Sometimes a wish is a result of some magical phenomenon, or because of the hope and faith some ponies encompass. Other times they’re a result of despair and sorrow.
The night was clear, with only a brilliant moon shining brightly, warding the darkness that threatened to overtake the sky. Everypony had gone to bed long ago as midnight was nigh, and rest was surely needed. Well, almost everypony. Maybe with the exception of Twilight and Cadence who sat on a low hill, just on the outskirts of Ponyville.
“You know, I had always told myself, time and time again, I wouldn’t cry when I came here,” Twilight said, staring up at the night sky, her mind full of thoughts and wonder. She lifted a hoof to brush the bastion of tears clouding her eyes, before she had the chance to blink. A smile crossed her face as she turned to Cadence.
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Cadence said. “You can’t keep a promise like that. He wouldn’t expect you to.” She let out a sigh, as if all the sheer emotion had made her winded. “You and I both lose our senses when we visit him. It…it helps me when you’re here, Twilight.”
Twilight smiled sagely as she brushed her hoof across Cadence’s face, clearing her sister’s tears. “It’s easier with you here too.”
For a minute there was nothing but hardening silence—something they had practically grown immune to. Neither loathed its presence, but rather welcomed it. To them, it was a blessing; a serenity sent from the heavens, telling them not to say anything because nothing more needed to be said. They simply admired the clear night and paid no attention to the etched tombstone, burrowed in the ground, right in front of an old oak.
Silence.
Twilight had gotten up from her seat, a reminiscing look her in eyes. Cadence followed suit, but not before she could hear her sister ask a question under her breath. “How is it this is possible? And why do I ask myself that question every time I come up here?”
Cadence paused and thought carefully for a moment. Then she spoke up. “Because, it’s hard to imagine.”
Silence.
Twilight trotted over to where Shining’s tombstone rested. The only thing that was etched in his stone was his cutie mark. The mere memory of all the books Twilight had thrashed through to cast a weather-immunity spell for the stone had sent an unsettling shudder through her spine as she looked on.
Whereupon, another memory, older than the last, flashed and discharged through the mind at the sight of the barely legible envelope next to her brother’s tombstone. Words from the past drifted up from underneath the shores of time as Twilight peered backwards into her past.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I know that you want me to write to you about the lessons of friendship I find along the way in my quest…but I have one of life I learned today. I’m sure you have heard the recent news of Shining Armor’s funeral. I know you were unable to make it, but it hit most of my family hard. Today in particular. It’s been a very terrible, despondent…
It was as if Twilight could still read the letter encompassed inside by heart. It was as if she was looking at every blot of ink, every drop of tears that rained down on the parchment—as clear as the day she had sealed it and placed it here. But as she went on, the letters became jagged and broken. Shattered. As if the very fabric of her quill had been bent while she wrote the words. Her last words to her big brother.
What I mean to say is that while many would think there isn’t a lesson to be found in the loss of a loved one, I dispute.
Twilight curled up at the headstone, right next to the letter, and gazed at the clear night sky; her eyes were filled with loss and sorrow, and she was soon cradled by Cadence. She could see a strange phenomenon in the night sky, no doubt from Luna’s compassion, in hope to shine some light in times of loss.
The day my brother was buried…I never realised what I had lost until it was too late; it was right then and there when he was being lowered in the ground. I had this immense sense of guilt weigh me down. It was all my fault. I should’ve done a better job…Celestia I’m the reason he’s passed.
I didn’t leave when the ceremony was over though. I was left behind. Cadence eventually went home too, despite her not wanting to leave her husband. I stayed. And it got cold at night. I was shivering from the fear of something coming out of the darkness, but I stayed with him.
I wanted to see if something he had told me long ago held true. When we were fillies, he would take me all the way out here, on this low hill. He would show me all the stars and tell me what they meant. He told me I can wish for anything I want, just by looking at them and saying it aloud. I know it sounds silly, but at that time it made perfect sense. I wanted to see if these wishes would work.
I spent many nights there alone, without telling anyone. I remember casting some spells my brother showed me as filly. I did it so much, it tired me down, and I fell asleep. I don’t quite remember what had woke me up, but the only thing I could see was a blinding light that streaked across the sky for just a moment. After that, though, I went home disappointed.
The lesson I learned is that wishes don’t come true. Ever. No matter how hard we wish for someone we love to come back, they never will.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.
“Hey, you ready to go, Twilight?” Cadence’s face, streaked with tears, broke apart the world of memory. “It’s getting late and we should probably get some rest.”
Twilight wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. “I’m fine, Cadence. Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”
For a moment, Cadence looked as if she were going to object, but she let out a tense breath as she nodded and began to walk away. “Thanks, Caddy.”
Standing back up, Twilight trotted over to where she had stood, looking into the sky so many years ago with her brother. She peered into the sky. “I miss you, brother. I never thought I’d be here and alone. Maybe here is where we’ll be gone…I promise we’ll see each other again…even if it’s in death or in my dreams.”
Twilight curled up to Shining's tombstone and slept, hoping that her wish would come true.