In the Gardens of Canterlot
A very old Twilight Sparkle stood at the outskirts of Canterlot, re-reading the letter that her old mentor, ruler and motherly figure had sent her approximately a week earlier. She had read it multiple times before deciding to hop onto the train going to Canterlot, but she decided to read it again.
My Faithful Student,
It has come to my attention that, while we have not met in person for some time, you will not be around forever. This is a fact easily, and painfully, forgotten by me after so many years. I apologize for not visiting you sooner. Years have passed and I did not even realize it. Your letters have kept me warm by the fire for years, and I wish to see you in Canterlot one more time, so I may tell you all the things that I never got to say. While this letter does come to you bearing the royal seal, it is, by no means, an order – it is a friendly request, one that asks you to come on a personal visit, not a professional one. I would much love to see you again, my dear Twilight Sparkle.
Your (Past) Mentor,
Princess Celestia.
Twilight had cried when she had first gotten the letter, delivered right to her doorstep. It always broke her heart a little more each time, when she had to have her letters delivered to-and-from Canterlot via the mail system. Spike had long since gotten far too large to live in Ponyville with her and her friends, thus he was not around to help her write, receive or send anything. Even after all these years, she had never gotten used to it. She missed him dearly, but she was in no state to make the long journey out into the dangerous Everfree Forest to visit him in his new cave.
She wondered what Princess Celestia might have wanted with her. Surely, everything that had to be said would have been said by now. Twilight was grateful for the kind words her mentor had told her in her graduating year, like what a fantastic student she was, and that she would go far. If Princess Celestia was calling her to Canterlot just to tell her something like that, then Twilight felt very foolish, taking up the Princess’s valuable time. Surely, the ruler of their nation had more worthy things to do than talk to an old mare.
But something deep inside Twilight urged her to go. She had almost refused at first, thinking herself too old, too imposing, and too tired to make such a long trek. Canterlot was no small distance away. At the height of her power, Twilight could teleport to Equestria’s beautiful capital with only a little exertion, but there was no way in Tartarus that she could perform such a feat nowadays.
Being back in her old hometown made Twilight feel a familiar sense of warmth and joy inside her. The sun was shining brightly so far ahead, its glow outlining and illuminating the palace walls, as if beckoning Twilight to come closer. If Celestia had planned such a beautiful day for Twilight’s arrival, then she did a good job of it.
The unicorn folded the letter bearing the royal seal back into her saddlebags and walked slowly forward. She wished desperately that she could teleport, or even trot, but such things required too much energy, energy that she did not have any longer. Twilight smiled, remembering the days of her youth where she preferred to teleport everywhere, even short distances. It was something that Princess Celestia had warned her not do to – “Such things can appear boastful, my faithful student,” – she had said, but Twilight did it anyways. She loved the thrill.
Shaking off the young stallion who offered to carry her bags for her, she headed off in the direction of the castle. Twilight knew the streets of Canterlot like the back of her old, wrinkled lavender hoof. Having stuck her nose in a book for the entirety of her youth, the mare had learned the twists and turns perfectly.
The walk had taken longer than it had in her foalhood, obviously, but it had surprised her just how long it had taken. Ponyville was but a quarter of the size of Canterlot, and while it already took an hour or two for her to walk from one end of Ponyville to the other, it took nearly four times as long in her hometown.
Reaching the tall castle gates, Twilight stopped and leaned against the wall, panting ever-so-slightly. While others may have been intimidated by their size, and the multitude of stern faced guards watching the entrance, as stiff as statues, Twilight walked past without a second glance. Even with her face as wrinkled and sagged as it was, and her purple and pink mane faded to a light gray, the guards would always recognize Twilight Sparkle, prized pupil of the Princess.
Twilight offered a smile and a weak hoofshake to the young, vibrant unicorn mare standing near the doorway to the throne room, her nose buried into some papers. Her yellow blazer with Celestia’s cutie mark on it marked her as the Princess’s steward.
“Hm? Oh, yes, can I help you ma’am?” The unicorn asked, levitating the papers down and returning Twilight’s smile. “Did you have business with one of the Princesses? If it’s Her Royal Highness, Princess Lunara, you wish to speak to, you will have to wait until nightfall. That is when she takes over court.”
