“Rest…” the whisper came.
“Rest..!”
Something shifted her, and Twilight stirred.
“Rest!”
She opened her eyes, and saw the infirmary in mild confusion, only amplified upon seeing Luna’s concerned face.
“Princess?” she weakly asked, only for Luna to shush her, and look around, as if worried somepony might overhear.
“I came to tell you a few things.” Luna whispered, her voice surprisingly quiet.
“Our sister thinks that you art not doing so well in the castle. I wish to know; art thou having trouble, or tension?”
Twilight stared at her for a moment before sighing. “Yes. But why are you here Princess?”
“Just Luna to you, Rest. Sister thinks you should… leave.”
Twilight only blinked, but Luna understood the general message.
“Tis because she feels you grow tense and unhappy here. She wishes you to have a peaceful, happier life, and she feels you could find it in simpler places, with fewer ponies and rules.”
Luna sighed, unhappy as Twilight nodded in a kind of understanding. It was… actually somewhat familiar.
Celestia had said much the same way back when she was a unicorn, before she went to…
“…Where am I going?” she asked, nervous abruptly.
“It is not far.” Luna said, in a soothing manner. “Ponyville.”
Twilight didn’t respond at first, tensing faintly. Ponyville. Little, peaceful Ponyville.
The place where all of her best memories were kept. Where her friends lived, where her life had once been. All of it would be familiar to her.
I shall be watching always Twilight.
That calmed her, but only a bit. Would she actually be able to not blurt out something stupid in a place she knew so well?
Perhaps it might not be as hard as you might first imagine.
Twilight sighed faintly, and asked, “Is there some way I can convince Princess Celestia otherwise?”
Luna’s eyes seemed sadder, though Twilight was too busy worried to truly notice.
“…I am afraid not. We did our best, but sister is set.”
Twilight nodded.
“It… it is for the best.” Luna added, her tone suggesting she doubted herself. “You will be… calmer over there. It is a good place. We could exchange letters, if you wish to.”
Sending letters. Spike.
Twilight drooped, finally recalling him. One of the unknown pieces of her leaving, one yet to be discovered…
What would he be like? How much had he grown? Was he alright, happy?
Well… she had a chance to see him again. She could heal anything still lingering, eventually. Somehow.
She smiled weakly at Luna.
“I’d like that.”
Luna hesitated. “…Fear not Rest. We… we shall always be there, we promise. Even so far apart… Our bond will hold strong.”
Twilight teared up a little. Luna was being so… kind, and helpful. She had once known the alicorn as awkward with others, perhaps even cold, but through the entire time she had been at the palace, Luna had been nothing but open.
She hadn’t cared one bit about Twilight’s past. Gone out of her way to try and help her with her powers. Been something to lean upon without asking questions. Supporting her through every trial, despite not knowing how they were trails.
It was truly heart-touching. Both for her, and she suspected, Luna.
Luna always had trouble with friends. But, perhaps Twilight’s arrival had allowed her to try. Finding somepony that matched her stature, allowed her to be more open, more casual.
They had helped one another.
“Thank you… Luna.” Twilight said, leaving the title behind. She saw the smile Luna gave her, though it was slightly dampened by emotion. “That… means a lot.”
“Tis nothing. Please, go back to sleep. And should thee dream, I shalt lead you from fears and guide you to peace.”
Twilight nodded, smiling again as she settled back down.
She saw Luna linger for a moment, as if undecided on something. The inner struggle was obvious.
“…Sleep well Rest.” Luna whispered at last, and left.
Twilight woke a little later than normal the next morning. She found breakfast already waiting for her, and calmed.
Celestia would be busy with day court for a time. It should be about lunch that she found time to meet with her, and Twilight could expect either a letter, of a guard, to come by and tell her.
Until then…
She checked that the infirmary was empty, and then nodded.
“Death?” she whispered, having learned her lesson about being loud and not paying attention to her surroundings.
I listen.
“How is Night doing?”
She is manic. Your blood sustains her, but in a weak, strange manner.
“What do you mean?”
Your immortality includes your blood. As she attempts to absorb it, it continually regenerates, forever feeding her, but…
It appears that the immortal blood is too strong for her to handle so simply. Your blood rejects her, and it is a struggle to hold it within her.
“So, that’s why she… was sick?”
No. Recall: Lux made your new form. His power is many things, and you are alive, but you are imbued with his power, in every part of yourself.
