As the moon began its ascent into the sky, the magical aura fading from my horn, I fought the urge to cry. I had been doing it so much lately, and it was getting tiresome. But at the same time I knew that I had every right to cry as much as I wanted.
Being a Princess, I am responsible for the well-being of all of my little ponies. I have held the title for a little over a thousand years, and in that time I have met a few ponies whom I would very gladly refer to as my closest and dearest friends.
Alas, I do not age as they do. Thus, time and again, I have had to watch them pass on — leaving behind nothing but legacies to their own families and fond memories to me. It got harder as the years went on, knowing that I would never see them again. Still, I continued to persevere; if I did not do so for my sake, then I did so for the sake of those who remained.
But then I was forced to banish my own sister. Yes, she may have been referring to herself as 'Nightmare Moon,' determined to make the night last forever and yes, she may have attacked me and destroyed parts of Canterlot. But the fact remains that she was still my dear sister Luna, and banishing her was the hardest decision I have ever had to make. My little ponies threw a party to celebrate my 'victory over the tyrant,' as they had begun calling her, but I did not attend; their definition of 'victory' was much different from mine. Isolated in my chambers later that night, I wept.
I wept for Luna, I wept for the friends I had lost, and I wept for all of the ponies who would soon be leaving me. I wept for hours, days even, not wanting to face the world and accept my responsibilities.
A soft knocking on my door distracted me and I sniffled heavily, attempting to regain some sense of composure. "Who's there?" I demanded. "I asked not to be disturbed."
"I'm very sorry for the intrusion, Princess Celestia," a timid voice replied. "But Anthony has asked me to find you."
"Anthony?" I asked, alarm bells going off. "Why, what's wrong?"
"His... his time has come, Your Highness," the voice said. "He specifically requested that you be there when he finally passes."
I took a deep breath and held it, fighting back the urge to cry again. "I'll... I'll be there as soon as I can," I said, my voice raw. "Please, go back and do all you can to make him comfortable."
"At once, Your Majesty." the voice was followed up by the sound of swiftly retreating hoofsteps, which soon faded into silence.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, wondering what I had done to deserve this. Anthony was different from the others I had met during my time as Princess, mostly due to the fact that he was not a pony. The human, as he called himself, was the last of his kind in Equestria; the rest had died out over the last hundred years.
He had been there for me when I banished Luna, offering both a shoulder to cry on and a sympathetic ear, so I was going to return the favour. With this in mind, I swallowed the lump in my throat, dried my eyes, and swapped the loneliness and comfort of my chambers for the grim atmosphere of the castle infirmary.
***
"Do you remember the day we met?" Anthony asked, his breath rasping and laboured. "It happened so long ago, but I can remember it like it was only yesterday."
I smiled warmly. "I do remember," I replied softly. "The town of Ponyville had been struck by a terrible famine, and everypony was starving; it was one of the first trials Luna and I had to face after we became Princesses. We searched many books and consulted many 'experts,' but nopony seemed to know why the crops were withered and dying as much as they were."
"Then we came along." Anthony chuckled. "We were in the area to gather lumber when, to our surprise, we saw that a town had been built where we usually set up camp. But we didn't mind... hell, we were probably happier just to have some new faces around."
"You asked to speak to whoever was in charge of the town, and everypony simply pointed at Luna and I." I giggled. "You explained why you were there, and we explained how we came to be there. I'm just glad you didn't take offence to our presence."
"What good would that have done?" Anthony groaned, a series of deep and painful coughs following his question. "We saw the opportunity to make new friends, so we took it; the first step we took towards that was to solve your crop problem."
"Yes, you did," I said. "You told us that the soil we were growing on was too acidic, then suggested ways we could treat it to make it better for our crops; we followed your advice, and our next harvest was a big one. It took a few seasons of rationing to build up enough stock to solve the hunger problem and give us a continued supply, during which time you provided the town with your own surplus."
Anthony nodded and took off his oxygen mask. I looked carefully at his time-worn face, the many wrinkles telling the story of a man who had lived a long and carefree life. "And ever since that day, humans and ponies have lived amongst each other," he said. "At least, they did until we started to die out." I reached out and held his hand, feeling his ancient fingers squeezing my hoof tenderly. He then looked me straight in the eyes, his next words cutting me to the core. "I'm the last one left, Celestia, and I know my time is coming... but I don't want to leave you."
"And I don't want you to go," I said. "But we both know that your departure is inevitable, and that there is nothing we can do to stop it." I sniffled, wiping my eye with my free forehoof. "I just can't bear the thought of losing somepony else who is so close to me."
"You still have the memories," Anthony wheezed. "As long as you continue to hang onto those, the pain will be more bearable."
"First my sister, and now you." I placed my head on his chest. "Why does the world have to be so cruel? I am losing two of my best friends within a few days of each other."
"Celestia, look at me," Anthony ordered, to which I complied; his wrinkled face was awash with a stern demeanour which I had come to know as his 'lecture face.' "Luna will come back, and once you are able to cleanse her of the Nightmare's taint she will be able to return to her duty of looking after the departed." He smiled slightly. "So if it takes a hundred years, or even a thousand, you will be able to see all the friends you've lost once more." He laid his other hand on my shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that, and all will be well."
I gazed at him for a moment, the smile on his face not faltering in the slightest, and finally leaned in closer to him and kissed his cheek. He held a hand to the area in awe, and I simply blushed. "You always did have a way with words, Anthony," I said. "Thank you for the advice, and I promise to keep it in mind."
He nodded. "Glad to have been of service," he replied. We both stayed silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Since you don't age, Celestia, do you ever wonder what death feels like?"
"I can't say that I ever have," I said, slightly shocked – but more puzzled – by this statement. "Why, what does it feel like?"
"It feels... calm," Anthony mused. "It feels as though a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. All the trouble and strife, the worries and the woes, everything." He coughed again, much louder and for longer than before. "It's... it's happening." His breath became shallow and more ragged. "Before I go, I have one last thing to say." He looked at me. "Thank you, for everything. It has been an honour to have called you my friend."
"The honour is all mine," I whispered. "Go in peace, Anthony; may you find everlasting harmony in the next world."
He let go of my forehoof and lay back in the bed. His eyes began to close, his breathing slowed down... and then he was gone. The only things that remained were his golden smile, and the advice he had given me. But all I could do at that moment was mourn.
The last remaining human, my last remaining friend, was gone.
***
One thousand years later, Anthony's words rang true: Nightmare Moon did return; she was promptly defeated, thanks to the efforts of my student, Twilight Sparkle, and her new friends. I finally had my sister back, and I couldn't be happier. For two whole weeks after Nightmare's defeat, I wore a huge grin that threatened to consume my entire face. For the first time in a thousand years, I knew what it was to smile and to laugh once more.
While eating breakfast one day, I received a letter from Twilight.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I write to inform you of a major new discovery. My friends and I, investigating strange noises coming from the Everfree Forest, have come across a new species not native to Equestria.
But I am not referring to a plant or an animal, as this new species is sentient. It walks on two legs, like a Diamond Dog, but is nowhere near as brutal (or as stupid) as they are.
I implore you, and Princess Luna, to come and see this discovery for yourself, as I cannot convey in words the sheer wonder of it all.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.
Now, I didn't know it at the time, but this simple letter would ultimately end up changing my life forever.
Author's Note
I'm not really good at writing sad things. But I hope you at least felt something from this.
UPDATE (18/02/14): Since so many of you are asking: this story is the prequel to my 'Geoverse' series. So please stop requesting a sequel, since one already exists.
