Dear Princess Celestia,
Yes, I know how ridiculous it is to still be writing these to you. I can hear you chuckling at me even now. Don’t worry, this will be the last one. I’ve learned a lot though, recently, about friendship and other things, and I wouldn’t have felt right if I didn’t send you this one last letter to tell you what I’ve learned.
I’ve learned that there is more to being in charge than simply being clever, and that, no matter what you do, you’ll make mistakes you can’t take back.
I’ve learned that even the ponies we revere can make mistakes and prove to be all too mortal at the worst possible times.
Perhaps most importantly I’ve learned that you can be terribly hurt by somepony and still, despite everything, love and be loved by them. And that that love alone isn’t enough to set things right.
You are gone and not. The crystal ponies are gone and not. I seem to have become a living sepulcher of sorts. Or perhaps a living memorial would be a better phrase. It will be the work of lifetimes to sort through all the memories I possess. Fortunately, I now have those lifetimes. I am looking forward to using my new knowledge to make great contributions to the fields of history and archaeology, among others.
The Diarchy is gone. The work of your long life, which you nearly killed me for, and Luna swept it aside with a single phrase. It was appropriate though. We could never have ruled over what our little ponies are in the process of becoming. I hope you could have been made to see that and aren’t too disappointed in us.
I guess the lesson I’ve really learned, trivial as it is, is this: the world can change dramatically and life still goes on, so long as the great world devouring evil is defeated at least.
Rest assured, Luna and I will be there for the evils that threaten the world. As for the rest? I think we’ll learn to let it be.
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight
***
Twilight was just putting the finishing flourish on her final letter when Spike called up to her from the library reading room, which doubled as a living room. “Twilight! We’ve got guests!”
“Coming, Spike!” Twilight called back. She replaced her quill in its slot and carefully rolled up her letter. Another flick of magic brought a ribbon slithering through the air to tie itself in a neat bow around the letters center. A pool of wax drifted over and Twilight pressed her design, a setting sun of course, into the wax before cooling it.
With the letter held tightly in her magic, Twilight rose from her desk. She cast a critical eye across her study, straightening a book here or there, and realigning a collection of rulers settled on one table. It was hard to keep everything neat and tidy with only a single eye. Sure, she could use the other to view the mystic energies of the world, but it turned out that that was pretty useless for straightening a room. As a last touch, she placed the letter on the center of her desk with the seal facing up. She'd get Spike to mail it later. Nodding in satisfaction at the rest of the room, Twilight turned and made her way through the door and down the stairs.
She found Spike offering up tea and biscuits to Rainbow Dash, Gilda, Thraxus, and Scootaloo. “Thanks for taking care of them while I finished up, Spike,” Twilight said.
“No problem. They were just telling me about the route they plan to take.” Spike made one more circuit with the biscuit tray before setting it on a table and taking a seat next to Twilight.
With a sinking feeling Twilight asked, “Your minds made up then?”
Dash nodded. “I can’t stay here. Too many memories.” She looked away, and Twilight knew that she was looking out the window through the town to the achingly empty cottage by the woods. “They still gather there; did you know that? The animals, I mean. She’s gone, but they still remember her. I want to make sure other ponies remember her too.”
Twilight’s eyes drifted down to the turquoise and morganite broach in the shape of a butterfly that was pinned to Dash’s chest. Then she looked over to the others, who wore their own broaches. “And you three are sure you want to go with her?”
Gilda scratched the back of her head. “I said some things I regret in a letter to Warlord Aquila after I thought he ordered me abandoned. Figure I should set that right. Plus, he should know about the connected griffons who are making their home here. Dash says that we can head west to Griffonstone for our first stop.”
“I have not been to Griffonstone in some time,” Thraxus said. “And I have not yet tired of these two. There is still more I have to learn from them, and from their stories of Fluttershy.”
Glida slapped the red dragon on the back. “We like you too, you old softy.”
“What about you, Scootaloo?” Twilight asked. “Won’t you miss the other crusaders?”
