Prologue: An Old Mare's Tale
"Mommy?"
The light blue mare put down the book she was reading and looked down at her son. She gave him a warm smile before she got up from the chair she had been relaxing in.
"Young colt," she remarked, "I thought you were in bed."
"I was..." the light green colt said as he stared at his hooves, "But I couldn't sleep..." The mare's eyes softened when she heard this. She walked over to him and tilted his head up so he could see into her face.
"Is it because we're going too fast? I could ask your father to-"
"No!" He yelped, pulling away from her gentle hoof, "You don't have to do that!" The mare chuckled and brought the stubborn colt closer to her.
"Then what is it? Why can't my little spark sleep?" The colt bit his lip and instead looked out the round window that was next to them. Outside, millions of stars waited as the small cruiser drifted through space. The colt's father had probably put the ship's auto-pilot on by now so he could go to sleep himself. As the mother and her son looked on at the blackness of space, the colt leaned his head into the mare's arms and muttered something.
"I'm sorry," the mare apologized with a smile, "But what did you say?"
"I..." the colt repeated, "Said that I missed him..." The mare stopped smiling.
"I do too sweetie... but there's nothing we can do... we just have to move on...."
"And do what?" the colt asked, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "Forget about him?"
"No... of course not..." The gentle mother picked up her son and got him to cling onto her back, "We always have to remember... that way he won't really be gone. He'll be in our memory and our hearts." She started to walk back to the bedroom in which the colt slept. The colt's tears were quickly forgotten as he held on to his mother.
"I don't want him as a memory though..." The colt mumbled when they entered his room, "I want him here." The mare just smiled and put him into his bed. She then started to tuck him in, but he kept on squirming out of the covers. She eventually gave up and just sat on the end while the colt rolled onto his back. He looked up at his mother and asked the one question he wanted answered.
"Is he dead?" The mother looked at the door to hide the tears that had begun to form.
"I... don't know... but I'm sure we'll find out soon. The Lunar Republic will certainly tell us if..." She didn't finish her thought. The colt rolled onto his stomach and waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he asked her another question.
"Why is there a Lunar Republic?" he asked, "And what about the Solar Empire?" For a time, the mother didn't answer, but she was soon looking back at the colt with a smile, her eyes now absent of her tears.
"You mean you don't know?" The colt shook his head. "Then it's about time I tell you." She stood up and left the room. When she came back, she had an old book in her mouth.
"What's that?" The colt asked in confusion.
"It's a story book," she replied when she sat back down on the bed, "And it tells the tale of the first War of the Sun and Moon." The colt frowned.
"I've heard that one before."
"Of course you have sweetie," the mother teased as she opened the book, "but this book tells another side of the story. It talks about the Star Sisters."
"Star Sisters?" the colt asked, now curious, "Who are they?"
"Come here and I'll tell you," The mother replied. Quickly, the little colt wormed his way into the mother's arms and waited for her to begin reading.
"Long ago," the mother began, "In a land known only as Equestria, there were two regal princesses who ruled throughout the land. The older of the two gave rise to the sun, while the younger gave rise to the moon."
"I've heard about this mom," The colt interrupted, but the mother continued anyway.
"As the legend goes, these two princesses were, in fact, sisters and they helped keep the world in balance. Soon though, the younger sister grew jealous of her older sister for she was more welcomed and loved for her day than her for her night. This jealousy twisted the young sister and turned her into a terrible evil..."
"Nightmare Moon?" The colt put in. The mother nodded and continued.
"Nightmare Moon wanted to shroud Equestria in an everlasting night, and to do this she needed help. She soon enlisted the help of four servants, of which she gave them each a special sword. The swords were each given a unique quality, and each sword was given to the servant who fitted that quality best."
"What were the swords?" the mother smiled as she recited the next passage.
"One was of Love and was gentle and kind
Another was Hate and could shatter your mind
The third was Insanity covered in mirth
The fourth was just calm, but could break the Earth
And the fifth sword, created with Hope,
was soon twisted, tied back with rope
This final sword, turned dark by its mistress
was soon set upon a land in distress"
"Sounds like a poem." Observed the colt, his eyes beginning to droop.
"It is, now shush." The mother told him, then continued.
"The servants were soon fighting along side their master in what became known as the first War of the Sun and Moon. Nightmare Moon was powerful, and her servants, when they worked together, more so. Soon though, the servants grew tired of their evil acts with their mistress, so they came to the older sister to seek out a truce. The older sister only wanted peace in the land again, so she agreed.
"When Nightmare Moon discovered the act of treason though, she banished the servants to the stars and took their swords for her own. She confronted the older sister in an attempt to end the war, but not in peace. She wanted to take her sister's life to get her eternal night. With no choice left to her, the older sister used the most powerful artifacts she had, the Elements of Harmony, and banished her sister to the moon itself. She then took the swords and scattered them throughout the sky so that their powers could never be used again.
"The servants to Nightmare Moon observed this, and their old hatred for the princess of the sun returned. They knew they had to release their mistress from her prison, but that would take time, so for one thousand years they gathered power and magic to do just that. When the time came, they released their mistress once more from her tome, but at the same time, they exhausted their strength to help her retake the land.
"The Princess of the Sun was ready though. She had gained her own servant and it was the servant, along with her companions, who finally defeated Nightmare Moon once and for all, thus returning Nightmare Moon to her original state. The servants saw this action and were naturally enraged, but seeing as their swords were lost to them, they decided to wait.
"It is unknown how long they had waited, but when enough time had gone by their rage soon died out, and so they left. When the sisters had finally passed on in the land, it was up to another to keep the land balanced. With the sisters gone, old grudges resurfaced, past conflicts came back. The land was once again split apart, and another War of the Sun and Moon began.
"Depite the second war though, life went on. Soon the two nations discovered the technology to fly past their planet and into the stars, and the war was left behind on the planet. These two nations, known today as the Solar Empire and Lunar Republic, are at peace with each other, and though they have their differences, the peace remains.
"What of the swords and the Elements of Harmony? The Elements were taken by a third faction, the Equestrian Alliance, in hopes that they would someday be needed once more, but the swords? They were lost, along with the servants.
"The swords, while used for evil, still had remarkable powers, but it was for the best that they were separated, and yet, despite that, one has to wonder. These swords may be lost to the stars, but if they are ever brought together they can lead one to the ultimate prize. Their bond is much stronger than a simple friendship, so it is right that they have the name that they have now.
"And that, is the Legendary Star Sisters."
The mother closed the book and looked down at her son, only to discover that he had fallen asleep in her arms. She carefully placed the sleeping child back in his bed, tucked him in and turned out the light. With the book once again in her mouth, she left the room and entered her own. Her husband was asleep in the bed, confident that the ship's auto-pilot could steer for the night. She smiled again as she replaced the book back on his night stand.
She was quite certain that he wouldn't mind their son knowing of the old story. Now tired herself, she finally got into her own side of the bed. As she listened to the sounds of the ship while it drifted through space, she slowly fell asleep.
