Friends Foreverby RyvakenChaptersMagicHonestyGenerosityLaughterLoyaltyHarmonyKindnessMagicTwilight hung another chart on the wall. "And this is the magotype of a typical earth pony. Note the wide variance in the natural sympathetics." "The wide what in the natural where?" Applejack asked. Rainbow snored loudly in agreement. Twilight twitched and looked behind her. Pinkie was passed out, a cupcake half in her mouth to muffle her own snores. Rarity had a polite smile below glazed eyes partly hidden behind halfmoon glasses, and was probably asleep, too. Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen, which probably meant she had ducked behind the sofa. Twilight sighed. She'd dragged her five closest friends into her castle specifically to tell them about her research. "Come on, girls," she complained. She grabbed them each with her field and shook them awake. "This is important!" Rainbow cracked a huge yawn. "Come on, Twilight, you've been going on about our magical typing thingies for hours!" "It's barely been five minutes," Twilight retorted. "Actually, it's been half an hour," Fluttershy whispered. Nopony heard her. "Yeah right," Rainbow snorted. "At least I don't have to book extra nap time." "Rrrrrgh," Twilight grit her teeth. "Fine. You want the short version?" Her horn lit up and three charts went up on the wall, the others crashing down. "These are the six of us, as of last week. See anything?" "Lots of squiggly lines?" Pinkie asked. "Evidence of overwork?" Rarity tried. "Stuff I can't begin ta figure out," Applejack admitted. "They all have a spike well below the threshold of voluntary magical energy, suggesting a self-generating energy beyond our ability to control or direct," Fluttershy whispered. Twilight stared at Fluttershy, as did everypony else. "Did you actually listen to Twilight?" Rainbow asked incredulously. Fluttershy eeped. "That's exactly correct," Twilight said numbly. She shook her head rapidly and turned back to the graphs. "That spike first showed up...well I don't have magigraphs for you before we met, but mine first appeared when we faced Nightmare Moon and used the Elements the first time. They got stronger when we faced Discord, then mine shot up when I became an alicorn. Then you all matched me at the exact same level after Tirek." Applejack frowned and asked, "Is this something from Tirek sucking out our magic?" Twilight waved a hoof at her other charts. "I've plenty of evidence that it's only the five of you." Rarity frowned. "Darling, my magic hasn't been any more powerful than it used to be," she protested. "The spike isn't in the range for magic you can control voluntarily," Twilight said. "It's also very narrow. This kind of reading specifies a single magical construct or effect outside of your control." "And this is something you got when you became a princess?" Rainbow asked. "Do you know what it is?" Twilight looked away and did not answer for several seconds. "Yes. I do. It took a few experiments on myself...Celestia...Luna...Cadence...Spike..." "Spike?" Rainbow asked. "He has a lesser effect. It, it relates to lifespan." Twilight looked at her friends. Dawning realization, confusion, a hint of denial. She could read their expressions so clearly already. How well would she read them after a thousand years of practice? "Girls, you're immortal. All of you." One was Magic, learned and wise. Touched by forces she did not know, she was unafraid and challenged ignorance with knowledge. HonestyApplejack walked back to her farm slowly. Immortal. She was immortal. She was going to live forever. Most of the trees planted by Granny Smith were still producing. She herself had grafted a new sapling in the east orchard just yesterday. Love, care, a touch of magic, it could live for centuries. And she'd live to see every last one uprooted. The one constant in her life, the things that would last beyond Applebloom's grandkids, and she'd see the end of them all. How the hay do you react to that? Well, honestly. It was the only way she knew how to react. She didn't mind much outliving family. Granny Smith had a good run, but raising a bunch of foals by her lonesome, working hard on a farm, she'd made sure Big Mac and Applejack understood that she wouldn't be around forever. Applebloom was still a work in progress, by the time she was old enough for that kind of talk it was clear that the farm was in good hooves and Granny had been able to take it easy. Friends were trickier. She snorted. "Now you know better than to lie to yerself," she said. Friends were easy. She only had five