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RogerDodger
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Benevolence
The cool, crisp breeze flowed through her mane. Stars twinkled overhead, numbered in the thousands. It was quiet save for the occasional cricket and it smelled like fresh springwater. Two ponies, one with long, tender limbs and walked with a regal pose, and another slightly smaller yet just as royal. The smaller one, a dark midnight-blue, addressed the taller white pony.
“She’s grown so much over the past several years, hasn’t she, Tia?”
“Why yes, dear sister, she has. Much more than I could have anticipated.” Celestia looked towards the sky. “And yet much more potential hides beneath.”
They strolled along a winding concrete road, the sides speckled with flowers of various breeds and colors. Giant stone bricks towered over them, the walls looming over five times their size. Naught could be seen sans for the stars. It had been a while since Celestia had last took a walk outside at night with her sister. It felt… calming in a way.
Luna paused for a moment, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “But Tia, there were many villains that nearly took over Equestria. Could you not have stopped them?”
Celestia smiled. “Of course.”
“Then why not?”
“Because, Luna, one day Twilight will rule the kingdom and in order to do that, she must grow and learn from her own challenges. Her own mistakes.” Celestia leaned her head and winked. “How will she do that if I always interfere?”
“I see.”
“Besides…” Celestia sighed. “I’m not going to be around forever.
Luna’s mouth hung open. After several seconds, she realized her faux pa and composed herself.
Celestia tried to stifle a giggle. “Now, now. Don’t act so shocked. In the end, we all must… move on.”
Luna stared at the neatly arranged patterns in the road. It was inevitable of course. Nopony lives forever.
“But what if Twilight had failed? What if any of your best-laid plans had failed?”
Celestia placed a wing on her sister’s shoulder. “Worry not, dear sister. I believe in Twilight. I knew she would succeed.”
“Discord, Chrysalis, Somber, Tirek… me. Which ones could you have stopped by yourself?”
A wide grin spread across Celestia’s face. “That’s my little secret.” If she only knew.
Luna’s face scrunched into a scowl. “But…” She paused, and stared into Celestia’s eyes as if trying to discern her secrets. “Why didn’t you…” She let her words hang in the air. She didn’t want to say them out loud, but she was talking about Nightmare Moon.
“For that, I am sorry, Luna.” Celestia looked away, unable to keep eye contact. She decided to look towards the moon instead. “I wasn’t strong enough. But that’s no excuse.” She leaned closer and embraced Luna in a hug. “I truly missed you.”
Luna shrugged. “All the same, I wish you had—”
A scream pierced the air from beyond the castle gates. Both Celestia and Luna jerked their heads toward the sound.
“It’s coming from Canterlot! Let’s go, sister!”
Instantly, Celestia opened her massive wingspan and propelled herself forward. With Luna in tow, they flew towards their destination.
A group of ponies had gathered underneath a tower and buzzed with a wreath of frantic whispers and gasps. Many of them were dressed in regal attire and some were carrying groceries. One even had a colt clutching her mother’s leg. They were all facing upwards, one of them pointing towards the sky.
“Somepony help—”
“Crazy son of a—”
“Hey! I know that pony!”
Celestia landed on her hooves with the daintiness of a feather with Luna close behind. Her wings folded back into position as she strode in front of the group. She cleared her throat and asked as gently as she could, “What’s wrong?” Celestia scanned the audience, and one of them pointed towards the nearby tower. At the very top was an white earth pony, backed up and on his hind legs on one of the balconies. Shiny gold armor clad his features, yet his helmet was absent.
“I think he’s going to jump!”
“He’s soooo close to the edge.”
“Mommy, is he going to be okay?”
Before Celestia could speak, Luna surged forward, but Celestia held out a wing. “Please wait, Luna.”
“Celestia! Will you stand idly by while a subject falls to their death?” Luna’s feathers ruffled up.
“Now, now. I intend nothing of the sort. Please be patient.” Celestia turned back to the group. “Please don’t be alarmed. I’m going to speak with him and get him to come down peacefully.”
“Why do you not just use magic to levitate him?” The question came from Luna, her features pressed into a scowl.
“Because, dear sister, you mustn’t force situations like this. It will simply happen again and again, and there won’t always be somepony around to help. It must be handled… delicately.”
