Ruin

The wind almost seemed to howl like timberwolves as the storm continued on outside the homes of  Equestria's capitol city of Canterlot. Lighting flashed, slicing through the sky as a pony slices hay, with loud cracks of thunder sounding soon afterwards. Surprisingly, very few ponies even stirred in this din, and those who did were mostly small foals awakening only to trot into their parent's rooms and request to sleep with them, most choosing to oblige them quickly. Within the halls of the Palace, no fillies stirred, only guards patrolled, and not one of them so much as flinched when the thunder rumbled outside. Each in their own pristine bedroom, three royal ponies slept. One of these ponies, a lavender alicorn with a pink and purple mane and a star-shaped cutie mark, sat bolt upright in bed as suddenly as the lightning that cut through the sky outside.

Twilight Sparkle took a moment to catch her breath and steady herself. For a moment, she thought it had been the thunder, or perhaps the lightning, which had awakened her so rapidly, but soon, memories of her nightmare came rushing back to her. Ponyville burning, Canterlot in ruins, all of her friends lying still, even the princesses were missing. She was the only one left.

Twilight mentally scolded herself. It was just a dream. A bad one, yes, but a dream nonetheless. There was nothing to be afraid of, so why did she feel like it had actually happened? Almost as though it were an actual warning, from some unseen force. Well, she was a princess now, it was likely she'd start having prophetic dreams or some such thing, but this had been so... dark. So miserable. What could have possibly caused that? She almost hoped it was a warning, as the thought that a dream like that could have come solely from her own mind scared her almost as much as the possibility that it was real.

Out of nowhere, a knock came from the door, startling Twilight from her rather disorganized thoughts. No matter who you are, your thoughts are bound to be pretty disorganized if you wake up in the middle of the night, so she attempted to gather them before answering a hesitant, "Come in."

Princess Celestia herself stepped through the door, startling Twilight noticeably. She had expected a guard to be checking in, not the Princess of the Sun to come striding into her bedchambers! Twilight jumped off of her bed and made a hasty bow to the princess.

"Now, Twilight, you know there's no need for that anymore." Celestia scolded softly, a smile pulling at her lips.

"Em... Sorry, I just, uh..." Twilight's excuse quickly dissolved into mumbling something about it being late and another apology.

"It's alright, I just wanted to check on you." Celestia chuckled, before her expression turned serious. "Did you have a vision, Twilight Sparkle?"

"What? Well, I had a dream, is that what you're referring to?"

"Yes. As a princess you will receive visions from time to time, usually when some great catalyst is approaching. Did this 'dream' contain images of Equestria lying in ruins and all it's citizens lying lifeless in the streets?"

Twilight shuddered at the vivid description, but nodded her head. "Yes. What does this vision mean, Princess?" she spoke with a formalcy that she did not feel at all.

"It means an old enemy is returning once again. One I had hoped I would never have to face."

"'Never have to face?'" Twilight questioned. "You make it sound like you never faced him before."

Celestia shook her regal head. "That's just it, my former student. I never did. He always seemed too powerful a foe for even the combined powers of my sister and I."

Twilight stood next to Celestia, aghast at what she had just heard. Celestia... hadn't beat it? Well, that was it. Equestria was doomed. If the princesses hadn't been able to do anything centuries ago, what chance did they have now?

"But, we do have one thing now that we hadn't then." Celestia said, noticing her friend's silence.

Twilight perked up almost immediately. "What do we have?"

"You, and your friends. The Elements of Harmony."

Twilight wasn't sure whether to leap into the air in excitement or cower in the corner for fear. So, she and her friends had to face a mighty evil that the combined might of the princesses hadn't been able to stop. Brilliant. Not exactly unusual, but brilliant nonetheless.

"Wait a moment, Princess Celestia. You never said the name of what it was we would be facing. Or why it hasn't come to destroy us before now." Twilight pointed out.

"Well, I struck a deal with him aeons ago. He had several continents under his reign for all time, while I took the ponies here and ruled over them myself, and he would not interfere. Obviously, the lack of living victims has grown too boring for him. As to his name, I believe these days, he calls himself... Ruin." Celestia spoke just before a bolt of lightning struck nearby, causing a mighty thunderclap in almost the same instant.

