Celestia's head hung low. It had been roughly six months since Luna had been consumed by the nightmare, and not a day goes by that she didn't think about her. The wound was still fresh on her mind, and every reminder of her lost sister forced a tear from her reddened eyes. Even now, as she stood outside of Luna's old room, she could feel herself choking up. She opened the door to the ruined room, eyes taking in the damage the nightmare had caused when she overtook Luna's will, and the damage from their battle. Celestia's horn lit up, cleaning the bed of dust and debris as she walked towards it, eyes watering. With a sob, she lay there, pulling luna's blankeys close, taking in the scent of her lost sister as she quietly wept.
She barely noticed as the bed creaked and the mattress sank. She did however notice the hand that fell on her withers, gently stroking down her back.
"She'll be back, you know. You told me about your visions, about the future." The human said softly, continuing to stroke her soft white fur comfortingly as he sat by her.
"I-I know...but it'll be so long...it's already so hard" Choked the princess, turning her head to place it in her human friend's lap. "I miss her so much Adam. Every day hurts without her. I'm..I'm alone all the time" She whimpered as the elderly human's hands began parting her ethereal mane scratching behind her ears.
"I know, Celly. Nobody saw this coming. My heart breaks every time I look at the moon. But we gotta drive on, and make sure that when she comes back, there's a world where she can smile and laugh like she used to."
Adam wrapped his arms around Celestia's head, giving her a gentle squeeze as he hugged her close. "You did what you had to do, Celestia."
"Please...Just....Just stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone" she said, nuzzling into the human's chest as she cried, feeling safer in her friend's embrace than she had for the last six months. Adam, for his part, was quiet, rocking back and forth as he let the distraught princess cry herself out, scratching behind her ears and stroking her hair as she wept, letting out all the uncertainty, fear, and sadness that she had hidden from the populace. Finally given a quiet moment to mourn. Adam looked through the hole int he wall at the pale white moon. He began humming, a tune he'd been taught as a child coming to his lips as he softly began to sing to Celestia.
You are my sunshine
my only sunshine
you make me happy
when skies are grey
you'll never know dear
how much I love you
please don't take my sunshine away
Celestias sobbing slowed as she calmed, nearly falling asleep in the warm embrace. She sniffled as she snuggled close
"Thank you Adam. I...I needed that. But, could you... could you sing one for luna as well?"
Adam just smiled down at the princess Wiping her tears away "Of course Celly. Anytime"
theres a long long trail a-winding
where the nightingales are singing, and a white moon beams
there's a long long night of waiting, until my dreams all come true
til the day when i'll be going,
down that long long trail with you
With that, Celestia fell asleep, as Adam gently held her, the warm summer night shining above as he looked again to the moon. His smile faded as he watched the shadow of the nightmare stain Luna's once pure white orb.
"Luna...I'm sorry I won't be there when you get back. I've already grown old, and grey. But I will love you forever. You are one of my best friends in this crazy cartoon pony land, and the one who found me. I'll always be with you though, in spirit. I don't know what you'll find when you get back. I don't know what the ponies and others will be like, the friends you'll make, or even the songs you'll hear. I can promise that your sister will make sure its something beautiful. This world won't be whole until you come back, Lulu. The stars seem dimmer, the sky flatter without you to paint the skies. I wish we'd paid more attention earlier. Could we have saved you from yourself?" Adam sighed, his own tears leaking out "I suppose we'll just have to go on. Maybe, in another life, we'll meet again." Adam stood, gently laying Celestia's head on the bed, adjusting his pants as he limped towards the door, old joints creaking as he cracked his back.
"These damn ponies'll be the death of me, I swear" HE grumbled, wiping away his own tears, before making his way to his own chambers. He sat at an old oaken desk. "Won't be sleeping tonight" HE sighed tiredly, as he took a pen and quill and began writing.
-A thousand years later-
Luna Sat at her new desk, Staring at A bundle of ancient tomes and scrolls, and yellowed letters brought from the archives, Tears in her eyes as she read the faded lettering.
"For Luna. From Adam."
Gingerly, her magic opened the bindings, and took the very first letter from the top.
"Dear Looney. If you're reading this, and I hope you are, then you've finally come back. You'll probably have a lot of questions about...everything I suspect. I may be an old man, but I've got a good few years in me yet. So this is it. The answers you might be looking for. What happens to each friend, Individual guard, and all their children. What happens to me in the end. I've told Sunbutt about this little project of mine. I've asked her to finish it for me when I pass on. Lot of your guards have had kids, you know. Little brats have taken to calling me Grandpa if you'd believe it. Some have shown signs of the curse...so maybe they'll be around when you get back. We miss you Luna.
With regards, Adam."
Luna choked up, wiping her eyes with a hoof. There was a knock at her door, and it opened.
"Sister? Are you he- Oh." Celestia said, spotting Luna's state and the stack before her. Celestia trotted over, draping her sister with a wing.
"He lived a good Life, Lulu. He died in his bed, surrounded by friends and family. He even stubbornly held on to life until he was almost two hundred years old, thanks to the influence of being near us when we ascended. None of us blamed you for what happened. We blamed ourselves" She said, nuzzling the darker alicorn
"I know, celly. But it still hurts so much. He was there when no one else was, and now he's gone." Luna sobbed, holding on to her sister tightly
"Yes, but he taught me some songs. Songs he wanted you to hear. Would you like to hear them as we work through this pile?"
Luna sniffled, nuzzling her sister Yes...Together..."