Aged Eternal

Interlude A: Luna's Lament

[All credit for the Song and Lyrics goes to Ponyphonic, and I highly recommend the animation by Warpout. Here: Lullaby for a Princess]

Luna was tired, upset, and fearful. Just moments ago she had sent six young foals into the depths of the most forbidding wilderness in the kingdom, and now her city was under attack by an ancient foe. Around her guards rallied, orders were given, and plans made. But all she could do was think back to an older time, to a familiar tune that had comforted her in her youth.

Fate has been cruel and order unkind

How can I have sent you away?

The blame was my own; the punishment, yours

The harmony's silent today

To her side, her nephew stood tall and proud, making decisions in the blink of an eye, and coordinating a response even faster than her sister once could. Her sister, who even now was sleeping a dreamless sleep in the tallest tower above. She had not emerged, but to raise the sun, for over six centuries now. Her withdrawal had deeply affected her subjects, even if she couldn't see it herself.

But into the stillness I'll bring you a song

And I will your company keep

Till your tired eyes and my lullabies

Have carried you softly to sleep

Alicorns were vital to ponykind, as much so as the pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies themselves. They embodied the very essence of their kingdom, in a way that was both physical and magical all at once. She herself had been removed from her little ponies for over a millennia, and in her absence they had stagnated. She was the embodiment of the night, of change and excitement. Without her presence, change was slow and painful, and in that millennia very little had changed in the kingdom of Equestria. The night sky had remained exactly the same, without any new additions or changes.

Once did a pony who shone like the sun

Look out on her kingdom and sigh

She smiled and said, "Surely, there is no pony

So lovely and so well beloved as I"

Now, in kind her sister had been removed, and that comforting stability that ponies enjoyed was ruined. Change happened too quickly, and often ponies failed to be polite or courteous to each other, in too much of a rush to complete their daily tasks. The warmth that had pervaded the kingdom grew colder every day, and the unity of the towns was shaky, at best. Rarely did anypony care what happened in another city, so concerned were they with their own problems.

So great was her reign and so brilliant her glory

That long was the shadow she cast

Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved

And grew only darker as days and nights passed

And even longer than her sisters absence was that of Twilight Sparkle. The Princess of Friendship and Magic had removed herself over a millennia ago, and without her the friendship of anypony was shaky at best. Often were older ponies stabbed in the back by those they had thought allies, all for personal improvement. Kindness turned to Contempt. Honesty to Rudeness. Loyalty to Apathy. Generosity to Selfishness. Even Laughter had become Mocking. And Friendship? Magic?

Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine

And rest now in moonlight's embrace

Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth

Through cloud, and through sky, and through space

Friendship was simply gone. Magic was weaker now than it had been in centuries, teams of Unicorns required to perform spells that were once commonplace. Without the invention of magical batteries, their society would have collapsed long ago. Now, unicorns simply channeled their raw energy into storage, to allow complicated matrices to do the spellwork for them. There was no art in it, no talent. If she could have cared, Twilight would be screaming her head off.

Carry the peace and the coolness of night

And carry my sorrow in kind

Luna, you're loved so much more than you know

Forgive me for being so blind

But Twilight did not care. She hadn't care about anypony ever since she'd lost her last, closest friend. And Luna thought that was unacceptable. She had ruled for centuries in their absence, consoling first her sister, and then her niece Cadence from their own loss of their dearest pony. At least Love was alive and strong in the kingdom, for Cadence ruled in the north. Even the loss of Shining Armor so long ago had not kept her from her duties for long, because she truly loved her ponies.

Soon did that pony take notice that others

Did not give her sister her due

And neither had she loved her as she deserved

She watched as her sister's unhappiness grew

Cadence... Luna hoped that she was alright. This assault, these crystal ponies of dark magic, would only bring back terrible memories for her. She would retaliate with excessive force, to destroy any shred of this pony's foul, foul magic. And Luna could not blame her, for even as she strengthened the warded shields above she could feel the impact of the crystalline growths. They tore away at the magic, drilling through layer after layer to pierce the heavens above and fall upon her ponies below.

But such is the way of the limelight, it sweetly

Takes hold of the mind of its host

And that foolish pony did nothing to stop

The destruction of one who had needed her most

She would not allow it. Her sister may be melancholic. Her niece may be miles away, in her own trouble. Her first and most precious friend may have locked away herself in a castle, but she would rule in their absence, so that they might one day return to an intact kingdom to rule. She had hope that the six ponies she had sent on, descendants of the original Elements of Harmony, could come through for her.

Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine

And rest now in moonlight's embrace

Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth

Through cloud, and through sky, and through space

After all, her sister had prepared for her return in much the same way, selecting a young and ill-prepared group of ponies to take up the mantle for the kingdom. For many centuries had one aspect of the elements or another returned, and each time they brought stability back to their kingdom for a short while. Never before had all SIX returned, and already together to begin with.

Carry the peace and the coolness of night

And carry my sorrow in kind

Luna, you're loved so much more than you know

May troubles be far from your mind

And forgive me for being so blind

She finished her work on the shield above, and stretched. Standing, she made her way over to Noblesse Oblige, and looked over his orders. She nodded her approval, and sent him to the armory to gear up. That had perhaps been one of the most unexpected aspects of Twilights early reign: Her nephew Prince Vladimir Blueblood, 52nd head of the Blueblood Line, had grown up. Seeing the writing on the wall, he changed centuries of tradition and renamed the line Noblesse Oblige, as a reminder of the obligations the royal family had to everypony.

The years now before us

Fearful and unknown

I never imagined

I'd face them on my own

He'd become the kindest, honest, and most generous noble of the decade, and his line had continued that trend to this day. When her sister collapsed and retreated, his line took up the position of Steward of the Princess, and was to this day the only set of ponies that could visit her after sun-raise and sun-set. Even she did not dare intrude on her sister after the last occasion, having lost a good portion of her mane to a fiery blast.

May these thousand winters

Swiftly pass, I pray

I love you; I miss you

All these miles away

She finished attiring herself in her own armor, magically summoned, and led a large group of lunar ponies into the night sky. Below her, a train pulled into Cantropolis station and from it poured forth a wave of black. Smirking, she summoned her favorite battle horn, and led a charge towards the intruders. Blasts of crystal flew through the sky, and she dodged and weaved with incredible skill as the adrenaline of battle began surging through her veins.

May all your dreams be sweet tonight

Safe upon your bed of moonlight

And know not of sadness, pain, or care

And when I dream, I'll fly away and meet you there

Sleep...

High above the city, a pale alabaster pony looked down upon her sister, and then up at the shield above. She felt no emotions, no fear or alarm, and slowly turned away from the window and back into her chambers. The soft sounds of an ageless tune wafted up through her winow, and suddenly a pang of something struck her. She took a moment to revel in the first feeling she'd experience in decades: Concern. She was concerned for the safety of her sister, who had once again foalishly led a battle from the very front. She paused, and turned back to the window. In her sisters distraction, the shield above had continued to weaken even as it was blanketed in black crystalline meteors.

She took two steps forwards, and added a sizable portion of her own magic to the shield above, a golden glow shimmering over the navy blue above. Drained from the unexpected exertion, the moment of feeling and concern passed and she once more collapsed onto her cushioned bed. Her thoughts grew hazy and her mind wandered, drifting back to more pleasant times, over one thousand years ago. A purple unicorn with a star cutie mark looked up at her, awed and curious. Her most prized student...

And far away, a group of ponies discovered a strange crystal castle, nestled deep in the depth of a wild, dangerous, and ever free forest.