It was a windy day in Ponyville, and Twilight Sparkle was out for a walk. The town’s weather patrol had scheduled a storm for today, and the rain was going to be coming soon. She had left Spike at home because she didn't want him out in this horrible weather. Pulling out her calendar she looked for the day, wanting to see if anything special was going on.
"How could I forget!?" she screamed. "It's Princess Celestia's birthday today!" She rushed home and woke Spike up. After waiting a few minutes listening to Spike groan about being woken up, Twilight grabbed some bits and left. She looked to her right and noticed an alicorn. The alicorn had a crown and necklace on. Was there a princess Twilight didn’t know about?
"Hello?" Twilight cautiously asked. "Are you a princess?" The white pony nodded. Twilight noticed a few tears had trickled down her cheek. "Why are you crying?"
"Oh, it's just that...I'm the unknown sister of Tia and Luna. I'm Princess Starline," she replied. "I light up the stars and moon, making them shine. I also make the sun brighter in the spring and summer and duller in fall and winter." Starline shook her black and yellow mane and sighed.
"Oh, well, are you looking for a present for the princess?"
"Yes." Before Twilight could reply, Starline had trotted off. Twilight shrugged and began walking around the stores looking for the perfect present. What could she possibly find that was good enough for the princess?
"Hi Twilight!" Applejack was calling from the other end of the street. "You lookin' fer a present to the princess?"
"Yes I am, Applejack," she replied. "What did you get her?"
"Ah got her this golden apple! I've kept it here with me fer this very occasion!" She held up a shiny golden apple to show Twilight.
"Wow!" she said. "That’s amazing! Well I better get going, too!" Twilight galloped off, wondering what she was going to get for her mentor.
"Hey Twi!" It was Rainbow Dash. "Check out what I got for the Princess!" She held up two silver wing covers.
“Wow, Rainbow, those look great!" Twilight cheerily replied. On the inside, however, she started panicking. Everypony was getting such nice things for Celestia! Twilight began to worry about what she would get for her lifelong mentor.
Before she could worry about it too much though, the horns blew, signifying the arrival of the princess. At that moment, the rain, which had been a light drizzle before, began in earnest, bringing with it the unmistakable sound of thunder. Despite this, Twilight and her friends all lined up and bowed, their presents in front of them, under one of Twilight’s protection spells. The Princess's cart flew down, and she gave them a friendly nod.
"Hello, my little ponies." Celestia said. "You did not have to get me presents! Your presence and safety is enough for me."
"Oh no, no, no, Princess!" Pinkie replied "You’re the princess, which means you should get a lot of presents!" Celestia chuckled and said, “either way, let’s get out of this storm before we do anything else.
The group made their way into Sugarcube Corner and Celestia began opening her presents.
Before she opened more than a few, though, everypony focused on a very loud crack and watched as a building across the street collapsed, likely from the howling wind. It wasn’t long, however, until another sound reached their ears.
"H-HELP!" A small, cracking voice sounded from the wreckage. "P-please! H-help!" The princess’ eyes widened as she realized what was happening. A small filly was stuck under a piece of the building.
"Hang on, small pony!" Celestia sprinted through the door and began pulling the small pony out of the tight space. A large crack sounded, and she threw the filly to safety.
"CELESTIA!" Twilight's call came too late. A large tree had been struck with lightning, and its heavy bark was on top of Celestia. They heard a crackling noise, and Rainbow Dash flew up.
"Emergency!" She shouted, "Emergency ponies, come, please! T-the princess!" Fluttershy squeaked as three white pegasi approached.
"Celestia?" Twilight whispered as she gingerly approached her mentor's limp body. "Celestia, please answer...." Twilight snapped inside, and began rushing to dig Celestia out from under the tree. "Princess, you’re going to be ok! Stay awake, stay awake!"
"T...T...Twilight....I'm....I'm slipping....into....darkness..." The rasping voice of the princess sounded.
"Stay awake!" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew in next to their frantic friend. Dash flew forward, and placed her hooves on the tree. Fluttershy grasped the other end, crying with fear. Pinkie raced to help Twilight as Rarity began attempting to move the heavy object off of their beloved princess. Applejack bucked at the tree that DARED harm her princess.
"Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash! Pull the tree up! Flap your wings!" Twilight cried. The pegasi nodded and struggled to lift the tree. Applejack bucked harder, screaming at the wind, cursing and sobbing. Pinkie was mumbling something incomprehensible as she dug and dug. Rarity cried and screamed that she was dreaming, and that she would wake up soon. Suddenly, the tree moved, and the princess lay limp on the ground. "Princess?" Twilight whispered.
But no voice returned to her plea.
The events of the day came back to Twilight in pieces as she followed the emergency workers to the hospital. The large crack, Twilight's call, and the frantic work of her friends to free the princess from under the tree. Twilight found herself sitting beside her mentor's hospital bed with only a depressed Luna for company. Celestia was unconscious, how she came.
"Princess...." she choked, "Princess, I don't know if you can hear me but, in case.....in case you go away.....remember, we...we're family. You, me, and my friends....we’re family....we-we always will be!" Twilight sobbed. "Do-do you hear me! W-we love you Celestia! D...don't go!"
"Sister....please....hang on...." Luna put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I know you can! Hang on, sister! Hang on forever!"
Twilight looked at the night colored pony with sad eyes. She sobbed into her mane and kept muttering.
"Do you think she’ll be ok, Twilight?" Luna asked without looking at her.
"I'm not sure..."
"I...I...I hope she had fun. I mean, on her birthday." Luna placed a doll that looked like an older version of Celestia by her sister's side. The duo gasped when Celestia fluttered open her eyes.
"T-Twilight?" Celestia's weak voice said. "Luna...." The two ponies looked at her with tear stricken eyes. "I...I...I love you all....please remember that....please...."
And then a long ring was heard.
"Rest well, sister." Luna choked. "Rest well and easy."
"No...." Twilight said softly. "NO! Y-you promised forever! You promised you would always be there! Y-you promised!" She yelled as she began kicking the walls.
"Twi! Twi, stop!" Rainbow yelled, running into the room after the sudden noises of screaming, along with the rest of her friends. She held the purple pony's hooves back. "Stop! She's gone! Stop this!"
"I...I...I..." Twilight cried. "It's all my fault!"
"Wha-what? It wasn't your fault Twilight!" Pinkie said.
"My call came too late!" She replied. "I could’ve saved her!"
"No, you couldn't have," Fluttershy said quietly. "But it's mine. I'm a pegasus. I could’ve told the whether ponies to delay the storm...."
"Fluttershy, I AM a whether pony." Rainbow sobbed. "It's my fault!"
"STOP!" Luna shouted. "It's nopony's fault! Stop making this harder than it already is!"
"Twilight...." A small voice came from the doorway. It was Sweetie Belle. "Is the Princess gonna be ok?" The other members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders surrounded her with hopeful eyes. Innocent eyes. Eyes that meant they didn't know yet the tragedy that had come.
And then Twilight broke.
She broke when Scootaloo gave her a get well card addressed to the princess. One that said:
" Dear Princess,
The CMC really hopes you feel better! We all do! And when you are better we can celebrate your birthday! We'll wait for you to get better before we try to find our cutie marks again!
Love, the CMC. "
"Oh, Scootaloo. The princess won't be better for a long time," Twilight told her, trying not to burst out in tears.
"I...I don't understand...." Scootaloo replied.
"Scootaloo, the princess isn't going to be back." Rainbow Dash whispered.
"But...w...where did she go?"
"Somewhere safe." Pinkie cried.
"Yo...you don't...you don't mean....." Scootaloo faltered. "I don't believe you! You’re lying! Your.....your...n..not..."
"Scootaloo." Applebloom looked at her. "She's gone."
"I know!" Scootaloo threw herself on the ground. "I know, I know! I know!" She kept screaming those two words, her eyes no longer innocent. "I know!" Rainbow approached the orange filly and smiled at her.
"It'll be ok, I promise." She told her and wiped her tears.
"R-really....you mean that?"
"Course I do squirt." Scootaloo looked up and smiled back.
"Thanks Rainbow Dash."
"Anytime."
All the ponies made their way home, except Twilight. Twilight stayed, crying on the princess's bedside, eventually falling asleep there.
