The Ballad of the Two Sisters
Loneliness, Love and Loss
There lives in old Equestria
The Princess fair Celestia
Charged with moving the moon and sun above,
She had no partner, nor a friend
To aid in her task without end
She despaired for she had no-one to love.
The heavens were once all she knew
Her sun, her moon, her skies of blue
And her clouds fattened with both rain and snow,
But glories of the sky above
Paled next to somepony to love
And this was a cruel fact for her know.
Yet Celestia soldiered on
From dawn to dusk, from dusk to dawn
Accepting that this was the way of things,
But this was not to be her lot
She'd soon find the friendship she sought
For something wondrous waited in the wings...
One night she returned to her room
Her only friend midnight's dim gloom
She sighed sadly and shook her pink-maned head,
She opened her room's heavy door
And was shocked to her very core
A filly was asleep upon her bed!
Waking with the lightest of sighs
She opened her lovely green eyes
Each pony's eyes locked upon the other,
The filly was the first to speak
In a lovely voice soft and meek
She asked the Princess "Are you my mother?"
The question caught her by surprise
And tears of pure joy filled her eyes
She leaned down and kissed the dark filly’s head,
“Though that would please me to no end
I am not, my dear little friend
But I can be sister to you instead.”
Her mane and coat both dark as night
They glowed softly with their own light
The filly's eyes were a-glow just the same,
Bereft of name, of title none
Celestia chose for her one
"Luna" would be her friend and equal's name.
Her coming was no chance event
There was a reason she'd been sent
And that special reason came to light soon,
Not merely one, no, there were two
To love her and to be loved too
And to become the Princess of the Moon.
She would show her how it was done
Raising moon after setting sun
And lower it to hasten forth dawn bright,
Luna would be her protégé
Celestia would show the way
And teach her how she would control the night.
That could come on a later day
For now she wished to prance and play
With dear Luna, the apple of her eye,
But then that day came, all to soon
To teach Luna to raise the moon
And she commenced the lessons with a sigh.
The lessons taught were quickly learned
For the young Princess Luna yearned
To help Celestia in any way,
Besides, it looked like it was fun
Raising moon after setting sun
To bring a close to each and every day.
And soon the lessons were complete
And Luna promised she would meet
All that was expected of her station,
Seeing the truth in what she said
Celestia nodded her head
And to Luna made a proclamation:
"Now that you have learned what to do
Dear sister Luna, I trust you
To take on this duty and do it right,
"To you this duty I now give
And for as long as we both live
I shall be morning and you will be night."
Both Celestia's love and pride
Flooded out from her soul inside
And her mane and tail filled with a dim light,
Her sister saw the dim light grow
Soon becoming a spectral glow
And Luna stepped away from her in fright.
Luna's green eyes went round and wide
She pointed a hoof and she cried
"Oh sister mine, your mane is all aglow!"
The strange glow soon faded away
Celestia's mane changed that day
And was now the colors of a rainbow.
And thus the sisters joined as one
One rules the moon and one the sun
The two together danced in harmony,
But all good things come to an end
A fate on which you can depend
And this friendship would end in tragedy...
The years uncounted floated by
The sisters two both shared the sky
But soon envy stole into Luna's soul,
The envy seethed, bubbled and stirred
To Luna wicked whispers purred
And they slowly began to take their toll.
It spoke to her one summer night
As she enjoyed the full moon’s light
In a silken voice designed to beguile,
The source of the voice heard within
Was one of corruption and sin
A demon’s voice both devious and vile.
"Greetings to you, O’Princess fair
I am known by the name ‘Nightmare’
But fear not, for I mean no ill intent,
“I've come to be your special friend
Upon whose words you can depend
In fact that is the reason I was sent.
“The ponyfolk all rise from bed
To greet the sunlight overhead
And they bask in the sun’s bright warming gift,
“Soon enough comes the pitch black night
Lit by your moon and stars so bright
But unlike the day’s sun you get short shrift.
"They all ignore your nightly toil
Does it not cause your blood to boil?
Why bother to continue anyway?
“You raise the moon after sun's fall
Nopony cares, not one at all
They wait for your sister to bring the day!
T’is true that under moon above
Some ponies confess their deep love
But these events are few and far between,
You think your sister gave a prize
When she offered the evening skies?
My dear Luna how naïve you have been!
“She only gave this task to you
So she would have less work to do
A gift born from both laziness and spite,
“And in truth I have heard it said
You are merely a figurehead
Nopony stays awake to watch the night…”
She paid no heed, or so she tried
To these dark words from deep inside
For sister princess she truly adored,
She pushed Nightmare’s smooth voice away
But it was strengthened day by day
Stabbing at her heart like a sharpened sword.
