The night had always been such a wondrous thing in Twilight's eyes. No, it didn’t imply that she was fonder of Luna than she was of Celestia; it was simply because the night was so calm, so tranquil, when compared to its daytime counterpart. As much as Twilight enjoyed the day, with Celestia’s brilliant sun covering the land in its warm rays during all of the high-energy hustle, bustle, and noise, it was that same energy, that hectic nature that made concentrating on one sole thing fairly difficult.
With her incredibly packed schedules, new royal duties and all, she rarely had any time to relax, let alone focus on the little things. It was always ‘complete one task, immediately begin another’, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. But the night... That was when Twilight had time to do as she pleased. There was just something about it that she simply felt at home with, and that wasn’t simply due to her numerous all-night study sessions.
How many nights did she spend on the library’s balcony after a hard day’s work, cozily wrapped up in a blanket as she caught up on her favorite books? How many times, after a stressful day, had she looked up into Luna’s shining moon and countless stars, only to feel all of that stress immediately flush out of her body? How many epiphanies did she come to as she gazed into the black velvet, diamond-encrusted sky?
No matter how she looked at it, the nighttime was her time. It was a time that allowed Twilight to think. To ponder. To focus. Right now, thinking was something that Twilight needed to do a lot of as she stared down at the bulbous glass bottle before her, and the white liquid that it contained.
It was odd. Even after resolving the incident with the Tree of Harmony, she simply couldn’t take her mind off of the mysterious liquid. It was just so intriguing. A potion that sent a faux physical manifestation of herself back to the past. Back to Celestia’s past. All achieved by a mere sip. Even though the proof was right there on her desk, the young alicorn could scarcely believe that such a thing even existed. Always the curious one, she just couldn’t allow it to slip past her, not without it undergoing proper research.
Admittedly, convincing Zecora to lend her the concoction for a second time wasn’t quite as dignified as Twilight would’ve hoped. More likely than not, her incessant begging and the fact that Zecora hardly had any use for such a potion anyway were the only reasons why she was successful.
Now there she was, sitting in her royal chambers, basking in the soft, orange glow of a candle’s flickering flame as she observed that mysterious liquid. Very little of it remained, perhaps only enough for two or three more moderate sips. Granted, she'd only need a small amount of it for her research, but she still couldn't help but wonder. She had no idea if the potion before her was the only one of its kind. She had no idea what the process of even creating such a thing would involved. Though she had yet to experience any herself, she didn't even know if there were side effects.
In all honesty, she’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t intimidated by the concoction, silly as it sounded. It just left so much to the imagination, far too much for Twilight to immediately wrap her head around. It was just all the more reason to study that potion until she knew everything about it inside and out.
Cautiously, as though the glass could shatter at the slightest provocation, Twilight wrapped the bottle in her lavender field, slowly lifting it from the table. Curious eyes skittered across the crystal clear glass. The white liquid swirled about inside, splashing against the smooth glass walls of its prison as Twilight turned the bottle around, observing every square inch. The bottle’s golden tip glistened in the dim candlelight, the ruby eyes of the many alicorns etched into its surface staring into Twilight’s own.
Twilight considered the possibilities. She considered the limits that such a potion was capable of. Obviously, the larger the sip, the further back in time she was sent, but she still could only wonder just how far back that potion could send her. In theory, with enough, she could potentially travel back to when the princesses were mere newborn foals. Twilight couldn’t suppress a small smile as she imagined Celestia in diapers.
Slowly, the intimidation weighing heavily in her gut gave way to simple wonder. She had seen Celestia’s banishing of Nightmare Moon, painful as it was to watch. She had witnessed the two sisters’ victory over Discord. The detail at which she observed them was simply astonishing. Though it was obviously little more than a mental projection of the past, it was a very good projection. She could even remember the little things, such as the scent of nighttime air and chocolate milk filling her nostrils, or the feeling of both rough rubble and slippery soap beneath her hooves. It was of a degree that no history book could ever hope to match.
And that was when the idea finally struck her.
This potion, whatever it was, gave Twilight the potential ability to witness all of Celestia’s greatest moments—all of history’s greatest moments—exactly as they happened. There would be no information lost to the test of time, no details mistakenly left out due to mistranslations. No, she would see everything, and be able to promptly revise the relevant history books. The simple possibility left the young princess shaking with anticipation.
Not just that, but if Twilight could reproduce this potion in such a way that allowed her to visit the past of whomever she chose, then... then the possibilities could be virtually endless! Recovering lost pieces of history. Celestia would be so proud of her!
But still, the idea of traveling to the past, as interesting as it sounded, just seemed a bit… invasive. It would’ve likely been the best idea to go ask Celestia first, but it was the middle of the night and she was undoubtedly asleep. That was the best approach, yes, but the fact that she would have to wait while it was sitting right there proved to be a daunting task.
Surely… Surely just one sip wouldn’t harm anypony. Besides, it would no doubt show her another historical event that she knew all about anyway.
Opting to follow her scientific curiosity rather than her common sense, Twilight carefully brought the bottle up to her lips. The growing anxiety bubbling in her stomach as it inched closer should’ve been a sign to stop, but she chose to ignore it.
By the time doubt finally broke through to the surface, the bitter, white liquid had already spread across her tongue. By the time she considered turning back, she had already swallowed it down.
