Chapters Twilight Sparkle studied the ancient book which documented the work of Starswirl the bearded. Twilight was desperate to understand the Rainbow Power given to her and her friends by the tree of harmony, but with no tangible object to study, she would have to enter the metareal realm. Twilight closed the book, she now had a grasp on the spell and was confident she could cast it. She concentrated hard as her horn grew brighter and brighter. The magical energy then engulfed her and that was the first half of the spell complete. She was now encased in magic, but to do what she needed she needed to become one with the magic. Twilight’s horn sparked as she enacted the second half of the spell. Suddenly Twilight felt like she did when she became an alicorn. She opened her eyes and found she was no longer in the castle. She was in a world of swirling purple energy. Twilight nearly exploded with excitement, she had done it she was inside her own magic, something very few ponies in all of existence had ever seen.
Twilight concentrated on what she wanted and she felt her horn start to pull her. She soon found herself before six glowing shapes all connected by flowing rainbow streams. Twilight recognized the shapes as the cutie marks of herself and her friends. Twilight touched the butterfly mark and felt the presence of Fluttershy, which made her realize that the symbols must be a part of her friends that exist within her. Like the Elements of Harmony the Rainbow Power functions in conjunction with the group that wields them, each piece is an equally important part of the whole. But the Rainbow power is internal, rather than external, which meant Twilight had a submagical connection to her friends.
Twilight knew that as an alicorn her life span was now far longer than it once was, so she wondered when her friends would inevitably pass would this part of them remain within her? A part of them she could keep forever? Suddenly she had a thought. What if instead of keeping some them within her, she instead put some of herself within them? Almost as soon as she thought of it a glowing white orb, which pulsated with flowing energy appeared before her. Twilight knew that it was her own life force thanks to Starswirl’s notes, but the orb in his descriptions was much smaller. Of course Twilights was bigger, now that she was an alicorn.
Twilight looked at the rainbow strands that connected the cutie marks and knew all she needed to do was cast a simple binding spell to the orb to one of the strands, then all her friends would live as long as her. Twilight was about to cast the spell when she realized what she was doing. She was about to make her friends immortal without their permission, without even consulting them. Twilight imagined how angry they would be, but no one asked her she thought. Being an alicorn was thrust upon her for no other reason than it was her destiny, and without the six them Equestria would be without it’s protectors. Twilight shook her head, why was she rationalizing this? Was she really trying to convince herself it was the right thing to do?
Twilight imagined herself and her friends at the Grand Galloping Gala in 100 years. In that time the six of them had gone from being fish out of water, to running the gala. With dancing and real fun with Pinkie Pie, the high society types looking to Rarity for approval, maybe even a petting zoo for the kids run by Fluttershy. The Wonderbolts at that point would look up to Dash, and Applejack would be catering the whole event.
There was merit to the idea. She would ask them to consider it.
As Twilight began to mentally prepare how she would ask, and maybe convince, her friends an image popped into her head. Herself in a graveyard surrounded by tombstones each bearing a name and cutie mark of each of her friends. At this thought Twilight shut her eyes and felt magic in her horn. When the feeling went away Twilight didn’t open her eyes. She realized what she had done and wasn't ready to face it. Did she really do it? How could she be so selfish? Would it really have worked? She casted it out of reflex, it probably failed because she wasn't really concentrating.
Twilight opened her eyes hoping she would see things unchanged, but she saw a shimmering purple strand tethering the orb to the rainbows. It was done thought Twilight numbly. She had cast the spell and there was no going back.
Twilight knew she needed to tell her friends, but every time she wanted to bring it up she found she couldn't. Several times she called her friends together to only to chicken out and end up asking for advice to some made up problem or announcing some fun activity she pretended to have planned. At some point Twilight found herself making a list of the fabrications in advance.
Several years past with the secret looming over her. Twilight stayed silent when the Crusaders got their cutie marks, she stayed silent at Rarity’s wedding, she stayed silent when Granny Smith passed, she stayed silent when the crusaders graduated high school. Twilight suspected Discord knew, more than once he seemed to steer conversation to the subject, but Twilight never took the bait.
