"Dearly beloved..." The reverend droned on and on. I honestly couldn't bear to listen to that nasally, snarky voice of over–confidence in the false any more than I could listen to Celestia's snarky voice of over–confidence in the false. In fact, I would prefer to hear Celestia nagging me about the bucking up the timeline some more. But that's not why I was here. "Now... I understand a Ms. Fluttershy has something to say regarding the dearly departed."

I sat up straighter, my charmed invisible wings cramping against the wooden bench. I saw an elderly yellow mare with a white mane and a black evening gown dress. It was one of Rarity's later works before she passed away. Though, the only white mare I saw now was Sweetie Belle, now an aged mare with the wrinkles to prove it. She sat with Apple Bloom while they both comforted Scootaloo.

Then I saw myself. She sat aside Pinkie Pie, dressed up in the most ridiculous set of funeral regalia I could imagine. I had such a ridiculous sense of fashion back–One of the iron bands in my mane thumped the back of my head, silencing my internal hypocrisy. "Uhm..." Fluttershy's voice croaked like a frog; no one dared utter a word. They all sat, staring a her. "I'm... Not much for public speaking. I never have been." Her voice was silent, but carried over the deafening silence of the Cloudsdale funeral home. I spotted several unicorns casting and recasting the cloud solidification spell I—Twilight created for the event. It was simpler than casting the cloud–walking spell on all of the several hundred non-pegasi guests, and it took way less magic.

"And if Rainbow Dash were still here, she would've hoofed me over the head and made sure I had the b–best speech ready with fireworks a–a–and..." She coughed, wiping her face dry. "But she's not anymore." She sniffed, laying a hoof on the casket that sat behind her, emblazoned with her Cutie Mark; a beautiful design of powdered sapphire, emerald and rubies. It shone like a sonic rain–boom itself. Her brittle bones creaked, I could hear them from here. She didn't have much longer herself, neither did Pinkie. Twilight, the me of the past, she knew that too. "I wrote a s–song for Rainbow though." She pulled a piece of folded paper from her chest pocket, fumbling to unfold it.

Twilight reached with her magic, unfolding it for her. Fluttershy gave her a thankful gaze, mouthing 'thank you' and fixed her eyes back on the paper. She cleared her throat and started to hum. I closed my eyes in appreciation of the only time this song was ever heard by a crowd. The only time she ever sung it for that matter. "Birds," I never thought I'd hear it again. "In the sky." Her voice broke and she coughed as I burned the song and the moment into my memory again, refreshing the details I'd lost and quite simply just appreciating the song, stowing my tears away. For the second time since I first saw Celestia at the Tree of Harmony, I was thankful. "Carry these words for me."

I took a deep breath as the funeral ended. Rainbow Dash was gone. I regarded Twilight, she was weeping alone, shooing her two remaining friends away. They only made her more upset. They reminded her that she was never going to have an ordinary life with ordinary friends ever again, that once they were gone she had lost the last of her five amazing friends she made all those decades ago. I remembered the thoughts, but I knew the future. I knew what she might've had in store, the great adventures she'd have, the friends she'd make; love she'd find. But that was gone now too. Celestia had taken everything I cherished from her before she ever knew it would happen.

I sighed, walking over to her. "Princess Twilight." I called to her, my voice modified by magic.

She quickly sniffed and tried to hide her messy face. "Y–Yes?" I stood silently, waiting for her to ready herself. She sniffed again, rubbing her face once more before turning towards me. She was still an absolute wreck. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

I stood silently for a moment, finding my words. She tilted her head, sniffing once more and wiping her face with her hoof. "It'll get better soon. One day—even though right now you feel like your life is over; like everything you've ever known is falling apart—just believe in the power of friendship. Life will continue, and it will be beautiful." I said without pausing, but not quickly.

Her eyes twitched from my left to my right eye and back, studying my face. "Who are you?"

I smiled. "Nopony. Nopony important anyway." I said before blinking.

Blink

I dispelled my illusion mid–teleport, then opened my eyes in Canterlot castle. I stretched my wings, then sighed while resigning to my room. I fell to my bed, almost passing out instantly. I groaned to the incessant knocking. "Go away." I'll exile whoever it might be if they don't listen.

"Okay!" Glowheart yelled through the door. Okay, less exiling. I sighed, reaching and opening the door with my magic. "Oh!" She exclaimed, galloping back to the door. She ran inside and slid a couple hoofs as she and awed at my room. "Whoa, this is a Princess's room?! It's..." She looked from the drab drapes to the boring bed, "Pretty." She finally said, completely straight faced. I can agree that the room is a complete disgrace. I felt like Celestia was subtly insulting me with this room.