“Hmph.” Luna crossed her hooves. “But—”
“Now, now Luna. Have faith.” Celestia smiled.
Unfolding her wingspan once more, Celestia took to the skies. She eyed the earth pony standing precariously on the balcony, and watched him backstep a little bit.
She flew onto the side of the balcony and gently drifted in place in front of him. “Greetings, my dear subject. Would you object if I joined you?” She could see the sweat dripping from his fur, the rapid breathing, the steady rises and falls of his chest.
“Not at all.” His pupils dilated as he looked between the ground and her. There was enough room for both of them to stand, but not much else considering Celestia’s size.
Celestia gently landed next to him and presented a hoof. “Hello there. In case you don’t know me, my name is Celestia.” She beamed down at him, towering over him.
In spite of himself, he chuckled. “Well, obviously…” He stared at Celestia’s hoof for several seconds. “Oh, sorry.” He shook it a few times. “My name is Mint Mountain.”
“I hope you don’t mind if I’m standing here. Sometimes I like to enjoy the wind in my mane, myself.”
“It’s… it’s okay.”
Celestia smiled gently at him. “Tell me, Mint. What seems to be bothering you?”
Mint relaxed his shoulders, then sighed. “I’ve been a bit depressed lately.” He looked back at Celestia, who waited quietly for him to finish. “A few days ago, my stomach was hurting, so I went to the doctor. Pancreatic Cancer. Terminal. Just like that, I have a death sentence.”
“Don’t you have family?”
“No. Not… anymore.”
Celestia wanted to say something, to try and comfort him, but she remained silent.
“I… used to have a son. Big and strong, was going to grow up to become a magnificent stallion, but…” Mint paused, holding his chest and he looked away. “There was an accident. While he was at work, a stray beam had fallen on him. Nopony even saw it coming. The doctors did everything they could, but… there was too much damage.” The words poured out like a stream as Mint explained more and more. At points, he had to stop to clear his throat and wipe his cheeks. “His name was Licorice Pop.”
“I’m sorry.” Celestia’s eyes cast downwards. She reached out a hoof, but thought better of it and retracted it.
“I used to be married, but we’re divorced now. Without Licorice Pop, we just couldn’t… keep it together. She moved away, to Manehattan I think. But she never wants to see me again.”
He continued on, his words an endless torrent. “It’s not fair, you know? So many bad things happening at once, you’d swear the gods hated me or something.” He jumped, and rubbed his neck. “Erm, no offense.”
“None taken.”
“It’s just… I’m so alone now. My family’s gone, I have no friends, no hobbies, and then I get stuck with this… condition.” He practically spat out the words. “It’s just not fair. I’m tired of dealing with it.” He waved his hoof. “All of it. Life just sucks so hard.”
“But you’re still here.”
“What?”
Celestia paused, choosing her words carefully. “You haven’t jumped yet, although you could have at any time. But you haven’t, which means that you don’t really want to die.”
“Maybe.”
“But there’s something else, isn’t there?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Is it because you’re afraid?
“No. Yes. Maybe,” he said.
“I understand. Everypony is afraid of dying.”
“No, it’s not that. Everypony dies eventually. I’m not afraid of death. It’s…” Mint took a deep breath. “When I first found out that I had pancreatic cancer, it didn’t even hit me at first. I thought ‘this couldn’t happen to me. Not after all I’ve been through.’ But then I realized that I wasn’t getting better.”
“I wanted to tell somepony, anypony at all. That’s when I realized it. That I had nopony. Nopony that cared about me anymore.” Mint faced Celestia and stared into her eyes. “No. What scares me most isn’t just dying, it’s dying alone. In some hospital room far, far away, with nopony holding my hoof. Yes, that’s what truly terrifies me.” Mint peeked out over the balcony again.
A creaky bed. Raspy breathing. A frail old mare, surrounded on all sides by servants. “Celes? Where is my darling baby?” A voice barely above a whisper.
“I am here, mother.” Celestia held her hoof as delicately as she could. It feels hard, yet also bony. Somehow though, she felt that if she pushed too hard, it would snap off.
Celestia stared at the stained blanket, refusing to look at the shrunken husk that had formerly been her mother. Sunshine Sparkle had been a strong and vibrant pony, but this… wasn’t her. Celestia’s eyes watered up, and she quickly wiped them away.
