Smoldering For 1,000 Years
Smolder knew that she was somewhere around 1,000 years old, although her exact age escaped her at the moment. It wasn't as if her memory was particularly bad or anything. Perhaps she just felt that her exact age didn't truly matter at this point, or maybe it was because she knew that her time was almost up.
She could feel it.
So, as the massive orange dragoness sat on the mountainside, her long neck raised to overlook Ponyville, the Everfree, and the School of Friendship below her, she allowed herself to recall what had to have been one of the most important conversations she had ever had with her five best friends. It had been a few years after the Battle of the Bell, and Princess Twilight's coronation as the sole ruler of Equestria.
"Well, here ya are again," Gallus said.
A young adult Smolder had been leaning on the railing on the Tree house of Harmony's balcony when the griffon's voice surprised her. She was jolted out of her thoughts and quickly turned around to see not only Gallus, but all five of her friends gathered before her. What's more, they all appeared to be concerned, except for Gallus, who simply looked determined.
Smolder snorted out some smoke and said, "Okay, what's the deal here?"
Gallus pointed at Smolder and said, "I've seen you come up here again and again. Just sitting around up here staring into space. We all know something's eating you, and we're here to help you."
Smolder frowned and stood firm with her arms folded. "So, I come up here to think once in a while and you all think I got issues or something?"
Gallus put his talon down and said, "It's not once in a while, you come up here A LOT. And we've seen your face. We've all been here, Smolder. Like when I come here to think about why my parents didn't want me."
"Or when I think about why Chrysallis never cared about her children," Ocellus chimed in seriously.
"Or when I can't get memories of the Storm King out of my head," Silverstream said with a tremor in her voice.
"Or when Yona worried about Yona's crush on Sandbar," the yak remarked.
"Or when I-," Sandbar began.
"Okay! Okay!" Smolder shouted as she held her palms out, "I get it. I guess I stink at hiding it." Smolder then let her arms fall to her sides and clenched her fists. "But this is different... You guys wouldn't understand."
"Try us," Gallus said with a note of challenge.
"Besides," Ocellus added gently, "We wouldn't be very good friends if we didn't at least try to understand."
Smolder sighed. She knew she had no choice at this point, with all her friends gathered around her and eager to help. So, she took a breath and said, "Guys... I'm a dragon, right?"
"Duh," Gallus remarked with a roll of her eyes.
Smolder ignored the remark, and continued, "So... Like, dragons live for a long time. Like, a thousand years. A lot longer than... any of you."
Smolder turned away from her friends and said, "I know it sounds kind of stupid. I mean, technically we still got plenty of time. But to a dragon, 100 years isn't all that long, and I don't even know if we've got that long together. I guess it just kinda hurts to think I'm gonna have to go on for so long without being able to see you. Sure, maybe you'll have families, but it just won't be the same."
Smolder was fully embarrassed at this point, and she felt a little guilty about bringing this up. "Darn it, why am making them depressed for? It's not like it's their problem, and they can't do anything about it!" she thought disparagingly to herself.
Smolder huffed and looked straight at the conflicted faces of her friends as she began, "Look, this is really a stupid thing to worry about. I just need to get over-."
"I've got a confession to make," Ocellus said quickly.
Everycreature turned to look at the Changeling, and she shrunk back slightly due to all the attention. But she regained her nerve and continued, "I kept putting off telling you all because I was afraid how you would all react, because of the implications. But, you see, I.... I'm a Changeling Queen."
Everycreature stared at her in shock.
Sandbar asked in a confused manner, "But... wasn't Chrysallis the Queen?"
"She was 'a' Changeling Queen," Ocellus explained, "I was going to be the next one after her, but things have changed with Thorax leading the Hive now. He offered to let me rule alongside him, but..."
Ocellus shook herself off of the tangent and said, "We can talk about that later. The point is that I was born a Changeling Queen, so my body is... different. In a couple of years I'll have a growth spurt, and certain parts of me will..." Ocellus blushed and said softly, "...develop."
"What does Ocellus mean?" Yona asked, thoroughly mystified.
Gallus looked at Yona and said rather flatly and directly, "What do bug queens lay lots and lots of?"
Sandbar winced and said, "Eww! Gallus!"
Now losing her patience, Ocellus frowned and said, "What I'm trying to say here is that Changeling Queens live for a long time!"
