Brighter Than The Sun

Chapter 2

All the ponies except Night Light and Twilight Velvet stared at Winter, either unable to comprehend what he was telling them, or unwilling to. This continued for a few minutes until Princess Celestia broke the silence.

"Is this true," she asked Night Light and Twilight Velvet, who both nodded. Celestia was almost tearing up. Her own student had been a fraud, a Changeling. She didn't know what to feel. Sure, the owner of one of her favourite shops was a Changeling, but this was something else.

"It was back when she was four. Even then she'd loved to read, just like the Twilight you all know," Twilight Velvet smiled at the memory for a second, "She'd been playing outside with her doll, Smarty Pants, when we heard a scream," explained Twilight Velvet, who was fighting back tears, "When we got there she was gone. We m-managed to t-tr-track her and her kidnapper down." At that point she broke down in tears.

Night Light had more fortitude, so continued.

"We t-tracked her down to find the kidnapper, a pony, being c-co-confronted by a changeling, who was pleading to let our daughter go. He smiled. He'd been holding a knife. All I heard were Twilight's screams and the hurt stallions moans." He paused for breath.

"As I approached, I saw something that made me sick," Night Light said, "The kidnapper's neck had been twisted backwards, and his knife was plunged into Twilight's neck." This caused eveyone in the room, even Winter, to gasp. "The changeling was crying, saying she was sorry as the last bits of life left Twilight's eyes. That changeling had tried to save the life of somepony she n-n-never knew..." Even Night Light couldn't last forever, and also broke down for a moment before continuing.

"She started talking to me, saying she was sorry," Night Light sobbed, "She helped us bury Twilight under her favorite tree. We knew it wasn't right, but we were so heartbroken that everything else seemed meaningless. After we buried Twilight, I asked her who she was, what she was doing here and why she even tried to rescue Twilight." He looks at Celestia. "I will never forget what she said that day."

"She was the only pony who wasn't scared of me.'" Celestia's eyes wandered over to Twilight who had said the last sentence.

What she saw shocked even her.

Twilight was crying, covering her face with her hooves. "She was so innocent. She didn't even know what I am. She shared her sweets with me and played with me." She managed to giggle between her sobs. "She was so naive. But in the end she was the only pony that wouldn't hurt me." She looked up to Celestia. "She was the only pony who gave me the chance to show that I'm not a love eating beast!" She screamed at Celestia.

Celestia's eyes glistered, but she managed to stifle the tears before they could escape.

She turned away, looking back at Night Light and Velvet, crying in each other's legs, holding tight.

"What happened then?" Celestia asked quietly, her voice sad.

"Amethyst Sheen," Velvet spoke, her voice was quivering and almost incomprehensible, "had no place to go. She was the last of her hive. The rest had died after a war with another hive. She was alone and needed a place to stay. At first she took Twilight's place so Shining wouldn't find out that his sister had died, but after a few days..." she stopped, sobbing again.

"We adopted her," Night Light finished the sentence. "She was just like our daughter in every way. She read books and played with Smarty Pants, she laughed the same way and tried to replace Twilight in every way." he stood up and walked over to Twilight, hugging her. "She was the daughter we had lost."

Even Celestia couldn't hold back tears forever, and Winter, the most steeled person in the room, was sniffling softly. He knew all this, but it was always more emotional when someone who lived it told him what he already knew.

Velvet rushed over to hug the changeling, embracing her tightly.

Celestia looked over the scene: two ponies and a changeling, tightly embraced, bound together by love.

She walked over, looking down at the changeling.

"Why?" she simply asked. Her voice was quivering and there were still tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why would you do this?"

Twilight looked up. Her eyes were still watery but her expression was confused. "Why? You ask why?" Celestia nodded.

"Why not?" She asked, Celestia raising a brow. "It wasn't fair that this filly had died and it wasn't fair that I was hunted everywhere I went. The circumstance forced me to do this, and after a few weeks..." She hugged the two ponies tighter. "...I had a family that I couldn't leave. The rest is known to all of you. I lived the life of Twilight Sparkle, the life she wanted." More tears were streaming down her cheeks. "To express my gratitude, to thank Twilight, her parents and her brother for everything they did for me."

Celestia looked at the happy family before her and realized something: there was an unfamilliar changeling in her castle- a changeling who wasn't looking for a food source, who stayed because she was grateful- grateful that a filly wasn't scared of her. And she was still showing this gratitude with every breath she took, embracing her family.

She was seeing love in all it's glory- real love, love that only a daughter could show her parents.

That was everything she needed to know: that they loved each other and would always do so, that there was nothing that would destroy this connection.

That's how love is supposed to be.

Celestia smiled.

This was her protégé.

This was Twilight Sparkle.