Celestia's Tiny Student

by CommanderX5

Epilogue

For the ponies of Canterlot, it had become a sorrowful day on a day that began like any other. Ponies woke up reading the headlines on the newspapers in disbelief. Many of them called it lies, often looking to see if the news was the same in other papers. To their horror, each story was the same:

Readers, it is with a heavy heart that I must announce that yesterday, our beloved Princess Celestia, the raiser of the sun and ruler of Equestria, breathed her final breath and left this world. Last night, a group of terrorists launched an attack on the birthday party of our ruler’s apprentice, Twilight Sparkle, hoping to hold her closest friends hostage so that they could control Equestria using our beloved princess as a figurehead. Princess Celestia, however, refused to acquiesce to their demands and, despite her best intentions, was greatly wounded in the surprise attack on her student.

Princess Celestia was taken to the Royal Canterlot Hospital, though the healers there could do little for her. Her death was a private affair, surrounded by friends and companions, but a new public statement has been released, officially handing Princess Celestia’s rule to Prince Blueblood with Fancy Pants as his advisor.

“She has guided Equestria for over a thousand years,” said Prince Blueblood, our new leader, as he wiped tears from his eyes. “If anybody deserves a good, peaceful rest, it is her.”

No news has been given as to the fate of the captured terrorists, but rumor has it they are currently awaiting trial and possible execution, the first since the Griffo-Draconic War many hundreds of years ago.

Princess Celestia’s funeral will first be held for the esteemable nobles of Canterlot this coming Saturday. A state funeral for her subjects will be held the day after before her burial in the Royal Gardens. Readers, this is a sad day for us all. We of the Canterlot Globe wish Princess Celestia safe passage in the afterlife. Rest in Peace.

The most influential ponies from across Canterlot slowly gathered in and around the palace throne room, where, after a single day of preparations, the funeral was meant to take place.

As ponies walked in, many glanced nervously at the motionless sun, already a source of concern throughout Equestria. Ambassadors from other countries joined the funeral, if only to find out who would take control over the sun and prevent the world from burning into a searing desert.

The throne room was no different than usual. As always, it was bright and well decorated, the only additions being a number of small cushions for everypony to sit on and a small pedestal erected in front of the princess’s opulent throne. Dozens of flowers, gifts, and wreaths were arranged before it, leaving a space for the inevitable coffin that would hold their ruler for eternity. There, the ponies of Equestria would look upon her one last time and say their farewells. The sight of such a place brought many of the guests to tears, though many others simply looked on, silent and inexpressive.

The first ones to sit were the ponies from the Sparkle House and the Pants House. Twilight and Fancy Pants’ families were in the first seats, and next to them sat Spitfire and Soarin’ from the Wonderbolts.

To the surprise of many ponies, a pink earth pony they’d never seen nor heard anything about sat with them, causing many murmurs about who the mysterious friend of the princess might be.

The murmurs stopped when the doors to the throne room opened again, slowly, but surely. Blueblood eased them open with his magic, struggling a little as he led the four unicorns levitating the coffin down the center aisle.

Everypony looked in silence at the well-decorated coffin where their princess rested. It was assembled from a fine white wood, much like the coat of its occupant, and bordered with expertly cut diamonds that twinkled in the day’s light. Celestia’s cutie mark was recreated at the center of its lid with an assortment of yellow and orange gemstones. Blueblood walked towards the center platform as the coffin was slowly hauled behind him, an orchestra playing a mournful dirge in the background.

Tears fell, but nopony dared to break the silence as the princess’s coffin was placed gently before the platform in front of the throne and opened. Everypony wanted to see their princess, finding it hard to believe that she was really there, but the gravity of the gathering kept them from craning their necks too hard to take a look.

Blueblood stood at the head of the coffin and looked at Celestia, the proud alicorn now lying in front of him. Powder hid burn marks on her white body and her majestic wings were folded close to her. Her golden regalia had been placed in their rightful locations, though her mane was a lifeless pink, no longer the flowing rainbow it had been. Her front hooves had been placed together on her breast and she had a peaceful smile, as if she was just taking a nap, but many of the ponies present burst into tears seeing their ruler like this. Some who had prayed that this was a joke now knew the truth. Princess Celestia was dead.

