//------------------------------// // Day Awaits Twilight // Story: Echoes of Harmony // by BronaFides //------------------------------// Celestia watched as Luna slowly brought the moon into the night sky. The princess of the sun took a relaxed posture, as there was far less fanfare for the coming of the night. A few guards patrolled the outer wall, and a few bat ponies took to the air as the pegasus patrol retired for the evening, but the clamor of the busy streets of Canterlot below was beginning to dissipate. She smiled gently as Spike emerged out onto the roof, to report his latest task was accomplished. And of course to see if his friends have returned. She was about to reassure him that it couldn't be long now when a sudden shimmering light began to undulate on the horizon. It was like the Aurora Borealis, but from every direction at once. Suddenly, it seemed to be getting closer, converging on the tower into the same pillar of light everypony had watched spread to the horizon early that morning. Celestia looked away from the intense light, towards Spike, who was blocking his eyes with one raised arm, squinting to try and see into the intense aura. Little by little, the light faded, and when Celesta looked back, and the seven ponies that had vanished earlier were collapsed there, almost entirely in a heap. “Everypony okay?” Applejack spoke first. “I... think so,” Rarity answered. “Rainbow Dash?” “Here,” Rainbow grunted. “Pinkie, your hoof is in my ribs.” “Sorry! Oh, and my other hoof is in Iris'!” Pinkie stepped off both of them at once, hovering strangely while they moved aside before clicking her hooves against the ground.” “Ah good, I was worried you were too far away,” Fluttershy smiled at the Dashes. “Twilight?” Celestia opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her faithful student-- No. My old friend-- righted herself onto her hooves and walked passed her friends, towards Celestia, who smiled warmly, “welcome back--” “How could you?” Twilight interrupted. Her voice was shaking even as she looked up and Celestia, her eyes full of anger. “You sent us there to fail.” Celestia was still smiling, as if frozen. “You don't have to say anything,” Twilight continued. “I just don't understand how you could use us like this.” “Twily, I--” Celestia stammered at last, the smile finally fading. Her eyes darted nervously back and forth. It wasn't supposed to be like this. “You don't get to call me that right now,” Twilight fumed. “Maybe you've always been using me.” “Enough!” The Royal Canterlot voice of Luna cut in. “Twily, thou must understand--” “Must I?” Twilight turned towards the younger royal sister. “Then why am I not given all the information? I've always served Celestia well and faithfully, but I don't know what drives her. Not really.” “You want to see?” Celestia chimed in. While Twilight looked away, her bewilderment gave way to something older, deeper. Something she'd pushed aside for so long, for duty, for Equestria. For too long. Her horn began to glow, deeply, intensely. “I will show you, Twilight Sparkle! I never could quite get your memory spell right, but I can do this.” Before Luna or any of the others could interject, she charged right at Twilight, crossing horns with her as she let the spell flare up around them both. The last thing Celestia saw was a look of shock in her student's... her friend's eyes. * * * Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia was suddenly gone. She started to turn around, but it felt strange, like moving through water. “I have returned to depose thee,” Celestia's voice sounded from behind Twilight just before she entered her field of vision. “What... what did you do,” Twilight asked, already feeling sheepish for her outburst. “Oh, really? With those little trinkets?” another familiar voice chimed in, pulling Twilight's vision towards the towering figure of a draconequus seated upon a throne. He laughed lightly. “And here I thought you had no sense of humor, dear Tia.” “I assure you it is no jest,” Celestia replied in an even tone. It was only as Twilight looked back to her and saw Luna step forward beside her, the little filly attempting a menacing expression, that she realized she was looking at their younger selves. “No, I should have known,” Discord replied. “I'll tell you what, I've enjoyed this gift from your dear uncle quite throughly.” He rhythmically twisted his paw back and forth under the orb representing the Element of Laughter. “You need it far more than I.” His eyes narrowed only a split second before he threw it suddenly with all his might. “Princess, look out!” Twilight jumped in the way, only to have the element pass through her. She shook her head, then suddenly, her eyes widened. I'm not here. This... is her memory. She turned towards the princess, who was suddenly gasping as if she was choking on something. “Tia!” Luna cried, breaking her glare at Discord to look with concern towards her sister, who had dropped to her knees. Suddenly, Celestia took a deep breath, then a smile spread slowly across her face. She chuckled lightly, then laughed harder, deeper, until it was a rolling maniacal sound. Luna took a half step backwards, her eyes widening. Suddenly, Celestia stopped and winked sideways at Luna, whose