Chapter 24: The Ultimate Sacrifice
…and slit her own throat.
Twilight looked on, too shocked to do anything at all with the information her eyes were sending her, as Celestia's blood spilled out onto the floor. The alicorn fell to her knees and looked her star pupil directly in the eyes one last time before falling over sideways—though "falling" hardly did justice to the gentle, balanced motion. She died as gracefully as she had lived.
In an instant, Twilight's head and back were awash with sharp, intense pain, and she cried out. The room filled with so much light that it was impossible to see anything, though behind a deafening roar she could just barely hear Rainbow Dash desperately calling her name. She thought for a moment that she was dying—yet, strangely, she was too confused and disoriented to feel real fear.
When her senses had returned to her, she had collapsed on the ground and was breathing heavily. She was vaguely aware of a massive influx of magic, which reminded her of the enchantments. Alarmed, she closed her eyes and tried to sense what had happened to them, but it seemed they were still active.
As she struggled to her hooves and looked down at Princess Celestia's lifeless, still-bleeding body, the numbness of her initial shock gradually began to wear off. She was vaguely aware of something strange and heavy on her back, though she was in no mood to be curious about it. As a rush of raw anguish filled her, to the point where she felt as though she might burst, and she half-leapt, half-fell towards the princess, wrapping her hooves around her and sobbing into her coat.
After several seconds, she backed away from the body. That weight on her back remained, and she realized there was something attached to her sides. As she tried to shrug it off, her sense of proprioception informed her of strange growths that began somewhere around her shoulder blades…
"Twilight," said Rainbow Dash in awe, "you're… an alicorn."
Though she still felt as though there was a great hole in her heart , she couldn't help experimentally flexing her wings. They were real, permanent appendages that, beyond their novelty, were no more foreign than any other part of her body.
"Your horn is longer, too," Rainbow observed, pointing to it. Twilight guessed this meant her magic was even stronger than before, but at the moment, she didn't particularly care.
"We have to put her to rest," Twilight said, so quietly that Rainbow Dash wouldn't have been able to hear her if not for the cavern's acoustics. She levitated the body and carried it back down into the mass unicorn grave, where she placed it in a way that might have made it look like she was sleeping if not for the large bloodstains. Twilight took one last longing look at her princess before turning away and teleporting herself and Rainbow Dash back to the top of the long staircase.
In a confused, dreamlike state, they resumed the search for her friends, wandering through the darkness with no real strategy or pattern. After what might have been a few minutes or several hours, they entered a room that Rainbow Dash said looked familiar, and she took the lead. Then, at last, they reached the final door.
"It's right through here," urged Rainbow Dash. "Hopefully they're all still okay."
As their friends saw Twilight and Rainbow Dash approaching the cell where they were held, there was a rush of confused shouting.
"Dashie, you're back!"
"Did you show her the photo?"
"Twilight, why do you have wings?"
She said nothing as she magically tore the door from their cell. Rarity pointed out Cheerilee to her, so she freed the schoolteacher as well. Once everypony was out, Twilight told them to gather around her and teleported them up to the surface.
The bright sunlight and fresh air dazzled them for a few seconds before they were inundated by the commotion of ponies all around them, wondering why they had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and who this new alicorn was. Twilight told her friends she would be back later, then teleported to her tower.
She was immediately greeted by Spike, who had been sitting on her bed but sprang up at the sight of her. "Twilight, those wings!"—
"Spike," she said, in a near-monotone, "I'd really just like to be alone right now."
"Alright, but I think this is something you'll want to see right away."
Her eyes widened and her heart pounded as he picked up a scroll from the table, handing it to her. She opened it and read:
My dearest student Twilight,
Hopefully, by the time you read this, my plans will have come to fruition, and I will be gone. Though I deeply regret the immense burden I am about to place upon you, I have thought long and hard, and decided that this is the best choice I can make for the good of Equestria.
You will most likely know by now that I have powered the enchantments on this land with the lives of unicorns—and for centuries, this has weighed heavily on my conscience. Not a day goes by that I'm not haunted by the memories of what I've had to do. Deep down, I think I knew that Luna was right and that this wasn't natural… but I wanted at least some ponies to live happy lives, to exist in blissful ignorance, and so I kept up the enchantments.
I have always wished there was some way I could redeem myself, some way I could make Equestria into something better than the nightmarish utopia it is now. As you said, though, being the most powerful being in the world has been a terrible curse; it gave me enough perspective to see just how little difference I was making in the long run.
If I lack the resolve to face the consequences and take responsibility for what I've done in my life, then perhaps I have lived long enough already. I am sacrificing myself to you because I believe that you are the best hope for this world. Please, whatever you do, do not try to sacrifice yourself under any circumstances. The process is only effective if the survivor has stronger magic than the sacrifice—otherwise, it is a massive waste. Instead, it is my desire and last wish that you rule as Equestria's new princess.
The enchantments should hold for about a year after I am gone; do what you will with them. Reveal the truth of the world to the ponies of Equestria, or try to hide it from them. I only ask that you do what you truly think is right, and avoid my mistakes. Trust in your friends, remain brave in the face of adversity, and don't hesitate to make your country into whatever you think it should be.
Lastly, I want you to know that I have always loved you like you were my own daughter. Goodbye, Twilight.
Sincerely,
-Princess Celestia
For the first time in her life, Twilight wished she could die—but, unlike the princess, she didn't have the right to, and earning it would take her thousands of years. She had never known such overwhelming, heart-wrenching pain as now, nor had she even imagined it possible. She had loved Celestia, too, she realized, and now she would never get the chance to tell her so.
Spike had been kind enough to leave while she was reading the letter. Wanting nothing more than to sleep away her anguish for a day, or several days, or weeks, she collapsed on her bed, vacillating between brooding over what had happened and trying very hard not to think at all.