Chapters Today is the day. It has to be. Twilight thought to herself. She had decided weeks ago that she would tell her former mentor, and fellow princess how she felt on her birthday. Of course, with her being a princess, celebrations would be no private affair. 'Princess Twilight Sparkle's Birthday Bash,' as Pinkie officially called it, was a nations-wide event. Ponies and other creatures all across the world had sent gifts for Equestria's newest princess, most of which, by the end of the grueling process of opening them, had been duplicates of each other, save one-of-a-kind gifts from foreign allies. She, of course, had donated what she hadn't kept or re-gifted to her closest friends to charity.
She snuck a glance at her object of affection but quickly turned back to the Wonderbolts Aerial Display in front of her to avoid being caught. Had they seen her, nopony would have noticed, but Twilight was having a hard time controlling herself. She wanted to jump Celestia right then and there, but at the same time, she wanted to run away and hide. She was scared. She didn't want to pass up this chance, but at the same time she didn't want to risk being rejected.
Celestia occupied her every thought and haunted her every dream. But even though Twilight was an alicorn princess herself and equal in stature, even though she had the perfect opportunity, she still couldn't say it. There she was, the one mare Twilight had ever looked up to, the one mare Twilight had ever loved, sitting right next to her in their private royal box, and she still couldn't say anything. How could she confess her love to a pony who had mentored her from foalhood on?
A flash of movement right in front of the booth snatched her attention back to the show. A quartet of pegasi rocketed past, continuing their dive right over the heads of the audience below.
The distinctive rainbow-colored tail of the newest member didn't go unnoticed. Twilight let a slow, warm grin spread across her face. If Rainbow Dash could fulfill her dream and make it into the Wonderbolts, then maybe Twilight could finally fulfill hers.
She chanced another glance at the regal mare beside her.
Celestia's eyes were on the show, never straying. Celestia had never even hinted at knowing her secret, but Twilight couldn't get over a niggling fear that she somehow knew. After all, she had never been able to hide anything from those piercing violet eyes for long.
Yes. Today is the day. I'm going to tell her.
Twilight's chest heaved. What was she getting herself into? She glanced to the side again, too quick to take note of anything major, and thankfully, too quick to be noticed.
Celestia didn't seem to have moved at all.
Twilight's legs trembled. Sweat began building up under her coat. It was suddenly very hot in their little booth. But her resolve barely wavered, if at all. She was strong. She could do it. She would do it. She would finally ask... and she would to it now .
The immediacy of it all brought a wave of nervous nausea, but Twilight fought it down. There was nothing she wanted more than she wanted this.
A flash of red pyrotechnic brilliance shot out from the arena, reflecting for a moment against the two mares. It must have been the grand finale. All of the Wonderbolts – including the fan-favorite with the rainbow mane – swooped down and hovered in front of the crowd, taking their bows.
It was impossible. How had two hours already passed?
Twilight glanced to her side. Royal guards were sure to approach in order to escort the Princesses back home soon, Celestia to her personal chambers and Twilight to Ponyville. As soon as they entered the booth, her private time with Celestia would be over, for Faust knew how long.
It was now or never.
“Princess...?”
Her magnanimous smile couldn't hide the hint of disappointment in Celestia's eyes. “Twilight, please. We are equals now. Please don't call me that.”
Glancing away, Twilight winced. She always slipped into old habits when she was nervous.
The guards would come in any moment. There was no time to waste.
“Celestia?”
“Yes, Twilight?”
“I...” Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could she be freezing up now? “I...” Twilight gritted her teeth. The words couldn't be formed.
Celestia's smile faded. Her head tilted ever so slightly to the side. “Twilight? Are you oka-”
“I love you, Celestia!”
Twilight's eyes shot open wide but she couldn't see anything. She froze. What had she just done? Those words had been dying to escape so long, but now that they–
Soft white lips pressed against hers. A strong white hoof curled around behind her neck and drew her in close. Twilight's world tumbled out from underneath her. Her eyes went dark, or had they just closed? Her dreams of this moment, her endless fantasies, they were nothing- nothing compared to this.
She reciprocated, wrapping her hooves around Celestia's back and pulling their bodies even closer.
It could have been a second, it could have been a thousand years. Twilight couldn't tell the difference, nor did she care, but finally, the two mares separated.
Twilight glanced around. Who might have seen them? The two royal guards stood rigidly silent at either side of the booth's entrance. Everypony else still milled their way out of the Canterlot stadium. She turned back to Celestia, her eyes wide. “Pri– Celestia... what–”
“You can't imagine how long I've been waiting to hear you say that, Twilight.” She grinned and pulled Twilight in close again, pressing them together, and spoke in a gentle whisper, just behind Twilight's head, “I love you, too.”
The warmth from Celestia's chest flooded Twilight, and finally-finally , that drive, that need to be with her was satisfied. Twilight's legs trembled. Even the ground beneath her seemed to be shaking...
Screams erupted from the crowd below. Twilight ripped her eyes from Celestia and surveyed the crowd. Ponies ran back and forth over the arena, and the panic quickly spread. The shouts and screams doubled every second. The earth still shook.
Twilight looked back to Celestia and saw her own fear mirrored, only to be replaced by a resolute stare.
Right. We are alicorns. Whatever it is, we can handle it. Twilight nodded to Celestia.
The two alicorns rushed out of the private royal booth, and into the swarming crowd.
The royal guards on duty did their best, but even they couldn't prevent the occasional panicked pony from bumping into the two princesses.
Twilight looked all around for the source of the panic, but nothing was out of place. She glanced back to her former mentor.
Celestia stared upward with a wince in her eyes and a rapidly deepening frown.
Twilight followed her gaze up to the crest of Canterlot Mountain.
Deep black smoke rose from the rocky peak, billowing out even more as another tremor ran through the ground beneath Twilight's feet.
“Princess!”
“I see it, Twilight.” Celestia's wings flared out.
Twilight tensed up for a jump into the air. “You think we can stop it?”
Celestia turned to Twilight with a pained look. “No.”
Her momentum faltered, and she dropped to the ground. Twilight stared back at Celestia. How could she abandon hope for Canterlot so quickly?
"No, Twilight, we cannot."
“I think I can stop it, Twilight Sparkle. You must help with the evacuation. Make sure my little ponies get out of the city safely.”
“I can help!” Twilight pressed herself forward. “I can do this!”
She turned away, “No. I can't lose you.” Celestia laid a wing across Twilight's back. “Not now.”
The reminder of the moment they just shared warmed her core. She wasn't ready to let go of that, not ever. “We'll get Luna. We can all do it together.”
A blast of black smoke shot from the mountain, shaking the foundations of the city.
Celestia glanced back up at the peak. A sullen red glow lit up the bottom of the cloud now. “There's no time!” Celestia took flight, hovering just above Twilight. “Go! Protect the city!”
Twilight stared up as Celestia soared away. Her legs trembled with the need to follow. She knew where she belonged – at Celestia's side. But she would never go against her teacher-turned lover's wishes.
She stomped her hoof and surveyed the arena. She would do what she had to. A few ponies still ran around. More cowered in corners or under seats. The ones she needed, though, they still stood in the center of the arena's field, staring at the mountain.
With a violet flash, Twilight teleported right into the middle of their formation.
Of course, Rainbow Dash was the first to respond. She darted to the front and snapped a salute. “Your orders, Princess?”
None of the other flyers questioned their most junior member. Most of them just kept staring at the flakes of ash falling around them.
“We have to get these ponies out!” Twilight pointed a hoof toward the valley below. “All of you, split up, find all the ponies you can and get them moving into the valley, as fast as they can. Go!”
“You can count on us, Princess!” Rainbow winked at her before turning to the other Wonderbolts. “I'll take the arena. Everypony else, fan out! Come on, we've got ponies to save!”
Rainbow's brash voice roused the team from their shock. One by one, they saluted and flew off.