Blueblood murmured something to himself before walking solemnly behind the pedestal and turning towards the crowd. “I do not deserve to be the leader of Equestria on this day, but rather my aunt, who we are all here for. She, who had stood resolutely against the foes of Equestria, has been a mother to us all and warmed us with her kindness and love. It is Celestia who should be here, treating this like any other day at court. Though I do not possess the same wisdom and love she had for us all, I will take an example from her and try to rule as best I can.”

Blueblood sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. “My Aunt Celestia is now at peace after her long rule. Perhaps she found comfort knowing that she died saving those she loved. I can only pray that wherever she is now, she is happy and free.” He turned to Celestia and bowed. “Goodbye, Auntie. Rest now, for you have done your duty.”

After Blueblood was done, many ponies followed his lead and gave their speeches, but none of those ponies drew the attention of the crowd more than a tiny mare who now approached the speaker’s space.

The tiny unicorn finally reached the platform and levitated herself upon it. She cast a spell on herself, and, despite the worries of some that they wouldn’t be able to hear her, when she opened her mouth, her speech sounded clearly throughout the entire throne room. “Princess Celestia was more than just a mentor to me. She was... a friend—a mother even—somepony I trusted more than anything and would do everything for. It’s not fair... it’s not fair!”

Twilight began to sob quietly as she continued, her voice becoming more and more broken. “She shouldn’t have died to save me! I’m just a unicorn! She was the Princess of Equestria! I should be dead! Not her! Not her...”

It took Twilight a long time to recover before she calmed down, taking a deep breath. “What I will remember most about Princess Celestia isn’t the magic she taught me, but the adventures we had, the smiles we shared, and the times we used to read and play together. She was my best friend and I will treasure everything we had together. I love her... and I always will.”

Twilight wiped her tears with a hoof, before levitating herself towards the coffin and, after a moment’s hesitation, entered it. Twilight stood on her mentor’s motionless body as she levitated a lily into the princess’s hooves. She marched towards the head and nuzzled a burned spot on her mentor’s cheek, before giving it a small farewell kiss. Twilight levitated herself out of the coffin before running towards her family and crying in her mother’s embrace.

Once all the speeches were over, ponies started, one by one, to walk towards the coffin to take a look at their fallen ruler, tears in their eyes. One of nobles lowered his head closer to the princess’s head and whispered, “You can sleep peacefully forever now, my dear princess. Rest assured that your Equestria will be in good hooves. My hooves.”

Celestia suddenly opened her eyes and, before the noble could jump back, grabbed his neck in her telekinesis.

“Gotcha.”

Almost every pony in the throne room began to panic or faint at the sight of their ruler rising from her coffin like a zombie. The entire room was swiftly sealed by several of the Royal Guards, blocking all the exits and calming the mob.

The captured noble writhed desperately in the hold. “S-Soothing? What’s the meaning of this?” he called out to someone in the crowd. “I thought you made sure she was dead!”

“I did!” a unicorn mare with a stethoscope for a cutie mark shouted as she was suddenly arrested by a levitation field herself. “The explosives from the ballroom turned her into a charred corpse! I checked everything, I swear!”

Her mouth was magically clamped together before she could say anything further, and she turned to look into the predatory eyes of Overwatch. “That’s quite enough out of you, traitor,” she said as her captive began to panic at the sight of her. “By the way, you’re an idiot, so thanks for making this so easy.”

Celestia looked confusedly at the captured mare before turning back to look angrily at her own captive. “Now, I want to know the names of everypony involved, and I will not take ‘no’ for an answer,” she said firmly, the pony in front of her terrified to the bone. Without wasting any time, Celestia cast a Want-it-Need-it spell on the lily her student put into her hooves, and soon the noble began to say the names of everypony he cooperated with, the words leaving him like a stream as he focused intently on the lily.

