It was a calm, clear night in Canterlot. The stars twinkled brightly, and the moon shone high overhead, illuminating the dark night sky. Everypony in the palace was sound asleep, off having wonderful adventures in the Dreamscape. All except Princess Celestia, that is. The sun goddess lay in her plush cloud bed, tears rolling down her cheeks like raindrops. Horrible sounds and images flashed through her mind- images that no normal pony should ever be subjected to. Castle walls that crumbled down around her, mad, maniacal laughter, her own cry of agony as a scythe blade cut through her body, leaving blood dripping off the end that jutted out her back. Luna, Nightmare Moon, blood everywhere-
"AAAAHHHHHH!!" a bloodcurdling scream rang throughout the Princess's chambers as she jolted upright, pupils dilated in fear, rapid heartbeat pounding in her ears. With an eagle's eye, she scanned her shadowy chamber, searching for any sign of movement, of any life in the room other than her own. The only object that moved other than herself was the silk curtains, which flowed and billowed in the gentle nighttime breeze. Everything else was still. After double checking and making sure that she was indeed alone, Celestia slowly laid back down, but she knew that achieving sleep would be an impossible feat. She felt that something needed to be done for Luna, and the memories weren't helping, either. But what was there that Celestia could do? There was no way she could get to Luna, no matter how hard she tried. No. There had to be something- anything- that she would be able to do. She rolled over, and her eyes were instinctively drawn to the stack of parchment that laid on her desk. A letter…hm. Luna would like to receive a letter…right? Of course she would.. the princess thought, the briefest and faintest of smiles crossing her face.
Celestia got out of bed and made her way over to the desk, her hooves clicking rhythmically on the marble floor. Gingerly, she picked up one of the thin sheets, then called upon her magic to carry the quill and ink as she walked out onto the balcony. Celestia sat down, and briefly, her eyes traveled skyward to look at the moon. Not wanting to be further reminded of that night, she quickly adverted her gaze, dipped her quill in the ink, and began to write. It was the least, if not the only thing, that Celestia could do.
Dear Luna,
I was your hero.
And I failed you.
Is that why you haunt me?
Your beautiful face…I see it in my dreams. Your voice…I hear it when I am alone. Your presence still lingers here, in the castle. I can't figure out if it's good or bad that you're still here, studying tarot cards in the library or snatching bits of food from the kitchen. Curious and funny…those traits will always be my favorite things about you. It's those things that make you who you are. Those things that make you beautiful, make you smart, make you brave. That's Luna, all right. My brave, beautiful, smart sister, who always manages to bring a smile to my face. Who I remember every second of every minute, of every hour of every day, of every week of every month, of every month of every year. I remember everything about you: my judgement is not clouded by Nightmare Moon.
I remember how close we were, when we were young. I remember how we would play games in the castle gardens and race each other down the halls, and how hard we would try to get the guards to laugh. How we would travel to the developing cities of Canterlot and Cloudsdale, and just mingle with the citizens. The first place you would always go was to the schoolhouses, where you would tell the students of our adventures. Even after you had told all there was to tell, they would still beg you for more. We would laugh together, play together, and pull pranks on one another.
The memory of you that stands out the most to me, though, was the first night you raised the moon all on your own. Do you still remember it, Luna? It was in the heart of Summer, and we were standing in the castle courtyard. I offered to help, like I did every night, but you told me you could do it all by yourself. You flew up into the night sky, and to my surprise and amazement, you carried the moon with you. As soon as I saw it rise above the horizon, you ran out of energy and fell like a shooting star. I caught you in my arms, kissed your cheek. It was the best moonrise I've ever had the honor of watching. You had not only raised the moon entirely on your own, but you earned your cutie mark as well. A white crescent moon among blotchy, midnight black…I couldn't have been more proud of you. It's only once in a mare's life that she earns her cutie mark, and I had always wanted to be there with you when it happened, when you realized what your special talent was. The fact that my wish came true, that I got to witness it, makes it all the better. But with every good time comes a bad one, as we all know. It wasn't at all what I had expected: I was blind and weak, and I didn't see it coming, didn't see you hurting.
You used to scream yourself awake at night, because you were afraid of something you saw in your dreams. You would run into my room and wake me, and I would hold you and tell you everything was ok. I would take you back to your room, and cuddle with you until you fell asleep again. All those nights spent comforting you, and I never once asked you what it was that frightened you. Now, Luna, I wish I had asked the first night it happened, instead of leaving you to whatever monstrosity plagued your fragile mind. I'm afraid that whatever it was..was the thing that broke you. You were never quite the same after the first night, let alone over all those years…but now, I ask: what scared you? How can I help?
Was it Nightmare Moon?
Even if it wasn't her…there are no words on this earth to describe how sorry I am for what I did to you. You were right to turn against me, hate me, loathe me. Because I abandoned you. I abandoned you and I left you to wither and die, alone and afraid. The truth is, you deserve better than me. I am a pitiful excuse for a big sister, and I should have been there for you. The guilt I feel for my actions will remain with me until the day I die, and so will you.
You will always, always be with me, Luna.
Because I love you.
Please, whatever you do, promise me you will remember that. Remember that I will always love you with all my heart, no matter what, and that I miss you more than anything. I would move mountains and destroy planets, if it meant that I could see you again…I just don't want you to be alone anymore. And if by some miracle the prophecy holds true, and you do come home, and we are together again…I promise that I will never, ever leave your side. Never abandon you, never hurt you in any way, never cease to love and care for you, never loose sight.
But if it doesn't, and you remain trapped on the moon…please, don't forget about me.
And this may be the end of my letter, Luna, but it barely covers everything I want to- no, need to say to you. Even then, I'm unsure it will convey my message properly. Some things are better told than written. I do not expect you to forgive me in any way, when I cannot forgive myself. I just want you to know that you will always have my heart.
Love,
Tia
A single tear slid down Celestia's face, then dripped onto the parchment, somewhat smudging the letter a in Tia. Unable to keep her emotions bottled any longer, Celestia threw her head back and opened her mouth, letting a long, loud wail escape into the night. All of her pain, all of her rage, all of her grief was projected into a single, broken strain of sound that could shatter a pony's heart.
Celestia slumped over on the balcony as the sound reached its end, her body heaving with each new sob. She clutched the letter to her chest tightly, like it was the only lifeline she had in a sea of stormy emotion. But suddenly, the paper became incredibly cold, and Celestia opened her eyes. Although her vision was blurry, Celestia could see that the letter was enveloped in a pale blue magical aura: Luna's exact magic color. Then, it turned into an unmistakeable blue smoke, and shot off into the night. Celestia knew she must have been seeing things, but it didn't stop her heart from leaping with joy. Luna had gotten her letter…maybe, just maybe, somewhere in Nightmare Moon's heart of stone, there was a part that still cared: a bit of the real Luna.
The prophecy may yet be true..
Author's Note
Just a little something I wrote to try and get past my writer's block
Comments and criticism are much appreciated: be as brutal as you like(my invitation for you to verbally beat me to death)! Thank you for taking the time to read this, by the way, and I hope you all have a nice day/night!
-TheLadyTwilight