“Nope!” Scootaloo said cheerfully. “They’re always with me. If we get in trouble I can send a message to you through them. And Gilda and Dash say they’re going to teach me how to fly!”
Twilight eyed Scootaloo’s stunted wings and raised an eyebrow at Dash, who shrugged. “She might never win races, but with a good enough feel for pegasus magic she’ll get in the air.” Dash offered a small smile to Scootaloo who returned it unabashedly. “Besides, if her lame wings think they’re going to hold her down, they can just forget about it.”
“Yeah! Who needs you wings?” Scootaloo said, enthusiastically buzzing her wings.
Gilda chuckled and put a claw on Scootaloo’s head. “Easy there, squirt. Plenty of time for that when we’re on the road.”
Twilight smiled along with them. “When are you leaving?”
“Right now,” Gilda said, pointing to the saddlebags they’d left by the door. “We’ve said our goodbyes to everypony else. Dash wanted to leave you for last.”
“Can we talk in private, Twilight?” Dash blurted out. As Twilight looked over, the blue pegasus fidgeted in place, reminding Twilight of the old Rainbow Dash who could never sit still. This was a new Dash though, as evinced by the fact that she had all four hooves firmly planted on the ground.
“Alright, Dash. Follow me.” Twilight led the two of them into a smaller side room, meant for studying back when Golden Oaks was merely a library and not also a home. They settled on opposite sides of a study wooden table.
“So, what is it you wanted to say?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow Dash wouldn’t look at her. She stared at the wall instead, apparently finding the grains of the tree’s wood fascinating, despite the vast number of times she had visited previously. Twilight was tempted to press the other pony, but she had learned the value of patience and she let Dash come to what she wanted to say in her own time.
Finally, after perhaps five minutes of perusing the walls, Dash chanced a glance at her. “I said some things,” Dash mumbled.
“You’ve said a lot of things, Dash. You’re going to have to be clearer.”
Dash’s voice rose slightly, becoming a little less Fluttershyesque. “In the Crystal Empire. At…at her funeral. I said that I would kill griffons and dragons and Sombra, and then settle with you when it was all over.”
“Is that what you want? To ‘settle’ with me before you leave on your trip?
“No!” Dash’s head snapped up. “I was angry then. You know how I rush into things without thinking them through. I fought Sombra and the griffons, but I didn’t end up destroying all of them like I said. And you were the one to finish Sombra in the end.”
“So what are you trying to do here, exactly?” Twilight asked, honestly perplexed.
“I’m trying to…trying to…” she trailed off. Then she whispered to herself, “for you Fluttershy.” The little whisper seemed to give her strength. Rainbow Dash looked Twilight dead in the eye. “I’m trying to apologize.”
Twilight tried to wave it away. “You don’t need to apologize. We’re friends after all.”
“No, I do,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “Her death was hard on all of us. You didn’t need me there blaming you for it. Not when you were blaming yourself so harshly.” She looked away and said in a softer voice. “Spike told me, when I came around one of the other times I was trying to apologize. He told me that you almost didn’t want to make it back from the Crystal Empire.”
“Well like you said, none of us were in a good place then. It’s understandable.”
“It isn’t!” Dash slapped a hoof on the table with a vicious crack. “I’m your friend. I was the Element of Loyalty. I should have known better than to turn my back on my friends when they were hurting, no matter how much pain I was in.”
Twilight was startled to see tears in the other pony’s eyes. She leaned across the table and folded Rainbow Dash in a tight hug. “Oh, Dash. We’re not perfect, none of us, as this all has made terribly clear. If you can forgive me for the part I played in Fluttershy’s death, then of course I can forgive you for what you said.”
Dash squirmed in Twilight’s hug before settling and hugging her back. “Thanks Twilight.” They broke apart and Dash coughed bashfully. “And, uh, if you could not mention the hug to anypony, that would be great. I do have a reputation to maintain.”
“Oh I don’t know,” Twilight said playfully. “I think Gilda and Scootaloo need to know their traveling companion is quite the cuddle-bug, don’t you? And Thraxus will want to be alert for surprise hugs as well.” She made as if to leave the room and go tell them.
