One Thousand Years
"Luna, I'm so sorry..."
Celestia sat at her balcony, gazing up at the night sky. The stars twinkled against the indigo mass above her. But Celestia couldn't find any beauty in something that reminded her of her own mistakes.
"Why didn't I try to save you?" she whispered to herself, struggling to hold back her tears.
Almost one thousand years she'd been alone now, and the guilt of not being there for her sister when she needed her most still tortured her night after night. But as the sole ruler of Equestria, she had to appear regal and strong. She could not show her weaknesses. Every day, she got up, rose the sun and lowered the moon, then went about her daily tasks. But focusing on these tasks was harder than anypony would think.
Celestia couldn't help but see her sister in everypony she met. Every voice sounded like Luna's voice. Every laugh sounded like Luna's laugh.
One day, it caught her completely off guard. She had been in the middle of a meeting with delegates from Griffonstone, and all of a sudden, a huge wave of sadness swept over her, and she burst into tears.
She ran from the room, tears streaming down her face.
"Apologies, Your Highness," one of her courtiers said to the griffon king, "The princess is just under a lot of pressure."
But it wasn't pressure that was interfering with Celestia's work. It was sorrow.
Celestia squeezed her eyes shut, trying in vain to blink back tears that had already begun to flow.
"Why didn't I protect you?" she cried softly.
She thought back to her youth.
A simpler, happier time in her life when she and Luna truly cared for each other and were never separated from one another. They would run through the meadows, play hide-and-seek in the woods, and pretend to go on adventures to the far reaches of Equestria. Stones and rocks became precious gems to their childish, adventurous minds. And something as simple as an abnormally large stick became a mighty sword, used for slaying the most fearsome of dragons.
The sisters were the best of friends. Little did they know that very soon, their happiness would come to a bitter end.
One day, the two were approached by the great unicorn wizard Starswirl the Bearded. Now that the three tribes of Equestria had united, the newly formed nation needed somepony to rule them. He had selected alicorn sisters Celestia and Luna to be those rulers.
The two were taken from their home in Neighcropolis and brought to a castle in the middle of the Everfree Forest to begin training.
As the oldest, a great deal of responsibility was placed on Celestia. She had to learn how to rule over a kingdom properly, a feat which required many lessons that took up most of the time she would usually spend with her sister.
Luna was given responsibilities as well, but not as much as Celestia. Often times, the younger sister would grow bored and beg for Celestia to play with her. She'd ask Celestia if she'd like to play pirates, sneak up on her as a ninja, or try to terrify her as a fearsome dragon.
But Celestia's response was always the same:
"Luna, we are princesses now. There is no time for fun and games; it is time to grow up." It was something Celestia hated to tell Luna, but it had to be said.
As time went on, Celestia began to see less and less of the sister she had once spent hours on end with. She detested shunning her, but as the eldest princess, she had to be a leader. A leader had no time to play hide-and seek.
Unbeknownst to Celestia, Luna was beginning to feel unwanted and unloved. Not only by Celestia, but by all of Equestria. The ponies relished in the beautiful day her elder sister brought, yet ignored and slept through her beautiful night.
And Celestia began to change. She became slightly more vain. Vanity was something Celestia had never felt before. She felt like she was more important.
And this was going to cost her dearly...
One day, Luna snapped.
"How could you?!" Luna shouted, tears of anger and pain built up over the years welling in her eyes.
"Luna, please!" Celestia exclaimed, "You must calm down! I'm here for you!"
"Where were you all those years that I was alone?!" Luna screamed, blinded by her rage, "You were NEVER there for me! All I wanted was acknowledgement! Love! From both you, and Equestria!"
Celestia tried in vain to quell her sister's fury. But it was all for not. Luna's rage, Luna frustration, it was too great. All those years of being ignored and neglected had taken a toll on her mental state. She was mad, yes. She was mad with rage. Mad with sorrow. Madwith a lust for power.
"There can only be one princess in Equestria!" Luna shouted, "And that princess... will be ME!
And just like that, Celestia lost the only pony in the world she truly cared about.
In a flash of black light, a cackling figure stood before her. She was taller now, the same height as Celestia. With black fur and a long flowing blue mane, reminiscent of smoke. Her eyes bore pupils one might see on a dragon, and a pair of fangs protruded from her mouth.