One day Twilight greeted Bon Bon in the street and noticed grey in her mane, and knew her time was up. Later that day Twilight called everypony to meet her at the castle. Before anypony could arrive Discord appeared and confirmed what Twilight had suspected, he knew. He offered to take responsibility, after all it wouldn't be that hard to imagine him doing something like this. But Twilight knew she couldn't pass the buck like that, after all, she was in this mess because she made a selfish decision, and another wasn't going to help. Even if nopony blamed her could she really cope with the guilt of having lied to everypony? No, she needed to come clean.
“Discord, I can’t keep hiding from what I’ve done. The time has come for me to admit it to everypony, but, will you help me?” Discord nodded and changed himself into a painting hung above the doorway. Soon Twilight was joined by the others. They stood there waiting for her to speak, but Twilight stood in silence. She looked up and saw Discord beckoning her on. Twilight tried to start, but only studdard, then she started trembling. Fluttershy recognizing something was wrong rushed forward to console her.
“Twilight, what’s wrong?”
“Well, you see…” Twilight started. She looked up again and saw Discord had turned himself into a picture of Starswirl the bearded, who noded to Twilight to continue. Even tho she knew it was really Discord Twilight was encouraged by the sight of her idol. “You see, a long time ago I did something. Something very selfish.” Tears started to well in Twilight's eyes.
Rarity stepped forward and said, “it’s ok, we’ve all made mistakes. I know too well the regret of putting myself first.”
“Yeah sugarcube,” said Applejack “just come clean, and we won't hold it against you.”
“You don’t understand,” said Twilight “what I did affects you, and not in a small way.”
“How bad could it be?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“It changes everything.” Twilight paused one last time before continuing. “As you know I am an alicorn now, and because of that my lifespan is far beyond that of a normal pony. I came to a point where I had to face that, and I imagined my life without all of you. In that moment I became so afraid I acted impulsively and cast a spell that would end that possibility.”
There was silence in the room. Then Rarity asked “what exactly are you telling us?”
Twilight didn’t look anypony in the eye when she said, “you will all now live as long as me. My ‘immortality’ has been extended to all of you. The Rainbow Power in all of us creates a bond that made it possible.” Anticipating the next possible question Twilight said, “it can be done with all of you and only you. I can’t bring anyone else with us.”
Nopony spoke, each one thinking trying to remember any clue they might have had to confirm Twilight’s claim. None could recall any signs of ageing, granted they still weren't old enough were it would be majorly noticeable, but the little things that should have happened by now, the small changes ponies of a certain age go through.
Rarity left the room saying nothing. Twilight believing their friendship over began to cry. Fluttershy hugged her and Pinkie Pie rushed forward to do the same.
“It'll be ok Twilight,” said Fluttershy, altho she wasn't entirely certain that was true. Rarity was the only one of them that was married, which meant she was the one who had the most to lose.
Rainbow Dash stepped up to Twilight. Pinkie and Fluttershy backed off as they could tell she had something to say. Dash unexpectedly wrapped her forelegs around twilight in a bone crushing hug. “Thank you Twilight” she said. “Thank you so much.” Dash dropped her and did some loops in the air before flying out the window and shooting into the sky.
Rainbow Dash had never felt so elated or so free. How could Twilight ever think she would be upset by this? Mortality was a burden she never knew weighed on her, but now that it was gone she felt a freedom she never knew possible. With infinite possibilities, Dash soard on to a boundless future.
Back at the castle the others were momentarily stunned at Rainbow’s enthusiasm. “There, you see” said Pinkie, “It’s going to be ok.” Pinkie honestly didn’t know what to do. She wanted to throw a party but wasn't sure it was the right thing to do. She felt the prospect of not dying was cause for celebration, but she also knew it meant saying goodbye to every single loved one. Every pony has to go to a certain number of funerals in their lifetime, but Pinkie knew she would now have to go to everypony's funeral. And no one, Pinkie realized, would ever go to her’s. Pinkie was also raised in a religious family, privately she had always looked forward to seeing loved ones again in Heaven. That was no longer a possibility for her. Altho she kept smiling a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Applejack just stared, she didn’t know what to think. She didn’t blame Twilight, at least not entirely. To face eternity alone is a terrifying thought when she stopped and thought about it. Celestia and Luna have each other, even the thousand years alone Celestia at least had the hope of Luna returning. But Applejack would have at least have been asked if it was ok. But what would she have decided if she was asked? She was as afraid of death as much as the next pony, but would it be right to just keep right on living when other ponies don’t get that opportunity? Suddenly she realized turning the offer down would be to abandon Twilight, she absolutely would have said yes.
