"Prim Rose was not an extraordinary pony," Luna said, voice strong to carry over the crowd dressed in black, from her position on a dias with an ornate coffin behind her.
She took a slow breath, staying calm, maintaining the image of a princess, even in grief.
"She took great pains to remind us, when the subject of skill or talent would arise, that she could do no more than any other pony. Her skill with her magic was trained, and simple. Her courtly manners could slip, and she had no knowledge of heraldry besides what she was taught here. She said once that she obtained her position by being in the right place when a kind face was needed."
Luna smiled and shook her head.
"But we would say that she was more. She did not give up, she did not take excuses to do the wrong thing, and she never grew tired of proving her Princess wrong. Whether in matters of politics, or those of society, she was willing to state her beliefs, and fight for them for as long as she believed that it was right.
"Many of our staff were trained by or at least overseen by Prim. She could be a stern mistress, and would not allow for mistakes in our protection. But we have heard my times that those who work with us considered her family. An aunt, a sister, even a mother," She gestured to the children of the night, who were all gathered with their own families, silver stars shining from every cloak and hat.
She could see Nova, one of the eldest, trying to hide her tears from her grandchildren.
"We considered Prim Rose to be the sun to my moon, in our sister's absence," Luna continued, voice rough, trying not to let her scowl show at her own poetic avoidance of the truth. "With Prim Rose passes the anchor that helped us weather the Daybreaker. To withstand the war, and politics which sought to prove that we were somehow unfit. But in her absence she has not left us alone. She has left us with family. With loyal and honest ponies who shall serve us well. Prim would tell us all that there is work to be done, so let that work be done, and her memory be cherished."
Luna turned, and as she raised the sun she lowered Prim into her grave, watching the sunrise light play across the glossy varnish on the wood. She then bowed low and could hear every pony present bowing as well.
Thus, the passing marked, the crowd quickly cleared but for a few who knew to stay.
Nova, without her family. A few thestrals. Silver Decanter. It was a small gathering.
Though Princess Spring tried to approach, some of Luna's guards took her aside, finding contrived reasons to keep her attention away from the true service, which was only for the ears of those who knew the truth of Prim and Luna.
"She was extraordinary," Nova insisted, gathering nods of eager agreement from the others.
"Is a mare extraordinary simply for whom she wouldst love?" Luna asked, head low.
"Yes, if the love changes lives, grows the one it seeks, loving may be an act of rebellion, if one holds true," one of the thestrals said with all the passion of a young lover.
"So she was remarkable," Luna agreed, shaking her head slightly. "Tis no great lie, many more have been spoken by Princesses, a eulogy may as well be the same."
"We do not object because it was a lie, we object because thou ought to be allowed to see her for who she was. A wonderful mare who had a great love for thee," Silver said, his voice soft and full of worry.
Luna let out a strangled sob, quiet and through a grimacing expression, trying to hold it back as tears began to form. Her friends and family stepped closer, pressing in to protect her.
"We should go," Luna mumbled, trying to turn away but feeling Nova next to her, that comforting warmth and closeness of her daughter.
"No, we should not," Silver said sharply, standing proud. "This is thy land, Princess. Thy time. We shall make it that thou shalt have it for as long as needed."
The arguing in the distance was masked by Luna's sobbing as she stepped forward and laid down, her nose nearly to the edge of the grave, but her eyes closed.
"I cannot live without her!" She whimpered as Nova's hoof traveled from the back of her head, down her neck, and back up to try and offer a small bit of comfort. "I shall surely die, for there is nothing to live for now!"
"Prim would never wish for thee to pass," Nova insisted gently. "Thy ponies need thee, and thou shalt love again."
Luna shoved Nova aside, fury burning through her heart.
"I care not for another. Six hundred years without love, to wait for another is an insult! An insult to what I've lost. Didst thou know?! Of dear Spring's demand?! I must forget her! My love for her must become a secret!"
"Just as ours," one of the guards said, stepping up and dragging a more timid thestrals with her. "Yes. A secret, your Majesty. A secret but not dead, for we love! Our love shall never die, even if we do. Thou shalt have a vast life ahead, and in that life, Prim shall live longer than any of us. Should Princess Spring be punished for her cruelty and insolence? I would carry out the order myself, but I shall not stand aside and let thee call it all for naught, just for lack of recognition."
Luna turned away from the guard, struggling to fight her emotions away, and trying to ignore her own muffled sobs. But her anger had no outlet, and she felt as though it might rip her apart.
"I could burn the whole world to ash," Luna mumbled, vision blurry from tears as she watched the ponies tense. "I could become like my sister, destroy everything and start anew, in the way I wish."
"Thou art too kind," Silver said, though he sounded a bit scared. "Too kind to kill the innocent."
"Maybe so, but who is truly innocent?" Luna asked bitterly.
The group stood there, reeling from the loaded question, until the guards stepped closer and embraced Luna. Despite all of Luna's fury, she fell apart in more tears, and she laid there for hours with the only ponies who she considered family, trying to hold onto Prim's smile in that final kiss.