Letters from the Moon

by Flutters Glasses

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, Other, Princess Luna, Slice of Life, Human, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5101

Luna always carried this habit, a habit of writing her thoughts into a series of letters for no one to read. But what if she had a reader? What if this reader were to write back?

Princess of the night and Nightmare Moon; two names used interchangeably in the Canterlot castle.

There was always a piece missing in Luna's life since her return from banishment; a sense of belonging, of acceptance into the modern society. She could never tell her sister of such feelings, but she aslo couldn't keep them to herself. In a series of letters sent into Oblivion soon after completion, Luna spoke of her true feelings, of her true fears, aspirations and worries. But what if these letters weren't sent into Oblivion? What if they were sent to place where she had a reader?

What if this reader were to write back?

Published 2013-04-19 19:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-14 05:26:45 UTC

Chapter 1

Dear Oblivion,

We are I am not quite sure how I could continue to perform my duties while living like this; I look to the stars every night, not out of choice but out of loneliness. The dark aura of Nightmare Moon still surrounds me, my sister's subjects refuse to consider me neither an equal nor a superior; to them I remain a monster. I spend sleepless nights dwelling over what I could do to alter their views, if not ever so slightly, but I can not form a single coherent thought. When We walk into the throne room, silence and fear set heavily among the denizens within. My sister's radiant smile is always there to greet me, but even that has grown more forced with each passing day. I think about running away. Often I consider its sweet release; my sister has near a millennia of experience over me, would anyone even take the care involved to miss me?

Am I really needed?

My sister checks on me often enough, but again, there is a tension here that I simply can not explain. I think she fears for my sanity and I wish I could say that she has no grounds to feel so. My room, my mind, my company; all desolate, devoid of any presence beyond my own. I would be lying if I said that I do not fear to leave their silent sanctity. My niece tells me that it is the Royal We that frightens the citizens so; that it serves as a reminder that it is not just me, but the Nightmare accompanying my presence. I have tried ridding my vocabulary of such speech, but it is quite difficult to lose something you have worked so hard to gain. Part of me does not want to see it go, it is almost as if giving it up would be to give myself-the old Luna-up as well.

I wish that I could just

"Luna!"

The midnight alicorn turned her head from the parchment and towards the door behind her.

“One moment sister!”

Luna looked sadly at the paper in front of her. It was unfinished, true, but she knew that the risk of keeping such a letter for the selfish act of not wanting to leave it in that state was too great. The scroll was coated in a near-indigo aura as it floated in front of her muzzle and began to roll itself up.

“Luna, the senators from the Cervidae Province are waiting on us.”

“Yes yes, We- I will be out in a moment.”

She gave one last conflicted glance at the scroll before opening the familiar, violet rift below it, allowing her magic grip to go slack as the letter was quickly sucked into the portal. She didn’t know where the rift led; it was a magic even she did not understand, but to bring herself to destroy her own creations proved too hard of a task.

It had been the fifteenth letter since the revocation of her banishment, but as always, it felt as if it were her first. Perhaps it was the loneliness she felt that compelled her to write to a mere figment of her imagination, but the idea of owning a diary seemed foalish and immature.

A drawn out sigh escaped her throat.

“Okay sister, I am coming.”

She turned from her desk and began to trot towards the door in front of her. There was little gain to be had by appealing to the cervine residents of the forest at Equestria’s border, but diplomacy was just one of the many duties she carried.

The princess took a fleeting look over her shoulder, specifically at the candle burning on the desk next to her yellowing stack of parchment, before allowing the door to slam shut behind her.

The door to Luna’s bedroom flew open as its owner quickly galloped into the room, tears streaming down her cobalt face. She none too carefully shot towards the desk, where the candle was now nearing its end.

The quill on her desk shot into the air as a piece of parchment floated into place under the dim light.

