Years have past in Equestria and all seemed perfect.
There had been a few scuffles with those that only wanted anarchy for anarchy's sake, but they had been no match for the Royal Knights and other heroes of the kingdom. And all over Equestria, creatures were living in towns and cities that weren't ponies. Equestria had once been a kingdom that celebrated harmony between all kinds of ponies, but now it was a kingdom that celebrated harmony between all creatures. The leading sovereignty of the United Federation of Creatures. And leading the kingdom through it all, was the amazing, kind and beautiful Twilight Sparkle.
The Ruler of Equestria was currently in her throne room, looking over a scroll one of her aids had brought her to look over. The throne room had completely changed since it was destroyed, now a pristine bluish white that had many more stained-glass windows. So many events had occurred since Celestia first built the throne room so she had had no idea how many windows she would need. Twilight had fixed that issue.
It was here that the doors of the throne room opened up as tall bulky dragon with purple and green scales, who looked like he could bench press two yaks and a pony over his head, ran in. "I got here as soon as I could," he told the princess as he showed off the purple medal around his neck. "But friendship ambassador is a full-time job these days. Making peace between Abyssinians and the Diamond Dogs has not been easy."
Twilight smiled as she stepped out from behind the scroll. She was now much taller, around the same height Celestia had been during her tenure as ruler. "That's why I picked you for the job." She nodded to her aid and he took the scroll and left, the alicorn walking up to her equally tall dragon friend. "But I'm glad you could come." The pair hugged before flying up to the thrones at the back of the room, Spike having his own comfy chair right next to hers.
"So what's the emergency?" Spike asked as Twilight let out a long sigh.
"Ever since I took over Celestia's School, my focus has been on teaching magic. But now it seems my top student has missed the most important lesson of all."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say it'll be good to have my royal advisor and friendship ambassador by my side." Spike nodded as somepony walked up to the open door.
"Is that Gallus?" Spike asked, "What's he doing here?"
"Iron thought it would be a good idea for him to spend some time working with the guards. Once he's completed a short tour, Iron thinks he'll be ready to lead them as a Royal Knight."
Spike nodded, as Gallus spoke up. "Your Majesty, she's here."
Twilight nodded. "Send her in, Gallus." The armored griffon reached over to the other door and opened it, revealing a pink unicorn mare with an orange and yellow mane and tail. She looked a little nervous as she walked up to the thrones.
"Your Majesty," she bowed.
Twilight smiled at her, "Luster, I may be ruler of Equestria, but I'm still just your teacher." The mare named Luster nodded as she rubbed her leg.
"And you've been wonderful. I've enjoyed every moment at the School of Magic. But I'm just not sure it's the right place for me."
"I see."
"And it's not the work," Luster assured her, "I could spend weeks in the library doing research. It's just that there's a lot of focus on making friends."
Spike laughed at this, "If that's your problem, you've come to the right place."
"But that's just it. I don't want to make friends."
"What?!" The dragon yelped, only to then clear his throat when he saw Twilight looking okay with it.
He crossed his arms, as the alicorn began to speak, "So you'd rather leave the School of Magic than make friends?"
"I was hoping to set up an independent course of study. I want to accomplish as much as you have someday."
"That'll be hard to do that without friends," Spike chimed in.
"I'm not so sure," Luster replied, "Friendship looks like more of a distraction than anything else, and ultimately a waste of time."
"WHAT?!" Spike yelled even louder.
"I know you and your friends accomplished a lot together, but that was so long ago, and as far as I can see, you rule by yourself now."
Spike frowned at this, holding up his medal. "Uh, hello? Royal advisor right here."
"And I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Luster ignored him, "In fact, I think it's better. Plus, if friendships ultimately fade, why even make them in the first place?" Twilight stared at Luster, Spike clearly expecting her to give the mare a good talking to about the value of friendship. But then she said something Spike had not been expecting.
"You know what, Luster Dawn? You're right."
"WHAT?!"
"See?!" Luster smirked, "I knew somepony as wise as you would understand! Friendship just seems more trouble than its worth!"
"Friendship is more trouble than it's worth?!" Spike repeated in shock before leaning over to Twilight. "This is your top student?"
Twilight smiled as she stood up before flying down in front of Luster. "Friendships take work, and there's no guarantee they'll last." The alicorn began to move them through the throne room, allowing Luster to see all the different windows that filled the room. "They can be complicated. They can be messy. And they never go the way you plan. Friendship is a hard thing to navigate." They stopped in front of a window signifying Twilight's coronation. "I remember the first time I realized it might not last forever."
"Really?" Luster asked, "But then why bother teaching friendship at your school when you know it's pointless?"
"I never said it was pointless," Twilight replied, "Just listen to this story." She let out a sigh, as if a bad memory was washing over her. "It was six months after I had lost the love of my life." The window next to the coronation showed an image of an orange pony holding an orb of light in his hooves.
Luster nodded, having learnt when she was just a foal about the great sacrifice of the legendary Flash Sentry. Sometimes it was hard to believe, that Twilight had been in a relationship with a pony that became the very universe himself.
"That time had been a particularly trying experience for me. Months of mourning for him, eventually leading up to the time I was to take the throne."
"Wait...Celestia and Luna made you take the throne even while you were still mourning?"
"Actually," Twilight replied, "I chose not to put it off. I knew Flash would want me to get on with my life, and I thought focusing on my work would help keep my mind off of him. Anyway, the time for my coronation was upon me and I was...well, I was freaking out."
Luster could hardly believe that. In all the time she had known her mentor, she had always been cool and collected.
Years ago...
The Castle of Friendship was full of boxes, stuffed full of everything Twilight would need when she headed to Canterlot. On one such box, Spike was sitting, holding a list that he was ticking off while Twilight ran around every single room. "Twilight? Um, I'm pretty sure that's everything."
Twilight zipped past him, "I'm just doing a final check, Spike."
"But we did a final check," Spike replied, "Of every room. Twice." But as he said that, Twilight ran out of a room holding something.
"Ah-ha! See?" She thrust it into his face, "An issue of Power Ponies. Now, aren't you glad we triple-checked?"
Spike pulled the comic out of his face, "Thanks, but I already read this one. I don't need to take it to Canterlot."
"No-no-no!" Twilight shook her head, "You love Power Ponies. We're taking it." She yanked it out of his grasp and rushed into the now very empty library, beginning to pack it while Spike slowly walked in behind her.
"Really Twilight, we don't have to bring the comic. I'm not even sure how much longer I'll collect them. A lot is changing, and I'm getting older."
He couldn't see it, but Twilight gained a heartbroken look when she heard this and packed the comic away before turning to him. "Just because things change doesn't mean you leave everything you love behind!" She let out a sigh and collapsed onto a shoebox, Spike walking over and patting her on the head.
"You're not still worried about ruling Equestria, are you?"
"No," Twilight lifted her head and showed him her serious face. "I know it took some time, but I've never been more ready for anything in my life." She sighed as she picked herself up. "But just because I'm ready to sit on the throne in Canterlot doesn't mean I'm ready to leave Ponyville." She picked up a newspaper. "When we were all fighting to save Equestria from Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, I was too busy to think about it. But now it's all happening at once."
"What is?"
"The coronation. Moving. Leaving our friends."
Spike tilted his head at this, "I thought we'd all be ruling Equestria together."
"Of course we will, but it won't be the same." Twilight turned away and slowly walked into the center of the room. "They all have lives here. We're moving away and they're not, and I can't help but feel like we're leaving them behind. What if we all just drift apart?"
She fell to her flank and hunched over, Spike grimacing at the question, "I guess I hadn't thought about it like that." He Walked up to her with a small frown, "Maybe you should talk to them. I bet they're feeling the same way." Twilight blinked at him, only to nod.