Twilight gave her friend a quick smile before she too flew away. Her first day with the Wonderbolts, and already, Rainbow was calling the shots. That pony was destined for greatness.
A slam right next to her knocked her onto her side and kicked her back into reality. A smoking-hot boulder bigger than her laid in its fresh crater, just inches away from where she had been standing. She had to get moving.
Twilight teleported up above the arena and hovered on her wings. Where else did ponies need help?
Smoke rose from one of the big theaters on Clover Street. She knew that had to be her next target. Her horn flashed again as she teleported to the front of the building.
The screams here echoed through the streets, and ponies ran in all directions, appearing and disappearing in the ever-increasing cloud of falling ash. The theater building towered above Twilight, five stories high and decorated in the gilded style only Canterlot could pull off. A huge hole gaped in one side and smoke billowed from it. Debris from the crash littered the entrance to the building, trapping the ponies inside.
Without hesitation, Twilight pulled her magic into herself and cast a complicated pure-breathing spell. No trouble for her, of course, and it made breathing in the ash cloud easier anyway.
Another small rock landed in the street and rolled to Twilight's feet. It hissed and steamed as if trying to warn her away. Twilight grimaced. Not likely.
She teleported inside the building, just behind the entrance, and used a blast of telekinesis to clear the doorway.
As soon as the dust from her blast began to settle, the crowd of ponies inside began to pour out. None of them wasted time speaking, but Twilight did catch a few grateful looks.
Thick black smoke roiled along the ceiling and came from deeper inside. Her job wasn't done yet.
She ran through the smoke, breathing easily thanks to her spell. One doorway at a time, she fought her way closer to the source of the screams.
The building groaned, and another tremor shook the foundations of the city. This place wouldn't last long.
Finally, she found the source of the screaming. A blue unicorn mare ran frantically along in front of her, screaming incoherently the whole way. Twilight had to strain herself, but she caught up with the mare by using her wings to give her an extra boost. As soon as she made contact, she teleported out, taking the mare with her.
The mare fell to the pavement outside the theater, sitting on one of the chunks of stone blasted from the doorway. She shook her head and glanced all around.
“It's okay, you're out,” Twilight said, patting her on the back.
The gentle pat sent the mare into a fit of coughing. Tiny puffs of black smoke came out, and the mare hunched over, eyes squinted shut.
“You need to get out of the city. Take the road – the trains and airships are probably already full.” If they were still intact at all. Twilight winced. This evacuation was going too slowly. There was no way she could get everypony out in time. She prepared for another leap into the air, ready to find her next–
“I can't!”
Twilight spun back to face the mare she just rescued. “What's wrong?”
“I–” The mare broke into another fit of coughing, each cough sounding more strained than the last. “My foals are in there!” She stood up and wavered back and forth for a minute. “I have to–” She coughed again. “Have to find them!” Before Twilight could say anything, the mare ran back into the entrance of the theater.
Twilight shook her head and prepared to take off, but behind her, the theater groaned again, and a crack ran across the facade. The whole building shook, and the top floors began to slant inward.
No . She wouldn’t let that happen. She dug deep into her magic, halting the building's collapse with telekinesis. She used the repair spell she had mastered while masquerading as Mare Do Well to begin patching the building back together. The damage was extensive. This wouldn't be fast.
A scream of “Princess, help!” made Twilight glance down the street.
Dozens of ponies cowered under a large bridge under the street and a white colt stood pointing at one side of it. He called to her again, the same voice she heard the first time.
Another blast from the mountain shook the city. Twilight barely maintained her grip on the theater, and she watched in horror as the cracks on the bridge spread. Above, a huge black boulder fell... straight towards the bridge.
She had to make a decision – an ugly decision – and she had no time to think about it.
The sound of the huge boulder smashing into the bridge above reverberated through the ash clouds. Twilight released her hold on the theater, and she froze the boulder and broken shards of the bridge just above the heads of the ponies hiding beneath.
Behind her, the slow crunch of the collapsing theater drilled into her soul. She could swear she heard a couple tiny screams cut off suddenly.
She screamed, squinting her eyes shut, and she flung the pieces of the bridge away towards the mountain in one pain-fueled burst. She turned around and stared at the smoldering heap of rubble where the theater used to be. It didn't matter how justified her choice was. She had blood on her hooves.
She cringed away, unable to look any longer. All around her, screams filled the streets. The tremors from the mountain shook everything, and burning rocks of all sizes rained down without warning. She could barely see through the softly falling ash.
There was no time to evacuate. Unless she did something to stop the volcano itself, Canterlot and all the ponies in it would be lost. It didn't matter what Celestia's orders were anymore. It had to be done.
Twilight flew up again, even higher, ignoring the cries for help around her. A dark shape loomed in front of her, and she banked to the left just in time to avoid a huge boulder crashing down. Another one came in, too fast to dodge, and nicked her right wing, singeing off a few feathers.
She winced, thinking of what that rock would have done if it had hit her elsewhere. This was no good. She needed to be able to see. Twilight pooled her magic again, heedless of the expense in energy. She sent out a blast of force in all directions, shoving the ash aside.
A huge spherical empty space surrounded her now. Below her, she could just make out the tops of a few of Canterlot's taller buildings. The screams just muted into a single dull roar at this altitude. Above, she could now see the falling rocks with ease, giving her plenty of time to dodge them.
A huge boom buffeted Twilight back. She looked to find the source of it just in time to see a huge plume of new ash intrude into her sphere. The volcano must be just below there and–
Twilight’s eyes went wide when a white pony intruded into her sphere near the blast. Celestia circled around the volcano, sending a constant stream of magical energy from her horn towards the source of the smoke. Twilight's heart lifted, and she cast a telescope spell to get a better look.
Her hopes died when she saw the expression on Celestia's face.
Celestia glanced toward Twilight, and then she looked down at the rooftops of the town.
As the bottom of the ash-free sphere slowly fell, more and more of Canterlot was exposed. It wasn't pretty. Buildings fell into shambles everywhere, and ponies ran back and forth in every visible street. More disturbing were the ponies who weren't moving.
Celestia looked back down at Twilight, still perfectly focused in the spell's view. She spent a moment looking longingly at Twilight before she shut her eyes and grimaced.
No . No, Twilight wouldn't let her do that. Not now. Not when they had so much to lose. She pumped her wings, flying up to the Princess. She couldn't let her sacrifice–
Celestia folded her wings and arrowed into a sharp dive. The further she fell, the more her horn glowed until she became a streak of golden light, too bright to look at.
Twilight pursued her, savagely beating the air with her wings. She tried to teleport, but she couldn't summon the energy, not after how much she'd already expended. She had to catch Celestia before she– Oh, no. No!
The gleaming streak shot into the column of smoke from the volcano.
One more reverberating boom resonated from the mountain, then everything fell eerily quiet. One by one, the last rocks in the air struck the ground below. Twilight could hear each one. Even the voices of the ponies below trailed off as they all listened, no doubt trying to figure out what the sudden absence of the mountain's rumbling meant.
With one last, desperate surge of her magic, Twilight blasted a hole through the ash cloud, straight to where Celestia would have landed.
An empty crater cooled where her former mentor should have been. No ash clouds or smoke rose from the mountain... and no Princess did either.
Celestia was... gone .
A cold knife stabbed into Twilight's chest. Her legs felt numb, and her wings faltered. Celestia was gone. It couldn't– She couldn't be...
The air began to rush past Twilight. She couldn't breathe, much less fly. How could she go on without Princess Celestia? How could she have lost her?
Twilight cast her brother's shield spell. She didn't care if it used up the last of her energy. She didn't care if the overload left her helpless for weeks. The light of her life had just burned out, and nothing else mattered. All she wanted to do was curl up and hide.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight curled up tighter. The wound in her soul screamed at her.
