Isn't it Great to be Different
Inspired by Forest Rain's Great to be Different
and SillyFillyStudio's Snowdrop
My Pain
A thousand years ago, before The Nightmare devoured me, I was loved. I had friends, friends who truly cared for me and my night, but I lost them. I lost them all to my banishment, to my selfishness.
I never got to say goodbye. I knew that one day, I would out live them, but I didn't want them to remember me as what I was before I left.
A traitor.
A tyrant.
A monster.
I had feared the day I would become this since the first twine of jealousy pulsed through my heart. There was no way to stop my transformation. I had been too far gone by the time Tia tried to help. I just wish... I wish I could've have said farewell, and that I would miss each and every pony who would not be there to see my return.
Searing pain sliced through me like knives, stronger then my craved revenge. I let out a throaty scream, tears streaming down my face in dark streaks. Brilliant colors tore at my pitch black coat, shredding the darkness. It wrapped itself around me tight, burning every inch of my body as I desperately tried to fight back. I collapsed in the middle of its whirling form, wailing for mercy to the six mares who had done this to me.
I regretted everything. The jealousy, the lies, and most of all, I regretted hurting all those ponies, past and present. Realization of all my mistakes crashed onto me like ocean waves, increasing my pain even greater. My heart throbbed, and I shrieked for the pony who I knew cared the most for me, "TIA!!!!!!!!!!"
The Nightmare was wrenched away, pulled right out of my body. A blinding, white light exploded and threw me my against the crumbling, stone floor. I felt myself slip in and out of consciousness, and I would have let it taken me if I hadn't heard a familiar voice.
"Princess Luna," the voice stated. I let out a small gasp, my turquoise eyes flying open. A tall, pristine alicorn trotted towards me with her multicolored mane waving in a false breeze. Her wings were spread wide with her head held high, yet a stern look was on her face. I feared for the worst. "It has been a thousand years since I've seen you like this," she murmured, crouching down to my level.
I held my head in shame, yet she continued to speak. "It's time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister," she choked, the first signs of tears beginning to well around her eyes.
"Sister?" came a chorus of voices from the six mares behind her, but I payed them little attention.
"Will you accept my friendship?" Celestia queered, rising to her hooves regally.
I couldn't meet her gaze. Turning my head, I held back a sob, unsure of what to say. She wanted me back. I didn't deserve her forgiveness at all. After all I had done, even after I had trapped her in the sun for the past day, she still loved me. I did not deserve this.
I scrambled to my hooves, trying to hide the faint tears tumbling down my cheeks. I buried my face in snowy fur, "I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!" I sputtered, letting my tears run freely.
"I've missed you, too," Tia murmured, love radiating from her like warmth from the sun. Ironic.
The hours following my release were a blur. Next thing I knew, I was being towed in a golden carriage by four armor-clad pegasi guards with Celestia by my side. A celebration spread before us as we entered the home town of my saviors: Twilight Sparkle, AppleJack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. As Celestia and I cantered through Ponyville, ponies smiled and bowed in respect.
At one point, two young pegasi foals bestowed me with a necklace of beautiful roses that were fully in bloom. I couldn't help but feel touched by this simple gesture.
The celebration had continued all night. I even got the chance to raise the moon and stars, which I had missed doing all these years. Ponies had.... fun. Never before had I experienced such joy. To feel loved by mere strangers-
Strangers. The sudden realization of how long I've been gone smacked me across the face.
I quickly excused myself from the small group of mares I was talking to and struggled to break away from the party. Pushing past what seemed like hundreds of mares and stallions, tears began to fall yet again. The Nightmare had claimed so much more than I had known.
Eventually, I was stumbling blind through the town. Ponies I didn't even know called my name, but I ignored them. I wanted to be alone, as I had been for a thousand years.
I abruptly smashed into someone and came to a screeching halt. Wiping away my tears with my light blue hoof, I looked at the ground. "I..I'm sorry, I didn't see you th-,"
"Luna...," a sorrowful voice cracked. The emotion laced in its tone surprised me. My eyes shot up to the stranger.
She was no stranger.
'Celebrating spring is good, but, winter can't be all bad if it gives us these. It may be cold and dark, but that doesn't mean there isn't any good to it. Maybe.... maybe winter is sad that everypony doesn't like it...,'
"Snowdrop.....," I blubbered, knowing she couldn't be real. Not after this long. She was just a figment of my imagination, summoned by my misery.
I had wandered out of town, not far from an apple orchard. The light blue pegasi stood weakly before me, her swirled white and cyan hair perched perfectly past her neck. A sincere smile rested on her muzzle, while her usual, sightless eyes looked right at me, as if she could see, with tears dripping down her cheeks. "You're not real....," I whimpered, turning my back on her.
A felt a hoof gently graze my shoulder. It felt.. real, but I continued to shield myself from her. I heard a quiet sigh, "Oh Luna..... you're finally back. I always knew twinkles granted wishes.....," the hallucination whispered.