As she felt the potion’s immediate effects on her body, as her mind was wiped clean of any and all thought, as her eyes shone that blinding white, she simply kept reminding herself. It was just one sip. It wouldn’t hurt anypony.
The odd sensation felt little different than teleportation. Even before the light faded from her eyes, Twilight knew that she was somewhere else. The scent filling her nostrils was not one that she was painfully familiar with. Instead of the familiar, fresh scent of Equestra's various flora, it was more akin to dust, if she had to guess. The air itself felt hot and dry, burning her nostrils. The ground beneath her hooves felt different as well. She was no longer standing on the smooth marble floor of her bedroom. It didn’t even feel like the familiar, rocky texture of a cobblestone road. No, it felt craggy. Jagged.
Of course, the most notable change was the lack of silence. The telltale sound of numerous passersby surrounded the princess. She could make out the distinct sound of flapping wings as patrons flew by. However, she could also make out… squawking. Much like that of an eagle, or a vulture, or…
Once the light faded, Twilight’s suspicions were promptly confirmed as she gaped at her new surroundings.
Griffons. All around her, no matter where she looked, Twilight saw nothing but endless flocks of griffons. She was no longer within the safe confines of her bedroom, but rather at the bottom of a craggy chasm, surrounded and dwarfed by orange-red rock. She was in the Griffon Kingdom, smack-dab in the middle of a thriving griffon city!
She had read that many griffon societies were based within canyons or other similar locations. The rough desert winds were something that they enjoyed flying in, and the numerous canyons provided ample protection from the elements. While such a thing was fairly easy to picture, actually seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely.
She couldn’t keep her gaping mouth from curling into a breathless smile as she stared at the architecture around her. Not only were the griffons using the canyons as protection, but they also fashioned the very environment into their home. Countless alcoves were carved into the surrounding rocks with a surprising amount of precision. Stores and even entire homes were carved out of the red rock. Twilight had always known that griffon talons, at their peak, were capable of cutting through rock, but even she didn’t think that they were capable of this.
However, through the excitement, through the elation, she couldn’t help but notice something off. No matter where she looked, she couldn’t spot Celestia. All around her, she could only see the white and brown feathers of the griffons, not the brilliant white coat of her mentor.
Twilight’s once excited smile twisted into a confused frown. It wasn’t consistent with her past two experiences with the potion, and inconsistency was something that she simply couldn’t stand for. Celestia was always within sight from the very start. Still, Twilight couldn't let herself grow disheartened yet. Perhaps she was there, but simply out of sight. A bit inconvenient, yes, but it hardly threw a wrench into her overall plans. After all, Celestia wasn’t necessarily a difficult pony to track.
Before she could even take the first step in her search, however, the peaceful scene unfolding around her was shattered by a single, deafening boom. Its effects were immediate. The sudden noise shook her to the very core, ringing inside of her ears. Her heart immediately ramped up, racing a mile a minute, and she wasn’t alone in that. The countless griffons around her, so calm before, flew into a frenzy, flying or sprinting past Twilight as the entire canyon shook and trembled. Large chunks of the towering canyon walls crumbled away, shattering against the rock below, each impact shaking the ground further.
The dust kicked up during the chaos practically rendered Twilight blind. The same could be said about the griffons. The young princess could hear the distinct angered shouts and pained cries of numerous griffons as they collided into each other amidst the panic.
Twilight barely had time to spin around towards the explosion's source before she felt hot, forceful winds lash against her body. She felt herself slide against the jagged ground as the relentless gale threatened to blow her off of her hooves. She didn’t even consider trying to fly away; with those kinds of winds combined with her overall inexperience, she’d be blown away like a ragdoll before she could get the first flap in.
All she could do was clamp her eyes shut against the whipping winds, gritting her teeth as she tried to hold her ground. After several arduous seconds of enduring the harsh winds, Twilight cracked open a single eye. At that very same instant, she felt the unmistakable sense of terror pierce her heart. She had her theories as to why the wind was as hot as it was. She sincerely wished that she was wrong.
The heat that Twilight initially had to endure only increased as a wall of crimson flames rushed towards her down the narrow canyon path, scorching all in its path.
Her reaction was near instantaneous as her horn went aglow with lavender light. At the last possible moment, just as she felt the first of countless flames lick at her skin, she disappeared in a flash of light. Unfortunately, in her panic, Twilight failed to give herself a proper destination to teleport to. As a result, she found herself rematerializing several hundred feet off of the ground, still above the roaring wall of fire.
Try as she might, Twilight tragically discovered that thrashing her limbs about still did not help her stay afloat, and she quickly succumbed to gravity’s influence. More fortunately, in a rare moment of genius, Twilight remembered her new appendages for once. As she plummeted back down to the ground below, she outstretched her wings, catching enough wind under her plumage to send her into a controlled glide. Back in control, Twilight steered herself towards the canyon’s cliff edge.
As she approached safety, her mind was already racing with questions. That wall of fire was a spell casting. A powerful one at that. But it didn't make any sense for a pony to be in a griffon city at this time. As far as she knew, the ponies and griffons were hardly friendly nations in the present, let alone the past. The potion must’ve taken her back to the beginning of a war or some other similar event; she couldn’t think of any other reason for the sudden attack.
