How My Daughter Saved Equestria

Twilight and I looked around at the burned remains of Ponyville. Every tear my poor wife shed was a memory that she had erased from time itself. She had loved this town ever since she had first moved from Canterlot, and now that the flames of evil had come to claim it, I could tell that she felt empty. There were holes in her heart bored by the hoof of maliciousness, and I couldn’t plug them. I felt helpless. So I just wrapped her in an embrace and allowed her to cry freely.

“Tell me…please tell me we can rewind time,” she sobbed quietly, “tell me I can just go back to being The Princess of Friendship. Tell me Celestia and Luna can come and make things right.”

I pulled back and kissed her cheek. “You know we can’t manipulate time,” I told her, recalling the story of Starlight Glimmer, “all we can do is move forward and try and deal with this accordingly.”

She nodded and tried to look more confident. She knew that the ponies of Ponyville would need her strength and support in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy. I could tell that she was trying very hard to return to her regal and friendly nature, but it was tearing her apart. After all, how could anypony be happy after the ordeal that had just been thrust upon them? Her face faltered, and she fought her hardest to rein in her emotions.

“We need to see if anypony survived,” she said, choked up.

“We did,” a new voice said, and we both turned to see our fellow ruler, Starlight Glimmer, standing there. The Head Mare of the School of Friendship looked as if her entire world had been ripped away from her. The trails down her cheeks betrayed the amount of tears she had shed, and she stepped forward and hugged Twilight tightly. “It’s at times like these I’m thankful for all you taught me,” she said honestly, “the only way we’ll get through this is if we do it together.”

“You’re right, Starlight,” Twilight said, wiping her own tears away, “I just hope we have somepony to do it with.”

Starlight smiled, and we turned to see a CROWD of ponies who had escaped the blaze. Twilight’s face burst into a smile as she recognized the faces of so many she knew. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were among them, as were most of The Apple Family. Cheese Sandwich, Pinkie Pie’s husband, cuddled their small foal, Li’l Cheese close to his chest. Soarin, who had moved to Ponyville to be closer to his mare, Rainbow Dash, stepped through the crowd. One by one, ponies came forward and smiled at Twilight, silently ensuring her of their safety.

“I’m so happy to see all of you alive and well!” Twilight said, “but…I don’t see any of my close friends. Where are Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy?”

“Those were the only five we could not recover,” Mayor Mare said sadly as she stepped forward beside Starlight, “Applejack was trying to save what she could from the farm, and Pinkie was trying to save some things from Sugarcube Corner. Rarity was moving her clothes just as fast as she could, and Fluttershy was helping some animals. We don’t know where Rainbow Dash was.”

“YOUR MAJESTIES!” A voice suddenly boomed.

I would know that voice anywhere, and we turned to see Shining Armor standing on top of the rubble, covered in soot. Three badly burned ponies lay across his back, and Twilight broke into a gallop when she recognized Pinkie’s mane, Fluttershy’s cutie mark, and Rarity’s signature curled tail. She ran up to her brother and examined her fallen friends. “No…please…” She said as grief washed over her again.

“It’s okay, Twily,” Shining said calmly, “they’re alive. They’re just awfully injured. I’m gonna take them to our medical tent and they’ll receive treatment.”

“Hurry, Shining Armor!” Twilight commanded her brother, “hurry!”

Shining nodded at his sister and quickly trotted off, being very careful not to drop one of the injured. As I watched him go, I noticed Rarity’s tail twitching ever so slightly. Come on, I silently urged her and Pinkie, survive this, damn it! You need to survive, not just for your sake, but for Twilight! She loves both of you! Hell, I love both of you! PLEASE FIGHT!

I was forcefully taken from my own grief as Twilight called to me. I trotted over to her, and we both began silently digging through the rubble, looking for our friends. Many hours passed, but we stayed silent. Sweat poured from our brows as we dug hoof over hoof. We didn’t even think to use our magic, our grief and horror were so grave and deep.

By and by, we finally managed to make it to Sweet Apple Acres. We dug through the charred remains of the flattened barn…until we saw a blond tail sticking out. I quickly tossed aside the remaining rubble and there, laying in each other’s hooves, were the dead bodies of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. They had died as they had lived, fiercely fighting to defend one another. But it appeared that, when fate had made its intentions apparent, they had taken to holding each other, disappearing into the great beyond together.

Twilight immediately screamed and hurled herself on her friends. I had not known them as deeply as Twilight, but I shed my own group of honest tears. However, my grief was nowhere near as soul crushing as hers. She wailed aloud, attracting the group of survivors, many of whom began sobbing at the sight as well. I stepped forward and put my wings around her, receiving all of her sadness in the process. Her cries and screams echoed through the wreckage, and most of the ponies turned away, unable to see their beloved leader going through something so terrifying.

Starlight, though, stepped forward and nuzzled Twilight. “Please,” she said with tears of her own running down her face, “Twilight, you’ve got to pull it together.”

“THERE’S NOTHING LEFT TO LIVE FOR!” Twilight howled as her grief became even more severe, “MY FRIENDS ARE GONE! THEY’RE GONE!”

“But don’t you see?!” Starlight asked desperately, “not all of your friends are gone! I know this is heart wrenching! My own spirit has been crushed! But you must keep going for Equestria!”

Twilight didn’t respond, but howled her never ending sadness to the mid-morning sun. The mourning she put on display reflected the deep love and affection she carried for her two fallen sisters. She cared for them like they were her own family, and I had come to know them in the same manner. Their deaths brought darkness upon Equestria, such as we’d never known, and we did not know how to proceed. Our happy home had been destroyed, and none of us were prepared. It truly was the darkest day in Equestrian history.