Celestia kept her eyes closed and tightened her grip on a crying Twilight, who had her face pressed firmly against the alicorn's chest. Tears poured down the unicorn's face while Celestia ran a hand through her mane, the soothing gesture proving futile in the face of Twilight's overwhelming emotions.
The princess opened one eye and looked around the room, which was filled with the sunlight streaming through an open window. On the wall were two drawings showing Twilight in a hot-air balloon and with a new friend, a large smile clearly evident in both. More drawings lay on the floor behind Twilight, who paid them no mind as she continued to cry, her tears staining Celestia's dress.
The floor of the room was littered with books; one, on the practice of first aid, had been laid flat at a particular page, while a few more books were stacked neatly next to it. Another open book was caught by a breeze, ruffling the pages and blowing away some of the contents of a bowl which had been knocked over. Pencils and other stationery were prevalent, and a box of tissues – a few of them heavily used and tossed aside – had been left underneath a lamp which was shining a warming light on a small box. The box itself had been decorated with hearts on one side, and was lined with soft linens ranging from towels to clothing.
Amongst the warm materials, however, lay the lifeless body of a baby bird. Its beak was open, its body marred with cuts, and its eyes stared blankly towards the ceiling. Celestia let out a small sigh and placed her hands on Twilight's shoulders; at long last, her student stopped crying, wiped her eyes and looked forlornly at the bird she had tried so desperately to save.
"Why?" she said in a small voice, barely loud enough for Celestia to hear. "Why did this happen? I did everything that the books said to do – I kept him warm, dry and fed, tended his injuries and made sure he was as comfortable as possible – and it wasn't enough." She sniffled and looked to her mentor. "Why is life so cruel?"
Celestia wiped away the rest of Twilight's tears. "You did everything you could, my dear student," she soothed. "It could be that there were internal injuries we simply didn't know about; we don't know what happened to the poor creature before you found him."
"I just... I feel as though I let him down," Twilight replied. "I feel as though he was depending on me to survive, but I failed, and now he's gone. How do you deal with something like that?"
Celestia shook her head gently. "Death is as natural as birth, and it's part of the life cycle," she said. "I know there are some things you don't really understand about it, but there are many other things you don't understand about the world; you just have to do your best with the knowledge you've got." She thought for a moment. "As for how you can deal with it, you can take solace in the fact that you did your best for the little bird, and that he was at least somewhere warm and safe in his final moments, rather than out in the cold and dark where he lay before you found him. You did the right thing, Twilight, and although it may not have turned out the way you wanted it to, it was still a noble act. While many ponies would have ignored the bird, you remembered we share this world with all these creatures, and stepped up to help. I am proud of you, my student, and I will help you through this in any way I can."
Twilight's smile was small, but it wasn't unnoticed. "Thank you, Princess," she said. "I did my best, and I learned some things along the way; this is the natural order of things, and to try keeping him alive any longer would have been the wrong thing to do, as it would have merely prolonged his suffering. It doesn't make it any easier, that much is true, but – as you said – I can take solace in the fact that I made his last few hours the best they could have been." She laid a hand on her chest. "Out there he's gone, but he will live on inside me, through the memories I've made over the last day."
Celestia nodded. "That's a good way of looking at things." her horn lit up, and she put the lid on the box before standing up, Twilight soon doing the same. "Come, let us at least give him a decent burial; there is a spot in the castle garden that would be ideal."
"Okay, Princess." Twilight took the box from her. "But please, let me be the one to do it; it may help give me at least some closure."
Celestia nodded. "Of course, Twilight," she replied. "Follow me."
She closed the window and led Twilight out of the room, gently closing the door behind her. The unicorn held the box close as she followed her mentor, who led the way into the gardens of Canterlot Castle. Plants of all shapes, sizes and colours were abundant, pollinators flew to and fro, and a sweet smell filled the air. After a few minutes, they arrived in a small area filled with lilies and rose bushes; with a wave of her hand, Celestia dug a small hole and allowed Twilight to gently place the box inside it before covering it.
"I'm sorry, little bird," Twilight said softly. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, but I'm certainly glad to have met you. Thank you for coming into my life, even if it was for just a day, and thank you for the lessons you've taught me." She blew a kiss. "Rest in peace."
Celestia smiled at her. "As I said, Twilight, there is much you are yet to learn about the world; I hope that this lesson, while painful, has at least given you some understanding of it."
"It has, Princess," Twilight replied, wiping away another tear. "I will keep this lesson close to my heart for the rest of my life, and I will never forget the little soul who helped me to grow."
With that, the two of them stood in silent reflection, the sun casting a sombre light upon the grave of the bird who had touched Twilight's heart in ways she never thought possible.
Author's Note
This story was inspired by the cover image, and also features some dialogue from Calvin and Hobbes (with the sincerest of apologies, and many thanks, to Bill Watterson).
I wasn't sure what to write for most of the dialogue; as a kid, whenever a relative died I was only told they'd died and that was it (I wasn't even allowed to attend the funeral). As a result, I have a poor understanding of what to say to someone experiencing grief, so I wrote what I thought was something good.
This is also the first thing I've written for a while, so I'm bound to be a bit rusty, right?
Right?
