Today is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s 500th birthday, and her most faithful student, an earth pony with a familiar name, can’t wait to celebrate!

Notes:
- Cover art by ErinKarsath, used with permission. Check out her DeviantArt page.
- This is a story in the Birthdayverse, and you can find the sequel here.
- Many thanks to my faithful Pre-Reader and all around super-duper best pony, Blood Lord. Go read his story, too!
- This was written during the season 3 hiatus of MLP:FiM.

All life fades. This is fact.

Four alicorn princesses: The Sun, the Moon, Love, and Friendship. They share the weight of immortality equally. Equestria is in their hooves, and they're trusted by its citizens. It is their duty to defend and protect, for justice to prevail over all.

So when Applejack dies, it's not unexpected. But as the Tree of Harmony slowly withers, Twilight realizes she is the last Element of Harmony. Equestria is now left exposed and defenseless to attack.

With her cocky and dynamic student, Flash Freeze, Princess Twilight must slowly come to terms with immortality and find the five new Element Bearers before it's too late. And even though Flash Freeze loves her dearly, the youngest alicorn princess can't bring herself to commit to his tutorship.

Because all life fades. And so will he.

--
Artwork~
Twilight's New Student
Flash Freeze Today
Flash Freeze Sketches
Story Preview

Twilight Sparkle thinks she will never die.

She wasn't prepared when her friends died, when she could only die when her domain - friendship - faded away. Friendship never faded. She was stuck being immortal for all of time. Even dragons - even Spike - were not fully immortal like she was, just long-lived. Even Celestia and Luna went, when the sun exploded and obliterated the moon. Even Discord went, when Faust, the Creator, fulfilled her promise and remade the world into perfection. Yet she was stuck as an alicorn, watching universes rise and fall.

Twilight Sparkle is wrong.

One thousand years ago Celestia was forced to banish her younger sister. Time doesn't always heal all wounds and the pain of the sun is the greatest of all. At least until a small filly comes into the picture.

Nearly a thousand years have passed since Nightmare Moon was banished. As the old memories well up Princess Celestia is crippled with guilt and depression over the loss of her sister. Her faithful student Twilight Sparkle takes it upon herself to make her teacher happy again by giving her what she wants more than anything else in the world.

Audio reading generously performed by AShadowofCygnus. And it is lovely.

Written for the 9th Bimonthly Twilestia Contest

One day the sun sets for everyone, and knowing her time has come, Twilight Sparkle must say goodbye to the home she has come to know and love.

Through trials and tribulations, we grow. The sadness though, remains.

This story was written for the May challenge of the Competion Arena, the prompt was 'the first time'.

All things face mortality. Princesses just do it more than once.

It is a cycle that Celestia has learned to accept, and then to appreciate, and finally to love. Not for what it was, but for who.

Editors: IrRespective, Pascoite

Cover art A Namby-Pamby Pony Princess by Harwicks Art

Now with a Spanish reading by Spaniard Kiwi

Finding herself with wings and unusually powerful magic, Twilight Sparkle proceeds to have breakdown after breakdown, until with the help of her friends, she confronts Celestia and Luna about it... And learns that she's a far more important little pony than she ever imagined - for all the wrong reasons.

Awesome painting by Drezzer can be found here!

20 megapixel version is here (10MB JPEG, 210dpi strangely, 24"x20")!

Thanks, man!