Smolder stared at Ocellus as if seeing her for the very first time. "Exactly how long are we talking about here?" she asked, not daring to hope too much.
Ocellus smiled and said with a slightly nervous chuckle, "Well, Chrysalis has been around since before Starswirl the Bearded got trapped in Limbo. What does that tell you?"
Smolder's jaw dropped as she stared at the Changeling in front of her. She stoid as still as a statue as Ocellus approached her and softly nuzzled her cheek.
"I know it's scary," Ocellus said, "But you don't have face the next thousand or so years alone. Not only will we have each other, but we'll also have all of our memories of our old friends, and plenty of new frienda we'll be sure to make over the years... together. You and me."
"And me."
Everycreature turned in surprise to see Sandbar boldly stepping forward with a determined look on his face.
Gallus stared at the pony in confusion and said, "Sandbar? What are you doing?"
Sandbar looked more certain and resolute than ever before in his entire life. He nodded with certainty and said to the group at large, "A few years after we helped defeat Cozy, Chrysalis, and Tirek and Princess Twilight became the new ruler, she met with me in secret, and she told me that I've got the right stuff... to become an Alicorn."
Everycreature let out a gasp at this.
Silverstream was trembling with excitement, and she squealed out, "OH! MY! GOSH! Congratulations Sandbar!"
Yona looked a little hurt and asked, "Why did Sandbar not tell Yona?"
Sandbar shook his head and said, "I had to keep it a secret. I'm sorry, Yona. But Princess Twilight said I needed to just wait for the Tree of Harmony to decide when to initiate my ascension. I couldn't do anything to try and force it... but with Smolder being so worried, and Ocellus putting herself out there like that... I just had to let you guys know."
Gallus stared at Sandbar and said, "I cant believe it... Prince Sandbar."
Sandbar laughed nervously and said as he rubbed the back of his neck with a forehoof, "Heh heh heh, well, I don't know about being a prince... At least, not right away. I mean, Princess Cadence was a foal sitter for several years before she did any actual princess stuff, so..."
Yona ran up and gave Sandbar a slightly less bonecrushing hug and said sweetly, "Sandbar always prince to Yona."
"So, are you gonna be immortal?" Smolder asked, sounding like she feared the answer.
Yona let Sandbar go, and he caught his breath quickly and said, "No, Celestia and Luna lasted for so long because they were raising the sun and moon. But Alicorns still live for a long time." Then he smiled and said, "And I think I should be able to just make it to 1,000. If I'm lucky."
Smolder looked from Sandbar to Ocellus in amazement. "This is just... crazy," she breathed out, "Will the three of us really be together for that long?"
"Make that four!" Silverstream chimed in gleefully.
"WHAT!?" everycreature else shouted.
Silverstream giggled and said, "Well, you know how Queen Novo and Princess Celestia were friends? Well, it turns out they're not just friends, but friends from way back, and I mean waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back!"
Silverstream spread her fore arms wide apart to emphasise the how long the lentgh of time truly was. Then she put her talons back down and said rather shyly, "So, yeah, my Aunt Novo's really, really, really old. Something about the Royal Family bloodline and how it reacted with the magic of the Pearl of Transformation when it was first used. It's kinda complicated."
She then grinned widely and said, "All that matters that you guys won't be getting rid of me so easily! Hee-hee!"
Smolder stood dumbfounded by this revelation. "You... I mean... seriously!?"
"Totally. It's the truth," Silverstream said as she rested a talon over her heart.
"Woah," was all Smolder could say at first, then she nervously looked over at Yona and Gallus. The griffon was staring at the ground with a conflicted look on his face, while the yak was strangely holding her left forehoof up with her eyes closed.
Smolder rubbed her arm and fidgeted a little, and she finally said, "Well, I guess this is kinda awkward. I mean, with all of us being able to.... I mean, I don't really know what to say here..."
Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound could be heard coming from somewhere far away. As everycreature turned in the direction of the sound, something fast could be seen soaring through the sky, tearing through clouds at Rainbow Dash speeds.
Everycreature but Yona hit the floor as the object shot down toward them, and was deftly caught in the yak's outstretched hoof. The object turned out to be a large spiked iron mace with a wooden handle overlaid with gold. The handle also had words engraved on it, spelling out a message in an ancient language.
As Yona stood proudly while holding the mace high, Gallus slowly stood up and exclaimed, "What the HECK is that?!"
