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Organised by
RogerDodger
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2000–8000
Passing of the Torch
Princess Celestia was dying. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, no matter how she struggled to focus on anything else, Twilight Sparkle could not stop that thought from forcing itself front and center. She could not focus on the pages before her. Her quill shook when she tried to write, smearing the ink and leaving blotchy, inelegant notes in place of the proper notation she so preferred.
She’s dying. But she can’t die! The Royal Library looked as if a hurricane had gone through it. Even Twilight’s fastidious reverence for books had fallen by the wayside in her frantic search for something, anything to deny that awful truth.
The day had started out in familiar routine. Wake up to the sun streaming through her windows. Freshen up in her bathroom, then make her way to her personal dining room where a servant would take her request for breakfast. Enjoy a half-hour of peace and quiet as she immersed herself in a good book until her food arrived, and then ate her fill. Even several years on, she was still not fully used to having servants, yet her palace was more than could be handled by one pony and one juvenile dragon.
That routine had come crashing to a halt when she’d felt a familiar tingle at her horn, one that swirled up and out and coalesced into a scroll she’d caught within her magic. Spike had grown enough that he was not always at her side, and so Celestia had taught her the Sending spell so the two could communicate directly. Twilight remembered the feeling of giddy excitement that had accompanied the letter, an excitement dashed by the contents therein.
Twilight Sparkle, please come to Canterlot as soon as possible. There is an urgent matter Luna and I must discuss with you. A little spare time remains, yet this is not a discussion that can be put off for long. As always, I look forward to seeing you. My fondest regards, Celestia.
She’d almost teleported to Canterlot on the spot, but had stopped herself in case whatever was needed required the full measure of her magic. Instead, she’d violated every norm regarding safe flight speeds in her haste to get to Canterlot. Her first instinct had been to rush right to the throne room, but the Court had been closed and the Princess absent.
Instead, a harried servant had found Twilight, ushered her along to the apartments of the Royal Sisters. What she’d found within was etched crystal clear in her memory. Celestia and Luna were together, waiting for her. She’d rushed inside, apologized for taking so long, and then fallen silent at the sight of them. The sisters were visibly ill. Gaunt, like they had not been eating well. Feathers bent out of place, coats matted and sweaty, Luna wrapped up in a blanket and shivering. For the dozenth time, their conversation played out in their memory.
“Twilight Sparkle, I am glad you have arrived so soon. I only wish it were under better circumstances.” Celestia spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen after Twilight’s initial apology.
“Princess…” Twilight whispered. “What happened? You two look…sick.” The last word was soft, barely passing her lips. “Are we under attack? Have you been cursed? What can I do to help?!”
“Twilight, please, try to stay calm. We are not under attack. What is happening is…” Celestia looked towards Luna, and the younger sister spoke.
“Twilight Sparkle, how much do you know of our history? Of when my sister and I took up the Sun and Moon?”
“It was in your journal,” Twilight said softly. “The unicorns raised the Sun and Moon under the direction of Starswirl the Bearded. Yet it required so much magic that unicorns were left forever drained, and only Starswirl was powerful enough to help carry the burden for long. In the end, even he was left bereft of magic. Then...you and your sister stepped in. Together, you earned your Cutie Marks and restored the magic of all the unicorns! Ever since, you two have raised the Sun and Moon, and in turn drawn power from them.”
Luna nodded her head in satisfaction. “‘Tis so,” she agreed. “What we did not know is that even we were not immune from consequence. It was so gradual that it was not until recently we became aware anything was wrong, and now we fear it is too late to stop.”
Her head felt heavy, cotton-thick as her thoughts slowed. Twilight’s stomach clenched, yet desperately she found herself saying, “But you have found a cure, right? That’s why I am here! To help!” Her gut turned to ice at the slow shake of Celestia’s head.
“No, Twilight. It is difficult to explain…” Celestia was silent, and her ears flicked pensively. ‘You have read books of medicine, yes? What happens to a pony who utilizes alchemy to augment her magical abilities?”
“In the short term, nothing. However, her body is not prepared for that strain to continue indefinitely. She will notice nothing at first, for the potion will conceal the damage being done, yet eventually the extra power will not be enough to counteract the toxicity and…” Twilight went silent as her eyes grew wide.
“So it is with us. The Moon’s chill has built within me, unseen, unnoticed until recently. So too has the Sun began to burn my sister. It is only by using the power granted us that we are able to function, yet it is but a stopgap. Left unchecked, it shall grow until we perish.”
