Commemoration
Ponies flock from all across Equestria to attend Princess Luna's funeral where she is remembered as a hero who died valiantly to protect her little ponies during the failed attack on Jerusalem. Her death, while tragic, only serves to stir the Equestrian populace into a vengeful frenzy.
How?
This single question haunted the minds of Equestrian from shore to shore in the wake of Princess Luna's untimely death.
How?
How could a Goddess die?
How could one of Equestria's wise and benelovent rulers be killed, not defeated, but killed by the likes of their inferior human adversaries?
How could Equestria lose a pivotal battle of the Conversion Wars when victory was all but assure by having Princess Luna lead the final climactic charge?
How?
How?!
HOW!?
These questions have been asked over and over again by countless ponies. Yet, no matter how much they questioned the sheer impossibility of it all there was no clearly defined answer.
However, what was clear was that Princess Luna was dead, and victory appeared further than it ever had in the past five years.
Melancholy.
All of Equestria felt it.
The entire country was cloaked in a veil of sadness and despite the best efforts of one pink cotton candy haired pony's attempt to leaven the mood nopony wanted to smile during times of mourning. Princess Celestia chief among them.
The solar princess had undoubtedly taken to Luna's sudden departure the hardest. She was her beloved sister, after all. She love Luna. They've accomplished so much together. Saved Equus innumerable times and ascended beyond legend with a perfect kingdom as their legacy.
Even after the Nightmare Moon debacle nothing made Celestia more happier than being reunited with her dear sister after a millennia of isolation on the moon, apart from the Elements of Harmony choosing their new bearers and whatnot.
They were to rule together alongside their fellow royals, preserving Equestria's prosperity and cultural identity even in the midst of conflict. The Conversion Wars were supposed to be nothing more than another stepping stone on the path of harmony, one that was to be dealt with within a year.
But it was not to be.
Jerusalem was indeed an 'end' of sorts, it just wasn't what the war council had originally anticipated.
Instead of breaking humanity's will to fight, the opposite had occurred.
Equestria was now the one stricken with doubt.
The death of a Goddess served as a crippling blow to Equestrian morale.
Their hardline belief in the alicorns as beings of a higher power ultimately backfired once the carefully constructed illusion had cracked. The surge of disillusioned, fearful and skeptical devotees brought on by this severe crisis of faith had damaged the Church of Harmony beyond reparation. The resulting upheaval would stick with them for the rest of their days up until the church's swift dissolution years later during the aftermath of the war.
Throughout it all Celestia gathered every ounce of willpower she could muster and soldiered on to the best of her abilities, but it was obvious she wasn't the same mare she used to be. She made no efforts to hide her emotions, no attempts to put on a brave face or even disguise her scheming with some shallow pretense. She wept and raged openly whenever she found time to. She was entitled to her grief and let her tears and anguish flow freely without fear of sullying her image.
If anything, mourning for her sister made her more endearing in the eyes of her little ponies, more real and down to earth in spite of the recent religious crisis. It helped when assuaging the hysteria of the populace to an extent.
Damage control was, by necessity, of the utmost importance. But restoring Luna's form in preparation for a proper burial dwarfed the latter in terms of situational priority.
Money was no object when it came to her sister.
She deserved only the best, even in death.
Celestia hired the best morticians money could buy and gave them the monumental task of making Luna beautiful again. She made it absolutely clear that the end result must be perfect, anything less would warrant shame upon them. Emboldened by their saintly duties and fear of stigmatization, the morticians worked their hooves to the bone with the voice of god quite literally speaking in their ears.
It would take upward to two weeks of meticulous backbreaking labor, hours of stitching, careful magical reconstruction and more, but Luna was eventually restored to wholeness as she deserved to be. However, even with the prodigious backings of Canterlot's dwindling coffers and the skill of the most talented mortician, there was only so much one could do with a coarsely minced pile of feather filled meat.
There had to be some compromises during the restorative process. The fact that Luna resembled herself at all was a miracle in and of itself. But still, there was clearly something off with her.
A cursory glance of the body revealed many imperfections.
Some were obvious; the asymmetry of her wings, the odd angle her hind legs had been set in and the sagging of her cheeks. Others, less so; the crookedness of her horn by a few scant degrees, a discolored patch of fur and elongated shape of her muzzle.
By her good graces, Celestia had deemed their efforts adequate, if only because even the most jarring mistake was nothing compared to the mangled state Luna was in before being recovered.
Eventually, it came time for the funerary procession.
