Broken Dreams, So Grand (aka Too Lazy to Edit Into Proper Shape) · 11:27pm Jan 18th, 2015
Broken Dreams, So Grand
Black, heavy clouds covered the sky in an impenetrable shroud of sorrow. The few raindrops that fell from the sunless sky hit the ground, windows and flowers in a tune of respect. It has been the view for several days now, unchanged since the day Shining Armor visited his sister in Ponyville to overbring the message in tears. He had had no idea of how to tell her about it. He had known that she wouldn't take it with the same strength he had. And even if she had, it barely would have had mattered. He, too, shattered under the weight of the message. It was too unexpected, the loss too great to be hidden behind the shield of his rank and position. Twilight, without the inner will to hide and smoothing her emotions, instantly had fallen around his neck crying her eyes out. Their hearts were equally shattered, and they stood leaned against each other in the entry hall of Twilight's home like two broken trees that kept each other from falling. Like those trees, neither of them could see continuation any closer than impossibility laid.
“But... but, it can't be. She... has things that need to be done.... we were to meet next week....” Shining Armor laid a forehoof around Twilight's neck and pulled her closer. He answered not, he thought it would be the best.
“How?” Twilight pressed through her sobs. Shining Armor's coat was soaked wet; it was okay.
“Nobody knows yet.” Shining Armor eventually answered, ”Luna went furious as soon as she learnt about it. That is how I learned about it. Everything was overthrown and all resources to be used for research. The Princess nearly executed several beings where they stood out of suspicion, including Discord, and only could be stopped in the last moment each time.”
“So... Luna is okay at least?” It was true. Even Shining Armor, no pony to be sensitive towards magic, felt the rush of Luna's magical efforts through the air in Canterlot. “Yes.”
“Will the kingdom fall apart? I... it... we... nothing can continue without her.” Shining Armor was surprised to hear this. He knew his sister was fast to think, much faster than he ever could be, but it still was something to see her wrap this information around the whole nation, while her whole world collapsed under the sabaton of reality.
“I don't know,” he said. “I do not even know how to manage the formalities. I mean, for her, how would one?” He felt the oxygen in his throat grow dense.
A bright flash to their sides forced both unicorns to close their eyes tightly, and a familiar voice came up, “I expect the funeral to happen within two da-- forty-eight hours.”
“Understood,” Shining Armor pressed out before Twilight had the chance to open her eyes. As she did, she saw Luna facing them with wide opened eyes that laid around darkened, blue fur. She was heavily breathing and her horn glowed brightly.
“Luna,” she said softly, her heard rested sidewise on Shining Armor's neck.
“You were born in the worst of all times, Twilight Sparkle, I pity you,” Luna said before she teleported off again in an equally bright light.
“I pity you,” Twilight said after her. “I pity all of us.”
“Please don't,” Shining Armor said, recognizing a tone in Twilight's voice he didn't like. “Please don't ask yourself what you could have done better to prevent it.”
“But I must,” she deadpanned. “But I must.”
–
After Shining Armor decided it wasn't save to leave Twilight to herself, he bound her in to organize the last rise of the sun that didn't belong to Luna. She had explained to Shining Armor exactly what to do so everything would play out, so neither he nor Twilight, who unexpectedly understood the process way better than he did, lost a single second resting before everything was set. It proofed a painful movement; they now stood next to next in the first row before the great stage from which Celestia used to raise the sun ceremoniously at Summer Sun Celebrations. Now she only was lying in the middle of it, alone. She was only accompanied by her sister, who stood on the edge of the stage, facing an enormous growth that stood in a dignified silence before her. The continuous, weak rain softened the terrain and a soft wind carried the smell of wet wood from the gardens. Through it all washed Luna's words, like the magical essence of sorrow.
