//------------------------------// // 3. Where did the time go? // Story: Celestia's Bucket List // by Brony2893 //------------------------------// Have you ever felt the relief of knowing a loved one was okay after a traumatic incident that could have killed them? The relief of knowing your world will hold together a little bit longer until the next big tragedy? This was the relief that a certain alicorn was feeling as she held her sister in relief that she finally woke. It is also on this bright, warm day that tragedy will strike our royal sisters once again. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” Luna contently sighed into her sister’s ever-flowing mane. Her forelegs were wrapped around Celestia’s neck whilst she lied on the labyrinth’s grass. Luna let the worries she’d bottled up just pour out. All the while Celestia comforted her younger sister without saying a word. “I thought I’d lost you.” The lunar princess whispered without opening her eyes. “I was so scared of being alone again, Tia.” “It’s alright Lulu,” Celestia nuzzled into the distraught alicorn. “I’m ok, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” “What… what happened to you?” Luna sniffled, regaining her composure. “Well…” Celestia started, bringing her legs into a more comfortable sitting position. “”It’s complicated, Luna.” “How?” The younger alicorn pulled away, wiping a tear away with her hoof. “Do you not know what caused this?” She slightly titled her head at the situation. Celestia said nothing as she slowly rose to her hooves, a deadpan expression on her face as her inner thoughts ran amok. Do I tell her what happened? What will she say if she knows about that, place? If I tell her, how much do I reveal? What did mother mean when she said we’d see each other again? What did it all mea- The solar alicorn looked straight ahead in epiphany. The memory spell… “Tia? Are you ok-?” “Luna,” Her sister’s voice was serious and flat. “Was there anything unusual happening when you found me?” Luna slightly pulled away at the tone of her sister. This was most certainly a strange situation. “Yes, your horn was firing off sparks when I got-“ “Where?” Celestia interrupted. “Show me, now.” Luna replied by slowly raising a hoof and pointing a short distance away. Celestia quickly noted the slightly charred patch of grass. She paced around the patch with an inspecting but cautious eye. Her horn began to shine as she readied a spell to inspect the area. “Dear sister, you need your rest.” Luna could see her sibling’s exhaustion from whatever happened to her. Celestia was about to voice an objection before Luna cut her off. “Whatever is here can wait a little longer.” “But-“ “No ‘buts’, Tia. You need your rest.” Celestia looked from her sister back to the marked grass with a slight frown. It’s waited this long…it can wait a little longer. “Fine,” Celestia sighed, released the breath she’d unknowingly held. “I admit I am still tired from this altercation.” She gave her wings a few flaps to make sure they weren’t damaged while she was unconscious and dragged like a ragdoll. “When we come back tomorrow,” Luna unfurled her wings as she addressed her sibling. “We’ll sort this out, no matter what it is.” Celestia inwardly chuckled. It was rare for Luna to act the “big sister” part. She’s grown up so much… Stowing that last thought, Celestia took to the sky with Luna in-tow. Neither alicorn noticed the scroll Twilight sent. It sat, slightly crushed from Celestia’s weight in the middle of the labyrinth, unlikely to be noticed. After a short flight they landed on the balcony of Celestia’s bedroom. Luna told the guards there would be no visitors or royal business for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, Celestia got comfortable on her colossal bed. Both alicorns removed their jewelry and set them aside, eager for some rest from what had transpired. They both settled their bodies together in preparation for cuddling. Once together, Celestia draped a wing over her sister like she always did, covering the younger princess in her own little cocoon. It always made her feel safe. “You know, Tia…” Luna was interrupted by an escaping yawn. “I never did like the gold blankets in your room.” She motioned to the shining fabric whilst letting a small laugh escape. “Well,” Celestia brought her shoe-less hoof up to her chin. “Perhaps we could go to the haberdasher and pick out a new color scheme?” A faint smile tugged at the older sibling’s mouth. “It’ll be just like old times.” Luna nuzzled her sister at the prospect. “That sounds lovely, Tia.” They both bowed their heads and wordlessly began to drift off to an afternoon nap. Before succumbing to sleep, the younger alicorn peeked out the window and saw the labyrinth from her prone position on the bed. Many thoughts raced in the lunar princess’s mind. One in particular stood out from all the rest. What is she hiding from me? “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sweetie Belle!” Spike waved out the door to the bouncing unicorn before shutting it with a light thump. He turned back to the main floor of the library with his claws stroking his chin. Something was troubling the young dragon, and it concerned a