Brilliance

Chapters

The Sun's Zenith
The Crescent Moon
The Mazzaroth

The Sun's Zenith

The sun was crossing the sky for the first time since the reign of Discord, son of Khaos. It had begun its circuit in the east. Twilight came and the ponies who were just hearing the news of the Draconequus’ defeat looked and saw the shimmer edging over the horizon. Each of them looked in that direction with tired and weary eyes, their bodies scarred and marred from years of oppression under the god. Their fathers and their fathers’ fathers had lived and died under the tyranny of the terrible king. They had never seen the sun. Without even Luna having yet come to place the stars in the sky, their only source of light was the ever-flickering fires that Discord had lit all over the world to keep the crops growing. So they had lived and died without witnessing the star’s radiance.

The ponies of this day too had never had witnessed the light of day. They had shared in their ancestors’ tribulation. And when they heard news of the war that the two alicorns were waging against him, they were less than pleased. On the one hand, some were fearful that the perilous warfare would come their way and end their lives prematurely. Though others simply scoffed. It would be over before anything significant happened. All of Equestria and its people had been under the rule of the dragon-god for as far back as history could tell them. It always was, and it always would be. He was destined to rule forever. He would crush his adversaries and grind them into dust that would be blown away in the wind and forgotten.

Yet they were wrong. Reports continued to come from the fields. The two alicorns, creatures that were part unicorn, part pegasus were still alive even after a few years. Yet the tide of war supposedly kept swinging back and forth. Most of the ponies just put the idea out of their minds and tried to go about their miserable lives. Yet among some of them, a faint glimmer of hope could be seen. Some asked if perhaps these alicorns had a chance in usurping the despot. Maybe they could free them. Yet others made efforts to shut them up out of bitterness. After all, even if they were successful, who was to say that these conquerors would be any better rulers than the present one? It was best not to raise their spirits only to have them shot down.

Though despite their lack of faith, after nine years of war, they heard a message that the alicorns, Celestia and Luna, had triumphed over the tormenter and imprisoned him in stone. Thus vanquishing Khaos' son, they asked for Equestria's approval to declare themselves as the new rulers of the world. Having no other choice but to opt for anarchy, all of the ponies in Equestria accepted the leadership of the triumphant ones. Furthermore, most of them feared they would be executed if they denied the victors their prize. So all of the citizens of each of the towns of the world sent their collective consent to the alicorns who had begun to build a palace in a place in the mountains. Luna built a great city by cutting rings into a mountain. It was shaped like a cone and had seven levels. This city was later named Canterlot. Celestia, meanwhile, built a palace near the top of the mountain. It was made of several towers and was very large as well. This was all done during the evening and night of the day of Discord’s defeat in near-absolute darkness by the greatest magics that the sisters could perform.

The ponies had awoken early on the following morning as they always did to scrape together a meager dinner and fend off wild animals. Yet when twilight came, they looked curiously to the east. Everypony stopped what they were doing and gazed at the sky which was changing before their eyes. What could be happening? While it was usually black, there was now a clear and glowing light; though it was faint. As they continued to look at the wonder, they noticed that the sky began also to change color. First, it went from black to shades of purple. Then gradually they began to see deep shades of orange and red. This beauty intensified until they saw it: There was a huge yellow circle in the sky that was slowly rising from a hiding place. As the circle continued its ascent, it appeared that the eastern sky was aflame.

The ponies saw this and were very afraid. Had some new evil oppressor come to torment them; lighting the sky on fire as he approached? Was some demon rising in in the heavens to launch an attack on Cloudsdale? What was this? In haste, a group of delegates from neighboring cities were sent to the palace that Celestia had built. They arrived at the gates of the city at about the fourth hour and reached the throne room of the palace after being admitted into a heavily guarded stairway midway into the fifth hour. Being admitted by the guard after a moment, they walked into the majestic hall.

As the doors were opened for them, a blast of the light from the midday sun greeted them; flooding though the large windows. When they were finally able to open their eyes, their jaws fell upon wide as they gazed upon the splendor that Celestia had accrued for herself. The walls were covered with golden wallpaper and majestic purple tapestry hanging from them. There were also many tall white columns which reached up to the ceiling two hundred feet above. The room was fifty feet on either side.

Then, there was the throne itself. A great red carpet ran down the length of the room for three hundred feet, and up to the seat, which was made of magnificent gold and decorated with engraved patterns of vines. On its sides were two fountains which constantly poured a steady trickle of water. Beautiful flowers matching the color of the walls adorned both sides as well. The actual chair was colossal; being raised up seven feet. The back extended twenty feet high and a red cushion extended to seven feet. Many stairs led up to it, but were covered by the carpet; giving one a dual sense that the princess was approachable, but still raised higher than any of her subjects.

Upon the great throne she sat, Princess Celestia, their redeemer and monarch. Upon her head was a golden crown with an amethyst gem beset in its center, and around her neck was a necklace of the same style. Her back legs were tucked under her and she leaned on her forehooves. Her pristine, white coat matched finely with the sun emblazoned upon her flank. Her mane was graced with four colors: cerulean, turquoise, blue, purple; each peaceful and comforting. It flowed gracefully through the air though there was no draft in the hall. Her horn was long and gave her the image of piercing strength with which she could protect her subjects. Her large wings were spread wide open and were inviting. Her eyes were tinted with magenta and gazed at them softly. Her face was serene and peaceful and her visage was calm and welcoming.

