It was the eve of the thestral referendum.
Luna had reached it.
The peak of everything she had been working towards for the past few months. All of her campaigns, all of her reforms, and all the emotion she could put into the hearts of all ponies in Equestria.
This was it.
After today, all the work she had put effort into would finally have an answer.
Was it a mistake to go for a referendum though?
If she hadn’t, she could have had her way with the laws, forcing the change upon all of Equestria.
Celestia even gave her sole responsibility for the issue when she had brought it up.
But maybe this was better.
The history books wouldn’t look back on Luna as some pushy princess who did whatever they wanted to have her way.
Luna went to the ponies herself and advocated for change.
Her passion and love for the thestrals spread throughout Equestria, which in turn, they spread themselves, and it was now on them to make the decision.
Was it a combined effort of Luna and her followers though that brought everything to this moment? Or was it solely Luna’s efforts?
Luna didn’t know, but that didn’t matter.
Luna normally gave speeches at these events, but this one was special. So far all she had done was speak to a few ponies and stood around looking pretty because her campaign manager that had been hired to help with everything had been speaking to everypony so far.
Luna wasn’t even planning to give a speech, she was just to enjoy all the hard work she had put in, but the campaign manager suddenly announced that she would give the closing words for the end of the day.
Luna was now at the center of attention on the stage in Manehattan and all she could think about right now was what to say to everypony that showed up. She had no notes, no speech memorized or anything like the sorts prepared.
Shewas overwhelmed quickly as everything settled in for her, but she quickly compiled herself, only to have tears flood her face as she finally began to speak, “As Princess of the Night, I protect and nurture the dreams of Equestria.”
Luna paused for a second and continued, “But standing before you, I realize now how gravely I have misunderstood that role. For what use is a dream if we do not strive to make it real?”
Luna looked up at the moon for a moment before looking back at the crowd, “Tonight, I make a promise. On this night, in the city that never sleeps, I will make the dreams you have entrusted to me a reality! The first of many dreams will become real tonight! A d—”
The moon shone bright across not only the city, but all of Equestria and the world as Luna had hope for what was to come.
What was to come.
There was almost no time to react as the bombs went off beneath the stage.
All of the close friends she had made during the campaign, who stood around the stage, were quickly blown away by the first two explosions.
It was the third one, right beneath the center of the stage, where Luna stood, that she realized she had been too slow to react.
Luna was thrown far away from where she had been, sending her through the air and into the ground.
Chaos ensued throughout the entire grounds.
Ponies were screaming, cowering in fear, flying away, using what magic they could to shield themselves as they ran away, a few earth ponies dragging others away who had been too struck with fear to move.
Bat ponies throughout the crowd were rushing in to see what happened, trying to come up onto the stage to help Luna.
Luna only saw the shapes and figures of what she assumed were her friends as her vision blurred in and out, her mind raced around trying to figure out what happened.
As she came to the conclusion of what just happened, the moon started to change colors. Everything started to get a red tint to it.
In the middle of the chaos, everycreatured stopped and looked up at the moon as they started to notice.
Then, as the history they had all heard about rushed into their minds, they all turned to look back at the stage where Luna had been.
Hope and rage grew within thestrals as they realized what was happening.
Fear for the rest.
All of a sudden, the rush everycreature had been taking to leave began again, but more urgently.
The earth ponies who were dragging creatures away left them where they were, though, all of a sudden those creatures finally had the urge to leave this time.
Luna had pushed herself up and was standing with wobbling legs as she held herself up on the destroyed stage.
Everything she had worked for had been destroyed–
Nothing was destroyed, as long as I’m around, Luna thought to herself.
But I didn’t protect myself.
Only she can save me.
She can only save herself, not you.
Luna fought the urge that came from within herself.
It was the only way everything would be alright though, but not in the way she would want it.
If she-
There are no ifs.
I can only save—
Luna wanted to cry, but she didn’t have the strength for it.
The only thing she was doing was resisting.
If she didn’t, then more than just her new friends would die.
She would have to fight her sister—
NO!
If this is what must happen to give my ponies a change at living normal lives, then so be it!
Luna collapsed to the ground on the stage and the moon's red tint faded away, back to its original pale light from before.
Thestrals and security quickly situated themselves on the stage and got to everypony that had been on it.
Luna was prioritized immediately.
The ponies that surrounded Luna quickly started to panic a little when Luna didn’t respond to any of their yelling and pokes.
It was only after some doctors arrived and rolled Luna over did they realize that there had been a large gash along with mangled flesh on her side. It was then that the ponies surrounding Luna started to freak out.
Luna was quickly rushed away by her doctors and guards, leaving behind many of the thestrals and ponies that had rushed on stage.
