Perfect Moments
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfic By Andrew J. Talon
Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan based parody. MLP:FiM is the property of Hasbro and Lauren Faust. Please support the official release.
The coronation had been beautiful beyond compare. The support of her friends and family had made her want to cry. Everything had been perfect, as perfect as the wings on her back. The night sky was just as perfect, a mosaic of purple, dark blue and black with the glittering stars and glowing moon.
Everything was perfect.
So why did Twilight find herself in the center of a garden hedge maze, tears streaming down her cheeks?
She’d escaped the festivities, saying she needed a break. Nothing more than a break, she’d lied. Now here she was, crying her eyes out, head bowed like a filly scared of the dark.
“Twilight? Why are you crying?”
Twilight started, and hurriedly wiped her eyes with her hoof. She looked at the intruder: The cool, dark form of Princess Luna stood before her, her mane flowing with its typical ethereal beauty. The lunar diarch looked deeply concerned, as Twilight turned away.
“I’m… I’m not!” Twilight insisted. “I just… I needed a break for a while, that’s all,” she insisted. “Wh-Why would I be crying?”
She felt Luna felt up close to her, and rested her cheek against hers. “Thou art a terrible liar, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said gently. “We will have to work on that skill, if you are to be a princess.”
Another choked sob erupted from her throat, and Twilight covered her face again. Luna extended her wing around the smaller alicorn, and waited. Twilight managed to take deep breaths to calm herself, and cleared her throat.
“Hem… I… I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I know I shouldn’t… I should be happy! I… I’m a princess! I passed the test!”
Luna watched her with a gentle expression. Twilight looked up at the stars, not able to meet her gaze.
“Then why do you cry?” Luna asked softly. Twilight took a deep breath. Then another, and another.
“... I’m immortal, aren’t I?” Twilight asked softly. Luna hummed.
“In… Many senses of the term, yes,” Luna said. “You will not wither of old age, you are stronger, healthier-”
“Which means,” Twilight moaned quietly, “even in the best case scenario… I’ll never die.”
Luna nodded slowly, waiting for Twilight to continue. The newborn alicorn took a deep breath.
“Which means… In the best case scenario… I’ll get to watch my friends and family die. One by one. Everypony I’ve ever known and loved, all of them… Will die. And I’ll… I’ll keep going on. Forever.”
Twilight looked aside, feeling ashamed of her confession. Luna nuzzled her.
“That scares you?” Luna asked. Twilight looked at her in confusion, and a bit of anger.
“Of course it scares me! It-It’s the worst thing I can imagine! Being all alone! Forever!”
Luna smiled and nodded. “It is indeed a terrible fate, young one. We ourselves know it, all too well.”
Twilight stared at her. “... Then how can you smile?” She whispered. “Do… Do you just… Stop caring about it? Is that… Is that what will happen to me?” She looked away, wincing. “I-I’m sorry-!”
“No, no, it’s all right,” Luna said gently. “Your anger and fear are understandable. But, as you have observed, the only way to resolve such feelings is with knowledge.”
“What… What kind of knowledge?” Twilight asked. Luna smiled compassionately, her wing stroking Twilight’s back.
“A better understanding of what your position offers you, in terms of life…” Luna’s eyes glowed, and her aura flared around them, making the wind kick up, “and death.”
The light grew bright and intense-So intense Twilight had to shut her eyes. She felt the pull of teleportation, as familiar as the feeling of the sun on her skin. Yet when she opened her eyes, she found things that only confused her.
It was a small house, in the neatly kept and elegantly designed kitchen. Outside, the skyline of Canterlot dominated underneath the midday sun. On the fridge were countless pictures of herself, her mother and father, her brother-All when they were so much younger. A tea kettle boiled on the stove, before finally giving up its heat as a whistle. From elsewhere in the house, there was the hustle and bustle of movement.
“Coming! I’m coming!” Called a voice that made Twilight’s jaw drop. The familiarity cut right into her heart. A moment later, a unicorn mare walked in through the door. She was pale white, with purple streaks running through her mane and tail, and mangeta eyes. She wore a pair of spectacles on her nose, and her cutie mark was of a starburst. While she looked so much younger to Twilight’s eyes, it was impossible to confuse her for anypony else. Especially that smile she gave the young alicorn.
“Twiley?” She said in joy. “Oh, it’s so good to see you!”
“Grandma Star?!” Twilight gasped. “But you’re-you’re-!”
