Dusk
2,000 years it has been since the death of Twilight Sparkle. It is quite a very long time, but for Celestia and her sister, it only feels like a couple of years. So much has happened in the past couple thousand years to preoccupy them. New enemies rose and fell, thanks to the comings of many generations of ponies who took on as the elements of harmony. Celestia also took up new students as well. All of them grew into quite powerful mages, but they always lacked the power of the great Twilight Sparkle. Sadly, Celestia saw them all live their lives to the end, which was always a tear jerking process. So goes on the life of a Alicorn.
Even Alicorns though must eventually die. They live for thousands of years wielding the powers of flight and magic together. Generally, the only Alicorn(s) that exist are rulers of Equestria and new ones don't constantly spawn. In order for a new one to come into existence, an alicorn already in existence must perish. Unless of course in the matter of the Sun and Moon, Celestia and Luna, whom must exist together to make harmony. If one dies though, the other takes on their responsibilities until their demise. Then one or two new ones spawn and the cycle of life continues.
Luna has noticed that her sister has progressively looked weaker during the past few weeks. This has gotten her very worried, although she doesn't seem to show it on her outer shell. Celestia has been sickly before and powered on to better days. This time though, Luna had a feeling that this weakness might be a sign of the inevitable end. She wasn't completely sure, but she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach.
Luna eventually told her sister that she looked fatigued and showed possibly get some rest. Celestia had wanted to bite back at her sister for announcing a weakness in her but she reluctantly agreed. She herself had felt very tired recently. She then gave temporary full control of court to Luna and retired to her bed. She was still there three days later.
Celestia had woken up feeling so weak that she could not possibly even get out of her bed. She rang a bell for a servant to fetch her sister. Luna arrived and Celestia showed her what was going on. The younger sister quickly fled the room and demanded the presence of a doctor immediately. She sat there worrying at her sister's bedside for a few minutes until a doctor had arrived. He had been summoned from inside Canterlot.
He trotted to the weak Celestia's bedside and studied her apperance. She definitely looked extremely tired, but nothing else. The doctor decided to do an examination of Celestia, but he asked Luna to leave so he could do his work with no interruptions. Luna reluctantly left the aid of her sister to this doctor, who was unknown to her. Which was strange seeing this doctor's family tree.
The doctor who was examining Celestia right now was in fact related to a very famous doctor, the doctor of Twilight Sparkle. Known just simply as "Doctor", he cared for Twilight until the very end. After her death, Doctor continued his medical research and made many medical discoveries. He became a medical mastermind but ironically passed away from a disease he had discovered himself. Luna did not know that in her sister's bedroom stood the "Super Great Grandson" of the infamous doctor simply known as "Doctor".
After waiting a half an hour or so, the doctor came out. He looked slightly troubled as if he didn't know what to say. He simply looked on towards Luna for a bit and then approached her.The colt informed her that Celestia was indeed sick, but not just simply sick. She had caught a highly rare disease that had been discovered to have the ability to kill anything and fast, including Alicorns. He informed Luna that there was a cure but the disease had been in Celestia's system for quite some time. The cure was designed to be taken near the beginning of infection, not around halfway through it. Luna understood what he was saying.
She never did get the name of the doctor whom gave her the bad news. Maybe she didn't care enough, but really that doctor excused himself from the castle grounds knowing nothing could be done. Celestia was indeed dying. Thousands of years ruling was under her belt and now she was almost gone. Sure thousands of years is a very, very long time but to Alicorns at times, it's more like the length of a normal lifetime. Short and sweet, or boring. Still, it was nothing to gawk at, life.
Luna still could not really get the thought into her head. Sure, Celestia was older but like many others, she herself wasn't sure Celestia would ever die. But here she was, about to outlive her sister. She walked into the bedroom before her and looked towards the bed. Celestia was sound asleep, with not a worry on her face. She seemed at peace...finally getting some well deserved rest, even though it brought some bad tidings. Did she even know what was going on inside her?
Luna became curious about this disease that had somehow entered her sister. When was it discovered and where did it come from? Was it contagious? She needed to know. She went to the castle library and looked into historical medical archives. Luna found a book entitled "Dangerous Diseases" and opened to the index. The word Alicorn only showed up on one page, number 256. She opened up to the page and sure enough, the disease she was looking at in the book was said to be able to kill Alicorns.
