For months now, Celestia's memory has been drifting back and forth to the point to where she doesn't even remember ruling Equestria. All she knows is Luna, Nathan, and her son, but after research from Nathan's human friend Kyle, he had notified them that she is suffering Alzheimer's Disease. Now she is officially dying, but she has one big final wish before her passing, and Nathan and Zodi have come up with just that.
The former ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, had been drifting away from her usual self throughout the years. She managed to get confused as to where she was, or the ponies she was around, and it effected her memory really bad. It all started just a few weeks after Nathan and Apple Bloom's wedding, Zodiac (who was now a full grown Pegasus and the sergeant of the guards.), was at the Retirement Community Center of Equestria where his mother and aunt, who had physically aged, now resided. He had come in here to have lunch with them, as always, after a long half shift of patrolling the castle and keeping watch on Princess Twilight and was looking forward to spending an hour with the only family he had, but this evening would be one that would change his life forever.
Zodi managed to take off his helmet and walked into the center room that led through a maze of corridors where there were dozens of rooms that housed old and retired ponies of all three races. Once he was at the main desk, he held his helmet and managed to get a hold of the reception pony who sat in the center.
"Excuse me?" he asked with a very mature stallion voice.
"Yes?" asked back the reception pony.
"I'm here to see Celestia, my mother."
"Oh yes, we have moved her to room...." the reception pony levitated a book that contained information about all the senior ponies and rooms they resided in, for two seconds she flipped through the alphabetized pages until she came across the letter C. She then searched through until Celestia came into full view, then drew her attention back to Zodi.
"Your mother is in room E12, E corridor, fifth room on the right." she said.
"Thank you madam." said Zodi as he hoofed towards corridor E. As he walked through the hallways, the smells of senior ponies getting changed in diapers, bathrooms, food, and people talking embraced his emotional self. He really just wanted to break down and scream because his only parent was now in here and all he had for another was his aunt, and he could not bare to watch his mother slowly drift away from him.
As he found the room the nurse told him where he would find her, he walked inside and put his helmet on a table that rested a tray which had empty plates from a previous dinner that Celestia had eaten. Plus on this tray also lay two empty red cups that had droplets of juice and water that she had drunk, and they were ready to be taken by the custodian back to the kitchen for cleaning. Once Zodi had put his helmet on the table, he then walked over to his mother who was lying down in her bed, covered up.
Due to many years passing, she and Luna had the appearances of typical senior adults. Their manes did not flow smoothly liked they used to, their wings had dried and preened badly to where they could not fly well anymore, and their skin was wrinkled and covered in liver spots. Luna was doing fine and functioned well, but just like Zodi, she too could sense something was not right about Celestia.
She saw her nephew walk up to the bed and greeted him with a typical warm smile, thrilled to see he made it safely.
"Good for you to come Zodi, it has been rather challenging here these days." she said with a voice of a woman who would be in their 80's or 90's.
"Why's that?" he asked.
"Your mother has been flocking through with remembering things."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, for one thing, before you got here, she called me Lily instead of Luna."
"What for?"
"I'm not sure, she also treated me rather filly like by saying I could not have a Hay Bar."
"A Hay Bar?" asked Zodi, "They stopped making those moons ago."
"I know Zodi, I'm just thinking something bad is going on with her."
As Zodi and his aunt looked at Celestia's senior adult like body, they saw her waking up from a small nap. From Celestia's view, she saw her grown up son wearing guard armor and smiled, Zodi showed a loving smile as well.
"....Is that.....you?" she asked, Zodi kept his smile on him and walked up to her bedside, he then put his hoof on her left hoof and held it.
"Yes mom, it's me." he answered.
"I'm proud of you, Ice Breaker."
Zodi quickly changed expression, "Ice Breaker, no mom it's me, your son."
"I don't remember having a son."
"What?!"
"Who's your mother?" asked Celestia.
"You are my mother, you found me as a colt in a basket. You adopted me and named me Zodiac, you've always called me Zodi."
"Oh uh when did I do that?"
"Years ago." answered Zodiac.
"Now you be nice, young colt." she said wagging her hoof.
"Mom, I'm too old for that."
"Now, now, no need to be rude."
"Why are you treating me like this, a former ruler does not act like a curious cat." said Zodiac
"What was I ruler for, I don't remember measuring anything."