She chanced a glance down at the scene beneath her. The shock coursing through her veins nearly disrupted her flight.
The flames were gone, lasting no more than a few seconds, but the damage was still very much there. The once reddish-orange rock was singed a deep black, portions even glowing with molten magma. Large chunks of wall littered the ground, leaving Twilight hoping that no one was caught underneath the rubble. Her inner historian shed a tear as her eyes scanned over the ruined cityscape. It must’ve taken years for that city to reach such an impressive state, and it was all destroyed in the blink of an eye. Yet that wasn’t the worst of it.
Though Twilight saw many griffons escape the inferno, not all were as lucky. Her stomach churned as she laid eyes on the deceased, the countless burnt, sizzling corpses of those who were unable to escape in time. The smell invaded her nostrils, burning them. So many innocent lives, griffons who have done nothing wrong, cruelly cut short like it was nothing. Twilight couldn't even begin to imagine who could be capable of such a thing.
The sight was simply too much for her to bear. Her flight path wavered and dipped as she lost focus on her flying. Soon after, she lost control of her wings entirely, dropping to the ground a couple dozen feet below.
She landed near the canyon’s cliff edge, her nose still burning with the smell of the deceased. She didn’t even care for the ache coursing through her body as she forced herself back up to her hooves. After witnessing that attack, after looking over the destructive aftermath, there was only one thing that Twilight wanted to know.
“Who’s responsible for this?”
As she looked over the scene, something occurred to her. She recognized it. Yes, she read about in the history books all the time. The sudden, violent, large-scale attack. The burnt remains of a griffon city. It all matched up. It was the Great Fire of the Griffon Kingdom that occurred nearly a thousand years ago. A band of rogue soldiers from Celestia’s royal guard invaded the city and completely burnt it to the ground, killing hundreds of griffons. It was the same event that led to the griffons’ retaliatory invasion of Equestria.
Yet, if that was the case, then Twilight should’ve been able to spot the soldiers. From her perch, though, she was unable to spot a single one. However, something out of the corner of her eye quickly caught her attention. It appeared to be the form of a pony flying out of the charred chasm.
Twilight immediately looked towards it, expecting to see one of the soldiers responsible for the attack. Upon laying eyes on the pony, she felt her heart sink to her stomach.
Flying high above the canyon, above the destruction, above the death, was a white alicorn that Twilight recognized all too well. Celestia stared down at the scene before her not with eyes of shock, horror, and disgust, but of contempt, anger, and a seething hatred that nearly made Twilight’s heart stop.
Twilight couldn’t muster the will to move, to speak, or to do anything more than stare at the angry princess. Every muscle in her body tightened, her heart threatened to burst from her chest, tears welled in her eyes as her image of Celestia burned away in a sea of flames. It couldn’t be. It didn’t matter how things seemed, there must’ve been some crucial, missing context. The anger in Celestia’s eyes must’ve been aimed towards something else. It had to be. The thought screaming in Twilight’s mind simply couldn’t be possible.
“You… You monster!”
Twilight was yanked back into reality as the screeching voice of a griffon broke the silence. Turning around, she saw a male griffon standing right behind her, his eyes, full of burning hatred, glaring at the one responsible for destroying his home. Celestia.
“N-no,” Twilight whispered. “It can’t be…” She looked back into the sky, hoping in vain that the pony had changed. No, she still saw Celestia, and she saw the golden glow built up in her horn as she glared right back at the griffon.
A golden beam of energy speeding toward her was the last thing that Twilight saw.
Twilight felt herself practically get thrown back into her physical being. The young princess, still in shock, staggered back from her desk, her legs weak and shaking beneath her. Struggling to stay upright, her eyes, wide and frantic, stared into nothing as she tried to calm her erratic, shallow breathing.
The images racing through her mind were still crystal clear, plastered at the front of her mind. She still felt the phantom pains of jagged rock scraping against her hooves. She still felt the hot air blasting against her face and stinging her eyes, the scorching flames licking against her skin. That awful, awful smell still lingered in her nostrils. But most of all, she still felt the terror—the sheer terror—rushing through her veins.
What she just witnessed, that couldn’t have been right. No, there was simply no way that what she saw was real. The potion must’ve been faulty in some way. Perhaps it merely needed another dose of alicorn magic to work properly. She knew how that particular moment in history played out already. She had read about it countless times. What she just saw had to have been wrong!
Desperate to quell her growing fears, Twilight jerked her head towards her bookcase as her horn glowed a soft lavender. Running her magic over each and every book, she snatched out the hefty tome that she wanted. History of the Griffon Kingdom Vol. XXVII. Dropping the thick book onto her desk, she threw it open, tearing through the pages, darting her eyes across the countless words.
“No. No. No! No! N—Wait. Here!” She brought a single, victorious hoof down on the page before her. “The Great Fire of 236 A.C,” Twilight muttered. Her mouth cracked open into a relieved, almost deluded smile as she read over the event’s details. Yes, yes. She knew that she wasn’t going crazy. The cause of that terrible fire was a band of rogue soldiers from Celestia’s royal guard, just as she thought. They had raided a major griffon city as a way to take revenge on the griffons after their own raiding of Hoofington a few months prior.
