Two months later…
Twilight sat in front of her desk, closing her eyes as she let her thought travel to the parchment that sat before her. She forced her thoughts to cease their restless disorder and organize, allowing her to write clearly.
Spike had kindly offered to help her, but Twilight had decided this was something she needed to do on her own. It was a private conversation, one between her and an old friend.
She had put this off for too long now. The parchment had been lying on her desk for weeks now, calling to her every time she entered the room. It had been calling to her without ceasing. With the rain outside, and no pressing matters of importance at hand, she decided it was finally time. Pulling a feather off one of her wings (She had found not long ago that her wings provided wonderful quills), Twilight dipped it in ink and began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Firstly, I want to thank you for your kindness in allowing me to remain in Ponyville while you were away with Luna. Though I may be a princess, I find myself out of place amongst royal pomp and circumstance. I prefer the quiet solace of this small village.
Things have been well here since you left. The peace you helped restore remains. The names of my friends, and that of my own, are untarnished and whole. Your words soothed the land of Equestria and allowed everyone to know the truth. I know I owe you a debt of gratitude for that.
The Crystal Empire, though still heavily damaged, is beginning to find its way back. Under the care of my brother and Cadance, it seems the ancient city will soon be giving its light and power to the land soon enough.
The kingdom has truly been healing. The story of Cobalt’s sacrifice for us has begun to spread, and ponies everywhere are starting to wake up and see the world differently. What used to be simple conversations of daily rituals and normal events are turning into discussions of life, death, and the choices we make. It’s as if Cobalt’s sacrifice not only brought us a new chance at life, but also brought about an awakening to the moral world that so many of us ignored. The world around us suddenly seems more precious, more important, and deeper than we ever knew.
But I am beating around the bush, as you may have already guessed. I have written you because I remember our last conversation, not long after the execution. I blamed you for everything. I called you a coward, and said that your throne was more important to you than the ponies you loved. I hated you more than any one pony, than any one creature I had ever known.
And for all of that, I want to apologize.
Yes, I know you agreed with my words. I know you admitted fault, but that does not justify my own actions. My rage against you was unfair. If I was able to forgive Cobalt Storm for his own crimes, how could I be willing to hate you for your own? Cobalt may have hated you once, but it was out of a hurt heart, and jealous spite. When time had passed, he wanted better for you, even if you didn’t always know it. When he learned of how to stop the earthquakes, he returned to save you. He was always looking out for you.
And… I want you to know that I forgive you. For being afraid? Forgiven. For your failure to protect Luna? Forgiven. For the war? Forgiven. Even the pride that did not allow you to admit your mistake when you first arrested Cobalt, and no justification for his execution? Forgiven. We all have our weaknesses, Celestia. I can bear that, and I hope you can as well.
You told me that I was better than you, that I was more pure. As much as I value your words, I know that they are false. If I was truly better, then I would not have acted in such haste. I wouldn’t have brought my friends into danger, almost getting them all killed. My actions nearly brought disaster, even if I never fully understood it. If it weren’t for Cobalt, we never would have made it.
I want to live up to your words, I want to be that princess you believe I am. I may not be there today, but I can still reach for it. I can still make my life count, even if it takes a few mistakes along the way.
Cobalt’s death is a reminder. A reminder that our choices have the power to transform not just our own lives, but can transform the lives of those who we may never meet. Cobalt’s sacrifice for Equestria ensured that a new generation will be able to see another day, and feel the warmth of the sun for a little longer.
When he first came into our world, he chose to protect his people. He chose to protect you, he chose to fall in love with you. He chose to give himself over to hatred and revenge, and he chose to murder. He chose to act on so many things, that it seemed as if his life would be marred by his past forever.
But he chose to accept the consequences of his actions. He chose to stand up and walk back to you, and face death. As he destroyed a nation in life, so he saved another in death. He understood choices better than anyone I ever knew, and that was what allowed him to walk into death’s open arms so bravely, and save the lives of those he never knew. He understood that his final action would protect everyone.
Cobalt once mentioned that Starswirl understood that you would never destroy him after the Lunar Rebellion, that the old wizard understood you. You still loved him, didn’t you? Deep down, no matter what he could ever do, some part of you would never stop loving him… not even to this day. It’s why you were able to take the fall for what had come from all of it, and weep for him. Despite all the bloodshed that filled his story, your heart still belonged to him.
Someday, I want to know the story. All of it, from the very beginning. I want to know what he was like when he was young. I want to know the story of your love for each other, for the war, for everything.
When you return, tell me the story again.
Yours sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle
-The End