Author's Note

Hi. this is my first story. It probably sucks. Feedback is appreciated.

One

As dawn rose again for the ponies of Equestria, things didn't quite feel the same. Some would wake to see the dance of life drastically different, while others might only get a slight sensation. But all of them would know what it was. How could they not?

There was no way that one could have missed the very distinct feeling of the magic fading. It wasn’t gone, but it was not the same. Not any longer.

The Unicorns had no doubt. Not when they felt the leylines weaken, and the auras of their spells dim. It was a little funny when the local prankster- who intended to drop a bucket of water on their neighbour- soaked themselves instead. They probably had it coming. Nonetheless, they knew.

They couldn’t quite seem to fly as high or as quickly. Not anymore. The mail ponies were fifteen minutes late that day. The clouds didn’t seem to be quite as fluffy to stand on or lay in, and the weather seemed to be just a bit more wild. That was how the Pegasi knew.

The Apple harvest was down to a tenth of its normal amount. The plants didn’t grow quite as fast, neither did they have the same glow or taste, as if they were just a little bit less alive. And they couldn’t quite make the trip from the farm to Baltimare in a day anymore. Not if they didn’t want to collapse from exhaustion. The Earth Ponies knew.

The vivid blues, purples, and even greens of the night sky had always shone in the vision of the Bat Ponies. But now they seemed just a little bit less distinct. It was not as if their vision had weakened, but the heavens above seemed murkier. So they knew too.

Up high in the tallest towers of that grand castle in the city on the mountainside, the White Alicorn felt everything her little ponies did. But this was not how she knew. As she looked from her balcony up to the mare on the moon, the piercing gaze the visage of the nightmare gave off faded and faltered.

There would be no return.
No joyous reunion, no making of amends, no sisters together again.
No, there would be no return.

That was how Princess Celestia knew.