As the rest of her friends stood back up, Yona smiled giddily and said, "After Yona convinced yaks to help ponies fight Cozy Glow, Chrysallis, and Tirek; Prince Rutherford said Yona could try and pull Karshar free from rock on mountain top!"
"Karshar?" Ocellus asked in a confusion that everycreature else shared.
Yona twirled the mace around so fast that it hummed, and she explained, "Karshar is legendary weapon of ancient yak spirit Tabti Bale. Tabti Bale was the Spirit of the Mountain and Sky, and also great hero from near begining of time. He stop Grogar from conquering Yakyakistan! After protecting yaks for long time, he decide that it was time for yaks to fend for themselves, so he threw Karshar into rock on top of mountain as hard as he could and then flew up into afterlife. It said that any yak worthy enough to pull Karshar from rock would gain power of Tabti Bale. Yona can call Karshar whenever, create winds like snowstorm, shake ground, and jump good!"
Sandbar raised an eyebrow and said, "Jump...good?"
Yona stopped twirling Karshar, and she grinned and jumped off and up from the balcony while still gripping the mace tightly. Yona's jump sent her soaring up and over the Everfree Forest and out into the distance. There was a solid thud from where she landed, and just as quickly as she left, Yona came soaring back and landed back on the Tree House of Harmony's balcony with a mighty slam as everycreature stared at her in awe.
"See? Yona jump good!" She said proudly.
"So, are you immortal now?" Smolder asked numbly, her mind blown by what she had just witnessed.
Yona shrugged in said, "Yona is, but Yona put Karshar back in rock after 1,000 years. Yona wants to invite friends to Yakhalla in afterlife."
Suddenly indignant, Gallus said, "Wait, why didn't you use that thing when we fought that monster? You know, the one we got that stained glass window for defeating?"
Yona smiled sheepishly and replied, "Yona didn't need it. Tree of Harmony gave Yona and friends power. Magic of Friendship was enough. Yona not want to show off in front of friends or Tree, or hog glory. But if friends in dire trouble, Yona would call Karshar right away to save them!"
Silverstream flew over and hugged Yona and said, "Eeeeee! This is so great! We'll all be around for a long, long time!" She then flew over to Gallus and said, "Okay, your turn Gallus! Come on, what super duper secret do you have! Tell us, tell us!"
Gallus didn't respond with words. Rather, he merely narrowed his eyes and glared before turning his back to his friends and skulking off.
Silverstream stared after the griffon in shock, and she called out, "Gallus? Where ya going?" However, Gallus ignored her and continued to leave, much to her distress. "Wait. . .Gallus? Aren't you gonna . . .?" Silverstream said weakly, her voice trailing off into a squeaky whisper.
As the rest of the group exchanged tense and nervous glances, Smolder growled and marched forward. "Oh no, I am not okay with this," she growled as she caught up with Gallus. She put a claw on the griffon's shoulder, only for him to brush her off and walk away faster. "Hold it!" Smolder shouted as she lunged forward and tightly grabbed Gallus by the foreleg, pulling him back.
"Let me go! I'm not a part of this!" Gallus protested, not turning around and still trying to get away.
"To heck with that! There's no way you're just gonna get left behind!" Smolder argued back.
Gallus finally turned to look at Smolder and said defiantly, "Just let it go! Face it, I'm just a no-griffon that's not special in any way! My parents didn't want me, and it looks like life doesn't want me around either!"
In spite of Gallus' apparent anger, Smolder could see tears inside his eyes. This infuriated her fiercely, and she said, "Oh yeah? Well who was the griffon who stood up to Cozy Glow and helped save Equestria two more times after that! They don't put losers in stained glass windows!"
"I barely did anything! It was one me with all of you!" Gallus argued.
"It would never had worked if you weren't there!" Smolder shouted as she grabbed Gallus' by his shoulders, "And you're still gonna be here, cause there's no way that after everything we've been through, you're just gonna get left behind like this! That's just sick!"
Sandbar nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, she's right. I mean, it makes no sense for the Tree of Harmony to talk to us and let us use its magic all those times, only for one of us to miss out and get taken away so quickly."
Silverstream suddenly surged forward and knocked Smolder out of the way so she could stand face to face with Gallus, "And how can you say you're not special when you're the Captain of the Guard!? I mean, HELLO! Princess Twilight trusted you, doesn't that mean something?"
