The walk through the castle was far cheerier than it would have been, thanks to the timely arrival of the ones whom the Queen and Princess of the Equestrian Hive each held dear. But despite the rise in their respective moods, there was still no denying the sombre edge to their mannerisms. A tenseness that was clearly visible to all that saw them, most of all the changelings dutifully acting as their escort.
The loss of Night Light and Twilight Velvet was weighing heavily down upon them, no matter who or what came their way to try and lift their spirits. Not that the attempt wasn’t appreciated by the empaths, but little could rid them of the profound loss they had both suffered.
But if anyone understood loss, it was the ageless alicorns they were now going to see.
Twilight, in particular, desired nothing more than Celestia’s comfort at that moment. Not that she showed it outwardly, not in the hallway. Others needed her to be the stoic and refined Changeling Queen - she was not blind to her own reputation as something of a world shaker and significant authority in the modern world. The changeling who revealed her kind, an Element of Harmony and defender of two nations. A burden long-held, it would help nothing for the common pony or changeling to see her true state and thus shatter the illusion they had cast upon her.
Such things made her yearn for that little library in Ponyville, back to days when she was seldom known despite already being a bearer.
And with each day gone by, she understood Celestia a little more.
“Are you alright?” Avia asked worriedly, her young age making her far less concerned about silly things like public image.
Lucky.
“You don’t need to worry,” Twilight assured her daughter. “I have a great many things on my mind, Avia. As you well know. But I believe the worst has passed.”
“You itch your scar when you lie.”
Twilight shot her a sideways glance, now very aware of her hoof hovering over the blemish in her otherwise pristine chitin. She couldn’t help but inwardly curse the changeling who put it there as she made a conscious effort to stop herself from scratching.
“Not here,” Twilight gently scolded Avia. “But on the note of such things, I am glad to see your friends came here with my own. I know how much they mean to you.”
“My first and only pony friends,” the Princess recounted. “I… didn’t expect them, not yet. I suppose I should have guessed my aunties would tell them what happened.”
“They know better than to discount such things,” the Queen mused. “And you will learn your friends always turn up when your life hits its low points, whether you realised it then or not.”
“You’re the friendship expert.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Come on, ‘Element of Magic’ and all that.”
“True. But long has it been since I’ve so much as laid eyes on the Element or its power. I fear their days of being able to withstand grand adventures and threats to Equestria are behind them. The curse of such a long life, they can no longer keep up.”
“Good thing Equestria has been peaceful since… forever,” Avia stated, though her ‘forever’ only spanned a couple of decades. Still, Twilight got her point. “Besides, you think a couple of grey hairs would ever stop those mares? Come on, Mum.”
“I don’t,” she responded. “But I can still worry. Hives know I worry about them…”
“You are such a grandmother.”
“Not yet…” Twilight said with a teasing smirk. “But I can act my age, even if my body hasn’t quite reached it for another few thousand years or so.”
“Please, you’re not that old.”
“You’re my daughter, you’re biased,” Twilight pointed out. “I’m gone sixty, I dread the three digits.”
“And the Princesses are in the fours…”
“Don’t remind them. But speaking of…”
They had arrived.
Twilight wasted no time, with nopony making any attempt to bar her entrance, in moving through the hallway and into a nearby doorway leading to the royal lounge. The lounge was spacious, designed for far more comfort and entertainment than any of the usual studies made use of by the Princesses of Equestria. There were several lavish couches decorated with Saddle Arabian silks, cabinets filled with drinks both generic and alcoholic from all across the known world and other such amenities. Twilight could spot Luna’s favourite moonshine anywhere.
But they were hardly there for the selection of beverages. Rather, they were there for the ponies waiting within.
There were a few more than the Queen of the Hive had been expecting.
“Aunt Twilight!” Flurry Heart was the first to shout, moving to wrap her hooves around the Changeling Queen in an emotional embrace. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Hey Flurry,” Twilight responded warmly, if solemnly. Her gaze then went up to the other occupants. Celestia and Luna were there, but so were Cadance and Shining Armor. “Hey there, everypony. I… hadn’t realised you arrived so soon.”
