The Storm Breed: The Rising Storm Anthology

My Dearest Subjects,

Every kingdom has its secrets; Equestria is no different.

Recent truths have made me realize the damage I have done by hiding so much. Now you know the truth.

It seems like so little time has passed since I came to this great land.

When my sister and I found Equestria, it was torn apart by chaos. Discord took the land from your ancestors, and reveled in their misery. The lessons of our father echoed in our hearts, and we knew we could not allow this to continue. With the Elements of Harmony, we defeated Discord and sealed him away so that his evil would never again be known.

We had no intentions to stay. This land belonged to your ancestors; we had only acted as stewards. The ponies of Equestria came to revere us, however. To them, we had become their saviors. Before that time, our race was unknown to the ponies of Equestria. Our powers astonished them; our immortality made us divine. Our knowledge of things and places unknown enthralled those wonderful ponies. They did not know where we came from, or what events had led us here, nor did they care. They came to rely on us. They made us their leaders. We didn't want to accept the charge, but we also knew what lay beyond. We had run away from it.

We accepted, if only to stay and protect them. We had one condition, however: they would never refer to us as queens. We kept our titles as they were, in honor of our mother and father.

The years passed and we saw ponies we had come to know and love, die. We, for the first time in our lives, experienced the pain of mortal loss. We watched as foals came into this world with a beautiful wide-eyed innocence. We watched them grow and learn, laugh and love, cry tears of grief and joy. We also watched them grow old and fade with the passing of each season as flowers wilt with winter's chill. We even sent some of those same foals off to die in times of war, when the livelihood of those they loved was threatened. We celebrated with those that found their calling, and mentored those who would become the wardens of this great land. In the end, though, it was the same--no matter who it was. We were left with the memories of those countless ponies born and lost over the course of a millennium.

I still remember every face... every name. A pain still rests in my heart for each loss.

We ruled to the best of our ability. We governed with a strong love and warm hearts--as our mother had. We watched the borders, a stern gaze set on the horizon, hoping to keep the cruelty of the world at bay, just as our father had done for us. We saw to the needs of the destitute, and sheltered the meek from whatever storms they faced. In return, the ponies of Equestria loved us. They swore loyalty to us and to the kingdom, and never doubted nor feared for their safety so long as I watched over the day and Luna over the night.

That changed, as you all know

Luna was still quite young among our kind when we became the leaders of Equestria. She was still brash; prone to acting without much thought as to the consequences of her actions. She was also very sensitive, given all that we had been through before coming here. Her trust had been betrayed before, and the impact of that lingered with her for many years.

You know what happened next. To this day, it's taught as the most infamous event in Equestrian history. Luna betrayed the kingdom and my trust. By the time I noticed something was wrong, it was too late. All the events of our past coalesced within her; tortured her mind, giving rise to paranoia and distrust. What started as a minor rebellion of a younger sibling turned into a crisis that left all of Equestria in a state of panic. I tried to reason with her, but she was too far gone--lost in her own inner turmoil. The despair gave rise to hatred, severing her ties with the Elements of Harmony. When that happened, my sister--whom I had cherished, loved, and cared for--vanished. In her place stood a revenant the Equestrians came to call Nightmare Moon.

For the second time in my long life, I had been betrayed.

Nightmare Moon cast me from the palace, and used her magic to keep me at bay. For the first time, I called upon the aid of the Equestrians, and with their help, I reclaimed the Elements of Harmony.

When I faced Nightmare Moon for the last time, all I could think of was Luna. Though the prospect of living without her pained me, I knew what needed to be done. With the Elements of Harmony in my possession, I banished her from the world.

Luna, my dear sister, know that I do not hate nor blame you for what transpired between us. I fear, though, that the silence between us lasted too long. You should know the pain I suffered when I was left to rule over our sanctuary alone, with only the promise of this land--and the hope that you might one day be returned to me--to keep me strong. You gave in to despair and became the very thing we fled from--you became just like him. We both suffered for what he did, my sister. We both lost those we loved. So why did you give in? Why did you hide your pain from me? When all we had of our home was each other, why did you feel the need to suffer alone?

When you finally returned to me, I feared that you would hate me. I could only hope to help you understand that I could not let our mother's sacrifice go to waste. She gave herself so that we could live and have another chance at peace.

I now know you came to understand that. My only hope is that you are somewhere out there, safe from harm and fighting with all your strength to hold onto hope. I will do this, my dearest sister, so that you can return to a place of peace and harmony--a place of love.

Every kingdom has its secrets, my subjects. Every king and every queen have their own shadow of regret; hidden truths shrouded by the air of unquestioned nobility. I fear I am no different, and I fear I have brought this misery upon us.

I am truly sorry to all of my subjects. To my student, Twilight; to Rainbow Dash and Rarity; to Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie--to all of you--I beg your forgiveness. All of you have lost so much. All of you have made so many sacrifices. My heart aches for you all, and I can ask no more. It is time I gave back to Equestria. It's time this came to an end.

My secrets are now laid bare before you.

Can you ever forgive me?