As Celestia enhanced the voice of captured noble with her magic, the names he spoke began echoing throughout the throne room, and the guards were more than happy to arrest anypony mentioned, at least to hold as suspects until their identity was confirmed. As Celestia expected, the majority of them were present at her funeral.

Once arrests were over, over twenty percent of the seats in throne room were empty. Celestia turned the captured noble over to the guards, the prisoner holding the lily in his hooves as if it was the most important thing in the world. Celestia walked over to stand behind the pedestal, looking upon her little ponies who stared back at her with a mix of happiness and shock.

“I assume that every single one of you is surprised by my sudden awakening,” she said, giving them an innocent smile before she began to explain what had really happened and how she hoped for the traitors to be exposed by faking her death, though she avoided going into the details, namely the fact that she had expected the rebels to approach her nephew to force his cooperation.

She snorted as she thought over the actual course of events. I didn’t expect that they’d expose themselves so quickly. How could fools like them even get so close to taking over my country? Could there be a third party involved?

She dismissed the thought for later so that she could give a final statement on the affair. “I would like to give a warning to most of you,” she said sternly. “I am very disappointed by how little the nobility resembles the proud and hard working houses I shared my power with a thousand years ago.”

She swept an angry glare over the assembled group in the throne room. “For all rights and reasons, I should remove each of you from your status. Just because most of you are unicorns with wealth and power, do not act as if you are better than your fellow ponies. Equestria was built with the intention of all of us working together in harmony.”

“However,” Celestia said, her gaze softening, “I am not the tyrant they would lead you to believe. I will grant you all another chance to show what nobles should be. Are you willing to forgive me for my deception if I forgive you?”

Her subjects said nothing at first, but it wasn’t long before they walked up and paid their respects, teary eyed as they vowed to lead a better life. Stuck up or not, they were still her beloved ponies, and nothing could change that.

The throne room became much emptier as ponies finally began to depart, and as the doors to her funeral closed for the day, Celestia turned back to those still remaining, a friendly, familiar group that bowed as soon as she could look at them.

Celestia let out a hearty laugh. “Stop it, you may rise. If anypony should be bowing, it’s me. You all played your parts wonderfully.”

“Shucks, it was nothing,” said Soarin’. “If anything, it was worth it just to see the reactions of those traitors. I thought they were gonna piss themselves right then and there.”

“Ditto,” Spitfire said, snickering. “Wished I had a camera on me for the occasion.”

“Wish I could have actually seen more of it,” Overwatch murmured, having suddenly and speedily departed the room due to nausea soon after Celestia began interrogating her captive. “By the way, Princess, what spell did you cast back there?”

“It was the Want-it-Need-it spell,” Steel Blade interjected, shuttering. “It makes anyone looking at an object immediately want it, forgoing all feelings besides an overpowering desire for it. More importantly, you should really see a doctor about your stomach problems, especially if they’re that strong.”

Overwatch harrumphed. “I’ll be fine. I’ve never had a great constitution anyways,” she said, waving off the issue as she took her scarf back from Steel Blade with a thankful smile. “Oh yes, by the way, I brought back a few souvenirs!” she said, suddenly producing a few bombs, clutched in her teeth by a piece of string.

Steel Blade’s eyes widened. “Somepony get that away from her.”

Twilight stepped forward as Steel Blade attempted to relieve Overwatch of her prizes, levitating herself onto her teacher’s shoulder since she didn’t feel strong enough to climb up as she usually did. “You’re okay though, right Princess?”

Celestia sighed. “Physically, I am fine, Twilight, but this entire ordeal has been an emotional rollercoaster.” She levitated up the list of traitors she’d written up, looking at their names with cold, yet sorrowful, eyes. The crimes they’ve committed were long and numerous, but soon this would all be put to the end. She would try to avoid giving death penalties if possible, but she knew that in the next few days a few families would be having their own funerals to arrange. “So many of my own ponies caused all this pain and suffering. How many have lost their lives because of the goals of these individuals? You all almost perished as well. If I had lost you Twilight, I...”