As the ambassadors approached, they were trembling because of all the unfamiliar stimuli. The sun was bright and they were accustomed to darkness so that it hurt their eyes and caused them to squint and move slowly forward. But also bathed in the light of day was the smiling princess; elegant and gracefully awaiting for them to come nearer. As they looked upon her and saw her large stature, they became very afraid and began to shake. Her other features were completely invisible to them.

And she saw that they were terrified. So she spoke to them in a soothing voice as when a mother comforts her foal. If they were not so afraid, they would have also noticed the music within her voice. It lingered in the air for a moment, and they would have played the sound over and over again in their heads to hear once more its magnificence. “My little ponies, how good it is to see each of you! I’ve seen you from far away but never could meet any of my subjects in person.”

Yet her words, though wonderful and gentle, did little to ease their fear. And the youngest among them, a stallion by the name of Onyx Glint, from the town of Manehatten spoke firmly to her in youthful audacity and anger. His voice trembled, but he managed to convey his words. “Princess Celestia, you have been the regent of this country for no more than twelve hours. Are you already going to forsake us? There is a giant, flaming demon in the sky that threatens all of us and here you are doing nothing about it!” These last words he shouted and then looked down; ready for any punishment that she might inflict upon him.

The others gritted their teeth and gazed nervously at the monarch. Yet she did not raise her voice or even change her tone for that matter. She continued to speak; honey flowing from her lips. “Are you referring to the sun, Onyx?” She gave a small, light laugh. “That is no demon. That is the bringer of light.”

The stallion, having not been smitten, looked up and went further. “But why should we need this light? Neither our fathers nor our fathers’ fathers had it. Why should we? Moreover, there is too much of it. It pains our eyes just to walk in the open.”

Celestia looked at them all and smiled. “There is a large window on your right. Look outside and you will find your answer.” Hearing a direct order from their ruler, they went quickly to the window and looked outside. For a moment they could see nothing but the blinding light of the sun, but as they continued to stare, the scene changed. Without warning, they began to see the world as they had never seen it before. The palace was high above the ground and as they looked out the window they saw the immensity of the world below them, clothed in the vivacity of the newfound sunlight. They all gasped as they looked upon the fields which were full of such color; the green grass gleaming with the light. Then they looked above and gasped as they saw the vast blue expanse of the vault of the heavens. They gazed at the sky for as long as they could. Each felt like he could never tear his eyes from the beauty of what he was seeing. It was then that they realized that the light of the sun had made all this possible.

Then Celestia spoke to them. This time, they listened not with fear, but with awe. “Look my little ponies and glimpse the sun in the sky. It has traversed from beyond its hiding place and has risen to the highest point in the heavens. For a second move your eyes and look at it. For a thousand years Discord, the Draconequus oppressed you. He covered the world in darkness and stole the sun away from your ancestors. And my sister and I saw your pain from afar. We moved with compassion and waged war against him. For nine years we fought unceasingly against him on your behalf. And on the dawn of the tenth year, we defeated him and set up our kingdom here at Canterlot.

“The darkness is gone. It has been completely swept away. The sun is at its zenith and shines over all the land with its brilliance. Its beaming rays fall upon the cold earth and warm it until it radiates with never before seen color. It illuminates everything for you to see. It will complete its circuit and set in the west just as it has risen in the east. But fear not, it will return again to bring its light once again. This is to be a lasting gift for you all. When you have daughters and sons who ask why the sun is there, tell them this: The sun is my gift to all of you. It is my promise that I will always be your faithful princess. And unlike the one before me, I will not be unkind. Unlike him, I will not torment you or harm you. I will give all of you a hope and a future. And all of your days under the sun will be filled with joy and prosperity. Nor will there be any other long suffering under my reign; for I promise that as long as you call me your princess, I will bring you out of your poverty. To those of you who toil all day long for a small ration I will give a feast. For those of you who have been denied your heart's desire, I will give it to you. Whatever your cutie mark says, you will do.

“I have taken a seat on the throne of the highest mountain. I have set up my kingdom; seeing everything from the clouds above. I have established my rule over all of the world and built it up like a citadel with which I will defend you from your enemies. I will cover you with my feathers and under my wings you will find refuge. They will try to ensnare you, but I will crush them beneath my hooves. My reign will last forever and the rising and setting of the sun will be the reminder of that promise. Rejoice; for today my everlasting reign begins.”

Hearing this, all of them fell and knelt and proclaimed her as their Princess.

Author's note: Those who are familiar with the exploits of the six modern bearers of the Elements of Harmony may realize that events in this chapter contradict what is written in The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. That book asserts that the ruined palace located in the Everfree Forest was the original "palace of the royal pony sisters." In fact, that palace only served as a temporary base of operations for Princess Luna during the Nightmare Moon incident. After the banishment of the princess of the moon, the Elements were left there to ward off the remnants of Nightmare Moon's dark energy which were thought to have implanted themselves in the very foundation of the edifice. This will be explained in a later chapter.

The Crescent Moon

Per the princess of the sun’s promise, the great giver of light eventually did complete its circuit across the heavens and set in the west. Once more darkness had enveloped the land. The ambassadors had gone back to their cities and pointed out the beauty that the sun had shown to all of the ponies of Equestria. But now the loss of light brought them sadness. They slept through the night; missing dearly the great circle which had opened their eyes. But they did not lose faith in their princess. The whole of the country slept with the hope that the sun would rise again soon.

Celestia was proven to be no liar after about twelve hours had passed. Once more, the sun breached the horizon line; displaying the beautiful hues that it had the morning before. On that day, after enjoying the sunrise, the ambassadors went once again to Canterlot to speak to their princess. She welcomed them again happily and graciously; holding the same demeanor as before. This time they were less afraid, but they had still not become used to either the intensity of the light in the throne room at midday or the naturally imposing nature of a goddess.

