For more than a millennium, it was believed that the princesses were immortal. But as time marched ever forward, it become clear that even the alicorns won't live forever.
Princess Celestia is at the end of her life.
While Equestria must find a way to cope with this new reality, those that are truly suffering are those closest to her. None are struggling as much as her sister, Princess Luna. Not only is she forced to handle the duties of ruling Equestria and taking care of the transition, she must also cope with the imminent death of her beloved sister.
Warning: comments may contain spoilers.
Chapters (1)
Reminded me somewhat of one of my earlier stories, though mine ended on a happy note. Either way, it was very emotional and well-written. Excellent work!
Holy.. Shit. That was far better than I expected it to be. I didn't see that ending coming for miles..
Can't say I saw that one coming. . .
Why?
Why do I always read tragedies?
They never end well.
And they leave me feeling so... so...
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I'm quite flattered. Thank you.
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Don't get me wrong, I seriously considered the obvious ending, too.
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*hands you a tissue*
4710171 No problem!
And then Celestia fucking destroys everypony because it is THEY who caused this with their stupid hate and fear mongering.
An absolutely amazing story. Did not see that coming, but oh my Celestia that blew me away!
My god i never read SFW story's and now i have this hurts worse then the NSFW ones what magic is this?.
Holy crap that was amazing! Never saw the twist coming at all!
Well done...
No well earned rest for you Celestia, just another thousand years (or however many were able to be transferred) without your sister.
Luna got called out, rightfully so. Once a racist against sun loving ponies, always a racist.
You... Accursed grudgeholders... Damn you all.
Fuck you Shinning Armor!
Everyone is accepted and loved in Equestria, except ponies trying to be as great as Celestia,
sorry Luna you'll always be complete shit to the nobles and commoners of Equestria.
You just don't "fit in". I really wish they would've just killed Luna in the show or kept her a
"bad guy", after all she has been through she will never get the level of her sister or Twilight Sparkle.
That tacked on to her history and being gone for 1000 years is really sad, her predicament is
a fate worse than death.
Oh, oh ouch. I knew it was going to be sad, but that was not how I expected it to go.
So emotional.
But it was so good. Good work. I like it. 
I ABSOLUTELY LUV DIS STORY! REALLY GREAT JOB!!!
In the interests of being fair to all parties, I must point out that if Luna had won 1000 years ago, everypony would be dead. Starvation, freezing, whatever.
"I tried to kill the world out of petty jealousy but I'm better now." is a bit of a stretch.
Wow. That was just fantastic. But at the same time, I can't help but feel it's perfectly set up for a sequel. HNG-
MUST...NOT...PESTER...ON TOPIC! MUST...BE...SUBTLE!
...ah, screw that. Can we expect a follow-up to this story? I would think Celestia would be pretty miffed after something like THIS happened.
One of the most touching, heart-wrenching fics I've ever read. You've more than earned my fave.
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Indeed, this all but screams for a sequel of sorts - I have a feeling Celestia would have a few things to ... convey ... to a select number of individuals who all but drove her sister to suicide with their unbound arrogance of feeling like they have any right to try and pass judgment over something that happened a millennia ago, about which they have learned from fairy tales and rumors.
Celestia was forced to endure a thousand years without her sister, and now, thanks to her precious little ponies and Shining Meathead Armor, she will endure a thousand more ... this time without the sliver of a hope that she might meet Luna again. If this doesn't deserve, no, demand retribution and consequences, nothing does.
Nice job, Shining, you fucking imbecile
This definitely brought up the ol' lump-in-the-throat feeling. Wonderfully written
Second time reading this. You've got some serious talent my friend. Hit me up on Skype if you're interested in chatting sometime. StealthDash22 is the name to search for. (Applies to anyone who wants to talk, I'm always available!
