Ponyville
The Museum of Friendship loomed overhead. A ghost of the past sitting on the otherwise idealism landscape.
The front entrance was wide open; the two large doors pushed back as far as they would go, inviting passing individuals inside. Private security lined stood guard around the doorway and within the reception, where a desk was situated with a single unicorn mare sitting behind it. The area from the entrance to the front desk had a roped off area indicating where the line to enter should be, and it was decently busy. Families from all over Equestria lined up to see the old home of the current Princess of the Sun, and where Celestia had made her final stand.
And Twilight, who was in full regalia once more, couldn’t help but freeze in place as she looked at it. Her friends all shot her looks of concern.
“Sugarcube, are you sure you want to do this?” Applejack asked her friend. “We could do something else if you want.”
“No,” she responded. “I can’t run forever. Let’s go.”
Her friends all shared looks as The Princess started to move again, but fell into step behind her.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” Fluttershy said with worry.
Rarity shook her head. “She will be fine, darling. But she hasn’t been back here since… that day. It must be quite strange for the poor dear.”
The guards by the entrance caught sight of the group as they approached, but when they examined the one at their head their eyes widened. One of the guards motioned towards the receptionist, who quickly admitted the customer she was attending to before looking to where the guard was motioning, her eyes widening even further than their own.
The entrance darkened as the large alicorn’s came to a standstill in the doorway, the element bearers standing either side.
The receptionist got up from her desk as those lining up either looked stunned at the arrival of the princess, or dropped to a bow. The receptionist quickly made her way past the ponies and approached the alicorn.
Twilight saw a mare with a black coloured mane and a dark grey coat approach her, like many of the other ponies she dropped to a bow when she made it to her.
“You highness, welcome home.”
“Thank you, what is your name?”
“Obsidia, you highness.”
“Well Obsidia, you need not bow. We simply came to view it like any other attendee.”
The receptionist’s eyes widened. “All due respect, but I can’t just admit you like any other customer, nor ask you to stand in line. This castle does still belong to the crown after all!”
“So… we get to go in free?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“But of course!”
“Awesome!”
Obsidia grinned. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said as she stood to the side, motioning the group in.
Princess Twilight gave a nod of appreciation, approaching the old staircase and beginning their ascent.
A slightly ecstatic Obsidia placed herself back behind the reception desk and began to admit customer again. The customer in question were all excitedly talking among themselves after witnessing the princess’ arrival.
The group progressed swiftly through the old castle, Pinkie Pie pointing out every room she had every held a party in and describing it to the smallest detail. As Twilight silently and sadly observed each and every detail her companions chattered away, feeling equal nostalgia at being within the structure.
The scariest thing to Twilight was, despite the wandering ponies and occasional roped off areas, it was exactly as she remembered it; only the crystal was a little darker than it once was. On their trip through they had even entered some of the old roped off rooms, nopony wanting to stop the princess from exploring everything.
Her old bedroom was untouched. As she looked around she could see everything was well taken care of, her bed was made and her books were still in the exact organisational pattern she had left them in, something she couldn’t help but give a happy squeal at. Though, that feeling was replaced with some sadness again as she remembered how much she had left behind in the castle. She didn’t even bother to pack and move a great amount of her stuff. All that was left behind was now part of the museum.
There was even and old picture left on the bedside table. Five ponies and one dragon in the midst of one of Pinkie’s parties in the old Golden Oaks Library.
Eventually their trip brought them to the throne room. Where it all happened.
The roots of the Golden Oaks Library still hung above, the memories contained within the gems hanging down still displaying proudly. A large crowd had formed around the six ponies as they progressed through the castle, and the crowd now stood around the edges of the room as there element bearers approached the old map in the centre.
“Damn. This is weird,” Rainbow commented.
Rarity looked round the room. “We had some good times in this room. It has changed so little, I would almost expect the map to activate if we sat in the thrones.”
“Well? Why don’t we take a seat?” Rainbow said.