certain little filly. “Hey, Twilight?” He called as he made his way up to their bedroom. He opened the door to see his adoptive mother giving the window one of her classic thousand yard stares. Her ear twitched toward him at least acknowledging she knew he was there. He decided to continue where he left off. “Did you notice anything different about Sweetie Belle today?” He asked as he clamored up the mare’s bed. “She was like, really clingy and asked me to hang out with her tomorrow.” Twilight turned her attention to the dragon beside her before looking back to the window. “Well, what did you say?” She asked. “I told her ‘yes’, of course. I need some more time off from all the work you make me do. Uh, no offense.” He looked away shyly. Twilight turned and nudged Spike with a smile on her face. “It’s to teach you responsibility so one day you can be successful on your own, and it’ll look good for Swe-“ She barely caught herself in time. “Er, I mean it looks good to anypony, to be responsible. Yep.” Close one. “Right.” Spike drew out the word, looking over the purple unicorn with suspicion. “Like I said, some time off will do me good. Tomorrow is Saturday after all.” “Uh hu.” Twilight nodded as she watched the mid-afternoon sun with a trace of curiosity. “Has the princess replied to my question yet, Spike?” “No. That’s strange, now that I come to think of it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s been what, two hours since we wrote-“ “Two hours, seventeen minutes exactly since we sent the letter.” Twilight interrupted, looking away from the clock on the wall and back to the captivating window. “I’m worried Spike, she usually replies within 135 seconds, never more!” Spike stood up and wrapped an arm around Twilight’s side and leaned against her, also taking in the sight of the outdoors. “I’m sure she’s just really busy. Friday is probably when everypony goes to her with problems so they can relax during the weekend.” Twilight sighed. “You’re probably right. Still, what if something’s wrong? What if the Changlings attacked again? What if-“ She was interrupted by a purple hand being smacked over her muzzle. If I don’t stop this train of thought, it’ll derail and destroy the entire town. Spike internally complained. “Twilight, I’m going to remove my hand and when I do, you will stop worrying about that stupid letter.” “Ifs noff stuffiid!” She grumbled through her closed mouth. Spike only narrowed his glare further; he wasn’t going to give up unless she stopped. Their eyes played a silent war back and forth, willing the other to give in. The unicorn eventually lowered her shoulders in defeat, and felt her assistant’s hand leave her muzzle. “Fine.” “Now that’s what I like to hear! Last thing this town needs is another T-word level disaster like last year with that dol-“ Spike was cut short by a tickling sensation in the back of his throat. He only had a moment to look away from Twilight before green flames erupted from his mouth, leaving a sealed scroll on the bed. In a flash Twilight snatched up the letter and tore off the seal without bothering to see who it was from. Twilight Sparkle, It has come to my attention there is a situation most-urgent here in Canterlot that requires your attention. It would be best if you could make arrangements with your assistant to allow you to stay a minimum of a week to help resolve this crisis. A chariot has been sent and will arrive within one hour of this letter. Please be ready to depart by then. This matter is confidential, it is best if you not disclose this information to anypony. -Luna The letter was short and the ink marks clearly showed the writer was in a hurry. Twilight furrowed her brow as she re-read the letter twice, then three times again. Spike peeked over Twilight’s shoulder to see the scroll, or he would have if she didn’t stand up and knock him to the floor. “So what’s on the letter?” The dragon asked, rubbing the arm he landed on. “Was she able to answer your question?” “Pack your things Spike; you’re staying with Rarity for the next week.” Twilight ignored the question as she brought out a suitcase from under the bed. If she didn’t start packing now, there’s no way she’d be packed in only an hour. “What? Why? What’s going on?” “I…don’t know.” A short time before... Dark wings beat through the afternoon air in a hurry to reach their objective, the autumn air wafting through the nostrils of their owner. Only a minute ago Luna was cuddled up to her sister. Now, she was soaring through the air as fast as her wings would carry her, her jewelry still in her sister’s room. Celestia would surely be upset if she knew what the lunar princess intended. I’m sorry Tia, I just have to know what’s happening to you. Please forgive my impatience. Luna landed back in the labyrinth where she’d left not long ago with her now-sleeping sister. It only took her a few moments to find the charred patch of grass. She stood before it and curiously looked around the maze. Why is there something hidden here? This is a random spot in a maze! Nothing remarkable here at all, nothing! Luna sat down on her haunches in thought. Had this been a fluke? A random occurrence with no logical explanation? No. There was a reason