Not so dead
The day was unspectacular in every way, from the weather to the business of the townsponies. Rain from the previous evening had softened the ground, and the sun was blocked by an impenetrable cover of clouds. Farmers were out and about, moving without fear of the sun’s hot shine and working the malleable soil. The foals brave enough to risk getting wet by a returning raincloud played in the parks under the shade of the clouds. Few townsponies ventured out, more wary of the rain than the carefree youth.
Its days like this that a certain unicorn filly used to really enjoy. She always liked the smell of crisp, damp leaves following a rainstorm. Perfect to sit by a window and read, or at least attempt to. She was at the bottom of her class when it came to reading, math and history weren’t much different.
She would be more concerned about her grades if anypony showed that they cared. She was an orphan, her parent’s had abandoned her at the steps of the town hospital. Normally she would have been sent to the orphanage, but fate had other ideas and put her in home of an earth pony family.
This was not uncommon, town was full of earth ponies, and her foster parents came from a long line of farmers. What her foster parents did not know was that unicorns are naturally terrible at farming and not built for the labor. While this was fine at first, they slowly grew bitter to her presence. To them she was a mouth to feed that gave nothing back to the household, not that she didn’t try. But whenever she tried to accompany them, she was met with the same result. Failure.
Luckily she was not the only foal in the house, unluckily it was her foster parents’ son. He was the model earth pony foal; strong, tough, quick on his feet, good at hard labor, everything she was not. While they looked upon her with disappointment, he was showered with praise. He was not mean to her, but he stopped playing with her a long time ago. She had no friends at school, and no real family to come home to.
She had never felt so alone.
So she had set off through town, not having a destination in mind but not wanting to be home, if she could call it that. In trying to avoid everypony, she had stumbled into a big muddy puddle. She had tried to wash it off, but with limited success.
Cold, dirty, and alone she looks for a place to rest for a moment. She had never strayed this far from the house before. Avoiding the bustling inner city of Ponyville, she sticks to the outskirts. Eventually she finds herself at the gates to the Ponyville Cemetery.
Figuring that nopony would bother her in there, she ventures inside.
After a while, she finds herself in front of five unassuming gravestones. Each bore a name and a symbol, most likely their cutie marks. Directly behind the graves is a lone tree, its roots reaching out of the ground and curling around one of the graves. A sixth spot is reserved in the center of the group, a gravestone not yet needed. She approaches one of the stones, it was emblazoned with three jewels. Though the pony’s name is worn away, the epitaph is still legible. She reads the inscription:
“Element of Harmony—Generosity”
The Elements of Harmony, the filly thinks the was taught about them in school once, but like with everything else the details did not stick with her. She only knew that the elements represented friendship and good feelings. They fixed problems and made things right. A real-life fairytale, like what she could only find in books.
If only she had one, then she could fix everything. She’d make her foster family love her, make friends at school. Or maybe she’d just get rid of the stupid horn on her head. If only her life had harmony. Having nowhere else to go, she lays down at the foot of one of the graves, the one engraved with butterflies, and closes her eyes. In the voice of one who has given up, she says to nopony in particular,
“I could use a little harmony right now…”
Its days like this that Twilight really enjoys. No pressing issues, no impending catastrophes, just some tea and a good book. Despite the tea being a gift from the Griffon Kingdom, and the book having been written in a language considered long dead, the day was turning out to be nothing spectacular.
Her Harmony Rangers were hard at work in other areas of the crystal castle, no doubt researching and solving issues from across the known world. They were as much her students as they were her agents. They all had to attend classes taught by herself, or another of her hoof-picked teaching staff.
And at the same time they were required to go out into the world and find their own way. They were her way of being everywhere at once. Castle Friendship was the training grounds as well as the Base of Operations. It had gotten to the point that they were self-sufficient, the Ranger’s chain of command more than capable of running things on their own.
Twilight rarely taught classes herself anymore, with previous students of hers returning to spread their own insights into the magic of friendship handling most of the topics. It was something that Twilight was greatly proud of.
Yes, days like today are what make the princess feel the most relaxed. But, they make her feel the loneliest as well.
She couldn’t help but wistfully remember when life was simpler. No crown or wings, no courts or petitions. Just a unicorn and her five friends. What she would give to attend another Pinkie party, or to sit through a lecture about the latest Canterlot fashion trends.
