'One thousand years....
'And what has changed? The passing of an age has proven feeble in changing the order of a kingdom.
'The common folk toil seeking naught but contentment within the simplicity of their daily lives; blissfully unaware that each of them shoulder the burden of turning the gears that pour lifeblood throughout the land.
'Above, vainglorious "nobles" scoff from on high, aggrandizing their petty pursuits and perpetuating frivolous quarrels for reasons which none can recall. All the while they peer down with hungry eyes, assurances of their own cleverness growing grander and more abstract by the day, each of them eager to dip their cup within the stream of another's toil.
'And above them at the kingdoms peak, sit two sisters.
'The beloved and just Princess Celestia, for whom the very sun rises and showers its gifts upon the land below. For whom the flowers bloom and the birds sing their song each day.
Her regality, unquestionable
Her judgement, infallible
Her beauty, mythical
Her grace, perpetual
And her rule, eternal.
'......and Princess Luna, for whom the chill touch of night descends upon the land, scattering its subjects to hide away and rob them of the Sun's radiant bounty.
The Vile
The Wretched
The Betrayer
The Outcast
The Fool.'
Luna exhaled deeply as she gazed through the gilded glass doors of the palace chamber at the moon hanging solemnly beyond.
"One thousand years, and what has changed..." she whispered softly to herself, dropping her head low and allowing her eyes to wistfully slide shut.
She pushed her way through the glass doors and stepped out onto the windswept balcony beyond, her hooves clattering against its white alabaster floors with each slow step.
Two royal guards standing at either end of the open balcony jerked upright upon her entrance and exchanged skewed sideways glances.
The royal guard still hadn't quite adjusted to her presence within the palace. It seemed they had not yet drawn a distinction on whether she was a princess to be protected or a threat from which to protect their princess against.
Their title dubbed them defenders of royalty, but in the past thousand years, there had only ever been one high royal. They had grown up as colts with stars in their eyes, dreaming of one day protecting their princess.
ONE very specific princess.
Luna strode beyond the two guards toward the balustrade with her head held high and eyes closed serenely, feigning ignorance to their discomfort.
She had seen it herself.
As colts, they had not dreamed of one day defending her , they had not run through fields slashing wooden swords at imagined dragons in the her name, they had not left their homes and traveled to Canterlot in order to swear loyalty to her; and as stallions, their hearts did not swell with the same pride when she entered a room under their care.
These were honours reserved for Celestia and Celestia alone.
She WAS a princess and a royal; but she was not their princess, and they were not her royal guard.
Luna Raised a fore-hoof without turning and waved it slowly in the guards direction.
Obediently, they bowed their heads and backed their way through the clear glass door, muttering to each other as the door sealed behind them.
It was more comfortable for all if she sought her solace in solitude. Luna raised her eyes toward the luminous face of her distant companion.
"Oh my beloved moon, why must they reject us so? Why must we be met with fear, suspicion and doubt? Why can they not see the beauty that you offer?
'Are we too not worthy of their, love?"
The final word caught in her throat as she whispered it through pursed lips to the celestial body above. Her eyes softened as they turned to the floor once more.
"Are we not worthy of anyone's love...?"
Why had fate ordained her to be so. Had their roles been reversed, would events have played out differently? Had she been granted dominion over the sun rather than the moon, would she have been so loved as her sister? and would her sister feel as alone as she did at this moment? Or was this misery always to be hers...
Why had they been placed at such odds? Why was Celestia chosen to bask in the Sun's radiance while she was forced to wait in her shadow?
Just for one day, she wished she could have Equestria cherish her as they cherished her sister. Just for one day to be greeted with genuine gladness. Just for one day to be free of her nightmare.....
Luna shook her head vigorously, forcibly breaking her train of thought. Her ears dropped by the side of her head as the pit of her stomach turned with a noxious cocktail of shame and regret. It was such thoughts that had brought about her ruin.
With all she had done to her subjects, truly she had earned their indifference; tempted their ire and deserved their revulsion. From her sister though, she deserved far worse.