The curse burns in sunlight, and in any magic that generates light. It is not enough to slay without great amounts, but she will burn.
And your blood holds the elemental light within it. As it traveled through her, it burned her from within. In self-defense, her form evacuated almost all of it, trying to drown the burn in the blood she had.
Right now, she is dry. A tiny bit of your blood keeps her alive and healthy, but she wavers on the edge of her true end.
If she does not eventually remove what lingers, it will eventually kill her. Burning through her from within by inches, until Night is unable to maintain her vitality from it alone.
“…You said it would help her.” Twilight sighed, understanding, at least in part.
And should you not have been raised by Lux, it would have. She is strong enough to retain immortal blood within her.
“…What can I do now?”
…You may send her to rest now. You may wait until she passes from your blood. Or you may allow her to sustain herself in her normal manner. There is no other action you may take.
Twilight frowned, unhappy with any of those choices. She had learned a little about Night, and now, more than even, she didn’t want to see her die.
She might be a monster, but she didn’t make the choice to be. She only made the choice to keep living. The curse with made her kill, wore away at her mind and will to resist.
The only reason she still had a mind was because of the children. Her light in the darkness, the anchor to keep herself from giving in. An eternal family, sustained by blood.
Twilight thought. Weighed the choices, and made a decision. It wasn't good, but none of them were.
She got up, and went to enact her idea.
Twilight, prepared, took a deep breath. This was important, she told herself. It was just this one time, just the one.
She checked. One sleeping maid. Private location outside, in the shadow of the castle. Spell to keep ponies away. Bag of prepared materials and a small first aid kit. It was all there.
Then she nodded, and called.
Come to me, as carefully as you can. Allow nopony to see you.
Night came soon enough, jittery. She twitched every now and then, pausing occasionally to shake violently.
“You… you called?” she asked, and then noticed the sleeping mare. She looked back at Twilight, shocked, already suspecting she knew what Twilight meant.
“I did. You said you can control yourself.”
“…Who are you,” Night said, shuddering, “And what did you do to Rest?”
Twilight frowned. “You need to get that out of you, and this is the only way. One time, just one time, I’m going to let you do this.”
“Drink, get rid of my blood, and get enough to survive a trip of a few hours. Do not kill, wake, hurt, or scar the pony I have here.”
Night stared at her. “…Something’s really wrong, isn’t it? This isn’t just… some kind of stupid immortal reaction, is it?”
“My blood is burning you alive.” Twilight said bluntly. “And we are going to fix this whole… mess.”
“Do as I said.”
Night nodded, and went to the sleeping mare. Twilight watched carefully, just to be certain as Night gently bit.
Then she sat up, grimaced, and spat a small bit of blood before a ravenous hunger seemed to overcome her.
And still, despite the hunger, she bit the same spot, and drank slowly.
Twilight watched, keeping track, and before she reached her limit, Night pulled back, pausing to lick the tiny punctures clean of blood. It made the wounds near invisible.
Then she sighed, shaky, but less so than before.
“Not even a trace.” she whispered, her voice shaky. “And no different than uncommon weakness. Is that alright?”
“Good enough. And you?”
“I can… go for maybe a day. Less really, but you only said a few hours. I can handle it. What are you planning?”
Twilight only cast, and Night blinked as the illusion settled on her.
She checked, and worked out that she was a blue earth pony. She looked up at Twilight who, noticing that her eyes were a bit more noticeable than she had first thought, augmented it around her eyes.
Then Twilight checked her work, and nodded.
Too much power didn’t even matter for illusions. It only meant she could make bigger, more intricate ones, and didn’t need any skill or finesse to cast. And there was no way she could hurt something either. It wasn't real after all.
“You are taking the train to Ponyville.” Twilight told Night, handing her the small bag. “Once there, you will wait for me. I will arrive, handle my things, and then and only then will you approach me.”
“…What are you doing?”
“No time. The warning spell’s gone off, and I have to meet Princess Celestia. And find that guard before he gets upset. Get to the train; next one leaves in ten minutes.”
Night nodded and Twilight teleported, finding her warning spell operating as intended.
What had once been theory and an otherwise complex and useless spell was working just fine.
Warning spells were simple. But she had to not allow anypony to find out she was gone, so she had used something extra.
