Twilight and Spike looked out at an endless sea of water, dotted with chunks of ice. This was it. This was the end. All Twilight could do was wait for nature's firework show.

The sun continued to dip to the east, and the air grew colder. Twilight's eyes were closed. Deep in thought. What is the meaning of life?

This was the question that posed her significant angst. Twilight knew a lot of information, absorbed from countless books and scrolls, but this question, this question seemed unanswerable.

What is the meaning of life?

Twilight thought about all of the knowledge she attained over the course of her life. The hours in the library. The sleepless nights spent reading textbooks on a wide variety of subjects.

Her mind perused its way to the coat she was wearing. Where had she gotten it? Who had made it? With her right hoof, she felt the soft fur lining of the blue fabric. Another pony, maybe even several, had come together to produce an article of clothing to keep her warm. Suddenly, Twilight was overcome with a deep appreciation for efforts that she normally took for granted.

What did these ponies do in their time off? Did they socialize? Twilight imagined a large group of ponies, partying together, mingling while eating delicious frosted cupcakes. Parties for all sorts of occasions. The first one to come to mind was New Year's, seeing as the holiday was fast approaching. But she also envisioned birthday parties. Weddings. When was the last time I've been to a party? Twilight wondered.

She imagined that people played games at parties, competitive games. She'd played horseshoes a few times with her family. Though she wasn't the most athletic or the most competitive, her brother had a certain gleam in his eye, and threw the metal shape with admirable strength.

What's a party without apple cider? She imagined ponies chatting around kegs of drink, one that made her envious of adults. There was something about the sweet apples that made Twilight feel warm.

The kegs themselves came from trees, chopped down to produce round barrels. The trees alive once, home to forest creatures of all shapes and sizes. She thought of the forest creatures, and hoped that they were okay, wherever they were. What had happened to the wolves? Twilight still didn't know.

By now, the sun had set, but Twilight still had her eyes closed, reveling in thoughts of the life that surrounded her each and every day. There was something unique about the experience of removing herself from her studies and taking this journey with Spike. She opened her eyes and surveyed the area once again. There was nothing but water. Water in the form of the ocean. Water in the form of chunks of ice. Water in the form of snow. No evidence of life besides Spike, who sat by her side, her fur gently touching his scales.

Out here, it was lonely. Was this what being truly lonely felt like? Had she been lonely all this time?

"Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know."

"About?"

Twilight went silent again. Spike shrugged. Twilight missed the early days of school when she was more apt at socializing with other ponies. At least, more apt than she was now. Without books to busy her, and without her family, the loneliness felt... physical. The hole in her chest felt larger than it ever had before in that moment. Cadance's smile. Her mother's cookies. Days in the laboratory classroom, unicorns spilling chemicals all over the linoleum floor. She and her brother flying a kite. Doughnuts with her old friends, Moon Dancer, Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine. She missed all of it. Past. Present.

She opened her eyes. She abandoned her family during the holidays and for what? Chunks of ice? Twilight pressed a hoof into the cold snow, feeling it. She looked up. The night sky was now filled with stars, but still aurora borealis had not appeared. Would it ever appear?

She looked at Spike, who was watching the stars, and was overcome with emotion. She knew that Spike didn't want to come with her on this trip, but he did anyways. He didn't do it because Celestia told him to, no. He did it because she was his best friend. He braved the cold with her through Manehatten, through the Crystal Mountains and Yaket Range. And now, they were here, two beings in an otherwise empty universe. Spike, she thought, was her best friend too.

The feeling of emptiness continued to grow until Twilight felt that her heart was a chasm. It was painful.

She was still looking at the sky. "Spike?" she spoke, the words creating frost in the air.

"Thanks for coming to the end of Equestria with me."

The two continued to sit in silence. At last, Twilight could see a faint glow on the horizon to her left, above the dark ocean water. The distant pocket of sky was colored by a brilliant bright turquoise, unlike anything Twilight had ever seen before. Spike saw it too, and his eyes grew wide. The glow continued to spread across the sky until it covered the entire horizon. The line was still thin, but it grew wider with each passing moment.

The beams danced across the sky until they were almost directly overhead. They were even brighter now, and all around, reflections bounced. The ocean in front of them, a gateway to unknowns, reflected the teal colors of the aurora, and deep purples and pinks of the sky. It was beautiful. All of it. Pictures could not do it justice.

A tear rolled down Twilight's cheeks. Then another. The tears continued until she was sobbing, heavily, droplets of water freezing on her fur as they traveled. Spike interlocked his claw with Twilight's hoof.

"I'm so lonely, Spike," she whispered in between sobs. But with Spike by her side she thought of what the future might hold. Just because she was lonely now, didn't mean that she would be lonely forever. Who knew what ponies would pass through the revolving door of her life?

Spike's touch reminded Twilight that there was a life to be lived outside of books. She glanced at the purple dragon, then at the northern lights above, a light carving the way into that vast unknown.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading!

I had fun writing this one! Placing the story before the events of the show and in locations that were only briefly explored proved to be challenging.

I hope everyone has a happy new year in a safe environment! Here's to a year well, better than this one, I guess.

As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have, positive or negative. It helps me grow as a writer. I'm in the early stages of a longer work with a tentative release date of February. I'm looking forward to continuing to share my ideas with you! :)