Dear Celestia,
We can not take this anymore. The hatred, the fear, the lack of respect; by these We are worn thin. Thoust saw perfectly well how the Senators acted, We were treated as if a plague surrounded our being. The Stags look upon us with fear, the Doe with distaste. I hath done nothing to displease them into acting in such a way, We did nothing but try and keep our head high whilst displaying a transparent smile. If nothing else was to be gained from the experience, I have learned one thing: We can not live here, in such a virulent environment.

We are leaving.

We shalt still raise the moon every dusk, but We are leaving the politics and hostility of Canterlot behind. Thou art perfectly capable of being the instrument of Equestria's rule, it has been done by you for near a millennia; We are but a spare piece that has no use in this game. Please do not hate me dear sister, it is better this way and We I know that you think this to be true. I shall seek a stead close enough in proximity for us to keep an eye on the workings under- soon to be your rule, but far enough to remain far from the venom of thine citizens.

Goodbye dear sister, our paths shalt cross again.

With love,
Luna

Luna looked teary eyed at the paper on the desk before her. Several droplets littered the sanctity of the page, but this was something unworthy of a second draft. The trinkets strewn across her desk took on a cerulean glow, a light being cast upon them from her horn as she lifted the letter in front of her muzzle. She stared at the parchment, her expression beginning to show bitterness; a bitterness long left concealed under years of solitude and months of being crushed under her citizen’s glares. The sheet began to implode inwards into a crumpled, little ball as the desk was coated in a similar cerulean glow. The table suddenly flipped, extinguishing the candle and scattering her quills and papers all across the floor around her.

She turned around with the intention of bucking the desk, but her hooves hit nothing but air as they shot out, missing her target completely. She collapsed into a heap and just lay there, sobbing quietly to herself.

The ball still spun in front of her face; besides the moon, the only source of light within the room.

“W-We can not do it...”

A sniffle escaped her as the violet rift opened up beneath the ball.

‘You are weak! Leaving Canterlot would have been the best decision you’ve ever made!’’
Her sister’s voice resounded through her mind.

Her lip trembled and she closed her eyes as the paper dropped. Her ears twitched to an otherworldly pop that resounded around her room; a noise that she had never heard the portal make before. Her eyes shot open as a small blue square began to drift down in front of her face. She allowed her magic to extend over the square, making it float in place as she looked at it curiously; her interest serving as a temporary rest from the pain she was feeling just moments before.

It appeared to be a small slip of paper, completely bare save for an odd, slightly lighter line of blue running across its top. She tilted her head as it spun around in front of her. The princess suddenly froze, her heart seeming to skip a beat as the paper turned completely around, revealing what was on the other side. Scrawled neatly on its surface were three words:

You write beautifully.

Author's Note

It's a sticky note, for those who didn't understand.
This is an idea that wouldn't leave my head; my other fic shall remain my primary one, but this will be updated as inspiration strikes. No idea how often that will be.

Humans will not physically appear in this story.

Chapter 2

Luna stared in utter disbelief at the slip floating mere centimeters from her muzzle; where, how, and who did it come from? Undoubtedly she felt fear and embarrassment on the surface, but there was another set of sensations deep within her, ones of well placed relief and, to a greater extent, excitement. To be complemented, to be... Anonymous.

She had a reader; she was writing to someone, not just a figment of her imagination. They thought her writing was beautiful and perhaps...

Perhaps they understood her.

Luna shot to her hooves, a light glowing brightly on her horn as she scanned the dirty floor around her.

"It has to be here! It has to be!"

In the corner of her vision, under the edge of the displaced desk, was the familiar brown of her quill. A grin spread across her face as she quickly grabbed it in her aura and pulled it towards her. To her dismay, the quill was not only snapped, but the tip had been crushed under the weight of the furnishing. She let out a near silent curse and looked desperately around for another; she knew there were more on her desk when she had tipped it.

Grabbing the desk in her aura, she lifted it off to the side to uncover where the quills lay, only to find them floating in a puddle of murk from her now shattered inkwell.

