The Handmaiden

The horse had hardly come to a stop before Twilight dismounted, and she hurried across the cobble path to Sweetie's home. The door was locked, and Twilight had no key, but a flurry of magick made opening most doors child's play. Once she had entered the house, she followed the sounds of ragged breathing up the stairs to the bedroom. Twilight didn't know quite what awaited her, but the pit in her stomach grew the closer she came to finding out.

With mounting dread, Twilight made her way towards the door, her heart pounding and mind racing. Almost as powerful as the fear for Sweetie's health was the guilt that Twilight felt. How would she be able to tell Sweetie the date that had befallen her sister? Though it was not Twilight herself who struck Rarity down, the handmaiden knew she bore no small amount of responsibility.

"S-s-s-sister…?"

As she entered the room, all thoughts of Rarity's cold body left Twilight's mind. All she could think of was what she saw before her; Sweetie laid upon her bed, nude but for a heavy sheen of sweat. Her already thin form had become so malnourished that Twilight could nearly see her insides working through her flesh. Thin veins pulsed through Sweetie's skin, as thin as paper, and much of that skin was greying, wrinkled, and decaying. She nearly let out a shout in horror, but contained herself as she slowly stepped nearer.

"S-s-s-sister… Have you returned?" croaked Sweetie. So paralyzed was she by what she saw, Twilight didn't respond immediately. Sweetie strained to turn her head in Twilight's direction, but it was clear that she could not see her friend, as her formerly good eye was now nearly as cloudy as her damaged one. "P-please, Rarity… If you're here…"

"It's me, Sweetie. Twilight." The handmaiden swallowed her heart back down as she approached. "Gods above… What happened?"

"T-t-t...Twi… It is good to see you." Sweetie gave a dark, trembling little chuckle. "Though I s-s-suppose that was a p...poor way of phrasing it. As for what happened… Once again, I b-brought this upon myself."

"Your potion. It backfired," murmured Twilight. She clenched her jaw as it occurred to her that perhaps, like before, it may not have been an accident. "Oh, Sweetie…"

"The p-potion did exactly what it was meant to. I told you it would need to b-burn away the rubbish before it could heal me. Turns out, m-m...more of me is rubbish than I thought." Sweetie attempted to sit up, but she collapsed back down before she made much progress. "I knew this m-might happen. This was always a p-p-possibility…"

"I see… What can I do?" Though the situation was bleak, it was somewhat reassuring that this was, apparently, not Rarity's doing. "You need a doctor."

"No p-p-point. No medicine can undo what I've done. All I c-c-can do now is wait. Either the p-potion will start to heal me, or…" Sweetie let out a quiet sigh. "Either way, it will be over soon." It went quiet for a spell, before Sweetie turned her head in Twilight's direction. "Where is Rarity? She said she would only b-be gone a short while…"

"Rarity is… Away. There was an incident in a nearby village. Some Illusionist mage lost control of their sorcery, started causing all sorts of havoc." Twilight did not like lying to her friend, but it seemed preferable to telling her the truth now, in Sweetie's darkest hour. "She's quelling things now, so no one gets hurt. She should be getting back soon."

"Ah. Rarity's work is n-n...never done," sighed Sweetie. "Well, if you aren't t-t-too busy… C-c-c-could you stay with me? I don't want to be alone…"

Twilight barely took a breath, and did not hesitate for a moment.

"Of course, Sweetie. I'll be here." Twilight grabbed a nearby wooden chair and pulled it close, taking a seat beside Sweetie's bed. "You'll have to forgive me for asking the foolish question, but… how do you feel?"

"It is… Unbearable, if I am being honest. It c-c-comes in waves," she croaked. "At the m-moment, it is not as bad. But… I f-feel my organs failing. My flesh, dying. It's just a m-matter of time…"

"Don't think that way. We'll figure something out, we always do." Twilight gently reached forward, touching her hand to Sweetie's forehead; the blistering heat made her recoil a bit, but she still brushed Sweetie's sweat-dampened hair from her face. "Have you eaten? I could fetch you a bite to eat, if that would help."

