed forget.” I smile genially at him, simultaneously berating myself for not realizing this earlier. “I will raise it immediately.” I rise into the sky, mustering my magic to call the Sun out. It responds readily, rising to where it will start its journey for the day. At least I still have the power to do something. I alight gracefully upon the cobbled pathway once more, smiling at the guard. He salutes, mutters a quick word of thanks, then trots off to his duties. I shift my gaze back to admire the scenery which surrounds me. The Canterlot Gardens are beautiful in the moonlight, too, but in sunlight, they are ten times more magnificent. My eyes focus on a statue in front of me, then travel upward to where I register the comical figure of Discord. Behind him, I see the Sun and Moon sitting side by side. Oh, Luna. What am I becoming?