You Are More
Written by BronyDerp117/K.G. Sanchez
Pre-read by Zonfic and SilverDream
She looked upon the stallion in her court with dripping anger. How dare he ask that the night be shortened?
I work tirelessly on this night sky daily. I enhance the star's brightness, I make the moon glow bright so that they may see more clearly, I paint auroras across the sky, yet they still do not appreciate my efforts! They prance and laugh in Celestia's sun, but they sleep through my night and completely ignore it! Where's my recognition? Where's my glory? Where's my love? Perhaps if the night were to be eternal, then they would acknowledge. They'd forget all about their love for the sun, and give me love. Her smile twisted upwards as her inner being began being filled with corruption.
"Celestia! I hath something to proclaim, dearest sister!" Her coat began to darken, her mane flowing more brightly with the stars of the night, and her eyes becoming thin slits...
Princess Luna looked up at the night she created. The moon was boasting its full beauty with its fullness, bathing all of Equestria in it's silver luminous light. The bright, white stars shone brightly as they twinkled against the black of the night. Tears formed in Luna's eyes, her gaze fixating upon the full moon. The other ponies may not have been able to, but she could still see her shadow. The sins of her past infiltrated her mind. Twisted images of herself with a coat as black as her night and a mane as regal as her stars, her eyes into dragon-like slits, and her smile an evil, crooked one, corrupted her thoughts. Images of her sister bellowing in disgust and horror came. The look of pure, dripping hatred she shot at the one pony she loved. The cruel lies that flooded into her mind of jealously and the corrupting feeling of being under-appreciated. The waterfall of Celestia's eyes as she screamed in the pain of the act she committed against her lunar sister. The venom of her seething anger contorted by her false jealousy. The flood of sensitive images flowed into Luna's broken-dam-of-a-mind like gushing water. The well of tears in her eyes finally let loose a single straggler, one that slowly climbed down her dark cheek fur, and fell down to the ground, lightly dampening the concrete of the balcony.
"I'm so sorry, my sister," Luna whispered aloud. The gates of her eyes opened, the tears coming out more freely. They slowly fell to the ground of the balcony, causing the damp circle to slowly grow.
"You've nothing to apologize for sister," Celestia said, walking out to the balcony and taking a seat next to her sister. "Luna, your eyes are stained from tears. What troubles you?" Celestia wore an expression of great concern, her eyes soft with comfort and her voice soothing.
"It's nothing, really," Luna sighed, wiping the tears away from her eyes and sniffling.
Celestia did not buy it. "Sister, speak your mind. Do not be afraid."
Luna looked up to her left into the eyes of her sister. Celestia's concern grew when she saw the glossy turquoise that was her sister's irises. "That's the thing Celestia. I am afraid, of her," Luna pointed her hoof at the moon. "It cripples me, and I can't escape it."
"Afraid of whom? You pointed at the moon, but the moon is yours."
"It's Nightmare Moon, Celestia," she spoke shakily, the struggle of her tears clear. "You may not see it, but I can. I see her shadow, always watching me. I know I'm not who I once was, but what if she returns sister? What if I can't control her?"
"Luna, you are not Nightmare Moon. She never was you."
Luna frowned, the pain overtaking her thoughts. "But she is me! I let her take over me! Now she can strike at anytime through my fear. It's hard Celestia, it's too much to bear." Luna broke down, letting the tears flow from her eyes. Celestia took her sister in her hooves and pressed her against her chest, letting her drain it all out against their embrace. Celestia's chest grew wet from Luna's tears.
After a few moments, Luna had calmed down enough for Celestia to do what she wanted to do. She leaned down, drawing very close to her sister's ear, where her mouth was almost touching it. "Luna my sister, don't you know who you are?"
"A monster."
Celestia outstretched her hooves, keeping them on Luna's shoulders to push her away, but she still made sure that she could look Luna in the eye seriously. "No, you are not a monster," Celestia began firmly, but not angrily or harshly. "We all have our inner demons, but you are more than that, sister."
"My mistakes says otherwise," Luna said, her words laced in sorrow.
"Luna, you need to understand that-"
"That what?!" Luna pushed herself away from Celestia, looking at her with angry sadness, more tears welling in her eyes and flowing down her face. "That I'm a monster drenched with sin?"