Zodiac was really on now, "Not that kind of ruler, you were ruling a country, you are the former ruler of Equestria!"
"Equestria, is that where I'll find the Hay Bars?"
"Mom, they stopped making those years ago, why are you acting like this?"
"I'm fine Ice Breaker." she said.
"No Mom, my name is Zodiac, I'm your son."
Celestia quickly recognized the name, "Oh I'm sorry Zodi, my minds been back and forth lately."
Zodiac quickly gave her a hug, "I know, Aunt Luna told me everything while you were asleep, I'm just glad you finally know now who I am."
"It's okay Zodi, you know I'm still proud of you for all you're doing." she said with a smile.
"Thanks Mom." he said as he kissed her on the cheek, he then looked at a clock that was mounted on the wall. The time signaling that he needed to get back to work, so he turned back to his mother, "Look, I've gotta get back to my duties, so just go back to sleep okay?"
"Gotcha." said Celestia as she drifted off for another doozy, Zodi then walked over to his aunt and gave her a hug as well.
"Bye Aunt Luna."
"Bye, Zodi, you have a good day."
Zodi then picked up his helmet from the table and walked out the door. Once he was out of sight, Luna then turned to her sister who was fast asleep again and frowned.
"What is going on with your mind?" she thought.
Meanwhile as Zodiac was out in the hallway, he put his helmet back on and walked towards the direction that the exit was. As he walked through the corridors, his armor clattering through the halls, he quietly pondered to himself over what he had just experienced.
"It just does not add up." he said, letting some caretakers escorting an old stallion in a wheelchair get through, "Why did she act like she didn't remember anything?"
Once he found the exit and walked out into the streets of Canterlot, these questions floated through his head.
"Maybe when I get back to the castle, I'll see if Princess Twilight can help, or maybe Captain Cadenza." he said as he flapped his wings and flew towards the entrance of the castle.
Back in the Royal Chambers of the castle, Princess Twilight was busy signing papers for upcoming meeting with the Equestrian Royal Armada who had managed to elect new leaders of their own regions. These new leaders had been replaced by the old ones who did the same thing Celestia and Luna did many moons ago, retire. So she had papers signed to inform that this meeting was what would become of the regions of Equestria since she was now in charge, alongside her as usual was Nathan in his captain's armor, and below were two royal guards. As Twilight was levitating one of the papers that contained a schedule, she heard Nathan sigh in annoyance.
"Nathan, is something wrong?" she asked as she rolled her eyes in the direction he was standing.
"Sorry, Ah'm just wonderin' where Zodi is, he was supposed to be back here three minutes ago."
Twilight put a hoof on her nephew's back, "I'm sure he's on his way back here, you know he has to take care of Celestia and Luna also."
"Well, Ah' just can't see how he can be two places at once and taking care of three ponies at once."
One of the guards below turned his head and looked up at Nathan, "Captain, don't you think you're being a little overboard about this?"
"As you were." Nathan ordered.
"Yes sir." said the guard with an obeying tone as he turned back to his guard position.
"Look, Ah'm just worried about him, he's been feelin' rather down lately." Nathan said as he flapped his wings and landed in front of a window, Twilight calmly followed him and stood beside him.
"Well I can see your concern Captain, but he has every right to feel that way."
"Well, he did tell me that Celestia's been acting kinda strange lately."
"How so?" asked Twilight, "It's normal for a senior pony to go back and forth on something."
"Yesterday while Ah' was givin' commands to the guards, he came up to me and told me that she didn't remember the nursin' home she and Luna are residing at. Even though the sign was all over the corridors there, she kept losing sight and memory of the name."
"She's probably just losing sight of things." said Twilight, "I'm sure she'll get better."
"Ah' don't know," said Nathan with a saddened face, "Ah've experienced a similar incident on mah' world, it went down so bad."
"What happened?"
"When Ah' was a boy, a kid Ah' knew got adopted and he had a grandmother that did not have good memory of things. One day when he went over to her house, she kept getting his name wrong even though he told her his name many times before. The doctor said she had a condition that made her do that, and then one day without warning, when he went to see her again............she passed away."
Twilight gasped at this, "She died?!"
"Yes, and what was worse, when he heard about this, he went mad over it because he was really close to her. Autopsy said that she died from this condition, and it drove him to suicide."
"Oh my!" exclaimed Twilight.