expression slowly fell into amazement, then amusement, then she began to laugh. Celestia laughed along in earnest now, another gem emerging from her chest and affixing itself beside the others. “Clear, joyous laughter!” Celestia spat the words at Discord. “A sound that should echo throughout Equestria, this day and always!” “Be that as it may,” Discord countered, scratching his chin with obvious irritation, “I still only count five.” Celestia and Luna's eyes widened. “Yes, yes, I know all about your precious Elements of Harmony. I even know the pony who first forged them, an alicorn of impeccable quality that you two pale to. Only your mother ever came close to his elegance.” A sudden bolt of energy darted towards Discord, who stopped it in his claw, turning it into a shower of posies. “Do not speak of mother! Thou does not have the right!” The glare from Luna expressed a sudden viciousness that Twilight Sparkle had only ever seen in Luna's darker alter ego. “My, my, temper temper,” Discord was acting nonchalant, but he gently rubbed his claw as if soothing a wound. “Anyway, I happen to know he was as fond of riddles as I.. so,” Discord grin was vicious even as his eyes raised in curiosity, “have you solved his yet?” Neither alicorn answered. Celestia closed her open mouth, then her eyes, and the three elements around her neck began to glow. Luna quickly followed suit, setting the two amber gemstones attached to either of her ears ear aglow as well. The light began to arc back and forth between them, then suddenly collapsed like snapping bands, causing the two to stagger slightly. “Ha!” Discord said, picking up a nearby goblet filled with chocolate milk, swirling it lightly. “I thought not. Well, then, I guess I'll continue my antics as I see fit.” He took a quick sip, then continued. “And I think I'll start...” he snapped his fingers, which cause a zipper to appear in the air. He unzipped it, reached through, rummaged around, and concluded, “with this one.” His claw was firmly wrapped around the collar of Starswirl's cloak, the startled unicorn struggling in the air. “Starswirl!” Luna exclaimed. “Forgive me, Highnesses,” Starswirl replied, sighing. “I had hoped to teleport in to distract him, but it seems he saw me.” “Thou will not harm him,” Celestia stood tall, thundering. “Harm him? What would be the fun in that?” Discord's eyes narrowed and he tugged at his chin, grinning unpleasantly once again.. “But what to do?” Suddenly, Luna's horn flared, and Starswirl vanished, reappearing on the other side of the sisters. Luna took to the air, steady, and as royal in posture as her sister, despite her small stature. Discord moved the still-floating zipper, reached through it again, then pulled his paw back, quickly placing a red, throbbing finger in his mouth. “You cannot block me forever!” There was a clear effort of exertion, and Twilight could barely make out a double shield the sisters had between themselves and Discord. “Without the spark, you can't possibly hope to stop me.” He snapped his claw, and a clock appeared in the air near him. “So, how long can you hold out, I wonder?” “Don't worry about me!” Starswirl yelled. Suddenly, a few small cracks appeared in the shields that the sisters held up. “It's okay,” Luna said softly, closing her eyes. “But thou must defeat him, let me be his plaything, to buy precious time” Starswirl countered. “Time to think...” “Thou art worth protecting,” Celestia said, looking him right in the eyes. “What good is a kingdom, if we give up on our friends?” She smiled gently. “But-” Starswirl began, then his eyes widened. “Spark.” The cracks in the shield widened, glowing an angry red. Discord made a gesture of a yawn, checking the clock nonchalantly. “'Friendship is all takes.'” The air shimmered above him and a familiar stone orb appeared above him, descending to Starswirl. It changed shape into a pointed hat that matched the pattern of his cape, bells jingling slightly as it settled on his brow. The shield in front of the princesses splintered and shattered, and Discord jumped forward to grab his new targeted plaything, but he stopped mid-stride, his mouth dropping open, an expression of surprise Twilight Sparkle must be mirroring herself. “Now.” At Celestia's behest, the others nodded and their elements shimmered with massive energy, merging into the spell that Twilight was very familiar with, wrapping around the startled draconequus, who screamed with panic as he became stone. There were a few minutes of silence amongst them, until finally Luna flew over and gingerly kicked at the statue, flying back half a step immediately afterward, wincing. She grinned and then kicked it harder, sticking her tongue at it. “And so ends the reign of King Discord of Equestria,” Celestia spoke, just above a whisper. “We did it!” She smiled at Starswirl, then gently touched his new headgear with a single hoof. “Nay, it was thee and thy sister,” Starswirl said quickly. Celestia opened her mouth to counter, but he continued. “Princess, the monarchy of Canterlot was usurped, and the other two kingdoms are in such disarray, now is the time that thou must be a beacon for all ponykind, a beacon of the old nobility. Besides,” he added, touching the rim of his hat, “I cannot believe