The Day Will Last Forever

by Desiree407

Discovery

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m so glad to hear you’re feeling better! Rainbow and Applejack told me about their visit to Canterlot, and I concur with your decision.

As for your question about feeling more important than others around you: I never have. I almost never have. At the moment when I got my cutie mark and became your protégé, I felt a rush of importance, of destiny. That my life held something greater than most.

Of course, it was probably just me being silly.

I have no reason to feel more important than anyone else, but I can see why you might. You are, with no doubt, the most important pony in all of Equestria! Along with Princess Luna, of course.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight sealed the letter and turned to Spike, who had been impatiently waiting for her to finish.

“There, it’s done!”

Spike wasted no time in blowing it away in a flash of green smoke. “Rarity’swaitinggottagobye!”

Rarity, Twilight Sparkle recalled, had asked him to go gem-hunting with her. Of course the baby dragon would waste no time to fulfill her wishes.

She had intended to go out for lunch, but there was some time before her reservation. Her eyes drifted to the book she’d been looking at before Celestia’s letter had arrived, and the stack of copious notes right beside it.

Yes, the reasons Celestia had sighted for her stress were in the book. But, didn’t Celestia have thousands of years of experience ruling? And compared to how things were a long time ago, right now really was sunshine and roses. She had her sister back, Discord remained trapped in stone, the Elements had been found, Cerberus was safely back in Tartarus.

Twilight chuckled to herself. They were practically waiting for something else to hit its thousand year deadline.

So was it really royal stress?

Twilight flipped open the book to one of the pages she’d marked.

Reason 68:

Often, when a pony is feeling morally conflicted, they will become distracted by their mental split. They can spend long hours thinking about their ambiguity, and become worried they won’t make the right choice. This can cause severe stress.

Common Actions:

-Snapping at other ponies

-Not paying attention to the conversation

-Muttering anxiously to themselves

-Spending a lot of time alone, thinking

-Focusing on whatever they conflicted about

A pony may feel conflicted about a decision they have to make. For example, they might have to choose between telling a friend the truth and upsetting them, or keeping the truth a secret. Or they might be overtaken by a feeling they don’t understand—like if a mare who considers herself straight has a crush on another mare. What does she do? (For more information on repressing feelings, go to Reason 38)

Twilight looked at the text, thinking to herself. She turned the pages back, to Reason 38.

Reason 38:

A pony who represses their feelings can become overloaded with tension. They become upset over the smallest things and worry over nothing. They aren’t being true to themselves, and it can weigh on their shoulders. When you push how you feel away, only bad can come of it.

Common Actions:

-Worrying about small things

-Becoming upset over nothing at all

-Saying “I’m fine.”

-Coming up with other reasons for their distress

-Refusing to talk about how they feel

When Princess Luna repressed her emotions, she turned into Nightmare Moon. She pushed away her feelings and so succumbed to the Nightmare Forces and her own jealousy. Of course, not everyone who represses their emotions suffers this fate, but you still should never do so or let a friend do so.

Twilight flicked the pages absently, thinking to herself.

Suddenly overtaken by frustration and worry, she slammed the book shut and went to lunch. Perhaps a daisy sandwich would help her think.

As she walked through Ponyville, she noticed clouds being pushed into position for a long rainshower. She would need to hurry if she wanted to get there on time… or maybe not.

Her horn glowing a bright magenta, she disappeared in a flash of pink light and reappeared at the restaurant, scaring Pinkie Pie.

“Twilight! What are you doing here? Well I guess you’re going for lunch, but omigosh you came so fast and you came right in front of me and I was like omigosh what’s Twilight doing here and—“

“I’m just here for lunch. And you?”

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell...”

Just as Pinkie was about to launch into a long, complicated, and completely unintelligible explanation that Twilight’s rational mind would never be able to comprehend, Twilight held up one hoof. “Nevermind, I’m just glad you’re here now. Would you like to lunch with me?”

“Yes indeedy-doodle!”

“Great,” said Twilight, resigning herself to a lunch with no time for quiet contemplation. Then again, perhaps that was a good thing. She wouldn’t think about Celestia at all during lunch, she decided.

They got about ten minutes through a leisurely lunch before Twilight couldn’t keep herself from thinking about Celestia.

“Pinkie, I have a question.” She was asking Pinkie Pie for advice about a complex emotional situation? Well, at least Pinkie had lots of experience in the friendship department. Maybe she had experienced this situation before?

“What?”

“What do you do when a friend is feeling down?”

Pinkie Pie seemed to be actually considering the question seriously. It was nearly five minutes before she responded—minutes Twilight spent barely breathing and nervously tapping her hooves on the ground.

“Well, you just have to be there for them. You can’t always solve another ponies’ problem. Sometimes, you just have to give them support.”

Twilight was surprised at the maturity and experience behind Pinkie’s response. She smiled at her friend. “Thank you,” she said, and she meant it.

After getting home, Twilight decided to send a letter to Princess Celestia telling her she was always there for her. Not before Princess Celestia replied to hers, of course. What would be more presumptious? Then she didn’t think any more about it. As Pinkie said, it wouldn’t help for her to try and solve Celestia’s problem. Not that she knew what it was. Couldn’t she at least try to find out what it was?

Even though she glanced at the book she’d been studying earlier many times throughout the rest of her day, it was only when she dreamed that she began to truly worry again.

Memories moved through her dreamscape…

Coming up with other reasons for their distress. Snapping at other ponies. Not paying attention. Muttering to themselves. Saying “I’m fine.” When Princess Luna repressed her emotions, she turned into Nightmare Moon… no longer connected to the Elements of Harmony. Celestia’s defeat at the hooves of Chrysalis. Rain. Have you ever felt that you are more important than other ponies? Ruling alone for a thousand years.

They were things Twilight would have never connected awake. But in her dream, an invisible thread wound easily through them.

Twilight woke up staring at the ceiling, strangely calm.

What if what was going on with Princess Celestia was like what happened to Luna? What if she felt that the sun was the most important thing in Equestria, that anything obscuring it was wrong? Of course, she’d be conflicted. She’d argue with herself, tell herself that her thoughts were irrational, that this kind of thinking had led to the banishment of her sister.

It would be made worse by a theory Twilight had been entertaining… that maybe since they Princesses didn’t have the elements, they were losing power? Celestia had lost to Chrysalis, after all. She and Luna couldn’t defeat Discord. Twilight and her friends had done most of the saving of Equestria as of late. Imagine losing your powers because you had to banish your sister. Trying to balance that with a feeling of self-importance. Also, ruling Equestria. It had to be hard. It had to be incredibly hard.

There was only one thing to do.

“Spike!”

Author's Note:

I can't write Pinkie Pie... I suppose I'll just keep trying? Also, sorry for the long hiatus.