The following day was beautiful. All traces of the storm seemed to be gone, aside from a slight dampness to the ground. The weather team had done a nice job clearing up the mess they had made. Branches and scorched trees were everywhere during the storm, but today, everything looked pristine once again. Twilight Sparkle, however, didn't notice the beauty of the day. She was too busy trying to fly with a young dragon on her back and thoughts of destruction dancing in her mind. As if it weren't hard enough to  fly already! Her mind was quickly drawn back to her vision last night, however.

"Why would anypony do something so horrible?" she asked, more to herself than the purple and green scaled creature on her back. "I mean, at least Discord's chaos had a kind of twisted humor to it, if you looked at it the right way. But this... thing just wants to destroy Equestria! Why? What makes it so evil?"

"I don't know anymore than you do, Twilight, so could you please concentrate on flying? We've been gliding for too long, and we're starting to slow down."

"Oh! Right. Sorry, Spike." Twilight answered, flapping her wings to gain altitude, and proceeding to somehow flip herself upside-down, then spin into a fairly impressive aileron roll, which escalated into a full-blown barrel roll until she crashed, face-first, into the dirt. Spike had, miraculously, stayed on.

"We're here!" He said weakly, proceeding to grab his stomach with one claw and his mouth with the other. The baby dragon soon got off and ran in the direction Twilight was facing. She pulled her face out of the ground and noticed that it had been the soft dirt road of Ponyville that she had crashed into, and everypony around was now staring at her. Someone burst into very familiar laughter above her head.

"Nice landing, Princess! Need a hoof there?" Rainbow Dash said between bouts of laughter. Twilight sat up and scowled at the cyan pegasus atop the small cloud she often napped on. After Rainbow finished laughing, however, Twilight saw a very genuine smile pop onto her face and rolled her eyes.

"It's nice to see you, too, Rainbow." she said sardonically as she turned towards her library. Ah, it had been too long. Ponyville looked exactly as she remembered it. She could only hope! It had only been about a month!

"So, what brings you back to our little town?" Rainbow Dash asked, trotting ahead of her. She turned, flaring her wings a bit, and was surprised at the serious, even grim, expression that Twilight wore. "I take it we have some bad news?" Rainbow asked, her feathers wilting a little.

Twilight sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Dash. Could you go gather the others and have them meet me in the library, please? There's something I need to tell all of you." Twilight turned slightly and walked around the Element of Loyalty.

"If by 'others' you mean the other Elements of Harmony, yeah, quick as a flash!" Rainbow bragged, and launched herself into the air with a speed and precision that would have impressed the Wonderbolts. As a matter of fact, she had probably practiced it for that exact purpose. Twilight rolled her eyes again, but let a small smile creep onto her face. Home sweet home.

"So, this 'Ruin' is comin' to destroy Equestria? Just because he can?" It was Applejack who posed the question, and Twilight reiterated, for what had to be the sixth time (once for each of her pony friends, and once for Spike), "Yes, and that's just an assumption. I don't know why else he would want to do something so horrible!" No, wait, it was the seventh time. Pinkie Pie had asked twice.

"Alright! Seems easy enough. We get the Elements of Harmony, blast him with some friendship stuff, Pinkie throws a party to celebrate, and we're all through by sundown!" Rainbow declared with her usual boastfulness.

"Ah don't know if it'll be that simple, sugarcube." Applejack stated.

"What?! I can whip up a party before sundown, no problem! You should know me at least that well by now AJ! Silly filly!" Pinkie Pie interjected with her normal excessive amount of enthusiasm.

"Um... I think what Applejack's trying to say, Pinkie, is that it won't be that easy to beat the bad guy. At least, um, I think so." Fluttershy manged to say in the midst of the hyperactive pink pony.

"Well, for once I must agree with Rainbow Dash, girls. We defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord with the Elements, and really, what slowed us down then was finding the Elements and being divided by Discord. I see no reason why this should take very long if we just don't let him get into our heads." Rarity came into the conversation with her two bits, and everpony suddenly looked at Twilight.

"Er... what? Why are you all looking at me?"

"We wanta know what you think, Twilight. Do we stand a chance against this thing?" Applejack voiced the question that they were all asking.