what would break her heart to lose, and they were all in the same boat anyhow. A hundred years from now, she'd still be chasing that prismatic varmint from her barn, screaming that her farm was not a hotel. A smile graced her muzzle at the thought. Last time, it hadn't been her what had chased RD out. Big Mac sure could yell when he wanted to. Applejack wondered who would be on the farm in a hundred years. Big Mac's grandkids? Applebloom's? What would they think of their immortal aunt? Still going strong and bucking as hard as ever. Would they be intimidated? Would they have some confounded machine doing the hard work for 'em? Would she even matter anymore? Would her own grandkids be part of the scene? Applejack closed the gate to her farm behind her. Her farm. It was in her name, ever since she'd come of age. She always knew she'd pass it on. Guess there wasn't a need to, now. Any foal she had wouldn't have an inheritance to get him started in the world. Should she live...without? A dead branch on the family tree? A living dead branch? Would she even be an Apple after the generations passed her by? "Hey." Applejack pulled her brain from her thoughts and actually looked in front of her. "Hey, Big Mac," she said tiredly. "Twilight dropped a doozy on us." Big Mac looked his sister over. "Eeyup." Applejack smiled a little. She'd never been good at hiding her mood. "I reckon half the town knows I've had somet'in big on mah mind by now." "Eeyup." "You gonna ask me?" "Nope." "Even though it's about family?" "Nope." Big Mac slowly turned his head to look at the orchard. Applejack followed. The fruit was hanging pretty heavily. "Applebucking day tomorrow." "Eeyup." "You up for it?" Big Mac stared at her for a long moment. "Yup." Applejack blushed. "I'll be fine, ya big lug. One tree at a time, right?" Big Mac was silent for a long moment, then smiled broadly. "Eeeeeeyup." Applejack watched Big Mac wander off. One tree at a time, huh? She could live with that. One was Honesty, simple and strong. Time and space spun around her and she was unmoved, a rock no storm could unrest. GenerosityRarity closed the door to her boutique. Eternity stretched before her. It was thrilling to look upon. Trends could change season to season, but true fashion was generational. She would be able to experience the refinement of her craft, see the classical fashions make way for new, incredible designs. Rarity hesitated, looking at a ponyquin in an old-fashioned three piece suit. The design was already archaic, uncomfortable and stuffy, even through it was highly refined. Its presence in her shop was a statement of her technical ability, but she kept it far from the newer styles. It would be death to her profession to be seen as old, out of date, or obsolete. "Oh no," she whispered. She summoned her fainting couch and collapsed upon it. There was a reason nopony interviewed Luna about modern fashions, after the temporally displaced princess had condemned a major designer as an affront to all decency. Canterlot gossip said that Celestia had spent several hours discussing the evolution of saddle design with her younger sister, particularly on their use by mares other than common harlots and whores. Rarity sat bolt upright. "I'll be a designer for whores!" she wailed. She looked around at modern fashions, fashions which were bold, daring, politely suggestive. How would they be received by ponies in the future? Yes, it was a thought most designers of any lasting work would have but they didn't have to worry about living through it! Tea. She needed tea. Tea and a trip to the spa. Aloe and Lotus always knew how to work out her "Princesses above I relax by the attentions of two unmarried mares!" she shrieked. Her hooves clutched her head and she tried to find a way out. Finally she elected to run into her room and hide under her bed until the eyes stopped watching her. "...when did I turn into Fluttershy?" she asked, dismissing that plan quickly. "Now breathe, darling. It's not like you don't do that sort of thing already." One room of Carousel Boutique was called the Black Room, and it was one of the few places in Ponyville the Crusaders had yet to investigate. Rarity had been clear to Sweetie Belle that she would not want a cutie mark inspired by that room, but one sews what one musts if one wishes to stay in business. That was a good point, actually. She would always find a market for her hoofwork. Nopony would have her experience with old styles, and she was long accustomed to keeping up with changing fashion already. Her name would become