"You're right, Spike." She marched over to give the baby dragon a hug. "Thanks. Sometimes talking to a good friend is all it takes." Once she pulled away, she flew out the library and left Spike to let out a sigh.
"Flash, I don't know if you can hear me, but Twilight could really use some help." He moved over to take the comic out the box. "And I could really use your help as well." He turned to look up at the sky. "I wanna be able to help Twilight in whatever she needs, but I always had you to fall back on. I don't know if I can be the support she needs on my own."
He didn't know what to expect, but there was no reply, making him sigh. However, in that moment a sudden gust of wind somehow blew into the library. As it did this, Spike felt a warmth flow through him. He didn't know why, but he felt the doubt he was feeling wash away as the words he had just said to Twilight replayed in her head. It was like someone was reminding him of the good advice he had just told Twilight. He was ready for this.
"Thanks Flash."
The canyon training ground outside of Ponyville...
"Grand Impact!" Grand yelled as he slammed his hammer into the ground, unleashing a barrage of spikes that shot out the ground toward Heart. The pegasi's body ignited at this, propelling himself into the air, avoiding the rocks before spinning as the flames around him morphed into a wheel.
"Fire Grinder!" Heart roared as Grand slammed his hammer into the ground again. A large stone shot out between him and the flaming wheel, Heart grinding against it for a few seconds before coming to a stop. He then leapt off it and flew back to a safe distance before spinning and releasing a volley of fireballs from his tail. Grand leapt out from behind the rock, only to find the fireballs coming for him, only to quickly deflect them all with his mallet as Heart propelled himself again before trying to kick Grand in the face.
But as got close, Grand ducked under the blow, Heart quickly flaring his wings to land before spinning around to try again. And as he did this, Grand's hammer hit the dirt and caused a wall of rock to appear right in front of the charging Heart.
"Augh!" He bounced off it, the pegasi rolling in the dirt as Grand leapt over the wall before landing right on top of Heart, rasing his hammer above his head.
And as he swung it down, Heart flinched and closed his eyes...only for nothing to happen.
A second later, he opened his eyes to a hammer just an inch from his face. "Game over." Heart sighed as Grand moved the hammer away before helping the colt up, "Not bad kid. You're not leaving yourself as vulnerable as you normally are. Keeping your distance when you need to is starting to come naturally."
"Thanks," Heart nodded, "But I'm still leaving myself open."
"Just remember to be aware of your surroundings. Don't leave room for any blind spots." Heart nodded again before noticing something behind Grand.
The older knight turned to see Soul, Iron and Lightning. "You okay?" She asked her brother, who nodded despite having a few scratches here and there. Soul began to heal him as Iron and Lightning commented at how well he had done.
"Slow and steady," Iron quoted, "Keep improving like this and you'll be a knight before you know it."
"I'm not strong enough yet." Heart grumbled, "I need to be as strong as I can, especially if I wanna take down Doom and the rest of them."
They all frowned at this, knowing what he was talking about. After they had recovered from Armalum's little hatred drain, the villains of the Crystal Pen had managed to take the guards in the empire hospital by surprise. They pretended to still be unconscious, then blasted the guards and used the opening to escape. In the seven months since they escaped, there hadn't been a single sighting of them.
"Heart..." Grand slowly said, "You're not the one that's going to capture them. You're still too young. Leave that to the adults." Heart glared back at him, only to see Grand shake his head, "You need to focus on your training. That way when you're older, you'll be ready to take down anyone that threatens Equestria."
Heart nodded, then got into a battle stance. "Alright, let's go again. Iron, how about I take you on this time?"
"No," Grand cut in, "That's enough training for today." Heart growled at this, "You two need to double check to make sure your rooms are ready. Don't wanna accidently leave anything behind before moving to Canterlot."
"No need to worry about that," Heart rolled his eyes, "Twilight's been checking and rechecking everything every twenty minutes. I'm pretty sure she's gonna end up taking the dust that's in the castle along with everything else."
They all laughed at this, only to start to make their way to town. "You kids ready for your big move?" Lightning asked. "I know it can be stressful to find yourselves in a new place."
"Well, it's not like we're gonna be living in Canterlot yet," Soul reminded him. "We'll be staying in the School of Friendship until we graduate. So we'll only be in Canterlot during vacations and the weekends Twilight will be able to find time to teach me magic."
"Maybe," Grand nodded. "But you'll still be living in a new place. And once you do graduate, you'll be staying in Canterlot permanently."
"Unless Twilight decides to send us someplace like Celestia sent her to Ponyville," Soul pointed out, "Honestly, I don't know how I feel about all this."
"Me neither," Heart nodded, "Feels kinda weird, thinking I'll be living in a big busy city." He remembered when he had first heard about them moving to Canterlot. He had been super excited, but that was when he thought he would be training with Flash. Ever since his mentor's departure, Heart had been training as hard as he could to be the knight Flash wanted him to be, but for some reason, the excitement about being a knight had faded away. He still wanted to be a Knight, but the idea of being one didn't fill him with joy like it used to.
Grand saw Heart frowning, the old pony knowing he was again missing Flash. After Twilight, Heart had been the most affected when Flash left. Grand had never seen Heart push himself so much, forcing himself to improve. But if Heart couldn't overcome his loss of Flash, then Grand feared he would turn out like Cold used to be.
And as they arrived at the town, they saw many ponies were preparing for the coronation. While most were actually going to Canterlot, others would be watching it on large magical screens made courtesy of Solid Script and the other unicorns. These screens would be showing up in every town and city across Equestria, and in a few kingdoms that wanted to watch it. The coronation would be broadcast for all to see and remember.
They made their way toward the castle and as they did, they spotted Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow and Pinkie making their way there as well. Iron and Lightning walked up to their significant other, seeing Rarity carrying a glass box full of spiders while Fluttershy was carrying a bird cage. And as they reached the castle, everypony had a smile on their faces as they saw the School of Friendship getting decorated for the event as well. "Ooh!" Pinkie vibrated, "I can't wait for this party to get started!"
"Yeah," Applejack nodded, "Everypony's gonna be there to enjoy it."
But as she said that, she saw Heart frown. "Not everypony." The mood suddenly went gloomy at this. Even after six months, the loss was still hard on them all. It had taken a month for a day to pass without at least one of them crying, Twilight not included, and even longer before Flash's name could be said without everypony in the room going quiet.
Grand placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Remember, Flash is still with us. Even if we can't see him, he's all around us. And we need to show him how well we're spending the gift he gave us. The gift of a world we get to live in." They all nodded, knowing he was right.
And as they walked through the castle, they saw the place was now bare. The boxes that had previous filled it were all gone, having been transported to Canterlot awaiting Twilight's arrival. Even Flash's things had all been transported, through they were going to be placed in storage until it could be decided what to do with them.
The only thing not in storage was Lightbringer, which was currently housed in the Crystal Empire's Hall of Knights. They found Twilight and Spike in the now empty library, Grand noticing the mare looking a bit upset. "Alright Twilight, are you ready?" The pair turned to them, Applejack smiling at this, "We all wanted to see you off, but there's still a lot to do."
Spike, holding a comic, glanced over with a raised eyebrow, "Aren't you coming on the train?"
Applejack shook her head. "I gotta go with Big Mac so we can go over our packin' list or we won't know who gets what deliveries."
Rainbow then flew in. "And I'm gonna meet the Wonderbolts so we can go over the routine one last time."
"I'm going with Gummy," Pinkie added, "He said he knows when the fireworks display should start, but does anypony really believe that?!"
The others rolled their eyes as Fluttershy spoke up. "And I still need to pick up food for the swans and doves who flew ahead to Canterlot. If I don't get them fed, they'll be too pooped to perform."