Twilight sighed. "Honestly, girls, I don't know. I haven't the faintest idea, really. The princesses never even faced this thing. I don't know if it'll be tricky, like Discord, or just come rampaging through Equestria like an Ursa. I don't even know if the Elements will work!" The lavender alicorn proceeded to collapse to the floor and cover her face with her forehooves. The other five soon came up to her and some hugged her while some looked down, confused.

"Sorry, I just... I don't like not knowing things. I prefer when I know exactly what we're up against."

"Well, maybe I can help with that, Twilight." The new voice echoed around the circular room, seeming to bounce off of the bookshelves lining the walls and straight into the listening pony's ears. Suddenly, several books drifted off the shelves and morphed into a familiar shape. A shape with very mismatched limbs and a long, snake-like body.

"I'm sorry, Princess Twilight." The draconequus spoke, and then disappeared, re-materializing  with his body wound around Twilight and looking right into her eyes. Discord's sudden appearance right in the middle of their group startled the other five ponies into jumping away, but Twilight didn't even struggle, she just glared at the new arrival and said, "How can you help us?"

Discord unwound himself from Twilight and stood in front of them, raising his eagle talon to his chest and putting the lion's paw behind his back, abruptly summoning what looked like college graduation robes and, for some unfathomable reason, a monocle. "Well, you see, back when I was but a little god of chaos, I..."

"We don't want your backstory, Discord! Just tell us what you know!" Rainbow Dash flew in and glared at the self-proclaimed 'god of chaos', but he waved his talon and Rainbow was sent flying back into the other four. "Now, now, don't interrupt. I'll get there when I'm ready. Anyhow, back then, I ruled over all of this country, and it was so delightfully chaotic! Oh Pinkie, you would have loved the cotton candy clouds, they were even fluffier and sweeter than the ones I made when I came back the last time! Say, maybe I could make some now, and..."

"NO!" shouted Twilight, but she heard Pinkie let out a disappointed "Awww..."

"Please Discord, we could really use your help. If you could just tell us, we would really appreciate it." Fluttershy said patiently.

"Oh, all right. Basically, I ruled over this section of the world, and had made a deal a while before to let our friend 'Ruin' rule the rest of it. He never was very bright. Not even when those two pony princesses came along. He could have smashed them to pieces with less than a thought, but once again, he struck a deal which he was on the losing end of. He could keep all the land he already owned but the princesses got to take all the ponies to a place where they would be "safe". Turns out the only place he didn't have influence over was my chaotic kingdom here, so I graciously allowed..."

"Discord..." Twilight said menacingly.

"Alright, fine. The princesses struck a deal with me. I got three-quarters of the land here and they got one quarter to try and live on without all the chaos, and I vowed to never toy with the ponies there. In exchange, I got even more chaotic powers. Oh that was fascinating. Both the princesses poured a fraction of their power into me, allowing me to actually bend reality instead of just changing objects. Then, I broke the arrangement and the princesses turned me to stone with some gemstones they found in the forest, and the rest is history!"

"But what about Ruin? You only mentioned him briefly. What else is there?" Twilight inquired.

"Oh yes. Well, he was powerful enough that nobody wanted to fight him. I suppose you could call him the 'god of destruction' if you wanted. That was all he wanted. Destruction, emptiness, utter annihilation. Again, he was never very bright. I bet that's why he's coming back. He wants to get revenge for being tricked. Only took him a couple millenia to figure it out!" and Discord burst out laughing. Soon, however, he had disappeared and reappeared behind Twilight, right beside the door, now wearing a plaid cap and carrying several bags.

"Honestly, though, I think you're all doomed. He could probably even destroy the Elements of Harmony themselves, if he had a mind to. And that's why... I'm leaving!" He then opened the front door and yelled out onto the street, "TAXI!" A strange yellow object with four wheels and smoke billowing out the back stopped in front of the library. A glass panel slid down, revealing Discord in the front seat. "Where to?" the driver Discord asked as the previously "normal" Discord thrust his bags into the back seat. "Anywhere but Equestria!" he shouted, and climbed into the back seat after his bags. The strange thing then drove away, leaving six bewildered ponies standing in the doorway to Twilight's library.