old and respected, and she could charge a premium just to attach her name to the simplest of dresses. "No." Rarity scowled at her own thoughts. Hers was a labor of love, her pay was the happiness in a customer's eyes. It was why she didn't maintain a staff or sell her designs to other houses. Her work was hers, a quality she could take pride in from start to finish. That was what it meant to own a Rarity. Quality, hoof-picked material and quality hornwork at a reasonable price. No matter what the future held, she would never sacrifice those principles. They would see her through anything. "Come," she challenged the world. "Bring your storms and scandals, your follies and triumphs! Come, foal or nag, stallion or mare, sea serpent or changeling! Rarity is ready!" One was Generosity, fickle and dramatic. She challenged panic with opportunity and turned all her works to face the world, a shield for her heart and a sword for her passions. LaughterPinkie pronked into Sugarcube Corner. "Hey Mrs. Cake!" she called cheerfully. Mrs. Cake smiled at Pinkie. "Hello, dear. Glad to see you back from the castle." Usually when the Princess called her friends together something exploded. Sometimes it was a good explosion, but her heart was glad the castle was further than the old library had been. "How's the Princess?" "You mean Twilight?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head in confusion. The older baker chuckled at her own slip. Pinkie never let a friend call Princess Twilight by her title. "Yes, sorry. Did she need you for anything important?" Pinkie tapped a hoof to her chin and shrugged. "Nah, not really. She just needed to tell me that I have a lot more parties to plan than I could have ever hoped." One was Laughter, silly and carefree. She bounced towards the future on an unstoppable wave of optimism. Princesses have mercy on anypony in her way. Author's Note Like there was anything else Pinkie would take away from that revelation. LoyaltyRainbow pulled out of a loop and went into a spin. She aimed for the sky and pushed the air like she intended to fly forever. And she could! How cool was that? Rainbow thought it over. She was pretty darn awesome already, but with immortality in front of her, she could become, like, infinitely radical. That was amazingly awesome. Heck, she might have to recalibrate her coolness meter just to properly track herself. Awesome. Rainbow didn't see any clouds above her and decided to let gravity indulge itself for a bit. Freefall had a calmness to it few non-pegasi could appreciate. There was never any pressure to perform when plummeting to the ground. Her eyes closed and body relaxed, Rainbow considered just what eternity was. It didn't really matter to her, what mattered was after the next five to ten years. That was when she had pegged her retirement. Rainbow hadn't needed to study history to know that a lot of the names she grew up hearing weren't Wonderbolts anymore. And she knew why, intimately. Like her, their bodies were finely tuned, high performance machines. They ran hard and strong and wore out. But unlike a train or whatever, it was a lot harder to replace parts on a pegasus. Rainbow had been looking at peaking at a young age, followed by a lifetime of muscle aches, soreness, fatigue, probably depression and an early grave. That was the price of being as awesome as she wanted to be. Live fast, die young. Not anymore! Rainbow Dash had a princess-approved get out of old age free card, and not the kind that involved a crash and burn performance! She'd hit her prime and would stay there for...well forever! No early retirement, no decaying husk of a pegasus, no need to stop! Well, she had to stop right now before she hit the ground. Rainbow opened her wings and angled into a cloud. She felt her muscles strain against gravity and imagined the outrage of the ground, denied its prize. She hit the cloud at a shallow angle and dug a trench into it. It tickled and she laughed, so she stuck a hoof out to one side. The extra drag put her into a spin. It didn't have anything on the dizitron, but it was still fun. She rode the high, giggling until she came to a stop, her mane mussed and body sweaty, barrel heaving as she gulped down air. The cloud was cool on her hot skin and everything was right with the world. And why wouldn't it be? No retirement meant she could keep improving. There was no way she'd be able to improve the Rainboom in under a decade, not enough to matter, so she'd figured she'd peaked already. But more time just meant she could someday make it more