Fluttershy just stroked Twilight’s mane trying to calm her down. Twilight sat passively letting Fluttershy calm her. Altho she was still worried, she felt a tremendous relief after finally getting it all off her chest. Discord turned back into himself, refraining from his usual antics.
“Did you know?” asked fluttershy.
“Yes, and there’s no way I can reverse it.”
“Well, I’m glad” Fluttershy said. “You won't ever have to be alone again.” Fluttershy’s gentle smile warmed Discord, Fluttershy then looked down to Twilight and said “ and neither will you, Twilight.” Twilight started to cry into Fluttershys chest.
When the time came to confess to Celestia, Discord again offered to take the blame, but Twilight again turned him down. She was however, convinced not to reveal that she acted without permission, rationalizing that if they had been asked they probably would have consented.
Twilight was scared, but this time her friends were by her side, and the words came much easier. At first Celestia was stern, explaining how disappointed she was that Twilight had done something so drastic without consulting her, but then her tone softened when she admitted she could understand why she had done it, and that deep down she was pleased that her and Luna now had a larger circle of friends. Her tone again became severe when she told them that their rolls as the defenders of Equestria was now permanent, and that commitment was their price for Immortality.
“What about me?” asked discord. “I was already Immortal.”
“Oh you. Defending Equestria is your price for freedom.” said Celestia in mock severity.
“Oh right, that.” Said Discord putting his fingers together pretending to be bashful. Twilight wondered if they were flirting. Luna rolled her eyes at the interaction which Twilight suspected meant that they were, thus Twilight quickly thanked Celestia for her understanding and quickly backed out of the room.
Before Rarity knew she was immortal she and Spike had dated for a period of time, but Spike had not been able to maintain their relationship. He realized that although the age difference between them wasn't that large, as a dragon he was still far too young. Despite still being in love, Spike ended it and left Ponyville to live amongst his own kind. Rarity was heart broken, but she knew it would only be harmful to Spike and herself if she didn’t let him go.
With Spike gone Rarity wasn't sure how to move on. She considered going back to her old plan of marrying into royalty, but after having been with Spike that old dream felt childish, and the royalty she had met hardly as classy as she imagined. Still, Rarity found herself moving to Canterlot and opening a shop. It was there she met a stallion who had a business close to Rarity's. He wasn't royalty, but he sure made her feel like a princess. Together they moved back to Ponyville and were married by Twilight. They would have lived happily ever after together, but the loss of Rarity’s mortality changed that.
They had planned to have kids together, but when Twilight had revealed the truth Rarity had her tubes tied. She initially lied and told him that she was barren, but eventually she could no longer hide the fact that she wasn't ageing. She admitted that he had no choice but leave her behind, frozen in time. She then explained that living without him will be hard, but outliving her own children was something she wouldn't have been able to cope with. He understood as he always did.
Eventually he did die and Rarity was again heart broken. She thought about moving back to Canterlot, or maybe Manehattan, but she decided on staying in Ponyville. When she had left before it was to find someplace new to move on from the past, but she realized all she needed to do was wait and the world around her would change to something new. Even if she wanted to stay someplace familiar it would still become unrecognizable over time. Ponies would come and go and the world would change, but she would just stay the same. At first Rarity resented Twilight for making her this way, but now that she knew exactly the alienation Twilight faced, Rarity was glad she did it. Rarity couldn't stand the idea of Twilight facing this alone.
Eventually Spike returned to Ponyville. He was bigger, but still not a full sized dragon as he had never given into his greed. When he saw Rarity again they both found that the love they felt towards one another was still there. Rarity felt guilt over this. She felt it dishonored the memory of her late husband to consider remarrying. She resisted for a number of years, but in that time she got to know the new Spike. He was more mature and refined, almost exactly like the imaginary prince Rarity would fantasize about. She imagined the young Spike and how hard it would be for him to act that way. What kind of dragons did he live with that could have turned him into such a gentlecolt?