“No Morning Glory, it’s me, Twilight. I’m here to see Princess Celestia.” Twilight giggled. Morning Glory, daughter of the previous steward to Princess Celestia, Dawning Day, was frequently fretting so much about her work performance, that she could rarely keep things straight. It reminded Twilight a lot of herself at Glory’s age. Then again, they both had pretty big horseshoes to fill. Dawning Day had been steward when Twilight herself was just a young filly, first beginning her lessons with the Princess. Dawn had taken care of Twilight when she stayed in the palace, and always had everything organized, no matter if it were important documents or simple paperclips.
“Oh my, Miss Twilight! I’m so sorry, I didn’t recognize you! I’ve been so busy with all this work that mum left behind! Here, let me show you to the chamber. I’ll go inform Her Highness of your arrival.” Morning Glory ushered her along, slowly, taking into consideration Twilight’s age. “Is there anything I can get for you while you wait?”
“Just a glass of water, if that’s alright. This old body of mine isn’t used to standing for so long.” Twilight answered, allowing herself to be shown the way to the waiting room, even when she already knew where it was. “Tell the Princess that there’s no hurry. I’ll gladly welcome the chance to just sit and rest for a while.”
“Of course, of course, Miss Twilight. Here we go, sit down, nice and easy. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll go inform Her Highness of your arrival.” Glory gently lowered Twilight onto the plush chairs in the large, empty room before taking her leave, trotting quickly out the door. Twilight took the opportunity to look around. It had been far too long since she had last visited the palace, and while she still knew the twists and turns of the corridors, the décor had changed.
Unlike in her youth, when the walls were lined with messy bookshelves and posters reminding others to read, it was now practically deserted. A few discarded magazines and old newspapers littered the tables in the middle of the room, but the bookshelves had been disassembled and moved elsewhere, and the posters had been ripped down. At least there was still strong beams of light streaming through the window, making the room seem not as gloomy.
Sighing, Twilight picked up an old, weathered paper from the Equestria Daily that featured on the front page something about a random yellow unicorn stalking Trixie Lulamoon. “News just isn’t the same nowadays. Back when I was a young filly, there were actually worthwhile things to report on.”
“Feeling nostalgic, my faithful student?” A serene voice interrupted her spiel, drawing Twilight’s attention to the door. The elderly mare knew that voice without having to see who it was – everypony in Equestria knew that voice.
“Princess Celestia, it’s so good to see you again!” Twilight laughed, beginning to stand up shakily. Celestia’s eyes went wide as she rushed to her student’s side, gently lowering her back onto the chair.
“Please, Twilight, it’s good to see you too, but do not strain yourself. I understand that you’re not as spry as you used to be. Sit and we shall talk. How have you been, these past few years? How have you been getting along?” Celestia asked, taking the empty seat beside the other mare. Twilight reclined again into her own seat, enjoying the company of her former mentor.
“I’ve been doing well, Princess, though tending to the library without Spike around has gotten to be quite difficult. I’m thinking of hiring an assistant to help me out, maybe somepony who can inherit it from me once I die. Either that or I’ll have to sell it soon. I only have a few years left in me.” Twilight smiled sadly at her teacher, whose wise eyes held a melancholy expression. “How have you been getting along here? Taken on any new students in the past few years?”
“Oh, Twilight,” Celestia cooed, pulling Twilight in close with her wing and giving her a hug. “I would never take on a new student, not as long as you breathe. You are my student, for the rest of your life.” Twilight closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
“Which is for another two years, at best.” She mumbled.
“Twilight, please, let us not talk of such things,” Celestia kindly requested, pulling away from the unicorn and standing up. “If you feel up to it, might you walk with me? I have to lower the sun and make way for Luna’s moon, if you would care to join me.” Celestia motioned towards the door with a knowing grin, and Twilight’s face lit up. No matter how many times she saw the sun being raised and lowered, it was still magical.
“I’ll always have the energy to walk with you, Princess!” Twilight beamed, pushing against her chair and standing. Celestia waited patiently for Twilight to finish getting up and join her in the doorframe. “Lead on!”
The two walked in silence for the most part. Celestia kept her steps small and slow, to match Twilight’s. Even though the Princess was a thousand times older than Twilight, she was still painfully aware of the woes of old age. It wasn’t as if Twilight was Celestia’s only faithful student ever.
The two walked for what felt like an hour to Twilight. The unicorn felt ashamed, taking up so much of the Princess’s valuable time, and she cursed her old bones for not being able to go any faster. Celestia would smile warmly at her former student whenever Twilight told her to go on ahead, but she never would. She just kept walking beside the unicorn, slowly and patiently, until they reached their destination.