Celestia faintly smiled. "Your past sins do not define you, Luna. You are more than that."
"But-" Luna began, but Celestia's hoof being put to her mouth silenced her.
"You are more than the entire sum of all of your past mistakes."
Luna looked down at the ground, unconvinced. "But what of all the problems it created?"
"The problems were few and easy to deal with. All problems are, if you have the key. The problems you created were fixed quickly, although not easily. Luna, you are more than these accusations."
"But sister," Luna began, "how can you know this?"
Celestia smiled widely. "Because, you've been remade. Luna, may I show you what I speak is true?"
"Go on."
"Good," she began, grinning. "Luna, if a filly accidentally breaks her best friend's rib while playing on a swing set, should she be punished?"
"Yes," Luna answered. She cocked her eyebrow, not sure where Celestia was going.
"How?"
"No candy or allowance perhaps?" Luna suggested.
Celestia smiled again, her triumph drawing closer. "Yes. Now, she gets her candy and allowance taken for, let's say, a year. Three years after she gets her candy and allowance back, should she be afraid to play with her friend?"
Luna frowned. "No, of course not. They've obviously matured more and have..." Luna trailed off, realization dawning on her.
"Changed." Celestia finished for her. "You are not Nightmare Moon, Luna, and certainly not a monster. Everypony makes mistakes, but we cannot let those mistakes solely create who we are. We make our mistakes, learn from them, and turn them into triumphs. It's our mistakes and victories that define us. If ponies did only create themselves from their mistakes, there would be no kindness in the world, only cruelty and chaos. Father is a perfect example."
"Father? Really?"
"Yes, hes is," Celestia began. "When father was a young colt, he stole his cousin's spell book, for it contained a spell that he described as 'a remarkable work of talent' that he 'desired to have.' If that mistake played a part in creating who he was destined to become, do you think he would've went on to become 'The Great Solar Kindness'?"
"No, I don't think he would have," Luna started as she fully realized now. "I understand now, sister. The sins of the past are just that: the past. I have no reason to fear, for I know who I am today, and not yesterday."
"And do not forget the triumph of overcoming your past, Luna, for that is a remarkable feat," Celestia said, lovingly smiling down on her sister.
The two sister's eyes both gathered with tears, but not of sadness. "Thank you sister." Luna and Celestia wrapped their hooves around each other, forming a ball of midnight blue and white on the palace's balcony that they were still out on. Each of their shoulders grew damp from the other's tears.
"No problem at, little sister," Celestia smiled heartily.
"But I must say it again, I apologize."
Celestia cocked her head to the side, a look of confusion on her face. "For what?"
"For being so foolish," she began, "For not coming to you sooner with my own foolish fear."
"Luna, that's nothing you need to apologize for," Celestia comfortingly said. Luna nodded her head in understanding, and the two sisters fell upon comfortable silence as the two gazed up at the sky to gawk over the beauty the Lunar Princess created.
Luna pulled her eyes away from the now late night sky, dropping her gaze on Celestia, who returned the look. "Celestia, your student, Twilight Sparkle, sends you friendship reports, correct?"
"Yes, why?"
"I think I'd like to write such a report, except on sisterhood." Luna proudly beamed.
"I think I'd love to read that, sister."
"Perhaps I should get going now," Luna teased.
"Well, it is late, for me anyways. Accompany me to my chambers?" Celestia asked.
"Sure." Princess Luna followed closely behind her sister as they walked through the doors of Luna's balcony to her bedroom, which was decorated in a way to match the night. The ceiling contained an incredibly detailed and realistic mural of the summer night sky with a crescent moon dominating the upper right corner. Her bed's thick blanket was a dark royal blue, her pillows and walls matching. The two ponies walked past the bed and out of the chambers, stepping into the stone hallway of Canterlot Castle. The two marched silently down the hall, side to side, in a playful matter. They passed by multiple royal guards dressed in thick, gold-plated armor on the march down the hall. The sounds of their hooves lightly tapping against the stone with each step was the only sound to fill the air, except for the faint sound of the crickets outside. Luna and Celestia reached the elder sister's quarters at the end of the hallway after the short walk.