Celestia had once again spared no expense in setting it up. Whatever money that wasn't being funneled directly into the war effort had been diverted to this most sacred of occasion. All of Equestria had been invited to take part in the procession to see their beloved princess of the night one last time before she is interred into her tomb and ascend towards Elysium.
For an entire week, ponies dressed in black from all corners of the country flocked to the capitol city of Canterlot by the boatload to view Princess Luna. It was the largest ever pilgrimage to have ever occur in the history of Equestria, with an estimate of roughly two million ponies travelling to mourn and pay their respects for their dearly departed princess. Those that couldn't make the trip paid their respects in their own way, either by praying, fasting or some other form of devotion.
There were scant instances of savvy businessponies slyly profiting off the nature of the event but were immediately shunned by their peers for how tasteless their actions were.
The first four days of the procession were dedicated to public viewings.
Reportedly, they say the line of ponies patiently waiting for their turn to see Luna wrapped around the canterhorn several times over and stretched from one horizon to the next. Some may argue the details to be grossly exaggerated, but the multiple tents, caravans of wagons and food stalls set up along the breadth of Equestria's major roadways spoke volumes to the dedication of the faithful.
Many ponies commented on how peaceful Luna looked resting atop the altar. It was almost as if she were sleeping soundly and would wake up at any moment, a sentiment shared by all present.
The following two was for the actual funeral itself, held at none other than Saint White Wing's Grand Cathedral.
Only a lucky few thousand or so were actually able to attend the funeral proper, however. Everypony had crammed themselves into the cathedral like a vacuum packed canned of sardines save for a select few.
Those present of import who were spared the lack of leg room included the remaining loyalist Elements of Harmony, Spike, Princess Cadance and her daughter Flurry Heart, members of the war council, the prestigious nobility, high ranking members of the church including the pope and, of course, Princess Celestia. The rest sitting below in the pews were members of the clergy, the organizers and everypony else who were fortunate enough to attend the funeral in person.
Spectacle.
That was probably the best way to describe the event as a whole.
Strong smelling incense of lavender and sandalwood poured out from the multitude of ornate censers hanging overhead in a wispy waterfall that seeped across the floor of the main hall in a thin mist. The amount of incense used was so excessive that the smoke had begun bleeding out through the cracks of the building and surrounded the cathedral's outskirts in a blanket of fog, giving it a haunting appearance.
Hymns sung by the choir reverberated off the warm stone walls of the cathedral as they were joined by the pastor's sermon, whose reading of the Lexicon of Harmony was so fiery and passionate the weeping masses couldn't help but sing along to his words. The preaching and singing was so loud and raucous that even those by the outer walls of Canterlot couldn't help but feel their spirits lifted from the echo in the distance, if only briefly.
In between the brightly lit candles sitting atop the numerous golden chandeliers high above, sharp skin tingling hissing of the pipe organ, choking cloud of incense and impassioned songs of the choir, the entire ordeal came off more as a concert than a funeral.
Compared to that extravagance, the overall atmosphere of the day after was the complete opposite.
Gone were the sermons and song, in its place was a deathly silence.
In accordance to old pony traditions, for twenty four hours Canterlot was free of sound.
It was quiet, eerily so. The kind of silence that could drive somepony mad. Nothing, not the ponies in the streets, the guard stoically keeping the peace or even the rats that scurried along the pipes in the sewers made a single sound. Nopony dared to say a word for fear of despoiling this most sacred of rites.
For twenty four hours, Canterlot and its people were as dead as Luna was.
Before long, the final day of the procession had arrived.
After six heartbreak filled days and a trail of tears, it finally came time to put Luna to rest once and for all.
Within the courtyard of Castle Canterlot, towards the far edges of its many, many garden was a tomb that had been overtaken by vines. It was the tomb of the royal pony sisters, a hallowed grave site reserved specifically for them when they ultimately triumph over the forces of evil in the true final battle and bring about an end to the Days of Reckoning once and for all... Allegedly.
The lexicon was somewhat vague on certain topics, and the multiple editions that cropped up across the centuries certainly didn't help.
Luna's last rites were performed by Princess Celestia alone, guided by the Pope who couldn't help but feel awkward in his situation. All of the arbitrary requirements and litanies were fulfilled in a timely manner, she didn't want to stretch out the process any longer than it needed to be. With one final goodbye, Luna was interred into her final resting place where her body would remain on Earth as the soul ascends to Elysium.
However, that was not the end.
The day was still young. Now that the deed had been done all that mattered was the war.
An impromptu assembly was held by Princess Celestia shortly afterwards.
