Long ago, in the Magical land of Equestria there was a princess, and this princess was desperately alone.

The princess had been happy once, surrounded by friends and loved ones and admired by many, but over the years that gradually began to change. It was so gradual, in fact, that the princess didn’t realize anything was changing. Over the years her friends and loved ones began to move on or pass away, as she remained, ever unchanging, forever young. It was something she had made peace with long ago, but now, unlike in years past, no new ponies came to replace the old.

And so, as time marched ever forward, the princess became more and more isolated. Not even recognizing what was happening until she found herself wandering the halls of her castle, and realized that there were no friendly faces in the crowds of ponies she passed by. She looked back and realized that, other than her sister. She didn’t have a single pony who she could call a friend, her sister loved her dearly, but was so busy she rarely even saw the lonely princess.

But although she had no friends, the princess was not too worried, ponies still admired her from afar, she was their defender after all, their champion, the one standing between them and the terrors of the night. She would make new friends, she was an outgoing pony, and had done it often enough before. It was only a matter of time. So, since she had no one to spend her time with, she threw herself into her duties, defending her subjects from anything that might harm them. She hunted monsters and beasts large and small, from titanic Hydra to swift wolf, all the while hoping for a pleasant encounter and someone to share her time with.

Many stories were told, and songs sung of the princess’s exploits and courage. But ponies by nature are afraid of what lies in the dark. As the cities and villages became safer, and ponies further divorced from the dangers the princess fought against, these stories of courage and bravery slowly turned to rumors of slaughter and bloodlust. Ponies who had once cheered in the streets began to fear her and hide when the lonely princess arrived.

The princess was angry when she heard these rumors of her bloodthirstiness. She had spent centuries defending the ponies of the land. It was her duty to defend them, so, despite the rumors, the princess continued to travel from town to town, protecting her ponies from greedy dragon and tiny parasprite alike. The rumors, however, only grew stronger as she continued in her efforts, ponies whispered that the princess’ bloodlust had consumed her, that it was only a matter of time until she turned on the those she claimed to protect. That she was a Nightmare, who fed on fear and death, and wouldn’t stop until she had gorged herself on the whole world.

The princess’ sister tried to support her, to convince her to ignore the rumors, saying that they would go away in time. As they became more and more common, though, the princess could feel herself cracking. Until one day the princess broke. She couldn’t go on, she needed someone who cared, who could convince her that she wasn’t the monster everypony thought she was, to give her a reason to continue. In her desperation something found her.

-Excerpt from ‘The Tragedy of the Moon Princess’ by Sunny Skies-

Luna was sitting in her room, crying. As she looked in the mirror she thought, contemplating her situation.

Why do ponies spread these lies? How can no one see that I’m just trying to help them?

When had her ponies become so afraid of her?Luna tried to recall the last time someone, other than her sister, had smiled, or waved a friendly greeting to her, and was at a loss to realize she couldn’t.

Granted, Luna didn’t spend much time among the populace these days, but when had the general nervousness at her presence mutated into outright fear? Ponies may hold their tongues around her sister, but Luna heard their mutterings. Ponies whispered that she was Celestia’s evil twin. That she was the dark side to Celestia’s light, that she was a Nightmare that only remained because Celestia didn’t have the power to destroy her.

Celestia did her best to comfort Luna, but she was so busy that they hardly ever got to spend time together anymore. Luna hadn’t realized until now just how alone she was. As she walked around her personal chambers she looked out into the star-filled sky. Her heart broke as she desperately wished she had someone, anyone who she could call a friend, someone who she could talk to, anyone-

‘Don’t worry. I’ll be here for you!’ A young-sounding voice said.

Luna started, the unexpected voice breaking her out of her thoughts. “Who’s there!?” She demanded.

‘A friend.’ The voice stated, giving the impression of a cheeky smile.

“Where are you? Show yourself!” She commanded.

‘Well if you want to know who I am you’re going to need to look at me first.’ The voice said, sounding amused.

It was then that Luna noticed that her mirror didn’t show her reflection at all. The mirror showed an alicorn filly, one that looked like a much younger version of her, a happier version, back before Discord, before the pressures of ruling had weighed her down.

“What are you?” she asked, nervously. She couldn’t detect any magic at work. If someone was able to sneak some enchantment past her and her sister’s wards without them noticing they were either very powerful or very skilled.

‘I’m Moonbeam!’ The filly in the mirror stated happily, beaming up at her.

“That doesn’t answer my question” Luna stated flatly.

‘I don’t know what I was before I appeared here.” Moonbeam stated sadly, her smile faltering slightly. “All I remember is hearing someone calling out. They sounded so lonely, and I wanted to help. So, I started looking for the voice, and the next thing I know I’m here, talking to you. You seemed lonely, and I was all alone too, so I decided to come and cheer you up!’ The thing – no – the filly in the mirror said, cheer returning to her voice. “I, uhh, don’t actually know how to leave though now that I’m here. Can I stay with you?”

Luna’s heart melted at the earnest expression on the filly’s face. Centuries of experience told her that Moonbeam wasn’t lying. “Ok, she said, you can stay.”

Moonbeam cheered ‘We’ll be the best family ever!’ she shouted.

Luna flabbergasted once again by the filly’s comment I never really thought about being a mother. She thought to herself. It may be just what I needed though.

Author's Note

Here it is. My very first fanfiction. I had the idea for this while reading various stories on this site, and it just wouldn't leave me alone until I had written it. If you have any helpful tips, ideas, or corrections, please leave them in the comments.

This story is finished, and backed up in multiple places, so you won't have to worry about it being abandoned. I will be updating it every week either on Friday, or on Saturday morning.

Unless someone's comment sparks major revisions the story will be 5 chapters with an epilogue, and currently sits at just over 12k words, so it's not a novel, but I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it just as much.