One day spike explained to Rarity that his time amongst his people taught him who he really was, and it was the only way he could have matured. But despite this he was born amongst ponies, and it was with ponies he truly belonged. Spike knew returning to Ponyville meant condemning himself to a life in which he would outlive most his friends and loved ones. He then placed his claws over her hoof and said “but it turns out it doesn't have to be that way.”
Rarity realized that by himself Spike faced the same sorrow as her, but together they could both be free. So Rarity agreed to marry him, and Twilight again performed the ceremony. Rarity always had the romantic idea she would only ever have one husband, but she realized it was ok because Spike wasn't just her second husband, but also her first love. Their union would eventually change the relationship of ponies and dragons which lead to mutual prosperity for both species.
As Ponyville became a bigger and bigger tourist destination the Carousel Boutique became more and more popular. Ponies from all over Equestria would come just so they could say “I bought it from Rarity.” Knowing of her marriage to Spike, dragons eventually started to visit and Rarity pioneered dragon fashion. It wasn't long after that griffins started coming around eager to shop from the famous interspecies fashion designer.
At some point Rarity began to hate sleeping. She had made an estimation of when she would have died, averaging the life spans of mares in her family and the deaths of their spouses Rarity figured it would have been one year to the day of her first husband. She thus decided that every single minute beyond that day was a precious gift from Twilight, and sleeping squandered that gift. She went to Luna, the princess of the night, in hopes that she could find a way to make sleep unnecessary for her. Luna was pleased that a pony found her night so precious. Using alchemy Luna extrapolated a small piece of her essence and turned it into a potion, which Rarity drunk. Now, rather than sleeping Rarity now became refreshed by the night itself. Spike still lived within his normal life span so Rarity didn’t have a problem with him sleeping, but he still got up early every morning to watch the sunrise with her.
Fluttershy had been known as the pony who tamed Discord, but in time Discord had come to be known as the one who tamed Fluttershy. Without the fear of death hanging over her Fluttershy began to lose her fear of other things. At first this was a good thing as she became more outgoing and she lost much of her inhibitions. But at some point she started doing things in excess. Drinking and partying too much. She began neglecting her responsibilities with her animals, leaving Discord to take care of things. It was a task he was all to happy to do, until he started to realize Fluttershy was coming home less and less. Discord realized she had become more and more self destructive, but she hadn't realized because she viewed herself as indestructible.Discord knew he had to do something, so he resorted to what he knew best, trickery.
One morning Fluttershy came home and passed out on the couch and when she awoke she found herself surrounded by empty bottles and figured she was coming off a bender. She looked around and saw her place dark and dingy. She began to explore her own home, which felt strange and foreign. To her horror she found the skeleton of a rabbit in front of an empty bowl of food. She looked to her front door and saw the bones of a dog that waited patiently for it’s master to return. She rushed outside and found all the animals she once cared for dead.
Fluttershy walked back in shock, had she really been so oblivious? On her front door she found a note taped to it. It read “Fluttershy, meet us at the castle. We need you.” It was in Twilight’s handwriting. Not knowing how old the note was she flew back to town at top speed.
When she got there she found the town twisted in the chaotic form she recognized as Discord’s. She rushed into the throne room to find Discord himself sitting on a throne constructed out of swords. The five other mares stood or sat around him with the spiral eyes that Fluttershy knew meant he got in their heads.
“Discord… what are you doing?” Fluttershy asked timidly.
“Well I was bored, so I figured I would try and take over Equestria again,” Discord said.
“But… you don’t do that anymore… right?”
Discord smiled and said, “well I admit I was distracted for a while, but then I remembered who I was and what I stand for. So I challenged Princess Twilight here for supremacy, and being down one element they didn't stand a chance.”
“But why?” Fluttershy asked. “They were your friends, I was your friend. Wasn't I?”
Discord’s eyes narrowed. “That's what I thought, but I know better now, and I figured if you weren't really my friend then they probably weren't either.” Discord pulled out the pendent he once gave to Twilight. “So much for friends.” he said more to himself then to Fluttershy. He crushed the pendant and turned his attention back to Fluttershy. “Now to deal with you.” Before Discord could move Celestia and Luna crashed in the window.
“Discord!” shouted Celestia. “What do you think you're…” She trailed off when she saw twilight possessed. “What have you done?” she asked in cold fury.
“She’s my student now, princess.” Discord said jovially.
“How dare you. How dare you!” Celestia was livid.
