"I guess things will never be the same between us ever again."
Twilight's face was tear-stained and her friends took notice of a puddle near the sofa, to which they surmised was a result of her crying quite a bit. They all felt sad with her, as they should never have been fooled by that wicked phony pretending to be Cadance.
"I suggest you see her one at a time," said the therapist. Cadance came to Twilight and hugged her. So did Twilight's parents.
"Twilight," said Cadance. "I had a nightmare too while I was on my honeymoon. It was because I had been imprisoned in those tunnels so long and it came back to haunt me. But your brother was able to comfort me and I felt much better."
"No matter what choice you make, we will always love you, sweetheart," Twilight Velvet assured. So Twilight's parents and Cadance stepped aside to allow Twilight's friends to see her and say what they want. Applejack stepped forward first.
On the willows, there
We hung up our lives
For our captors there
Required
Of us songs
And our tormentor's mirth
"Twilight?" Applejack looked into Twilight's eyes, but she only looked back at her, the sorrow in her eyes plainly visible. "Oh, Twi... Ah'm so sorry. Ah know we made this happen, but... we never meant for it to happen. Ah wish this never had to happen. Twilight, you're the best friend anypony could ask for... But ah reckon... we all failed to realize your intentions that night. Ah don't know what was in our heads to make us think you were bein'... No, ah can't say it. Ah know you're hurtin', sugar, but... ah'm hurt too. We all are. But... ah guess if you wanna start a new life... because of us... then... it's what we deserve. And ah understand. But... ah'm sorry... We're all sorry that we couldn't be better friends. Here..." Applejack removed her hat and put it on Twilight's head, surprising her. "Keep it, sugar cube," she said with a teary smile. "Ah can always get another hat... but ah can't get another you." She then shared a big hug with Twilight and afterwards, she started to walk back to the others, but looked back at her. "Goodbye, Twilight."
"Well said, Applejack," said Celestia. Fluttershy went next.
On the willows, there
We hung up our lives
For our captors there
Required
Of us songs
And our tormentor's mirth
Fluttershy could hardly speak a word to Twilight nor could she bring herself to look at Twilight's tear-stained face. And when she did, she burst into dramatic sobs.
"Oh, why did I have to represent the Element of Kindness," she wept. "I should have stayed with you that night. Why did I ever walk out on you? How can you be so forgiving?!" Twilight didn't answer, as if she didn't have the gall to even speak. Still crying, Fluttershy was still able to share a hug with Twilight. She then walked back to the others, leaving Pinkie Pie to go next. And even she looked sorrowful as she approached Twilight.
"Hey, Pinkie," murmured Twilight, hardly able to smile.
"I'm sorry too, Twilight," cried Pinkie. "We all should have known you better than to just crash a party. Now that I think about it, it's like we didn't know you at all! It was stupid! We were stupid! Oh, I wish I could cheer everyone up, but... even I don't feel like it right now. But at least we all get to be sad together, right?" Twilight held back more tears and nodded. Pinkie then shared a hug with Twilight and went back to the others. Rarity was next.
Saying
Sing us one
Of the songs of Zion
Sing us one
Of the songs of Zion
"Oh, Twilight, darling," Rarity cried. "How thoughtless I was to think ill of you. I... I... Oh, I was... evil!" She choked back tears. "If only we had been more sensitive... Well... if this is how things are, then... this is it. Twilight, you've been the best friend we could ask for, but we failed to be the best of friends to you. We'll be sad to not have you as a part of us, but... we deserve it. And don't try to tell us otherwise. We have to accept the consequences of our mistakes. But we are so sorry... and if this is goodbye, we just want you to know." Rarity shared a hug with Twilight and then went back to the others. Rainbow Dash came next.
Sing us one
Of the songs of Zion
But how can we sing?
Sing the Lord's songs?
In a foreign land?
"Twilight?" murmured Rainbow Dash, trying to hold back tears. "I'm sorry," she cried. "We should have been at least twenty percent better friends. We grew closer and stronger so much since the day I crashed into you and messed up your mane with my rain-blow dry. I know what it's like to feel like you've lost your friends. I felt it when you all played the part of ol' Mare Do Well. That same night, I almost sacrificed myself to save all of you and I swore I'd never turn my back on any of you, no matter what you did to me. I'll feel alone without you, but... I guess I'll just have to live with that... for what I've done..." Rainbow shared a hug with Twilight and went back to the others.
Now it was Spike's turn. After all, he had also chosen not to stay with Twilight on the night of the wedding rehearsal. Since no one was there to comfort her that night, Spike also felt just as bad as Twilight's friends. And he was Twilight's number one assistant!