that the riddle for this was merely for jest. Let it remain secret as it was intended.” Luna, bearer of honesty, looked at him dubiously, but nodded. Suddenly, the scene seemed to get blurry around the edges. Twilight tried squinting, but the blurriness only engulfed everything until there was only a brightness. * * * “It's okay, Luna, I'm here!” Celestia said soothingly. Twilight waited for more of the scene to come into focus, but then she realized it was still poorly lit. the sun low in the sky out the window. “Oh, Tia, it was horrible,” Luna sniffed. “It was just stairs, and more stairs. A trap of some sort.” “Something he made?” Celestia asked. “I think so,” Luna responded, nodding. “But I think he's trapped , too, somehow. I called out to him, but then he turned and looked at me.” She snuggled into her sister's pink mane, her voice breaking. “Those eyes, Tia! They were not the eyes of our beloved uncle. The kindness was gone.” Celestia stroked Luna's mane gently until she calmed into a restful dreamless sleep. She tucked the filly into her bed and walked over to the table, picking up the mug with etchings of the large star with the smaller ones upon it. “She should not go dreamwalking so boldly,” Starswirl whispered from the doorway, where he had been watching from silently. “Though, even were she not a princess, I doubt anypony would have the power to dissuade her.” “She wants to help them,” Celestia whispered back. “As do I. Between that, and her visions into poor Chrysalis' dreams...” she set Twilight's mug back on the table. “We can no longer afford to wait. Let's give her tomorrow night to have a good night's sleep, then we shall march on the Crystal Empire.” Starswirl nodded, and left at a run to make the preparations. Celestia touched the mug gently again, closing her eyes. “Twily, it's been nearly a year, and I know thou said thou would help with this, but perhaps it is not yet time.” Twilight opened her mouth to answer before she recalled it wouldn't matter. Either way, the scene began to shift yet again. * * * “Sister, make haste!” Luna shouted, stepping backwards as a dark crystal suddenly jutted out of the ground in front of her. Twilight Sparkle turned to see the menacing form of Sombra grinning at the little filly. “He has blocked me from the Crystal Heart, I cannot reach it!” Sombra's warped horn glowed its menacing vermilion, and Twilight turned again to see Luna airborne, sideways so that her wings were untouched. “Uncle, please, thou must remember! Something of thee must still remain!” Suddenly, Celestia burst through the opening in the floor with the nearly unending staircase. “I've got it!” She darted through a translucent bubble that surrounded the Crystal Heart even as Sombra directed his magic at the aura, trying to shift it to keep her out. She took the heart in her hooves and darted towards her sister, but she was now trapped within. “My crystal!” Sombra grunted in a low, rolling growl. “Sister, to me!” Luna yelled, placing her hooves against the edge of the aura. Celestia moved over to her and tried to reach her. The two focused, and where their hooves touched, the aura weakened. Celestia moved the heart over to Luna, using their magical bridge to push the heart through the shield. Luna held it, exultant, as she turned towards Sombra, who growled with rage. Suddenly, the tower began to shake. “What is it?” Celestia yelled over the noise. “If I cannot have it,” Sombra said, “nopony can.” He grinned evilly as he lunged at Luna, pushing her through the aura, and propelling himself within as well. The aura began to shrink in on itself as the shaking of the tower began to amplify. “He's trapped it, so that the heart could not be removed,” Celestia said aloud, her eyes widening as she figured out his plan. “His heart, his tower.” “My crystalssss,” he said again in a low tone, menacing even as a whisper, unconcerned as the aura around them shrunk a a little further. “Thou... mean to say all of them?” Celestia stamped her hoof angrily as Sombra smiled in confirmation. “Us, yes, but why all the innocents that will be trapped within?” “My slaves,” Sombra spat. “Then... we have failed,” Celestia said, as Luna leaned into her. She placed one hoof on a nearby crystal, still white and pure, a short, perfectly shaped pillar, and closed her eyes. “Perhaps we can still get some of the crystal ponies to safety--” Before she could finish, the scene changed around them, but not the blurry way that Twilight had grown accustomed to, and she looked up to see Starswirl looking at her... or through her, towards the sisters. “I felt thy signal along the crystals,” Starswirl said, “Hast thou the heart, then?” Luna went to lift it, and found she had a worthless stone instead. “But, it was... Sombra must have switched it somehow when he tackled me.” “Every crystal in that place was carefully crafted and placed in accord with his devious paranoia,” Celestia sighed. “Still, I wonder what would happen if one was missing.” She lifted the crystal that she had been leaning against. “It must have snapped off in the quake right before thy rescue.” The answer came in an agonizing scream from the Crystal Tower, which the sisters turned to face. It was then Twilight realized that they were just