Confusion caused the pony who tripped it to temporarily forget what they were doing. They would linger nearby, trying to recall until the spell either wore of in a few minutes, or they were reminded.
Normally, the spell was far, far too magic dependent to cast without serious expenditure. And there was normally no reason to even bother.
Twilight found the spell perfect for her uses, and her power more than enough to cast it.
She spotted the confused guard, and simply coughed faintly, making him notice her, and remember, no ill effects at all. Perfect.
“Princess Rest!” He said, saluting. “Princess Celestia wishes to meet with you.”
“Lead the way.”
As Twilight followed the guard, she smiled. This was being surprisingly easy. A few ideas, spells that weren’t effected by overpowering them, and everything seemed able to be handled.
And if anything really went bad, time stop would allow her to regain her footing before anything truly went bad.
She felt powerful and ready. Even the daunting prospect of Ponyville, and the need to keep her old life secret didn’t bother her as much. She could do it. Death by her side, some meditations on the idea, knowing that she hadn’t seen the place in some time, and therefore would have changed, at least a little, made her feel ready for anything.
Or at least she felt that way before they found Celestia.
And once again, Twilight couldn’t read her teacher’s eyes. She had only seen Celestia’s ‘mask’ as she called it when she was younger when the elder alicorn was dealing with infuriating nobles.
It was more than a little distressing seeing that same mask looking at her.
“Rest.” Celestia said, “I hope you have recovered well.”
“…I did.” Twilight said, feeling a touch uncomfortable. It was almost painful, seeing Celestia so guarded toward her.
And why now, all of a sudden? She had seemed fine, right up to the blood incident. And even then, she seemed to have worsened…
Twilight had a faint suspicion that Celestia didn’t trust her anymore.
And that hurt. A lot.
“I have been reviewing your time here, in Canterlot castle.” Celestia continued, and Twilight tensed more. She was being judged. Celestia was marking her past work, in this case, her past actions.
Not good for her peace of mind in any circumstance. It was much worse then.
“And I feel that, for several reasons, you should go and try to find balance in a simpler, smaller location.”
Twilight sighed in a touch of relief. Calm down, she told herself. Luna warned you. Celestia wants to send you to Ponyville, it’s nothing horrible, or bad. You didn’t fail anything. Calm down.
“When am leaving to Ponyville?” she asked, feeling a little more comfortable.
At Celestia’s perfectly unreadable stare and the way she held perfectly still, that comfort was gone. Right out the window, on fire, heading toward some very sharp rocks.
It was silent for far, far too long in any circumstance as Twilight became more and more worried. Celestia only stared in perfect dignity, while Twilight struggled not to scream at the pressure.
“…As soon as possible.” Celestia said at last. “And how do you know where I was thinking of?”
A pointed question. Almost an accusation in fact.
Calm.
Twilight felt Death’s cold slow her panicked heart and chill her overrunning emotions, but even then, she was nervous and concerned and upset.
Truth, she told herself. Always tell the truth, she’ll find out anyway. Better to just tell her.
She took a deep breath, to remove the jitter from her voice, and said, “Luna told me.”
“I see…” Celestia said, perfectly neutral. That could have meant anything. A moment passed before Celestia resumed.
“I feel that Ponyville is the best place. The nearest location to Canterlot itself, and home to a very few. It will free you of the nobility, and allow you a life not so… enclosed.”
“That way you won’t have to suddenly vanish without explanation, returning in strange and upsetting circumstance.”
Twilight flinched at that, and slowly shrunk down as Celestia stared.
“As for the details…”
“Trixie Lunamoon will meet you there, and guide you to a suitable home. She will be expecting you. I trust that you will find peace there; Ponyville is known for making residents feel at ease with their lives.”
“You will be given a stipend, to use as you see fit. If, at any time you feel it necessary, you may request and be granted an assistant of any kind from Canterlot. I will communicate with you by letter once per week, detailing official circumstance, and lessons on nobility, politics, diplomacy, or other subjects as and if they become important.”
“You, in turn, will send me a letter at least once a week, detailing your own experiences and possibly what you might have learned, either form Ponyville, or my letters. There is no specific subject you must write upon, but I do hope you will learn the correct manner in which to write and seal a royal letter through example.”
“Otherwise, Ponyville is home to the bearers of harmony, and it is fairly often that they have to handle some difficulty. Since you are closest alicorn to them now, they will be reporting directly to you.”