Twilight looked visibly upset as she stood up and marched up to them. "Well, I'll be living in Canterlot alone. Might as well take the train alone too." She walked past them, "Bye, I guess."
Grand frowned and was about to ask if she was alright, only for Rarity to speak up. "Oh, you won't be traveling alone, darling." She ran up to her. "I'll have just enough time on the train to weave the star spider sash for your gown." Twilight smiled for a moment, but Rarity then started pushing her toward the exit. "But we should leave now. There's no time to dawdle if you want the coronation to be perfect."
And that was the final straw.
"That's the problem!" She pushed Rarity away. "You're all so worried about making my coronation perfect, but I'm leaving Ponyville and none of you even care!"
A volley of gasps followed this.
Back in the present...
"Exactly!" Luster declared, "You moved away, your friends didn't care, and that was that."
Twilight smiled as they marched back to the throne. "Actually," she sat down, "Not exactly." She was about to continue, only for the throne room's doors to open up. They all turned to see a red pegasus stallion wearing an orange leather jacket.
He marched forward and bowed, "Princess."
"Fire Heart," she nodded back, Luster going wide-eyed, as this was her first time meeting the famous Ig-Knighter.
"Sorry for barging in on you," Heart chuckled as he took something from his jacket. "But the past version of you wanted me to get this too you as fast as possible." He gave her a green rock with many different patterns, Luster squinting her eyes at the sight while wondering what Heart meant by the past version of her.
"Thank you," Twilight replied, "I trust that Tragus has been dealt with?"
"Already gave him over to Prince Costa. He'll get what's coming to him." He then turned to Luster and smiled. "Hey there, name's Heart." He gave her a devilish smirk, Luster slightly flinching as she found herself unable to respond.
"Um...Luster Dawn."
Twilight giggled at the sight, "I was just telling Luster about my coronation." Heart heard this and burst out laughing before putting his front legs behind his head.
"Oh yeah. That was a total disaster."
Years ago...
Twilight friends all looked at her in shock, Applejack being the one to speak first. "Of course we care that you're movin', Twilight."
"I can't believe you'd think we don't," Fluttershy added.
"What could possibly make you think that?" Pinkie continued as Twilight glared at all of them.
"I tried to talk to you all about how I was feeling, but you seemed more worried about what you had to do for the coronation."
They all frowned at her, only for Spike to chime in, "It's true. I was there."
The girls all glared at him, making him flinch before Rarity let out a sigh. "I...I suppose it gave us something else to focus on."
The others nodded, Applejack frowning. "Ah knew you were worried about everything changin'," she slowly said, "Ah guess ah thought if ah made it seem like everything was okay, it would be."
"I was just trying to make you feel better," Fluttershy added, "That way I wouldn't feel so terrible."
Twilight continued to frown at them, only for her head to slowly droop, "Before I moved to Ponyville, I didn't really know what friendship was." She stared at the floor at this, "I had Flash and Spike, but they were more like family." She looked back up at them, "You've all taught me so much. I can't believe it all might be ending." She started crying and fell onto the flank, the others rushing over to her. "But when I imagine the future, all I can think about is that we won't be together! I'm literally moving away from you, and it's terrifying!"
"I'm scared too." Fluttershy held her tightly.
"Me, too," Pinkie looked ready to start crying.
"Rattled to the core," Rarity nodded.
Applejack nodded as she held back tears, "Eeyup."
"I wouldn't say scared," Rainbow added, the group all glaring at her, Rarity gesturing to Twilight. "Buuuut just because I won't say it doesn't mean I don't feel it."
"I'm going to miss you so much!" Pinkie started curling up, Twilight placing a hoof on her head.
Rarity took out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. "I just can't stop thinking about how much things are going to change!"
"Wh...What if we don't see each other?" Rainbow asked.
"What if we don't talk as much?" Fluttershy cried.
"What if we don't stay friends?!" Applejack announced, the girls all beginning to cry.
Grand sighed and shook his head, "Alright, that's enough." They all turned to him, "You can't honestly believe any of that, can you?" They frowned at him. "If Flash were here right now, he'd probably be giving you all a good bonk on the head. But since he's not, looks like it's up to me. The six of you are the closest friends in all of Equestria. You really think not seeing each other everyday is going to change that?"
"But-" Twilight tried to say.
"But nothing. You don't see Ruby or Tidal every day, but you're still friends with them." They all flinched at this, "And what about the friends you have outside of Equestria. Ember, Rutherford and Thorax. You don't see them a lot and you still consider yourself their friends."
"But this is different," Pinkie cried, "We're best friends! Best friends see each other every day!"
"Flash and Springer were best friends," Heart pointed out, "They moved away from one another and kept their friendship."
"Solid and Gorgenia are my best friends," Lightning added, "Wild and I don't see them as much as we like, but we still consider ourselves close."
Twilight sighed as Grand walked over and put a hoof on her shoulder. "I know it's hard. But this is just how friendships work. You spend almost everyday of your young lives together, helping each other grow and mature. And when the time comes, you go your separate ways and take the lessons you learned together with you. It doesn't matter how far apart you go, you will always be friends. Even if you can't spend every day together, that'll just make the times you are together more special."
Twilight let that info sink in and turned to her friends, now seeing all still look upset. For some reason, this made her smile. "I know it's weird, but knowing you're all as upset as I am actually makes me less worried."
"That's nice," Spike took out a pocket watch, "But you should be more worried about missing the train to Canterlot!" They all saw the time and gasped, the group rushing out of the castle. It was at this point that Twilight really wished she hadn't taken the Rune Gates down for maintenance. They could really use one right now.
As they reached the exit, they spotted Starlight heading to them carrying something wrapped up. "Sorry I'm so late. I actually thought I'd missed you-"
"There's no time!" Spike yelled as they shot past her so fast that she went spinning and dropped the wrapped-up object. The group ran as fast as they could to the station, but as they got closer, they heard the whistle of the train moving off. And when they reached the platform, they saw it pulling away.
"Oh no!" Twilight yelped, "We missed it!" She then had a thought, "But maybe..." She sparked her horn and they were all consumed by light, which quickly faded to have them now be inside a train carraige. "Okay. We're on the train. Everything should be fine, right?" The mares all tried to smile, all but Rarity holding back a statement that they weren't supposed to be on the train.
Soul found she had been teleported onto another pony's lap, the mare looking at her in confusion. "Sorry." She got off, while Heart pulled himself out of the luggage rack he had been warped into.
Rarity leapt onto a seat and held up her spider sash. "I'd worked out exactly how much time I needed to weave my star spider sash, and now I'm behind!" She pulled her travel fashion kit out of her bag while putting it down while Applejack and Spike sat down on another seat.
"I hope Big Mac can figure out who gets what deliveries on his own."
"He'll be fine," Iron assured her, "He's a big pony. He can figure out something like that. And if he can't, I'm sure Rogue'll be there to help." Applejack nodded, though she was pretty sure Rogue was fast asleep right now.
Fluttershy sighed as she placed her bird cage down next to the spiders, unaware that the creepy crawlies were currently terrifying them. "I don't have the snacks the doves and swans will need to perform after their long flight. I'd better find the food car."
"And I need to meet the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow pushed open the window and flew out, the wind coming out of it making Rarity almost drop a stitch until Lightning closed the window.
Pinkie hummed. at this,"The only thing I'm worried about is Gummy handling the fireworks display. But I'm sure it's fine." She let out a nervous laugh.
"Isn't Wild gonna be there?" Lightning asked, Pinkie realizing he was right and sighing in relief. Even so, she clearly didn't feel comfortable not knowing if something was being handled.
