One Last Lesson

by Silver Wit

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, Sad, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike
Length: 6694

Twilight Sparkle and the Friendship Council have ruled Equestria together for moons. But nothing lasts forever and Twilight is in need of guidance.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends have conquered every challenge sent their way. They've won battles, forged bonds and expanded the lessons of friendship to far beyond Equestria's borders. But when the march of time brings forth some very troubling realizations, Twilight seeks advice from perhaps the only pony in the whole world who could help her.

My submission to the The My Little Pony Renaissance Contest. Originally part of a larger story, I felt that with a little tweeking, I could make a pretty good one-shot. At least, I hope it's a good one-shot. :twilightblush:

Published 2021-07-31 19:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-07-31 19:20:01 UTC

One Last Lesson

Twilight Sparkle. Element of Magic, Princess of Friendship and matriarch of all Equestria has a life full of accomplishments. From being accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, to freeing Princess Luna from the Nightmare parasite, triumphing over the chaotic Discord, the monstrous Queen Chrysalis, the frightening King Sombra, the destructive Lord Tirek, the enraged Pony of Shadows, the power-hungry Storm King and the deceitful Cozy Glow. Ascending to the role of an alicorn princess, befriending creatures from all walks of life, from smug stage magicians to charismatic alley cats. She even opened up her own school to teach the values of friendship to any and all creatures who wished to learn. Then came the day when her mentor Princess Celestia along with her sister Luna decided to step down from the throne and pass their power and position to Twilight Sparkle, whose lessons of friendship and heroism brought forth peace and harmony for all of Equestria and beyond.

But to say that Twilight accomplished this all on her own would be untrue. Since her journey began all those years ago in a little corner of Equestria called Ponyville, she’s been helped and aided by a small team of friends. Her dragon assistant and little brother Spike, the honest farmer Applejack, the kind animal lover Fluttershy, the generous fashionista Rarity, the brash and loyal Rainbow Dash and the bouncy, bubbly, all around bundle of laughter Pinkie Pie. It was with their help that Twilight was able to get as far as she has today. They taught her the true meaning of friendship and for that, Twilight was eternally grateful. Then came the day that Twilight would take the seat of the highest office in the land, but if there was one thing Twilight made sure of, it was that she wouldn’t be ruling alone.

“Well then. I think that about covers everything on the agenda. Therefore, as Princess of Equestria, I hereby bring this meeting of the Friendship Council to an end!”

Of all the responsibilities that she had to carry out over the years, this was one of Twilight’s most favorite events. The meeting of the Council of Friendship meant spending time with her nearest and dearest friends, sitting down and discussing the needs of the citizens and plans for the coming months. Twilight may be a princess, but her friends are just as important in her decisions.

“Hoowee!” Applejack hollered as she stretched her legs. “Mighty fine show as always Twi! An’ don’t you worry none, Ah’ll round up any an’ all help Ah can find te git them ornery minotaurs an’ buffalos te git along without a hitch.”

Twilight chuckled, “If anypony can do it, it’s you Applejack. You have my full support.”

Applejack tipped her hat. “Heh, mighty kind of ye Twi.”

Rarity took a pocket watch out of her cloak, popped it open and squinted her eyes. “My, my, my! Still some time left in the day. Spike, would you care to join me for tea?”

Said dragon was at Rarity’s side in an instant. “I’d love to, Rarity. Shall we go?” Rarity nodded and the two headed in the direction of the door, Spike’s claw resting on her withers.

“It was so nice seeing everypony again,” Fluttershy said. “But I think I should be going; I have a big day at the sanctuary tomorrow.”

As if on que, a portal opened up behind Fluttershy and Discord popped out. “Hello everypony!” he announced in his flighty tone. “Wish I could stay and chat, but there’s just so much to do. So let’s be on our way Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy just stood still.

Discord’s mirth seemed to diminish as he slowly came to Fluttershy’s side, placed a paw on her back and said in a slightly louder tone. “Ready to go Fluttershy?”

“Oh Discord!” Fluttershy finally noticed the God of Chaos. “Yes, I am.-“ Fluttershy rubbed her ears. “-Well, goodbye everypony.” Discord held Fluttershy’s hoof as he helped her through the dimensional shortcut.

