A Moment In Time

by PoisonClaw

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Other
Length: 5544

An unearthed time capsule brings up painful memories for Twilight.

Well before Twilight became a Princess, she tasked the Cutie Mark Crusaders with creating a time capsule, so that one day they could dig it back up and remember the past and see just how much they had changed and grown.

Decades later, the time capsule is finally unearthed, but is Twilight prepared for the memories that come with it?

Edited by the amazing Dusty Old Qrow and RQK

Published 2017-06-08 02:00:05 UTC
Last updated 2017-06-08 02:00:05 UTC

A Moment In Time

“Aunty Twilight! Aunty Twilight!”

The scampering of little hooves echoed against the crystal flooring as a filly happily skipped through the castle, leaving a trail of muddy hoof prints behind her. Not far behind, a squad of guards were in hot pursuit, having failed to wrangle the filly when she’d come barrelling through the front doors.

“Stop!” One of the guards shouted, which fell on deaf ears as they came upon the doors leading into the main conference hall. “You can’t go in there! The Princess is in a meetin—”

“Aunty Twilight!” Skidding to a halt, the filly spun on her hooves and delivered a fierce buck to the double doors, hurling them open with a thunderous crash that shook the castle down to its very foundation and sent more than few teacups in the kitchen crashing to the floor. “Looky what I found!”

A group of eight ponies stared in disbelief at the filly standing triumphantly in the doorway, the majority of whom were dressed in suits and sat in front of stacks of paper. Clearing his throat, a unicorn stallion adjusted his glasses and looked at her down his nose. “What is the meaning of this? We’re quite busy, and have no time for some rude filly who thinks she can just barge in here and—”

“Apple Puree?”

The stallion froze at the sound of a voice from the back of the room and glanced back towards the speaker. “Princess Twilight? You know this filly?”

Princess Twilight Sparkle snickered, holding her hoof to her mouth to try and keep back her laughter. “I do.” Stepping down from her seat, she regarded the little filly, a young earth pony with a magenta coat and yellowish orange mane, though it was hard to tell under the layer of mud caked to her fur. She saw her green eyes light up in response. “She’s my god-daughter, and one in desperate need of a bath it seems.”

The stallion wisely clamped his mouth shut as the Princess walked past him. Her silver shoes clicked ever so slightly against the floor and her mane flowed in an ethereal wind behind her, the pink diamond in the centre of her peytral humming with ambient magic.

“Aunty Twilight!” Apple Puree dashed over to her godmother.

The squad of guards came to a stop in the doorway, more than one of them out of breath and leaning against the doorframe for support.

“Our apologies, Princess,” the lead mare spoke, bowing her head in shame. “We tried to stop her, but she slipped by us.”

Twilight tittered at the sight of the exhausted guards. “I’m not surprised. She gets that from her mother.” Ruffling Puree’s mane, her smile slipped as she looked down sternly at her goddaughter. “Puree, you know you’re not supposed to just barge in here like that.”

“I know…” Puree muttered sadly, seeming to wilt for a moment before perking right back up. “But I have a good reason this time, honest!”

“Oh?” Twilight replied, her curiosity piqued. “And what might that be?”

“Princess,” an earth pony mare spoke up, impatiently tapping against her watch, “With all due respect, we really don’t have time for—”

“This will only take a moment, Cosine.” Leaning down, she smiled down at Apple Puree. “Well?”

“See, mommy and me were diggin’ up some old trees in the orchard, when I found this!” Almost jumping with excitement, Apple Puree reached behind her and revealed the object she had been carrying on her back this whole time: an old metal lunch box, covered in equal parts rust and mud.

Twilight gasped at the sight of the seemingly innocuous box. “That’s…”

“Our old time capsule.”

Twilight turned, seeing a familiar face now standing in the doorway. “Apple Bloom!”

“I hope I’m not interruptin’ none,” Apple Bloom said as she walked into the room, the older mare wearing a pair of saddlebags on her back, along with her trademark pink bow in her mane, a remnant from her childhood. Hanging around her neck was a silver chain, a golden wedding band on the end. “Before I knew it, this little hayseed had taken off faster than a jackrabbit at a carrot harvest!”

