The Tragedy of Twilight Sparkle

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said gravely.

“What can you pick up?” Celestia asked, a hint of anxiety could be detected in her voice.

Twilight explained her assumptions to the anxiety ridden Alicorn.

“…I can only assume that this COULD be a changeling attack as they like to make things really messy and the handwriting plus the hoof, or whatever they used to walk, marks on the balcony.” Twilight explained.

Princess Celestia sighed and turned to everypony.

“Everypony,” she simply uttered.

All noise ceased.

“Please go upstairs to freshen up and find your rooms.” she said in her quiet manner. “I have had them renovated to suit your needs. If you happen to be hungry, the table should be dished out, eat what you wish to eat. We have a big day tomorrow.”

Everypony turned to head over to their rooms. Twilight took one step forward before Celestia said;

“Twilight,” she turned her head, “Come with me, you still have a moon to rise.”

Twilight’s face looked doubtful and filled with despair as Celestia sounded those words, she was not too confident with raising the moon all by herself.

“What’s the matter Twilight?” Celestia asked “Looking doubtful.”

“It’s…” Twilight begun “It’s…just that…I…I-”

“Don’t think you are able to do it?” Celestia asked.

“Yes!” exclaimed Twilight a little too loudly, “No!” she shouted as she realized what she said, “It’s just that…I-I don’t have a cutie mark that resembles the moon…do I Princess?”

Celestia began walking towards the end-hall balcony where Twilight is meant to raise the moon.

“Well as true as that may be Twilight,” Celestia agreed looking back to her faithful student, “You do however have a cutie mark that resembles magic and if I am not mistaken, the rising of the moon requires magic, does it not?”

Twilight thought about this piece of logic, finding her way around it, she slowly nodded.

“It can be hard I know.” Celestia reassured her young student. “Even for an Alicorn like me, some days I find it very painful, but life has its ups and downs, they are there to test us, to see if we are really in a bad day, if one does not cope with these turn of events, the more you will break down, my sister is dead, yes I know. But you see I’m not really as you thought I’d be affected am I? Well, I just accepted my sister’s dead, there is nothing I could do if I just simply sat there and wept would there? Life is unforgiving and so is time, besides Twilight, Ponyville is counting on somepony to grant their sleeping time. I trust you Twilight, I always have. That is why I decided to give this place to you.”

Twilight looked at Celestia. Hope flooded her senses as her mentor uttered those very words.

“W-well I-if everypony is counting on ME…then I-I’ll try.” Twilight responded quietly.

With that, Twilight walked over to the balcony where she looked at the sky. The hues of the afternoon sky still glistening.

“Ok think Twilight think, what were the tips she gave me?” Concentrating hard, she took several maneuvers of steps before her horn finally emanated its purple aura. For ten minutes, she stood rigid on the balcony floor, body completely tensed, grunting in frustration time and time again. She suddenly felt a zap of energy flow through her body. “Don’t lose concentration Twilight.” she thought. “It’s probably Celestia giving me a hoof.”

With Celestia’s ancient and powerful magic aiding her, she soon noticed a dimming in light behind her two tightly shut eyes, drop after drop of perspiration were soon falling towards the balcony’s marble floor. She dropped to the ground, completely drained of energy, panting hard and cursing in frustration. The magical aura disappeared from her horn and she forced her sore eyelids open.

“D-Did I do it-”

Her question was cut off as she saw the moon’s pale and faintly blue glow fall on her eyes.

Jaw dropped and unable to speak, she was having a hard time believing how this was possible.

“D-Did I j-just raise the m-moon and the s-stars?!” she stuttered.

“Yes you did,” Celestia responded, smiling but looking at the moon, “I am amazed at you Twilight.”

The happy, purple unicorn laid her head on the cold marble floor, as her panting subsided, she slowly started to lift herself off the ground and onto her four hooves.

“I knew you could do it.” Celestia whispered as Twilight was on all fours.

As Twilight’s panting completely stopped, she looked at Celestia and said;

“I didn’t know I could Princess, but I did it, and it took quite the effort.”

“Being in charge of a cycle that created a society like this does not come in as an easy task.” Celestia simply put. “You may have noticed I helped you a little bit?”

