But Not Forgotten
Silence. That dreadful silence was all that surrounded Celestia as she sat in her sister's room in their castle. Silence was all that met her as she stared at the empty moon shaped bed before her, another dreadful reminder of her sister's absence. She had just finished making up the bed with fresh sheets and clean blankets. She had been doing this every week for the past year since her sister's banishment. This was her way of reminding herself to believe that Luna would someday, whenever that day might be, return to her. She had to keep thinking that. She had to.
She would never forget her sister. And as she had stated to her subjects a year before on that dreadful night, they would not forget her either. Tonight she would see to it. For tonight was the one year anniversary of that tragic day and would be the first day of mourning and prayer that Celestia had declared to be observed by all of Equestria. She can still remember the day that she made her dramatic declaration official.
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ONE YEAR AGO
"It shall be known as the Summer Moon Vigil."
Celestia looked out into the chambers of the Equestrian Parliament as they sat and stared at her as she read from her recently written document. All the nobles that sat in their red cushioned seats with tension as they looked up at their Princess sitting on her throne next to one that lay empty. None dared to voice their opinions on why the Lunar Throne was still sitting in the Canterlot Halls for one had already voiced such opinions and had been removed from the room on Celestia's order.
"As I stated before, it shall be a national day of mourning and prayer. Ponies of all ages shall gather in their respective communities and pay just tribute to their lost Princess. Their will be events to celebrate all that their Princess had provided for them; her stars, her guidance, her dreams. There will be mourning for the tragic loss that this nation has suffered when she was lost from us. And above all there shall be prayer. Prayer to the heavens that she is kept safe in her absence. Prayer to the Elements that they return her to us soon. And above all, prayer that when she returns to us, that she forgives us all for our abuse and neglect of her. That she forgives us for driving her away. That she forgives me for not loving her enough. Prayer for forgiveness. This is my word. Your own thoughts my lords and ladies?"
She left this question hanging in the air almost like a fisherpony leaves his line and bait in the water to catch a fish. She was looking in particular for the reactions of a select number of Nobles that she had learned were some of the most active in their verbal abuse of her sister. After a few moments of silence, at last one of the fish took the bait. Lord Gold Bar of Manehatten.
"Your Majesty." He said as he stood from his chair. "While we all certainly grieve for the loss of your sister, do you not think that is a bit extreme? Surely the day would be better suited for celebrating your victory over the demon Nightmare Moo...."
"Do not speak that name!"
All of the ponies in the room gulped as they began to see signs of Celestia's returning anger. It had been made very clear by Celestia that she would not hear her sister referred to in any way other that her true name Luna. Many were wondering why Gold Bar had felt it appropriate to speak that name at all.
"This is ridiculous your highness! Your sister chose to jump into the hooves of that demon like a giddy puppy! She chose to try and bring nighttime eternal on us all! Your preventing her from doing that warrants a celebration! We will grieve for your sister at a proper time!"
As Gold Bar finished his rant, Celestia was restraining herself. She did not want to blow up again like she had the previous day. Besides, she now had an excuse to exact some truly justified revenge on those ponies that had caused her sister's sorrow.
"Tell me something Lord Gold Bar. Do you love your wife?"
Silence reigned over the court as the question hung in the air over the lord. "What?" He said at last.
"Do you love your wife?" Celestia repeated. Gold Bar fidgeted in place for a bit before responding.
"Yes I do love my wife very much ma'am. Why do you ask?"
"Do you look forward to the nights when you can return home to her?"
"Yes." Gold Bar replied nervously.
"Do look forward to the evenings when you and your beloved wife share passion and intimate relations only those with true love in their hearts can experience?"
An awkward silence returned as Gold Bar blushed. "I...I hardly think that is an appropriate question to ask ma'am!" Gold Bar said in shock.
"Answer the question! Do you?" Celestia raised her voice.
Gold Bar looked around the room as if searching for a lifeline from any of his fellow nobles. When none appeared, he turned back towards his princess. "Yes." He said. "Yes I do look forward to those evenings."
