//------------------------------// // chapter 2 // Story: Luna Sets the record straight // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// Greetings, our loyal subjects! We are most pleased to see so many of you hath turn out for our speech here in the humble town of Trottingham, as we were pleased with the crowds that beheld our first speech in Phillydelphia! Your Princess wishes for all of our little ponies to know how much she loves them, and doth care for their happiness and well being. That is the purpose of this royal tour, which began with our ill-conceived visit to Ponyville these two weeks past. It matters not what other ponies thinketh, we did enjoy most greatly our visit to Ponyville. Whist the first part of the visit did not go as well as we had wished, we did find our strength in getting our subjects to love us, lie in our ability to to relax and have 'fun' (Yes, we know what 'fun' is, in our day it was called revel making, amusement, or merriment). We hath connected with our subjects in a manner we never before achieved, even in the olden times. It was Sky Runner who did first explain to us what Nightmare Night was. It had first been mentioned offhand by one of our Nightwatch Pegasus, who did wish for that night off, to go about his merrymaking. We found the idea of a night that celebrated our fall into madness most insulting, and wished to abolish it immediately. But our ever patient Chamberlain suggested that we should see this as a celebration in our honor... much as Celestia hath the Summer Sun Celebration to honor her. He also did suggest that we go out amongst the subjects- to Ponyville, perhaps, as it was near the sight of our purification and restoration- and attempt to get the ponies to re-fashion this holiday into a festival worthy of Princess Luna! Perhaps... tearing across the night sky into Ponyville, on our Chariot of Night, pulled by two of the Nightwatch, was not the best way to maketh a most favorable impression. And perhaps we should hath taken Sky Runner's counsel, and researched the changes to royal protocol over the past millennia. But we were eager to prove ourselves to our subjects, and we did end up playing right into thier worst fears. We were eternally grateful for Twilight Sparkle's assistance in winning our subjects over. Her advice did help us to communicate better; not only with the denizens of Ponyville, but to the rest of our subjects throughout the kingdom. We must most certainly reward our sister's favorite pupil for her assistance. Oh! perhaps an arraigned marriage to a noble stallion of court- oh wait, mares choose their own stallions now... well, we are still grateful to her, nevertheless. The over-energetic Pinkamena Pie was most crude and insulting with her childish behavior- but we hath forgiven her, as it was in the spirit of Nightmare Night. Still, it was most hurtful to our royal feelings to start a panic with the children, every time we started to get along with other Ponies and enjoy ourselves. Verily, there is a fine line between having fun and causing another pony pain, and it is our hope Pinkamena has learned the difference after this most troubling incident. Rejoice and be glad that we did not decide to eliminate Nighmare Night... for if we had decreed it gone, it would have been so. Our sister may have authority absolute over the day, but our rule over the Night is just as absolute. She respects our authority, and would not countermand our decrees or overstep our authority unless a pony's life or ponykind was in danger (as was the case during the Nightmare Moon incident). We do adore you, our dear subjects, and we would gladly give our lives for you. But we expect that adoration to be returned... or at least for us to be given the respect that you give unto your fellow pony. You did welcome and treat us with affection when we were first purified, putting a wreath of flowers around our neck. Yet only a year later, when we hath grown taller and stronger from our power returning, you reject us, and cower in fear? Perhaps it is because we more closely resemble, and sound like, Nightmare Moon. And perhaps our actions as Nightmare Moon warrants some cause for mistrust. But is Equestria not the land of love and tolerance? Can we not earneth back the trust that was lost by our grave mistakes? Especially after so many generations hath passed since we wronged ponykind, that Nightmare Moon was simply a holiday legend? When we reappeared at the Summer Sun Celebration this year past, most ponies knew not who we were, and assumed that we were merely dressing as the figure whose terrifying statue lie at the edge of the forest everfree. We, corrupted by the dark magic, did seal Celestia inside of her own Sun, and did proceed to bring on the chilling cold of a night that never ends. But we were defeated, and shown the error of our ways by the six ponies who now bear the elements of harmony. We deeply regret our actions as Nightmare Moon, and we mourn all the terrible things she did during her rampages, both then and now. But we were not in control of our actions, as a dark magic did afflict us, and took away our free will. Your Princess desires only to extend the branch of peace to our subjects, so the bonds of mistrust will fall away, and you may come to have the same devotion for us, that you do for Celestia. Now, the hour grows early, and our time here grows short. Remember all that we have told you, our faithful subjects, and look upon the night sky with fear no more! Before you go to sleep every night, gaze upon the beauty of the full moon, and know that your Princess is always watching! Fare you well!