She kept an eye on their descendants, of course. It never ceases to amaze her how much of her friends have been passed down through their children. Many of them even become rangers at some point.
Each of the Rangers, prior to their initiation, gets interviewed and tested by herself. There are no exceptions, every ranger to ever exist has been selected by her. After the interview, they are put into a several month long training course, designed to teach them what they need to know in order to survive out in the world, as well as a variety of friendship lessons and courses.
The training is physical as well as mental. They exercise their bodies, and the teachers at the castle cultivate their minds. After graduating from training, they are given an element to represent.
The process still slightly baffles Twilight, but some things can never really be explained. During a ranger’s induction ceremony, they are brought into the map room and stood upon the map table. It is then that the map determines what Element of Harmony they will represent. Once they have their element, they report to that element’s specific captain for the rest of their career. Each element has hundreds of members along with a captain or two.
All except for magic. There is only one Element of Magic.
What most intrigues her though is how many of her friends descendants get placed into different elements. Pinkie’s family line tends to lean toward laughter, generosity, and kindness, while Applejack’s get loyalty and honesty.
The thought of her old friends brought the now familiar feeling of nostalgia to the princess.
Sitting in her bedchamber, she swore that sometimes she could smell the oaky fragrances of her old tree home. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in through her nose. But when she inhaled this time, it wasn’t the smell of wood that struck her. No, not even the bitter smell of tea invaded her nostrils just then.
It was cotton candy.
Twilight leapt to her hooves, eyes shooting open, and her pupils as narrow slits. Her brain went into overdrive about the misplaced scent. There was no celebration today, no carnival set up outside of her castle. The dinner for that night was a vegetable stew with baked potatoes. The snack room stocked only healthy foods aside from the wayward candy bar or two that somehow got snuck in. And there was a form that had to be filled out a week in advance before any kind of unusual pastries or sweets were allowed past the lobby. And furthermore, none of the rooms that had food were even remotely close to her personal chambers.
Which brought the crown princess to a new question.
Where did that smell come from?
She cast several spells in rapid succession, each scanning for food remnants or magical interference. She found none.
At the edge of her vision, she could see a faint pink glow as it slipped under her door. The princess liked to consider herself a sane pony. And like any sane pony would, she threw all of her composure and regality aside and gave chase.
Zig-zagging through different rooms and down crystal hallways she chased the glow, never seeming to gain any ground. She didn’t even care that her regalia was still beside her bed. It never crossed her mind how strange it must have looked for the princess to run around her castle completely unadorned. She barely noticed the trail of destruction she left in her wake, nor did she notice the poor castle staff caught in that wake. Her brain was screaming at her that the little glow was important.
The chase came to an end when it slipped under the door into the map room.
Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Harmony Rangers were no strangers when it came to surprises and bizarre sights. Yet even they were startled when the princess herself came crashing into the room. Reports and journals were blown about in the maelstrom of her arrival, but she hardly noticed any of it.
Her eyes were locked on the crystal thrones of the Bearers of Harmony. Especially one in particular, whose Cutie mark of three balloons was flashing repeatedly.
The princess usually left the rangers to their business, only stepping in when necessary. Having her suddenly appear, and on her day off, thoroughly rattled some of the rangers. The first pony to gain their senses, the current captain, managed to find his voice first.
“You’re Majesty! What a surprise! The map activated just before you, um, arrived. Is there something we can help you with?”
Twilight didn’t hear him, her sole focus was on the now activated friendship map. It had the symbol of the Element of Laughter hovering over Ponyville, the cemetery to be precise.
“Um, Princess Twilight? Is something wrong? I was about sending a ranger out, but if you have somepony specific in mind?”
Twilight’s brain finally caught up with the rest of her, and she acted on pure impulse.
“That won’t be necessary, captain. I will be handling this one myself.”
Like it was responding to her command, the map changed. Instead of Laughter, it now showed her element, Magic hovering over the town.
“Very well, you’re Majesty. Would you like to take anyone along with you?”
Summoning her regalia, and magically combing through her half-ethereal mane and tail, she responded with a stiff shake of her head.
“No. I will be taking care of this personally. Send no one after me, and make sure no rangers come into the immediate area around the cemetery. I want absolute privacy.”
When her captain looked as if he was about to argue, she cut him off.
“Have I made myself clear?”
Shoulders slumping in defeat, the captain conceded to his princess.
“Yes, ma’am. Crystal clear. Good luck.”
