Twilight Sparkle stood in her throne room with a dull look on her face. The normally happy and excited princess had turned into something equivalent to a drab slab of concrete. Her purple eyes had lost their luster for that day, and her wings sat uselessly by her side. She raised the sun, as she had every morning for the past 1,050 years, but it had become completely routine. She would raise the moon that night and go to bed, and await the news of her friend Moonlight's journey through the dream realm the next morning.
Yes, being the ruler of Equestria had become routine for her, but she normally enjoyed the cycle. Today was different, not because anything had changed, but because this was the day she remembered five ponies that she missed the most. It was the one thousandth anniversary of the day Rainbow Dash, her final living friend, had been laid to rest forever.
So Twilight stood in her throne room, moved, yet somehow, unmoved. Her internal faculties wanted to well up and burst forth at the seams, yet her mind wouldn't allow them to do so. So she just stood around, waiting patiently for something to happen. She didn't know what could happen to cure her of the indescribable sadness and heartache she felt on this day, but she hoped against hope that something would. In a perfect world, the huge double doors to the room would be flung open and her dear friends would come bouncing in and tackle her. But, sadly, life doesn't work in such a manner.
She was standing in front of five framed pictures, one for each of her friends. Suddenly, memories of everypony washed over the princess and her concrete visage managed to turn out a small smile. She remembered Pinkie Pie's amazing parties, Rainbow Dash's unbelievable speed and courage, and Rarity's beautiful fashion designs. She remembered Applejack's hard work, and Fluttershy's quiet kindness. Though the spirit of the Elements of Harmony remains here, Twilight thought, it's not the same without you five. I miss you…so much.
She sat on her haunches and felt tears begin to squeeze their way out of her eyes. Her lip quivered and she was on the verge of breaking down and bawling when the doors behind her burst open. She snapped up and turned to meet her visitor. She smiled when she saw that it was Sword Mane, the 34th pony who had served as Captain of the Royal Guard since her brother's death many years before.
"Your Majesty," he said as he bowed, "I present to you…your niece, Princess Flurry Heart."
Twilight's face broke into a huge smile as Flurry trotted into the room. She offered a respectful bow, and Twilight did the same. But their dignified greeting soon boiled over into a joyous amount of hugging. "I've missed you so much!" Twilight said in excitement, "it's been way too long! What on Earth are you doing here? I thought The Crystal Empire's Crystal Festival was this week!"
"It is, but it's in good hooves," Flurry said, "I have a wonderful team working to make sure everything's in tip top shape!"
Twilight sniffed a bit as she tried to gather her emotions. It had been almost a year since she had seen Flurry Heart face to face. Sure, they wrote letters all the time, but getting to see her was an intensely special thing. She shared a bond with her niece that made other aunts and nieces envious. They had been close ever since Flurry had been a small filly hundreds of years before.
"But I didn't just come here to shoot the breeze, Aunt Twilight," Flurry said. So Twilight turned to Sword Mane and dismissed him. He bowed to the two royal ponies before making his exit. Twilight chuckled. "He's as good a captain as your father was, Flurry," she said, "and he makes my entire castle better."
"Oh…do I hear a hint of a-"
"No, Flurry!" Twilight said as she blushed heavily. She knew that her position required all of her time, and she didn't have anything left for romance. Still, though. She had always harbored feelings for her captain.
"Mm-hmm," Flurry said knowingly, "but no matter. We can discuss that another time. I came here because…" Here the younger princess stopped. She knew of the heavy pain her aunt was going through, and she wanted to make things better. That's why she showed up in Canterlot so suddenly. She wanted to make her aunt happy, but she didn't want to minimize the importance of the memories that Twilight was experiencing.
"Look, Auntie Twily," she said, using her special nickname for her aunt, "I know how much today is weighing upon your heart."
Twilight nodded. "I'm glad you came, Flurry. I needed a friendly presence. This day has always been hard for me, but this year's anniversary is the most difficult. It's been a thousand years since I helped bury Rainbow Dash, Flurry. Celestia always told me that the first two or three years without a close friend was difficult. But I don't believe she ever experienced an entire millennium without five of them."
"Oh, I'm sure she did," Flurry responded, "she probably knew full well the pain that you're experiencing right now. Far be it from me to put myself in your horseshoes, but…I think I know it as well."
"What do you mean?"
"It's been over a thousand years since my daddy died, and it's been 500 since my mother died."
Twilight realized that Flurry did understand the pain of going through elongated periods of time without a loved one. Her heart must have been ripped out of her chest every year when her mother or father's birthday came around, and there was nopony there for her to celebrate. It also must have darkened her day when the anniversary of one of their deaths came around and she had to return to Crystal Yards, where they were both buried, and place a small rose at each of their graves.
