//------------------------------// // A New Beginning // Story: From the Eternal Love of a Sister // by Scootareader //------------------------------// How long have we been trapped here? A century? Two centuries? Moon, give us strength. Nightmare Moon has lost herself. She spends most days wandering aimlessly, saying nothing, doing nothing. She does not respond to any of our queries or pleas for attention. We have lost her as surely as we lost ourselves on the day that she took charge. No amount of punishment is worth this solitary existence. For approximately the first 20 years, we understood the reasons that the Elements of Harmony held for our imprisonment. Now, it truly feels to us to be torture. Is this what it means to be a ruler? To always be alone, apart from all? Celestia seems to be a part of the life of the common pony. It is unjustifiable that we must be the one to forever bear this burden of being alone. Even the Elements of Harmony, in their infinite wisdom, imprisoned me where the Moon, in Her infinite wisdom, contains us. We cannot question the absolute judgment of the Elements, nor that of the Moon. This is a rightly deserved punishment. Despite our resolve to carry out our sentence with candor, we cannot help but feel the unfairness of the situation. Celestia, the catalyst for our dissatisfaction, now rules alone, as she has always done in practice if not officially. We, on the other hoof, have been written out of the equation entirely. Our sister becomes more tyrannical every hour that we are trapped here, exponentializing the suffering inflicted upon us. If there is anything we care about in our small existence, it is that of our nation. Here, sealed off from them, unable to see, to hear, to know the citizens of Equestria, we worry that my sister has done wrong by them. Perhaps several decades ago, we attempted to sojourn into the world of dreams once more. The isolation had gripped us, and we wanted any means of contact with the outside world. We felt wrong for cheating our punishment, but we tried anyway. Ultimately, we failed, as we have no more magic of my own. We are no more than a voice in the head of an insane pony. We attempted to convince Nightmare Moon to try, but she dismissed our idea as a ridiculous notion. Perhaps, had we tried again as she began the descent into madness, things would have been different and she would have guided us to the sleeping citizens as we have done so many times before. We require a bridge of her to reach them, and she has severed the ropes. “A creature of nightmares has no place in the dreams of her citizens.” We are no creature of nightmares. We bring peace and joy to the sleeping citizens of Equestria. “I meant me, you foal,” Nightmare Moon drawls. “There is no reason to hope until the both of us escape.” She has not spoken to us in... too long to remember. It is good to hear her voice again. “And I can’t hear you. I can only think the same thoughts you have, in a way. It torments me whenever I talk to you. I don’t like it.” You needn’t speak with us. Only use your magic as a bridge to the river of Equestria, where we may observe and reach into the dreams of the sleeping ponies. We will bring back stories of what they experience. You shall be entertained. “I’ve nothing else to use all this power on. Fine.” Nightmare Moon’s horn flares as she closes her eyes, opening a road to the river. Immediately, we dive headlong into the subconscious. It is wonderful to experience these things once more. We tread our mind just above, peering downward into the lost inhibitions of Equestria. Relatively quickly, we find a small green earth pony whose dream catches our eye. We see a schoolhouse filled with other foals, their coat colors a pastel backdrop against the wooden walls and floors she imagines. She slyly peeks over at a pegasus colt across the room, scribbling on a piece of paper. We dive into the dream, drawing on the magic which Nightmare Moon offers to us. Once there, we look over the shoulder of the filly at what she is writing on her piece of paper. Her hoofwriting and language skills require more study, but it is legible. Scrawled on the small piece of looseleaf, it says, “WIL YOU BE MYSPESHAL SUMPONEE.” The simple innocence brings a smile to our face. Our face. We have a face again. Is it ours, or that of the mare who controls us? No time to wonder. We are in the dream of another. We watch as she silently slides the note to the filly adjacent to her, who leans over to grasp the paper in her teeth. The new filly then cranes her head to the next pony over, the note slowly working its way to the other side of the room, where the colt disinterestedly looks outside at the sunny playground. The note eventually reaches the colt, who reads it, then looks directly at the filly who wrote it. She smiles and winks at him. He turns the note over and quickly scribbles something onto it, then hoofs it back to the pony who delivered it to him. The note finally returns to the filly, whose hooves shake with anticipation. She turns the note over to see two large letters staring back at her. Immediately, all of the ponies in the class turn to her, laughing mockingly. She hides her head under her hooves, trying to pull down her ears to drown out their callous taunting. Before matters can degrade any further, we step forth and place my hoof upon the filly’s shoulder. She jumps, then looks up and sees me. She does not recognize us, a look of confusion adorning her face. We look deeply into the filly’s eyes, speaking as much out of my heart as we can. “Thou needn’t fear the mocking laughter of classmates. They understand not your feelings for another, and so they laugh to cover their lack of understanding. Be true to yourself and he will notice you.” The filly beams. “Who are you?” Who are we? Are we Princess Luna? Nightmare Moon? We have no body to call our own, no mind to claim as our sole property. We are something else entirely. “We are the Watcher of Dreams. If ever there is too much for you to bear alone, come to our realm and we will find you. Sleep soundly, young filly.” With