//------------------------------// // To Calm a Bitter Storm // Story: The Melancholy of Princess Luna: A Poem // by GhostWriter17 //------------------------------// The Melancholy of Princess Luna: A Poem A One-Shot Poem By: GhostWriter17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna gazes out in the twilight sky, as the sun and moon meet She knows what she must do, this cycle she must repeat. Her horn, it glows, as she focuses her magic To raise the moon high, her duty, after events so tragic. Luna watches dutifully as the moon rises high Higher and higher it goes, into the ever-darkening sky. As the satellite rises, so does Luna's spirits She breathes a sigh, humming a tune of which she knows not the lyrics. The moon it glows, reflected in her blue eyes, As she finishes her song, she begins a reprise. It is a song she has forever known, yet has never truly heard For this song is a Song of The Night, and so, it has not a word. It is something Luna feels, a stirring inside herself A stirring that helps her, whenever she needs the help. Yet on this night, the night of a full moon Luna is anxious, as if something evil may come soon. She tries to walk along Canterlot, through the castle's halls To find respite and peace, but none comes at all. So she enters the dreams, the dreams of her subjects So she may calm a pony's nightmares, so they do not feel helpless. Through the Dreamscape she wanders, hoping to find happiness But all the ponies' dreams are clouded by loneliness. Desperately, she tries to ease their pain But their suffering, for some reason, forbids her to be of aid. Her subjects they suffer, and cry in their sleep Realizing she cannot help, Luna, too, begins to weep. Out of the Dreamscape, Luna loses her way Wondering if she has once again gone astray. How can she be of use if she cannot help Or lend a helping hoof to those who long for Luna, herself? What good is she, to those in pain If, try as she might, her kind efforts are in vain? This sense of darkness, it overcomes her For Luna cannot help those in restless slumber. She hears their screams, their tears, across time and space And she curses herself for not being a saint. So, with this, she decides to fly Where she can be alone, "Me, myself, and I". She feels the warm wind brush through her star-studded mane And feeling the strong beat of her wings, she feels happy again. She flies past Canterlot, and into the hills Where she can see her kingdom, Equestria, and all of its nighttime thrills. She lands her hooves atop a grassy knoll Looking out, searching her soul. The wind is warm, it ruffles her fur As, what should escape her lips, a soft purr. She is soothed by the serenity of the night For a moment, this serenity ends her plight. The night is beautiful, dark with no light Yet this cannot hinder the Princess's sight. But through this peace, a shadow tears Rearing its head, is Luna's greatest fears. This shadow rolls, deadening whatever it covers Bringing horror and cold, never-ending shivers. Luna sees it, unable to suppress a gasp Her body shakes, and her voice becomes a harsh rasp. "Who or what dare approach us?" she asked But no answer came, except a menacing laugh. The voice was shrouded in the fog While it surrounded Luna, that dark, somehow familiar smog. Two brilliant eyes suddenly opened in Luna's face The dark cloud holding her in an evil embrace. The eyes were as bright as the blue midday sky They were so very familiar, and Luna knew why. It was her demon come back, that Scourge of the Dark The ruler of an empire, voice cold and sharp. It was Nightmare Moon, Luna's darker side Come back to win over the body in which Luna's soul hides. Luna now knew what she had to do Something she'd avoided, not wanting to go through. She must face this beast that once consumed her life Lest she wished to be destroyed by anger, fear, and strife. Her sister was in Canterlot, not very far away Why, then, was Luna so afraid? The eyes stared, monstrous and unforgiving Luna's heart had an awful, sinking feeling. She was reminded of when she was powerful, the night forever her ally The terrible things she did while donning that black armour, she did not deny. Horrifying images flashed in her head Images Luna thought she could forget. She remembered those buildings, burning from her dark magic And how such carnage once made her so charismatic. She enjoyed the suffering, from dreams to reality Turning ponies' nightmares into a grim normality. Their dreams were flooded with terrors unreal Paranoia spread, where there once was happy zeal. Through the chaos that ensued some thousand years ago The