By the Moonlight

The First - Moongazing

Luna eyed her handiwork wearily. Another night lit up by the great white moon, and of course everypony was asleep. She really should be joining them- it passed the time and helped her forget her sorrow. She had to hide it, after all- for her sister's sake if anything. Celly would be broken if she found out her sister was just as disenchanted as she was before her banishment.

Oh, the banishment. A thousand years spent on the surface of her own charge. They had allowed her to witness just how little the world cared about the moon and its stars. And then she had returned, vengeance in her heart. Friendship had defeated her- but what good was friendship when her life's work went by unnoticed?

The alicorn sighed and twisted in her bed. Why did she have to deal with this every single night? Why couldn't she just let it all be? And as she asked herself this question, the obvious answer came to her. Because it was her purpose to raise the moon and stars and bring on the night, just as her sister raised the sun to begin the day. And though her skills as a leader had been acknowledged and proven many times in the past, no pony ever seemed to recognize the other role she performed, the reason she had been gifted with both a horn and wings. Celestia's duty to raise both the sun and moon for the past millennium hadn't helped.

She stared at the ceiling, painted as dark as the night sky. Even her surroundings seemed to be taunting her with imagery. She felt the urgent need to open herself to someone, but the only true friend she seemed to have was her sis... and of course there was no way she could tell her. She could've sworn there was a time when things weren't so difficult, when she felt loved.

Luna groaned and eased herself out of the bed. Perhaps a little stroll through the halls would ease her stress.