awesome! Given enough time, she'd be so awesome nopony could come close to Wait. Wait wait wait. She would keep getting more awesome. That was a given. So, someday, she'd be made Captain of the Wonderbolts. Even if they didn't, she'd be so much more experienced than the Captain that...it just wouldn't work. Wouldn't make sense. And once she was Captain, she'd be setting a mark too high for anypony. There'd never ever be another filly to get inspired by an airshow and think "some day, that'll be me up there." Because anyday, it would be Rainbow Dash, the eternal Captain of the Wonderbolts. She'd crush the dreams of countless foals before they'd even be born. She'd be too awesome. That wasn't cool. That wasn't cool at all. Rainbow stared at the sky and let her tears fall. There was only one way out of it. Just one. Rainbow Dash could never be a Wonderbolt. From now till the end of time. One was Loyalty, fearless and true. When eternity offered dreams without end, she answered with duty and stayed with her friends. HarmonyOne by one, six in all, they answered life with who they were. One by one, they resolved to face the challenge and experience the wonder. One by one they are Magic, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Loyalty. One by one they are knowledge, stability, dignity, hope, joy, and duty. Together they are Harmony. Together, they are friends. Eternity doesn't stand a chance. Author's Note I made this little story basically to voice my headcanon. It's relevant to a number of story ideas I've had and discarded, and others I'm actually writing. Even so, there was never a good place in those plots to directly address the matter. There's not much of a story here, but I wanted to get it down anyway. KindnessFluttershy slunk back to her cottage. Immortal? Her? She didn't feel immortal. What did immortality feel like? Scary, she'd bet, but then lots of things were scary. Most things. All things. Fluttershy hopped onto her favorite couch and settled down to her barrel. She dropped her head to the cushion and leaned against the padded side. She liked the couch. It made her feel secure. It was old and had a lot of repair work, though. All of the cushions had been replaced after one critter or another had destroyed them. Fluttershy cracked an eye open and looked at a list she had hanging from a nail right where she could look at it from this position. It was her appointments for the week. Rainbow wanted her to look at Tank tomorrow for a regular checkup, nothing before then. She turned her head and took in the animals that shared her home. Most of them, she knew, would die before her. They were older or lived faster. She'd already put too many to rest. But now she was going to see them all grow old and die around her. She didn't like that idea. Because when they did, all she'd have left would be her friends. Everything else would be dead. Maybe she did feel immortal, because she was really scared. Someday her friends would leave her behind. Someday they'd realize she was just holding them back, like she held back everypony. And when they did, she'd have nothing. She'd be alone, forever. Angel Bunny hopped up next to her, and Fluttershy stared at the little rabbit. Average lifespan, ten years if cared for. Angel was five years old already. Strange that she'd never considered that before. Andel punched her in the face with a soft paw. "Ow," Fluttershy whispered, which was already an overreaction. "What's wrong, Angel?" Angel thumped hs foot on the couch and gestured to another rabbit. A doe, Fluttershy saw, one she wasn't familiar with. A very pregnant doe. "Oh, are they yours?" Fluttershy asked. Angel straightened up and strutted proudly. "Oh how wonderful," Fluttershy said. "I'm sure you'll be a great father." She favored the rabbit with a smile. Angel hopped away. Fluttershy watched him leave and glanced at the doe. She'd give birth by the end of the week, probably. Six or seven kits. Maybe two would reach maturity. Angel would mate her again once they had. Then the kits would be Fluttershy's to care for, just like all the other animals around her cottage. Fluttershy blinked rapidly. They would be hers to care for. And then their children, and theirs. She couldn't possibly care for them all, they were rabbits after all, but...but she'd never be alone. Unless she pushed them away. Unless she screwed up. Well. Best make sure not to do that. Her friends would help her if she stumbled, after all. One was Kindness. With everything she lost, she would gain two more, and eternity could never touch her.
