Only Chapter
A new Dawn approaches.
Have you ever felt like this world is unfair? Like nothing you do will ever matter to the world? Of course you do, and I think you know why. This is a world run by two individuals that have so many years behind them that they have forgotten about the needs of the common pony. Should we let this continue? To be ordered about at the whims of Celestia and Luna? These two ponies run our lives and spend each day living in the lap of luxury, ordering around their ponies without ever giving a thought to the feelings or lives of those below their station.
Celestia, the one whom we are told we must always love because she raises the sun each day is the most to blame! She sits upon her gilded throne forcing others to do her dirty work and expects us to be happy with her ‘just rule.’
I ask you, when the world was threatened by Nightmare Moon where was Celestia? Nowhere to be found and the world was saved by six civilians because she couldn’t get off her cake swollen plot. Now what about the changeling invasion during Princess Cadance’s wedding? What did Celestia do except for insult her personal student and then be defeated by the Changeling Queen? The supposed all powerful diarch was overpowered by an overgrown bug and hung in a changeling pod while the attacking army slaughtered ponies indiscriminately. And where was Luna during these proceedings? Sources inside the castle tell us that she was sleeping during the entire event! A pony that apparently wants to earn back the love of her citizens was nowhere to be found during a national tragedy.
How do we even know if we can trust the Lunar diarch anyway? For a thousand years she was trapped in the moon consumed by evil after raising an army against her own sister. There is no way we can trust a pony that spent that long with her brain poisoned by the Nightmare. Do you know why nopony ever sees her outside of royal publicity stunts? It’s because she is plotting to take over the country again and this time she will wipe us all out. We surely cannot leave such a pony in control of our lives.The nightmare was never destroyed as they would like us to think, she is only biding her time before she is ready to raise her army again. Why do you think her Luna guard is entire made up of her so called batponies? It’s because they all follow her orders while she hides their more sinister nature. An entire race of vampire ponies waiting for the chance to slake their thirst with the blood of everypony in Canterlot.
This is not to even speak of the attack of Tirek, whose rampage destroyed many homes and took many lives as he stole the magic of everypony. For harmony’s sake he even defeated the princesses Champion, Twilight Sparkle, who was holding the magic of all four alicorns. This truly shows that regardless of all the power they say they have we cannot trust them to protect us.
This is why I, and many others have banded together to create a new town, a safe haven for those who wish to be free of the Princesses oppressive rule. So to those of you who are tired of slaving away each day for nothing more than to be a cog in the machine. Come to Dawn and start a new life where you will be rewarded for your contributions in creating a land in which you and your family can truly be free.
Those that come and show that they can be a productive member of this town will be given a home and everything anypony could need to start a new life. We already have running water and electricity, several homes ready and waiting for somepony to come and claim them and a fair and just Mayor who treats everypony as a member of his own family.
So come to Dawn and start a new life, free of the useless and corrupt princesses.
From the desk of Silver Tongue,
Lord Mayor of Dawn.
“What the buck is this?!” Luna cried as she threw the scroll she had been reading, her voice echoed throughout the mostly empty throne room.
The parchment in question floated down to the ground in the still air as she screamed to the pony that sat next to her.
“Luna, what’s wrong?” Celestia asked her sister, a worried look breaking through her royal stoicism. “It’s not like you to react this strongly to just a letter.”
“You haven’t read it Tia, you can’t possibly understand.” She said loudly, her voice nearly breaking into the Royal Canterlot Voice she had spent so many hours trying to control. Luna caught the offending parchment in her telekinetic aura and floated it over to her sister who caught it in her own. The solar diarch lifted it before her and perused the words within with a blank look on her face.
As she read it a small smirk crossed her muzzle for a split second before disappearing into her impassive visage. All of a sudden so laughed softly. “You really didn’t expect something like this Lulu?” She asked the midnight blue alicorn.
“No! Why would I?” Luna screeched.
