If the stallion has been gone the entire time, then the mare has no way of knowing the carrot is now in his refrigerator, not hers.
“That doesn’t make any sense. She watched him move the carrot. How could she possibly not know?”
This is infuriating. The mare saw nothing; she was gone at the time. While she was gone, unable to see the carrot being moved, the stallion came into the room, removed the carrot from her refrigerator, and put it in his refrigerator. The mare was privy to none of this; how could she know that the carrot had been moved?
“Because it’s common knowledge. She has to know.”
If we had lungs, we would sigh. This creature is as naïve as a tiny filly.
We believe it has been a year since our sister locked us away with Nightmare Moon. We are a prisoner within my own body, in addition to being a prisoner within the Moon. Yet, despite this, we find ourselves enjoying our stay more and more.
We have always desired true solitude, but when we were first given such a thing, we responded with fear. Being alone, truly alone, is destructive to the mind. We are thankful that there is at least something to share our thoughts with.
Nightmare Moon. She is a fear-monger, a dream eater. Yet, we enjoy conversation with her. We are disappointed when she sleeps, and overjoyed when she awakes. She responds as readily as we, thankful as can be for the pony contact.
She simply does not understand other ponies’ points of view. Such as the carrot being moved.
“Oh, come on! Am I the only one who figured this out? He moved the carrot, so she knows.” The responds haughtily, if a might affectionately, to us.
When Nightmare Moon sleeps, we attempt to speak with the Moon. She has not replied to us, but we can feel Her presence with us when we reach out to her. It reminds us of Mother, although memory does not serve us very clearly from so distant a past.
We have Nightmare Moon to talk to and the Moon Herself to keep us comforted. What more could we possibly want?
Even as we think these things, we feel the pangs of loneliness reverberate within us. We wish to be on the throne with my sister, to rule alongside her. Surely she has learnt as we have what loss of humility and grace can push even one such as ourselves to do.
The Moon comes unbidden to us, wrapping us in its comforting embrace. “Soon.”
What in the world of Equestria am I doing?
Equestria has not had a normal day in an entire year now. This morning marks the 1-year anniversary of Luna’s banishment to the Moon, and the strangulation of Equestria due to the Moon’s refusal to retire.
We have had to delve into our food stores for the nation. There is a vast amount of food, but it cannot possibly hope to save the entire burgeoning population. Priorities have to be maintained.
It is the worst responsibility of a ruler to sentence ponies to death. The nobility may try doting me with shiny trinkets and kind words, but they know nothing of the crops that still refuse to grow.
There has been some limited success with cave plants, but nearly all of them grow slowly and offer very little sustenance. There is no sustainability to be had there.
So, here I am, trying to convince farm-ponies to coax pathetic tiny plants to grow in small dugouts in exchange for just enough food to stop them from dying of starvation. At the rate the food supply is going down, I may have to cut out nonessential family members, as well.
For several days, poor and nobility alike pounded upon the gates of Canterlot Castle. They demanded food be distributed to the people, or riots would begin. I would have been worried had the standard food larders not run out months ago; as it was, emaciated skeletons of once-proud ponies throwing themselves against the magnificent wooden gate was a disheartening sight indeed.
I can’t imagine why they still elevate me to the lofty position of royalty. I can do nothing to save my nation, only watch as the life drains slowly from it.
I often wonder what Luna would have done differently in my place. Would she have fed the city of Canterlot and let the farm-ponies starve? I still have the guards on full rations, and have had their families moved into the castle with me... if it does come to real riots, I want to make sure my protectors will not turn on me or desert me. Would she have done such a thing?
She would have asked, I think. Asked which ponies feel their lives are most important. And she would have fed all those who claimed importance, letting the would-be saviors of Equestria die first, then letting those who thought themselves above others die just the same.
Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from all this. Luna would have asked the ponies their opinion; what have I done differently? I assumed that I knew what was best for my nation. I made decisions as royalty that nopony should ever have to make; she would have left it up to the democracy.