outside the city. The tower shimmered, then the light emitted outwards from it, engulfing the entire Empire in its searing aura. Twilight looked away, and when she looked back, the entire thing was gone. Starsriwl stepped forward his horn aglow. “It's still there, somewhere,” he said frantically. “Only... it's also.. not.” He probed again and again, then stamped his hoof in frustration, then turned back to face the sisters. “I'm... sorry.” “If only I could have gotten through to him,” Luna said, looking at the ground, a single tear rolling down her nose into the snow. “His eyes, they were like mine, or Tia's, when we looked into the door. Somewhere deep beneath them, uncle was trapped by his own fears.” “Nay, the fault is mine, dear sister,” Celestia said, lifting her sister's head and looking her in the eyes. “If only I had faced my fears as quickly as thee, perhaps I might have arrived sooner, and the outcome might have been different.” She smiled, and Luna nodded softly. Then her smile faded, and she asked quietly, “what did thou see, if I may ask, sister?” Luna started, then pulled away from Celestia's hoof, looking into the distance. “It was nothing, dear sister... just... a creature of nightmares.” She smiled and waved dismissively. “Well, perhaps the delegation we sent southward to check on Princess Chrysalis will return with better news,” Celestia said, turning to Starswirl. “If she has had sufficient time to grieve and return to her senses, perhaps she may aid in us finding a way to rescue her father.” The world again began to blur even as she finished speaking. * * * Twilight found herself in a courtyard at night, the sound of a fountain trickling gently reached her ears before her eyes adjusted to the pale light. Celestia was standing in front of the fountain, above which five stone platformed jutted out at various lengths, upon each resting a single gemstone. The elements. This must be the sisters' castle. “They still shine as brightly as ever, just as thy Highness does,” a familiar voice approached. Starswirl... the Bearded. Indeed, enough time had passed that he now appeared as she recognized him from various sketches and artwork. His face was gnarled and half-hidden by a plume of white hair on his chin, and his gait reminded Twilight more of Granny Smith's than the energetic young unicorn she had fought alongside recently. “And thee as well, old friend,” Celestia responded warmly. “Hooey,” he countered. “That's why that one wasn't yours.” He gestured vaguely at one of the two amber gems. “I am being honest,” she said, “it's in the eye of the beholder, after all. How is thy family? I'm surprised Dewdrop let you make the journey alone.” “Well, that old gray pegasus is no younger than I am these days, so I just had to outrun her,” Starswirl grinned at his own joke. “And Starshine? She was only a filly last I saw her, but she must be nearly a full grown mare.” “Aye, and every bit as vibrant as her mother once was. Her knack for magic is creative, though. She reminds me of an old mutual friend of ours...” Starswirl stared off into the distance as if trying to remember something, which unnerved Twilight because he seemed to be looking right at her again. “Well, thou art quite a bit more responsible for today than most know, it's fitting thou should be here.” “Yes, the three-hundredth Summer Sun Celebration under the flag of New Equestria,” he gestured to the banner hanging above the door leading to the throne room, the familiar flag of the alicorn sisters chasing each others tails, and the cycle of day and night within. “I preferred the old banner,” Celestia lowered her head as she spoke softly. “The banner of the Three Kindoms?” Starswirl said. Twilight recalled the dusty banner she had seen in the chamber behind the throne room in Canterlot, and again flying above Aurelia. “Almost nopony still living recalls that banner. Equestria is all they know.” Tears were running down Celestia's nose, and Starswirl reached over to wipe them away gently. “Now, now, all is not lost, as long as you still live, there is still a chance thou will one day find a way.” He looked into the darkness outside, then added, “after all, isn't that what this day is all about? The dawn of a new day, the light of hope?” Celestia nodded, then said, “My thanks, old friend. Let us give the people their hope.” They strode side by side out the front gate. Twilight, expecting the scene to fade, hesitated briefly before following them. Outside, by torchlight, she could see ponies gathered in a vast crowd outside the gates of the castle, the silhouette of the Everfree Forest barely visible on the horizon. At Twilight has seen once long ago as an impressionable young filly, and many times since, Celestia rose into the air to raise the sun in a breathtaking show of power and beauty. Only, nothing happened. Twilight realized that it was taking longer than usual, then a murmur rippled through the crowd uneasily. Finally, Celestia descended, less gracefully, clearly unbalanced from the effort. She looked questioningly toward Starswirl, who merely closed his eyes and shook his head. “What's the matter, dear sister?” a voice boomed, it seemed to come from nowhere at first, but then menacing clouds in the sky suddenly swirled