No Step Back
The alicorn felt the afternoon sun shine warmly upon her back. The wind blew through the valley with a cool, but not chilling breeze. The lush blanket of green grass underneath the midnight blue mare felt soft and velvety, as though she could fall asleep upon it.
That wouldn't be such a bad idea, Luna thought. She could certainly think of worse ways to spend her newly found liberty, than by taking an afternoon nap. Yet, she wasn't quite ready to fall asleep yet. She was still too busy basking in the sights, sounds and ambience of the peaceful meadow that she found near a small creek.
It was beautiful and reminded her greatly of the places that Starswirl used to bring her and Celestia to when they were still fillies. The colours of the valley were so much more vibrant than the sea of dark green trees that was the Everfree forest. The sight of the foreboding and impenetrable canopy had become such a common and enduring aspect of her life for so long that she had almost forgotten that such beauty could exist in nature.
It all sounded so very poetic in Luna’s mind, to the point where it almost seemed cliche. Yet, she couldn't escape the urge to pull out a notebook and write about all that she saw and felt in that moment. An old habit from her youth. It was therefore an indescribable pity to her that, while Starswirl’s caravan had been enchanted to withstand the elements, the literature and writing material inside had not been.
The former Princess made a mental note to purchase a blank book, quills and ink in the next town that she came across. With the gold and jewellery that she had taken from her personal vault, along with a few valuable trinkets that she had removed from the ruins of her old home, it would be quite some time before Luna would have any trouble with her finances.
She had even gone through the trouble of selecting only nondescript and plain jewellery to bring with her. Nothing that could be traced back to Princess Luna or would be overly suspicious for a travelling Mage to be carrying. A few simple visual illusions should be enough to keep her from being recognised. At some point she would have to enchant her cloak with permanent, illusionary enchantments, but that would be incredibly time-consuming and she had faith in her ability to maintain a simple disguise spell until then.
Luna sighed as rolled to lay on her side. The soft grass feeling cool against her coat.
She had been doing a lot of thinking since she had started her journey. Mostly about what she would make of her new life. On the surface it seemed like everything she wanted, everything that she yearned for, but a cold spike of guilt stabbed at her every time she stopped to consider her choices for too long.
The former Princess knew perfectly well her reasons for why she had left. She knew rationally that many of them were justified, but at the same time it felt like a violation of the principles and personal philosophy that she upheld for so long.
It was selfish. Luna wouldn't delude herself into thinking it was anything else. She had abandoned her duties and responsibilities, because she felt that she could find greater happiness and personal gratification elsewhere.
Yet, after spending countless decades in thankless service to ponies that held nothing, but disdain for her and sacrificing almost everything of who she once was on the altar of the royal throne. Was she not entitled to be selfish, at least this once?
It felt wrong, but Luna couldn’t see any other choice that she could have made. She had been spiralling down an abyss that would have inevitably ended in tragedy. If she had stayed, she probably would have eventually ended up killing Celestia or herself. Only the belief that her sister truly and dearly loved her had kept Luna able to endure for so long.
She thought that her sister and her kingdom needed her and that, while they might not outwardly display their gratitude, she would always occupy a place close to their hearts.
It was a naive hope in retrospect, but in the absence of purpose or validation, even the most elusive desert mirage of hope was worth the pursuit.
The diary had been her final breaking point. The moment she had finally woken up from her dream-walking slumber and saw her reality and her life for what it was.
Not whatever fanciful delusion she had created in the naive hope that her suffering and sacrifice would have meaning and would actively better the lives of the ponies around her. Borne out of whatever sick, twisted, self-imposed sense of martyrdom that served as her coping mechanism for so long.
Luna couldn't stay. She was certain of that now. She wanted to help ponies. That's all she had ever wanted. Ever since the alicorn was a filly, she wanted to spare the world from the destruction and evil that she had witnessed at High Hoof. She thought that by wielding the power of the crown, she could make Equestria a better place. Instead she had gotten bogged down in a quagmire of bureaucracy and corruption thick and deep enough to drown in, while her life slowly crumbled around her hooves.
As a Princess her passion, empathy and honesty were considered liabilities in the great game of ever-shifting politics and court intrigue.
Now there was nothing in her way. Luna wouldn't wait for permission to help others. Not now. Not anymore.
She would be her own hero and forge her own destiny.
Luna was done apologising for who she was.
Perhaps what was written in her sister’s diary was hyperbole or not sincere to how she actually felt, but Luna was no longer going to give Celestia’s love for her the benefit of the doubt. This breaking point had been a long time coming and was the culmination of events far beyond the hurtful words written in one book.
Her sister could manage the kingdom well enough on her own. For so long their destinies had been intertwined into a single unified purpose for common good of all of ponykind, but perhaps for the first time in almost hundred and thirty years they were better off going their separate ways. For better or for worse, the legend of the Two Sisters would end and Luna would build her own legacy alone.
As a travelling Mage, she could do just that. Years ago during the days of the College of Sorcery, young aspiring unicorns would embark on their Journeyman travels to help ponies in need, build their legacy and renown and eventually earn entry into the ranks of the Masters of the College. The College might be dead now and her journey promised no rewards of glory or prestige, but that didn't concern Luna. She would be able to help those that needed it the most and fight evil wherever she may find it. That was enough for her.
