Twilight's heart shattered with the orbs at Nightmare Moon's feet. The Elements of Harmony had been their only hope, their last chance to defeat Nightmare Moon and free Celestia. She had failed.
Nightmare Moon casually cantered up to the despondent unicorn with a laugh, her previous maniacal rant having gone unnoticed. "Oh don't take it so hard! You'll grow to love the night, you'll grow to love me, in fact... you are mine!"
As she spoke tendrils of her mane had snaked along the floor to surround Twilight. As she reached the apex of her tirade they struck, grabbed Twilight's hooves, and held her fast. Fresh pain brought Twilight out of her shocked catatonia as the tendrils left their mark: a blackened stain, like liquid night, covered her hooves. It began to spread.
Moments stretched into yawning eternities under the torture it subjected her to as it spread. Slowly the darkness spread to cover her flank when finally something changed. An old defense mechanism, long buried by training when she was a foal, flared violently to life, whiting out her eyes and fighting the creeping darkness.
Her body, now a battle field between two warring magics, frayed under the ravages of their power even as the darkness inexorably progressed. Her time was short, and despite her hope being rekindled by the familiar cacophony of her new-found friends approaching, she had to try one last thing. Reaching within she located the barriers created to tame her magic and shattered them. It might be too late for her, but maybe, just maybe, she could at least right one ancient wrong.
With a brilliant flash the castle was muted in a wash of white light and Twilight Sparkle knew no more.
***
The sun rose slowly into the skies of Equestria. It languished on the horizon, almost as if it were still groggy from its enforced slumber. Before long, it crested the mountains blocking its way and was able to illuminate the aftermath held within the tower for the Sun Princess.
Celestia had lived for years uncounted, but even her long life hadn't prepared her for the scene that greeted her. To her left five ponies she didn't recognized huddled around a blackened form which lay still as the grave.
Meanwhile, to her right, in a pile of ash, were what she could only assumed were the shredded remains of Nightmare Moon. Aside the blackened pile were five golden necklaces arranged roughly in a circle and exuding an all too familiar power. In the center was a large pristine orb emblazoned with a pink six pointed star that pulse faintly in the gloom.
Fearing the worst and yet hoping she was wrong she turned back to the prone unicorn. The downcast ponies wordlessly parted as she approached. Her gait became stilted the closer she came until at last she collapsed to her knees before the blackened unicorn. She gently nudged it repeatedly, hoping for something, any reaction at all until a soft sniffle to her right betrayed another presence, one she hadn't know for a thousand years. Celestia turned her head and beheld Luna sitting within the papery remnant of Nightmare Moon, tears fresh in her eyes. Ragged strips of Nightmare Moon's manifested power still clung to her, some slowly melding into her fur while others crumbled away into nothing.
"'Tia, I'm so, so sorry! I-I couldn't..."
Celestia silenced her with a slow shake of her head before returning her trembling gaze to the black form she cradled. As glad as she was to see her sister whole and safe, it did little to soothe the heartache she felt. For several long moments the ponies gathered scarcely dared to breathe. Then Celestia lowered her muzzle so that it sat within a hair's breath of Twilight's ear. Her whisper was only intended for one, but the silence of the moment carried it for all to hear.
"It was far, far too soon to lose you, my little one. You didn't deserve this, but I can at least make sure your final rest is a peaceful one." With those final words Celestia nuzzled her student one last time before bringing her horn in contact with Twilight's forehead. A brilliant flash filled the room and When her sight cleared, it was filled with one of Twilight - once again whole in body if not in soul. With a final hug the princess visibly collapsed, her sobs heaving themselves on the still cooling form of her protégé.
The surrounding ponies could only look on in silence, each left to themselves to mourn their newest friend.
“There are many things which make a hero. Most know them by their deeds or their great feats of heroism. Others know them for the qualities they exemplify, but there are precious few that knew these great ponies for who they were.”
Celestia paused to let her words sink in and surveyed the crowd. She had chosen Ponyville for a couple reasons. Yes, it was the site of Nightmare Moon’s return and defeat, but it was also the home of the remaining Spirits of Harmony, the first true friends of Twilight’s. It was also an open and spacious area.
