Do you have a moment, Luna?
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Good evening, Luna.
…
I do not know if you can hear me right now.
But I need to talk to you. You’re the only one who could really understand me right now.
So hopefully you can.
It is almost unbelievable that a year has passed already. It feels like just yesterday when…
…
Forgive me. There is some dust in my eyes.
There. That’s better.
I still dream about it. I am not sure if it means anything, but I always seem to go back to when you transformed.
I doubt I will ever recover from the shock and the pain. Not fully, anyway.
I asked Starswirl and the Hoofsayers what happened to you, what you’re dealing with now. No pony is really sure, sadly.
Some think you are on the surface of the moon, scheming, plotting and calculating a way to return to take your revenge. Most think you’ve been banished in the moon, like spending time in the dungeons, and that, perhaps, is why we see your silhouette on the surface now.
Starswirl thinks you are in something called ‘suspended animation’, where you don’t really feel or sense anything. He explained it was like when you freeze something with an ice beam: the thing inside the ice is still alive, but it can not tell anything beyond that until it thaws. He also tried to explain that it was like you were in some kind of in-between state: alive but not, capable of feeling but unaware that you are, still here and yet apart. You know how his descriptions of things always confuses me, so I finally just had to nod and say ‘Interesting’ even though I still have no idea.
I wish you were here to explain it to me. You were always good at explaining things clearly.
At any rate, the one thing the Hoofsayers all agree on is how long your banishment will last.
…
Um…
They say it will take a thousand years to cure you.
I know, I know. I did not believe them at first either. I actually laughed in their collective faces. I honestly thought you would be exiled for just a few years at worst. Just long enough for both of us to cool down and gain level heads.
But even Starswirl was adamant. A thousand years.
They tell me it is because of how I used the Elements. No one pony was ever supposed to use all six together, so the fact that I, an Alicorn, used them the way I did means I unintentionally put way too much power into it.
The other part of the problem is that the Elements stopped working for me.
I am sure that makes your Nightmare side gleefully happy, but it is the truth. Again, because I used them all at once it seems like I burned them out.
I found this out about four months ago. A trio of sirens appeared on the eastern coast, causing problems everywhere they went. Through some arcane spell, they could sing ponies into fighting, somehow, and then harvest the negative energy to make themselves more powerful.
Of course, I could not let them continue. It took some time to track them down, but once I had I demanded they stop, or suffer my wrath. They then scoffed and dismissed me, confident that they had more power than I.
I then produced the the Elements, with a dramatic swoop and a look of confident smugness, that one I had been working on for months.
The same one you have perfected.
They were scared, until I tried to use them. When the Elements did not respond, they laughed hysterically and then attacked.
I will not bore you with the details of the battle, but it was a near thing. I really missed having your close-quarters experience with me. That would have made a huge difference.
Regardless, after the fight I still had the problem of what to do with them. Imprisonment was a poor choice, since they could just use their mind control spell on any guard detail and have all the energy they needed. Starswirl then told me he had just perfected an alternate dimension spell. We could just send them through that, he said, and then, once deprived of their magic, they would be unable to return.
I agreed, mostly because I could not see any alternatives, but do you know what he did then? He said he had to use my vanity mirror, the one that charming prince from Saddle Arabia sent to me for Hearts and Hooves day a few years ago. He said it would work the best, but I think he was punishing me a bit too.
Oh, he was livid when he found out about our fight. He ranted and raved on for hours about how Equestria needed two rulers. He still grouses about it from time to time.
He is right, though. I had no idea you did so much around here! I feel like I am swimming in molasses while trying to keep up with everything. I can see why you became jealous. If we had swapped places, I would have grown bitter too.
There was a lot I was blind to.
…
It really is my fault. Everything that happened; that is happening now. Your banishment. The dead elements. Starswirl.
Oh forgive me.
He, um…
…
He passed away last Thursday.
Yes, his health had been failing for quite some time, but I feel as if I gave him a strong push in the wrong direction.
He took your banishment the hardest, aside from me. He never said it out loud, but I think losing his most faithful student hurt him in a way that he could never recover from.
He became senile as he approached the end. He started working on a new spell, and I mean new as in not based on any known magic. I am not sure what he was trying to do with it, but it seems like it was meant to change a pony’s destiny.
I think he was trying to change what happened to you.
His funeral was earlier today. I canceled the Summer Sun Celebration this year; my heart was already aching to start with, and then this happened. I could not find a reason to celebrate. I am sure many ponies were disappointed, but give it a hundred years or so and no pony will remember.
Most have already forgotten about Discord, after all.
I just….
Just…
I just feel so lonely now.
Your Nightmare side must be loving all of this. ‘Oh, the brave and beloved Celestia, who is surrounded day and night by endless worshippers, is lonely?’
And I must answer in the affirmative.