Celestia now stood up and walked down the steps onto the floor of the chambers. "Then tell me Lord Gold Bar, why is it that you have branded the night as only the hours that the scum of creation reign?"
Gold Bar gulped as he realized why the Princess was asking this. "I...I...I have never...."
"Is that why you referred to my sister as the 'Dark Whore of The Night' whose only purpose was to 'please the dregs and beasts of the night with her hind legs spread wide'?!" Celestia voice got even louder.
Now Gold Bar was sweating a monsoon as the rest of the nobles looked at him with appalled expressions. While many of them had not thought much of Princess Luna and some had whispered about her behind her back at some point in time, not once among most of them had the term whore been applied. Eccentric, awkward, mysterious, maybe, but never whore. The rest of the nobles that had used such a term and others of equal venom now sat silent. They now wondered whether or not their Sun Princess new of their own conversations against Princess Luna.
Meanwhile after a few moments of standing there looking as if he were about to lose his bowels, Gold Bar threw himself at the hooves of his ruler.
"Your Majesty! I b-beg for your forgiveness! It was nothing! I never meant any harm by it!"
"If that had been true" Celestia said as she looked down at the noble in anger. "You would've apologized for your words long before she was lost from us. Now it is too late for her, and too late for you. GUARDS!"
Suddenly the main doors into the hall burst open and four armored Royal Guards appeared and marched up behind Gold Bar. The rest of the nobles watched in fear.
"Remove Lord Gold Bar's Parliament Sash."
Gold Bar looked up at Celestia in shock. He was so stunned that he didn't even hesitate when the guard on his left ripped from his barrel the maroon sash that signified a member of Parliament. He watched as Celestia grabbed it with her magic and, to his enforced horror, watched go up in flames and burn to ash before his eyes. When it had fully burned, Celestia released the ashes and allowed to pile up at the hooves of the former member of Parliament.
"You, Lord Gold Bar, are charged with Lèse-majesté; treason against the crown. By all rights and traditions of my forebears you should swing from the gallows. But where you showed no compassion, I shall. You are therefore removed from the Parliament and stripped of your National Government Title. You are also banished from the city of Canterlot and shall return to Manehatten immediately, where all shall know of your crimes. Leave my sight now and never return!"
"No" Gold Bar said softly as the guards grabbed him and began to drag him from the room. "You can't do this! Please! Your majesty have mercy! Please! Please! I BEG YOU! YOUR MAJESTY!!! PLEASE!!!
He continued to shout until the doors to the hall were closed with a loud boom. All the nobles left in the hall turned their heads to their ruler nervously as she stood there glaring at the doors.
"I know that Gold Bar was not the only one among you who is guilty of such crimes. He shall be the example of what is to come from besmirching my sister's good name. The Summer Moon Vigil will be held one year from yesterday on the anniversary of my sister's banishment. But you nor I should wait until then to repent. From now on, any history books that do not portray my sister as the true angel that she was shall not be published. Any so called facts that are not screened for legitimacy will be cut from the pages. The stained glass window in the great hall shall portray to loss of a knight, not the defeat of a beast. We will remember my sister. She will not fade from our memory. She will return."
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Celestia sat in her office in her office now as she went over the final preparations for tonights vigil. The first Summer Moon Vigil since her sister was lost. She hoped that there would not be too many more. Overall however, she was proud of how far ponies had come since that dreadful day. She had begun to receive letters of condolences from across the nation stating the sorrow at the loss of her sister. What made her truly happy were the thousands of letters of apology that she had received. Apologies to both her and apologies to her sister. This in her mind was truly a sign that her subjects were on their way to being the welcoming hooves that would greet Luna when she returned.
Just then, a knock came from the door of her office, startling Celestia as she had been lost in thought. "Your Majesty?" Came a voice.
"Enter." Celestia replied. In response, the door clicked open an in walked a tall and muscular thestral, his yellow feline eyes glowing and leather bat wings clutched to his side as his perfectly polished Lunar Guard armor shined in the dusk light that shown through the windows. He stopped a few feet inside the door and bowed, which Celestia returned.
