Will You Dream For Me, Dear Sister?

by Irrespective

Do you have a moment, Luna?

Hello Luna.

…

*sigh* I don’t even know if you can hear me right now.

But I need to talk to you. You’re the only one who could really understand me right now.

So hopefully you can.

I can’t believe it's already been a year, you know? It feels like just yesterday when…

…

Sorry, there's some dust in my eyes.

There. That’s better.

I still dream about it, you know. I’m not sure if it means anything, but I always seem to go back to when you transformed.

I don’t think I’ll ever get over that. Not fully, anyway.

I asked Starswirl and the Hoofsayers what happened to you, what you’re dealing with now. No pony is really sure, sadly.

Some think you are on the surface of the moon, scheming and plotting and calculating a way to get back and take your revenge. Most think you've been banished in the moon, like spending time in the dungeons, and that’s why we see your silhouette on the surface now.

Starswirl thinks you’re in something called ‘suspended animation', where you don’t really feel or sense anything. He explained it was like when you freeze something with an ice beam: the thing inside the ice is still alive, but it can’t tell anything beyond that until it thaws. He also tried to explain that it was like you were in some kind of in between state: alive but not, capable of feeling but unaware that you are, still here and yet apart. You know how his descriptions of things always confuses me, so I finally just had to nod and say “oh, ok” even though I still have no idea.

I wish you were here to explain it to me. You were always good at explaining things clearly.

At any rate, the one thing the Hoofsayers all agree on is how long you’ll be stuck wherever it is you are.

…

Um…

They say it’s going to take a thousand years to cure you.

I know, I know. I didn’t believe them at first either. I actually laughed in their collective faces. I honestly thought this might be a five to ten year thing at worst, you know? Just some time apart for both of us to cool down and gain level heads.

But even Starswirl was adamant. A thousand years.

They tell me its because of how I used the Elements. No one pony was ever supposed to use all six together, so the fact that I, an Alicorn, used them the way I did means I unintentionally put way too much power into it.

The other part of the problem is that the Elements stopped working for me.

I’m sure that makes your Nightmare side gleefully happy, but it is the truth. Again, because I used them all at once it seems like I burned them out.

I found this out about four months ago. We had three sirens show up, and they really started to cause problems. They could sing ponies into fighting, somehow, and then harvest the negative energy from the fighting to make themselves more powerful.
So, I go barging up to them, like I usually do. I demand they stop, or suffer my wrath if they don't. They scoff and dismiss me, saying they have more magic power than I do. Typical hero/villain monologue stuff, nothing special. I then pulled out the Elements, with this cool dramatic swoop and a “here's my superweapon, what’s yours?” look of smugness, that one I’d been working on for months.

The same one you have down pat.

They looked scared for a minute, until I tried to use them. Once nothing happened, they laughed hysterically and then attacked.
I won’t bore you with the details of the battle right now, but it was close. I really missed having your close-quarters experience with me. That would have made a huge difference.

Anyway, after the fight I still had the problem of what to do with them. I didn’t want to imprison them, they could just get some guards to fight and have all the energy they needed. Starswirl then told me he’d just perfected an alternate dimension spell. We could just send them through that, he said, and then they would never have magic again and thus couldn’t return.

I agreed, mostly because I didn’t have a sure way of imprisoning them, but do you know what he did then? He said he had to use my vanity mirror, the one that charming prince from Saddle Arabia sent to me for Hearts and Hooves day a few years ago. He said it would work the best, but I think he was punishing me a bit too.

Oh, he was livid when he found out about our fight. Went on and on about how Equestria needed two rulers. He still grouses about it from time to time.

He is right, though. I had no idea you did so much around here! I feel like I’m swimming in molasses sometimes with trying to keep up with everything. I can see why you became jealous. If we had swapped places, I would have grown bitter too.

There was a lot I was blind to, huh?

…

It really is my fault. Everything that happened; that’s happening now. Your banishment. The dead elements. Starswirl.

Oh forgive me, Starswirl.

He, um…

…

He passed away last Thursday.

Yes, his health had been failing for a while, I know. But I can’t help but feel like I gave him a strong push in the wrong direction.
He took your banishment the hardest, aside from me. He never said it out loud, but I think losing his most faithful student hurt him in a way that he could never recover from.

He went a little loopy a little bit before the end, too. He started working on a new spell, and I mean new as in not based on any known magic. I’m not quite sure what he was trying to do with it, but it seems like it’s meant to change a pony's destiny.

I think he was trying to change what happened to you.

His funeral was earlier today. I just flat cancelled the Summer Sun Celebration this year. My heart wasn’t into it to start with, and then this happened. I just couldn’t find a reason to celebrate. I’m sure many ponies were disappointed but give it a hundred years or so and no pony will remember.
I mean most have already forgotten about Discord.