"Twilight?" Spike was feeling pretty awful. He jumped on the sofa next to her. "We've been through everything together. I remember always being there for you and helping you through hard times. I took care of you once when you were sick. I comforted you that night in Ponyville when you got homesick. No matter what happened, we would always be friends." He paused. "But then I blew it, didn't I?" Spike then started to cry. "Wh-what's gonna happen to us? I feel like I've lost you already... and I don't want to!"
"Oh, Spike..." Twilight murmured. They shared a big hug, both of them shedding tears. After Spike went back to the others, Princess Celestia herself then came forward.
"Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student," she spoke softly. "I feel that it's my fault for putting you through so much. And I know you've learned so many valuable lessons... but... what happened that night... didn't have to happen." Celestia even started to choke back tears now. "I should have trusted you... After all these years... you've never let me down... and now I feel like it's costing me my own reputation. I was able to ease my people, but I fear that I'm not out of the woods yet. But Twilight... I'll never, ever be able to find another student like you. You were like a daughter to me... every moment I had you by my side..." As they hugged, Twilight heard Celestia crying, which surprised her at first. When Celestia went back to stand by the others, it was finally Shining Armor's turn.
"Aw, Twiley," he said to her. "I... I can't even begin to tell you how bad I feel... 'cause I started it... But... you really are my best mare. I resigned as captain of the guards just now." Twilight was shocked.
"But... you didn't have to... It was your dream."
"My dream would have meant nothing without you in my life. Besides, now that Cadance and I are married, I've become prince of the Crystal Empire. But I want to make sure that you're okay before I return with her. You're everything to me, Twiley. Never forget that." They shared a big hug and then all of Twilight's friends left the therapist's office.
On the willows, there
We hung up our lives
"I know it's hard, Twilight," said the therapist. "But remember that you never truly have to say goodbye. Whatever your decision is, I hope that it will be best for you." Twilight nodded.
Meanwhile, her friends were waiting outside the office, when the door finally opened and Twilight came out of the office along with her parents and the therapist. Twilight had reached a decision and she approached Celestia. She then looked back at her parents and the therapist, each of whom nodded assuredly. Twilight then looked back up at Celestia.
"I wish to stay in Canterlot," she said decisively. Twilight's friends, Celestia, and Shining Armor looked dismayed upon hearing this. Pinkie's mane and tail even went straight instead of being curly as usual. Fluttershy wept quietly. Twilight's parents came to their daughter.
"Let's go home," said her father. "You've had a long day."
"Get some rest, Twilight," said the therapist. "We'll have another therapy session tomorrow morning." Twilight nodded and her parents led her away.
...I've used up all my sad for the night, nice work.
This deserves to be in the feature box.
Yeah, Black Kyurem is partly religious, but not a whole lot. Black Kyurem couldn't exactly find a YouTube video of the one from the film version starring Victor Garber, so he posted the lyrics instead.
Is that all for tonight?
Nope. Just wanted to build up a bit of suspense. Hehe...
Awww come on, Twilight....
I know Twilight's friends think they deserve it but just because your friends hurt you before in a time of need doesn't mean they'll do it again, I know that emotional tramua takes longer to heal but I think Twilight took the easy way out, instead of trying to patch things up with her friends and family she wants to make new friends, but what happens if those friends hurt her as well or treat her worse than her old friends did?
1240491 Thats life then.... But I understand Twi it's the same I'd have done if I'd been in her position (I've no idea whether this sentence is grammatically correct xD)
However, she needs some time separated from her friends, and I think she'll get over it in time. Nevertheless it'll never be the same again, but I think that's a small constraint when you consider what could have happened ^^
it would also mess her up beyond repair if something similar happened
" I felt it when you all played the part of ol' Mare Do Well. That same night, I almost sacrificed myself to save all of you and I swore I'd never turn my back on any of you, no matter what you did to me."
Is that a reference to something by any chance? I would really like to know
Land Before Time
Personally, I’d say that Princess Celestia was lucky in this story, considering that there was a real monarch who experienced something rather similar to her, but paid a far greater price for his inaction (Warning though, it is a rather long story).
One upon a time, there was a 16th century Mesoamerican man named Montezuma II, ruler of the Mexica (Meh-She-Ka) as well as the ruler of the Triple Alliance Empire, an empire that had been established through an alliance between the Mexica and two other Nahua groups named the Acolhua and the Tepanecs. As the ruler of the largest recorded empire in the region, Montezuma II seemed to have had it made with his vast wealth and military power.