Pinkie giggled, “Another job well done for the friendship council, woohoo! Thanks for having us Twilight! I’ll be sure to give the chefs my recipe for choco-mondo volcano cake before I go, come by anytime you’re in Ponyville!”

A stallion entered the meeting hall. He had a curly pink mane and a yellow coat with a bounce in his step and a cheese pie cutie mark. He gave the princess an enthusiastic wave. “Hiya auntie Twilight! Looks like I got here just in time.”

Twilight waved back to the peppy stallion. “Right on time Little Cheese. We just ended.”

“Oh great!” Little Cheese pulled Pinkie into a hug. “Ready to go, mom?”

Pinkie cocked her brow and tilted her head. “Huh? Fluttershy? I thought you just left.”

The peppy stallion’s smile faltered. “No mom. It’s me, Lil’ Cheese.”

Pinkie’s eyes shined. “Riiiight! Of course you are! C’mon Little Cheese, let’s stop by the kitchen before leaving. Twilight’s chefs need this recipe!” And with that, Pinkie bounced out of the room with Lil’ Cheese following close by.

“Aww yeah!” Rainbow Dash’s raspy voice cheered. “Friendship Council duties done in four days! That has to be some kind of record or somethin’!” Dash leapt into the air and flapped her wings for her traditional “victory lap” that signaled the end of a successful meeting.

“Argh!” Dash cried out as her wings froze and she dropped out of the sky.

“Rainbow Dash!-“ Twilight’s horn flared as she wrapped the cyan mare in her aura and lowered her safely to the ground. “-Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah I’m fine,” Dash said with a mustered bravado. “My wings have just been feeling stiff is all. Just a little rusty.”

“Ah told ye not te fly so much sugarcube,” Applejack’s tone was a mix of worry and sternness. “Let’s git some heat on them wings.”

“I’m ok, Applejack, really. I just need some rest.” Rainbow Dash trotted off along with Applejack.

Leaving Twilight alone.

As the last of her friends said their goodbyes, her lips parted and her eyes widened. Something came over the high ruler of Equestria like a cold blanket. A realization, no, more like an unfortunate truth, its seeds lying dormant and now the dark vines have taken hold; squeezing Twilight’s heart like a vice.

“Princess? Princess Twilight?”

Twilight jerked her head as somepony yanked her away from her daydreams. She looked about the carriage, its plush floors, soft seats and velvet curtains were what was expected of transportation for the ruler of Equestria. To think there was a time where Twilight had to take the public train or a hot air balloon to get anywhere, when she had to wait in lines, share seats and scramble her way through rush hour commuting. But these days, from her chambers, to the halls of Canterlot castle, to the throne room and beyond it was nothing but plush, soft and velvet comfort.

Twilight lit her horn and the door to the carriage opened, revealing her most trusted guard. “Yes, Gallus?”

The griffon in gold armor rose his talon in a salute. “We’ve reached our destination, your majesty.”

Doesn’t seem that long ago when Gallus was just a student at the School of Friendship. Back then, he called her “Headmare Twilight.” He grew into quite the solider since. A brave and valiant guardian who against all odds reached the position of “captain of the guard” and the first griffon to ever do so. Twilight made a mental note to give Gallus some extra time off. Goodness knows he’s earned it, and she was certain Silverstream would love some vacation time with her special somegriff.

Twilight ducked her head and stepped out of the carriage. A light breeze graced her cheeks, carrying the sweet scent of blossoms and dancing petals. “Very good. Thank you Gallus, I’ll be fine from this point forward.”

Gallus nodded. “As you wish.” He stood at attention, awaiting for his princess to return.

Twilight took regal step after regal step as she trotted up to the central building of the Silver Shoals retirement village. As she entered the lobby, the chatter between the elderly and their visiting grandfoals all but stopped, as the Princess Twilight strode past with an elegance that comes with the weight of the crown and the prevailing excited whispers of the fillies and colts ebbed and flowed in the background. Twilight rang the bell on the reception desk, drawing the attention of a mousy looking Pegasus.

“Oh, good afternoon Princess Twilight!” She greeted warmly.

“Good afternoon Nimble Step. Is Celestia available?”

Nimble Step nodded. “Sure is! She’s been looking forward to seeing you ever since she got your letter. You’ll find her out at the docks. You know the way, right?”

