The Conversation

It was a tradition. No…no, it was more than that. It was a necessity. It was something that, were it to be ripped away, would be irreplaceable. The depths of a soul needed to be probed before committing to the act. For the soul who perpetrated a deed such as this needed to be pure and in balance. Such was the requirement for this particular moment. The day had to be bright…the room warm and crisp…and the pony at the center had to have confidence and respect. But every single year on this day, Twilight Sparkle found herself back at this spot. She questioned just why she always did so…and then found the answer staring her right in the muzzle. Smiling, she took her place atop the giant marble cutie mark that scattered itself around the floor.

Utilizing some magic, she brought forth certain memories. While nothing could ever revert things back to the way they used to be, these comforted her. Every year, this day came and went, without a whimper outside of her castle. Ponies went about their daily lives as if nothing was happening. The merchants still pitched their wares to passers-by. Flowers continued to bloom, creating a happy environment for everypony. Visiting creatures continued to flock to the ancient statue of The Troublesome Trio. Yes…Canterlot was normal, though inside the palace, nopony would have known it.

845 years is a very long time to be without the ponies one loves, and Princess Twilight knew this better than anyone. For each year, on the anniversary of her movement to Ponyville, she stood on this spot. It was not out of insanity, nor out of some chaotic need for repetition. No, it was because the particular spot held a great deal of sentimentality for her. It was the place where she and the long since departed Princess Celestia had commenced her first lesson. This helped place her hooves on the path to Ponyville and friendship. Since it held such value, she figured that it was the best spot to place six small memorials: one for each of her best friends.

The statues were carved from the finest stone. Each intricately woven design spoke to the pony whom it represented. For example, Fluttershy’s body had been built by weaving butterfly patterns together. Rainbow Dash’s had been created out of lightning, and Applejack’s out of the very obvious fruit. Every single statue there was enveloped in friendship and love. Twilight couldn’t help but shed a couple of tears. It was almost as if they were still in the room with her…speaking…breathing…loving.

“Hey,” she said as she began her customary conversation with these stone faced images, “I know I say this every year when I come in here, but…I miss all of you. I cannot believe that it’s now been 845 seasons since I last held you. Every day, it gets a little easier, though a dull pain still exists. They say that time heals all wounds…but not this one. I’m somewhere between grieving and happiness. For decades, now, I’ve wanted to find a way out of this ache. But, I’ve grown to accept it. It’s the last bastion I have of you six…the final piece to our friendship puzzle, as it were.

I…I do have news, girls. I’ve finally fallen in love and I’m getting married! It took me a long time, but I knew you’d want me to find somepony and settle down. His name is Thunder Wing, and I’m very happy with him. He treats me like a Princess, and I know he’ll make a terrific Prince. Oh, Pinkie…how I wish you were here to throw us our engagement and wedding parties. I just know they would’ve been splendid. But, it’s rather difficult to give those types of events from beyond the grave. So, my heart will do so for you. I promise.

Rarity, I promise to look my best on my wedding day. In fact, I’m going to use one of your old dress designs to pattern my gown after…though I wish your dutiful hooves were sewing it. You were always so tender with everything. Applejack, I wish you were helping with the catering. I miss your family’s sweet hospitality every single day. Rainbow Dash, I’d love nothing more than for you and the Wonderbolts to do a flyover on my special day. The Wonderbolts will be there…but the formation will be so empty without you at the head.

Fluttershy, I wish your wonderful trained birds would sing for me and my beloved. Their sweet music filled the air on my coronation day…but the passages of the heavens will remain silent. Oh, yes, there will be music…but it won’t be the same. Finally, you, my dearest Starlight. I miss you more than life itself. You…would be my Mare of Honor, and I know you’d do wonderfully. Love would abound in your eyes, and it would create a beautiful magical spark.”

Twilight bowed her head, offering up a moment of silence to her beloved friends. They were all stone now, yet they still felt alive. The purple princess thought she might reach out and touch them. She lifted a hoof from the ground, moving it towards where they rested. Her appendage crept forward slowly, inch by inch, until it got to the base of Starlight’s statue. Then, suddenly, there was a spark of electricity and it knocked her backwards. She slowly rose and looked back towards the statues. There existed no movement. Her friends stood and stared the way they always had for 845 years. But…even so…there was something different. Twilight felt reinvigorated by the spark provided, and she moved towards the statue once again.

“Could…it be?” She asked aloud. Placing a hoof on the statue, she felt the jolt once again, but this time, she held her ground. Now, she was very sure of the source of the spark. It was the same source that connected The Elements of Harmony nearly 1,000 years before. She felt the power of her friendships, and the magic that existed therein. A cool breeze swept through her mane, and for a moment, she was back out on an adventure. She and her friends were galloping to save Equestria. Precious seconds slipped away as she grasped onto Starlight’s statue, breathing deeply and savoring each wonderful memory.

“The magic of friendship,” she said, smiling, “what a concept. What a brilliant, silly, amazing, ridiculous, wonderful concept. The six of us should never have been so close. We’re so utterly different. But that magic brought us together, and it was our shared time that pushed me into the pony I am today. I would never have been any of this without you…so, thank you. Thank you for being my friends. Thank you for being my confidantes. Thank you…for being you. Until next year…may our friendship never die. May it always be magic.”

With those words, she offered a nuzzle to each statue before turning and trotting away. She wiped tears from her cheek as she shut the door and locked it. It would be another year before she’d see them again. But the next year, she figured, the ache might not be so strong. She knew now that the magic of friendship transcended even death itself. She’d simply forgotten that…and all it took was a silent shock to remind her. The conversation suddenly became even more special, and she couldn’t wait for the next one.