"Luna!" Celestia gasped in horror. She could hardly believe her eyes.
But it wasn't Luna. Standing in the place of the pony who'd always been so optimistic and cheerful was a pony now corrupted by her feelings of anger and sadness. A pony named Nightmare Moon.
Luna was gone. Celestia had no choice. She summoned the Elements of Harmony, and through her tears, she banished her sister to the moon.
The sound of Luna screaming as she was sent to the moon rang in Celestia's ears. Exhausted, she lay on the floor of the now destroyed castle she'd once called home. She stared at the image of her sister on the surface of the moon.
For a brief moment, she was completely silent. Then, a dam broke inside of her and she began to sob.
"Oh, Luna!" she cried sorrowfully, "Oh, my dear Luna! I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"
She lay there for what seemed like hours, crying her eyes out, shouting anguished cries of guilt that rang through the night. "I should have seen the signs," she whispered to herself, "I should have been there. Why was I so blind?!"
The next few years were brutal for the princess.
Unable to stay in the ruined castle in the Everfree Forest, she moved her court to a place at the side of a mountain and founded the city of Canterlot. She was forced to take upon the responsibility of raising and lowering the sun and moon herself, a task that reminded her of her mistakes every single night.
For years, she reigned in peace. But there was no peace in her heart.
She looked back up at the moon, the memories of that night so many years ago still fresh in her mind.
She sighed.
"It's rather lonely here without you," she said aloud. She knew Luna could not hear her, but she liked to believe that she did.
"The chieftain of the northern Earth pony tribe came for a visit yesterday," she continued, "He was a real blowhard; he never stopped talking." She gave a sad, empty laugh. If anypony were to see her now, they'd think she'd gone mad.
"I really miss you, Luna," she said, "I just... I..."
She got no further. Soon, she was crying like a newborn foal. Again.
"Oh, sister!" she cried out in despair, "Why didn't I try to save you?! I'm such a fool! If I'd only known! If I'd only seen the signs! If. I'd only. LISTENED!"
She pounded the ground with her hooves repeatedly, harder and harder each time. At one point, she hit the ground so hard, she left a crack in the tiles.
Celestia could only sit there and cry. She had no strength to do anything else.
Except...
"It's almost time for dawn," she said to the moon, "Want me to sing you a song?"
A breeze blew through the night sky.
Celestia nodded.
Then she began to sing...
A song of sadness. Of regret. Of a scared mare pleading for forgiveness.
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
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
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"
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
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
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
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
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
The years now before us
Fearful and unknown
I never imagined
I'd face them on my own
May these thousand winters
Swiftly pass, I pray
I love you; I miss you
All these miles away
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...sleep...sleep...
As she whispered the final chorus, the moon disappeared over the horizon and the sun rose on the other side of the sky. Slowly, one by one, ponies began walking out of their homes and going about their daily routines.
Celestia sighed and smiled at her subjects lovingly.
"You'd love it here, Luna," she said, "Equestria's such a lovely place."
But Celestia knew in her heart that Luna would not be returning for a very, very long time. At least, Celestia thought so. The banishment was to last one thousand years, but in her grief, Celestia had all but lost count of how many years were left. All she could do was persevere.
But it would be a very difficult time...
"Princess," the voice of one of her courtiers caught her attention, "The delegates from Maretonia are here for the scheduled meeting."
Celestia nodded, then followed the pony through the hallways.
Just as the reached the main hall, Celestia caught a glimpse of the stained glass window commemorated her victory against Nightmare Moon.
She sighed and shed a single tear.
"A very difficult time, indeed..."
She walked down the hallway to the meeting room and took her seat. But no matter what she tried, she couldn't concentrate on anything.
As she began to converse with the delegates, her mind continued to flash back to that night.
"You were NEVER there for me!" Luna's voice still rang fresh in her mind.
Before she knew it, tears were slipping down her cheeks again.
The Duke of Maretonia noticed this.
"Your Highness," he asked, concerned, "Are you alright?"
Celestia couldn't take it anymore. She needed to get out. With a cry of anguish, she raced out of the room, sobbing.
She ran past multiple ponies, who were shocked to see their ruler in such a state.