Twilight giggled, “I should hope so by now. Thank you Nimble.”

Twilight made her way past the shuffleboard players, the yoga class and a production of “Hoofspear in the Park.” Soon enough, Twilight arrived at the docks, the tide lazily lapping at the sandy shore while a water aerobics class was being held in the shallows and a few rowboats crossed the calm waters in the distance. Twilight quickly found who she was looking for. After all, not too many folks here (or Equestria for that matter) are alicorns. Celestia was sitting at the far end of the dock on a folding chair, every so often she drew her brush over the large canvas before her with nice, controlled strokes.

Twilight took a deep breath and let it out slow. She trotted up to the former solar diarch, trying her best to hide any and all signs of anxiety.

“Hello Celestia.”

Celestia’s ears perked up as she turned to face her visitor with a warm and friendly smile. “Twilight! So nice to see you. Lovely day isn’t it? Sunny, warm, a light breeze. The perfect weather to paint outside. You didn’t push Cloudsdale for this, did you?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That was a one-time thing. And it was more of a communication error than an actual royal order. Though, I still feel bad every time I have a meeting with the Weather Factory manager.”

Celestia chuckled, “Don’t worry about it Twilight. Accidents happen, even to princesses-“ she levitated a folding chair similar to her own and set it on the dock. “-have a seat. I know it’s not as lavish as the throne, but it’s still quite comfortable.”

Twilight nodded and she took her seat next to her mentor. Since her retirement, Celestia has adapted well to her new life, as if a great many weights was lifted from her withers and is free to do as she wishes. Though even Celestia wasn’t spared from the course of time. She still had her youthful demeanor, but her coat was no longer white, but more off-white. However it was her mane that had the greatest transformation. It was entirely pink and no longer billowed on an ethereal breeze. Celestia insisted that her mane simply returned to how it looked before her “ascension” to being the all-powerful Mare of the Morn. And if she was being totally frank, she kind of enjoyed the idea of looking more like a “normal” pony.

Celestia swirled her brush in a jar of murky water. “So Twilight, how are things?”

“Oh, well, things are going… well. The royal swanifying was a great success. Top Notch is certainly following in his father’s hoofsteps. Fancy Pants tells me how proud he is at every chance he gets.”

Celestia dabbed her brush into a small blob of red paint. “I see.”

“Luster Dawn keeps sending me letters. Her lessons are over, but it’s nice to hear from her and all the fun she’s been having with her friends.”

Celestia dabbed her brush in a small white blob of paint and made pink. “Go on.”

“Starlight’s been up to her fetlocks in new applications for the school. She sounded overwhelmed, but I’m sure with Trixie’s help-“

“Twilight,” Celestia softly interrupted. “I’ve known you nearly your entire life. You were my star pupil and for a time, we lived in the same castle. I can tell when something is on your mind. So. Would you like to tell me what’s troubling you?”

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as the wind was taken out of her sails. “Heh. I should’ve known better. You could always see right through me.”

The former ruler smirked. “Years of practice, my faithful student. You’ll master it someday.”

Twilight gazed out at the lake and listened to the soft chirping of the birds overhead and the soft roar of the water hitting the beach. The brief serenity calmed her, Twilight relaxed her shoulders and took a deep breath.

“Princess Ce-“

“Uhp, uhp, uhp!” Tutted the alicorn artist. “it’s just Celestia now. I passed my position and title to you, remember?”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry, old habits and such. Celestia, you ruled over Equestria for well over a thousand years.”

Celestia chuckled, “So I’ve heard.”

The princess’s previous smile disappeared. “Have you… have you ever had to… say goodbye to a friend?”

Celestia’s brush froze on the canvas, but after a moment she continued her strokes. “Yes. I have.”

“After the last Friendship Council meeting,” Twilight continued. “I noticed some… changes in my friends. And a few days later I get an urgent letter, telling me that Applejack was injured from bucking trees. When I arrived… the doctors said that… there was a good chance that’d she’d never buck another tree again and she might even lose the use of her hind legs. I’ve never seen Rainbow Dash so worried before. Applejack tried her best to smile, but I could tell she was just putting on a front.”