“Sugarcube, the map is dead,” Applejack reminded the Pegasus.
“I know that!” Rainbow protested. “But it’s just for, you know… old times sakes.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “It sounds like a lovely idea, we should do that. You know… if you wanted to…”
“We should totally do that!” Pinkie squeed. “Look! My balloons are still there!” she motioned to the cutie mark on her own throne.
Pinkie Pie approached the seat, placing a hoof on a seemingly uninteresting spot, only for a rain of confetti to suddenly rain down from a small explosion and frightening several ponies in the crowd.
“Wow…” Pinkie grinned. “I really hid those party cannons well!”
Twilight let a small smile form at her pink friend’s antics. She approached her own throne, tracing a hoof down her own cutie mark before turning and sitting down in her old throne.
The crowd began to chatter among themselves as the other element bearers took their own seats in earnest.
“Well ah’ll be,” Applejack muttered. “Jus’ like old times.”
Twilight looked down onto the map, imagining the image of Equestria coming to life in a magnificent magical light. Memories of their adventures, the breakfasts they had around the map and a great many other things all came flooding back.
“I do miss this old place sometimes,” Rarity said.
“I miss it all the time,” Twilight admitted. “Some of the happiest years of my life were in this room, and in the library before that. Both gone.”
“We are still here,” Fluttershy smiled at the lavender alicorn. “That must count for something.”
Twilight smiled back. “It counts for everything… girls I-“
“Sugarcube…” Applejack muttered painfully. “Ah don’t feel so good.”
“Applejack? Are you alright?” Rainbow asked.
“Ah don’t-“ Applejack began, before slumping back into her seat.
Panic emerged in the crowd as Applejack’s friends rushed from their seats to her side.
“What’s wrong?!” Fluttershy cried.
“Oh Celestia no…” Princess Twilight begged the universe. “We need to get her to the hospital now!”
As history repeated itself, Twilight lit up her horn and teleported them all straight to Ponyville’s hospital, leaving behind a stunned and worried crowd.
Princess Luna hovered over Ponyville, looking around for one mare in particular. It was late afternoon and the sun should have been setting, and yet it still hung high in the sky. Twilight hadn’t moved it.
That in itself was worrying for Luna. However, she had also received a letter from Cadance, the first in a very long time. Cadance had described what she had felt from the sun, and Luna had taken straight off to where her love was located.
The town was largely silent, though there seemed to be a gathering of reporters surrounding the hospital. That being her only clue, she began to head off in that direction before catching something out of the corner of her eye.
Turning, Luna could just see Twilight sitting on a hill outside Ponyville, just watching the town.
Princess Luna didn’t bother to fly over there, instead just teleporting herself to Twilight’s side.
“Luna,” Twilight greeted coldly.
“Twilight? What happened?”
“Something was taken from me, what else?”
Luna’s eyes widened. “Taken? What do you mean?”
“Applejack is dead,” Twilight responded. “Old age.”
Luna’s face fell as she looked on at Twilight in sympathy. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why? Luna why must everypony I love go away?” Twilight tearfully turned to the lunar alicorn. “Celestia. Applejack. Shining. I never see Cadance and barely any of Flurry Heart. My other friends are sure to be dead soon and then-“
“Hey,” Luna cooed, wrapping a wing around Twilight as she buried her head in her chest. “I know, I know how it feels to be alone. But please remember that I am always here. Alright?”
Luna just sat there as she let Twilight cry pained tears into her fur, holding her tightly within her large blue wings.
--“You love Twilight Sparkle. But you are so afraid to admit it. How pathetic.”--
Luna cringed as Sombra’s words rang in her ears, she looked down on the broken princess she held with tears of her own forming.
‘She is in so much pain. But I would only hurt her more. I cannot love her, for her sake.’
Luna closed her eyes and tried to blink away her tears.
‘And yet I do. I cannot stop loving her! Please Twilight… don’t let this darkness consume you. And don’t let me drive you further along that road. I am Nightmare Moon, I will just hurt you…’