“Yes, I felt that surge of energy.” Twilight answered, remembering the energy surge. “Did that speed it up?” she questioned.

“It certainly did, remember how I helped Princess Luna with her moon and stars?” Twilight nodded. “Well I can speed it up by helping her do it but you Twilight, you are special.”

“Huh?” Twilight questioned. “Special? Why?”

“For somepony to raise both the stars and the moon simultaneously takes quite the effort, not to mention that not even Princess Luna managed to achieve that goal.”

Twilight gazed into the moon at amazement of her achievement.

“I think it is time you had your rest Twilight,” Celestia stated, “Hearing yourself after the rising of the moon I think it is best you had your rest.”

Twilight looked at the Princess and simply said “Thank you.”

Celestia closed her eyes and made a quick gesture of acknowledgment before Twilight opened the door and trotted off down the hall before closing the door as quietly as possible behind her.

Celestia watched her young student head off towards her sleeping chamber.

As Twilight reached the door of the banquet hall she placed a hoof on it before she heard voices from the hall as the door was slightly ajar. Twilight knew it was wrong, but she peeked through the crack to see the other five ponies having fun while eating, drinking and laughing.

“Wow Dashie! Pinkie exclaimed while Dash drank from her goblet. “You must have had a really tired day!”

“Darling,” Rarity questioned, “How EVER can you go through that muck!”

Dash rolled her eyes at the very question hoping it was rhetorical.

Twilight took her hoof off from the door, turned and began to walk to her sleeping chamber before she was jumped on by Pinkie Pie.

“Hey there Twilight!” Pinkie welcomed in her usual happy manner. She turned around to face the friends on the table and simply stated “Twilight’s here guys!”

Twilight was then swarmed by her five best friends.

“Wha-what’s going on?” Twilight questioned.

“Oh come on Twilight,” Rarity said, “You don’t have to be so modest about it.”

“M-Modest about…”

“Raising the moon up Twi,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed airborne, “It was SO AWESOME!”

Twilight just realized what they were all talking about.

“Oh…yea…that.” Twilight muttered unexcitedly.

“What’s wrong Twi?” Applejack questioned, noticing the un-natural down side of her purple unicorn friend.

“Nothing Aj, don’t worry,” Twilight reassured her, “I’m just really tired after rising the moon.” In fact, that was half of the truth because the rising of the moon made her ravenous, tired and pretty dehydrated. “Should I go into the banquet hall? Or have you guys eaten everything?” she asked.

“Don’t be a silly billy Twilight!” Pinkie bounded. “We won’t forget you! Of COURSE we would leave stuff out for you!”

“After all darling,” Rarity added, “You where the heroin who saved us from Trixie.”

“Thank you everypony” Twilight thanked, “You should all get some rest, don’t worry about me, I’ll just be down here.”

“You sure you’re ok down here Twilight?” Questioned the loyal pegasus.

“Oh sure Dash,” Twilight responded confidently, “Think about it, what could be the worst thing that happens after all? We’re in a castle protected by guards, not to mention that this castle contains the most powerful mare in all of Equestria, I’m sure I can handle it Dash IF something were to break in, thank you for your support though.” she smiled.

Rainbow Dash saluted before walking off, the others followed her saying their farewells and with Twilight responding to every one of them..

She looked at her five friends walk around the corner, still discussing the events of today. With the voices of her friends disappearing slowly around the corner, Twilight then walked into the well-lit and furnished hall. Amongst the seats out of place and the dirty plates on the table, Twilight immediately realized that the chair neatly tucked into place with a goblet and a shiny silver plate was where she is meant to sit.

She drew the chair back with her magic whilst pouring herself some juice from the crystalline jug on the table. While she chewed on a piece of fruit she picked up, she thought, she constantly thought about today, measuring up the evidence she had and whether or not they are true, she had a small amount of evidence that they are true, quite simply, it was her becoming Princess of the Night, that was her small amount of evidence. Although it was true, she looked at the down side of it. Princess Luna is dead, “But I became Princess of the Night” “But Luna is dead! Can you not hear yourself Twilight?!” There seemed to be a small war going on inside her head as she thought about the 2 major points of today. Was this a sign of hope?