“Dearest sister, is everything alright?” Luna asked with a frown. She stood silently in the doorway to her sister’s bed-chambers, staring at her sister who was lying on her bed, staring at the wall.
“I had another nightmare last night,” Celestia admitted. Luna wasn’t surprised at this; night terrors had been an issue for her sister for the past week. She wished she could help out in some way, but Luna had promised to never enter her dreams; that was a promise she intended to keep.
“They’re not real, sister. You have to remember that,” Luna ensured. She promptly made her way to Celestia’s side and lied next to her, resting a hoof on her back.
“I know they aren’t real, but…” Celestia trailed off. She continued to stare at the far wall, unblinking. “I can’t quit feeling that they are more than dreams. The things I’ve seen in my dreams, they’re terrifying.”
“What do you see? In these dreams, what makes you feel they are real?” Luna asked, her voice soft and caring.
“It’s an evil place. No, that’s not the correct term. I want to believe it has a malicious intent, but somewhere I feel that it exists not to cause pain, but to end it. All over, darkness is the only thing present, save for a single speck of light off in the distance. It’s not the first time I’ve had this dream since… I’ve been having it for much longer than a week as I told you,” Celestia explained.
“You mean you’ve been having them since Twilight-“
“Don’t speak her name, Luna,” Celestia snapped. Luna jumped back at her sister’s sudden outburst. Seeing the surprise on her sister’s face, Celestia sighed. “I apologize. I just feel so guilty. It’s all my fault that she’s... It takes a toll on me, knowing I caused her so much pain. Because of me, she’ll never get to spend time with her friends again, she’ll never-“
“Quiet, sister. Don’t say those things. She’s a strong mare, stronger than you give her credit for. It’s going to take more than a little coma to stop her,” Luna comforted.
“Thank you, but I can’t believe your words. Mystia, she was gone for a thousand years; I never got over her loss. However, now that she’s back I can’t help but hate her. I know it’s wrong, but it’s the truth. I hate that I was responsible for sending Twilight in after her. I hate that Twilight chose to save her instead of herself. I know that none of it is her fault, but it’s so easy to blame somepony other than yourself.”
“I understand, my dearest sister. I can’t even begin to comprehend the guilt you’re feeling; I honestly hope I never have to. However, you have to stop beating yourself up for it, as well as stop blaming Mystia for what Twilight did. I know Twilight much less than you do, but I at least know that she’d never had forgiven herself if she had left Mystia there; she’s far too selfless,” Luna consoled.
“I know all of this too well, Luna. It’s the only thing that keeps me going.”
Both sisters immediately looked forward as a guard, his breath labored, entered into the room. Quickly regaining his composure, he stood erect and saluted the Princesses.
“Forgive my intrusion, but I have urgent news,” the guard said.
“It’s alright. What news do you have?” Celestia replied.
“It’s regarding Twilight; she’s woken up.”
Celestia’s eyes went wide as she gasped. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Was she still dreaming? No, she was sure she wasn’t. Could it possibly be true?
“Are you sure? I’ll not tolerate jokes about her well-being,” Celestia said.
“Well, she is awake, but… I was just told to come get you immediately. You’ll have to see for yourself, Princess.”
“Very well,” Celestia acknowledged. “Thank you for telling me. Luna, go with this stallion and ensure that he is rewarded for bringing this knowledge to me.”
“Of course,” Luna agreed. Celestia immediately left the room at a brisk pace and made her way to the end of the hall. At first appearance it seemed to be an ordinary wall. However, when Celestia pulled a nearby unicorn statue’s horn, the wall slid began to rotate, placing Celestia on the other side of the wall.
Inside was a staircase, one that spiraled down for three floors. It led to a subsection of the basement that was once used to house Mystia in a form of stasis so as to prevent her body from aging. She was gone now, off to Ponyville to replace Twilight. Twilight’s body now took her place under constant medical watch.
The transition of Twilight’s unconscious body happened shortly after Mystia awoke. After she had told Celestia what had happened, Celestia knew that it would be a long time until her student awoke. Twilight’s friends had agreed to her transfer so as to ensure her survival.
They had stopped visiting a few months after; they had sadly given up all hope. No, that wasn’t it. It was the same reason that Celestia had stopped visiting her: it’s easier to forget somepony than it is to remember them knowing that you’ll probably never see them again.
Celestia sighed as she reached the door into Twilight’s room. If it was true, she wasn’t sure how she was going to respond. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside.
In the middle of the room was a magical force field that was powered by controlled magic. It was a special field that slowed the body’s ageing by a few thousand times, essentially ensuring that the pony inside never ages. At the power it was running, millennia was equal to about a month of aging.
Inside the center of the field sat Twilight. She was hooked up to medical machines just like she had been at the hospital. Celestia quickly ordered the field down and took her place next to Twilight’s bed for the first time in four years.
“Twilight, are you really awake?” Celestia asked, her eyes burning from tears that threatened to reveal themselves. Celestia listened carefully with her breath held as she awaited any type of response.
“I apologize for calling you down here under false pretenses, Celestia,” said a mare as she stood up from a nearby desk.