MagicTwilight hung another chart on the wall. "And this is the magotype of a typical earth pony. Note the wide variance in the natural sympathetics." "The wide what in the natural where?" Applejack asked. Rainbow snored loudly in agreement. Twilight twitched and looked behind her. Pinkie was passed out, a cupcake half in her mouth to muffle her own snores. Rarity had a polite smile below glazed eyes partly hidden behind halfmoon glasses, and was probably asleep, too. Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen, which probably meant she had ducked behind the sofa. Twilight sighed. She'd dragged her five closest friends into her castle specifically to tell them about her research. "Come on, girls," she complained. She grabbed them each with her field and shook them awake. "This is important!" Rainbow cracked a huge yawn. "Come on, Twilight, you've been going on about our magical typing thingies for hours!" "It's barely been five minutes," Twilight retorted. "Actually, it's been half an hour," Fluttershy whispered. Nopony heard her. "Yeah right," Rainbow snorted. "At least I don't have to book extra nap time." "Rrrrrgh," Twilight grit her teeth. "Fine. You want the short version?" Her horn lit up and three charts went up on the wall, the others crashing down. "These are the six of us, as of last week. See anything?" "Lots of squiggly lines?" Pinkie asked. "Evidence of overwork?" Rarity tried. "Stuff I can't begin ta figure out," Applejack admitted. "They all have a spike well below the threshold of voluntary magical energy, suggesting a self-generating energy beyond our ability to control or direct," Fluttershy whispered. Twilight stared at Fluttershy, as did everypony else. "Did you actually listen to Twilight?" Rainbow asked incredulously. Fluttershy eeped. "That's exactly correct," Twilight said numbly. She shook her head rapidly and turned back to the graphs. "That spike first showed up...well I don't have magigraphs for you before we met, but mine first appeared when we faced Nightmare Moon and used the Elements the first time. They got stronger when we faced Discord, then mine shot up when I became an alicorn. Then you all matched me at the exact same level after Tirek." Applejack frowned and asked, "Is this something from Tirek sucking out our magic?" Twilight waved a hoof at her other charts. "I've plenty of evidence that it's only the five of you." Rarity frowned. "Darling, my magic hasn't been any more powerful than it used to be," she protested. "The spike isn't in the range for magic you can control voluntarily," Twilight said. "It's also very narrow. This kind of reading specifies a single magical construct or effect outside of your control." "And this is something you got when you became a princess?" Rainbow asked. "Do you know what it is?" Twilight looked away and did not answer for several seconds. "Yes. I do. It took a few experiments on myself...Celestia...Luna...Cadence...Spike..." "Spike?" Rainbow asked. "He has a lesser effect. It, it relates to lifespan." Twilight looked at her friends. Dawning realization, confusion, a hint of denial. She could read their expressions so clearly already. How well would she read them after a thousand years of practice? "Girls, you're immortal. All of you." One was Magic, learned and wise. Touched by forces she did not know, she was unafraid and challenged ignorance with knowledge.