"So…you do understand, don't you?"
Flurry nodded. "I most certainly do, and I'm here to help ease the pain a bit. I know nothing I say will ever make it go away, but, hopefully, I can help you in this mournful time. After all, they were my friends, too."
Twilight smiled at the compassion shown by her niece, and then beckoned her to follow with a hoof. She led her through the corridors and passages of Canterlot Castle, and stopped in front of a certain glass door. She slowly opened it, and ushered Flurry inside. There, they passed through some of the most beautiful indoor gardens Flurry had ever seen. There were roses, petunias, tulips, lilies, and many other types of flowers. There were even some Crystal Rhododendron, which were flowers that only bloomed in her home empire.
There was a bubbling water feature, which calmed not only the room, but the minds and spirits of the ponies who entered it. It was made of pure gold, with an interesting statue over the top of it. But it didn't take long for the young princess to deduce that the sculpture was seven cutie marks, all bound into one. She recognized all of them as the cutie marks of the princesses Twilight, Starlight, and their five deceased friends.
"I assume the statue represents the true value of friendship?"
"Indeed," Twilight said, "I had it commissioned by Hammer Head, the best sculptor in Equestria. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a good pony."
They continued their journey around the fountain and found themselves standing in front of five marked pillars. Each one held the cutie mark of one of Twilight's friends, and a plaque stating who they were, which Element of Harmony they represented, and what they had contributed to Equestria and friendship during their lifetime.
"Are these their tombs?" Flurry asked.
Twilight nodded as she felt the tears returning. "Yes, dear Flurry, these are the resting places of the five best ponies in Equestrian history. Every year, I come here and meditate on the things they taught me about friendship and togetherness."
"They taught you, Auntie Twily?"
"Indeed, Flurry. They taught me so much before you were born, and even more afterwards. There's always something to be learned from a true friend."
Flurry looked away. She knew that her aunt and Starlight hadn't been on the best speaking terms lately. They had grown apart after a rather vicious fight they had. Twilight wasn't happy with the way Starlight was handling friendship problems, and she called her out on it. Starlight responded with horrific comments of her own, and the battle was on. They had each cooled down a considerable bit, but they still hadn't spoken in three years.
Flurry wanted them to reunite as friends, which was part of the reason she made the journey from her home. But she was tentative, as she didn't want to incur the wrath of her aunt. "What about…Starlight? If you outlive her, will she be laid to rest here? Surely, she deserves the honor. After all, she's faithfully served Equestria-"
"Faithfully served?!" Twilight asked in a huff, "you mean, faithfully screwed! I don't know why I ever picked her to succeed me as Princess of Friendship! She couldn't solve a friendship problem to save her rump!"
"Aunt Twilight!" Flurry said sharply, "I've never heard you talk like that! You talk about friendship and hold it in the highest regard, yet you aren't willing to give Starlight another chance!"
"I've given her too many chances!" Twilight yelled, "she's had her time! So she can just do as she pleases, and when she dies, I'll make sure to get a good pony to serve as the Princess of Friendship!"
"AUNT TWILIGHT, STOP!" Flurry suddenly screamed in a royal tone. Twilight shrank back a bit. She had no idea her niece was capable of that sort of volume. "Look at you! It's a wonder you yourself were ever the Princess of Friendship! Starlight is one of your oldest friends, and it tears me apart to see such a rift between you! That's why…I took the liberty of inviting her here today."
"WHAT?!" Twilight yelled.
Then Flurry pointed at the door with her hoof, and Twilight turned and saw Starlight standing there. Her wings were furled, and she had a desperately sad look on her face. "You…really think I absolutely suck, don't you?"
"No…Starlight…I…" Twilight began, then stopped. The look on Starlight's face broke her heart. The pain of being without her five friends intensified as she recognized that one of her friends was still alive and they were both hurting each other. She reminisced about her first battles with Starlight, then teaching her about friendship. She realized that she had forgotten all about those lessons herself. What kind of princess am I? She scolded herself, three years I've been stewing over this little thing. If Starlight has a different method of solving friendship problems, then I should be supportive.
She walked over and, to Starlight's surprise and Flurry's delight, wrapped her friend up in a hug. "I'm so sorry, Starlight," she said sincerely, "I've been an awful pony to you."
"It's okay, Twilight," the other princess responded, "I've been terrible to you, too. This shouldn't have drug on for as long as it has. I want to rekindle our friendship." Twilight smiled back at her. "Nothing would make me happier." Then Flurry came up and joined the group embrace. The three princesses were united, a friendship had been saved, and Flurry swore she saw the friendship sculpture glow three times brighter than it had been.
