Gone with the Wind

(Night before Twilight's coronation)

Celestia felt sick. She gracefully placed down her teacup as the chilly air flowed through her mane in the evening. The dark sky with a bright moon overhead didn't comfort her. She felt sick. She felt a deep sadness.

Twilight Sparkle's coronation was tomorrow. She silently watched as the ponies working on decorating the courtyard outside her room. They started to head home for the night. She heard hooves walking across her marble balcony. She didn't even move as her sister, Luna sat down next to her in silence.

They stayed like that for a while. Simply enjoying each other's company as they knew they had limited time left to do so.

"Do you think...There is a heaven for Alicorns?" Luna finally asked. Celestia let out a soft chuckle.

"We were originally unicorns. We will probably just go there...If there is a heaven of course." Celestia replied. Luna sadly looked down to the streets and houses below. Then up to her beautiful moon that shined down on the two Alicorn sisters.

"I am assuming you haven't told Twilight yet." Luna commented. Celestia nodded.

"No. I am allowing Cadence to tell her a few days from now. She doesn't need her special day ruined because of her loyalty to us."

"We should tell her." Luna flatly replied. Celestia sighed in irritation. "It will hurt less coming from us."

"Why are you so worried about her knowing before we leave, Luna?" Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow. "Please...We don't want to make a scene."

"But...You are her mentor. She had a right to know that...We are going to die tomorrow."

"My decision is final." Celestia barked. "It would be too late anyway."

Luna nodded and stood from her spot.

"I have to go patrol the dreams of our subjects one last time. Since we will be gone by this time tomorrow, I have to help as many as I can." Luna explained. She trotted out of Celestia's sight and back into the castle where it was warm.

Celestia shivered at the chill of the air and her eyes drifted to the town with a crystal castle in the distance. A lone tear drifted down Celestia's cheek as she considered her fate. The fate of her sister. And the fate of her pupil. She levitated her crown off her head and took a moment to look at the gold crown with a purple crystal in the middle.

Luna had already transferred most of her magic into her own crown. It was Celestia's turn.

Celestia poured her yellow magic into her crown. It was over in a matter of moments. Celestia sagged at a feeling over being suddenly very weak and dizzy. She shook her head and pleaded with herself to pull it together before using her hoofs to place it back on her head.

She felt that her spirit was dying. It was. Celestia used half of her limited magic supply to keep herself alive for just a little while longer. When The crown was to be turned into Twilight's she would get their magic. She would be able to control the sun and moon.

Celestia and Luna's duties would be finally finished and their destinies would fade. The years and centuries that they lived would catch up to their unicorn bodies and they would simply turn to dust. They were never meant to become Alicorns and they both knew it.

Starswirl predicted it would happen.

Celestia looked over to her room, that the maids and servants had started to pack away. Not that she would need any of it. She was going to miss living. She was going to miss them all. She choked back a sob when a flash of light appeared.

A second later, a pair of yellow and red eyes stared back at her.

"Discord?" She said with a shaky breath with some surprise.

"How could you not tell me, Tia?" He growled. She turned away from him and looked down to the ground in shame.

"How exactly would you have reacted if I told you earlier? You would tell Twilight, then she would refuse to take the throne. We need her to do this. The magic is slowly leaving our bodies. I have already transferred my magic into the crown. I am sorry I lied to you. Truly I am. But...I have good intentions."

"It doesn't matter what your intentions were." Discord snapped. "You shouldn't have lied."

"I don't need a lesson on being truthful from the Lord of Chaos himself. I know what I am doing. I have survived this long for a reason." She said as tears started to drift down her cheeks. "I-I don't want to die. I don't have a death wish but we have been on this planet longer than we should have. It's time for us to go. So for the love of my mother...Don't you dare tell Twilight Sparkle."

"Don't worry, Tia." Discord replied. For the first time, he was actually taking a situation very seriously and following her request. "I won't."

"Thank you. Thank you very much." Celestia said with a weak smile. Discord gave her one back, then pulled her into a hug as she began sobbing harder and harder.

"Discord..." She said quietly. "I am really scared. I don't want to die."

(Three hours after Twilight's coronation.)

A unicorn version of Celestia stood in a field near the end of Equestria. The sun had begun to set, thanks to Twilight's new power. The mane 6 had seen them off from the train station in Canterlot. There were heartfelt goodbyes and promises to see each other again.

But Cadence, Celestia, and Luna all knew they were empty promises. At least on the sisters' behalf. She used what magic she had left to keep her alicorn appearance until she got off the train and entered the field in the middle of nowhere. A smaller unicorn mare, Luna trotted up next to her and looked over to her sister's cutiemark.

"Your cutiemark is fading, sister." She commented. Celestia looked over to her cutiemark and saw that it was indeed fading. She looked over to Luna's and saw that her sister's cutiemark was in the same state.

"It shouldn't be long now." Celestia replied. They both settled down on the soft grass and flowers and watched the sun disappear over the horizon. Celestia gasped as petals left her body. Her body was turning into petals.

"I hope heaven is nice." Luna said as she watched her hoof slowly disappear and turn into petals, flying away in the soft breeze. She looked back at Celestia with fearful eyes. "I really hope it exists."

"Me too, Luna. Me too."

They closed their eyes one final time. Allowing the wind to take them away to a better place.

---End of Chapter Four---