Consequence of Will.

Consequence of Will.
By: Aussie Griffin.

Boring legal disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and was created by Lauren Faust. presentperfect wrote “Act of Will” which this is inspired by.

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Chapter 2: Love me while I'm here.

“I will try and be brief. The strange box did not leave Ponyville and is exactly where it was.” The shock on their faces and the words forming on their lips were halted with a hoof gesture. “I have enchanted it though. Only the most vile, mean-spirited and destructive of ponies will ever find it, and the rest of this town is now even further from being nihilistic than before.”

“Ni-la-whut?” Applejack cocked an eyebrow.

“That means they aren't thinking that nothing matters any more.” Satisfaction turned to maternal warmth and reassurance as she turned to Twilight Sparkle. “Now, my faithful student, I want you to tell your friends what it said on your slip of paper.”

Twilight's entire body went into shock as she stared at her mentor wide-eyed, and her friends were little different. Princess Celestia simply closed her eyes and waited despite Twilight's own looking for re-assurance. Eventually she choked out “It said “ACT OF WILL”. Princess, what does that even mean? That sounds like you...” She could no longer speak and her eyes filled with tears as Celestia opened her own and sighed, her face downcast.

“After my sister's exile I was unable to wield the Elements of Harmony. My only benefit to Equestria was my experience and diplomatic connections, and my battle with Queen Chrysalis showed there is no advantage to a single, powerful pony wielding the sun to watch over a single kingdom anymore. Some time in the future all my little ponies will have enough resources, courage and friendship to be able to manage the heavens without Luna or myself. On that day Twilight Sparkle...”

“Oh Princess!” Celestia suddenly found her student on her rear legs, throwing herself at her. Forelegs clasped on all they could hold and tears streaming down her face she sobbed. “Please don't leave us!”

Celestia could see the other “elements” looking upset. Closing her eyes, she considered simply kneeling down and holding her student until she stopped crying, yet this called for her to be the ruler that was guiding her student, a task harder because she was to teach others to rule themselves.

Settling at leaning down and wrapping a wing around her crying student, the words came clearly to her. “Please Twilight Sparkle, you must accept that things change. What you worry about will take generations. When I exiled my sister I observed that ponies could forget a someone who'd once been important...”

At Twilight's renewed sobbing Celestia caved in and knelt down to draw her into an embrace, only to be hugged by everypony else in the room as she was afraid would happen. All she could say as they blanketed her with love was: “Even I don't know what happens once we die. I just know that this is one of the memories I will ensure I take with me.”

She felt the tears and hooves and heard the sobs of her most loyal subjects and she tried consoling them to the point where they could leave the room without alarming other ponies. “Even once people think that I've become one with the sun, I would take on the appearance of a normal pony, dye my mane pink, use a shrink spell, hide my wings with an illusion and take a name like “Sunburst” or “Sunny Day”. You can't just assume that things will go right straight away, you have to be patient and careful. Even when the appearance of Princess Celestia stops being here, it will be a long time before I'm confident that Equestria will manage everything that I have... but I do know your capable of it some day.”

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Dear Princess Celestia,

I have tried to write this letter more times than I can count and Spike has gotten really worried about me needing him to postpone it so often, so I'm going to do this with my own magic. I guess I knew that you'd outlive the elements of harmony, and I guess we're still going to be needed... or at least our job descriptions will be, perhaps more-so if your plan ever....

I'm still getting over what you said, and the truth is I understand that you probably have seen more life times and bad things in your experience than most anypony can imagine, yet I ask you: Is it possible to stay around as a different pony? Even you could still enjoy being somepony else for a day or two now to practice... I'd help you if you want.

The truth is that I don't want to stop living in this world. Ponies are happy and fulfilled and you are what they model themselves on, not a legend that gets twisted for political reasons. Remember, we need good examples too... I still use you as my best example of being a pony... and I keep crying when I think about others not seeing what I see in you. You're calm, you're strong, you're funny and you make me feel like I had a second mother when I was a filly.

I'm afraid. I saw my slip of paper and it said the same as yours. Do I wind up so sick that living becomes too painful to bear? Will I loose all my friends? Do I loose my children?

I don't know, yet I'm going to take your advice to heart and if I end my own life, it will be for the good of Equestria, and I promise you it will not be pointless. The life you showed me...it's about something bigger than any one pony, even one who is as loved as you.

Hoping you don't mind the tear stains, your faithful student... who thinks of you as a second mother,
Twilight Sparkle.