for her sister’s strange behavior, and Luna was going to figure out what. Well, magic brought her here… Her horn began to build power. Maybe it can show me why. Luna’s horn released a small wave of magic, much like a sonar wave, revealing things unseen. She ‘felt’ a ping and looked back to the burnt grass. Puzzled, she released another wave and was surprised the ping was slightly further down than the topsoil. That makes much more sense now. Luna mentally facehoofed. Only one thing to do now. She stood and released tiny bolts of her blue magic at the ground. Each impact of the alicorn’s magic pulled a perfect cube of soil only a few inches across out and set it aside. She wanted to take it slow with her ‘digging’, she didn’t want to damage whatever lay beneath. After many minutes, and a couple feet of piled cubes beside her, something other than dirt finally showed itself. At first Luna thought it a trick of the fading light when she saw- “Gold? Why in Equestria would Tia bury gold all the way out here?” She reached with her magic and gave it a slight tug. It would not budge. Perplexed, she gave it more force and eventually the mysterious object was released with a slight pop from its earthy home. It was much larger than the piece of gold Luna originally thought it to be. She set it down In front of her to get a better look. The entire surface was a perfectly polished gold that still shone with brilliance despite being surrounded by filth for who knows how long. It was rectangular and had six perfectly flat sides with minute designs etched into it. Perfectly made lines swirled up and around its surface, all eventually coming together on the top where a symbol stared up at Luna: It was Celestia’s seal, her cutie mark perfectly modeled in gold. The alicorn stood before the chest in awe: she recognized this particular valuable, though it felt another lifetime ago she last laid eyes on its beauty. I gave this to Tia when we were but fillies on her birthday. It took me months to make it at that young age. Luna folded her legs together and sat down as she was lost in that memory. She was so happy to see it, she’d been talking for months how she needed a jewelry box for the tiara mother and father gave her the prior year. Of course the chest was large enough to hold 30 of the filly-sized accessories, but nonetheless, Celestia cherished it as her most prized possession. So why was it buried away where nopony would ever find it? Luna reached to open it, before an alarming thought stopped her hoof mid-air. What if she placed a magical trap on it? She thought back to the prank she intended to pull on Celestia thousands of years ago by placing a frog into the chest…only to have the golden box release its trap-spell on her, leaving the poor alicorn mute for a week. It was a good century before Celestia stopped teasing her about it. Now? Now the younger sibling had enough magical prowess to disarm any of her sister’s humorous spells. She tentatively reached out with her magic and ‘felt’ the chest, trying to sense any magical signatures left behind. Surprisingly, she didn’t sense anything other than a faint, almost unnoticeable flicker of magical energy from inside the chest. Gold had strange properties when it came to magic, not what. Luna called her magical tendril back and looked the object over in contemplation. The blue alicorn bit her lip in thought. What now? Do I put it back and pretend nothing ever happened? No, Tia would see through my lie…she always does. Luna flicked the box with her hoof in frustration, eliciting a slight ping that was quickly absorbed by the living walls of the labyrinth. “Well, I have come this far…there is no backing down now.” She stood and rested her hoof on the simple latch that held the lid shut. After a moment of mental preparation, she undid the latch and let the first light in a long time grace the interior of the ancient chest. “This is it…this is what’s caused this whole thing?” Luna couldn’t believe something so small held such weight when it came to her sister. She inspected the inside of the chest and only the item floating in her grasp was inside. “It’s a letter?” Luna brought it closer to her face; it wasn’t sealed or even tied. It was just a rolled-up scroll, nothing terribly special to the naked eye. She set it down on the grass and felt around it with her magic, hoping to learn something about the seemingly mundane object. However, there was a heavy aura emanating from the scroll, and the identity of the spell affecting it was not what Luna expected to find. “A memory spell?” The princess took a step back. “Tia should have known better than to use one! They are incredibly unstable when cast over a long time!” Luna fumed at the idea that her wise sister almost killed herself over a stupid piece of paper. Wait… Lune spied a dark character on the edge of the scroll as it relaxed and slightly unraveled itself. She sat down and slowly opened it the rest of the way, marveling at how it survived. Probably an age-slowing spell, too bad it only worked on simple objects like this before its use was banned. Luna unraveled it all the way and began to read the ancient text her sister seemed so tied to. “Time for some