all set right in this filly’s dream, we rise once more to the surface of the river. We know not how much longer we have until morning arrives, but this is a way to be with my subjects. We will be thankful for whatever means are given us. Why has Canterlot succumbed to the forest now, of all times? It has been 500 years into Luna’s imprisonment, and 500 years have yet to happen. I thought the worst was behind me at this point. There have been reports of strange plant growth all over Canterlot. The surrounding forest is thwarting whatever magical barriers we cast with its insistence, their gnarled limbs breaking apart the paved streets of the city and wrapping around the squat marble structures which make up the ponies’ homes. There has been demand for action from the affected citizens, but there is little that I can do against the powers of nature. There has been no reason at all for this. Whether there is sunshine or rain, whether the Sun is up or the Moon, whether the citizens are happy or sad, they grow and they consume our city. The forest has always been peaceful. So close to the Tree of Harmony, it would make sense that only things with good intentions can grow in the earth. These plants, though... they seem random, even vehement. As if they’re angry we intruded on their land. For weeks, the forest has been overtaking us. I have not seen such wanton disregard for others since Discord last walked this land. And now, as in his case, I’ve no idea what to do. The decision should be obvious: Pick up and move elsewhere. But this is my home. This is Luna’s home. It has been our home since before I can even remember, much less my little sister. Perhaps Mother knew of another home, once. What would Luna want? Long ago, before Equestria was founded, the earth ponies lived upon the ground, the unicorns in the mountains, and the pegasi in the clouds. Each of them worked hard in their own way. The unicorns had a group of eight of the more powerful among them. This select group was able to raise the Sun and Moon without exhausting individuals over time, so they could be depended upon to maintain the cycles of Sun and Moon. This power over day and night made the unicorns boastful and arrogant, although only a handful were selected for the duty of raising the Sun and Moon in their lifetimes. This righteous air they carried severely hampered their relations with the other ponies. Similarly, the pegasi had a dedicated weather team. Two dozen among their hundreds handled the weather as requested by the earth ponies, ensuring that there were seasons, sunshine, and inclement weather. This made the race feel entitled, having power over others’ abilities to grow and thrive as they did. The earth ponies as a whole were a hard-working, simple society. Due to their intimate connection with the earth, these ponies disliked leaving the ground for any reason. Nearly all of them farmed or helped farmers, giving each of them a strong sense of what true labor and effort meant. Even after Equestria was established by the three races, there was a large amount of dissent among their number. They finally had broken the barriers preventing individuals from being friends, but there was still a racial stigma that swiftly deteriorated any bridges that had been made. The actions of Clover the Clever, Private Pansy, and Smart Cookie were what Equestria needed, but their friendship was looked upon as an exception to the rule in most cases. It was not until Discord arrived, took over Equestria in the name of chaos, then was subsequently defeated by Luna and myself that we had a chance to change the viewpoints of ponies. Luna and I spoke at some length of where we would establish Canterlot, and the land of the earth ponies was decided. We built Canterlot firmly on the ground. The pegasi came to us shortly afterward. “Princesses, why build your city on the ground? The clouds are much better suited for looking out over your beautiful kingdom.” “You cannot grow food in the sky,” was our reply. “Food is the most important commodity Equestria needs, and we wish to share in the wisdom the earth ponies have in being close to the earth.” Next came the unicorns. “Princesses, why not build your city in the mountains? It brings you closer to the beautiful Sun and Moon, and you no longer must wallow in the mud that the ground produces.” “We prefer hard work,” Luna and I told them. “We acknowledge that every earth pony contributes to all races, and it is food grown by their hoof which lies upon your table. Were it not for them, your race would starve.” The unicorns, disliking our royal dismissal of their culture, decided on a more hard-nosed course of action than the pegasi had. They attempted to sour relations with the other races by lowering both the Sun and Moon, destroying any semblance of normalcy that Equestria had at this point. Luna and I, seeing the danger about to overcome our fledgling nation, immediately agreed to take over the solar and lunar cycles, undoing what centuries of arrogance had instilled into the unicorns. When the Sun rose the next morning, we received a formal apology from Princess Platinum, as well as a request to have a residence established for her in Canterlot. We granted her request, as well as the subsequent requests from Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead, and gave the three of them homes next to one another in the district closest to the castle. This symbol of unity became the beginning of the end of the segregation of the races. What would Luna make of this impossible choice? There is no other land so well-established for hundreds of miles. We chose this land because it was central to everything. That we would live among the earth ponies as equals was a symbol, a very powerful message to all ponies. Would that message be diminished over time if we were to move our home? There’s no helping it, Luna. I have to do something. “Guard! Take a note, please. I, Princess Celestia, decree that, due to hazardous living conditions at its current location, Canterlot will be re-established upon the side of Rambling Rock Mountain.”