Black. All around, there was black. The conventional black mane. The rare black coat. And the omnipresent black outfit - suits or gowns, it didn't matter. Earth-ponies, pegasi, and unicorns were all present at the event. Indeed, the event had drawn an enormous crowd of over a thousand ponies. Royal Guards stood at attention throughout the room, making certain nothing happened.
The room, though quiet even before, silenced as a large, regal figure stepped into the doorway. Royal Guards flanked the white-coated mare, guiding a path for her to a large casket in the center of the hall. The alicorn, Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, had made a promise to be here, and she indeed was. She slowly peered into the wooden box, and a single tear fell from her eye.
Inside the casket was an old unicorn mare, seemingly aged to around 80 years (though she had magically prolonged her own life to a ripe 90). Her yellow coat bore on the flank a red spark, surrounded by tiny sparkles: a completely unique Cutie Mark of magic itself. Her mane was a bright white, though Celestia remembered when it had been a beautiful red, matching her now-closed eyes.
"Princess Celestia. I am sorry for the passing of your beloved pupil," a unicorn stallion said from across the casket. He, too, had a yellow coat, and he was obviously getting along in his own years. Celestia remembered that this was Manalight's colt, Vestron.
"No, Vestron, I am sorry for the passing of your mother. She was a good mare, and you were very fortunate to have her in your life, for however short a time," Celestia said. She then noticed her own mistake, and quickly amended. "Or rather, she had a very long and full life, and we must be glad for that."
"I accept your amendment," Vestron said, giving a hollow chuckle. "I am happy that you have come to my mother's funeral. Do... do you intend to take another pupil? Your teachings were a great influence in her life."
"I do. It is something I have already arranged with Spike," Celestia affirmed.
As if on cue, a young purple-and-green dragon (young by dragon standards, at least) came through the door behind Celestia. He, too, bore a black suit, specially made for his species. He stood as tall as an adult pony, and to announce his presence, he breathed a small shot of fire into the air. He was, in almost all aspects but size, a fully-developed dragon.
"Yes, Princess Celestia, I am here. You are certain that this will not hurt?" the dragon asked nervously.
"Of course not, Spike. I would never harm you," Celestia said warmly. She then began shouting in the traditional Royal Canterlot Voice, to which all subjects but the most steeled drew back from.
"Friends and family of my pupil Manalight, before we proceed with the funeral, I shall take this chance to announced my selection of my next pupil. All know Spike, Manalight's dragon companion, who's egg she rescued from a hungry manticore and personally cared for from hatching to her death.
"Now, the cycle shall begin anew! Spike stands before me, prepared for a reversal of his life cycle. From an egg he came, and to an egg he shall return. If ever another pony can break his shell, the pony that did so shall become my next pupil. I will make certain that he does not die within the shell, with a complicated spell causing a temporal stasis. If any object to my procedure, speak now or forever hold your tongue!" The room remained silent, save for one or two young ponies who had never before heard the terrifying voice starting to cry. "Good. Spike, stand still."
Celestia "turned off" he Royal Canterlot Voice, and began chanting a spell. As the ponies stoof stunned, Spike began to gradually shrink, until he was barely as tall as a filly. Next, he curled into a ball as a shell began to form around him. With a few final words, a light blue barrier surrounded the fully-formed shell before vanishing. Two Royal Guards stood on their hind legs and carried the large egg out of the room.
"Now that I am finished, I will ask you to continue on. I shall stay for only a few minutes longer. Though I wish greatly to stay and see Manalight properly buried, royal duties are a greater need that personal affairs," Celestia said.
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200 years passed. Times changed. But one thing remained tradition: when a pony wished to enter the Princess's Academy for Gifted Unicorns, they would first need to pass a test. They would start with conventional, true material for the test, and then bring in Spike's egg. It would otherwise remain in the Royal Palace of Canterlot, in an open (yet constantly guarded) section where anypony could attempt to break it. For 200 years, not even a crack appeared on the hardened shell.
By the time a young filly named Twilight Sparkle came in, it was almost part of the test only for ritualistic purposes, as nopony truly believed that it would ever be broken - it was simply Princess Celestia's way of rejecting a new pupil. But then the impossible happened: in a strange occurence, the filly had a magical overload, and shattered the egg, as well as growing the newly-hatched Spike to 50 feet tall.