“Propaganda like this shows up all the time, making claims that we don’t do our jobs properly and such nonsense.” Celestia explained calmly.
“But our ponies love us don’t they?” Luna asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Of course dear sister, but there will always be ponies who dislike our method of rule or don’t see all the things we do to make their lives better. Every few years ponies will rise up and try to create a new nation from within. They inevitably fail and incorporate themselves as part of Equestria, that’s how many of our smaller towns came to be. Ponyville, Hollow Shades and Dodge City are prime examples of this.” Celestia explained.
“But can we truly allow them to make such claims about us Tia?” Luna queried her older sister.
“We can’t force our ponies to believe in us Lulu. All we can do is try to make their lives as comfortable as possible and hope that they see the errors in their beliefs. Eventually they will know of the love we give them. Even if they don’t right now.”
The two alicorns sat upon their thrones, the blue alicorn reading and rereading the parchment that had caused such strife within her while Celestia watched over her sister. Her well refined stoicism being tested by the worry she felt as she studied her sisters reactions to the news. Luna was not taking it well knowing that so many ponies over the years had rejected her sisters rule. It reminded her of her own rejection of Celestia so many years ago and the fallout that had followed.
“Tia.” Luna began, looking up to her sister with tears threatening to break from the corner of her eyes. “Do you think I could go to this town and talk to the ponies? Maybe I can straighten out some of their issues and show them that we care about all of our little ponies.”
Celestia stood up from her throne and walked calmly over to Luna, a gentle smile on her face. “That might not be the best idea Lulu, you are taking this really hard and I worry that the citizens of Dawn may react negatively to your presence.” She said, laying a wing over her younger sister.
“But I have to try!” Luna said, standing up and stomping a hoof. “These ponies are being manipulated and we have to help them. Maybe if I go there and explain the truth of these events everypony will understand that all we wish for is their good health and comfortable lives.”
Celestia sighed heavily. “I can’t stop you, but I do hope you reconsider sister. Going to see them may do more harm than good.” She cautioned.
The Lunar diarch walked to the throne room door with heavy hooves and heavier heart. “I’m sorry but I have to see this Dawn for myself.” She said before opening the door with a flash of magic from her horn and leaving the room, the door closing softly behind her in a dark blue aura.
Celestia watched as her sister left and when the door closed behind her she sighed again. “I do hope you know what you’re doing Lulu.”
The sun rose over the mountains of the Unicorn Ranges as a lone figure walked down a rough dirt path. The morning sun glared in her cyan eyes and she pulled the hood of her black cloak over her head, the fabric covering her horn and ethereal mane.
She had devoided herself of her royal vestments and travelled as a regular pony, hooves to the dirt. An hour later she came upon the sight of buildings rising in the distance. A few small buildings and the frames of several homes still to be built stood before her and a few ponies were meeting in the centre, trading goods and socializing.
As the travelling pony entered the town all eyes turned to her, at first their eyes were kind and welcoming until they saw the height and colouration of the pony. As a group the ponies gasped before running off, some entering homes while the rest sprinted for a larger building that sat facing the path entering town.
They screamed and beat on the doors until a tall red maned unicorn stallion stepped out. He was dressed in a red suit over his silver coat, not unlike the royal guards dress uniform shining armor likes to wear and looked to the visitor with a look of anger and contempt.
“How dare you enter my town, Princess Luna.” He yelled to the cloaked alicorn. “You are not welcome here.”
“Please Lord Mayor Silver, I wish to speak to you.” She begged.
The stallion redoubled his contemptuous glare at the alicorns words. “Why would you wish to speak to me Princess?” He asked with obvious derision. “This town is not a part of Equestria, you have no rights here.”
Luna looked into the eyes of the stallion that showed so much hatred for her and her sister, her will still holding strong. “I wish to speak with you as to the claims you made about my sister and I. I believe that there is much that needs to be cleared up.”
