An Open Letter to the GoE from the former members of the New Lunar Republic

Dear everypony,

As there have been a lot of strange happenings regarding the recent changes in our former fleet, the NLR, I've decided to post this in order to more easily facilitate an explaination of events. Before I proceed, I would like to thank the GoE on behalf of those now entering it for being there with an open hoof. Our two fleets have been strong allies, sharing common values and tennets that are the hallmarks of the brony community. Each making the other stronger as steel sharpens steel, so it seems that our new fleet, you, would be the natural home for us in the future.

First, I need to tell you a little about our former fleet so that you may better understand who we are and why we left. We, the NLR, were founded independantly of the GoE with the concept of having a Princess Luna themed fleet. At first, it was a fleet like many others, with a small community at it's core. As time went on, the NLR and the GoE discovered each other and worked together to expand and grow our community as a whole. Individually within the NLR, we began to have our fleet leader online less and less and a vacuum was left.

Those of us that were dedicated to the continued growth and management of the fleet were able to secure nearly all the same admin rights as the leader, allowing us to function reflexively as a group as challenges approached us. We made it our goal to determine, and fulfill the needs of our community, to operate inthere best interests. In short, our members would express a need, and we would find a method of filling it. It's possible that this could really only work for a smaller fleet like ours, that had 40 listed members with about 15 that would pop-on and off and another 15 that were on more frequently. This system worked well for us. As our group started to expand we developed a plan for growing leadership, with a goal of having a Senior Officer (2nd in command) on at nearly all hours of the day, based on people's schedules. Our method of determining rank was a combination of vetting a pony to see if we knew and trusted them, and the needs that we had for expanded leadership as lesser ranks could operate as admins with limited function in areas that were related to what they were needed to do.

This system worked well for us as we were able to accomplish a lot, we designed uniforms and garnered feedback, we voted on important decisions, we did many things that function like a democracy, and for a time it really felt like one. While lower ranked members couldn't force us to do anything they wanted us to do, we felt accountable to them and their disappointments became our disappointments, their joys became our joys. We felt like we were part of a team and our job was to find a way to make "it" happen for our teammates, "it" being whatever was needed.

Which brings us to why we are here now. Recently, our Senior Officers had discovered that 25+ Million EC had been taken by our former leader to pay for commonly replicatable items for use in starbase construction. Our Senior Officers were very displeased by this for a number of reasons. First, we better understood the needs of our projects as we have been primarily responsible for determining what supplies we lacked and executing on acquiring them, our former leader had no day to day experience in this. Second, he didn't include us in the loop to let us know why the funds were taken and for almost a week it was not known why the funds were taken. Lastly, it was clear to us that if he felt compelled to spirit away our EC to stockpile Energy Cells and craft a plan of his own without us, that he did not trust us to fulfill the needs of our group.

To be sure, we disagreed with him, his premise for using the funds, and who's best interests was being served. So, we held a vote of no-confidence and requested the rank of Leader in the NLR be given to the other fleet founder there, Christian@chozoelder2nd until an election be held and our former leader refused our request. In truth, a request is all it could be, because in the end we didn't have the capacity to hold our leadership accountable and when we tried to turn our dream of a democratic fleet into a reality by acting on our principles, it was dismally crushed by a person who would rather see their fleet destroyed than acknowledge the legitimacy of their peers.

With this in mind, we know that the GoE does things differently, and that ours ways are not neccesarilly your ways. We value highly independance, personal freedom, liberty, harmony, equality, and most importantly the ability to question the status quo if there are things that we find out of sorts with it. I know at heart that these are things that you value too and we look forward to being a part of your fleet. Who knows, maybe a little of us will rub off on you in ways you might not expect, and I look forward to growing the relationship between the members of our now unified fleet.

Thanks for your courtesy and kindness to us,

-Hootanic (Kronis/Prel'Gue)

Dear Princess Luna,

I have learned today that sometimes, a single decision made by a single pony in haste and anger can unfortunately have immense consequences, and can quickly undo a considerable amount of hard work and a combined effort made over an extended period of time by a group of other ponies.

I have also learned that it is in times of personal adversity when one best understands the true depths of their fellow ponies friendships. It is amazing how quickly so many others will give their condolences, happily extend a helping hoof, make sure you know that you are always welcome with them, and let you know that they will all try their very best for you.

A lost home and posessions can always be eventually replaced; but good friends are indeed a lasting wealth that cannot be so easily lost, or measured in value like mere Bits. And I have discovered that while you can apparently physically take the pony out of the NLR; it is indeed going to prove to be considerably more challenging to take the NLR Spirit out of the pony

Your faithful subject, Katsuro.

(Hey, if Twilight and everypony else gets to write to Celestia constantly; I think Luna is more then entitled to recieve a few letters as well!)