This terrible sickness was known as Loner's Demise or LD for short. Once inside the body, which is actually where the disease forms, it quickly attacks the most important of bodily cells and the infected dies within days. Only a few survive up to a week, very few get the cure in time. A very curious name for a disease though....why? Luna looked throughout the book to find an answer of which one gets this disease. Why did it start from inside the body and not invade from the outside? Eventually, Luna found an author's note at the end of the LD entry.
"After the discovery (or the first case) of this particular disease many efforts were made into researching it. Medical researchers found that it forms within the body and can only be fought with medicine in the first few hours or the patient becomes terminal. However, there never was an established way to get LD. Every patient however seemed to have been recorded as to having slight or great depression of some sort. This presence of data has lead most doctors and medical experts to believe that LD may in fact be a organic magical disease that forms when one has a....."
Broken heart.
Luna sat where she was completely dumbfounded. She had heard of many strange things in her life (being in royalty and associated in magic) but a magical disease? Could it be true that a broken heart could kill an Alicorn, let alone a pony? Well, that was the same rumor surrounding the death of Applejack a couple thousand years prior. Can a broken heart be a seed for the reaper"s harvest? The most important question however wasn't either of these. When was Celestia's heart broken?
Luna had thought her sister had done well in the past two thousand years, especially after Twilight's death. Had her heart remained broken all this time, allowing the disease the form inside her dear sister? Luna really wanted to talk with Celestia on the matter, but after returning to the bedroom finding her still asleep, she realized that she could not for awhile. She decided to wait, no matter how painful the need was. Her sister needed rest.
A couple hours later, Luna was informed that Celestia had indeed finally woken up. Upon her arrival however, she found that her sister had gone mute. Mute! This disease had claimed her sister's voice. She could now climb out of bed but it seemed that the disease traded strength for a strength. They definitely couldn't talk now. Luna became very worried but to her surprise her sister just kept on showing a peaceful grin. She acted as if nothing was happening, which was a lie. Did she even know what was happening or not?
Luna knew she wouldn't get a vocal response today so she didn't really say much to her sister. She would occasionally ask yes or no questions to her and get a nod of approval or rejection as a response, but this was all she really could do. Luna was quite tired from all the drama of the day and just wanted to relax, but alas, she could not. Night was approaching and Luna had to go on watch, as was her duty every night. She desperately did not want to but could not reject, her sister needed the rest more than her. The Moon herself wished her sister a good night and flew up to her balcony where her telescope lay waiting for her. Hopefully in the morning, Celestia could talk.
And she could. Luna had found her the next morning talking with a servant of the castle. Celestia was still in bed but chatting away quite rapidly. One thing Luna noted was that her sister kept telling the servant that her tongue still felt slightly numb, making speech still a very bit difficult. Celestia eventually dismissed the servant and called Luna towards her.
"Good morning sister, how was the night?" Celestia didn't hint at any worry within her.
"Nothing was wrong, all went well...." Luna's eyes trailed off elsewhere in the room.
"Is there something on your mind Luna?" Still Celestia had on that peaceful, innocent grin.
"Do you even know what's going on with you?" Worry spilled out of Luna's mouth like a waterfall.
"Yes, the doctor told me before he left....yes, I do know the consequences of LD."
"You know the sickness's name?!" Luna was a bit shocked, did the doctor tell her the name as well?
"The rumors surrounding the death of Applejack, the element of honesty, weren't just rumors dear sister," Celestia sounded a small bit sad remembering the orange mare's death. "she was actually the first case of this rare disease....it was not said to be a disease in order to not scare the rest of Equestria. This sickness is indeed magic, bu magic that was created on its own. Nopony really knows how it happened, like the way you and I don't know how we came to be. It simply just appeared, in that poor mare's body. If a heart stays broken for too long, magic within the pony goes out of control. All ponies have magic within them, some can't expel that energy though. Anyways, this magic basically becomes black magic, or plainly lethal magic. It attacks important parts of the anatomy until the target is gone. Being broken can cause loneliness dear sister, and since Applejack's demise, death as well."
"Then how can you act so happy?! You're going to die!" Tears began to well up in Luna's eyes.