“Remind you of anypony?” Twilight smirked as she looked between the two. Like mother, like daughter.

“Princess,” The unicorn stallion spoke up again, “we really should be—“

“Actually…” Twilight cut in, still smirking as she turned around to face them, “I think it’s time we took a break. We’ll reconvene in an hour for review.”

“B-but Princess!” the stallion sputtered, looking utterly flabbergasted, “The budget—”

“Will still be here an hour from now,” Twilight finished, her smile dismissing any further arguments. “Go. Get something to eat and come back refreshed and full of ideas!”

Reluctantly, the group of ponies gathered up their things and shambled out of the conference hall, as did the guards, leaving Twilight, Apple Bloom and Apple Puree alone in the huge room. Barely a moment had passed before Puree began bouncing up and down with giddy excitement. “Come on, open it! Open it! Open it!”

“Settle down, Little Apple!” Apple Bloom giggled at her daughter’s antics. “There’ll be time for that soon enough, however… I think some filly needs a bath first.”

“No! No bath!” Puree took off like a rocket but didn’t get far before she found herself enveloped in a violet glow of magic. She kicked her legs frantically as she hung in mid-air. “Hey, no fair!”

“Sorry, but your mother’s right,” Twilight said as she walked up to the filly and booped her on the nose. “Bath first, box later.”

***

Before long, Twilight, Apple Bloom and a freshly cleaned Apple Puree were resting in Twilight’s study, mother and daughter seated comfortably on one couch while Twilight tended to the fire. Deciding that she had wasted enough time, Twilight returned the fire poker to the rack before walking over and climbing up onto the opposite couch. The time capsule sat on the table between them.

“Never thought I’d see this again,” Twilight remarked as she eyed the time capsule. “Do you remember the day we buried it?”

“How could I forget?” Apple Bloom replied, her mind drifting back to days past. “It was only our third weekly ‘Twilight Time’, and you thought it would make a good lesson for us.”

“Twilight Time?” Apple Puree asked, looking up at her mother for answers. “What’s that?”

“’Twilight Time’,” Apple Bloom explained, “was something me and my friends did when we were barely older than you are now. Once a week, we got to spend time with Twilight and she’d teach us something fun.”

“And keep you three troublemakers from causing any more damage,” Twilight said, earning her a glare from Apple Bloom.

“Hey!” Apple Bloom huffed, “We were not troublemakers!”

“Oh?” Twilight remarked with an almost predatory grin. “Need I remind you of how three little fillies accidentally started the Annual Ponyville Yarn Rolling Relay?”

Apple Bloom opened her mouth as if to retort, but quickly shut it again without a word.

Twilight chuckled at the lack of a reply. “I thought so. Regardless, I enjoyed ‘Twilight Time’ as much as you three, and I was sad when it had to end. I’m happy that all three of you were able to grow up into such respectable mares.”

Returning her attention towards the time capsule, she recalled the day she had tasked the three with creating it. “The reason I had you girls make this was to capture a moment in time, all so you could dig it up again years later and see just how far you’d come. To be honest, I’d completely forgotten about it after all this time.”

“Then what are we waitin’ for?!” Apple Puree pleaded, her childish patient having run out long ago. “I want ta see what’s inside!”

Apple Bloom pulled her daughter close and ruffled her mane. “Alright, settle down.” Looking over at Twilight, she asked, “Would you like to do the honors?”

Twilight hesitated, flicking her tail in indecision. “Are you sure? It was your time capsule; you should be the one who opens it. Hmm, maybe we should wait until all three of you are together. I could send a letter to Scootaloo and—”

“Nope,” Apple Bloom replied, emulating her older brother’s voice as she did. “Ways I sees it, there ain’t a pony more deservin’ of crackin’ this here capsule open than you, Twilight. ‘Side, I don’t think this Little Apple can wait another moment, do you?” Glancing down at Apple Puree, she giggled at the sight of the filly’s puffed up cheeks and enormous, pleading eyes.