answers.” And she began to read. To Princess Celestia, me, Wind whipped through the unicorn’s mane as the chariot under her hooves raced to the Equestrian capitol. She’d barely had time to get her bags onboard before the chariot took off in a bloom of dust. Must be serious if they sent four pegasi to take me there… She looked up to the sun. Judging by the sun’s position and my departure time, I should be there shortly after 5. Twilight peeked over the side, the landscape blurring past in a sickening motion of colors. Twilight never was a fan of heights. She quickly pulled herself back to the center of the chariot. Spike seemed all too happy to stay with Rarity for a week. Twilight brought a hoof to her chin to stifle a giggle. Guess I ended up helping Sweetie Belle after all. She looked up from her thoughts to see Canterlot rapidly growing in the distance. Even at this distance its beauty radiated. If Twilight didn’t know any better, she’d think a spell was at work to make the city more alluring than it already appeared. I hope this crisis was just exaggerated and it’s nothing too bad. The purple mare blushed at her next thought. Sure would be nice to spend some time with the princess too… No…no no no no no! Luna’s lip trembled as her eyes scanned the parchment, and began to fill with tears. She had snuck away from her sister to learn her secret. Now, it was something she wished to erase from memory…or erase the letter in a flash of fire. Neither option would fix anything though, much to the disappointment of the grieving alicorn. This can’t be happening…it just can’t. Luna’s eyes were now waterfalls of sadness, the dam holding her tears back had collapsed and shattered. She had given-in to her despair and let her body fall on the grass, letting the letter silently fall back into its golden home. “This is a trick…yes, another of Tia’s tricks, of course.” The lunar princess sniffled before continuing. “It can’t be real…she would never do that to me, right?” She banished you for a thousand years, you know very well what she is capable of. A rogue thought snapped to the front of her mind. “Tia did that for my own good!” Luna stood and shouted at her rebellious thoughts. “Tia would never be so cruel to do this to me…” She bowed her head and whimpered. Luna stood there as tears rolled down her muzzle and fell to the grass. She thought of what impact this would have on the future. She would be alone, again. Alone. The insidious word rang through her head, bouncing back and forth. I can’t be alone again, never again. Luna looked back up to the chest as her eye twitched, the memories of her solitude on the solar body rushing back. It was all too much and she released her anger. In almost an instant she let loose her cold thoughts in the form of magic. In a flash, her horn pulsed once again. She opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw. The labyrinth around her was frozen solid. The grass covered in a thick frost that stopped the gentle breeze moving it. Even the walls around her made of hedges were frozen and solidified in her frustration. She tentatively took a step to the wall and touched it with her hoof to see if it were real. The frozen plant-wall reacted by shattering much like a fragile glass sculpture. An avalanche of green diamonds began to fall around her, reflecting the sunlight in beautiful flashes. The spectacular and terrible sight eventually stopped where the frozen walls still lived, some 30 feet down the path. “I, did this?” Luna whispered looking around at the frozen landscape, afraid her voice alone may destroy something. In a panic she turned back around, afraid her outburst had destroyed her sister’s ancient letter. She was relieved to see it resting safely inside the chest, cold, but not frozen. Out of the corner of her eye she spied a glint of purple in the sea of frozen green. Curious, she walked over and looked down to see- “A letter from Twilight?” The purple tie on the letter was the unicorn’s “signature” per-say. Luna’s horn shone as her magic began to envelop the scroll, only for it to shatter into countless pieces much like the labyrinth walls. The princess blankly stared at where the letter was the moment before. She could feel her anger begin to build up again. No, I’m better than this. Luna drew in a large breath before slowly letting it back out. She looked back to the chest having momentarily forgotten its existence. Her eyes cast downward in thought. Guess I should go, before somepony finds me here. Snap-freezing and destroying part of the Canterlot labyrinth would not be a simple explanation, considering the circumstances. Luna closed the chest with her sister’s letter still inside and as brought it close to her in a dark-blue aura. She needed to see her sister, and have her explain this phenomenon. But first… She looked down to the purple bits of ice that were Twilight’s seal a few moments ago. Luna beat her wings to get aloft, the down-draft shattering some of the still-frozen lawn. With the chest in her grasp and the castle only a stone’s throw away, Luna was able to land on the balcony to her room in no time. Opening the double glass doors that led to her balcony, Luna gingerly sat the gold chest