Yet once more, Onyx braved the challenge of addressing the kind princess. “Princess Celestia, you are a good ruler, and we thank you very much for bestowing upon us this, your gift, the sun, and we know that you promised that it would leave us and return. We thank you once more for being faithful to your promise. But though we are very pleased with what you have given us so far, and though we do not wish to ask too much of you, we regret to say that we are grieving because it is pitch black at night. Without the fires as in the days of Discord, we feel not only disturbed but afraid. Is it possible that you could raise the sun to its height, and leave it there that we may be able to see for all time?”

The gentle goddess answered him with her musical voice. “I have heard your troubles before you even brought them to me. I have seen them from afar. Before I laid my head down for rest last night I agonized over your discontent. Though I must tell you that there are errors in your plan. I cannot simply leave the sun in its place. If I left it still, it would warm up the earth to an unbearable temperature. Though it may seem harsh, the night is necessary for you.”

“Then could you provide a lesser light for when the sun has left us, so that we could at least make our way back to our homes without stumbling over a rocky pathway?”

The princess frowned weakly for a moment. “Unfortunately, after the sun sets, the country is no longer mine. Though you have not yet bowed in her presence, you must not forget that you have pledged your loyalty also to another princess. That is why you do not call me ‘queen.’ As long as the sun is making its journey over the sky, Equestria is my domain. But when the darkness arrives, the realm comes under Princess Luna’s jurisdiction. The night is her domain. I can do nothing until the sun rises again.”

At this, Onyx asked, “Who is this co-ruler? We have not seen her. Why does she not share this throne room with you?”

“Princess Luna is my sister who helped free you from the oppression of the tyrant. She rules with the same authority that I do, but she is enthroned in another tower in the palace. If you desire to bring your troubles before her, I am sure that she will be more than glad to receive you.” And with that, the ambassadors gave thanks to the Princess and offered her a tribute of twenty bales of hay from each of their cities. The total number of bales that was offered to her was one hundred. And though Celestia did not wish to take the tribute, she did not wish to offend them either and accepted their gift.

Then the sun princess summoned one of her guards. Like the others they had seen, he was a fine specimen. From the unknown land in which she once dwelled, Celestia had brought with her almost eugenic guards of olympian strength and build, whom she commanded in the war against Discord. His coat was white and unblemished and his eyes were the purest blue. His wings were large and powerful. All his muscles bulged and his stature seemed imposing at a height of four feet and three inches. His golden armor covered his mane, but that was compensated for by a plume of hair on his helmet.

She instructed him to lead them to the throne room of Princess Luna. So the guard led them out of The Tower of the Sun, which in old Equestrian is called Minas Anor, and he and the ambassadors stepped into the large circular room at the base of the palace. This room was carved into the mountain and was lit up with many torches. It was undecorated; having nothing but unpolished stone walls and eleven wooden doors. The door that they had exited from had a carving of the sun on it. On their right was the door that led to the hallway to the outside. The nine other doors supposedly lead to the nine other towers of the palace.

The guard opened the door to their direct right which had a carving of the moon on it (though the ambassadors did not know what it was), and motioned for them to follow. So they began to ascend Minas Ithil, which is Old Equestrian for “The Tower of the Moon.” Unlike Minas Anor, the spiral staircase leading up was much more compact and they had to climb it one by one. It was also quite dark as it had no windows, and only a torch above them every ten stairs or so. On the walls of the staircase were many strange symbols which made them uneasy. There were also words scrawled in an unintelligible language.

Under normal circumstances, they would have become quite nervous because of the ominous décor, but it was not long before weariness took precedence over worry. The stairway seemed to go on forever. They climbed up and up for longer than most of them could bear. Within minutes they were breathing heavily. At one point, the eldest ambassador, Clandestine Colloquy, asked the guard, who himself seemed to be showing signs of fatigue, “Goodness, how far does this go up?”

After huffing once, the guard answered in a gruff voice, “Minas Ithil is the highest tower in the palace. I think I remember Princess Celestia saying that it’s a thousand feet tall.”

The older pony made a sputtering sound. “What?” he asked as he nearly tripped on the stairs. “But the base of the palace alone is at eight thousand feet! It must be as high as the clouds.” The others expressed their surprise as well. Yet despite this realization, they continued to climb. Finally, two hours after sunset, they reached the top of the narrow, winding staircase of the tower.

The guard pushed open the door and they walked into a chamber with doors made of steel. The entire room was dim as well and covered mostly in darkness and shadow. The only light came from torches above the frames of the three doors in front of them and above the one they had entered through. A voice suddenly spoke up from out of nowhere, which caused the delegates to jump. “For what reason have you come to Minas Ithil unsummoned?”

The guard answered in the direction of the voice that was shrouded in darkness. “Princess Celestia asks that Princess Luna would grant an audience to these ambassadors from the cities surrounding the city.”

The grim voice countered, “Have you any proof of this?” The guard took out the parchment that Celestia had given to him and placed it on the ground a yard on front of where he stood and backed up. Then the ambassadors were shocked to see another guard walk out of the shadows and into the dim light. Yet this stallion was different from the guards that could be seen on the lower levels of the palace; serving Princess Celestia. This one’s coat was dark grey and his eyes were yellow and bestial. His armor was not golden, but purple and had a webbed crest upon his breastplate. Most noticeable were his bat-like wings which awkwardly protruded from his sides as though they had been poorly grafted on by some mad scientist. He gazed at the piece of parchment which Celestia’s guard left open for him. After a moment of his feral eyes passing over the inscription on the document, he backed again into the darkness.