“We’re here, my student.” Celestia said simply as two large double doors swung open in front of her. Twilight blinked herself out of her haze. After walking for so long, her mind had started to wander.
“Why are we here, Princess?” Twilight asked, stepping gingerly into the sunlit greenery of the Gardens of Canterlot. “You don’t usually control the sun from here, do you?” Celestia shook her head, her mane flicking from side to side as she did so.
“No, I don’t, but today, I will. You’ve never truly come here, have you?” She asked, looking down to Twilight. Twilight returned her gentle gaze with a confused one.
“Pardon me, Princess, but what are you talking about? Everypony in Canterlot has been to the Gardens at least once. It’s one of the most popular tourist spots in the entire city!” Celestia merely laughed and walked forward. After a moment’s hesitation, Twilight followed.
“Yes, it is true that it is a tourist spot, but you have not seen the whole thing.” Celestia gestured to the Gardens, where a few ponies milled about, staring at the various stone statues that dotted the landscape, or smelling the variety of flowers. “This Garden sees hundreds of visitors daily, but nopony truly stops to look at their surroundings. Do you understand, Twilight?” She asked, looking down at her student. Twilight blinked slowly, with whatever meaning Celestia intended her to grasp flying straight over her head.
“I… can’t say that I do, Princess. Everypony here looks like they’re… ‘seeing their surroundings.’” Twilight answered, unsure of what else to say. Celestia just shook her head and wordlessly looked up to the sky, where her sun sat.
“Come, Twilight. It is time for me to lower the sun. Guards?” Celestia turned to the guards stationed near the door. The two white pegasi nodded firmly and took off towards the Garden guests, ushering them to the nearest exit. While the visitors grumbled about not being able to stay longer, nopony caused any trouble, and the guards went back to the door, entered the castle, and with a bow to the Princess, closed the doors behind them.
Twilight and Celestia were alone.
“Princess? What’s going on?” Twilight asked curiously. Celestia brushed her graying mane with her wing, like a mother would do to her daughter.
“Do not worry my faithful student. Just wait.” Celestia said gently. The Princess flapped her wings once, twice, three times, and took to the skies. Twilight watched in wonder as her long horn lit up with its familiar yellow glow, and the sun was slowly but surely pulled downwards. It began dipping under the horizon, and Celestia lowered herself back onto the ground. Twilight was amazed at how beautiful she looked in the sunset; her normally white coat tinted a vibrant orange.
“Princess, aren’t you going to finish the sunset?” Twilight asked, finally noticing that the sun had stopped moving. It was affixed to the horizon, halfway poking up, not moving in the slightest.
“I will, my student, in due time. For now, walk with me. In this solitude, I would like to ask you a few things.” Celestia tore her gaze from the sunset and started walking to the left of the Gardens, where the majority of visitors had been. Twilight followed slowly.
“Of course, Princess. What is it? I’ll answer to the best of my abilities.”
“Twilight, can you tell me who this is?” Celestia suddenly stopped and stared at a statue of a unicorn stallion, standing tall and proud, yet at the same time wearing an expression of fatigue. Twilight rounded beside her and looked to see who it was. She only had to study it for a brief moment before knowing who it represented.
“Why of course I can! That’s Starswirl the Bearded, one of the most talented unicorns in the history of Equestria! He invented everything from time travelling spells to teleportation! Why do you ask?” The unicorn looked up in hopes of seeing her mentor beaming with pride, but instead, Celestia wore a grim face.
“Starswirl was my first apprentice ever. After Lunara… Luna left, my advisor at the time suggested that I take on a student, as a way to fill the gap left by my sister. Starswirl was the one who kept me sane for the first few years after Luna’s departure. If not for him… I don’t know what would have happened to me.” Celestia mused sadly. Twilight kept herself from letting out an audible gasp.
“Oh, Princess, I had no idea… that’s so sad, I’m sorry to hear that. It must have been absolutely terrible.” Twilight whispered, hanging her head low. “I wish I could have been there to help you through those times as well.”
“I thought my problems would all be solved in due time. I had a student, a close friend, who would be there to ward off my loneliness… to keep my company, to help me in my times of need. But I was wrong, Twilight. I was so wrong.” Celestia looked down to Twilight. “I never took into account the fact that Starswirl, unlike myself, was a mere mortal. He would not live forever. One day he came to me and announced his retirement. He informed me that he was getting too old to traverse the city to reach me, and could not continue his lessons. This broke my heart.” Celestia sighed, closing her eyes. She was silent.
