Mournful Sunsets
Written by Dragon Genesis
The setting sun was usually a beautiful sight, colored in oranges, blues, pinks, and purples that dashed across the sky as the sun made its way to another part of the world to give it it's heavenly light. It was a sight that spoke romance, the end of a long day, the beginning of a late on.
Ponies would go home for the day before turning in only hours later. Others were just rousing for a late shift at their work place or just out of habit. Lovers would sit in parks, fields, balcony and watch as the colors of the sunset painted the sky in Celestia's brilliance.
But then again, not all sunsets were beautiful.
Sometimes they were feared, ponies fearful of what creatures may wander out without the light of Celestia's sun to keep them at bay. Some feared the day that would meet them once they were asleep. And a select few foals feared the amount of time they had left to cram in the homework they set aside until later.
But tonight, in a secluded area of the castle, three alicorns hated the sunset for a completely different reason. A reason more darker than any would believe. A reason that many never want to believe, but have to when it finally comes.
Princess Celestia, the three thousand nine hundred ninety nine year old alicorn laid in her plush bed in the castle of Canterlot, age showing on her features. Luna, only five years away from the same fate, watched with tear filled eyes as the day began to turn into night and midnight drew closer, each minute withering away more life of the seemingly immortal sun goddess.
Ponies loved to think alicorns were immortal, that they never die, that they were born to uphold peace for the entirety of time. But this was not true. They did die, they did pass on like any other pony, just much, much, slower.
Four thousand years. This was the dining point for any and all alicorns. They enjoyed one second of being four thousand years old, enjoying all the knowledge that they gained and shared over their life time. And after that one second, their heart will no longer beat, their brain no longer function, their lungs no longer breath. They would simply die. Existing no longer.
Celestia was only hours from this point in her life, letting her memories replay themselves through her old, tired mind as her body withered away. Twilight, a three thousand year old alicorn, watched in silence as her former teacher, her best friend, her lover, withered away. The lavender mare could only cry as she knew there was nothing to do except wait for her own time to come within the next nine hundred or so years.
Cadence, only being five hundred years younger than the two sisters, knew her time was soon, in their sense of time, and found it hard to keep herself from crying as she watched her distant aunt slowly die in her bed. Cadence took death rough, the death of her husband over three thousand years ago was proof of this, but it was harder on her when it was someone like her. Long living.
Luna was the one who stayed strong. She had seen this happen twice before and was close enough to know that her sister needed someone to be strong. She needed someone to be the strong one while still mourning her, and Luna was that pony. She only had five years, and she was going to do what she could in those last years, starting off with obeying her sisters last wishes.
Celestia, for her part, was calm. She simply stared at the mural that she had painted on her bedroom ceiling. It depicted battles that she went into and own, historical treaties she signed. It showed events few knew existed, events that held such a large place in history and would take much longer than the three thousand years that have passed to be forgotten. And, of course, the center held the marriage of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia.
Four thousand years was an Unimaginably long time, it nearly drove her wife into insanity after two hundred. And now has been three thousand for the mare and a full four for herself. She had accomplished many achievements in this time. Created allies, lost some, found a wonderful mare to spend her times with, and much, much more. A small smile crossed her face as she gazed down at the growing lump that was Twilight's stomach. And in a month she would have achieved one more thing beyond her grave. She only regretted not being there when her wife gave birth, or when their daughter grew up.
Celestia gave a soft sigh as her sun, guided by her lover, lowered itself closer towards the horizon. Not much longer. So not much time to act. And so, slowly, she used what strength she had to move herself up the headboard, knocking away a hoof when offered. Once she finally sat with her back against the headboard, she looked over her three guests, friends, family.
"I guess we don't have much longer together, do we?" She asked with a small smile, her voice hoarse from her ever increasing age. The wrinkles in her skin and the large sections of gray in her mane shimmering slightly. "I...just wanted to say that in these last three thousand years, you three have made more happy than I could have dreamed. It's such a shame I couldn't spend even more time with you." She took another glance at the ponies, Luna starting to tear up, Cadence at the verge of sobbing, Twilight on the verge of bawling.
"Luna," said the celestial goddess, stopping at the lunar princess. "For all our lives we have been inseparable, only proven wrong by envy and selfishness. But we got back together and we never let any other emotion so trivial get between us since then. You had my back through all my decisions, and I had yours." Luna smiled and looked away, trying to hide her tears. Celestia smiled and looked at the next mare.
"Cadence," she said with a small giggle. "I think what kept me going in those long thousand years was the spell you cast on yourself, making yourself a filly just to cheer me up. You did it so often that you foalsat like that. Your foalish humor kept me laughing and in a light mood even when my failures hung over my head like they did. And for that, I thank you." Cadence proceeded to cry into the crook of her foreleg. Finally, Celestia set her gaze on the last group member.
"Twilight, my love," she whispered in a sad tone. "Three thousand years of undying loyalty and love bottled up in a gourgeous mare I had the luck in marrying. You were the light of my day that pulled me through every boring meeting and court and helped me along in the most trying times. My only regret is that I won't be there when our daughter is born, but please make sure she knows of me and that I love her, even if I can never be there for her." Twilight sobbed, smiling at her wife as she nodded.
Casting her gaze at the now nearly set sun, Celestia sighed and closed her eyes, letting peace flow over her like a slowly rising tub. She could feel it was time, in every inch of her being she could feel it. And she was not scared, she was not sad. She was...content. And content she was as she spoke her last words.
"Goodbye, my friends." And with a single, delicate breath, Celestia died. The sun was gone from the horizon, leaving the world in Luna's domain. And while ponies slept or went to work, while foals dreamed, and while the stars danced, three alicorns sat in a secluded area of the castle, closed off even to their guards, and wept.
They wept for the setting sun.