"It is time." The Guard said. Celestia nodded and followed the Guard out the door as he turned to leave.
When Celestia looked at the Lunar Guards, she felt a strong pain in her heart. Luna had always stated that she considered the thestrals of her beloved Guard to be her "children". They were her responsibility as she had stated that they were also "the most misunderstood creatures in all of Equestria." When Celestia had to deliver to them the news that their beloved Princess was gone and that she had been responsible for her banishment, she was almost certain they would hate her. She had in effect banished their mother. She had stood before them in their barracks with tears streaming down her face as she awaited their hate. She accepted it and simply waited for it to come.
However, something else happened entirely. As she hung her head in shame, she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. When she looked up, she was staring into the watery eyes of a grey thestral mare with dark brown hair. The mare smiled a sorrowful yet sympathetic smile, one that had a simple message; our loss is you loss. We shall bear it together. One by one the members of the Lunar Guard took two steps forward behind the comrade and began to bow before her. When the last one behind her had bowed, the mare that had come up to Celestia bowed as well. For a moment, Celestia stood there in shock at the gesture. Why were they doing this? At last the mare before her spoke up.
"Our Mother always spoke of you with love. She never truly hated you in any way. We know that this was not your desire. We know what you have pledged to do. We know that you will make sure that our mother is not forgotten. So we pledge this to you." With that, each guard rose up and placed their right hooves to their barrels. Then, all in perfect unison, spoke words that Celestia truly didn't expect.
"We pledge to follow you in your quest to return our Mother to us. We pledge to assist in your journey to keep her glorious memory alive. We swear loyalty to you as her sister to follow you to Tartarus and back to achieve these goals. We pledge our lives to this cause as we pledged our lives to her. Et Lunam, hoc promittunt."
For a moment, Celestia sat there in stunned silence. She had expected hatred, shouting, threats towards her and Equestria. Not this. It was then that she chastised herself for even doubting these ponies for even a fraction of a second. They were true and loyal Equestrians and she never should have doubted that. Standing up, she herself placed her right hoof over her barrel.
"I pledge this to you my sister's children, that I shall return your mother to you. She will return, I swear upon my life. Et Lunam, haec locutus sum."
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Ponies filled the square of Canterlot to capacity. Every pony in Canterlot had turned out for the first Summer Moon Vigil in honor and memorial of their lost Lunar Princess. It was an awe inspiring sight as Celestia made her way toward the center of the crowd. All ponies were dressed in black cloaks with a moon shaped pin clasping them to their bodies. Many of the mares wore moon shaped earrings from their ears while others the shape of stars. All present held onto small glowing lanterns, even foals carried miniature versions of the adults. As Celestia made her way to a small stage in the center of the crowd, the ponies fell silent. Their leader was dressed in a similar manner as the rest of them, in a long black cloak, pinned with the moon clasp. Atop her head was not her usual golden crown, but a simple silver circlet with nebula patterns tracing it. When she reached the stage, all ponies bowed down before her.
"Citizens of Equestria." She spoke softly. "We are gathered here today for a truly solemn occasion. To remember the Princess that we tragically lost not a year ago this night. That night we lost much more than a Princess. We lost a guardian. a kind soul, a beloved mother, a beloved sister, and a dear friend." She looked out over the crowd as she began to here what she thought were sniffles before continuing.
"When we lost her, we were forced to reconcile that her loss was for the most part on our shoulders. We did not show the appreciation worthy of her work, we did not show her the proper kindness that friendship warrants, nor the compassion and love to see that she was in pain. We were ignorant to all of these things, myself included. We made a grave mistake, the consequences of that mistake are felt by I and everypony in Equestria today."
She paused as she breathed to keep herself from falling apart. "But let us not wallow in the abyss of despair, but take the first steps out. Today we not only gather to mourn the loss, but to pray and hope for the return. Pray and hope that one day in Equestria's future, ponies will once again lay eyes on their beloved Princess. That she will return to guide us through the night and comfort us in our slumbers. We also pray that when she returns, that she will accept our most sincere apologies. Apologies for not showing her the compassion owed to every creature in Equestria. Apologies for not showing the proper appreciation for her work. And apologies for not being there for her in her time of sorrow. We pray together. We are sorry Luna. Luna nos dimittimus."