And it’s not just Applejack. Dash can barely fly, Fluttershy is having more and more trouble communicating with her animals at the sanctuary. Pinkie Pie forgot her own son and Spike has been taking so many days off to help Rarity; he has to be her eyes. I’m… not so naïve to say that I thought that my friends would be around forever. I guess I just never considered it. No… that’s not true. I knew this would happen, from the moment I ascended to the throne but… I ignored it.-“ Twilight wiped away a stray tear. “-Celestia… how did you do it?”

“How did I do what?”

“How did you handle the…-“ Twilight swallowed. “passing… the… death of a friend?”

Celestia took a breath and gave a low contemplative hum before dipping her brush in the paint. “It’s not easy Twilight… and you’ll encounter many, many times during your reign.”

“But how am I supposed to get used to it?”

“That’s the thing. You don’t. And I pray that you never do.”

Twilight bit her lip as she tried to steady herself. “Celestia, I’m going to lose my friends! The best and greatest friends I’ve ever known! And I’ll outlive any and all of the friends I make! How am I supposed to deal with this pain? The anguish? Lately I… even thought about not getting close to anypony else. I don’t know if I can do this over and over again for a thousand years.”

Celestia’s voice was stern, “Now what kind of talk is that for the Princess of Friendship to make?”

“But I-“

“Twilight,” Celestia’s voice was softer this time. “nopony lives forever. Heck, not many creatures live forever. Except Discord. He’s been around since the very beginning, after all there’s an awful lot of chaos when it comes to creation. But we ponies… our lives are finite“- Celestia tossed her pink mane which gently fell back into place. –“even I’m not immune to the march of time and to be honest, I’ve made peace with that. Do you know why?”

Twilight shook her head.

Celestia dipped her brush onto her pallet. “It’s because life is fleeting. It’s beautiful, it should be treasured and when it comes to an end, we should celebrate the lives of those who meant so much to us. Let me ask you, do you regret me sending you to Ponyville?”

“No.”

“Do you regret meeting your friends on that day?”

“Of course not! It was one of the most important days of my life!”

“Then why do you wish to close yourself off and distance yourself from others? Why do you wish to go back to when you thought friendship was a waste of time?”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out but a strangled breath. She paused as her mind turned to clay. There was no way to deny her feelings, not now. “Because…-” Twilight let out a soft sob. “-I’m afraid… I’m afraid, no, terrified of going through this again! This horrid pain in my heart, knowing that everypony I love and care for will die! And… I’ll keep living… for hundreds and hundreds of years… how am I supposed to handle this?”

“You know Twilight,“- Celestia dipped her brush in the murky glass of water and swirled it around. –“I’ve attended more funerals than anypony in Equestria. It was never easy, not even once. All the friends I’ve made over the years… so many of them are gone now. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and pushed me forward when I was scared. I can still see them; I can still hear them and I can still feel their last touch of warmth in their final hours. I’ve cried. I’ve screamed. Grieved with families. I begged anypony, anything to bring them back to end this pain. But I was wrong.”

Twilight cocked a brow. “Wrong? About what?”

“About the pain. That pain you’re feeling Twilight, it’s not something to shy away from. If anything, it’s something you should embrace.”

“How can I embrace something so horrible?”

“Don’t you see? The pain your feeling is a good thing. It means that somepony was important to you. So much so that it hurts to lose them. You’ve made such beautiful memories, accomplished so many incredible things and formed bonds that can never be broken. But as wonderful as friendship is, it comes at a price.”

“The pain of loss… right?”

Celestia nodded.

Twilight sighed and anxiously rubbed her foreleg with her opposing hoof. “I’ll never forget my friends, Celestia. For as long as I rule… as long as I live I’ll never forget my friends. But… what about the rest of Equestria?”

“What do you mean, Twilight?”

“What’ll happen to Equestria when my friends pass? I can’t rule by myself, I’ve never been without them. And… when I pass… what’ll happen then? Are we just destined to be forgotten? I mean, we can’t even hold a candle to you and the things you’ve done. Who will remember us?”

Celestia tapped the end of her brush to her lips and hummed, “I’m pretty sure you’re not giving yourself or your friends enough credit.”

“But Celestia, you have done so much over the course of history. You and Luna battled Discord, Tirek, King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis. You helped unify the pony tribes and protected them from harm. But so many of your deeds and accomplishments were forgotten and simply became myths and fairy tales. What makes you think anypony will remember what my friends and I did?”