A nice, long, relieving sigh was all that Twilight needed to restore her composure. She knew that it was simply impossible for whatever she saw to be the reality. If anything, it was just a mere nightmare, one that she could put behind her. She knew that Celestia would never do something so terrible. Perhaps that potion wasn’t as accurate as she initially thought. Still, it was strange.
As far as she could tell, it had been very accurate in its portrayals of her previous two experiences with it. In fact, were it not for its accuracy, she would’ve never found the Tree of Harmony. Something must've been different about her latest session in particular. Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin as she considered what could’ve gone wrong with potion in order to have it show her something so grossly incorrect. Unfortunately, she did not have much time to think before she heard a gentle knocking at her door.
Immediately dispelling the concern from her mind, Twilight put on a warm smile as she turned towards the door. “Come in.”
A golden aura wrapped around Twilight’s chamber doors before it pushed them open. Light from the hall outside poured into the dark room, revealing a sight that calmed Twilight even further. “Princess Celestia!” she beamed. “What are you doing up so late?” The worried frown on the white alicorn’s face did not go unnoticed, but Twilight was simply too relieved to see Celestia—the real Celestia—after witnessing the horrendous acts of that… imposter to let it affect her.
As Celestia stepped into Twilight’s room, she spared a glance or two about the dark room. “I apologize if I’m disturbing you, Twilight,” she began. “I overheard you mumbling to yourself and simply wanted to know if something was wrong.”
Yes, that potion did make Twilight mumble to herself while under its effects, didn't it? Still, it only went to show the elation she felt upon seeing her mentor, as she had nearly forgotten about what had caused her discomfort in the first place. “O-Oh, I… I was just…” As the recent memories flooded her mind once again, she couldn’t keep it from showing on her face. "It’s nothing," she lied. "Really."
Needless to say, Twilight’s somber demeanor did not go unnoticed by the princess. “Are you certain? It seems as though something is bothering you.”
Twilight mentally winced before releasing a tired sigh. She knew that she wouldn’t have been able to convince Celestia that everything was fine, not after what she saw. The white alicorn had an almost innate ability to detect the faintest of troubled tones behind a voice. Lying to her was next to impossible, as Twilight knew all too well. If she had even taken a cookie from the cookie jar, Celestia's would've known.
“It really is nothing important,” Twilight said, still hiding the truth. She gestured towards the bottle resting on her desk, a sip’s worth of the white potion still inside. “I was just experimenting with that potion Zecora lent me.”
“Oh, you mean that curious elixir that allows you to observe the past?” Celestia inquired.
“Yes, that one.” Twilight’s frown only deepened as she recalled her latest experience with it. “But I think something’s wrong with it this time.”
Celestia raised an interested eyebrow. “And what would make you say that?”
Twilight took a worried glance back towards the bottle resting on her desk. “The supposed ‘past’ that it sent me back to didn’t seem right at all. From what I could gather, it had sent me back to the Griffon Kingdom during the Great Fire of 236, but…” Try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from slouching over. “The things that I saw… It just couldn’t have been right.”
She was unable to see it, but Celestia’s face hardened ever so slightly. “And what did you see?” she softly asked.
Twilight could only shake her head as her tears threatened to return. Why was she about to cry? She knew that what she saw was fake. Yet it still felt so real that she just couldn't erase the possibility from her mind. “It… It was…” Just as the first tears trickled down her face, Twilight felt a warm, familiar wing drape over her body. As Celestia drew the young princess closer to herself, Twilight, almost instinctively, pressed her head into her mentor’s chest. Somehow, that only made even more tears stream down her cheeks.
“It is okay, my dear Twilight,” Celestia whispered. “You can tell me.”
Through the tears, through the sorrow, Twilight found her words. “I… I know for certain that a group of rogue soldiers raided that city and caused that fire. I’ve read about it so many times that I can remember the entire thing by heart. But that potion… I-it showed—”
“That I was the cause of that fire,” Celestia calmly finished.
Twilight nodded, the side of her face rubbing against Celestia’s warm fur. As much of a sobbing wreck as she was, that feeling still managed to place her in a sense of calm. “Yes, that’s… that’s…” Her voice trailed off as something occurred to her. Something that shattered her sense of calm. Her teary eyes snapping open, Twilight slowly looked up at the princess. Celestia's gaze was still as warm as ever, yet it still sent a chill down Twilight’s spine. “H-how did you know that?”
Still smiling, Celestia shut her eyes, releasing a quiet sigh. “I knew this day would come,” she said. “I just didn’t think that it would be so soon.”
It was her smile. Twilight couldn’t place a hoof on what it was, but Celestia’s smile was different. It didn’t evoke feelings of calm or warmth. No, it chilled Twilight to the bone. It left her motionless. It left her speechless.
Celestia opened her eyes, staring into Twilight’s own. Her smile eased ever so slightly. “Answer me this, Twilight. Which source do you feel is most accurate? The vision that you saw or the words of your history books?”
Upon hearing her question, Twilight snapped back to reality. She didn’t even need to think twice about her answer. “Th-the books, of course. There must’ve been something wrong with the potion. There has to be!”
Sensing her student’s growing agitation, Celestia gently stroked her with her wing, calmly hushing her. “Twilight, if you truly did see what you claim, then there is nothing wrong with that potion.”