The last phrase was repeated by all present in the crowd. Soon ponies began to lift up their lanterns to their faces. They then began to whisper their own silent prayers into the lanterns, even the children. Then Celestia turned to a group of ponies with stringed instruments and nodded and they began to play a sad melancholy hymn that had been composed in honor of their lost Princess.
When the hymn started, Celestia grabbed her own lantern and leaned in to whisper her prayer. Then she released it and it began to float gracefully up towards the stars in the bright sky. Hers was the cue for all the other lanterns to be released as well and thousands of bright lanterns began to float up towards the moon. The sight brought tears to almost all eyes as the bright prayers headed towards the heavens. All that could be heard was the music as it continued to play.
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On the surface of the moon, a Lunar Alicorn wept. She had not stopped weeping for a year since that horrible day when she had allowed herself to be tricked by that demon. That horrible choice had cost her company with her beloved sister. The lies that the demon had told to her. And she had believed them. Now she was all alone with not a single soul to ......
"We are sorry Luna."
Luna perked up as she heard what she thought was the voice of a young child. Looking around she suddenly saw a lantern floating nearby. The voice was coming from the lantern. Walking over it, she began to see more floating in her direction. As they did, even more voices began to emit from them.
"Forgive us your majesty."
"Please return to us."
"We beg for your forgiveness."
"How could we?"
"I love your night"
"Your stars are truly beautiful"
"Thank you for all that you have done."
But the one voice that brought tears of sorrowful joy to Luna's eyes came from a specific lantern in the thousands that floated around her.
"I will wait dear sister. I will wait for you Lulu."
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........ okay this is going into Tyrant territory now.
7283864 don't worry she calms down. Gold Bar will be ok. We all do things we regret in times of great distress
7283881 Yeah but that's REALLY pushing it and made out of anger rather then real reason. It's clear the guy wanted to apologize but Celestia just kicked him out like trash. While I agree his words about Luna were bad that still doesn't warrant him getting banished or losing his job. You know the.... ONE THING keeping his family afloat.
7283887 as I said. Don't worry
7283949 Um... she was sorrowful. In case you missed towards the ending and even the flashback in Season 4's opening Celestia highly regretted sending Luna away. She had no other choice. She was called Luna and they do acknowledge that she's Celestia's sister.
7283887 Did he want to apologize out of true repentance, or to save his own skin? It's like when I was a child and was being punished for something, and I would say I was sorry. My mother would always ask.
"Do you regret what you did, or do you regret that you're being punished for what you did?"
I think we have our answer, in his case, in that he was still referring to Luna as Nightmare Moon, and suggesting a huge holiday of celebration instead of a day of remembrance.
In either case, Gold Bar's punishment served two purposes. First, to smack him around for insulting Luna, and secondly it was a bit of a warning to others that Celestia was serious. The edict carries real weight. Before they may have thought her earlier proclamation was due to excessive emotion. Now? Now they know.
However, you can also see that she was not being as harsh as she could have been. Lèse-majesté does not just make the insult a crime. It makes it treason, punishable by death if Celestia wishes.
In truth, Celestia barely did a thing to him compared to what she could have done. He and his loved ones are alive, with his most serious loss being his job with the government. They will recover, given time.
7284003 No now they know ANYTHING that would dishonor Luna even something SMALL is going to get them in a shit load of trouble. Who's to say eventually Celestia goes overly emotional and nearly EVERYTHING may eventually be seen as offensive to Luna? We may know it's not true but they don't. As a benevolent ruler Celestia's job is supposed to be as neutral as possible rather then let her emotions run wild like she has so far.
7284008 That is a risk, and one which the author may touch on, but given who Celestia is? Her emotions will likely cool with time, so that only legitimate affronts will be sought out and punished, and not as harshly as the initial punishment.
Gold Bar was merely setting an example of how far she would go if given cause.