“Where is Lulu?”
“I… she is away at the moment and can’t be here.”
“I see. A pity.” She clasped Celestia’s hooves in hers and strained to lift her head. “Please don’t be sad for me. I get to see my husband again, after all.” After a few gentle pats, she continued, “Above all, never forget to be a benevolent ruler. Ponies need a rule they can trust with their whole hearts. Otherwise, the kingdom won’t last and it will fall apart. Remember that.”
“I will.”
“And when you see your sister again, please tell her I loved her. Please take care of her. For me.”
“I will.”
As the servants bustled around with various preparations, all Celestia could do was sit there and hold her mother’s hoof in silence, unmoving. Gradually, all of the servants left one by one until only Celestia and her mother were left. She leaned her head against her mother’s chest and listened as the heartbeats slowed down. “I’m sorry,” was all Celestia could whisper as she held her hoof.
Celestia rubbed a hoof along the metal gate as she slid it open. Like many of her night walks, she did it simply to collect her thoughts. She glanced up at the moon. “Luna, oh my Luna. I wish that thee fares well.” It was hard trying to run the castle by herself, but she managed. It wasn’t so much the work that was tiring, but the times when she finally had a moment to herself.
Celestia noted all the flowers along the pathway, but it seemed more like a backdrop. She was hard-pressed to smell any of the flower’s scents and when she did, she smelled… nothing. A hoof pressed against her chest, but she could feel nothing. Pieces of her were missing, but she knew not where to find them.
“Rargh!” Celestia screamed out, thrashing her hoof about and scattering the flower petals amongst the garden. For several moments, her breaths come in short spurts and her heart hurts, but succeeds in nothing save for aching muscles and tufted hair.
Her heart gradually slowed down as she took deeper breaths. She gazed upon the moon again. “Some day, Luna. Some day. I promise.”
“Being alone.” He wiped the liquid from his eyes with a hoof. “Silly, I know.”
Celestia’s mind flashed back to the present. She shook her head to clear the images that had build up, of all the past memories that kept flooding back to distract her.
“Nonsense.” Celestia placed a wing over Mint Mountain. “Nopony should ever have to be alone.”
Celestia knelt down to Mint’s eye level. “You won’t die alone.”
“But, there’s nopony else.”
“I’ll make sure you’re not alone. I’ll be there.” Reaching into her saddlebag, Celestia pulled out a small bottle contained a green flame.
“That’s…”
“Yes, dragonfire.” Although normally rare and expensive, this was a special case. “When you get… close, use this bottle and no matter where I am, I shall come to you.
“Really? You’ll hold my hoof and your face will be the last thing I ever see?”
“Yes.”
“You promise?”
“Of course.”
“But what if somepony else is trying to take over the kingdom or somepony—”
She pressed her hoof against his lips. “No matter what happens, I’ll be there by your side.” She held out the bottle, which he gingerly took and rolled over in his hands.
Mint let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”
“It is of no concern. Anything for one for one of my subjects.” Celestia started to lift into the air when Mint held out his hoof.
“Wait!”
“Yes, Mint?”
“Can we… can we stay just a bit longer? I want to enjoy the moment. Just for a little more.”
Celestia landed against and wrapped her wing around him. “Of course.”
Mint pressed his face into Celestia’s fur. “It feels nice here.”
“Indeed,” Celestia said, noting the gentle breeze drifting through both of their manes. If nothing else, perhaps she could enjoy this moment. At least for now.
“Princess Celestia!”
Celestia looked up from her latest letter from Twilight. “What is it?”
A guardpony clad in crystal armor had burst through the door. “Hades is at the front gates and he’s demanding to see you. He insists and won’t leave until he does.”
“Noted. I will—”
A puff of smoke alerted Celestia from the corner of her eye. She held out her hoof, and the letter dropped onto it. She glanced at it before rolling it back up.
“Princess?”
“Tell Hades that it will have to wait. An urgent matter had just come up.”
The guard raised a hoof as if to say something, but he changed his mind. “At once, my princess,” he said, spinning on his heel and going out the door.
“Isn’t this important?” Luna asked.
“Of course.”
“Then why not go yourself?”