"Rarity was p-p-preparing soup before she left. Should be on the c-c-c-c-counter."

"I'll go fetch it. Just a moment."

Twilight watched for a moment, heart still in her chest, before finally tearing herself away from the terrible sight before her. She slowly strode away, praying to the gods above that Sweetie would make it through. Despite these prayers, as Twilight entered the kitchen, she heard a shivering sob from upstairs, followed by a spell of coughs and then, mercifully, shallow, labored breaths. For a moment, Twilight forgot about the soup, forgot her prayers, and strode for the front door. The gods had a habit of ignoring Twilight's pleas in the past, so she sought the one stronger than them, the one whom she could depend on.

"Is everything okay in there, Madame?" Twilight stepped outside of the little homestead, giving a sideways glance to her guard. Some soldier, whose name she hadn't bothered to learn, dutifully stood outside after escorting Twilight from the castle, awaiting his next orders. "Are you finished with your visit?"

"I beg your pardon?" said Twilight, all but scowling at her knight. "I was under the impression that your job was to escort me where I needed to go. Am I holding you up from something more important, sir?"

"N-no, Madame, it's just… My shift was meant to be ending when you asked for my escort," said the guard. "The wife, she gets worried if I'm not home..."

"Hmph. If you need to be home so swiftly, then I urge you to complete your next errand expeditiously. Ride back to the castle, find the Empress, and tell her that I require her presence at Chancellor Rarity's home immediately. Then you are dismissed."

"Er… Madame, I'm not sure that's a good idea." The guard peered at his charge anxiously, thoroughly unnerved by the bubbling anger that frothed just beneath the handmaiden's exterior. "The Empress doesn't like leaving the castle on such short notice, and she seemed like she might be cross if she were to be disturbed."

"And I will be quite cross, myself, if you don't fetch me Celestia. You'll have the whole ride to Castle Canterlot to figure out how to gain the Empress' favor. Standing here, ignoring my commands, will grant you no time to gain mine," said Twilight. "Go to the castle. Tell Celestia that I need her urgently, a matter of life and death. This is not a request."

And with no further words, Twilight returned to the house, sights set on the kitchen. She paused for a moment, letting out a small sigh of relief when she heard the guard urge his horse along the dirt road. Once she was sure that he had departed, Twilight turned her attention back to her initial task; the soup in the kitchen, a thin mushroom broth, had gone cold by then, but it was effortless for Twilight to warm it with a bit of sorcery. Once the soup was heated, but not scalding, she carefully carried it up to her friend. She sat Sweetie up as best as she could and, when it became evident that she would not be able to feed herself, Twilight did it for her. They sat in relative silence as Twilight spooned soup into Sweetie's mouth, save for the occasional grunts of pain when a small chunk of vegetable slipped down Sweetie's gullet. Eventually, Twilight used her sorcery to remove the solids from the bowl entirely, for Sweetie Belle's comfort and convenience.

Shortly after the soup was finished, Sweetie drifted off to sleep, though her rest was far from peaceful. It seemed that every few moments she trembled and groaned in her sleep, the pain tormenting her even in her slumber. Twilight could barely stomach it to watch her friend's anguish, but she stood by her side for over an hour before the knock at the door stole her attention away. After ensuring that Sweetie was as comfortable as possible, given the situation, Twilight made her way down the steps again and to the front door. She pulled it open and a wave of relief passed over her, for standing before her was her High Queen. Celestia said nothing at first, wearing an expression that could only be described as somber, and she held a small parcel in her hands.

"Thank the Gods you're here," said Twilight. "Come along, she's upstairs and in serious need of aid."

"Twilight. I worry that you are preparing to ask me for something that I cannot give you," said the Empress quietly.

"What? Empress, Sweetie is ill. Dying. We need to help her. You need to help her." Twilight simmered, frowning openly at her mistress when she said nothing. "Celestia, if we don't do something, she is going to die."