I just….

Just…

I just feel so lonely now.

I know, your Nightmare side is loving all of this. “Oh, the brave and beloved Celestia, who is surrounded day and night by endless worshippers, is lonely?”

And the answer is yes.

It terrifies me to be alone like this.

I love my little ponies, don’t get me wrong. And I would die for them in a heartbeat.

But they don’t know me.

They don’t know my anguish, my remorse, my problems. All they see is perfect Celestia, the bringer of the day. It’s the fact that they worship me that makes it impossible to have friendships with them. I mean, how can I be a true friend to somepony who fawns over me, kisses my hooves, and declares the very ground I have stood on to be holy?

Somehow worship and friendship got confused, I think.

But you told me that would happen, didn’t you? You warned me, cautioned me. “The ponies will come to adore you because you are protecting them. Don’t let it go to your head, Celestia. Your ego will quickly become your undoing.”

And you were right, like always.

So now I suppose I have to fix things. I don’t know if I can ever get my little ponies to stop idolizing me, but perhaps they can see I’m not all they make me out to be either. Perhaps if they see me at my worst, or when I’m in one of my mischievous moods.

I don’t know.

I think that’s what really scares me, above anything else. This is the first time in my life that I’ve not had a clear answer to my problems. I can’t just use my magic to clear this away, or fly high enough to escape it. I have to figure this out, and I have to do it without you.

And I’m not sure that I can.

I suppose I have to. If I don’t, the Nightmare has won. I might as well have let you keep the moon up and walked away.

So, I guess I’ll do what I can. I’m going to try, and that’s all one can ask, right?

I hope that’s all one can ask. I don’t know what else I have to give at this point.

…

But I’m rambling, aren’t I? I can just see you rolling your eyes at me.

I miss that.

Well, I didn’t come to whine to you. I really wanted to ask you something.

I know, I asked you to do too much. That was another reason you let the Nightmare win. But this one isn’t for me. It isn’t to help Equestria either, or any other pony.

This question is just for you, and I hope you’ll hear it:

…

Will you dream for me, dear sister?

I ask because I’m scared for you, too. Right now you’re Nightmare Moon, the harbinger of misery and the Queen of Terrors. You turned yourself over to the Night so that you could receive all that you feel you’ve been cheated out of.

But I think you’ve been tricked. The Nightmare that has possessed you can only care for one thing: itself. It doesn’t love you, in any degree, nor does it feel any concern or care. It only wants to roam free among the dreams of ponies, tormenting and scaring and feeding off of the horrors, something like the sirens did.

But now that you’re the only pony it has access to, I fear that you are the only pony who gets to experience all this. All that blackness, contained in one soul? I don’t think I could endure it, and I don’t think I can endure the thought of you suffering through all that for a thousand years.

So I ask for you to dream, dear sister. If you must say that I am being selfish and thinking of myself in this, then I will agree. But I would hope you see that it is my love for you that motivates me to ask this.

Don’t let the nightmares consume you.

Please dream of pleasant fields, of soft lights and gentle breezes. Dream of bubbling brooks, of lakes of silver in the pale moonlight, of the Borealis that you so deftly danced with more times than I can remember. Dream of those times when we were happy, dear sister; of the Great Carrot Cake episode and of the walks through the White Tail Woods. Remember the times you made me laugh so hard that I couldn’t breathe. Dream of the pride we both felt when we Ascended, and the dreams we shared then when we tried to decide how to lead this new, fledgling kingdom.

Don’t dream of me, if so doing brings the nightmares. Dream of dear friends, instead, and of Starswirl and Clover and Chancellor Puddinghead. Dream of those times when she would do the most random and inane things just to lighten the mood and to bring out a laugh. Dream of Princess Platinum, and remember her change of heart. Dream of the races you had with Commander Hurricane, and those private soul-searching talks that Private Patsy held with you. I know she showed us both more about ourselves than any other pony ever could.

Dream of the future, of the grand glories that await you when you return. Know that I will do all in my power to ensure that you return to an Equestria that will revere you, respect you. The ponies of that future day will bless your name, sing your praises. They will admire your night, respect your moon, and delight in your stars. They will account themselves among the privileged if you enter their dreams and bring them good tidings. Dream of that time when we shall rule together, as sisters and as friends.

Because I don’t believe all is lost. I don’t think you are beyond all hope. You can yet return, and reclaim all that is yours. I will ensure that it is here, waiting for you. I believe the Elements felt you could be redeemed, else why not just destroy you and be done with it? They have done so with many of our enemies. If they didn’t obliterate Discord, then there must be hope for you.