I would also point out that while Celestia and Luna were generally kind and gentle, they are also tyrants whose legal authority, in the show, is effectively absolute.
Finally, perhaps that was the point she was trying to make? That she is setting a Zero Tolerance policy.
7284027 Yes because becoming another Sombra is such a good idea after losing your sibling.
Edit: Also last I checked they didn't take over their country. They saved the whole damn world from Discord by turning him to stone.
7284031 You need to be less emotional and think about things. Harsh punishments =/= Instant Villain.
Princess Celestia has realized the abuse which her citizens heaped on Luna, as well as her own neglect, led to her fall to Nightmare Moon, leading to her exile. In a way, she is accomplishing two goals here.
1). Ensuring that Luna will be remembered favorably, and that the difference between Luna and Nightmare is kept alive in memory, so that when Luna returns she will be treated with decency and respect.
2). Punishing the heartless bastards who drove her beloved sister to madness.
Note, she did not order the history books expunged completely. She merely said that anything about Luna the books held which did not stand up to checks for accuracy would be purged. Perfectly reasonable.
I would also point out that Gold Bar essentially called Luna a whore.
If she were going mad here, she would be much more extreme. Likely she would have purged all of Parliament.
7284055 .... fine.
I like it so far hope to read more soon
7283663 "Mare in the Moon? But I thought that was just an old pony tail"
7284058 That was not a personal attack. Do yourself a favor, and do not take it as one.
7284079 Wow could that SOUND anymore condescending?
Edit: I am sorry I just get easily frustrated. I also think most stories involving Celestia acting well beyond what she should as ruler irks me and nine times out of ten they've ended with her becoming a tyrant.
7284086 That was not my intent.
Essentially, the royal sisters are tyrants, if not in the sense most people think of it. The word did not always have the negative implications it does today, meaning merely a ruler with absolute authority.
I would advise working on the easy frustration issue. It can lead to a lot of strife in places like this.
7284129 I understand.
7284055 Personally, I would have granted him one final night with his wife then holding a public execution.
They were celebrating Celestia getting rid of a horrible monster. Why shouldn't she be celebrated for getting rid of another?
Ok, as of right now, loving how this story is going. Not only are we getting some good character development for Celestia, seeing her in the grieving process, and indeed being VERY MUCH quick to anger due to that, but we are ALSO seeing the consciousness of the ponies of Equestria as they are now confronted with loss. The Summer Sun Celebration let them forget, and in turn forgetting meant that the whole cycle could begin again. Through memory, there is less risk of it. Granted, it could still go wrong, the Nightmare isn't gone completely, not by a long shot I'd say. But this will properly put Luna at odds with the entity as time goes on.
I'm also curious as to how the ensuing Centuries will play out. With Luna being someone generation of Ponies have never seen, and they all grow up without her to protect their dreams as she once did. This will make the following vigils more interesting as to how they effect Luna's banishment. Overall, I'm very intrigued, and the messages actually reaching Luna, and her reaction to Celestia's made my heart ache. Well done, and looking forward to more.
7284230 The impression I get here is that Celestia is trying to send a twofold message.
1). Those who insult or demonize Luna will be punished for it.
2). Having said that, Celestia is still in her right mind, and capable of showing restraint.
Considering how above her subjects Celestia is (regardless of how she acts), you have to wonder why Gold Bar thought it would be a good idea to insult her sister right in front of her. I probably could see someone losing their job for that, it would be like walking up to the Prime Minister and insulting their daughters. They're probably not going to take it lying down.
Talk about tear jerker
7283864 You have to remember. She is very distraught about what has happened, and extremely emotional having lost her sister. I could see this happening very clearly in my mind.
7284566 I assume you mean the U.K. Prime Minister, but if not, well...this still applies.
I would imagine if one of his Cabinet Secretaries walked up to David Cameron and told him his daughters were both whores, that individual would shortly be on the back benches again, at the very minimum.
