42: Sing for the laughter and sing for the tears.
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tears
Chapter published 12th Jan 2014.
*******************
January 1219 AC
In the crisp cold air of an Equestrian winter, Lero was glad of the localised warming spell which enveloped the rooftop of his herd’s Canterlot apartment. Even so, he was still wrapped up warm against the remaining chill in a thick long-sleeved shirt, a pair of dark jeans and stout boots.
From across the snow covered roofs he could hear a bell ring out as the witching hour finally arrived. The prescribed hour had been reached, she would be here soon. She was nothing if not punctual.
Shifting in his chair - a hand-built oak affair that he had carried up from the apartment's kitchen - he idly flipped through the sheets of paper in his hands. Satisfied that all were in order, and in order, he placed them back into their manilla folder and carefully placed it at his feet.
After checking for the umpteenth time that he had remembered to bring everything - the old and much loved guitar on its stand, the two glass tankards of mulled cider in their protective stasis bubbles - he glanced upwards just in time to catch sight of his guest’s arrival.
Wings flared to arrest her descent, the princess of the night’s hooves touched down mere body-lengths from where her friend sat waiting.
“Luna,” Lero smiled in greeting as the ebony alicorn folded her immense wings, stowing the elegant plumage away against her sides “I’m glad you could make it“.
As the human made to rise from his seat, one of the princess’s wings unfurled, waving him back into his seat with a wingtip.
“How could I not?” Luna replied, “unlike her sister, it is not every day that the princess of the night receives a hoof, well, hand-made invitation to a private concert. How could we ever refuse such a request?”
Curling a wingtip behind her peytral, Luna pulled forth a piece of stiff paper. Holding it out towards the human he could easily see the handmade nature of the off-white cardstock, the curl and flourish of the ornate quillwork, the subtle watermark running through its surface. He didn't need to see it to know what it said, he had created it, after all.
Turning the invitation back to herself - a pair of horn rimmed reading glasses magically appearing on her snout - Luna read the details aloud:
Master Bellerophon Michaelides
Requests the honor of your presence at a private concert to be held for the sole benefit of
H.R.H Princess Luna ‘Moonshine’ Selene Nocturne Equestria.
Music, merriment and light refreshments will be provided.
“As requested,” Luna tucked the card back away behind her peytral, her eyeglasses returned to the æther from which she had summoned them, “We have arrived, at midnight of the first full moon of this new year.”
A sly smile pulled at the edges of the alicorn’s mouth
“And after you used most of my full name too.” By now Lero was one of the few to be privy to the princess’s entire name and title, ”Though you need not be so formal, my friend.”
“Well, I couldn’t fit the whole thing on there,” the human smiled back as he gestured to the large velvet cushion laid out in front of him, “I had tried putting your titles on there as well but they just wouldn’t fit.”
“Indeed,” Luna agreed as she made herself comfortable, “they do go on a bit, do they not?”
Not long after Herd Bellerophon had moved into their residence in the city, they had asked Lady Rarity to create a very large, very plush cushion of the deepest of midnight blues for whenever the princess of the night would come calling. Of all the places she had visited - and all of the seats, chairs, thrones and cushions she had been offered - this was her favourite.
“To what do I owe this intriguing invitation?” Luna asked as Lero handed her a tankard wrapped in protective magic. As she lifted the drink to her lips, the bubble popped, releasing the sweet smell of warm apples mixed with other heady fragrances such as cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins... and maybe just the tiniest hint of peppercorn.
“I was thinking about what you’d said,” Lero ran a thumb around the rim of his own tankard in order to release its stasis bubble, “a few months ago when you asked me to come to the castle. About how no one had sung to you for many years.”
Over the top of her drink, Luna arched one regal eyebrow.
“The more I thought about it, the more I realised that I just couldn’t let this be,” Lero said softly, his hands wrapped around his mug, his thumbs running over its smooth surface. “So, I’d like to sing to you now... or with you, if you’ll join me?”
Hidden behind her glass, Luna felt giddy, No one had offered her a song for so long now, certainly no mortal, and not even the music of harmony itself, had graced her with such a consideration for what felt like an eternity.