Twilight had insisted there was something she could do. The Princesses had patiently allowed her to examine them, allowed her to take her samples, run brief experiments, do everything that their physicians and magi had been doing since the problem was detected, to no avail. After a day, Celestia had stopped her and explained why she had been called.
“When Tirek rampaged across Equestria,” Celestia had said, “We granted you our power. You exceeded our wildest hopes, Twilight, and ensured he was locked away within Tartarus once more. Now, we need to do so again. Within you, the fires of the Sun will be balanced out by the Moon’s frozen heart. The fate that has befallen my sister and I will not be yours.”
“But if you do that, Princess,” Twilight had understood, “Then what will protect you from the damage already done?” Celestia had only smiled sadly at her. Twilight had stared numbly, and then vanished, teleporting into the library, needing to get away, needing to go somewhere she could flee acknowledging that Celestia was dying.
The day turned to night, and then back to day again. Twilight had not slept. The piles of discarded books sprawled all about her. Piles of crumpled parchment formed the remains of failed ideas. Yet Twilight refused to give up. She turned away each pony who came for her, told them she was busy, refused to see the sisters. She only stopped for brief periods to eat and drink, or an hour or two of spell-aided sleep to maximize her waking hours.
The Princesses sent for her friends, yet even they were unable to pry Twilight free of the library. Entreaties fell upon her deaf ears, met with an ever-increasing refusal to bow before inevitability. Fluttershy begged her to rest; she stayed awake. Applejack pleaded for her to take what time she had left; she remained in the library. Only Rainbow seemed to truly understand what drove her forward, and eventually she and Spike took up a vigil, freeing Twilight from further distractions.
The only one able to disturb her at that point was Discord. Twilight pointedly asked him if there was anything he could do to help. When he acknowledged that he was just as powerless as the Princesses, she turned her back and requested privacy once again. He did not return.
It was another week before her solitude was interrupted. She was hunched over a desk, murmuring to herself as she flicked through five books simultaneously, when she felt a wing weakly drape over her back.
“Twilight,” came the familiar voice, yet it lacked the vibrancy she was so familiar with. Twilight slowly turned round, and her face fell. Celestia looked pallid, and her wing shook from the effort of trying to pull Twilight closer. “Please, my most faithful student. The time has come to return to us. Luna and I…” Celestia lowered her head, shook in place. “We have held on as long as we could. Yet it hurts, Twilight. If we do not do this soon, we will be too weak to do what must be done. Equestria will be left without anypony who can manage the Sun and Moon. Luna and I…it will not be an easy passing. Please, my dearest Twilight. A Princess must know when to let go. Let us go. Take this burden while I still have the strength to give it to you.”
Celestia’s wing slowly drooped, drawing away from Twilight to rest against her side. Twilight stared at her beloved mentor, at the shaking, the shivering, the feverish heat burning within. She looked at the mounds of parchment about her, at the books she’d strewn about while she’d commandeered the library in her determination. And then, finally, she rose, and nodded.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” she said softly. “It wasn’t enough.”
“Oh, Twilight...you have given more than anypony could ever ask for. I could not be more proud of you. And I know you will take Equestria into an age I could only ever dream of.”
Twilight gave Celestia a wan smile, trying to comfort her even as determination still warred within her. As they departed the library, Rainbow Dash and Spike fell into place behind them. Their journey was slow, for Celestia’s steps were a hobbled walk, a struggle to move as her limbs ached with every step.
Fluttershy joined them, given Twilight a smile and falling in beside Rainbow. Pinkie Pie, her normal smile replaced with a somber stare. Applejack, a solemn tip of her hat. Rarity, a saddened sniff of understanding. The procession made its way through the palace, and at Celestia’s prompting, Twilight opened the doors to her room. Luna lay within, nestled next to a roaring fire and almost buried in blankets, yet even then she was still shuddering from the bone-deep chill of the Moon.
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna whispered. “We...I...am grateful...you have come. We appreciate all you have...done for us.” Her breathing was slow, labored, as she fought the chattering of her teeth. “Yet some destinies cannot be fought.” Celestia walked her way to her sister, and slowly sat beside her, the siblings now facing Twilight.
“Go on, Twilight,” prompted Applejack. “We’ll be right here with ya...after. Do what ya gotta do.”
Slowly, Twilight walked between the sisters. She looked from Celestia to Luna, one burning with fever, the other huddled against a cold she could not conquer. “Princess…” Twilight whispered. “Princesses. I...thank you for everything.” She took a breath, held it to a count of five, and then released it. “I will ensure you are never forgotten.”
“Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said softly. “I am so, so very proud of you.” As one, the two sister’s horns ignited, a glow that intensified, and then a beam of power burst forth to the ceiling above. Distantly, numbly, Twilight heard her friends gasping at the display, even as the beam cascaded downwards to strike her.
The rush of power was instant, one a warm glow and the other a soothing chill joining her deep wellspring. Twilight ignored the sensation. Her mind was still churning, still seeking. She and her friends had always triumphed before. They had saved Luna. They had sealed Discord. Fought off Changelings, Sombra. Shown Discord the true power of Friendship. They had made her a Princess when Starswirl’s spell had been completed. Even without the Elements of Harmony, they had vanquished Tirek, and today they stood strong, united against any threat Equestria had faced.
And in that moment, within the swirling maelstrom of magic, lost in her memories, Twilight finally found the answer she sought. “From one to another…and together as one...” she whispered softly. Twilight Sparkle smiled, and as her eyes opened, they shone with the blazing light of Harmony.
Distant sounds penetrated the fog in her mind. Words, murmuring around where she lay, yet she could make none of them out. Instead, she drifted in and out of slumber, lost amidst a haze of heat and a faint, barely felt chill. Her eyes fluttered open, and a half-familiar voice whispered to her, and then she succumbed to the darkness once more.
The second time round, she found herself awakening to the darkness of early evening. Aching limbs stirred, yet the expected pain was not there. A hoof reached upwards to brush the haze of sleep away, and then she heard the clop of hooves and turned her head towards the noise.
“I should not be surprised you have slept the day away,” came an all too amused voice. “I suppose I shall have to get used to that. But come. The time has come to get out of bed.”
She rose, bewildered, and beheld her companion. An alicorn of sky-blue coat stood beside her. Her mane and tail flowed in warm hues of glowing ruby, amber, and gold. She stood on wobbling legs as that light blue wing encircled her, led her across the room to a mirror.
She was a ghostly, almost glowing white in the darkness, a pale luminescence that was lit by the flickering tongues of blue and green that made up her mane. Finally, she found her voice. “I do not understand,” she whispered. “I should be dead.”
“Neigh,” came the voice of her sister. “The fire warms me, now. Behold.” She felt her flank prodded by soft feathers, and she allowed herself to be turned to the side.
Princess Celestia stared at the pale moon that dappled her rump. Shortly thereafter, she turned towards her sister, and smiled.
She’s dying. But she can’t die! The Royal Library looked as if a hurricane had gone through it. Even Twilight’s fastidious reverence for books had fallen by the wayside in her frantic search for something, anything to deny that awful truth.
The day had started out in familiar routine. Wake up to the sun streaming through her windows. Freshen up in her bathroom, then make her way to her personal dining room where a servant would take her request for breakfast. Enjoy a half-hour of peace and quiet as she immersed herself in a good book until her food arrived, and then ate her fill. Even several years on, she was still not fully used to having servants, yet her palace was more than could be handled by one pony and one juvenile dragon.
That routine had come crashing to a halt when she’d felt a familiar tingle at her horn, one that swirled up and out and coalesced into a scroll she’d caught within her magic. Spike had grown enough that he was not always at her side, and so Celestia had taught her the Sending spell so the two could communicate directly. Twilight remembered the feeling of giddy excitement that had accompanied the letter, an excitement dashed by the contents therein.
Twilight Sparkle, please come to Canterlot as soon as possible. There is an urgent matter Luna and I must discuss with you. A little spare time remains, yet this is not a discussion that can be put off for long. As always, I look forward to seeing you. My fondest regards, Celestia.
She’d almost teleported to Canterlot on the spot, but had stopped herself in case whatever was needed required the full measure of her magic. Instead, she’d violated every norm regarding safe flight speeds in her haste to get to Canterlot. Her first instinct had been to rush right to the throne room, but the Court had been closed and the Princess absent.
Instead, a harried servant had found Twilight, ushered her along to the apartments of the Royal Sisters. What she’d found within was etched crystal clear in her memory. Celestia and Luna were together, waiting for her. She’d rushed inside, apologized for taking so long, and then fallen silent at the sight of them. The sisters were visibly ill. Gaunt, like they had not been eating well. Feathers bent out of place, coats matted and sweaty, Luna wrapped up in a blanket and shivering. For the dozenth time, their conversation played out in their memory.
“Twilight Sparkle, I am glad you have arrived so soon. I only wish it were under better circumstances.” Celestia spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen after Twilight’s initial apology.
