Long Live the Queen

With each ring of the impacts of heavy hammer to the hard, darkened metal, Luna didn't flinch, didn't move, only stared blankly into the blacksmith's own forge.

Twas once a time when she would stop by here to spend time with an old love.

But that is long gone, the usual blacksmith out for the day, replaced by a hefty black stained white stallion who's mane hung short and bright. Blonde. All that which her old love was not.

Old love. That's what she calls it. Not once in the past two thousand years, even on the moon, had she forgotten his gentle hold on her, his caring sense, even the times they spent together. Not even as Nightmare Moon, had she ever once stopped think of him nightly...

To the night's end, I bare this armour, hoof crafted by ourself, as thy stallion, thy knight in glinting armour, to gallop and protect below the moonlight by which thou ruleth. We art thou steed, thine lover, and we shall never pass against our word.

The very phrase which had struck Luna's heart deep, making her swoon for the stallion near immediately. She had somepony that would willingly stay by her side through the night, and that they did. Many a moon had the two sat on Luna's own balcony, watching the stars, and moon.

"May I help you, princess?"

Luna looked at the white stallion. He had stopped hammering, the blade having been finished not a moment before.

"Oh, nothing.", Luna looked down, walking off to the castle.

The night sky was beautiful. The moon full, the stars, bright, and above that, there was a lovely swirl of colors in the background.

A wonderful night that would cheer up anypony who gazed up even once.

Luna would have none of it. Granted she had seen it very many times before, knew every centimeter of the nigth sky. But it only made the heavy ache in her heart hurt worse.

The trek to her own room was slow and boring. But she wasn't thinking of it, and passing by her sister's open bedroom door, the white alicorn was still awake.

Celestia spit out the mix of toothpaste and water into the sink, washing it down directly after with a quick surge of water, and opened the door to her personal bathroom just in time to see Luna walk past the door.

"Hmm..."

Celestia hurried to the door, and looked down the hall, seeing Luna not far away.

"Sister? Are you feeling well?"

"It's nothing important."

"Now, Luna, you know you shouldn't keep something from me."

"I can and will.", Luna snapped back at her sister.

"Luna..."

"What?", Luna said in a harsh tone.

Celestia sighed, then turned back into her room, "Nevermind."

Luna bit her lip, possibly having just thrown her only relief out the window.

"Tia, wait."

Celestia poked her head out of the doorway.

"Can we talk?"

Celestia smiled, "Sure, come on in."

Luna entered her sister's bed chamber and followed her sister to the bed, taking a seat on the cushioned stool across from it, head still aimed to the ground.

"What's wrong, Luna?"

Luna took a deep breath, then let it out.

"I am just..."

"Just sad? I can tell jsut by how you are thinking."

"Then, you know why?"

"The reason behind it, I have no idea of."

"I feel heart broken."

"Oh? Did he break up with you?"

"Oh...no..."

"So you broke up with him?"

"Not that either. It was a really long time ago."

"Oh. If you somehow met somepony in the moon, then my guess would be that this was before your imprisonment?"

"...Yes...I...Just could never let go. Every day I was imprisoned, every year, I never once forgot him. Many nights were passed with tears, and very few times did I sleep in my rage against you."

"Luna. It's still a good thing that you never dwelt upon hatred alone. In fact, that just eases me more. It was my fault, all of it. But sayign that makes me feel that much better, too."

Luna was silent.

Had Celestia said the wrong thing? Out of a time that Luna could use help, may have Celestia just said that which would make it even worse?

"Did...Did I...Get the wrong idea?"

"No, we were separated days before I was imprisoned."

"Oh.", Celestia let out a held breath.

"But...I don't know what to do. I don't want to forget him, but...it hurts so much. He is all that I can think of now..."

Celestia did not know how to respond. She herself had a crush in the past, but even hers didn't last as long as Luna's first love. Her and Discord. What a mess.

"Luna. Why don't you get some sleep. I'll take over for the night."

"...Thank you, sister."

Luna hopped down off the cushion and left the room, leaving Celestia alone. Celestia had managed the kingdom for two millenia on her own, day and night. What was one full shift compared to seven hundred hundred thousand?

Luna went straight to her bed, not even bothering to bathe and groom herself, as it seemed that doing so would take her mind off of him. She didn't want to stop thinking of him. Almost immediately upon laying her head on teh pillow, she was back to thinking.

Luna ran into the forge, eyes nearly red with rage as she gritted her teeth. The black alicorn working there only looked over to his brown superior and he nodded, quickly taking his place.

"Luna, what is bothering the?"

"Our sister, that is what bothers us."

"What is thine problem with thou sister?"

