It is almost evening when I arrive. The sun is setting on the horizon. There was much that needed to be done to guarantee my trip here would go unnoticed, but it is worth it. I need this. Just this once. One final confession.
I gaze up at you in admiration. Even with the life in your eyes gone and your flesh nothing but cold, unmoving stone, you are still a sight to behold. Toned muscles almost rippling with raw strength; wings spread, as if about to take flight. You look as if you could come alive at any moment, though I know that is impossible. If the other statues in this garden could feel anything at all, I would imagine envy to be their only emotion. After all, who could feel anything else when in the presence of such physical perfection?
But simple admiration is not why I am here tonight. There is one thing about you that keeps me awake. One image that has ensured my inability to live my life free -- until today. Your face, and that horrid look of absolute terror. No, not terror -- scorn. Hatred. As if you are looking to me and asking “Why? Why me?” As if you do not understand what you had done to deserve such a fate. For all I know this may be one of your paltry tricks, but if it is, it’s working. So here is the answer you seek:
We were entrusted with guaranteeing the safety of Equestria -- at any cost. As bearers of the Elements of Harmony, we understood that sacrifices were necessary to guarantee peace, and we were more than willing to make those sacrifices ourselves. Oh, it was easy the first few times: we were young. Then it was nothing but wide-eyed adventuring and that feeling of calm when you think -- no, know -- you’ve done the right thing. But it was not always that easy. We had to make choices. Difficult choices. But again, we knew, these sacrifices were necessary. What good was one more Wonderbolt or a fashion designer if Equestria fell? Is a library worth the lives of thousands of ponies? Is a family?
So we made the sacrifices. Don’t you ever think we didn’t.
But then, you. You were not content to stay put. No, you began to feel something I don’t think you’d felt in your entire life. You began to feel fear. True, mortal fear. You saw what we were capable of. You saw that we were willing to make the sacrifices necessary to keep this world safe. So you began to search. You began to look for six more ponies. And you found them.
When I’d first heard, it was almost funny. You were trying to recreate us. An athlete. An artist. A performer. A chef. Some loud, some quiet. Two earth ponies, two unicorns, and two pegasi. They were young, like we were.You told them they were special. You told them you could give them power -- power to do what they had always wanted to do. Power to change the world. You told them they were doing the right thing, and they believed you. You did not tell them what they would have to give up, but they never questioned. You used them. You lied to them. And I would not allow that fate to befall anypony else.
So I gathered the others. We spent days discussing the best course of action. There were arguments, of course. Friends threatened friends. Old grudges came back to the surface, only to be buried again under the weight of our current situation. Some begged, others tried to bargain. But behind all the posturing, we knew what needed to be done. We all did. And we all felt sorrow when the final decision was made. But I don’t think any of them felt sorrow the same as I. For to them, you were an enemy. Another obstacle that needed to be overcome. To me you were more than that. You were a friend. You were a lover.
Oh, how I wish you could have seen things our way! How I wish this could have been different! You don’t know. You can’t. I spend every waking moment wishing there was another way. But you would not change. Too stuck in your ways, too convinced of your own morality. I could not let you do it again, even if it meant giving up the one thing that meant the most to me in this world.
It was not difficult convincing the public to support us. You would be proud, knowing how much faith they had. So when the day finally came, we met with no resistance. When we approached you, and it became apparent to you what our plan was, you stood there and gave us -- gave me -- that look. That same look that has haunted my dreams. That same look that I have seen every time I’ve closed my eyes for the last ten years. “Why?”
And yet here you are, still with the same expression. Still questioning. Still so sure that you were doing the right thing, even when it was so apparent you had lost. Even after hearing all I’ve said, you will not see things our way. You still don’t understand the pain we’ve been through -- I’ve been through -- to reach this point. It’s clear, then, that you never will.
It’s getting late. The others will be wondering where I am. Tomorrow morning I will issue the order to have you removed from the garden. After that, you will be destroyed. Equestria has moved on. In a few years, you will be nothing but a bad memory to them.
To me, you will always be a reminder of why I continue to live. A voice in the back of my mind, urging me to continue fighting, whatever the cost. A memory of what could have been, but will never be again. Another necessary sacrifice.
Goodbye, Princess.