So dream for me, please. And know that things will be different when you return. I won’t pretend to be perfect, even after a thousand years. I know I’ll still mess up. We’ll probably still have disagreements and we might even fight on occasion. But I will make sure we never get to this again. I will change, I will be better. I will respect you, cherish you. I will tell you of my pride, and how proud I am to call you sister.

Dream sweet dreams, dearest sister. And know that I have always loved you, and I will always love you.

That is what sisters are for, after all.

Author's Note:

Just a quick one that came to me while working on another story. Didn't expect inspiration to come from a chapter title.

Comments

[Nugget]

Really well written, which is quite a surprise for a subject such as Luna’s Banishment. Usually, the way Celestia's inner dialogue is written out, some would struggle to really capture the internal conflict. They would give it no time to develope, but that's not the case here. It's pace is good, the narrative is good, so, the story is good. Great job!

[Irrespective]

8336180
Thanks! I was trying to convey the sisterly love that Celestia has for Luna, so I'm glad it came across. Gave me warm fuzzy feelings to see you enjoyed it!

[Nugget]

8336314
It’s going to be an underated story, saddly. I think it deserves a little bit more attention.

[RainbowSparkle3]

Great, cute story. My only problem is that since they're the Elements of Harmony, why would they kill? Usually, when I think of harmony, I don't think of murdering. Anyways, great story nevertheless, and a nice look at what Celestia did in the little while after Luna was banished.

[Irrespective]

8342678
Kill? Yikes! I hope that's not the impression I'm sending out! If I may ask, what part gives you the impression the elements ended somepony?
Glad you liked the story all the same!

[RainbowSparkle3]

I believe the Elements felt you could be redeemed, else why not just destroy you and be done with it? They have done so with many of our enemies. If they didn’t obliterate Discord, then there must be hope for you.

8342725
They, "Obliterated," and "Destroyed," "Many of our enemies."

[Irrespective]

8342870
Ah ha! I'm one of those types that can't find my sunglasses when they're on top of my head sometimes.
I would offer one example of another obliteration: King Sombra. If he can be incinerated by the combined power of love from the Crystal Empire, then the Elements could work in similar fashion against similar foes. (Of course, this argument only works if you declare the t.v. show to be cannon and ignore the comics, which is what I'm doing.)
Failing that, then it is a dark thought to contemplate. The only thing that I could really offer in that case is the plot for How To Train Your Dragon 2 SPOILER ALERT! - despite the best efforts Hiccup put toward peace negotiations, war came anyway. I also would use the quote from Stoic: "Some minds can not be changed." Such would be the case here as well. Celestia uses diplomacy as much as she can, but there are times when the Elements have been used to defeat a foe. They are the Elements of Harmony, but Harmony can have a high cost at times.
(Or perhaps I'll just slap a dark tag on this whole ungangly mess.)

[Irrespective]

8755508
I'm glad you liked it!

I honestly don't know if I'll use this in No Nose, I actually hadn't even thought about it. It would be easy enough to flashback, I suppose.

I shall take your idea under advisement.

[Detsella Morningdew]

I just noticed you had other stories.

Anyway... this was good. Other people have done dramatic "talks" before, but this one was a bit unique.

(I can also recognize the writing style of someone who just got a burst of inspiration and wrote practically all of it in one go. )

[Irrespective]

8906797
Yeah. The little flash of an idea that came to me on this one needed some refinement. This is an ok little thing, but not much else. Maybe one day I'll rewrite it.

If I ever get done with the Bean words.

(Oh, and fair warning on my other story, The Black Sheep. It's not pretty. My first submission to this site and all that.)

[Detsella Morningdew]

8906804
Yep. Totally understand that. My first submissions I ended up deleting, they were so bad, and the only early one on my page (which I still think is not-so-good) people like for some reason, so I let it stay.

But if I have anything to offer from my experience with failed stories, it's to not let things drag on if you are starting to lose momentum of ideas. I mean, as much as I'd love for Bean to go on forever, I would rather have a nice ending than a slow death.

(But I mean, as long as you have a plan for a potential ending, you won't be in this danger.)

[Irrespective]

8907166
Meh heh heh. Boy howdy do I have plans for Bean. No worries there.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

It's sad how overwhelmed Celestia is trying to do Luna's work, just now realizing how much work Luna put in. Sad story, but beautiful and hopeful.

[Irrespective]

9448927
Thanks! I'm glad that overwhelmed feeling came through; that's what I was aiming for.

[SilverDiamond]

One thing I disagree is that it went to Celestia's head. She might have been buried by stuff to do, and thus neglect Luna. If you want I can find a comic that I feel is the correct way to see it.