“Twilight, you and your friends have brought harmony to Equestria in ways I could never accomplish. I was only able to seal Discord in stone, but you showed him the value of friendship.”

Twilight giggled, “That’s thanks to Fluttershy. I just helped her keep him out of trouble.”

“Fair enough. But you also battled against Tirek, King Sombra and Chrysalis. Not to mention Cozy Glow, the Storm King, the Pony of Shadows and Starlight Glimmer. You gave Sunset Shimmer a new lease on life and helped me mend my friendship with her. You forged peace with the dragons and the changelings. You saved the hippogriffs, found a way to appease the yaks and now griffons are some of the friendliest folk I know. All because of the efforts of you and your friends. You’ve brought unity, harmony and friendship to everypony… everycreature in Equestria and beyond.”

The Princess of Equestria was a loss for words. As incredible as it was to believe, everything Celestia said was true. Twilight and her friends have accomplished more in their lives than most could ever dream of.

“But, what if we get lost to history?” Twilight said in a hallow tone. “What happens when everything I did… everything we did is lost to time? Our lessons, our accomplishments… what’ll happen when we’re forgotten? Will it mean that we failed?”

“You know Twilight,” Celestia mused. “I seem to recall a certain somepony who believed Nightmare Moon wasn’t just a myth. She believed in her heart that Equestria was in danger from the threat of a fairy tale. And in the end, her belief saved us all and spurred her forward to greater heights.”

Twilight tilted her head. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Celestia rolled her eyes. Even after all these years, Twilight still found it difficult to see the things right before her. “You were the only pony in Equestria who believed in the legend of Nightmare Moon. That the prophecy would come true and that eternal night would fall. Over the years, the fear my little ponies felt towards Nightmare Moon waned and eventually, she was merely a story to frighten foals. The same can be said about you and your friends Twilight.”

Twilight winced, but she let Celestia continue.

“There very well may come a time when you, your friends and your accomplishments will be obscured by the mists of time and become legends. But as long as there’s one creature who believes in you and the extraordinary things you’ve done, then you haven’t failed. The seeds you planted with your friends will grow and your legacy will be passed on to the next generation of young creatures who believe in your ideals, ready to continue the work you started.-” Celestia levitated her brush to the glass of murky water and grinned. She tapped Twilight on the shoulder. “-It isn’t finished, but what do you think of this, Twilight?”

Twilight realized that Celestia was drawing her attention to her canvas and the Princess of Friendship’s jaw slowly dropped. On the canvas were six ponies, she recognized Celestia and Starswirl, even if they looked younger than Twilight remembers. But there were a few ponies she didn’t recognize. One was an earth pony stallion, clad in gold armor and standing proud, though she couldn’t help but notice the small smile he wore. There was a unicorn mare, her raven mane was tied in a tight bun and she wore an eyepatch. Next to her was a pegasus stallion, he looked rather sharp in his coat and scarf combo as he radiated confidence. And then there was a crystal earth pony mare, her mane was tied in an elaborate braid and the robes she wore were as elegant as they were simple.

“It’s… amazing!” Twilight finally said. “Who are-?”

“My dearest friends,” Celestia said nostalgically. “ponies so wonderful that I owe them for making me the mare I am today.”

Twilight felt her eyes heat up as a tear ran down her cheek. “I’m sure they were incredible. Wish I could’ve met them.”

Celestia’s eyes couldn’t hide the tears. “Twilight…”

Twilight faced her mentor and friend, waiting for the retired princess to continue.

“Treasure the time you have left with your friends. Spend as much of it as you can creating more wonderful memories and when their time comes, be happy… be proud that you were blessed with meeting such unforgettable ponies.”

Twilight sobbed and wrapped her hooves around Celestia. The ruler of Equestria began crying on her mentor’s shoulder and Celestia rubbed Twilight’s back with her hoof. Twilight squeezed harder as she felt her burdens become lighter with every passing moment as Celestia merely held her former student and let her fur be soaked from tears. Soon enough, Twilight pulled away and smiled.

“Thank you Celestia… for everything.”

Celestia returned the smile. “You may not be my student anymore, Twilight. But I’m still a teacher and your friend. If you’re ever lost, you know where to find me.”