“I thought of a few you might like to hear.” Leaning forward, Lero let his mug rest on the rooftop so he could pick up the simple brown folder from by his feet. “I... I’ve written out some lyrics to some of them, if you want to, ya’know, if you wanted to sing along with me.”
Flipping open the folder he showed the princess the many pages held within. There certainly were a few to choose from.
“I kept trying to think of what you might like, ended up with quite a few in the end.” From the back of the pile he pulled a single sheet. “But in the end I always ended up coming back to this one. It’s a real oldie that my grandmother used to like.”
As the page lay on the human’s lap, Luna couldn’t read the words due to the angle, but she could easily see that compared to the other sheets of paper, this one had obviously been handled the most.
“Would this be your dam’s mother? The one who taught you the song about the chariots of fire?” the princess asked, “what was her name again... Granny Gally?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.” Lero laughed, it was a sound Luna liked to hear. “Nausi gave her the name when she was tiny, way before I was even born, it just kinda stuck I guess. I didn’t even realise it wasn't really her name ‘till I was old enough to go to school.”
Luna just nodded, not wanting to push the human any further. While he would happily talk to the princess for hours on end, he could at times be uncharacteristically reticent when it came to matters of his human kin.
After sitting in silence for a few moments, the human lost in his thoughts, Luna decided to steer the conversation in another direction.
“I was somewhat moved by what I heard of that song,” she said softly, “I was touched by its strong imagery; the bow of gold, the arrows of desire. They invoked very powerful emotions and memories of times long past.”
“Yes, I know.” Lero’s eyes refocused, as if woken from a daydream. “It was her favourite. Maybe it’s why I kept coming back to this other one. She really liked this one too.”
Closing the folder, Lero tucked it between his leg and the arm of the chair before lifting his guitar onto his lap. After flexing his fingers he began to pick a few notes.
“We may not have always agreed on everything,” the human gave a soft snort, “or on almost anything actually, but she had a faith I kinda envied. It wasn’t for me, wasn’t the way I saw the world, but it worked for her. It got her through the day, gave her strength to carry on through everything that life threw at her, and I guess that’s what really mattered.
“Ironic isn’t it,” Lero looked up from the strings, flashing Luna a grin, “here I am talking about old arguments about religious belief with a magical princess who may well be the daughter of creation herself.” The grin curled up one side of his face as it became wider. “Even if she and her sister are keeping the great earth-shattering revelations about the nature of reality and whether there really is an afterlife to themselves.”
Luna just smiled... one of her more gentle smiles. She knew the human was just teasing her. He, more than any other of their subjects, knew exactly why the princesses were sworn to secrecy, about what could happen to a race that suddenly had answers to questions they were not ready for laid out before them.
She had actually offered once to tell him at some point in the future - when he was ready to know the truth - about how the universe really worked, of the underpinnings that kept this reality from collapsing in on itself. He had turned her down, stating that he’d rather avoid ‘spoilers’ where he could, and of this she was glad.
Returning his fingers to the strings, Lero plucked free a few more notes which floated away across the rooftop and off into the city beyond.
“I remember her singing this to me, back when I was a child.”
By now the tune had cycled around, Luna picking out the highs and lows, the refrains being repeated, she could tell where one line would end and the next would begin.
“I never really thought about the words until I heard it again, in a videogame of all places, when I was a teenager... about the same time she was told she had... well. She wasn’t with us for much longer.
“We sang it together, as a family, not long after. Whether I agreed with her or not, it made me feel better, like she wasn’t so far away. It made me realise that, in those times together as we say our farewells, we’re not just singing for those who have left us, but also for those who are left behind. We sang it for her then, and for each other as well, and now I’d like to sing it with you, if I may. It helped me, I hope it’ll help you too.”
Luna reached out with a forehoof, any last fragments of decorum or protocol that may have lingered between them had long gone as she gently rested a royal horseshoe on the human’s right knee.
“I’d like that.”
Closing his eyes, Lero began to sing.
There are loved ones in the glory
Whose dear forms you often miss.
When you close your earthly story,
Will you join them in their bliss?
Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?