Then, in the year 1519, in what is now modern-day Cuba, a Spanish party of 500 men embarked from the local Spanish colony to the mainland on an exploratory expedition with the intent of securing land for future colonization. They had begun their expedition by landing in what is now the Yucatán Peninsula, which at the time was home to multiple autonomous Mayan city-states. Despite being impossibly outnumbered in an area they knew nothing about, the Spanish party was able to get by after having the extraordinary luck of both coming across Gerónimo de Aguilar, a shipwrecked Spaniard who had since learned one of the Mayan languages, and receiving a Nahua slave woman named Malinalli, or Malintzin, who spoke both Nahuatl and Mayan. Thus, the Spanish expedition was able to progress north by using Aguilar and Malinalli in tandem as translators. Eventually, the Spanish expedition learned of the Triple Alliance Empire after meeting with the Totonacs, while the Triple Alliance Empire learned of the Spanish expedition through their intelligence network.
However, despite knowing of the Spanish expedition ahead of time, including their weaponry and the hostilities they committed as they traveled, Montezuma II hesitated. Unlike some of his more aggressive predecessors, who would have sent one of the empire’s vast armies of tens of thousands to destroy or capture the Spanish expedition, Montezuma II instead sent treasure to them. Possibly, if Montezuma II had seen the expedition as a raiding party, then he would have believed that the expedition would return home if they simply received loot. However, the expedition did no such thing since the treasure only further enticed them to travel to the capital of the Triple Alliance Empire.
Because of Montezuma’s inaction, the expedition was able to survive long enough to meet with the Tlaxcalans (another powerful group of Nahuatl speakers who were traditional enemies with the Mexica) Instead of killing them, the Tlaxcalan leadership instead invited the Spanish expedition to their capital and lent them a few thousand warriors (which supplemented Totonac reinforcements they had received beforehand) before sending the Spanish off on their way to Tenochtitlan. Against the warnings of his advisors, Montezuma decided to meet with the leader of the Spanish expedition, who they knew as “Malinche”, which roughly means “master of Malinalli” (Spanish names were too unfamiliar for many of the residents to pronounce). Consequently, "Malinche” secretly took Montezuma hostage during his stay as his party then looted the emperor’s estate.
Then, when “Malinche” left Tenochtitlan to head off a second Spanish party that had been sent to arrest him for embarking from Cuba without his governor’s permission, the man he left in charge made the error of massacring a number of Tenochtitlan’s residents when breaking up a human sacrifice ceremony. By the time “Malinche” returned victorious from his confrontation with the other Spanish party, the residents of Tenochtitlan were FURIOUS and were demanding action against the Spanish expedition. In response, “Malinche” attempted to have Montezuma II calm his people. While Montezuma II continued to comply with “Malinche”, Montezuma’s council on the other hand voted to depose their ruler in favor of his brother, Cuitláhuac, who they deemed a more capable leader. Shortly afterwards, the Spanish were forced to flee from the city. When all was said and done, Montezuma II lay dead, whether it was by the Spanish or his own dissatisfied people remains unknown to this day.
Regardless of who killed Montezuma II, by then, the empire’s fate had already been sealed. As it turns out, at least one of the men that “Malinche” had brought back to Tenochtitlan had unwittingly transmitted at least one variety of Old World disease, possibly smallpox, to the populace. Lacking immunity to such ailments, many, including Emperor Cuitláhuac, perished. Meanwhile, “Malinche” returned to the Tlaxcalans, who gave him a massive army that was used to dismantle the Triple Alliance Empire. By the time “Malinche” returned to Tenochtitlan, the city’s military forces were significantly weakened from the epidemic, and the Spanish and their native allies were eventually able to capture the capital. Finally, Cuauhtémoc, one of Montezuma’s relatives and the last Mexica emperor, and his people were made to swear loyalty to the Spanish Crown as their empire was incorporated into the Spanish Empire.
Of course, this story is not too unfamiliar to the world. Today, the Mexica are remembered as the Aztecs. Malinalli is remembered as Malinche, the name that had been given to her master, who in turn is remembered as one of the most infamous conquerors of all time...Hernando Cortés.
And that is the story of the human ruler whose inaction enabled a successful invasion, which I find similar to what happened to Princess Celestia. Though of course, unlike Celestia, Montezuma II WAS deposed after invaders got the best of him and had no equivalent of Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadence to save him or his nation (though the legacy of the Mexica HAS long since continued in the form of a particular Latin American nation).
P.S. While there has been a narrative that Montezuma II believed Cortés was a god incarnate, such stories did not come about until AFTER the conquest, and may have been adopted just as a way to explain Montezuma’s puzzling inaction.
Author's Note: I again apologize if this message is too long and distracting.
1240491
Maybe she just needs time away from the reminder of what happened. Her brother will eventually go home to his wife and Celestia is very busy being in charge and doesn't get out of the castle much so twilight would be able to being healing without those reminders there. Maybe one day they can rebuild their friendship with each other but right now it might be too much.