Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, Bearer of the Element of Magic, sat in her carriage as the ponies pulling it slowed to a stop. The coachpony reached out with his magic and opened the carriage door.
“Are you sure about this Princess? There are several nobles you still have to see about that timberwolf problem. Not to mention the paperwork-”
“I’ll be fine, Sterling. I’ve done this every month for the past hundred years, I’m sure those nobles can wait.” Princess Twilight stepped out of the golden carriage that could probably feed the whole of the Crystal Empire with the amount of gold and jewels it was made of. With little hesitation, she pushed passed the gates of Ponyville Graveyard as her assistant Sterling looked on with mild concern.
Twilight continued deeper into the graveyard, until she stopped before seven particular graves. She sighed. Every month, she came here to pay her respects. They say that it gets easier over time, but the lump in Twilight’s throat told her otherwise.
Before proceeding, she lit up her horn and telekinetically took off her golden regalia and horseshoes, placing them into the full saddlebags she had brought along with her. She knew Sterling would scold her later, but Twilight felt like she was… betraying her friends somehow by wearing her royal accessories in their last resting place.
Slowly, she approached the first grave. The words etched into the slab of white marble that was the tombstone read:
Pinkamena “Pinkie” Diane Pie
Bearer of the Element of Laughter
Beloved to anyone who was fortunate
enough to meet her
You could always count on her to
make you smile
May she rest in peace
Above her name was her cutie mark, a trio of balloons that were embedded into the slab of stone.
Twilight reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a large bouquet of pink roses. Pinkie had always loved pink roses. She had always said that they smelled like cotton candy.
Twilight smiled at the memory. Even in death, Pinkie still managed to make her smile.
Twilight went to place the bouquet on the grave, but hesitated when she saw last month’s dead bouquet there. With one swift move, Twilight removed the old bouquet and put the new one in its place.
As Twilight turned to the next tombstone, she was met with Rarity’s grave:
Rarity Belle
Bearer of the Element of Generosity
Beloved sister, wife, mother,
daughter, and friend
Generous to a fault
May she rest in peace
Twilight frowned slightly as she read the second to last line on the tombstone. Then she remembered her last will and testament, where she donated all her wealth to the local orphanage and schoolhouse, leaving her with barely enough for a proper funeral. Luckily, Twilight had a hoof in carving and placing her tombstone, otherwise it might have been an insignificant plain stone slab in the middle of the graveyard. Twilight knew Rarity would never tolerate that.
Out of her saddlebag, Twilight pulled a bouquet of azures, and, taking a moment to gaze at Rarity’s triple-diamond cutie mark on the gravestone, swapped the old bouquet for the new one. Rarity had usually used gems and other precious stones in her creations, but on the rare occasions that did use flowers, she, more often than not, used azures. They brought out her eyes, she’d said.
Turning to the next grave, she was met with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt coming out of a cloud. On the gravestone, it said:
Rainbow Miriam Dash
Bearer of the Element of Loyalty
Beloved by the team, her friends,
and her children and family
You could always count on
her for support
May she rest in peace
Twilight smiled slightly as she pulled out the next bouquet. It was a bunch of lavenders. Rainbow had always expressed a certain dislike for bouquets. She’d always say they were too “girly”, and outright refused to accept any as a gift. When Twilight found a bouquet of lavender in a vase the first time she’d been in her house, she’d questioned Rainbow, asking her why had she refused any other flowers, and yet kept lavender on display in her house?
At that, Rainbow had blushed, and at first refused to answer. But when Twilight refused to give up and grilled her for details, she’d finally relented. They’re just, I don’t know, calming, I guess, she’d said. They sooth me when I go to sleep. And the color’s not as bright and annoying as most flowers. It’s not pink, or red, or yellow, or whatever. It’s just, ya know, lavender.
Eventually, their friends found out, and although they teased Rainbow about it, they never revealed her secret. Just shows how being loyal to your friends can repay you in positive ways.
