No One
Celestia did feel somewhat bad that she hadn't stayed at the wedding reception longer. Cadence and Shinning Armor had fought for their day so desperately, yet Celestia hadn't stayed to celebrate for more than half an hour. She had planned to stay longer, of course, but it had become too much. The upbeat music, the bright lights, the utter joy of all the guests lucky enough to attend. Celestia had slipped out, claiming she had loose ends to wrap up with the changeling invasion (which was not entirely untrue).
Still, she had stayed longer than Luna, who hadn't even come to the actual ceremony. For the most part, the princess of the night had spent the days following the invasion locked in her room, rarely showing her face around the castle. Just a brief appearence at the reception had been all Luna could handle before she'd disappeared back into her private quarters.
Celestia herself had occasionally felt the urge to barracade herself in her own room, particularly right after the fight with Chrysalis. Yet she'd put on a brave face and celebrated with her subjects. Because the nation of Equestria had lost a great foe thanks to the prince and princess.
Still...that hadn't been the only thing lost that day.
Using her magic, Celestia tugged open the door to her room, allowing the mask of peaceful contentment she'd worn for the past week to finally slip off.
She also felt bad that she couldn't truly be happy for her niece and nephew-in-law, and that Chrysalis' invasion had overshadowed their wedding in her mind. Yet, as Celestia collapsed on her bed, pulling off her jewlery with her magic, she allowed herself to acknowledge the worst ache in her heart, the worst of her regrets.
All of Equestria, even the Elements of Harmony and her niece, were celebrating Chrysalis' defeat, never stopping to wonder if she'd had family, friends, reasons for her villany...
Celestia choked back a sob, only to find her eyes flodded with tears.
No, not a single pony was mourning Chrysalis. Nopony had reason to.
Still, Celestia found tears streaming down her face.
***
"Come on, Tia! You're so slow!" A small filly ran ahead of Celestia, wind streaming through her patchy mane and tail, green eyes shinning with mischief whenever she looked back to shoot playful insults at Celestia.
"Not as slow as you, Chrys!" Celestia called to her friend, putting on an extra burst of speed in order to catch up. They tore through a a lush meadow, flattening the tall grass as they ran. Ahead, a small blue alicorn stood atop of boulder, bouncing with excitement.
Celestia found herself pulling up beside the other pony as they neared the finish line. With one final push of her back legs, Celestia leapt forward, streatching her front hooves out in order to touch the boulder...
...and faceplanted into it.
Laughter echoed in her ears as Celestia picked her face out of the dirt, spitting out grass and stones.
"Nice job there, Sun Butt," Chrysalis chortled, obviously having come to a much more graceful stop next to the rock, "Real regal behavior there."
"Yeah, sis," Luna said, sliding down from the rock to beam at her older sister, "I dunno if Equestria needs a princess who faceplants into rocks. Maybe Chrys and I should rule, and you can can just bake us pie and sort our mail."
Celestia stuck her tongue out at the two as they dissolved into laughter once again.
"Really mature, guys," Celestia muttered, "Really, really mature. I think I should probably rule on my own, just to save Equestria from the two of you."
"We're all alicorns!" Luna pointed out, "It could be any of us! Or all of us!"
"Yeah!" Celestia chirped, grinning at the idea of ruling her two best friends, "Sister princesses!" She wrapped a wing around Luna, who grinned up at her. They stayed like that for a moment longer, before Celestia noticed Chrysalis.
"Honorary sisters belong in this hug too!" she reminded the bug-like pony, opening up her wing, "Come here, Chrys."
Celestia felt the strange armor-like skin of Chrysalis against her own soft fur as her best friend joined the hug.
"It'll be the three of us!" she promised, "Ruling Equestria together!"
***
Celestia was so caught up in her memories that she didn't notice the door open. She didn't notice her sister as she silently made her way to her bed. She only noticed Luna's presence when she was engulfed in her younger sister's embrace.
"Together, Luna," she gasped, looking up to meet her sister's gaze, "we were supposed to rule together. But I lost you for a thousand years, and now Chrysalis is..."
Luna, too, had tears in her eyes, "It was her own choices that brought her to that place, Tia. You had nothing to do with it."
"She was my best friend, Luna," Celestia explained, wiping her eyes briefly with a hoof, "I couldn't bring myself to fight her with any spell that would actually do damage. I almost lost the city to her control, all because I still remember her from a thousand years ago. Inspite of all that's happened, all that's she's done...Chrysalis is still my best friend. But I couldn't save her."
"Mine too, Tia." Luna mumbled, "She was my best friend too." Though no tears fell, Luna's eyes were wet, "Yet there was nothing either of us could have done to stop her. At least now our subjects are safe."
"Yes, Luna, very true," Celestia said, calling over a handkerchief with her magic to wipe at her eyes, "Equestria is safe. And Chrysalis..." Celestia stalled for a moment, reflecting back on the bug-like pony, "She might finally be at peace."
Luna wrapped her wing tighter around Celestia, who returned the gesture. Together the two princesses, two-thirds of a whole, held each other, while outside the windows and throughout the land ponies danced in the streets, celebrating late into the night.
"No one mourns the Wicked,
no one cries 'they won't return',
no one lays a lily on their grave."
Author's Note
Title and quote at the end come from the song No One Mourns the Wicked from the musical Wicked.