“Come sister, lets do what we should have done a long time ago,” said Luna.
“Together,” Celestia said.
“Noooo!” shouted Fluttershy as Celestia and Luna simultaneously fired beams at Discord. Discord screamed and fell to the ground. He looked at something in his paw before his arm went limp and it slid across the floor stopping in front of Fluttershy. It was the pendant she had seen crushed less than a minute ago, now fully intact. “This isn’t real, is it?” she asked.
Discords eyes opened and he said “gotcha.”
Twilight stepped forward and said “I’m sorry Fluttershy, I wasn't sure about this plan, but Discord insisted this was the only way to get through to you. I read some books on how shocking a pony out of apathy can be effective so I went along with it.”
“You all were in on it?” asked Fluttershy. Everypony, including Celestia and Luna nodded.
“You see sugarcube,” said Applejack, “we were all happy when you stopped bein’ so afraid all the time, but then you seemed to forget who you really were.”
Rainbow dash stepped up and said “I was so happy when you asked me to teach you to fly properly, but then you stopped flying with me. I stopped seeing you, and when I did see you it was like you didn’t know who I was.”
“But you guys don’t think this was too much do you?” asked Pinkie Pie. “ I mean, did she really need to see Discord zapped?”
Fluttershy looked to Twilight but it was Celestia who answered. “It was a bit harsh yes, but I wanted to remind you how important kindness is. It’s kindness that allows us to show mercy to those who have wronged us, a lesson you so wisely taught to others long ago.” Celestia’s words were gentle and put Fluttershy’s mind at ease.
“Besides,” said Luna, “any excuse to blast Discord.”
“Luna,” said Celestia sternly. “Leave him alone.”
“Why are you being so protective of him?” asked Luna looking at her sister sideways.
Celestia looked taken off guard. “Well.. like I said, kindness... and all that.” Fluttershy thought she saw a slight blush on Celestia and in spite of everything she just went through she started to enjoy herself, but then she remembered what she had seen earlier that day.
“My animals?” asked Fluttershy. Discord snapped his fingers and they all teleported to Fluttershy’s yard where all of her animals were alive and well, as they had been under Discords care. “I can’t believe I forgot you,” she said to the animals. “And I forgot you too,” she said to her friends. “My responsibility,” she said to Celestia. “And worst of all, myself. I suppose when I lost all my fears I developed a new one. The fear of missing out. I was so fixated on what I had been missing all the years I was afraid I lost sight on what I hadn't. Thank you for reminding me.”
From then on there was a new Fluttershy, one who was well known not only for her kindness but also for her bravery.
Rainbow Dash followed her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. With the benefit of infinite time to achieve her goal Rainbow took it slow, training herself to be the best over a period of decades. When it came time to apply she was unstoppable, rising quickly through the ranks breaking every record until every record was held by her. When there was no one left to beat Rainbow worked on beating herself, breaking her own records again and again setting a standard nopony else could live up to.
Eventually she realized that with no competition there was nothing left to achieve, and so she left the wonderbolts in search of a new kind of challenge. Being a mother and raising a family was something Rainbow had never really considered, but now that her life goals were behind her the idea she once would have scoffed at now seemed new and exciting.
It was never hard for Rainbow to pick up a guy, but to meet a guy that liked her for her was going to be difficult. She was too well known in Ponyville and Cloudsdale, so to meet a stallion who wouldn't be impressed by her celebrity she had to go to a place where pegasus news wasn't big. So she traveled far, to a farming community where mostly Earth ponies lived.
Rainbow never really had a relationship that was more than a fling, so she found dating was a lot harder than she expected. So like all things she trained herself to be the best, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to improve. One day she met a stallion, and the more time she spent with him, the more she realized she didn't have to be perfect to the best. Together they raised foals, with each new one born Rainbow refined her motherly skills with the usual goal of being number one. With her first born she thought of herself as a failure, until she learned that, like dating, there was no failure as long as you keep trying.