Twilight nuzzled her mentor. “It’s okay, Princess Celestia. Everything worked out fine, right? I’m not in danger anymore.”

Celestia gave her student a weak smile, despite her growing guilt. No, Twilight, you are. From a foe that I have been planning for you to face ever since I met you.

“I think we all deserve a good night’s rest after this. The sun’s been up way too long anyway,” Celestia said, finding it amusing that she had done the opposite of what Nightmare Moon desired to do in order to keep this act up. While the ambassadors were rightly furious, they were understanding of her actions. She would calm them down somehow. She always did.

“Agreed, I could use a long sleep,” Blueblood said, heading for the door as Shining Armor caught up with him.

“Aww, upset that you didn’t become the next ruler of Equestria, Blueblood?” Shining Armor asked with a smirk.

Blueblood snorted. “Please. And deal with all the paperwork? I’d rather fake my own death before I do that.”

“Yeah, and then we’d have half of Equestria celebrating over your coffin,” Spitfire remarked.

Everypony laughed as they began to exit the throne room. Twilight was almost about to leave with them when a thought hit Celestia. “Wait, Twilight?”

“Yes, Princess?”

“Twilight, your speech at the funeral. Was it... all true? Do you really care about me that much?” Celestia asked, unable to stop the quiver in her voice.

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Of course I do, Princess. You mean so much to me. Every bit of it was the truth, excluding the whole ‘being dead’ part, of course.”

This did nothing to help Celestia’s heart as she forced a smile and nodded. “Thank you, Twilight. I... I feel the same way.”

Celestia watched her tiny faithful student walk away, leaving her alone in the throne room. With nopony around, she rested on her throne and thought about the past day’s events.

I took the lives of many of those who tried to harm the ponies most dear to me. Should I imprison those ponies who would not hesitate to use a colt as a hostage? Must I sign documents to end more lives? She sighed in defeat, Was it my fault? Was I a bad ruler? Did I make a mistake trying to break the barrier between ruler and subject with my interactions with Twilight? Did that turn those dear to me into targets for my foes?

She thought of the words the traitors shouted during their attack. Is that what I’m doing? Manipulating ponies like Twilight to save my sister? Am I so selfish that I am, in some ways, abusing my power? Twilight may be willing to do everything for me, but what about the other Element Bearers? Is it fair to risk their lives without giving them a choice?

She stomped in frustration, leaving a small dent in her throne. No matter what I do, I cannot avoid mistakes. I am not omnipotent. I have more than enough power to protect my subjects—to protect Twilight—but this power is useless if I don’t use it in the right time and place. Twilight almost died because I lowered my guard for a moment.

This party... Not only did I almost eat you, my faithful student, but I’d almost lost you and the other ponies I care about to an unexpected and avoidable attack.

“Yet Twilight has grown so much. She’s faced trial after trial and still came out on top, but how long could it last?” Celestia murmured to herself fearfully, closing her eyes. What if, one day, I am forced to attend a real funeral? One with a little coffin that holds my precious student instead? I can’t deny it any longer: Twilight is too important to me, perhaps to the point where the only pony I care for more is my sister.

Celestia opened her eyes with a new resolve. She had been a teacher, a manipulator, and a politician, but now it was time to change that. Too many of the ponies she had come to care about had gotten hurt in her manipulations. It was time to take action, to be the protector she was supposed to be.

And this time shall come very soon, Nightmare Moon. I will not let the ponies I love so much be hurt, even if I need to capture you and free my sister myself.

“You called, Your Majesty?” asked Silver Scroll, bowing her head in respect.

“If this is about those mad ponies who were behind the attack yesterday, we are still investigating it,” Shining Armor said, also bowing down. “But after your funeral, there’re only a few leftovers to be concerned about.”

“I don’t think that’s the case. Princess, this is about Nightmare Moon, is it not?” Brave Blade asked, his age lending his voice a weary tone as he saluted.

“That is correct, Brave Blade. The return of my sister is close by, and I’ve summoned you all here to inform you about an alteration to my plans. Captain Shining Armor, could you remind us what the original plan was?” Celestia asked authoritatively.

