It was in a little brown bag. A tiny, brown leather bag that had been crushed into the center of a tin cube. It was meant to look like garbage, created to look like garbage, but we all knew what those cubes had been before. I always picked them up. Thinking about what they used to be gave me a cold, clammy feeling. Made my stomach do flips and my mouth go dry and my eyes turn moist and my vision turn fuzzy. But they had to be taken care of, no matter what. Had to be remembered.
This one was different, though. The reason I picked it up was because it looked different. I could see that brown strap snaking its way through the metal. That wasn't normal for the cubes. The most you'd ever see to separate them would be a tiny flicker of light or possibly a colored piece of steel in the mix. Never fabric.
I used everything I had pulling that bag out of there. Miraculously, it was intact. Inside was only that tape, wrapped in dirty rags and clothes to keep it safe. Or hidden.
I slid the tape gently into my player, listening with intense concentration as the machine hummed to life. I could hear a small fan whirring and the wheels of film inside the tape spinning as the television displayed an image of static. I smacked the device with the palm of my hand, and an image flickered into existence.
At first, all that was visible was a mass of thin, blue fur covering a slowly swelling and deflating surface. I could hear something breathing directly into the microphone, the puffs of air matching the swelling of the chest. After a minute or two, the creature sat back, and I got a good look at her.
She was some kind of horse, but her face was much more elegant and expressive. Her hooves were not easily distinguishable from the rest of her leg, as they were the same deep shade of blue, only hairless. Even the metal shoes on the bottom of her hooves seemed to be blue.
Thin, delicate, periwinkle hairs cascaded from her head and down against her cheek, transforming into a hazy blue fog after only a few inches. The fog somehow kept its form around her head and neck, shifting a flowing ever so slightly. As it shifted, tiny flecks of what may have been metal caught the light, creating a lovely twinkle like the stars.
She seemed to be standing in front of a sheet of some kind, blocking her true location from view.
She took a few deep breaths before speaking, trying to compose herself. Her enormous eyes fluttered, as though she were trying to keep herself from crying.
"Something is wrong with Princess Celestia," she finally said in a shaky voice.
I relaxed, coming down from the uncomfortable kneeling position to sit cross-legged on the floor. Is this what they used to look like? Beautiful and natural? I wondered.
"Once, she was our caring and loving older sister. But she has changed greatly... for the worse." She sniffed lightly, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "About a month ago, we had... visitors. We were familiar with the existence of humans, though they had never seen us before. They were hostile, I suppose, but only because they were afraid. Our army was powerful and intimidating, especially to unprepared explorers like those who arrived. Once they found out that we had such knowledge of them, their terror was even greater, but they were no match for us. The humans had never learned to harness magic."
I stared down at my hands, then at the twisted blue horn that grew from the creature's forehead. Magic...
"Our dear sister panicked. She knew that we had angered the humans, or at least alerted them of our willingness to fight. She was growing old, though, and feared that she would be unable to defend her subjects. In her disturbed state, she began to fade away from us, even those who thought they might bring aid. She spent most of her time, if not all, buried in archaic research journals. She experimented, brought in specialists, scientists, even witch doctors, trying to find a way to bring back her power--" The creature's voice caught in her throat, hysteria and sadness combining into a single choking sob.
She took a moment, trying to pull herself together, before continuing.
"Then things truly got out of hoof." Her tone was quiet, dark, sincere. "She started replacing her tired limbs, started removing the parts of her personality that made her 'weak.' She changed herself, transformed herself into a monster."
She paused for a long moment, staring down at the floor.
"I had suspected for a long time that something dark slept within my sister. Since Twilight ascended to the throne, she had behaved differently. I don't know why this is... perhaps it is somehow my fault..." She scoffed. "Wouldn't that make things a simple? A small disagreement among siblings. If only..."
A shadow of a smile crossed her face, but quickly faded.
"That is why we are sending this to the humans on Earth. We want them to know that, whatever happens, it was not meant to be. Not that it makes a difference, I suppose..." She sighed sadly, pausing for another long moment. "I also want you to know that I will not give up. My sister once banished me when I made some bad decisions. If need be, I am prepared to return the favor."
I stared into her blue eyes, seeing a myriad of emotions left unspoken, unshared. She gazed directly into my soul, looking me right in the eyes, as she murmured her final vow.
"I will protect Earth and Equestria alike to my last breath. I will not rest until every precious life is safe. you can count on that."
The video cut to static, and the tape was ejected out onto the floor with a clatter. For the first time, I saw the words 'Princess Luna' written hastily on a small white sticker stuck to the edge of the tape.
I picked up the hunk of plastic, gripping it to my chest with white knuckles.
"Where are you, Luna?"