In the quietest corners of her mind she found solace from the hostile chattering of the world around her. All the voices faded as she focused on nothing but the silence every utterance was fighting to drown out. The sound demanded her attention, but she would not give it the satisfaction of stealing away the last of her peace, not yet. She refused to hear anything apart from the dimming serenity she so dearly hoped would prevent her from becoming overwhelmed, and for a moment she was lost to the vibrant echos of imagination. She willed herself into solitude, but wishing would not make it so. She could only pretend for the briefest of intervals. She could block it out, but only for a second.
Silence. How she yearned for silence.
Only moments had passed when she opened her eyes, a sea of angry faces and boisterous voices all directing their fury at her. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of it. She had tried so hard. But in the end... what difference had it all even made?
"Enough!" she heard a voice say from beside her. The tone was firm and authoritative.
The sea of shouting softened to a murmur before gradually melting into nothing. It was better than the loathed rantings, but it was not the sort of silence that afforded her the peace she had sought. It was the mere absence of sound, but the soul-piercing fire of discontention still roared rebelliously beneath the surface. One could hear a pin drop.
"You have been misinformed," the voice at her side said loudly, yet calmly, its bearer staring down the throng of colors with righteous conviction. "All that has happened would merely have come to pass regardless. If anything you should all be thanking my sister for the efforts she has made in reducing the damage. She may have even delayed the inevitable outcome."
A few voices rise up violently, scattered across the silent crowd. The anger of the previous outburst is born anew, and soon all is shouts of fury again. I close my eyes and turn away, for I am she, and I cannot endure this any longer. I leave my sister to face them alone. They are not angry with her. Their hateful utterances are meant only for me.
With every step upon the cold marble, the sound of my hooves' echos gradually overpowers the clamor. With the lengthening distance the voices begin to dissolve into nothing. I turn a corner and pause, looking about the corridor I set my eyes on a rigid white figure clad in gold armor against the wall. His expression is set, and there is no discernible degree of emotion there. But I saw it in his eyes. I know I saw it.
"You agree with them, do you not?" I ask him.
He does not move. He remains still. There is no discernible reaction apart from a slight flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"ANSWER THY PRINCESS!" I demand harshly. My stare upon him is cold and my voice carries through the hall farther than I had meant it to, reverberating with a shock that leaves the air sullen.
"Luna," the soft voice of my sister calls from behind me.
My eyes widen and my ears flatten against my head. I feel like a filly caught in the act of a foalish misbehavior. I close my eyes and turn my head away from it all. Again, I will that everything would simply melt away and leave me in peace. I feel the soft brush of a wing over my back.
"Come," my sister says. Her voice is gentle, serene, and insistent all at once.
I open my eyes to gaze at the tips of my hooves. I wish to be sure of my steps as I follow along beside her. Her wing is still draped around me, and I do not need to look up to know the room she has led me to. Double doors close behind us. There are no guards here. There is only my sister and I. For a while we simply stand there. All is silence, but it is the sort that is tinged with my mortification at being caught off-guard and exposed.
I feel her wing pull away, and she walks a short distance forward before turning to face me. I still do not look her in the eyes. I know she is looking at me, but I can't bring myself to reciprocate the action.
"Luna," she repeats softly.
The tenderness of her tone is so comforting. It is always comforting. After all the sting of the cruel words I have felt assailing my ears with venomous passion, her voice is as balm that seeps into my wounds and whispers of quiet understanding. She knows that I did all I could, even when every other voice condemns me she does not. She comprehends the immense burdens that are even in this moment weighing on my heart. She has been where I have been, and her warmth breathes an air of hope that there will come a time when I no longer feel this paralyzing despair.
My thoughts are realized as tears, and I screw my eyes shut in a feeble attempt to make them cease. Without meaning to I sob. My sister leans in, and I feel the side of her face against mine. She nuzzles me.
"I know, Luna," she whispers. "I know."
For a while I cry. The sound of my weeping now the culprit preventing me from hearing the silence I seek. But it is alright. I feel a portion of the heaviness in my chest draining away, and the warmth of my sister's fur against mine begins to replace it with an emotion resembling a reserved contentment. I sniffle and rub away the moisture in my eyes with a foreleg, and she gives me the room to do so.
"They did not believe thee, sister." I do my best to keep my voice strong, but it quivers helplessly all the same. "I knew they would not. They shall not. I have failed thee."
"No, Luna," she utters with a voice of satin. "You have not failed me. You have not failed our ponies. You have failed no one."
I turn my eyes to meet hers, and they are empathetic. She has a small, reassuring smile, and her demeanor radiates the soft glow of the most soothing warmth. Were I a Changeling, I suspect that the love I felt from her in this one moment could sustain me for a lifetime.
"I am proud of you, Luna." Her smile widens slightly. "So very proud."
I feel the corners of my mouth drift upwards and with filled eyes I return her smile. I take a few steps closer to her and press my neck against hers in a modest embrace. From this time I will gather the strength to face all the difficult moments that will follow. I lose myself in the feeling of sisterly closeness and the genuine affection I so acutely longed for during these turbulent hours. Not another word is uttered, and with a sense of relief felt even to the depths of my very soul... I exhale. In the wake of my released breath is that which my grieved heart has so restlessly, fervently longed for... as sweet to feel as it is beautiful to say...
Silence.
Author's Note
December 2nd, 2018: Henceforth, please direct your grammar and spelling corrections to PM. Thank you. 
