A Lullaby Fit For A Princess
Verse 1:Year 0-153
Fate has been cruel and order unkind
How can I have sent you away?
The blame was my own; the punishment, yours
The harmony's silent today
Princess Celestia looked down from the moon and turned to walk back into her castle. She opened the wide front door and returned to her quarters, slumping. Tears slowly streamed from her face as she collapsed onto the bed, tired from raising the moon. "I brought this" She had to gasp for air" "upon my, myself". The alicorn princess had trouble forming the words and she passed out. Surely she couldn't tell anypony how much energy it took to preform the task of raising the sun AND moon, they'd find her unfit to lead. The stress was already getting to her. She tried to stay up so she could recall her friends, like Starswirl, Bubbledrop and Pinkstrings. She remembers how Pinkstrings would sew wonderous dresses for her and how Bubbledrop would throw parties for her and her friends. As tears made her pillow soggy she recalled Starswirls unwilingness to make friends though somehow, Celestia knew deep down inside that Starswirl thought of her as her friend. At least, she hoped that was the case. Celestia passed out on the pillow, unable to form thoughts as she prepared to raise the sun in the morning.
She awoke to a guard telling her that it was time. The princess of the sun sighed deeply and rose, towering above the puny guard. "Let's go, I suppose". She frowned.
The guard, wondering if she was okay as they left the bedroom, asked "Erm, your highness? I mean no disrespect but are you feeling well? Recently you've refused to eat and you're sleeping more than you used to when Lu-"
"STOP" The Princess turned to look the guard directly in the face with an expression of anguish as she screeched straight at him. "You nor the other guards are to speak her name in my presence! Do you understand me"? She coldly demanded. "As far as everypony cares, I never sent her to the moon and her jelousy NEVER happened".
"Y-yes, your highness". The guard didn't say a word the rest of the way to the balcony. Celestia sighed deeply and put all of her efforts into lifting the sun; lifting the sun was a bit more simple than the moon, but it was still no easy task. When Celestia finished she walked back to her room, pushing aside any guard who tried to tell her the days tasks. She'd sleep that day until the moon needed to be raised. This was her preformance for quite awhile, during this time, she rarely got work done.
Verse 2:Year 154-307
But into the stillness I'll bring you a song
And I will your company keep
Till your tired eyes and my lullabies
Have carried you softly to sleep
The Princess was up bright and early that morning to raise the sun. She walked out of her room to find nopony guarding the doors; in a few moments a pegasus guard crossed her path. "Shouldn't you and some pony else be blocking my door and protecting your princess of equestria? Where is the other pegusi who normally protects me? Bring me to him. NOW". The guard calmly took her to him despite his fear which he hid now so well. The princess had the two line up in front of her and she called over four earth pony guards. "These two have failed at their jobs". In a voice cold as the winter snowdrop, the Princess demanded that they have their wings removed my hoof. The four earth ponies did as their princess said and began the bloody task as they questioned her sanity. "Bring me their wings when you're done". She called back as she wandered off towards the balcony to raise the sun.
When she finished raising the sun, the guards brought her the wings of the two pegusi. "Now, one of you shall find two new pegusi fit to guard my door and another one of you shall take each individual feather and make them into quils for me"! They all stood there for a moment. "Well, get a move on already before I have your manes and tails removed"! They sprinted off to complete the task. Celestia decided she ought to be alone for a moment or so, thus she retreated to her room. She started laughing, slowly at first "Heh... heh heh heh..." Then a bit stronger "Heh heh, bwah hah hah hah"! Soon she started chortling on her bed uncontrollably "BWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH, MWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH"! She almost seemed to have an evil laugh, similar to a witch's cackle. She started mumbling to herself in a fit of fear and wrath. "Celestia you truly are a WONDEROUS princess. 'Snicker, snicker' Quite the 'snicker' leader. You fool you're such a 'snicker' fool"! Princess Celestia laid there all day, mumbling to herself, and snickering.
The next morning she rose the sun, punished more guards and went about her tasks though more agressive than normal. Life with a feared ruler would be normal for these few years.