With her internal turmoil once again settled, Luna stood up from where she lay and prepared to leave. She was eager to reach her first town on her journey.
She didn't fool herself into thinking that the first settlement she came across would be besieged by bandits or haunted by an evil curse and she could immediately indulge in heroics. When she had travelled with Starswirl and her sister so long ago, the vast majority of their visits to towns and villages were quite uneventful. Most likely she would, at most, drive off a few local predators or heal a sick villager. Perhaps she would just entertain the local foals with a few magic tricks.
That would probably be for the best. She was very, very, very out of practice and would likely need a bit of time to regain her stride. Better to build momentum slowly. All heroes need to start somewhere after all.
As Luna strapped the harness to herself and prepared to leave the small meadow, she saw faint wafts of chimney smoke just beyond the hills on the far side of the valley.
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11606350
you got a major change in the canon, and around 900 likes. It might, not sure if it will though
Go Luna!
I have to say, sometimes just needing to stop for a moment and collect one's thoughts and plan out in the basic sense, can be very helpful when considering what the next step on a journey of any kind would be. Glad Luna has taken that time to reflect.
Turns out in the new Chapter 4 of MYM that it actually show where Celestia and Luna lived when they were fillies before going to Equestria called “Skyros” which I’ve seen fans saying that it’s a reference to the “Journal of the Two Sisters” which isn’t canon just the show writers took the ideas from that book.
I was wondering what your thoughts about seeing their younger years when they were Alicorns back then? Btw they weren’t born in Equestria so it doesn’t ruin canon about Flurry Heart it’s been heavily debated that Skyros is the Alicorn tribe since there’s a big book about Alicorn History in the show now that might get explored in the near future with funny enough a Anon Filly Alicorn has the main cover
Anyways, it would be cool to know what you think about it and maybe if you wanted to you could have Opaline in the story since she is basically the same age as them but whatever she was doing is unknown.
Nice chapter can’t wait for Luna to be her own hero even when ponies don’t look up to her.
The greatest of legends start with a single step, and a destination of indeterminate location.
Let's see where this goes, shall we?
Forgot, congrats on the 900+ likes!
11607687
Thanks. Apparently according to the analytics, my story is the 480th highest rated on the entire website. Its wild that apparently my story is considered one of the top 500 MLP fanfictions.
11607700
That is really amazing even long after G4. I hope it gets more likes in the coming months or years even after your story is finished.
Wow that was a really nice Segway chapter it helps to flush out while not taking away very smart of you. Luna is not being selfish I mean come on how would you feel if everyone you care didn't like you and wanted you gone just for being you if you don't fit in your not worth having around, if she had stuck around and not become Nightmare moon she probably would have just been stripped of her crown and tittle and sent out into the world with nothing this was the best of the three options and I think the right one.
3). I've made a Character Sheet Google Doc. - Thank you! It gets so frustrating when a character from ages ago gets mentioned, then you have to go and scour the chapters to jog your memory. This will make things so much more convenient!
And while it was a small, slow update. I was happy to just see Luna relaxing and getting her thoughts in order.
Think she will indulge in a weapon? Maybe some armor?
11607713
Truthfully told I've been thinking about this concept for awhile now. Why did she stick around if nobody seemed to want her. Can't wait to see Celestia realize how badly she hurt her sister. She was so busy trying to make the kingdom great that she ended doing everything in her power to push her sister away. Now she have to do something that proves that she does care. Considering in the show it didn't seem like Luna got the spotlight at any point in time. And considering that how nightmare moon started from her getting no spotlight something would have show she is wanted.
I really like these stories where it does go slow. I appreciate the chapters where we just get to sit in a characters head with them and watch their thoughts go by. I love this story and how you're telling it.
oooohhh, nice setup chapter, really like the direction you're giving luna in this.
11607780
That is one of my biggest gripe in the show nobody believed in her and then when she comes back they act like everything is ok, um no no it isn't ok, she got blasted in the face with a rainbow and banished to her own namesake for crying out loud then Celestia has the audacity to not only not apologize for it but act like nothing happened I would have been furious.
11607810
Plus nightmare night doesn't exactly scream love for your lost sister. It says demonize her.
Where is the holiday that says Luna is great not nightmare moon or princess Celestia Luna.
11607700
Yeah the numbers on fimfic are whacky. A single downvote can drop you 100 positions or more. Just take to heart your highest position, especially with your story being this old.
Another chapter? Cool
Great update! Love the story thus far!
who wants to bet nightmare night will still be invented?
11607780
Correction: She was not focused on making Equestria great, she was focused on satisfying her narcissism.
11607810
Then, to top it off, making Luna retire a few years after she returns.
11607676
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyros
Celestia and Luna are Greeks confirmed?
11607933
I have an occasional pet theory that the thousand-year exile was harder on both sisters than we were ever shown and that that is why they both retired so relatively out of the blue once Twilight looked remotely ready -- that under the happy-looking royal masks it had all just gotten too much and they desperately needed at least a few decades of just “us” time without also having to run the whole wobbly ship of state.