"Well," Twilight said, and gulped. "That's not good."

"What do we do? We may not even be able to stand up to this thing! It's a creature of destruction bent on revenge! What hope do we have?" Twilight had begun to panic. Bits of her mane were starting to stick up in odd ways, and her pupils had contracted to the width of pins. Her friends stood by, watching her breakdown in horrified fascination. The last time she had acted like this, well, she had almost destroyed Ponyville! That had been a fun experience. Almost as much fun as getting driven apart by Discord.

"Twi, I know yer upset, but we really need ta calm down and try ta figure this out." Applejack broke into Twilight's incessant pacing, placing both forehooves up and halting the movement.

Twilight sighed. "You're right, Applejack. But what can we do? All we have is the Elements of Harmony, and we're not even sure that they'll work! We need a plan, but any mistakes could result in DEATH! So, what can we do?!" Twilight fell to her belly and covered her face once again, but this time she actively began crying. None of the other five new what to say. What is there to say? Then, to everypony's surprise, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"We don't have very many options, so I say we walk right up to him and blast him with the Elements. If it doesn't work, we tried our best, and we wouldn't have been able to do any better, so that's it. If we succeed, then we succeed, we have a party, and go home by sundown, right? Simple." Everypony looked at Rainbow, and then they all smiled.

"Maybe, you're right, Rainbow. Maybe simple's the way to go this time." Twilight admitted, and everypony smiled wider. Applejack hooted and threw a hoof into the air.

"Alright! Let's go beat us a baddy!" She declared.

"Yeah!" and they all high-hoofed, even Fluttershy and Twilight.

They all stood in the center of Ponyville, staring up at the dark red mass that had smashed it's way to the square, leaving a trail of desolation and decay in it's wake. Normally, the town square would be bustling with activity at this time of day. Parents ushering foals about while they whined about how they wanted something from one of the stands. All the shopkeepers shouting out to the passing ponies that their product was easily the best around. But, at this moment, it was dead silent. The buildings around had gone through various stages of destruction just by the thing's presence. One house was nothing but flattened timber on the road, while another was only beginning to show signs of wood rot. One market stall was a pile of ashes, while another had a hole in it's tarp, but no other visible damage. Yet, by some stroke of good fortune, or perhaps a sudden dash of benevolence on the creature's part, not one pony had died, or even been injured, in all the destruction.

A horrifying laugh echoed through the town, a laugh so menacing and loud they swore it chilled spines in Canterlot. The six friends stared up at the source of the laughter, trying desperately to not turn tail and run. They succeeded, and a large, reptilian face formed out of the cloud of crimson. It looked no different than your average snake, except that it's eyes were a vast expanse of black, and nothing more. No distinction between pupils, irises, or whites. It was all black. The monster spoke. It's voice was deep and rumbling, like thunder itself in pitch and volume.

"So, these are the ones the pony princesses sent to stop me? Funny, I heard they faced Discord head-on, instead of hiding behind six little fillies pretending to be mares. Although, I suppose I always was more threatening than that foolhardy prankster."

A huge black tongue flicked out of it's mouth, and the Element bearers had to jump back to avoid getting hit by it. They had also noticed two gargantuan black fangs inside of it's mouth, retracted at this point, but still very much there.

Twilight stood, confused. This creature didn't sound stupid at all! What was Discord thinking? Perhaps it was another one of his tricks, or perhaps...

"W-we have come in the name of Princesses Celestia and Luna in an attempt to strike a deal with you, oh mighty Ruin." She hated complimenting this beast, but it might be the only way to get him to listen.

"Ah, a deal? Yes, I'm sure the Princesses told you of our deal. To think I could have ever been so foolish! But, after basking in destruction for millenia, I think I may be a fair bit smarter than any of us expected." He glowered at Twilight with the last phrase, and she new before he said it what his answer would be.

"No, I no longer strike deals. I have enough power to take whatever I want, and, conveniently enough, all I want is to destroy. A shame this pitiful country is the last place left in this world."

Twilight started. The last place in the... world?! The entire world?! This thing had left them with no place to go, even if they did survive. Except...