A cold chill drifted through the air as a fierce temperate wind whipped through her mane. The night was not always as she remembered it; And neither were Luna and her sister. With the clarity of a lucid dream, memories washed through her mind in a deluge of vivid imagery and sound. Memories of simpler days spent together before their divergent duties led them apart. Memories of foalish pranks and laughter. Memories of pillow fortresses and sled carriages. Memories of when they stood together as two sisters instead of apart as the Sun and the Moon. Memories of a time when the night was warm and the breeze mild.
Perhaps her domain had grown cold and bitter just as she had.
A final memory flashed through her mind. A memory of hatred and fear; of shouting and pain.
And then,
Nothing... A crushing millennium spanning emptiness.
A tear welled in the bottom of Luna's eye as the void she had spent an age within enveloped her once more. She turned her gaze from the moon, lowering to her knees and sobbing softly beneath the starless sky, pitying and hating herself in equal measure. Her sister's mercy may have proved the cruelest punishment of all. Perhaps it would have been kinder to have been banished to the darkest dungeon or expelled to the vapid wastes upon her return. At least then she could pretend that she was in some way atoning for her actions. At least then she wouldn't feel as if she was holding her breath upon the shore, awaiting a crashing wave that never arrived.
"Trouble Sleeping?" a familiar voice chimed from the balcony's threshold.
Luna snapped upright, wiping her cheeks with a hoof and straightening her mane.
"Humorous, Sister" she answered in the straightest tone she could manage, still staring over the side of the balustrade.
"I thought you might like some company" Celestia smiled warmly.
"Company, Sister? The night is my domain, I am never lacking for company here" Luna stared whimsically back into the night sky.
Celestia chortled softly to herself while walking to her sister's side.
"I don't need to see into your dreams to know that is untrue, Luna."
Luna remained silent, staring off distantly at no point in particular.
"You know, there was a time when I would grow dreadfully lonely; especially on empty nights like this. I'd stare into the darkness and wonder what had happened to the stars, and ponder how they grew so distant" Celestia continued.
Luna's eyes darted down to the floor as her ears involuntarily dropped and her head shrunk backwards slightly.
"I'd wander back through the memories of my life and recast every decision I had ever made to escape the lonesome night," Celestia tipped her nose downwards and looked across into her sister's eyes. "But I don't anymore. In fact, I find myself rather enjoying the night of late."
Luna's eyes began to glisten and tremble slightly as she went to speak. The words she was meant to say would have seemed obvious even to a foal, but how could she dare utter them? How could she have the gall to ask forgiveness from another when she had not deserved it even from herself?
"Celestia.. I-"
"Shh Sh Sh Sh," Celestia hushed quietly, "you needn't say anything, Luna."
Celestia wrapped her neck over her sister's and nuzzled her affectionately, "You're here now; and that is all that matters to me. For a thousand years, that is all I have ever wanted."
Luna lowered her head and nuzzled into her sisters chest, Celestia feeling a slight dampness where her sisters eye pressed against her fur.
"I had a thought... Perhaps I could stay awake with you tonight; so we could have a chance to just - talk... like we used to do when we were young?" Celestia whispered.
Luna gazed up at her sister, her eyes narrowed and brow softened with a slight smile.
"I - would like that."
Celestia smiled warmly and softly lowered her head back against her sister.
"No matter what, Lulu, I love you," she whispered serenely, allowing her eyes to gently slide closed while extending a wing over her sisters back.
Luna's smile broadened as she closed her eyes and released a long, pent up sigh.
"I love you too, Tia."
The wind lashing against the open balcony suddenly eased its tirade, dropping to a gentle breeze, a comforting warmth drifting lazily upon its edge.
'One thousand years...
And some things will never change.'
Author's Note
A short one off and my first ever fic. Please leave a comment with whatever feedback you can offer (good or bad) and I will love you forever <3
Thank you to Loopy Legend for his editing work. He is an Officer and a Gentleman.... well actually hes neither of those things but hes still a pretty cool dude.
