Chapter One: What We Have Lost
Nothing could ever have prepared Twilight Sparkle for the letter she had just received. Nothing could have prepared her for the shock she had felt as she read that message. Nothing. Had Celestia herself warned her a year prior, that still would not have prepared her for the message written on that piece of parchment.
The letter had arrived as normal, a puff of green flame and smoke, sent to her by Spike. The teenage drake had left a few months ago, per the request of Celestia to aid in an ongoing debate taking place in the Crystal Empire. Twilight frequently received updates and notes from him, mainly about the humorous debate spectacles that took place. Others were about how well Shining and Cadence were. She had told him that it wasn't necessary, but she was glad he did. Her castle had been lonely for a while, and with her only company gone, she felt nearly empty inside.
But nothing could have compared to the loneliness she felt as of now.
The letter lay upon the floor as the lavender alicorn sat next to it, bawling her entire essence out into a pillow. Nothing could have prepared her for that letter.
The letter which read...
Dear Twilight,
Something terrible has happened here, and I'm sorry that it is I who has to tell you. During the debate here between the Stalliongrad delegates and Equestria, an attempt was made on Princess Cadence's life. The attempt did not succeed, as Shining Armor saved her. However in the process, he himself was struck. I'm sorry Twilight, but your bother has died. Please come to the Crystal Empire as soon as possible. Cadence needs you.
-Deepest apologies, Flash Sentry, Captain of the Crystal Guard.
The letter was short, but it got its dreadful message across: Shining Armor, Twilight's Big Brother Bests Friend Forever, was gone. He was dead.
And so the Princess of Friendship lay there, sobbing, unable to control herself. And who could blame her?
Wiping the tears from her eyes, only to be replaced by more. Twilight shakily stood up. She lifted the letter with her magic and gently placed it on the nearby dresser. Staring at it for a last few seconds, Twilight finally turned away and began to pack. However, she couldn't think of what she should pack.
Frustrated and crying, she chucked her suitcase at the crystal wall of her bedroom, snapping one of its hinges and cracking the case. Unable to control herself any longer, Twilight Sparkle collapsed onto her bed, and once again began to sob.
Seconds, minutes, hours, days passed, she couldn't tell. Had she been lying there for 30 minutes or 30 hours? Time was irrelevant. At some point, the lavender mare had floated a picture over to her side. It was of the two of them, Shining and her, right after her first trip to the human world. They were smiling at the camera, her mane a mess as a cobalt-blue hoof ruffled through it. The cheerful photo almost made her smile a little. Almost.
The tears had stopped as well, only to leave a dull empty feeling inside that nothing at the moment could comfort. Scientifically, Twilight suggested that she was most likely just dehydrated, and her body had stopped producing tears. Science helped her think. Science was logical, and logic always pulled through for her. It did little to help this time.
Letting out a stuttered sigh, Twilight stood and took a deep breath. She knew it wasn't going to be easy. She had for a long time. Twilight was much younger than her brother, and often had very morbid thoughts regarding what it would be like when he did die. She thought she was prepared. But she wasn't. No pony was.
And nothing could have prepared her.
The high-speed crystal train screeched to a halt outside the Crystal Empire's only train station. Being a Princess had its perks. All that she had to do was order the poor stationmaster to bring her the Prism train and in a few short hours, it had arrived in Ponyville.
Twilight endured the ride in silence, thankful that she was the only on board. She still had not packed her bags, but Cadence would probably tend to her every need. Sisters, step or not, always stuck together.
The thought of Cadence made the lavender alicorn's heart shatter even more than it already had, the remaining pieces almost completely falling off their precipice of sorrow. The Princess of Love, heartbroken! 'What was I thinking?' Twilight asked herself. 'Cadence is probably a wreck!' She looked down at the only item she had brought with her: the picture of her and Shining Armor. She was planning to give it to her sister-in-law, which was why she had taken it with her.
But now, Twilight's train of thought literally stopped as a loud, piercing whistle cut through the air, signalling that everypony was free to exit the train. Shakily, the princess stood, steeling herself for what would sadly be one of the hardest moments of her life.
She exited the train, and was surprised to see no welcome party in sight; the usual for a Princess' arrival. Instead, one lone guard stood on the platform waiting for her, his helmet off and held to his chest in a somber gesture of respect.
