The Watcher: Rise of the Purveyor

by GnollReader


Chapter 7: Twilight Sparkle

For a while, the purveyor and princess Celestia just stood at the edge of the seemingly endless crater, watching as the shadows continued their work below, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Then, the purveyor felt something. It was weak at first, distant but it was there nonetheless. Something was tugging on the flow around him, meaning that something was treading along the barriers of the void like a fly over a spider's web.

Immediately, his mind shot out over the void, searching for the source of the disturbance and locating it within seconds. When he found it though, a small sigh of annoyance escaped him. Somehow, he had almost expected this to happen at some point, just not this early.

"Celestia." Zaeres spoke up quietly, making her look up in surprise.

"Yes?"

He continued to stare into the pit, his shadows stopping their work to return to his form. "Did you inform Twilight Sparkle of my presence?"

Celestia gave him a slightly confused look. "I did. Why?"

"Because she is trying to contact me at this very moment," he replied with an unmoving voice, "Have you also informed her of my intention?"

Celestia shook her head, "I have yet to tell her. I was careful of discussing the topic with her this early." she gave him a questioning gaze, "Will you go talk to her?"

The purveyor pondered on her question for a moment. He could of course simply ignore Twilight Sparkle's attempts to contact him, but to what purpose? Her powers had grown, and she had always been a little too devoted for his likes. If he ignored her, she was likely to do something foolish for sure. Then again... there was another question that had been on his mind since his return.

"Before I do... There is something I want to ask you." he turned to Celestia, "Why did you turn her into an alicorn?"

Celestia seemed surprised at his question. "She displayed all the virtues of the elements. She learned so much in so little time and grew over all expectations. So I wished for her to be a figure all ponies of future generations could look up to. That is why I turned her into the princess of magic."

Zaeres observed her in silence for a moment. "You disappoint me, Celestia. Do you really think I would be fooled so easily? Or do you really believe what you just told me? First Discord, and now this..."

She stared at him, shocked and seemingly at a loss for words. "What?"

"It was never intended for there to be a princess of magic. You and I know perfectly well that it was never intended for the element bearers to live forever." he turned away from her and stared back into the crater, "After you lost the elements, they would be found again in the form of simple, mortal ponies, reappearing when they would be needed the most. ...And then they would disappear again when the bearers reached the end of their lives."

He paused. "That was always the original intent of the elements. They were always a fleeting appearance in history, something to uphold the balance of the world and nothing to be held or controlled by one alone. They were far too powerful for that... which was also one of the reasons you lost them over time. And you know this as well." He didn't look up as he continued, "So tell me, Celestia. Why did you truly decide to turn Twilight Sparkle immortal?"

Next to him, Celestia remained quiet, baffled by his question and trying to find an answer for that very question herself. He was right, she knew... and still, why had this question never occurred to her? For a moment she was lost as countless memories rushed through her mind, but when she realized the answer, she almost loathed herself for it... and him for making her understand it.

Celestia held her head low, a feeling of deep regret spreading in her heart. "I... I did it..."

"Because you could not let her go," the purveyor finished her sentence with a quiet voice as he turned to her once more. "I will not judge you for caring for your subjects, and I will certainly not judge you for feeling lonely in all those years. But surely, you realize by now... how foolish that was."

Celestia did not respond to his words, she only held her head low and her eyes shut. In the distance, a thunder storm rolled over the Barrier, black clouds sending rain and lightning onto the horizon.

"You knew, what suffering an unending life holds and you burdened it upon her nonetheless. And you knew how dangerous that step was and how many rules it broke... and still, you did it. I had expected more from you-"

"I know!" Celestia interrupted him with a shout, "I know it was selfish!" Tears started to appear in her eyes. "But I simply couldn't bear the thought of losing her! I simply could not!" She cast him an angry glare. "And is she not happy?! Has she not grown to become a guiding symbol for all of Equestria?! Why can't I be selfish for once?! Why do I have to see all of those I love and care about come and go in nothing but a moment?!" She hung her head and sobbed. "Why can't I be happy for once?!"

The purveyor watched her crying form for a lingering moment, silent and unmoving. When he spoke again, Celestia was surprised to hear sadness in his voice, "Now, you understand." She raised her head to look at him, "I will not appear to my kind for that very reason... because I fear I could care for them enough to do something I would regret later. ...And that is why they will be on their own..."

He shook his head with a sigh. "As for your question... I can not answer it for you, Celestia. You must find the answer for yourself. Keep in mind though, that happiness is nothing eternal... there is always sadness around us, and it is up to you to find a way to deal with the loss. And Twilight Sparkle... I will talk with her, but I hope for all of us that you will not act out of your own desires so rashly again."

Slowly, the shadows started to collect around him. "And I hope that your student will not make the same mistakes you made." With another twist of the void, the purveyor was gone.

Princess Celestia remained behind, standing at the edge of the crater and lost in her own inner turmoils and sadness. Her thoughts went to her beloved student, and it drove tears into her eyes to realize what she had done so long ago. She could only hope that she could forgive herself with time... and that Twilight Sparkle would be able to forgive her when she understood one day as well.

"Twilight..." she whispered, "Please forgive me..."