Gallus gaped at the hippogriff, as if her words had jarred something loose in his brain. Then, Sandbar used this opportunity to add, "Gallus, ask anycreature, and they'll tell you that somegriff who started out with nothing, and then worked his way up to not only being a hero several times over but also the holder of the highest position in the Royal Guard, is incredible no matter how you look at it."
Gallus found himself nodding his head repeatedly as he said, "I know, I know. And I really had gotten over my self esteem issues a while back. I guess, it just really stinks that I just couldn't keep up with the rest of you guys. It just. . .brought some of it back, the feeling that I'm just not. . .enough."
There was a sudden burst of light in the midst of the group, and the sparkling spectral form of Twilight Sparkle appeared before them.
"Gallus the Griffon, Captain of the Royal Guard, Hero of Equestria. . .you most certainly ARE 'enough'," said the Spirit of the Tree of Harmony.
Smolder shot a glare at the Spirit and said, "Then why is he gonna get taken away from us?"
The Spirit frowned and said, "Indeed. It is sad when friends must say goodbye. Although, one must understand that what is called a 'goodbye' is merely a 'see you later'. Even death does not permanently separate departed souls. It is merely a matter of time, and that pain of that time can be assuaged by the friends that remain and the making of new friends during that time."
Then the Spirit put a hoof to her chin and smiled thoughtfully, "However, this particular situation is quite unique. The bonds that have been forged here are much stronger than usual. The accomplishments of those present, as well as their services to this world, are staggering."
The Spirit smiled sympathetically at Gallus and added, "And there is a past filled with pain to be taken into account."
Gallus felt a bit self conscious under the Spirit's gaze, and found himself wishing he was wearing his armor.
The Spirit set her hoof back down and said, "Gallus, you must answer the question I am about to with the utmost honesty. Do you truly wish to live alongside your friends, even if it means outliving others, such as the griffons in Griffonstone, members of the Royal Guard, and other such creatures living in Canterlot and Ponyville?"
Gallus nodded his head and said, "I'd give anything to stay with them."
"Are you sure? Even with the points I have raised?"
Gallus motioned to his friends and said, "They're willing to do it, and having friends I trust would make it easier to deal with anyway. If I had a chance to live for a thousand years, I'd take it the first chance I got it."
The Spirit looked into Gallus' eyes for a moment, then she smiled and gave a nod. "So be it," she said, and her horn began to glow as magic began to flow through the Tree House of Harmony.
Gallus' eyes widened as a strange glow began to emanate from his chest. The same thing happened to his friends, and even stranger, magical chords of different colors came out of their chests and snaked out into Gallus'. It all happened so fast that no creature even had time to say anything as pure magic seeped through their very souls, flowed down through the chords, and into an amazed blue griffon.
Then, with one final burst of light, all was calm and quite once again.
The Spirit smiled broadly and said, "Gallus' soul has been tied to the souls of his friends. He will still mature and grow naturally over time. However, he will maintain youth and vitality until, and only until, the last of his friends have passed on from this life."
Smolder stared at the Spirit and said slowly, "You can just. . .make creatures immortal?"
The Spirit shook her head and said, "Make no mistake. What I have done now is take advantage of a very rare set of circumstances. The five of you posses physical states of being that overflow with life. Also, the Magic of Friendship already binds all six of you together. That is how I was able to grant Gallus' wish, so the thanks belongs to yourselves as much as it belongs to me." Then she gave a mischievous looking grin and said with a chuckled in her voice, "Oh, and Sandbar. . ." She motioned to the pony's body, and then right before vanishing in a flash of light, she said,". . . The words of encouragement you gave your friend were... exemplary."
Confused, Sandbar looked himself over, and gasped when he spotted his new pair of wings. He then slowly raised his right forehoof to his head, and he slowly touched the tip of his new horn. After shaking with excited glee for a moment, he whooped and shot up into the air, using his newly gained power of flight to backflip in mid air. Gallus flew up beside him and said excitedly, "I helped you ascend! I can't believe it! I actually matter that much!"
Sandbar grabbed Gallus in a hug and said, "C'mon, Gallus. You always mattered."
Gallus smiled nervously and said, "Yeah. . . guess a few of my old personal demons come back sometimes. . ." He pumped his fist and said, "Keep fighting! Never surrender!"