“We arrived shortly before you did,” Shining Armor explained, the aged stallion moving forward to also greet the arriving changeling. “Heya, sis. How’re you holding up?”
Twilight sighed. “We’re doing okay. Just… processing the news.”
“I’m so sorry, Twilight,” Cadance said sympathetically.
“Not that you have anything to be sorry for,” Celestia said as she stepped forward, her eyes focused solely on the elder of the two changelings. “Such things happen, but we are all here for support.”
“Grandma Celestia…” Avia greeted sadly.
Celestia felt an odd feeling of warmness and despair at the younger royal’s words. Warm at her given title, and sadness at her tired and utterly helpless tone. She could tell at a glance just how mentally exhausted both mother and daughter were, worry pinging in her mind that she tried to keep off of her facial features.
“And you, little one,” Celestia said to Avia. “How are you, Avia?”
“Not little anymore…” Avia said with a huff. “But… yeah, okay. I hadn’t really expected this to… to happen.”
“You seldom can,” Luna mused from beside her sister. “For all it’s worth, you have my sympathies for your loss.”
“Thanks, Aunt Luna,” Cadance said sincerely. “From us all.”
“If you wish to talk…” Celestia trailed off after taking another step towards Twilight.
“Not just yet,” Twilight replied with the raise of her hoof. “We’re both a little drained from the trip. For the moment, I think we’d just like to settle in for our stay here.”
“I know what you mean,” Shining Armor concurred. “Hearing about our parents…”
“Not to mention the chaos getting here so quickly,” Flurry added in. “I’ve never had to pack so quickly in my life.”
“I did most of it. But… yeah, things aren’t great.”
“Understandable,” Luna agreed with a nod. “And I think we can accommodate you.”
Celestia glanced between them, clearly wanting to speak with Twilight some more on the matter. But she kept that desire hidden well enough, keeping her usual grace for the moment as she nodded in concurrence.
“Very well. If you want to relax, feel free to do so until you wish to talk. Just don’t keep it in, these days will be… trying, I feel.”
“We all know, don’t worry about it,” Cadance assured the Princess of the Sun. “We’ve all just arrived, there’s plenty of time for it later.”
“I am here to worry. I suppose this is me acting my age.”
“Hey, that’s like what Mum and I were saying,” Avia joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Just something about us ‘elder mares’ acting like ‘grandmothers’. That’s what she thinks, anyway,” Twilight remarked.
The Princess of Equestria frowned. “And what’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing!” Avia defended quickly. “She was saying she was old, I was saying she worried too much and… that kinda thing. It’s nothing, really!”
Celestia’s eyebrow raised further. “Are you calling me, the Princess of the Sun, old?”
Avia’s eyes had a brief moment of widening before they went deadpan. “Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“That. All of that. I don’t like where this conversation is going.”
There was a round of chuckles at Avia’s expense, the Princess of the Hive suddenly regretting her clearly successful attempt at levity. Sometimes being the youngest immortal/near-immortal in the room really worked against her. The never-ending trials of a young Changeling Queen…
“I nearly had her,” Celestia said, letting the regality drop in favour of a small amount of smugness. “But it seems she’s learnt. If it were you, even at that age, you would have been an apologetic mess, Twilight.”
“Don’t bring this around on me,” Twilight shot back. “It’s Avia’s turn.”
“I object,” Avia protested.
“You don’t get a vote.”
“Anyway, being the good uncle that I am and coming in to save my niece…” Shining Armor cut in. “I think we can continue this later. We’re all tired, and it’s not going to get better. We should follow the example of the others and find our rooms.”
“Very well,” Luna said. “I assume you all recall where they would be, or do you wish a servant to lead the way?”
“I’m sure we can manage,” Cadance denied before she then turned to Twilight and gave her a light hug. “We’ll be nearby if you need us, alright?”
Twilight returned the hug with a grateful smile. “I know.”