"Snowdrop always did say that.... that's one of the reasons I admired her so much....," I muttered quietly.
"You mean that's one of the reasons you admired me so much? Luna... I wished each night, since the day you were banished, that I could see you one last time. I knew you weren't a monster. We all knew that. We missed you every single minute, my friend. We loved you. We loved you're night, and we still do, but we can't stand seeing you like this," the fake Snowdrop urged in a quiet voice.
"We..?" I murmured, turning towards her. I let out a startled gasp as I saw rows upon rows of starry ponies crowding behind her. Many were bat ponies, my faithful followers, but there were also earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and even crystal ponies mixed together. I was speechless.
Snowdrop took a step towards me, resting her hoof on mine. "I did not let your good name die with the birth of Nightmare Moon. We are forever your friends....," her voice faded away. Her form whisked away in the wind, followed close by the other ponies.
I raised my hoof to the breeze, "No! Snowdrop, please, don't go!" I called after the mist.
'Oh, Luna..... it's time to make new friends...,'
And so my story begins. Over the next year, my attempts to make friends were... successful, but it wasn't that simple...
Author's Note
My attempt at a sad story........ attempt.
If you don't know who Snowdrop is, just click the link at the beginning.
Like, favorite, follow or whatever.
Dislike if you want, but please explain why you didn't like it. There is always room for improvement.
More chapters to come. May take a while, though. I have tons of school work.
Thanks for reading.
Mail Mare
Time slowly dragged by over the next few weeks. I kept to myself once Celestia and I returned to Canterlot. No one visited me or welcomed me, except for my loyal bat ponies, who where descendants of my original guards and friends. They were cautious with the topic of my banishment, which upset me more than if they did speak of it. To spare my feelings was unnecessary, for I accepted my past...
Anyway, I was quite unsociable in that time. I did not go to social gatherings, or parties, as Celestia called them. Instead, I stayed in my tower, entertaining myself with a witchcraft called vi-d-o games. They are amazing, enticing, and addictive, filled with magical wonders and feats that even I could never conquer.
Well, it wasn't just the vi-d-o games; I was embarrassed by my filly-like appearance. Alicorns mature with their power, and seeing that most of my power was snatched away when Nightmare Moon took control, I had the coat and mane of a preteen. What kind of princess would I be if I let the new Equestria think I'm some immature foal?
A while later, it was the night of the Gala. The Grand Galloping Gala. You know, the big fancy "party" that only the most important ponies are invited to.
Celestia had approached me then, going on and on about how I should go and meet new ponies. I told her I was not going, but she insisted. Sometimes, that mare is too pushy. After an hour or so of arguing, I simply flew off, not caring where I went or who saw me. I did not want to go to some froufrou Gala. A thousand years of banishment, and she wanted me to waste my night by welcoming guest to a gathering that always ended up a disaster. It was my duty though, and I was sure she would've followed me.
Thank Faust she didn't.
Some how, in my haze of anger, I flew to Ponyville. It looked a little different then when I saw it weeks before, and lights lit up every corner of it. I landed gently on a wispy cloud, letting the breeze tug at my mane as I looked towards the setting sun. Its bright radiance wafted through the sky, making the usual blue look like a spectrum of colors. Pink and purple hues tinged its yellow blaze, and an on coming darkness was slithering towards it from the west.
My favorite time of day.
I waited for the last of the sun's rays to die before casting my magic towards the moon. Holding the celestial body firmly in my grasp, I jerked it forward, letting it start it's route across the night sky. I swayed my horn from side to side, leaving a strand of stars in the sky with each twirl. When my job was done, I held back a snort of frustration. My beautiful work could not be seen with the glare of these Gods-forsaken lights! To top that, no one was in sight. Probably asleep, or worse, at the Gala. I couldn't help but feel angry. After all this time, after all I had gone through to make them respect me, they still didn't care for the stars or night.
"Thou ungrateful whelps do not see what gifts I give them!" I bellowed to the moon, "Nothing has changed! So what if ponies stay up all night? They don't appreciate anything!" I slammed my hooves against the cloud, my eyes sparking and cracking with sudden power. I swung my horn and launched a bolt of lighting at the town below.
A smug, if not deranged, grin curled across my lips as all the lights died, leaving terrified ponies to wail in fear. Their screams fueled my power. My body went numb, and magic surged through my veins like blood.
"Muhaha, hahahahaha Ha!" I cackled to the stars. I froze, fear creeping along my spine.
The transformation had started. I could feel The Nightmare creeping back into my mind. "No! No no no no no no NO!" I screamed, feeling dark magic swarm my body. I fought it, slashing through it like a blade. It would not claim me again!
"Look out bellow!" came a slurred voice.
My head whipped up to the sky just in time to see a package come smashing down on my head. Then everything went dark.
"Oh no oh no oh no! Are you dead? Oh dear! I just don't know what went wrong!"