Princess Celestia herself appeared and renewed things to the way they were before. Whilst accepting her new pupil, she also pointed out (with a light heart and gladdened spirit) a reminder of her old pupil: a Cutie Mark of magic. Princess Celestia knew that this was filly was a truly talented unicorn, and she would remain with her for many years to come.
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Black. All around, there was black. The conventional black mane. The rare black coat. And the omnipresent black outfit - suits or gowns, it didn't matter. Earth-ponies, pegasi, and unicorns were all present at the event. Indeed, the event had drawn an enormous crowd of over a thousand ponies. Royal Guards stood at attention throughout the room, making certain nothing happened.
The room, though quiet even before, silenced as a large, regal figure stepped into the doorway. Royal Guards flanked the white-coated mare, guiding a path for her to a large casket in the center of the hall. The alicorn, Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, had made a promise to be here, and she indeed was. She slowly peered into the wooden box, and a single tear fell from her eye.
Inside the casket was a purple unicorn mare: Twilight Sparkle. Her life prolonged by the Element of Magic (even to the point of outliving most of the other Elements), her wrinkled features still bore a satisfied smile. Across her chest was her last letter to the Princess, stating that she was dying, and that her life was well-lived due to Princess Celestia's companionship and order to make friends when she was but a young pony.
A second figure stepped through the doorway behind Celestia, herself flanked by frightening black stallions with bat-like wings: her very own Royal Guards, loyal only to Princess Luna. She stepped beside Celestia, as their Royal Guards mixed together with some reluctance.
"All good things come to an end, sister. She was a good mare," Luna whispered.
"Darn right she was," a very aged Earth-pony said from the other side of the casket. Her orange coat and three-apple Cutie Mark identified her as the last living Element of Harmony: Applejack.
"Silence, Applejack," Luna said viciously. Celestia shook her head.
"No, Luna. Applejack is right," she said. She then turned to Applejack. "I am sorry. You have lost your final friend."
"Ah'd would be lyin' if I said my heart doesn't hurt, and I never lie," Applejack admitted. "My darn Element made me see the death of mah whole family, and then all of mah best friends. Ah don't have much left to live for."
"I know the feeling," Celestia said, nodding sagely. "Twilight was not my first pupil." Applejack let out a small gasp. "Manalight was my last before Twilight. Luna would not know her, as she was... gone, at the time. She was very much like Twilight: brave, hard-working, intelligent, talented, and a little crazy at some times." She gave a playful wink, but even she didn't smile. "She surpassed even the legendary Starswirl the Bearded, but on account of having less connections with the local storytellers, her magic was not put into song and dance."
"Hmph. If Pinkie was still around, she'd'ah put it into verse on the spot. 'Course, that would be small fries compared to her havin' thrown her own 'pre-death party'," Applejack said. "It's like she knew when these things would happen. Anyway, please continue, your Highness."
"Thank you, Applejack. I put Spike back into an egg upon her death - he'd first been her own dragon, you see - and enchanted the egg with strong protective magic. The pony who broke the egg and rehatched Spike would be my next pupil," Celestia completed.
"Ya sure did a good job of teachin' them both. Twilight was a mighty fine wizard," Applejack complimented.
"I would like to thank you again, Applejack, before you too pass on," Luna said. "Without you and your friends, the world would be enveloped in eternal night. And Nightmare Moon would be causing it all."
"No need for thanks, Princess. If you don't mind me askin', do either of you intend on taking a pupil again?" Applejack asked.
"Pupils have brought sorrow. Envy. Anger. And sometimes even disappointment," Celestia said. "It is difficult for mortal ponies to understand, but when you are immortal, you will outlive everyone you love - in my case, I nearly even outlived my own sister, a fellow immortal."
"But, Princess, ya can't just separate yerself from the mortal ponies," Applejack protested.
"I know. And that is why I do not. I realize with every protege that I will see them dead eventually. But I continue to accept them, because I know that despite eventual sorrow, the years I have with them will be joyful," Celestia said, now smiling a true, happy smile. "I have summoned Spike, and we have a way to select the next student of mine. Luna has her own methods."
"Really? How will ya choose?" Applejack asked.
"Well..." Celestia began.