“Twilight Sparkle, can you hear me?”
She could feel something powerful piercing through her barrier.
A hoof nudged her chin up, and she found herself staring into a familiar midnight blue face. “Twilight Sparkle, what happened? Are you injured?”
Twilight slowly rose to a seated position, staring at Princess Luna the whole time. She tried to speak. No words came.
“Good, so you are unharmed.”
Twilight didn't feel unharmed.
“Where is my sister? She still has not been found. Where did you last see her?”
The breath left Twilight's lungs, and she collapsed back down to the floor of her barrier spell. She covered her face with her hooves.
“Twilight?”
Twilight looked up at Luna. Her eyes burned, but no tears came. She had none left. “She...” Twilight dropped her head back onto her hooves. She couldn't say it.
“Oh.” Luna collapsed in front of her. “I see. So the rumors are true.” She exhaled and stared down at the ground, a grimace growing on her face. “I should have been there for her.”
“Luna.” Twilight glanced up at the stricken alicorn in front of her. “Luna, I'm so sorry. I just couldn't–”
“Don't.” Princess Luna stood up, staring straight ahead with a face of stone. “Don't apologize, Twilight Sparkle. I have heard the rumors of what happened, and it was not your fault.”
Twilight looked away, glancing down and to the side. “That's not the only thing, though. At the theater, I–”
“Twilight Sparkle, I have been searching for you and my sister for ten hours now, asking every pony I saw about you.” Luna laid a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “I heard about that as well.”
“Ten hours? That can't be right, it was just a couple of min–”
“Canterlot Mountain erupted twelve hours ago, Twilight.”
“But I was just–” How long had she been curled up inside her barrier spell? It hadn't felt like hours. Twilight sighed.
“Yes, twelve hours.” Luna's head drooped, but she picked it up again, staring directly at Twilight. “Now, we must go. Our ponies need us, now more than ever.” Luna turned and stepped towards the barrier.
“I can't!”
Luna stopped.
“Luna, how can I be a princess with ponies' blood on my hooves? I can't do this!”
“Blood on your hooves? You do realize who you are talking to, right?” Luna turned her head towards Twilight. “You did what you had to do, Twilight Sparkle. Just as my sister did what she had to do.” She turned her head away, and her body visibly sagged. “We all have choices that we regret, myself more than most, and you are not the only princess here with innocent blood on her hooves. But our ponies need us. Now we must do what we need to do. We must rebuild, and we must give comfort to this city. And...” Luna visibly braced herself. “And I must raise the sun.”
Luna was right, of course. There was no time for wallowing in grief – ponies needed help, and her duty was to the ponies of Equestria. Twilight stood up, groaning from the complaints of cramped muscles.
“Are you ready to come out?”
Twilight canceled her spell, letting her barrier fall.
She stood in the shallow, round depression caused by her barrier spell hitting the ground. One of the grand plazas of Canterlot's air harbor district surrounded her. She had been here before, many times. Normally, this place would be blazing with light and activity, even at this time of night. Not tonight. This night, the exotic market stalls all stood empty, covered in gray ash. The streetlights faltered, only two or three of them retaining a weak remnant of their magical light. A few smoldering glows from the skyline hinted at fires still burning.
“Come, Twilight Sparkle, we have much to do... and much to discuss.” Luna's voice broke the unnatural silence of the night.
“What about my friends? Are they okay?”
Luna gave a small smile. “Yes. They have been assisting me in my search.” She began walking East, towards the palace.
Twilight's heart lifted a little, and she followed Luna, wading through the soft volcanic dust as soon as she left the protection of her circle. “Much to discuss? Are you talking about–”
A hard crack against Twilight's hoof stopped her in her tracks. She jumped back, holding her hoof, and biting back a cry. She used her magic to dig out the offending object, ready to hurl it aside, out of the path.
Celestia's face, etched in stone, stared back at her. Of course. There was a statue of Celestia in this plaza. Twilight glanced around, finding a lump in the grey snow nearby. Or, at least there used to be.
She stared into those stone eyes. If only she had a little more time with her. If only she could have gone with her to fight the volcano. If only she hadn't–
“Twilight?”
Twilight jumped back, dropping the broken statue's head back into the dust. It vanished with a soft puff.
“Twilight, are you coming? There is no time to waste.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Twilight rushed to catch up with Princess Luna. Once she did, though, she glanced back at the hole in the ash where the stone head had dropped.
“I know this loss is hard for you, Twilight Sparkle. Celestia meant much to you – you were very close. She meant much to me as well.”
Twilight shook her head, coming up alongside Luna. “You don't know the half of it.”
Luna's eyebrow rose. “Oh?”
“Well, earlier today...” Twilight stopped for a moment. Should she tell anypony about that? It was private, but Luna, at least, should know. “Earlier today, she kissed me... uh, well, we kissed.”
“I see. So my sister finally told you?”
“I told her, actually.”
“Good.” A smile blossomed on Luna's face, but it quickly faded. “I am sorry for you, Twilight Sparkle. Your loss comes ill-timed.”
Twilight walked along in silence for a moment longer. She sighed. “Tell me about it. Just when I finally find what I've always wanted, it gets taken away forever.”
The two of them stepped onto the long, curving stair that would lead to the entrance to Canterlot Castle. Only a few ponies walked by, all of them very quiet, all of them unwilling to make eye contact.
“Perhaps not forever.”
Twilight gave a low growl. “Ugh. Are you going to tell me I'll see her again in the Holy Pastures of the Invisible Pink Unicorn?” She stared Luna down out of the corner of her eye. “You know I'm a rational pony. I don't believe in that stuff.”
“Nor do I, Twilight, but that is not what I am speaking of.”
“What? Then what are you talking about?”
“As I said, we have much to discuss, and since I am now the oldest of us, it is my duty to explain.”
Twilight shook her head again. “I know how much you like to be mysterious, Luna, but really, what in Faust's name are you talking about?”
Luna chuckled. The sound vanished without a trace in the dusty air. “How old are you, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Huh?” What kind of question was that? “I'm twenty-two.”
“Two thousand seven hundred and three, actually. The same age as all of us.”
“No.” Twilight couldn't help letting a patronizing tone slip into her voice. “I have my birth certificate and everything, and I've seen my baby pictures. I was born twenty-two years ago.”
“That was your most recent birth, yes.” Luna gave one of her famously mysterious smiles. “But your first birth was nearly three thousand years ago.”
Twilight still wasn't buying it. She stomped a hoof down, halting her progress up the stairs. “What?”
“Twilight, all alicorns are truly immortal, though sometimes it may not seem that way. We live indefinitely, but we can be killed. If one of us is killed though, we will be reincarnated, born again in a different body, an ordinary pony body without our memories. The horn, the wings, and the memories will come back when the young alicorn reaches his or her full potential. Even then, it usually takes decades, unless another alicorn acts as a catalyst.”
“But then, why don't I remember anything?”
Luna turned around, towering over Twilight on the higher steps. She hung her head low. “I never fully agreed with this, but when my sister accelerated your growth, she unlocked only your physical attributes, leaving your memories untouched.”
“What?” Twilight closed the distance between them, rushing up to Luna. “Why would she do that?”
“The previous alicorn of friendship, Bright Eyes, was Celestia's lover. My sister longed for the day she could get her back, but she dared not to coerce you into it. She felt that for the love to be real, you must choose it for yourself. This is why you were never told of your heritage, and it is why your memories were left untouched.”
“Well, that's... um...” A crack appeared in Twilight's vision of the flawless sun princess.
“Even without being unlocked, though, the memories would come back with time. They usually take the form of dreams.” Luna turned and resumed walking up the dusty stairs.
Twilight ran after her. “So, wait. Those dreams – they weren't from me at all?”
“Yes and no, Twilight Sparkle. They were from you, but from a different you than you are accustomed to.”