“What happened then, Princess?” Twilight quietly urged Celestia to continue. The tale was intriguing.
“When I heard this, I knew that I had to do something. I couldn’t bear the thought of living without my faithful student. So I had him immortalized into a statue.” Celestia motioned to the statue in front of them. “In this way, even though he is long gone, and I can never speak to him again or hear his wisdom, he is still here in my heart. And when I look out my window every morning,” Again, she motioned to the balcony far above, “I can see this stone statue and it’s like he is still here with me.”
“That’s… beautiful, Princess. I never knew that.” Twilight marvelled, looking at the statue with a new sense of respect. “I always looked up to Starswirl and his magic, but I never knew he was so important to you.”
“Indeed he is. But after his passing, I knew I had to fill the empty void in my heart again. So I took on another apprentice.” Celestia started walking again and stopped a few yards away to the right, at the next statue. This one was another unicorn stallion, shorter than Starswirl had been, but just as mighty. Twilight bent over and narrowed her eyes, reading the engraving on the base.
“’Starry Night’. I apologize, but I can’t say I’ve ever heard of him.” Twilight shook her head. “Who was he?”
“Starry Night was the dutiful son of Starswirl. Not many ponies knew of him. Starswirl made it a point to keep his personal life away from the public eye, less his wife and children be scrutinized and watched constantly. Even though it had been seventy-some years since Luna left at that point, I regret to say that I had little knowledge of the stars that I then controlled. Starry Night was fascinated by them, and studied them every night. It was he who documented every star in the sky.”
“Every single star?!” Twilight gasped in awe. There were hundreds of thousands named stars in the sky, and even Twilight, with all of her knowledge, didn’t know them all.
“Every single star.” Celestia affirmed, nodding. “He helped me just as much as his father did, but in a different way. While Starswirl served as more of a friend, to fill the void in my life, Starry Night actually helped me with my job. Raising the moon and stars every night proved a challenge for me, and with his input, the job became much easier. If not for him, I don’t think I could have continued doing so for an entire millennium.”
“That’s incredible. And I thought that I was smart. I don’t think I could have ever learned the names of every star, even if I dedicated my life to learning them.” Twilight laughed, shaking her head.
“Perhaps not. Starry Night was an incredible scholar. Once again, the thought of losing him would have been too great, so here stands this statue, serving as a reminder of those days when the night was under my control.” Celestia leaned in and examined the statue closely. “I’d like to think that a bit of Starry Night is still in there, even after so many years. That when I talk to him, he’s in there, listening.” Twilight smiled despite the fact that she found Celestia’s words to be a little peculiar.
“That’s a… pleasant thought indeed, Princess.” She said hesitantly. Celestia examined the statue a little longer before standing upright again. She smiled wide and nodded once, firmly, before continuing her walk.
“This one is the statue of Glass Slipper. She was the first female student I ever had, yet just as talented as the previous two. I remember,” Celestia chuckled, “Her parents were pegasi jewellers, and figured that their daughter would take after them. Imagine their surprise when she came out with a horn on her head instead of wings on her back.”
“That would have been quite shocking, I agree. I remember back in Ponyville, we had this earth pony couple who gave birth to twins, a pegasus and a unicorn. It shocked everypony. Genetics sure are funny.” Twilight smiled at the memory of the Cake family. She had enjoyed seeing Pound and Pumpkin grow up over the years.
“Unlike Starswirl and Starry Night, Glass Slipper specialized in healing magic. She created the Life Bloom spell, along with many others, and with them, saved many lives, both in her lifetime and after. It is a shame, how little the ponies nowadays know of her. Almost everypony in Equestria owes her thanks for saving either themselves or a loved one.” Celestia sighed wistfully. “It’s disappointing.”
“I know that if it wasn’t for Glass Slipper and her spells, my mother would never have lasted as long as she did.” Twilight hung her head in remembrance of her dear mother, Velvet. While no tears would come to Twilight’s eyes when she remembered her mother, it still made her heart feel heavy.
“Indeed, my student. Every statue in this part of the garden is one of my past students, and each and every one of them has touched my heart in ways that I never thought possible. Every one of them has done things that I could never dream of doing, and every one of them deserved the right to have a place here, in the Gardens of Canterlot, where all the visitors can see and remember them. Do you not agree?” Celestia asked Twilight. Twilight nodded.