Nightmare went on, wheedled and lied
Stoked her ego, prodded her pride
And she began believing what it said,
And yet her soul fought back in vain
For its strength soon began to wane
And Nightmare’s voice grew louder in her head.
It tore at her, it slashed and screamed
Both while awake and while she dreamed
The walls within her mind fell one by one,
It breached the light within her soul
The darkness took complete control
And she confronted her sister, the Sun.
"You are the only one they see
No love is given unto me
Next to you, I am merely second rate,
"I soon felt envy towards you
But that feeling, it swelled and grew
And now for you I feel nothing but hate.
"I hate you, Princess of the Sun
I hate you for what you have done
I hate you and I will forevermore,
"My eyes are opened - now I see
This 'duty' as a mockery
And I refuse to take this any more.
"You laugh at me when I'm not there
And you believe me unaware
Your sunlit days are numbered, sister dear,
"Ponies will not show me respect
Hold in esteem nor genuflect
So I will just have to accept their fear.
"I will force them to honor me
I will be all that they will see
I will banish your sunlight infernal,
"When ponies look up to the sky
They will not see you, only I
For I shall bring forth Midnight Eternal!"
To aid her in this wicked deed
The demon Nightmare Moon was freed
She set about to see this dark work done,
And so the day confronted night
And so the dark confronted light
And so that day were seen both Moon and Sun.
The two took to the skies above
Envy and hate fought grace and love
A battle terrible and glorious,
Moon's chill frost mirrored sun's warm fire
But soon Nightmare began to tire
And her sister emerged victorious.
Nightmare, defeated come duel's end
Was begged stop by her sister-friend
But Nightmare laughed and spat into her eye,
With both a foul curse and a leer
She swore revenge on "sister dear"
And would return to make the sunlight die.
With Luna lost to hatred's voice
The princess made a fateful choice
Only one punishment could fit this crime:
Using her most powerful spell
She made the pale moon Nightmare's cell
Her prison forever and for all time.
Sun Princess took back night's power
And from her castle's high tower
She once again controls both night and day,
Now when she makes evening's moon rise
Grief-stricken tears flow from her eyes
For she believes she failed Luna some way.
And so she lives alone once more
Within stone walls, behind locked door
In penance to the soul of sister lost,
And on the moon hanging in space
Lay a profile of Luna’s face
Memorial to that day and its cost.
So should you hear dark envy speak
No matter how strong nor how weak
I pray you take this tragic tale to heart:
Fight it with all your soul within
For if you let that demon win
It can tear friendships and families apart.
The Ballad of the Two Sisters
The Hymn of a Million Voices
Poignancy, Prayer and Peace
Led astray by a demon's call
Orchestrating young Luna's fall
To darkness and corruption of her soul,
Possessed by both envy and hate
Banishment was her final fate
Her sister forced to pay this horrid toll.
These events are well known to all
The Moon Princess's rise and fall
A tragic tale and a warning as well,
And yet there still is much unsaid
More of this story to be read
Of the time after Princess Luna fell...
Luna now banished for all time
Final victim of Nightmare's crime
Celestia's warmed heart began to chill,
She knew that what she'd done was right
Sending away Princess of Night
Yet still this knowledge was a bitter pill.
And for days Celestia wept
From when she woke to when she slept
But she continued her appointed task,
She wished that she could change the past
But soon accepted this at last
And hid her grief beneath an aloof mask.
So came the day, so came the night
The moon's dim glow, the bright sunlight
And Celestia sat upon her throne,
Second to minute then to hour
Hour to day within her tower
Soon she no longer cared she was alone.
Within her oubliette locked tight
Corrupted Princess of the Night
Looked down upon her lost world with a sneer,
She thought of the Princess of Day
The traitor who sent her away
Nightmare’s hatred of her grew year to year.
This was all Celestia's fault
T'was she who locked her in this vault
So all attention would be hers alone,
And when she tried to have her say
Her sister then sent her away
To this prison of dust, craters and stone
One day, atop her tall tower
In the cooling breeze of dawn's hour
Celestia heard voices call her name,
The voices began at dawn's light
And they went silent come the night
Come the next day and still more voices came.
She found from whence the voices came
The folk below who called her name
And she watched them, curiosity piqued,
Caught in the depth of her sorrow
She'd ignored the ponies below
And so upon their lives the Princess peeked...
Three tribes were once segregated
Their tribe best, the others hated
And for some time this was the way of things,
They fought and cursed and threatened war
The cycle then began once more
A symbol of the chaos hatred brings.