“Yes, Your Highness. We were to make sure that Twilight reads about the tale of Nightmare Moon. Expecting her letter, you will disregard her warning and send her to Ponyville where she will interact with the other Element Bearers, who will be preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration. Ponyville library is equipped with a book about the Elements of Harmony that Twilight will be inexorably drawn to read,” Shining Armor said, his face carefully impassive as he talked about the fate of his sister.

“Very good. Continue,” Celestia replied calmly.

“Nightmare Moon will return to the same place she was banished from, the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Discovering that the Elements are nothing but stones and confident they are no longer a threat, she will make a move at the closest settlement at Ponyville. She might go directly to Canterlot, but taking on the entire capital would be suicidal, so I doubt it.”

“And what will be our move?” Celestia asked.

“Our elite forces will be hidden in the Everfree Forest. The monsters in the forest are nothing we can’t handle, especially with Princess Cadance there as well. We will let Nightmare Moon go to Ponyville where she will announce her return, giving Twilight the motivation to recover the Elements of Harmony. Twilight will most likely assume that you have been captured when, of course, you will be nearby, ready to lure Nightmare Moon away with a wave of your magic before she can attack your subjects so she will follow you to the Everfree Forest.”

“You memorized the plan to the letter,” Celestia said, smiling. “Now, what will be my and Twilight's role" Celestia asked curiously as Shining Armor sighed.

“You will engage Nightmare Moon in the Everfree Forest to weaken her. Cadence will recharge you after the fight, as you will have severed your connection with the sun. An army of guards will be on standby to engage the weakened Nightmare Moon, though we will fall back once we force her to retreat. Twilight and the other Element Bearers will be already on the move towards the ruins of the old castle, where Nightmare Moon will try to stop them, but in her weakened state, she will be unable to attack full force. Twilight and her new friends will reactivate the Elements of Harmony and cleanse your sister, though you will be ready to engage Nightmare Moon in case the Elements do not activate,” he said, taking a deep breath as he finished his non-stop monologue.

Celestia clapped her hooves. “You have an impressive memory, Captain Shining Armor. Indeed, that was the plan before the terrorist’s attack.”

Shining Armor and Brave Blade looked at her confusedly, though they remained silent.

“Please do not worry, my friends. This’ll just make the plan easier. We will simply intercept Nightmare Moon on her way to Ponyville, capture her and lock her in the dungeon. Once the danger is over, I will send my student to Ponyville to begin learning to activate the Elements, so—”

Brave Blade cleared his throat loudly. “Your Majesty, many soldiers will die going the extra mile to capture Nightmare Moon. How will you get your sister back without the help of the Elements?”

“As I’ve said, Twilight will be sent to Ponyville once Nightmare Moon is captured. She will be given as much time as she needs to befriend the other Element Bearers, and with Spike’s help, I will set up any trials to bring the Elements closer myself. Those trials will not be any easier than the ones Nightmare Moon would use to stop Twilight and the other Bearers, but I will be nearby, ready to save them if they fail.”

“But you will sacrifice the lives of many guards when a simpler solution is at hoof!” Brave Blade protested.

“Yet the most important component, the lives of the Bearers of Elements themselves, will be placed at a much smaller risk. The lives of the Royal Guards are dear to me as the lives of all my subjects, but we cannot lose the lives of the Bearers themselves, lest we wait decades or centuries for the Elements to find new ponies.”

“Your Highness, as relieved as I am that my sister will not be sent to confront Nightmare Moon on the night of her arrival, as Captain of the Royal Guard, I still cannot risk the lives of my soldiers needlessly,” Shining Armor said authoritatively.

“The Royal Guards have sworn to lay down their lives to protect Equestria. Twilight and the other Bearers are civilians. In either case, you do not have to worry about the safety of your soldiers, Captain. For the past several years, I have trained whenever I could, and I will do everything in my power to overpower Nightmare Moon and protect as many guards as I can,” Celestia said, calmly and professionally.

