"Thus concludes today's Dusk Court," shouted a green pegasus mare. Her crystal gavel making a solid thunk on her table as she brought the day to a close. A multi colored assembly of ponies of all types started shuffling around, moving papers, speaking in hushed tones to one another. "Any further petitions must be deferred until tomorrow." She sighed as the assembled ponies filtered out from the throne room through the grand mahogany doors opposite of her. She fussed with some paper work for a few minutes while the room cleared. Once the last pony was out and the doors shut, she turned around and moved to the mare that towered behind her.
Her purple coat contrasted nicely with the fine mahogany paneling on the walls, the late afternoon sun shining through the window behind her, glinting off the alicorn's golden regalia. Her eyes were closed and her face graced with a peaceful smile.
"Your Majesty, Court has concluded," she said to the large purple alicorn receiving only soft snores in response. With a kind smile she fluttered up to the alicorn's ear and put one hoof between her teeth and whistled.
With a start, the alicorn jolted awake. "Oh! Um. Yes! Dusk Court! Over. Yes." She shook her head a few times and laughed. "Thank you, Mr. Fancy-"
The mare rolled her eyes with a wry smile. "I'm Mrs. Star Chaser, My Queen. Fancy Pants retired 10 years ago," she said as she crossed her arms and fluttered in front of Twilight's face.
"Oh, he did? I'm so sorry. My old noggin is not what it used to be, my little pony," she said with a blush spreading over her face.
"I know, Your Highness. That's why I have this right here," Star said as she pulled out a small scroll. Unfurling it, she read from it, "Today's Schedule. You wanted to visit the Statue Gardens after court, My Queen. Do you wish for me to accompany you?" she said as she rolled up the scroll.
Twilight looked out the window too her left. Through it she saw the beautiful and verdant palace gardens. She shook her head. "No, Ms. Moon- "
"Star Chaser, Your Majesty."
"Yes, Sorry, Mrs. Chaser. You should return to your family. Tell those lovely children of yours I said hello." Twilight shooed the pegasus away with her hooves, a warm smile on her face. "In fact, you should bring them to the palace again some day. You have such a wonderful family."
"Of course Your Majesty. I'm sure the girls would love another visit." She gave the monarch a friendly embrace which Twilight reciprocated. "Good night then, Your Majesty." With a wave she flew out one of the windows, darting off into the early evening air.
Twilight carefully and slowly stood up with a grunt of effort. With each movement, her joints popped and cracked. "I'm far too old to be sitting like that for so long," she said as she arced her back. "Oh. And now I've gone and scheduled my self a dreadfully long walk too." She looked out the window again. Her eyes resting on a cluster of 5 statues.
"Well, no use in delaying. Off I go."
Twilight Sparkle walked solemnly in the palace gardens. Her gilded hooves clopped lightly against the marble paved path way, breaking the silence and solitude of the sanctuary. The sun sat low in the sky casting the world in a deep amber hue. She walked with her head held high, a peaceful smile gracing her face as she passed the gardeners. They bowed and greeted her warmly and she simply smiled and bid them to rise as she kept going. As she reached the statue garden she stopped for a moment, staring off into the distance at nothing in particular before she continued on.
It had been ages since she had visited the statue gardens. They always reminded her of days long past. Something she so desperately avoided. She passed memorial after memorial, ignoring them for the most part. Each one representing some value ponies held dear. Each one carved in the likeness of heroes of ages lost to history: A bearded unicorn who exuded Intelligence. Hidden under a rough cowl sat Humility. Fidelity stood faithfully with her partner Forgiveness, Love sheltered her beloved children with magic and wing, and Sacrifice standing where others could not.
She wasn't quite sure why the last one, a beautifully painted marble statue of a white and blue unicorn tore at her heart so much. Like he was someone important to her. It was strange, she could not recall ever meeting him. Still, it was not the memorial she was here to visit. She stepped into the center of the garden where there stood a cluster of 5 statues. An orange earth pony named Honesty. A pink one named Laughter. An alabaster unicorn named Generosity. A bright yellow pegasus named Kindness. All of them tore at her, almost as much as the stallion from earlier, but the final statue was her goal.
It stood proud, even after so long. The mare's chest was puffed out in arrogant pride. Her wild, untamed mane a swirl of colors that felt moving and alive even when carved into stone. Her wings flared out casting a long shadow over Twilight, her own outstretched. Underneath the statue, carved into it's pedestal sat an epitaph.
