//------------------------------//
// Revelations I 
// Story: Second at Best 
// by Wages of Sin 
//------------------------------//

"...Through it all, my father was a caring and dedicated stallion. I know he will be watching us from wherever he is now, but for his friends and family, he will be greatly missed." Twilight left the podium to allow Celestia to return.

"Thank you Twilight." She quietly said to her student as she passes before turning to face the audience. "As we have heard, he lived a great life. One that, to those he left behind, gives hope of reunion in the next life. It is with great sadness and undeniable joy that we commend his soul to the Creators." With those final words, Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor, and Twilight Velvet channeled their magic into a single magical fire that reduced the remains to naught but ash, as is Unicorn tradition. 

Twilight Velvet was meant to collect the ashes, but the duty fell to Twilight Sparkle as her mother broke into sobs, consoled by her son.

Twilight took her father's remains off the alter on which they rested and deposited them in a burial urn, which she then sealed and passed over to her mother.

"No dear, you do it," resolve came to the old widows voice, "I know he would be proud to be finally laid to rest by you dear."

Twilight did not flinch at her mother's words but instead turned to the blank tombstone and deep void before it. She lowered the urn into the dirt, quickly covering it. Her horn glowed more brightly as seeds were distributed, watered, and sprouted with magic. By the time she had finished, the grave site appeared undisturbed. She looked up at the blank tombstone, to her mother and brother who both nodded, and began engraving the stone.

"Here lies Night Light, Duke of South Territorial Equestria. Loving husband, caring father, and dear friend. May he rest in peace."

She finished the grave with the image of his double-moons cutie mark.

She turned back to see a nod from her mentor. The funeral was complete, and just in time as the ceremonial rain shower was seconds away.

The congregation herded out of the graveyard into the castle.

Twilight was the last to remain outside at the grave as the rain started in earnest. She stared at the cutie mark she had just carved.

"Why... why... Why didn't you ever come visit? Ponyville isn't that far... Why didn't you ever write? I sent you letters... Why didn't you ever visit me back in the palace?

"Was I just a burden that you could write off to Celestia? Why did Shining get invited to Hearthwarmings at home, while I got nothing! You wouldn't even talk to me at his wedding!"

The sound of hooves sloshing through the rain behind her broke her focus.

"Twilight..." 

She turned expecting to see her mother finally taking an interest in her life, but no.

"Twilight my faithful student, please come inside."

Celestia sat beside her student, projecting a shield above them to block the rain.

"Twilight, I know you want to pay your respects, but-"

"I don't want to pay my respects, I want answers!" She turned to her mentor and laid her soaking head into her barrel.

"What's wrong my student?"

"I'm just... Why did they never visit me? Even now, you are the only one who cares enough to come talk to me!" she buried her muzzle into Celestia's side. Celestia returned the gesture, reaching down to nuzzle her student.

"My most wonderful student, I'm sure all of your friends are worried about you." Celestia said, "They probably just thought you needed some alone time."

Instead of quiet acceptance, Celestia was surprised as her student pulled away from her.

"Some alone time? Some alone time! Like the last time I was crying all alone after Shining's wedding rehearsal? Like when I went insane with the thought you would punish me for not sending a friendship report? Yeah, they give me a lot of alone time! But that's not even what I'm talking about! I mean my parents! When was the last time they visited me, do you know?"

Celestia could see that it was time for damage control.

"I'm sure they have just been busy recently, the trip to Ponyville takes a whole day."

"Oh dear, a whole day! Where would they ever find the time!" sarcasm dripped from her words. This had taken a turn Celestia had not expected, she never heard her student like this. 

Twilight continued, "It's not like they could schedule a visit to the palace or anything!"

"The palace?" Celestia asked quietly.

"The palace! They lived like twenty minutes away by hoof!"

"But you can't expect them to know when you are visiting."

"Visiting! Ha! You really don't know the last time I talked with them! Tell me, how many times do you remember them visiting me since becoming your student? Actually, make that visits, letters, or anything at all."

Celestia's eyes grew wide, "Are you saying..."

"Never. They never visited. They just dumped me off on you and never spoke to me again."

"What about at the wedding? They were there!" Celestia remembered, trying to disprove what she already knew to be true.

"After I called out the fake Cadence when you and Shining condemned me, I thought my friends would come to comfort me. Of course they didn't, mind you, but I still had the desperate hope that my parents would care enough to comfort their own foal, but of course they went with you, Shining, and my own friends to comfort Chrysalis."

Celestia could feel the cut of the comment edged towards her. She was becoming desperate. She opened her mouth to talk, but no words came out.

Twilight turned back to her mentor, "I loved you princess... I loved you like a mother. I even had a silly little dream as a filly that you were my real mother, and  when you accepted me a your student you were taking me home. A silly thought, but as time went on it felt more and more real. My so called "real" family had abandoned me, and you were there to fill the void." 

Twilight turned back to the grave, and her voice grew cold.

"...or at least you were. When my 'dusty old books' warned of catastrophe. I thought you would take me seriously. I was upset when you shrugged off my warning like it was meaningless. I got over it quickly though, only to later find out that you purposefully led me astray, throwing me headlong against a not-so-mythical ancient monster."

She turned to glare at her mentor, "I nearly died four times that night."

She looked back to the grave once again. "So I lived through that, and wanted to get back at you by leaving the castle for a few days, thinking you would miss me. That backfired spectacularly when you were fine with me abandoning my studies for the sake of 'friendship'. I honestly thought you wouldn't want me to leave, but it's not like I haven't felt that feeling before. 

"So I make sure to keep in touch with you through weekly 'friendship reports' so I don't lose you like I did my 'real' parents, but lo and behold, 'it's not a big deal!' You even go as far as to take the only special connection I had with you anymore, and give it to a quarter of the population of Ponyville. My last special connection to you given out like cheap party favors."

Celestia was on the verge of tears herself now, "Twilight..."

"Oh, I'm not done yet! Next I had a great adventure combating the spirit of chaos, in which you played no significant role. Then we had Sombra who you sent me blindly to fight, under specific orders that it had to be 'me alone' that finished the job. You know what was great about that time? If it were not for Spike disobeying your order I would have gone insane at the Gate of Fear! And what's more, how about this: you know how I gave the Crystal Heart to Spike to take to Cadence? I nearly didn't! I thought your command had some deep meaning, like there was a specific reason 'it had to be me' but no! It was some kind of lesson about priorities! Priorities! You nearly had me condemn an entire empire to slavery and death to learn a lesson about priorities!

"You know who needs to learn about priorities? I'll give you a hint. She's big, white, and a monster."