Catching up with Luna, Twilight gave the alicorn an askance look. “Do you have to keep the 'dark and mysterious' thing going all the time?”
Luna just smiled slightly in return.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “And you seriously expect me to believe all this?”
“As I said, we have much to discuss, and indeed, we are not yet done.” Luna glanced up at the night sky. “But if we are to raise the sun on time, we must make haste.” Her wings flared out.
“Wait, what do you mean, 'we'?”
“I have never done this before.” Luna's wings drooped. “I will need the assistance of another alicorn until I become proficient.”
“But Princess Celestia raised the moon without any trouble when you were–”
Luna winced.
“... um, when you were away.” Twilight bit her lip and glanced to the side. “I'm sure you can handle the sun.”
Luna slowly shook her head. “Yes, my sister raised the moon without me easily enough. She did rather poorly with the stars at first, however. It is thanks to her struggles with the stars that such things as ursa majors and scorpios roam the ground, rather than night sky where they belong.”
Twilight's eyes widened. To hear of incompetence, of all things, from Celestia was something new. Her idea of the infallible sun princess cracked once more.
Luna glanced at her. “I assume that is yet another thing my sister never mentioned?” She gave another slight smile. “Perhaps I am not the mysterious one after all.”
Oh, she was still plenty mysterious. Twilight shook her head and spread her own wings. “Come on, let's go.”
The two alicorns took flight, sending clouds of volcanic dust flying away down the stairs in their backwash.
* * *
Twilight touched down on Celestia's private balcony just after Luna. She took a moment to look out over the city.
Canterlot now boasted only one color. Everything suffocated in a uniformly pale gray blanket of dust. An occasional pony wandered the streets, but an eerie still calm still smothered the city. Most ponies must have been hiding in their homes or...buried in the dust.
“This is my sister's private balcony. The lines etched into the floor help channel magic, making it easier to raise the sun.” Luna already stood in the exact center of the balcony.
“I know. She brought me here, once, so I could watch her raise the sun.” Twilight smiled. That day was still one of her fondest memories.
“Are you prepared?”
Twilight winced and stared at the intricate carvings on the floor. “Um... no.”
“All I ask is that you make your power available to me.” Luna lifted Twilight's chin up. “You're the finest magic user the kingdom has seen in hundreds of years. You can do that, right?”
Twilight's grimace faded into something almost resembling a smile. “Er...yeah. I guess.”
“Good, then let us begin. Sunrise is slightly late already.” Luna returned to the center of the floor's carvings. “Now, Twilight Sparkle, you must stand in one of the–”
Twilight stepped into one of the sub-vortex amplification rings around the perimeter of the carving's design.
“Yes, exactly.”
Twilight let a smug grin show. She did know her magic, after all.
“Very well. Open up a channel, and let us begin.” Luna's horn lit up, spreading a dark blue glow that reflected and pooled in the floor's designs.
Twilight knew those reflections were more than just a trick of the light. She opened up her own magical reserves, letting some of the lines soak in her own violet aura.
Luna's whole body began to glow, and she rose up above the floor, suspended in air.
On the Eastern horizon, a dull red glow began to filter through the lingering dust in the air.
Twilight felt the power drain out of her as the sun thrust up over the horizon, setting into its course. It could only be seen as a pale circle of light through the lingering clouds, but it was back. She shook her head, clearing away the slight haziness that always came after using high-level magic.
Luna floated back down to the balcony on her wings, looking over her shoulder at her work. She sighed. “It is not as bright as I had hoped.”
“We'll get better at it.” Twilight sat in place, still within the diagram on the floor. “Now, about what you were saying earlier... those dreams about Celestia and me, those weren't dreams?”
“That is correct, Twilight Sparkle. Those were memories from your past lives, filtering in now that you are again an alicorn.” Luna's shoulders slumped. “There is much you still do not know. I wish my sister had not seen the need to be so secretive.”
“Well, tell me!”
Luna walked away, back toward the royal chambers of the palace. “Come, let us discuss it over breakfast. This night was long, and I am wearied.”
Twilight fell into step next to her. “My past lives? How many have I had, then?”
Luna paused her step. “I am not certain.” She stood there a moment, tapping her chin with a hoof. “At least eight,” she said, resuming her walk into the hallway.
Before Twilight could ply any more questions, two ponies scrambled up to Luna and her, bowing low. One was a unicorn royal guard, in full gear, sans helmet, and the other was one of the palace servants. Twilight recognized the white coat and wavy brown mane, but she couldn't quite remember the pegasus mare's name.
Luna nodded her head, acknowledging them. “Stalwart, Feather Bed, what news do you bring?”
The guard spoke up first. “The search for survivors is ongoing. The upper levels have been almost entirely cleared, and we've been making a lot of progress in the lower levels.”
“And the tally thus far?”
The guard winced at Luna's question. “Five hundred nineteen dead, about two thousand one hundred injured. That's... that's still preliminary, though.”
She nodded and turned her head toward the pegasus.
“Well, Plumb Line made a survey of–”
“Excuse me, Stalwart?” Everypony turned to Twilight as she interrupted.
“Yes, princess?”
“Have you searched the rubble of the Candyhooves Theater yet?”
The stallion glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hmm...lower level, in the theater district, right? I don't think any of our teams have gotten that far yet.”
“Please send someone there to search for survivors.”
He bowed, “Of course, Princess.”
Luna raised an eyebrow at Twilight's command, but didn't intervene.
Twilight did her best to maintain a suitably regal posture under the older princess's scrutiny. “I apologize, Feather Bed, please continue.”
“It's no problem at all, Princess. As I was saying, Plumb Line has finished his survey of the palace. He said that except for the university section, it should be stable enough to be safely occupied, as long as there aren't any aftershocks.”
“There won't be. My sister saw to that.” Luna's frown deepened.
“So, are the rumors about Princess Celestia true? I heard–”
Luna's expression was not to be trifled with. “We will not discuss it at this time. Please wait for our formal announcement.”
“Of course, Princess. I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn.”
“Do not trouble yourself. Has Princess Cadance been contacted?”
The pain vanished from Feather Bed's face. “The fastest pegasus messenger we could find was sent out within an hour of your request. She should reach the Crystal Empire any moment now.”
Luna glanced left and right before whispering, “Has there been any sign of Discord?”
Stalwart shrugged.
Feather bed shook her head. “He hasn't been seen since the earthquakes started.”
“Very well.” Luna pointed a hoof at the guard. “Stalwart, continue your efforts, and bring me another report at nightfall.” She turned to Feather Bed. “Please send a request to Tea Kettle. We will need a simple breakfast for two sent to my private chambers. You two are dismissed.”
The unicorn guard made a short bow, and both ponies ran off down the hallway, soon disappearing around a corner.
Luna resumed walking herself, and Twilight followed suit.
Twilight bit her lip. “Um, Luna, about that theater thing, I was just–”
“Do not trouble yourself. I know what it is like to have lives on one's conscience, and I understand why you needed to do that.”
“Oh... um... thank you.” Twilight walked along with her in silence for a moment. “So, is Cadance like this, too? How come I never remember her as a unicorn?”
“She never was a unicorn. She was born a pegasus. She reached her full potential startlingly fast, though, and she was discovered by my sister. She was awakened to full alicorn stature before you were even born, which is why you never remember seeing her as anything else.”
“Are there more of us?”
Luna turned left down another hallway before answering. “There have always been six alicorns, ever since we were created.”
“Six? But then, who are the other two?”
Luna stopped in front of a pair of dark blue, ornately carved doors. “Please, come in and make yourself comfortable, and I shall tell you the tale of how we came to be.”
Twilight settled in on a black velvet cushion across the table from Luna. The room had been meticulously cleaned, that was obvious, but the grey dust filtering out of the cushion below her revealed that the night Princess's room hadn't been immune Canterlot Mountain's wrath.
“How are you fairing, Twilight?”