It's always the quiet ones.
Fluttershy cowered under her blanket, shivering and mumbling the same four words;
"Light. Scream. Cry. Death." over and over, like a broken record player. Tears ran a river down her cheek as she repeated again the four words. Fluttershy didn't know what else she could do. Her animals had been trying hard to help her cheer up ever since she got home, witch on a normal bases, would have worked. But this was far from normal. Although she knew somepony died somewhere in the world everyday, this was not just "Somepony". This was the princess, the pony that, no matter how mad you were at them, you would forgive them. This was Princess Celestia.
No more, she thought, No more. "No more!" Fluttershy shouted out loud. "No! No!" She took deep breaths, in and out, in fear she would forget how to. She was scared, scared and horrified. And disgusted. Disgusted that the doctor's best, wasn't enough. Disgusted that, even though she tried, she didn't save her beloved princess.
Disgusted.
Afraid.
Horrified.
Depressed.
While depressed is still not nearly a strong enough word, Fluttershy was depressed. She got lost deep in thought, about what had happened, and soon the four words became more.
"Lighting strikes, Celestia screams, Twilight cries, death's cold sting." She repeated them, again and again. Until there was a knock. A knock on her door. She opened it to see one of Celestia's old guards. He was a fairly large stallion with blue armor and a metal helmate.
"Miss Fluttershy?" The gaurd asked with a rather deep voice. Fluttershy nodded. "The princess asked us to give this to you when....when she...." He trailed off. Fluttershy accepted the box solemly.
"Thanks." Was all she could say. The large stallion walked off. Opening the box, Fluttershy gasped. Inside was a small stuffed pony that looked like Celestia. Almost immediately, memories came rushing back to her.
She had been sitting with Celestia under a tree after the whole Philomena epidemic.
"I'm just so sorry, Princess!" Fluttershy had cried. "I really shouldn't have abused your trust like that!"
"Young pony, I am not angry." Celestia had insisted. "You simply wanted to help the bird. Kindness is your element after all."
"Y-you still trust me?"
"Of coarse." Celestia said. "You know, theres an old ritual where a princess would give a small, stuffed version of themselves to prove their trust and forgiveness."
"Really?" Fluttershy replied. "That's really instresting." They had exchanged a freindly glance, and Celestia opened her mouth as if there was something more she wanted to say, but she closed it and had flew back to the castle. "I will never, ever break a promise to you, princess! never!" She had called after Celestia.
She snapped back to realality. Hugging the doll tightly she screamed at the sky; "Thank you, my shining star, thank you! And I'm sorry! Sorry for...for... for being so scared! I'll be brave for you! I...I'll always be brave!" Fluttershy knew it was a lie. She couldn't be brave. Never. She had tried before, and that never worked. Bravery never came the the yellow pegesus, and it never would. Her empty promise would eat her up alive, until she was nothing. So, she knew now what to do.
Atop the tallest hill, is where she stood. The quite one stood. She looked down, and she jumped, unleashing her wings. Floating she stopped flapping. Her wings retracted to her side, and the cold wind came up, across her face. "Soon" The pegesus whispered in the roaring wind. Slowly, it began getting dark, and then....
All was black.
Applejack was in her field, bucking. She wasnt bucking apples, she was bucking a bare tree. Her rage was to much and her hatred for trees and lightning was great. Again she struck the dry bark, and felt it move slightly.
"Stupid rain! Stupid lightning!" Applejack yelled as she hit, again and again. "Stupid....TREES!" Her hooves collided once more, and she felt the tree move again. It started creaking, and then she could hear the thing slamming to the dirt. Applejack heard a scream....Celestia's scream!
She raced to look under the fallen object only to discover there was nothing there.
"What the hay?" She began. "My ears must be hearin' thing's ah ain't seein'." Applejack then decided it was time for her to stop bucking bark and start bucking apples. Walking over to the nearest tree, she swore she could see the figure of celestia behind her. Whipping her head around, she grunted with anger when she relized nothing was there. "Ah, hay. Applejack, you gotta calm your nerves." She said to herself. She retracted her legs close to her body and made sure she was allighned properly. Applejack lashed her hooves out. She winced when she heard a pleading voice.