Everycreature that remained around the stage had calmed down when they realized the moon’s red tint was gone. The few that decided to stay stood about staring at the mess that had remained scurry out and watched everything happen on the stage.
It would only be the next morning that all Equestria learned the news.
The Eternal Night Memorial
Outside of the doctors, Celestia would be the first to know.
Celestia didn’t hesitate to announce it. She didn’t argue with anycreature, debate it, nor did she send any message to the elements of harmony to ask their thoughts or get their help with the matter. The moment she learned of the news, she made the announcement for the whole world to hear.
Princess Luna had died.
There was nothing anycreature could do.
The coming and going of life was nothing magic could prevent.
Nor was it something the alicorns were immune to.
Princess Luna, along with the rest of the the alicorns had to realize that the world was becoming a no safer place for them among the advancements of technology.
The more time passed, the more things changed.
The bombs that had been placed under the stage had been put there by ‘loyal’ followers of Nightmare Moon. Only a few of these followers were captured in the following day after they announced the coming of their old Empresses.
They gave up resisting upon learning about the death of Princess Luna though, not in her turn back to Nightmare Moon, but in the death of the only one who they believed in.
The whole of Equestria was silent.
News had spread about the explosion, but it was quickly dwarfed by the news of her death.
Nocreature knew what to do.
The banishment of Nightmare Moon over 1000 years ago wasn’t the same as this.
Luna herself would never come back.
There was no second chance for her.
She was dead.
The only thing anycreature wanted to do was nothing, but Celestia had other plans.
There would be a funeral procession that went from Manehattan to Canterlot, where Luna would finally be laid to rest.
It was at the announcement of the procession that everypony dropped what they were doing, halting the country to a stop and left to go wait along the roads and cities that Luna would go through.
Celestia couldn’t stop the country, nor could she stop the mass influx of foreigners who came in to view it as well.
Country leaders came to even the poorest of ponies from the Riverlands.
The death of a alicorn had never been heard of, not even by the princesses.
Celestia couldn’t do anything but have the funeral start, and so it did.
In Manehattan, Luna’s body was prepared and sent off with her guards protecting it.
The journey was slow.
They took their time to allow everycreature along the way to watch in silence.
Nocreature had anything to say when they saw the convoy of vehicles drive by, and ultimately the car that carried Luna.
It couldn’t be missed.
It stood out.
It could be heard.
The silence that came from everycreature that stood at the sides of roads was noticeable. It was like a wave.
As the car came and went, the silence started and ended.
The mood as this happened was unforgettable.
It would be melancholy before, then nothing as creatures absorbed what they saw, and then the realization set in.
Mares and stallions alike began to break. Colts and fillies panicked as the adults around them broke that secure and authority figure they always held.
The thestrals were numb.
They didn’t know how to react.
Every bat pony had heard of Luna and the campaign she was doing in the prior months and sprung up quickly to take what action they could.
Some of them were ready to follow Luna if she turned to Nightmare Moon, but-
They were now without their princess all together.
They didn’t have to hide though.
Nopony dared to bother them, whether by fear of them getting angry, or from having sympathy for them losing their princess, or just not caring about their presence due to the circumstance.
It didn’t matter. It would be later after the funeral that the thestrals came out from hiding and joined the public.
None of the thestrals cared at this point though.
What was there to work towards?
The memorial.
The morning that Luna was announced dead, was the moment the thestrals got to work.
They cleared the entire area that the stage was at. They dismantled it and cleaned up the mess that had been left behind.
There was investigation into the incident but it was halted immediately upon the arrival of the thestrals that came in.
They weren’t stopped.
They worked tirelessly for days on end at the area, turning it into a large garden, with a stone statue being built and brought in and placed at the center, where the stage had been.
It was a statue of Luna’s cutie mark. A crescent moon.
No plaques were placed anywhere, just the garden and the statue.
Many ponies and thestrals throughout the world began to erect their own memorials as well. From new buildings being built and dedicated to her and to small statues being made and sold for ponies to keep at home.
Luna had become engraved into the minds of everypony, once again as she once was 1000 years ago.
Celestia was devastated with the whole thing.
Upon Luna’s arrival to Canterlot, Celestia would announce the dissolvement of the diarchy and her retirement from ruling, hooving the position over to Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia also announced that she would solely take over the role of raising and lowering both the sun and moon from there on forward, just as she had done for a thousand years prior.
Nopony dared question her, not even Twilight as she took over, they all just accepted it.
To everycreature in the world, the death of Princess Luna marked the end of an era, which was how Celestia had decided to embrace it.
The only things that would remain of their rule would be country they had built up together and the memorials that would spring up in memory of Luna.
The ever changing world would require new faces to rule it, even if by other alicorns like Twilight now ruling Equestria or Cadance ruling the Crystal Empire.