This is something of a symbiosis between Luna and me: I have always commanded, whereas she has always requested. I suppose this is what had always given me pause when she requested additional duties.
Now I am sick from the abnormal daylight cycles, my nation is dying of starvation, and she remains comfortably in her Moon prison—at least, I assume she’s still there.
Yet, I feel something—a desire to return. Princess Luna wants to come back to Equestria, I know it. I know my sister better than anypony, and she would never abandon her duties, nor her citizens, if she had a choice. I need only have faith that she return someday.
If I want to have an Equestria for her to come back to, I have to save Equestria first, though.
Luna has always asked; I have always commanded. She asked for more responsibilities; I have demanded them.
She submits; I dominate.
She is the negative; I am the positive.
Or am I the negative?
I look into the sky, which the Moon and Sun share. Luna and I share a kingdom.
We do not rule side-by-side; I rule the day, and she the night. The day commands, the night requests.
I command the Sun; does she request of the Moon?
Oh, horseapples, it can’t be that simple. I can’t have been letting my nation starve because I was too arrogant to ask the Moon to set.
... Is it really that simple?
I am nothing without Equestria, without the ponies whom I love and cherish. The Elements of Harmony have abandoned me; my own sister has been smitten by my hoof; all I have left is them.
And they are swiftly disappearing.
I raise my voice to the sky, using the Royal Canterlot Voice so the Moon can better hear my plight.
“Moon of Equestria, for one year now have you held fast against all deceptions and raw strength I can muster. I thought you the lesser of your own sister, the Sun, but she listens to me, and you do not.
“You are not stubborn, nor are you spiteful; you wish only to know the love of your subjects. Your subjects do not command you, nor do they expect things of you. They delight in nothing more than your presence, and all else you charitably offer is an incredible gift.
“I have also wronged another—my sister, Princess Luna, whom you have no doubt met by now. Like you, she is perceived as the lesser of two sisters. But know this: She is no lesser a Princess than I am, and she deserves all the same responsibilities that I have.
“I know not if you can return her to me, but there is something I request of you. I have no power over you; however, because of my inability to appreciate what you have given us, Equestria is perishing slowly under your gaze.
“I believe that you can see what has happened, and that you may see my plight, if you so choose. I ask nothing more than that you depart our fair land until such a time as you see fit to grace us with your presence again.”
As the last words echo into the air over Equestria, traveling distantly to where the Moon gazes perpetually, I know that my nation has heard me. Perhaps not every citizen heard my every word, but they will know.
For a few moments, Equestria has become still. The guards look upward at the Moon, their lips moving in a prayer for Her beauty to save our nation. The starved citizens stare terrified at her, their lives unready to end and their desperate struggle to survive about to be cut short if she ignores us. And I... I curse myself for not listening to Luna the very first time she asked to rule alongside me.
Then, quite simply, the Moon dips below the horizon. In its place, the Sun blazes alone once more.
I collapse to the ground, tears stinging my eyes. I did it, Luna. Equestria will be here for us to rule together.
“The ‘stached stallion stashed his ‘stache stash in the ‘stache trash, the ‘stached stallion stashed his ‘stache stash in the ‘stache trash, the ‘stached shtallion shtashed hish—argh!”
This humors us. Nightmare Moon is terrible at tongue twisters.
“Well, it would be easier if it made sense! What stallion stashes mustaches in a mushtache trash?” She feigns indignation, the ghost of a smile rippling over her face.
Suddenly, we feel the Moon move below us.
This is not something we have felt before. We are immediately afraid that something has gone wrong.
What would go wrong? We are imprisoned in the Moon. Even were we in danger, it would matter little.
The Moon comes to a halt, causing Nightmare Moon to nearly lose her balance and fall. The mare looks about the prison suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
We know as much about this matter as she does. There is no immediate explanation for this.
Perhaps, if we wait several more days, matters will become clear once again.