aside, revealing the full moon overhead, and a figure of a pony floating in front of it, with a coat so black, the light of the moon itself seemed to be diminished where she moved. “Wouldn't thou just hate to disappoint the mass of adoring ponies that admire thy beautiful day? Surely thou can raise the sun?” She approached close enough that the crowd could recognize their other ruler, so that the uneasy murmurs turned to notes of confusion and fear. “I fear thy light has been taken away by a greater power. For, when the light fails, the night is always waiting to engulf all! And those who refuse to see its power, its grace, its beauty,” and she turned her cat-eyed gaze toward the crowd, “shall learn to fear it first, and love it later!” “Luna?” Celestia finally spoke. “What is this?” “Luna exists no more! I am Nightmare Moon! You ponies have turned thy backs to the night, but it has not forgotten you, and now it comes for you all. Now, and forever!” She began to laugh, a deep maniacal sound that still sent shivers down Twilight's spine. “Nay, sister, I will not allow this,” Celestia ascended. “I know not what has twisted thee so, but our subjects must have the light and warmth of the sun. I beseech thee, end this madness!” “Dear sister,” Nightmare Moon said, more quietly now, a slow grin spreading over her face as her eyes narrowed, “Did you really think me such the foal as to not expect thine interference?” Celestia moved back slightly, and before she could speak again, the swirling clouds arced lightning between them, and right towards Celestia. Celestia winced at the impending strike, but it never landed. When she opened her eyes in confusion, she realized a shield surrounded her. The sight of their rulers doing battle was too much for the uneasy crowd, who began to panic and scatter back through the untamed Everfree. “Protect our subjects!” Celestia screamed to her newest Captain. “But, Highness,” he objected, his eyes darting to the menacing figure above. “Thy safety is paramount!” Celestia asserted again. Besides, he'd be useless against Luna's power. The Captain clearly understood this, too, nodding and ordering his troops across the bridge to pursue the crowd. As soon as he was clear, a single gesture from Nightmare Moon caused the bridge to collapse into the ravine. “I expected thou might be a factor, as well,” Nightmare Moon bellowed, her eyes locked firmly on Starswirl, his horn aglow, and his brow sweating from the effort put into the shield spell around Celestia. “Come, old friend, let me show thee what wonders I have learned!” She dived at him even as she spoke, vanishing as she reached him, along with the aged unicorn. “Sister?! Starswirl?!” Celestia cried, turning circles as the shield around her vanished as suddenly as they had. A single beam of moonlight curled down tenuously from the moon above, right into the castle, becoming thicker. Suddenly, it exploded outwards percussively. Windows shattered and walls of the castle rattled and fell as the ground seemed to rock back and forth. Celestia was knocked to the ground suddenly. For a moment, she lay completely still. “Come on, wake up!” Twilight cried, ineffectually, caught up in the scene. It seemed like an eternity before Celestia blinked suddenly, then got her her feet. She glared up at the moon, where the pillar of light had been replaced by a sickly strand of pulsing darkness. The staggered into the castle, Twilight following closely behind her. The magic aura of the dark strand somehow seemed to illuminate the dark room with its magic. Nightmare Moon stood at the top of the stairs on the other side of the fountain, in front of the door leading to the throne room. Starswirl was collapsed by the fountain, mostly shrouded by his cloak, unmoving. “No.” No. “Sister, why?” Celestia looked up to her sister, her eyes misting with tears. Suddenly, her horn began to glow, a muted light in the dark aura. The elements glowed in kind and floated towards her. “Why?” Nightmare moon watched Celestia, her expression full of contempt. “Would thou use those ancient baubles against me?” Her horn glowed, and the two amber gems were yanked forcibly away from Celestia. “I held these ones, and held them dear, until one day I realized how useless they were. What good is honesty, when nopony will hear what you say? What good, generosity, when nopony wants the gift thou offer!?” She tossed the gems carelessly, where they clattered, then shimmered, becoming lifeless cold stone orbs, rolling to a stop against Celestia's hooves. “Thou art beaten, sister. Thy power of friendship will not aid thee, and thy friends will not come to thine aid.” Her face formed a snarl, as she added, “And with no further raising of the sun, thy dearest friend, Twilight Sparkle will never witness thee raising the sun, as she professed she once did. Nay, even she cannot help thee now, she whose memory thou held more dearly than thine own sister!” “I... never,” Celestia answered, though she hesitated, and Nightmare Moon laughed evilly again. “I will ask thee again, sister. I will beg thee, let me raise the sun.” Celestia fell to both knees in her desperation. “Ah, that looks good,” Nightmare Moon said, her tone mocking “But can thou not just flip the world?” She waited a