The Princesses met their parents before breakfast the next morning, out on the Royal Balcony where they were admiring the artistry of the night sky above them. As they heard the soft hoofsteps approaching they stopped holding hooves and exchanged the briefest kiss before turning to greet their daughters.
“Oh, and good morning to you” greeted their father warmly.
“How did you know it was us?” enquired Celestia.
“Well, I’ll be honest, you’re both silhouetted against the light from the windows, so you’re either my daughters meeting me as arranged or two very skilled assassins come to finish me off!”
“Oh Papa” chided Celestia giving him a warm hug, “We’d never do anything to hurt either of you!”
A witty response died in his throat as the irony of her kind words, lovingly meant to reassure him, struck him to the core. If they chose immortality, then they would be killing both him and their mother too. As words failed him, he hugged her tighter.
“You alright, Papa?” asked Celestia, feeling that the warmth of their hug was somewhat more intense than usual.
“Sorry darling. Long night” he apologised, trying to excuse his overflowing emotions.
“What should we do Papa?” she asked, uncharacteristic uncertainty weighing heavily on her voice.
“Do what your mother said. She’s right. If you don’t follow what you believe to be right you will have a lifetime to regret it, and whether that is short or long doesn’t matter, it will still be your entire lifetime. You’re a grown-up now; you have to take this decision by yourself. We’re all here to help you with arguments for and against, but you must come down on one side or the other by midnight tonight. Just please trust me when I say that I can’t tell you which way to choose.”
Luna was stood next to her mother following having just finished lowering the moon down to rest and looked over her shoulder to see where her sister had got to. She watched her share a tender kiss with her father and then trot over to give her a nuzzle before taking centre stage and feeling over the horizon with her aura, coaxing the sun from its slumber and leading it up into the sky to start the day.
At the back of the balcony, Clover the Clever watched the scene of synergetic duty play out for what could be the last time as a communal family action, the children eager to please their proud parents who were watching with a sense of fulfilment, no longer lifting a hoof to intervene, but there instead to share in their children’s successes.
The day had begun without a hitch. Clover reflected on how magically gifted these two Princesses were. Admittedly they had been taught by both Star Swirl the Bearded and himself, and without being immodest, there had been no better trained unicorn minds to oversee their training. Yet, they carried something within each of them that had the potential to far exceed the sum of what they had learned, something that would in time grow to eclipse all the knowledge currently available to them, even the potential to create new magic.
It was at once frightening and also reassuring that such power was in the hooves of two so well brought up and level headed ponies. Had there been unfavourable personality traits within either, he could have foreseen bitter rivalry and oppressive tyranny, but even a cursory glance at the happy and stable family unit gave him solace that if such power were to exist it was in the best hooves possible.
He suddenly felt conspicuous, as if he were intruding on a happy moment which was not his to share and turned away as if disgusted by his own voyeurism, to leave the family in their happy moment; one of very few they may have left.
They all met up for breakfast, the young mares still bouncing with delight from having carried out their moon and sun duties, but all around the table knew that the clock was ticking, and the day would have to turn to other matters.
“So, what have you two decided?” asked the King.
“You need the answer by midnight, don’t you Papa?” replied Luna.
“Yes.”
“Yesterday was a little like information overload” she continued, “Can we go out and play today, you know as a family, so we can clear our heads a bit, but still have you there if we want to ask questions?”
“What an excellent idea” concurred her father, “What would you like to do?”
“Can we go to the coast and catch the wind as it rushes up the cliffs?” asked Luna.
“Oh, please!” chipped in Celestia, happily, “Where you used to take us?”
“Are you happy for me to carry you Clover, old friend” he asked, recognising that the Mage was the only one of the party without wings, “Or would you care for me to arrange a chariot for you?”
“No thank you, Sire. You know as much as I about tonight’s events; there is nothing I can add.”
“Please do come along with us” said the Queen quietly, “A chariot may be useful if they get too tired and can’t fly back.”
Clover desperately didn’t want to interfere with what could be their last day together, but something in the Queen’s eyes told him that he was being requested to provide moral support not just to the Princesses, but their parents too.