I fought for consciousness as my eyes drooped. My head hurt like hell and wouldn't stop spinning. Dried tears stuck to my cheeks, letting me know I had been out for a while. I winced as I rubbed my head, but a thrashed, brown package inches away snagged my attention.
"Oh thank Celestia! I'm so so so so so sorry for the whole package-smashing-your-face thing. Carrying all this mail at once is really difficult, and it doesn't help that I have to work so late," came the dopy voice again. My blue eyes shifted over to a gray pegasus with a fuzzy blond mane. One gold eye watched me intently, while the other rolled off in a different direction. A trail of bubbles hugged her flank, while she wore an over-filled satchel and a blue mail mare cap.
"You're Princess Luna, right? I recognize you from the celebration at Ponyville! What'cha doing all the way in Manehattan? Especially tonight," She chattered. I rolled my eyes and turned my back on her. I didn't feel like explaining why I refused to go to the gala, especially to this numbskull of a mare. "Did you lose your gala dress? Was everyone scared of you? Oh!" she gasped,"Are you in trouble with Celestia?!"
Red blinded me. I lashed around and came muzzle to muzzle with the moronic mare. "What am I, a pathetic filly that needs big, powerful Celestia to foalsit me? You're lucky I didn't vaporize you on the spot when you smashed my skull, you idiot!"
Dazed by my outburst, the mare stood frozen. Her face was blank as she tried to comprehend what just happened, but that didn't last long. Lip curling, she bared her teeth in a hateful way, quiet sobs racking her body. A single tear dropped from her lazy eye." I'm not an idiot! I'm not! Why does everyone say that? Why does everyone hate me?"
Her strong reaction surprised me. "I... sorry-" I stopped myself. I was sorry? My memory of what happened moments earlier, before my head was nearly bashed in, buzzed through my mind. Leaping to my hooves, I grabbed the mare by the scruff of her neck with my magic so that she was at eye level with me. "What do I look like!" I yelped. The mare shrunk away from me.
"Y..you look like you did at Ponyville......," she whimpered, dropping her satchel. Envelopes exploded as the leather bag hit the cloud's soft surface.
My mind was racing. No nightmare Moon. I didn't transform this time, but why? What made this time any different then the last? My eyes locked with her good one.
I dropped her back onto the cloud, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The mare sat there sniffling, her hooves desperately trying to collect the letters as they blew away in the wind.
" Make some new friends,"
A frosty figure crouched beside the weeping mare. Their body shapes shared similar, lean muscles.
I shook my head, taking several steps away from the mail mare. Snowdrop's ghost doppelganger looked up at me with pleading eyes.
Funny, I thought, they both have eye disorders.
Snowdrop gave a weak smile, as if I had discovered a secret of hers. Confusion flooded my mind, but something stood out. I had upset this gray mare, and helping her would be the right thing to do. Unsure of what to do, I watched the mare's feeble attempt to marshal the mail, but a sudden gust of wind whipped them far into the sky. She let out a wail and flopped down on her stomach in defeat. Regret pulsed through me. How rude and tyrannic I must seem to this civilian.
An envelope fluttered by my face. I snagged it with a levitation spell before it could flee. I stood there for a long time, staring at this simple letter. Then cautiously, I crept towards the mail mare, hanging my head as I levitated the letter in front of her face. I released it as she gently grasped it between her hooves. I waited in silence for many moments before I turned and spread my wings.
I leaped into the air, my feathers tracing the stars. My targets soared through the clouds. A white paper caught my eye. I curved my wings and dove down towards the town, eyes watering from my speed. Once in range, my levitation spell grabbed the letter and flung it where the gray mare sat above the earth. I didn't want to be thanked. I continued to race around town, eyes narrowed in concentration. In one swoop I had four more pieces of mail in my grip. It was nice to feel the wind in my feathers after so long.
A few hours had passed by the time I caught all the mail. I don't know why, but when I returned to the cloud, the mail mare was still there. After what I had did to her and how long I had been flying, she sat and waited for me to alight upon the cloud. Once I did, I neatly placed the mail into her satchel and placed it over her shoulder. The tears had long since dried from her eyes and she looked ... grateful. I gave a small nod to her and flapped into the air. A hoof caught mine and pulled me back down.
Shocked, I pulled my hoof from her grip, but landed back down. A tiny smile unfurled across her lips. She held out her hoof,"I'm Derpy Hooves," she neighed.
I was taken aback by her introduction. Derpy. That was a name I could remember, though. I took her hoof in mine and gave it a weak shake, "A pleasure to formally make thou acquaintance," I said regally. She laughed.
"So, are we friends now?" she asked abruptly.
The question took me by surprise, but I knew the answer.
"Yes, I guess we are."
Author's Note
I apologize now for using words such as dopy and moronic to describe Derpy. Also, should this story continue? I'm thinking about making a chapter about Trixie, or Pip, but I don't want to waste my time if no one wants to read that. Leave a comment. Thanks for reading.