"Well, it could always be worse." Twilight commented, only for the train to grind into a complete halt.
Heart was thrown out of the luggage rack, only to be buried by a bunch of suitcases thrown out with him. "You had to say it!" He groaned as everypony looked out the window and saw what had caused the train to stop.
"CURSE YOU SHEEP!" Pinkie screamed.
Canterlot...
Celestia and Luna were watching as the guests of honor arrived. Ponies of importance from all over Equestria were taking their seats, along with those from outside the kingdom as well. This included Springer and Mirage, Thorax and Hiveena, Rutherford, Ember, Queen Novo and many more. The different leaders were all talking amongst themselves as they waited for the big event to begin. The Royal Knights were also there, Skybreaker, Tidal, Ruby, First, Heather and Cold Steel waiting for the event to begin so they could swear their loyalty to the new ruler.
"How are you doing?" Thorax asked Springer, the jakhowl leader turning to him. "Since Flash...you know." Springer sighed and shook his head. "I know it couldn't have been easier. He was your first friend, so losing him must have been hard."
"It was," Springer nodded, "But I'm learning to cope. Mirage and the other jakhowls have been helping. Ace and Mira too. But I guess it's just gonna take time."
"I still don't understand what the heck happened," Ember chimed in, "He's the universe now? It just makes my head hurt thinking about it." The others nodded, also confused about how the heck Flash becoming the universe worked.
Up in the castle, Celestia and Luna were preparing to hand over the crown to Twilight. Celestia had lowered the sun to make it a perfect sunset, while Luna moved the moon in just the right way to reflect light back for all to see. Everything was ready. All they were missing was the guest of honor, who should have been here already.
Suddenly, the doors flew open and the sisters spun around to see Twilight racing into the room. She was panting, her mane and tail in a mess and she looked more like she was preparing to wrestle an alligator then take the throne. "Goodness, Twilight." Luna gasped, "Are you alright?
Twilight nodded back, "My friends and I had a few hiccups on the way. But everything's fine now." A sheep just so happened to run past an open door, Twilight quietly chuckling at that.
Celestia and Luna shared a smile, Celestia giggling, "We really are both just so proud of you. If you need a moment, that's alright. It is your coronation."
Twilight smiled at this, only for a trumpet to suddenly ring out. "Although," Luna chimed, "It would be nice to get started. Are you ready?" Twilight was about to nod, only for Rarity to scream.
"NO!" The unicorn ran in, carrying a dress, mane brush and everything else she needed to make Twilight look amazing. "She can't possibly be crowned without wearing her coronation gown!"
"Very well," Celestia nodded before stepping out onto the balcony with Luna.
Down below, Grand and Iron stood beside the rest of the knights. Somehow, they were all dressed in their ceremonial garb and standing to attention in front of the balcony. Lightning had taken Heart and Soul over to sit beside Shining, Cadance, Flurry and Amore, Ace and Mira sitting on the table next to them with a smile. The Royal Sisters nodded to each other at this, Celestia activating her Royal Canterlot Voice. "Citizens of Equestria and beyond!"
"Yeah!" Springer cheered with the rest of the crowd as something flew past him. It felt like a wind, but it was charged with an essence that Springer felt he recognised. "Huh?" He glanced back, only for Celestia to keep speaking.
"My sister and I have ruled this land for quite some time, but even we know that change eventually comes to us all. And though we know it can be unsettling, it's as natural as the rising and setting of the sun and the moon. Both of which my sister and I feel confident leaving in the hooves of the pony who will come after us."
Back inside, Rarity had finished changing Twilight into her gown and was doing one final once over. She nodded at this, "You look amazing." Twilight smiled back before Rarity gasped, "Ooh! I almost forgot!" She turned to her spider tarrayian and lifted up a beautiful looking sash, which she wrapped around Twilight as Celestia finished her speech.
"And so without further ado, I give you the new ruler of Equestria. Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight marched out and Rarity covered the lid of her tarrayian, completely unaware that the glass box was empty.
Twilight proudly marched out onto the balcony, the creatures watching all amazed by how she looked. But as she strode, she suddenly found herself tripping on her gown. "GYAH!" She flipped forward, the crowd gasping at this, only for her to quickly pick herself up, "Sorry."
Celestia and Luna smiled before lifting their crowns off their head, both floating over to Twilight. Once they were above her, the crowns seemed to melt and fuse together before the light faded to reveal a brand-new crown. This one was gold and had Twilight's cutie mark on it.
Luna smiled at this, only to notice a star spider on Twilight's back, "Um, Twilight?" At that moment, a bunch of Fluttershy's birds and butterflies flew down to begin the dance that they were supposed to perform. But as soon as they saw the spiders, they started acting more like a swarm of flies.
Twilight tried to shoo them away, Fluttershy noticing this from the higher walkway she and her birds were on. "Oh dear." she turned to the doves and swans. "I know these aren't the snacks I promised, but it's all I could find." She looked down at the singular carrot she had placed on the ground, the birds squawking in annoyance.
Over at hill outside of Canterlot, Spitfire was watching through some binoculars. "Any sign of her?" She asked the others, Soarin looking worried about his wife's absence. "Well, Dash or no Dash, Twilight's about to get that crown." She pulled down her goggles. "Wonderbolts, roll out!" They shot off seconds before Rainbow shot out of the clouds above and landed.
"WAIT!" She yelled, then zoomed in after them.
In another part of the Canterlot, Wild Smile was still going over the instructions Gummy had had when he arrived. "I think this is how Pinkie wanted them to go," he looked over the paper but Gummy's slobber had made it a little runny. "Okay, time to try." He used his magic to set the fuse as the Wonderbolts flew in.
Back at the balcony, the doves and swans were flying around, only for their performance to not exactly work as the fireworks went off and flew around in completely the wrong directions...including exploding right where the Wonderbolts were flying, causing them to go off course.
"Oops," Wild gulped.
One of the Wonderbolts accidently knocked into a swan that was supposed to lower Twilight's crown onto her, causing it to accidently throw the crown over the balcony. Twilight gasped and tried to hook the crown on her head, but doing so caused her to trip over the balcony and fall toward the crowd. This made them all gasp, but Twilight quickly caught herself and flew up to the balcony.
Before anypony could ask what had just happened, Applejack raised an empty glass. "To Twilight!" She then looked at her glass before turning to the ponies catering the shindig. One of them looked rather upset, but gestured to the other and they all started carrying jugs of something to them. But when they poured the drinks, Applejack and the others found their glasses filling with a yellowish goop that was impossible to drink. Somehow, the caters had gotten applesauce instead of sparkling apple juice. Applejack saw this and turned to her family's table, Big Mac now trying to hide his face and Sugar Belle patted him on the back.
Up on the balcony, the alicorns saw the mess and shrugged, "Hmm...close enough." Twilight let out a moan at this.
"Okay, I get it now." Luster nodded, "Your coronation was such a disaster that you and your friends never really recovered, and that's why you all drifted apart."
Heart leaned back at this with wide eyes while Spike scratched the back of his neck. "Well, you're half right."
Luster blinked at her, only to ask, "So the coronation wasn't a disaster and your friendships just faded away over time?"
"Not exactly," Twilight giggled.
"What's this about their friendships fading and not recovering?" Heart asked, making Luster turn to him with a look of confusion. But before she could ask what he meant, the doors to the throne room flew open.
Luster turned to see an older pink mare, "Sorry I'm late. It was so hard to find a sitter with a sense of humor for Li'l Cheese." She walked into the room and as she did, a yellow earth pony filly with a frizzy pink mane ran in behind her, playing with a rubber chicken. They were quickly followed in by another filly, this one also yellow, though a much lighter yellow, with a mane and tail of purple and white. As she ran in, clearly wanting to play with Li'l Cheese, her parents stepped in behind her.