Twilight gave him an affirming nod, and was off with the flap of her wings.
Time seemed to blend for the filly, not that she cared. She had nowhere to go, time was meaningless at this point.
Before long, a sweet smell crept into her nostrils, like flowers blossoming in the spring. She realized that her head was no longer on the cold ground, but in sompony’s lap. When did they get here, how couldn’t she have notice them? Had she fallen asleep?
Upon opening her eyes slightly, she was greeted by the faint outline of a pony cradling her from behind. They were glowing a pale yellow color, and the being was running a limb calmingly through her mane. Startled, she started to jump up but a firm transparent hoof held her in place. The thing whispered softly into her ear.
“Shhh. It’s alright. You are safe here. Just relax.”
Something about the specter’s voice compelled her to do just that, to relax. So she did, deciding that the spirit probably wasn’t bad, and she could trust it. What it was doing with its hoof felt really good.
The blowing wind distracted her from her thoughts, shivers running down her spine. It was probably near noon and didn’t look like the clouds would go away anytime soon. A whisper was carried, as if by a non-existent wind, past her head.
“Could we have some sunlight, Rainbow?”
A moment and an upward draft later, faster than she had time to ponder who ‘Rainbow’ was, a hole was cleared in the cloudy sky just large enough to illuminate the pair. As quick as it her eyes could move, a rainbow contrail sped back down to them, revealing itself to be another apparition.
This one was a light blue, with myriad of colors dancing around its edges. It moved to the side and held its place quietly, as if standing guard over the filly. Before the sunlight and the embrace could make the filly feel much better, another issue made itself known.
Her stomach let out a ferocious growl.
A chuckle sounded to her side, the voice hearty and warm, yet matching the ‘not quite there’ attribute of the first voice. Suddenly, she was surrounded by the smell of apples and hay. The scent was terribly out of place, the graveyard being miles away from the nearest farmland. The golden orange outline of a pony trotted across her narrow vision, stopping beside the tree. Approximately where the pony’s flank would be, there was a spot of bright red.
Curious, the filly tilted her head enough to keep the spirit in her vision. The orange specter turned around and struck the base of the tree with a solid kick. Being around farm ponies for most of her life, it was easy to recognize the standard apple-bucking technique the specter used. The red glow leapt out of the ghost-pony through the contact with the tree and raced up the trunk.
A single branch in the tree’s canopy shuddered. One of its leaves folded in on itself inexplicably, before suddenly inflating into a round shape. The not-leaf glows and turns red before dropping to the ground in front of the filly’s nose with a solid sounding ‘plonk’.
The filly couldn’t believe her eyes, but it was unmistakable.
An apple.
But, the tree was certainly not an apple tree when she first arrived. After all, who would plant a fruit tree in a cemetery? After giving the fruit a cautious sniff, she brought it into her hooves and took a small bite. Flavor exploded in her mouth, flooding her taste buds. In no time at all, the apple was devoured, filling the filly’s belly more than a single apple should. Again, the hearty chuckle sounded over the gentle breeze, followed by a few words this time.
“Heh, Ah’ve still got it.”
This voice had a distinct country accent, something the filly heard much of living around earth ponies. The orange one settled itself opposite the blue one, though seeming much more relaxed and less on edge.
Though she was now warm and full, the filly couldn’t bring herself to not question the reality of what was happening around her. She must be hallucinating, close to death. The revelation made the filly shiver again, this time not due to the cold breeze.
Then, a new scent flooded her nostrils. This one smelled like expensive perfume and freshly washed laundry. It was followed by the appearance of a new pony-shaped outline. This one was a dazzling white with vibrant purple highlights elegantly curling and weaving around its limbs. It strode up to the filly, seeming to look over her closely.
She didn’t quite hear the voice this time. It was more like a feeling. A tickling in the back of her head. It was similar to the feeling you get when your parent is fretting over you for something, like forgetting to put on a jacket before going outside. Words inexplicably came to mind, spoken in the distinguished voice of a noble mare.
“Oh no no, darling. This just won’t do.”
An old piece of discarded fabric is whisked to the white ghost. With a brilliant flash, it was transformed into a fine yarn. Before the filly’s eyes, the yarn weaved itself into a beautiful scarf. The white thing moved closer to her, wrapping the scarf around the filly’s neck snugly, revealing the fabric’s impossible softness.
“There,” whispered the ghost, “that’s better. It even matches your eyes.”