“I'll be fine.”
Luna's blue eyes bored into her own.
“I can handle it, okay? Just tell me the story.”
“Twilight Sparkle, I know how it feels to be stricken with great loss. Ignoring it and searching for distractions will not–”
“I'm fine.”
Luna sighed and looked away, toward a window that faced the mountain. “Very well.” She winced as she curled down deeper into her own cushion, making Twilight wonder what hardships she had been through last night.
Finally, Luna looked up at Twilight, before letting her eyes wander down to the delicate designs inlaid on the crystal table in front of her. “In the early ages of the world, days our history books have forgotten, the world was not such a friendly place. Weather moved at its own will, creating storms, floods, and droughts. Plants and animals cared for themselves only – they feared ponies, and sometimes even attacked them. Even the sun, moon, and stars moved of their own accord, beyond the control of pony kind. Ponies struggled against this harsh world, and against each other, but they dreamed of a more prosperous future.
“The ponies of old greatly desired to take control of nature, to harness it to their will. They saw this as the ultimate achievement of magic, and from what I understand, they built up somewhat of a religion around it.”
Twilight tilted her head to the side. “But we've always been in control of the weather patterns, and the sun and moon can't move on their own. That's why we need you.”
“It was not always so.” Luna looked up at Twilight again. “Eventually, these ancient ponies developed a magic ritual to achieve their goal of taming the chaotic world around them. It was massive. Thousands of ponies – of all races – took part. That ritual created the six alicorns, powerful and immortal, to rule over the forces of nature.” Luna began pointing to six different symbols of the table's inlay, each in turn. “The six are divided into three pairs – sun and moon, earth and sky, friendship and love. Such are the forces of nature the ponies hoped to harness.”
“Wait...” Twilight furrowed her brows. “Friendship is a force of nature?”
“Friendship and Love are both powerful forms of magic. You should know, being the alicorn of friendship yourself.”
“Okay. So, the sun and moon, I know... I'm friendship. So, Cadance must be love?”
Luna smiled. “Correct. I can see why my sister was fond of calling you her faithful student.”
“But where are the other two?”
“We will come to that later. For now, allow me to finish my tale.”
Twilight nodded.
“The ponies celebrated their victory over the chaos of nature... but that chaos could not be removed from the world so easily.” Luna looked down and shuddered. “Chaos took a new form that day. It was an unintended side-effect of the ritual that Discord came to be.
“The evil spirit Discord ruled over the land, and both the alicorns and the ponies who created him were powerless to stop him. For centuries, he made life miserable for everypony and everything... but the alicorns did not give up without a fight. A plan was devised for the imprisonment of Discord, one that would require great sacrifice.” Luna winced. “We created the elements of harmony using the same ritualized magic that had created us. Each element required the deaths of all six alicorns.”
Twilight's jaw dropped. “So...”
“Yes. We sacrificed ourselves again and again, each time reincarnating into new bodies, growing up and finally discovering our potential... then making the same sacrifice again.”
Almost involuntarily, Twilight's hoof made its way up to her crown. She touched the cold metal of the element of magic, in awe of what it had taken to create.
“Finally, we created the six elements of harmony, one for each alicorn. We challenged Discord, and he was unprepared for the magic we had accumulated. The elements encased him in stone, for what we thought would be forever, and thus ended the seven hundred year reign of Discord.”
“Wow...” Twilight sat back on her cushion. “That's amazing. Why isn't it ever in the history books?”
“Discord's fall was very nearly two thousand years ago, Twilight Sparkle. Few are the books that recall things so old.”
“So, what happened then? Why aren't–”
A knock at the door silenced her.
“Please, come in.” Luna's horn glowed, and the doors to the room opened, enveloped in a similar glow.
A young earth pony stallion pushed a cart with a few steaming plates inside. He barely made it in before he froze, blinking wide-eyed at the relative darkness of the room and trembling.
“What has become of Silver Platter?” Luna asked. “It is usually he who delivers my meals.”
The young stallion began trembling even more. “He-he's unaccounted for, your highness. One of the missing. I'm, um, Dinner Bell.”
“I hope he can be found.” Luna waved the servant over to the table. “I would be grieved to lose him.” She glanced at the cart. “So, what have you brought for us, Dinner Bell?”
“I, uh, well, the kitchens have been in some disarray ever since the eruption... and... we couldn't exactly–”
“I understand completely.” Luna used her magic to levitate the two plates over to the table. “And we appreciate the effort you have made to serve us through these trying circumstances. I am certain that whatever you have brought will suffice.”
“Oh, um, thank you,” the colt stammered. He began wheeling the cart away. “Oh! Wait, I mean, thank you, your highness.”
“Thank you Dinner Bell.” Luna graced him with the warmest smile Twilight had ever seen from the night princess. “You are dismissed, and please relay my gratitude to the chef.”
Twilight giggled after the door slammed closed. “You sure do have a way of intimidating ponies.”
Luna slumped in her cushion. “It is most difficult, returning after all these years.”
“You're doing great, really. A ton better than back on Nightmare Night.”
“Not that again.” Luna covered her face with a hoof. “The world was a very different place a thousand years ago.”
“Where were the other alicorns back then? Why doesn't the legend mention them?”
Luna sat in silence for a moment, not moving a muscle. She stared down at the table.
“Um, Luna?”
Luna shot her head up, as if startled. She blinked several times. “Oh, yes. My apologies.” She used her magic to levitate a fork from the plate closest to her. “What have we been given? Eggs, grass pancakes, hm... no juice, but still, they have done very well under the circumstances.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You remember what you said about trying to distract yourself?”
Luna looked up from her breakfast and glared at her. “That is not the same thing.”
Twilight just kept the eyebrow up and stared back.
“Fine.” Luna sighed. “It was a thousand years ago, and that...thing ...Nightmare Moon, festered in my mind, as it had for decades. After centuries of peace, the other alicorns had grown complacent, and a powerful unicorn king rose up in the North.”
“King Sombra.”
“The very same.” Luna shook her head. “When news of Sombra's evil finally reached us, the six alicorns flew off to confront him. They never suspected the traitor in their midst.”
Twilight scooped up a bite of eggs with her fork, barely paying any attention to them.
“The six alicorns did battle with the evil king, and victory seemed assured... but Nightmare Moon allowed the king's attacks to penetrate their defenses. She made it look like an accident.” Luna winced. “She made it seem like Sombra's attacks alone were responsible for the deaths of four alicorns. One of the others managed to survive the attack... Celestia. Together, Celestia and Nightmare Moon banished the unicorn king into the arctic ice, and his kingdom along with him.”
“Ugh. For a thousand years, I have repeated this day in my memory.” Luna collapsed, laying her head on the table.
“I get it, you don't have to–”
“I do. I need to do this, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna rose back up. She took a bite of her pancakes, but she didn't seem to even notice it. “Nightmare Moon thought Celestia had been fooled. She was wrong. Celestia knew exactly what happened, and she confronted the demon. A great battle ensued, and the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters was laid to ruin. Celestia threatened that the other four alicorns would revive and reawaken to overthrow Nightmare... Nightmare countered that she would kill them before they matured, over and over, as long as necessary.” She took another bite, automatically. “It was then that Celestia took upon herself all six elements of harmony and banished Nightmare Moon.”
“Oh... wow, I'd never known that she–”
“A thousand years.” Luna took another bite. “Do you know what that does to a pony? A thousand years of bitter, lonely thoughts... of plotting revenge and destruction?”
“Luna?”
“The moon is an empty, desolate place. The day burns, and the night freezes, and everything is stone and dust. It is a place for empty, desolate thoughts. They circle you, never–”
“Luna!”
The alicorn across the table pulled her head back. She blinked several times before her eyes focused. “Oh, yes... We – ah, I – apologize. These are my demons to face, and I should not trouble you with them.”