harmony was lost, Celestia lost control. Driven by duty, yet at her wits' end She was forced to seal away her greatest enemy, and greatest friend. The Elements' power, deadly, unfurled Nearly destroyed both Princesses, along with the world. Luna's soul was breaking, with each dark memory How she longed for any kind of tranquillity. She thought she would lose, her demons' power growing ever stronger The Princess knew she would not last much longer. Sadness overcame her, grief shattering her to her core Would she be happy again? Said the Nightmare: "Nevermore". This broke her spirit, leaving it without hope But then a light shone through the darkness and the smoke. Though the moon was hidden, the stars blanketed with fog This light shined brighter than the darkness could hold. For but a moment, the Nightmare felt a twinge of fear But pressed on, attempting to keep the light from coming near. The fog just burned at the touch of the light It sizzled away, disappearing and relieving some of Luna's fright. The light came and touched Luna's heart And she remembered why her life was given a chance to restart. She thought of her sister, kind enough to forgive To forget the atrocities they both committed. She remembered her subjects, happy when they dreamed Of a certain filly whose nightmares she helped secede. Those who stargaze for hours, those who cherish her night Those who love the one they're with under the pale moonlight. How she, too, has a place in ponies' minds And how when they need help, she is the one they find. That unicorn who helped her when nopony else believed Who showed her kindness, saving her again from anger and greed. These where the reasons why Luna had to regain control For friendship had rekindled the burned out cinders of her soul. This power, this love inside her, calmed a raging storm And soothed the bitterness, and what remained was magical and warm. The Nightmare could not handle the feeling of Luna's newfound love Breaking the fog away, banishing it to the heavens above. The eyes that showed her fear were once again filled with that feeling In that moment, it seemed to know it was losing. The enmity and darkness eroded away The Nightmare faded, as darkness was replaced with the break of day. Nothing was left of the evil once there Gone forever, Luna was aware. No more regret filled Luna's thoughts She began to weep of happiness, rather than being distraught. In an hour, the sun would soon rise With this thought, Luna closed her eyes. She spoke to her subjects, sleeping or awake, in cheerful celebration Soothing them all with words not of malice or detestation. She thanked them all for the memories they all shared For giving her a second chance, when they could have not cared. She soothed their terror, humming them all a song From her heart, she finally found words to give them all. Be still my subjects in the nights' embrace Let it calm you, do not be afraid. Make peace with your fears tonight I shall save you all from terrors and plight. Let it not plague you, the night is your friend And I promise to love you until the end. Fear not, my lovely, my sweet colts and mares Just call my name and I shall be there. I'll hold you tightly, with this soothing song Search inside, and you can sing along. This serenade, the nights' symphony Believe in yourself as you believe in me. Go, now, and be your dream No matter how difficult it may seem. Friendship is magic, or so they say You've all shown me love, shown me the right way. Through love and through loss, I'll always be there Giving you comfort, sweet and fair. So hear my song, this lullaby Through time and space before the day. I am Luna, your guiding light I'll always protect you in the beauty of the night. Her song calmed the bitterness, and reached them all As light came up, and the sun rose tall. She breathed a sigh, her work was done From facing her fears, she had won. She felt a shadow overhead, and became filled with dread But it was her sister, Celestia, instead. Celestia landed with beauty and grace While the rising sun cast shadows that covered her face. Behind those shadows, though, was love on her face For she knew Luna could finally feel safe. They embraced in a hold, tender and warm For there now was calmness where there once was a storm. Luna knew now that she truly was loved A moment she had before merely dreamed of. She had friends now, the evil was gone And Luna could now live with friendships' bond. A new bright life now lay ahead Luna was ready to meet her new friends. Love was the answer, friendship forgave her past And Luna found peace with herself, at long, long last.