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Haven't read it yet, but letting Luna fade into myth makes a lot of sense. Trying to tell ponies' that a pony they can't visit is substantially different than the tales which their parents passed on, that are technically true, is no easy task and might be impossible. By allowing them to forget just about everything, all negative connections can be removed utterly by time. Whether that is the best course ultimately depends on your headcanon of Luna and what exactly led up to her violent conflict with Celestia and how she was defeated.
7285243 Personally I believe that was due to time restraints. The episode is in fact only about 20 minutes long. Hard to fit a long desperate plea into a 20 minute period. Also I want to point out that this is my own interpretation.
Eh, I find the Luna-apologism to be tiring at times. Gold Bar just comes off as a strawman rather than a character in his own right; I mean, regardless of what Celestia thinks, Luna did willingly become a would-be usurper with the combined intentions of sororicide and regicide.
We see Luna's untainted personality in Season 2, arriving in a storm of thunder upon a chariot pulled by batponies, wearing a cloak of bats and then proceeding to freak out the entire population of Ponyville. Is it any wonder ponies would have been leery of her? Hell, I don't even see what the common pony has to apologize for; it's not their fault the night is a time of rest and unwinding, especially with things such as nocturnal predators running around and when you consider that most ponies are diurnal.
The fault of the Fall can be laid at the hooves of Sunbutt and, to a greater extent, Moonbutt.
7285340 Willingly? If memory serves, it is said openly that both Celestia and the populace ignored her, which in turn drove her into her actions.
I personally feel it is likely she was not mentally stable when Nightmare Moon made her approach.
7285623 Ponies tend to follow Celestia's lead, and their neglect of Luna was never malicious that we know, leaving aside a few cases. So it is likely if Celestia brought it to their attention, they would begin to regret what had been done.
There
7285946
I'm just not quite sure how "didn't appreciate her night" turns into "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead!"
When you say 'moon shaped' anything, I'm not sure if you mean crescent or full. Like, the earrings are probably crescent moons since a full moon would just mean they were silver disks, but then I wonder about Luna's bed, which you also said was moon shaped. Like, is it just a big, circular bed, or is it a crescent mattress? The latter seems like it would be bothersome.
7283864
...Wait, she isn't a Tyrant?
Any singular ruler over a governmental system can be called a Tyrant, although the word itself originates from the Roman Tradition of Tyrants, in which a random citizen would become absolute leader of Rome for a 6 month period, and then abdicate for the next. This system worked without fail or error for over a thousand years, until a power grab was made and Julius Caesar, rightfully, felt that he was being shafted.
Benevolent Dictators are a thing. And, unlike in the real world where they are generally killed or corrupted by/into a more brutal one, Celestia has the power to keep her position without any form of change from herself for others.
"You're gonna listen to me and do what I say cause you were dicks."
"Oh yeah, well make us!"
"No daytime then."
"Oh, shit."
"But-But how are we gonna eat, and not freeze?!"
"Well I don't know about you, but i have an almost limitless amount of this thing called magic, a near unassailable mountain fortress, friends who have repented or never were dicks in the first place, and a legion of loyal, pissed off guards. Wanna say you're sorry?"
"W-Well what about the other countries, like Saddle Arabia, and-and the Minotaurs."
"The minotaurs are right asshats too, the Diamond Dogs don't even eat vegetation, Dragons don't eat vegetation, meat, or give a fuck about actual heat, and Saddle Arabia is a protectorate of Equestria. They don't really gotta say sorry cause of distance, but hey! Social tension is gonna start to pressure you a bit soon, if nothing else."
Shame this is alternate universe and not cannon. This makes Celestia a MUCH better character than what we've seen.
But the series wouldn't have started if Luna's history wasn't burned out and the only thing about her was a fairy tale no one believed.
I prefer this story's take one their history.
7286009 why no both? have a silver disk with a cresent extrusion, representing the full, Gibbous and cresent moon, the bed can have a cresent headboard, with a psuedo-hidden trunk within, for bedtime reading, and personal items. boom, moon shaped. no I haven't read this, but I'll edit if it doesn't work.
Nice work so far, well done.
7286100 A thousand years is a long time though. Something leads me to believe this could actually be canon - we never see the creation of the Summer Sun Celebration, nor the aftermath-proper of the banishing of Nightmare Moon.