"Stop!" It said. She rushed to, once again, discover her nerves had caused the illusion. Applejack closed her eyes tight and shook her head vigourosly. When her eyes opened, she gasped.
Celestia was approaching her.
"Why didn't you save me, Applejack?" Celestia said with a rasping, sinister voice.
"Wha... It's not mah fault! I never meant ta'..." Applejack cried.
"Applejack....why?" Celestia's voice deepened and she was coming closer and closer to Applejack. Applejack began running as fast as she could toward the barn. She opened the barn door and ran past Big Mac.
"Applejack? Where ya'll goin-" Big Mac began.
"Get it away!" Applejack screamed. "Get it away! Don't let it catch meh'!" Macintosh looked at her puzzelingly.
"Theres nothin' there, sis." He explained. Applejack gave him a quick look and started for her bedroom door. She ran into the room and slammed the door shut.
"Applejack....Applejack...." Celestia's voice ran through Applejack's ears.
"N..no!" She cried. "Get away from meh'! I ain't done nothing to ya'll!" Applejack huddled in the corner and began rocking back and fourth. "Go away..please!"
"Big sis'?" The voice of Applebloom rang from the other side of the door. "Big sis', please come out! Me an' Big Mac are worried about ya'll!" Applejack looked at the door and slammed herself on the ground.
"I'm never comin' out!" She wailed. "It's all mah' fault!" Applejack let her tears flow out into the room. She knew she did it. It was all her fault. She couldv'e done more. Applejack was melancholy.
"Applejack..." Big Mac sighed. "It's not yer' fault. You did all ya' could!" He approached the door slowly.
"Go away, Big Macintosh!" Applejack screamed. "You don' know what it's like!" She bucked at the door once and fell once again to the floor in tears.
"Yer' wrong, lil' sis." Macintosh said solemnly. "Let me in, ok?" Applejack thought, and then opened the door to let her brother in. Applebloom looked at her with tears in her innocent little eyes.
"Stay out here, ok, young filly?" Applejack sighed. Applebloom nodded and walked away from the room.
"Applejack, ah' know how ya' feel. Ah' understand compleatly." Mac told her.
"What are ya' talkin' bout Big Mac?" Applejack asked with a hint of anger in her voice. "Your the best, nicest pony ah'v ever met!" Big Mac looked down and sighed.
"You remember Ma' and Pa'?"
"Coarse! How could ah' not?" Applejack replied.
"Ah never told ya' what happened to em', did ah'?" Macintosh questioned.
"No. All ah' remember is holdin' lil' baby Applebloom as a filly in the hospital when they..." Applejack stopped, choking on her tears. "When they passed on..."
"It was a rainy night when it happened. We were goin' home after Applebloom was born." Big Mac began. "Ma' was in the back of our carriage, and Pa' was pullin' it. Ah' was holdin' Applebloom. Pa' told me he could barely see in the rain, and asked me witch path ta' take. And well, Ah'..." Mac hessitated and started crying. "Ah' couldn't remember the way, and ah'...ah'... ah' didn't know that it was around the time when the bulls do there anual runnin' of the horns." He stopped again. Mac took a deep breath. "Ah' led them right on they're trail... they both...both got hit..." Applejack gasped. "Ah' saved Applebloom but ah' couldn't save Ma' an' Pa' in time." Big Macintosh was crying heavily now, his tears interupted by the occasionial sniff or deep breath. Applejack looked at her brother with tears flowing from her eyes.
"But... ya' didn't know! That's not yer' fault, big brother!" She cried.
"An' you didn't know that tree was gonna' fall on Celestia." Big mac replied. "If ah' had used mah' head, Ma' and Pa' would still be alive. You couldn't have done a thang." Applejack stared at her brother for several moments, then hugged him tightly.
"It's just not fair! It's so hard!" She yelled. Big Macintosh hugged her back.
"Ah' know." He said. "But ya' need to be strong. Fer' me, fer' Applebloom, fer' Ma' an' Pa'." He looked at her. "Fer' Celestia." Applejack looked up. Her eyes sparkled with sadness. She thought about what he had said. Applejack nodded.
"Ah' promise."