"Ah've heard the name of the condition, but it's hard to pronounce. Ah' just have this feelin' that whatever this kid's grandmother died from is what Celestia might be showing signs of, Ah' just don't want Zodi to suffer the same fate."
Twilight put a hoof on her nephew, "I know you're worried, we all are, but you have to understand that...." a sudden sound of the chambers doors opening up quickly interrupted her before she could finish. She, Nathan, and the two guards posing at the bottom quickly saw that it was none other than Zodi who had on his armor and helmet, but he showed them a look of utter disappointment and sulk.
"Sorry I'm late your majesty." he said with a hearing mutter, Twilight then approached him as Nathan stood beside the two guards.
"At ease Zodi." said Twilight, "We understand."
"It's just not fair!" he snapped as he walked towards his guard position, "How can she keep forgetting things?!"
"Take it easy." said one guard. "I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Ah' think Ah' know someone who can help." said Nathan.
"Your friends from the other world?" asked another guard.
"Yes, but just one."
"Luke?" asked Twilight
"No, Kyle, he's not only a cop, but he's also an expert on conditions." said Nathan, he then turned to the guards.
"Guards."
"Yes sir?" they both asked.
"Go to the Crystal Empire and have mah' sisters active the portal to mah' old world immediately."
"Why sir?"
"Ah' need y'all to go to the 3rd precinct and get Kyle from whatever he may be doing and get him here to Canterlot at once."
"But we don't know anything about your world, we've never even been there."
"Trust him guards." said Twilight, "He'll take you all there."
"Plus Ah' have directions to the main precinct, Skyla and Flurry Heart will give them to you from mah' old room."
"Yes Captain!" they said in a saluting manner, and since they were both Pegasus, they flapped their wings and took off to the Crystal Empire as Nathan had ordered. Meanwhile, Zodi was on the verge of breaking down over all of this, because he had sunk his head.
"Zodi, don't take this too harshly." said Twilight, but it only made him pound his hoof on a table.
"Princess Twilight, what in Tartarus am I supposed to do?!"
"There might be a way comin'." affirmed Nate.
"I don't believe there is a way at all." he sulked, "Every time I visit her in that wretched place, her memory falls even deeper, she gets harder and harder to communicate with. What am I gonna expect, just watch her get worse and worse by the days?!" he said as he started crying. Twilight and Nathan looked at each other with great concern, so Nathan quietly whispered in her ear a solution for Zodi, and Twilight thought this was a good idea. So, she walked up to him and put a hoof on his chin.
"Listen Zodi, I am releasing you from your patrol duties today. Nathan and I understand you are too upset for this, so what we would like for you to do is just go home and relax this depression off a bit. Drink some liquids, eat a hot meal, etc."
"Yes, your majesty." He sniffled, "I think I'm just gonna go back and spend the rest of whatever time I have with my mother."
"We understand Zodi, now go on." Nathan said, Zodi took his helmet off again and exited the throne room as Twilight and Nathan looked at each other again with great concern.
The guards had managed to find the location of the police precinct that Kyle worked at and manged to convince him to come with them. Now here was Kyle with the two guards in his police uniform, and was very upset because he was busy working on a report of an armed robbery that took place earlier that day. The good news was they did catch the suspect, but the reason he was upset was that this robber was wanted for several other armed robberies and he was going to have this guy get a lengthy prison sentence when the two guards came into his office and told him that Nathan needed him for Celestia's problem.
Anyway here was Kyle, a bit upset, in his police uniform with his taser in one holster and gun in the other. He was on the train with the guards heading over to Canterlot where his transformed friend would say he would meet him at. Once they reached the station that led into the city, Kyle got off and followed the other guards, and right in front of them stood Princess Twilight and Nathan with relief he was finally here.
"Hello Princess Twilight." he said.
"Good to see you coming Kyle, it has been a while." she said, Kyle then turned his attention to his best friend.
"Nathan, you better have a good reason for dragging me here." he growled.
"Ah' do, and it's very important."
"Yeah, just like you said it was important to skydive on your wedding?"
"That was a year ago, this is totally different."
"Okay Nate, I'll bite, what is happening here?" Kyle said feeling a bit more trustworthy.
"Kyle, I'm afraid we have a big problem." said Twilight.
"What is it?"
"Well, we think Celestia is suffering a really bad condition, and we need you to check it out for yourself." said Nathan.