Twilight, who had stared down the likes of Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis and even Lord Tirek himself without flinching, was powerless against Puree’s gaze. “Very well, if you insist.” Channelling magic into her horn, Twilight carefully undid the clasps on the front of the capsule, treating it with the same care she would an ancient and priceless artifact unearth from a long forgotten tomb.

With a rusty squeak, the time capsule slowly swung open. Stale air that had been locked away for decades finally escaping back into the world. Twilight gasped, fighting back tears at the sight of the objects contained within. Carefully, she levitated the first object out: a faded red cape, small enough to be worn by a young filly, an emblem showing a happy yellow filly inside a blue shield sewn into the side.

“What’s that, mommy?” Puree asked.

“That’s an official Cutie Mark Crusader’s uniform, dear. You remember I told you about the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’, don’t you?”

“Sure! That was that club you and yer friends made, all so you could find yer cutie marks!” Craning her neck, Apple Puree glanced down at her blank flank, sighing wistfully. “I wish I had my cutie mark…”

“Patience, Puree. Y’all get it in due time,” Apple Bloom said, patting Apple Puree on the back. “Believe me, I know that more than anypony. ‘Sides, have you forgotten that my special talent is helpin’ ponies find their own special talent? With my help, yer sure to find it in no time!” Humming in thought, she grinned as an idea came to her. “Say, how about I make you an official CMC cape of yer very own?”

“Really?!” Jumping up, Apple Puree hugged her mother’s side. “Yer the best mother ever!”

The two mares nickered at the sight, Apple Bloom letting out a sigh as she took in the sight of her old cape for the first time in years. “It might ta taken us a while, but we got our cutie marks together, just like we promised. I can honestly say that day was the third happiest day of my life.”

“Third?” Apple Puree raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What were the other two?”

“Well, the second was yer father and me’s weddin’ day.” Glancing over at Twilight, she added, “Thanks for officiatin’ our weddin’ day, by the way.”

“Oh, you don’t have to thank me, I was happy to do it.” Setting the cape carefully onto the table, Twilight smirked as she met Apple Bloom’s eye. “I bet I know what number one is!”

“And I’m bettin’ yer right, cause…” she scooped up and nuzzled her daughter despite her protests, grinning from ear to ear, “…the happiest day of my life was the day I gave birth to the cutest, most adorable little filly in all of Equestria!”

“MOM!” Puree whined as she tried to wiggle out of her mother’s grip while also hopelessly trying to hide the blush spreading across her face.

Twilight laughed, feeling more relaxed than she had in days, with one meeting after another having taken their toll on the alicorn. After Apple Bloom had set Apple Puree back down (the filly still huffing at the indignance she’d just suffered), Twilight turned her attention back to the time capsule. “Let’s see… Oh! I remember this!”

Held aloft in Twilight’s magic was a golden medal, molded into the shape of a jester’s hat.

Now it was Apple Bloom’s turn to blush, hiding her face in her hooves. “Ooh, why’d you have to go and remind me of that?”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Apple Bloom,” Twilight said as she dangled the medal in the air, knowing full well that it only served as a reminder of Apple Bloom’s past shame. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Yer right… it was worse! A total disaster! I can’t believe we ever thought that was a good idea!”

“What is it?” Apple Puree asked, completely lost as she glanced back and forth between them. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“Nothin’!” Apple Bloom replied, a bit too quickly as she put on an unconvincing smile. “It’s nothin’, let’s just move on to somethin’ else, shall we?”

“Oh, no!” Twilight exclaimed, her smile betraying her amusement. “You’re not getting out of this that easily. You see, Apple Puree—”

“Twilight.” Levelling her best death glare at the alicorn, Apple Bloom tried not to sound like she was begging. “Don’t even think about it!”

“— This is a medal for ‘Best Comedy’ that your mother and her friends won while trying to get their cutie marks—”

“I’m warnin’ you! I don’t care if yer a Princess, I’ll make you regret it!”

“— By entering the school talent show. To this end, they decided to—”

“Give me that!” Like a rocket, Apple Bloom launched herself off the couch, ready to tackle Twilight to the floor and wrestle the medal away from her—

— Only for Twilight to disappear in a pop of magic, leaving Apple Bloom to slam into the back of the couch and send the whole thing toppling back onto the floor with a crash.