"Dear… You may need to come to grips with the fact that she is—"

"We're wasting time! Come on, it should be child's play for you to heal her!" shouted Twilight. She grabbed her Empress by the wrist and pulled, her frustration mounting when Celestia pulled away. "Why even bother coming all this way if you did not intend to help!"

"Because I thought it would be a disservice to you, were I to send some hapless errand boy to deliver this message to you," said the Empress. She hardly looked at Twilight, unable to meet her gaze. "You deserve to be told directly. There is nothing that can be done for Sweetie Belle. She is a lost cause."

"You brought a dragon back from dust and bones and yet you claim you aren't strong enough to fix her?"

"I said nothing of my own strength, Twilight Sparkle. The issue lies with Sweetie's. Restoration, perhaps more than any other field of magick, is one of balance. In order to mend, it must first inflict a great strain. A strain Sweetie is not equipped to take."

"No… There's a way, there has to be a way. There's always a way, Celestia!" Twilight grabbed her mistress again, more firmly this time, and pulled her forward. "You are the single most powerful being to ever draw a breath, but you say you can't heal her? It can't be true, Celestia, I will not accept it!"

"For as long as you have known me, not once has a lie passed my lips, Twilight. Why would that change now?"

"Maybe you're not lying. Maybe you're just wrong! Maybe, for once, the great Celestia of the Sun is just wrong!" yelled Twilight, almost hysterical in her screaming. "Or maybe you just can't do it alone, but you're not alone. You have me! You said we are just alike, that we are better than everyone else. The natural order of the world does not apply to us! And you have taught me well, between us both, we can—"

"Twilight. Enough." Celestia spoke not with anger or frustration, but something that resembled genuine, heartbreaking pity. "Were it possible, I would have fixed Sweetie Belle's condition years ago, but there is nothing I can do to save her."

"If you won't save her life…" Twilight's voice began to tremble, and her composure had all but failed. "Then I will do it myself. I've studied more magick than anyone aside from you and perhaps Rarity. If anyone was to find a way, it would be me, would it not?"

"There is nothing either of us can do, except…" The Empress pulled away yet again, and then gently pushed the parcel into Twilight's hands. "Here. I will await your return at the castle. Take as much time as you need."

Celestia bowed her head a bit and, to Twilight's confusion, kissed the sun to her before turning away. Twilight fumed as she watched her last vestige of hope depart, nearly doubling over from the knots in her stomach. She thought to say something to Celestia, anything to sway her, but the words never found her. She simply stood in place for a bit, box in hand and heart shattered into shards. Her lessons had, of course, given her some small amount of training in all fields of magick, but even she knew that only a master Restorative mage such as the High Queen would even have a chance at healing injuries as severe as Sweetie's. None knew Restoration better than the Empress, and if she swore that there was no recourse, then Twilight began to feel the weight of the possibility that perhaps there was nothing to be done, after all.

With trembling hands, Twilight opened the parcel, nearly going sick at what she saw; Sitting on a bed of velvet was the deceased Chancellor's shining pocket watch, freshly shined and even more beautiful than ever. It had clearly been cleaned and prepared for her, though the glittering watch was the least of Twilight's concerns just then. She was far more concerned with what sat beside the watch: A carefully corked phial of a murky brown liquid. It took all of Twilight's strength to refrain from flinging the phial down the road, but she held onto it with quaking hands, closing the parcel up and carrying it back into the house with her.

As she sat the parcel onto the kitchen counter, a squeaking from the cupboard startled Twilight. She opened the cupboard and found herself staring down a fat, lazy rat, crumbs clinging to its whiskers twitching in time with its little nose. Before the creature could scurry away, Twilight's hand shot forth and grabbed it by the thin, wiry tail. The handmaiden pulled the rat from its home and dragged it away before it made off with another morsel. As the rat struggled and fought in Twilight's grasp, and she cringed in disgust, a thought occurred to her, and so she slowly sat the rat down onto the counter, pinned by its tail so it couldn't escape. With her sorcery, Twilight splayed the rodent out, its little limbs spread out to give Twilight easy access for her experiment.