"My condolences for your loss, your highness," said Flash Sentry softly as Twilight approached him. He smiled lightly as she mockingly bumped into him, their traditional greeting. They met in a hug, and Twilight let a few tears soak into her coat.
"D-don't call me that, Flash," she mumbled. "My name is Twilight."
One year prior...
Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry sat in the bar portion of a restaurant, steaming crystal mugs in their hooves. The air was tense, the lavender mare wearing an apologetic face, while the pegasus's was one of sad disbelief.
"I'm sorry Flash," spoke Twilight softly. "I'm just not as ready as I thought I was for a romantic relationship." She stopped staring into her mug and looked up at him, staring him in the eyes. "It's not you... I'm just not ready yet." Twilight took his hoof gently, hoping to comfort him, or at least soften the blow.
The stallion across from her took a deep breath, looking into the eyes of his now former marefriend. All he could see was regret. He sighed. "It's my fault," said Flash. "I shouldn't have rushed you like that, especially if you weren't ready." He let go of the Princess' hoof.
Twilight rushed to stop him. "No! It wasn't... that isn't- look," she began. "I really did enjoy that night. That isn't what's making me say this." The alicorn took hold of his hoof again. "I'm just not ready emotionally," she said softly. "But when I am, if you still want to," she gazed deeper into his eyes. "I wouldn't mind doing this again."
Flash Sentry couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "As much as I'd like to take you up on that offer, when the time comes, we probably will be with other mares." He rubbed her hoof gently.
"M-mares?" Twilight stuttered. "We'd be with other mares?" She couldn't help but be a bit surprised, and very much hoped that he misspoke or was joking. But to her further surprise, Flash did not misspeak and was not joking.
"Yeah, Twily," he said. "I mean, you treat me like a mare a lot of the time."
Twilight deadpanned. "What?"
He chuckled at her expression of disbelief. "You always hold me when we lay in bed together, the way you sometimes call me your baby, is more said in a manner towards a mare rather than a stallion. Really, you're more the man in this relationship than I am!"
"Ma-hn?" the lavender mare tested out the word, feeling it roll of her tongue, as it was foreign to her. "What is a ma-hn?"
The pegasus shrugged. "A word for stallion I guess. That brown 'doctor' friend of yours you had helping you out with those time spells a while back seems to use it a lot. When I asked him about it, he told me to go to the local bowling alley..." Twilight just looked more confused.
Flash Sentry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Back on the 'mare' topic, you also asked me if I was in heat once."
Twilight blushed profusely. "Shhhhhhhhh!!! That was a joke and you know it!" she balked. The stallion burst out laughing at her embarrassed reaction.
"Got ya'."
The two ponies finished their meals and left the bar, laughing and chatting together as good friends. The bartender, Rising Tide, watched as the two left, a look of sheer astonishment on his face. He turned to his assistant next to him, asking, "Didn't those two just break up?"
His assistant responded with a shrug as he wiped the counter clean. "I try not to interact with the customers."
Now, the two ponies stood together in their solemn embrace, one comforting the other. A hoof gently stroked along Twilight's withers as she finally managed to stem the flow of tears dampening Flash Sentry's coat.
"C-can I go s-see Cadence?" the alicorn managed to ask in a stuttering breath. She could feel the contractions of the pegasus's neck muscles as he nodded and gently released her after one last comforting squeeze. He stroked her mane one last time, before turning and leading her over to the Crystal Palace.
The walk was a long and emotionally painful one. Every brutal step Twilight Sparkle took towards the palace only reminded her that it was one step closer to her destination, and yet it was also one step farther from her past... and her brother. The crystal ponies looked on upon her with only sympathy and regret. Being a death of one of their two leaders, they had already heard the news. And now they watched as the sister, the Princess of Friendship, walked solemnly though their streets, broken, with waves of raw and tragic emotion cascading outwards from her form, leaving a devastating trail of sorrow in her wake.
And of course, life was a cruel as to make the mile and a half trek into a tragic journey of a thousand miles. But eventually, the two did arrive at the palace, which had an odd assortment of out of place tents littered around its base. All of which had a strong perimeter of guards keeping watch.