For a moment nothing happened and Onyx was about to say something, but then they heard the sound of the guard's horseshoe banging upon the steel door in a rhythmic pattern. They heard ten knocks, and then there was silence. After a moment, a muffled squeal of metal grinding against metal could be heard from the outside the room. The door then opened with a gust of the cool nighttime air of winter. The voice of the grey guard was heard again. “Hurry in. The princess doesn’t have all night.” All of them, wishing to see the end of their mission, obeyed. But the darkness-enshrouded voice spoke again. He addressed their escort. “We will see to them from here. You may return to your mistress.” Their guard repented and started down the stairs.

This made them all quite nervous (more so than before) and they stopped for a moment; not wishing to walk straight forward, blindly into the darkness. The grim guard raised his voice. “Move along. You don’t want her to get upset with you.” Thus realizing that they should heed the command of the guard, they reluctantly stepped into the darkness, and away from the comforting torchlight. As each walked forward, they realized that had passed the threshold of the door when the temperature changed. They could feel a breeze and they assumed that they were outdoors. Yet it was too dark to tell. They could hear the sound of thick fabric ruffling in the wind close by them.

When nothing happened, they continued on walking down the dark path before them. Yet before they were able to go very far, they heard another voice. This one though was not grim. It was imperious, and terrible. It was also cold and unfamiliar unlike any equine tongue that had heard before. “Halt ye who enter hither! Take not one step further towards my throne. Why doth ye see it fit to cut short our solitude?” The voice was delivered in a shout and they all began to tremble at its power. When they said nothing, suddenly a flash of lightning illuminated the room accompanied by a clap of thunder and another shout of “Speak!”

What they had seen for a split second was enough to traumatize even they, who had braved for years the horrors that Discord had imposed on them. Before them was a huge alicorn. One the same size as the sun princess. Yet this one was covered in fur which was black like the night. She had blue eyes which had slits rather than pupils. And they only needed that split second to notice her massive, dark, outstretched wings and long, sharp horn. The abrupt sighting caused Onyx to become weak in the loins. Clandestine, being quite alarmed himself, spoke in a single breath. “We came to ask for your help!”

At this, they saw a glow appear in the place where the creature had been. Then suddenly torches around the room were lit, and the throne room was suddenly bright enough to see. The ceiling and roof were made up of two disks of stone separated by columns. The ceiling had a hole in it and the black heavens could be seen. Between the columns were sheets of translucent fabric through which one could see the night sky. Each of them gasped as they saw the mistress of Minas Ithil again.

Princess Luna sat enthroned in the back of the circular room. She was dressed in stately attire and wore a black tiara with a sapphire at its center, and a matching neck ring. The ambassadors shrank low as her piercing eyes bore into them; The eyes could discern everything about them. Nothing of them was hidden from their gaze. She folded her imposing wings and revealed a tail which flowed like Celestia’s. Though something caught their eyes when they gazed upon her tale and also noticed her mane. Looking at the mane and tale of the princess of the moon at that time was like staring into an abyss of darkness, the emptiness of space. It did not so much appear as though she had hair, but instead a void extending from her neck and backside. Yet they did not have so long to inquire into the nature of the wonder; for she spoke again forcefully. “Ye art our faithful subjects. Ask whatever ye desire of us and it shall be thine.”

Perhaps if they had been less afraid, Clandestine would have asked for more. But this was not the case and trembling, he simply said, “My princess, we come humbly before you on behalf of the small towns of Fillydelphia, Manehatten, Detrot, Baltimare, and Prancesylvania, with a grievance: We regret to say that the night is far too dark for us to see on our way home without the ever burning fires as in the days of the tyrant. Because of this, we often stumble and injure ourselves; having no light. We came to Princess Celestia and asked her if she could help us, and she sent us to you.”

At this, the fearful monarch seemed to be annoyed. “Cursed be my sister for harboring secret design from Us. We foresee not what intentions she holdeth, though we know that she hath sent ye hither in vain. Leave our chamber at once!”

The old stallion looked up at his princess in horror. “But your highness, we must-”

“AWAY WITH YOU!” She shouted with more force than she had been using. This command accompanied yet another flash of lightning and a thunderclap. All of them fled; rushing out of the throne room and all the way down the many winding stairs of Minas Ithil. When they reached the main chamber leading to the ten towers they were almost completely exhausted.

They began to ask each other in between gasps, “What must we do now?” But no one could give an answer. They were all at a loss for what to do. They surely could not return to the princess of the moon. Nor could the princess of the sun help them at all. She had already done what she could. After they had caught their breath, they continued to think for another hour. Finally, they gave up, being able to conceive no solution, and agreed to return home. So soberly they stepped through the eleventh door of the room which would lead to the outside. Glumly, they trudged through the hallways which led to the palace doors. And reaching the exit, despondently they stepped through the gates of the palace and began to descend down the stairs of the mountain leading to the city.

Yet as they looked forward from the height they were at, their sadness turned into surprise. In the sky, in the same place where she sun should have been if it were the same hour as in the day, there was a thin crescent. Nor was the crescent dim, but it was pure white and shined brightly; giving a little, silvery-blue light which lit their path. At this time, they knew Princess Luna had been faithful to her word (that they would be given anything they asked for). Seeing this, they were overjoyed, and although they did not understand why the princess had sent them away in that fashion, they saw that she had solved their problem in part. The crescent was not nearly as bright as the sun, but it was sufficient. So they ran down the steps of the mountain and around through the seven levels of the city of Canterlot. Then they bid each other a quick farewell and rushed to their respective towns to tell their ponies of this light. It was morning by the time they all arrived, but many had seen it across the world as they had the sun.

