Unfair
By Ianpiersonjdavis
Twilight was sitting alone in the of the library in middle of the night, this was a few hours after the grim realization came to her that she would outlive all of her friends.
Being a princess and an Alicorn was supposedly her destiny-at least, according to Princess Celestia-but, it didn't feel right.
When Trixie came to town, bragging about all of her 'accomplishments' she insisted that she wasn't better than anyone and at the time she honestly believed that was true.
But now, she was a Princess and an Alicorn with all of Equestria literally bowing before her and despite her initial apprehension the pride that seemed to radiate from all of her friends an family that despite this dramatic change, everything would still be fine.
That was, until after the celebration when Princess Celestia took her aside, telling her to pack up her things for her move to Canterlot where she would continue the next phase of her studies.
"But, what about my friends?" she protested. "And Spike?"
Her teacher merely shook her long flowing mane.
"I'm sorry, Twilight-your friends have their duties that require them to stay in Ponyville-Spike, however can either stay in the library or join you here."
Twilight looked up mournfully at Celestia, hoping against hope that this was some kind of cruel joke the princess was playing on her.
"Th-then I'm not going!" she stomped her hoof in emphasis, surprising even herself at the tone she had just taken with her mentor.
"THIS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE!" Celestia shouted back at her student in a tone that was almost-but not quite, like her younger sister's royal Canterlot voice.
The sudden outburst caused the smaller Alicorn to recoil, this was just like one of the nightmares from her fillyhood where Princess Celestia would be scolding her for an overdue book report or accuse her of not taking her studies seriously.
Only this was real-she was actually having an argument with the princess of all Equestria, her teacher...her lifelong idol-the hot tears streaming down her cheeks were cruel reminder of that.
"I'm sorry, Twilight." Celestia repeated, sympathetically. "But it really is easier this way...Alicorns like us can live for eons."
Twilight looked up at her teacher with a newfound expression of dawning horror.
"Do you mean that I'll...outlive all of my friends?" she choked.
"I'm afraid so."
Her mind was reeling at the thoughts of all of her friends and her family growing old and dying, leaving her all alone in the cold, dark world that was reality.
"But...why?" she managed.
"It's just the way things are."
"But, it doesn't make any sense!" she protested. "What was the point in having me gather the Elements of Harmony and making a bunch of new friends if you were just going to make me abandon them?"
"Ever since the day of your entry exam, I realized you had a special gift-and while I had a hunch-I truly had no idea just how special it was." she explained.
"Making friends in Ponyville and gathering the Elements of Harmony was your first true test of your abilities since you became my student...do you remember what happened after the Elements defeated Nightmare Moon and restored my sister to her former self?" she asked.
"You two made up and we returned to Ponyville."
"No, I meant after that." she elaborated. "When we returned, I noticed that you were looking distraught and when I asked you what was wrong, you told me that you didn't want to leave your new friends."
"Yes, and you let me stay in Ponyville." she finished.
"Yes, and at that time I was certain the I knew what was in store for you and I was hoping that taking you away from that town would lessen your heartache, but I just couldn't do it...the heartache in your eyes was just too much for me to bear and that's when I made my decision to let you stay." she explained.
"But it was foolish, I knew that I was only prolonging the inevitable and when the time eventually came it would likely destroy you...I put your happiness over your well-being and that was a mistake."
"What about when you only sent me two tickets when you knew for a fact that I had six friends-seven, counting Spike." Twilight challenged.
"That was a test to see how far your friendships had progressed and while it shames me to say it, I was hoping that you would fail." she admitted.
"Why?"
"Because if you and your new friends hadn't gotten along, I thought you might want to come back here to Canterlot and that the hard feeling you and your friends had towards each other would soften the blow." she explained.
"If that was true, then why did you send us to defeat Discord and protect the Crystal Empire...and then reform Discord?" she demanded. "You should have known that our successes together would only strengthen our friendship."
"That's true." Celestia sighed. "But, it wasn't my intent. I was trying to prompt your Alicorn abilities to awaken through the trials you face and the best way to do that was through the magic of friendship."
"You monster..."
Twilight spoke quietly, the contempt was still clear and her words cut like a knife.
"You used them...like they were tools, just to be thrown away...."
She was crying again.
"I never asked to be an Alicorn or a stupid princess!" she sobbed.
"I just...want to be with my friends..."
"This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid." Celestia spoke again, consolingly. "I'm not a stranger to this kind of heartache and I was hoping to spare you from the same pain that I've endured for over a thousand years."
"Can-can't you just turn them into Alicorns, too?" she asked, desperately.
"I'm afraid not." she sighed. "Even if I could, I wouldn't."
"Why not!?" The smaller Alicorn demanded.
"Because there is a grand design and even with our powerful magic, we must refrain ourselves to using as little magical interference as possible to avoid tampering with the natural order."
Twilight merely gave a grunt at this unsatisfactory explanation.
"Even if I did make your friends like us...what about their other friends or their families, do you think that they would want to outlive them?" she asked.
"No..."
"And then we'd either have to make them immortal or force them to go through what's happening to you, right now." she finished gently.
"But, it's not the same!" Twilight protested. "They'd have me...and I'd have them..."
"And you have Cadance, Luna, and Myself." She added consolingly.
Instead of calming down, Twilight was once again enraged.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she shouted. "IF YOU HADN'T SENT ME THAT STUPID SPELL, THEN NONE OF THIS EVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED AND I'D STILL BE HAPPY WITH MY FRIENDS IN PONYVILLE!"
Celestia had this conversation before with another pony she loved and unfortunately, it appeared that it would end the same way.
Twilight turned around, she was so angry, she couldn't even look at Celestia at that moment, or else she might run the risk of doing something that they would both regret.
Before leaving, she whispered three words over her shoulder that were all too familiar...ones that she hoped that she'd never hear from someone she loved again.
"I hate you."
Twilight then galloped off, either seemingly forgetting her newfound wings or not caring to use them.
"LUNA, WAIT!!" she called out desperately, but it was too late-Twilight was gone.
Twilight ran back to the room she was staying in, magically slamming the door shut behind her before dropping down onto the bed.
Outside, she could hear her friends waking up and wondering what all of the commotion was and...she just couldn't tell them, not yet.
It had to be tomorrow, when she packed up all of her things she'd tell them...but it wouldn't matter, she'd still be leaving the most important things in her life behind.
Her best friends, who stood by her no matter what.
With the memories of all the good times they had together, she broken down into her pillow sobbing uncontrollably.
It wasn't fair.
To Be Continued.
