The mane 5 closed their eyes, focusing. Willing the elements around their neck to heal their dying friend. Light shot from their necklaces into Twilight’s own neck where the bite from Chrysalis was.
“Twilight, please be healed!” Fluttershy screamed as she watched the light hit. “We don’t want to lose you!”
“We still have a lot to make up for!” Rainbow Dash said, unable to hold back her tears as she thought back to how she’d left Twilight like she’d meant nothing to her.
“When all this is over, you can have all the cider and whatever else you want from my farm!” Applejack promised.
“Ten new dresses! Free of charge!” Rarity added.
“We’ll do anything to make it up to you Twilight!” Pinkie said as tears flowed down her eyes. “Please, just be healed!”
They continued to channel magic, hoping to see some sign from Twilight. Then the tiara on her head lit up and the magic stopped flowing from the necklaces. But… nothing happened.
“Twilight!” Pinkie screamed. “Twilight please!”
The lavender unicorn did not respond. Spike put his head to her chest again.
Tears began to fill his eyes as he came to the terrible truth. That heartbeat he’d heard last time was her last.
“She’s gone!” he said.
“No!” Pinkie Pie screamed.
All the ponies heads fell as they looked upon the body of Twilight Sparkle, their friend was dead, and they could not help but feel totally responsible for it. Afterall, Twilight had warned them all about Queen Chrysalis, she’d sensed the evil creature disguising herself as Princess Cadence. They had all assumed she was jealous and being possessive of her brother Captain Shining Armor and walked out on her after she accused ‘Cadence’ of being evil.
If only they had believed her, or aided her when she fought Chrysalis in the wedding hall and gotten bitten. But now she was gone and it was because of them.
“Twiley,” Shining Armor moaned, the aura around his horn which he used to create a shield to protect them from the changelings faded away as his grief consumed him.
The buglike creatures hissed as swarmed in on the Mane 5, Princess Celestia (who had Twilight’s body on her back and was too weak to move), her sister Princess Luna, Spike, and Shining Armor. They opened their mouths and sucked up the love in the hearts of the ponies and dragon, the love for their friend, student, and sister who had passed. The love was sweet to the changelings, for it was mixed with overwhelming grief and regret, making it a great desert. But when they drained Celestia’s love, they saw something else. The memory of her battle with Queen Chrysalis and how she had killed her.
“This pony princess killed our Queen!” one of them said.
“What should we do? Should we retreat?” another asked.
“Fool! We should kill her for murdering Chrysalis!”
“No! She should suffer!”
“We’ll be in need of a new Queen now. Should we make it her?”
“She doesn’t deserve the honor…”
Suddenly, beams of magic suddenly hit the changelings from behind.
“Get away from our daughter!” a gray mare with a white and purple mane said. “You will not hurt her again!”
Twilight Velvet along with her husband Night Light and Princess Cadence appeared. They looked at Twilight’s friends, their son and the Princesses, all of whom lay on the ground, too weak from having their love drained. But Cadence knew what could be done to heal that. She shot a love blast in their direction, restoring the ponies strength enough to allow them to stand back up.
Shining Armor glared at the changelings. His sister was dead because of these creatures and their Queen. He looked at his parents, they had obviously managed to defeat all the changelings they’d encountered, though Night Light had a black eye and Velvet’s mane was messed up from when a changeling had bitten it. Fortunately, the venom hadn’t gotten in her blood, so she was fine. They shot spells at the changelings attacking Shining Armor’s shield. Many of the large buglike creatures turned to face their new attackers. This gave everypony an opportunity.
Shining Armor let out a berserk war cry and went on the offensive, firing beams of magic at the changelings. Rarity and Luna did the same, staying close to Celestia in order to protect her. Rainbow Dash delivered punches and kicks to Changelings that flew at them while Applejack did the same on the ground. Pinkie used her confetti canon, Spike breathed fire, and Fluttershy (anger and determination still filling her usually kind heart at the loss of her friend) gave them a stare so frightening they couldn’t even attack her.
Once the last changeling was dealt with, Velvet and Night Light ran up to their daughter who still lay on the exhausted Celestia’s back.
“Twilight?” Velvet asked taking her daughter’s chin.
“She’s gone!” Spike said.
“No!” Velvet said, taking Twilight in her hooves. “Oh my little filly!”
Cadance’s eyes began to water, but she steeled herself, knowing that now was not the time to grieve. She approached Shining Armor, “Can you use your magic to get rid of the rest of the changelings?”
Shining Armor tried to create a large repelling spell meant to expel enemies from Canterlot. But it failed.
“I’m still not strong enough,” he said.
“Then… then take my love,” Cadance choked out, putting her horn on his.
Light shined between them, their manes picked up as though in the wind. Then a great shockwave of love spread across Canterlot, sending all the changelings out. The rain cloud quenched the fires around Canterlot. It was over. They had won, but it was not a victory that anypony felt joy at. For they had lost somepony very special to them today, and were in no small way responsible for her death.
A few days later.
The Mane 5, Spike, Cadence, Shining Armor, his and Twilight’s parents, and the two Princesses all stood in Canterlot Cemetery before Twilight’s gravestone. Applejack was the first to approach it.
“Twi… I’m so sorry I told everypony to leave you and go check on the ‘Princess’. If I had just listened to ya, we could all be celebrating right now!”
Next came Rarity. “My world will never be as beautiful without you to add that sparkle of friendship! I will miss you darling!”
Pinkie, her mane deflated and her face stained with tears said, “The parties won’t be the same without you Twilight!”
Fluttershy whimpered. “I’m so sorry Twilight. I always wanted you to remember me as kind, but the last thing I ever did to you was cruel! I’ll never forgive myself for this!”
Rainbow Dash, not in the mood to fly, walked up. “I’m the most unawesome friend there could be. Supposed to be loyal, yet I left you like everypony else. I’ll never make the Wonderbolts, I don’t deserve it.”
Spike, sobbing over the grave of the pony who was both his sister and mother, choked out. “If you can hear me Twilight… I wish I could have been there for you. I’m your number one assistant, but I left you too!”
Shining Armor’s turn finally came.
“Twiley… you were the best little sister a stallion could ask for. You would have made the perfect best mare at my wedding. You tried to protect me… but I… I just kicked you out!” he sobbed. “I’m the worst BBBFF there ever was! I don’t deserve you as a sister, and I don’t deserve to marry Cadence!”
This caused everypony to drop their mouths as Shining Armor turned. “I’m resigning from my post as Captain of the Guard. And… the wedding is off Cadence.”
He walked off, tears streaming down his face.
“Shining Armor! Wait!” Cadence begged.
He paid her no mind. His sister was dead because of him, and everypony else who had been there in the rehearsal felt the same way.
“Come on y’all. Lets go home,” Applejack choked out.
They took one last look at the grave with the star on it than headed to the train station which would take them to Ponyville. It was not going to be the same without her there. They’d lost a friend… and Equestria had lost one of its protectors.
Celestia stayed, staring the grave of her faithful student.
“I could have gained a new princess and fellow alicorn someday, but instead… I just lost a student. Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle. Your deeds for Equestria will never be forgotten.”
Author's Note
Well, I don't think this will be my best work. Admittedly I wasn't too thrilled with the request for this story. But aw well, just get it out of the way.