In one of the shimmering spires of Canterlot Castle, high above the city, an alicorn mourned.
Laying on her bed with shades drawn against the evening light, Twilight Sparkle weeped for the loss of her closest friends. It was only hours before that the Element of Kindness had passed, surrounded by her remaining family and friends. With the loss of the last of her oldest friends, Twilight was unsure of how to go on.
Throughout her life, they had always been there. Encouraging, helping, and accompanying her every step of the way. Without them, she felt a hole in her heart that she feared could never be filled.
They had left shortly after each other in such startling speed that she had only now had time to mourn.
Applejack left first, her indomitable strength leaving her in her sleep one cold September night. Next was Rainbow Dash, found sleeping comfortably on a cloud, her faded mane fluttering in the wind. Pinkie Pie seemingly burnt herself out, leaving with a smile on her face with her remaining friends around her.
Rarity left in a way suiting her personality and ethic. Only three days after Pinkie left, she was discovered laying calmly in bed in the boutique, her last creation finished as a stunning purple dress. Twilight remembered her looking as if she was only taking a nap.
And today, Fluttershy, the gentlest of them all, departed Equestria for the Aether.
Only as she began to descend into another bout of sobs did the knock come on her door, gentle and soft on the wood of the door. Saying nothing but nonetheless opening the door with her weakened reserves of magic, Twilight sought to sit up and make herself presentable, and it was only as her mentor softly trotted over and embraced her did she abandon all pretense of being in control of herself and fall into the sniffles reminiscient to that of a foal fresh from a nightmare in her mothers hooves.
"Shhh... It's alright. It will be alright, Twilight.", Celestia whispered, lacking for once her royal regalia and simply there as a comforting loved one, unable to leave her to suffer alone.
Twilight cried for several more minutes, biting her lip and letting the tears come before finally choking out the words.
"How..?"
"How do I do it?", Celestia murmured. Twilight nodded gently and Celestia closed her eyes. Bringing forward the right words.
"I don't. I sit for a time every night and remember them all. Over time, it only becomes longer as the list grows. Names blur and so do faces, but memories of happier times never depart."
Twilight shivered slightly as the last wisps of sunlight began to trickle away, the room becoming colder as the night began. Celestia ever-so-softly lifted her and moved her beneath the ample covers of the bed, giving a gentle caress to move her hair out of her eyes before moving to the other side of the bed and taking a place beside her.
Sitting in silence for a moment as Celestia patted her in a way a parent would, Twilight felt new fear bubble to the surface. Timidly, she spoke.
"I don't want to forget anything... I don't want them to fade."
Celestia steeled herself as if she was preparing to fight an army and spoke firmly, but also with understanding and care.
"Then never do. You are different Twilight. You have the ability, the magic to do anything you could imagine and more. Don't let it happen then. Save what you can and leave a record. A record of all their bravery, their courage, and their friendship."
Pausing, Celestia thought back to another time, a time where Twilight had hidden her pain behind a wall of her own making.
"Do you remember when the Element of Honesty passed?"
Twilight nodded in thought.
"Do you remember what I said at her memorial?"
"Friendship lives so long as our love for each other stays strong.", Twilight murmured, beginning to feel herself tire.
"And do you remember what you said?"
"She was the strongest of us all."
Celestia nodded and spoke her next words with the utmost of care.
"Her strength was not her own. It was the strength you all shared. You all became a pillar that could never fall. Even as they depart for the Aether, you remain. You hold the pillar now, Twilight. But you don't hold it alone. They will never leave you, and neither will I."
Twilight clenched her eyes shut as tears trickled down her cheeks.
Celestia moved close and held her as she cried for the departed. For untold minutes they laid there, remembering those they had lost. Despite the words Celestia had imparted, she knew it wouldn't be enough. It would never be enough.
Even when the pain subsides, it lies in wait, deep inside of the strongest of souls. Death comes for every pony, but the loss never becomes easier.
Celestia knew better than most that friends are limitless in life, but she also knew one truth, They would meet again one day. And on that day, the tears would be of joy.
As Twilight quieted, Celestia began to sing.
Only in whispers at first, Celestia sang of lost friends and the agony of their loss. But as she continued, she began to speak softly of the memories they left and the love they had shared.
Twilight grew silent, her breathing becoming more rhythmic over time before succumbing to sleep.
Laying for several more moments to ensure she would not awake her, Celestia rose from the bed and crept to the curtains, closing them firmly against the soft light of her sister's moon before finally treading softly to the wooden door.
Before she left, however, she turned and uttered words she hoped would reach Twilight in her deepest dreams.
"You will never be alone."
With that, Celestia turned to leave Twilight to her rest. As the door slowly closed behind her, Celestia smiled, knowing that Twilight would suffer no nightmares that night. Like they had protected Equestria for decades, the Elements of Harmony would protect their friend from any harm.