[OOC Thread is HERE]
I read within a poet's book
Some words that starred the page,
"Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage."
Yes, that is true, and something more:
You'll find, where'er you roam,
That marble floors and gilded walls
Can never make a home.
But every house where Love abides
And Friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home, sweet home;
For there the heart can rest.
Henry Van Dyke – Home
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Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony across all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought forth the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.
But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful
...
And so, as the story goes, the moon princess fell; consumed into a nightmare of her own making. Her banishment at her sister’s hooves lasted a thousand years, during which time the tale of Nightmare Moon passed into legend and ultimately, myth.
As time passed for the ponies of Equestria, and new generations were born, this tale eventually began to fade. No longer a statement of fact, it became a simple story used to frighten foals at bedtime, a cautionary tale about what happens if you let your jealousy control you.
At least, that is, until that fateful day when their princess returned.
The exact details of what happened on the solstice remain hazy, even now, even amongst the ponies who swear to have witnessed it. Few of them can say with certainty exactly what happened to cause the night to last for so long, or what it was that finally returned the sun to Equestria.
Hearsay and embellishment, the age old enemies of fact and historians, have again begun their work; Was Luna forgiven and released? Did she finally defeat the darkness that took hold of her so long ago and return as a new mare? Or was she rescued - nay, saved - by an unlikely band of heroines?
Two short years have now passed, and the path of the story and the path of the facts have already diverged again. It is an old cycle, one that both princesses are familiar with. But, like with the Long Night, the journey from fact to myth can come full circle when that one, small, hard, unchanging kernel of truth is made relevant once again - That something happened.
Today is Hearth’s Warming Day in Canterlot, and a time for the celebration of all the things that the three pony races have been able to achieve while working together. Celestia’s sun shines bright in the clear winter sky, but does little to alleviate the chill in the air or to melt the snow from the streets. Those will remain until the Collegiate convene to change the seasons again. For now, Winter rules in Canterlot as surely as the Princesses.
As a result, there are only a few ponies outdoors; a shopkeeper here, a guardpony there, a group of foals throwing snowballs in the street. Most citizens, most sane citizens, however, have opted to stay indoors instead of venturing out into the cold. Every so often, you can catch glimpses through windows of families in their homes or in one of Canterlot’s many cafes and restaurants. Couples, young and old, are partaking in the pleasures of the holiday with cousins and grandchildren; their simple joy at each other’s company providing as much warmth as the heat from the fireplaces or the steaming mugs of cocoa.
By contrast, the Canterlot Central Railway Station is even emptier than the roads outside; save for a few ponies pulling carts of luggage, or lingering around the departures board, it looks like everypony else is enjoying the day off. The solitary sound of ones hoofsteps echoes off the tiled floors as you make your way through to the main ticketing office. It would be creepy, if not for the relentlessly bright nature of the decorations; white marble with a sunburst motif below, crystal windows above that catch the afternoon light like stars.
Only one ticket window is open, manned by a tan unicorn with wireframe glasses perched above his nose. Rather than spending his overtime by admiring the majesty of the surrounding architecture, his attention is fully occupied by the latest Daring Do novel, released last week. In this most mundane of occupations, it would seem that adventure is a welcome consolation to having to work on a holiday.
What is of little consolation to you, however, is that the departures board currently lists almost every train as “delayed” ... Figures.
[MLP] Roleplaying is Magic IC: The Broken Road.
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