As Lero sang to her, Luna remembered the sheet of paper still tucked between the human’s leg and the chair. Never mind, it did not matter. She was enjoying the performance and would not dream of interrupting it for the world. The song was important to her friend and, as she listened to the lyrics, the words rolling around her ears as the human’s baritone voice eased its way into her head, she found that it was also working its way into her heart.
You can picture happy gath'rings
Round the fireside long ago,
And you think of tearful partings
When they left you here below.
Touching a wingtip to an eye, Luna was surprised to find moisture forming around its edge, a single trail of tears making its way down one cheek. Quickly she wiped it away.
Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?
As Lero repeated what she’d thought was the second verse, Luna correctly surmised that it was instead the chorus. Having committed every word so far to memory she resolved to join her friend when the chorus came around again. She would not need the lyric sheet, she’d had plenty of practice at remembering over the last few years... at times she’d had nothing but memories to cling to.
One by one their seats were emptied.
One by one they went away.
Now the family is parted.
Will it be complete one day?
As Lero began to repeat the chorus for the third time, Luna closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and sang along. If the human was surprised then he gave no indication. Together they sang - a baritone human and an alicorn that could best be described as a flawless soprano - their voices entwined as the words made their winding way out into the night. On the streets below them and in apartments all around, ponies stopped what they were doing, turning their ears towards the sky.
Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Deep within Luna’s mind it was if a choir had joined them; no instruments, no great orchestras or soaring melodies, just a great swell of voices... dozens, hundreds, thousands even, each one of a mortal that she had once known, a life that had been lived in years long past, each used to its fullest until a natural end had claimed them.
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?
Her lips continued to move, the chorus drawing to an end, when Luna felt a gentle pushing at the edge of her mind, like a whisper within her soul. It smelt like mint tea and spring breezes... it felt like...
...like mother.
Lero’s fingers continued to play what would have been the last few notes, the human ready to lift his fingers from the strings to let the few final chords fade away, when Luna let her heart take charge, words still falling from between her lips. As the song came forth, still flowing freely from the alicorn’s mouth, Lero kept on playing.
And we’ll remain here, ever waiting
Holding vigil ‘til that day
Ever laughing, ever learning
Until we join them on their way
Two forms, two beings, so different from each other, so different from those around them. But it didn’t matter, it just didn’t matter at all... that they came from different worlds, different times... not now. As the chorus came around again, the human joined her, their two distinct voices flowing as one.
As they sat together, sang together, their voices blending, harmonizing, for just this moment Luna felt both the music of harmony and the music of humanity flowing through her
Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?
But there was more, one last push, the song not yet finished. With eyes still closed and heart racing, Luna carried on alone, her voice swimming, soaring across the night sky. Around her head her ethereal mane billowed, vast brightly coloured nebula glowed like clouds of light while the beams of great fields of stars twinkled and flashed from deep within.
So we greet each new day with rapture
Knowing not what fate will send
And we’ll spend these days ever after
Filled with love, amongst our friends
While the music of harmony faded from Luna’s mind, the choir of voices slowly drifting away until none were left, together as one the human and the alicorn carried the last chorus to conclusion. .
Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?
For the first time ever, Luna had heard the music of humanity and, with an undeniable conviction that pained her heart, she knew that she would never hear it again.
As strong yet gentle fingers lifted from the strings, the last few notes cast away on the night’s equally gentle breeze, Luna leant forward, wrapping Lero in her wings, her chin resting upon his shoulder as she pulled him close. Lero could feel moisture on his neck as the alicorn buried her face in his hair.
“Thank you, my friend,” the princess whispered, “thank you.”
***************
From the stairs at the edge of the roof, six moist eyes watched from under three vibrantly coloured manes.
The owner of one of the manes started to move, as if to make her way up the stairs, but was held back by the gentle hoof of one of the other two.
Turning back, the first found the third slowly shaking her head from side to side, indicating with her own hoof that the three of them should instead head back inside.
After glancing back to the two forms on the rooftop, the first nodded her agreement.
The three of them then slowly and quietly made their way, one after the other, back inside their nice warm apartment, leaving their stallion and their friend to their privacy.
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Carrot Top knows that feel, bro.
