Let Us Open the Storybook and Read
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were three regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land.
To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. Thus, the ponies had brightly lit fields and cities to work and play in, enjoying each moment better than the last.
The middle sister, in turn, brought out the moon to begin the night, offering ponies restful sleep and sweet dreams, giving hopes and smiles so that as the next day arose, they would wake up bright, happy, and ready for another day.
The youngest painted the sky full of colors with her magic as her sisters brought up the sun and the moon, bringing the ponies wonder. As the ponies prepared for work or wound down from it, she taught them to care for one another, so that their lives would be more fulfilling in work just like in rest.
Thus, their subjects, all the different types of ponies, were happy, living in balance and harmony.
However, there came a day where the two elder sisters began fighting amongst themselves.
"It is not fair!" The middle sister declared. "The ponies frolic in your day, working and playing with the utmost joy, but when my night falls, they all return to their homes and sleep!"
"I am sorry, sister, but it is how things are," the eldest declared, refusing to budge. "You give ponies the rest they need; is this not a task that makes you happy?"
The middle sister did not reply, for there was no changing the eldest’s mind. However, within her heart, bitterness grew.
The youngest sister looked on, hesitant. She dared not question her elders.
As the years passed, the middle sister grew more and more upset. She had tried to talk to her older sister many times, but the sun mare did not understand her plight. One fateful night, exasperated, she refused to lower the moon and make way for the dawn. Her hatred overwhelmed her and transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.
The elder sister took the situation into her hooves. Much as it pained her, she believed her sister to be beyond redemption, consumed by hatred. Reluctantly harnessing the most powerful magic known to ponydom, the Elements of Harmony, she defeated the middle sister, and sought to forever banish her from their kingdom, fearing for the safety of their ponies.
The youngest one would not allow this. She had been observing as her elders bickered all this time and, unable to make them see reason on her own, she had gone to their subjects to seek a solution amongst the crowds, something the other princesses had never thought to do.
“Their Majesties must be convinced of the truth,” the honest pony had said. “The Princess of Day means well, but she struggles to accept that she failed her nightly sibling. The Princess of Night refuses to see how much we love her. My kin and I will come with you and help dispel the lies that keep them in conflict.”
“Their Majesties seem so troubled,” the kind pony had said. “I worry for them, much as you do. They each, in their own way, fear for their subjects. Please, allow my kin and I to come with you. We will talk to them and help them through their worries.
“Their Majesties have lost track of what truly matters,” the loyal pony had said. “They have let the letter of their duties overtake its true meaning. Let my kin and I come with you. We will help show them the true value of their efforts.”
“Their Majesties fear that we do not love them as we should,” the generous pony had said. “They fear that we are forgetting one of them. With your blessing, my kin and I will come with you, to bring proof of our devotion.”
“Their Majesties must have forgotten to take the time to breathe,” the jovial pony had said. “For all their greatness, even they must need a moment to relax. May my kin and I come with you? We will help lighten their burden, so that they may have a moment to think.”
Encouraged by the many subjects that now followed her, the youngest princess returned to the castle, and asked that the eldest give her the Elements. Though hesistant, still fearing that the middle sister represented a danger, the eldest did so.
With the help of her new allies, the youngest princess brought forth the true power of the Elements, and restored the middle sister to her pure glory.
By standing out of her elder sisters' shadows and bringing them the guidance of their subjects, the youngest had taught them each an important lesson.
She had showed the middle sister that their subjects did truly love her. They thought of her in their sleep, and relished in the sweet dreams she gave them. They celebrated beneath her moon, enjoying music, food, and drink, and if she sought to join them, they would welcome her warmly. Why, many of them had come with her younger sister just to show her as much!
To the eldest sister, she had taught a lesson in understanding and humility, that though she was a wise and kind ruler, she needed to accept that there were times where she needed to rely more on her younger siblings, and trust in their concerns just as much as her own. Embracing the middle sister, she accepted her apologies and, together, they promised never to fight again.
The youngest sister herself had gained a valuable lesson all her own. With the wisdom gleaned from the ponies she had befriended, she had learned to stand on her own as a ruler, and take an equal seat to her siblings, where she could guide them in their times of need just as they had guided her in the past. With the support of her new friends, she knew that, from now on, she would be confident and proud to stand alongside her sisters.
With the three sisters again united thanks to the teachings of the youngest, harmony was restored to Equestria and has been maintained for generations since.