Twilight decided that this time, a little distraction would be a good thing. “So, where are the missing two alicorns now? And who are they?”
A smile returned to the other princess's face – a knowing smile. “You have already met one of them, actually.”
Twilight's eyes widened and her ears perked up.
“Rainbow Dash has been identified as the alicorn of the sky.”
“Rainbow? Really? This is amazing!” Twilight clapped her hooves together. “Does she know?”
“No, no. She has yet to reach her full potential, and neither me nor my sister had the heart to interfere with her dream of being in the Wonderbolts.” Luna paused to take several more bites of her breakfast. “However, with the recent loss of Celestia, she may be needed sooner. She could possibly be awakened if–”
“Don't you dare!”
Luna dropped her fork and stared wide-eyed at Twilight.
“One dream was already crushed today when I lost Celestia. I'm not going to let you end Rainbow Dash's dream just as it's starting, too!”
Leaning back away from the suddenly vehement alicorn of friendship, Luna nodded. “Very well. We will make do with just three alicorns.”
Twilight backed down, feeling a bit sheepish after her outburst. “So, um... That just leaves the alicorn of earth. Who is that?”
Luna shook her head slowly. “The alicorn of earth has yet to be identified.”
Twilight's face brightened. “Have you checked my other friends? I bet it's Appleja–”
“It isn't.”
“Oh.” Twilight slumped back down onto her cushion.
“Believe me, all of your friends were checked – discreetly – as soon as possible after they were known to represent the elements of harmony. You, of course, were already known. Celestia tested you the day she met you. It wasn't until after my return that Rainbow Dash was discovered, however.”
“Hm... then who is it?”
“The world is large, and there are many ponies in it. The alicorn of earth is almost always born an earth pony, but that narrows our search by only a third.” Luna stared deeply at her again. “Now that we have you, though, we will be able to locate the missing alicorns. Only the alicorn of magic can perform the locating spell.”
“But I'm just the alicorn of friendship.”
“Friendship is magic.”
Twilight chuckled dryly. “Of course... So, would this spell be able to find any alicorn, no matter how young?”
“Yes.” Luna's stare was all too knowing. “It can only be used at the moment of sunset, and each time, it will show you the closest unknown alicorn. It will find the new Celestia.”
Twilight's grin grew wider.
“But you must not contact this foal. She must be allowed to have a normal childhood, or she may never reach her full potential, and she may never develop into a full alicorn.”
Her grin faded. “Oh. Okay.” After eating a few more bites of her breakfast, she put a hoof to her chin. “But that incident with King Sombra was a thousand years ago. Why are some of the alicorns still missing now?”
“Ah, yes. I was not here for this, being still on the moon, but my sister told me the tale. It was the dragon wars. They took the alicorn of love first. Her name was Rose Lace in those days. It was a vicious sneak attack. Over the next few years, the war raged on. Celestia was able to keep it confined mostly to the wastelands at least, but this came at a price. Seven years after the attack that killed Rose Lace, a battle took place at the border of the wastelands. The ponies had no more room to give without letting the dragons into Equestria, and the dragons mounted a full assault. Three more alicorns died on that awful day.”
“Oh... I'd read about the dragon wars... I never realized we were that close to losing.”
“It was a very near thing, I am told, but in the end, the dragons were beaten back, at a terrible cost.”
“So, that's why Cadance is 10 years older than me?”
“Indeed. Unfortunately this does not help with our search for the alicorn of earth. The universe only has the energy to create 2 alicorns every 10 years, that would be you and rainbow dash.. The new alicorn will be still a filly or colt, if not a foal. Unfortunately, that still leaves a very wide field.”
The itch to find Celestia again burned inside Twilight. She hated herself for waiting so long to act on her feelings. If she had just acted sooner, they could have had more time. “So, let's go start on that detection spell!”
Luna chuckled. “Patience, young one. The spell cannot be performed until sunset, and we are both weary from our efforts yesterday. We should rest.”
Twilight just stared up at the bigger alicorn with quivering eyes.
Luna's eyebrow rose. “And no, we are not going to lower the sun early just to be able to perform this spell sooner. The schedule is off enough as it is.”
“Fine.” Twilight sighed and absorbed herself in finishing her breakfast.
“Do not worry. The detection spell is easy to learn, and within three nights, we shall find the new Celestia.”
Twilight nodded. She knew it was reasonable, but still, the prospect of finding her mentor again tantalized her. To be so close, but still have to wait, was torture.
Twilight stepped out onto the astral balcony for the second time that day. The intricate carvings etched into the floor still retained a faint hint of the glow that had been imparted to them this morning.
“Good. You have arrived. Are you ready to perform your part?”
Twilight nodded, looking away and hardly hearing Luna.
The night princess narrowed her eyes. “Are you certain? You seem... distant.”
“Magic is what I do. So, yes , Luna, I've got it. ” Twilight glared at the other alicorn before glancing away. “It's just... the public address this afternoon. I'm just not used to that kind of thing.”
The look in Luna's eyes didn't soften in the slightest. “And this is the only thing that bothers you?”
Twilight growled. “I'll deal with my own issues, okay?” She winced. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... Let's just get this done. Do you need any help with the moon?”
Luna finally softened. She rolled her eyes. “I needed help with the sun only because it was unfamiliar. The moon, I can handle. That is what I do.” She gave the slightest smile. “Do you know if Cadance has arrived yet?”
“I haven't heard anything.” Twilight shrugged. “Let's do this.”
Luna dipped her head. “Indeed.” She stepped to the center of the designs on the floor and cast her spell of the evening.
Twilight rushed to catch up to Luna, weaving her own spell into the mix. It was simple, really, just a basic scrying spell keyed to her own nature and the energy it took to lower the sun – it would pick up any magical being with enough power to move celestial bodies. Shunt that into a simple vision matrix, add in a few limitations to avoid known alicorns, and...
A ghostly image projected up from the designs on the floor. A pegasus with a brightly-colored mane dove down into a pile of rubble and flung away broken stones, digging for some survivor. Twilight would recognize Rainbow Dash anywhere.
She let the spell fade. “Well, that was a bust. We already knew about Rainbow,” she said, falling back onto her haunches.
Floating back to the balcony, Luna shrugged. “It is poor luck, true, yet not surprising that Rainbow Dash is the closest potential alicorn. I hear she has not slept since the eruption – that she has been working with the rescue teams ceaselessly.”
“I should talk to her. She can't keep going on like that.” Twilight shook her head. “I know Rainbow likes being a hero, but even heroes have their limits.”
“Is that the only thing you should talk to her about?”
Twilight glared at Luna and rubbed her right temple with her right hoof. “Yes. I am not discussing this again. I don't care how much you think the people need another alicorn after losing Celestia, I am not about to end Rainbow's dreams.”
“Twilight, you are letting your feelings for Celestia cloud your–”
“No.”
“Judgment. I know Rainbow Dash cannot replace my sister for you, but for the people of Canterlot, for the–”
“No!”
“People of Equestria, it is important to see that their protectors have not been weakened. Even more importantly, the enemies outside our borders need to see that–”
“No!” Twilight jumped to her feet.
Luna pointed a hoof out toward the wastelands in the South. “The dragons are still out there, Twilight Sparkle, and we do not know if they...”
Twilight stormed away from the balcony, paying no more attention to Luna's arguments. She knew her reasons for not awakening Rainbow were selfish. Some part of her even realized she was doing it so she could vicariously enjoy living out her greatest dreams through the new Wonderbolt, since Twilight's own dreams had been crushed by that volcano. She didn't care. Not enough to change her mind, anyway. Twilight promised herself that somepony would get to live out her dreams. As long as somepony was happy, that was enough.
Right?
* * *
Cadence hesitated, just outside the magical inscriptions. “You're sure that neither of you need any help?”
“We're fine.” Twilight giggled. “Just like the last five times you asked. This is simple stuff, really.”