“I’m… needed elsewhere at present. Besides, I shall send for Twilight.” Celestia rustled through her drawers, looking for a vial. Grasping a vial with purple liquid, she slipped it into her saddlebags.
“But why, Tia?” Luna stood in front of Celestia.
Celestia bit her lip. “Twilight is perfectly capable of handling this. There’s someplace else I need to be.” She walked around Luna.
“Someplace more important than defending your own kingdom?” Luna asked, stepping in front of Celestia again.
“...Yes.”
Luna’s mouth gaped open. “But what’s so much more important that—”
Celestia sighed. “It may seem like a small issue, but I assure you that it is not.” When Luna frowned, Celestia continued, “A princess is nothing if her subjects don’t believe in her. For if they can’t trust their princess, then what will they believe in?” She added. “Mom would have wanted it.”
Luna’s shoulders drooped. “If you say so, Tia.”
Luna watched her sister walk out the door, her last glimpse being of her majestic, flowing tail.
“You came. You actually came?” Mint Mountain, now lacking his mane, painfully pushed himself upwards on the bed. He let out a grunt.
“Of course. I promised, didn’t I?” Celestia winked at him.
“I thought you only said that to get me down from that ledge.”
“Nonsense. I said that nopony deserves to die alone, and I meant it.” Celestia looked him over. His breathing had grown ragged, his body sickly. An all-too familiar situation. Celestia reached out her hoof and grabbed his own.
“But I… thank you.” He grimaced.
“Are you in pain?”
“It comes and goes.”
“If you wait, I can get a nurse.” Celestia stood up, but Mint shook his head.
“It’s alright. It doesn’t hurt as much now that you’re here.”
Celestia sat back down. “Is there anything else you would like before…”
“No. This is fine.” Mint leaned backwards and closed his eyes. Celestia gently stroked his scalp with her wing, and he smiled. “Mhmm.”
“It’s alright. I’m here now.” Celestia looked around. None of the nurse ponies were there. Only her and Mint Mountain. Taking a deep breath, Celestia pulled out the purple vial and uncapped the top. “Drink this, this will help with the pain.”
He nodded, and she gently poured it down his throat. Before long, his pained grunts were replaced with a calm snore. “Everything will be okay,” Celestia reassured him.
With a sigh, she rested her head against his chest and listened as his breathing slowed. A grin spread through her face. “After all, nopony should ever have to die alone.”
“She’s grown so much over the past several years, hasn’t she, Tia?”
“Why yes, dear sister, she has. Much more than I could have anticipated.” Celestia looked towards the sky. “And yet much more potential hides beneath.”
They strolled along a winding concrete road, the sides speckled with flowers of various breeds and colors. Giant stone bricks towered over them, the walls looming over five times their size. Naught could be seen sans for the stars. It had been a while since Celestia had last took a walk outside at night with her sister. It felt… calming in a way.
Luna paused for a moment, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “But Tia, there were many villains that nearly took over Equestria. Could you not have stopped them?”
Celestia smiled. “Of course.”
“Then why not?”
“Because, Luna, one day Twilight will rule the kingdom and in order to do that, she must grow and learn from her own challenges. Her own mistakes.” Celestia leaned her head and winked. “How will she do that if I always interfere?”
“I see.”
“Besides…” Celestia sighed. “I’m not going to be around forever.
Luna’s mouth hung open. After several seconds, she realized her faux pa and composed herself.
Celestia tried to stifle a giggle. “Now, now. Don’t act so shocked. In the end, we all must… move on.”
Luna stared at the neatly arranged patterns in the road. It was inevitable of course. Nopony lives forever.
“But what if Twilight had failed? What if any of your best-laid plans had failed?”
Celestia placed a wing on her sister’s shoulder. “Worry not, dear sister. I believe in Twilight. I knew she would succeed.”
“Discord, Chrysalis, Somber, Tirek… me. Which ones could you have stopped by yourself?”
A wide grin spread across Celestia’s face. “That’s my little secret.” If she only knew.
Luna’s face scrunched into a scowl. “But…” She paused, and stared into Celestia’s eyes as if trying to discern her secrets. “Why didn’t you…” She let her words hang in the air. She didn’t want to say them out loud, but she was talking about Nightmare Moon.