"Ah... but I heard something. A very, very, interesting rumor, indeed. That the sisters keep a mirror locked up in the Crystal Palace. A mirror that, on special occasions, opens into another world. One that doesn't have me in it." Ruin smiled, and somehow, rows of sharp black teeth sprang up on his jaws, making his smile like a picture from Tartarus. Twilight sprang into a mental tirade. No! He couldn't destroy those people, that place! They didn't even have anything to defend themselves with! At least not that she had seen. That could not be allowed, they would stop him then and there.

"As you can see, dear ponies, you cannot hope to bargain with me, so get out of my way and maybe, just maybe, I'll save you for last. Your Princesses will be disappointed to know their plan failed, but I won't let their disappointment last too long, I promise." THAT WAS IT!

"NO! We weren't sent here to barter with you, not really. We were sent here to destroy you! You seem to know a lot about Equestria, monster, ever heard of the Elements of Harmony?"

Ruin looked confused and then down at each of their necks. There, in their places, were the Elements of Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Honesty, and Kindness. And, practically touching his snout, it was so close, was the Element of Magic, sitting atop the lavender alicorn's head. Wait, alicorn? A new princess!

"NO!" Ruin bellowed, and he lunged forward, in an apparent attempt to devour the Element of Magic, but it was too late. An enormous ribbon of rainbow coloring lunged towards him and began wrapping itself around him, winding tighter and tighter into place. The god of destruction experienced something he had never experienced before, and never thought he would experience: terror. This magic... It was stronger than anything he had seen before! Stronger than he was himself! This... This wasn't possible! He gave one last flick of his tongue... and then began to laugh.

They had done it. They had won. The Elements had worked! Everything around them was desolate, but they had stopped him. He would never destroy again.

One last act...

So why did Twilight feel like this? Why did she feel like she hadn't accomplished anything? Why did she feel so... saddened?

One last kill...

Was it because just before the spell finished, and Ruin was reduced to nothing but some faint red mist and one large, black talon that soon crumbled to dust, she had thought she had heard him laugh? What would possibly possess him to laugh? He was being defeated, perhaps even destroyed! Maybe he liked it? He did enjoy destruction. But would he really revel in his own death? Hmmm... Oh well, they had won, and all five of her friends stood up in front of her.

Revenge...

The six of them soon started cheering and laughing and hugging each other. They had defeated the greatest threat to Equestria ever! It was a time to celebrate! Pinkie started chattering on about some party plans and Rainbow floated next to her, offering little tips here and there. Applejack stood by with Rarity and Fluttershy, all three smiling at the antics of the other two, and Twilight started to smile. Suddenly, a very clear, very real, thought sprang into Twilight's head. This would be the last time she saw her friends. She abruptly shook her head and banished the thought. How could that be possible? They had beat him. No one had died, no one had even been touched! So why would..? Bah, never mind. They were all happy. All six of her friends stood there, not a care in the world. Wait...

He would...

All...

Take them...

Six?!

AWAY FROM HER!

"NO!" Twilight shouted as the black figure behind her friends rose up into a huge black tendril, ready to engulf everything in it's path. Twilight set her horn ablaze with lavender magic, much like she had the night she defeated the Ursa Minor, and dove towards the shadow. All five other ponies looked behind them, their mouths agape. Not even Rainbow Dash would have been fast enough to stop what happened next.

The shadow came down towards the terrified ponies just as Twilight made contact with it. Her eyes glowed white and she screamed in rage, pain, and sorrow as she used all of her magic to utterly destroy the thing that was now engulfing her.

In a blinding flash, both vanished.

"TWILIGHT!" screamed the five remaining Element bearers. They ran forward to where she had just been, but found nothing but a black smudge on the ground. They then split up to search for her.

"She's gotta be somewhere, she's just GOTTA!" Applejack said to herself as she searched through some alleyways. She knew, somewhere deep inside of her, that she wasn't.

"TWILIGHT! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Rainbow bellowed from the air as she scanned the town. She knew, somehow, that it was pointless.

"Twilight, you silly filly! This is no time to play hide-and-seek!" Pinkie Pie said without any of her usual cheeriness. She checked inside some rain barrels on her way past. She knew, also, that this wouldn't get them anywhere.