Cadence's face scrunched up. “But... we've been trying for years to do this locating spell.”
“And it's easy.” Twilight winked.
“It is time, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight turned to Luna, only to see her already hovering up, preparing to raise the moon. She rushed to prepare her own spell, setting all the elements in place just in time to harness the excess energy from the falling of the sun.
Magical energy coursed through the tracings on the floor, and again, an image appeared. It was blurry at first, but soon coalesced into a row of cribs, each one holding a tiny infant pony.
The image included more than a dozen little cribs, but Twilight immediately knew which one had drawn her there. Right in the center, wrapped in yellow blankets, was a pure white unicorn foal with a blush-pink mane.
She could barely breathe. That was her! That was Celestia, back again already.
The image began to fade, and Twilight rushed forward into it she just wanted to see that beautiful foal more closely. But as soon as she stepped into the image, it dissipated like fog in the wind, swirling away from her hooves.
“So, it seems we have found what has become of my sister, but the alicorn of earth eludes us still.”
“That was her!” Twilight ignored Luna's intrusion. “That was Celestia!”
“I am certain she has a new name, now, Twilight Sparkle.”
“I have to go see her! Where is she?”
Luna shook her head. “That would be unwise. She will not remember her old life, and it is important that her new childhood not be interfered with. She must grow up naturally, or she may never reach her full potential and never mature into her full self.”
"You mean like I was? Celestia practically raised me!"
Luna looked away.
A mischievous look crossed Cadence's face, “She looked like she was in the maternity ward of Canterlot General. I've been there before.”
Luna shot Cadence a glare that could have stopped a rampaging dragon.
Cadence just rolled her eyes. “It won't hurt to just go see her, as long as we don't interfere. And, well, I kind of want to go see her, too.”
Luna's neck drooped. “Very well. We will go see this new foal, and I will come along as well, to ensure the two of you do not interfere.” She stepped over to the edge of the balcony and spread her wings. “Shall we?”
“We're going to go now?” Cadence's mouth dropped open.
“We're going to fly?” Twilight asked at the same time.
Luna didn't answer either of them. She just jumped off the edge of the balcony, into the dusk. Twilight wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she saw the night princess roll her eyes.
“Well, I guess we'd better follow her,” Cadence said, trotting to the balcony.
Twilight nodded and took off herself.
* * *
She came down with a wobbly landing in front of Canterlot General's front doors. Twilight hadn't had wings for all that long, yet, and she still felt a bit unstable on them.
Luna and Cadence watched her from the dark alcove of the entrance. They had been waiting for some time, of course. Twilight tried to keep up by wing, but she was no match for the more experienced flyers.
“Are we ready to proceed?” Luna asked, as soon as Twilight set down.
Twilight nodded.
“I do not need to remind you that we cannot interfere in this foal's life. We must not attempt to make contact yet.” Luna glared directly at Twilight. “You both understand this?”
“Of course,” Cadance answered.
Twilight just matched Luna's stare, holding her eyes steady. She said nothing.
One of Luna's eyebrows rose. “Twilight?”
She shook her head. “I know, I know."
“Good.” Luna held the stare a moment longer before turning around and heading for the front door.
Twilight followed her into the entrance. The four big glass doors along the front were all broken, with freshly cut wood planks covering now. She glanced up at the cracks running across the ceiling and wondered if Canterlot's building inspectors had gotten here yet. Was the hospital really safe, or were ponies just using it anyway because they had no other choice?
Inside, the chaos from the volcano still lingered. Even in the reception room, injured ponies laid on cots, most of them sleeping already, although a few lifted their heads at the sight of three alicorns entering. A thin coating of grey ash covered the floor still, despite obvious efforts to sweep it up.
Two nurses ran across the room, heading down a hallway in a terrible rush, but no other hospital staff was visible. Nopony sat behind the reception desk.
Luna glanced around at the different hallways splitting off from the room. “Do you know where the maternity ward is, Princess Cadence?”
She ran a pink hoof through her hair, before practicing her breathing exercise. “I do. But before we go, I nee-” She was cut off by Luna.
“Right. Good.”
Cadence sighed, but said nothing of it. “Just follow me.”
* * *
Twilight followed Cadence and luna through the door labeled 322 with some hesitation.
A narrow room painted in pastel colors greeted her inside, a change from the usual sterile white of the hospital's corridors. Five ponies, one of them wearing a nurse's cap and the other four all sitting on chairs along one wall. Along the other wall ran a big glass window, cracked from the mountain's violence, but not broken.
The ponies in the seats jumped up to their feet, wide-eyed, as soon as Cadence stepped inside. All five of them bowed low when they saw two more princesses file in behind her.
“Please, rise,” Luna said from behind Cadence.
Twilight shook her head. She still wasn't quite used to this 'being royalty' thing. She walked over to the big window, eager to see the new foal inside. Several rows of cribs were lined up inside, most of them full. Two more nurses tended to the babies, seemingly oblivious to the princess now watching them.
The nurse stepped up next to her, standing alongside and looking in as well. “Can I help you, your majesties?” she whispered.
Despite not having yet reached full height, Twilight easily towered over the bassinet of the infant that was the Sun Incarnate. The infant that had once ruled an entire nation. The infant that had controlled the heavens. The infant that was once her beloved Celestia. A single tear rolled down Twilight's cheek. Why? Why her? Why now?
A small part of Twilight wasn't sure if she was dead, dreaming, or in Tartarus. Surely her precious Celestia wasn't gone. She couldn't be. Perhaps Twilight had died in the panic of the eruption. Maybe she was in a coma, dreaming. Yes. That thought, oddly, put her at ease--that was, until the heartbreaking truth of reality came crashing down. She was awake, Celestia was dead. Dead! And she laughed, a cold, humorless laugh.
Behold! The great Sun Goddess, Celestia Sol, in all her glory ! Twilight thought bitterly. She knew she shouldn't have felt this bitterness towards the child. But there were so many conflicting emotions right now, she could barely make sense of them all.
She couldn't help but resent the baby, even if only a little. She had to blame someone. And even though she knew it was irrational and completely unjustified, she couldn't shake the feeling that this infant had somehow taken her beloved away.
However, at the same time, she felt a fierce protectiveness and fondness for the foal.
She loved her.
Twilight's eyes brimmed with tears and she sobbed. Cadence rushed to her side and put a hoof on her shoulder, her own eyes misty at the state of her adopted aunt.
Luna had passed on the opportunity to see the child, as it would be too hard on her after having just gotten her sister back after her thousand-year exile. She knew it might happen eventually, but it was just too soon.
At the sound of Twilight's sorrow, the infant awoke. And as she recovered from her slumber, Twilight gasped, for this child had not the innocent, twinkling eyes of a newborn-but the wise, mystical eyes of a mare who had lived many a lifetime. But then she blinked and gone were the eyes of a goddess.
"Twi..." The infant gurgled.
Could it be? No. Twilight wouldn't let herself get her hopes up. Not now.
"Twi...luh! Twiluh! Twiluh! Twiluh!" The foal beamed and pointed at Twilight.
Cadence gasped. Twilight fainted.
***
When Twilight came to, she took note of three things. The first thing was the was the wail of a child.
The second was the young mare trying to comfort the crying child. She was very young. Her pink hair was pulled back in a ponytail, not unlike how Cadence used to wear her hair when she was younger-except unkempt and sweaty. There were bags underneath her eyes, which were a beautiful shade of magenta, just like the baby's.
Just like Celestia's.
Her cutie mark was a sun with the outline of a cloud which blended in with her white coat blocking a part of the sun.
She was obviously the mother of the foal.
The last thing Twilight noticed was Luna. She was a wreck. Her mane was a mess, she was pacing, and Twilight could've sworn she saw her eye twitch.
Cadence was the first to notice that Twilight had woken up. "Twilight! You poor thing! Are you okay?"
