How My Daughter Saved Equestria

They both grew up so fast. Silver Blaze became a wonderful friend to all the foals in their class, and he absorbed everything his foster mother had to teach about the subject. Twilight, for her part, was thrilled to be able to relive her days as The Princess of Friendship and bring somepony new into the light of its wonder. She would quiz him and lecture him, yet still he’d return for more. He once told me, “Daddy, I wanna be the best friend I can be. I’m so happy Mommy’s teaching me!”

He took to us as parents like a fish to the waves of the ocean, and we were very proud of him. Our love for our colt grew, and soon enough, it was time for him to come of age. His transition from colt to teenage stallion was rough at first, but we were able to create an atmosphere of love for him to return to when things looked their darkest. He met a young mare named Floral Pattern, and they began a relationship. She was a very pretty equine, with a pink mane and sharp green eyes. Her smile lit up his life, and I could tell.

In the beginning, it was simply puppy love between teenage ponies, but as the years went along and they grew into their collegiate selves, they found a deep affection that had previously been unseen. Their friendship and romance blossomed, and soon enough, he came home and proudly announced their engagement. Twilight and I didn’t know what to say, so we just wrapped him up in hug after hug. Everypony in the palace was excited for this wonderful news, and I prepared to call myself a father-in-law for the first time. We also readied ourselves to welcome a new princess to the pantheon.

But Silver wasn’t the only pony experiencing friendship, romance, and enjoyment. Our little Diamond Sparkle had many friends throughout her teenage years. She loved life, and she made sure to experience every last drop of it. From gaining knowledge to trying new, and often rather dangerous, adventures, she was known as the “Princess of Life.” Her sacrifice had been made known over and over, and it was told as a legend to the foals that came after her. She grew into a beautiful, confident, regal pony, and she reminded me in so many ways of that same pony I fell in love with all those years ago.

It took her longer than her brother, but by the time she was in her mid-20s, she had found a stallion named Sharp Eye, and they had taken to each other rather well. As his name suggests, he was well known in Canterlot for his proficiency in archery and other such sight based sports, and Diamond would attend his practices with furious frequency. Soon enough, she came home with the news of her own engagement, and once again the celebration was on. Pinkie Pie, old and rather feeble though she was, still managed to throw a spectacular party. “That pony won’t stop until she’s laid in the grave,” I joked to Twilight as we watched Pinkie attempt to dance.

“Even then, I imagine her funeral will be quite the colorful happening.”

“You’re damn right it’s gonna be colorful!” Pinkie said as she hobbled over to us, “I don’t want my last moments with everypony to be sad and depressing. I want them to be filled with SMILES!”

We promised her that they would. But unfortunately, we did not have to wait long to keep our promise. Pinkie died not long after this of natural causes. She had lived a good, long life, and had impacted everypony in ways that she did not realize. Her philosophy of living every day with a smile and a laugh had created such merriment and joy in the lives of so many sad and depressed ponies. Her funeral was the only one I’ve attended where balloons were used, and a special 21 Party Cannon salute was executed. We laid her to rest alongside Applejack and Rainbow Dash in the Ponyville Cemetery. Her tombstone, like the other two, carried her name, date of birth, date of death, cutie mark, and a quote specially selected by Twilight herself. Applejack's was: "an honest apple is a good apple." Rainbow's was: "fly with the speed of an eagle, and live with loyalty." Pinkie’s was: “I wanna see you SMILE!”

It was so difficult for Twilight to say farewell to another dear friend, and she shed many tears. But she also smiled at the wonderful memories she had of Pinkie. We also ordered another National Day of Remembrance for the pink mare, and we noticed that special parties were being held in her honor. When we asked one pony why they were celebrating when they should have been quietly reflecting, they said, “because that’s the way the pink one would want it.”

