Hey there!
I'm glad to see many of you liked the last chapter. I was worried it was too much -too much thinking/not enough actions/same things repeated over and over again and such. But apparently it was okay, so good.
To ctran03931: You're absolutely right, and they all get it now that Nightmare Moon has come and gone. Celestia, at first, knew exactly what it meant to be a ruler: she knew it would be heavy to bear, and as the eldest, she's always been protective of her sisters. In the beginnings, she only sought to lighten both Staria's and Luna's burden, to take more on her shoulders so they'd be spared. It started from a good feeling, but she lost herself in the fame, power and glory, until she was blind to anything else. Protecting her sisters remained in a corner of her mind; she never really thought about it anymore, but she unconsciously used it to justify her actions, and Luna's young age and Staria's discretion became excuses, as well.
Luna, for her part, deluded herself into thinking Celestia did not care about her/the night/her role as a ruler. Because Staria faded into the background of her own will, it became a struggle of power between Celestia and Luna (though the elder didn't notice), and leading Staria to fade even more, in a vicious circle with no ending. And instead of attempting to soothe things over, to talk or anything of the likes, Luna just locked herself in her bitterness and allowed it to fester and grow until it became too much to bear.
As for Staria, I don't know if I made it clear, but from the beginning she believes she isn't as important as either Celestia and Luna -as day and Night. She's mostly okay with the idea, even if i's wrong, and it is part of the reason why she grows a lot more quiet and passive as a ruler, to let her sisters take the spotlight. As time goes on, she wonders about her usefulness as a ruler, as a sister and even as a pony, to the point that she let her doubts cloud her mind and she faded even more as her sisters logically took up the space she'd vacated, successfully isolating herself. It doesn't help that she doesn't actually get what her true role is. (I might explain that some day.)
They basically caused each other's downfall, a fact Staria is acutely aware of, while both Celestia and Luna blame themselves. Thus her decision later in this chapter.
Anyway, thanks for the review! I hope this was useful.
Important note: Staria is not dying in the previous chapter, nor is she going to die. The way I see it, as there are two rulers for the night (Staria and Luna), they constantly seek to balance each other. As Luna grew more powerful with the slow rise of Nightmare Moon, Staria grew weaker to restore balance, to the point of being unable to even stand up. It is not the same with the Day, because Day and Night must always be equals. (Does this all means Staria is more powerful now that Luna's been exiled? Yes.)
Feel free to argue :)
There is only one chapter left, the epilogue. Can't believe we're there already.
That said...enjoy!
XxxX
...You're loved so much more than you know...
"…Star…?"
There was no answer. The door had been closed for a long, long time.
It was her fault.
"Please, sister…I need you."
The young mare stood in front of her sister's door, eyes not really seeing anything. Her shining, newly rainbow-coloured mane hung limply by her side. She whom had always been so proper and regal-looking, today she looked exactly the way she was:
A mare who'd just lost her sister in the worst way possible.
Betrayal.
The door remained closed. If not for the light shining from beneath, the sun princess would believe her to be asleep.
Not that it would change anything.
"Do you resent me?"
Why wouldn't she answer? She could hear her breathing, behind the wood. Quiet, almost not there at all. She could picture her lying there, on the ground, unmoving, unwilling to get up and answer. It did not matter anymore.
"I understand if you do. I…I've failed as a ruler…and as a sister, too…"
Yes, she had. She failed her sisters –both of them. Blinded by her pride and thirst for glory. Disguised under care for them, under the wish to lighten their burden, she'd taken everything. No, it wasn't quite right.
She'd taken the spotlight. Not the burden.
Celestia did not fight the wave of self-loathing that threatened to engulf her. She deserved it.
A tiny hope made its way in her chest. One last try.
"Will you watch the night sky with me…?"
It hurt. Heavens, did it hurt. But nothing could be done.
On the Moon, the beautiful night orb that once lit up the dark sky, there, like a painful reminder of the most terrible night, Luna's face was etched on the once pure, white surface.
For the longest time.
Celestia rested her head on the door, gazing at the ground with tears softly rolling down her cheeks. She let out a humourless laugh.
"I understand, sister…"
She got up slowly, eyes downcast.
"You do not wish to see me right now…I wouldn't want to see myself either…"
She took a few steps backwards. A moment she hesitated, one hoof ready to knock again, but it touched the floor without touching the door again. She turned around.
"I'll leave you alone for now…but please, sister…" She paused, but she did not have the strength to look back once more, to see once again the proof of her sister's pain.
"…Come back to me. We…we still have a duty to our ponies. And perhaps…"
She reached deep in herself to find the strength to go on. Did she even have the right to say those words…?
"Perhaps we can start again…and learn from our mistakes…"
The slow, tired clopping sound of her hooves echoed endlessly in the empty corridor, barely muffled by the heavy drapes and tapestries decorating the hallway. Nothing could have muffled the sound of the sisters' pain.
"…Goodnight, Staria…"
At long last, the clopping stopped when Celestia finally settled down for the night –though she knew sleep would elude her, as it had ever since Luna fell. In the closed room, beyond the door, Staria faced the night, gazing at the stars hanging uselessly in the midnight sky. You are the Guardian of Lost Souls, Staria. The Stars are your way of guiding them back to where they belong. Their mother had told her, once. She was the guide. The light shining when nothing else did, the one ponies relied on when they were lost.
Luna had been lost.
What use did she have for their ponies, if she could not help her own sister?
None. This nightmarish night had at least made her realise this.
Equestria had no use for a guide who did not know her way.
A Lost Soul could help no one.
And she'd been lost long before this night.
Sapphire eyes gazed back at the door, silver tears streaming down her cheeks. Midnight blue wings opened wide in front of the window.
"…Forgive me, Sister…"
The mourning wind blew the drapes back inside the room.
There was no one to witness it.
XxxX
Review~