Now before they had reached their destinations, Princess Celestia walked out onto the balcony of Minas Anor. From atop this balcony located just outside of her bedchamber, one could view the entire kingdom of Equestria. It was there that she looked out at the dividing line where heaven meets earth. And her horn glowed with the olympian power of a goddess as she bent down in preparation to complete her daily task. Summoning this energy and molding it into a force with which she controlled space and time, she leapt up from her kneeling position. Her wings spread out to their extent; letting herself hover in the air for a moment as she gazed at her handiwork: Along with her body, the sun had broken through the barrier and risen up a few degrees into the sky. The momentum with which it was travelling would carry it unimpeded all day until it completed its circuit.

No sooner had she touched the ground; finishing the ritual, and accomplishing the most sacred of her duties to her subjects, did she see a flash of lightning and energy before her in the form of a sphere. The flash lasted for less than a second and disappeared; leaving Princess Luna in the place of the light. And seeing her sister, Celestia happily greeted Luna. “Good morning Luna. It’s good to see you're still up. I thought that you would have gone to bed after seeing the moon set.”

The black princess strode to directly face her sister. And being in no mood for pleasantries, said, “What design do you withhold from me sister?”

Frowning, the sun bringer asked, “What do you mean Luna? Have I done something to make you believe that I would plot against you?”

“You sent those ambassadors to me last night, knowing full well that what they desired was already there for them. ‘Why?’ I ask you. Why would you have them trek all the way up Minas Ithil to ask me to create the moon when its phases would begin on that night without fail?”

Celestia relaxed. “Ah, is that what this is about? I just thought that you needed to get to know your subjects. And them not knowing that you control the moon tells me that you haven’t spoken a word to them since you began your reign. I wouldn’t be surprised either if they haven’t declared their allegiance to you in person. Did you treat them well?”

Luna scoffed. “So you did not trust me to perform my duties on my own? As for them, I sent them out of my sight as soon as I realized that you were planning something.”

This caused the monarch of the day to place her hoof on her face and sigh. “Luna, you have to realize that you need to build up a good public image with your subjects. And missing out on opportunities like this is not the way to do it. You love them don’t you?”

Night’s mistress raised her voice. “Would I have fought unceasingly for nine years against their oppressor if I did not?”

Using a soothing voice so as to not enrage her sister, she answered. “No, no you wouldn’t. And I know that you love them just as much as I do and would gladly put yourself at risk once more for their sake. But you have to show it too. Actions speak louder than words, but if no one is sure what those actions represent, then they could be fruitless or even detrimental.”

Luna responded, “True sister, but our subjects must fear us as well as know that we love them. Should we make ourselves appear weak and easy to manipulate, our posts even as servants will be nothing.”

Celestia saw where this was going. This was quickly going to turn into an argument in which neither side would come out a victor. Realizing that any further attempts to convince Luna otherwise would waste her time, she turned to her bedroom. “Do what you will, Luna, but I warn you, if you keep that attitude up, you’ll only end up being a lonely tyrant.” So saying this, the two broke off. Luna retired to Minas Ithil, and Celestia went and sat on the throne of Minas Anor to attend matters of state.

The Mazzaroth

One day, Princess Luna, on a whim, decided to take a stroll around the countryside before the sun was about to set. She had travelled from Canterlot to a place that today is called Ponyville, but at that time, there was no town there. She was walking westward down a pathway without any guards and planned to stop at the Everfree Forest. The sun was almost completely beyond the horizon and it would soon be time for her to raise the waxing moon. The deep colors of the sunset were beginning to fade and the sky was turning darker shades of blue by the moment. The trees lined the paved stone pathway in the neatest row. Their uniformity blocked her view of anything to the north or south and allowed her to focus on the west. The view was quite picturesque.

As her armored shoes which were tinted artic blue beat upon the stones of the road with the force of her steps, she truly began to enjoy the peace of pride. The sun was about to leave the world, and it would soon be hers. The feeling that everything which the moon’s light touched would be hers was a comforting feeling as well as a peaceful one. Perhaps at some point in the night she would visit on of the towns and grace the ponies there with her presence. Though her peace was soon interrupted by Celestia’s words that lingered in her head.

Perhaps she had been too hard on the delegates. True, her sister had plotted against her, and she did feel it was better to be feared than loved, yet she was starting to feel a bit lonely. Celestia was receiving regular visits from their subjects, and was even beginning to make friends with some of the more wealthy citizens, who were beginning to take up residence in the capital. And though the alicorns had been alone for as long they could remember, and had been content, she was now beginning to feel a touch of jealousy. After all, being a princess was not about being an exaggerated owner of land, but a leader of ponies. Sociability was in her job description.

But once more her thoughts were interrupted by a sight ahead of her. At the edge of her sight, she saw an incident in the road. From what it appeared, two thugs, pegasi of about the ages of twenty, were beating upon an older female earth pony. One had reached into her saddlebag and taken her money, and the other was stomping her face into the ground. A great feeling of rage flooded through the body of the black monarch. She galloped towards the scene while channeling her great and awesome power into her long horn. And shouting, she said, “In the name of the Moon, cease this brutality, knaves!”

The two pegasi stopped what they were doing and saw a six foot tall, black alicorn with blue armor and piercing eyes charging towards them. So they were terrified and fled. But Princess Luna caught them up with her magic and held them in the air. And being held by the irresistible force, they began to cry out and beg for their lives. And the enraged moon goddess shouted once more and interrogated them. “How darest ye villains trespass so atrociously upon thy fellow pony? Be ye so audacious that ye see it permissible to sin in Our dominion? Answer quickly or We shall judge ye straight.”