“I-I have not thought about it that way, Your Majesty. As guards, it has always been our duty to protect you, Equestria, and every pony. As an extension of that, I suppose we cannot let civilians put themselves in danger when we could,” Shining Armor said hesitantly, torn between the lives of his soldiers and the life of his sister.

“Is that the best resistance you can put up?” Brave Blade growled. “Are you truly willing to sacrifice the lives of my soldiers to protect your dear sister? The lives of countless fathers and mothers for one pony?”

“They are my soldiers now, and they are my responsibility, not yours. If victory could be better assured with another plan than with Celestia’s idea to keep the current bearers safe until they could activate the elements, I would take it, but we risk losing not only one pony, but being stuck keeping Nightmare Moon in check for centuries until she could be cleansed,” Shining Armor replied, glaring sternly at the former captain.

“Enough!” Celestia shouted with authority in her voice, swiftly separating the two with her magic. “It is my decision, and I will bear the consequences of my actions, but I will not change my plans.”

Brave Blade scowled at the princess, storming out of Celestia’s bedchamber as he slammed the door. Shining Armor looked at the old stallion worriedly as Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulder.

“Let him go. He has every right to be angry,” Celestia said, looking after the old captain somberly.

“Princess, if you don’t mind me asking, why have you decided to change your mind?” Shining Armor said, looking up at her. “The original plan would have been less costly and difficult to implement and would have resulted in a faster resolution to the problem of Nightmare Moon.”

Celestia sighed, sitting back down. “I’ve already endangered Twilight so much. She’s had no fewer than seven life threatening events under my care, and I’m in no hurry to make that eight. I don’t want to carry the pain of losing two of the most important ponies in my life, and because of that, I’m not going to gamble Twilight’s life. I will not risk the life of a loved one to save my sister if there’s another safer way.”

Shining Armor scratched the back of his neck with a hoof. “I see… but you are aware that Twilight will one day leave you, while your sister will stay with you for hundreds of years?”

Celestia’s eyes began to tear up as she looked on determinedly. “I don’t care. I’ve failed to protect Twilight so many times and I’m not going to let her fight my enemies and risk her life to rescue my sister. In the past, many Element Bearers had been chosen during Discord’s reign, but only Luna and I succeeded. Being chosen to bear the Elements does not guarantee a happy ending.”

Shining Armor stayed silent for a few moments before answering. “I-I understand, and I will do everything in my power to protect my guards while they help you capture Nightmare Moon,” he said, bowing before he left the room.

Celestia turned towards Silver Scroll, who had listened to the conversation silently this entire time. “Thank you for your patience,” the princess said.

“There is nothing to thank me for, Your Highness. It is my duty as your secretary to be patient and to assist wherever I can,” Silver Scroll replied with a professional tone.

Celestia smiled. “It was originally your duty to make sure that Twilight reads the tale of Nightmare Moon.”

“And that order has been canceled. I understand, Your Highness.”

Celestia nodded. “That is all. You are free to leave.”

“Are you on my side or not?” Brave Blade asked.

Silver Scroll nodded, the book containing the tale of Nightmare Moon in her magical aura. “Yes, I am. I’m afraid that Her Majesty has let her emotions get the best of her. Twilight and the other potential bearers can unlock the Elements of Harmony without her assistance,” she said seriously, looking at the former captain with determination in her eyes. “A powerful alicorn that can move both the sun and the moon and the most powerful artifacts in the world? Too much is at stake to hesitate now.”

“Indeed. The princess has let her emotions cloud her judgement. I saw Twilight during her training in combat magic. If she removes the shrinking spell from herself, she could easily become the most powerful unicorn warrior in Equestria’s history. Even shrunken, she’s not a pony to be messed with,” Brave Blade replied, stomping his hoof into the ground firmly. “If anypony, it will be Twilight who leads the other Element Bearers to free Luna and destroy Nightmare Moon. Celestia may have lost faith in her student, but I have not.” He moved a hoof to Silver Scroll, who returned it by clapping her hoof against his.

“For a better and stronger Equestria.”

“For a better and stronger Equestria.”