Repeating the process from the last two graves, Twilight swapped the bouquets and moved on to the next grave. This one had three red apples at the top, and underneath it said:
Jacqueline “Applejack” Apple
Bearer of the Element of Honesty
Beloved by all, but most of
all by her impossibly large family
and her friends
Her truth-speaking inspired many young
creatures to be more honest with
their friends and family
May she rest in peace
Twilight pulled out a bouquet of, unsurprisingly, apple blossoms. Besides being extremely honest, Applejack was also very stubborn and predictable. Twilight smiled as she remembered that one time when Applejack’s stubbornness caused her to overwork herself when her brother was hurt and unable to collect the apple harvest of that year.
The next grave had three small pink butterflies at the top, and underneath were carved the words:
Fluttershy Breeze
Bearer of the Element of Kindness
Beloved to her family, friends,
and her animals
Could tame even the wildest
beast with her kindness
May she rest in peace
Twilight reached into her bags and brought out a bouquet of posies. In a way, they reminded her of Fluttershy. Small and fragile, but could grow beautiful and strong with a little love and care.
The second to last grave had a falling star at the top. Under it was:
Starlight “Glim Glam” Glimmer
Strongest unicorn mage Equestria
had ever known
Beloved by all the friends she’d
made as a friendship student
May she rest in peace
Twilight’s eyes shown with unshed tears. Starlight had been her first and only friendship student. She had progressed in both magic and friendship to levels not even known to Twilight. She was surprised that Princess Celestia hadn’t made her an alicorn for her achievements.
A bundle of lilacs was placed on Starlight’s grave, and Twilight moved on to the next, and last, grave. When she saw the name engraved, she almost lost broke down into tears:
Spike the Brave and Glorious
Savior of the Crystal Empire
Beloved brother, friend, and
number one assistant
May he rest in peace
Twilight brought a hoof up to her muzzle to muffle the choked sob that had escaped from it. Slowly, she reached into her bag with a wing, not bothering to even light her horn, and brought out a large red jewel in the shape of a heart. She stared at her reflection in the gem as tears escaped her eyes. Fire rubies were becoming harder to come by these days. She’d only gotten this one two minutes before heading off to the graveyard. She’d almost thought she wouldn’t be able to give Spike his offering this time.
The grave was oversized, to accommodate a large dragon-sized coffin, even though there was no body to put into the coffin. Twilight remembered when she’d received the news: the ship he’d boarded hadn’t even reached the other side of the ocean. There had been a huge storm. Two survivors. Neither of them Spike.
He’d been so happy to go on that journey across the sea. He was so excited to discover new lands, new peoples, new customs. He was going to be the first person to step onto a new land. He hadn’t even stepped off the ship.
She could remember the numbness she’d felt. She didn’t even cry. She couldn't cry. It was like she’d been paralyzed. She couldn’t even process what was happening. He was her best friend, her brother, her son. Her number one assistant. And he was gone.
Twilight’s tears flowed freely now as she placed the fire ruby on his grave, and took the old, cracked one, and put it into her saddlebag. Pony teeth weren’t hard enough to crush gems like dragons did, so one time, she had asked Spike what gems tasted like. He’d given her intricate descriptions of each one. Diamonds were cold and surprisingly brittle, like ice, and they had little flavor. Quartz was bland, and had no flavor at all. Emeralds were sour, and tasted a bit like green apples. Sapphires were more enjoyable, sweet like lollipops and satisfyingly crunchy. But fire rubies… they were just the right amount of sweet and spicy, and created a soothing effect in the back of your throat. They were a bit like cough drops, but so much more delicious and sweet. They also enhanced a dragon’s fire-breathing ability, so Twilight could see why a dragon would like them. Fire rubies were by far Spike’s favorite, and ever since his untimely death, Twilight would place one on his grave. Wherever he was, she hoped he was happy.
After several minutes of trying to make herself look presentable again, Twilight slowly walked out of the graveyard, seemly not in a hurry. She pulled out her regalia, reluctant to put it back on. She glanced at the wings on her back and the horn on her head, marking her as a royal, and as an immortal. Sighing, she put on her necklace, her horseshoes, and her golden crown, and trotted towards the waiting carriage.
“Are you alright, your Highness?” Sterling asked, concern evident. The grey unicorn looked like she wanted to confort Twilight, but wasn’t sure how.
Twilight smiled. “I’m alright, Sterling,” she said. “I’m alright.”
The end.