She pointed her little finger to the rat's left foreleg and muttered a half-hearted incantation, just barely strong enough to send out a bolt of unseen mana; the rat squealed as its leg snapped from the arcane force, its screeching doubling when Twilight set her sights on the other foreleg. The bone snapped just like the first, leaving the poor rat crippled and unable to scurry away. Once the damage had been done, Twilight held a palm over the injured rat and let a powerful slithering of arcane sorcery from her chest.

Golden light dusted down from her fingertips, dancing around the rat and causing it to freeze in place. Its limbs twisted and contorted back into position as the rodent shrieked and squeaked, little body thrashing and convulsing against the surface of the counter. Despite this, Twilight continued on, forcing her mana to flow forth and mend the injured rat. After a moment, the shrieking petered to a stop, and a moment later, the rat ceased its movement altogether.

"No…" Twilight nudged the rat, begging it to move, to no avail. "Please…"

"T-T-Twilight?" called Sweetie from upstairs. "Where have you g-g-gone?"

"I… I will be up shortly!" replied Twilight. She glanced at the rat, confirming what she already knew, and let out a single, shivering sob. "Just a moment…"

Twilight took just a moment more to collect herself before turning for the stairs, her eyes glued not on the dead rat on the counter, but Celestia's parcel beside it.

"One."

A day passed, and Twilight performed more experiments. Another rat, with similar injuries inflicted, and a similarly disappointing result. No matter how slowly and gently Twilight let her sorcery go forth, it did not matter, for her test subject failed to survive more than a few moments. The strain was simply too much for their bodies to handle.

"T-two."

Another day, and more experiments, this time on a small songbird that Twilight lured to the front yard with a dish of birdseed. After breaking its leg and wing, Twilight tried again to mend the injury. Once again, it resulted in the subject's premature demise.

"Three…"

Even as she experimented, researching Restorative sorcery with the books that Rarity had left behind at the home, Sweetie's condition worsened. She struggled to breathe at the best of times, and Twilight had to use her magick twice to remove a build-up of fluid in Sweetie's throat that inhibited the flow of air. Even when she could breathe, it was clear that Sweetie was in a great amount of pain.

"F-f-four…"

By the third day, when Sweetie was screaming from pain more often than she spoke, it became clear that Twilight was out of time. Every moment she spent trying and failing to achieve the impossible, the worse her friend's condition became, the more pain she was forced to endure. Her time was up, and there was only one thing she could do.

"Five."

Twilight set down her phial and grabbed the bowl of soup from the counter instead. She stood in place, using all of her resolve to keep the tears from breaking free. Once she was as put-together as she was capable of, Twilight marched her way up the stairs and to Sweetie's bedside.

"Sorry for the delay," said Twilight, trying not to let on how she truly felt. She sat down beside Sweetie's bed, gently rubbing Sweetie's arm to alert her of her presence. "Are you ready to eat?"

"Th-thank you," gasped Sweetie. Twilight propped Sweetie up with a wave of sorcery, wincing at the way her dear friend grunted from pain. "Is Rarity back yet?"

"The latest news is… Well. You know how these things go, sometimes. Still very busy." Twilight held her breath as she fed Sweetie her soup. "She's… on her way, from what I hear. You'll be seeing her soon." Sweetie paused when the spoon entered her mouth, her brows going up. "Is everything okay?"

"Did…? Ah. Yes. I'm f-f-fine." Sweetie gulped down her soup, and let out a weak breath. "Th-thank you, Twilight."

"It's no trouble, Sweetie. I'm happy to help you until you get better."

"Not the s-soup. Everything. Always by my side, always helping me. And the way you treated me, not like I'm s-s-some helpless waste of flesh." Sweetie took in another mouthful of soup, turning her vacant eyes to look through Twilight. "You treated me like a friend. But you're more than that t-to me. You're f-family. I love you."

"I love you too, Sweetie. More than you will ever know." Twilight knew that Sweetie could not see her, but she still fought to avoid crying in front of her. "I would do anything for you. Move heaven and earth, walk through all three hells just to see you smile."

