In Darkness, a Light

It’s… difficult, isn’t it, ma’am? I’m sorry, I hate to break from the script. But it’s beautiful. There’s little in this field that brings me to tears. I just wish I knew who this Twilight Sparkle was and what made her such a prominent prisoner, but nopony alive knows. I’d assume it’s because of her unusually strong dedication to Princess Celestia. Maybe Nightmare Moon wanted to make an example of her, to break her? To our best reconstruction of events, she never succeeded. I… I don’t…

I’m sorry. Give me a minute, please.

Princess Celestia recently visited to inspect the site. She’d been imprisoned here as well, sealed away, not on the moon or sun as rumor had held. When rescued, she was so malnourished and feverish that she was delirious and barely responsive. But yesterday, when she read that inscription… she suddenly remembered being here. She heard—she said that if a pony made such a fervent entreaty, she’d sense it. But while trapped in her own cell, she couldn’t do anything about it, and it tore her apart.

Next thing I knew, she ran to the bottom levels we hadn’t started exploring, threw open a room far from even the tiniest light, and illuminated it as bright as the sun.

When I got there, I… Well, you should read it for yourself, ma’am. Just down here. Watch the stairs—there’s still rubble we haven’t cleared. Bear left—only door on the—oh, somepony must have told you the way? Then I’ll wait outside for you.