“Nearly two days have passed since this saddest of all events,” Luna said. “Nearly two days have passed since the Equestrian Kingdom lost its heart; the proud manticore reduced to a mere canvas. It stands in a mysterious chain of events, a secret that remains. It may never come to light, but it doesn't matter. This day, we say farewell to great dreams, to a pony who stood higher than most of us held ever possible for a pony to be able to reach. Many of you held my sister thus for immortal. You were wrong. It pains me to say, and I would give my life for being proven wrong, but I am not. When we were younger, Celestia often mused what might be said on her funeral. She would only do so to annoy me, because she knew that any thought of losing her would drive me insane. Now this day has come, this I hoped to never come, and I fear I cannot but disappoint her. Celestia, Princess Celestia of Equestria, was the greatest being that ever lived. She was a beacon of hope to every life she touched. She was a being who dreamed. She always had dreamed of a better live for everyone she knew. She always was concerned about the problems of others and at all times was she designated to fix them, without creating other, new problems. From dreams so grand she eventually called out the Equestrian Kingdom, the very one we all share together now, thousands of years later. Until her last day she gave all energy she could to keep us all together, to keep peace together. Every of her deeds was great enough to be sung upon. Her last day in court could be sung upon as her last stand against contempt, for all times. But she would not like that, so we shall not. Instead, as citizens of Equestria, we all should remember the dead. Even in dead, we shall have Celestia teach us, have her show us how to remember the dead. So, when any of you remember the warm moments Celestia gifted to you, then take it as a lesson on how to remember your passed friends and family members. For this is the grand dream Celestia pursued, the inextinguishable peace and love between all ponies, griffons, changelings. So, let us not bury her with her broken dreams so grand, but let us instead grant her the immortality many of us connected to her: by letting her dreams live on. A citizen of Equestria remembers the dead. Long live Celestia.”
A quiet, slowly growing repeat came from the growth. First was Shining Armor to repeat Luna's last sentence, “Long live Celestia.”
It was Twilight who joined second, before it spread to their sides and behind them, until it seemed to have become the whole nation's solace.
Luna waited for the response to die off before she stepped down the stage and took place in the ranks of the growth, next the Shining Armor, central before the stage. The weather and light had still stayed unchanged. From what Luna said, they now were waiting for the first sunrays to appear.
And they came. First, Celestia's body, numb and cold, began to radiate a golden shimmer, similar to the aura her magic had. Shining Armor had to place a hoof on Twilight's shoulder to keep her from running up the stage. Luna didn't move.
Then, indeed, the first sunrays broke through the clouds, falling onto the cold body as if they wanted to warm the Patriarch of the Sun. More sunrays followed, and eventually the stage got too bright to make out the dead body on it, until it's shape rose above the sea of light, as if Celestia was raising, flying like she would now raise the sun and everypony was fooled all the time. Twilight looked right and left hectically, but neither Shining Armor or Luna showed any sign of relief.
Then Celestia reached the metal circle as she always did, and behind her rose the incredibly bright ball of fire, illuminating her body in a vibrant red. But this time, Celestia didn't lower herself to smile gently at her subjects. This time, the colour of the sun slowly deepened and fused with the red of Celestia's body until she wasn't to be seen in the monochromatic view. Then happened nothing. She sun, shining brightly red, slowly rose and let any sign of Celestia missing.
“Let's go,” Shining Armor said to Twilight.
“What?” she rejected, “No! This can't be it! There must be something to come yet. Surely, Celestia will fly out of sun soon, good and new!”
Luna, hearing the passed alicorn's student's words, shook her head. “It's not working like that. She's gone, Twilight Sparkle. Like any pony, forever and irreversibly. I'm sorry.”
“But, but...” Twilight fell fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, “but....”
Damn! Those are some feels. Thanks for sharing this.
3370783 Ha, thanks! I forgot these can be viewed this easily. I ended up using my blogs as the in-between of my documents folder and the bin. I regret the lack of editing though.
3370991 ah I see. It's good.
...Sabaton fan?
3530672 ...Sabaton fan. Sometimes my mind just takes the weird path.