Diary of the Night

by CalebH

War of Shadows - Chapter 105

I had hoped to forget my fall. The pain and death I brought to the ponies I had sworn to protect, the agony and betrayal I brought to those loyal to me. But now in this cruel dream I must relive the full depravity of my darkness and the deepest depth to my sin.

By the hundreds I ordered soldiers to go and die upon the walls of Everfree castle. Finally, they had succeeded though less than half remained. As reward for those who took the gate I left them to die in the counterattack while I faced my sister. The moon rose high in the morning sky and eclipsed the sun even as the armies of the night breathed their last.

We fought. With a fury that made the previous battle seem foals play. The forced twilight lit up with the power of the magic we cast at one another. A blow finally landed and she fell into the ruined castle below. With tears in her eyes she rose again with the elements of harmony and struck.

I fought it. With every desperate strength I tried to shield myself from the blow yet even the powers of the night cannot hope to stand against the primal energies of creation. The moon was marked with my presence and the world shattered.
Dreams alone can shift context so readily. Where Celestia once stood, a mare bloodied but victorious she was now a filly wandering nervously through a garden.

“Luna, where art thou?” she called out, “Please come back, father will be displeased if we go to dine without thee.”

The nightmare had run its course, every night Celestia had been faced with her decision to banish me but this, this was her own doing. Is she really so afraid without me? In her heart does she still see herself as this frightened filly without me by her side?

“Luna, please,” Celestia calls to the silent garden, “we are sorry we quarreled with thee!” She stumbles to her knees and her voice breaks, “Luna!” she chokes on my name as sobs. “I’m sorry Luna, don’t leave me here alone.”

Even as she lays there Celestia’s will shapes me within her dream. I lay a comforting hoof on her shoulders and wrap my now-tiny arms around her as far as they will go. “Oh Tia.”

I see the brightness of dawn on her face as she turns to me.

“Do not fear, Tia, the nightmares are over,” I say.

“Oh Luna,” She says as she wraps my tiny body in her hoofs, “I’ve been alone in this garden for so long. I tried to be brave, to be strong like you were but I’m just alone.”

The burdens of rule, no matter how long or expertly born, do not grow any lighter with time; only when somepony is there to bear them with you.

It is difficult to shape Celestia’s dreams but I manage. From the foliage ponies begin to emerge. Princess Cadenza, Twilight, Shining Armor, and a dozen others that I have seen care for Equestria and her ponies.

“I am back Celestia. I am your strong right hoof that taught your enemies fear,” I declare.

“And you will never be alone again,” The ponies all say with me.

“Now awaken Princess of the Day, the time has come to bring dawn to your subjects and do not fear. I will guard the night,” With my final declaration Celestia wakes and the world fades around me.

As my power leaves her I absorb the last vestiges of the nightmare spell back into myself. It bears with it an impression of myself from a thousand years ago. The furious and howling madness is subdued but beneath there is a vision.

A city I now know to be Canterlot surrounded by an angry cloud of buzzing insects.

-L

Author's Note:

Forboooding.
With a name like war of shadows I'm sure y'all can guess what the central plot to part 2 will be but I'm actually trying to make it more of a setting or a background arc and keep it pretty slice of life. I also plan to break from the diary a bit more. I already have several interludes(I'm still not 100% sure that they should be called that but no one's complaining and I don't know what else to call them) written for war of Shadows but I also have something else in mind that I'm going to try in the next few chapters.

Anyways hope you like it and happy reading!

Comments

[Gyro Pony]

You finished off the previous part well.

[BenRG]

So, we're now on the run-up to the Changeling Invasion. It should be interesting to see just where Luna was that terrible day.

[Gammer14]

It always makes me sad seeing Celestia's reaction to her banishing her sister. And this brought a tear to my eye. The garden scene was so sad.

[StayAwhileAndListen]

Just finished this chapter and I mean, it's good.

I swear I'm not tearing up. Nope. Not at all. Nuh-uh.

[PaulAsaran]

...interesting.