on her bed and strode over to her desk, inkwell and quill already out. She began to write. Twilight Sparkle, It has come to my attention… With the letter sealed and on its magical path to the unicorn’s assistant, Luna notified the guards to send the fastest chariot to Ponyville. The lunar princess had a sister to find, and confront. The chariot touched down in the princesses’ private gardens, the closest open terrain to the castle it could land. “Here you are, Lady Sparkle. Princess Luna will escort you from here.” The lead pegasus told her in his flat, authoritative voice. Twilight looked away from the gardens to the castle seeing Princess Luna standing by an entrance to the palace. The purple mare couldn’t help but notice something was, off, in Luna’s stance. Twilight leaped off the gleaming chariot and ran a few feet before hesitating and looking back. “Your bags will be taken care of, Lady Sparkle. Please, do not keep the princess waiting.” Twilight smiled and nodded to the pegasus before returning her attention back to the alicorn. She quickly closed the distance and stopped only a fore-leg’s length away from the Princess. “Princess Luna! I got your letter, what’s going on? Is there-“Luna raised a hoof to silence the mare. Twilight noticed the princess was without her regalia, crown or slippers. That’s weird. I’ve never seen either princess without their- “Please follow me, Twilight Sparkle.” The alicorn turned and strode inside, leaving a confused unicorn a few steps behind. They continued walking up and down corridors for roughly a minute before Twilight spoke again. “Um, Princess? Where is Princess Celestia?” “She is in her personal bedchamber; I am taking you to see her, then I will depart.” Luna’s voice was quick and flat. Princess Celestia’s bedroom? Just me and her? Alone? Twilight was glad the alicorn in front of her could not see her blush. She decided to keep going with her questions. “Why there?” Twilight inquired. Luna suddenly stopped at the question, almost causing the mare to run right into her. The princess bowed her head and sighed before letting a strained sentence out. “Ti –I mean Celestia, is not well and I thought it best if her best student and friend were there to cheer her up.” “She’s sick?” Twilight brought a hoof up to her mouth in a mild panic as her mind raced. “How sick is she? Luna raised her hoof once more. “You shall have to ask her yourself.” With that, she turned and continued walking; Once again leaving a confused unicorn in her wake. It did not take the pair long to reach Celestia’s bedroom. Twilight looked out the windows alongside the hallway and noted they were fairly far from the ground, not a settling thought. “The guards have orders to allow you access, and then they will depart, giving you and my sister some privacy.” Twilight’s eyes grew as large as dinner plates in response. What Twilight was completely stonewalled. Luna raised an eyebrow at the stunned unicorn. She decided to ignore it and turn around to leave. “Now, I must go, Twilight.” Having been released from her temporary shock, the unicorn could only question the princess further. “Wait, where are you going?” Luna’s reply was barely a whisper as she slowly walked away. “I need to be alone right now…” Luna barely whispered loud enough. If the princess had been facing Twilight, she’d have noticed tears welling up in the alicorn’s eyes. Twilight watched the princess go before turning and ascending the couple steps that led up to the princesses’ room. The guards looked her over before nodding to each other and leaving in unison. Without knocking, Twilight opened one of the doors and went inside; weary of what may happen once inside. In truth, she’d been there once before when she was sick as a filly and the princess let her sleep in her bed. Now? Now things were different, and that made her extremely nervous. The first thing Twilight noticed was a chest made of solid gold right next to the door. She accidently bumped her hoof on the corner, alerting the princess inside she was no longer alone. “Who –Oh, Twilight!” Celestia craned her neck up from where it lay the moment before. Twilight looked up to see the princess on her enormous bed. She saw dried tear marks on Celestia’s muzzle. “Luna sent me here. Said you needed cheering up?” Celestia slightly bowed her head and smiled sadly. “Oh Luna, I should have expected this from you.” She muttered to herself. “Didn’t quite catch that.” Twilight craned her neck towards the bed to hear better. “Nothing, my little pony.” Celestia flashed her a smile, but Twilight could see cracks in the princess’s facade. Why does she look so tired? She’s never been like this when we’ve talked before. Better approach this casually, I don’t want to come off as too worried just yet. “Princess Luna seemed pretty upset about something. Is everything alright?” Twilight asked nonchalantly, taking a few casual steps towards the princess, noticing the flowing mane before her was drooped down ever so slightly. “Everything’s fine,” Celestia hesitated. “She’s just been overwhelmed by all the work lately. It’s tax season, it always leaves us feeling drained with the extra paperwork.” She finished with a smile slightly too large