Once Divided Rainbow is over with, I say we find some implausible way to tie all of these fics together and get Luna into the herd. I've viewed her as an unofficial member of it for sometime anyway.
Damn, this was well done
3776637 This is my little pony fimfiction AND xenophillia With some of the amazing authors that come up with these stories. There is no reason why it cant be done. Some genius out there will come up with a brilliant and believable way to tie them together.
3776637
Probably not possible. Some of them don't mesh well together. Unless you take certain chunks out.
3776842
Chunks like Luna blasting off a chunk of Rainbow when she gets uppity?
3776637
They've certainly helped her and been the friends she needed (along with the rest of the Mane Six). So if you consider Pinkie Apple Pie, well, she doesn't need to be in the herd to be in the family...
3776958
I guess I can live with that. She just hangs around and acts as a roommate. But how long could a relationship like that last before it progresses? Rainbow made it fairly clear in the original Xenophilia that good, non-bitchy mares try to invite their lonely friends into herds.
Luna doesn't need to be invited into the herd, at this point she's family to them.
3776637
Divided Rainbow? Never heard of that fic before. Link pretty please?
3777231
What, really? I didn't think it was that low-key.
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/98472/divided-rainbow
media.tumblr.com/2f1dc498150990e7a5668814428a7c56/tumblr_inline_mo8yx1hRHP1qz4rgp.gif
3777270
I don't think it was low key so much as I simply didn't see it.
Thanks for the link!
i.imgur.com/kqGHyHk.jpg
There is a lot of singing in these latest updates. Not that I don't like them I just found the number of them popping up like that is kind of surprising.
That song, is fucking awesome and I'm still listening to it on repeat after finishing reading.
reaction.winboo.ru/_images/aaaeea41f87fdb369b81b543cc0da87f/19%2520-%2520animated_gif%2520anime%2520crying.gif
3776637 Yeah I've pretty much thought of Luna as being unofficially with the herd myself, I even suggested a few chapters back saying I wouldn't mind if at this point there was a spin off or AU story going over the notion of having Luna in the herd.
Great chapter very enjoyable.
An alternate version of the song from the Bioshock Infinite soundtrack
FWIW, it's amazing how a change in tempo and one word can affect the entire feeling of the song. The BI version reads the line as "Is a better home awaiting in the sky, in the sky?" whereas the traditional lyric reads "There's a better home awaiting in the sky, in the sky." The traditional lyrics become ones of faith, a steadfast belief that there are better times to come and that whatever earthly trials we face now, we can and shall overcome them in the end. The BI version instead resonates with those at the valley of their lives, filled with doubt that such a promise can hold true. It's a song performed by those once bitten and twice shy, people who have seen just how far man can fall. But the beautiful thing is, even in such a dark and low place, there is still faith. It may be a guttered flame and not a roaring inferno, but it is still there. Even in this low point, she asks. She cannot say that there's a better home, her faith is too shaken for that. But she can still ask if it exists. She has not given up and lost her faith entirely, for if she had, she would say there is no better home awaiting, she would not ask, would not yearn to hear confirmation that all is not as dark as it seems.
And now, the many beers of tonight have set in, and I must bid you all adieu.
3776637 I don't know how I would feel about that to be honest
3 is already a crowd
And 2 princesses for one guy? sheesh.
If not a member of the herd, try just making it feel more family like then. It really feels, in a lot of these stories, and I haven't read them all yet, that most of the real intense interaction is between Luna and Lero, not that that is bad, I mean, he's the main man in this thing and it's a beautiful thing. But maybe more interaction and feels need to be written between the other members of Team Lero. Sorta, I don't know, close the circle you know? I'm sure someone could find us a enormous treasure trove of feels about an ancient, lost soul finding solace in a friend family. A family of friends. You know what I mean I hope. Especially one as awesome as this one. I think we'd all hop aboard that ship if it was sailing.
If of course not-wife-four is what you were thinking.
3792718 From what I understand, a ratio of four mares to one stallion is seen as normal in Equestrian society, at least here in the Xenophilia 'verse.
I would be more concerned about the political implications of a Princess joining a herd, but then one already has.