"This is where I must leave you, I'm afraid," said Flash Sentry sadly. "Princess Cadence has us keeping 24-hour watch on all of the Stalliongrad camp." He gave Twilight one last hug as she nodded sullenly. "I broke my regimen just to come and get you."
"I understand, and I appreciate that," she said, parting ways from her former coltfriend. The two shared a parting glance and Flash was the first to turn away.
Twilight Sparkle watched as the stallion she was convinced she had loved walked towards the encampment before turning to the crystal doors in front of her. Her magic gently pushed them open, and she stepped inside the circular room, the doors closing after her. Then, the floor began to magically rise, and lift her up into the heart of the Crystal Palace. Eventually, the lift came to a stop at the top, opening up into a center atrium, where Spike sat waiting for her.
The young drake stared at Twilight for only a brief moment, before running over to her and locking his arms around her neck, the fur dampening with his silent tears. She in turn wrapped a foreleg around him, and gently rubbed his back and spines, letting a few tears of her own slip out. The two stood there, in the atrium of the castle, saying nothing, only comforting one another.
Together, the two walked over to the stairwell, and together, they walked up, beginning the journey to the royal chambers, where Cadence would be waiting for them.
Over the past few years, Twilight could only gaze in awe at how much the young dragon had grown. Spike had undoubtedly grown tremendously, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. No longer was he the baby dragon who accompanied the legendary Elements of Harmony on their quests. Today, he was a almost Twilight's height, and went on quests of his own. Often times, he was called to act as a scribe or assistant to various dignitaries and conferences. Why, he had quite possibly been to every location in Equestria and beyond at least once by now.
But today, he was none of those things. Today, he was Twilight's friend, and he was her little brother. And so, together, they climbed up the stairs. Together, they faced the future.
When they reached the top, they were greeted not by Cadence herself, but instead by Royale Pane, Shining and Cadence's assistant and personal butler for the last three years.
"Ah, your highness," he crawled in a regal, over-emphasized Canterlot accent. "Welcome to the Crystal Empire, dreadfully sorry for your loss, please wait here so I can inform the Crystal Princess of Love that you have arrived and wish to offer your condolences for her tragic loss." The stallion spoke in a bored, monotone manner, and gestured over to a crystal bench along the wall, instructing them to wait.
Twilight, however, glared at Royale Pane, instead of heeding to his "suggestion." Her gaze penetrated into the stallion's ego, causing him to shift uncomfortably as the princess gaze bore into him. "I will go see my sister, now," she ordered. "Or I will personally see to it that you are banished to the moon."
Choking a bit on his own rudeness, the unicorn stepped aside and allowed the pony and drake to pass. And so they did.
Taking a deep breath, Twilight opened the chamber door, only to be greeted by a barren room instead of the royal chambers she was expecting. Opening the door fully, and stepping into the room, the lavender alicorn looked around, only to be revealed to a solemn scene. Cadence sat in the corner of the room by a window, next to a pearl-white casket braked with a blue banner depicting Shining Armor's shielded cutie mark.
Upon hearing a new entry into the room, Princess Cadence turned to face them. Opened her forelegs wide as Twilight rushed into them, she whispered into her sister-in-law's ear sadly, "Oh Twilight. I'm so sorry."
A few tears breaking loose from her eyes, Twilight pulled back, out of the hug, her face a mixture of confusion and shock and apology. "Cadence, how can you apologize?" she said, her eyes welling up with even more tears. "He was your husband!"
The pink alicorn smiled softly down at the lavender one. "Oh, Twily," she said. "Yes, he was indeed my husband, but he was your brother first." Cadence stroked Twilight's mane comfortingly. "Being the Princess of Love, I will forever feel the love he has for me, as I will always love him. It's literally a tangible thing for me to do." He smile widened a Twilight's face briefly shifted into one of realization.
"But, aren't you sad?" asked the lavender mare.
Candence's smile dampened slightly, but stayed fully intact. "I am devastated, Twilight. I cannot tell you how many tears I have shed," she began. "But, you don't have what I have to comfort you." She held the now-sobbing alicorn tighter, rubbing her hoof along Twilight's spine, cooing softly and gently into her ear. She did her best to comfort her sister at least a little.
