The congregation of aliens stood proudly at attention in the park, their tall shapes spreading a mantle of shadows over the area and their antennae creating a beautiful light show as they caught and refracted the sunlight of the late afternoon.
Behind them, suspended from the ground, the large disk of their mother-ship loomed unmoving, the slick black metal a stark yet eye-pleasing contrast to the vibrant green of the grass and trees beneath it.
Principal Celestia stood on top of a simple wooden platform, a microphone in her hand, waiting for the ceremony to commence. The fact that she was wearing her usual attire, and the rather simple appearance of the unrefined assemble of planks under her foot, gave a distinctly casual feel to the event, something they had consciously decided upon as to not have the potential solemnity of the occurrence result in too much of a heartache for those involved. It was a goodbye, but there was no need to make it weigh on them more than it already did.
In front of the platform, which effectively separated the two races, stood a very special group of friends and, in part, students. Though, in fairness, it was inappropriate to say that the platform divided two species, given the nature of one of those students.
All those who were expected to arrive had arrived, all those who were supposed to be present were present. And yet, they waited, silently looking at each other. All aware that those standing on the other side would soon be just a memory. All aware that the moment they were living couldn't last forever. And yet they waited, all wanting to stretch it as far as they could.
The Sun's rim touched the ground on the horizon, and the King-Priest nodded to Celestia, signalling the beginning of the ceremony. Celestia quickly nodded back and brought the microphone to her lips, and as the melodious, musical buzzing that the aliens used to communicate filled the air she quickly began to translate what they were saying, attuning her brain to the frequency they were using.
To a passing, slightly distracted observer, it could have appeared like a sweet sounding, melancholic concert, such was the beauty of the aliens' tongue.
"Friends," Celestia began, "it is time for us to say goodbye. An encounter born out of simple chance turned into far more than we could have ever foreseen, but now we must part ways, as our journey towards our new home must resume. To each and every one of the people of this planet, we bestow our deepest gratitude, for their acceptance and support in our time of need. But for some, some who have helped far more than anyone ever asked them to, who have only done as such because they believed it to be the right choice, we feel a direct mention is in order."
The King-Priest stopped for a moment, running his gaze over the small group of people gathered there.
"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia resumed as the aliens began to sing anew, and the girl she had addressed proudly smiled at the mention. "Without your help, we would have never been able to repair our ship as quickly as we did. Not only that, you were able to design a more efficient and powerful engine than the one we were using, and even calculated a safer and shorter route to our destination. We had considered the possibility of finding intelligent life on this planet when we decided to land here, but we never would have expected it to be this good."
Twilight adjusted her glasses and blushed at the praise.
The aliens continued, and so did Celestia. "Thank you, Applejack, for your help in reconstructing the ship, you did far more work than any single one of us, and than many of us combined. And thank you as well for introducing us to the strange flora of this planet, what we have learned from studying it will be of great help in colonising our new home."
Applejack adjusted her hat and gave a friendly nod to the aliens, her expression cheerful yet a little sad.
"Thank you, Shining Armor, for allowing us to understand once more how we shouldn't isolate or mock members of our society for their physical defects, or feel anger towards them, thinking they are weighing us down. You showed us how everyone is useful if they are given a chance to prove their worth, and helped heal long since soured relationships between our citizens."
Shining held up his bionic arms and gave two thumbs up at them.
"Thank you, Rainbow Dash, for your enthusiasm and your devotion to help your friends. When we arrived here, we were a sad race, mourning over the loss of our homeland. You reminded us that there is no point in wasting our present mourning over the past, when we should instead be building our future. All throughout our stay on this planet, you were always there, always ready to pick us back up when one of us fell down, and we would not be here today had it not been for you."
Rainbow grinned at first, then looked to the side as she adjusted a strand of hair behind her ear, slightly embarrassed.
"Thank you, Fluttershy, for offering to treat our wounds when our medical supplies ran low, and for helping us understand the various creatures that populate this planet. This, too, will be of great help for us when we reach our new home. But above all, thank you for your kindness, we would have not been so easily received amongst your species had you not stood up to defend us when we arrived."
Fluttershy swayed lightly from side to side on one foot, holding her hands together behind her back and looking down.
"Thank you, Luna, for your incessant work and constant dedication to helping us be and feel welcomed and at home on this planet. Had it not been for you, and for the countless hours you spent on making sure the laws were in place for us to be safe from harm, we would have never been able to develop such a great friendship with the citizens of this planet."
Luna lightly nodded in respect.
"Thank you, Rarity and Vanity, for reminding us that life doesn't have to be just about working, and that there is no point in working for the sake of working if you don't enjoy it. The halls and corridors of our ship were dull and grey, a depressing reminder of the nature of our journey, but now they shine with new light and colour. Our ship is no longer a prison, but a vessel of hope for us to begin anew once we reach our destination."