moment. “No, thou cannot? Hast thou not yet figured out the genius of it?” Celestia looked into the dark pillar pouring into the castle from the moon, then gently began to probe it. Through her memory, Twilight Sparkle saw the mechanism behind it as well. Genius, indeed, Twilight though in begrudging admiration. The pillar passed through the castle, through the world, and tied to the sun, like a solid spear piercing all three celestial bodies. No matter how Celestia tried to flip the world, the sun would remain hidden. Celestia got to her hooves again, gathering all her magic and determination around her, using it to slice through the pillar of darkness. It curled up like a wounded vine snapping. Celestia smiled jubilantly. “Curses!” Nightmare Moon said, but the tone remained mocking instead of concerned. “I am undone! If only I had thought to make more!” In the distance, through the broken out windows, the dark aura of other pillars became apparent. Desperately, Celestia sliced at those two, but then as they curled up, four more seemed to take their place. Faster and faster, she sliced, and faster, new tendrils took their place. Nightmare Moon's started with a cackle, which rose into a full maniacal laughter. She moved into the air above Celestia triumphantly. Celestia pulled as much magic as she could, and the five elements circled her. “Please,” she whispered to them. “Help me... for everypony. For my sister. Help me save her from herself.” “Do it,” a raspy voice suddenly added. Starswirl nodded at her, tears in his eyes as he dropped his hat on her head, the sixth and final element. She nodded, nearly exhausted as she pulled one more time at the magic around her... the elements began to coalesce, and suddenly her eyes were filled with light, and her mane began to glow in stripes of various colors as the elements coursed their energy through her. She gasped in pain as their energy almost seared her, then she used the last of her focus, directing them into a magic blade, spinning it full circle around her, cutting all the dark tendrils at once. They all suddenly curled up at once, curling their wounded tendrils around the dark figure above, who suddenly ceased her laughter. “What!?” Nightmare Moon struggled against the tangled darkness as it engulfed her. “It's not possible! I cannot be defeated, not like this!” The tendrils began to shrivel up, back towards the moon, Nightmare Moon struggling futilely to escape her fate. “This... is... not... the end!” Her final words echoed as Celestia took to the air, reaching out her hooves to grab her sister's outstretched hoof, but fell short. “No!” Celestia settled to the ground beside Starswirl, sobbing. She barely noticed as the elements stopped shimmering and all returned to their lifeless stone form, the hat on her head vanishing. “Why?” “Because there was no other way,” Starswirl rasped again. “Thou will see it someday.” “Will I...” Celestia sniffled back the tears. “Will I see Luna again?” Starswirl nodded almost imperceptibly. “How long?” she asked just above a whisper. At first, Starswirl said nothing. “How long!?” “A thousand years.” The answer stunned Celestia so completely that she collapsed, her head resting on her old friend's shoulder. Then she sat up, startled. “Thou art cold.” “I feel the pain of this moment deeper than thou know,” Starswirl said, misunderstanding her meaning. “For I had the power to stop it, but I could not.” He coughed several times. “I have left thee some notes. They are sparse, but there are signs thou must follow, and no more than that. Thine own orders.” He winced, coughing again. “And my private notebook, it's in thy study. Thou must promise to give it to my great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter. Thou will know when the time is right.” He smiled gently, then reached up and touched her face gently with his hoof. “Worry not, my friend. We shall meet yet again.” He winked impishly, then lowered his hoof, and did not move again. Celestia began to sob again, alone in the darkness. It was not you alone that could have stopped this, Starswirl, Twilight thought bitterly between her own tears, I could have, too. “Oh, Twily,” Celestia whispered, interrupting Twilight's thoughts, “please come soon, for I am all alone.” She pushed one of the cold elements across the floor with one hoof, where it clicked with an echo against the fountain. * * * The scene faded into a blur, and Twilight's own mood echoed the numb despair as she watched in seeming high-speed, as Celestia went through the motions over the years, being the imperious but reassuring ruler that ponies needed over troubled times, moving the seat of power from the ruins of the Everfree back to Canterlot. She was kind and gentle, and over the years, the horrors of the past were forgotten, at least by her subjects. She was loved and adored by all, and nopony ever saw her behind closed doors at the end of the day, how she wept as she brought up the moon each night, how she shrouded herself in her loneliness. The price of royalty, to remain above them, she often convinced tried to convince herself. One day, one year, one lifetime all seemed like the next, until one day... “... and the school for gifted unicorns will celebrate its two-hundredth anniversary