//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Unchanging // by afakebrony //------------------------------// Canterlot castle was still. The time had come; all who resided there could feel it in the air. Somewhere in a deep corner of the castle, a wooden door quietly creaked open to reveal a small bedroom. A single bed inside held an elderly pony, one who long ago lost the last of her friends, yet still held on to serve the kingdom. Twilight Sparkle, professor of magic at Canterlot University and student of Princess Celestia herself, was on her deathbed. Life prolonged through her exposure to enormous amounts of magic, she had reached the elderly age of 153, far outliving any of the other ponies she had held close in her youth. Even Spike, now a maturing dragon, had left to find his own life as a solitary creature. He currently resided in a cave on the outskirts of Equestria. He would visit once in a while, but as the years passed his visits grew less and less frequent. Canterlot was no place for a dragon of his size, and it wasn't in his nature to live so close to ponies anyways, so as the years went by, he eventually stopped coming. A single white alicorn walked in. Tall and majestic, with a multicolored mane flowing freely in the still air. She closed the door and slowly made her way to the bedside. She had a look of quiet sadness on her face, knowing what was to come and yet unable to do anything about it. She peered down at Twilight, her body now a husk of her former self. Her lavender coat and streaked mane were faded, faded to the point that she looked more gray than anything now. She stirred in her bed, eyes opening to reveal inquisitive purple irises, never seeming to age with the rest of her. She intently looked back, not making a sound. They simply stared at each other for a few seconds, both knowing what was to come. "How are we holding up, my dear Twilight?" she asked. "I'm fine Princess Celestia," replied the unicorn, "As fine as I could be right now. I know it won't be long now. You know, I can feel it. I can feel the magic inside of me fading. I'm just glad I can be here with you." She smiled. "You know, it didn't have to be like this, here," Celestia replied, "You have relatives to say goodbye to, and your students... even my sister isn't here. Spike, too. If you had requested for it, we could certainly make accommodations for him." "No, I wanted it this way. There's a reason I requested no one else be at my bedside today. I wanted to be left alone with you. Princess, I hope I'm not overbearing, but I've never felt as close to anypony as I have to you," she said. The princess sighed. "I know, Twilight. I do wish you wouldn't look at me in such regard, though. You have been so important in so many ponies' lives. It is belittling of you to simply acknowledge you as a friend of mine. And please, just call me by my name. I don't want to hear the formalities, not on this day." "Thank you, Celestia," Twilight said, "Truthfully, I did want you here alone because I wanted to ask you something. Something I needed to hear from you in private, without anyone else around." "Ask me anything you want, my faithful student." "Pr- Celestia, I want to know. What did I really mean to you? I know you've been around for such a long time, and you've had many students under your care. In a thousand years, will I still be important to you? Will I be forgotten?" The question caught the alicorn a bit off guard. Did she even know herself what the unicorn meant to her? She could say that she loved her, as she loved all her students, but that wasn't the full extent of it. No, she definitely didn't see her as a lover, but Twilight Sparkle was definitely much more than a friend to her. She thought for a moment, then spoke what she felt was the full truth. "Twilight, you are one of the most special ponies to have ever graced my presence. Without you, the one I hold dearest would not be here today. There is not a single student I have ever had who could say that other than you. Those long years without my sister by my side were the worst times I have ever known. You've done so much for me in your short life, I'm not sure even I could ever fully repay you. I... I will make sure you are not forgotten, Twilight. You will always have a special place in my heart." Celestia shook as she uttered the last sentence. She felt something stir inside of her. A feeling she was all too familiar with. The feeling of loss, the feeling of all the ones you care about slipping away before your eyes, of kingdoms come and gone. The feeling of knowing that unlike all the ponies she cared so much about, she herself would never pass on with them. At least her sister was back by her side, she took solace in that fact. "Thank you, Celestia. It's really nice to hear that I mean so much to you. I'm sorry I can't be around any longer. I guess I'll finally be reunited with my friends. It's been so long," Twilight said, looking out  at the ceiling. Celestia held out a hoof and Twilight took it, both ponies basking in the warm touch of the other. The alicorn looked away. She'd been through this before. She had experienced it many times throughout her life. I've gotten used to it by now. She thought to herself. But something was different this time. Something she couldn't quite put her hoof around. She was an alicorn, eternal, ageless and changeless. She closed her eyes and felt the trickle of tears flow down her face. It was wrong, it was all wrong. "Celestia, are you... okay?" she heard a soft voice say from the bed. She opened her eyes and looked back down at the bed. In her mind raced thoughts of a time before Twilight Sparkle. Before the incident many years ago that had brought her sister back to Equestria. She was so lonely then. Celestia, sole monarch of all of Equestria and raiser of the sun and moon, had been alone. So