Verse 3:Year 307-460
Once did a pony who shone like the sun
Look out on her kingdom and sigh
She smiled and said, "Surely, there is no pony
So lovely and so well beloved as I"
"Is that you? Magicberry"? Celestia said to a pony far off in the distance. "Magicberry"! Celestia tried to sprint towards the pony as fast as she could, but her body wouldn't move, not even her wings. She tried to move using magic but even that failed. "Magic, berry"? Celestia watched as one of her old best friends started to walk away. "MAGICBERRY"! Only then did the hot pink unicorn turn and notice Celestia; Magicberry ran to her.
"Tia! I haven't seen you in forever".
` Celestia wondered how it was possible that Berry was alive, Celestia even watched as she died of old age on her death bed. However now she looked so, young. "Berry, please, can you take over for me? Oh please Berry, you're the only pony I can turn to! Please Berry please"!
"Tia" Berry started "You know you're the only one who can do what you do. Besides, i'm too weak". The Princess watched, horrified as everything surrounding her turned to blackness as her friend began to age at an incredible rate. Soon she turned into the skeleton of a mare, the empty bones fell over as rats started to nest inside them. She tried to scream but she couldn't, all she could do is stare as bugs made home inside the bones.
"Please, SOMEPONY HELP ME"! She called from her sleep in the night. "PLEASE SOMEPONY KILL ME"! However, no pony came for they knew she was having another night terror.
Verse 4:Year 460-613
So great was her reign and so brilliant her glory
That long was the shadow she cast
Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved
And grew only darker as days and nights passed
Celestia became a zombie from then on. Wake up, sun, work, moon, sleep, wake up, sun, work, moon, sleep, wake up, sun, work, moon, sleep, wake up, sun, work, moon, sleep, repeat. Every night before she fell asleep, she'd remind herself "I brought this upon myself". After awhile she just plastered on a fake smile and tried to eat on a normal schedule so she wouldn't seem depressed. Those who washed her pillows knew all was not well however; they could feel the streams of tears that landed on her pillow the night before. Everypony in the castle wept for the princess. The only reason anypony knew was because of the princess' screaches from the night terrors that horrified her so. When anypony would approach her to ask about it, they would never be seen again. She'd tell them she was fine then they'd be gone from their bedding the next morning.
Deep down, Celestia was deeply depressed from missing her sister. Sometimes the guards would hear her say "Please my sister, i'm sorry. I'm so, so very sorry" during her slumbers. The guards often couldn't stop themselves from crying. Not a single soul in the castle was happy. Everypony frowned, everypony cried, and little work was done. The Princess odered storm clouds to be held constantly over the castle. When the pegusi of cloudsdale asked why, she told them that nothing was worth looking at in that hell. The pegusi didn't question it any further and went off to make the storm clouds.
When the clouds arrived, Celestia cast a spell so that no matter from where you looked at the clouds from withen the castle you could always see the moon during the night. Heads were always held low during the years and the castle floors let off a brilliant shine from the tears that covered them. Upset with the reflections of herself on the floor, Celestia had the floors replaced so she wouldn't have to look at herself.
Looking up at the moon on the eve of a new year she said to herself "The six hundred and thirteenth year of regret".
Verse 5:Year 613-766
Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine
And rest now in moonlight's embrace
Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth
Through cloud, and through sky, and through space
"My fault...my fault, my fault, my fault, my fault, MY FAULT!" She picked up a vase with her horn and flung it into the wall. "MY FAAAAAAULT"! She ran around her circular room, knocking over everything she could. "WHY, WHY WHY"!? She pained into empty air and slipped and collapsed into a heap at the center of the room. She started to bawl "Why Luna, oh my dear Luna why... what have I done my dear Luna. My dear Luna, my dear companion, my dear caretaker, my dear sister". Celestia bawled all through the night, a foolish shell of a leader.
