Twilight Receives a letter from Princess Cadence containing some upsetting news, causing her to leave her home immediately to go to Canterlot.
One day while studying for a transformation spell, Spike gives Twilight a letter sent from Princess Cadence telling her to drop everything she's doing and come to Canterlot immediately because of an emergency regarding her older brother, Shining Armor.
The purple unicorn was in her library, studying a spell that transformed books into small birds. She was just starting to see the beak forming when her loyal assistant, Spike, accidentally bumped into her.
"SPIKE!" exclaimed the frustrated pony, "I was finally getting it down when you... Spike? What's wrong?" Spike was sweating heavily and breathing deeply while holding out a rolled up piece of parchment to her. Realizing he didn't have enough breath to answer, Twilight snatched the letter from his hand and read through it as quickly as she could.
"Dear Twilight," it started, "I hate to interrupt your studies, but there is an emergency. Your brother, Shining Armor, has become very ill. He has been bedridden for three days now and he only seems to be getting worse. I would have told you sooner but I didn't want to worry you if it was nothing. I don't mean to take you away from your books but you really need to come immediately to Canterlot. I'm afraid he may not last much longer.
Sincerely, Cadence"
Twilight couldn't stop staring at the words, "may not last much longer". Shining Armor never got sick. And this quickly too? How could this happen? She had just seen him a week ago. How could something that serious come up that fast? A thousand questions were swirling around her head when there was a knock at her door. She slowly walked to the door, and opening it she found her friend Rainbow Dash there.
"Hey Twi," the light blue pegasus entered carrying a copy of Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, "I came to bring you back the book. You were right, it really is just as good the second time... Twi? What's wrong?" She looked up at the purple mare who had started to cry. Not wanting to speak, Twilight gave her the letter. After quickly reading the letter, the cyan pegasus quickly embraced her distressed friend.
"Are you going to be okay Twi?" she whispered into the light purple mare's ear.
"Only if he lives." she replied quietly.
"When do you plan on leaving?"
"As soon as I can. Do you mind getting a-all the others here while I pack my things so I can say goodbye to them?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Sure Twi. Anything else you need?" Rainbow asked, wanting to make sure her friend didn't need anything else before she left temporarily to tell the other 4.
"Just for my brother to be well." she replied dismally. Not knowing what else to say, Rainbow Dash gave her another quick hug, and left to gather her friends.
As she was packing, the lavender unicorn could not stop thinking about the state of her brother. How could something so serious happen so fast? She started pacing around the room and could not stop thinking about Shining Armor. Spike, noticing that she wouldn't get done packing any time soon, decided to do it for her. He didn't want to say anything and interrupt her thinking. He knew how much she loved her brother, and how much this must be effecting her. Twilight hadn't even noticed him until she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.
"Oh, I see you've already packed for me. Thanks Spike."
"Sure thing Twilight. Anything else you need me to do for you?" her faithful pet dragon asked, making sure she didn't use up too much of her energy.
"No, I'm fine. I just need to say goodbye to my friends and I'll be ready to go. I'd love to have you come, but I need you to look after Owlicious for me while I'm gone. I don't know when I'll be getting back, so you might have to take care of things here on your own for a little while. Do you think you'll be able to handle it?" she asked, making sure she wasn't putting too much on her little baby dragon.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. But will you?" before Twilight could answer there was a knock on the door.
"That must be them." she said, assuring herself that everything would be okay with such great friends.
Twilight had hardly opened the door when she was knocked to the ground. As soon as she saw the door moving Pinkie Pie jumped on top of her in a very tight hug.
"Oh Twilight, I am so so so so so so so so sorry to hear about your brother! You must be very sad, and being sad is UNACCEPTABLE when you're friends with me! Is there anything I can do?! Do you need me to look after the library while you're gone? Ooh! Ooh! Or I could watch Owlicious! He and Gummy can have a play date and it will be SO much fun! Oh! And I brought you some 'feel better Twilight' cupcakes for you to eat on your train ride up there!" she exclaimed energetically.
"Thank you Pinkie. But Spike said that he'd take care of everything, so it's all up to him if he needs help. And thank you for the cupcakes!" she took the package from her dear friend's hooves and examined the pink box containing several light purple cupcakes with hot pink sprinkles that looked like her cutie mark.
"They look delicious! I definitely won't have a hard time finishing them." By the time the short conversation was over, all the other friends had come in as well.
"I'm so sorry to hear 'bout what happened sugar cube. I'm sure that since yer such an organized pony an' all you've already gotten everythin' in order, but I just want you to know just in case, I'm always here if ya need me." Said Apple Jack, trying to comfort her friend.
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Alright, if yer sure 'bout it. I sure will miss you Twilight. I sure do hope yer brother gets better soon and that you don't have to be gone all that long." the earth pony said, not wanting her friend to go for too long.
"And I will miss you as well, Twilight. Oh, please don't forget to write. I really wish you didn't have to go, but I understand that it's an emergency. Oh, I do wish you didn't have to leave on such short notice!" The white unicorn said. Even though all of her friends were mostly saying the same thing, knowing that they all cared about her made Twilight feel a little better.