terribly, terribly alone. When she took Twilight Sparkle as a student, she knew that the young filly had enormous potential. She treated her as any teacher would treat a prized student. It all changed that night, though. The thousands years of solitude had tempered her soul. When she gazed upon the small form of her long-lost sister, however, a spark inside of her relit. To the rest of the world, there was simply another princess. To Celestia, however, she had found happiness once again, after a long thousand years of suffering. And she owed it all to the mare in front of her. "It's funny isn't it," Celestia said, "You're about to pass on, and yet I'm the one who is here crying. So unbefitting of a princess." She laughed weakly. "I'm truly fine, my faithful student. It's just been a long time since I've lost someone so precious to me." "I'm still here right now," Twilight said. She coughed, heaving coughs that betrayed her fading strength. When she opened her mouth to speak again, the words came slowly. "I lived a full life, as did all my friends. There's still so research to be done, and so many papers to write, but I know others will take care of everything in my absence. I taught them myself. Oh Celestia, there are still projects left undone, but I'm just happy that I will be rejoining my friends. I'll miss you though, I'll never not miss you." Celestia's heart ached. "Twilight, I am also happy for you. I have a question for you as well, if you do not mind," she said, "I'm sure it's something you've thought about in the past." "Go on," Twilight said, "What is it?" "Twilight Sparkle, if given the choice to live forever, would you take it?" she asked. "Is that an offer, Princess?" Her eyes stared up at the alicorn, hesitation overflowing in them. "Just Celestia, please. And no, it is merely a 'what if.' I cannot bestow or take away eternal life, whether I want to or not." "Hm... You're right. I have thought about it before," she seemed to calm down, "Please don't take this the wrong way, Celestia, but I don't think I could ever bear to live forever. It's just that I don't think I'm strong enough. Not like you, Princess," Twilight said, "Losing my friends one by one was devastating to me. I don't think I could ever have the strength to go through with that for all of eternity." "It is very hard indeed. Truthfully, right now I am questioning my own strength. Your answer is exactly what I wanted to hear, Twilight. My long life has been a blessing indeed, for I love serving my kingdom. I hold a deep love for all of my subjects, and it warms my heart to see them flourish under my rule. But alongside the blessing, it is also a great curse. Moments like these, they make my life so very difficult. This is a life I would not wish upon any other pony besides my sister and I," she said, "I just needed to hear it from your mouth. Think of it as one last test question, I suppose." Twilight smiled. "I haven't had a test in a long time," she whispered, "Celestia, I'm sorry to hear about your pain. I can't say I regret anything that's happened to me, but knowing the loss that you will experience in my absence... Though speaking of my past, there's another reason I wanted you here today as well." She tried to take a deep breath and winced, pain wracking her tired body. "Easy, Twilight. I'm here for you." "Celestia, I know it's been many decades, over a century even. There's something I wanted to say to you today. Something that I tried to write, but then decided I needed to tell you in person," she looked up at Celestia, an intensity burning in her eyes. "I always regretted no longer sending you friendship reports, Celestia. I just thought it was appropriate *cough* to end our time together here with one last friendship report. Would you like to hear it?" "I, too, regretted the end of your reports, but you were done with your studies. You were a grown mare, ready to live your own life, and there was no longer any need to let me know what you had learned in your day to day excursions," she said, "Now go on, speak your mind." She closed her eyes and started to speak, clear words a stark contrast to her fading body. "Dear Princess Celestia, "My time here is coming to an end. I've been around for so long, the world around me seems to just fly by now. I feel that the world doesn't need me around anymore, and with that knowledge, I can pass on peacefully. I've learned a lot about friendship in my life, and I want you to know that it was all thanks to your help. "Without you I never would have come out of my shell. If you had never sent me off to Ponyville, I probably would have stayed friendless and alone for my whole life. You taught me how to live, and because of you I found so many wonderful friends to share my life with. We ponies are social creatures, something I never truly understood until I met my friends in Ponyville. "I can only hope that my passing isn't too hard on you. We've both suffered much loss in our lives. My friends are all gone. I know that what I felt when I saw the last of my friends slip away is nothing compared to what you've had to face in your lifetime, but I have felt the same feelings of loss that you do now. "I go on now having had my life determined by the close friends I kept. Princess, you were the truest friend I could ever ask for. I've learned that friendship is the most powerful form of magic out there. I've also learned that with time, all friendships have to come to an end eventually. I go to my rest now in peace, with you at my side. I am truly honored to have had you as my friend, Celestia. "Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle" Celestia continued to hold Twilight's hoof as she relaxed into the bed. She held on until she felt the warmth fade from her grasp. The princess of the sun closed her eyes as a single tear ran down her face. Twilight Sparkle was no more.