Lost on the Moon

by Railby

Prologue

Lost on the Moon

Prologue

You know this world. You know its history. You know about the reign of Discord and his eventual downfall. You know of the sister alicorn princesses and how together they controlled the sun and moon, ruling Equestria together fairly. And, if you know of all this, you know of Princess Luna’s eventual jealousy and betrayal, allowing herself to become what many young fillies and colts fear even today, Nightmare Moon. Celestia, harnessing the power of the Elements of Harmony, was able to banish Nightmare Moon to her namesake, allowing Equestria to be safe once more as she controlled both the sun and the moon on her own. You also know that eventually Nightmare Moon was able to escape her exile and return to Equestria, where Twilight Sparkle and her newfound friends were able to defeat her and bring her back to her old self.

A happy ending.

But what would have happened if, after the unsettling events leading up to Nightmare Moon’s banishment, Celestia drove herself mad with grief over her sister’s betrayal? What if, instead of coping with her problems, Celestia used banishment as a regular solution?

As the story goes, Nightmare Moon was “aided by the stars” in her escape. But perhaps these simple stars were a more malevolent force…