HonestyApplejack walked back to her farm slowly. Immortal. She was immortal. She was going to live forever. Most of the trees planted by Granny Smith were still producing. She herself had grafted a new sapling in the east orchard just yesterday. Love, care, a touch of magic, it could live for centuries. And she'd live to see every last one uprooted. The one constant in her life, the things that would last beyond Applebloom's grandkids, and she'd see the end of them all. How the hay do you react to that? Well, honestly. It was the only way she knew how to react. She didn't mind much outliving family. Granny Smith had a good run, but raising a bunch of foals by her lonesome, working hard on a farm, she'd made sure Big Mac and Applejack understood that she wouldn't be around forever. Applebloom was still a work in progress, by the time she was old enough for that kind of talk it was clear that the farm was in good hooves and Granny had been able to take it easy. Friends were trickier. She snorted. "Now you know better than to lie to yerself," she said. Friends were easy. She only had five what would break her heart to lose, and they were all in the same boat anyhow. A hundred years from now, she'd still be chasing that prismatic varmint from her barn, screaming that her farm was not a hotel. A smile graced her muzzle at the thought. Last time, it hadn't been her what had chased RD out. Big Mac sure could yell when he wanted to. Applejack wondered who would be on the farm in a hundred years. Big Mac's grandkids? Applebloom's? What would they think of their immortal aunt? Still going strong and bucking as hard as ever. Would they be intimidated? Would they have some confounded machine doing the hard work for 'em? Would she even matter anymore? Would her own grandkids be part of the scene? Applejack closed the gate to her farm behind her. Her farm. It was in her name, ever since she'd come of age. She always knew she'd pass it on. Guess there wasn't a need to, now. Any foal she had wouldn't have an inheritance to get him started in the world. Should she live...without? A dead branch on the family tree? A living dead branch? Would she even be an Apple after the generations passed her by? "Hey." Applejack pulled her brain from her thoughts and actually looked in front of her. "Hey, Big Mac," she said tiredly. "Twilight dropped a doozy on us." Big Mac looked his sister over. "Eeyup." Applejack smiled a little. She'd never been good at hiding her mood. "I reckon half the town knows I've had somet'in big on mah mind by now." "Eeyup." "You gonna ask me?" "Nope." "Even though it's about family?" "Nope." Big Mac slowly turned his head to look at the orchard. Applejack followed. The fruit was hanging pretty heavily. "Applebucking day tomorrow." "Eeyup." "You up for it?" Big Mac stared at her for a long moment. "Yup." Applejack blushed. "I'll be fine, ya big lug. One tree at a time, right?" Big Mac was silent for a long moment, then smiled broadly. "Eeeeeeyup." Applejack watched Big Mac wander off. One tree at a time, huh? She could live with that. One was Honesty, simple and strong. Time and space spun around her and she was unmoved, a rock no storm could unrest.
GenerosityRarity closed the door to her boutique. Eternity stretched before her. It was thrilling to look upon. Trends could change season to season, but true fashion was generational. She would be able to experience the refinement of her craft, see the classical fashions make way for new, incredible designs. Rarity hesitated, looking at a ponyquin in an old-fashioned three piece suit. The design was already archaic, uncomfortable and stuffy, even through it was highly refined. Its presence in her shop was a statement of her technical ability, but she kept it far from the newer styles. It would be death to her profession to be seen as old, out of date, or obsolete. "Oh no," she whispered. She summoned her fainting couch and collapsed upon it. There was a reason nopony interviewed Luna about modern fashions, after the temporally displaced princess had condemned a major designer as an affront to all decency. Canterlot gossip said that Celestia had spent several hours discussing the evolution of saddle design with her younger sister, particularly on their use by mares other than common harlots and whores. Rarity sat bolt upright. "I'll be a designer for whores!" she wailed. She looked around at modern fashions, fashions which were bold, daring, politely suggestive. How would they be received by ponies in the future? Yes, it was a thought most designers of any lasting work would have but they didn't have to worry about living through it! Tea. She needed tea. Tea and a trip to the spa. Aloe and Lotus always knew how to work out her "Princesses above I relax by the attentions of two unmarried mares!" she shrieked. Her hooves clutched her head and she tried to find a way out. Finally she elected to run into her room and hide under her bed until the eyes stopped watching her. "...when did I turn into Fluttershy?" she asked, dismissing that plan quickly. "Now breathe, darling. It's not like you don't do that sort of thing already." One room of Carousel Boutique was called the Black Room, and it was one of the few places in Ponyville the Crusaders had yet to investigate. Rarity had been clear to Sweetie Belle that she would not want a cutie mark inspired by that room, but one sews what one musts if one wishes to stay in business. That was a good point, actually. She would always find a market for her hoofwork. Nopony would have her experience with old styles, and she was long accustomed to keeping up with changing fashion already. Her name would become old and respected, and she could charge a premium just to attach her name to the simplest of dresses. "No." Rarity scowled at her own thoughts. Hers was a labor of love, her pay was the happiness in a customer's eyes. It was why she didn't maintain a staff or sell her designs to other houses. Her work was hers, a quality she could take pride in from start to finish. That was what it meant to own a Rarity. Quality, hoof-picked material and quality hornwork at a reasonable price. No matter what the future held, she would never sacrifice those principles. They would see her through anything. "Come," she challenged the world. "Bring your storms and scandals, your follies and triumphs! Come, foal or nag, stallion or mare, sea serpent or changeling! Rarity is ready!" One was Generosity, fickle and dramatic. She challenged panic with opportunity and turned all her works to face the world, a shield for her heart and a sword for her passions.