“For that, I am sorry, Luna.” Celestia looked away, unable to keep eye contact. She decided to look towards the moon instead. “I wasn’t strong enough. But that’s no excuse.” She leaned closer and embraced Luna in a hug. “I truly missed you.”
Luna shrugged. “All the same, I wish you had—”
A scream pierced the air from beyond the castle gates. Both Celestia and Luna jerked their heads toward the sound.
“It’s coming from Canterlot! Let’s go, sister!”
Instantly, Celestia opened her massive wingspan and propelled herself forward. With Luna in tow, they flew towards their destination.
A group of ponies had gathered underneath a tower and buzzed with a wreath of frantic whispers and gasps. Many of them were dressed in regal attire and some were carrying groceries. One even had a colt clutching her mother’s leg. They were all facing upwards, one of them pointing towards the sky.
“Somepony help—”
“Crazy son of a—”
“Hey! I know that pony!”
Celestia landed on her hooves with the daintiness of a feather with Luna close behind. Her wings folded back into position as she strode in front of the group. She cleared her throat and asked as gently as she could, “What’s wrong?” Celestia scanned the audience, and one of them pointed towards the nearby tower. At the very top was an white earth pony, backed up and on his hind legs on one of the balconies. Shiny gold armor clad his features, yet his helmet was absent.
“I think he’s going to jump!”
“He’s soooo close to the edge.”
“Mommy, is he going to be okay?”
Before Celestia could speak, Luna surged forward, but Celestia held out a wing. “Please wait, Luna.”
“Celestia! Will you stand idly by while a subject falls to their death?” Luna’s feathers ruffled up.
“Now, now. I intend nothing of the sort. Please be patient.” Celestia turned back to the group. “Please don’t be alarmed. I’m going to speak with him and get him to come down peacefully.”
“Why do you not just use magic to levitate him?” The question came from Luna, her features pressed into a scowl.
“Because, dear sister, you mustn’t force situations like this. It will simply happen again and again, and there won’t always be somepony around to help. It must be handled… delicately.”
“Hmph.” Luna crossed her hooves. “But—”
“Now, now Luna. Have faith.” Celestia smiled.
Unfolding her wingspan once more, Celestia took to the skies. She eyed the earth pony standing precariously on the balcony, and watched him backstep a little bit.
She flew onto the side of the balcony and gently drifted in place in front of him. “Greetings, my dear subject. Would you object if I joined you?” She could see the sweat dripping from his fur, the rapid breathing, the steady rises and falls of his chest.
“Not at all.” His pupils dilated as he looked between the ground and her. There was enough room for both of them to stand, but not much else considering Celestia’s size.
Celestia gently landed next to him and presented a hoof. “Hello there. In case you don’t know me, my name is Celestia.” She beamed down at him, towering over him.
In spite of himself, he chuckled. “Well, obviously…” He stared at Celestia’s hoof for several seconds. “Oh, sorry.” He shook it a few times. “My name is Mint Mountain.”
“I hope you don’t mind if I’m standing here. Sometimes I like to enjoy the wind in my mane, myself.”
“It’s… it’s okay.”
Celestia smiled gently at him. “Tell me, Mint. What seems to be bothering you?”
Mint relaxed his shoulders, then sighed. “I’ve been a bit depressed lately.” He looked back at Celestia, who waited quietly for him to finish. “A few days ago, my stomach was hurting, so I went to the doctor. Pancreatic Cancer. Terminal. Just like that, I have a death sentence.”
“Don’t you have family?”
“No. Not… anymore.”
Celestia wanted to say something, to try and comfort him, but she remained silent.
“I… used to have a son. Big and strong, was going to grow up to become a magnificent stallion, but…” Mint paused, holding his chest and he looked away. “There was an accident. While he was at work, a stray beam had fallen on him. Nopony even saw it coming. The doctors did everything they could, but… there was too much damage.” The words poured out like a stream as Mint explained more and more. At points, he had to stop to clear his throat and wipe his cheeks. “His name was Licorice Pop.”
“I’m sorry.” Celestia’s eyes cast downwards. She reached out a hoof, but thought better of it and retracted it.
“I used to be married, but we’re divorced now. Without Licorice Pop, we just couldn’t… keep it together. She moved away, to Manehattan I think. But she never wants to see me again.”