Both were so afraid that they could do nothing more than sputter out incoherent syllables. Luna looked up and saw that the sun had finally dropped below the horizon. Being a merciful goddess, she decided for at least the sake of justice to give them one last chance. Her voice thundered across the roadway. “Give thine apology now, thieves! We shall hear your case without delay, and be just with ye if but ye art true.” But they were completely guilty and had nothing to say. So raising her head, she said, “Very well, We regret nothing then. We are true to Our word.” And she spoke in her mightiest and most imperious voice. “As the princess of the moon, We banish ye from this realm under penalty of death. Be ye thankful that We have not done so straightaway for none are more deserving of execution than ye!” So saying this she gathered up her energies and thrust them magically beyond the boundary of the Everfree Forest in a flash of lightning.

After justice had been appeased, Luna turned to the earth pony who was lying upon the earth and staring at her. She had many bruises about her and her head was bloody and injured. Luna took a step towards her and was about to cast a spell to heal her, yet as soon as she faced her the pony scrambled to her hooves. She had a clear visage of horror. When Luna was about to protest that she should not rise in her condition, the pony screamed in fear, “Keep away from me!” Then she fled, rushing around the goddess to the east.

Luna called after her, “Wait good citizen! You require attention.” But the shocked pony did not respond. She was running with all speed away from her princess. Luna did not feel it was right to use magic on a citizen who had just been beaten, even if she meant her no harm, and teleporting in front of the mare would probably cause her to go into shock. She did not believe that she would be able to catch up to her either even though she was usually much faster. So the princess was left standing there; lonely and confused. She saw no reason to continue her walk and, after raising the moon unceremoniously, began on her journey back to Minas Ithil.

The ordeal replayed itself in her mind over and over, but she could not understand it. She had saved that mare, and yet the pony was afraid of her? Not having dealt with many ponies on a social level, she was at a loss for what to say concerning what had happened. All the way back to the palace she pondered this, but she could make nothing of it.

Luna was pacing about the throne room of Minas Ithil. She had been doing so all night; trying to make sense of what she had seen and felt that evening. At some point, one of her guards by the name of Brazen Humour came to her and asked, “My princess, you seem troubled. Is there anything I can do for you?”

Luna did not respond for a moment. Yet after a moment she realized that she was being addressed “What?” She began. “Oh, yes. Brazen, thou cometh at a good time. Thou hath been among the ponies of the realm, no?”

“I have been among them in the day in recent times, my lady.”

“What sayeth they concerning Us?”

“They fear you, princess.”

Luna frowned. This was clearly not the answer she was looking for. “But do they love Us?”

The guard shuffled uncomfortably. “…ah, my lady I am not… I cannot say...” He obviously did not know how to answer.

Luna became certain he was not going to respond. “What of the moon? We know that they praise Our sister for the sun, and giveth great attention to its rising and setting. Doeth they likewise for the moon?”

“No, your majesty.” He said passively.

“Why ever so? Is not Our moon beautiful? Doth it not cause them to stare in awe?”

“They say that it cannot hope to match the radiance of the sun.”

Luna was silent. Calmly she thanked Brazen for his help and dismissed him. His answer was truthful, but by no means pleasing to her. The moon, her wondrous light in the night sky was not good enough for the ponies of Equestria. She could not wrap her mind around this. Was not the moon, which portioned its light more beautiful than the sun which illuminated everything without prejudice during the day? The moon was private. It was secret. It allowed for the concealment and discovery of the greatest secrets. Luna had learned far more in her time in the night than in the day.

Why was this? The answer was simple: The sun, giving light to everything, tried to make everything equally important. But the moon, being selective, caused ponies to value certain things above others. It made them more vigilant; compelling them to focus more on what it had to show. The night was the time for searching; the time for the most meaningful events to occur that only a select few could see. Yet still all of them ignored it. How could she make them see its beauty? How could she convey its magnificence? She took more time to find an answer for this.

Finally, on the ninth hour of the night, she stepped out of the throne room and climbed down the stairs of Minas Ithil. Her steps were slow and deliberate. She savored every moment of what she was about to do. The last time she had done it, they had revealed to her the Elements of Harmony which had given them victory in a single battle when they had been at an unbreakable impasse with Discord for nine years. Reaching the hub with eleven doors, she gazed to her left, pushed open the door that had a glowing horn on it, and began to walk down the hallway that it guarded. Luna was headed towards the tower of Magic, or Minas Mangul.

Minas Mangul was the shortest of the ten towers of the great palace of Canterlot, but it was the most estranged. Luna walked past the door and was soon greeted by another, which she had to cast a spell upon to bypass. At her request, Celestia had put twenty barriers in between the entrance to the hallway of Minas Mangul and the bottom of its tower. To bypass each barrier, she had to cast a particular spell that was not only very difficult to use, but also not prompted. For an enemy to break into the tower would be impossible. So she reached the bottom of the tower and climbed its stairs; maintaining her slow, but steady pace. This was certainly a rarity.

Reaching the door, she opened it and entered inside. It was morning by this time and her sister had already brought up the sun. At the top of the tower was another simple room. It was made of stone and lit by one window. Yet the floor was covered with a smooth surface that one could draw on. In a container sitting on a stool under the window to her left was a container full of different colors of chalk. So talking out a piece of white chalk, she began to draw a magical circle four feet in diameter. Inside the circle, she drew a six pointed star without lifting the chalk from the surface of the floor. And around the edges of the star, she began to write words in a language which only she knew. El, Hod, Jah, Nau, Al, Pha, Ome, Ga. Once this was completed, she used to magic to veil the window, and fell asleep.