“Very well, I accept” he replied, and all the others cheered. Perhaps, just perhaps he wasn’t quite the outsider to this close knit family that he had always thought.
They flew to an isolated spot on the coast, Clover alone in a large four-pegasus chariot while the family of four alicorns led the way, the two young mares happily diving and weaving among their parents and playing games of chase that would see them spiral up into the sky, and then with screams of laughter find them hurtling straight back down again. The coastal air was bracing and a tonic for Clover for whom flying was not his preferred element and he felt a sense of relief when the rugged coastline came into view, happy with the prospect of being back on firm ground again.
The landing was flawless, and the Queen came round straightaway to check on his safety and comfort. He dismissed her concerns lightly, saying how much he had enjoyed it, but she saw through his platitudes and together they went for a walk along the clifftop where each opened up to the other about their weaknesses and their fears, each revealing a frankness and openness they had never shared before.
They stood and watched in awe as the two Princesses and their father swooped and swirled on the strong onshore breeze that was projected vertically upwards by the cliff face.
“This is where they first learned to fly” she confided, “The wind never seems to die down and its almost impossible not to fly in the updraught. You know Clover, I think even you could manage to fly up there!”
“No, your Majesty, I can assure you that if I had ever wanted to fly I should have created a spell to give myself wings, but I am happiest leaving the air to the pegasi and the alicorns – thankfully I am neither.”
“Clover, I’m scared” she confessed, suddenly reaching out to him.
“About dying?”
“Partly. But I also so wanted to see my daughters grow, share precious moments with them, be there at their weddings, when they foal … hold my own grandfoals …”
Clover caught her as her legs buckled and she cried, not the restrained Courtly tears, but a deep heartfelt outpouring for the loss she felt was coming. Each sob pulled on every emotion she held dear within her, threatening to rip it out manually from within her very being.
He knelt down beside her in the gentle onshore breeze and wrapped his forelegs tenderly round her neck as she reclined against him, holding her carefully and providing as much comfort as he could while she cried her heart out. He felt the sting of the salt air in his eyes and soon found tears welling up in his own eyes too and as his first tears fell, he held her closer.
Once the Princesses were exhausted, they glided down to where the chariot was parked, negotiating the complex windshear with practised ease with the King closely behind them, keeping a fatherly eye on them and ready to intercede should anything look like it may be going wrong. Even though they were now obviously grown up, he still couldn’t absolve himself of his strong sense of paternal responsibility for them, and would never allow them to come to any harm.
“You all looked marvellous up there” congratulated the Queen.
“Sorry you couldn’t get up there yourself today, we had an absolute riot!” cheered her husband.
The Princesses started relaying the stories of what they had been up to, speaking excitedly, sometimes one at a time, other times over each other in their excitement. Their tales made their mother raise a forehoof more than once to cover her gasps as she heard of such frightening manoeuvres that she knew she would never have let them perform, yet she had faith in her husband to keep them safe, faith she would hold unshaken until her death.
When the last tales had been spun, it was time to head home and the Princesses did look tired just astheir mother had predicted.
“Come join me in the chariot” offered Clover, “I have heard such marvellous stories from you today, let me tell you some of mine from long, long ago …”
They willingly mounted the chariot and snuggled down beside the Mage who began to recite the story of the founding of Equestria, even though it wasn’t Hearth’s Warming.
“You lead” commanded the King, and the chariot took off for the palace leaving the two ponies together, wind in their manes, looking out over the sea. They stood together and held hooves.
“You know, don’t you?” said the King.
“I fear so.”
“The spirits wouldn’t be prepared to grant such a gift lightly; we must assume it is for the best.”
“But what about us?”
“Our love for each other brought us Luna and Celestia and our love will live within both of them always.”
She started to cry and turned to bury her muzzle in his neck fur as she clung to him.
“I love you” she whispered between sobs.
He held her tightly but couldn’t speak as a ball of emotion had risen painfully in his throat and prevented him responding, even to the love of his life.