"I act happy because I know that in death there is a beginning, a brand new start elsewhere. Even though I don't want to die, I embrace death with open hooves knowing that not all is bad about it."
Luna just stared at her sister. She was in disbelief and amazement at the same time. Celestia was dying but she welcomed death like a friend. Luna wanted to believe her sister on her words about a fresh new start but she just could not. She couldn't wrap her mind around her sister dying to believe anything else at the moment. Luna stared awhile longer and then departed from the room. She knew her sister knew that she was in pain knowing that she was going to die, but that didn't stop her from seeing a positive in a negative. That's always how Celestia thinks.
Night arrived again and Luna readied herself for her nightly watch over the country. Before she left to her balcony she watched Celestia fall asleep. Still she looked peaceful, so powerful, yet still looking physically weak. Luna slowly left the bedroom of her sister and once again flew up to her balcony where her telescope lay. Celestia had given her this telescope upon her return to the monarchy after the Nightmare Moon incident. She has and always will cherish it.
Nothing was going on in the night that seemed to big to ignore. There were noises here and there but they were normal noises that were heard every night in Canterlot. Luna's telescope revealed no evil entity or bad tidings anywhere in Equestria either. The night was peaceful. For the first time in a very long time, Luna fell in awe of the beauty of night. The peace in the air was absolutely mind numbing. It was fantastic, even for the Moon herself.
Still gazing at the wonders around her, Luna began to her closing hoof steps. They were rising her stairs. They were opening her door. They were crossing her room. They were now right next to Luna. She of course recognized these hooves as a servants. She looked to her side where the servant was. Her smile slowly deteriorated. The servant was giving a foreboding, grim look. Luna knew what was happening.
She flew from the balcony of her tower to the one of her sister's across the way. She landed and busted through the balcony door. In the bed lay Celestia, looking the weakest she had at any time during the past few days. The time had come for an Alicorn to die. Luna rushed to the bedside and looked down on her sister. Indeed the Sun herself was setting. Dusk had come upon them. Tears began to rush from Luna's eyes and fall onto the silk sheets below. Celestia opened her previously closed eyes and looked up at her sister. She placed the peaceful grin upon her face again.
"Do not weep in sadness dear sister, not all is bad in death." Celestia was still ever wise, even at her own deathbed.
"But I'm going to be all alone! Your my sister! You can't die!" Luna screamed in pain as tears continued to pour down her face and onto the bed below.
"No, I must die. We may live for a long time but all things must die that are organic. Luna, we are both organic beings. We will meet again." Celestia still showed incredible peace about her.
"When sister?! When will that be?!"
"I do not know, but I do know that it will happen. For you it may be long, but for me, the wait will be short and I will once again lay my eyes upon you in the land of new beginnings."
Luna still cried and cried but managed to get her last question in. "Will you be alone sister?"
The grin on Celestia's face grew a bit wider. "I don't think I will be alone at all."
Celestia then lay her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes. Luna looked upon her sister's body and continued to cry. Her body looked at great peace and it seemed that Celestia had had a painless death (which wasn't entirely true, Celestia could hide things well though). Even still, Luna kept crying and crying until she fell asleep at the bedside of Celestia. The Sun had set and would never rise again.
..................
Celestia opened her eyes and found herself surrounded in what seemed to be clouds. She lay on a golden road that led straight ahead. She decided to follow it. It went straight for what seemed like forever until it finally started to curve. The clouds around her seemed to be changing appearance now as she continued on wards. They seemed to be turning into land. Eventually Celestia found herself in a small valley with a hill at the other side. The golden road continued towards the hill. She still followed it.
At the base of the hill she looked up. She had a feeling something was waiting for her at the top. Even though she didn't know what that was, she continued on out of curiosity. Halfway up she swore she heard a slight clink as if a cup collided with another softly. When she reached the top, she smiled.
In front of her was a wooden table painted white with a table cloth with constellations on it. On the tale was two tea cups and a teapot, they seemed to be from the same set. Surrounding the table were two wooden chairs painted white as well. In one of these chairs was none other than Twilight Sparkle. She smiled back at her teacher as they looked at each other in happiness. Twilight eventually spoke.
"Would you care for some tea Celestia?"
"I would like nothing more in the world Twilight Sparkle."
They sat together and sipped their tea in silence as they watched the sunset in the distance.