“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you mare and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Applause broke out as Mayor Mare stepped back and let the two brushing brides lift the veils from over each others faces and embrace in a kiss that would be considered chaste compared to some that Twilight had seen Summer and Nightglider get into. Still, she was happy for them, even if she had difficulty expressing that for... reasons. Those reasons mostly being the various empty seats spread around the area.

While it had been over a year since the defeat of Faust, feelings still ran strongly for a lot of ponies in attendance. Vapor had never come close to being the same since, and there were plenty of cracks in Rainbow’s stoicism if you knew when and where to look. Twilight herself was, by her own admission, a total mess, and well, she could hardly claim to hold the crown on that. The war had affected everyone to some degree.

That, however, wasn’t the main issue. While Summer and Nightglider had not been so crass as to arrange their wedding on the anniversary of the day that the war had ended on, they had instead been thoughtful enough as to provide provision for those no longer with them. Placed throughout the assembly were chairs kept purposely empty of all but a modest placard bearing a name. There had been no need to ask what they were about since Twilight had been sat next to two of them bearing the names of Trixie Lulamoon and Sunset Shimmer, while at the other end Moondancer sat pointedly not looking at her.

Twilight understood why they had done this, and she had to admit it was at least thoughtful, but it also served as a big fat reminder of all the ponies they had lost, bringing with it an unhealthy amount of pain on what was supposed to be a happy occasion. Twilight honestly wanted to smash the chairs to pieces, but obviously refrained because making a spectacle of herself wasn’t really going to do anything other than make her look like a twat. So she sat, tried to look happy, clapped when appropriate, and wished for the moment when she could get away from those damned reminders of what she’d lost.

Thankfully the end came, and with all due haste she slunk away from the ceremony as fast as she dared. The reception, as moderately catered as it would be in these trying times, would be held in a couple of hours, giving her much needed time to sit and breathe, away from the crush of ponies, her friends sympathetic looks, and those damnable chairs.

She chose to spend that time by wandering back to her castle, to a small patch of garden nestled amongst the roots around the rear, where a small statuette of Trixie in her magician’s finery stood permanently reared. Beside it was a similar but more subdued figure of Sunset. There was no plaque. Twilight didn’t see the point. Those who knew it was there didn’t need to be told who these two ponies were. Truthfully though, it was only really Twilight who came here. The others mostly used it as a place to find her.

“Hope you enjoyed the wedding if you came, both of you. Honestly though, it was kinda hard to focus on it when you two were spending so much of my time distracting me by not being there.”

Twilight sighed and slumped onto the ground to poke at the grass. “I suppose it was still nice though. Rarity did a great job on their dresses, and Mayor Mare tried her best to keep a joyous tone to the event even with three princesses there along with all the ghosts of dead ponies that had been invited. I- I wish-" Twilight choked as a lump grew in her chest, and she buried her head in her legs to hide her tears from any onlookers. “I wish you could have been there.”

“I have the most distinct feeling that this is a bad time.”

Twilight half shrieked at the voice that came from behind her, and fiercely rubbed her eyes free of tears as she turned to confront it, finding Celestia sat behind her, watching her with polite curiosity. As she had been since the fall of Faust, she wore no vestments save a golden band on her horn which prohibited her magic.

“Shouldn’t you be at the wedding?” Celestia asked.

Twilight sucked in a deep breath as she thought of how to react, but nothing came to her so she sighed explosively instead. Several meters behind Celestia was Nightmare, who had been given the unenviable task of being Celestia’s minder, a job she both loved and hated in equal measure. Mostly it was her duty to ensure Celestia didn’t take her inhibitor off, and returned to Canterlot after whatever errand took Celestia’s fancy for the day. She grinned apologetically at Twilight, but elected to say nothing, which Twilight took to mean that maybe Celestia had a purpose here.

“I’ll go back in a bit,” Twilight replied lamely as she mentally fortified herself to seek the point behind why Celestia was here. “Weren’t you invited?”

“I was, and while Cadence and Luna were happy to go, I had other distractions, uh... distract me.”

“Sure.”