The princess had expected a large crowd. A royal speech these days was rare, and the events of the past few days had been momentous to say the least. What she had not expected was the sheer amount of ponies that would show up. Before the podium was a veritable sea of equines from all across Equestria.
“A few short days ago,” she continued, “another hero joined the ranks alongside the likes of Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever. She was the mare who united the Elements of Harmony, rediscovered the lost sixth Element, and defeated Nightmare Moon - thus saving my sister, Luna and all of Equestria from a horrible fate. This mare, while not well known to many of you, was my dearest student and protege, Twilight Sparkle. It is for her that I appear here today.”
Murmurs flowed through the crowd of ponies at her declaration and she waited for them to die down.
“As I said, history remembers our heroes. This memory is always imperfect and rarely shows them for who they are. In so many instances they are reduced to the tales of their adventures or the epics written of their feats.”
A low rumble sounded beneath the ground of Ponyville Park as Celestia’s horn lit up. The rumble grew inversely louder as Celestia’s voice softened. Most of what she said was lost to any but the closest ponies. She had reserved it for those with whom it would resonate the most, Twilight’s parents and friends. She regarded them then, addressing the final part of her speech to them directly.
“I want her to be remembered not just for what she’s done, but for who she is.” Celestia closed her eyes and concentrated as a whisper escaped her. “You might wish to brace yourselves.”
The grumbling of the earth intensified from a dull roar to a deafening crescendo as the ground trembled violently knocking much of the crowd to the ground. Ponies called out to each other in panic and confusion before being abruptly silenced by a thunderous crack as a boulder burst forth from the ground behind Celestia.
With their attention diverted and the ground stable once more, Celestia left the stage and walked slowly to the freshly unearthed stone. It stood about as tall as a large stagecoach and was roughly three pony-lengths long and one wide giving it an oval shape.
Princess Luna alighted beside her sister. They stood together in a moment of silence before Luna caught Celestia’s eye. They exchanged a glance and Luna nodded in silent agreement. The pair closed their eyes and channeled their magic. Immediately the rock before them split crosswise and large chunks of it peeled themselves away. Rather than rolling to the ground the carved pieces shattered and floated upwards to form a cloud of dust and debris.
The crowd of ponies slowly recovered from the shock and skittishly closed with the monument in the making. A rough form of a unicorn had taken shape so far and it sat on an already polished oval base. Details soon resolved themselves in the stone as spec by spec of the stone broke free and floated away to join the cloud above. On the base sat a filly Twilight. She was resting comfortably on a throw pillow with a large book of magic opened before her. It had been such a common sight in the Royal Library that it seemed the only fitting image to use.
A second crack heralded a new seam in the earth before the statue. Within this fissure bubbled a pool of molten gold. It flowed freely from the earth and ran in rivulets up the base of the statue to coalesce into a rectangular plaque embedded within the pedestal. With another short rumble, shards of obsidian tore themselves from the ground around the foot of the statue and hovered before the it. After a few moments they broke open to reveal glossed letters which attached themselves to the gold plating.
In remembrance of Twilight Sparkle.
-------------------------------------
Insatiable bookworm,
faithful student,
cherished friend,
and beloved daughter.
-------------------------------------
May all who see this know her as I did: a brilliant and adorable young mare with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Her sacrifice shall never be forgotten.
The Princesses opened their eyes to survey their work. It was a fine statue, if a little plain, but there was still something missing. Luna has always been the artist among them so it was her Celestia looked to for guidance. After another silent exchange Luna stood and walked to the rear of the memorial. Celestia watched her for a moment, noting again the slight ripple of darker hues that cascaded over Luna's coat like wind over a field of grain. Without the Elements of Harmony it was unlikely she would ever truly be free of Nightmare Moon's taint, but whatever Twilight had done had certainly freed her of it's control. Not to be caught staring she shook her head to clear her mind and strode forward to join her sister.