In another pop of magic, Twilight reappeared next to Apple Puree, wrapping her wing around the filly without even missing a beat. “As I was saying, they decided the best way to do this was to really put on a show, a rock show to be precise.”

“Really?” Puree gasped, looking over at the toppled over couch. “You were in a rock band, mommy?! That’s so cool!”

A hoof reached up and over the edge of the couch, Apple Bloom surfacing from the other side moments later. “Not really…” she reluctantly admitted, groaning as she rested her head against the edge of the couch in defeat. “I don’t know what you would call it, but it weren’t no rock band, that’s for sure.”

“It certainly was something though,” Twilight remarked, levitating Apple Bloom and the couch in her magic as she flipped the couch right side up again and gently set Apple Bloom back down on the cushion. “The audience seemed to enjoy it at least, judging by all the laughter.”

“We were tryin’ to make them cheer, not laugh.”

Twilight chuckled. “Regardless, you three learned a valuable lesson that day.” I think so at least, she mused as she set the medal next to the cape and returned to looking through the time capsule.

Most of it was honestly unremarkable compared to the last two items, such as a few bottle caps from drinks that had long since been discontinued, Scootaloo’s report card from that year (which Twilight imagined was only included to try and hide it from her parents), a few of Sweetie Belle’s “attempts” at dresses and even a gem or two that Spike had tossed in as well.

Moving aside one of the gems, Twilight noticed something stuck underneath it. Carefully excavating it from the pile with her magic, she pulled free what appeared to be a photograph, one that brought a tear to her eye. Six mares and one baby dragon stood together on the streets of Ponyville, smiling at the camera as they huddled together in a group hug.

“I remember this day… It was the day I first moved to Ponyville.” Sniffling, Twilight used her wing to wipe away a tear at the memories of that day. “To think the day before I couldn’t wait to leave and go back to Canterlot. Back to my old life… without friends.”

“Hey!” Puree exclaimed, leaning closer and pointing at one of the ponies in the photo. “This pony looks just like you, Aunty Twilight!”

Giggling, Twilight bent down and whispered into Puree’s ear, “That’s because it is me, Apple Puree.”

Apple Puree stared up at Twilight with the look of a filly who knew when she was being lied to. “Don’t be silly, Aunty. You’re an alicorn, she’s a unicorn.” Leaning forward, she pointed at the photo to prove her point. “See, no wings!”

“She’s tellin’ the truth, Puree, ” Apple Bloom interjected, smirking at the look of sheer disbelief that passed across her daughter’s face.

“No way!”

“Yes way,” Twilight replied, lightly bopping the filly on the nose. “Believe it or not, I was born a unicorn. I only became an alicorn shortly before I was crowned a princess.”

Staring up at her with eyes full of wonder, Apple Puree asked, “Does that mean I could be a princess, too?”

Having been asked this very question time and time again, Twilight already had an answer ready. “Absolutely. I think you can be anything you set your mind to. If being a princess is really what you want to do, then I just know you’ll make a great princess.”

Apple Puree almost squealed with excitement. “You mean it? Then I’ll be Princess Apple Puree, the Princess of Cookies!”

Apple Bloom and Twilight shared a look, giggling as the excited filly began declaring that “all good colts and fillies would get cookies for dinner instead of icky broccoli.”

Pausing from her “royal duties”, Apple Puree glanced at the photo again, this time noticing something she hadn’t before, squinting closer at one of the mares in the photo. “Aunty, who’s that?”

“Hmm?” Twilight leaned in closer to try and see who Apple Puree was referring to. “Who?”

“That pony.” Puree pointed at the pony standing behind the unicorn Twilight, “The pegasus with the rainbow hair.”

In an instant, all joy seemed to drain from Twilight’s face, her ears drooping against her head and even her flowing mane seemed to slow. When she spoke, her voice sounded almost lifeless. “That’s… that’s Rainbow Dash.”

“Rainbow Dash? She’s the pony Aunty Scootaloo likes to talk about, right? Is she a friend of yers, Aunty?”