The two parted, Cadance giving similar treatment to Avia as they all said a final few words between the two families. And then, eager to mentally prepare themselves for what was to come, the three left to go and find their suites.
Once Cadance, Shining Armor and Flurry Heart had departed, Princess Luna cleared her throat to gain the attention of those left in the lounge.
“I too shall depart, duties await my attention,” she declared. “Twilight Sparkle. Young Avia. Be well.”
Avia watched Luna leave, the alicorn vanishing through the doorway before the changeling turned back to face her mother. She received a nod that said “Go on”, and the Princess got the message. Assuming that the Queen would be right behind her, she too turned from the lounge and started to make her exit.
Twilight sighed.
“Twilight…” Celestia said softly, coming up alongside the Queen and using a hoof to turn her head until their eyes were locked. “I am here, now and always.”
“I’ve never forgotten,” Twilight responded with a nuzzle. “But not now, please. It’s… still processing, I guess. One was enough, but now…”
“I know. Please, take the time you need.”
“I will. Just… stand with me in a couple of days, yeah?”
Celestia nodded. “On that, I promise.”
The Princess of the Sun kept her word.
For the most part, the next few days in Canterlot Castle passed by quickly and with emotions held in check. Well, not completely; the air of loss was one that didn’t fade away quite so easily. But with the whole family now gathered, with friends there to also provide their support, it was enough to keep the despair at bay.
But nothing could hide the service on the horizon, a funeral for Night Light and Twilight Velvet intent on delivering them to their final rest.
And so, when that day came, Celestia ensured her attendance. Her daughter needed her, even more so than her spiritual granddaughter that was Avia. She was strong, much like her mother. But Celestia knew Twilight, her eyes betrayed the weight she now felt crushing down on her shoulders. Avia had lost her grandparents, but Twilight had lost her parents. And for all she had already suffered, she knew the pain to be both searing and buried deep in her heart.
And so, even as the rain predictably fell around them, the two rulers stood side by side. They stood, waiting for the caskets to fill the empty graves before them. The service had been… beautiful, for lack of a better term. Each had taken their turn to memorialise the lives of those lost, speaking before all the mourners about all the couple had been.
Friends
Parents.
Grandparents.
More.
And through it all, Twilight somehow managed to keep herself in check. The tears wouldn’t come, not like they had back at the hive. But everything ran through her head. Every moment, each day they had spent. The story she now knew, two ponies finding a small bundle with what seemed to be a small unicorn filly abandoned on their step deep into the night. The day of the interrupted wedding, her father’s relentless teasing…
They accepted her without question.
Her father…
“D-daddy?”
“Twilight? It is you, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s me… look if this is a bad time-”
“Don’t you even think about it, young lady!” Night Light blurted while pulling Twilight into a warm hug, a tear rolling down his cheek.
Her mother…
“Honestly young lady, I have half a mind to ground you!”
“But, I’m an adult.”
“And I’m your mother!” Velvet finally shouted, running up to Twilight and crushing her into yet another embrace. This was becoming a theme.
Her voice came out at a near whisper. “Please don’t scare me like that again…”
That day, she had known everything was going to be alright. They never left her side for a second. Even when the Empress took all she was…
“Twilight!” Twilight Velvet called out, running up to and embracing her adoptive daughter. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“You too,” Twilight replied, hugging back. “And you, Dad.”
Night Light joined in on the hug, holding his daughter tightly. “Welcome home, Twily.”
Each moment. Each memory. Every single one examined and re-examined again as if she were studying some ancient text. The memories seemed ancient enough to be another lifetime for another Twilight Sparkle.
And as she recalled what was, something began to bubble in her chest.
Once the initial services were done, the group were moved outside and into the graveyard itself sitting within Canterlot. Celestia stayed close, Avia hanging a little back alongside Shining Armor, Cadance and Flurry Heart. More than a few friends also accompanied the grieving family, the individual friends of both royal changeling among them. Even Broad Sword and Scarlet Snow were there, the two elderly alabaster ponies standing towards the back.