Luna nodded slowly and pointed to the base of the statue. “A mural would fit best.” Luna pointed again, first to one side and then the other as she spoke, “One side for you and her parents to depicting how you remember her and the other depicting her deeds.”
She looked back to her sister and they shared one final, silent exchange before Celestia nodded.
Twin flashes of light, one golden and the other blue, appeared on the flanks of the pedestal. They multiplied and spread over the sides, transmuting and etching the rock as needed to create the mural each sister held within her mind’s eye.
The stone warped as their magic passed over it, changing and reforming into various minerals and gems to provide color. The various additions were scoured until they matched the consistency of the surrounding rock. They were meant to provide symmetry and color, not highlights.
The left side of the mural was emblazoned with just three pictures. The first of which showed a small room lit by a warm hearth. In the middle of the room lay Twilight as a foal contentedly snuggled between her parents as they rested on a large rug.
On the second image an ecstatic Twilight bounced happily as her parents looked on with pride. To her left, sitting atop a cart in the midst of scattered eggshells sat a purple and green baby dragon, who was happily sucking on his tail.
The third relief showed an aerial view of unicorn filly surrounded by a veritable mountain of books. Their topics varied wildly ranging from Equestrian fairytales and folklore to renditions of the tax code. In the middle of it all lay Twilight, fast asleep, with a book nearly as large as she was as her pillow.
The far side of the mural was a far more sombre affair. It started at the rear of the statue and flowed from picture to picture as it depicted the events of the Summer Sun Celebration. It showed Nightmare Moon’s overly flamboyant return and her flashy exit as it transition into the Everfree forest. Therein it pictured the various trials Nightmare Moon put the six of them through: the collapsed cliff which Twilight hung from, the possessed forest meant to share them away, an enraged manticore which blocked their way, a wisp of smoke as it cut its way through through a dragon’s mustache, and a large chasm with a rope bridge falling free from its stakes. It even showed the six of them as they entered the castle with the inert Elements of Harmony on top of their orrery as a backdrop. Finally, it showed Twilight, her face set in determination as she faced down Nightmare Moon.
One last image sat by itself nestled to the side of the plaque. The image was backlit by sunlight streaming through the window onto the still form of a unicorn. It was cradled gently between a sobbing Celestia’s forelegs and wrapped up in her fallen mane. Surrounding her were five other ponies. A pink earth pony and yellow pegasus lay to the left, leaning against each other for support as they cried. In the middle stood an orange earth pony with her head bowed and holding a Stetson over her heart. To the right was a white unicorn who was closed her eyes and averted her head as she fought to control her tears. In the shadowed background sat a rainbow-maned pegasus. She was propped up on her forelegs, but looked for all the world as if she would collapse any minute.
The Princesses, their work complete, circled the statue and stopped before it. With a flourish of her horn Celestia opened the ground beneath the statue creating an earthen stairway leading to the tomb below. She turned to face a large cart where Twilight’s friends were now standing and nodded. At the prompt, Applejack hefted an unadorned casket onto her back and, surrounded by the other four, marched in silence to the tomb. Once inside, they deposited the casket on the slab in the center. They all stood quietly for a few moments before, one by one, they turned and left.
Celestia soon entered with the faintly pulsing orb carried in her magic which she set on a pedestal opposite Twilight's casket. She adjusted it slightly so the star faced her former student and then stood taciturnly before it, staring and absurdly hoping the mostly dormant Element would divulge its secrets. Time stretched on with no reaction before she finally gave up and sullenly ascended the stairs, sealing the chamber behind her with a dull thump. The rock of the makeshift door melded together forming a solid wall of stone before the stairs filled in with dirt and debris from the cloud above. As soon as Celestia was clear, her horn lit once more and the dirt began to fall. It settled neatly around the statue and compacted in on itself forming a solid gray circle of stone about a pony length thick all around the statue.
With her final task done, she did the last thing she could think of: she bowed. Her sister and the ponies in the crowd gaped for a moment at the gesture before one by one they followed suit. From her cowed position Celestia whispered one last thing, “Goodbye, my little one.”