Frustration overcame her as she flared her wings out wide, turning her neck swiftly to grab a single cobalt feather between her teeth. She cringed slightly as she tugged her head back and pulled the feather from her wing, allowing it to drop for a moment before catching it in her aura. She held it in front of her face with pursed lips; a droplet of blood was suspended without gravity next to the primary. It was crude and wouldn’t make for a neat utensil, but it would simply have to do.

The desk was coated in a cerulean glow as it righted itself, a bent piece of parchment floating onto its surface. Luna stepped in front on the desk and dipped her quill into the dark pool by her hooves. Her heart was racing as she tried to think up a reply. What should she say? Should she ask how they received her letters? Should she ask how many them they had read? Maybe just ask who they are?

Making a decision, she pressed her quill against the corner of the parchment and wrote three small words; a simple question she was near bound to receive an answer for.

Who are you?

She tore off the corner of the parchment on which the message was scrawled and pulled it in front of her horn. The rift soon appeared below it, but before she was even able to drop the slip of paper, a new note shot out, sticking itself just at the base of her horn. She blushed slightly at the chilling sensation running down her spine from the foreign object and allowed her own message to drop into the portal. The odd tactility of the slip confused her as she pulled it off her face to look at what was written upon it.

You’re not leaving are you?

Her blood ran cold at the words. What if they were a resident of Canterlot?

What if they were in the castle?

She was flushed with worry at the thought. What if the paper found its way to the population? Worse yet, what if it got to her sister? Celestia wouldn’t ask her to honor the letter...Would she? Sure, their relationship was strained at times, but she didn’t really want her gone, but if it’s for the good of the ponies...

Luna shook her head to clear it of the nonsensical thought, the spell would take her letters far beyond the walls of Canterlot, and Celestia wouldn’t ask her to leave, no matter what the population wanted.

Nervousness continued to course through her. How long should she wait before reopening the rift? Could it be that they are able to open it themselves? She had little knowledge in this field of magic; Conjuration was but a rough idea at the time of her banishment, it took centuries afterward before being accepted as its own school.

She would give it ten minutes; ten minutes before re-opening the rift to...The other end.

In the meantime...

She sighed as she looked unhappily about the room.

“Might as well clean up.”

Her heart began to race as her horn took on its familiar azure glow and the violet rift opened before her. She half expected another small note to instantly come shooting out at her, but to her surprised dismay, nothing came out at all. She chastised herself for feeling disappointment, these things could take time; after all, she didn’t know where the notes were coming from, they could have been coming from an entirely different planet for all she knew.

A smirk found its way onto her face as she exercised her creativity over the idea; an entirely different plant that’s still capable of reading and writing Equestrian Basic, nevertheless capable of sustaining sentient life. The mere idea was silly, the stuff of legends and pony tales.

Sweat began to pour down her muzzle from sustaining the spell. Her magic reserve was massive to say the least, but to hold a spell entirely foreign to her beyond a few moments would quickly leave them depleted. Even the raising of the moon took minimal effort, if not only for her extensive knowledge and practice.

One minute passed, then two, then three. Her legs were beginning to quake from the little energy they were allowed from the massive amount the spell was pulling. She continued to stare intently, albeit strainedly, at the hoof-length, hairline crack in reality distorting the air around it. The violet glow was mesmerizing, almost growing blindingly vibrant as more power was pumped into it. It flickered out of existence every few moments as the instinct to stop took over her body, but in response she merely ground her teeth all the harder, squaring up her stance to allow a burst of magic to escape her horn to bring the rift back to life.

Even as her legs gave out from under her, and she was left lying on the floor, she continued to hold the portal. If there was any chance, any chance at all that there was somepony out there that understood her; that understood what she was going through, she would gladly give up a part of herself to find them. Blackness found its way in the corners of her vision as the spell took its most powerful toll on her body. She wasn’t dying, the curse of immortality wouldn’t allow that, but she was certainly losing consciousness. The absence of magic within a pony can wreak disastrous consequences on the mind and body; smarter unicorns than her had gone maniacal by exhausting their reserves, assuming they didn’t die first.

