To Calm a Bitter Storm
The Melancholy of Princess Luna: A Poem
A One-Shot Poem
By: GhostWriter17
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luna gazes out in the twilight sky, as the sun and moon meet
She knows what she must do, this cycle she must repeat.
Her horn, it glows, as she focuses her magic
To raise the moon high, her duty, after events so tragic.
Luna watches dutifully as the moon rises high
Higher and higher it goes, into the ever-darkening sky.
As the satellite rises, so does Luna's spirits
She breathes a sigh, humming a tune of which she knows not the lyrics.
The moon it glows, reflected in her blue eyes,
As she finishes her song, she begins a reprise.
It is a song she has forever known, yet has never truly heard
For this song is a Song of The Night, and so, it has not a word.
It is something Luna feels, a stirring inside herself
A stirring that helps her, whenever she needs the help.
Yet on this night, the night of a full moon
Luna is anxious, as if something evil may come soon.
She tries to walk along Canterlot, through the castle's halls
To find respite and peace, but none comes at all.
So she enters the dreams, the dreams of her subjects
So she may calm a pony's nightmares, so they do not feel helpless.
Through the Dreamscape she wanders, hoping to find happiness
But all the ponies' dreams are clouded by loneliness.
Desperately, she tries to ease their pain
But their suffering, for some reason, forbids her to be of aid.
Her subjects they suffer, and cry in their sleep
Realizing she cannot help, Luna, too, begins to weep.
Out of the Dreamscape, Luna loses her way
Wondering if she has once again gone astray.
How can she be of use if she cannot help
Or lend a helping hoof to those who long for Luna, herself?
What good is she, to those in pain
If, try as she might, her kind efforts are in vain?
This sense of darkness, it overcomes her
For Luna cannot help those in restless slumber.
She hears their screams, their tears, across time and space
And she curses herself for not being a saint.
So, with this, she decides to fly
Where she can be alone, "Me, myself, and I".
She feels the warm wind brush through her star-studded mane
And feeling the strong beat of her wings, she feels happy again.
She flies past Canterlot, and into the hills
Where she can see her kingdom, Equestria, and all of its nighttime thrills.
She lands her hooves atop a grassy knoll
Looking out, searching her soul.
The wind is warm, it ruffles her fur
As, what should escape her lips, a soft purr.
She is soothed by the serenity of the night
For a moment, this serenity ends her plight.
The night is beautiful, dark with no light
Yet this cannot hinder the Princess's sight.
But through this peace, a shadow tears
Rearing its head, is Luna's greatest fears.
This shadow rolls, deadening whatever it covers
Bringing horror and cold, never-ending shivers.
Luna sees it, unable to suppress a gasp
Her body shakes, and her voice becomes a harsh rasp.
"Who or what dare approach us?" she asked
But no answer came, except a menacing laugh.
The voice was shrouded in the fog
While it surrounded Luna, that dark, somehow familiar smog.
Two brilliant eyes suddenly opened in Luna's face
The dark cloud holding her in an evil embrace.
The eyes were as bright as the blue midday sky
They were so very familiar, and Luna knew why.
It was her demon come back, that Scourge of the Dark
The ruler of an empire, voice cold and sharp.
It was Nightmare Moon, Luna's darker side
Come back to win over the body in which Luna's soul hides.
Luna now knew what she had to do
Something she'd avoided, not wanting to go through.
She must face this beast that once consumed her life
Lest she wished to be destroyed by anger, fear, and strife.
Her sister was in Canterlot, not very far away
Why, then, was Luna so afraid?
The eyes stared, monstrous and unforgiving
Luna's heart had an awful, sinking feeling.
She was reminded of when she was powerful, the night forever her ally
The terrible things she did while donning that black armour, she did not deny.
Horrifying images flashed in her head
Images Luna thought she could forget.
She remembered those buildings, burning from her dark magic
And how such carnage once made her so charismatic.
She enjoyed the suffering, from dreams to reality
Turning ponies' nightmares into a grim normality.
Their dreams were flooded with terrors unreal
Paranoia spread, where there once was happy zeal.