The old mare beamed at her, amused. “Dead? Yes, I am,” she said. She trotted over to the stove past her granddaughter, lifting the kettle with her magic. “Hello your Majesty. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Likewise, Twilight Star,” Luna said warmly. Twilight looked back and forth between the two in disbelief.
“The cookies are done right about now, I think,” Star said, checking on the oven. “Go ahead! Take a seat!”
Twilight numbly sat down at the table, as Luna took another chair. Despite the size of the lunar diarch, she sat comfortably. Twilight watched the unicorn mare as she moved about the kitchen, every movement observed with microscopic intensity.
Grandma Star poured out the tea into mugs, and pulled out cookies from the oven. She then passed it out to her granddaughter and the lunar diarch, with expert telekinetic control. Twilight shakily took hold of the tea, eyes locked onto her smiling grandmother.
“G-Grandma Star,” Twilight managed to say, “you’re-you’re dead.”
“Yes,” Star said with a faintly amused smile, “I think we covered that.”
“But… But how are you…?” Twilight looked over at Luna, eyes wide. “Am I dead?! Are we dead?!”
“Calm down, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna and Star commanded at the same time. They looked at each other in disbelief, and then laughed. Twilight looked back and forth frantically, her confusion mounting.
“It’s all right, Twiley,” Star finally said, calming herself. “You’re not dead. This,” and here she waved her hoof out the window and over the kitchen, “is Elysium.”
“... You mean we’re in the afterlife?” Twilight asked in shock. She looked at Luna in amazement. “You can do that?!”
“Of course,” Luna said with a smile, sipping her tea and taking a bite of the cookie. “As Princesses of Equestria, we do have responsibilities that take us beyond the living world at times. Disputes and issues and even threats to those who have shed their mortal coil.”
“Does… Does this mean Elysium is no different than Equestria?” Twilight asked, looking out the window. Grandma Star reached out to rest her hooves over Twilight’s, and the princess looked back at her.
“This is my version, Twiley,” Star said gently. “Every pony has a different idea of heaven. Mine is this warm, cozy house. The midday sun warming the ground. Your grandfather is out tending his garden, and we’re both waiting for you and your big brother to arrive for tea and fun.” She beamed at Twilight.
“You and Shining have grown up into such wonderful ponies. I’m very proud of you both, of everything you’ve done. But this moment, seeing you so full of life and potential and hope…? That’s my Elysium.”
“Then... “ Twilight looked at Luna, hope in her gaze. “Then even when my friends die…?”
Luna smiled gently and nodded. “You can see them. Meet them. Speak with them. Remember all the good days, and talk about the bad. The burden of immortality is not an easy one… But we are not denied the last, great adventure all mortals must take.”
“And we’ll always be here, Twiley,” Star said gently.
Twilight looked down at the tea in her hooves. She gently raised it to her lips, and sipped it. It was just as good as she remembered, down to the last detail. Birds sang outside the window, and she could see her grandfather tending the vegetables they would soon be enjoying. She looked back at her grandmother, somepony she had always adored and cared for. And how much it had hurt to lose her.
She could hear more voices: A young filly, and a young colt, chattering happily. The laughter of her grandfather. The kitchen door opened, and she could see herself as a happy filly, riding on her smiling grandpa's back as the young Shining tickled her.
Her grandmother smiled. Twilight found herself smiling back, even as the light grew brighter. The kitchen, the tea, and everything else began to fade away, her grandmother’s smile the last thing she saw.
“Just remember that here, there are nothing but perfect moments,” Grandma Star said kindly. “In the living world? You have to make them happen. For your friends… And for yourself.”
In an instant, Twilight was back in the maze. She looked around, hearing the crickets chirp. She looked up, seeing the stars and the moon. She looked to her side, at the softly smiling Princess Luna.
Princess Twilight took a deep breath, her smile still warm and bright. She rose back to her hooves, and wiped her tears with her magic.
She had some perfect moments to make.
Author's Note
A lot of fics have explored how being immortal and losing the ones you love can be heartwrenching. But few fics have explored the obvious: That beings of such incredible magical power, in a world where there are threats across multiple dimensions, could potentially visit the afterlife. And we know ponies believe in an afterlife-We've seen pony funerals and priests. I can't imagine Celestia or Luna letting ponies believe in it if it was a falsehood, so more than likely there is an afterlife. And as moon, night and dream dieties have often been associated with death, I thought Luna showing Twilight the full potential of her abilities was most appropriate.
In any event, don't take this as an insult to all of those who have written excellent fics about Twilight dealing with immortality. Just think of it as a different perspective. Hope you enjoyed.
