Her Highness, Princess Celestia was having trouble paying attention. That wasn't to say court was ever particularly exciting and a thing worth paying attention to, but today more than any other seemed to slog on. It wasn't the fault of her dear subjects who had come to court today for what to them were probably stressful, life-changing situations, but rather her own mind betraying her focus.
She could still picture Twilight's unmoving body as it was lowered into the casket. Still feel the tears of her sister running down her neck as she comforted Luna with a hug. Still hear the howls of anguished sobbing from Shining Armor, his wife doing her best to comfort him. She could see the broken expressions on the faces of Twilight's parents. All the sensations... they wouldn't go away. They wouldn't stop haunting her.
Raven, ever dutiful to her diarch, had easily noticed the lapse in Celestia's mental state. She quietly strode over to a nearby guard. "Could you alert the ponies waiting chamber that her Highness will be ending court after this pony?" She murmured, quietly enough to not disturb the long-winded speech being given by one 'Oversized Breeches'. The guard nodded and left to inform those waiting outside, much to many pony's disgruntled complaints.
"-and that is why the point-oh-three percent tax raise on the noble class was a terrible move, likely to cause the entire Equestrian government to destabilize, raise mass riots across the land, and cause the return of Tirek. Now, if you would instead implement a full tax-cut on my... I mean... Equestria's industrial sector, it would certainly be a very harmonious and friendship-y decision!" Mr. Breeches finished, his patented 'Winning Smile' emblazoned on his heavily perfumed visage.
Celestia had not paid any attention to the minutiae of her 'beloved' subject's speech, but hearing him finally stop talking, she nodded her head. "I promise I will look into your concern, my little pony." She spoke in her wonderfully serene voice with absolutely no intention of following her promise. The return of her loyal scribe and assistant to her side signaled that she would finally be able to leave. "As for those still waiting, I apologize, but I must retire for today. An important matter has just come up that requires my immediate attention."
She didn't remember much of the walk back to her bedroom. The halls seemed dim and colorless despite the many torches and hanging tapestries. She didn't notice the worried expression on every guard, maid, and servant she passed. She didn't hear their whispered comments about her mental state. None of that mattered.
Upon finally reaching her chambers, Celestia allowed all her muscles to relax as she slumped into a very plush armchair. She wasn't normally one to play hooky from her royal duties, but she knew she was in no state to be making policy decisions. She had only known Twilight for but a short few decades, and had thought that she would have many more left to spend with the newly ascended Alicorn, but fate as always had a habit of destroying both her plans and her heart. A few tears slipped from her face as she looked down at the coffee table, its surface covered completely with the hundreds of friendship reports Twilight had so dutifully sent her. She had already reread all of them, yet nowhere in Twilight's many leaned lessons could she find a way to bare the pain of losing one of the ponies dearest to her.
"-lestia!"
Even now she could hear her student calling her voice, muffled from her memories.
"-pen the window Prin-"
How long would these phantom noises haunt her? Even now, she could picture her student. Her bright eyes, shaggy unkept mane, repeatedly smacking her bedroom window with her hoof and shouting at her to open the latc-
Celestia blinked in confusion for a few moments, staring at the lavender Alicorn repeatedly banging on her window. In a flurry of motion, the solar diarch rushed to throw up the latch and let the panicking pony into her room.
The moment the accursed glass barrier was removed, Twilight tumbled in through the window and smashed head-first into the ground, grumbling woozily. "T... Twilight? Is that really you?" Celestia whispered, her leg partially outstretched, not quite touching Twilight as if fearing that the pony would vanish at the slightest contact.
"In the flesh..." She grumbled, pulling herself back up onto all fours.
Celestia leapt forwards and wrapped her student in a hug upon hearing that confirmation. "But... you were dead! How... when..." For the first time in over a millennium, Celestia was absolutely speechless. The ruler who had focused so much time and effort into her charisma and wit could find no words to outline her shock. After a few more false starts, she managed to blather out "I buried you with my own hooves! How are you alive?"
"I've been getting that a lot." The disgruntled alicorn answered unhelpfully as she gently hugged her teacher back. "I'm surprised your first instinct isn't that I'm a changeling."
Celestia's eyes narrowed and she suddenly pushed Twilight away from her. "Well, are you a changeling?"
"Why? Would it matter if I was?"
Celestia stomped her hoof. "Well, yes! The entire race of them were present at the invasion, you'd be a war criminal!"
Twilight blinked in confusion. "But... I already am a war criminal? I'm fairly certain indefinite imprisonment in stone is not how we're supposed to treat prisoners, but we still calcified Discord."
The solar demi-goddess blinked. "That's... a valid point."
Twilight nodded. "Technically, you are too, with the imprisonment of Luna to the moon. It's quite clearly stated in section 4, passage 3 of the Equus Code of Sentient Rights, any captured combatant has specific inalienable rights and privil-"
Celestia placed her hoof on Twilight's mouth before she could continue onwards and bring about anymore realizations of ethical and legal jeopardy. "Okay, I get it. You're definitely Twilight. So was the pony we buried a changeling? Some sort of illusion?"
Twilight pushed the hoof away from her face and shook her head. "Nope, that was me. Waking up underground was not very enjoyable, by the way. Just wanted to point that out."
Celestia sat down in shock. "You mean... you were buried alive? But Canterlot's finest doctors ran you through every medical examination possible. You were dead!"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. I was dead. And I have no idea why I'm not now. Or at least... I'm sort of not dead? My heart still hasn't gotten the memo."
"Your heart?"
Twilight shrugged. "It hasn't been beating, which is mildly concerning."
Celestia blinked. "Wait... your heart isn't beating at all?" She asked, leaning in and lighting her horn. A small beam of light gently prodded at Twilight's chest, the sensation fairly unpleasant. "Oh. Well... that explains things. And raises more questions."
Twilight tilted her head to the side. "In what way?" She asked, rubbing the tingling spot where Celestia's magic had touched her.
Celestia stood up and began to make her way towards her personal liquor cabinet. "You're undead."