“Princess…” Twilight whispered. “What happened? You two look…sick.” The last word was soft, barely passing her lips. “Are we under attack? Have you been cursed? What can I do to help?!”
“Twilight, please, try to stay calm. We are not under attack. What is happening is…” Celestia looked towards Luna, and the younger sister spoke.
“Twilight Sparkle, how much do you know of our history? Of when my sister and I took up the Sun and Moon?”
“It was in your journal,” Twilight said softly. “The unicorns raised the Sun and Moon under the direction of Starswirl the Bearded. Yet it required so much magic that unicorns were left forever drained, and only Starswirl was powerful enough to help carry the burden for long. In the end, even he was left bereft of magic. Then...you and your sister stepped in. Together, you earned your Cutie Marks and restored the magic of all the unicorns! Ever since, you two have raised the Sun and Moon, and in turn drawn power from them.”
Luna nodded her head in satisfaction. “‘Tis so,” she agreed. “What we did not know is that even we were not immune from consequence. It was so gradual that it was not until recently we became aware anything was wrong, and now we fear it is too late to stop.”
Her head felt heavy, cotton-thick as her thoughts slowed. Twilight’s stomach clenched, yet desperately she found herself saying, “But you have found a cure, right? That’s why I am here! To help!” Her gut turned to ice at the slow shake of Celestia’s head.
“No, Twilight. It is difficult to explain…” Celestia was silent, and her ears flicked pensively. ‘You have read books of medicine, yes? What happens to a pony who utilizes alchemy to augment her magical abilities?”
“In the short term, nothing. However, her body is not prepared for that strain to continue indefinitely. She will notice nothing at first, for the potion will conceal the damage being done, yet eventually the extra power will not be enough to counteract the toxicity and…” Twilight went silent as her eyes grew wide.
“So it is with us. The Moon’s chill has built within me, unseen, unnoticed until recently. So too has the Sun began to burn my sister. It is only by using the power granted us that we are able to function, yet it is but a stopgap. Left unchecked, it shall grow until we perish.”
Twilight had insisted there was something she could do. The Princesses had patiently allowed her to examine them, allowed her to take her samples, run brief experiments, do everything that their physicians and magi had been doing since the problem was detected, to no avail. After a day, Celestia had stopped her and explained why she had been called.
“When Tirek rampaged across Equestria,” Celestia had said, “We granted you our power. You exceeded our wildest hopes, Twilight, and ensured he was locked away within Tartarus once more. Now, we need to do so again. Within you, the fires of the Sun will be balanced out by the Moon’s frozen heart. The fate that has befallen my sister and I will not be yours.”
“But if you do that, Princess,” Twilight had understood, “Then what will protect you from the damage already done?” Celestia had only smiled sadly at her. Twilight had stared numbly, and then vanished, teleporting into the library, needing to get away, needing to go somewhere she could flee acknowledging that Celestia was dying.
The day turned to night, and then back to day again. Twilight had not slept. The piles of discarded books sprawled all about her. Piles of crumpled parchment formed the remains of failed ideas. Yet Twilight refused to give up. She turned away each pony who came for her, told them she was busy, refused to see the sisters. She only stopped for brief periods to eat and drink, or an hour or two of spell-aided sleep to maximize her waking hours.
The Princesses sent for her friends, yet even they were unable to pry Twilight free of the library. Entreaties fell upon her deaf ears, met with an ever-increasing refusal to bow before inevitability. Fluttershy begged her to rest; she stayed awake. Applejack pleaded for her to take what time she had left; she remained in the library. Only Rainbow seemed to truly understand what drove her forward, and eventually she and Spike took up a vigil, freeing Twilight from further distractions.
The only one able to disturb her at that point was Discord. Twilight pointedly asked him if there was anything he could do to help. When he acknowledged that he was just as powerless as the Princesses, she turned her back and requested privacy once again. He did not return.
It was another week before her solitude was interrupted. She was hunched over a desk, murmuring to herself as she flicked through five books simultaneously, when she felt a wing weakly drape over her back.
“Twilight,” came the familiar voice, yet it lacked the vibrancy she was so familiar with. Twilight slowly turned round, and her face fell. Celestia looked pallid, and her wing shook from the effort of trying to pull Twilight closer. “Please, my most faithful student. The time has come to return to us. Luna and I…” Celestia lowered her head, shook in place. “We have held on as long as we could. Yet it hurts, Twilight. If we do not do this soon, we will be too weak to do what must be done. Equestria will be left without anypony who can manage the Sun and Moon. Luna and I…it will not be an easy passing. Please, my dearest Twilight. A Princess must know when to let go. Let us go. Take this burden while I still have the strength to give it to you.”