"Twilight, dear, where have you gone?" Rarity scanned an area nearer the town hall, even going so far as to check behind one of the rotting pillars. The pillars could not have concealed Twilight, but why bother when she wasn't to be found anyway?

"Twilight? Um... Please, I know you wouldn't normally just disappear on us like this, but please tell me you're just kidding around. Twilight? Oh... No..." Fluttershy checked behind a row of bushes and found something that seemed to make her heart stop beating. She lay down and cried for awhile until the other five found her.

"Fluttershy, sugarcube, what's wrong?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy gestured into the bushes and the other four approached them slowly. After pushing them aside, they all felt like bawling just as hard as Fluttershy was. There, lying in between the bushes and the side of one of the many buildings, was Twilight Sparkle's crown, the Element of Magic still embedded in the top. It had been blown clear by the force of the magic in Twilight's spell connecting with its target. They all chose to accept, in that moment, the horrible truth that they had wanted so desperately to ignore. Twilight Sparkle was no more.

Twilight Sparkle was dead.

The funeral for Equestria's newest princess was held a little less than a month later. Many ponies expected it to be a grand thing in the middle of Canterlot, and everypony would be invited. It was the funeral of royalty, after all! Yet, those that had been closer to the mare thought that it would be far more appropriate to hold a small little procession in a secluded area, with only her closest friends and family present.

Her father and mother came down from Canterlot to see, and her brother and sister-in-law came all the way from the Crystal Empire. (It had taken quite a lot of reassurance to convince the crystal ponies that they wouldn't all die without their Prince and Princess, but they had managed it.)

The funeral was held just outside Ponyville, in a nice, quiet place that the lavender unicorn, and then alicorn, had loved to sit and read in. It was under a large oak tree, with grass all around, making a beautiful picture no matter what time of year it was.

There was, unfortunately, no body to either bury or burn, so they elected to simply place a tombstone at the base of the tree, the thought making all who were in attendance want to weep all over again. In total, there were seventeen ponies at the procession: each of the other Elements of Harmony, Spike, her four family members, the Cutie Mark Crusaders (minus Babs Seed), Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and, of course, the Princesses Celestia and Luna.

Most had planned to step up and say a few words, but it turned out that several were crying too hard to get more than two words out. Eventually, it came down to only the other Elements and the Princesses, but Luna had elected to say nothing. Celestia stepped up first.

"My faithful student and dear friend, it was always good to have you by my side. I think that, while you were still enrolled in my school, it gave me some comfort that I had someone to talk to, someone to be my friend, when I had not felt such a thing since I had to banish my own sister to the moon. I desperately wanted you to finish your studies, and I think you finally did. Just remember this, Twilight. I was always proud of you, in everything you did, and I am most proud of you for this." Tears slid silently down the Princess of the Sun's cheeks and she stepped back from the tombstone. It was Applejack's moment to shine.

"Twi... ah... Ah'm sorry that we got you into that mess. If we had had a plan like ya thought we should, maybe this wouldn'ta happened. I just... I don't know what we can do without ya Twilight. What'll happen to the rest of us now? We... We feel lost without ya, I think I can say that's true enough. Anyhow, thanks. Y'know, fer savin' all of our lives. We... It... It won't be the same without ya." And Applejack stepped back, only to fall to the ground crying. Her family rushed over and helped her up, all of them crying as well. Rainbow stepped up to the plate.

"Er... um... gee, I'm really bad at this sort of stuff. Um... Bye, Twilight, I guess. I wish you would've warned me, I'd have gotten us outta there in ten seconds flat! But... I guess ten seconds wouldn't have been quite fast enough, huh? Anyway... have a good... sleep." and Rainbow Dash, the boisterous braggart of a pony, fell to her knees, crying like a baby. Scootaloo rushed forward to try and help her up, and the two pegasi managed to walk back into the audience, both sobbing heavily. Pinkie walked, not hopped, up to the tombstone next.

"Awww, Twilight, I was gonna throw a party! Why'd you have to get all heroic and sacrifice yourself for us? Now I have to change up all my plans, since you're not gonna be at any of my parties, anymore. Yep, you went and inconvenienced one of your best friends. I just... you... I'll miss you Twilight. Goodbye." Pinkie Pie walked away from the grave, her mane deflating with each step she took, until it was nearly straight, and she sat down and cried. Rarity stepped away from the gathering.