Looking up, the cerise alicorn noticed Spike still standing in the door way, silent tears slipping down his face. She had comforted the young dragon many times through the past day, and he looked as though he still needed it, and was just politely letting Twilight have the moment.
However, it was time for mourning, and everypony needs to be comforted. So, smiling solemnly, Cadence beckoned him over, and accepted him into the hug, running a hoof slowly though his spines and along his back.
"Both of you are here together," she said. "We are here together, and together we will make it though this." A tear slipped down her cheek as she spoke the next words. "Shining would've wanted us to."
The trio sat there for several more minutes, doing nothing else but consoling each other. Giving each other the comfort they so very much needed at this moment. However, Spike was the first to pull away, mumbling something about getting another bed set up in the guest room. He knew that the two mares most likely wanted to be alone right now, and he respected that. The door shut silently behind him, and the two sisters-in-law were left alone with the casket of their loved.
Twilight broke away after a few minutes as well, choosing instead of solemnly stare at the casket of her dead brother, laying a hoof on it. "It's beautiful," she said, truly meaning it, although she had never expected to.
Cadence smiled. "It's made of a crystal-marble composite, something that can only truly be achieved by the Crystal Empire's smiths," she said, laying her own hoof on it as well. "But it's the banner that is really special." The Princess of Love ran her hoof along the silken cloth.
"You see," she began. "The Crystal Empire has a tradition of sorts. Every time one of their leaders passes away, be it as simple as a mayor, or as high as a prince or princess, king or queen, they do something very special." Cadence lifted up the cloth, and brought it close to her eye, as if to examine it. "Each citizen donates a part of their mane and tail, and they send it to the royal seamstresses. They then weave it together, and dye it to the shade of the deceased's mane, and cutie mark." She put the cloth back down upon the casket softly, before looking back at her sister-in-law. "That way the leader will have his people watching over him in death, as he watched over them in life. Their way of saying 'thanks,' I suppose."
Tears were welling in Twilight's eyes by the end of the story, and she wiped them dry with a hoof. "That's so..." her mind could not come up with the proper words to express her emotion at the sentiment. There were possibly no words to describe it.
"Amazing, really," Cadence tried to finish for her. "That an entire nation's ponies would come together like that." The pink alicorn shook her head in awe. "It's very inspiring, and touching." She leaned down an ran a cerise hoof though Twilight's dark purple mane. "If only it could be incorporated for much better circumstances."
Twilight, for her part, could only nod at that. The tears, which had formerly ruled her facial expression, seemed to have stalled for at least the moment. She was most likely just tired from everything that had happened within the past 24 hours. But the tears had stopped, and for that she was thankful.
"Come on," said Cadence, after a last few moments of just sorrowfully staring at the white casket. "Let's go to your room, and Spike and I will help you get settled in."
And so, together, the two stood and left the room, heading towards the guest room across the hall.
Cadence was surprised, but not really shocked upon hearing that Twilight did not bring any bags with her. She figured that in this immense state of loss, she too may have forgotten to pack some simple things. It was such a trivial thing to escape one's mind in a time of such emotional chaos.
And of course, like the loving sister she was, she provided everything necessary for Twilight, and made sure that she was very comfortable. Much to the lavender mare's annoyance, she even assigned Royale Pane to attend to Twilight's every whim, and offer that the newest princess icily refused. The stuck-up stallion was very much relieved to hear he wouldn't need to spend much time with her, due to their former meeting.
Eventually, all of the fluttering about was finished, and Cadence, along with her entourage, left with the promise of returning soon, leaving Twilight alone in the guest bedroom. She simply sat down on the edge of the bed, simply staring out the window at the Crystal Empire.
The view of the kingdom was spectacular from the room. Twilight could easily see for miles. From the extravagant tents lined up around the base of the Crystal Palace, all the way out to the small crystal cottages and the ewes wandering the grassy fields. The icy mountains added a backdrop that was true to the frozen north, a cold, merciless land outside of Cadence's domain.
And her brother's.
Looking out over her brother's former land, all that the Princess of Friendship could think of was how lonely she was. Since the rest of her friends had left her, Shining had really been her last, true friend. Of course, Twilight was sure that Cadence and her would get together often, they loved each other dearly, but there was a certain bond that Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle shared, being siblings. And now, like her former friends, that bond was gone.