He continued on, his words an endless torrent. “It’s not fair, you know? So many bad things happening at once, you’d swear the gods hated me or something.” He jumped, and rubbed his neck. “Erm, no offense.”
“None taken.”
“It’s just… I’m so alone now. My family’s gone, I have no friends, no hobbies, and then I get stuck with this… condition.” He practically spat out the words. “It’s just not fair. I’m tired of dealing with it.” He waved his hoof. “All of it. Life just sucks so hard.”
“But you’re still here.”
“What?”
Celestia paused, choosing her words carefully. “You haven’t jumped yet, although you could have at any time. But you haven’t, which means that you don’t really want to die.”
“Maybe.”
“But there’s something else, isn’t there?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Is it because you’re afraid?
“No. Yes. Maybe,” he said.
“I understand. Everypony is afraid of dying.”
“No, it’s not that. Everypony dies eventually. I’m not afraid of death. It’s…” Mint took a deep breath. “When I first found out that I had pancreatic cancer, it didn’t even hit me at first. I thought ‘this couldn’t happen to me. Not after all I’ve been through.’ But then I realized that I wasn’t getting better.”
“I wanted to tell somepony, anypony at all. That’s when I realized it. That I had nopony. Nopony that cared about me anymore.” Mint faced Celestia and stared into her eyes. “No. What scares me most isn’t just dying, it’s dying alone. In some hospital room far, far away, with nopony holding my hoof. Yes, that’s what truly terrifies me.” Mint peeked out over the balcony again.
A creaky bed. Raspy breathing. A frail old mare, surrounded on all sides by servants. “Celes? Where is my darling baby?” A voice barely above a whisper.
“I am here, mother.” Celestia held her hoof as delicately as she could. It feels hard, yet also bony. Somehow though, she felt that if she pushed too hard, it would snap off.
Celestia stared at the stained blanket, refusing to look at the shrunken husk that had formerly been her mother. Sunshine Sparkle had been a strong and vibrant pony, but this… wasn’t her. Celestia’s eyes watered up, and she quickly wiped them away.
“Where is Lulu?”
“I… she is away at the moment and can’t be here.”
“I see. A pity.” She clasped Celestia’s hooves in hers and strained to lift her head. “Please don’t be sad for me. I get to see my husband again, after all.” After a few gentle pats, she continued, “Above all, never forget to be a benevolent ruler. Ponies need a rule they can trust with their whole hearts. Otherwise, the kingdom won’t last and it will fall apart. Remember that.”
“I will.”
“And when you see your sister again, please tell her I loved her. Please take care of her. For me.”
“I will.”
As the servants bustled around with various preparations, all Celestia could do was sit there and hold her mother’s hoof in silence, unmoving. Gradually, all of the servants left one by one until only Celestia and her mother were left. She leaned her head against her mother’s chest and listened as the heartbeats slowed down. “I’m sorry,” was all Celestia could whisper as she held her hoof.
Celestia rubbed a hoof along the metal gate as she slid it open. Like many of her night walks, she did it simply to collect her thoughts. She glanced up at the moon. “Luna, oh my Luna. I wish that thee fares well.” It was hard trying to run the castle by herself, but she managed. It wasn’t so much the work that was tiring, but the times when she finally had a moment to herself.
Celestia noted all the flowers along the pathway, but it seemed more like a backdrop. She was hard-pressed to smell any of the flower’s scents and when she did, she smelled… nothing. A hoof pressed against her chest, but she could feel nothing. Pieces of her were missing, but she knew not where to find them.
“Rargh!” Celestia screamed out, thrashing her hoof about and scattering the flower petals amongst the garden. For several moments, her breaths come in short spurts and her heart hurts, but succeeds in nothing save for aching muscles and tufted hair.
Her heart gradually slowed down as she took deeper breaths. She gazed upon the moon again. “Some day, Luna. Some day. I promise.”
“Being alone.” He wiped the liquid from his eyes with a hoof. “Silly, I know.”
Celestia’s mind flashed back to the present. She shook her head to clear the images that had build up, of all the past memories that kept flooding back to distract her.
“Nonsense.” Celestia placed a wing over Mint Mountain. “Nopony should ever have to be alone.”
Celestia knelt down to Mint’s eye level. “You won’t die alone.”
“But, there’s nopony else.”
