Leaves Turn From Green, To Orange, To Grey
“I am so proud of you, Star Twist. You passed this final, hardest test - and you have shown me just how worthy you are of the title of Prince. And, of your brand new wings.”
Star Twist gazes, wide-eyed, up at his close friend and mentor, Princess Twilight Sparkle. The wings on his back feel new and strange - as does the renewed strength in his limbs. The proud smile on the Princess’ face fills him with a feeling of warmth, though, despite how strange this all is.
“So, I’m a...prince, is? This is so sudden, I, umm.” Star Twist begins, but stammers off. He doesn’t know what to say. Thankfully, though, Twilight continues.
“I have so much to tell you, Star Twist. Lessons I had to learn when I became an Alicorn, such as how to fly, and how to handle all the new strength - those are important, but we will get to them later. Please, walk with me. I’ve ordered the gardens emptied tonight.” Twilight sounds slightly somber as she turns and begins walking down the steps and into the castle gardens. Star Twist knots his brow, concerned, and follows her.
“How to handle royal duties, of course, will have a lesson plan. I will also give you lessons on running the country, so that you may take over for me once I retire. Don’t worry, Star Twist, it will be awhile. I’d like to teach you now, though, so you understand.
“There are other lessons you need to learn though. Things I was never afforded, until it was too late.” Twilight sighs as she stops by a tall, victorious looking statue of herself in the garden. As she sits next to it, Star Twist is overcome by the sight of how small it makes her look. He’s always been a little intimidated by the height of the Princesses - But this really puts her into perspective. Star Twist sits down next to her, and waits for her to keep going.
“I love Celestial and Luna. They are great friends, where great mentors - but they where completely used to immortality when they trained me, Star Twist. They had...forgotten. How hard it could be. They failed me, in a way I never expected. That’s the problem, really - they never let me prepare for the worst, because they never thought to tell me about it.” Twilight sighs again, digging in the ground lightly with one gold-clad hoof.
“And...What’s the worst that you where do prepared for? I know you had to do a lot of fighting without them, but you always got out of it fine.” Star Twist says, sounding hopeful. Twilight looks up at him, her face expressionless. There is a certain...Brokenness, in her eyes, that Star Twist had never noticed before, but now knows that he will never be able to look past again.
“Your mother is going to die, Star Twist, probably a good amount of time into the future, and you are going to look exactly like you do today, but perhaps slightly taller. Your boyfriend, Dusty Barrel, probably your husband by this point and a prince in his own right, will die. And you will look the same, but a good deal taller. It happened to me, one by one, first my parents and then each and every one of my friends.
“It never gets easier, Star Twist. Not when you care about them. I -“ Twilight hesitates, blinking away tears.
“I don’t know how they failed to tell me. I can’t imagine ever forgetting this feeling. But they did, and I refuse to do the same to you.
“I’m so sorry, Star Twist, that I did this to you. Equestria needs you, but this is an unjust and cruel transformation to thrust upon a pony. I would’ve asked, but then it wouldn’t have worked, so I...so I did something cruel to you. I thrust immortality into your hooves without being able to warn you first. A-and for that, I am truly, deeply sorry.”
Twilight is openly sobbing now, barely able to speak. She finishes her piece and hangs her head, the garden silent aside from her sobs.
Star Twist sits in open-mouthed shock, processing all of this new information. He feels affronted, betrayed, and confused. He doesn’t know how to even fathom the idea of his family, friends, and lovers dying. The thought had never crossed his mind before.
But here it is, thrust upon him, as Twilight said. He feels like he should comfort her, but no words come to mind.
“I can’t just...make Dusty Barrel an Alicorn, too?” Star Twist says, quietly.
Twilight shakes her head. “I-I’m sorry, Star Twist, but you can’t. This isn’t a power we can thrust around to whoever we want to have it. We shouldn’t, but we also can’t.
“I remember, sitting by Pinkie Pie’s bed. She was the...the last to go, you know? And I was already nearly unable to function. It was a miracle the sun had even risen that morning. Spike had to...had to hold my head up, to make me look at it, to get me too. And I remember, lying next to her hospital bed a-and begging, pleading with her, to let me turn her into an Alicorn. She asked me, politely, not too. But I wouldn’t listen. I told her I could fix it, that I couldn’t be alone, I couldn’t lose everypony. She told me not too, sterner. And I tried anyway. I poured all of my magic into it and she...She died. Right there.
“Ponies aren’t built to be Alicorns, Star Twist. Our bodies just can’t handle it. The occasion has to be very great, and the pony to be very strong of heart and will - for good or for bad - for the magic to even take. You have to embody something. I became the princess of friendship because I could embody it. I was strong, and I could handle the magic. Pinkie couldn’t. Dust Barrel couldn’t. You could, Star Twist, and that is both a blessing and a curse. “
They stare at each other in silence for several minutes, alone with the statues and the stars. Star Twist has never felt more alone.
After awhile, he breaks the silence. “So this is irreversible, and I can’t take any pony with me, and I’m just...immortal. And stuck like this.” Twilight nods. “And I’m expected to do this to somepony else, one day?”
Twilight hesitates, then nods again, slower. “Eventually, you will see somepony that is destined to be an Alicorn. There is something...unique, about them. They don’t look like an average pony. They have a special magic about them. And you’ll just know that they’re important. Not just in the way that everypony is important, but...like only they can stop some great disaster. Only you could stop Stun Light, Star Twist. And I am very proud of you with how you handled it, and I am very proud of her for how well she has taken to learning morals. But there’s a real touch of Destiny on you - no pony else could’ve done what you did. And someday you’ll do something else that only you can do, and only if you became an Alicorn. And it will keep going like this.”
Star Twist listens to Twilight’s monologue with growing resentment. “But I don’t want this, I don’t want to have a destiny!” He shouts, standing up suddenly. Tears catch on his eyelids, the threat of crying not yet made real.
Twilight opens her mouth and starts to speak, but Star Twist cuts her off. “This isn’t fair, this- this -“ He stutters, falters, and starts to cry. Twilight reaches out a wing to try and give him comfort, but he backs away.
Star Twist turns and runs off through the gardens, a distant sound of hoof beats and crying fading until Twilight can only hear the crickets.
She hangs her head and, sitting in the shadow of herself immortal and victorious, begins to weep.