He barked out a short laugh. “Ha! You believe that you can just come here and change our minds? That your mere presence will make us doubt our choice to start our own lives out here, devoid of yours and your sister's influence.”
“No.” Luna replied simply before continuing. “If you wish to start your own town my sister and I have no issues with that. We simply hope to correct some of your assumptions about us.”
“You-You don’t wish to force us to return to Equestrian rule?” A green coated mare that stood beside Silver Tongue asked with a stammer.
“Of course not my little pony.” Luna said, smiling at the mare. “I only wish for you to live happy and comfortable lives. If you wish to stay here then that is your choice. All I want is a chance to respond to the accusations levelled at my sister and I.”
“Maybe we should listen to her Silver.” The mare said to the stallion she stood beside.
“Don’t you see everypony? She is already trying to manipulate us!” Silver yelled to the slowly growing group of ponies that surrounded Luna and the mayor. “Celestia obviously sent her to break our wills and force us back under their rule!”
The crowd started to shout as Silver Tongue accused Luna. “Please everypony, that is not what I wish to do at all. I only wish to tell the truth about certain things that have been told about us.” She cried to the crowd, but was unheard amongst the shouting.
“This so-called Princess can’t even protect her own country. She hides behind her sister and endangers the lives of everypony. She even risked us all with a dream creature of her own making!” The stallion further incriminated Luna to the crowd.
“Bu-But I stopped it.” She stammered unheard as the stallions words dug deep into her mind.
“See this!” Silver called to the townsfolk. “If we stand together even the Princesses cannot stand between us and living better lives. Princess Luna, we demand that you leave our town and never return.”
The crowd started to move between Silver Tongue and Luna and she was pushed back as they moved forward, slowly getting closer to the edge of the small town. Their cries of anger increasing with their speed. Her will broken, the alicorn turned and sprinted out of town, tears falling in her wake.
When she was a few hundred metres of of town her legs collapsed under her as tears matted the fur of her muzzle. “Why do they hate us?” She asked herself as she wept openly.
Loud wings beats were heard as Luna approached one of the many balconies of Canterlot castle and with a soft thump she landed. Her magic opened the heavy double doors before she sprinted through them into a large chamber. She jumped onto a large bed and buried herself in the white coat of the sleeping pony before her.
“Huh, uh, Luna?” The pony asked sleepily before noticing the state of her distressed sister. “Lulu, what’s wrong?”
“Ohh Tia, it was so horrible!” Luna replied, crying heavily. “Why would they do this? They treated me like a monster and drove me out of the town.”
The larger alicorn spread one of her wings and rested it on her sister's back. “I’m so sorry Lulu. I wish you didn’t have to go through that.”
“I don’t understand. All we do is try to give them good lives but they still reject us.” Luna cried, pushing her face further into her sister’s coat, matting it with her tears.
“Not everypony will react well to the way our country is run and as hard as we try we can’t make everypony happy.” Celestia said, trying to calm her distraught sister. “But you can’t let that destroy you dear sister, you need to be strong for our little ponies.”
“I don’t know if I can Tia. It hurts so much. I don’t even know if I can be a good princess anymore.” She replied, choking through her tears.
“You are stronger than you know Luna.” Celestia reassured her. “One day soon you will stand beside me and be a bastion of strength for our ponies. And when that day comes I will tell you just how proud of you I am, then and now.”
“But what if I’m not?” What if I can’t be the strong pony you think I am?”
“You already are. Remember the Tantabus? You were strong enough to stand up to your guilt and saved not only Ponyville but by extension the entirety of Equestria from eternal nightmares. I believe that you will continue to show that strength.”
“Really?” Luna asked while raising her head and looking wide-eyed at Celestia.
Celestia tightened her grip on her sister with her wing before looking into her eyes, a comforting smile on her face. “Definitely Lulu. I believe you will do great things.”
For the first time that day Luna smiled. “Thank you big sister.”