When the sun was setting, the natural order of things awoke her and she found herself lying in the circle that she had drawn. She waited for seven minutes and unveiled the window. Seeing that it had become dark, she raised the moon from inside Minas Mangul. She then was ready. She looked directly forward and, keeping still, found a slanted table with a rack at the lower end. Leaning upon the rack was the deck of cards that she used for divination.

Now not much is known about these cards, but records have hinted that there once was possibly an entire race of alicorns rather than the lonely two which are living today. Within that race were three great goddesses by the names of Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. These alicorns were said to be the greatest magi of all time and were more powerful than any unicorn ever will become. It cannot be confirmed if they existed or not, but if they did, they had the power to control space and time on an omnipotent level. It is said that they enchanted this deck of cards which was in Luna’s possession to be able to make anything clear; whether that thing be in the past, the present, or the future.

Luna raised these cards from inside the circle and separated them. She took from the whole deck of fifty two cards, twenty two and put the rest aside. She then shuffled them, and drew three; placing them face-down. She then set the rest of the cards aside and took a deep breath. She had laid out before her the cards that would reveal fate: remind her of the past, clarify the present, and reveal the future. She took a moment and guessed what would come up. Three was the smallest number of cards that she could draw. Whatever cards came up would reveal everything she wanted to know about herself. But if she wanted to reveal something outside of her, she would have to draw more cards, but that was an even rarer occurrence.

With the cards that she anticipated affixed in her mind, she flipped face-up the first of the three cards which showed the past. She was right: The Hermit was the first card. The Hermit told her that she was an elderly and wise alicorn who had spent many years pursuing knowledge; fathoming many mysteries that mortals would never understand. However, the Hermit also told her that she was a lonely pony. Having experienced many things, few if any could relate to her. This first card came as no surprise.

The next card would show her the present. She flipped it face-up: The Moon. The Moon symbolized one who is in the process of introspection; walking down the path of self-discovery. This was quite true. Since last night she had been trying to understand why the people did not love her, but this inquisition into the desires of the people was truly an examination of what she was lacking. She was now finding that she was a sociable creature. Hence, she wanted ponies to adore and love her as they did Celestia, though she did not know what Celestia had that she lacked. Thus this came as no surprise either.

Luna had thought about all the things that had been happening recently. Many events had occurred, and those many events were causes which would yield many effects. She did her best to determine what sort of effects these antecedents would bring about, and she believed that she had come to a conclusion. So, with these deductions in mind, she flipped up the third card which would show the future. And of course, it was The Sta- …

She had expected to see The Star: a symbol of revitalization; a signal that her current quest would end in a triumphant discovery of something that would ease her dissatisfaction. Yet she was not looking at The Star now. She was in fact so sure that The Star would be there that when it was not, something did not register properly in her brain. For a moment she felt dizzy; not because of what was on the card, but because she was wrong. When she regained herself, she looked forward and saw what was truly in front of her. She froze.

In reality, she was staring at The Hanged Stallion. The card was certainly not one that she liked to see. The card featured a stallion hung by his hoof; being completely unable to do anything about it. The Hanged Stallion symbolized sacrifice and decision. This quest of hers would end in a realization where she would have to make a very serious decision. And no matter what course of action she chose to take, she would have to sacrifice something. This was very unsettling for her, but it was not what concerned her. The Hanged Stallion symbolized sacrifice, but it also symbolized helplessness. Whatever decision she was going to make had already been predetermined. She had no say in the matter. This made her feel cold and constricted; like she was trapped in a cage outdoors in the middle of winter.

She was not satisfied with this. She had to know more. She wanted to draw a larger number of cards. Now she had only done that once before to find the Elements of Harmony, and she felt that the foreknowledge beyond the three card spread was sacred. She paused for a moment as she returned the cards to the deck. She paused and thought about whether or not she should go forward with such an act. Eventually, she believed that because she had drawn a card as severe as The Hanged Stallion for such a general spread, this matter was one of great importance.

So she drew five cards this time from the full deck. This too yielded a result that was even more shocking for her and she resolved to draw more cards; revealing for herself an even greater scope of events than she had ever dared to foresee. Unfortunately, she never shared what these results where specifically, so one can say what she witnessed. After she had seen those cards, she was even more appalled. Yet she had not seen enough and drew once more.

This continued until she was finally gazing upon the most revealing spread of cards possible. Twenty four cards were laid face-down and flipped up, and Luna was suddenly gazing upon the whole expanse of time itself. She was seeing, by the interpretation of the symbolization of the cards, all the things that had happened, the things that were happening, and how those events would influence and determine the entirety of the future. From these twenty four cards, she was viewing the scope of eternity.

As she flipped the cards up, she did so in great distress. Each card revealed a woe which would befall either her or the world. Each card in succession revealed what appeared to be a greater travesty than the last. Every time she peered at the next card, she recoiled; for the tragedies which would certainly strike were appalling and terrible. As she neared the end, with the terrors becoming very hard to stomach, it took increasingly more willpower to continue. Finally, Luna was about to turn over the last card and took in deep breath. She did not want to reveal this last one. She did not want to know if the world would perish in a sea of fire and torment. It seemed to her that all the world would be reduced to eternal chaos and all goodness was dying before her eyes. Though she felt she had to know; for she had gone this far. She had to see her actions through. For this reason, she turned over the last card and gazed at the horrors.