It seemed as if at some point, time had decided to suddenly stop, and begin to run backwards. Having moved on from her brother being her only friend, and discovering her Ponyville friends, time was cruel. It reversed; Twilight lost her friends, and moved back to Shining being her sole friend. She cracked a smile at that. How ironic it was.
Then, her gaze settling on all the ponies moving about with a saddened demeanor broke her heart. All of these thousands of ponies were lamenting the loss of her brother with her. And it broke her heart.
Twilight desperately needed somepony to be with her. She, of course, had Cadence to keep her company, and a few hours later, her parents would join her as well. And yet... she felt so alone. She was surrounded by those she loved, and those who loved her back, but for some reason, she still felt so alone...
Several days passed, all in the loving comfort of family. The funeral was help the before. It was a private matter, only allowing the company of family and close friends, such as Celestia and Luna. None of Twilight's former friends, though invited, made an appearance. However, today, a ceremony was to be help commemorating Shining Armor's life and celebrating his great accomplishments. Today, the nations of Equestria and beyond were welcomed into the Crystal Empire.
Dignitaries from around the world were planning to attend, along with thousands of civilians. All types of creatures, big and small, come to pay their respects. Everypony and everything to hail a fallen leader.
Lines stretched out from the Crystal gates, ponies of every race and every color, creatures of every race stood, waiting for the gates to open and the ceremony to begin. Each guest was greeted as they entered, and an usher directed them to their designated seat.
Twilight was in a small room behind the stage, mentally going over the list. "Emperor Sol, then Prince Rutherford, then Whinnyston Churchill, then Celestia and Luna, then me, then the Wonderbolts, then you, and we're done?" Sighing as Cadence nodded to her, she lay back in her chair. "That's a lot of ponies," murmured Twilight, Cadence nodding in agreement.
Royale Pane stuck his head into the room. "Your highness's, the guests are seated, and the ceremony is ready to begin."
"Thank you, Royale," said Princess Cadence. Twilight only grunted, still refusing to acknowledge the stuck-up unicorn directly. With his task completed, Royale Pane simply nodded and stepped out of the room.
Giving each other one last reassuring hug Twilight and Cadence stepped out onto the stage, and headed for their seats.
The ceremony was a blur for Twilight. Speaker after speaker stood up at the podium and spoke for hours about how great a loss this world had suffered. Most of them didn't even know Shining Armor, but were determined to convince everyone they had some odd passing meet. Their words fused together in Twilight's mind, only adding background noise to the blur that the ceremony had become.
But soon, the blur skidded to a halt, as it was her turn to go up and speak.
She approached the podium as Luna stepped back from it, giving the lavender alicorn a gently gaze as they passed. Looking up at the crowd before returning her gaze the the pristine speech on the podium before her, she began to speak.
"Shining Armor was the Ruler of the Crystal Empire, but before that, he was Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, and yet before even that, he was my brother."
Her voice had begun as a weak, low croak, but as Twilight continued to speak, he voice rose in confidence and strength, recalling the tales of Shining and her as foals, up to his part in defeating Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra, up to his ultimate sacrifice to defend this co-ruler from assassination. She ended with a statement declaring Shining Armor's now immortal remembrance as an Equestrian hero, and honor bestowed to him by Celestia, whom had asked Twilight to be the one to announce it.
The crowd applauded at this revelation, greatly understanding the honor now bestowed onto Shining Armor. Those who did not know him now wished they had, and those who did know him only respected him infinitely more.
Twilight finally got the que from Royal Pane to return to her seat. She stepped away from the podium, to make way for the next pony who was peaking. Turning to see who they were, she froze.
"And now, words from a representative of the Wonderbolts..."
The pegasus stepped up onto the stage, and walked to the center stage, intentionally avoiding eye contact with Twilight. The alicorn, still frozen, just watched as the mare stood up to the podium, and began to speak.
No pony made an effort to try and move her from the stage, however, the light glow of Celestia's horn indicated that she was at least out of sight. Celestia's gaze of understanding, and a slight nod of her head confirmed Twilight's theory.
And so, Twilight just continued to stare at Rainbow Dash; a mare she had not seen is so many years. And the first tears of the day began to slip down her cheeks.