next month, for which your attendance will be expected, of course. We've had several prosperous years in a row, highness, and our current settlements are being outgrown by their populations,” Celestia's Captain of the Guard droned on. The scroll that hovered in front of him had nearly all its items meticulously checked off. “What about Baltimare?” Celestia inquired. He shook his head. “Manehattan?” He shook it again. “Filled to the brim I'm afraid. Some ponies have taken to being roaming pilgrims, looking for opportunities to settle new land in the wild. Some arrived just today, in fact.” “Oh?” she said, lifting a quill to sign some of the more mundane documents that he had set before her in regards to earlier items. “Yes,” the Captain scratched his head, “The... Smiths, I think. Seed peddlers.” He turned towards Celestia as he spoke, then flinched in response to her apparent shock. “Highness, are you okay?” “Has it been that long already?” Celestia whispered to herself. “Highness?” the Captain looked around nervously, at a loss. “Nothing,” Celestia waved a hoof dismissively. “I should be able to address that concern shortly, but we must conclude our business for the day.” She smiled as the Captain nervously glanced at the unchecked items on the list. “There will be time for that later. For now, I absolutely must have some new seeds for the royal gardens.” * * * Time blinked by again rapidly, and Twilight watched through Celestia's eyes as Ponyville grew from a speck in the distance to.. well, a slightly larger speck. The rolling of the years stopped again. “As you sure you won't stay?” Celestia said, still watching Ponyville from her balcony as she spoke. “I don't see why I would,” an unfamiliar voice came bitterly from over her shoulder. “I thought as your personal protege, I would have greater opportunities to learn more advanced magic, but it's become clear than you've nothing more to teach me.” “Nothing you're ready to learn,” Celestia replied coldly. “And when will I be ready? I'm done waiting. I'll take my chances seeking magic in whatever realms my travels take me to. Goodbye, Princess.” Celestia turned towards the bowing yellow-and-red-maned unicorn and sighed. “Farewell, and good luck in your journeys, Sunset Shimmer. If you do not find what you seek, may you at least find what you deserve.” “Hmph,” Sunset Shimmer snorted, then turned and marched out of the room, slamming the door angrily as she left. Celestia shook her head and whispered quietly to herself, “You could have handled that better, Tia.” She sighed. The Captain opened the recently slammed door, tentatively sticking his head through. “May I enter, Highness?” “Of course, Captain, everything is fine,” she replied, smiling. “How is your sister faring?” “She's in labor now, Highness, she will likely give birth any moment,” the Captain said, smiling proudly. “That was sudden!” Celestia replied excitedly, unfurling her wings and taking to the air.. “If there's no further business, I'll go to see her right away.” “Just... one more thing, Your Highness,” the Captain said, causing her to stop mid-motion and turn to face him. He blushed, nodding in the direction of the sun, continuing hesitantly, “I wouldn't mind a few more hours to wrap up the day, but you know some of your subjects might find it... unsettling.” “What? Oh!” She settled back down on the balcony. “Yes, Captain, you're right. I'm sorry, that hasn't happened since... well, I don't think that's happened before. Can we keep it between us?” She winked at him. “Of course, you've a lot on your mind,” he nodded reassuringly, “I'm surprised you haven't forgotten before. No! I didn't mean that.” He blushed again. “I mean you've been ruling for several lifetimes, and you're getting older. No. I...” Celestia laughed, and smiled reassuringly. “Don't worry captain, I understand.” He turned away from him, then slowly lowered the sun, bringing the moon into the sky. She sighed as she always did, a sound laden with such sorrow that Twilight's younger self always noted, but could never understand. “Now then,” she smiled and dove from the tower. Twilight was slightly disoriented as she was pulled along with the memory of the flight, her consciousness bobbing in the air alongside the princess as she landed in front of one of the houses of the nobility of Canterlot and knocked on the door. She was admitted immediately, of course, and taken back into a sitting area. “Princess, what a pleasant surprise!” a familiar voice greeted her. “Nightlight! How is she?” “Just resting now, while they finish cleaning up the foal,” Twilight watched her father beam a proud smile at the princess. “Ah, so I missed it?” Celestia's own smile drooped only slightly. “Just moments ago, I'm afraid, your Highness,” he said apologetically. “It was right while you were changing over to night, so there was no helping it.” “I suppose not,” Celestia sighed. There was a silent moment before she continued. “May I... may I see her?” “See her?” Nightlight furrowed his brow at the unusual request. “Yes, of course. My wife is resting well enough, and the foal is with her. One moment while I make sure she's awake.” He darted quickly down the hall, from which emerged a young, white colt with a blue mane. “Princess!” Shining