"Princess!" one of them called out to her, "Where are you going?"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Celestia shouted, not caring who she offended or what she said.
She needed to get away. She raced out of the castle and flew up into the air, soaring high above Canterlot.
Her tears fell like raindrops to the ground below her.
Several ponies looked up in confusion, startled to see their princess flying high above them.
"Princess Celestia?" "What is she doing?" "Where is she going?" "Why does she look so sad?"
But Celestia ignored the gossiping of the citizens. She flew to a cave in the Canterlot Mountains and entered a small space behind a waterfall. She arrived at a hidden grotto with flowers and a stream. It was Celestia's secret hideaway. She would often come here whenever she needed to escape the stresses of court life.
But today, she was there for a different reason: closure.
She walked to a small patch of forget-me-nots in front of a statue of herself and Luna.
Feeling hopeless, she flopped down in the bed of small blue blossoms, and rested her head on the ground.
"I'm such a failure," she said to herself dejectedly, "I'm supposed to protect my subjects."
"Yet I couldn't even protect my own sister..."
She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, she was walking through an endless meadow of flowers. Something about this seemed familiar....
"Hello my sister," a calm voice suddenly said.
Celestia knew this voice.
She spun around to see her sister standing before her. Luna. Dear, sweet Luna. Not Nightmare Moon, but the pony she'd been before.
The pony Celestia had failed to save.
Her deep blue fur, her flowing blue mane. And her eyes. The soft, sparkling blue eyes Celestia had long wished to see again.
Seeing her sister again filled Celestia's heart with levity. She raced forward and threw her hooves around Luna, pulling her in for a long overdue hug.
"Oh, Luna," she cried happily, "Oh, my dear, sweet Luna! How I've missed you!"
She looked her sister in the eyes. "But how are you here?"
"It is the phase of the blue moon," Luna replied, "On this night, my corruption ends long enough for me to be myself. I took this chance to come see you."
Celestia was confused as to how this was possible, but she was too happy to care.
"Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry," she implored, "I should have tried to save you! Can you ever forgive-"
Luna stopped her mid-sentence.
"I already have," she said with a smile. A smile Celestia hadn't seen in years.
Then she took a few steps back, then suddenly raced away.
"I'll bet you won't be able to catch me!" she taunted jokingly.
Celestia laughed, then gave chase.
The reunited sisters then proceeded to reminiscent all the games they played as children.
They pretended to go on grand adventures and travel to foreign lands, just as they had as foals. Pirates, knights, dragons; all the things they had spent hours upon hours playing.
For what seemed like ages, they ran and played across the endless dreamscape. Celestia had never felt so happy in all her life.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and it was time for Celestia to wake up.
"But you don't have to leave!" Celestia said hopefully, a shred of her young childhood mentality shining through, "I can end your banishment and you can come home! We'll rule over Equestria together! We'll be a family again, just like we were before!"
Luna shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid that's not possible," she said, "I must serve out my punishment."
Celestia began to tear up again.
Luna placed a hoof on her sister's shoulder.
"I will see you again," Luna told her kindly, "It's a royal promise."
Celestia smiled tearfully, then hugged her sister closely.
Then she said something she should have said long ago:
"I love you, Luna,"
"I know," Luna replied.
Then she took a step back as a white glow began to wash over the two.
"Oh, and one more thing," Luna said quickly, "Thank you for the song."
And with a final wave goodbye, Celestia woke up. She felt surprisingly different.
She felt....peaceful. Happy. Something she hadn't felt in years.
Her heart felt less heavy.
She smiled at the statue.
"Thank you Luna," she said aloud.
Then she flew back to the palace, where she was greeted by a flurry of attendants, all chattering about how worried they were about her night long absence.
Celestia apologized for her behavior, but surprisingly, her courtiers understood her actions.
From that day on, Celestia wasn't as hard on herself.
She would still have crying fits, but they became less and less frequent.
She no longer felt as guilty for Luna's banishment.
Even when she would break down and sob, she would always go back to that one night she'd spent with her sister.
A night where Celestia could be with her sister again.
She knew she had many, many years before the curse would end, but she felt better knowing that Luna had forgiven her.
"Thank you Luna."
Author's Note
I hope you enjoyed this story. My apologies if it's not the best. I'm still new at this.