"It's not my actual room, it's a guest room." I said, rolling over and facing her properly. My hoof fell off the side of the bed. "Did you need something?"

She finally looked at me and flinched, "Oh I didn't know you were sleeping! Are you still sleeping? Should I sing you a lullaby now to make sure you keep sleeping?" She questioned herself, tapping her chin with a hoof. "Wait, how are you talking if you're asleep?"

"Sleeping? Nonsense!" I huffed, sitting up and stretching my wings again. "I'm a picture of the waking world."

She tilted her head confusedly. "Huh?"

I hopped to the floor and let out a short yawn, "I'm awake, don't worry."

She nods, quickly grinning. "Okay!"

I stared. "What do you need?" I think I want a hayburger.

She turned to her side, showing off a dictionary strapped to her back. "More words." She said simply, grinning even wider; her face could only grin a tad more without splitting in half I'd venture to guess. Princess of Super–Cool–Words is sounding ever more likely and the thought was terrifying.

I hummed in thought. "Maybe later." She huffed, almost literally deflating. She reminded me of Pinkie at this age. "Wanna go grab some food? I know a great place." I trotted past her, "I think."

She gasped and quickly followed, "But you're supposed to be a secret Princess! How will you be secret if you go eat with other ponies?" With a little reverse engineered changeling magic of course.

I closed the near forgotten door. "Ah. But I'm the Princess of Secret-y Secrets. I know how to go out in public without drawing attention to myself." I leaned down and winked at her. "Don't you think I'd get bored sitting up here with Sun Butt and Grumpy Gamer all day?" Her mouth formed an 'o' before she kept pace.

"Oh okay!"

I peaked out the window, "Yep. It's there." I leaned down and booped her nose with my horn. "Blink."

Blink

"Whoa!" She jumped back, looking around the restaurant. I popped my neck. Color shifts were fine but shape shifts always left me with a cramped neck. "Princess Magister?" Glowheart spun in place, her expression slowly growing more and more panicked.

"I'm I secret remember?" I winked at her, revealing my true eye color for a moment before I blinked it away. She gasped, her eyes widening. Did I ever mention how beautiful Glowheart's golden eyes were? Nodding quickly and zipping her mouth with her hoof, she winked back. "So... What kinda food do you want?" I gazed over the menu, teleporting Celestia's coin purse to me—not like I had any money after all.

"Wow really?!" Glowheart and I had long finished our food, but we kept buying refills and milkshakes, mostly to screw with Celestia on my part, and telling stories. "What happened next?" She slurped her fifth milkshake as I took a sip from an iced tea.

"So when May Bell found out what I did, she made a sweater for–" I paused my story, everything feeling wrong.

Bum Bum...

"Magister?" I turned my head and stared. I could feel it coming, closer and closer, nearly here. "What's wrong?" My horn glowed as I cast a far sight spell, my vision left my body, flying high and through the walls of the restaurant.

Faster than the fastest flier, more detailed than a hawk, my sight traveled Equestria until I saw it. Hellfire and death painted the land, the sky itself bled and screamed; faces of the dead screeched in agony as their souls were torn to bits. I broke the spell, jolting as my vision returned painfully; you're not supposed cut the spell off mid-use. My disguise faded and collapsed, my height and color returning. Glowheart looked up at me, concern clear on her face as she stood up. "We have to go, I'll tell you the rest later." I tell her, reaching out and resting a hoof on her shoulder. "Blink."

She doesn't blink though, "What's going on? You look worried—Is something bad happening?"

"Blink!" I order her a little louder.

She flinches, her eyes closing.

Blink

"Find her! And send missive for Starlight Glimmer!" Celestia ordered, waving a hoof to send off a pair of pegasus guards. Her magic was vigorously writing letters, green flames scorched around the ceiling, grabbing letters no later than the instant they were sealed, sending them far away.

"You felt it too." It sounded like a question, but it wasn't meant to be. I walked up beside her, but she refused to meet my gaze. "I was right."

"I don't need you to be smug about it." More letters scattered out in puffs of green fire and smoke. "Twilight has gone missing." She marched out to the balcony, pausing the letters and gazing out as if to find her herself.

"What's... Going on?" Glowheart vocalized her visually obvious confusion.