Five kids was enough for Rainbow’s husband. Rainbow wanted more, but she knew he couldn't stay young forever like she could, so she had to settle for waiting for grandkids. And when they came Rainbow strived to be the best grandma, which ended up being easy considering how good she was at being a mom. After that she strived to be the best great grandma, and that's when things started to get awkward. The elder ponies tended to not believe that this young rainbow maned filly was the same Rainbow Dash who came to their town years ago. The younger ponies thought she was one of them even occasionally being hit on by students who thought she went to the other school. In the old folks home no one believed she was the wife of one of the residents, except those who figured she was some kind of gold digger. Rainbow also had to go through her Husband having dementia. One silver lining to this was he sometimes thought he was his younger self back when he and Rainbow were first dating. Rainbow indulged in the fantasy until he passed.
Rainbow wanted to leave, and the excuse to do so came in the form of an escalation in the war. Rainbow went to Canterlot with Twilight and the rest to fight on the front line. When it was over she found out most of her family had moved out into the world, not content with small town living.
Of course Rainbows descendants wouldn't be able to sit still. Satisfied that a bit of herself lived on in them, Rainbow decided to travel the world. She saw all of Equestria. She visited with ponies, griffins, zebras, dragons. She even found her way into the land of the breezies and spent a year amongst them.
When she felt she had seen everything there was too see she went back to Cloudsdale, the last destination on her list. Her intention was to meet somepony new and start again. This time her plan was to marry another celebrity, her reasoning being someone famous wouldn't be enamored by her fame. But Rainbow was surprised to find that she was more than famous in Cloudsdale, in fact she was practically worshiped. Being a Wonderbolt for a century and setting a standard nopony could achieve made Rainbow dash the most important pony in Cloudsdale. Statues of her, constructed of enchanted marble, were erected all over the city.
Rainbow wasn’t a princess, but they sure treated her like one. Ponies would bow in front of her, store owners would thank her profusely for shopping at their store, restaurants would give her VIP tables, if they didn’t just outright clear out the whole place for her. But none of that was as bad as the ponies that seemed to think she was a goddess. They would ask her to watch over them as they tried out for the Wonderbolts, ask for guidance in their careers, and in general ask for blessings.
Rainbow had to get out of there. She went back to Ponyville in search of something familiar, although she dreaded that her fame would be worse in the town she called home for the majority of her normal life. Luckily Twilight and the other heroes of Ponyville kept a down to earth relationship with the townsponies.
Back home Rainbow Dash now spends most of her time playing video games on her computer, beating her own speed runs, making up new goals, and searching for whatever challenge she can in the virtual world.
Applejack was grateful to Twilight for extending her life. She viewed it as an opportunity that would be otherwise impossible, but at the same time she realized her place in the world had long since past. She enjoyed watching the new generations of Apples grow, and loved getting to know each of them, but there was a degree of separation between her and them. None could really fill the holes left by her brother and sister.
Applejack still lived on the farm, but now she had her own small cottage on the property. She used to live in the house, but decided to move out to make room for the new families that would come. She continued to work on the farm as she always had, but in time she began to wonder if that's what she should really do. Sure she had more experience than anypony ever could, but if she had lived out her normal life span the new generations of Apples would take care of the farm just fine without her. So she had to ask herself if her role on the farm was really necessary?
As time went on she found herself growing more distant. Her once cherished family seemed to pass her by as if she was simply a part of the farm, as stable and unchanging as the earth itself. But she didn’t feel stable at all. When the world changes and you stay the same, it’s like being a tumble weed with no wind to carry you.
But despite her growing disconnection, her family revered her. They called her the Ever Apple, she was the oldest, and the wisest. She also personally knew Granny Smith, who had been on the farm since the beginning. Applejack was considered the living history of the entire Ponyville chapter of the Apple family. But it was that position that made her realize she didn’t have a history of her own.
She may have been pivotal in the most significant events in not only Ponyville but also Equestria, but Applejack knew it was really the little things that were truly important. When she looked at the faces of the new generations that would come she would see glimpses of Big Mac and Apple Bloom, but she would never glimpse herself.
Applejack didn’t know why she never had a family of her own, somehow it never occurred to her. She always put her responsibilities first, and her responsibilities never seemed end. Dating and those sorts of things just never got prioritized.
Rarity refused to have children, which Applejack understood. Afterall, she remembered how much it hurt when Big Mac died, and Watching Apple bloom go was even worse. It was so strange when they got older. There were times when AJ mistook Applebloom for granny smith. Memories like that were always bittersweet, but the memories that were never sweet were the funerals. AJ had to watch her brother and sister die, and their children, and their children's children, and so on.
