The Princess of the Night trode through the hallways of Canterlot Castle somberly, her silver hoof slippers clicking on the stone floors. The eleventh hour of darkness was drawing near, and the moon hung low in the sky. The night outside the rebuilt towers was peaceful and quiet, but she hardly found it comforting. Rather, the nightly silence served as a grim reminder of the war that began that fateful day that Cerberus had been incapacitated from within Tartarus itself, and so many of Equestria’s most powerful enemies had flowed forth without warning.
Countless ponies had fallen that day, with so many more in the months to follow. The greatest heroes of Equestria, those ponies known as the former Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, had valiantly fought the overwhelming opposition, but even their combined powers had not been enough to ensure a clean triumph. When victory had finally been achieved, it had been at an unbelievably high price, costing Equestria the lives of thousands of subjects, soldiers, and two of its four beloved Alicorn Princesses, to say nothing of the collateral damage to its very infrastructure.
The darker Princess stepped to the balcony, breathing in the cool night air. The position of the moon reminded her of the dreaded the task she was now required to perform. It was time to remind her elder sister that the sun must rise, even if she had trouble finding the heart to do so. Perhaps it had been she who had felt the greatest loss that day, watching the ponies whom she cherished so very much fall. It pained her, but she knew there was no point in delaying further. With a heavy heart, she approached her sister’s chambers. The door glowed with alicorn magic as she slowly opened it to find the elder Princess awake, as expected, but deep within the grip of the depression that cursed her every night. She sat on her bed of pillows, staring blankly into the darkness. She had ordered the windows of her chamber boarded some time ago, so that she could have her solitude even after the sun had been raised. Not a word was spoken as she turned her head to face the younger princess with eyes that both spoke awareness of duty and a deep regret.
There was a moment of expected hesitation before the Lunar Princess spoke, wishing she could make the phrase sound more comforting and less factual. “It’s time.”
The larger alicorn looked to her younger sister, her mane slipping over one eye. “I know. I know the sun must rise…” A deep sigh prefaced her next words. “And rise it will. But… but I just can’t yet.” Now, the familiar choked sob accompanied her words. “Please…just another hour? I- I can’t face it right now.”
The younger Princess lowered her head. This was as expected. She had tried arguing with her sister in the past about the necessity of the sunrise as scheduled; the agriculture, the light, the warmth, the reassurance to their subjects that all was indeed continuing as it should be… but she knew all too well that since the end of the war the burden of loss had taken its toll. It was not that the Solar Princess did not care about her duties, her subjects, or the well being that the sun provided, it was just that her aching pain was far too great. She noted the elder’s mane as it hung limply, missing the trace of glorious magic that she recalled from years before. With a silent nod, she closed the door as softly as she could. Once more she walked to the balcony. With great effort, she forced the moon into a higher position to give the illusion of normalcy to their subjects below.
With that task complete, she turned and trotted slowly to the castle’s main hall. It had been something of a miracle that it had survived as well as it had during the war, and shortly after all had been restored as much as possible, she had commissioned the memorial she was now walking to see. It was a solemn nightly ritual that had started out as comforting, but now merely served as a distraction. The battle-scarred door creaked open as she stepped inside and totted about halfway down before stopping. The Princess of the Night stood before the stained glass window, staring up at the images of the Eight Great Fallen Saviors of Equestria. Their names were forever immortalized in beautiful simulated scrolls beneath their respective images, and she read them aloud in reverent whispers: Applejack. Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Finally, at the peak of the circle formed by the five others, their leader in the great battle against the forces of destruction, the brave colt Shining Armor. Still above the circle of six, the images of the two fallen Alicorn Princesses flew in a never ending circle… Princess Celestia. Princess Luna.
The dark-furred Princess of the Night felt the tears well in the corner of her eyes as her heart ached. Oh, how she so missed being the Princess of Friendship! She was positive Cadence missed being the Princess of Love, just as she did. Those days, however, were sadly past. Equestria now needed them in different capacities in order to survive. She looked to the stained glass window representations of her closest friends, her mentors, and her brother, her hoof tracing the outlines of each one. “I miss you all so much.” she whispered before turning away to see her pink-coated student, Equestria’s future Princess of Friendship, waiting at the door with a tall, teenaged dragon by her side.
“No sunrise yet?” Starlight Glimmer asked, already knowing the answer. Twilight shook her head silently. The former would-be revolutionary looked to her, unsure of what to say when the dragon spoke, breaking the silence.
“Twilight… we need Cadence. She has to-”
“I know, Spike. I know.” Twilight replied as she turned to head back to Cadence’s chambers once more. The sun had to rise, after all, even if the one rising it saw little reason to bask in its warmth.