I bent down to her, "Glowheart, I'll tell you all about it in a little bit. Until then I'm going to send you back to your hospital room, okay?" She nods slowly, unsure. I touch my horn to her head, "Blink my little pony." I tell her, channeling my magic into her. Her eyes twitched, then shut.

She was gone, the tiniest flash and a sound like distant clapping hooves as her image folded in and swirled in on itself almost without time passing. "Are you going to help?" Celestia asked, walking up beside me.

"No."

She sighed, turning away; magic grabbing more and more parchment as she trotted over to her desk. I went to the balcony anyway. "Her spell likely would've held—at least for a while longer—if you hadn't gone for something as drastic as removing Trottingham before properly testing the spell wouldn't crack under pressure."

"That's where it all started though, Trottingham..." From her tone alone I could hear her features darken. "Where Starfield will be born. She's the one who would've tempted Twilight into risky research." I heard her round on me, but I remained turned away. "The one who tempted you into risky research!"

Her hoofsteps grew closer. "She was my friend." I muttered.

Celestia slammed her hooves onto the balcony next to me, trying to catch my attention. "She was the reason everypony died!"

I looked away from her, my voice turned to a low hiss. "She wasn't the one who caused it." She didn't understand what she's talking about.

"No. She didn't directly cause it. She only inspired it." Her hooves pushed off the railing softly. "Caused it... That was you, wasn't it." She wasn't asking.

Blink

I didn't need to listen to her talk about things she'd never, ever understand. She doesn't even know what kind of monster she's prodding with a pointy stick, she didn't know what I had to go through in the past. "Princess!" Glowheart sat up straight on her bed, "You're back!" She then noted my expression. "What's wrong?"

"Clear your face of worry, little one. It's bad for your complexion." Observant little filly, always was. "It's nothing you would understand, child." I said as I summoned a dictionary. "Would you like to learn something else now?"

Her expression told me though, and I dismissed the dictionary back to the library. "You could 'teach me' about what's wrong." She said with a frown.

I shook my head, she always was a stubborn mare. She made quite a few mules blush. "Just two old mares getting each others' skin. Celestia is doing something really irresponsible and wants me to help."

She tilted her little head, likely wondering how a Princess, much less Princess Celestia could mess up. "Why won't you help? At least if you helped you could make sure she didn't mess up too badly."

"That's not how things like this work out a lot of the time." I sighed. "It's not my job to be her keeper, she took that job from me a long before you were crawling." I rested a hoof on her head. "Perhaps you should rest instead, there's a long day ahead tomorrow, I'm sure."

She frowned but nodded. "Okay, Princess..." She almost whined, but laid down as I magicked the covers over her.

I leaned down and nuzzled her forehead, "Have lovely dreams, my little pony." I said, raising up to my usual sitting height.

She smiled, "Goodnight, Princess." Wait. My ears twitched.

Bum Bum...

My heart seized, fluttering violently. I shifted my gaze towards Trottingham, though my eyes only saw a wall, my soul and magic saw the world falling apart, felt the devastation. My breath hitched as a shock wave ravaged the castle, the stone and mortar crumbling from the violent vibrations of the earth shattering underneath it.

Cra—crunch!

My ears swiveled up faster than my head could, the ceiling was collapsing. Glowheart. I shifted my gaze back to the panicking filly, reaching my hoof towards her.

Then I felt oddly warm. The heat spreading from the skin of my face just a little before dissipating into a sickly sticky cold. I couldn't feel my hoof—I couldn't move it for that matter. Trying to force it spiked pain up my foreleg. My lungs heaved, I could feel clouds of dust and debris scattering in front of my face, but I couldn't see them. I could vaguely hear the sounds of screaming guards and panicking royalty, among the shifting of several tons of stone and debris, but above all those other noises in the distance, I heard dripping.

Then I felt dripping as something warm dropped onto my muzzle, splattering and burning my wide, unseeing eyes. I yelped, quickly moving my head out of the way and rubbing my face against the first dry and unhurt part of my body I could find. The pain from before felt like lightning as it ran up my leg again, but I stifled the reaction as best I could. My iron bands thumped against my neck, sticking for but a moment. I remembered myself and sent raw magic into my horn, unable to think of the equations needed for a proper light spell at the moment.

My horn lit, illuminating everything in a purple haze. Almost everything was purple, the crags of stone from the ceiling and the boulders crushing my hind leg. Except red. I saw red everywhere. I felt red coating my face, I saw red draining down the crushed lump of foreleg in front of me, and I saw red dripping down in the unblinking golden eye in front of me.

"It kills me sometimes, how people die."

― Markus Zusak