But yeah, all in all the show (at least the one we ended up with, don’t know about any drafts that might have addressed things a bit better -- I seem to recall something about Nightmare Moon being originally intended as the recurring villain for the entire first season, which would at least have given all her grievances more time to air) glossed over a lot there.
Another great chapter.
I have greatly enjoyed this story so far, and I can't wait for the next chapter.
[INCOMING HOOLIGAN THEORY CRAFTING--APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE]
All of this talk about changing the canon and Nightmare Night has me wondering... Luna's original descent into madness was subverted in this story by way of leaving her problems behind and starting fresh, finding her own happiness away from her sister. However, and this is purely hypothetical, that may have flipped the script.
In the original canon, Celestia having to banish Nightmare Moon, aka. Luna, with her own hooves humbled her of her own narcissism and helped her see how Equestria and herself were neglecting her only sister for all these years. This sparked a change, and she sought to never allow something even remotely similar to happen again.
In this canon, however, Princess Luna not only denounced the throne, but she leaves Canterlot on her own. Not to mention that Celestia was stressed enough even before reading Luna's letter. This leaves Celestia not with a thousand-year-long brick hard lesson of regret, shame, and character growth, but with the cannonball thought process of her sister "selfishly" leaving when times were getting tough. Instead of thinking of an atonement, she might see this as a betrayal of sorts despite Luna's well highlighted neglect. A Blame Game. I mean, we've already seen how she much she pettily blames Luna for some of Equestria's problems now. It isn't too far-fetched to believe that Celestia will bulletin this final decision of her sister as the tipping stone of coming disaster and probably start defaming her name.
On top of all of that... Celestia's current mixture of reserved anger, narcissism, duty, neglect, plus the ability to readily shut others out, won't mesh well with the current state of affairs. Without the impromptu banishment of a corrupted Luna, who was furious, hurt, and betrayed by Celestia's own hooves, to help her turn a new leaf, the dormant volcano that would normally stay dormant in canon could very well have been awakened... and the pressure of these events may cause the alicorn to explode in a way I'm sure we're all familiar with.
tse1.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.U6A-fbiiJisIARwuaAaHJAHaFO?pid=ImgDet&rs=1
Here's hoping the earth-shaking stuff isn't that, because that would be a whole 'nother issue that Equestria won't be ready for!
11607930
A little of both. As long as she was making the country great everyone sang her praises which only encouraged her to do whatever necessary to get those praises. She probably started meaning well but somewhere along the line forgot what was really important.
11608020
I see it as 50/50 on whether this shows her the light. Considering I think she does love her sister but she been so caught up with everyone signing her praises that she doesn't see how she acted. It might take awhile of putting up with greedy nobles but I think she will see the truth. And yes in the meantime she will probably blame her sister.
11608027
That's definitely a more grounded way of putting that. Everything is going to hell in a hand basket right now, but I think as long as she can hold on to the pieces of equinity that she has now there's hope she'll look into herself and have a change of heart. Though, considering the original thousand year gap in history, when she decides to see the truth will be another matter.
11607947
Lauren Faust did say she had always thought of both girls being “goddesses”
Lord White Castle, I hear his mini hayburgers are excellent
A nice quick summary of Luna’s thoughts up until this point. While it may seem redundant to a later reader going through this section and what's after all in one sitting, it's nice for the audience reading each chapter as they come out. Beyond that, it can be seen as Luna reassuring herself of her convictions and motivations as she truly begins her journey, now that she has the physical and emotional distance from Celestia and Everfree to do so with a sound mind. Yes, what she is doing is selfish, but the alternative was self-destructive. From this solid foundation, we can now venture forth alongside Luna in her journey to do good in the world and create an identity for herself from which she finds the self-fulfillment she deserves.
11608348
Couldn't have said it better myself. Great way to summarise it.
This story is quite good and I'm thrilled to have found it. I appreciate the time you've put into something for our enjoyment
You know it would be interesting if Luna became a monarch of another nation after saving it and helping it to prosper and falling in love with the Emperor/King/Prince/Lord/Shogan, perhaps a nation which is like this world's version of Japan with Kirins and Foxes being the main species.
11608810
This isn't a romance story. I can guarantee that at no point will Luna fall in love with anyone. Romance between side-characters might be on the table, but not Luna. That's not the story that I want to write.
I quite liked this chapter, can't wait for the next ones! :3
11608947
Oh well, it's OK, you do you.
Maybe over the centuries Luna creates a hero guild or a band of traveling heroes to help vanquish evil. Once equestria's monsters are vanquished they could leave and go to other distant lands. AKA: one heck of an adventure!
Excellent chapter.
Magical Energy and Magic, huh? I agree with the premise, I’m just used to thinking of Magical Energy as “Mana.” It’s the same thing, just using different terminology.
A good introduction.
I still wanna see Luna gather a group of followers and create some sort of organization, or, more likely, a religion.
Go, Luna! Go!
Good chapter!
I enjoyed reading it.
It doesn't happen the Author's Note is as interesting as the chapter itself, but you truly managed it.
Go go fight the power!