"Honestly," Rarity sighed, "We would have been here sooner, but you would not believe how busy Yakyakistan is these days." Lightning was beside her and had a foal holder on his side with a white unicorn colt whose hair was the same as his older sister.
"Topaz," Lightning commented, "Careful with playing in the throne room. Don't forget what happened last time."
The filly named Topaz rolled her eyes, "Not my fault the room was dusty. Besides, Aunty Twilight said she would make the room lightning sneeze proof." Lightning shook his head as they kept walking into the room, Luster's eyes now darting between every pony.
This was followed by several more ponies coming in, all flying into the room and were around Topaz and Cheese's age or younger. There were four in total, all being light blue in color with a different mane color. One was red, one was green, one was yellow and one was indigo. They flew around the room at high speed as four older ponies flew inside. "Come on everypony!" An older Soarin cried as he carried his own foal carrier. This one had a blue baby pegasus with an orange mane and tail. "Crimson, can you keep Juniper and Violet under control?"
"And Sandstorm!" Rainbow yelped, "Get down here! You know you're still grounded!" The youngest of the four pouted as he flew down, Soarin handing the foal over to him.
"Here, look after Amber." The colt grumbled as the older Applejack and Rogue both laughed.
"How you two can keep those little terrors under control, ah'll never know." Rainbow and Soarin rolled their eyes as Applejack turned to the rest, "Oh, sorry. We're not the last ones, are we?" As soon as she said that, a portal opened up and both an older Fluttershy and Iron walked out. They were followed by a yellow earth pony filly with a gray mane and tail while Fluttershy was carrying a gray pegasus colt with pink and gray in his mane and tail.
The four looked back and waved at Discord, who handed the filly a packed lunch before the portal closed and Fluttershy turned to them. "Discord's headed to an O&O convention, or he'd be joining us."
As this was going on, Luster kept looking around and saw the older ponies all smiling at each other. Not only that, but it looked like their children were the best of friends as well. "I just assumed that since you all aren't together all the time now-"
"That we aren't friends?" Twilight finished, causing all the other ponies to start laughing. "That is not the point of my story. It's true my coronation was a disaster."
Years ago...
The coronation had come to an end, and everything had pretty much gone disastrously. Five of the Mane Seven were sitting around a table, the knights, Springer, Soarin, Heart, Soul and even the CMC sitting at other tables. "Well," Grand sighed, "That was certainly the most interesting coronation I've ever been too."
"Don't take this the wrong way," Soul spoke up. "But if I ever get crowned, I'm probably gonna ask somepony else to do it."
Pinkie took a big swig of her applesauce drink, "Well, at least it's finally over." As she said that, Twilight strode over to them, letting out a groan before banging her head on it.
Everypony stared at this before bursting out laughing, Twilight included, "That was something."
"I was just about to say the same thing," Twilight turned to see Starlight walking up to her. Spike was by her side, carrying a wrapped up present behind him. "I know it might not have been the coronation you planned, but it's good to see all of you laughing."
Spike nodded at this, "We wanted to give this to you before you left Ponyville, but things got a little hectic." He held up the present.
"Since you're moving away, we thought if you missed any of us or Ponyville, this might help." Starlight added as Twilight took the present and unwrapped it, finding it was a book. And when she opened it up, she found it was actually a photo album. The pictures were each a moment from Twilight's past that she shared with at least one of her closest friends.
"Awww," Twilight smiled as the others leaned over to look at the photos.
"It's a book of memories," Pinkie gasped.
"And we all chipped in some," Applejack chimed.
Fluttershy continued, "No matter how much things change, you'll always have this to look back on." Twilight smiled at this, tears forming in her eyes.
"I love it." She closed it and held it close to her chest. "Thank you so much. But I don't want to only look back. Obviously the coronation wasn't perfect, but that doesn't matter. It's our relationships that really count, and we have to maintain them."
They all smiled at this, only for Rarity to frown, "But now that we'll be living in different places, I'm not exactly sure how."
"I am," Twilight put the book down. "I suggest we meet once a moon. In fact, my first royal decree as ruler of Equestria is to establish this Council of Friendship!"
The others cheered at this, as Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining and Flurry walked up, "And what a wonderful decree it is!" Celestia exclaimed.
Luna nodded, "We always knew that whatever adversity you faced, you and your friends would find your way through it together."
"And it won't just be them," Grand added, the knights all bowing at this, "No matter what, you'll always have our support when you need it."
"And mine," Springer and Soarin continued.
"US TOO!" Heart, Soul and the CMC cheered. Twilight couldn't help but smile at this.
"We know Equestria is in the perfect hooves with you and your friends looking out for it." Celestia commented, "And while we'll always be here if you need us, it's time for us to be on our way."
Twilight turned to them with wide eyes, "You're leaving?"
Luna nodded, "We hope you'll come and visit us in Silver Shoals."
"But now it's time for you to rule on your own," Celestia stated, "You're all more than capable."
Twilight was really tearing up now. "Thank you. For everything." She leapt at Celestia and hugged her tight, the others rushing up to share in the love. They all laughed at this, Grand smiling as he watched.
"Flash, I hope you're seeing this." As he said that, a warm breeze blew past him, making the knight sigh.
Luster was wide-eyed at this. "So...even though everything changed and you moved away from your friends, you didn't grow apart? And this is the Council of Friendship...that's what you're all doing here?!"
"Duh!" Rainbow smirked, "This time every moon."
Applejack chuckled at this. "What she means is this is how we've been rulin' together."
Rarity nodded in agreement, "And how we've continued to face every problem and threat to Equestria over the years."
Pinkie let out a giggle, "But mostly, it's how we keep in touch." Spike suddenly found Topaz and Cheese hanging off his wings, the mare pulling her daughter off and hugging her. "No matter how busy life gets."
"And not just them," Rogue laughed as he and Soarin hoof bumped while Iron and Lightning nodded.
Twilight then patted Luster on the back. "Sometimes friendships can be hard, and it takes work to maintain them. But without friends, things can be a lot harder."
Luster let this info sink in, "Well...I never thought about friendship being something to work at, and I don't mind work. I guess if they don't have to fade away, maybe making friends isn't the waste of time I thought."
"You should give it a try." Heart chimed in, "You never know how much better life will be once you have a friend in it to make it brighter."
Luster smiled at this, only to look away, "But I've been so focused on my studies. I wouldn't know where to start."
"That's all right," Twilight assured her. "Because I know exactly where to send you."
"But...even if you know what to do, what do you do when all your friends are too busy to help you out? You must have faced a crisis and not had anypony there to give you support!"
Twilight waved her hoof at this, "Oh, I faced a few good problems on my own. And while I know my friends will always be there when I really need them, that doesn't mean I'm completely helpless on my own." Luster nodded at this, only for Twilight to spot something behind the unicorn, "But even though I can handle situations on my own, it doesn't mean I want to. And luckily, I don't have to rule alone."
"What do you mean?" Luster asked as the doorway behind her began to open again.
Years ago...
After the hug, Twilight placed her new book on the table and looked through the many memories she had made with her friends. And as she did this, she saw images of a certain pony she would likely be using this book to remember. The images with Flash in them were all showing him in action, fighting villains or overcoming a problem. None were of the intimate moments she and Flash shared. How could there be? Only she and Flash shared those memories.
Spike noticed this and patted her on the shoulder. "We all miss him." Twilight nodded at this.
Celestia leaned down to Twilight's level at this, "Why don't we go there? With all the planning and prepwork, you haven't really had a chance to see it since it was unveiled."