And now they were there, waiting for the caskets as the silence threatened to crush them beneath its oppression.
A couple of ponies meandered by, two clearly not of the group. Perhaps they were visiting another already present grave? Either way, both stopped dead at the sight of the funeral service, looking like two jackalopes caught in front of an incoming wagon.
“What’s going on, Moonlight Shadow…?” one asked the other.
Moonlight Shadow himself, a darker grey pegasus with a blue mane, bit his lip. “Let’s just say that the royal group has had some troubles recently…”
“Hey,” Twilight heard Broad Sword gruffly warn behind her, though she kept her focus on the empty graves.
Still, the glare of the former Captain of the Solar Guard seemed to get the message across.
“Come on, let us leave them to it…”
As the two bystanders left, Broad Sword returned to the side of his wife. They quietly shared a few words amongst themselves, before they too returned into silence.
The waiting commenced, and the first tear started to slide down the Queen’s cheek.
“Hey…” Celestia quietly comforted as she draped a wing across the changeling’s back. “It will be over soon…”
“I never wanted it to be over…” Twilight muttered. “They’re gone, Celestia. I can’t… It’ll be my friends next, and then…”
“Don’t think about that. Not now,” she advised gently in turn. “Just remember all that was good about them.”
“It hurts more… Heh, I’m so selfish.”
Celestia blinked. “What?”
Twilight’s eyes drifted down towards the dirt, bitterness running through both orbs. “Three mother mare… That’s what my Mother, Chrysalis, once called me. It was true. I’ve lost two, and both fathers, but I have you still, right? M-most ponies, changelings, they all only get one chance. I-I got t-three, so I should be happy. I should be feeling lucky. I should be…”
Twilight scrunched her eyes, a subdued noise of pain rose from the pits of her stomach and gurgled in her throat. The wing around her tightened, a white muzzle resting against her chitinous neck.
“You have as much right to feel this as anyone else…” Celestia cooed. “It’s okay, Twilight. You do still have me, but it’s okay. Oh, my student. Let the Changeling Queen go for the moment, please. You can let it out. Shout at me if you must, as you did before. But do as you need, and I will bear it all…”
As Celestia allowed herself to be a mother for a moment, holding the trembling Changeling Queen in her grasp, Avia slowly nudged her way closer to Twilight and rested herself against her. Twilight felt her presence, both in the real world and within the confines of the hive mind, consequently reaching out her own lavender gossamer wing and bringing her child into the fold.
And then the caskets appeared.
The three generations of family watched as the Queen of the Hive’s adoptive parents were carried out. Their caskets were crafted with the finest of woods, polished and decorated and yet not overdone. They watched as they came closer yet, until they were finally suspended above the graves dug out for them.
Twilight’s horn subtly lit with a lavender light, mixing with the unicorn magic already lowering the two deceased ponies down to the place of their rest. They were gently laid down at the bottom, the dirt quickly following as the graves were filled until it was as if the holes had never even been there at all. What was left was a joint gravestone with their names and cutie marks.
Night Light and Twilight Velvet. Parents of Princes and Queens. Friends to all of Canterlot. Forever shall they rest in peace.
And just like that, it was done. They were gone, and they weren’t coming back. Twilight would never see their faces again, hear the senior Twilight’s gushing of her children’s’ achievements or Night’s pestering and teasing.
Just as she would never again hear Chrysalis’ encouragement or bear witness to her stern protectiveness over her child.
Chrysalis was benevolent and loving, but she could be angry and vicious. Twilight Velvet was excitable and daring, but kind and thoughtful.
Twilight loved them both equally, as she loved the alicorn beside her now.
Two were gone. Two-thirds of what had seemed a whole.
But even as the other started to depart, Twilight forced resolve back into her heart. She had her own child to protect, in that she had to follow in the example of Chrysalis herself. Her hive needed her. And all those to face the days to come needed her.
So, stuffing the tears back down, she brought back the Changeling Queen once again.
The hole could never be filled, the pain to be carried forever. But, wherever they all were, she could still do them proud.
The West would not wait on her pain.