Celestia watched with dismay
As the three tribes fought night and day
And more than once she thought to intervene,
But she chose to just watch and wait
Observe but not participate
It was safer to see but not be seen.
She knew if she became involved
Things would not be truly resolved
She'd merely scare them into making peace,
But members of the tribes below
Worked to end this hate and sorrow
Together as siblings to make this cease.
Soon came the Priesthood of the Sun
Aiding all those they came upon
For all were equal in the Priesthood's view,
Showing kindness in word and deed
A helping hoof in time of need
Or a smile and a friendly word or two.
Working in the Holy Sun's name
They fed the hungry, healed the lame
And spread the word of her with every deed,
They fought the hardships they would face
To make the world a better place
Their pilgrims set forth, sowing friendship's seed.
And so they traveled night and day
Gaining converts along the way
From tribes of earth, of magic and of sky,
Ones who felt for the greater good
To join the cause of the Priesthood
And render themselves deaf to hatred's lie.
The Priesthood had a second goal:
To shatter bigotry's control
And show the tribes the damage it had done,
They should accept and tolerate
Spreading friendship and not just hate
And then they could live together as one.
They were different, one can't deny
One used magic and one could fly
And one could tame the earth and make crops grow,
But in their souls they were the same
Only different in form and name
And this was a fact that they hoped to show.
And so they offered aid to all
And slowly tore down distrust's wall
And soon the three tribes felt their hatred die,
For the Priesthood had shown the way
And thus they cast their past away
And in the end the three asked themselves: Why?
"Why did we do what we had done
Why did we hate, why did we shun
Why did we three do all these foolish things?
"From the beginning, we tribes three
Should all have lived in harmony
And basked in all the joy that that would bring!"
"What were we thinking? We were fools
All that we cared of was who rules
Who stood above the others in the end,
Instead of hatching plot and scheme
And bolstering our self-esteem
We could have spent that time making a friend."
And thus the three tribes joined as one
All were equal under the sun
A fact that they should have known all along,
So now the three stand side to side
Discrimination pushed aside
For together they stand three times as strong.
Word of praise from across her land
Spoken by one or by a band
Extolling the virtues of Princess fair,
Their voices soon were raised in song
All Equestria sang along
They sang their love of her while deep in prayer.
Earth ponies and the pegasi
And unicorns prayed to the sky
The three pony tribes sang in harmony,
She was the glory of the sun
Gave warmth and life to everyone
And so they worshiped her with melody.
The Princess smiled from high above
As ponyfolk shared peace and love
And she felt the cold in her heart dissolve,
For watching the three tribes make peace
Conferred on her blessed release
And on that day she came to a resolve.
The Sun Princess Celestia
Would travel to Equestria
In answer to the three tribes' prayer and song,
Yet she would go there in disguise
Hiding her true form from their eyes
To see just how well the three got along.
The earth pony strode into town
Her mane yellow, coat mottled brown
And on her side there hung a threadbare pack,
She spied an Inn in which to stay
And call an end to her long day
But first came to a halt to stretch her back.
Many ponies bade her good day
As they continued on their way
Some waved a hoof and some gave her a smile,
One offered to help with her pack
To relieve her tired ribs and back
For it was clear she'd traveled for a while.
"Thank you sir, that is very kind
Are you certain that you don't mind?
My saddlebag is quite heavy, you see,"
The pegasus who'd offered aid
Gave the mare a kind laugh and said
"I am quite strong - this weight won't bother me."
The bag was taken from her side
The earth pony happily sighed
And together they trotted down the road,
But the pack weighed more than he thought
He thought it light, but it was not
And soon he struggled beneath the pack's load.
The Princess was raising its mass
For she saw that they would soon pass
A light green unicorn with mane pure white,
This was a test so she could see
What the pony's response would be
Upon seeing her winged companion's plight.
The unicorn shortly came by
With a concerned look in her eye
She saw the pegasus began to list,
The unicorn mare stopped to ask
"May I give you aid with your task?
You seem exhausted, please let me assist!"
The unicorn then cast a spell
To help carry the weight as well
The pegasus thanked her for her kind act,
His ribs and back were growing sore
He couldn't hold the weight much more
He had almost reached his limit, in fact.
The three stopped at the village Inn
The saddlebag was bundled in
And the glow faded from their helper's horn,
After a stretch of wings and back
Responding with a hearty crack
The pegasus turned to the unicorn.
"Thank you, ma'am, you were very kind
To help we two out of that bind
It seems I'm not as strong as I had thought,
That will teach me I should not boast
I'd nearly given up the ghost
And I appreciate your help a lot."