The rift began to lose its violet radiance as her vision continued to darken, the walls of her instincts closing in around her mind, fighting hard and vying for control over her horn. She was going to pass out. The turnout was inevitable.

“Ju-...Just a few more moments...”

A pop resounded throughout the room, though this happened unbeknownst to the princess laying dopily on the floor. Her eyes began to roll back into her head as the portal disappeared entirely, the violet glow providing the near only light within the room diminishing.

A slight azure glow, leaking the rest of her excess magic into the air, kept about her horn for a few moments as she lost consciousness.

Leaving her worn and exhausted form alone in the dark room, lit only by the light of the moon leaking in through the open window above her desk.

“Oh gods....By Magnus’ swollen Gastrocnemius...”

The sheer pain coursing throughout the midnight alicorn’s body rivaled even that of the most intense hangovers produced by those foolish enough to challenge one of the royal guards to a drinking contest. She attempted a small pain alleviation spell, though to little effect beyond sending a lancing pain from her horn down to the rest of her sore body. She bit her lip, drawing a small amount of blood as she withheld the scream that was all too happy to leave her body. She allowed her eyes to open a crack, but again, this only proved to add more to the pain wrought across her body.

She quickly shot a foreleg to her eyes to block out the light, giving herself just a small moment of time to adjust before removing it from her vision. Unfortunately, what was laying on the ground before her made her eyes go wide, something her body was nowhere near ready for. The pain again shot down her spine, but she made no attempt to shut her eyes, nor even flinch as she stared with her mouth agape. There was a sheet of white paper before her, tri-folded into a neat, medium-sized line. She rubbed a leg against her eyes to confirm its reality, quickly learning that she wasn’t imagining it, there was in fact a sheet of paper in front of her.

Her jaw closed as a grin shot across her face, her body near bristling with excitement. It had worked! They responded! The joyousness about her caused one key thing to temporarily leave her mind:

She had no magic.

The smile never leaving her face, she attempted a small levitation spell. Of course, this was when the smile did leave her face as the pain in her head returned full force. She cringed and closed her eyes, giving herself a few moments to overcome the intense pain in her body. A minute or so later, she opened her eyes again, the excitement within her all but extinguished as a grumpiness took over. She reached a weak hoof towards the letter and, as carefully as you can do with hooves, unfolded it; holding it open as she read what was on its surface.

Dear Luna,
Don’t leave, pleasedon’t leave. To leave would give them the satisfaction, the last laugh if you will, in this internal warfare you’re finding yourself in. If your citizens are truly so stuck up and snobbish to not see how wonderful you are, then that is there loss. Yes, I have received all of your letters, and I truly doubt that they were intended for me. They thoroughly confused me by their random appearance in my study, even more so with the appearance of that violet portal with the fifth letter, but they were beautiful pieces of work that told a story. A terrible story that I hope will one day turn into fairytale. I won’t lull you into the false security in saying that I’ve faced a similar ordeal, but now that I finally have a line with you, I hope that I can offer my help.

Luna, don’t lose faith. I may not know exactly what you did in the past beyond what few, vague details you’ve given me, but I know that every wrong can be amended given the proper care, time and love. I know that one day you’ll see, that one day they’ll all see how wonderful you really are. In the meantime, I’m still here, I’m still reading and I sincerely hope that you’re still writing. Who I am doesn’t really matter, it’s what I do and say that should be given heed. For the sake of continuity, call me what you’ve always called me.

Call me Oblivion.

Author's Note

This is far and wide a completely different story than what I usually write, that being comedy. I hope it's turning out well enough, it's a completely new experience for me.

Now that this is posted, I need to finish the chapter for my other fic before picking it back up; that honestly shouldn't be all that long.

If anyone would like to offer me a link to some sort of art for the cover in the comments, I'd appreciate it. I haven't really found a piece that...fits what I want yet.