Kyle thought all of this for a moment, "Where is she located?"
"The Retirement Community Center of Equestria." said Twilight.
"Okay, I'll go with you, just escort me to the room she's in, and I'll see what it is." said Kyle.
"Very well, shall we?" asked Twilight as they departed from the train station's dock into the futuristic streets of Canterlot. As Nathan walked beside his best friend, Twilight walked in front of them, that's when Kyle quickly noticed that Zodiac was not by their side because he was the co-captain.
"Where's Zodi, isn't he supposed to be with you all?"
"We sent him home from his duties." said Nathan, very worried, "He's taking this rather too hard."
"Well, Celestia is his mother you know." said Kyle, "she's practically the only parent he's had."
"Well, he also has Luna too." said Twilight.
"Princess Twilight, that's beside the point."
"Understandable."
The three had made it to the R.C.C. and walked into the entrance, when they entered, they were greeted with faces of shock and concern from elderly ponies who had never seen Kyle in their life. They were also a bit scared over the fact that he had on his utility belt which contained the taser and gun, luckily, he gave them a warm welcome.
"It's all right you all, I will not harm you, I am a police officer here for a call." he said, the elderly ponies soon realized that he was one of the friends of Nathan and quickly resumed their daily routines. Once that was quickly taken care of, Twilight, Nate, and Kyle then walked over to the reception desk, and Twilight was the one to ask.
"Excuse me, what room is Celestia in?" she asked.
"Room E-12, fifth on the right." answered the reception taker.
"That's odd, last week she was in E4. Why did they move her?" asked Nathan.
"That's a riddle to be solved later." said Twilight as they managed to find room E-12, they made a surprising discovery.........
"Zodi, what are you doing here?!" asked Nathan.
"We thought you'd be at home sulking." said Twilight.
Zodi scoffed, "Nah, I'd much rather 'sulk' here with my mother than do it alone."
"Come on, you've been like this for three days!" said Twilight.
"Enough!" snapped Kyle, "You all needed me here to see what was wrong, so let me check it out."
Zodi, Twilight, and Nathan stepped aside and let Kyle walk up to Celestia, she was staring at the ceiling with wide eyes and her mouth open, Kyle hovered over Celestia with a smile, then put his hand on her wrinkled hoof.
"Hi Celestia, do you remember me?" he asked.
"You look really handsome Theodore." she said with a smile, Kyle was now confused as well.
"No, it's me, Kyle Welder, I am one of Nathan's human friends."
"Oh good, you're here to rescue me from Tirek." she said, making Kyle quickly realize what was happening, so he turned back to the pony cast.
"What's going on with her?" asked Luna, who was sitting on a chair.
"I have experienced this before with another person when I was doing a community outreach at another retirement home, he did the same things she's doing."
"What is it?!" Zodiac demanded.
"Celestia is showing symptoms of a condition known as Alzheimer's disease. It's a progressive disease that causes the cells in her brain to degenerate and dissolve, and it eventually leads to destroying memory and thus she gets confused, and she can't remember what she is, where she is, or even who we are." said Kyle with a disappointment.
"Is there a cure?" asked Zodiac.
Kyle hung his head low in sadness, then gave a chilling face to them, "No, I'm afraid there is no cure, it's only gonna get worse."
Kyle then put his right hand on Zodi's shoulder, "Zodi, I'm sorry, but your mother is on the brig of death, she's not going to last much longer with this."
Zodiac could not hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes, so he hugged his aunt, then went over and hugged Twilight whom he would not let go of, but Twilight understood and kept her best guard at her side.
"Well, we're gonna give her a dyin' wish that she told me she wanted moons ago."
"What's that?" asked Zodi as he wiped tears off his face.
"She told me that when it was time for her to depart for the heavens, she wanted me to say a verse from the Bible. Luckily, Ah' know just the one." said Nathan with a loving smile.
Kyle's news about Celestia getting worse with her memory fading had been sadly confirmed, because it had gotten to the point of where she was now on the verge of it. Luckily enough, Nathan and Kyle had managed to bring up a church choir, friends, their old orphanage leaders, local townspeople, and everypony that really loved her. The time had come, Zodiac and Luna walked outside of the retirement home with a dying Celestia in her bed, her senior adult body lying helpless on her pillow awake, but a bit barely. As Zodiac walked out with her, she was greeted by Cinnamon Swirl, who wanted to participate in this event as well because she had made a very special flag she had told Celestia was made for her, and she was very pleased with it, and it was going to be hung on an abandoned flag pole that the nursing home had not used in years. But, out of respect, the nursing home gave them permission to use it.