Through the chaos that ensued some thousand years ago
The harmony was lost, Celestia lost control.
Driven by duty, yet at her wits' end
She was forced to seal away her greatest enemy, and greatest friend.
The Elements' power, deadly, unfurled
Nearly destroyed both Princesses, along with the world.
Luna's soul was breaking, with each dark memory
How she longed for any kind of tranquillity.
She thought she would lose, her demons' power growing ever stronger
The Princess knew she would not last much longer.
Sadness overcame her, grief shattering her to her core
Would she be happy again? Said the Nightmare: "Nevermore".
This broke her spirit, leaving it without hope
But then a light shone through the darkness and the smoke.
Though the moon was hidden, the stars blanketed with fog
This light shined brighter than the darkness could hold.
For but a moment, the Nightmare felt a twinge of fear
But pressed on, attempting to keep the light from coming near.
The fog just burned at the touch of the light
It sizzled away, disappearing and relieving some of Luna's fright.
The light came and touched Luna's heart
And she remembered why her life was given a chance to restart.
She thought of her sister, kind enough to forgive
To forget the atrocities they both committed.
She remembered her subjects, happy when they dreamed
Of a certain filly whose nightmares she helped secede.
Those who stargaze for hours, those who cherish her night
Those who love the one they're with under the pale moonlight.
How she, too, has a place in ponies' minds
And how when they need help, she is the one they find.
That unicorn who helped her when nopony else believed
Who showed her kindness, saving her again from anger and greed.
These where the reasons why Luna had to regain control
For friendship had rekindled the burned out cinders of her soul.
This power, this love inside her, calmed a raging storm
And soothed the bitterness, and what remained was magical and warm.
The Nightmare could not handle the feeling of Luna's newfound love
Breaking the fog away, banishing it to the heavens above.
The eyes that showed her fear were once again filled with that feeling
In that moment, it seemed to know it was losing.
The enmity and darkness eroded away
The Nightmare faded, as darkness was replaced with the break of day.
Nothing was left of the evil once there
Gone forever, Luna was aware.
No more regret filled Luna's thoughts
She began to weep of happiness, rather than being distraught.
In an hour, the sun would soon rise
With this thought, Luna closed her eyes.
She spoke to her subjects, sleeping or awake, in cheerful celebration
Soothing them all with words not of malice or detestation.
She thanked them all for the memories they all shared
For giving her a second chance, when they could have not cared.
She soothed their terror, humming them all a song
From her heart, she finally found words to give them all.
Be still my subjects in the nights' embrace
Let it calm you, do not be afraid.
Make peace with your fears tonight
I shall save you all from terrors and plight.
Let it not plague you, the night is your friend
And I promise to love you until the end.
Fear not, my lovely, my sweet colts and mares
Just call my name and I shall be there.
I'll hold you tightly, with this soothing song
Search inside, and you can sing along.
This serenade, the nights' symphony
Believe in yourself as you believe in me.
Go, now, and be your dream
No matter how difficult it may seem.
Friendship is magic, or so they say
You've all shown me love, shown me the right way.
Through love and through loss, I'll always be there
Giving you comfort, sweet and fair.
So hear my song, this lullaby
Through time and space before the day.
I am Luna, your guiding light
I'll always protect you in the beauty of the night.
Her song calmed the bitterness, and reached them all
As light came up, and the sun rose tall.
She breathed a sigh, her work was done
From facing her fears, she had won.
She felt a shadow overhead, and became filled with dread
But it was her sister, Celestia, instead.
Celestia landed with beauty and grace
While the rising sun cast shadows that covered her face.
Behind those shadows, though, was love on her face
For she knew Luna could finally feel safe.
They embraced in a hold, tender and warm
For there now was calmness where there once was a storm.
Luna knew now that she truly was loved
A moment she had before merely dreamed of.
She had friends now, the evil was gone
And Luna could now live with friendships' bond.
A new bright life now lay ahead
Luna was ready to meet her new friends.
Love was the answer, friendship forgave her past
And Luna found peace with herself, at long, long last.