AJ didn't want to say she was numb to it at this point, but truth be told she was. In a way she had begun to view her family the same way she viewed the farm. She watched the new generations grow like the leaves on the apple trees, and likewise, watched them wither and fall. In a way, witnessing the cycle of life in this way gave her a unique sense of peace.
Rainbow Dash on the other hoof did the opposite of Rarity, having two sets of kids. Applejack understood the appeal despite the heartache. When they had lost their parents Applejack had to take up the role of a mother figure for Applebloom, so she had a glimpse of what raising a child could be. As she considered the possibility Applejack began to question whether or not she was really ready for that responsibility. A strange thought considering her abnormal age, She realized when she was made immortal she was frozen at the young age she had been. Maturity didn’t just come from age but ageing. So in losing one, she lost the other.
Or was that just an excuse? after all Rainbow and Rare moved on. What did they have that AJ didn’t? She thought and realized their lives never stayed the same. Applejack had fallen into a routine, and because of it her life had stagnated.
AJ thought back to her childhood when she traveled to Manehattan and discovered who she was meant to be. She realized she needed to take a journey like that again. Entrusting the farm to the current generation of Apples she left and began to travel Equestria.
She traveled by hoof from one coast to the other seeing many sites, including ones she had traveled too in years past. She was amazed at how much things had changed, but even more amazed at the things that didn’t. Eventually she found herself in Canterlot where she visited Princess Celestia and Luna, and requested for them to teach her how to live the life of an immortal. They agreed and during her time in the castle Applejack was reunited with Twilight who had also been studying amongst the Princesses..
Thanks to the help of the Princesses, Including Twilight, Applejack rediscovered herself. For a long time she had viewed herself only as a small part of something larger, just a background figure in other ponies lives, and she had lost her individuality because of it. But now she knew who she was beyond her role as a farmer, beyond her role as the Ever Apple, and beyond her relationships to other ponies.
Satisfied with what she had learned abroad, Applejack returned home. She still felt she should leave the farm and let the new generations carry on, but she also knew that farming was a part of her in the same way sunshine was a part of the apples she farmed. She figured she would always have mixed feelings like that, but she now knew that was a part of life. Regardless if it was immortal or not.
Pinkie Pie continued to work at Sugarcube Corner until the elder Cakes retired and Pound and Pumpkin took over, and Pinkie worked for them until they retired. When it came time for the grandchildren to take over they didn’t feel right being in charge because Pinkie had worked there longer than they'd been alive. It may have been their family's business but Pinkie was the rightful air as far as they were concerned. So Pinkie took over as the grandkids went off to pursue careers in new fields.
Pinkie lived and worked at the bakery, as well as continuing to be the party pony everypony knew. The lives of Pinkies eternal friends had taken them out of Ponyville at one time or another. It was when Pinkie was the only one living there that the Ghastly Mask returned.
When Luna had mysteriously disappeared the magic that bound the mask waned, which enabled it to escape and return to Ponyville. It believed it would be unopposed as the one who defeated it before was now gone.
The town was gripped with fear as the ponies were besieged by nightmarish phantoms and visions of their most terrible fears. The mask believed itself victorious until it realized there was still one pony who wasn't afraid, Pinkie Pie. The Ghastly Mask needed the entire town to be afraid for it’s power to be absolute.The Ghastly Mask confronted Pinkie at her home, but even face to face Pinkie was unafraid.
The Mask focused its anger and set Suger cube corner on fire, but even with her home ablaze Pinkie still wasn't scared. In fact she found the Mask’s outburst amusing. A slight giggle bubbled up in her throat and the body the Mask had manifested faltered almost imperceptibly, but Pinkie did perceive, and in an instant knew the Mask’s weakness. It was the same weakness all fears had, the one her grandmother taught to her long ago. With a big bright smile Pinkie let out a single “HA” and the Mask’s body began to crack revealing white light from within. The body then shattered and the mask fell to the ground where tendrils of black smoke emerged and disappeared into the sky.
When it was all over the only thing left was a flat piece of wood with eye holes cut out. Whatever evil magic that once powered the mask was now gone, taking with it the hideous shape it once had. It was done, the town was saved and the only casualty was The Sugarcube corner.