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Don't… Cry…
4712682 Oh God… When you think about it that way it's more sad
*takes a gun out and shoots myself*
Ghost me: Killed me you have
Funny fact, I was always convinced that alicorns, if they really aren't immortal, at least retain their physical young form as long as they like, they practically decide themselves if they want to grow, change form, or look older. So in other words Celestia can look like she is in her mid 30s, bow chicka wow wow
, when she is kicking the bucket, and the process of dying itself is practically nothing but a very grave need to go to sleep and never wakeup.
After going to sleep their heart activity subsides, stops, and they begin to 'vanish' from their spot, similar to Yoda, while becoming one with the ambient magic of the world.
I would love to see the dignitaries reaction when Celestia unleashes hell on them for that
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And on Shining ... and, frankly, on Twilight as well. All of them effectively contributed to what amounts as Luna's suicide. And once she walks out of her chambers and is greeted by cheers and joyful faces and welcoming shouts ... there would not be a sight in the world that would make her feel more wretched than that.
Because in the end, it's not like anyone cares that Luna is gone, do they? They met her with hostility and rejection and left her as such ... all they care about is having their pretty perfect Princess back, never mind the fact that she just lost her sister, again, and this time for good. Would they even stop and consider how she feels about this joyful occasion? Does it matter to them beyond their own satisfaction and peace of mind that comes with Celestia being back?
Somehow, I doubt any of their thoughts would have extended further than "Yay, Celestia's fine, we won't have to change our ways now". There couldn't be disrespect and insult higher than that in the world to Celestia, I'd imagine.
Oh....damn....I-I did not see that ending coming. Amazing work, so emotional and heart wrenching.
I don't think Celestia would be one for vengeance, here. She would be upset, sure, but vengeance? Hardly. She would be unhappy with people, but she would get over it; she is the bigger mare.
Literally.
Though on the upside, at least Twilight and Cadance don't lose her.
Overall, a reasonable story; I've seen other, similar stories, but this was a solid effort in the "Not so immortal after all" category. I think the biggest flaw here is that there isn't quite enough time given to Luna's pathos - she is upset, sure, but we don't really get into her enough to really make this story as effective as it should be.
4713056 Wow that's actually really cool.
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I personally think that for a Sequel or follow up chapter that Celestia has Twilight and Cadence QUICKLY gather anypony they think is worth saving and take them to the Crystal Empire and activate the Crystal Hearts barrier so the few that deserve to survive will when she rains down solar hellfire upon the world for what they did to Luna.
Shining Dickweed would not be allowed to go.
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Considering she would have caused untold genocide over the entire planet, many people would have the right to fear and pass judgement the thought of such a being coming into power again.
One moment of Jealousy, one moment of anguish, and she would have extinguished all life on the planet if she was not stopped. All because of something so very petty.
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The problem with this is - Luna's capacity for causing a global genocide is not in any way, shape or form tied to her being a respected ruler of Equestria. Indeed, she would be much more dangerous if she crawled in to some unknown hole in the middle of nowhere in an angry huff, gave the world the proverbial finger, yanked up the moon and pulled the entrance in behind her. If she is in a visible position in a known location, you can actually maybe try and do something to stop her.
With that being the case, all these idiots were actually putting the world in danger by openly shunning Luna - that's kinda the stuff that caused her to go Nightmare in the first place. It doesn't matter in the slightest, if eternal night is what they fear, whether they recognize Luna as their leader or not - she hardly needs their approval to plunge the world in to an ice age.
If a genocide by eternal night - which is by far the worst thing Luna can do - is what you fear, the not-stupid thing to do would be not antagonizing the being who can actually bring it about, and instead treating her with a modicum of respect and recognition, so that she doesn't get those ancient urges to destroy everything again.
It wasn't Luna who was the actual danger for the world here - it was the fools yanking the proverbial dragon's tail. Frankly they should all be stripped of their positions (Shining being the first) because they just displayed casual disregard for the potential safety of the whole world and clearly aren't fit to have any amount of authority in their hooves, before they try and start insulting something else that can bring about the end of the world.