Twilight’s racing heart threatened to stop beating at that very moment as those words rang in her head. “What?”
Celestia’s voice didn’t lose any of its pleasantness. “There is nothing wrong with the potion,” she repeated. “I am the cause of that fire long ago.”
Twilight’s legs, once again, threatened to give out from underneath her. Her head pounded as the beginnings of a headache crept its way into her skull. Even wrapped in the warmth of Celestia’s wing, Twilight shivered as her body went cold. The young princess could scarcely believe what she did next.
She wormed her way out from underneath Celestia’s comforting wing and backed away from the white alicorn.
Celestia, almost expecting such an action, merely sighed as she retracted her lonely wing.
Twilight’s mind raced as it drifted back to the things that she had seen. Back to the city’s impressive architecture and the proud species that it inhabited. Back to those happy faces. Back to that dreadful explosion, intense heat, and the unforgiving flames that engulfed it all in an instant. Back to Celestia’s cruel, cold expression as she hovered her destructive creation.
And it was all true.
Twilight hardly noticed it, but her face twisted into a scowl. Never did she think that her anger would be directed towards Celestia, but she just couldn’t pretend that such a thing had never happened. Only one question made itself loud and clear in her mind, and she was going to ensure that it was answered. “Why? Why would you do such a thing?” she demanded, not even realizing how loud her voice was.
Despite the harsh tone, Celestia’s calm demeanor didn’t falter for a second. Though her smile was gone, her gaze was still as warm as ever. “Allow me to paint you a picture, Twilight.”
Twilight’s angered surface gave way to confusion at the sudden request. “What?”
Slowly, calmly, Celestia walked across the room, the rhythmic clacking of her golden shoes against the floor preventing the room from falling into total silence. “A thousand years ago, I was forced to banish my sister after her transformation into Nightmare Moon. You know this.” Celestia stopped before the large window, bathing her body in the soft moonlight. Her eyes never turned to meet Twilight’s; she merely stared out into the shining moon above. “You also know that Equestria’s relationship with the Griffon Kingdom was not a healthy one. Imagine if they were to get word of Luna’s abrupt disappearance. Equestria had lost a leader. Its authoritative power was cut in half. Now, imagine that a mere ten years later, the griffons attempted to use that fact to their advantage.”
Twilight absorbed Celestia’s words as she let the scenario form itself in her mind. She had seen the pain in Celestia’s eyes for herself. She witnessed the very real, pained tears streaming down her face as she was forced to imprison the one pony dearest to her heart. It would be enough to send anypony into a spiraling state of depression, Twilight couldn't deny that. Yet the worst was far from over.
“Thinking they could get away with it, a battalion of griffons raided Hoofington,” Celestia continued. “While it didn’t seem to be their intention to harm my subjects, dozens still died during their pillage. If anything, it was meant to serve as a message, as a threat towards this land.” With a solemn sigh, Celestia shut her eyes. “I could not allow such a thing to go unanswered.”
Twilight swallowed a lump in her throat as she understood the implications. She had seen Celestia’s ‘answer’ with her very eyes. “That was when you…”
Celestia softly nodded. “And yet it didn’t end there. I am certain that you know what the Great Fire was a catalyst of.”
Twilight hardly needed more than a few seconds to think of the answer. But when it did pop into her mind, her eyes widened in shocking realization. “The Griffon Invasion. The war that cost thousands of lives on both sides.” As the words left her lips, Twilight felt her heart sink further and further into her stomach. All of this time, everything she’d known about the cause of that catastrophic event had been a lie. She remembered the disgust she felt at the thought that such gross selfishness could lead to such a tragedy. Yet all this time, she’d been staring the cause of that travesty right in the face.
“I still remember that day. That day when the sky went black with griffons, when countless of my most loyal soldiers threw themselves onto the battlefield, putting their lives at stake for the sake of our nation, all because of my careless mistake. The screams of the dying, both pony and griffon, have yet to cease haunting me some nights.” Celestia breathed another quiet sigh, her breath quavering slightly. Tears glistened in the moonlight as they trailed down her white cheeks. “It is something that I still regret to this day.” Slowly, she reopened her eyes. “What about you?”
Twilight felt her heart skip as Celestia placed her on the spot. “What about me?”
Finally, Celestia looked over towards Twilight. Immediately, Twilight noticed a difference in her eyes. They were no longer calm or warm, yet they didn’t give her chills either. While they still glistened with tears, Twilight could see something else. She could see regret. Shame. “Were you in this situation, what would you have done?” the white alicorn asked.
That gave Twilight pause. Admittedly, she was still uneasy about issuing basic orders to the castle’s guards. It took her weeks before she could simply tell a guard to rise after his formal bow without stuttering. However, she had read more than enough on the actions one could take to prevent unnecessary confrontation, wars included. Though the answer was clear in her mind, she still hesitated in its delivery. “I… I would’ve spoken to the Griffon Kingdom’s leader to ensure that the griffons responsible for raiding Hoofington met proper punishment.”
A dry chuckle left Celestia’s lips. “Is that an answer you’ve derived from one of your books?”
Twilight felt heat flush in her cheeks as she shuffled her hooves about the floor. Was it really that obvious?