Twilight didn’t reply right away, her eyes fixated on the photo still clutched in her magic. “Yes, Puree,” Twilight finally replied, her voice dripping with sorrow. “She was—is— one of my best friends. I couldn’t have asked for a more loyal friend than her.”

Puree’s ears perked up at Twilight’s choice of words. “Was? What happened? Did you two get into a fight? I got into a fight once with Cotton Swirl at school, and she said we weren’t friends anymore, but we made up the next day and became friends again. I’m sure if you apologized, then—“

“It’s not that, Puree,” Twilight cut in, setting the photo down on the table with a sigh. “We’re still friends, it’s just that…” Twilight hesitated, hanging her head as she tried to find the words. ”Rainbow… Rainbow’s gone.”

“Gone? Gone where? Is it far away? Can we visit her sometime? Oh, we could send her a postcard and ask her—“

“Puree, that’s enough.”

Apple Puree froze, her mouth hanging open as she turned to look at her mother, the older mare’s eyes filled with a deep sadness that worried Apple Puree. “Mom?”

Getting up from the couch, Apple Bloom trotted over and climbed up beside her daughter, pulling her up against her side. “What Twilight means is that Rainbow’s gone to the same place as Granny Smith.”

“…Oh…” Puree muttered weakly, hanging her head in shame as her ears drooped. “I’m sorry, Aunty. I… I didn’t—”

“It’s alright, Puree. You couldn’t have known.” Twilight sighed as she leaned back against the couch, staring up at nothing. “It happened a long time ago, before you were born.”

Several long moments passed as the silence filled the room, almost to the point of becoming suffocating. Just as Apple Puree opened her mouth to say something, Twilight sat back up, lighting her horn as she spoke, her voice taking on an almost ethereal quality. “Firelock, could you come to my study, post-haste?”

Within minutes, a unicorn guard appeared in the doorway, her orange coat and twin red mane partially hidden behind her golden armor. “You called, Princess Twilight?”

“Just Twilight is fine, Firelock,” Twilight said with a slight smirk. Glancing at Apple Puree for a second, she turned back to address Firelock. “Could you escort Apple Puree to the kitchens? I think a certain little filly could use some ice cream.”

“Ice cream!?” Leaping up, Apple Puree looked about ready to dash from the room, only to pause and glance back at her “But what about you two? Aren’t you coming?”

“We’ll be along shortly,” Twilight reassured her, “I’d just like to talk with your mother in private for a moment.”

Puree glanced at her mother, still unsure. Apple Bloom smiled and nodded her head. “Go, we’ll be there shortly. You be good for Miss Firelock, promise?”

“I promise, mommy!” Prancing over to Firelock, she saddled up to her side as the two made for the kitchens, the doors to Twilight’s study closing shut behind them with a touch of magic.

Now alone, Twilight climbed down from the couch and walked over to the fire, staring into the flickering flames as she reached for the fire poker once more and began fiddling with the fire.

“You planned all this, didn’t you?” Twilight said without even looking over her shoulder.

“What makes you say that?” Apple Bloom replied, though her tone did more to confirm Twilight’s suspicions than dissuade them.

“It’s almost too perfect. After all this time, you just happen to dig up our old time capsule, and today of all days.”

“Why? What’s so special about today?”

Twilight whipped around, the metal of the fire poker growing hot in her magic as she glared at Apple Bloom with her wings spread wide in anger. “You know perfectly well what today is!” she shouted, slamming her hoof against the floor with enough force to shake the walls and rattle several knickknacks on the shelves.

Apple Bloom didn’t so much as flinch, meeting Twilight’s glare with her own. “Of course I do, but the better question is… do you?”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to be at a loss for words, biting her lip as she turned back around and went back to poking at the fire. With any luck, Apple Bloom would just drop the subject altogether.

Apple Bloom climbed down from the couch and trotted over until she was standing behind Twilight. “Here you are, cooped up inside with borin’ administrators, avoidin’ yer friends and family… and all on Rainbow Dash’s birthday.”

“That’s because—”

“Save it,” Apple Bloom harshly cut her off, scowling at the back of Twilight’s head. “I don’t need to be my sis to know when yer spoutin’ horseapples, so just save me the bullhockey and admit it; yer afraid, Twilight.”