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So it all comes down to "Respect her or else".
Because if that's all the respect that can be really mustered is keep her happy or else the world ends... One temper tantrum does not deserve the respect that one would get from that sort of action, that is the sort of respect that's given to a tyrant who would kill a person who disobeyed them, respect the man who will have you and your family killed because should he feel a bit upset at your words...
She did not need to be leader if that's what it could have taken.
I love a good death scene, and the fact that you could do this with a twist and in a short just proves how great of an author you are. Excellent!
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In a cruse sort of way, it is. The monarch of your nation (so, actually going against her is sort of treason) who also happens to be keeping the heavens in check now that Celestia is down for the count? Yeah, that's probably a good idea.
And again, they have no right to pass judgment over what happened a millenia ago (which she already did penance for). I can't even fathom the amount of arrogance that goes in to their thoughts that leads them to concluding that they can. They weren't there, they don't know what actually happened and how things came to such a point, it didn't affect them (nor did it affect anyone really, safe for Celestia who had a two-minute brawl over it with Luna) - in essence, they don't know what they are talking about.
What would have been the smart thing to do - judge Luna by her current merits, not something your grandma read to you from a children's story book. Has she done poorly for the past few years she has been back? Has she done poorly during these few weeks she has been the sole ruler and inflicted suffering upon the nation as a result? No? Then she is doing just fine as a ruler and is fit for the position, if everything is running as it should be.
Instead they disrespect both Luna and Celestia's wishes by their poorly thought-out actions and proceed with actions that, as far as they know, were the sort of stuff that caused problems to begin with. Arrogant, thoughtless and irresponsible. The tongue lashing they receive for this ordeal from Celestia should cause the whole mountain to shake, right before she throws them all out the door and strips them of all their positions and titles, because they have proven to be unfit for the responsibilities and considerations their positions demand of them.
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Well if she had won, it pretty much would have affected them and everyone else by there being no one living on the planet and all.
And as for the Celestial bodies, it is known that Unicorns could still do the Sun and the Moon, so while it would take sometime to gather up a force it could still have a manner of still moving the Celestial bodies.
And as for current date, honestly it seems like Celestia failed to help her sister. It really seems like Luna needed therapy as the fact that she still was quickly emotional to the point where she killed herself for Celestia means that she badly needed some sort of therapy to control her emotions when it comes to other people's judgement. Heck Celestia failed to help her learn the basic fact that the Royal We was out of use and it was nearly a year later she had to learn it from her sisters student.
If the Monarchy worked in a manner as you mentioned (Which it doesn't seem to considering there is a council, which would seem to be more parliamentary). She could have easily just dismissed their comments and ruled regardless, if she was truly worthy she would have risen up above the comments and simply did her duty. Instead a few words got to her and so in a quick emotional state it was ended. She still sought people's 100% love and attention and as a result she broke, which considering the fact of what she did before it might have ended in tragedy should some tabloid report badly on her later on.
Celestia failed to help her sister adjust to her issues, she herself is part of the blame to begin with!
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121226025151/bronies/images/9/91/Dark_Princess_Celestia.png
The End of Prosperity
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I freakin HATE to bucking Tartarus that stupid "Unicorns can do Celestia and Luna's Jobs of Moving the Sun and Moon". First of all, since it has been done by Royalty for Millennia, the nobles would never let any commoners even think about trying to touch either the sun or moon with their magic. Second, have you SEEN the Nobility? They would never get their act together on working together for the good of everyone to control them right before the world probably ended from their being either only the sun or moon, or both out at once, of the accidentally crashed the moon into the world because Some Noble decided he should put a bit more effort into it than the others just to make himself seem more important.
