Canterlot was busy, as usual, providing ponies with various goods, the poorer citizens buying essentials, and the few richer ponies buying luxuries.
All of that stopped when a pony walked down the street.
Everypony, poor and rich alike, bowed down the newest Princess, Twilight Sparkle. Many of the ponies respected her and worshipped her, like they did with Celestia, but a few of the rich looked at her with serious hatred and jealousy.
Twilight smiled at all the citizens as she passed by, allowing them to rise. She proceeded on, and the market resumed its normal routine.
As she approached the castle, the two guards saluted to her and opened the gate. Twilight also gave them a smile, and stepped into the castle, her destination. The large ornate hallways she stepped into amazed every time she stepped into them.
Walking towards her room, she greeted the guards she passed. They were kind, and helped her with many of her needs.
Her room. Adorned with books, bookshelves and a stairway to the Canterlot Archives, it was one thing she had wanted the most.
She stepped onto the balcony, overlooking Canterlot, with Ponyville in the distance. It's all she could've wanted. Being next to her mentor every day. To be respected. To be cared for. To have a lifetime - no, many lifetimes - to study. To be able to explore, discover more then she would have as a mortal. An infinity of what ponies would dream of.
Then why was she crying?
~
Knock knock knock
"Come in."
Celestia looked up from her papers to see Twilight walk into her bed chambers. She smiled. "Twilight, what a surprise! What brings you here at this time?" It was indeed an interesting time to visit Celestia, as it was half past eleven. Most ponies would be asleep at this time, including Twilight, but Celestia has learned to go on with little sleep.
Twilight gave her a forced smile, which began to worried Celestia. "Well, I wanted to ask you something. I…searched through the archives, but I couldn't find it."
"Something you couldn't find in the archives?" Now Celestia was worried. What was Twilight trying to find? Almost every book that have been created were in the archives, and not finding something was almost unknown.
"Y-yes…" Twilight was afraid to speak out. She wasn't sure…no, she was sure, but saying it to Celestia… "It's that…"
Celestia told herself to calm down. It probably wasn't a big deal, and Twilight just wasn't careful in searching. "Can you please tell me what you couldn't find?"
...I…
"I don't want to-"
"Twilight, please speak up."
"I…don't want to be an alicorn anymore."
Complete silence.
Celestia looked at Twilight, confused. "You…don't want to be an alicorn?"
"No! I don't want to be like this anymore!" Anger rushed through Twilight's voice, but it quickly went to a normal level. "Being an alicorn - immortal - grants me respect, love. I get to spend an infinite time studying. Creating and discovering new things." Her voice began to crack. "But, I'll watch my friends die, my family die. I'll see the world change, for better or worse. Everyone I know will be gone, and see their descendents gone and..." She began to sob. "I mean, I'll still have you, b-but…" She broke down crying.
Celestia held Twilight, letting her student cry into her coat. "Twilight…"
A muffled sob came from under her wing. "Y-yes?"
Celestia sighed, knowing she would regret saying this. "There is a reason I chose you for this. You are intelligent. You'd figure out new ways to help Equestria beyond now. You are caring. You help others, yet you still care for yourself. You are strong. You are willing to push on, and you have leadership capabilities. And you can move on. When you moved to Ponyville, you hated it. But you were able to adapt and tolerate it. Sadly…
I cannot help you become mortal again."
She felt a shove against her, and she stepped back.
" What do you mean 'I cannot help'?!"
Celestia sighed. This…was unavoidable, per se. "I do not know any way turn you mortal again. Even if I did, you would have to cast it on yourself, due to our magic levels being about the same."
Twilight was almost burning in rage at this point. " You turn me immortal, without being able to turn me back?! What kind of messed up idea is that?! "
"Twilight."
" Now I'm stuck like this forever, and you won't due jack about it! "
"Twilight."
" Some kind of great ruler you are! Not being able to know how I damn feel-"
"TWILIGHT!"
Twilight stopped. She just fell down onto her knees and began crying again. Her horn lighted up for a second, but it quickly fizzled out. "Y-you have NO idea o-of how-"
"If I knew the spell, Twilight, I would've used it long ago."
Twilight looked up at Celestia with surprise. "W-what?"
"Do you THINK I really have enjoyed the thousands of years I have been alive? I faced thousands of times I have been hurt, but I went through them. My parents leaving, all of my friends dying again and again, sending my sister to the moon FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, having lost the rest of my siblings! I know EXACTLY how you feel, and-"
Her ranting stopped.
"It does hurt."
Twilight looked at her mentor, in shock-still. Hearing her mentor being enraged never happened and…she realized Celestia was in a worse position than her. She went up to Celestia. "Celestia, I'm sor-"
"Don't be, Twilight. It's my fault for bursting out like that."
Twilight nodded. "I realized, I have a purpose. That…I have to go on. Even if it hurts, and I know it will, I will do what I want to do." She gave her mentor a weak smile.
Celestia nodded, and returned the smile. "Let us get some sleep then."
So then they rest, the last of the anger fading away.
Celestia and Twilight.
Old and young.
Knowing and learning.
Teacher and mentor.
~
"Hello, Miss Twilight."
The princess looked over at the pony walking towards her. "Hello, Pound." She turned back towards to grave.
"I guess we both miss her."
"And the rest of them," Twilight said in agreement. Pound Cake was now a grown stallion, had a family, and still running Sugarcube Corner with his sister. See him now…made a part of her feel better. Like a dying flame being rekindled.
She got off her haunches and placed the last of the flowers down. "How about we head to Sugarcube Corner? I'm getting a bit hungry." Pound Cake nodded and the two of them left to the age-old shop., leaving the grave with the flowers.
Rest in peace
The Elements of Harmony