Twilight smiled at this and nodded, Celestia summoning her magic and enveloping the group in a bright light. When the light faded, they were now in Canterlot Park. They all turned to see the sight making many of them remember their friend and feel remorse. Located on the spot the treehouse had once resided, there now stood a large bronze statue of Flash Sentry. The statue showed Flash in his armored form, holding Lightbringer up to the sky as if he was flying up to attack something from below. The statue showed Flash in all his heroic glory, which would hopefully last well beyond anypony the knew him.
They all stood there, staring at the statue while remembering moments of their lives that Flash had had a great effect on. Twilight was the one remembering the most, with one memory in particular flowing into her mind. The memory that had been made in this exact spot, so long ago. The day Flash had saved her from those bullies and brought her to this treehouse. The first night they had spent together and the following day, when Flash had joined their family.
That had been the start of their journey together and now, Twilight was starting a new journey. One she would have to walk without him. She wasn't alone, but not having Flash there made it a whole lot lonelier. Everypony turned to Twilight and knew she probably wanted to talk to Flash, so Celestia gestured for them to all give her some space.
They all walked away as Twilight stepped up and placed a hoof on the statue, "It's not even been that long, all things considered. But...it feels like a lifetime since I saw you. Spoke to you. Held you." She placed her head on the statue. "Flash...I miss you."
And as she said this, several pairs of eyes in the nearby bushes stared at the sight before them. Storm Blade, Big Score, Rickashay, Boulder, Electra, Banshee, Shake Shocker and Doom Raizer smiled as they hid behind the foilage, "Oh, this is too perfect." Doom laughed as he picked something up.
"How is this perfect?" Rickashay asked, "I thought we were going to blow that statue up. You know, the chance to get back at Flash Sentry by destroying the monument meant to honor him."
"That was the plan," Doom showed them what he was holding. "But now we have a better way. Killing the mare he loves." It was a crossbow, with a bolt primed and ready. "Good thing I acquired this just in case we needed to fight our way out after blowing up the statue. Now we'll use it to take everything from Sentry, like how he took everything from us."
"I don't know," Electra whispered, "I wanna get back at Sentry, but we're already Equestria's most wanted. Adding regicide to that sounds like it's asking for trouble."
The others shared a glance at this, only for Doom to roll his eyes. "Please. We'll teleport away before anypony can realize what happened. They'll never know it was us."
The criminals tried to say something at this, but Doom just stood up and moved a little out of the bushes, taking aim at the alicorn and locking onto an area that would kill her almost instantly. And as he did, he unknowingly let out a wave of malice. It was so strong that Springer picked it up he and the others were standing. "Huh?" He spun around and saw Doom Raizer, his eyes going wide as he saw the crossbow. "TWILIGHT!" The others turned to this as the princess's head lifted up at the call of her name.
But in that moment, Doom fired the bolt.
Twilight barely had enough time to register something coming for her before closing her eyes. She wasn't in the right state to teleport or shield herself, so all she could do was brace for the inevitable end as her friends all screamed.
But no pain came.
Her clenched eyes slowly opened at this, only to hear her friends all gasping and Doom crying out. "WHAT?"
Twilight then saw the bolt, which had stopped inches from her chest. And when she took a closer look, she saw it was surrounded by a strange mix of gold and black light. Twilight turned to the others, wondering if Celestia or Luna had saved her...only to surprise on their faces.
She looked back at the light and stared at it, specks of the light flying off and landing on her. As they did this, she felt something. She knew this magic, and it could only come from one place. "Flash?" Everypony else heard this and gasped as the light began to change.
It grew larger and spread to the left, forming some kind of tendril. But they soon realized that tendril was actually a hoof and leg as the body began to form. Within seconds, a pony form stood beside Twilight with their hoof around the bolt. A pair of wings soon sprang out the back and when it was completely formed, the light began to slowly fade away. Doing so revealed an orange coat beneath the light, along with blue hair on the pony's head and a blue tail coming out of their flank. Twilight could hardly believe what she was seeing, but then she noticed something wasn't right.
This pegasus looked almost exactly like the one she knew, but there were a few changes. Firstly, the scar that had once been on his chest was now gone. The next noticeable difference was his wings and hooves, which were now blue at the tips and feet. Finally, the last thing of note about him was his height. It might have only been a few inches, but he looked taller.
And as the last of the light faded away, he opened his bright blue eyes before smirking at the criminals. "Admit it," he threw the bolt back at Doom. "You missed me."
Doom and the criminals could hardly believe what they were seeing, but that was nothing compared to the shock Twilight and the others were experiencing. "Flash?" Twilight asked again, her revived lover slowly turning to smile at her.
"Hey beautiful. Sorry I missed your coronation."
Twilight's heart was about to explode at this, only to leap at him, "FLASH!" She hugged him, Flash embracing her back as their friends ran over, "It's you, isn't it?! This isn't some kind of cruel joke somepony's playing?!"
"It's me," Flash replied, "I promise."
"It...it is him," Springer slowly said, "I'd know that aura signature anywhere." Flash and Twilight pulled away, Flash turning to the others and seeing them all crying their eyes out. "But...how?"
Flash chuckled at this, "Faust." They all flinched at this, "I know. I can hardly believe it myself."
Six months ago...
Flash opened his eyes and found he was in a void again, only it was different to the void that had held Equestria. He held his hooves up and found they weren't the same as they were before, instead being made out of a golden energy, along with the rest of his body. His overall shape was there, but his coat and hair were all gone. "What's happening? Is this...what Faust experienced?"
"Not exactly." Another light appeared in front of him and quickly took an alicorn form, Flash gasping at the sight.
"Faust?" He could hardly believe what he was seeing as the pony-shaped light stared at him. And though she had no mouth or eyes, he could tell she was smiling at him.
"Oh Flash, you brilliant, amazing pony." She stepped over and placed her hoof on his cheek, "I knew I was right to give you that power so long ago."
"I...I don't understand," Flash replied, "I thought...I thought you were..."
"Dead?" Flash nodded, Faust laughing. "In a way, I was. Armalum took my power and erased me from existence. It's only thanks to you that I'm here."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you really think that after Cozy almost wiped me out, that I'd let myself be destroyed so easily? After my powers were restored, I decided I needed to make it so nothing like that could ever happen again. So, I made a backup of myself. Took a part of my consciousness and placed it inside another body."
Flash remembered after Cozy was defeated how Faust had appeared to him. He then remembered her going inside of him, stating she was checking him for any permanent damage, "Wait...you placed a part of yourself inside of me?"
Faust nodded back, "When Armalum defeated me, I knew only one pony could defeat him. So, I used the last of my strength to infuse all my memories into my power. When you absorbed my power out of Armalum, it allowed my memories to fuse with the backup I left in you and voila! Here I am."
"And you couldn't have told me this before I sacrificed my life to save Equestria?!"
"Oh, no. Even if I was alive, I was still weak and trapped within your body. It wasn't until you gave up your physical form that I was able to escape and take this form to talk to you."
"I see," Flash sighed, "Well, I'm glad you're back."
"And I'm glad you were able to defeat Armalum and fulfil your destiny. You truly are an amazing pony, Flash Sentry." She pulled away from him and took a few steps back. "And now, it's time for you to make a choice."
"A choice?"
"You can choose to stay here, with me, and help govern Equestria. Keep it in balance and watch as the world grows in the age Twilight and your friends will bring about. Or..."
"Or?"
"Or, you can return to Equestria and live out a mortal life."
Flash could hardly believe what he was hearing. "You...you're serious? I could go back?"
"With me here, you won't need to keep the world in balance. You could stay, but that is up to you."
"But...but how could I go back? My body..."
"Yes, it was destroyed. You'll need a new one, obviously."
"You can remake my body?"