“I see the rebuilding of Ponyville is going well.”

“Why? Is that of personal concern to you after you so thoroughly destroyed it?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow at Twilight with a surprisingly stern expression. “Seeing as I bought you the time to escape with your friends, at considerable cost to myself when I had little reason to help you at the time, you could show a little more appreciation.”

Twilight nodded to herself as Celestia did maybe have a point. “You’re right. I’m sorry. How have you been lately?”

“Better, now that I’m allowed out and about.” Celestia glanced at Nightmare, getting a raised eyebrow in return. “I do question Luna’s choice of chaperone for me though. Honestly though,” Celestia lay down on the ground by Twilight, “like yourself, every day is a trial. It’s exhausting. I just want to be myself again.”

“Yeah.”

“I also wish Luna would give me some actual duties again. I appreciate that maybe I’m not in a fit state to rule, but there’s no reason I couldn’t help out.”

“Didn’t you propose a bill suggesting that should Luna fall, sole rule of Equestria would be given to you? Didn’t they also find you rummaging through the armory looking for a weapon capable of killing an alicorn?”

Celestia winced. “In my defence, I’m doing a lot better since then. Luna also burned the bill in front of me while looking me in the eye, just to be sure I got the message. It took me ages to write that without magic, not that it matters.”

“I was surprised to see that it wasn’t written in crayon,” Nightmare quipped. “I mean, the plan to hide Luna’s body was, but still.”

“It was all I had at the time!” Celestia caught herself, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly. When she reopened then, she seemed more like the old Celestia. “Apologies. Nightmare should know better than to get me started like that.” She sighed again and stared at the small memorial for several long seconds. “Has it really been a year already?”

“A year and five days,” Twilight stated flatly, “not that I’m counting. Much. It really has flown by though.”

“And is it getting easier for you?”

“Not really. I am getting better at working through the pain though.”

“By which you mean burying and ignoring it.”

Twilight snorted a laugh, “Who knew that terrible piece of advice from Chrysalis would be the most useful I’ve had on the subject.”

“It isn’t exactly a long term solution,” Celestia replied carefully.

“It’ll do until I’m not too busy dealing with the rebuilding of Equestria.” Twilight stood and stretched the stiffness out of her body, wanting to change the subject, or leave, which was more preferable. “Right, not that I don’t enjoy our time together, but I have a wedding to get back to.” Twilight turned and started to trot away before the lump in her chest threatened to stop her breathing at all. “See you soon, Celestia, okay?”

“Actually, Twilight,” Celestia stood, raising herself to her full and regal height. “I do have a reason for seeking you out, other than pleasantries.”

“Oh brother,” Twilight muttered to herself, stealing herself for what was about to come. “And what might that be?”

“The reason I wasn’t at the wedding, it’s a good one.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at Celestia, then glanced at Nightmare who smirked back, which was all the reason Twilight needed to actually take this semi seriously. “Yes?”

“I was at Ponyville hospital, attending a most peculiar birth. Well, not the birth itself as such, that was quite routine, but the pony that was born was peculiar.”

“Okaaayyy... so what was peculiar about the pony?”

“She was blue,” Celestia replied dreamily, “a lovely shade of blue.”

Twilight’s expression went flat as Nightmare rolled her eyes. Clearly Celestia was more concerned about playing with her than actually telling her what this was about.

“Anything else?”

“She has the cutest little wings, and-"

“It’s an alicorn,” Nightmare interrupted as her patience ran out, “who’s blue with a silvery mane, purple eyes, and a ready made cutie mark that seems somewhat reminiscent of Trixie’s.”

“Wha-"

“I thought we agreed I was going to tell her!” Celestia exploded, her mane flaring up for a split second.

“That was before I discovered you were just going to waste time.”

“Why must you ruin everything?” Celestia sighed and turned back to Twilight, only to find that she wasn’t there any longer. “Honestly, I’m not even angry any more. I understand, I really do. No pony has the time for silly old Celestia anymore.”

“Uh-huh,” Nightmare grunted, not caring in the slightest. “So, since Twilight will be busy for a while, you want to head to the reception and get white-pony wasted?”

