The Seven Ages of Pony

by ObabScribbler

Prologue: The First Night

Prologue:
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

---

I cast my eyes to the ground. I know I should look up. I should gaze upon what I have done. Try as I might, I cannot. My gaze remains rooted to the gently settling glimmer of magic on the grass. It has been falling for several minutes. It only took me seconds to fall to the ground, my body a leaden weight. I am exhausted and I can feel my injuries poking me like the horns of precocious unicorn foals. The ruckus of battle is bringing guards. They will insist I accept medical attention. They will ask questions. They will want to know what happened.

They will want to know where Luna is.

“Luna …”

That breathy utterance is all it takes to reduce me to a sobbing mess in the grass. I cover my face with dented gold shoes, snorting and hiccuping my grief into the soft ground. If I could have the earth suck my emotions from me, I would. I would cast that spell and whatever others it took to release me from this awful, awful realisation of what I have done.

“There should have been another way!”

Voices. Not my own. The thunder of hooves.

I could teleport away. I could hide in my chambers. It would not stop the questions but it might purchase a little more time for me to -

To what?

What, exactly, would I do with an ounce more time? I have consigned my sister to a fate far worse than death. I have imprisoned my own flesh and blood. A few more minutes will not change that.

The owners of the hoofsteps draw near. Their voices crystallise into words.

“... bright flash …”

“ … royal chambers …”

“ … element alcove …”

“ … where is …”

“ … in the sky …”

“... did not recognise …”

“... another alicorn …”

“ … rally the troops …”

“... under attack …”

“... save the princesses…”

Panic suffuses them. They are scared. They hurtle headlong to what might be terminal danger but their steps do not slow. These ponies - our … my ponies. They are coming to rescue us. No … me. Just me. Only me now. They have seen the lights in the sky. For all they know, a force strong enough to harm an alicorn has entered their world, but still they come. Their loyalty is stultifying. My grief collides with it and is stopped in its own tracks.

With great effort, I force myself upright and realise just how weakened the battle has left me. I could not teleport even if I wished to. I have not even the magic left to dry my tears and hide my shame. I decide I should not hide it. My ponies will have questions. They will know Luna is gone the first time she does not lower the moon.

What shall I tell them? The truth would be devastating. To have a ruler, in whom they have placed so much trust and love, turn on everything she once held dear … the images my mind conjures of an Equestria wracked by distrust and internal conflict are enough to make the bottom fall out of my stomach. These ponies rely on Luna and I to keep them safe. Their concept of security is inextricably bound up in us. That … thing Luna transformed into would shake them down to their core. Equestria was the most important thing to us for centuries. We have nurtured this land. We have guided these ponies. We have shaped this nation into what it is today.

And all that could shatter, perhaps irrevocably, if they know one ruler betrayed them in favour of a lust for power and they subsequently lose trust in the other. Would they allow me to keep them safe anymore? Would they trust me enough?

Would I trust myself?

Luna fell to the darkness of her own desires. I was blind to it until it was too late. Have I been wilfully blind to my own dark desires also? Am I capable of betraying my ponies the same way my sister did?

The glitter of armour heralds my personal guard. At their head, Sharp Steel’s blue eyes are fixed on me. The rest fan out in a well-trained phalanx. Behind them come the Night Guard, taking to the air in perfect formation.

“My liege.” Sharp Steel’s voice has an edge that befits his name.

Instead of greeting him, I say, “The danger is over, Captain Steel.”

He quirks an eyebrow minimally. “My liege?”

“Equestria is safe once more. My sister and I battled that which threatened our land.” The half-truth slips easily from my lips. My tone could easily be attributed to mere weariness.

Sharp Steel’s gaze flicks left and right. “And where is Princess Luna?”

I swallow. “Gone.”

“Gone?” It is not Sharp Steel who echoes me. The Captain of Luna’s Night Guard lands near me and gives a perfunctory bow. “Gone?” the heavy-set thestral says again, as if I might not have heard him prior. I try to recall his name but the memory frays and slips away from me.

“The darkness we fought … took her.” Despite myself, my eyes brim with fresh tears. I cannot afford to let them fall. My entire face burns as I refuse this basic biological impulse. “She has been … taken from us. Forever.”

Forever is such a strange word to an immortal. For these two ponies, forever means only to the end of their lifetime. Unless I am killed by another, I will go on living without end. My forever is a far cry from theirs. Luna is gone from them forever. From me …

“My liege, are you saying Princess Luna is dead?”

I picture the stark slitted eyes glaring at me, the horn above them glowing with magic intended to murder me and seal away the sun so that the land withers and dies in the cold of eternal night. Luna understood balance. She understood the need for both night and day to allow life to flourish. Luna would never break that balance.

“Yes,” I croak. “I am.”

“No …” The Night Guard captain staggers as if physically struck. “Not Princess Luna …”

Did he have any idea of the darkness invading Luna’s soul? He was probably closer to her than I by the end. Did anypony suspect what was happening to my poor sister?

A traitorous tear slips past my resolve and slides down my cheek. My knees buckle. Sharp Steel is there in an instant, leaning hard against me to bear my weight.

“Come, my liege. You are injured. We must take you to the infirmary.”

“Princess Luna…” The Night Guard captain continues to whisper. “Dead? I cannot be. It simply … cannot be!”

I allow myself to be led away. At this stage I cannot imagine what the future may hold. Equestria and I will both bear scars from this, though our grief will be of different shades. They will mourn the death of a ruler who valiantly defended them and fell in battle. I will mourn the sister I neglected until my indifference to her suffering created a monster.

I cast my eyes to the ground and steadfastly do not look up at the night sky.

Comments

[Carbon]

Good start!

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Damn, that's a great look into Celestia's mind and the aftermath of the battle.

[Golden Fang Ryu Shenron]

“Princess Luna…” The Night Guard captain continues to whisper. “Dead? I cannot be. It simply … cannot be!”

I’d find that hard to believe too if I was in that guards position.

Great start!

[Bronyxy]

Amazing start!
Looking forward to the rest of the story!