Fluttershy was next. She didn't say anything, but just gave Twilight a hug instead. At this kind gesture, Twilight couldn't help but getting a bit choked up. She started crying silently while in the gentle arms of the kind pegasus. As she let go, Twilight could feel the tears coming even faster now. The yellow pony knew she didn't have to say anything. No words could comfort anypony like a gentle embrace from a close friend. The feeling of safety and security could not be given through any words. Next was Rainbow Dash, who didn't know what to say as she wasn't used to "sappy moments". Noticing this, the still weeping lavender unicorn gave her a quick hug, and stated that she would miss her cyan colored friend. And last of all was Spike.
"Don't forget to take care of things while I'm gone. I ma-made a day-to-day check list for you so you don't miss anything. I'll write every day with a rep-report if I c-can." she ended the good-bye speech in a whisper, hardly being able to keep her voice steady.
"Well, I guess I should be going. The train leaves in only a few minutes." Twilight said, looking out the door. All of her friends started walking to the door with her.
"Would you like us to walk with you the the train station Twilight?" Pinkie asked, making sure there was absolutely nothing more that could be done to make her friend feel better.
"No thanks Pinkie. I'd rather go alone." she replied in a sad tone.
"I'd rather just, be alone, thank you." she stated again, even quieter this time. She walked away, leaving her friends waving "good-bye" behind her.
Twilight walked off the train and onto the hard ground where she saw two guards there to escort her to the castle. They said nothing as they flew in the gold chariot, and Twilight was very happy about this because she didn't feel like talking at the moment. All she could think about was the state of her brother and any spells she could use to heal him. But all she knew how to cure were coughs and colds. She knew nothing on deadly sicknesses. And she was sure that if there was anything to be done about it, it would have been done by now.
When they got to the castle, Cadence was waiting for there with a desperate look on her face.
"Oh Twilight! Thank goodness you made it here okay! We've tried every spell and brew we could, but nothing seems to be working. He just gets worse. We have heard about the great things your friend Zecora had been able to do in making antidotes. So we called her here as well. She should be coming on the next train. Oh Twilight, why did this have to happen?!" she asked with a look of grief on her face. You could tell that she had been crying a lot from the amount of moisture still soaking her light pink cheeks. Not saying anything, Twilight embraced the kind princess. For some reason, touching the pony who was suffering just as much as her was very comforting. Silently, they both walked into the castle and up a few flights of stairs to Shining Armor's bedroom. Ever since he became sick, he and Princess Cadence have had to sleep in separate rooms in order to keep her from getting sick as well.
As they looked upon the large bed, they saw him there under the thick white blankets. He had a wet towel laying right beneath his mane to keep him from getting too hot, but you could tell by how much he was sweating that it wasn't very effective. He appeared to be sleeping until he weakly asked for water, hardly being able to get the words out. The nurse beside him slowly lifted his head a bit and held a glass up to his lips and slowly tipped it back until he was finished. This was too much for Twilight. Just hearing about him was difficult enough, but seeing it was much worse. But being brave she stepped closer to the nurse.
"Wha-what's going on with him? Do we-do we know what's wrong yet?" she asked, getting choked up saying the words.
"Well, I'm sorry to say but unless we can find an antidote fast, he may only have a few days left."
"How many?" the purple mare asked in return, tears streaming from her face, "How many days?!" she demanded
"I'd guess about three, maybe four if he's lucky." At this Twilight took a step back. How could this happen? She looked at Princess Cadence who was standing at her husband's side, crying silently at the words that had just been spoken.
The silence was broken with a knock on the door. As it opened, the lavender mare could see the striped coat of her friend. Zecora had arrived holding a brown suitcase containing several herbs and medicines. She walked in, went to Shining Armor's side and exclaimed,
"Oh my! This prince's condition is rare. But do not worry, for I'm sure the antidote is in there." she pointed to her suitcase as she spoke the words. Examining him, she let out a gasp. Then turned to Princess Cadence with a solemn expression.
"I am afraid, that he cannot be saved. For the disease he has there is no cure. I'm sorry to say that for this I am sure."
"No, please Zecora! There has to be something!" the alicorn said disbelievingly. Zecora shook her head slowly, and putting her hoof on twilight shoulder softly said,
"I am afraid not my dear Twilight. For once I cannot make everything alright." Seeing that nothing more could be done, she waved goodbye and left the room.
Slightly regaining strength, Shining Armor told his sister to come to him.
"Twiley," he whispered, straining to speak "don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm sure of it." after saying this he immediately fell asleep. And Twilight knew that when speaking took that much energy, then he probably was going to die.
"I need to get some air." she stated, walking out with her head low. She just wanted to be alone for a little bit. Going outside, she found a short flat rock behind a couple trees that she could sit on without anyone noticing she was there. She didn't want anypony seeing her. She started crying silently as the realization of her brother finally struck her. She knew he was going to, but it hadn't been real to her until now. She knew she had promised her friends that she would write, but she couldn't stomach even thinking about writing them the news. Not to mention actually doing so.