Chapter 3

Dear Oblivion,

I hath decided to give thee a name. Oblivion. Rather fitting We find, but that is not the point of importance. We hath learned the reason for mine sister’s –and mine own citizens’ seemingly relentless abhor and fear, or so is our belief. The lesson hast came from the most unforeseeable of sources: our own sister's student, the young Twilight Sparkle.

This day marks the anniversary of our… Lunar rebellion against the land of Equestria. It hast become a tradition of sorts among the ponies of our kingdom. A day to serve as a reminder of what We had become; a day to retell why the citizens should fear the memory of us so.

A number of hours ago, We hath traveled to the local stead of Ponyville carrying the hopes the We might change the wretched traditions of Nightmare Night to something far more favorable of our newer status as, not a villain, but a beloved princess. Though, We hath found the term beloved to be pressing a matter of desire a bit far for so early in this renewed reign.

The Equestria of the past has all but gone, drearily to say; if pressed for explanation, We must say that society has grown more youthful. 'Tis as if with not even a paltry sign of non-physical growth, the immature foals found in our previous reign have become the mares and stallions of the future. Formalities are all but a wisp of the past, their speech grates upon our ears with such a bounty of informal slander and all that seems to be given care by these– these adolescent foals is happiness and well-being. And...

We feel alienated by this.

Before our banishment; before jealousy consumed our being and created a monster, We hath always been an outcast, but We had at least the capacity to try and meld with society. For it was a time when ponies lived day to day, as if each passing moment could be their last; it was quaint, it was simple and it fit. The monarchical chain was strong, the king and queen rightfully on their the princesses rightfully receiving the inherited roles as the sole leaders and to an extent the proverbial capstone of the societal pyramid. Nobles, as next in command, being the tools of rule in the further reaches in which even the strongest leader have no way of word. Finally, the commoners, living under the rule of the higher levels of this social hierarchy producing goods and contributing what they do to the empire’s economy. It is as if this system –the past has become, not a history, but a fairytale.

As if...We have become a fairytale.

Perhaps I, myself am being foalish to pity us in such a way, but… the pain is there and it sears us within. When We were in rule, the commoners comparatively evaded us and overlooked our care given to illuminate their night sky, but at least We existed. After our banishment, it seems that life moved on without us –as if we truly never did exist, but the ignorance grew. It grew twisted and deformed, into something entirely disparate. We truly did become a fairytale. The myth of The Nightmare –of The Lunar Princess became a symbol to be scorned and ridiculed. We hath seen this, ever the more prominent in the Nightmare Night festivities.

The gobbling of foals, the offering of the night’s spoils, the…fear We hath seen in the townsponies’ eyes on our arrival. We do not know if mine own dear sister Celestia hath orchestrated its creation, nor if she had condoned the practice –We can see the motivation behind it if so, but it does not lessen what we feel.

We hath gone out of our way to enjoy the festivities to the best of our abilities, and for the first time in centuries; from years spent sealed away in the moon… We truly enjoyed ourself. But now We are again alone in our palace room, the ponies that made us truly feel accepted and worthy of love are long away and asleep. Their existence dulled our pain, their company almost made us forget the reason for our abysmal thoughts, a lone foal…Pip made me feel an emotion I had all but forgotten, but now without them here with us, our mind has returned to its recesses. As if a shroud has encompassed us once again.

The world had forgotten about us.

The history of everything We were, everything We became, it served to be nothing but an idea –a concept to be laughed at one night every year since our banishment and one day every year into the future.

What We had feared the most hast become a sick truth of our existence:

We were not missed; we never were. And We I fear if we ever would be.

“Shining? Have you seen my sister this morning?”

Celestia sat nearly alone in the throne room of Canterlot castle, her only company being Shining Armor: a capable, blue-maned, white unicorn stallion and the captain of her own royal guard.

“No your highness, last I’ve seen her was at the meeting with the Cervidae.”