And when the filly looked for herself, she discovered it did indeed match her eyes. If what she was witnessing was real, then these creatures had access to magic she couldn’t begin to imagine. As much as she wanted to speak up, to ask questions, the filly decided to keep a respectful silence. She wouldn’t want to somehow anger or offend them.
The white one settled itself next to the orange one on a patch of grass, but keeping a respectful distance. Almost as if it was cautious, afraid to get dirty perhaps? Could ghosts get dirty, the filly wondered. They sat in silence for a while, the filly almost surrendering herself to sleep under the calming hoof of the first apparition.
But something kept her awake, a feeling of anticipation. Something was missing, she could tell the glowing ponies thought so too, as they kept looking this way and that. The light blue one was even tapping its hoof impatiently. Were they waiting for something?
Were they waiting for death to come and take her?
Then the smell of cotton candy hit her hard. Its force would have bowled her over, if it wasn’t for the yellow ghost supporting her. Her vision was invaded by pink, a very bright and very happy pink. She couldn’t make out the words this one was saying. Maybe it was speaking too fast, or not speaking Equestrian?
So much pink, so much energy. Like sugar incarnate. Not how one would imagine the spirit of death, but the filly was in no position to judge.
The white specter addressed the new arrival, seemingly scolding. The pink one let out a torrent of words again, somehow coming across to the filly as something like:
“I’m sorry I’m late, but I had to do something! I had to go get someone!”
Again, the white one was questioning. The filly was almost certain of her question, it was one she herself had at the moment.
“Who?”
The pink one didn’t get a chance to answer as the light coming through the opening in the clouds rapidly changed to the oranges and purples usually reserved for sunset. But it couldn’t be sunset already, how long had the filly been laying here for?
A chilly gust of wind blew through the cemetery, the sounds of nature stopping. Birds quieted, the wind ceased, a deafening stillness overtook the area. The filly sat up, looking about for the cause of the disturbance. But when she turned around, she found that the ghostly ponies had vanished. Again, the filly questioned her own sanity.
She was startled out of her contemplation by a resounding thud behind her. It sounded like something impacted the ground with considerable force, she felt the shock in her bones. She was almost too afraid to turn around, not wanting to be met with the stoic face of a town guard, come to return her home.
There was no escape.
Taking in a deep breath and steeling her nerves, she turned around.
And immediately blows the air back out, her courage fleeing almost instantly. It certainly wasn’t a guard. No, it was much scarier than a guard.
Standing regally several meters away was the Princess of Magic herself. The air around her seemed to shimmer, bits of her raw power leaking from her form. The filly wanted to close her eyes, but found that she couldn’t remove her gaze from the alicorn.
On legs that held her above even the tallest stallions, the purple alicorn began to slowly walk slowly toward the filly. With each step the ground seems to shake and quake. Even with her limited experience with magic, the filly could feel it rolling off of the alicorn in waves.
It was that magic that was probably keeping the ground from shrinking away from her hooves. The filly didn’t have the capacity to marvel at that. The very magic that would push the ground away was also keeping it firmly under her hooves. Even the longer blades of grass overlooked by the groundskeeper bent away from the princess, lest they somehow stain the polished metal of her hoof adornments.
With each step, the filly’s panic levels increased. What could the Princess be doing here? Why was she here? Did the filly do something wrong in coming here? Shouldn’t she be bowing right now??
The hoofsteps stopped mere inches from the now prostrate filly. She didn’t dare look up, lest she somehow invoke the Goddess’s ire.
“What are you doing out here, my little pony?” said the princess. The words were gentler than a shallow creek, and flowed soothingly into the filly’s ears.
Faced by the inquiry from the powerful alicorn, the filly resolved to tell the truth. She had nothing to lose, nowhere to run. With a choking sob, she confessed, “I have nowhere else to go.”
With no reply from the alicorn, the filly continued,
“My parents abandoned me and my foster parents hate me. I came here because I didn’t know where else to go. I figured that these ponies wouldn’t mind if I came here. They probably couldn’t care less, you know, being dead and all…” Her shoulders slumped and her nose nearly touched the ground. “It’s gotta be hard to disappoint the dead…”
When it seemed that she wasn’t going to be incinerated on the spot, she slowly un-tensed her face muscles from the grimace she had made after she finished speaking.
Almost immediately her nose was again flooded with the smell of wildflowers.