Twilight rubbed her left temple with a purple hoof, "I'm-ugh-I'm fine." Physically, at least, Twilight mentally added. "What are we going to do? You know-about...?"
"Twilight Sparkle, it seems as though Majesty here has retained some of my sister's memories. Namely, memories of you." Luna stepped in, keeping a calm facade. "Thi-"
Twilight interrupted her, "Majesty?"
Luna sighed, "Yes, Majesty is this incarnation's name." She continued, "As I was saying, this means I will have to retract my earlier statement."
"Statement...What statement? Oh!" Twilight's eyes brightened, and she stood up straighter. "Do you mean-"
"Indeed, Twilight Sparkle, you will be allowed to take part in her childhood."
Twilight squee'd but was able to refrain from doing the 'yes' dance. "You mean it? Oh! We'll have so much fun! And then-then..." Twilight visibly deflated, "What about her parents?"
The young mare from earlier hesitantly stepped up to Twilight. "I uh...I believe that's where I come in." She smiled nervously, "I'm her mother. I was gonna put her up for adoption, but I guess I won't need to do that now..."
"B-but...why?" Twilight was at loss for words. "H-how are you giving her up so easily?"
The young mare cringed and stepped back, hiding behind her bangs, but Twilight didn't take the hint and looked at her expectantly.
Twilight didn't know how to respond, "I-I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have pushed!"
The mare gave a soft, reassuring smile through her tears, "It's fine, there was no way you could have known. I don't blame you."
***
Shining Armor burst in through the doors, and rushed over to Cadence. "I came as soon as I heard!" He nodded towards Majesty, "So, this is her?"
"Shining Armor? What are you doing here?"
He looked at Twilight quizzically, "What, you don't know? I'm here to meet my daughter."
"Mah sister is a what now? "
Twilight was very surprised at the anger in Applejack's voice, "Well, I don't know for sure. But, I do have my suspicions that Applebloom is, in fact, the Alicorn of the Earth." She explained, "She fits all the right categories; she's a filly, she's an earth pony, and she hasn't got her cutie mark." Though not technically required, the last one did help Applebloom's case.
Applejack was much calmer now, "Well, Ah don't like it, Twi. Ah don't like it one bit." She continued, "But if mah sister does have some greater purpose in life, Ah wouldn't be surprised." She smiled softly, "You can do yer little test."
Twilight let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, "Oh! Thank you Appleja-"
"But-" Applejack put a hoof in Twilight's face, "-if you hurt one hair on her head, Ah will make you pay ." She retreated and smiled wide, waving merrily, "Thanks fer visitin', Twiligh'! See ya tonight!"
***
As Twilight neared Canterlot on her carriage she thought of Rainbow Dash. She wasn't surprised in the least that Rainbow was destined to be in charge of the sky, but that brought up some questions for Twilight. What about the stars? Were they actually Luna's? Or was she just watching over them until Rainbow Dash ascended?
What if Rainbow never ascended? Did that even happen? And Majesty? Now that she was in the Crystal Empire with her parents and Rainbow was back in Cloudsdale, there was no way Twilight was going to be able to monitor them as much as she would like!
It was then that she realized, she would never see her friends again after they died! She'd just be born over and over ag-
"Uhh...Your Majesty? Are you okay? We're here..."
She jumped at the sound of the carriage puller's voice, "Oh! Uh... yes! I'm fine! Thank you! For your service... hehe." She blushed.
***
Twilight smiled at the sight in front of her, the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran about in the royal gardens, clad in capes and wizard hats; they had been brought here under the pretense that they were coming to watch Twilight help lower the sun. She didn't want to get their hopes up about anything. And Applejack had insisted the other two Crusaders come in order to avoid suspicion.
Scootaloo ran up to Twilight, "Twilight! Can we have Twilight Time again soon? We miss you!" She gave her best puppy-dog eyes.
Twilight felt bad; she hadn't had time to spend time with the girls since she'd moved to Canterlot permanently - since the eruption. "Well, Scootalo, I-"
She was saved by the moon, "I am sorry to interrupt, Twilight Sparkle, but it is time."
***
As Twilight opened her magic reserves to Luna, she felt her anticipation grow with each second. This was it, tonight she would find the earth alicorn, Applebloom or not. All she had to do was tweak a few points in her spell to exclude Rainbow Dash from the process.
She could feel the sun pushing on her horn, and for the first time since that fateful day, she heard Celestia's voice. Twilight Sparkle. Do not-
"C-Celestia?" All heads in the room turned to her, "P-Princess? Is that you?" She looked at a confused Luna, "It's Celestia! I heard her!" Her face fell, "Didn't you?"
The sunset had faltered, so Luna shook her head, and turned back to face her task, with a heavier heart than before. "No, Twilight Sparkle. She chose you. But it is your turn, now."
"Chose me? B-But I he-"
"Now, Twilight Sparkle."
Shakily, Twilight stepped forward and cast her spell, the magic from her horn permeating the room. Swirling through the the air, in a magenta haze, Twilight's magic created a screen of sorts. Colors burst forth and merged into a picture only to show, not Applebloom, but-
"Sweetie Belle?"
"Y-your child? Your child? Your child?You have some explaining to do, mister! " Twilight was steaming out of the ears.
Cadence stepped forward to defend her husband, but the look she received from his enraged sister was enough to force her back. Shining Armor, on the other hand, took no such hint.
He stepped forward and put a front leg around Twilight's neck, "Twiley, I don't understand...What did I-hey ! Ow! Don't bite me!" -or, at least he tried.
"How dare you touch me? I am a princess of Equestria, do not touch me! Explain yourself! Now! " At this point, the other three mares in the room had tried to step in, to no avail.
"Wha-Twiley? What do you mean? What's so bad about adopting her?"
"What's so bad? What's so bad? Yo -you...Adopt?" Twilight's wings spread to full mast and her eyes twinkled like the stars. "You're adopting her? You're adopting her! Ohmygosh! This is the best! I'm gonna be an aunt! An-and... my niece will grow up to be...my lover...?" She turned to Luna, "How does that even work?"
"We are alicorns, Twilight Sparkle, life and love are different for us. Technically, we are all sisters. But that never stopped you before."
Shining Armor had a disgusted look on his face, "Your lover? Twilight, that's disgusting! She's only a foal!"
Luna and Cadence chuckled but said nothing.
"Well, it's not like that stopped Cele-" Twilight cut herself off when she realized how wrong that sounded.
Cadence giggled and stepped in to explain the situation to Shining Armor.
***
Speaking in hushed tones, Luna and Sunny Skies walked flank to flank, ahead of the rest of the group.
Shining Armor had Majesty on his back, in a baby carrier, while Cadence giggled at the gurgling baby. Twilight, on the other hand, was completely lost in thought. She couldn't shake the feeling that everything was wrong. How could she help raise Majesty if her intent was to be romantically involved with her? Was Shining Armor right? Was she...disgusting?
And what about Majesty's father? Who was he? She wasn't sure she should ask Sunny Skies - it might be a sensitive subject. But at the same time, she wanted to know who had fathered the newest Sun Goddess, and then she wanted to kick his flank. As the princess of friendship, she had the power to try and prosecute the stallion who had raped the poor girl, but she had a feeling Luna might want to handle that - she and Sunny Skies were becoming fast friends.
She glanced at Shining Armor, she did feel bad about the little outburst she had had, but his timing really had been off. The others didn't blame her, though - this week had been rough, especially for her.
And then there was Rainbow Dash, when would they tell her? Luna did have a point - Equestria needed its princesses, and with one less they could be in danger. Celestia managed on her own for almost a thousand years, she reasoned. We can manage 15 years with just three.
Plus, she still had to figure out who the Alicorn of the Earth was. An earth pony filly? I'll bet it's Applebloom, she smiled to herself.
She'd find out soon enough.