The twins theatrically posed at the praise they received, Vanity mock-fainting in Rarity's arms and crying at the thought of their departure while Rarity looked up at them with a smile and glistening eyes.
"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, for having risked your life when saving our eggs from the fire that had spread through the engine's room. We will name our new capital after you, and you will forever be remembered throughout all of our history as a hero and the saviour of our kind. And thank you for your cakes as well, though we do not eat human food we always appreciated both the effort you put in them and the aesthetically pleasing results."
From her position on her temporary wheelchair, Pinkie dismissively waved, as if she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.
"Thank you, Spike, for your presence and support."
The parrot happily croaked and ruffled his feathers from his position on top of Pinkie's broken legs.
"Thank you, Celestia," the principal continued, blushing when she realised she was being addressed now. "We would never have been able to properly communicate with your species had you not chosen to accept our offer and allow us to modify your brain so that it could act as a transmitter. It was an act of courage and trust, something we hadn't yet truly done anything to earn, and we will forever be grateful for it." She blushed even harder.
From the small crowd in front of the platform everyone started to clap as they noticed Celestia's reaction, and the principal smiled in response, her cheeks still flushed.
Shortly after, the applause died down, and both the aliens and Celestia returned to speaking. "And last, though certainly not least, thank you, Sunset Shimmer. Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for understanding us. And thank you for introducing us to-" Celestia paused, attentively listening to the aliens and looking up with a surprised expression. "Oh my, I'm not sure if I can say that. Sunset, I didn't know you were into this sort of thing. And-Twilight? Really, she's a part of it too?"
As all eyes turned to the two, Sunset simply smiled, while Twilight looked to the ground. Likely hoping it would open up and swallow her away.
Celestia continued. "Wow, I'd never have thought you'd give them a practical demonstration. Really, Sunset, don't you think that's a little- Chains? Oh-Okay, this is more serious than I- How big? Seriously? That's just... Well, I don't mean to say it's wrong, there's nothing- A cross?" She stared between the aliens and the couple, eyes wide and mouth agape, unable to continue her speech as the aliens kept singing. "How did she even walk after that?" she asked to herself. "And a personalised collar, even. Wow."
Everyone kept staring at Sunset and Twilight. The former just crossed her arms on her chest and gave off a smug grin, while the latter tried to hide inside a curtain of Sunset's hair. Which might have not been too bad of an idea, considering her face was pretty much of the same colour at that moment.
The aliens' song shifted in tone, and Celestia cleared her throat as the topic went back to one she should translate. "Thank you, each and every one of you, for what you have done for us. We will remember you forever as friends. Now the time is here for us to leave this planet and return to our journey towards our new home. Goodbye, forever, and may the eels guide you on your path towards the light." She had to hold back her sobbing as she heard those last words.
From the crowd, everyone looked at the aliens, and everyone felt the weight of the moment pressing on them once more. They all struggled to hold back the tears, some even abandoning themselves completely and letting them flow down their cheeks. But they all smiled, knowing that even if they would never see their friends again, it was the right thing for them to fly away and find a new place to call home.
Behind the podium, from the height of his five legs, the King-Priest observed the friends of his race, and then bowed his long neck all the way to the ground in a sign of respect, the rest of his subjects following him in the motion.
Celestia wiped away a single tear at the corner of her eye. "Goodbye," she whispered to the alien bowing in front of her.
The aliens lifted their necks once again, and with one last melodious cry their shapes began to shimmer and waver, until they finally disappeared, having teleported inside their ship. The large disc of black metal started to spin and vibrate, accelerating further and further, until finally it shot upwards in a silent motion, and soon became nothing more than a tiny dot in the dark blue sky, before disappearing completely forever.
For a short while, everyone stared up at the sky, silent.
Luna was the first to leave, having her duties to attend to and having to fill out the forms necessary to render the event official. Celestia followed her shortly after, for similar reasons.
Shining walked away, ruffling his sister's hair as he passed by her side, and soon both Twilight and Sunset were leaving as well, Spike flying behind them.
Applejack, Rarity and Vanity all headed towards the nearest restaurant together, the twins chit-chatting along the way to distract themselves while Applejack simply listened.
Rainbow Dash decided to go for a jog through the park, and as she was about to begin she noticed Pinkie was still there. "Hey, is everything okay there?"
Pinkie didn't turn towards her, still staring at the sky from her wheelchair. "Don't worry about it," she replied.
Rainbow Dash shrugged, then started her jog.
Pinkie remained there, eyes locked on the starry sky above her, as the evening's gentle breeze blew through the grass.