to be normal. She shifted her wing slightly, pushing something behind her in hopes the unicorn wouldn’t notice. Twilight narrowed her eyes as a smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Is that part of the tax work?” The purple mare asked, her eyes drifting to the princess’s side. Twilight saw the slightest flash of hesitation in Celestia’s eyes. Gotcha. “Whatever are you talking about, my faithful student?” “What it is you just hid behind your back.” Twilight took another step toward the alicorn, now only a few feet from the edge of the bed. “Oh, this?” Celestia rolled up the scroll before lifting it with her magic and letting it rest a couple feet above the unicorn’s head. “These are just some amendments to last year’s laws, nothing special.” “Mind if I take a look?” Twilight offered. “As you know, I did study tax when I was still living here.” Celestia’s smile faltered before quickly reappearing. “That’s quite alright, Twilight. You needn’t worry about an old mare like myself.” The alicorn waved a hoof dismissively. The scroll settling down on a nearby nightstand. “Who said I was worried?” Twilight confidently smiled. “Nopony, it was just a figure of speech my dear.” Celestia answered quickly, too quickly. She knew she was quickly losing ground in the mental battle against the mare before her. “Princess, you surprise me...” Twilight chuckled. Celestia cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head in curiosity at her student’s behavior. “You were the one who told me a pony’s real words were what their body said.” Twilight continued, motioning to the princess. “And what you’re saying is something really big is bothering you, and Princess Luna. On top of that, you’re not wearing any of your regalia. You always wear your jewelry. The solar goddess could only sit on her bed with her mouth slightly hung open, unsure of what to say next. You taught her well... The princess thought to herself. She looked to her student for a few silent, tense moments before bowing her head and resting her chin on the edge of her bed in defeat. “Well played, my faithful student.” Celestia sighed. “I should have known it impossible to deceive you.” “What can I say? I learned from the best.” Twilight blushed, nearly invisible under her purple coat. “You’ve always been a big influence in my life.” Now it was Celestia’s turn to blush. “Come,” The alicorn patted the bed next to her. “Join me and I’ll tell you all about it.” Twilight hesitated a fraction of a second before complying. Something that did not go unnoticed. “I promise I won’t bite.” Celestia smiled as her student, no, her friend climbed onto the plush bed and settled against her side with a large grin. She thought of draping her wing over Twilight, but dismissed it. Not yet, Celestia, you don’t want to scare the poor thing off. Besides, she probably doesn’t- Her thoughts were interrupted by Twilight nuzzling into the base of her neck. She looked down to the purple mare and smiled. Their eyes locked for a second before one of them spoke. “Princess?” Twilight began. “You wanted to talk about what was troubling you?” Celestia smiled at the ever-persistent mare. “Please, call me Celestia when we are alone.” The white alicorn smiled softly. “There is little need for protocol now.” She sighed and turned her face away from Twilight, shutting her eyes as the feelings of sadness returned like they were when she was alone. She was going to find out eventually...best to tell her now. “Twilight,” Celestia began, still facing away with eyes closed. “I need to tell you something...something important, and do not think as my sister did and believe it to be a joke. Do you understand?” She finished and looked back down to the mare cuddled up next to her, the princess’s eye forming a small tear. “I understand, Celestia.” Twilight reached up and embraced her mentor around her neck. “You can tell me anything.” Her hug was returned for a few sweet moments before they both released. They locked eyes again, their faces barely a foot apart. Celestia inhaled sharply, there was no turning back now. “Twilight...I am dying, it is a curse.” Twilight’s mind froze as those words hung in the air. Dying? Cursed? That can’t be right...can it? Her mind continued to race, trying to comprehend what the princess had just told her. “But,” Twilight finally managed to speak. “There’s no such thing as curses!” She cried. “I wish that were true, but there is very old magic at work here, and it cannot be stopped.” “But why!” Twilight’s eyes were beginning to swell with tears. Celestia laid a comforting hoof on her shoulder as she began to sob, unable to deal with what she was hearing. “It is an ancient form of magical punishment.” “But what could you have done?” Twilight managed to ask. “You’re the princess! You’d never do anything wrong!” Celestia closed her eyes and bowed slightly. “That is where you are wrong, Twilight.” The royal alicorn whispered before opening her eyes again. Two sets of depressed eyes met. Twilight could only listen as her heart and mind screamed in agony. Celestia closed her eyes, drawing in a breath for what she had to say. “It is the punishment of an alicorn that has spilled the blood of an innocent.”