She jerked her head, up, before remembering her company and lowering it again. But her eyes didn’t miss the flash of yellow hovering over the princess’s shoulder.
Perking her ears, she could barely hear whispers carried across the wind. She couldn’t make them out, they weren’t directed at her.
Again she was startled when the alicorn addressed her.
“Do you have any friends, little one? Anyone who might worry over you?”
She didn’t even hesitate to give her answer, knowing in her heart how true it was.
“No.”
At impossible speeds she found herself swept into the alicorns embrace, held tightly against her chest. Soft wings folded in to blanket her, and the firm heartbeat of the immortal filled her ears. As a head was lowered to rest atop her own, she knew one impossible fact.
She was being hugged by the princess.
She was being hugged by the princess, and it felt wonderful. She squeezed the large pony back, as if to prove to herself that she was real. The princess was now sitting on her rear end, freeing up her front legs to wrap comfortingly around the filly. Soft feathers caressed her back, and the chest she lay her head against was covered in the softest fur. Even the alicorn’s legs felt strong and supportive. It was, in the filly’s opinion, the best hug she’d ever been given. Her troubles vanished momentarily inside that warm embrace.
After a few minutes, which could have easily been a few moments in reality, the purple alicorn spoke. Her sad tone permeated the filly’s entire being.
“I am so sorry.”
The filly was shocked, confused, and yet again curious. What does the princess have to be sorry for?
“Why?”
The alicorn met the unexpected question with confusion of her own, replying in the most composed and eloquent way possible.
“Huh?”
“Why are you sorry?” the filly repeated.
“Because,” said Twilight, “nopony should ever be without friends.”
The filly tentatively nodded in agreement, but what did this have to do with the princess being sorry? Even the alicorn princess could not have such control over fate to believe that this was her own fault. She was broken from her contemplation as the princess continued, her once gentle voice now taking a steely edge.
“And as the Princess of Friendship, and the once bearer of the Element of Magic, I cannot allow that to continue.”
The filly fidgeted in her grasp, again fearing for her life. Would the princess banish her for not having any friends? Would she punish her for her inabilities? Would she be turned to stone and put on display as an example to others?
“We are just going to have to make you some friends then, how does that sound?”
Again the filly was stricken with disbelief. What? The princess was going to help her make friends? There wasn’t going to be any punishment? She must be missing something…
Her foster family, that’s right. As attractive as the offer sounded, it would not fix her home situation. Gathering her nerves, she vocalized her concerns to the princess.
“Well, your majesty, that sounds great and all. But how will that really fix anything? I still don’t want to go home, friends won’t change that. They aren’t the same as a family. Friendship is different than love.”
The filly was not blasted on the spot for speaking against the princess’s idea. That was good. But the alicorn was now pondering the situation further. The filly was pretty short on hope, but she could not help but think that if there was anypony that could help her, it would be the princess.
After a moment of silent contemplation, the alicorn’s face brightened and her feathers fluffed up. Though the filly was no expert of pegasi behavior, even she knew that this meant the alicorn was excited about something.
“Well what if you didn’t have to go back?”
The filly looks up at the princess in shock, preparing a response, but she wasn’t done.
“What if you had somewhere else to go? A place filled with friendship and love?”
The filly still couldn’t wrap her head around it, it sounded too good to be true. It had to be. Where could this place exist?
“How would you like to come live with me?”
It took a single second for the words to make sense in the filly’s head. For the first time in several weeks, she smiled.
Ecstatic at the offer, the filly practically vibrated in the alicorn’s embrace, her previous concerns forgotten in a storm of excitement.
“You mean it? I can come and live with you? At the Castle of Friendship?”
The alicorn smiled down at her.
“Of course, little one.”
Dramatic pause
“But only on one condition.”
The filly’s bouncing ceased, her mood suddenly wary. She had read enough story books to know how dangerous a ‘catch’ was. What could the alicorn possibly want from a filly with nothing to give?
“What condition?”
“Well, it’s quite simple really.” the purple alicorn said, a small smirk finding its way onto her face. “If you wish to stay in my castle, you have to be enrolled to study there.”
The filly’s hopes plummeted, her ears drooped.
“But I’m too young to go to college! I’m not old enough to become a ranger! I barely make it through school as it is!”
The alicorn chuckled, pulling the filly closer to her chest, and gently rubbing her back in long soothing strokes with a hoof.
“Not quite. You would not be required to become a ranger. But, you would still have to become a student, my student.”