"Every day, every peasant gets to admire that ball of flame in the sky, and every night fall, every peasant that squabbles at our sister's feet just sleeps through the most beautiful masterpiece that we have bestowed upon them."

She lived through it again as she slowly drifted to sleep. The rage fueled argument, the march to the armory, and her lover, every step of the way, begging her to calm down. Luna was changing with every step, and upon putting the last piece of her regalia on, the cloud of star dust swirled around her, making her from a smaller, weaker body to a taller, much bigger, stronger version.

That was the last she saw her faithful lover. She walked out, not even looking back to see if he followed her. He knew he wouldn't. Not even he, who had sworn utmost loyalty to Luna, did not follow her into what would come.

It only made her wonder if he was still even alive, if he even remembered her, or if he was still even true to his word as hers alone.

"Luna...", Celestia's soft voice echoed in Luna's head.

"Mmm?", she grunted, not even opening her eyes.

"Come now Luna, it is morning. At least get up and roam the city, take a relaxing stroll through the glades, or even a relaxing trip to the spa."

Luna sighed, then got to her hooves, shaking herself. She stretched her legs out, then slowly stepped down from her bed.

Celestia was gone, having left the room already. A day at the spa, a casual stroll. None seemed fun to Luna, much less, relaxing.

"Well, I geuss I should at least take a stroll around Canterlot, I suppose, see what the day life is like for a change."

Quickly taking a bath, grooming her mane, and taking a few biscuits from a passing by butler, Luna was already headed out of the castle doors when she came to a halt, one biscuit in mouth, and the rest, floating above her.

"Twwllwww.", Luna said through the biscuit.

"Oh, hello princess Luna. You're up a bit early.", the purple unicorn responded.

Luna swallowed the bite, and moved the biscuit from her muzzle.

"Good day to you, too, Twilight. Are you here to stay again?"

"Yes, I have to study a bunch of flash bang spells for the fireworks show the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, well good luck to you."

Luna took another bite of the biscuit, trotting past the purple mare.

The city was very busy, nothing like the night time, when Luna took her casual strolls. very many ponies takign carriages, or walking on the sidewalks. Must be a busy day. Though, everypony parted way for Luna as she walked by without much of a word.

She had no real destination at first, but a small building with neon lights caught her attention. The connected letters were hard to read, but she didn't mind it, and walked in. the first room was dark, very dark. Turns out that there were actually windows, but they were spray painted over, black.

In the background, she could hear a repetitive, rhythmic low beat that she could almost feel. Trotting to the next door, it opened on it's own, and the music assaulted the princess like an entire brigade.

Though she didn't react much more than stare at the writhing crowd before turning around and leaving.

The street chatter seemed a bit harder to hear for a minute afterwards, but Luna didn't mind. Sitting in pure silence was bliss to her.

Another small building caught her sight, and she went for it.

The entire morning, Luna didn't speak, nor acknowledge anypony that she passed. In fact, she didn't even spend more than a minute in each building that caught her eye. It was as if she were searching for somepony. When she had made a loop back to the castle, she sighed, then ran back into the large gates, and into the castle courtyard, all the way up until she got to the door. As she reached a hoof out, a familiar ring from the blacksmith caught her attention, this time, an idea striking in her mind. What if he still worked there? But during the day?

She turned, and not able to see who was working the forge from her spot, she walked closer. Every step she knew that she was wrong, but...she wanted to believe that there was still a chance that he was there.

As she finally saw the hooves of the smith, she stopped, and turned, only for somepony to stop her.

"Princess Luna."

She turned back around to the white stallion, and he thrust the blade into the barrel of water, a loud hiss coming from the hot metal.

"Is there something you need?", he asked.

"Oh, no."

"Well, I see you here every night."

"Well...Maybe you can help me..."

"Metal and hammer in hoof, what can I do for the princess?"

"Uhm...hmm...have you ever seen, or heard of a black alicorn ever working at this particular forge?"

"Well, I've not seen him, but heard of him. He quit working here over fourteen centuries ago. Last I heard. It's only been earth ponies here afterward. I heard his work was legendary. Black, shining steel. Nopony else could make armor and weapons quite like he. Stallion was a prodigy."

"Do you know where he went?"

"Sorry, but no. Last anyone even saw him, he had packed his things, and left, going Celestia knows where."

"Oh..."

"Sorry if I have displeased you."

"No, no. It's not your fault. It is mine..."

"Well, don't feel so bad about yourself. Until I see you actually do something that was your fault, you've done nothing wrong. Just go where you feel you should go, do what you feel you should do."

Luna thought quickly on this, and then nodded to the stallion, even gave a smile.

A smile. When was the last time she smiled?