"I know you would. Even though Rarity is away…" coughed Sweetie. "It means the world t-t-to me that I'm able to share my f-final moments with my s-sister, nevertheless."

"Don't think like that, Sweetie. You're going to pull through. You are going to be fine." Twilight was unsure of how convincing she sounded, but it was all she could do to keep going. "You are going to be happy and healthy, and you are going to have me over for tea, much to Rarity's annoyance."

"Heh. Yes. I c-c-cannot wait to irritate my sister with you," chuckled Sweetie. She went a bit limp, sliding down in bed. "I… I fear that I may be dozing off. J-j-just a moment to rest my eyes."

"Of course. Just… one more spoon," said Twilight. Sweetie nodded, and lethargically accepted one final spoonful of soup. "There. That's nearly all of it done. You'll be better in no time."

"I'm s-s-s…sure. If Rarity arrives while I am… asleep… T-Tell her that I love her," murmured Sweetie. "And T-Twilight… I love you."

"I love you, too." Twilight leaned forward and kissed Sweetie on the forehead, watching her breathing slow more and more with each rise of her chest. Twilight bit her lip to avoid making a sound, not wanting to disturb her friend, her sister, as she drifted off one last time.

Slowly, peacefully, mercifully, Sweetie's breathing stopped, and Twilight finally broke.

Twilight did not cry so much as she screamed, howling out in anguish and mourning. Tears streaked down her face as she shouted her throat hoarse, and her body trembled not just with sorrow, but her mana boiling out of control. With each pained, sobbing scream, the room shook and quaked, the windows shattering into sand under the weight of Twilight's loss. She heaved and screamed for a few minutes, clutching her stomach and screaming curses to heaven and the hells, and anyone in between who had the misfortune of hearing.

After she had cried for somewhere close to a half-hour, Twilight placed Rarity's pocket watch onto Sweetie's chest, then stood up and brought a blanket over Sweetie's face to cover her. With a shaky wave of her magick, Twilight hoisted Sweetie up and carried her down the stairs and out the backdoor to the yard. Twilight hadn't given much thought to the area before, but it seemed appropriate in hindsight that this would be where it ended. In the yard, in the very spot that Sweetie had bathed her on the day they had first met, Twilight dug a grave as neatly and tidily as she could manage. Though sorcery could have achieved the same goal in a snap, she elected to use a shovel the night before to dig the hole herself. Sweetie deserved at least that much effort.

After a moment to say one final goodbye, Twilight lowered her friend into the ground, and covered her with a fresh layer of soil. In the new soil, she planted coriander, cinnamonleaf, and lavender; some of Sweetie's favorite plants. Twilight stood by her friend's grave for a moment longer before finally turning to the exit. As she departed, she glanced at the stable, taking notice of the steed it housed. Opalescence hooved at the dirt, clearly restless from not being ridden for some time.

"Oh, Opal… You poor thing…" Twilight opened the stable door and gently grabbed the mare's reins to lead her free. "Come along, girl. I'll take care of you…"

Opalescence whinnied her agreement, and Twilight climbed upon her back and slowly trotted away. She absentmindedly stroked a hand through Opal's mane as they rode away, leaving the house behind. For several moments, Twilight was quiet, just petting the mare idly to pass the time.

"You know… with them both gone, I suppose it's my responsibility to care for you. Would you like to live at the castle with me?" asked Twilight. Opal neighed in response, which brought a small, watery smile to Twilight's face. "Well. That does it, then. You'll come live with me." It went quiet for a bit before Twilight continued. "The only issue is your name. Never cared for Opalescence, myself. Too… Ostentatious. Too self-important. You're a beautiful mare, of course, everyone can see that. I think something simpler would fit you best. Something more understated, more elegant, but no less beautiful… I think I like the name Belle for you. What do you think?"

Again, the mare neighed, and there was something about the way she did so that made Twilight believe that she liked the name, too.

"Then Belle it is. Come along, Belle," sighed Twilight. "Let's go home."