"Think nothing of it" she replied
"For I was happy to provide
Assistance to the both of you, good sir,
"And I see here a brand new face
Somepony new's come to this place
Pray let me introduce myself to her."
The unicorn's name was Limecream,
The pegasus was named Jet Streem,
They welcomed hidden Princess with a smile,
She told them her name was Sunray
And she had traveled all the day
And so she planned to stay here for a while.
They spoke for a while with Sunray
But soon the two went on their way
They bid farewell, she thanked the two once more,
So far the Princess was impressed
Limecream and Jet had passed her test
So she decided that she would explore.
She saw the three tribes mingled free
In some cases intimately
Many were married with foals by their side,
And thus the Princess of the Sun
Had proof the three were now as one
And so decided to no longer hide.
She trotted into the town square
A pale glow surrounding the mare
And soon all attention was on Sunray,
"I'm certain you can no doubt see
I'm not quite who I seem to be
And there is something that I wish to say.
"I've misled you these three days past
Sunray naught but a role I've cast
I am not the pony that I appear,
"Yet my deception was benign
A part of a greater design
And I intend to unmask myself here."
Sunray raised her head to the sky
And then let out a wordless cry
A blinding burst of sunlight filled the square,
The bright light focused on Sunray
The earth pony melted away
And instead a statuesque mare stood there.
She was a beauty to behold
Her rainbow mane, her hooves shod gold
Her violet eyes, her coat of silken white,
And then wings unfurled from her side
And the Princess stretched them out wide
Her body glowed as if filled by sunlight.
And yet nopony was afraid
Instead rapt attention was paid
Nopony balked, nopony broke to run,
"I am the Bringer of the Day
I am she to whom you all pray
I am Celestia, Princess of Sun!"
She told then the tale of her life
Of loneliness, love, hate and strife
The rise and fall of Luna of the Moon,
Of what she'd gained and what she'd lost
And just how much this loss had cost
And how she had stopped caring all too soon.
"One day I heard you call to me
And I watched over your tribes three
And how you three fought all your night and days,
"And then the Priesthood of Sun came
And bound you three under my name
And showed you the foolishness of your ways.
"Your rivalries came to an end
An enemy became a friend
This victory was yours and yours alone,
"And seeing you working as one
Seeing hatred being undone
Brought life once again to my heart of stone.
"I am proud of you, one and all
And so I now answer the call
Made by ponies all across this nation,
"I should have done this long ago
I waited far too long, I know
So to you I make this proclamation:
"You need no longer pray to me
I shall come forth for all to see
From this day on I will not hide away,
"I'll leave my castle's gloomy hall,
For somewhere seen by one and all."
The plans for Canterlot were born that day.
In her lunar cell locked and closed,
The demon Nightmare Moon reposed,
Visions of Celestia filled her dreams,
Her betrayal would be repaid
She'd stab her heart and twist the blade
And relish in her sister's tortured screams.
But she'd not raise a hoof to her
The torture that she would endure
Would bring her sister Princess to her knees,
Nightmare would call a wind that chilled
A wind that burned, a wind that killed
And Celestia would watch her land freeze.
The sun would fall and never rise
She would be the Queen of the Skies
And she would release the Forever Night,
The ponyfolk would scrape and plead
And beg her for the warmth they need
And cower in fear beneath her moon's light.
Her castle hung from mountain high
Landmark to every pony eye
She built Canterlot for the sake of all,
A place of marble purest white
It glowed by day, shimmered at night
From its cobbled streets to its towers tall.
A city grew 'round castle grand
Now the Capital of the land
The greatest city in Equestria,
And to the three pony races
Was the holiest of places
As the home of Princess Celestia.
And thus the days, they came and went
The ponies of the land content
Life for them was both joyful and serene,
But on the thousandth year, some say
These happy times would fall away
And an evil darkness would intervene.
Nightmare Moon would then reappear
Demon Princess of dark and fear
And she would bring with her eternal night,
Nightmare would then strike dead the sun
Nightmare would see the day undone
Nightmare would forever destroy daylight.
Most thought this was an old mare's tale
A story penned to make foals pale
Nopony believed Evernight would fall,
They spurned this dark tale of Nightmare
Little were the ponies aware
There was truth to this fable after all.
Still asleep in her airless tomb
Deep within the moon's dark cold womb
Nightmare dreamt on - her dreams wicked and vile,
Soon her slumber was forsaken
And she began to awaken
And to her lips there came an evil smile.
The magic that held her at bay
Was growing weaker day by day
So she fought against the diminished spell,
And she would break free of the moon
And she would return all too soon
And she would make the world a sunless hell...
