Silence.

An eerie sound that usually quiet, after countless years of it, it seemed to pound around her. Captivating the mare in a terrifying illusion that she was stuck back in the one place she would never return. Hopefully.

Immortality was the one this that kept her alive. Starving on the quiet surface of the moon, never feeling the lovely ending. She had wished for it. Oh, death would have been much better than a thousand years of silence.

Even though Luna had returned, finally, moments like this one made it feel like she was still there. That it was all a dream. The silence, drowning her in sorrow and pain and anger. She would never go back. Ever.

But what if it happened again? What if the moon accepted her into its chilling embrace, chaining her to the freezing surface and driving her slowly to insanity again with its horrible quiet. Hearing a voice again after all the emptiness had been like a drug. Luna loved talking now. Letting out noise and getting some in return was just pleasing.

Talking to one's self was never a good thing, even here. Some passed it off as a habit of remembrance, some insane. Voices that grew shapes and became pieces of rock that she sadly had to leave behind.

There had been Roxie. Kind of ironic, considering she was made of rock and imagination. That one had been her favorite. If only she could scrape the timid voice out of her head and throw it into the rock, making her a real pony.

Maybe the loneliness would have been a bit more bearable.

The walls in Luna's room always seemed to turn against her when she was alone. Closing in on the Alicorn so slyly as if to send her back to where she belonged. Celestia often suggested therapy for her. It wouldn't work.

Luna just needed to be with somepony. She needed somepony who could assure her she wasn't dreaming and that this was all real and she wasn't on the moon, bound by gold chains that seemed hellish when she thought of them.

Luna shook her head. She wasn't on the moon. The silence wasn't real. There was plently of background noise, ponies shutting their doors and pulling their foals inside, others venturing out and going to silly parties and bars to get drunk and get together with some sleazy stallion or mare for a quick buck-and-run. The night was a lot more alive now. It made her a bit happy. Ponies were beginning to appreciate the night.

Even if it was only for a few hours, she was just happy ponies were out and about. Frolicking in the moonlight and staggering from hangovers in the morning. Something she herself hadn't experienced, but sweet Celestia she was one silent night away from drinking her flank off and sleeping the day away, no matter the punishment.

Depressing nights often started like this. The sunset was beginning and Luna knew the moon should begin rising, but tonight she was feeling a bit lazy, honestly. But, it was her duty, so the mare raised herself off the bed of which she had been laying on. She had been staring at the crystal encrusted ceiling and wondering.

Wondering how much of a strain it had put on her poor sister to raise both the moon and sun. Luna began to feel horrible again. The tiring effort alone to raise one of them, let alone two. It must have been so exhausting.

Luna made her way to the balcony and stared at the sky, lighting up her horn and beginning the tiring job.

The moon crept its way up the sky, bringing with it a shade of dark blue one could only describe as midnight or indigo. The stars began to appear in the sky, no longer outmatched by the largest star of them all.

It was truly beautiful. Luna gazed down as ponies began to venture out, not noticing the watchful night goddess.

She just couldn't stand the silence.

Did the walls absorb all the sound? Was it like the moon, where in space nobody could hear her scream out? Begging for comfort or sympathy or forgiveness? Why was it so damn quiet?

Was it always like this? Even before the moon? Even before the long hours that never seemed to pass quick enough, filled with conflicted emotions and crying and thinking she'd never see the light of day or her sister again? Why was it always silent in this room?

Luna was on the brink. She stormed back into the room, testing the quiet and throwing a vase painted with a moon across the room, shivering in pleasure at the loud shattering noise that proved she was still here. In Equestria. Not the moon, with its chilling, never ending night and silence above all else.

The endless quiet! Horrible! She couldn't even hear her own words, let alone anypony else's. It was chilling and made her want to spend the rest of the night ignoring the work she was required to do and just lie in her bed and cry.

"Luna?" A voice. She was still here. Celestia. She was here. Celestia would never be on the moon, of anything, she would be on the sun.

"Celestia. It is good to hear your voice." Luna replied. Celestia studied her with concern.

"Are you okay? I hear a crash in here-" She cut herself off as her hoof stepped on some of the broken vase, protected by the shoe she so commonly wore.

"It's fine, I just knocked that over." Luna said, levitating the pieces and dropping them promptly into the wastebasket. Celestia nodded and then left the room, shutting the door.

And once again, as quickly as it had left, Luna was surrounded by her foe, the silence. The only relief in talking to herself and breaking things to make sure she wasn't dreaming, slowly loosing her mind in the drowning sound of emptiness.

Author's Note

Hi. This is my first fic, and I'll gladly accept any constructive criticism. If you see any mistakes could you please point them out? Thanks. Hope you enjoyed.