But when she did this, she suddenly saw a light in the darkness. Without preempt, she saw in the progression of events a wondrous and perfect design that ended in paradise. What she saw was like victory of the master chess player who makes sacrifice after sacrifice throughout his game. Towards the end, everyone believes that he was foolish to even try to win the game; having lost from the very beginning. But then there comes a move in the endgame where he moves a single piece, and suddenly the whole crowd is in an uproar. It becomes surprisingly evident that he made all those sacrifices for a reason. Each and every one was calculated with perfect precision, and though it was extremely painful for him, they led him to an ultimate and flawless victory. Even so was what Luna was gazing upon when she saw the events as a whole.

Suddenly, this design which she saw, punctuated by pain and suffering and trials and tribulations, was so beautiful. Nothing that had happened was in vain, but everything that happened occurred for a deliberate and specific purpose. And the end, the ultimate result for which all these things had happened, was so amazingly beautiful that her eyes leaked tears of joy. What she was seeing was true magnificence, true perfection, true wonder. She could have never masterminded such a beautiful design. Neither herself, nor her sister, nor even, as Luna claims, the enchanters of the cards which revealed these things could have planned what she was viewing. Such a masterpiece was too perfect.

She looked at the difficulties that she would have to face along the way, and though she cringed when she saw them, she smiled and wept all the more hardly when she saw that she had not suffered in vain. She did not see any specific event. No one could discern anything specific from symbolism, but she was able to acquire an idea of certain states that she and the world would be in at certain times. Knowing this, she was at peace then; having hope that this was a good, pleasing, and perfect design. Seeing this, she suddenly felt the urge to go out into public and proclaim what she had seen. She had to go tell ponies about this beautiful news. But then she stopped herself. By the order of magic, nothing that she had seen must leave that room. Falling to the ground, she became very sad because she could not share such an awesome epiphany with the world.

So she pondered once more about what she would do because of what she had discovered. Soon, she conceived an idea, a wonderful idea which would accomplish several tasks all at once. Quickly she teleported to her balcony outside of her bedchambers at Minas Ithil, and she looked up at the black sky, which was empty but for the moon. It was then and there, in her state of great peace, that she began to weave a pattern that she would create in the sky. As she began to conceive beautiful and wondrous patterns within the godlike confines of her soul, she did something wonderful.

From so far off, she grasped with her magic, the dirt and dust in the heavens, and she pressed them together as hard as she could until the dust caught fire in many places and began to burn. She smiled. “Celestia may have sun," she said. "But I have many suns far away.” This word “many” was an understatement. She had created from the dirty, uncleanly dust millions of suns. It was only that they were very far away. And she gazed up at the great number the she created and was glad. The light illuminated the earth where she was like the moon.

But by no means did she stop there. She moved the stars around in the sky. She organized them and gave them form. She made sense of their chaos and made them orderly. She fashioned them into twelve patterns; each pattern resembling a different sign. From the east to the west, she created the images of a dragon, two twins, a prison, a sword, a scorpion, a fire, a beast, a six pointed star, a grave, a serpent coiled around a staff, and an alicorn. Each of these twelve signs symbolized a long era that Equestria would endure. And after she had made these images as wholes, she then paid great attention to each star. She moved each star in the heavens to be exactly where she thought it should be. And she gave each one a name. Each one had a name that further clarified the period that its image symbolized.

Even today, one can look up at these stars in the heavens, and know that they tell a wonderful story. That story is indeed full of grief and pain and suffering. And if you read the story, you might come to a point where you desire not to finish it. Because with the world in the hopeless state that it is in, you tell yourself that the story could not possibly end happily. But then, in the darkest part of the story, when it seems like there is no hope and the protagonist’s enemies are closing in, leaving no escape route, something happens. Something so incredibly awesome happens that resolves all of the conflicts in one, single, glorious moment. So it was with what Luna had seen, and with the story that she wrote with the stars.

When she finished her task, it had become day, so she was not able to view her handiwork. But it mattered little. Exhausted, she fell to the ground and slept through the day. When night came, she awoke to find that her guards had brought her to bed. And she rose and brought the moon out of its hiding place. Then she went outside to her balcony and looked up. And she saw the awesome work which she had made. All of the stars in the sky illuminated the world at night. They did not take away from the night’s secretive beauty, but they lit it up enough so that one could find one’s way. She saw the stars and being reminded of what she had found, she was overjoyed.

Though no one was around to listen, she spoke to the ponies of Equestria in a whisper. She so much wished that there was somepony there to enjoy the beauty of the night with her, but she did not dwell on what could have been be versus what was. She whispered nonetheless. Her voice, though so quiet, was full of passion and meaning. “Behold Equestria, my love for you. You will say in the coming days, ‘Who loves us more than Princess Luna?’ You will say to your foals, ‘Do you know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning of her reign?’ Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created the wonder of the sky? The one who brings out the starry host one by one and calls each of them by name. In days of hardship, your daughters will ask, ‘What proof do we have of this? What sign have we been given that shows we have not been forgotten?’ And you will answer them, ‘We have the stars in the sky. The stars were created out of love, that we might have an everlasting reminder.’

“Have you not seen? Have you not heard? Mortals will die and ponies will fall. They will endure hardship and suffer many things for a short while. They will try to bring themselves out of their misery to no avail. And they will cry out, ‘We have been forsaken.’ But so long as I sit on this throne, and so long as the stars are in the sky, there will never come a day when I will forsake you. I will bring the dead back to life. I will reward those who suffered harshly many times over for their perseverance. I will comfort the miserable and I will embrace and be with the forsaken. They will live and not die. And their joy will be complete during all their days.”