“I’ll make sure you’re not alone. I’ll be there.” Reaching into her saddlebag, Celestia pulled out a small bottle contained a green flame.
“That’s…”
“Yes, dragonfire.” Although normally rare and expensive, this was a special case. “When you get… close, use this bottle and no matter where I am, I shall come to you.
“Really? You’ll hold my hoof and your face will be the last thing I ever see?”
“Yes.”
“You promise?”
“Of course.”
“But what if somepony else is trying to take over the kingdom or somepony—”
She pressed her hoof against his lips. “No matter what happens, I’ll be there by your side.” She held out the bottle, which he gingerly took and rolled over in his hands.
Mint let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”
“It is of no concern. Anything for one for one of my subjects.” Celestia started to lift into the air when Mint held out his hoof.
“Wait!”
“Yes, Mint?”
“Can we… can we stay just a bit longer? I want to enjoy the moment. Just for a little more.”
Celestia landed against and wrapped her wing around him. “Of course.”
Mint pressed his face into Celestia’s fur. “It feels nice here.”
“Indeed,” Celestia said, noting the gentle breeze drifting through both of their manes. If nothing else, perhaps she could enjoy this moment. At least for now.
“Princess Celestia!”
Celestia looked up from her latest letter from Twilight. “What is it?”
A guardpony clad in crystal armor had burst through the door. “Hades is at the front gates and he’s demanding to see you. He insists and won’t leave until he does.”
“Noted. I will—”
A puff of smoke alerted Celestia from the corner of her eye. She held out her hoof, and the letter dropped onto it. She glanced at it before rolling it back up.
“Princess?”
“Tell Hades that it will have to wait. An urgent matter had just come up.”
The guard raised a hoof as if to say something, but he changed his mind. “At once, my princess,” he said, spinning on his heel and going out the door.
“Isn’t this important?” Luna asked.
“Of course.”
“Then why not go yourself?”
“I’m… needed elsewhere at present. Besides, I shall send for Twilight.” Celestia rustled through her drawers, looking for a vial. Grasping a vial with purple liquid, she slipped it into her saddlebags.
“But why, Tia?” Luna stood in front of Celestia.
Celestia bit her lip. “Twilight is perfectly capable of handling this. There’s someplace else I need to be.” She walked around Luna.
“Someplace more important than defending your own kingdom?” Luna asked, stepping in front of Celestia again.
“...Yes.”
Luna’s mouth gaped open. “But what’s so much more important that—”
Celestia sighed. “It may seem like a small issue, but I assure you that it is not.” When Luna frowned, Celestia continued, “A princess is nothing if her subjects don’t believe in her. For if they can’t trust their princess, then what will they believe in?” She added. “Mom would have wanted it.”
Luna’s shoulders drooped. “If you say so, Tia.”
Luna watched her sister walk out the door, her last glimpse being of her majestic, flowing tail.
“You came. You actually came?” Mint Mountain, now lacking his mane, painfully pushed himself upwards on the bed. He let out a grunt.
“Of course. I promised, didn’t I?” Celestia winked at him.
“I thought you only said that to get me down from that ledge.”
“Nonsense. I said that nopony deserves to die alone, and I meant it.” Celestia looked him over. His breathing had grown ragged, his body sickly. An all-too familiar situation. Celestia reached out her hoof and grabbed his own.
“But I… thank you.” He grimaced.
“Are you in pain?”
“It comes and goes.”
“If you wait, I can get a nurse.” Celestia stood up, but Mint shook his head.
“It’s alright. It doesn’t hurt as much now that you’re here.”
Celestia sat back down. “Is there anything else you would like before…”
“No. This is fine.” Mint leaned backwards and closed his eyes. Celestia gently stroked his scalp with her wing, and he smiled. “Mhmm.”
“It’s alright. I’m here now.” Celestia looked around. None of the nurse ponies were there. Only her and Mint Mountain. Taking a deep breath, Celestia pulled out the purple vial and uncapped the top. “Drink this, this will help with the pain.”
He nodded, and she gently poured it down his throat. Before long, his pained grunts were replaced with a calm snore. “Everything will be okay,” Celestia reassured him.
With a sigh, she rested her head against his chest and listened as his breathing slowed. A grin spread through her face. “After all, nopony should ever have to die alone.”