"Thank you again sister. Goodnight."
"Night," Celestia smiled before retreating into her room. Once the heavy iron door closed, Luna hurriedly trotted down the hall back to her quarters, eager to write the report. She rushed into her room and closed the door behind her, locking it with spell so she would not be disturbed. She walked over to her desk opposite of her bed, reached into one of the drawers, and pulled out an inkwell and quill. From another drawer, she took out a piece of parchment. She gently dipped the edge of the quill into the ink well, set it to the paper, and began writing. Her ideas became as clear as crystal glass as she smoothly brushed the quill across the paper, occasionally stopping to re-dip the quill in the ink well. She continued to write until she reached the bottom of the small page, then stopped to rest and let the front dry before she flipped it over and began writing on the back.
She read over what she had so far, a content smile growing on her muzzle as her eyes worked down the page. Satisfied with the front and the ink now dry, the Lunar Princess flipped over the page and continued writing. She wrote halfway down, when she decided that was a good stopping point. She put her signature, then gave it a moment to dry. After a short minute, she rolled up the scroll in her blue magic and tied it with a royal ribbon. She began to power up a spell, then shot it at the letter, teleporting it to her sister to read in the morning. Satisfied with a job well done, Luna made her way over to her bed and jumped onto it, ready to catch up on missing sleep.
Celestia awoke as she did every morning; with her horn tugging on her, telling her it was time to raise the sun. The Princess fired up her horn and effortlessly raised the sun and setting it's course for the day. She got up out of her bed and walked slowly over to her desk, where a steaming cup of tea was waiting. The royal servers dropped it off every morning. Celestia grabbed the tea with her magic and took a small sip, she then noticed the letter on her desk. The ribbon bore the Lunar Seal, indicating it was from Luna.
It must be her report.
Celestia unrolled the scroll and began to read the words neatly written on the page.
To My Dearest Sister,
I have written to you to share a very valuable lesson I have learned. Everypony commits mistakes. Some greater than others, and some smaller. But we all commit them. A thousand years ago, I made the mistake of letting jealously twist and corrupt me into something that I was not. When I returned from my exile, I had a crippling fear of countless 'what ifs'. What if I became Nightmare Moon again? What if I wouldn't be able to control her? I let myself live in unbearable fear for over three years. Three years that I should have spent rejoicing with my sister, or getting caught up with the world. I've only recently mastered modern language. In those years, fear consumed me. What I failed to realize, is that my fear was foolish. You told me last night yourself. The sins of the past do not make the pony. That is the big lesson. Everypony is more than their mistakes. They are greater than their sins, for their sins do not shape who they are, just as you said. If a pony cheated in a hoofball game that he played in when he was younger, and was punished by not being able to play for a year, should he be afraid to play again? No! He should rejoice in the fact that he can play what he loves again. It's the same for me. I received my punishment and have been back for three years now. I've been a fool for living in fear. If anything, that just made me more vulnerable. I know the pony who I am now. I have grown, matured, changed. I've been remade. I know who I was then, and I know who I am now. If I let my mistakes form the pony I would be now, I would be a hateful mare hungry for attention. The same is for everypony. If their mistakes is what shaped them, then the world would be filled with cruelty. I finally realized this now. I am more than the choices I made. I am more the sum of all of my past sins. I am exactly who I want to be. I sometimes wish Mother and Father could still be here to see us, Celestia. But at least now I do not need to walk around with a constant fear, but instead with pride and security. Thank you for that, sister.
Sincerely,
Princess Luna
The Princess of the Sun grinned contently as she finished reading Luna's letter. Luna had gotten the full impact of the lesson, and now completely understood her errors. Or at least she did in Celestia's eyes. Celestia rolled the letter back up in her golden magic, retied the ribbon, and placed it into a drawer of her desk to remind her of Luna's great triumph against her own self. Any trace of Nightmare Moon that was still in Luna was now gone, that was certain. Celestia finally had her sister back. Memories from their fillyhoods, when times were much simpler and more fun, floated into her mind. Tears of happiness filled her eyes as she looked at the letter again. A single tear fell upon the letter, forming a small drop spot. Celestia slowly slid the drawer closed, and trotted out of the room, for she had a sister to spend time with.