Also, another thing. It would probably take Centuries for ponies to even warm up to the idea of Luna ruling before they would give her a break with how they were reacting. Even with the so called Therapy, no one could handle being hated by pretty much everyone for that fucking long without breaking. Tell me, could you stand openly hearing ponies and other creatures, wherever you went openly resenting you, blaming you for the death of you sibling who you loved more than they ever could and possibly even wish you dead instead for it for a countless amount of years? NO ONE COULD FUCKING HANDLE THAT.
4713219 I know right?
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Indeed, had she won back then, things would have been pretty bad - if the whole "eternal night" shtick actually stuck. Since her "rebellion" lasted two minutes though, the actual harm she brought to anyone is pretty much nonexistent. Passing judgment over things that didn't happen over a millenia ago (ones she already spent a 1000 years in jail for) ... is not the height of productivity or good judgment.
I'd actually question whether unicorns of this day and age still retain the knowledge of how to move the celestial bodies - it has been who knows how many millenia since they last had to, and that was before Discord started mucking about the land for who knows how long, throwing things even further off. I wouldn't bet on that knowledge and skill still being available. And this is a worldwide concern, seeing how delegates from other nations were present as well.
And Luna didn't exactly demand 100% love and attention - what she wanted was basic respect from the representatives of the other cities, but they pretty much refused to even work with her. Sure, she probably could have fired them then and there and installed new ones, but that's kinda the point of Luna's character that she is trying not to rule with an iron hoof - and has shown no inclination of doing so - but no one was willing to give her the time of day.
And while on one hand one might say she should have just gone ahead and did her job, It's kinda hard to do your job of ruling and regulating the country when the officials who are supposed to carry out your orders and represent their respective regions refuse to cooperate. The same thing applies to the whole lot of them actually - they weren't doing their jobs in the first place. Sure, fire the lot and appoint loyal ones, but that's explicitly what Luna wanted to avoid - everyone wants a bit of recognition, and she is no different.
She explicitly didn't want to bully them in to submission or cast them all out - that would only feed their irrational paranoia and the overall rumors, and arresting them only more so. Perhaps that's what she should have done regardless to ensure the smooth running of the country and not waste her time on officials who lack appreciation for their own positions ... but she had another solution available, and the rest is history.
Was she in a poor mental state and on low morale? Probably. But if she has undergone a couple of years of such attitude, that's hardly surprising - and the ponies have themselves to blame for it (as Celestia will, probably). Doesn't help her mental state any that her sister is in the next room, slowly drawing her last breaths.
Should Celestia have done more to help Luna adjust? Quite possibly - we have seen in the show that she isn't as perfect as many ponies like to believe. And I'm willing to bet my left sock that when Celestia was around, everyone behaved prim and proper around Luna anyway, so chances are she never even witnessed how bad things were, and Luna being Luna, I don't quite see her going to Celestia to complain either.
All in all? Luna could have easily ruled just fine if it didn't look like her only option was "iron hoof" and installing her own agents in the city representative seats, if the blundering buffoons had simply given her the chance to do so. Perhaps she should have done so regardless, but when the option available makes you miserable and you have another way out ... *shrug*
And, I imagine, this time Celestia will learn exactly what happened, and what drove her sister to take such a step as to exchange their lives. And then the word "disappointed" will earn a whole new meaning in the dictionary, I reckon.
Congrats on hitting the feature box!
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I just want to say I'm pretty glad how cordial this debate has gone on, usually when it comes to this sort of topic it breaks down into Ad hominem and I honestly want to thank you for being such a good debater.
I'll agree on the first part, because yeah that was a really...really short fight, despite her trying to kill Celestia it was a really short rebellion.
I figure they would still have the knowledge, considering how preserved Starswirl the bearded knowledge despite the fact that he seemed to have come from a time during the tribes, and much magic is kept well stocked within the general wings of the castle considering that Twilight is commonly checking through them to learn new abilities to test her magical skills on.
