(Prompt: No prompt, 'Free for All Friday'. Warnings read "You are all alone now." and "We will no longer guide you.")
(Warning, a bit sad.)
"But since Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements, the spell has been broken."
That should have been my first clue. I knew, even then, that there was something more behind Princess Celestia's statement. Time was short however, as it always was, and beyond a question or two I didn't press for answers. Things were different then. Princess Celestia was still an infallible goddess, and I looked up to her in a way that I don't think I could duplicate any longer.
A few months later, she was struck down by Chrysalis, who by all accounts should have been an easy adversary for her. Still, there was no time to dwell on her failure, and after all the other events of that day, it didn't linger in my mind. It wasn't until days later that I even though about it again, but by then it was too late to comfortably ask. The worry hung over me like a dark cloud for a few days, but the sun rose and set, and Princess Celestia seemed undiminished, and I let it go.
My coronation, and the time following, should have been my next clue. She was so proud of me, that wasn't atypical. But it was the manner in which she spoke, and the slight undertone of passing the reins to me... I should have questioned her more. But everything was changing too fast, and all I could do then was hold on to anything that would help me keep afloat. Between journeying to other worlds and losing access, for a time, to the Elements of Harmony, I could hardly pause to think about a slightly strange tone of voice.
I still remember the first time I really noticed anything.
Alicorns, all of us, have a certain... attunement, to the sun and moon. We saw more than other ponies, and felt every motion. I made a habit of it, watching the sun rise every morning. It was still impressive to me after all these years of knowing Princess Celestia. Two years after my coronation, I was watching the sunrise, and... it faltered.
Nopony else could have noticed. Luna would have been sleeping, of course, and Cadance tended to sleep in as well. It was only a half moment, but it was there. Princess Celestia had faltered in her most important duty.
It normally took me three teleportation spells to manage the distance to Canterlot Castle. That morning it took only one.
I appeared behind her, in the early morning light. She was standing on the balcony she always used for raising the sun. Her coat shone with sweat and exertion, and her mane was flowing slowly. She turned her head just the slightest bit, and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. There were no words between us. What could we say? We both knew what had happened.
It normally took me three teleportation spells to manage the distance to Ponyville. That morning it took eight.
I didn't mention what I'd seen to anypony. I didn't want to worry them. I started doing more research, in my own library, in Canterlot, and in the ancient castle in the Everfree. I needed to know, I needed to see with my own eyes that what I suspected was actually true.
Alicorns, as a rule, do not live forever. They live a bit longer than other ponies, true, but there have been dozens through history, and only Princess Luna and Princess Celestia have survived. I never thought to ask why; they were simply goddesses made flesh. It would be as though I was questioning gravity or asking if plants truly needed light. Princess Celestia was simply a granted part of life, an eternal ruler and leader of all ponies.
But that wasn't true. It was the Elements of Harmony. It was always the Elements of Harmony. It had been five years then, since the six of us had found them and first attuned them to us. Since then, we hadn't aged a day, even once the Elements had been returned to the Tree. We didn't talk about it, Rarity certainly wasn't complaining, but it had become harder and harder to deny as time went on.
What, then, of ponies who had relied on this magic for thousands of years?
It wasn't anything dramatic, or immediate. It was another five years before anypony aside from me even noticed. By then, I was up every morning, helping. Princess Celestia and I never spoke about it. One morning, instead of just a momentary hesitation, the sun had simply stopped. A second passed, and another. Each moment in time that the sun simply hung in place dragged out into hours. I couldn't let her fail so publicly, so I focused my mind and loaned her my strength. The sun resumed its course.
This happened every morning. We never spoke about it.
The moon was lighter, and Luna younger. Still, in time, I helped with that as well. It was a solemn choice, and one I didn't make lightly. Luna was a proud mare, and would never have asked for my help. She would doubtlessly refuse it if given the option. But Equestria needed belief in its leaders, it needed a strong royal family. So I took the choice away from them.
Still, this could only last so long. A year of early mornings and late nights passed, and then we were all summoned to the castle. I knew as soon as I got the letter that this would be the last one. We didn't pack anything, even Rarity. We all felt it.
--
The others have left the room now. They're attending to Luna, who isn't quite ready to give up her position just yet. Celestia, though, isn't as young as her sister. It shows. I hold her hoof in mine, and try to force a smile. She lays on the plush royal bed, her coat slightly mottled, and her mane limp and greyish. She forces a smile as well, looking into my eyes and speaking in a quiet voice as far removed from her normal royal confidence as I've ever heard it. "Princess Twilight."
I nod, trying and failing to keep the tears from running down my cheeks. "Princess Celestia, I'm so sorry, I should have--"
Her hoof, placed gently against my muzzle, stops me. "Princess Twilight. This is something that is long overdue. You must understand that it is not your fault."
I close my eyes and breathe out slowly, trying to compose myself. "What am I going to do? I can't run Equestria by myself! You... you've always been there, Celestia, and now... now you're going to be... you're..."
Celestia coughs, and shakes her head. "I will be gone, but I'll still be watching you. I know that you can do this, Twilight. The doubts you are feeling now are the same ones Luna and I felt, all those centuries ago. It will be difficult, but you will succeed. You must, Twilight. Equestria needs a strong ruler, now more than ever."
I shake my head and try to choke back the sobs I feel welling up inside me. "I can't. I can't lose you."
Her voice takes on the gentle playfulness I knew from better times. "Princess Twilight. You think you are all alone now, but you have friends who can guide and help you. You have been a princess for over a decade. You... know how to raise and lower the sun and moon. You will grow into your new role, do not worry." Her voice dropped just a little, words meant only for the two of us. "I have always had the highest respect for you, my most faithful student."
Even now, I can't help but smile at the old title. She sees it, and for the first time, her smile seems a little less forced. She doesn't look old, she isn't wizened like Granny Smith was. But she's fading, and she's fading fast. I nuzzle lightly against her hoof. "Princess, I've always... You've been like a mother... I..."
I take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I love you, Princess Celestia."
She smiles at me, and nods just slightly, her voice filled with the same motherly affection it always has been. "I love you too, Princess Twilight. I have for years, and know that there is no pony in Equestria more suited to follow my rule than you."
There is nothing left to say, and not much time left to say anything. I hold her hoof in mine, and I watch as the sun dims and flickers. In only a few more moments, night falls on Equestria, and I only hope that I can bring another sunrise tomorrow.