"Loyalty: The force that binds us in unity. With out it, all other virtues lack purpose," Twilight read aloud. "It has been a while, I think, since I have visited you, has it not?" She ran her hoof along the face of the statue, wiping away some grime and dust off it. "Yes, it has." For some reason, seeing the statue so dirty felt like a personal insult. An attack at the very foundation of her being.
She lit her horn and pulled water from the surrounding air. "I've been ever so busy. Ever since Celestia and Luna passed it has been so very difficult to be honest." The water ran over the statue, pulling up dust, dirt, grime and moss as it went. "The Gryphon Principalities petitioned to join Equestria, recently. Recently? No. That was centuries ago. Cadence was still alive then." She concentrated and vaporized the water she was holding, letting the dust and dirt fall to the grass.
"It is so hard to remember things these days. I suppose this is what Celestia spoke of. 'The Weight of Eons' she called it." She laughed to her self. It was a quiet, sad laugh, her head downcast. "She was always so melodramatic in her final years. She called breakfast 'The Feast of Waking' for goodness sake. I miss her sometimes. It's been millennia since she decided to pass on." Twilight shook her head, "Her last words were 'Twily, this pillow is so uncomfortable.'“ She chuckled slightly. “I had to make something up for the history books I think. Yes, ’I entrust the sun to your care, my dear Twilight’ is what the books say.” She stared at the ground for a time, the sun having completely set and the moon sitting full in the sky before she moved again. The marble mare glowed in the light of the pale moonlight as if paying its on ethereal tribute to this hero.
"I found a picture of you today." She got up and laid at the base of the satue. Twilight pulled the picture gently out from her crown. "It is old. Positively ancient. The paper that it was taken on was frayed and rotting." She smiled and closed her eyes. "You were somehow the most beautiful pony I had ever seen." She laughed, "Even if you were yellowed with age." Rolling over on her back, she looked up at Loyalty. "You looked so proud, too, in that white dress. It was such a beautiful dress. Though it didn't seem to suit you very well." She smiled softly. “You looked as uncomfortable as you were proud.”
She laid there for a time, watching the moon disappear behind the statue's head. Tears rolled down her face silently as she lay there.
"I miss you," Twilight whispered. "I miss you so much it hurts." Standing up, she smacked her hoof on the ground. "I miss you and I don't even remember who you are!" she shouted. "Who were you!? My mother? Sister?." She collapsed onto the ground, wracked with sobs.
"Lover?"
She laid there and cried into her hooves for hours. The sun rose into the sky before she calmed down "I remember bits and pieces," Twilight said as the sobs calmed down. "I remember a village. A small one. It feels more like home than this damn palace does and I couldn't tell you where it was or what it was called. I remember your face. Your impossibly arrogant smile, the way you would strut everywhere. I remember a wedding. Yours? Mine? I don't remember."
Twilight lays her face over her hooves, her eyes cast up at the epitaph. "I just don't remember anything anymore."
"I'm so old, Rainbow. Rainbow?" She huffed. "That was your name wasn't it?" Her eyes lit up, Yes! Rainbow. Rainbow. Now I remember."
"I've seen Equestria collapse three times now. I rebuilt Canterlot twice. I even saw my little ponies find new worlds up in that big blue sky you loved so much." Twilight looked up, her eyes following a cloud drifting lazily towards the now brightening horizon.
"You loved the sky right? Yes. You did. The sky was your first love." She closed her eyes, "Yes. The beautiful sky for the most beautiful mare." Her wings flapped lazily as she settled into her spot further. "I am far too old. I can hardly function as the Queen these days. The Prime Minister does most of the work. I think it is a stallion right now. I cannot remember. The faces all blur these days."
Twilight's horn glowed lightly as she removed her regalia and gently sat it down in the grass. "I'm so tired. Of this world. Of my memories. Of everything."
"Yes. I think I'm going to go now." Her voice started to drift off. "Maybe I'll meet you again. That would be nice," she whispered.
"Yes. I'm coming, Rainbow Dash. I'm coming to see you again." Her horn flared as a wild display of sparks shot out. "I'm coming home." Her horn burst into flame with a loud pop. "My love," she mouthed. Her wings twitched and sagged down to the ground. With a quiet sigh, she relaxed completely and the fire that consumed her horn slowly died.