//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Love Knows No Bounds // by Autum Breeze //------------------------------// A Home for the Homeless Epilogue _____________________________________________________________________ Celestia lay on her bed, her tears having soaked the mattress long ago, but she did not care. She was dead to Twilight. Celestia had thought, when the changeling poisoning Twilight's mind was gone, she would realize she had not loved the creature at all and would thank Celestia for what she did. But it had not happened. The look in Twilight's eyes, the words she spoke, they'd all been true. Twilight had truly loved the changeling Rose Aphid and Rose had loved her back. She had broken down as the realization hit her like a manticore on a rampage, She had just killed Twilight's daughter for no reason and now Twilight hated her to her very core... and Celestia could not blame her. She and she alone was to blame. She had ended an innocent life. Several hours after their time in the Waste Lands, Celestia had tried to return to Ponyville, to try and apologize to Twilight, only to find there was a magical barrier around it she could not cross. No matter what spell she used to try and dispelled it, the barrier around Ponyville and the lands around it were out of her reach. Celestia tried to send letters to Twilight, but every time they came back unopened as she learned it was with any letter she sent to Ponyville. For months Celestia stayed hold-up in her room, coming out only to raise and lower the sun, which looked just as sad as she felt. She barely ate, she barely slept. With Twilight out of her life, the world had become a lot darker for the Sun Goddess. Then, one day, Luna had received a letter from Twilight. It stated that Twilight was three months pregnant and she was wondering if Luna would like to be the Goddessmother. While the news should have made Celestia happy, the fact that Twilight did not want her to be the Goddessmother and did not even mention her in the letter, broke Celestia’s already shattered heart. As the months wore on, Celestia heard news of Twilight’s pregnancy second-hoof from Luna. Twilight was doing fine and the baby seemed completely healthy. But not once did Twilight try to contact Celestia about it, only through Luna did she hear of it. She tried many times to go to Ponyville and talk with Twilight herself, to try and apologize, but the barrier always prevent her passage and she would return to Canterlot, her heart heavy, her eyes filled with tears. Finally, after almost nine months, Celestia tried once more to go to Ponyville. When she had come out to eat lunch that day, as little as she would eat at all, one of the guards informed her that Luna had gone to Ponyville after receiving an urgent message. Twilight was in the hospital. Forgetting about lunch, Celestia had set off for Ponyville again, determined to find out what was happening. As she neared the outer boarders of Ponyville, Celestia braced herself for when she hit the barrier... but did not feel it. She looked down and saw she was flying over Sweet Apple Acres. Her spirit’s rising for the first time in ages the Sun Goddess increased her speed, heading directly for the Ponyville Hospital. She landed outside the hospital and entered. When she asked the pony at the front desk which room Twilight was in, she answered happily. Celestia hurried down the corridors until she reached the door with the number pony had told her. Taking in a deep breath, she lifted a hoof and knocked. “Come in,” called a cheery voice Celestia thought she’d never hear again. As soon as Celestia walked in however, all the cheeriness she’d sense vanished, replaced with a cold feeling that ran right down her spine. Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy were sitting around the room. Luna was standing next to a bed in the centre of the room as were Derpy Hooves and her daughter, Dinky and the CMC were there. And in that bed, holding a small bundle of cloth in her right forelimb was Twilight. All the ponies aside from Luna gave the princess a cold glare, even Pinkie Pie. Celestia knew why Pinkie was glaring at her. Aside from making her best friend horribly sad, Celestia had broken a Pinkie Promise the mare had forced her to make that she would never do anything that upset Twilight. There were several moments of eerie silence before Twilight broke it. “If you all wouldn’t mind, I’d like to speak with my ex-mentor.” A wound that had only slightly healed was torn open again. All the other ponies, including Luna nodded and exited the room until Celestia, Twilight and the bundle in her forelimb were all that were left. There was another silence for several seconds. “I sorry—” Celestia tried. “I’ll start off by saying, I can never forgive you for what you tried to do, Celestia,” Twilight cut her off coldly. Celestia’s heart sank further. “However,” Celestia looked up, slightly hopeful, “I must thank you for what you ended up doing.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. Twilight lowered her forelimb a little and Celestia saw what was inside. A tiny Alicorn filly, with a white coat and a tiny crop of pink and white mane. “Is That—?" Celestia gasped. “My daughter,” Twilight nodded. “When you hit Rose with that spell, she was still filled with my love. When she hit me she became magical energy and was transferred into my womb. And just to let you know, she is a full pony now. She is no longer a changeling." Celestia stood there, absorbing this. “It can never be the same between us as it was, Celestia,” Twilight said, her voice no longer cold, but not friendly either. "Not after what you did to my family, or Luna. Celestia lowered her head. “However,” Celestia looked up again, “Since I don't want my daughter thinking I’m cruel towards the princess of Equestria or that you must be bad for me to treat you as such... do you want to be friends?” Celestia’s eyes lit up. “Not like it was,” Twilight said, holding up her free hoof. “We will be starting all over, understand?” Celestia’s heart sank a little, but she nodded. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.