Celestia rolled her eyes and scoffed, “While I find that phrase both offensive and inaccurate, sure, let’s go.”

“We could make it a drinking contest?”

Celestia’s eyes glinted with mischief, “Might we get Luna involved?”

“If I know Luna, which I do, we can, without a doubt, absolutely get her in on this.”

“And if she loses, what might my prize be?”

“A smack around the ear if you continue that line of thought. Honestly...”

-0-0-0-

Twilight poofed into being in front of the hospital and charged in through the doors, trailing smoke as her rapid, near instinctual teleport set a few of her feathers and tail hairs smouldering. Skidding to a halt in front of the reception desk, causing the mare there to shrink back in fear at the sight of the wild eyed and smoking alicorn that just burst in, she demanded as regally as she could right then to know where she needed to go.

“Alicorn foal! Blue! Where? Now!”

“I-I-I'm sorry, but the parents aren’t seeing anypony right now-"

“I will burn this hospital down if you don’t tell me!”

“Princess!”

“Figuratively! I will figuratively burn it down! In fact, I won’t even do that.” Sucking in a deep breath, Twilight reined herself in. “Just, please, tell me where I can find the alicorn foal. It’s important.”

“Is- Is she in danger?”

“Uh...” Twilight’s eyes darted side to side as she rapidly formed a lie. “Not right now, but we... need to make sure that this isn’t some kind of changeling plot to... make their own princess?”

“You mean the foal might be a changeling?” the receptionist asked, her eyes going wide. “Can ponies give birth to changelings?”

Twilight almost gagged as the remnants of long past conversations with Chrysalis came to mind. “It’s... not impossible. Please, I’m just here to make sure she’s a genuine alicorn.”

“Um, okay then. She’s with her parents in room seventy-four, and please try to keep the noise down.

“Right, no slamming doors, incoherent screaming, or threatening to burn the hospital down, got it.” Twilight smiled apologetically as she moved on, forcing herself to keep her pace down to a steady trot as she made her way to the room where Trixie apparently was.

Twilight stopped, the idea of Trixie not being dead finally jamming its was into her head in a way that got her to ask some important questions, like was it really Trixie? Why was she an alicorn? If she was returning as an alicorn, why was it in this manner? And, why was it happening over a year after she died? If a pony pregnancy lasts ten months, where was Trixie for the other two?

The distinct feeling that something really wasn’t adding up followed all the way to the room, slowing her steps, along with the fear that none of this was real, that she’d foolishly allowed her hopes to be raised by two ponies that have at times had a less than stellar relationship with the truth.

Opening the door, Twilight stepped in to the sight of the two parents cooing at the newborn, although they quickly stopped when they saw her. “I-I’m sorry! I’ll come back later!”

“It's alright,” the mother said with a smile, “Princess Celestia told us to expect you. Would you like to see her?”

Twilight swallowed hard and nodded as the foal was unwrapped from its swaddling, revealing the tiny blue alicorn, with her silvery mane, and resplendent cutie mark. The foal woke, peering up at Twilight with large purple eyes. She truly was a perfect, miniature copy of Trixie, if you ignored the addition of the wings.

“Trixie,” Twilight said breathlessly, her heart racing and her doubts forgotten.

“Trixie?” the father asked. “We haven’t even named her yet.”

Twilight ignored him, her world filled with the tiny Trixie that was reaching her hooves up to Twilight’s face. Pressing her nose to the offered hooves, Twilight’s heart melted as the foal giggled.

“It’s really you.”

Author's Note

Aaaannnndddd... we're done. Been sitting on this for months, so it's probably time I posted it, bringing an end to my horse story writing career. Still haven't watched the final season btw, so forcing myself to give an at least half arsed ending to this was a push since I no longer have my mind quite so occupied with pastel ponies. Also left a ominous ending situation which would've been an opening to another two stories and so on and so forth. I still intend to do a couple of summaries for those stories, so maybe in another year's time, we'll see.

Anyway for all of you that followed this all the way to the end, thanks for sticking around. Love you all.