She had hastily gathered her circle of trust and stood before the media steely eyed and confident. Everypony who was anypony had shown up, the papers, the radio, even the filmmakers were present to record the event for posterity. Flashes of white light from camera bulbs and static from archaic microphones filled the air as the denizens of Equestria both near and far waited patiently with bated breath to hear what it was that Celestia had to say so suddenly after Luna's interment.
With a raise of her hoof, the air fell silent. Clearing her throat she opened her mouth to speak.
"...My little ponies," she began evenly, her voice low and steady. The crowds shuffled in their seats, brimming with anticipation.
"My little ponies!" She repeated, this time more assured and proud. Her voice thrummed with the power of the royal 'we' and her subjects couldn't help but be heartened by her upturn in mood. She had risen to her full height and flared out her wings in a grand display, utilizing her imposing figure to spur on the masses.
"My little ponies! Tragedy had befallen us! During the fateful battle of Jerusalem, the humans, those wretched loveless beasts from across the great ocean, have taken from us, from me, a pony most cherished! A pony who has done nothing but tirelessly protected Equestria and her people from terrible outside forces after her momentous return from the moon! A pony who wanted nothing more in return for her thankless deeds than the love of her ponies!" Her expression morphed into a snarl, she raised her hoof and slammed it atop the podium for emphasis.
"That pony was none other than my dear sister, Luna!" She roared the name with pride. "Luna, the Scion of the Moon! Preserver of Dreams! The Undaunted! The Bane of the Treacherous! Slayer of the Man-filth! She was Luna! My Luna! Your Luna! Our Luna! Luna of Equestria!"
"She was our bulwark and our sword! She was gentle as she was passionate! She was fierce as she was unyielding! Luna was as Luna is! Beautiful! Strong! Loving! She was the living embodiment of our ideals! A daughter of harmony itself! Luna was, and still is, all we have achieved, all we are, will be and more!"
Celestia paused, carefully observing the uproarious commotion of the crowd. They all felt the same as she did. For as tragic and heartbreaking Luna's death was, broken spirits and shades of doubt were beginning to be matched with boiling fury.
Vengeance was on the minds of everypony present, and Celestia pragmatically coaxed on that emotion to her advantage.
"For five years have we fought this righteous war! For five years we have fought and bled and died to achieve the most sacred of goals, harmony in all things! Conversion was always meant to be the ultimate end for humanity, an inevitable fact that they have thrashed and struggled against pitifully for over half a decade now! Any sane creature would've welcomed our gifts with open arms, to become happy, peace loving ponies and live in harmony as we do! But humanity's sanity was always tenuous to begin with! They rejected our blessings, our love and our ways! They've rejected us! And in return they take!"
"Take from us our loved ones, our lives and our way of life! And recently, in an act most heinous, they've taken from me my sister, your goddess of the night!" Celestia bellowed, her words grower louder and more impassioned with each one spoken. The ponies reflected her speech. The air of sorrow around Canterlot had dissipated far sooner than it should have and all that could be felt for miles around was the unbearable urge strike back at humanity for this terrible slight against them.
An eye for an eye, as they say.
"My little ponies! This war has gone on too long! I was wrong to believe that it would be over in a year, I was wrong in believing humanity would be easy to overcome! I shoulder that blame, all of it! But what we are not wrong about is why we fight this war! Why we do what we do! And more importantly, that we shall be victorious in the end! We are Equestria! We are the righteous, the strong, the heralds of friendship and harmony!"
She paused and took in the cheering and clamoring of her ponies. They have all since stood up and began shouting her name in blind reverence, displaying the same level of unquestioned zealotry that drove away Fluttershy and the Resistance to begin with. These ponies, no matter how scared or unskilled they were, were prepared to throw themselves directly into the line of fire without a moment of hesitation if it meant achieving the ultimate end of harmony.
"My little ponies! Hear me! Though I grieve the lost of my sister, let it be known throughout Equestria that my resolve has never been stronger! Those that foolishly resist the will of harmony shall be forgotten as nothing more than a fleeting memory in the new world we will build in the wake of our victory!"
"Praise, Princess Celestia!" the crowds cheered raucously.
"My little ponies! Steel yourselves, for the courage and bravery you display shall be needed now more than ever!"
"Praise, Princess Celestia!"
"My little ponies! Grab your shovels! Grab your tools! Grab your weapons and fulfill your duties! Work harder, train harder, fight harder! Find the power within yourselves to give your all to Equestria and her people so that we may finally win this war once and for all!"
"Praise, Princess Celestia!"
"Rejoice, my little ponies! Rejoice in knowing that the end draws near and the world as you know it will change for the better! For we are the ponies of Equestria! We, the righteous!"
