I remember therefore I was
I have lived many eons and have seen many things, changed innumerable lives and amassed accolades as to mark my name not only in history, but in legend as well. In my long life I had served Equestria, defending it from the forces of the dark, the insane and voracious. I am a hero to those that know me as their princess and a demon to those that would bring harm to the domain I call my own.
I do confess that there is blood on my hooves; generations upon generations of death in my life brought on by the might of my horn, my word and step. I cannot afford to regret them, but I hope they can someday be forgiven.
I have had everything I ever wanted once upon a time. And yet I find myself wanting to return to you. For you see, with the passage of time I began losing everything bit by bit. In the beginning it was you I lost, but I gained things I once thought to be fate's way of compensating, only to feel loss several times more. Had it all been worth it? Had it all been for the greater good? Lost friends, family, innocence and harmony... Was it truly worth living on even after all those things had gone from my life?
My research of Starswirl's time-spell had been an arduous one, its been my pet project for the last few centuries. Making time for this morbid hobby proved to be difficult, as the Champion of Celestia's empire, Teacher within the world's greatest school of magic and General of the land's forces I tend to be busy all of the time. But I had an eternity to make time, little by little, I am going to break the limiter of this spell and meet myself again.
That one other time, I do regret to be a total waste. Though I look on at the naivety of my old self with fondness.
Just for you. I will discover yet again, new magic. Just so you, my ideal self, can tell me that I had lived a good life.
An eon of research had proven slow, but I have managed to break the seal in a manner of speaking. Now I can send letters back in time to myself, saving potentially hundreds of lives at every turn of event. I send this letter to you, as proof of my claim.
I send it in hopes that you will be prepared to give me your answer when we finally meet once more.
I am on my way to you, Twilight Sparkle. Someday soon, I will meet you again as a new pony. Somepony who is both a shadow of your former self and the final accumulation of all your ambition and achievement.
I, the Great and Powerful princess Twilight Sparkle will meet you in my final day.
In the university of magic within the grand cathedral city of Celestia there is a single tower that rises high into the sky. Like a mighty sceptre, it rises to amplify the sun, refracting the light into 7 beautiful colours across the whole city. This is where Twilight's study resides. A room of power where the sun's magic could be felt the strongest. Here is no dark corner or dimly lit reading room. This is a place where, quite literally, the magic happens, the most powerful and new and beautiful in the land. And In this single room of light, within this house of glass, Twilight transcended the need for books. Having memorised every single one and rewritten, updated and revised all of them over the eons. In what she calls her home, she only finds it necessary to hold a study table with a simple drawer that holds only quills and parchment and a simple cot for sleeping.
This is how the great and powerful princess Twilight Sparkle sees fit to live. As the hermit that lives in the busiest city in the world.
"Mistress Twilight, we have come at your summons." Two young unicorns entered the room and stood to attention. Twilight, sat on her study, putting the final flourish of a quill stroke upon clean white parchment. With a will it burst into flames, flames that left nothing behind but a quiet rapidly dwindling wave of heat and nothing more. Not even ashes to have her written word remembered by.
Slowly Twilight turned to her students. They were called Sugar and Spice, a pair not unlike two young colts she once knew. But where they seemed talentless and weak. These mares were strong and proud. Yet, the chemistry they held together, this irrefutable bond of friendship... those colts went on to heroes. Unsung and killed in the most unremarkable of ways, but even if history wouldn't remember them, she will. And in their memory, she sees them in the two ponies before her.
And it brought a tear to the old mare's eye.
"Mistress?" Both said. Spice looked on with a worried expression while Sugar, showing her respect, looked to the side after realising her attention had drawn me.
"It's nothing my little ponies. I was just reminiscing a bit. Now let's be off to business. Meet me in the lecturing hall, and I want you to walk there." Twilight Sparkle winked and smiled and took that extra second to delay her spell long enough to see the beginnings of the bewilderment of her students.
And then in an instant there was a small localised flash and then that flash exploded into white light. The enchantment upon Twilight's glass home had broken, with nothing to stop it the sun flooded the room.
"I hate it when she does that." Said the orange mare.
"Spice, if you keep being taken by surprise, you're going to become blind. Teacher only wants us to be strong." The white unicorn coldly remarked as she passed the blinded friend to exit downwards to the long walk into the lecture hall several thousand steps below.
"Why even bother? No pony will ever be strong enough to defeat her. Teacher will never die." Blinded but far too conditioned to have it be a bother, Spice followed behind down the stairs with her eyes closed. Waiting for her eyes to recover, half fearing that one day when she opens them, she won't see anything.
"Maybe. But teacher has always been full of surprises. She's no one trick pony like you."