"Please, what do you take me for? Of course I can. Heck, doesn't have to be your old body. You can make it anything you want. What are you interested in being? Unicorn? Earth Pony? Alicorn? Heck, you don't even need to be a pony. I hear being a dragon is all the rage this year."
"Uh...no. Just my old body will be fine." Flash responded, only to let out a hum, "But um...do you think you can make a few tweaks to it? To make me look a little more awesome than I already looked?"
Faust laughed at this as she placed a hoof on his chest. "I'll let you do the design work. Just imagine what you want your new body to look like and we'll be good. But I will add a little something to it that you'll appreciate in a few years when you and Twilight are older." Flash nodded back, "However, this is gonna take a while. Rebuilding your old form and making it capable of holding the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow will take a lot of work, and I will still need to keep everything working properly in Equestria. You're gonna have to be patient."
"How long will it take?" Flash slowly asked, only to see Faust sigh.
"About six months, maybe longer. Depends on if there's anything that'll need my focus. But don't worry, you'll barely notice the time go by. Putting you into a few form will require you to sleep, so you'll wake up when your body nears completion."
Flash nodded. That was still six months his friends and family would have to live thinking they would never see him again. But it was better than them never seeing each other again. "Alright, I'm ready."
"You sure about this?" Faust asked. "If you do this, you'll be mortal again. You'll live...practically in the blink of an eye. And even I don't know what happens after that."
Flash let out a laugh, "I'm sure. A life without Twilight and my friends, even an immortal life, would be empty."
Faust nodded again, "I understand. I'll begin to rebuild your body. It'll be just the way you want it, and you'll have both the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow within you. You won't be as powerful as you were before, but you don't need to be all powerful to protect the ponies you love."
"Got it. Thanks Faust." With that, he closed his eyes and Faust unleashed a blast of magic that struck his chest, only for everything to go black.
Everypony was wide-eyed at the story Flash told as the pegasus trotted up to the statue. "After that, I woke up a few days ago able to see into Equestria. But I couldn't interact with anything, but now I'm back." He turned to them with a huge smile, "Sorry for making you all worry."
"Don't be," Grand shook his head, "You had to do it. It was the only way...and now you're back." The others nodded as Heart, Soul and Scootaloo rushed over, all hugging the pegasus, who smirked and hugged the tightly. And when they pulled away, Flash turned to Twilight.
The mare was still crying as she stared at him. He chuckled at the sight, only to walk up and instantly planted his lips on hers. She gasped, only to quickly kiss him back as the others smiled at the sight. When they pulled away, they stared into each others eyes.
"I've wanted to do that for six months," he whispered.
Twilight placed a hoof on his cheek, "Promise me you'll never leave like that again."
"I promise," he nodded, "Faust is probably using me as another backup, but I won't let anything happen that would force me to use it again. I'm staying with you, forever." Twilight slowly nodded back, only to see Flash spin around and stare at the villains, who had all been watching this in absolute shock. "Now, to deal with all of you."
As Flash marched up, Grand whispered into Ruby's ear. She nodded and teleported away as Score slowly spoke up. "You...you're actually alive?"
"You bet I am," Flash chuckled, "And itching for some action." He started flexing at this, "Now, which of you idiots decided it would be a good idea to try and kill the mare I love?" The criminals all pointed at Doom, Flash smirking. "Thank you. I'll make sure your defeats aren't as painful as his."
"Ha!" Doom laughed, "You really think you can take us all on?! You, a worthless gutter rat?! My father should have taught you not to be so cocky!"
"He did," Flash replied, "And I don't think I can take you all on." He flared his wings at this, "I know I can." As he said that, a flash of light signaled Ruby's return. And she was holding something in her magic.
"Flash!" She threw it at him and Flash barely had to look in order to catch it, Lightbringer's blade illuminating for the first time in six months.
Flash laughed as he held it up. "Armorize!" A tornado of light spun around him, only now it was mixed with some black energy. And when it exploded off of him, he was wearing the same armor he had worn after defeating Armalum. The power he was unleashing wasn't the same ungodly amount he had done before, but everypony could still feel he was stronger than his Shining Guardian form. The Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow flowed through him, unified in perfect harmony.
"Now," Flash pointed his transformed sword at the group, "Count up your sins." With that, he charged and let out a roar of excitement. Flash Sentry was back and this time, nothing would take him away from his family.
Luster watched as the prince of Equestria appeared. Like his wife, Flash was rather tall. Take out the horn, and he was a few inches taller than Twilight and much bulkier. "Sorry I'm late," he said, "Had a few guard trainees that just would not get the moves we were working on down. Did I miss anything?"
"Nope," Twilight replied as Flash walked up to Heart.
"Hey, how'd things go with your mission?"
"Pretty good," Heart replied, only to tilt his head, "But why did you make me pretend you died? Your younger self was pretty torn up about it."
Flash just chuckled at this, telling Heart he would explain later. And as this happened, two more ponies flew into the room. One was an alicorn filly, who had her father's coat and a coat and tail that was both her parents. The other was a purple pegasus colt, with mostly blue hair with a pink strand running through it.
"Mommy!" The filly landed on Twilight's back, the alicorn smiling as the two rubbed their heads together. The pegasus flew over and landed on Flash's back, Twilight smiling at the children.
"Hey Stardust. You and Streak have fun at school?" The pair nodded as Twilight turned back to Luster. "Alright everypony, get ready. We're all going on a trip."
"Really?!" Stardust gasped, "Where are we going?" Twilight just smiled before she started singing to her best student, telling her about everything she had learned. Her horn then glowed and in a flash of light, they were all transported and appeared outside the town hall of Twilight's favorite place in all of Equestria.
Luster glanced around, having never really been anywhere outside of Canterlot before. But as soon as they had appeared, ponies started waving at them. Luster waved back, only to flinch as she realized she didn't know any other way to respond. Luckily, her teacher and all her friends were there to help show her around.
Pinkie led the way through the town, Luster following as they headed into Sugarcube Corner. And as they approached, the doors opened with Pound and Pumpkin Cake appearing, the teenage ponies smiling at their favorite foalsitter while Li'l Cheese ran up to them. The twins smirked at her, Pumpkin rubbing her mane while a giant version of Gummy suddenly appeared beside them.
They kept showing Luster around, passing by the house of Misty and Trail. Despite their daughter no longer needing them to live there, they chose to stay. Stardust and Streak ran over to their grandparents, hugging them and freeing their parents up to keep showing Luster around.
They then came to the cottage home of Grand Hoof. The old pony was sitting in a rocking chair, still looking strong as a mountain despite his age. The old pony smiled at them as the door of the cottage opened with an older Skybreaker rolling himself out in a wheelchair while carrying a tray of drinks. Skybreaker nodded at them as well as they kept heading through the town.
The Wonderbolts flew overhead, Rainbow and Soarin joining them as their kids watched in amazement. They then passed by a hospital, Heart flying up to one of the windows and looking inside. There, an older and more regal Shining Soul was using her magic to heal a bunch of ponies in the room at once. She had a small crown on her head, along with a doctor's coat and stethoscope. And as she finished healing, she noticed her brother and nodded, the group waving back as Heart flew back down to the others and they made their way to the School of Friendship.
As they arrived, they saw Ace and Mira sitting under a tree together. The pair were in their adult forms, Mira rubbing an egg that was nestled in her lap and cleaning it with a cloth. They looked up and smiled at the approaching group, who nodded back as an older Silverstream leapt out of the pond and change to her hippogriff form before opening the doors. Doing so revealed Starlight and Sunburst, the two speaking to each other before turning and waving at the group before showing Luster Dawn around.