Obviously the cartoon's version would be lighter in tone, but it's almost bound to have been a severely depressing moment for Celestia, who probably wouldn't have wanted that day to be celebrated at first.
While some might see her as becoming a tyrant here, I see this turning Luna into more of a religious deity from this. Wouldn't that be ironic? In the original version she became known as a demon, but in this version she becomes more of a Messianic Arch-type.
I am really curious as to how this plays out in the time of the Season Premier.
Gotta say that i love this story so far. I'm a very emotional person when reading stories so this made me tear up a bit, i can't wait for more.
Mega Pony wants more of this.
So far, so good. And sad. But good. Really looking forward to where this goes and I really hope it becomes a finished story and not left to die like so many other good stories on this site.
I've been wanting a fic like this since The Return of Princess Nightmare Moon. Very well done. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
Wow two chapters and I'm hooked not bad
Keep up that imagination of yours
great job with chapter 2
This is quite interesting, to say the least. You have grabbed my attention.
Everyone seems to be commenting on Celestia's treatment of Gold Bar... But in all honesty, that's not the portion of Celestia's behavior that disturbs me. This is the part that disturbs me...
Smacking around an uppity noble because he was behaving like trash... Especially when emotionally distraught due to the loss of a sibling... I can buy that. It's debatable whether or not it was justified, but it's a minor thing...
THAT on the other hand, is major league censorship and historical revisionism... Dropping kicking a few bottom feeders is one thing, but telling the entire population that "I, Celestia, have decided on what the truth is, and nobody is going to be alloiwed to say or write anything but my truth, or else." is another. And that, to me, seems like a much greater crime.
Mind you, I'm finding this story interesting and far more reasonable / believable than canon. Especially because I can't conceive at to how a ruler and demi-godess could be forgotten in a mere thousand years.. Unless Celestia was actively suppressing and twisting the historical in the same fashion as above, only in reverse...
While it looks like you might need a proof reader the story concept is very engaging. You haven't gotten to the present yet with Twilight and the rest but I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Upvoted and Faved.
7288260 make note that the she said that the books would be screened for legitimacy. That means fact-checking. I know that the sentence before that makes it sound like Celestia will decide what the truth is but that was not my intention in my portrayal. My intention was that anything that was proven false would not be allowed to be published. Think of it like if someone wrote in a history book that Napoleon won at Waterloo or that slavery never existed in America. Or if there were some facts about a historical event like WW1 or the Civil Rights Movement that were false. That's what I meant and ultimately that is what Celestia meant. And the stained glass window; In my world (my brain) Luna was a soldier through and through. She just seems that way. The loss of a brave soldier deserves to be immortalized. Why do we have so many statues in our world dedicated to such instances. In my world, Luna was stricken with grief, not jealousy and Nightmare Moon took advantage of that. Luna realized immediately that she had made a mistake but had no control as Nightmare Moon had taken control.
Also, in relation to the comments on Celestia's behavior, yes it seems inappropriate in a modern sense, but this is Equestria a thousand years ago. As time evolves, so will she.
I'm guessing that by the time of the series, the later Faithful Students pretty much know that they may be instrumental in bringing back Princess Luna, rather than the runaround that Celestia did in canon with Twilight. It could also be part of the reason WHY Sunset Shimmer abandoned Equestria, because Celestia basically abandoned her once Twilight's cutie mark came in and Celestia recognized it from the Tree of Harmony.
By the end of the second chapter I was almost in tears after reading that Luna has spent the last year in tears and all those lanterns carrying the prayers of Equestria, praying for her safe return, showing that she has not been forgotten and that they are starting to forgive her.
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To be a bit overly dramatic, that's what all censors say. A lot of things we say on a daily basis are not "fact," though. Opinions, interpretations, speculation, judgments, those are not true in a proper sense. The truth is that, to me, Celestia doesn't really come across as interested in the truth at all, in any part of this. She has decided what the truth is supposed to be and everyone else is going to go along or they can go hang, no matter what their own wishes are.