“No no no no no,” Dash spluttered, racing to get ahead of Twilight and hold the door shut. “No telling them!”
Twilight laughed and, after a moment, Rainbow Dash joined her. When the laughter had faded to an occasional chuckle, Rainbow Dash held out a hoof to Twilight. “So, we cool?”
“We’re cool, Dash,” Twilight replied, returning the hoof bump.
A weight seemed to lift off Dash. Literally, as she immediately took to the air, hovering like she always used to. “Great! Now that that’s taken care of, let’s get this show on the road.” Before Twilight could blink, Dash had the door open and had already rushed out.
Shaking her head in bemusement at her friend’s speed, Twilight followed her back into the living room. Gilda was regaling Scootaloo and Spike with a Griffon tale of daring adventure, and from the wide eyes and grins the two were eating it up. Even Thraxus was nodding along with the story.
“And so then he swished his tail in three sharp lines and summoned up a whirlwind. He-“
“No time!” Dash broke in. “We’re leaving now while there’s still daylight left.”
“Awww,” Scootaloo and Spike chorused.
“Can’t we hear the end?” Scootaloo pleaded.
Gilda had already moved over to the bags and was slinging hers onto her back. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you the rest on the road.”
“What about me?” Spike asked. “I’d like to hear the end too.”
Gilda hummed to herself. “Can’t help you there, Spike.”
“That was the story of Ink-Tail and the Sun Goddess, right?” Twilight asked.
Gilda nodded. “Yes, have you heard of it?”
Twilight smiled to herself. “You could say that.”
“Don’t worry Spike,” Scootaloo chimed in. “Sim says that Iolite should know that story. Why don’t you ask her next time you see her?”
Spike smiled. “Thanks Scootaloo, and tell Sim thanks too. I’ll do just that. I know it’s silly, but I wouldn’t be Twilight’s brother if I didn’t hate leaving stories unfinished.”
“I am the last pony who would criticize anypony, or anydrake, for wanting to know how a story ends,” Twilight agreed.
While they had spoken, Thraxus, Rainbow Dash had donned their saddlebags as well. Scootaloo raced to grab her own small pack, and once it was settled on her back the four travelers stood ready to depart.
Twilight opened the door for them. “May the sun shine warm upon your face and the wind rise up to meet your wings,” she said, in blessing and farewell.
The four travelers nodded their thanks and passed through, turning to offer one last goodbye before taking to the air, with Scootaloo carried on Dash's back. Twilight watched until they were little more than distant dark specks against the blue of the sky and the brightness of the afternoon light.
“They’re missionaries, you realize,” a voice said from behind the door. Shutting it, Twilight found Luna standing at the window, watching the travelers depart. “Ponies will hear what they have to say and make pilgrimages to the Butterfly Aegis in the north. It might become a cult or a full-fledged religion, but they’re going to try and spread the good word of Fluttershy.”
“I know,” Twilight said. “I remember seeing off other travelers with the same look in their eyes and an icon in their hooves.”
Luna shot her an assessing look. “Yes, I suppose you would. I keep forgetting. It’s a hard thing to hold in my mind for some reason.”
“It’s understandable. I’m sure my memories remind you of things you’d rather forget.”
“They do,” Luna agreed, “but that doesn’t mean I should permit myself to look away. I have been thinking,” she added, apropos of nothing, “that I should move out and look for my own place to live. They say, after all, that fish and guests both begin to stink after three days, and I have been here for far longer than that.”
“You don’t stink,” Twilight answered reflexively before cringing. Beside her Spike chuckled at her awkward choice of words. “I mean that it has been nice having you here. Having the two of us in one place was useful in acclimating soldiers from the army as your moon-blessed manage to send them home from their slumber in the Dreaming.
“True. Though I think personal attention and sharing a dwelling with two alicorns has been a bit overwhelming for some of them.” Luna laughed. “Remember that one pegasus who took forever to be convinced that he was actually no longer asleep? He kept looking at us and asking where his birthday cake was.”