Celestia scoffed at the idea of the Deer in her halls just the night before. The Cervine were a proud race with a despot ruler; one that despite what so many of her little ponies believed, was not to be trifled with. Their dealings of course were still never easy –their murky, narcissistic presence still exuded outwardly even more than that of her own nobles in Canterlot. In their gazes lay a judgment, an almost racism against her little ponies that admittedly evoked a feeling of resentment within her.

“Spare me the formalities Captain,” The princess’ grimace turned into a thin smirk as she looked at the straight-backed pony to her left. “We’re alone for the time being.”

“Yes your high-“ The white alicorn gave him a playful, yet withering glance. “Celestia.”

The unicorn relaxed a bit, taking a moment to popping a kink in his neck.

“Oof..that’s been there all morning.” He turned to face his princess. “Sorry, I just get into character you know?”

Celestia gazed warmly down at the captain.

“You’re married to my niece, the princess of the crystal kingdom; you have no need to get into character.” The alicorn’s thoughts returned to her sister and she frowned. “Luna didn’t lower the moon this morning.”

Shining Armor froze, his small moment of respite from his stiffened stance all too soon meeting its end.

“Sh-she what?”

“Oh please Shining, you’re already making too much of this, I’ve taken care of it. I was just letting you know.”

“But what if she’s trying to-“ A stern gaze from Celestia silenced the unicorn.

“She is not trying to cast eternal darkness over Equestria, Luna is my sister, not the Nightmare my ponies once knew. You’d be wise to remember that Captain.”

“I was just saying that-“

“And I’m telling you otherwise. If Luna were to try and cast eternal night, both you and I would know it.”

Shining Armor didn’t respond, but pursed his lips and looked away from the princess.

Celestia looked on the captain with a bit of regret.

“I’m sorry Shining…I just…” She shut her eyes and lowered her head with a sigh. “Things haven’t been setting right with my sister since her return, but she would never…never let her mind devolve again like that. I’m sure of it.” Shining kept his gaze forward. “I just wanted you to go up and see if she’s alright, or even awake.”

“With due respect your highness, she already has.”

Celestia recoiled a bit at his words.

“I beg your pardon?”

Shining looked up at the princess, an equally stern gaze on his muzzle.

“Your sister, the princess. She’s already-“

“Captain.” Celestia started, a held-back snarl evidently threatening to show on her features. “I know she’s eccentric, but you would be too if-“

“Where was she when the changelings invaded?”

“Well, she-“

“In fact, where was she during the entire wedding? How come she didn’t attend the ceremony? She was there for the reception, What was she doing before then?”

“Captain, Luna protects the night, you can’t expect her to-“

“Don’t protect her!” Shining armor narrowed his eyes at the princess. “You’re just as curious as I am to see what she does behind that door, not a single pony in Canterlot knows.”

The princess was taken aback by both the sudden change in stature by her loyal captain.

“Bu- You-“ Celestia steeled herself and glared at the unicorn. “You forget your place Captain.”

Shining Armor sighed and closed his eyes.

“Yes your highness, I shouldn’t question-“ Celestia held up a hoof to silence the unicorn and looked to the doorway of the throne room.

Save for the breathing of the two, the room was desolate of noise.

“You’re right you know…”

“What your highness?”

“It’s Celest-“ The alicorn let out a sigh. “You’re right about Luna. I don’t know what she does behind that door.” She allowed the room to return to an unperturbed silence. “She scares me sometimes, with the way she carries herself… as if the gazes of a million ponies are weighing her down.”

Shining armor was silent for a time.

“Are they?”

Celestia didn’t answer, reserving herself to simply shut her eyes as she felt morning sun make its way into the sky.

Author's Note

I know that this is hardly a chapter, but I'm also hardly active around this site anymore... Thought I'd post what had been done for this chapter as of...3-5-ish months ago... I'm not going to say that this story is cancelled or on hiatus, but I will say that the only way it'll be written is by strokes of inspiration -something that hasn't happened to me in a fair bit of time.

Anywho, for your pleasure: a chapter that will be added to when my mind feels so inclined as to produce the idea.

Sorry everyone.