"...Once"
They say that life is unpredictable.
No matter how stable things may seem at one point, everything can come tumbling down in a flash, leaving you without anything.
What had happened in the last couple of months?
Everything was a blur. She could clearly remember the last harvest festival, the streets were full of joyful ponies dancing and singing in happiness. The last winter had been really hard on the city, but now that time had passed, and the trade routes were open, they could finally get back in touch with the other cities of the region, and the town could grow.
It was around this time that she met him. A gallant Prince from a neighboring city, they hadn’t initially hit it off, but she had always considered him charming. She played hard to get, it wasn’t proper for a Princess to take the initiative, so she waited for him to propose.
Could things have turned out differently had she been bolder? Maybe. Most likely yes.
Still, she didn’t understand what had drove the Prince to do… that.
She brought her hoof to her heart. She was holding a bloodstained scarf, her last memento of the one that until recently was her fiancé; but as much as she was hurt by the loss of her love, there was a bigger pain in her heart at the moment.
The regal alicorn walked towards her balcony, and looked at the city below her.
She looked at the once lush gardens, once full of exotic specimens from all around the realm of Equus, now burnt to a crisp; the houses of her ponies, once colorful and full of life now stood crumbled and abandoned. The market, once the gem of the city, was nothing more than a monument to her failure.
Princess Golden Dream looked down at her kingdom and wept.
She stood on that balcony for hours, until she heard the frantic gallop of a pony, who soon bursted through the doors of her chamber.
“Your majesty, we are ready for evacuation,” said the guard.
But the Princess didn’t move, she remained immobile on the balcony.
“Your Highness, please,” the guard pleaded to her Princess, but she didn’t react, “the troops will be entering the palace any second now.”
“Was your family evacuated, Bold Spear?” she said, in her usual motherly voice.
The guard stayed silent, not knowing how to react.
“Yes, your Highness… But—” he was interrupted.
“Your filly, Cloudy,” the Princess said, “she got her cutie mark not too long ago, right?”
“Yes, she did,” the guard shifted nervously and walked towards the balcony, “but Princess, this isn’t the moment for—” he was interrupted, once again.
“Writing,” the Princess mused, “one of the finest of arts.” She then walked towards her desk and took a small portrait.
The guard’s nervousness increased, he knew he couldn’t force the Princess to leave, but she did not appear to care about the impending danger that could befall her. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.
“Could you do me a favor, Bold?” asked the Princess.
“Y-yes, my Princess” the guard said as he saluted.
The Princess smiled as she encased the portrait in her magic and floated it into the guards saddlebags.
“Have your daughter tell other ponies about my mistakes, and the mistakes of my loved one,” she said in a faint voice, almost a whisper.
“Princess... What are you—?”
“My city has fallen, Bold Spear,” the face of the alicorn turned serious, “and so has the city of my beloved.” She leaned towards the speechless guard. “Because of our actions.” She then turned around and pushed the guard outside of her room with her magic. “Whatever punishment they see fit for me won’t be enough.”
She then bowed towards the horizon and whispered to herself. “It will never be enough…”
“But, Princess. If you only had told your sisters—” he began.
“They have their own problems, Bold Spear,” she said in an authoritarian voice that made the guard flinch, “I shall face my punishment with my head held high.” She turned around one last time, her eyes softening, and a faint smile appearing on her face. “Thank you for all your years of loyal service, Bold,” she said, now in a kind tone, “Now go, your family awaits.”
A tear made its way through the guard’s cheek, he gave a salute with a shaking hoof and said, “Goodbye, Princess Golden Dream,” and then he turned around, and galloped away. The alicorn closed the doors behind him.
They say that life is unpredictable.
The Princess pondered this thought as she looked at the sky, and the sun made its way down. Considering the events of the last months, she arrived at the conclusion that life is not unpredictable, life follows a straightforward line of cause and effect. No, life wasn’t unpredictable.
Ponies were.
She had lived for a long time, and in her life she had seen almost everything. She had seen good ponies do awful things, despite their best intentions; and she had seen bad ponies redeem themselves through acts of selflessness. Yes, ponies were truly unpredictable.
She saw an eruption of flames in the distance, and she knew they were getting closer.
But if she knew that ponies were unpredictable, why had she been so surprised when she learned what her loved one had done to win her heart?
A loud roar echoed through the valley.
She was so heartbroken when she found out, but she had forgiven him. She had forgiven him and she had showed him that she still loved him. But even all the forgiveness in the world couldn’t fix the damage that their carelessness had caused the little ponies they had sworn to protect.
Another burst of flames, Princess Golden Dream hoped that her guards had managed to leave in time. She thought that she could at least buy them some time. With that, she left the bloodied scarf on her nightstand, next to her crown, and walked towards the balcony.
She gave a deep breath and jumped from the balcony, opening her wings and soaring into the sky. Another roar, much louder than the last one, was heard, and she flew towards it.
Her last thought before the burst of fire enveloped her was of her beloved. She closed her eyes and let him take her.
The creature was silenced as the Princess crashed onto his body, bringing it to the ground with her. And as they fell she thought of Cloudy, and hoped that, even though it was too late for her, future generations could learn from the mistakes her beloved and herself made.
And as the world turned to black, a tear escaped her eyes, and she whispered the name of her beloved.