Twilight laughed along with Luna, but Spike just rolled his eyes and grumbled, “you laugh, but I’m the one who ended up making him a cake just so he’d shut up about it.”
“And we appreciate that,” Twilight replied. She also appreciated the fact that the inches she’d gained since her ascension let her once more reach the top of Spike’s head to rustle his head spines.
He shook her off with a long suffering sigh. “I’ll go get some more tea for you two.”
“Thanks Spike,” Twilight said, sitting back down at the room’s central wooden table. “So you were saying you might want to move out Luna?”
Luna had followed suit and was resting comfortably across the table from Twilight. “I was considering it. Few soldiers remain to ease into all the changes in Equestrian society of late. In any case, while it helped having two of us, I don’t think it was strictly necessary.”
Twilight nodded in agreement. “Most of them didn’t stay for more than a day or two before joining the connected or finding a place in town. We were really only necessary to get them to take the whole connected thing seriously.”
“Right. Thank you Spike,” Luna added as he brought in a tea pot and poured them both a generous cupful. “And the moon-blessed are well on their way to exploring the Dreaming. They don’t need me anymore. Truthfully, I was only needed to teach them the trick to returning to the real world. Everything else was just a bonus. I suspect that, given her provenance, Sunlit Rooms shall prove a most capable leader. With Barrel and Pinkie Pie’s help they will soon know more of that realm than I ever did.”
“All true, but I don’t see how this ties into you wanting to move out.” Twilight took a sip of tea and shot a grateful look over to Spike. “Thanks Spike, this is excellent. I particularly appreciate the faint ruby undertones.”
Spike grinned and held up a claw dramatically. “Behold! Gem-cuisine’s first pony convert. Soon all of Equestria will follow in my footsteps.”
“Not rubies!” Luna gasped in faux-horror. “My one weakness. Clearly I must move out to avoid being slowly poisoned by this fiend.”
The three shared a laugh. “Alright, alright, I’ll leave the rubies out of yours in the future, Luna,” Spike said. “Do either of you want anything else? Because if not I’ve got a book I’d like to finish.”
“I think we’re set Spike. I hope your book’s ending is a good one.”
“It will be,” he called back as he departed. “The princess and the Archmage elope together and live happily ever after.”
There was a moment of silence as Twilight and Luna processed what he had said.
“Is this where you confess your secret undying love for me?” Luna asked, deadpan.
“I mean, I have all of Celestia’s memories, so I think it’s fair to say I love you like a sister, and we’re both immortal so technically…” Twilight trailed off as they both shared a chuckle. “Seriously though, Luna, you’ve been avoiding answering the question. Why do you want to move out?”
Luna shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve been feeling at loose ends lately,” she admitted. “The moon-blessed and the connected handle the sun and moon. I’m not involved with the government anymore. And there aren’t any evil kings to fight.”
“And you think moving out might help you find something to focus on?” Twilight asked.
“Maybe?” Luna shrugged, frustrated. “I’m not sure. I spent so long thinking I wanted to be Celestia. Now that I’ve realized I don’t want to be her, I’m not sure who I should be.”
“Would you ever want to join the connected?” Twilight asked.
“I thought we were forbidden from joining them?” Luna responded, making a face at the rubies in her tea.
Twilight shook her head. “I spoke to Fancypants about that a while back and he clarified something. They were afraid that the addition of a mind containing as many memories as ours do would unbalance the network and end up giving us control of the whole thing in the same way as Sombra. I plan to study it more, but I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t work that way, and Fancypants said that if I can prove it then we are welcome to join as well.”
Luna hummed thoughtfully. “Well that’s something to consider at least, though I’m not sure it’s right for me. What about you? How are you going to be spending the first few decades of your newly immortal life?”
“If Spike were here I’d pull out my itemized checklist of life goals, but I think I’ll spare you that,” Twilight said, sipping her tea.
“Thanks,” Luna responded drily.
