The stars sprinkled the moonlit sky with the wisdom of those who have seen millennia's of deaths. A black shape flew through the twilight, waving a greeting to a purple Alicorn resting on one of the three towers. As her sparkling mane lit the sky, she headed to her own tower, landing gently and heading into her bed chambers to begin her duties as mistress of the night, and watch over mare and colts dreams. Luna of course sometimes missed the fact she could no longer dream her own dreams, for fear of neglecting her duties, but she gave up that right to make sure all those who slept under her sky were happy. Long ago, she had failed to realise that they slept through her glorious night not to mock her and shun her, but to show how much they trusted her to safeguard them as they slept. Luna had spent a thousand years neglecting those subjects, and she was content. Closing her eyes, she stirred as she felt her older sister brush past her window, and she made to rise, when that calm voice spoke out.
"Rest my sister; you mustn't neglect your duties to our people, even when we wish to." Luna nodded, and curled back into her bed, preparing for a long night of easing people's dreams. Celestia smiled over her sister as she slowly drifted into slumber, her flowing rainbow mane silently floating in the moonlight. Turning her head, she slowly walked out on to the balcony, and flared her wings before taking off with a single flap. Her broad wings easily carried her the distance to her destination, a balcony where a purple Alicorn was gazing at the stars, a distant gaze upon her face.
"Dearest Twilight, We are here for you if you need us" Celestia spoke, landing gently next to her old student. Twilight barely turned her head, instead opting to give out a mournful sigh.
"Spike has finally left me, as they all did so long ago… I knew how difficult it would be, but everyday little things keep reminding me of what I have lost due to this immortality I have gained." Celestia's wing opened, and gently swept around her student, and she gently hugged Twilight.
"I know Twilight, I suffer the same thing, and Luna suffers the same thing." Twilight turned her gaze to Celestia, and a weak smile swept on to her face.
"I just…Always assumed Cadence would be the stronger one, not the other way around…" Celestia hugged her student, no sister. They were sisters now, much more so than simply student and Teacher.
"If we'd had more time, we may have saved her such a fate, but that is how such things work. We cannot dwell too long in the past, or it will consume us, as you know." Twilight nodded, gently separated from Celestia, and turned her gaze to the ground far below.
"I miss them so much, and I feel so weak. Every day I find myself hovering near the black magic section, where the resurrection spells are, fighting within myself between what is right and what I really want. I fear one day, I doubt I will be able to hold myself back, and I'll end up like Cadence-"Celestia interrupted her student with a simple hoof to her mouth, and a stern gaze that spoke of an absolute certainty in her words.
"Twilight, I have complete trust that this will never happen, because I know you, Twilight. You have grown so much since I saved a little filly from magical overflow that day so many years ago. You are strong enough to not only prevent another Nightmare Moon from happening, but you also found a way to bring Cadence back from that darkness by yourself. You single handedly stopped Discord's little ‘hissy fit' from getting out of control of a single room. And most importantly; you saved dear Luna from being what she could have been had you not found the elements during those first few years." Twilights eyes began to water, and she sniffled and turned her face away from Celestia, who couldn't help but feel her face break out into a smile for a few seconds before returning to normal.
"Why was only I made an Alicorn? Why weren't my friends changed with me, so they would still be here today?" Celestia sighed mournfully; she had known this day would come eventually. Gently tugging Twilight's face with a tiny spark of magic so her wet face was facing hers, Celestia let her eyes fill with the sadness of someone who has lived too long, and seen too much.
"An Alicorn can only make one Alicorn, and doing so means you have to sacrifice a large part of magic, and immortality. I did not tell you this earlier, as I did not want you to feel tortured with the fact you could choose to save one of your friends from the hands of time." Twilight turned her gaze to Celestia's mane, and even she could see the slightest sliver of gray making its way into the once bright colours of her mane.
"So if you had to give up immortality, how-"she paused, her cheeks starting to overflow with moisture. Celestia took Twilight under her wing, and then turned her gaze to the sky.
"A day, a week, a year, a thousand years, I don't know. All I know Twilight is that the hands of fate have moved for me ever since I preformed the spell on you. And now, it is time I pass the spell on to the next Alicorn in the line…" Celestia released Twilight and turned to face her. Opening her wings, her horn flared with magic as she prepared to send her knowledge of the spell to Twilight.
"But don't Luna and Cadence know?" Celestia shook her head, and lowered her horn to touch Twilight's, her wings closing and a bright flash of light emanating from their location.
"Only one Alicorn at a time can know this spell, so that we limit the amount of Alicorn that will be made, and not born as Cadence was." Celestia swayed for a moment, dealing with a sudden weakness before straightening up and watching her stu-sister's eyes widen as the knowledge of what the spell did and what it cost was layed out in cold hard facts.
"But if Cadence was born, who made you and Luna?" Twilight finally asked, her gaze coming to rest upon Celestia.
"That, I'm afraid, is a secret I will have to take to my grave Twilight."
Author's Note
I just felt like writing a quickie.
