Beneath the moon and shining stars there stands a mare I love,

Her lovely eyes look towards the skies crafting heavens up above,

So cold, alone and sad is she,

I wish that she would notice me,

My dearest wish will always be

To join her midnight reverie…

     Princess Luna had to look away from the page for her heart could bear no more. She cursed fate. She had spent so many nights longing for somepony to love, somepony to hold tight and be with. He had been there all along, silent and somber, pining for her. She hated herself. This was her fault. That spell had been meant for her. She wished with all her heart that she had been the one to die, not this beautiful soul. He really was beautiful. Luna was so used to being royalty that she often hardly thought of her servants as individual ponies. Most of the time they were just the cogs and springs in the well-oiled machine that was Canterlot Castle. Yet there among them, unbeknownst to her, had been a kind and wonderful pony. He had been an artist, a philosopher, and a poet -- a truly unique individual who wanted nothing more than to be with her. He had so much love to give, love that she yearned for night after dark night.

     Luna closed the journal, not wanting her tears to stain its cherished pages. She left her suite and made for the guards’ quarters. The palace was silent; her only companions were the sentries on duty. Everypony else was fast asleep.

     The entrance to the guards’ living quarters was narrow and unremarkable, hidden at the back of the castle. Inside, the beautiful, polished look that adorned the rest of the palace faded away into walls of grey stone and simple wooden doors. His room was not hard to find, for upon it hung a wreath of roses placed there by the other guards. In the center was a posthumously awarded Celestial Star of Valor, the highest honor in the Equestrian military.

     When Luna opened the door, she was shocked at how small the room was, and how little there was inside of it. Nothing but a cot and a small desk with a lantern on it.

     “So, this is where you lived…” she breathed into the dark. She went over to look at the desk, lighting the lantern with a quick bit of magic. On it were scattered various papers, everything from official reports to drawings. One of them caught her eye. It was of her, standing at the watchtower, her eyes toward the sky. Every little detail was correct; she even recognized a particular sky that she had created. She never forgot her skies, and this had been one of her favorites.

     “And you noticed,” she whispered again, wiping away a few tears. She turned from the desk and went over to inspect the cot. It was a far cry from her plush mattress. How could one live with so little? Luna laid down upon it. It was terribly uncomfortable.

     Luna removed the guard’s journal from her satchel. There was an inkwell and a worn out quill on the floor next to the cot, so she figured he must have done much of his writing in this very spot. She opened the book and picked up where she had left off. She was determined to read the whole thing even if it broke her heart.

Beneath the moon and shining stars there stands a mare I love,

Her lovely eyes look towards the skies crafting heavens up above,

So cold, alone and sad is she,

I wish that she would notice me,

My dearest wish will always be

To join her midnight reverie.

I wish that I could go to her and hold my princess tight,

To love and laugh and dream beside the goddess of the night,

But duty binds my hooves to stay,

Together, we can’t be that way,

I hope with all my being someday,

She’ll find one to take her heart away.

    “It could have been you…I wish it had been you.”

     Luna finished the poem and moved on to the next entry, and then the next. At long last she came to the end, the last thing he’d ever written.

     I’m going with her to Ponyville today! Princess Celestia insisted that Princess Luna take four of her guards with her when she goes to make her speech. I volunteered and after some…negotiating…between the two of them, she agreed to take me and my brothers. I’m practically giddy, but I have to get my head out of the clouds. I must be vigilant. Nothing is more important than my princess and her safety. Nothing. Thank you Princess Luna, I will not fail you. Thank you for this honor.

     And that was all. He was no more, and there was nothing she could do about it. She laid her head down on his pillow, imagining him being there with her as she closed her eyes.

     “No, my love,” she whispered as the lantern’s light died, “thank you.”