Star Shepherd

by Plaguemouse

Moonrise

The frigid wind felt like feathered ice on her coat as the wind rushed over her, exalting her, worshiping her as she willed herself higher and higher. She was a princess of air and it her faithful servant just as it was to any pegasus. But unlike a Pegasus, masters of the skies each, she was more- so very much more.

"And she deserved more. "

No. Dismissing that thought forcefully, she flew higher through the cloud cover, away from the mountain city into a world of cotton earth and azure fields of sky. Through this strange alien landscape she glided, ever so gently and powerfully as her sister's sun danced on her coat and relaxing her straining muscles as she left miles and thoughts far behind her. With the passing of hours her vision softened like the cottony cloud below her, and the All Powerful Princess of Night felt anew the night's tariff calling her out. In a haze of half sleep she felt the soft kiss of a thought, like a memory of a dream put to song in the voice of a goddess; she heard her sister's sweet voice sing out a long forgotten tune.

Darling sister sleep away,
Your moon as set for one more day.
Let big sister raise the sun,
Darling Luna, precious one.

Unwilled tears welled up in the eyes of the goddess and fell to the earth, forgotten drops of rain falling on ground unworthy of celestial sorrow. Gradually those eyes closed and no more tears fell, and when those eyes closed ceased too the strain of muscles and the beating of feathered wings, and sleep stole away it's long overdo child. Luna plummeted, not unlike a dark angel falling from heaven's bosom. She did not fall far however, for the blanket of clouds caught her so softly, she did not even awake. The cloud, a careful host, hoisted it's burden away, away, silent and steady as clouds do.

***************

The Goddess awoke gently, as goddesses should. The bed of clouds had cradled her into a marvelous sleep undisturbed by pony or beast, god or devil alike. All is well after sleep, thought the Princess Luna as she looked up into her bejeweled sky. Her heart skipped a beat.

"My sky....." she said, looking up at the radiant sheet of black over her head. A million million pinpricks of light from her stars lit up the endless fathoms of the darkness, surrounding her glorious full orbed moon. Celestia had risen her moon without her. Celstia had raised HER moon, and HER brilliant stars, and begun HER glorious night without HER.

Cold, panicked anger flushed though Luna's blood. Jealousy and rage and anger assaulted the immortal princess of night before crashing into a wave of despair that nearly choked her. Outspread her wings and she fled her high perch, down, down down, into the forest that was below her so she could hide from the stolen sky, and seek comfort in the shadows. As she alighted down upon the soft forest floor she collapsed in every way possible. Sobs shook her body and she willed herself to be consumed by the earth, consumed by the dark, and the dark listened.

She could not see it, but she could feel it. The presence of a lack of presence, an oppressing unoppressiveness tickling her subconscious with it's unobtrusive tendrils. Then she heard it, or rather felt it. It was more the suggestion of sound rather than actual noise, but it's seductive tones rang clear in her heart, clearer and yet more ambiguous than any sound or feeling, it was a song whose notes and lyrics were as insubstantial as breath but hit Luna as hard as the most solid stone:

Darling Goddess wake right away,
Your moon was stolen this dark day.
So let Royal Sister miss her sun,
Darling Luna, make her run.

Luna's heart pounded a tattoo against her chest. "What are you." she whispered, tears still lining her eyes. When it did not answer, she stood. "ANSWER US. WE COMMAND THEE."

Whispering nothingness pressed around her in the dark. And she felt it. She felt the existing and the non existing and the living and dying and the secrets. She felt the eternity of pre-birth, and she felt the permanence of death that came after. She felt the everything and the nothing, she felt it deep inside her and all around her, and she felt it bow to her as her servant. She felt it, and she felt like the dying filly. She was afraid, afraid of this thing and the unknown that it represented, even as she knew she rules it and indeed existed as it and within it. She felt the dark, and the dark felt her back.

Her breathing had become hard and fast, and suddenly her beautiful night became oppressive. "WHAT....WHAT DOES though WA-want w-with...us?" she called. She waited for the wretched not-answer of sudden realization and secret insinuation. She waited for her doom to come to her in a diddy. This did not come.

"WHO'S OUT THERE." came a voice, a real, true voice from the curtain of trees. "I'M WARNING YOU. I GOT'S A RAKE!"

Author's Note:

Forgive me for taking so long. :s My mom and I just moved to be closer to her work, and the new house it in way need of work, so it's been a really exhausting couple of weeks.

As always, thank for you reading, commenting and faving, and I hope everyone likes this chapter. :D I can't believe I have over 100 views on this thing!

Comments

[FOXTrot2]

It's slightly amusing to see this interaction.

One more facet of Luna's glorious night, and her element of darkness. A faithful servant no more malevolent nor benevolent than the purest lake rock.
Darkness, one must wonder, contains more than gentleness and calm. It can be a vessel for cold frigid enough to freeze the soul over.