//------------------------------//
// Loneliness, Love and Loss 
// Story: The Ballad of the Two Sisters 
// by SuperGiantRobot 
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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 was a cruel fact for her to 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,

Her heart and soul fought back in vain
But their 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, Sister 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.

Celestia begged at the end:
"Please stop, sister! Please stop, my 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 Nightmare'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 that loathsome voice should win
It can tear friendships and families apart.