“Completely. It is good to immortalize such important historical figures, so that ponies hundreds of years in the future will not forget them. Hopefully I’ll get a statue in the Gardens someday.” Twilight laughed grimly. Celestia stroked her mane with a wing lovingly before continuing.
The pair passed multiple statues, statues of ponies that even Twilight never knew about. Rows upon rows of them. She read the names of each one carefully.
Gingersnaps. Peacock Feather.
Mystery Octave. Gemmed Comet.
Shimmering Spark. Azure Haze.
Ocean Oasis. Violet Bouquet.
Harmony Aurora. Sky Light.
“I had no clue that you had so many students, Princess.” Twilight marvelled at all the names. Some, such as Ocean Oasis, she knew. Who wouldn’t know the famous pegasus who flew around the entire world and documented the entirety of Equestria? Others, such as Gingersnaps, were unfamiliar to her. “But I have a question.”
“And what’s that, my student?” Celestia drew her attention from the statues to Twilight.
“Where is Sunset Shimmer’s statue? I know that she may not have been… the best student, but she was still your student, wasn’t she? You still cared for her, and she even apologized directly to you! Shouldn’t she have statue right here, after Sky Light?”
“Unfortunately, Sunset Shimmer was not around here before she passed away… she chose to stay in that human world, and thus I could not make her a statue.” Celestia turned away from Twilight for a brief moment, her voice catching.
“B-But… surely, you could just make one out of memory, couldn’t you?” Twilight asked slowly, not quite understanding her mentor’s words. “You made a statue of all these other ponies out of memory, didn’t you?”
“My dearest Twilight, come here.” Celestia motioned to an empty spot on the ground, a few yards away from Sky Light’s statue. Twilight obliged, standing in the place where Celestia ordered her to. “I don’t think you quite understand what I meant when I said that I immortalized my students into statues.”
“What did you mean then, Princess? There’s no alternate meaning to that.” Twilight laughed nervously as she stood where Celestia had told her. The elderly mare stretched out her legs, her limbs feeling stiff from standing for so long. “Do you mind if we go in soon? My legs are starting to hurt. These old bones aren’t the same as they used to be.”
“My dear Twilight, you are the embodiment of Friendship itself. Without you, my dear sister would have never been returned to me, and Discord would have run rampant and destroyed our world. You have done more for me and Equestria than I would have ever thought possible.” Celestia cooed as she pulled in the other mare for a hug. Twilight blushed.
“Thank you, Princess. It means a lot to me, to hear you say that. Thank you for taking me on so many years ago, and teaching me everything that I know to this day.” Twilight returned the deep, loving hug that Celestia gave her.
“Please, Twilight. To you, it’s just Celestia. There is no need for formalities on this day.” Celestia mumbled into her student’s mane. Twilight pulled away from her mentor.
“What do you mean, ‘on this day’? Princess Celestia, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, concerned. She took a tentative step away from the ruler.
“Twilight, I can’t bear to live without you,” Celestia’s horn lit up with its yellow glow. “By doing this, you shall forever be here, standing in the Gardens of Canterlot. And in hundreds of years, when I am showing my future students around, I shall stop at your statue and talk of your great exploits.”
“P-Princess, w-what are you d-doing?!” Twilight screeched, trying to backpedal, but found that she could not move her hooves. Looking down, she saw a cold, dark gray stone slowly creeping up her legs. “What’s going on?!”
“Rest now, Twilight. I shall make sure that the Golden Oaks Library is well taken care of in your absence. You have earned this peace.” Celestia’s voice wavered. She watched, with a tear in her eye, as the stone crept up Twilight’s body. Twilight started sobbing, and shook uncontrollably.
“Why are you doing this, Celestia?! What did I do wrong?!” Twilight cried out as the stone snaked up her neck. She strained to speak. Celestia shook her head sadly, wiping the tears away.
“You were my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Rest now, with the students of the past. We will be together forever now. Equestria will always remember your deeds; I will make sure of it.”
“No! Please!” Twilight whispered, with just her muzzle its usual lavender color. Celestia closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her warm, white forehead against Twilight’s cold, gray one, and began singing, her voice filled with sorrow.
“Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to rest your weary eyes, hush now, quiet now, a faithful student never dies…”
Author's Note
And poor Twilight never even got her glass of water from Glory.