LaughterPinkie pronked into Sugarcube Corner. "Hey Mrs. Cake!" she called cheerfully. Mrs. Cake smiled at Pinkie. "Hello, dear. Glad to see you back from the castle." Usually when the Princess called her friends together something exploded. Sometimes it was a good explosion, but her heart was glad the castle was further than the old library had been. "How's the Princess?" "You mean Twilight?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head in confusion. The older baker chuckled at her own slip. Pinkie never let a friend call Princess Twilight by her title. "Yes, sorry. Did she need you for anything important?" Pinkie tapped a hoof to her chin and shrugged. "Nah, not really. She just needed to tell me that I have a lot more parties to plan than I could have ever hoped." One was Laughter, silly and carefree. She bounced towards the future on an unstoppable wave of optimism. Princesses have mercy on anypony in her way. Author's Note Like there was anything else Pinkie would take away from that revelation.
LoyaltyRainbow pulled out of a loop and went into a spin. She aimed for the sky and pushed the air like she intended to fly forever. And she could! How cool was that? Rainbow thought it over. She was pretty darn awesome already, but with immortality in front of her, she could become, like, infinitely radical. That was amazingly awesome. Heck, she might have to recalibrate her coolness meter just to properly track herself. Awesome. Rainbow didn't see any clouds above her and decided to let gravity indulge itself for a bit. Freefall had a calmness to it few non-pegasi could appreciate. There was never any pressure to perform when plummeting to the ground. Her eyes closed and body relaxed, Rainbow considered just what eternity was. It didn't really matter to her, what mattered was after the next five to ten years. That was when she had pegged her retirement. Rainbow hadn't needed to study history to know that a lot of the names she grew up hearing weren't Wonderbolts anymore. And she knew why, intimately. Like her, their bodies were finely tuned, high performance machines. They ran hard and strong and wore out. But unlike a train or whatever, it was a lot harder to replace parts on a pegasus. Rainbow had been looking at peaking at a young age, followed by a lifetime of muscle aches, soreness, fatigue, probably depression and an early grave. That was the price of being as awesome as she wanted to be. Live fast, die young. Not anymore! Rainbow Dash had a princess-approved get out of old age free card, and not the kind that involved a crash and burn performance! She'd hit her prime and would stay there for...well forever! No early retirement, no decaying husk of a pegasus, no need to stop! Well, she had to stop right now before she hit the ground. Rainbow opened her wings and angled into a cloud. She felt her muscles strain against gravity and imagined the outrage of the ground, denied its prize. She hit the cloud at a shallow angle and dug a trench into it. It tickled and she laughed, so she stuck a hoof out to one side. The extra drag put her into a spin. It didn't have anything on the dizitron, but it was still fun. She rode the high, giggling until she came to a stop, her mane mussed and body sweaty, barrel heaving as she gulped down air. The cloud was cool on her hot skin and everything was right with the world. And why wouldn't it be? No retirement meant she could keep improving. There was no way she'd be able to improve the Rainboom in under a decade, not enough to matter, so she'd figured she'd peaked already. But more time just meant she could someday make it more awesome! Given enough time, she'd be so awesome nopony could come close to Wait. Wait wait wait. She would keep getting more awesome. That was a given. So, someday, she'd be made Captain of the Wonderbolts. Even if they didn't, she'd be so much more experienced than the Captain that...it just wouldn't work. Wouldn't make sense. And once she was Captain, she'd be setting a mark too high for anypony. There'd never ever be another filly to get inspired by an airshow and think "some day, that'll be me up there." Because anyday, it would be Rainbow Dash, the eternal Captain of the Wonderbolts. She'd crush the dreams of countless foals before they'd even be born. She'd be too awesome. That wasn't cool. That wasn't cool at all. Rainbow stared at the sky and let her tears fall. There was only one way out of it. Just one. Rainbow Dash could never be a Wonderbolt. From now till the end of time. One was Loyalty, fearless and true. When eternity offered dreams without end, she answered with duty and stayed with her friends.