The trip home to the castle was a quiet, somber affair, though Twilight was happy to have some company in the form of her new mount. It was nearly an hour before she arrived at the castle, as she took a bit of a meandering path around town in order to collect her thoughts. When she finally did arrive at the castle, she handed Belle's reins to a guard, giving him orders to find a place for her in the stables, as well as a stern explanation as to the consequences if the steed was not shown exceptional care. Once Twilight was sure the message was received, she bid Belle farewell and set sights on the parlour.

The smell of fresh bread and roasted fowl wafted from the parlour, a scent Twilight followed to the room's interior. Just as she had expected, a relatively modest meal was awaiting her; platters of hen and potatoes, a loaf of bread with jam and butter, and a small cauldron of leek soup. Even though Twilight had not eaten since arriving at Sweetie's home, she did not approach any good just then, rather, the jug of wine that sat beside it. With trembling hands, Twilight poured herself a goblet of wine, drained it in a single swallow, and poured herself another. A few more gulps polished off the second glass, and she quickly went about pouring a third.

"It was as I said, was it not, Twilight Sparkle?"

Fury erupted in Twilight's chest and turned on the spot, letting out an enraged shout and flinging her goblet across the room. Wine splattered about the room, but the goblet stopped before it could do any damage, as Celestia snatched it out of the air with her left hand. She peered at her apprentice curiously for a moment, saying nothing in response but simply allowing Twilight to smolder.

"My best mate's body isn't even cold yet," snarled Twilight. "And you've come to say 'I told you so'?!"

"That… was not my intention. I chose my words poorly," sighed Celestia. She set the goblet down onto the table and took a step forward. "I only meant that there was nothing you could have done. You mustn't blame yourself."

"I never said I did! If I blame anyone, I blame you! I blame Rarity! I blame…" Twilight struggled to get her words out, her body shivering as she spoke. Celestia took another step, and another, until she was close enough to wrap Twilight up in her embrace. It was when Twilight felt the strong, slender arms of the High Queen around her did she break down once again, sobbing as tears raced down her puffy red cheeks. "W-why…? Why did this happen?"

"Sometimes… Sometimes, no matter what we do, no matter how we try… We cannot help everyone," said Celestia, gently patting her student on the shoulder. "It is tragic, but simply unavoidable."

"What's the point? What's the point of all of this power of ours if everyone else is too weak for us to help them?" sobbed Twilight. "We could have fixed her! We could have saved her, if she was just stronger…"

"It is the fatal flaw of such power. No matter how much greatness we possess… The rest of the world is still as ordinary." Celestia drew a handkerchief from her breast and used it to wipe Twilight's tears from her face. "I sympathize with your pain, my dear. And I am sorry for your loss."

"How? How could you possibly sympathize? You're a Goddess walking the earth, not even quite human." Twilight pulled away from Celestia, making her way back to the spread. This time, after pouring herself another goblet of wine, she grabbed a chunk of bread and nibbled on it anxiously. "How could you possibly understand what it feels like to lose someone you care about? You, who cares for nothing and no one?"

"Twilight… Even after all of this time, you still believe me to be that monster?" asked Celestia, the faintest glimmer of pain in her words. “Have I not shown that I care for you?”

“I… I am sorry. I’m just… I didn’t mean…”

“I understand that it can be difficult to believe, but I was not always like this. There was once a time when my heart was warmer, my affection more recognizable. I…” Celestia grimaced, but instead of stopping, she simply powered forward. “After I sent Luna away, I was low on mana. I had not yet discovered the Eclipse, so I conserved my mana by practicing as little sorcery as possible. As such, I needed some other way to protect myself from the remnants of Luna’s pitiful army. I found… a knight. A warrior sworn to my service, willing to lay down their life to protect mine. We grew quite close, and… Well. You can imagine where this is going.

“Then, one day, when we were off running from our responsibilities, stealing a few moments to snog outside of the public eye, one of Luna’s men attacked me. Shot an arrow that, were it not for my knight’s intervention, surely would have spelled my end. My knight was struck down, so that I may live, and I showed my devotion by granting my would-be murderer the honor of being Canterlot’s first public execution under my rule. I still have the rings, from when I filled his throat with molten silver…”

“I’m sorry. You’ve never told me this story before,” said Twilight quietly. “Your knight. What was his name?”