Twilight laughed, though she wasn’t convincing anyone. “Afraid? I’ve fought monsters and demons, what could I possibly be afraid of?”

“Of admitting to yerself that she’s gone, and that she won’t be the only one,” Apple Bloom replied with the kind of brutal honesty the Apples were famous for. “Big Macintosh, Applejack, even me and Apple Puree… one day we’ll all be—”

“Don’t say it!” Whipping around again to face Apple Bloom, Twilight huffed as fire burned in her eyes, the fire poker clattering to the floor as her magic fizzled out. “You can’t possibly know how I feel!”

“Don’t I?” Apple Bloom's voice was laced with barbs as she stared Twilight down. “You were there after Granny passed, so you know very well I know what it feels like to lose somepony you love, to feel yer heart shatterin’ into a million pieces in an instant!”

“It’s not the same!” Twilight shouted back, her fury almost making her reach volumes that would make Princess Luna impressed. “Making friends was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me! I never even considered that—” Now with tears streaming down her face, Twilight turned away and wiped them away with her foreleg. “… That they would all leave me someday…”

“You never considered that you would all pass away at some point?” Shaking her head in pity, Apple Bloom muttered, “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight… for such a smart pony, you can be really stupid sometimes. Even I realized that that’s the curse with making friends, either you live long enough to bury them… or they live long enough to bury you. Even then, do you think you’d have been better off never having met them, Miss Princess of Friendship?”

Twilight was silent, facing the fire once more. No, I wouldn’t give that up for anything in the world. But…

“This is why you weren’t at Rarity’s funeral, isn’t it?”

Twilight gave a choked gasp, her heart skipping a beat as her legs gave out and she dropped down onto her haunches, unable to form any kind of response.

“What did you hope to accomplish?” Apple Bloom muttered, her tone filled with a mix of anger and pity. “When Rainbow died, we were there when you needed us the most. When Granny died, you were there for us in our time of grief. So why, when Sweetie Belle needed you the most, when she refused to leave her room even after she had run out of tears to shed, you abandoned us?”

No response.

Sighing, Apple Bloom turned and trotted over to the door. “It’s gettin’ late, I should take Apple Puree home. See ya, Twilight.”

“Apple Bloom…”

Apple Bloom paused at the door, glancing over her shoulder at the defeated alicorn, her voice betraying her sorrow. “What… what should I do? I don’t know how to make this right…”

“I’m not the pony you should be askin’. She’ll have the answers you need, and I hope you take them to heart, cause I’m not the only pony who can’t stand to watch this eat away at you any longer.” With those parting words, Apple Bloom was gone, leaving Twilight to wallow in her own pity.

***

Twilight hated cemeteries. Seeing countless headstones lined up in rows made her skin crawl. She half-expected the dead to rise from their graves at any moment like something out of a horror movie. Even now that she was a grown mare, that fear still persisted in one way or another.

Despite all that, Twilight pressed on, keeping her eyes forward as to not glance from headstone to headstone. She held a bouquet of blue roses aloft in her magic, the personal favourite of the pony Twilight was here to see. I have to do this; she deserves that much.

It wasn’t hard to spot her destination. Rather than a headstone, a beautifully crafted monument marked the site, a sculpture of a unicorn with a finely curled mane and tail standing proud while dressed in the clothes and jewels of only the finest quality. Chiselled into the base of the monument were the words:

Here Lies Rarity
C.R: 981 – 1045
A Remarkably Generous Soul To The Very End

Twilight gulped, her nerves betraying her now that she was standing before her friend’s grave. Rainbow had been cremated per Pegasus customs, so this was the first time Twilight found herself standing before a grave, trembling at the knowledge that Rarity was buried just beneath her hooves.

Breathe, Twilight, She reassured herself, taking a deep breath before slowly letting it go. You came here for a reason, now’s not the time to run like a scared filly with your tail between your legs.

Willing her legs to move, Twilight stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of the monument, gently setting the bouquet at its base before sitting down on the cool grass, gazing upward at the statue of Rarity standing over her.

