The sun sets on Canterlot
It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life.
The sun set on Canterlot, bathing the city in crimson light. Shadows sprawled endlessly from the tall buildings, although none reigned with such might as the palace's. Yet she could see her surroundings in crisp detail, as though the darkness respected the light's loss and grieved in kind, dull colors of every hue blending together into lifeless grey. A bereft red sky stretched infinitely above her, mighty and powerless all at once. Not a single draft caressed the trees planted alongside the cold paved road, yet leaves kept falling onto the ground like so many tears.
It seemed ponies weren't alone in their grief.
Sobs echoed distantly at the edge of her mind, deafening in their multitude. Few of the ponies she spotted from the corner of her eyes as she passed them managed to keep their head high, but all of their faces betrayed the deepest pain, much like her own. Those bestowed with headgear held it to a chest that housed a broken heart. Foals and old ponies alike wept openly, their world torn asunder and their mind clouded with fear of the future. Hope, one of the very foundations of Equestria, seemed like the most distant of memories.
She trod slowly down the seldom-used road, her closest friends besides Spike sharing the large, heavy casket's weight upon their shoulders just like they shared her anguish in their hearts. She knew without needing to check that even those who prided themselves in never showing weakness watered the ground with countless tears. The coffin wobbled slightly with each and every one of their sobs.
Spike dragged his feet forwards by her side, tightly holding onto one of her forelegs in the process. His head drifted from the ground to her face to the coffin in turns, shoulders shaking with every sniffle and sob he failed to suppress. Watching him suffer so much was a veritable torture for her, but even it stepped back before the ache the tragedy had inflicted upon her.
Her brother walked a few paces ahead of her, by Luna's side, who herself flanked his wife to be. The ceremony had never been completed and their vows had remained untaken thus far, but she was still her sister-in-law in the shattered remnants of her heart. Both their heads hung so low that they almost connected with the cobblestones, a twisted shadow of their usually proud and cheerful selves.
Only Luna held her head high, striding regally between them. She barely knew her and she realized she had had centuries to perfect her self-control, but beneath it all, she had seen untold pain and even a hint of helplessness. She drew no resentment from watching her hide her emotions; she understood that a people in mourning needed an anchor. The royal guards following them mimicked their leader, faces frozen in a mask of control and aloofness as their steps beat the road behind them in perfect synchrony.
Her heart was in tatters and so was her spirit while countless questions stretched into so many deadends in her mind. Why didn't she believe her? Why did she have to lose the fight? Why couldn't she save her? Why did it have to happen at all? What will happen now? How can she live through this? Was the last thought that graced her mind disappointment in her?
She had never felt so alone.
Ancient doors creaked open and the crowd's crying gave way to echoing hoofsteps as they entered the crypt where all ponies related to the royal family, either by blood or by adoption, lay in their eternal rest. They braved the shadows that warred against the few magical torches that had been burning since the construction of the castle in forgotten times, downing doleful halls and bleak stairs alike, each step bringing them closer to their destination.
To her final destination.
The three ponies before her stopped at last and she finally looked up. Double doors made of a dark wood she didn't recognize stood tall before her, even reaching the ceiling. One large golden ring acted as a handle above a wide keyhole on each panel, shimmering in the gleam of the torches that lined the corridor. Distorted images of the ponies preceding her shone on the rings' metal.
Luna's horn glowed and two stone keys floated out from underneath her silver collar, each of a different shape. They slid into their respective holes in a blue glow, then Luna closed her eyes as she attuned the three magics involved together. At first nothing happened, then dust fell off the ceiling as the doors opened in front of them. It was a slow process and she twitched her muzzle, repressing the urge to sneeze from the dust that now coated her face.
The doors opened fully after what felt like hours in her mourning mind, and the procession resumed without the two guards who had followed them into the crypt, who instead stood ready by the entrance. No torch graced this room and it was pitch black until Luna swathed it in what could only be described as moonlight. The walls of the vast circular funeral chamber were bereft of sculptures save for a large sun and an equally big moon straight ahead of them, each above one sizeable sarcophagus. Their sides were decorated with similar stone frescoes and as she walked further towards them, she noticed that so was their tops.
The light emanating from Luna's horn brightened and she moved the thick slid off the sun sarcophagus before laying it by its side. Then, Twilight felt the load upon her shoulders vanish as the coffin rose and glid towards the slightly bigger opening, though the weight downing her heart remained. She somehow found new tears to cry as she watched the casket disappear down the sarcophagus and, if her ears hadn't betrayed her, it appeared everyone besides Luna was in the same case.
Luna, for her part, stared down into the now filled grave, her damp cheeks glistening in her light. Here only with those closest to the crown, she allowed herself to show her grief. Sobs echoed in the chamber for a seemingly unending time until Luna swallowed the lump in her throat and levitated the stone lid back onto the sarcophagus before speaking up.
"Rest in peace, Celestia, beloved ruler, beloved mentor, beloved sister."
Author's Note
This oneshot originally was the prologue of a multi-chaptered story I wished to write, but I never managed to write more than this. I'm posting this here now to entertain and inspire.
Please use spoiler tags in your comments.