Though as for the next I'm honestly sort of curious how much power Luna and Celestia even had in this story over the representatives, or whether they even could replace them in such a manner, it's hard to gauge within each story how much power they've given the sisters as a whole, if Luna even could have done that to begin with, or if they could even have had her replaced. It's just a more vague subject then I can really deal with. At the same time dealings with Equestria would have had to go through Luna now and if the world knows of what she had done originally it might have also caused tensions amongst the borders.
But who knows, though I do hope for a sequel because I am currently interested in seeing how things play out, though at the same time for Celestia as said she didn't even take the time to teach her sister of even basic things that would have helped her out in dealing with the ponies originally, so I wonder if she really did just think things were 100% okay and never thought to check on her to make sure things were fine. Celestia has that bad habit of assuming everything is fine till it explodes up in her face, and she herself would have been responsible for not making sure her little sister was doing well.
Either way you want to look at it... Celestia will not be the same again... and Equestria will forever change along with her.
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*shrug* I don't make it a habit to degrade things to simple name-calling and finger-pointing. I enjoy a good debate and brainstorming about things, so it's hardly in my interests to take things in such a direction :P Worst comes to worst, I simply walk away.
Hm, I imagine Starswirl was actually from Luna's and Celestia's era - during Nightmare Night, Luna commends Twilight on her costume and how she even got all the bells right - that sounds like a statement coming from experience, so Starswirl must have been around for her to see him in his outfit and thus make this observation of Twilight's replica, making it post-Discord.
As for how much power they hold - I would assume the default of "absolute", as I don't think anything in there really contradicted it. The presence of delegates is fairly natural, as monarchs don't exactly rule on their lonesome - they issue edicts and commands that are passed down to individuals who oversee that these orders are carried to and executed at a more local level.
And, I imagine, Equestria's international imagine would suffer quite badly without a heavens-controlling alicorn on the throne that's as old as the landscape itself. It's a tremendous symbol of strength, experience (and Luna did note she has lots of experience ruling a country) and solidity that lend a considerable image of everlasting, above-mere-mortals air to the kingdom. Without one, the image shatters and Equestria might fin itself in international politics of a sort that it has never really faced before.
To anyone looking, Equestria suddenly finding itself without a millenia-old alicorn on the throne would appear like a ship that has just lost its captain and symbol of unity ... if there was ever a time to pounce, it would be now. Even if other countries fear Luna, they should still have some healthy amount of respect for what she represents and what she can do. Without it, Equestria looks a whole lot less threatening and less experienced. That's a recipe for tensions among borders, if anything is.
Not to mention what the populace might say - they are also so used to having an ancient alicorn hovering over and guiding them that they may well feel lost without one and the country might well tear itself apart, bickering over how to divide the now-empty throne and many would end up unhappy with whatever the choice ended up being. When you are used to a single being leading you for millenia, suddenly taking that away would likely cause some drastic reactions.
But anyways, that's all speculation and guesswork. I certainly share your wish for a sequel though, as the fallout should be quite interesting. Both in terms of how Celestia comes to grips with the apparent fact that, once again, she has failed to understand the depth of darkness plaguing her sister's heart and apparently not having paid enough attention, allowing the situation to escalate ...
And in terms of how she will react to her little ponies (a number of specific individuals especially) contributing heavily to Luna's "suicide" and her giving up the life that should have been her, just so the bunch could have Celestia back. Like TheMyth said, whatever would go down, this would change Celestia, and Equestria would be changed with her. They bemoaned the loss of status quo, but things are likely to end up quite shaken anyway.
What I can see happening is Celestia growing cold to the point of not speaking to any of her subjects or ever showing her face in public to the ponies who cheered for her whilst they jeered against Luna to the point of giving her own life (which may or may not have been 1000 years younger, if Luna's time on the moon halted her aging)... Twilight and Cadance would have to play peacemakers between the populace and Celestia, if she ever went rogue and on a warpath for what the populace have drove her sister to do to herself...