Twilight froze.
“They are autonomous, but they will find some comfort in having an alicorn nearby. This does not obligate you to work with them nor improve, protect, or keep the town. That is up to your judgement, though I will suggest leaving things alone save extreme circumstance.”
“Otherwise, I expect you to maintain proper decorum and grow and maintain a friendly relationship with the town.”
“Did you understand all of what I have said?”
“Yes Princess.” Twilight said, keeping her face as neutral as possible. It was hard.
“You will find transport in front of the gates. If you become lost, ask a guard or any nearby pony.”
Twilight nodded, and turned to leave.
“One last thing.”
Twilight stopped, grimacing, since Celestia couldn’t see her face.
“This is not forbiddance, but try not to take sudden trips. If you ever feel the need to, please do leave some indication of where you are, and how to contact you. If you cannot, leave something to relate how long you expect to be gone.”
“It will prevent undue distress in nearby ponies if you would. Of course, I cannot bind you from deciding what action to take, nor how you take them; I may only give you advice.”
“But you will find life far simpler and happier should you follow said advice. Am I understood?”
“Yes Princess.” Twilight said, not turning to look behind her. “May I go?”
“You may.”
Twilight left the room. And then numbly continued to her destination.
If there was something unsaid, Twilight didn’t see it.
Celestia had settled and said virtually everything that she might need, do, or say. Even the letters, once a happy thing, now worse. They weren’t optional.
They were Celestia’s way of ensuring Twilight recalled that she was there. If she forgot, Celestia would no doubt remind her.
Because Celestia trusted Twilight as much as she did, say... Discord.
The entire conversation had been as cold as diplomatically correct. Celestia would speak the same with any foreign dignitary.
But she had said it to her. Treated her like a foreign entity. Knew about her ‘disappearances’ and only thinly veiled that she was very upset by them.
Twilight had lost her trust, totally. She could easily see her way clear to Celestia suspecting her, not believing her first words unless somepony else verified them.
She made it to her transport, the normal golden carriage without realizing it, feeling numb and sad.
She barely nodded at the guards she entered, and didn’t pay much attention to anything as they took flight.
Twilight…
Twilight sighed, listening, but not speaking. She didn’t have the will to.
…You must stand strong. All is not lost.
Your secrets are secure, and though that came at a price, Celestia does not truly know you. Why is she to hold you close, when she thinks you another being?
Twilight perked up a little at that. That was true.
Lux should be retuning soon enough, and he shall be able to smooth any lingering problem. And even before then, you may prove yourself to Celestia once more.
Fulfill her advice. Work hard, and show her that you are to be trusted. Every time you succeed, she should calm again, until the day she trusts you once more.
That was all true. Optimistic even; she had done it before, she could do it again. Twilight brightened.
I am by your side, and I shall aid you as best I am able. You are more than capable of this, Twilight Sparkle.
Show Celestia that you are to be trusted. Rely upon Luna to help you gain a hoofhold, and after a time, I have no doubt your friends will be friends once more.
You are not alone.
Twilight nodded, her earlier horrible feeling gone. She swelled with optimism once more, and determination.
Was it odd that Death of all things was capable of putting things in perspective and raising her spirit? Something like him, able to make her feel better, and not just by his cold, but by his words?
It didn’t matter. As she spotted Ponyville in the distance, she felt, if not happy, then ready.
A whole new life had proven difficult. All kinds of starting trouble, like a foal taking its first steps. Mistake after mistake after mistake, amplified by the circumstance around her.
But she had gotten Night under control. She still had Blueblood, working for her in the nobility. Luna trusted her, and was a real friend.
She had made her friends from nothing before. She could do so again. She could help them, heal any lingering wound from her second death. She could find Spike again, see everything again, no longer a danger to it.
And she wasn't such a massive mess up with her magic. Much to learn, but she was walking. No longer smashing things and creating disaster. Every moment, she got better, every experience a new lesson.
Ponyville would be a new beginning, she decided. A new start, one not so difficult nor so demanding. She would fill her new life with the elements form her old one. Find the happiness from before, in a slightly different way.
For the first time, she felt ready to take that first step.
A whole new chapter to her new life. Before had just been a prologue; now, now was when she got it right. Now was when it all really started. No more mistakes. No more problems. No more fears, or dangers, or upsetting ponies.
It was going to be normal and good. She knew it.
She was very wrong.