The Princess

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Your attendance at today’s meeting at 11 PM is highly required.

Yours sincerely,

Princess Celestia.”

The letter had only one line of actual information, and there was no room for double meaning. Despite the message being oddly phrased, Twilight just accepted it as another one of those super-important meetings she had to attend as a princess.

“I guess I have to go today, Spike. Be sure to have fun playing PS4 with Big Macintosh!”

“I sure will, Twilight!” said the baby dragon.

Trotting in Canterlot, Twilight noticed that barely anypony walked around the city. Canterlot was asleep.

“I wonder what kind of meeting Celestia could be holding so late at night. Besides,” she yawned, “everypony must be sleeping by now.”

Canterlot Castle came closer and closer.

A second wave of surprise overcame Twilight when she noticed that not even the castle guards were awake.

The silence was deafening. Twilight would rather stay in a place full of tremendously loud crowd noise than face the silence. Especially when even the guards drifted off to Luna’s realm, nopony ever guaranteeing her security.

“At least there’s Celestia in the castle”, Twilight sighed in relief. “The most powerful and experienced alicorn of all.”

In five minutes, Twilight found Celestia in her throne room. However, the Princess of the Sun didn’t sit regally on her throne, nor by her table eating a delicious cake. Instead, she just stood at the window, watching the moon.

Nopony else seemed to be present in the room, except for Celestia.

“Greetings, Twilight… Sparkle”, said she.

"Good evening... err, night, Your Majesty.” Twilight bowed.. “What is the important matter that needs my help? And why isn’t anypony else at the supposed meeting?”

Celestia paused shortly.

“It is a private meeting, Twilight.”

“But why did-”

“Tell me, Twilight, what have you studied in the past five years?”

This weird question with a seemingly obvious answer caught Twilight off guard.

“Friendship, Your Majesty.”

“You have done well, my faithful… student”, spoke Celestia, accenting the last word. “All of the aspects of friendship are now carefully studied. All the effects of it have been observed and recorded.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It is all thanks to you, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia spoke with an annoyed tone, rather than a thankful one.

“Thank you-”

“However, I have made a terrible mistake, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat.

“You were taught to create friendship. You were taught to cherish friendship. You were taught to spread friendship. And with each task given to you, with each challenge you’ve been through, you were more and more sure of what you do.”

“Did I become too…. um… self-confident, Princess?” wondered Twilight.

“Not too much. Enough for you to become the Princess of Friendship.”

Twilight stared at her mentor.

“However, friendship is not what Equestria needs.” The princess turned sharply, looking straight into Twilight’s eyes. “It is not the foundation that the pony society must be built on.”

“...Princess?”

“We are not changelings. We don’t need a power supply of emotions to live. We are ponies.”

“Princess, what are you-”

“Twilight…”

***

Spike slept peacefully in his little bed. The moon shined brightly through the windows, and even though he was not awake, Spike could feel the tender touch of its light on his face.

Light, that came from a moon carved with the face of a pony. The face of a crying alicorn.

***

Celestia looked at her black mane.

“The night will last forever!” a villainous voice shouted inside her head.

“Twilight… Luna… Equestria”, a mirthless thought echoed in her heart.