Soon enough, Rarity followed Pinkie in death, suffering a heart attack in her Canterlot home and being found there by her housekeeper. She died alone, having had numerous sexual and physical flings with stallions around Equestria, but never committing to just one. Out of all of the ponies we had lost so far, Rarity was the most heartbreaking, because she truly felt alone. On her bedside, we found a note. Though she had not committed suicide, it was an eerily similar situation. The note was short and simple. It read:

“My friends and family. I am feeling creakier in my old age. The hooves that once sewed together beautiful gowns and luscious suits have ceased their needling forever. My magic is a dim shell of what it was. I feel I may pass this night. If I am found, please…tell Prince Stony, Princess Twilight, Prince Silver, and Princess Diamond that I love all of them. Also, lay a rose at Spike’s grave for me, for he was the only one I truly loved. Fare thee well, darlings. May your stars shine brighter than mine ever did.”

To answer a question long since received, yes, Spike had died years before. He actually died before I came to Equestria to begin with. Twilight told me he had done so defending Rarity’s honor in a brutal fight with another dragon. This assailant had attempted to take advantage of the pretty white mare, and Spike wouldn’t allow it. He fought to the bitter end, taking the other dragon’s life before finally succumbing to his wounds. She told me his funeral had been horrifyingly sad, and Rarity wouldn’t stop wailing. She said her fashionista friend always blamed herself for Spike’s death, and I imagine she never stopped.

At first, her funeral was a lavish affair, and she was laid in a gold plated coffin. Her family paid for the entire thing, even offering the Ponyville Funeral Parlor a thousand bits in advance to hold the ceremony there. But when we arrived and Twilight saw the scene, she became angry. She stomped her hoof and everypony fell silent. “This…isn’t right!” Twilight said, “Rarity represented the Element of Generosity. She was always willing to help out anypony, and she never reveled in excess. True, she loved all that glittered, but I believe she loved her fellow pony even more. I do not wish to seem petty, but having her buried in such a hedonistic fashion seems so unlike her.”

The ponies all agreed, and her family apologized to Twilight. They had completely overlooked Rarity’s generous spirit in their preparations, so they removed her body and placed it in a simple casket. The gold plated coffin was melted down, and the proceeds from that went to three of Rarity’s favorite charities. In all, 500,000 bits were raised to help the sick, poor, and needy ponies of Equestria. It felt like we had done some good by Rarity, and we buried her with honor and dignity alongside the other three. Her quote: “Darling, if you have something to gain, you have something to give.”

The final pony to be laid to rest out of Twilight’s original group was Fluttershy, who outlived them all. She died at the age of 105, and her funeral was held in the forest. Her animal friends surrounded her coffin, mourning the loss of their dear companion. The four great royals, as we had come to be known, also surrounded the coffin, weeping tears of memories. Twilight nestled beside me, but I noticed that there was a small smile on her face. We had known Fluttershy to be in a great deal of pain lately, and we were both happy that she was no longer suffering.

Diamond, Sharp Eye, and their small filly were perched beside us, with Silver, Floral, and their colt on the other side. We silently said goodbye as a family, and we honored her final wish by having her coffin placed on a boat in a small, still creek. She did not want to have a huge ceremony, and she did not wish to be buried in the Cemetery. She just wanted to rest amongst her animal friends for as long as she could until she reached the sea. But we erected a marker for her in the Cemetery as a memorial. On it, the quote, “sometimes we all need a little kindness,” was written.

The point of telling you all this is to say that friendship never dies. Twilight remained wonderful friends with everypony until their deaths. We watched as our family grew in love and the same ways of friendship for the next thousand years. It was a millennium of bliss, and a millennium in which many things happened that would fill up many, many books. As I write this final story, I am watching my beloved Twilight slip away beside me. She has served Equestria with every ounce of her being, and I only hope I am not long behind her in death. I want to rest beside her forever. I am confident leaving our kingdom in the hooves of Diamond, Silver, and their families. So…until we meet again…per aspera ad astra…and may your friendships last forever.