It terrifies me to be alone like this.
I love Our little ponies, of course. I would die for them in a heartbeat.
But they do not know me.
They do not know my anguish, my remorse, my problems. All they see is perfect Celestia, the bringer of the day. Their endless worship of me that makes it impossible to have friendships with them. How can I be a true friend to somepony who fawns over me, kisses my hooves, and declares the very ground I have stood on to be holy?
Somehow worship and respect became confused, I think.
But you told me that would happen, did you not? You warned me, cautioned me. ‘The ponies will come to adore you because you are protecting them. Do not let it go to your head, Celestia. Your ego will quickly become your undoing.’
And you were right, like always.
So now I suppose I have to repair the damage. It is unlikely I will ever get Our little ponies to cease their idolizing, but there must be a way for them to see I am not all they make me out to be. Perhaps if they see me at my worst, or when I am in one of my mischievous moods.
I wish I knew.
I think that is what really scares me, above anything else. This is the first time in my life that I have not had a clear answer to my problems. There is no magic to clear this away, no distance or height long enough to escape. I have to figure this out, and I have to do it without you.
And I am not sure that I can.
I suppose I have to. If I do not, the Nightmare has won. I might as well have let you keep the moon up and walked away.
So, I will do what I can. I will try, and that is all one can ask.
I hope that is all one can ask. I do not know what else I have to give at this point.
…
But I am rambling. I can just see you rolling your eyes at me.
I miss that.
Well, I did not come to whine. I really wanted to ask you something.
I know, I asked you to do too much. That was another reason you let the Nightmare win. But this one is not for me. It is not to help Equestria either, or any other pony.
This question is just for you, and I hope you will hear.
…
Will you dream for me, dear sister?
I ask because I am scared for you. You have been consumed by Nightmare Moon, the Harbinger of Misery and the Queen of Terrors. You turned yourself over to the Night so that you could receive all that you feel you have been cheated of.
But I think you have been tricked. The Nightmare that has possessed you can only care for one thing: itself. It does not love you, to any degree, nor does it feel any concern or care. It only wants to roam free among Our ponies, tormenting and scaring and feeding off of their fears and nightmares.
But now that you are the only pony it has access to, I fear that you are experiencing the nightmare’s full and unbridled wrath. I could not endure all of that darkness and hatred, where it contained within me, and I do not think I can endure the thought of you suffering through that for a thousand years.
So again, I ask for you to dream dear sister. If you must say that I am being selfish and thinking of myself in this, then I will agree. But I would hope you see that it is my love for you that motivates me to ask.
Please don’t let the nightmares consume you.
Please dream of pleasant fields, of soft lights and gentle breezes. Dream of bubbling brooks, of lakes of silver in the pale moonlight, of the borealis that you so deftly danced with more times than I can remember. Dream of those times when we were happy, dear sister; of the Great Carrot Cake episode and of our walks through the White Tail Woods. Remember the times you made me laugh so hard that I could not breathe. Dream of the pride we both felt when we Ascended, and the dreams we shared then when we tried to decide how to lead this new, fledgling kingdom.
Don’t dream of me, if doing so brings nightmares. Dream of dear friends, of Starswirl and Clover and Smart Cookie and the others. Dream of those times when Chancellor Puddinghead would do the most random and inane things just to lighten the mood and to bring out a laugh. Dream of Princess Platinum, and remember her change of heart. Dream of the races you had with Commander Hurricane, and of those private, soul-searching talks with Private Patsy.
She showed us both more about ourselves than any other pony ever could.
Dream of the future, of the grand glories that await you when you return. Know that I will do all in my power to ensure that you return to an Equestria that will revere you, respect you. The ponies of that future day will bless your name, sing your praises. They will admire your night, respect your moon, and delight in your stars. They will account themselves among the privileged if you enter their dreams and bring them good tidings. Dream of that time when we shall rule together, as sisters and as friends.
Because I refuse to believe that all is lost, and that you are beyond all hope. You can yet return, and reclaim all that is yours. I will ensure that it is here, waiting for you. I believe the Elements felt you could be redeemed, else why not just destroy you and be done with it? They have done so with many of our enemies. If they did not obliterate Discord, then there must be hope for you.
So dream for me, please. And know that things will be different when you return. I will not pretend to be perfect, even after a thousand years. I know I will still commit many grievous errors. We will still have disagreements, and we might even fight on occasion.
But I will make sure we never get to this again. I will change, I will be better. I will respect you, cherish you. I will tell you of my pride, and how proud I am to call you sister.
Dream sweet dreams, dearest sister. And know that I have always loved you, and I will always love you.
That is what sisters are for, after all.
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Author's Note
Just a quick one that came to me while working on another story. Didn't expect inspiration to come from a chapter title. 
Given a slight refresh on May 6, 2024. 