The filly gasped, her hopes reignited.
“Your student? Like, your personal student? For real?”
The princess smirked knowingly.
“Yes…” after a moment the alicorn’s expression became filled with worry, “…that is, if you think you can handle it? I know it’s a big decision, and I don’t want you to feel pressured into this.”
Was that, dare she think it, was that insecurity? Was the princess so unsure of her own offer? No, it couldn’t be. The princess knows everything. What could she have to worry about?
The filly took a moment to gather her thoughts. The prospect of being the princess’s personal student seemed daunting, almost scary. She knew next to nothing about magic. Or friendship, for that matter. She didn’t know how to behave like a proper mare, or how to talk to other ponies. Of all the foals in Equestria, she was probably the least qualified for a position like this. Daunting suddenly failed to adequately describe the prospect.
Looking into the alicorn’s eyes, the filly was struck again by the gravity of what was being offered to her. In the depths of those purple orbs, she saw the universe in motion. Behind those round windows, untold knowledge and magics swirled around in an orderly chaos that only the owner could truly understand. It was in those eyes that the filly saw her future. It was filled with possibility and achievement, with pride and love. But she also could see the long journey it would take to get there. The filly looked away, afraid of becoming lost in the immortal’s gaze.
Doubt ate away at her insides.
As if sensing her hesitation, a boasting, raspy voice sounded in her ears. It spoke in one ear, then the other, as if the voice’s source was flying circles around her. It left as fast as it came, issuing a challenge to her on its way.
“Do it,” it said. “You aren’t scared, are you? Tough fillies don’t get scared. Are you a tough filly? Pony up, squirt. You can do this.”
The light blue spirit responsible vanished as if it were never there. There was something about that challenge that just made the filly want accept the offer; to spite the spirit, prove to it that she has what it takes.
Never before had the filly felt anything close to competitiveness. But it seemed almost natural to want to prove herself to the spirit. It was a difficult urge to understand, but surprisingly easy to give into.
Pony up.
She could do this. She’d prove herself; to the princess, to the spirits, to her foster parents, to everypony.
You can do this.
She could do this, no pony could stop her.
Making up her mind and steeling her nerves, the filly confidently met the alicorn’s gaze again, and gave the Princess of Magic her answer.
And….
And the alicorn smiled. And in her eyes the filly now saw a whole galaxy being born, with herself at the center. Already emotions flooded through their connection; relief, happiness, anticipation, excitement, and pride. So much pride.
Twilight Sparkle was herself enraptured by the filly’s gaze. She saw uncertainty and fear were prevalent among the filly’s emotions. But that’s not what stole her breath away. It was the determination, the resolve. She had seen those same eyes before, a long time ago.
She saw that look in the eyes of a stubborn apple farmer, refusing help during harvest season. A pony that always saved a mug of cider for you. A pony who held family close to her heart. A pony who would never lie to you.
She saw it in a cocky daredevil, who was ready to break the speed of sound at a moment’s notice. A pony who would fight the change of seasons for a friend. A pony who taught a filly how to fly, and treated her like the sister she never had. A pony who would stand by you until the end of time.
She saw it in a timid pegasus that stood up to both dragon and draconequus. A pony that could stare down a cockatrice. A pony that taught baby birds how to sing. A pony whose voice could calm even the most ferocious of beast. A pony whose kindness had yet to be matched.
She saw it in a pink pony in a pastry shop who laughed at her own jokes. A pony that cared more about the happiness of others than her own. A pony that was broken inside, but never stopped working to fix others. A pony that filled the world with laughter.
She saw it in a talented unicorn that excelled at the creation of beauty. A pony who would offer her own tail to a stranger. A pony who always strived to improve herself and others. A pony who could never stop giving, even when there was nothing to receive in return.
She saw that look stare back at her in the mirror every morning.
Twilight could see the future in those eyes. The filly’s destiny laid out before her like an open book.
Foalish laughter ringing through the castle halls, little sniffles from a sick filly held underwing, hot chocolate in her quarters by the fireplace. The look of awe on the filly’s face as she gazes at her mentor, a look that evolved into something more. A relationship that formed an unbreakable bond between them.
As the filly grew, there would be late nights spent studying, with herself peeking through the doorway with a proud smile. There would be questions, so many questions. “Why does the sun move across the sky in one direction instead of the other?” and, “Is time travel possible?” perhaps even, “Could I become a princess some day?”