Celestia decided that being a horrid wreck for 678 years was stupid and foolish of her. "I'm stronger than this, life can still go on"! Hope, replaced her sorrows and for the first time in centuries, Celestia showed a real smile. She requested the floor put back as they were, the clouds removed and a grand party be thrown. "We'll call it, 'The Grand Galloping Gala'"! The Princess almost seemed to twinkle like sand in a desert under a setting sun. She twitched. Nopony said anything about it but they instead went to work, glad to have their Princess back in proper working order. Everypony became happier and smiles abound. The Grand Galloping Gala went horribly, a joke. Princess Celestia laughed it off and joked that it ought to be like that every year. Then a thought struck her "Luna would've enjoyed the Gala" She twitched again.
Celestia quite literally whistled while she worked. She made agreements in Saddle Arabia, started a royal muffin and donut shop and made everypony smile the moment they saw her. However, Celestia knew she was growing weak and that she'd need a succesor. A new pegasus was recently born (in alicorn years) who would make a great alicorn princess. She could look over the Crystal Empire for her, that would take a load off her back. Celestia had a feeling that the Crystal Empire would appear at any moment so she coronated a new princess, Princess Cadence.
All was well in Canterlot and all of Equestria, despite the Princess' random sparatic twitching whenever she thought of her sister.
Verse 6:Year 766-919
Carry the peace and the coolness of night
And carry my sorrow in kind
Luna, you're loved so much more than you know
Forgive me for being so blind
Celestia awoke one night and went outside to the front garden, and looked up at the sky. She recalled what had happened.
Just as she promised, Luna stood her ground and refused to lower the moon. Faced with the collapse of the delicate order they had worked so hard to build, Celestia was forced to do the unthinkable. Unable to fully utilize of the elements of harmony by herself, she used a fraction of their power to imprison her sister in the moon, saving the world, but at a terrible cost. The harmonic bond between sun and moon was broken forever; now, the elements lie dormant, awaiting new bearers. In time, the darkness in Luna's heart will begin to wane, but with it, so will the sealing spell that holds her in the moon. In eighty one years from now, she will escape, weakened but still powerful, and the world can only hope that new ponies will be found who can wield the elements and save Luna from herself.
But Celestia's thoughts turn again to the present. she will see her sister again soon but still she has imprisioned her sister for a thousand years, and for that, she blames herself. Surely she had seen the signs? She thinks over and over of the things she might have said and done differently. But despite her own sadness, she also longs to reach out and comfort Luna, and in this mix of bitterness, tenderness, and very distant hope, she looks to the moon and begins to sing.
(Full credit for the song and basically giving the inspiration for this whole story goes to Ponyphonic. Make sure you go subscribe and thank them for letting me use their song) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4tyvJJzSDk&list=PLcN-EuKHL4zxt_XorLVQAJjBZuSO7smOI
Lullaby For A Princess
Fate has been cruel and order unkind
How can I have sent you away?
The blame was my own; the punishment, yours
The harmony's silent today
But into the stillness I'll bring you a song
And I will your company keep
Till your tired eyes and my lullabies
Have carried you softly to sleep
Once did a pony who shone like the sun
Look out on her kingdom and sigh
She smiled and said, "Surely, there is no pony
So lovely and so well beloved as I"
So great was her reign and so brilliant her glory
That long was the shadow she cast
Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved
And grew only darker as days and nights passed
Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine
And rest now in moonlight's embrace
Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth
Through cloud, and through sky, and through space
Carry the peace and the coolness of night
And carry my sorrow in kind
Luna, you're loved so much more than you know
Forgive me for being so blind
Soon did that pony take notice that others
Did not give her sister her due
And neither had she loved her as she deserved
She watched as her sister's unhappiness grew
But such is the way of the limelight, it sweetly
Takes hold of the mind of its host
And that foolish pony did nothing to stop
The destruction of one who had needed her most
Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine
And rest now in moonlight's embrace
Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth
Through cloud, and through sky, and through space
Carry the peace and the coolness of night
And carry my sorrow in kind
Luna, you're loved so much more than you know
May troubles be far from your mind
And forgive me for being so blind
The years now before us
Fearful and unknown
I never imagined
I'd face them on my own
May these thousand winters
Swiftly pass, I pray
I love you; I miss you
All these miles away
May all your dreams be sweet tonight
Safe upon your bed of moonlight
And know not of sadness, pain, or care
And when I dream, I'll fly away and meet you there
Sleep...