At that moment, Smolder burst out laughing, holding her stomach as she bent over doubled. She was aware that everycreature was staring at her, but she didn't care. She just laughed and laughed until she was finally able to catch her breath, stand up straight, and say, "What I can't believe. . .is that I was so worried. . .over absolutely nothing!"
"Well, here we are again," Gallus said.
Back in the present, the approximately thousand year old dragoness turned to see Gallus hovering down to the ground next to her. The once yellow tipped feathers on his head were now silver tipped, but his blue feathers were still as bright and brilliant as they had ever been. There was a slight look of age and tiredness in his eyes, and yet there was also look of true inner peace that he had at one time assumed he would never have attained.
Smolder lowered her massive head down to the griffon's level and said, "You're just in time. . .but I guess I would've had no trouble waiting for you."
"I had a feeling the day would come soon, especially after Chancellor Sandbar passed on not to long ago," Gallus said reverently.
Smolder smirked and said, "You're out of uniform."
Gallus smirked back and said, "You know that I stepped down to focus my attention on reconstructing Griffonstone a few centuries ago. And I know that your memory has always been sharp as your claws."
Smolder chuckled softly so she didn't cause a landslide with her laughter, and she said, "When do you think Yona will be here?"
Right on cue, the yak landed superhero style right next to Gallus with a mighty thud, wielding Karshar in her right forehoof, wearing a emerald green blanket embroidered with gold on her back, and sporting several gold and silver rings set with precious stones on her large, impressive horns.
Smolder smiled and said, "Under-dressed and overdressed. Go figure."
Yona just shook her head in amusement and said, "Yona glad friends never changed on inside."
Smolder would have chuckled again if it weren't for the fact that her breath caught in her chest at that very moment. She gave a loud wheeze, and pressed a claw against her chest. A tense moment passed, and she cleared her throat and said, "Well. . .are you two ready?"
Gallus nodded and said, "Like I said, I knew it was coming soon. I had everything taken care of last week."
Yona motioned behind her, down the side of the mountain, and said, "Yaks set up rock down there for Yona to throw Karshar down into. They take rock back to mountain top for next worthy yak, and also come up her to retrieve Yona's body and bring to tomb waiting in Yakyakistan."
Smolder looked down at her two living best friends, amazed at how wonderfully bittersweet it all was. She sighed and said, "Well then. . .I guess this is it. . .Feels like we should all be saying something super deep and profound. . .But. . ."
"Maybe we don't have to?" Gallus suggested with a smile.
"Because we are such good friends?" Yona also suggested in an identical manner.
Smolder simply nodded in agreement, and she said, "Well then, I guess I'll just say. . . See you on the flip-side."
Smolder's head then slowly fell to the ground, she slowly breathed in and out, and then. . . she was still.
After a moment's hesitation, Yona promptly turned around and said, "Yona and Gallus not keep best friends waiting." She stood on the edge of the mountain, twirled Karshar faster than she had ever spun it before, and flung it straight down at the large mass of stone down below. There was a loud boom as the mace struck its target, and Yona let out a sigh of relief as she fell to her knees. He brown fur rapidly turned silver-gray, and her face and limbs wrinkled like a prune. The yak's breathing became slower and more labored, and with her final breath, she spoke her last word.
"Sandbar. . ."
After Yona became as still and silent as the huge dragon behind her, Gallus blinked his eyes as his body suddenly began to tingle. It was a strange sensation, as his body also seemed to go numb at the same time. As he sat there, lifted up his right foreleg in front of his face. His eyebrows raised as he saw his right talon begin to crumble into dust and blow away in a strange breeze that had suddenly come into being. Then he turned to look at his behind, and saw that his tail was also started to turn to dust as well.
"Heh," he said, almost sarcastically. Then he thoughtfully rubbed his chin with his left talon and said, "Hmm. . . I gotta think of something clever to say here. . .Ashes to ashes? Nah, too cliche. . . Dust in the wind? No, that's lame. . .Dust to dust? Ugh, same as the first one. . .Hmm. . .How about. . . I don't feel so-."
The last of Gallus' body disintegrated, and thus the six best friends were finally reunited in the Elysian Fields. . .
. . .and the occasional wild party in Yakhalla.
Author's Note
For the record, Gallus was trying to say "I don't feel so bad" when he was cut of, but I just wanted to make an Infinity War reference.