The moon was slowly beginning its descent below the horizon, the soft white light began to diminish as the darkness crept in. Signaling that the sun’s ascension was not far behind. Twilight and Spike stood before several monuments, the light growing dimmer and dimmer as the minutes carried on, with only the glow of a few lanterns to help them see the marble tablets. Twilight’s magic was encased around a small device, it was a gift Sunset Shimmer gave to her, a gadget made of metal, glass and plastic. Sunset called it a “recorder” and a simple spell kept it in pristine condition. Twilight pressed a button.

Testing, testing! Alright, I think it’s working. Welcome everypony of the Friendship Council!

“What does that there device do again Twilight?” Applejack asked. Her voice was tired, but her drawl was as strong as ever.

“It records our voices Applejack,” Twilight responded. “I just thought it’d be nice to have around. Do you need any help getting into your seat?”

Applejack nodded. “Ah reckon Ah ain’t got the strength fer it n’more.”- Twilight’s magic gently lifted Applejack out of her wheelchair and onto her throne at the table of the Castle of Friendship. –“Thank ye kindly, Twi. Been a mighty long time since we were ‘ere like this together. Sure brings back some fond memories.”

“Rarity, can I get you anything else?” Spike asked gently.

“I’m quite alright darling,” Rarity said as she patted Spike’s claws. Her eyes were whiter than they were before, little of the blue remained in her irises. “thank you so very much.”- Rarity’s hoof felt around the table, eventually grazing against a teacup. She lifted it to her lips and sighed. –“Delicious as always Spikey. At least my sense of taste is still intact.”

“Fluttershy,” Twilight’s voice was loud and she made exaggerated mouth movements. “can you hear us?”

“Oh yes, don’t worry about me Twilight.-“ Fluttershy adjusted the bits of metal in her ears. “-Discord said these would help. He borrowed them from a friend. Um, Dr. Crusher I think was her name. Though I don’t think they were made for pony ears.”

“Lil’ Cheese?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I thought you and the kids were at Neighagra Falls for the week?”

“No Pinkie, that’s Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash commented as she took her seat.

“Oh right, then where’s Lil’ Cheese?”

Twilight asked, “How are your wings Dash?”

The former Wonderbolt captain gave a sad chuckle, “Still stiff as ever. I can’t zip across the sky anymore, but I’ll still kick your flank in a hoof race.”

Twilight laughed, “I don’t doubt that.”

“So Twi,” Applejack said. “what’s on the agenda this time ‘round?”

Twilight tapped her hoof to her chin as she looked over the items on the list. “Well, it seems that the diamond dogs and the dragons are having a minor dispute about a cache of gems. But before we get to that, I just want to ask, how are all of you doing?”

The question peaked Rarity's curiosity. “What do you mean darling?”

“It’s just that… we can’t really meet like this very often. So I wanted to take some time to ask how everypony is doing. You know, talk like we did before we started running a country.”

There was a moment of silence in the room, before the quiet was broken by giggling.

“Like our doughnut party after we saved Equestria?” Pinkie said with remarkable clarity.

Twilight nodded. “Exactly. So, who’d like to go first?”

“W-well, um,” Fluttershy stuttered. “I’ve had to… stepdown from running the animal sanctuary.”

Twilight bit her lip. “Fluttershy, I’m so sorry. I know how important-“

“Oh no, it’s alright,” the kindly old mare assured. “I mean, I am sad that I can’t hear the animals anymore, but I’ve had help running the sanctuary for a while now. And Discord has been wonderful as well. He really took my lessons to heart. I know he’ll take care of the animals the same way I did.”

“I see. Well that’s awfully kind of him. I wonder who he picked that up from, hmm?”

Fluttershy blushed.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well, my shop in Manehattan recently had a surge in popularity following fashion week.”- Rarity held her hoof out and Spike slowly closed his claw around it. –“Of course I owe much of that success to Spike. He helped me with everything from orders to restocks and even brokered a deal with Saddle Arabia for their impeccable silks. I haven’t seen… haven’t heard anything like it. He was so bold, confidant and knew exactly what to say.”

Spike gave Rarity’s hoof a little squeeze. “Well being a friendship ambassador certainly helps. But not as much as what I learned from you.”