“Please, Twilight, think for a moment,” Celestia said, almost pleading. “Think of the multitude of emotions, the guilt, the sorrow, the regret, rushing through you every second of every day, spending every waking hour living with what you had to do. Then, during your darkest of hours, someone chooses to take advantage of this moment of weakness. They choose to attack your nation, to harm your subjects for their own needless gain. Do you honestly believe that you would be able to think so rationally in such a situation?”
Celestia’s words did hold merit. The emotional turmoil combined with the still-present task of ruling Equestria must’ve been unimaginably taxing on her well-being. Then only a decade later, hardly even enough to register in Celestia’s long life, an enemy attacked while she was still wracked with grief. While she was still emotionally unstable. Twilight tried placing herself in that same scenario, and she couldn’t deny that she’d be unable to think clearly either, if she could handle the pressure at all.
Finally, overcoming the shock of Celestia’s small outburst, Twilight found her voice, weak as it was. “No,” she answered. “No, I suppose I wouldn’t be very rational either.” Even though she could agree with Celestia on that, she could not simply forget that the princess’ lack of rational thought ended numerous innocent lives. “But that still doesn’t make what you did right!”
Putting on a noticeably calmer expression, Celestia nodded. “And I am not saying that it is. If anything, I want this to serve as a lesson.”
Twilight felt her own raging storm of emotions calm as well as she considered Celestia’s words. “A lesson, Princess?”
Celestia looked back out the window, looking over the wide, vast land that she had worked so hard to protect. “As the rulers of Equestria, our decisions carry more weight than they ever could in a normal life. These decisions can lead to the best of times, but they can just as easily lead to the worst. This is why it is of the utmost importance that we have a handle on our emotions at all times. We must make every choice with the long-term safety of Equestria in mind, something that we may have trouble doing if we are flustered, upset, or otherwise angry. This is where I have failed.”
Twilight’s anger had all but disappeared, replaced with a sense of heartbreak as the benevolent Celestia she had known since childhood warped into something else. Something darker. How long had she convinced herself that Celestia was the only pony on this great, wide planet that wasn’t capable of wrongdoing? How long did she convince herself that Celestia was simply perfect in every way? And in an instant, that perfect image was shattered by the truth. Even the greatest of ponies were capable of the darkest of deeds if the circumstances permitted it.
Still, that did leave one question unanswered, a question that became apparent once again when Twilight glanced towards the history book on her nearby desk. “But I still don’t understand. If that’s what really happened, then why do the books say differently?”
Something of a pained smile crept onto Celestia’s face. “Isn’t it obvious? That was another decision I made in the hopes that it would better Equestria.”
Twilight felt her eyes go wide as she glanced back towards the book. “You mean… you made them that way yourself? You… you lied about this?”
The pained wince in Celestia’s face did not go unnoticed, yet her rose eyes still locked with Twilight’s own. “Yes. I did.”
The questions racing through Twilight’s mind returned in force. It seemed that for every answer she received, two more questions arose. “But why? I mean, how? H-how? Why?”
Instead of immediately answer, Celestia wrapped Twilight’s history book in a golden aura, bring it over to herself. Slowly, she flipped through its numerous pages, eyes calmly scanning the words they held. “How I did it was hardly challenging. Though the event itself could not be kept hidden from my subjects, it was a simple matter of fabricating a believable lie. Since I was the most reliable source of information, in their eyes, my word was gold. If there was anything that I wanted kept secret…” Celestia gripped a lone page in her golden field before tearing it out. The violent sound of ripping paper, witnessing the actual act, nearly made Twilight vomit. “I simply omitted it.”
“B-but surely the griffons themselves still know what really happened. You couldn’t convince them to keep it a secret too, could you?”
Placing the book on the ground, leaving the lone page floating before her, Celestia nodded. “That is true. I cannot control the flow of information in a different nation entirely. I am certain that they still tell accurate tales of that terrible event to this very day. However, how difficult do you think it was to convince my subjects that the griffons were simply attempting to slander my name?”
“But that still doesn’t explain why you did it. You said that it was a decision made for the good of Equestria. How is that possible?”
Celestia glanced towards Twilight before passing the page off to her. “Read that.”
Taking the yellowed page in her lavender field, Twilight held it before her eyes. The page detailed the great toll that the Griffon Invasion had on Equestria. The number of casualties was simply insurmountable. Thousands upon thousands of lives cut short. Countless families left devastated. A true travesty that still sent chills down numerous ponies’ spines.
Twilight felt that pit of despair bubble in the depths of her stomach as she looked back up at the princess. Emotions clashed as her eyes fixed themselves on Celestia’s morose form. The confidence that Celestia always carried herself with was gone, replaced with a sadness and regret that threatened to shear Twilight’s heart in two.
“These ponies look to me for wisdom, comfort, and protection. They trust me,” Celestia said. Even her voice lost most of its usual grace. “If they were to discover that my selfish, careless, and undeniably horrendous actions directly caused one of the greatest disasters in Equestrian history, then… then that trust would be shattered, and I doubt that it could ever be repaired.
“After that day, once the anger subsided and I looked back on what I had done, it made me sick. And having to watch that invasion, knowing that the blood was on my hooves… It made me truly aware of the power that my decisions carried. Though I still mourned over the loss of my sister, from that day forward, I vowed to never act out based on my emotions alone, no matter how explosive they may be. Yet at the same time, I was still afraid. Afraid of what my little ponies would think of me if they knew the truth behind that day. By keeping it secret, they are able to live in blissful ignorance rather than in fear of what they’re princess has done and what she is capable of. I truly do believe that Equestria is a better place because of it.”