There would be friends coming and going, dignitaries and Rangers who couldn’t help but be enraptured by the sharp wit and keen mind of one so young. She could see her with the wind racing through her mane while riding on the back of a flying green and purple dragon. She would become one of the few ponies to ever be considered a part of a dragon’s horde. There would be romance, and the inevitable trip to meet the Princess of Love in her own crystal palace. There would be awards and ceremonies, keepsakes and memories that the princess would carry with her until the end of time.
…there would be tears and heartbreak, rebellion and reconcile. And she could see a time that she would be disappointed. But after every misstep, the filly would continue to grow until she was a force to be reckoned with. An inspiration for others, a shining example of Harmony and Friendship.
And eventually, she would grow old. Her body would falter while her mind remained sharp. As she reached her final days, spent in the company of more friends than she ever thought she’d have, she would speak words that brought tears to all who heard them. And as the time drew near, she would ask to speak with the princess alone. After thanking her for the chance to become more, all those years ago, she would make one final confession to her immortal mentor. She would say, “I love you, mom.”
All of Equestria would mourn her passing. The princess would be affected most of all. For while she was mourning a student and a friend, she was also mourning her daughter.
But the pain would be momentary. It would be again replaced by pride.
She saw all of it happen in a single moment, quick as the blink of an eye.
And in that moment Twilight pondered, “Is this what Celestia saw when she first met me?”
The memories of her old mentor brought the alicorn a feeling of melancholy, but also something else. A sense of fulfillment and clarity that just felt right. The immortal’s smile grew.
It was Twilight that broke the connection this time, bringing the filly close to her chest again in another embrace. An embrace the filly was more than happy to reciprocate. Tears ran down her cheeks and she was smiling so hard it hurt.
“Everything will be alright, little one. I will take care of you.”
“Do you promise?”
“I’ll do you one better. I Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Back in the crystal castle…
A trio of mares is making their way through the one of the castle corridors. One of the group stops dead in her tracks, swiveling her head to stare a solid crystal wall in the direction of the cemetery, her tail twitching slightly in time with her ear. Her compatriots halt a few steps ahead of her, casting a curious glance back.
“What is it Polka?” the snow white unicorn of the group inquires.
“Yeah, we are already gonna be late, what’s the hold up?” chimes their third companion, a pegasus. Counting feathers on an orange wing, “We’re already... one, two, Five minutes late!”
“Something big just happened. But I’m not sure what… I think it might be my…”
Exasperated, the pegasus whines, “Oh not this again. It’s a myth. There is no way what you felt was the real Pie sense your family brags about.”
The unicorn speaks up, “Her family never lies, remember?” turning to her other friend, “What do you think it was?”
Bewildered, the young earth pony turns to follow again, “I’m not sure Sweets. But whatever it was, it felt like a doozy.”
“Rare Candy Belle! Polka Apple Pie! And Skedaddle! Report to the training grounds for Ranger training!” boomed a voice magically around the castle.
The trio break into a gallop toward the training area. Rare Candy, sometimes called Sweets, turns toward her companions with a hopeful expression.
“I wonder if we’ll figure out our Elements today!”
The other two mirror her excited face, Skedaddle shouts back, “I sure hope so. All this waiting and training is killing me! It might even be harder than getting our cutie marks was!”
Bursting through the outside gateway with surprising force, the three bellow out a call to the heavens.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER HARMONY RANGERS!!!”
The filly didn’t know why, but she found an odd comfort in that. She had never heard that particular promise, but it felt powerful. And silly. Who would put a cupcake in their eye?
Twilight lifts the filly onto her back, setting her snuggly between her wings. The filly’s legs cling to her for support, drawing Twilight’s attention back to her feathery appendages.
It took many years for her to get used to her wings, many sleepless night fighting them for a comfortable position on the bed. Now, she couldn’t imagine life without them.
It was the Magic of Friendship that made her into the mare she was meant to be. It was through Harmony that she earned her wings and lived on to promote peace and understanding throughout the world.
Her eyes returned to the filly nestled atop her back.
It was through Harmony that these two who once existed worlds apart were now bound together. And together, they would change the world.
But that is all in the future, Twilight thought. They have only just taken the first steps on this new journey. The next step is to return to the castle with her new protégé and get her settled in, perhaps get something to eat.
And if they had time afterward they might, perhaps, make a few lists.
Twilight already couldn’t wait.