“I do not remember. It was so long ago, and I did not mourn his passing in the healthiest of ways. Much of those years are gone to me, and I do not recall his name, nor his face. Hells, I’m not even entirely certain that my knight was a man at all,” sighed Celestia. For the first time since meeting, Twilight was astounded to note the sadness in her queen’s voice. “I… I do not recall the purpose of this lecture. Perhaps I just wanted to say that… I have felt loss, as well. You are not alone, in that regard.”

“If I were to die today, would you forget me in a thousand years?” asked Twilight. Celestia did not respond, which concerned the handmaiden greatly. “I do not claim to be of more importance or worth than your knight, but I am curious… How can you possibly care for me, knowing that my life will be over in what must feel like a blink to you?”

“This… This is not an appropriate time to discuss this. But… There is a certain ritual that one can perform. With the right sorcery added, it can bind the soul of one to another, ensuring that, for as long as one can live, so can the other.” Celestia turned away from Twilight, to hide her face. “I had hoped to offer this to you, when the time was right. So that we could live and rule together, for as long as this world spins.”

“What sort of ritual could do such a thing?” said Twilight, overwhelmed in no small amount. “What could stitch our souls together like you said?”

“Marriage.”

Silence reigned for several moments as Twilight digested what she had heard. It was, simply, impossible. Empress Celestia, the High Queen of Equestria, the Butcher of Canterlot, couldn’t possibly want to live out eternity with something like Twilight, it couldn’t be true. And yet, as Twilight knew in her heart, the Empress did not lie. If she said that she intended to marry her handmaiden, then that could only be the truth.

“Are you… Are you proposing to me?” asked Twilight.

“No. At this time, it would be horribly inappropriate. You deserve time to grieve. I’m merely… Showing my hand, I suppose,” said Empress Celestia. “I do not desire to continue on without you, and this is the only way to ensure that you will live as long as I do. By sharing my immortality.”

“That’s not a very romantic proposal, Celestia.”

“I’ve always been bad at such things. I more so planned to exposit the more practical benefits. If you were to be my wife, you would be a princess, by writ. You could go anywhere, do anything. The only person with more authority than you would be me, and you would have access to all the same perks as I do. Your own personal chef, carriage, Daybreaker detail.” Celestia glanced over her shoulder, then looked away upon seeing Twilight’s expression. “Even your own handmaiden.”

“I… I could have a handmaiden?” croaked Twilight. “Do you mean that…?”

“You’d have your choice of anyone you like. The only rule is that they must come willingly. But whether you want to select a young noble lad, or a lowly brothel whore. Perhaps even a gypsy prisoner…” said Celestia. “I would have no authority to stop you from selecting them and giving them all the same duties and kindnesses that I have granted to you. Nor would I have any desire to.” A few beats of uncomfortable silence passed, and Celestia shook her head. “This is wrong. I should not be discussing this with you at this time. I must go, in any case. I’ve had your chambers tidied during your absence, so you may return to it when you like. Unless you would… prefer to join me in mine.”

“I… Thank you, Empress. I think I will join you soon, I only need a moment to compose myself,” said Twilight with a sniffle. The Empress nodded, then took a step for the door before Twilight spoke up. “Celestia, wait.”

“Hm?”

“If—and that, I must warn you, is a very large if—If I agree to marry you…” Twilight broke into a small little smirk. “I expect the largest, most grand wedding cake that anyone has ever seen.”

“Hm. I expect the mills to run out of flour, the farmers to run out of eggs, and the bakers to run out of icing,” laughed the Empress. “But I do not expect or desire an answer from you now. Take your time to think it over. But for now… Goodbye.”

The Empress finally departed, leaving Twilight alone once again. Few things terrified the handmaiden as much as being alone, without guidance or company. Of course, it occurred to her, as she poured herself one last goblet of wine that, soon enough, she may never have to be alone ever again.