The worry weighed on Twilight's being like a brick as Celestia poured her heart out. "But if you want this to stay secret, why tell me then?"
Another quiet, solemn sigh passed through Celestia's lips as she stared out into her sister's night. "As princess, there will come times when you yourself will be faced with these difficult situations. Though I have the utmost faith in your abilities, I still must teach you of the immense weight that your decisions carry, lest you learn the same way that I have." Her eyes, glistening with tears, slowly shut once again. It almost seemed as though she was hesitant to even look Twilight in the eye. "I am not asking for your forgiveness, Twilight. I only ask that you learn from my mistakes, as not to repeat them. As I said, I intended on telling you of this at a later date, but it seems that fate has other plans in mind." Another tear fell from Celestia's cheek, glistening in the moonlight. "I... I understand if you do not forgive me for this."
Seeing Celestia in such a defeated state, Twilight didn’t even notice her hooves move of their own accord as she inched closer towards the princess. As horrible as the act was, she couldn’t deny that Celestia didn’t spend her waking days regretting it. She could not ignore the sheer sorrow made prominent on Celestia's face. She did not recount this tale with the cold, uncaring tone of the emotionally dead. The tears falling from her face were far too real. The countless years of stress and regret, of keeping this secret deep inside of her, of bottling it all up, it all finally seemed to pour out in one, powerful stream of emotion.
Twilight heard her mentor’s tears cease as she pressed her head against Celestia’s chest. Looking up, she saw Celestia staring back down at her, genuine surprise in her eyes as the young princess gave her a warm smile. “Twilight… You… you don’t…?”
Though the panic and anger bubbling inside of her stomach had settled, Twilight still couldn’t erase all of the worry from her face. “While I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget this, or what this will change between us, you are still, undoubtedly, one of the greatest ponies I have ever known. My times spent talking to you, learning from you, and laughing with you were some of the best I’ve ever had. Nothing will change that.”
“Twilight…” Celestia’s voice quavered as the tears in her eyes threatened to return in full, though Twilight suspected that they weren’t of sorrow. She herself felt her heart calm as she stared into those deep, pink eyes.
Twilight nuzzled her head against Celestia’s chest again. “I can’t say that I agree with what you’ve done,” she continued, “but I can’t force you to change it. I can’t say that I would’ve done any better in that situation, either. If you do actually believe that hiding this is best for Equestria, then that’s enough for me.” Were it any other situation, she might’ve been absolutely giddy with excitement at the fact that she was comforting Princess Celestia. Yet she maintained her motherly composure. She wasn’t comforting Princess Celestia, nor was she even comforting her mentor. She was comforting a friend.
Her eyes shot back up at Celestia when she heard a soft chuckle leave the princess’ lips. “I am such a fool,” Celestia said.
“What do you mean?”
“All of this time, I intended to tell you this, to teach this lesson, at a later time once you've matured. Little did I know, you’ve already reached that level of maturity." A warm smile graced the princess' face. "It seems that you still exceed my expectations even to this day.”
Twilight’s lips curled up into a soft smile, her worry all but gone. She was still in the company of Princess Celestia, and nothing had changed that. Yes, she had made that one, terrible mistake long ago, and no doubt more throughout the rest of her life, but if anything, they helped mold her into the benign being that Twilight had the ultimate pleasure of knowing.
No more words were needed. The bond between mentor and mentee, between friends, still held strong. For a moment that could never be long enough, the two stood there, wrapped in a warm embrace, each calming the other in a way nopony else could. If a certain, mischievous draconequus were to make all time stop at that very moment, there were few places where Twilight would’ve preferred to be frozen in.
Still enjoying the moment, Celestia looked back down at Equestria’s newest princess. “Twilight, I have one more thing to ask you.”
“Mmhmm?” Twilight muttered, still nuzzling Celestia’s chest, unwilling to break away.
“What do you think my single, greatest dream is?”
Pure instincts forced Twilight’s head away from her mentor’s chest as the question bounced about in her head. “Your greatest… dream?” Her face contorted in confusion as she tried to think of an answer that didn’t seem to be coming. She could hardly believe it, but out of all the things that she had extensive knowledge of, what Celestia dreamt of was not one of them. “I… I don’t know. What is it?”
Celestia’s eyes, threatening to turn Twilight’s heart into mush, seemed to glisten ever so slightly as they stared into her student’s very being. “My dream is for you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, to surpass me. To become the greatest princess that Equestria has ever known.”