Celestia’s wing slowly drooped, drawing away from Twilight to rest against her side. Twilight stared at her beloved mentor, at the shaking, the shivering, the feverish heat burning within. She looked at the mounds of parchment about her, at the books she’d strewn about while she’d commandeered the library in her determination. And then, finally, she rose, and nodded.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” she said softly. “It wasn’t enough.”
“Oh, Twilight...you have given more than anypony could ever ask for. I could not be more proud of you. And I know you will take Equestria into an age I could only ever dream of.”
Twilight gave Celestia a wan smile, trying to comfort her even as determination still warred within her. As they departed the library, Rainbow Dash and Spike fell into place behind them. Their journey was slow, for Celestia’s steps were a hobbled walk, a struggle to move as her limbs ached with every step.
Fluttershy joined them, given Twilight a smile and falling in beside Rainbow. Pinkie Pie, her normal smile replaced with a somber stare. Applejack, a solemn tip of her hat. Rarity, a saddened sniff of understanding. The procession made its way through the palace, and at Celestia’s prompting, Twilight opened the doors to her room. Luna lay within, nestled next to a roaring fire and almost buried in blankets, yet even then she was still shuddering from the bone-deep chill of the Moon.
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna whispered. “We...I...am grateful...you have come. We appreciate all you have...done for us.” Her breathing was slow, labored, as she fought the chattering of her teeth. “Yet some destinies cannot be fought.” Celestia walked her way to her sister, and slowly sat beside her, the siblings now facing Twilight.
“Go on, Twilight,” prompted Applejack. “We’ll be right here with ya...after. Do what ya gotta do.”
Slowly, Twilight walked between the sisters. She looked from Celestia to Luna, one burning with fever, the other huddled against a cold she could not conquer. “Princess…” Twilight whispered. “Princesses. I...thank you for everything.” She took a breath, held it to a count of five, and then released it. “I will ensure you are never forgotten.”
“Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said softly. “I am so, so very proud of you.” As one, the two sister’s horns ignited, a glow that intensified, and then a beam of power burst forth to the ceiling above. Distantly, numbly, Twilight heard her friends gasping at the display, even as the beam cascaded downwards to strike her.
The rush of power was instant, one a warm glow and the other a soothing chill joining her deep wellspring. Twilight ignored the sensation. Her mind was still churning, still seeking. She and her friends had always triumphed before. They had saved Luna. They had sealed Discord. Fought off Changelings, Sombra. Shown Discord the true power of Friendship. They had made her a Princess when Starswirl’s spell had been completed. Even without the Elements of Harmony, they had vanquished Tirek, and today they stood strong, united against any threat Equestria had faced.
And in that moment, within the swirling maelstrom of magic, lost in her memories, Twilight finally found the answer she sought. “From one to another…and together as one...” she whispered softly. Twilight Sparkle smiled, and as her eyes opened, they shone with the blazing light of Harmony.
Distant sounds penetrated the fog in her mind. Words, murmuring around where she lay, yet she could make none of them out. Instead, she drifted in and out of slumber, lost amidst a haze of heat and a faint, barely felt chill. Her eyes fluttered open, and a half-familiar voice whispered to her, and then she succumbed to the darkness once more.
The second time round, she found herself awakening to the darkness of early evening. Aching limbs stirred, yet the expected pain was not there. A hoof reached upwards to brush the haze of sleep away, and then she heard the clop of hooves and turned her head towards the noise.
“I should not be surprised you have slept the day away,” came an all too amused voice. “I suppose I shall have to get used to that. But come. The time has come to get out of bed.”
She rose, bewildered, and beheld her companion. An alicorn of sky-blue coat stood beside her. Her mane and tail flowed in warm hues of glowing ruby, amber, and gold. She stood on wobbling legs as that light blue wing encircled her, led her across the room to a mirror.
She was a ghostly, almost glowing white in the darkness, a pale luminescence that was lit by the flickering tongues of blue and green that made up her mane. Finally, she found her voice. “I do not understand,” she whispered. “I should be dead.”
“Neigh,” came the voice of her sister. “The fire warms me, now. Behold.” She felt her flank prodded by soft feathers, and she allowed herself to be turned to the side.
Princess Celestia stared at the pale moon that dappled her rump. Shortly thereafter, she turned towards her sister, and smiled.