“Hey, Rarity. Sorry it took so long for me to visit. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately, none of it good.”

Only silence answered back, just as Twilight had expected.

“Some friend I am, burying myself in my work just so I didn’t have to come to your funeral. Knowing you, I wouldn’t be surprised if you personally designed your own burial dress. I wish I could have seen it, I’m sure you looked fabulous as always.

“After Rainbow… died, I was a real wreck. I sequestered myself in my library, trying everything to distract myself or just make the pain go away. The instant I even considered necromancy as an option, I knew I had gone too far. Even years later, when the day of your funeral came, I couldn’t bring myself to go.

“It’s just… you girls are my best friends. Even when I had friends in Canterlot, you were the first ponies I ever truly built a connection with, the first ponies I could honestly call my friends. I know it doesn’t mean much after all of this, but I’m—”

“You’ve got some nerve coming here!”

With a shriek, Twilight sprang up, spinning around to face whoever had snuck up on her. Her eyes widened as she came face to face with the one pony she had hoped not to run into. “Sw… Sweetie Belle!”

Sweetie Belle had certainly seen better days, that was for sure. She was wearing a ratty sweater with a hood, no doubt to try and hide her face, but with the hood down Twilight could see the full extent of her grief. Her mane looked like it hadn’t been brushed in days, there were enormous bags under her eyes and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. And yet, Sweetie Belle was still capable of glaring at Twilight with utter hate in her eyes.

“So, Princess, looks like you finally found time in your ‘busy schedule’ to visit us commoner ponies!” The fury in Sweetie Belle’s voice was thick enough to cut with a knife, her magic sputtering around the bouquet of blue roses she carried with her.

Twilight just stood there, only able to squeak as she desperately grasped for something to say to try and calm the enraged mare.

“Are you just too good for us, is that it? Now that you’re a princess, you can’t be bothered to come and visit your so called friends?!”

“N…No, that’s not—”

“Then why?!” Sweetie Belle shouted, smacking Twilight in the chest with her bouquet. “We were all there for you when Rainbow died, but when I needed you the most… You. Weren’t. THERE!” Punctuating each word with another smack of her bouquet, fresh tears sprang forth from Sweetie Belle’s eyes as she glared at Twilight, wanting nothing more than for her to disappear from her sight.

Twilight stood still as a statue, staring at the ground as to not meet Sweetie Belle’s eye. It was several long moments before either of them spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

Sweetie Belle looked ready to launch into another tirade, but Twilight cut her off before she could utter a word. “I know it doesn’t make up for how I’ve been acting, or how much of a terrible friend I’ve been, but I just want you to know I am sorry. Both to you… and to Rarity.”

Turning towards the monument, Twilight ran her hoof along the chiselled lettering and sighed. “Apple Bloom was right… I was afraid, afraid of inevitably losing those closest to me, forgetting that I wasn’t the only one affected by their passing. Some Princess of Friendship I am…”

Lowering her hoof, Twilight levitated one of the blue roses from her bouquet and set it upon the pedestal, right at the foot of the statue. “Not anymore. I won’t hide from my friends anymore, and instead I swear to be there for them in both life… and death. It’s the least I can do for them, as a friend.”

Slowly walking away from the grave, she paused as she passed by Sweetie Belle. “I don’t expect you to forgive me right now, maybe not ever, but it was nice seeing you, Sweetie Belle. Goodbye.” With that, Twilight trotted towards the entrance.

“Wa… wait…”

Twilight paused, turning back around. Sweetie Belle still had her back to her, but there was no question who she was speaking to.

“Don’t think this means I forgive you—because I don’t—but could you… stay with me, just for a while? Please?”

The slightest of smiles found its way onto Twilight’s face. Without a word, she walked back over and took a seat next to Sweetie Belle, the mare sitting down beside her as she levitated her bouquet of roses next to Twilight’s.

A slight breeze blew through the cemetery; making Sweetie Belle shiver despite the jacket she was wearing; prompting Twilight to wrap her wing comfortably around her, which Sweetie Belle didn’t push away. Together, the two sat in the shadow of the monument, safe under Rarity’s watchful eye.