"Everypony's here, Celestia." she said, "You've got your own personal choir, my mom, my dad, old Mrs. Red Rose. We got Mr. Sherbet, the Apple family, Nathan's church choir, a bunch of teachers from my school and his, even my principal. I've gotta get the flag for the flag pole."
As Celestia stared at the unused flag pole, someone from the crowd that came to support her spoke up, it was Luke.
"Celestia, your friends, your neighbors, and especially your sister and son, are proud to present in your honor, and to the glory of God, the world premiere of the 151st Psalm."
Luke then turned around to see Nathan with his wife Apple Bloom, his sisters Skyla and Flurry Heart, and Kyle, who was holding a guitar strapped around him, Kyle started tuning up his guitar and playing it as Nathan started singing.......
"All the colors of the rainbow, "all the voices of the wind." "Every dream that reaches out," "reaches out to find where love began." "Every word of every story," "every star in every sky," "every corner of creation, lives to testifyyyyyyyyy."
As the choir group started vocalizing, Luke stood on a wooden box and directed them using a conductor's baton as Apple Bloom, Skyla, and Flurry Heart joined in with Nathan in signing.
"For as long as Ah' shall live," "Ah' will testify to love," "Ah'll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough." with every breath Ah' take, Ah' will give thanks to God above," "for as long as Ah' shall live, Ah' will testify to looooooove."
As drums started playing, Cinnamon walked over levitating the folded flag she had made for Celestia and gave it to her father who then turned towards the unused flag pole and started unfolding it carefully.
"From the mountains to the valleys," "from the rivers to the seas."
Celestia softly looked at the group then looked at the flag pole as well.
"Every hand that reaches out," "every hand that reaches out to offer peace."
Once the flag was unfolded fully, Cinnamon's father slowly used his magic from his horn to position the rope upward until it reached the top. Once it was fully on the top of the pole, the flag fully read with beautiful sewn lettering CELESTIA LIVES HERE and she could not be more happy as Luna blew the flag with her breath.
"Every simple act of mercy,"
Zodiac stared at the flag with sadness while Cinnamon was picked up, held, and kissed by her dad.
"Every step to kingdom come." "All the hope in every heart," "will speak what love has donnnnnnnneeeeeee."
"It is finished now." Celestia said to Luna as she nodded her head at her, while Nathan and the others continued to sing, Zodiac turned his attention to his mother, knelt down to her position as Celestia turned her head to him with a look that she was about to go.
"For as long as Ah' shall live, "Ah' will testify to love." "Ah'll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough."
"Yes, it is finished." said Zodi.
"You're going too?" she asked as her eyes lidded halfway.
"Yeah." said Zodi as he rubbed his mother's cheek, she then started to gently tilt her head back as Zodi watched with tears in his eyes.
"For as long as I shall live," "I will testify to love."
Celestia's hoof then flopped down onto the wooden deck floor, indicating she was now dead as Nathan and the rest of the group continued singing. While they did, Luna levitated a notebook that Celestia had kept as a treasure trove of things she had written, and on the last page contained a list of what she wanted the day she died. Eight of these requests had been scratched off, but one remained and it read......
"9. Go to Heaven"
With tears in her eyes as well, Luna levitated a pencil and scratched it off. Meanwhile, Nathan, was comforting his wife and sisters as they cried over this while the rest of the crowd continued singing, Cinnamon was crying too as her dad comforted her. Suddenly, they all looked up to see a white dove perched on top of Celestia's corpse, it cooed and flew off from the building and passed the flag. As this dove flew, the flag then changed from "Celestia Lives Here" to "Celestia Lived Here", Nathan continued to huddle his closest ones together as they all cried, but Nathan knew that this dove that flew away was the soul of Princess Celestia flying to Heaven.
On the outskirts of Canterlot, the statue that held Tirek and Chrysalis was covered in vines and leaves as it had been untouched for many moons. A zoom in would show a light taking shape and causing part of the statue to crack open, and it showed Tirek's hand moving, meaning something or someone had managed to give them another opportunity for a plot of magic theft.