"The righteous!" the crowd parroted.
"We, the strong!"
"The strong!"
"We, the heralds of friendship and harmony!"
"Friendship and harmony!"
"Equestria will never be broken!" Celestia shouted in conclusion, raising her hoof high in a triumphant pose that prompted the audience the wildly cheer her name over and over again.
"Hail, Celestia! Hail, Celestia! Hail, Celestia!"
A wave of intense clapping came shortly after. Ponies clapped or stomped their hooves in a vigorous applause that sounded like rolling thunder across the land. The atmosphere was palpable, everypony from the clergy to the war council applauded Princess Celestia and her indomitable spirit. Even the Elements of Harmony found themselves infected by the mood, standing and clapping in a zealous trance without the slightest idea of the nightmare that was to come months later.
About the number of folks who didn't share their peers enthusiasm for warfare could be counted on the leaves of a clover. Those being deeply entrenched spies of the Resistance and the unknowing last dragon of Equestria.
Spike had stood and clapped alongside his friends, although it was evident by the expression on his face and halfhearted clapping he held reservations about it all. That being said, he kept it to himself girded in the flimsy belief that no matter how bad things were looking at the moment it would all be better in the end.
And so the uproarious sounds of cheering echoed into the distance, catching the ear of a certain draconequus in the distance.
Discord stood by a lone tree on a hill far from the walls of Canterlot. He was clothed in a long black Victorian era dress, matching sun hat and translucent veil that obscured his face. No one knew he was there, not even Fluttershy or the UN. He was there on his own, a leave for bereavement if you will. After all, a close friend had died and at the very least he could be there for the funeral. What he didn't expect was to stay longer than necessary, dangerous as it was.
He had intended to secretly see Luna off in his own mischievous ways, but stuck around for the assembly as it had piqued his interest.
He could see and hear the assembly in question from afar because of his powerful magics, though you didn't exactly need super hearing to listen to the overbearing cries of reverence and belligerency in the distance. Honestly, he didn't know what he had expected when he had shown up.
To think Celestia would be a stubborn as she was.
Her sister had died and what it meant was that Equestria should fight harder than before even as their advantage steadily slips away from them little by little.
She was right about one thing, however.
The war will end soon.
Sighing, he brought up an equally handkerchief to his face and wiped away the tears and mascara that flowed down his cheek.
"So, this is how Equestria dies," Discord quipped, an ironic smile on his lips. "With a standing ovation."
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The answer? Use a gun. And if that don't work? Use more gun.
10838584
The answer was indeed: gun.
Try and fight Jesus why don't you.
If the tremors don't take you, the fire and brimstone after sure as hell will.
Yes, it will, just not the way you think.
This was probably the lowest Celestia ever sank: using her sister's coffin as a podium for her insane rally.
10838735
I don't know about that, she's got a long list of things to choose from.
The sheer delusion of Celestia you write is truly unnerving.
Well don't that just sound all well familiar?
10838794
Yeah, starting to remind me about HYDRA and some other crazy groups...
10838943
Well i more made the connection with the group that hydra aligned with. But that works to.
The ponies are getting closer and closer to the Nazis.
10839055
Even down to the leader breakdown in the face of unavoidable and clear defeat.
10838747
Luna has been Celestia's little sister for centuries, and they genuinely loved each other.
Using her funeral as a calculated political move to rally the masses in order to support a genocidal war they cannot win...is not just wrong, but obscene. Even Spike realized it.
Sometimes I wonder… did Celestia love her sister? Did she care about Equestria? Or did she just want to possess them?
10839204
After more than a thousand years playing the role of the Eternal Goddess of the greatest nation of the world, Celestia couldn't ever conceive having to abandon it in Earth. So she decided to remove any competition, and the more humanity managed to resist and even turn back her efforts, the more Celly panicked and radicalized. Losing loved ones to the war just made things even worse.
In short, Celestia was just an old mare scared shitless about her little ponies outgrowing her.
You know Celestia for how "hateful" us humans are you seem to be mimicking Gihren "Hitler's disciple" Zabi, quite well...
10839055
Exactly. Sieg Heil! is exactly what it reminded me of. It just shows how low Celestia has fallen - to level of Hitler himself.
10838622
I would pay to see that.
How did the Humans kill a Goddess they say...
The Sons of Abraham have their ways baybeee. It's not a surprise that a combination of Arabs and Jews would send a devastating blow against the Equestrians.
10839466
Here's one.
10838584
the bigger the better
Wollt ihr den totalen Krieg ...
10839466
The video got taken off of youtube.