HarmonyOne by one, six in all, they answered life with who they were. One by one, they resolved to face the challenge and experience the wonder. One by one they are Magic, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Loyalty. One by one they are knowledge, stability, dignity, hope, joy, and duty. Together they are Harmony. Together, they are friends. Eternity doesn't stand a chance. Author's Note I made this little story basically to voice my headcanon. It's relevant to a number of story ideas I've had and discarded, and others I'm actually writing. Even so, there was never a good place in those plots to directly address the matter. There's not much of a story here, but I wanted to get it down anyway.
KindnessFluttershy slunk back to her cottage. Immortal? Her? She didn't feel immortal. What did immortality feel like? Scary, she'd bet, but then lots of things were scary. Most things. All things. Fluttershy hopped onto her favorite couch and settled down to her barrel. She dropped her head to the cushion and leaned against the padded side. She liked the couch. It made her feel secure. It was old and had a lot of repair work, though. All of the cushions had been replaced after one critter or another had destroyed them. Fluttershy cracked an eye open and looked at a list she had hanging from a nail right where she could look at it from this position. It was her appointments for the week. Rainbow wanted her to look at Tank tomorrow for a regular checkup, nothing before then. She turned her head and took in the animals that shared her home. Most of them, she knew, would die before her. They were older or lived faster. She'd already put too many to rest. But now she was going to see them all grow old and die around her. She didn't like that idea. Because when they did, all she'd have left would be her friends. Everything else would be dead. Maybe she did feel immortal, because she was really scared. Someday her friends would leave her behind. Someday they'd realize she was just holding them back, like she held back everypony. And when they did, she'd have nothing. She'd be alone, forever. Angel Bunny hopped up next to her, and Fluttershy stared at the little rabbit. Average lifespan, ten years if cared for. Angel was five years old already. Strange that she'd never considered that before. Andel punched her in the face with a soft paw. "Ow," Fluttershy whispered, which was already an overreaction. "What's wrong, Angel?" Angel thumped hs foot on the couch and gestured to another rabbit. A doe, Fluttershy saw, one she wasn't familiar with. A very pregnant doe. "Oh, are they yours?" Fluttershy asked. Angel straightened up and strutted proudly. "Oh how wonderful," Fluttershy said. "I'm sure you'll be a great father." She favored the rabbit with a smile. Angel hopped away. Fluttershy watched him leave and glanced at the doe. She'd give birth by the end of the week, probably. Six or seven kits. Maybe two would reach maturity. Angel would mate her again once they had. Then the kits would be Fluttershy's to care for, just like all the other animals around her cottage. Fluttershy blinked rapidly. They would be hers to care for. And then their children, and theirs. She couldn't possibly care for them all, they were rabbits after all, but...but she'd never be alone. Unless she pushed them away. Unless she screwed up. Well. Best make sure not to do that. Her friends would help her if she stumbled, after all. One was Kindness. With everything she lost, she would gain two more, and eternity could never touch her.
