"Twilight!" Spike cried late one night. He ran toward Twilight Sparkle who was in her room doing some "light" late night reading at her desk. A pile of books lay disrupted on the bed, apparently being unable to provide the information the purple alicorn needed.
Twilight Sparkle closed the book she was reading forcefully in anger and used her magic to throw the book onto the pile. The book created a ripple effect within the others of its kind, and Twilight had to fix all the books into a nice, clean pile again with her magic to prevent them from spilling out onto the floor. She rolled her eyes and groaned before turning to Spike, annoyed. "Yes, Spike?"
The dragon held up a scroll that looked particularly pretty and was sporting a beautiful purple bow that exactly matched that of Twilight Sparkle's fur to her. "From Celestia!" he chirped with a reassuring smile and a glance at the pile of books on the bed. "Uh, do you need help looking for something?" he added.
The princess shook her head dismissively. "N-n-no! No, no! I'm fine!"
If her tone didn't raise suspicion, Spike could see that Twilight's hair was getting a bit sloppy-which is never a good sign. Spike raised an eyebrow, but opened the scroll and started reading:
"My Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle,
Would you like to have tea with me in Canterlot tomorrow morning at eight? It could be like old times, times before I sent you to Ponyville. It would be a pleasure to talk to you again! Things have been ever so dreary as of late. I hope to see you soon. Goodnight!
Your friend,
Princess Celestia."
Twilight brightened up at the idea of what was to come. Every time she saw had seen her mentor recently, it was because of something Celestia had to have done for the fate of Equestria or at the Grand Galooping Gala, which she had only been to only twice. Tomorrow, however, was going to be different. Tomorrow Twilight and her mentor would be able to have a relaxing conversation without the world be at stake. Plus, Twilight would be able to ask some long-awaited questions of Celestia, without being bothered, interrupted, or forced to go on some adventure.
Yes, tomorrow would be an amazing day for Twilight. No one else was coming that Twilight knew of, so nothing could go wrong.
Twilight Sparkle nodded at the guards thankfully before opening the door and trotting excitedly the next morning to meet Celetstia.
The room was filled to the brim with trinkets and gifts that had been given by those she met and had carded for, most of them long since deceased. In the far right corner there was a pink four poster bed that had purplish-bluish blankets that had stars on them right next to a window. The bed had disoriented dolls and toys. The wallpaper around the bed seemed to be painted to match the blankets instead of the various shades of pinks and golds that were painted everywhere else in the room and had pictures of the sisters on them. The rest of the walls had posters and pictures as well. Some were old and yellowing, yet still others were new. Just in the middle of the back wall was a crackling fireplace, and in the right hand corner was a neat and tidy desk amid all the other chaos in the room. Right in front of Twilight was a painted white, low, wooden table that was set up with a tea set, cake, and cheeses and crackers. There was a fuzzy blue rug laid out on the floor.
"Good morning, Twilight! Come and sit down!" Celestia called happily, gesturing for Twilight to come sit on the opposite side of the table from her, which was the closest to Twilight as well.
"Good morning, Celestia!" Twilight replied, obliging to Celestia's request and trotting to the table before sitting on the soft carpet. The carpet felt like a cloud, yet it was as warm as if somepony was giving Twilight a hug.
"Tea?" Celestia offered politely, levitating the teapot to be able to pour it into the cup of Twilight.
"Yes, please!" Twilight said eagerly, taking the cup with her magic once Celestia was done and bringing it up to her lips. At once she felt a sensation of warmth course through her body, making Twilight smile and feel a bit more pleasant than without it from her horn to her hooves. Setting the cup down, Twilight took one particularly delicious-looking cake and bit into it eagerly.
Celestia smiled fondly, recalling all the times that she had eaten with Twilight before she had sent Twilight to Ponyville. The Princess of the Sun sipped her own tea, blowing on it ever so slightly as to not burn her tongue.
"So, I was researching something last night. I thought I'd ask you about it, since I couldn't find anything." Twilight Sparkle said when she finished eating her cake.
Celestia put her cup down before answering,"Oh, what were you studying then? Ask away."
"I was studying the effects of dark magic. If Sombra can hurt ponies so easily, somepony out there could be really suffering witho-" Twilight said, but stopped after seeing her mentor's face. Celestia was wearing a deep disapproving frown upon her face. Whenever that frown appeared, it did not bode well.
"Twilight, I will not tell you anything I know. I cannot. You know that I wouldn't do this without good reason. I have one, yet sadly, I cannot even tell you that." Celestia replied in almost her usual calm tone, except it lacked it's normal joy. She refiled her cup and took another sip of tea, forcing herself to look at the cakes instead of Twilight.
Twilight got up, angered at her mentor's response. "But! Ponies could still be hu-"
Celestia took another sip and set the cup down before shaking her head and responding, her voice as strong as a thousand years of regret and anger, without even raising her voice that much,"No, Twilight. Don't you get it? Nothing can be done. A thousand years, and you think I haven't tried? A thousand years, and you think that I didn't once try to save my sister, or the people I cared for, while I am forever doomed to watch them die at my hoof?"
Twilight Sparkle stood silently in astonishment at her mentor, teacher, and friend. She had never seen the Princess of the Sun lose control like this, and neither had she expected to do so. Celestia was always there to help Twilight when she was in pain, but was she ever there for Celestia, let alone need to be? Twilight didn't know.
Banging her hoof on the table, Celestia crushed the tea cup, and a mixture of tea and blood flowed out of the remains of the shattered teacup and onto the floor. Celestia winced at the pain, but ignored it and kept going, getting up as she did so,"Yes. Of course I did! Of course I tried to save them! I tried everything! Even dark magic didn't help!
After Luna's banishment, I was devastated. I couldn't work, I couldn't face anyone, I couldn't even get out of my room. All I could do was replay the memory over and over again, knowing that I might have killed my sister by sending her to the moon, seeing as there isn't any oxygen that I am aware of there. I cried a lot during those times, and people came every day to attempt to "fix" me.
Even though, that amounts to nothing next to what I did after that. I attempted doing dark magic since the elements' power was weakened in order to try and get my dear Luna back to me. In doing so, I hurt those I loved and cost some of their lives. I created those which should have never been created. I have been so very selfish, I have done some many things that I could never make up for in a hundred thousand years. I am a monster." Celestia half screamed. She looked as if she were in physical pain that was definitely not from the shattered teacup.
All Twilight could think about was Celestia at this point, and she knew if anyone else were in the same situation, they would be doing the same. She had to get Celestia help. Someone had to be behind Celestia's words. Blackmail? Death threats? Dark magic? Whichever it was, Twilight would not, no, could not believe Celestia.
Celestia walked over to Twilight and covered her with one wing. Her anger softened, seeing the filly-like expression of disbelief in Twilight's eyes. "Twilight, I know what you are thinking. I am acting on my own accord. There is one more thing I must tell you, though." Celestia said softly, raising Twilight's head with a hoof so they could look eye to eye.
"Y-yes?" Twilight asked, struck with confusion, anger, worry, pity, and pain.
"Twilight, everything has a shadow, even the sun. In fact, the sun has the biggest shadow of them all. The darkness of sin, greed, and foolishness dwell in the shadows and hide from the blinding light that eludes them. They search for unknowing children to engulf in the darkness, feeding themselves as they get ever stronger.
Not even the moon, nor the stars shall evade their clutches, for in a billion years the flames of the sun will tickle the earth, and life as we know it shall cease. It shall be my demise. The demise. And the light and the darkness will forever be at a middle ground. No one lives, no one dies, all shall cease."