Armor said, smiling and bounding over to greet her, only remembering himself at the last moment, stopping, and saluting her smartly. “Why hello again, young soldier,” she chuckled lightly at his antics. “Do you know what? Today is a very special day.” “It is?” said Shining Armor. “Do I get presents?” “In a manner of speaking,” Celestia continued. She leaned in and gestured him closer, as if sharing a secret. “Today, I'm going to meet Starswirl the Bearded's great-great-great-great-great-great- granddaughter.” “Wooow!” Shining Armor said, amazed. “And you stopped here to see us first?” Celestia laughed aloud, slightly louder than she intended, before lowering her voice. “Yes, it was on the way.” “She's ready,” Nightlight announced, reentering the room. Celestia moved softly down the hallway, the young colt shadowing her two steps behind. “Come in, Princess,” Twilight Velvet said weakly from the bed. “It's quite an honor.” “It's an imposition, and I apologize,” Celestia said politely. “You should be resting.” “Nonsense, she was very little trouble at all.” Twilight Velvet carefully lifted the bundle towards the princess. “Since she was born between the sun and the moon, like I was,” she continued, as she turned the newborn filly to face the princess, “we've decided to name her Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia froze as she heard this, her face an unreadable mix of so many expressions at once. She took a half-step backwards, almost seeming like she was going to flee the room, when she looked down into the filly's eyes. Suddenly, everything about Celestia softened. She moved in as close as she dared to the newborn, tears running down her face. “Hello, Twily,” she finally said in a nearly inaudible whisper. “Twily!” Shining Armor practically shouted next to her, disrupting the scene. “Twily, Twily, Twily!” Twilight Velvet wrinkled her nose at the nickname. “Sorry,” Celestia said, brushing the tears away. “No,” Twilight Velvet sighed, chuckling, “it was bound to happen.” “Yes, it certainly was,” Celestia said, chuckling too. * * * Twilight waited for the next scene, still in a daze, so that it took her a few moments to realize that she was back on the balcony, in the present, once again. She raised her head slowly, her teacher, her mentor, her friend, stood before her, horn still lowered, face shrouded in her multi-colored mane. Beneath Celestia, the ground wet with tears reflected the fading light of the spell. “Princess,” Twilight began, her voice caught in a quiet sob, and she realized that she had been crying as well. “Tia, can you ever forgive me?” “I didn't think so, once,” Celestia said. “But all of that bitterness fell away long ago, when I stared into that newborn filly's eyes. You couldn't have known. Any more now than you did then.” Twilight's eyes widened, “Oh Luna!” she turned towards the Princess of the Night, who had turned away from Twilight Sparkle and Celestia. “If I'd just said something-” “Dost thou know if it would even matter, Twily?” Luna said calmly. She turned towards her, drying her own tears. “It may all have still happened. There are reasons that it needed to, besides. Whatever else may come, it was thee... all of you, that freed me, more than once, and my gratitude will always outweigh anything else.” Luna gestured broadly, and Twilight looked around, noticing there wasn't a dry eye, except Spike, who looked thoroughly confused in such a comical way that Twilight laughed in spite of herself. “Come on, everypony,” Twilight began, “we've been through a lot together,” she looked up at her mentor again, adding pointedly, “all of us.” She leaned in against Celestia as she had throughout the years, and she felt all of her friends moving in to share the embrace. She glanced up at Luna, who had moved closer, but still stayed back a single step. Twilight smiled gently at her and nodded, and that was all the permission Luna needed, collapsing into the embrace with everypony else. “Drat, I've arrive too late for the tearful reunion,” a voice came from the door. “That's okay, never really liked them anyway.” Twilight looked up to see a pale tan earth pony with short, spiky brown hair approaching. I know him from Ponyville, but who- “Oh, Doctor!” Pinkie Pie called excitedly, “You just missed some really super-neat timey-wimey stuff!” Of course Pinkie would know who he was. “I suppose I did,” he mused, “but that's okay, I'm sure I'll have the chance to see it again.” “But what are you doing here?” Twilight said. “I've already said, the reunion,” he said with some exasperation. He looked expectantly at Twilight for a moment, then added, “Oh! Right, I almost forgot.” He concentrated, and on his forehead, a unicorn horn shimmered hazily into place. “And just in case that wasn't enough to jog your memory, I'll just be borrowing this for a moment.” The tiara that had reappeared on Twilight's head when they returned to the present shimmered with a yellow glow and lifted over to the unicorn. As he placed it on his own head, it immediately shifted its appearance, the bells giving off their characteristic jingle as it landed. “Ah, Starswirl,” Celestia called, without even a single note of surprise, while Twilight remained speechless, “so that's where you've been hiding.”