“Other than the connection research, I’m going to be spending the next while on these memories. I want to make sure I’ve fully absorbed and understand everything that my mind now contains. I’ll be writing a few treatises on that. Psychology, history, magic, anthropology, and any other pieces of knowledge I discover that aren’t already known.”
Luna smiled slightly. “It sounds like you have quite a bit to work on. I was never that skilled at the sciences or social sciences, but now that I think on it I would like to spend some time on the arts. It’d be a shame if the anthem of a short-lived and now defunct government was my last work, even if the moon-blessed are keeping that particular piece of music alive.”
“That’s not a bad idea. An alicorn of science and an alicorn of art. We’d make a good pair.” A sad expression crossed Twilight’s face. “Or I suppose that’s how it could have been.” With an effort of will she pushed it away. “Anyway, after all that I’m going to learn everything I can about how to be a teacher.”
“A teacher? You?” Luna cast an assessing eye over Twilight from the rim of her teacup, having apparently decided to tolerate the rubies. “Hmm, I could see it.”
“You know, you might want to consider learning something about teaching as well,” Twilight said casually.
“Me? That could be interesting, but I’m not sure exactly what I would teach. As I said, I was always a bit iffy on the sciences and, unfortunately, my history is still about a thousand years out of date.” Luna looked away, considering.
Twilight put her cup down and fixed Luna with a serious look. “I thought you’d figured it out, Luna. Trust me, you’re going to want to know how to teach.”
Luna looked back at the other alicorn. “Figured what out? What are you talking about?”
“Luna, what does it take to turn an ordinary pony into an alicorn?” Twilight’s nerves were showing now and she was drumming one hoof rapidly on the table.
“It just takes an ability to use the magic of the natural world directly, without it having been processed and tuned to your own type,” Luna answered, still perplexed.
“And how does a pony gain the ability to use natural magic?”
Luna frowned. “Usually, they’d need to completely understand how another few ponies use their own magic. That would allow them to triangulate how it would feel to use natural magic alone.”
Twilight nodded. “Celestia described it to me in very nearly the same terms. Now, hasn’t there recently been a dramatic increase in the number of ponies that have an opportunity to feel how other ponies use magic?”
Luna’s eyes grew very wide. “No, that can’t be right. That would mean- but that’s impossible.”
“I could be wrong,” Twilight admitted. “But I don’t think so. I think that sometime soon the connected are going to start ascending. Maybe not the ponies that were adults when they were connected. They already were fairly fixed in how they used magic. But the foals? Hay, I’m half surprised Shining Armor’s foal wasn’t born ascended.”
Luna was frozen, dumbstruck and utterly unmindful of the tea dripping onto her leg from her spilled teacup. “They could all ascend,” she whispered. “An entire race of immortals. I can’t even begin to imagine what that might mean.”
“And just who,” Twilight continued, “do you think they will come to when fillies and colts start to turn into alicorns.”
Luna gulped. “You were right. I’d better learn how to be a teacher.”
“Exactly,” Twilight said with a satisfied smile, pleased that she’d passed her worry on to somepony else.
Luna winced as another thought struck her. “Do the other immortals know that this is going to be happening?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “At the latest, they’ll figure it out when foals start popping up with wings and horns.”
“They’re not going to be happy.”
“No, they’re not.” Twilgiht’s determination was very nearly palpable. “We need to be ready to protect the fledgling alicorns when they first emerge, or the other immortals might try to eliminate them and nip this whole thing in the bud.”
“That’s- that’s quite a collection of tasks you’ve set for yourself,” Luna said weakly.
“So, still feel like there’s not enough to occupy your time?” Twilight asked cheekily.
Luna let her head rest on the table. “Remind me to never again complain to you about not knowing what to do with my life.”
Twilight leaned forward and patted her shoulder. “There there, it’s going to be fun. Just think of everything we can do with an entire race of alicorns!”
Luna looked up, her eyes shining as brightly as the stars her now-blue mane once had. “We’re going to be busy for the foreseeable future, aren’t we?”
“Yes, Luna, I expect we will.”