It felt as though the words literally punched Twilight square in the chest. Breathing, an act that had seemed so simple a second ago, suddenly became a near impossibility. Her mind threatened to go blank as it processed what it had just heard. She couldn’t have heard that right; she must’ve simply heard the figments of her ridiculous fantasies. Yet, as she stared into those warm, pink, unwavering eyes, she knew that what she heard was no figment. The thoughts racing through Twilight’s mind were loud and clear. It was unfortunate that her delivery was less than stellar. “I… B-b-but… Th-that’s…I-I-I can’t…”
Twilight’s attempts to utter a single coherent sentence were cut short as a golden-tipped hoof rested itself on her lips. “But you can,” Celestia said, her voice the soft whisper of a caring mother. “You have already proven to me that Equestria is safe in your hooves. I have to live with my terrible misdeeds for the rest of my living days. I had to lie to my subjects, to deceive them, in order to maintain peace throughout this land. I was scared and attempted to cover up my mistakes. Luna allowed her jealousy and anger to consume her. To this very day, ponies are still wary around her, still fearful. This was not the great land we envisioned when we first sat upon our thrones. However, if there is anypony in this wide world of ours that can succeed where we have failed, it is you, Twilight Sparkle.”
The idea alone sent Twilight’s mind into overdrive. Actually hearing the words from Celestia herself nearly made her faint. To know that such a hefty request had always been hanging over her, it just seemed too much to bear. “I… I-it’s just… That’s a lot to ask of me,” Twilight admitted. “I mean, I-I’m honored that you think I’m capable of this, but… to be a princess of Equestria for as long as you have without making a single, costly mistake? That… that just seems impossible.”
Despite the doubt in Twilight’s words, Celestia’s smile did not ease. “And why is that?”
It was difficult, being asked such questions by the princess, especially after hearing how much faith she had in her. Still, as much as Twilight wanted it to be true, she couldn’t ignore the fact that Equestria, even after its lengthy time under Celestia’s rule, was still far from perfect. “It’s just that… anything could still happen,” she finally said. Like you said, I’m going to be faced with a lot of hard choices, and I won’t have the answers to all of them, if they have answers at all. The most that I can do is hope for the best, and live with consequences of my actions as they come.”
It wasn't the answer that Twilight wanted to give, but it was what she knew was the truth. Celestia, however, hardly seemed bothered by it. She nodded, her smile still as warm as ever. “Do you see, Twilight? That way of thinking… That is why, one day, you will become the better princess.”
Out of all the things Twilight expected to hear, that, undoubtedly, wasn't one of them. She felt… something pierce her heart. She didn’t know if it was excitement, shock, terror, or a mixture of the three. All she knew was that it froze her in place as she looked back up at the princess, back at that smile.
“Goodnight, Princess Twilight.”
Twilight wanted to release another barrage of questions towards Celestia. She wanted to know what she meant by her words. She wanted to know what to expect, how to become the better princess. She wanted to ask anything, yet the words simply refused to come. Twilight could only stand there and watch Celestia calmly leave her bedroom, gently shutting the door behind her.
Her room plunged back into darkness. The candle had long since burned out, leaving Twilight in the moonlight pouring through her window. Her mind, still frazzled, tried to convince her that everything that had transpired, from the sip of that white potion to Celestia’s final words, was all just a dream. She wanted to simply scream out, just to release the stress, just to make some noise in that deafening silence, but she couldn’t find her voice.
My dream is for you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, to surpass me.
Celestia’s words repeated themselves in Twilight’s mind like a headache that simply refused to leave. It was the single greatest thing she had ever heard, yet it was also the most terrifying. How could she possibly hope to do such a thing? How could she ever live up to Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, let alone surpass them? She couldn’t possibly hold a candle to their names. Celestia may have tried to reassure her, but Twilight knew the truth. She didn’t have a chance. It was just impossible.
Something out of the corner of her eye glistened in the moonlight. Looking up at it, Twilight’s eyes met that glass bottle and the white liquid it contained. Just seeing it again filled her mind with images of that dreadful, dreadful memory, the very same one that haunted Celestia. A nerve-wracking knot tied itself in her stomach as she considered the simple possibility that her actions could lead to such grim consequences. Even if she would never surpass them, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t do her best to ensure such a thing never happened again.
Yet, despite her determined way of thinking, Twilight couldn't convince herself that preventing another tragedy from befalling Equestria would be easy, if even possible. It was just as she said herself, anything could happen. As nice as it was, Equestria wasn't perfect; no nation was. Celestia and Luna, though... It seemed as though they thought Equestria was a perfect utopia of harmony where its inhabitants would be safe until the end of time. They tragically discovered for themselves that that was far from the truth.
However, if there is anypony in this wide world of ours that can succeed where we have failed, it is you, Twilight Sparkle.
A small gasp passed through Twilight’s lips as something clicked in her mind. The hints of a frown crept onto her face as the meaning behind Celestia’s words finally made itself apparent. “I… I think I finally understand,” she whispered.
Twilight looked back out her window, back out into the calming night sky. She knew that Luna had to live with what she had done a thousand years ago. That day was a day burned into the memory of nearly every pony in Equestria. She knew that Luna would’ve given anything to change how that day played out, to wipe that dark day from history. Yet she couldn’t.
Both sisters had done things in the past that they immensely regretted. They both made their mistakes, and they both had to live with the consequences they brought. Twilight's mind drifted to herself. To the things that her own future held. Celestia wanted her to succeed where she had failed, to surpass her. The doubt still lingered in the pits of her mind as she thought of that one goal. That one, seemingly impossible goal. To see to it that Celestia's greatest dream was realized. While she was still uncertain that she was capable of it, there was only one way for her to know for certain.
As Twilight stared out into the grand glow of Luna’s moon, a newfound determination filled her eyes.
“Princess Celestia, I… I won’t let you down.”