The citizens wouldn't stand for Pinkie being homeless, so they pulled together and built her a new home. They all worked tirelessly for a week, and what they ended up with was a small palace. It wasn't as big as Twilight’s castle but it was still bigger than any of the homes in Ponyville. Pinkie appreciated her new home, but there was no way she could keep a place so grand to herself. The small palace soon became the place where pinkie held the most important parties. Milestone birthdays, and anniversaries, as well weddings. Rarity herself was remarried there with Twilight performing the ceremony.
Twilight had touched many ponies lives, even before she was an alicorn. One such life was that of Trixie Lulamoon. Like many of Twilight’s would be rivals, Trixie was was shown a better way by Twilight, and in time they had grown fond of each other. Despite their mutual respect Trixie never outgrew her desire to prove herself to be Twilight’s better, a proclamation all the more dubious due to Twilight’s ascension. Even in the face of a perceived impossibility Trixie never faltered in her belief that she could succeed. Twilight found such gumption charming, and indeed over the centuries she looked for that quality in other ponies. Sometimes Twilight thought it was something Trixie taught her to look for, but other times she thought she only looked for it because she missed her.
Trixie was probably the pony who was closest to Twilight that wouldn't live as long as her. It was painful seeing her grow old, and Twilight often wanted to extend her life the same as her other friends, but she knew without an element of harmony that wasn't possible.
Twilight may not have been able to make Trixie live longer but Twilight couldn't do nothing. There was no way to bring Trixie’s youth back, but there was another way, the Mirror that acted as a gateway to the parallel universe of humans. Twilight took her into the otherworld where time worked differently, and Trixie found herself not only transformed to another species, but also once again young. They both traveled within that dimension’s world, visiting the parallel landmarks. After that Twilight introduced her to Sunset Shimmer, a pony who’s story and relationship with Twilight mirrored her own.
The time eventually came for Twilight to head back and she left Trixie behind with the intent to once again cheat death. In this new world there wasn't magic like there was in Equestria, but they still had a kind of magic in illusion stage magic. Trixie studied it and when Twilight would visit she would perform what she had learned.
Trixie’s performances would get more elaborate month after month for an entire year, until finally Trixie put on a full magic show human stile. Twilight was astonished at how much Trixie had learned in the short time she lived there, and at the finally Twilight was baffled by the final trick. She could not comprehend how such a thing could be possible without Equestrian magic. When Twilight told Trixie this, Trixie told her she was ready to go home.
“Why?” Twilight asked. “You could have an entire lifetime here. If you go back, you’ll go back to the age you where.”
Trixie smiled and said “don’t you see, I’ve finally achieved what I’ve always wanted, I’ve surpassed the Great Princess Twilight in magic. Stumping you is an achievement I’ll never surpass. I’m satisfied with my life, and I can go with no regrets.” And with that they both returned to Equestria.
Twilight of course didn’t know but Trixie actually had help with her shows. It was the Trixie from the other world. She instructed Trixie in exchange for her assistance in her own performances. A perfect double who no one knew of was a dream come true for any stage magician. They lived and worked together in the year that the Equestria Trixie had been in the other world. Living with a younger version of herself Trixie had all of her own character flaws displayed to her, especially her narcissism. She learned a lot about herself and how she had grown as a pony thanks to Twilight. She now knew just how insufferable she had been in her youth.
The other Trixie hated the idea of Trixie leaving, in effect losing one of her most valuable assets, but she knew that she had to go in order for the illusion to be complete. If Trixie would stay then Twilight would eventually find out how the trick was done. They were both dedicated enough to the craft to know it had to be done, even if it meant one of them would die.
Of course the Equestrian Trixie had pretty much had enough of herself. Before leaving she asked Sunset Shimmer if she would try and do for this world’s Trixie what Twilight had done for the both of them. Sunset was humbled to be asked to fulfill the role of Twilight, but Trixie was confident that she was capable, after all she knew how good a teacher she had.
Back in Equestria Trixie lived happily until the end of her days. Long ago Twilight had been so terrified of living to see her friends die she cast a life changing spell on them all without any regard for the consequences. When Trixie died she realized that despite her efforts the thing she feared had come anyway. It was painful, but from this loss Twilight learned to accept it and move on. For everything Twilight had taught Trixie, in the end it was Trixie who taught her this final lesson.