As they did this, they saw the grown up CMC in the hallways. Students were running up to them, asking questions to the mares that had replaced their sisters as teachers. Trixie was also there, continuing to do her job as the school's counselor and helping ponies talk through their problems. Scootaloo lead her class into the classroom and began the lecture, asking a question that several students wanted to try and answer. The students were a myriad of different creatures: griffons, kirins, jakhowls and so many more.
The tour group led Luster into the courtyard, where Ocellus flew in carrying a mug. She waved at them before flying up and giving the mug to Smolder, who was star gazing in a tree. The dragon smiled as she took the mug, thanking her as she looked through a telescope.
The tour didn't end at the school though, as Applejack decided to take Luster to Sweet Apple Acres. There, she saw Big Mac and Sugar Belle were filling a cart of apples. Rogue flew down at this, the earth pony introducing Luster to her brother and sister-in-law, along with a purple colt that leapt out of the apple cart and ran over to her.
Applejack hugged him as another colt ran up. This colt had a brown coat with blonde hair, and leapt onto his mother's back. At the same time, two bat ponies flew in. Both were orange in color, with blue around their necks and the tips of their hooves. Their hair was also blue, but had blonde running through the manes and tails. The pair flew around them, both eating a golden apple as they did so. The duo let out a little sonic blast at this, whipping up a tiny dust storm until their father smacked them over the head, both crying as the others laughed at the sight.
After the farm, Rarity led her over to her boutique. Once there, the doors opened up and an older Yona stepped out along with Sandbar. Topaz ran over, the filly jumping onto Yona's back with the yak laughing along with the stallion. Rarity and Lightning smiled at this, Rarity taking the baby unicorn out of his father's carrying case and rubbing her nose on his. The foal laughed, making Luster smile.
Fluttershy then showed Luster to Sweet Feather Sanctuary, the unicorn mare amazed by all the animals. Magical portals appeared and different animals leapt through them, Fluttershy's daughter and son running into them with their parents not even giving it a second look. Another portal opened and Discord slithered out while a bunch of white bunnies rushed over to Luster.
The unicorn was having the time of her life as the ponies around her kept singing. And as they did, each and every one of them remembered the other friendships in their lives. The friends all over Equestria, who were living their lives and spreading of magic that they had learned.
In the Crystal Empire, Jaden Chalice was marching through the streets.
The Royal Knight smiled as he gave his commands to the guards, all nodding before leaving. At the same time, Ruby stepped up to her apprentice. The older crystal unicorn smiled, only to feel a tug on her leg and she looked down to see a unicorn filly. She was also a crystal pony, but her coat was gray, and she had the same hair as Ruby. She leapt up onto her back and the two hugged as Sombra walked up with a small grin.
As the three watched Jaden continue to talk to some guards, an alicorn mare flew over. The older Flurry Heart stared down at her kingdom, looking similar to how her aunt had once looked when she first became a princess, but she knew one day she would look like her modern day aunt and mother.
Cadance was at a nearby balcony, looking out at the city as her shorter but still strong looking husband smiled alongside her. Princess Amore also stood there, happy to see how well her kingdom was doing. Everything in the Crystal Empire was perfect, thanks to the hard work of all the ponies that fought to keep it safe.
In another part of Equestria, Tidal was sailing the seven seas, keeping a watch for problems on the water of Equestria's coast.
His crew was now much more diverse, having ponies, hippogriffs, dragons, jakhowls and a few yaks that had learned to control themselves. He smiled at the hard work they were doing, the unicorn having a feeling he might have a future apprentice there with him.
Heather and First were continuing to do their medical research in their laboratory.
Their seekers were hard at work, bringing back data they could use to uncover new ways of treating illnesses. Amongst them, Asclepia Raisins was a lead seeker. The young Royal Knight smiled at her mentors, who grinned back with pride at how far she had come.
Her medical abilities along with her fighting skills were second to none, and she had saved many lives already. They knew that when their time came, they would be able to leave the research center in her capable hooves.
Back in Canterlot, Cold Steel and his squadron had just returned from a mission.
As soon as they were back, the serious nature Cold adopted slowly faded. He wasn't exactly happy fun times, but he was a lot more approachable. And as he turned to his squadron, he gave them all praise for their hard work but also told them issues he spotted that he wanted them to work on.
They all nodded, knowing Cold only wanted to help. They wouldn't let him down.
In the Dragon Lands, the dragons were all flying around and having fun. But there weren't just dragons.
Minotaurs were also wrestling the dragons, while kirins were running around blasting fire without a care in the world. Other dragons were sitting in circles, beating on bongos and instruments as they let their creative side flow.
Everyone there was having fun, with Ember and Flicker watching from atop a large rock. Flicker had a book open, documenting everything he could while Ember could only smile. Her home had certainly changed for the better, and she had Spike and her pony friends to thank for it.
At Mount Aris, Wingill, Salix, Tempera and Glitter were visiting Wingill's former home.
Soft Current hugged her son as she placed a bunch of snacks on the table. Outside, hippogriffs and many other creatures were enjoying themselves. Some went down to the water, where the seaponies helped them transform to seafaring creatures in order to have an easier time. Fun was the easiest thing to see, as everyone there was free to have it any way they liked.
In the Changeling kingdom, Thorax and Hiveena sat on their thrones, waiting to hear about the captured Tragus.
The changelings there were all happily living their lives, not having to worry about ever falling under the control of Chrysalis or another evil creature. For years, they had lived in peace under the protection of their royal leaders.
Prince Costa was also a strong future ruler. And though he showed no signs of an evolution he would pass on, they were still happy to see him as their inevitable king. If the changelings had reached the peak of their evolution, they were happy to live with that for as long as it was needed.
In the years since Aurarora's return, the jakhowl kingdom had grown considerably under the leadership of Springer and Mirage. The pair were currently standing atop the mountain, right outside the entrance of the underground kingdom. They stared down at the land surrounding the mountain, which had completely transformed since the jakhowls had made friends with other species.
A town of similar design to Ponyville now surrounded the mountain, with many houses and farms that the jakhowls had built alongside the other species. Yaks, changelings and Griffons were also living here, the town able to support its own economy perfectly. There was even a train station, which brought many visitors and potential customers to Aurarora and helped the kingdom grow more prosperous.
As the pair stared down at the town, two jakhowls rushed up to them. One was a silver jakhowl male who transformed into his adult form, allowing him to rush up to his parents. At the same time, the blue female jakhowl leapt up and landed on her father's back. They all laughed as they continued to look out at their home, happy at how well everything was going for them.
Back in Ponyville, Spike and the Mane Seven were now standing atop a hill overlooking the town of Ponyville. The others had taken the kids and allowed them to focus on helping Luster, the unicorn now understanding this was the perfect place for her to learn everything she needed about friendship.
She turned to Twilight, who finished singing the song she had been giving her student before hugging her tightly. And once the hug was complete, Luster ran off to where a group of other Friendship School students were waiting. This group of ponies, kirin, jakhowls, yaks and whatnot all happily let her join, soon heading for the school as the eight watched her go.
Each smiled at the sight, all reminded of the day they all met. The adventure they first shared going into the Everfree Forest, where their friendship was first formed and the many other adventures that had followed. But now their time of having adventures was over. It was time for the next generation of heroes to step up, and they would happily stand beside them, showing the way and teaching them one of the most important lessons anypony could ever learn.
That Friendship is Magic.
Author's Note
GOTCHA! 
. I can't believe you thought I'd actually screw Flash like that. I hope this came as a happy surprise. Well, this is the true ending of the Flash Sentry Chronicles.
But that doesn't mean this'll be the last story that takes place in this universe. I may be writing a few stories in the future that take place between Twilight's coronation and the future you saw. The first won't be for a short while, but I hope what I release next week will be just as good. Until then, see you all.