"Twilight, darling, I wish you hadn't had to do that for us. That horrid Ruin really wanted us dead, though, didn't he? Oh, and I had SUCH a lovely dress planned for you, too. For the next Gala, I mean. I know you never really cared about that sort of thing, but, I wanted to make it anyway. Good-bye, Twilight Sparkle, and thank you for being my friend." Rarity started trotting away, and, just like the rest, hadn't made it five steps before breaking down, not caring that her mascara was running.

Finally, it was Fluttersy's turn to step up and say her piece. Everypony rather expected her to be unable to speak due to tears, much like Spike was. However, she defied expectations by walking to the front and sitting down right in front of the tombstone. For a moment, she just stared at it, seeming to read the words that had been carved there. She then stood and turned, smiling sadly, to the crowd. She finally spoke, "Twilight was a great pony who will never be forgotten, by any of us. We all loved her very much and I know we will all miss her. But she wouldn't want us to cry because of her death." Needless to say, every single pony stood shocked at how calm Fluttershy managed to be, and the statement that she had just uttered.

"She would want us to smile, to be happy at all the times we spent together with her, not to just stay sad because we won't have any more. So I decided that when I leave this funeral today, it will be with a smile on my face." She turned back to the grave, one last time. "Thank you, Twilight, for helping me to open up and be a better pony with more friends because of it. Goodbye." And she walked back into the crowd, only a few small tears streaking down her face. All other ponies present looked around, and soon nodded. The rest of the day was spent remembering both the good and the bad of Twilight Sparkle, and tears went alongside laughter.

The sun was going down, and almost all of the ponies had started on their way home. Only six ponies and one small dragon remained at the grave. One after another, they each produced a small white lily, and walked forward, placing their flower at the foot of the headstone. Applejack laid hers down, and then tipped her hat to the last reminder of her friend. Rainbow Dash dropped the lily to the ground before giving the grave a cocky smile and brash salute. Pinkie Pie bounced forward and dropped her flower before scurrying about and decorating the sad scene with streamers and balloons, faster than anypony's eyes could follow. Rarity then stepped forth and placed the delicate plant on top of the others, before adding a blue roll of fabric that would have complemented the lavender mare's coat well. Fluttershy then took her place, gently laying the flower on top of the other four, and then giving the cold stone an even more gentle kiss. Lastly, Spike walked forward, not wishing to say anything, but laying his flower down just the same. Then, all six friends began to depart. Rarity invited Spike to stay at Carousel Boutique that night, and he gladly accepted. Again. (He hadn't wanted to sleep at the library for the past month, either.) Applejack and Rainbow Dash departed together, deciding that they would much rather have company tonight. That left only Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

"Want some company on your way home Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked kindly.

"Oh, yes please. Thank you Pinkie." Fluttershy answered.

"No problemo! Anything for a friend!" And the two began to walk. Fluttershy stopped suddenly, however, and twisted her ears back towards the grave.

"Hey, what's wrong, Flutters? A little more choked up than you let on?"

"No, well, yes, but that's not why I..."

"Oh, it's okay, I think we were all trying to be a little braver than we felt. Now come on! You wanta get home before dark don't you?"

"Um... Pinkie? I, uh..." But the energetic pink pony was off, and there was no stopping her. She pushed Fluttershy all the way back to her cabin, the shy yellow mare protesting and trying to explain herself all the way. When they finally arrived, Pinkie shoved her inside and bid her a quick "good-night" before bounding off in the direction of Ponyville. Fluttershy stood still for a moment, but then shrugged off both the unceremonious push home and what she thought she had heard, heading upstairs to bed. The thought stayed with her for a bit, though. Just for a moment, before she had been shoved home, she could have sworn she heard a dark, evil, and horribly familiar laugh coming from near the grave.

The grave is still there to this day. Of course, over the years, with nopony to maintain it, everypony having forgotten the brief princess' sacrifice, it has worn out, grown moss, and otherwise fallen into disrepair. Yet, somehow, the words etched into it's surface still remain intact. It reads:

R.I.P

Twilight Sparkle

Beloved friend and princess

She knows the Magic of Friendship

Every word still rings true.