In Ten Thousands Years
Queen Twilight Sparkle, great and mighty ruler of Equestria was sitting on her throne. She was a tall and majestic lavender alicorn with a large flowing mane. She wore a magnificent crown worthy of the ruler of Equestria. Twilight was a powerful and loved queen, and has been for over ten thousands years. Her lands have lived happily and in prosperity during her reign; however, the recent days have been disastrous. She could see her city, Canterlot, trapped in the darkness created by black clouds filling the sky. She had tried every spell she knew of, and that was a lot, but none could do anything to heal her little ponies, plagued with a fatal disease.
A pandemic, destroying all life, has appeared in Equestria. Unfortunately, more of her kind was dying each passing day. All she could do was wait for the doctors and researchers to find the origin of it, so she could create a spell to cure it. No matter the situation, she stayed calm, not showing any kind of fear or worry. Suddenly, the door of the throne room opened as a guard entered.
“Your Majesty,” He slightly bowed his head. “Your student, Snowy Dawn requests an audience,”
“Let her in,” Twilight answered, always happy to speak with her student. The guard nodded and went out while a blue unicorn with a white mane came in. “Snowy Dawn, what brings you here?”
The young unicorn looked down, even after all these years, still intimidated by the queen’s presence. She breathed out, then spoke up.
“Hello, your Majesty. I had to see you… concerning what is happening in Equestria currently… There are a lot of sick ponies… and a lot of casualties,”
“Yes, I am aware of that. Don’t worry, I volunteered a team of very experienced researchers to find how this plague works and spread itself,”
“But…” Snowy Dawn started, sweating under Twilight’s watchful eyes. “Can’t you heal them? Use one of your numerous spells to cure every pony? You have to do something!” Snowy raised her voice, growing impatient. Twilight blinked a few times, trying to ignore it.
“I cannot cure a disease I do not know of. When I have more information, I will act, but not now. It may be dangerous for me to experiment on sick ponies with my spells,” Twilight explained calmly.
“But…! Thousands have died… and those still alive suffer more than they ever did…” Snowy Dawn said with a shaky voice, here eyes tearing up.
“Yes, I can hear their screams,” Twilight simply replied in a calm and impassive tone.
“Then do something! Get your ass off of that throne and try to help them! I…!”
“Will no speak to me like that. I thought I taught you respect,” Twilight scolded her in disapproval. Snowy Dawn backed off, embarrassed and as scared as a filly scolded by her mother.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you… but, two of my friends are sick! They… They’ll die if we don’t help them soon,” Snowy cried as she fell on her knees, touching the cold floor. How was she supposed to handle this situation? She knew so much about magic, because her teacher was always there to share her knowledge and wisdom. However, now none of them could do anything to save innocent ponies’ lives! While she was weeping on the floor, she felt a gentle touch caressing her mane in a calming and comforting manner. She looked up to see the queen away from her throne, and standing in front of her.
“Rise. Control your emotions. I can understand this may be hard for you, but crying and begging will do nothing to save your friends, nor Equestria,” Twilight said gently, if not a bit coldly. “Equestria will be saved in the end, and so will your loved ones,”
“But how can you be so sure? Doesn’t the situation look desperate for you?” Snowy asked while standing up and wiping off her tears. Twilight sighed.
“Celestia and Luna. Do these names ring any bell?” The queen asked for her student. Snowy Dawn shifted uncomfortably while thinking bout them, trying to remember what she learned.
“Y-Yes… They were the princesses of the sun and the moon… but they’re just myths! Tales told to the foals!”
“They left for the stars long ago. However, they were very much real,” Twilight replied while shaking her head. “Maybe I should watch what schools these days teach, but it’s a matter for another time,”
“I’m sorry,” Snowy blushed while looking down, embarrassed of failing to answer one of her teacher’s questions.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Twilight said as she raised her student’s head with her hoof. “Do you know of what I did in the past?”
“Of course!” Snowy Dawn jumped, ready to repeat everything she learned about the queen in the years she studied with her. “You defeated Sombra and his army of undead! You single-handedly captured all the escapees of Tartarus! The best one is when you stopped the unspeakable evil that is…”
“No, before all that,” Twilight interrupted with a light giggle. “Ten thousands years ago to be more precise,”
“Ten thousands years?! I-I’m sorry, but I don’t know… You founded Equestria?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, I had six very close friends that always had my back; together we’ve faced and defeated many threats. Including King Sombra, twice. As for Equestria, it was founded way before my birth. The ones that ruled it were Celestia and Luna; I was a regular unicorn,”
“You? A unicorn? No way,” Snowy Dawn interrupted in surprise and shock.
“I was; a very talented one yes, but I wasn’t born as I am today. I am not a God; I can’t cure plagues as I wish, I can’t bring the dead back to life and I surely can’t heal a broken heart,” Twilight explained as Snowy tried to register the new information she received. “I’ve always helped Equestria as much as I could and so did my friends. However, before me, it was Celestia and Luna that protected these lands. And before them, it was Starswirl the bearded. They’ve all made sacrifices at some point, to save Equestria,”
Snowy Dawn looked at her mentor, unsure of what to say and what to do of what she told her. “Why are you telling me this?”
“To teach you a new lesson. Equestria has faced an incalculable number of threats, but overcame them every time. No matter its losses, Equestria and our kind stood proudly in the face of danger to protect what we loved the most. You said that ponies were dying and suffering. That I wasn’t doing anything to help them,” Twilight answered as Snowy looked down, feeling guilty. “But as I told you; I am no God. I cannot save those I cannot reach. And I cannot make miracles happen at my will. All we can do is continue to fight. Yes, there will be losses. We’ll lose some of the ponies we care about. But we shall not give up, just like we didn’t give up before,”
Snowy nodded, then hugged her mentor before realising what she did in the spur of the moment, she backed away while blushing. “I… thank you… Your words somehow comforted me…” She said. “Did you have to make sacrifices before? Did you lose ponies you cared about too?”
“Yes, I did,” Twilight replied unemotionally. When she saw the pitying look on Snowy Dawn, she spoke again. “Don’t misunderstand me; when the ponies of today die, and so will the ponies of tomorrow, I will not mourn, nor will I shed any tear,” She said as Snowy now looked sad that her mentor wouldn’t be saddened by her death. “But I will miss them, greatly. I will remember them as long as I live, and that’s all it matters,”
“I understand… What should I do now? My friends are in danger and it doesn’t look like we’re about to find the origin of that plague!”
“You studied a lot in this area, didn’t you?”
“Y-Yes! I’ve always dreamed of being a doctor, and you know that,”
“Then go, help them find how this pandemic works, then I promise you I’ll do the rest,”
“Do you really think I can do it?” Snowy Dawn asked, unsure and scared. Twilight placed a hoof on her student’s shoulder.
“Of course you can. You are my student, and with your friends you’re stronger. I know Equestria will overcome this,” Twilight assured her. It seemed it was enough to give her student some confidence as she nodded in determination and pride, then turned back to walk out. “This will be your new, and maybe last, assignment,”
Finally, the door closed, leaving Twilight in silence. The queen slowly walked to her throne, each step of the stairs reminding her of all the times she had to fight for Equestria. She sat on the throne and closed her eyes. “Why must each new generation face a new threat for the sake of harmony and their loved ones?”