Rarity hummed, “I concur.”

“Oh hey! I remember this place!” Pinkie exclaimed. “We had a Hearth’s Warming helper party here! I ate so much pudding! I was telling the grandfoals about it a while ago. I need to get started on getting presents together.”

Twilight giggled, “Pinkie, Hearth’s Warming isn’t for another six months.”

“No better time to start then now!”

Twilight turned to Applejack. “How have things been on the farm?”

“Fine an’ dandy Twi.-“ Applejack patted her hind legs. “-Ah can’t buck n’more, but Ah still work on schedules and sales. Besides, Big Mac’s boy is a heck of a lotta help. Dern fine farmer and one great Apple I tell ya h’wut. And Apple Bloom’s youngin’s too, when they ain’t trying to catch the Great Seedlin’ that is.”

Rainbow Dash coughed, “Ahem?”

Applejack chuckled, “And you Dash. Ah wouldn’t even get half the work done without yer help.”

“Darn right you wouldn’t.”

“So you’ve been keeping busy on the farm too, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

“Yep, not much of an apple bucker, but I get the job done. And every so often the Wonderbolts call me in for some official business. Even after all these years they can’t get enough of my awesomeness!” Dash said as proud as she did when she was young.

“How can they not? You left a great impression on them,” Twilight said, fueling a bit more of Dash’s ego.

“Hey, Twilight?” Applejack asked.

“Yes?”

The country mare gave the Princess of Friendship a warm smile. The same kind and loving smile Granny Smith would always give. “Thanks fer bringin’ that there doohickey of yers.”

A few nods and murmurs of agreement came from the rest of the gray ponies at the table.

Twilight was taken aback as Applejack’s words washed over her. At that moment, she was feeling her heart simultaneously break and swell. She looked at her friends, old and tired, yet for a brief moment, she felt the clocks were winding back. All her friends, sitting around the table, discussing requests from Princess Celestia, plans on resolving friendship problems and sometimes just idle gossip about little details and big events. Best friends, with all the time in the world. Twilight wiped a stray tear rolling down her cheek and smiled brightly.

“Well, now that we have that taken care of, let’s move onto the first item on the agenda-“

The recorder played on and on until the last words were spoken and Twilight pressed another button to shut it off. She levitated a handkerchief and wiped her eyes, giving a soft sob into the fabric. A purple claw lightly patted Twilight’s back and Spike gave her a sad and knowing smile. The princess dabbed her eyes once more before her horn started to glow. Her magic enveloped bouquets of flowers and set about placing them on the tall marble tablets before them. Before the tablet with carvings of balloons, she placed pink flowers of varying shades. Before the tablet with carvings of apples, she placed orange and yellow flowers. Before the tablet with a cloud and lightning bolt she placed a bouquet of multi-colored petals and before the tablet with butterfly carvings, she placed a bouquet of pink and yellow blossoms, alongside another bouquet. Discord must have been here earlier.

“You know. I can still see them,” Twilight said. “I can still see them clear as day. And I can still remember what they sound like…but it’s still nice to hear them…”

Spike nodded. “Yeah. I know what you mean.” Spike’s claws gripped around a bouquet of white and purple lilies and with careful steps, approached the final tablet. This one had a carving of three gem stones. He laid the flowers down gently as if not to disturb the pony they were meant for. Spike took his place at Twilight’s side and the pair just watched the silent stones and listened to the chirps of crickets. Spike pressed his lips together and took deep breaths, his body was trembling as if he were about to burst.

“Spike,”- Twilight’s wing wrapped around her little brother. –“you know Rarity wouldn’t think less of you, right?”

“I…I know,” Spike’s voice cracked. “But sometimes… I think that maybe I’ve spent enough time crying…”

Twilight pulled the dragon closer. “Spike, that’s ridiculous. If you feel like crying, then cry. Cry as much as you need, then cry as much as you want. There’s no shame in it. It’s… it’s proof that she meant the world to you.”

Spike clenched his jaw, took in some shallow breaths and in an instant, the dam broke. Spike fell to his knees and cried, the grief and sadness echoed across the grounds. Twilight hugged her brother tight as he cried into her shoulder.

“I-I was there!” he sobbed. “I was there with her! I held her in my arms and… I never let go of her hoof. Even when it went cold I didn’t let go!”