Quietly she sat, weeping tears of sadness for her brother. She would miss him greatly. Even though she hadn't seen him often since she moved to Ponyville, but "he is still my big brother best friend forever. And he always will be. And poor Cadence. She had no idea that "until death do us part" meant that death would come so quickly. They have only been married for about four years now. Why did the end have to come so soon? Why did he have to die now? He couldn't. He'd never leave us behind like that. No. He can't die. He just can't." the lightly colored unicorn thought to herself. He can't.
After reassuring herself that he couldn't die now, Twilight walked back into the castle and into her brother's room where she saw Cadence openly weeping over Shining Armor. Seeing that she needed to be alone, Twilight slowly an silently walked out. She was walking towards some steps when she heard a voice.
"Twilight Sparkle. I am so sorry to hear about your brother." it was Princess Celestia. "I am glad that you had a save journey here." she stated as she embraces her pupil. "Allow me to show you to the room you'll be staying at while you're here." she said, trying to keep things cheery for the clearly upset mare. Twilight followed her to a large room that looked slightly familiar.
"This is the same room your friend Rarity stayed in when she was here last. I'll leave you here to get comfortable." she said, exiting the large room.
Twilight saw her things on the large white rug in the center of the room. Unpacking her neatly placed quills, ink bottles, and parchment paper, she started wondering how she would start her letter. She sat down and dipped one of the feathers in the black ink and pressed it against the paper and began writing.
"Dear Friends, I've arrived safely in Canterlot, but not all has been going very well otherwise. I learned today that Shining Armor only has a few days left. Not even Zecora could find a cure. I miss all of you very much already, and really hope you all are having a good time there without me. I'll see you all in a few days.
In friendship and love, Twilight Sparkle"
After proofreading the short, tear stained letter, she performed a magic trick that she had recently learned, sending the letter to her pet dragon. It was starting to get late, so she walked across the room to the large bed, crawled underneath the blue covers, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Twilight! Twilight! Wake up Twilight!" the purple unicorn was waking up to the sound of a familiar voice. She opened her eyes to find Cadence who had been crying recently. "Twilight, it's an emergency! Come with me." you could hear the panic in the princess's voice as she woke the sleeping pony. "Come on, we haven't got much time!" Twilight followed her, racing up the stairs to her brother's room as quickly as she could. When they reached the top, Princess Cadence rammed into the double doors which slammed loudly as the doorknobs hit the walls. Not even bothering to close the door back she and Twilight quickly went over to Shining Armor's bed, where he was coughing and wheezing. The nurse was there with a look of desperation on her face.
"I'm afraid, I'm afraid he won't last but a few more minutes." even the nurse was beginning to cry a little, for the prince had been good to all of his subjects.
"A few MINUTES?!" Twilight exclaimed, "I thought you said that he had a few days?!"
"Well, I thought so too, but his fever started getting rapidly worse all of a sudden and, and there's not much time left." the nurse reasoned. Turning over to the bed, the mare saw how much worse he looked since the day before. He was so pale and sickly looking. She couldn't believe her eyes.
"Cadence, remember that I'll always love you. And that *cough couch* no matter what, I'll always be with you." the white stallion whispered soothingly into his wife's ear. "And Twiley," he said gently, directing his attention to his younger sister, "I love you Twiley. Never forget that." he barely got the words out of his mouth before he started having a fit of coughing, followed by a small sigh, then silence.
Twilight woke up on the floor. Apparently she had blacked out from the shock of it all. Her brother was dead now. She couldn't believe it. She got up, and immediately the nurse spoke.
"We should bury him soon. I'll talk to Princess Celestia about the funeral arrangements." she slowly walked out, glad she had found an excuse to leave the room so the others could have some privacy.
There was silence all throughout the room. Nothing but silence. Twilight rested her head on her brother's lifeless body. It was still warm. She couldn't believe it. It all happened so fast. The day after she arrives in Canterlot, her brother dies. How could something like this happen? It just didn't seem right. From the expression Cadence was making, it was obvious that she was thinking the same. How could something so horrible happen so fast, yet so quietly? It was a shock to them both. But there was nothing to do now. After a while they both got up and quietly left. Leaving the lifeless body of Shining armor alone in peace.
Going up to her room, Twilight made a decision that should never have been made. When she reached the top of the stairs, she opened the door, wrote a few things down on some paper, grabbed some rope, and tied the noose that would bring her to her brother. Twilight knew that she could be with her brother, if only she could reach him. She locked her door and slowly levitated herself to the rope, then gently put her hear through the loop in the hole, and fell.
After a little while of hanging there, she started to see a light, with shining armor there, smiling at her. She was with her brother again.
After a few hours, Princess Celestia went to the mare's room to comfort her. She knocked, but there was no answer. She tried again but still no answer. She tried opening the door, and finding it locked she began to worry. She charged at the door, and breaking it down she was finally able to get in. She found her pupil there, hanging by her neck with a letter under her feet.
"Dear Princess Celestia, Today I learned that sometimes we can't always control what happens in the lives of the ones that we love. But I also learned that if you love someone enough, you should always be able to be with them. Even in death.