“The guard you sent told me that she was awake. Is she…”
“I’m sorry. That poor guard didn’t want to lie, but I insisted. I know how you are and I felt it best for you to hear it from me while she’s right here.” Celestia’s heart dropped; she was fairly sure what the news was, but she was also uncertain. It could be anything ranging from her condition worsening to… Celestia didn’t want to think about it.
“What is it?” she asked as she took a seat next to Twilight.
“I’ve been monitoring her condition for the past two days. I was pleasantly surprised when she started showing signs of improvement, such as slight movements or an increased heart rate.”
“That’s great news!” Celestia exclaimed, not caring to hold her excitement. She didn’t care if she seemed a giddy school filly; she wasn’t holding up appearances. The doctor she had appointed was one of the finest in Equestria and didn’t bury herself in politics. That meaning she didn’t even see Celestia as a princess, merely a simple mare. To her, Celestia was just a private client with an intriguing case.
“You didn’t let me finish. At about three last night she suddenly worsened. I had come in extra early as I was interested in her condition. The nurse that was on duty mentioned that she showed was showing signs of extreme improvement beforehand, followed by the sudden drop,” the doctor explained.
“What are you trying to tell me? Is she getting better or not?”
“I’m afraid she’s far from improving. She’s dying.” Celestia’s heart dropped. That was what she had feared. She wanted to cry, to feel something, but she only felt numb and disassociated. She had been preparing for the news for a long time, but now that she was hearing it she couldn’t fathom it. It was as if her brain was blocking it out, but she was aware it was true. Denial and acceptance at the same time.
“Could she start to improve again?”
“There’s no telling, honestly. It was gradual improvement with a harsh drop. She’s in the worst condition she’s been in since I took over her case. As it is now she’s got about a week left,” the doctor told her. Celestia simply shook her head lightly and looked down at Twilight. Her mane was a mess, much like it had been after long nights of studying. The stasis she was kept in meant she hadn’t aged at all; her mane was still exactly the same length.
“I did have another reason for calling you down here. I wouldn’t tell you about it if I thought there was another way, but honestly I don’t think she’s going to start improving. Whatever is happening in that coma dream of hers, she’s obviously given up-“
“Don’t you dare say that. She’s strong; Twilight never gives up. I’ve known her since she was just a filly and she’s only gotten surer of herself. I’ve never once seen her quit,” Celestia snapped.
“Well, whatever you want to believe, she’s not likely to improve. Now, do you want to hear about it or do you want to take your chances waiting for her?”
“I… I don’t know. Let me know what it is and I’ll think about it.”
“I’m just going to tell you now; it’s not a way to fix her. It’s more of a way to ensure that she had no more misery and that you can tell her goodbye. It’s a heavily experimental procedure, one that we’ve only done on a pony once before. It has a high success rate, but it is fatal,” she explained.
“If it’s fatal, what’s the point?”
“Let me finish. Using magic as well as medicine, we’ll be able to forcefully pull her out of the coma. However, the trauma will destroy a good part of her nervous system; she’ll be dead within ten minutes. The upside is that she will mentally be awake. She’ll be in no pain at all and she’ll be able to hear everything around her. In the best cases she might even be able to speak back, but it’s highly unlikely.”
“It would end her suffering?” Celestia asked as she brushed a tuft of hair out of Twilight’s face.
“Yes. I’m not sure what type of world she’s in, but from what that other mare said… It isn’t a place I’d want to stay in. I know it’s not easy to sentence somepony you love to death, but it’s your call. Either way, I want to monitor her improvement for three more days at most and I’ll be dropping the stasis so that she’s not under any magical influence. After those three days are over you’ll have to make the choice.”
“I don’t think I can,” Celestia admitted.
“You have to. This is the point when I’d tell you what I think is best, but honestly I don’t know. She could start improving, but she could also worsen. If she gets any worse than this, the option will become unavailable.”
“Can I have some time alone?”
“Of course. Come find me when you’re done; I’ll be preparing to drop the stasis.” Celestia nodded as the doctor grabbed a few notes and departed from the room. With a grim demeanor, she looked down at Twilight and began to ponder as to what she should do. She’d watched so many of her students die, most of them in suffering near the end. Every single time it was of her doing; she brought her beloved students to their end. She put them hoof in hoof with death after they had trusted her with their lives.
She had a choice in the matter. She didn’t want to think that she once again put a student to her death, but she took slight solace in the fact that she could end her suffering. She began to recount the story that Mystia told her of her time in there, how it was such a hellish place. She also replayed Twilight’s heroic sacrifice in her mind as recounted by Mystia over and over.
The beeping of machines was the only thing sound in the room as Celestia stared at her student. She had to make a choice she knew she could never make. Twilight’s life, and in a way, death, were in her hooves. She allowed a tear to drop and land on the bed beside Twilight as she thought of the repercussions of both decisions. It quickly occurred to her that it didn’t have to be her choice alone; her friends held as much importance to Twilight as she did.
With that thought in mind she nodded slowly to herself and closed her eyes. The next three days would be a sleepless hell, but she knew she’d not sleep until the decision was done. On the third day she’d allow her friends to see her and together they would decide what to do.
If anything, they could all say goodbye; that would make Twilight happy. Either way, Celestia knew that she was done, she knew she couldn’t be a good leader in her current condition. After their decision, she would have another announcement to Twilight’s friends. She wanted to think about it.
The stasis bubble went down. The three days had started.