Twilight couldn’t stop her own tears as she wrapped her wings around Spike and rubbed his back. “I know. I know you did.”

“I miss Rarity so much! I miss… I miss everypony so much…”

“I miss them too Spike. Not a single day goes by that I don’t miss them.”

“Twilight?” Spike’s voice barely broke a whisper. “Do you think… this’ll get easier?”

Twilight pulled Spike back and gave him a sad smile, fresh tears still rolling down her cheeks. “No. I don’t think it ever will. And I don’t think it should get easier.”

Spike grit his teeth. “How can you say that?”

“This… will happen again Spike. For us, this will happen again and again and again. It’ll never be easy and it will always hurt. But it’s ok. It’s ok that we feel like this, because it means that you… that we cared for somepony so much that losing them makes us feel this way. But they’ll always be a part of us, for as long as we live.”

Spike sniffed. “What then? What happens when we die? Are we just gonna be forgotten? Who will remember us? Our friends and the things we did… what will happen?”

Twilight lowered her gaze. “I can’t say for sure Spike. Nopony is immune to the march of time. All we can do is keep their memory alive for as long as we can. They worked hard Spike, harder than anypony I know. I think they deserve a rest. But what we did, who we were, the lessons we taught and all of the friends we’ve made along the way? Even if they become legends, as long as one creature believes in us and believes that what we did was true, then that’s all we need to be remembered. And our torch will be passed on to future generations.”

Spike chuckled, “Heh, do you really think that’ll happen?”

The darkness finally broke as the dawn heralded the light of the sun, as it cast a warm veil that quickly spread across the land. Twilight took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and extinguished the lanterns.

“I just have a feeling.”

Author's Note

This was supposed to be part of a larger story I've been kicking around in my head for sometime now. It would have explored each of Celestia's friends and the impact that they had on her life and the unfortunate truth that she'll outlive all of them. But that would've taken far too long given the deadline for the contest, so I basically condensed the beginning, middle and ending of that idea and if I want to explore this story further, I have room with Celestia's friends and such.

Now normally in these author's notes I like to break down my thought process and other bits of information to give the readers a glimpse into myself. However since this is a contest piece, I really don't want to influence the judges reading it by spilling my guts across the bottom, but I also like to write out what I did and tried to do because I find it cathartic. So, perhaps a compromise? If you are one of the judges for the Renaissance contest, stop reading from this point forward.

Ok then. This was quite an interesting endeavor for me this time around. I really wanted to embody the theme of "change" as much as I could. Yes I know the rules say that even if it's a minor change it's fine, but I wanted to explore this theme to the fullest. Truth be told one of my biggest inspirations for this story (well this abridged one-shot anyways) was M.A.S.H, specifically the series finale. Minor spoilers, but M.A.S.H's finale was in the early 80's so you've had plenty of time to watch it, each member of the main cast is afflicted with a "wound" of some way or another. One character loses his love of classical music which was the main thing that kept him going throughout the Korean war, another abandons her army career because she's seen the horrors of war and decided to help people in America. So I thought it'd be interesting to do the same thing here, but instead of a wound, the cast loses something very important, something that makes up their identity or is a major part of their life. Most were straight forward enough, although Pinkie and Fluttershy's gave me a bit of a headache, until I thought "What if Flutters couldn't hear her animal friends and what if Pinkie actually forgot about her friends, family and important dates.

As I said before, this story was quite a treat for me, since all my other stories are ship fics. And since I couldn't think of a ship fic one-shot I decided to think a little harder and really thought about the theme of "change" and then like a bolt out of the blue it hit me. See, for quite some time now I see people on this site or even in Facebook groups feeling depressed and scared that FIM is over and if G5 will be good or ruin the franchise. And while I myself am sad that FIM ended and with the comics wrapping up in the Fall, I also know that nothing lasts forever and that I'd rather see a series end with a bang than drag on for too long and end with me rolling my eyes so hard that I permanently blind myself. So I thought I should write a story, not just to express my thoughts at the end of a "lightening in a bottle" type series, but also to reassure the panicky fans that FIM will live on whether G5 exists or not or whether it's good or not. I really hope it is, it'll give me a reason to buy the comics again and have something to watch and look forward to.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit