Reunionby rlogic1994ChaptersCh 1: FriendsCh 2: MentorCh 3: SaviorCh 4: Assistant Ch 5: RequiemCh 6: EpilogueRavampingCh 1: FriendsReunion It was colder now days in Equestria. The fall of years past had been tinged with a certain friendly warmth that was now absent. It was most likely a result of Princess Celestia's waning power that had been set in motion by her valiant sister, who had sacrificed her life to destroy Discord once and for all. But these grave matters did not pester a certain violet unicorn's mind. Twilight Sparkle walked slowly down the winding path through the Everfree forest, now so much more diminished by Discord's ravaging rampage all those years ago. She trotted steadily determined to get to the top of the mound of land up ahead. To her left and right, the trees were set afire by autumn colors. Reds and yellows painted across the canopy, while a dead brown mass of leaves lay below the beautiful plumes above. The grass was wildly overgrown, weeds and wildflowers visible everywhere. Over the canopy, the Castle of the Two Sisters was visible in its ruined and decayed splendor. It was a fitting place for the mare to meet her friends. This was where they truly became the Elements of Harmony. She smiled slightly at the happy memory. But much had changed in all of them; it had been nearly 25 years since all of her friends had met up. She had not met with them in so long because she had not the heart to hurt them by coming after so much time had passed. This had to be done. This was most likely her last chance. She finally ended up at the foot of the hill and started her gradual ascent of the bump of earth. When she had reached halfway up the slope, she stopped wondering if this was a good idea. There is no turning back. She proceeded to ascend to the top of the hill and was greeted by the faces of her friends. Fond memories emerged of each of them as she moved from one appearance to the next. Rainbow Dash's smiling face reminded her of all the times she had been pranked by the rainbow mare. But the smile also reminded her of the day she was accepted to the Wonderbolts. Twilight and her friends had been so proud, and she had a great career with them. She was the only pony ever to do a double sonic rainboom. Twilight still remembered the day Rainbow had descended from the skies in a dive faster than usual and higher up than usual. Then there was the ever astonishing joy of watching her figure explode into a spectrum of every color that existed. But as Dash kept diving with an ear-to-ear grin, she accelerated once more. A second explosion, unlike anything twilight had ever seen. A halo of imponderable color and intensity burned through the sky, leaving a trail of fiery rainbows behind. When Rainbow Dash had met up with her 5 friends later, she had told them that she just remembered that she would always have her friends who loved her and she let go. Their memory was what drove her, and what gave her the spirit to keep going after the first rainboom. She was so great at flying. She never wanted to stop, always trying to beat her last performance. After she had retired, Twilight and her friends couldn't bear to see the broken spirited mare. Not after the accident in the Canterlot Air Show. Next was the ever ecstatic face of the pink party pony Pinky Pie, her smile reflecting the great birthday party she had thrown for twilight. She was always the life of every party she threw, always capable of cheering up any soul. Twilight remembered the day she went to Canterlot when she was put in charge of the Grand Galloping Gala. Twilight stifled a chuckle at the thought of the affair. There were still stains in the drapes of the great hall. But her smiling face also reminded Twilight of the day she was proposed to. The stallion was just like her, a bubbling personality as if his entire life was a party. With her new husband's connections in Canterlot, They were able to get a party planning company running called The Party Pie. He didn't even care that his name wasn't represented in the name; he was happy to be with Pinkie. Their company was still going and had planned some of the most epic parties in history. She retired in ponyville a few years ago. It was sad seeing her at her very last party. It didn't have the same happiness that usually filled the air. The determined face applejack brought back memories of all the overworked days the orange pony had gone through. Applejack never knew when to take help, Twilight remembering the time when she had tried to single handedly take on all of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight remembered the day she had gone off to war when Discord came back. Rainbow Dash she would go, but the Wonderbolts were a serious morale boost for Equestria, and the captain of the team couldn't just leave. It was sad seeing the orange pony leave, Big Mac and Granny Smith as the caretakers of the farm until she returned. The last time Twilight saw her was at Granny Smith's funeral, an affair even sadder by the sight of the orange pony, her body riddled with scars and scratches. She looked tired, as if she was sick. She said she was fine, but her eyes looked as if they hadn't had sleep in years. Twilight looked up again to her friend's face, her face having been sunk by the poignant memories. Her look also reminded Twilight of the time Applejack had saved her from that manticore on the way to Fluttershy's cottage, receiving a nasty scar from the affair but happy to help her friend. Only after that did Twilight realize her friend would never buck a tree again because of her condition. Fluttershy's kind face looked up at her to the right of Applejack, her soft smile reflecting years of taking care of all kinds of animals, even Spike when he got a horrible case of draconitis. Draconitis was a horrible condition, making the small dragon's eyes bloodshot and his scales pale with decay. It was the first time Twilight had cried for so long. It had scared her deeply, the thought of losing one of her closest friends who she had raised from infancy. Fluttershy had been so tender and loving with him, but she was like that with all injured living things. She had even gone into the deep corners of the Everfree Forest to get supplies for treatment of the disease. Twilight remembered her scratched face when she returned from her adventure, as she had run to the Yellow pegasus's side to help. But Fluttershy would have none of it, a rare show of her authority. She attended to Spike first, slowly making the brew for the dying dragon. Only after this had been done did she let Twilight heal her wounds. Even Fluttershy had changed over the years. She had enrolled to help the Canterlot remapping unit in mapping out the Everfree. Fluttershy returned from that mission scarred deeply from something and was never the same again. She still cared for her animals, but there was an emptiness that had not been there before. The last time Twilight had seen her, she looked unnaturally at peace and still. Then looking back at her was the regal faced Rarity, her polite smile showing her love of all that is proper. Her smile bringing back the memories of all the dresses she had mad Twilight try on and wear over the years. Everyone was so proud the day she finally got her dream when Hoity Toity gave her a piece of his company in his will, which the purple maned pony renamed Rarity's carousel. Twilight didn't really know why, but the name was a hit. She had become huge in only a few years. Even though she had grown apart from her friends, she still helped them if they ever asked. And she always used to send them free dresses with notes saying things like "Try this on, dear! You'll look absolutely marvelous!" And they always were marvelous. But the stress of high society and the cut throat fashion industry got to her. She became more and more frustrated by the slightest thing. Twilight recalled the day that she saw Rarity's name in the news after she had made her last dress and had retired to a better life of calm. Looking at all her friends she realized they hadn't changed on bit, although showing a few signs of age. Each of their faces still held the same youth that Twilight remembered had been so distinct in all of them. Even though she had not seen them in so long, the ponies in front of her were still her friends, even if the door had shut on the chance to apologize long ago. But recalling these memories brought a sudden flood of emotion to her. The latch on her heart that was holding back all her regret burst open in a fit of tears and vain apology. "I'm so sorry! I-I really am! Please don't be mad! I just-I just couldn't face you girls again. I thought that too much time had passed and that you would be angry!" she sobbed hysterically, shaking her hoofs in a pleading manner, "I just couldn't find the heart to come, even after all that had happened. I thought that if I d-did then I would relive what happened all th-that time ago. I just can’t forget the look on all of your faces. Every time I saw one of you, I couldn't take it and I-I-I turned my b-back on you! I j-just..." She regained her composure for a moment so that she could do what she had come to do. She called upon her magic and levitated her gift out of her saddle bags and placed it in front of them. It was an enormous fire ruby, glistening with the engraving she had done with her own hoof: "Always Sisters and Always together". It had with a single perfect white lily placed inside it, its petals enchanted to forever be suspended in flawless beauty. The second the heart shaped jewel touched the rock below her, she broke into another fit of tears, only able to get out a few word as she finally caught sight of the engraving in the granite below her shaking hoofs. "I'm so sorry I never said goodbye!" she cried with a voice full of pain and regret and sorrow. Below her sobbing face, was an inscription in granite that had hurled Twilight into a spiraling descent of absolute depression. "Here lay the Elements of Harmony. All kind beings to the end All sisters in friendship All loved by those around them All keepers of balance in Equestria May their heavenly souls lie in peace and harmony" Ch 2: MentorReunion Ch2 By Rlogic1994 She sobbed into the ground for nearly an hour, having collapsed in a heap of tears moments after bursting into a fit of sadness. Only after this agonizing hour of despair over her lost friends was she finally able to look up at her friends’ faces, immortalized in enchanted marble and gems. They all looked so happy to the unicorn, so unaware of the future. She got on to her hoofs, still wobbly at the knees, and started talking to them. “Well…I really wish I had come earlier. I really didn’t realize how much I missed you until now. I really do miss you girls, even though this is the first time I’ve come back. Sometimes I get depressed because of it, but also because I am cursed to outlive you. My Element gave me long life, but it’s been so empty without you girls at my side. Even with my research facility running smoothly and making leeway in new fields of magic, I can’t help but feel alone. But I shouldn’t burden you with my sorrow, I should tell you girls what’s been going on with your legacies,” spoke Twilight, her voice still edged with shaking sniffles of anguish. “Rainbow, you should be here to see you’re little sidekick. Scootaloo’s the captain of the Wonderbolts now. She’s just like you. She even got her first sonic rainboom a few years back. She still does memorial shows for you every year on the day…it happened. And they’re beautiful, so amazing. I talked to her after one of the memorial shows, and she was crying. Both for her love of you and happiness that you were at peace.” She now turned to Pinkie Pie. “And Pinkie, you should see The Party Pie now! It’s been booming for so long now and Celestia even made them the official planners for the Grand Galloping Gala every year. I still go every year, if only to remember better days.” She shifted to Rarity. Rarity, you would be proud of your legacy. It truly is, as you probably would have put it, fabulous. Things are in full swing and dresses are being sold by the thousands. They still use your designs. You always had the best sense for things. Then she turned to Applejack. “Sweet Apple Acres is doing amazing as well, Applejack. Applebloom’s doing so well with it! She’s just like you, stubborn and an extremely hard worker. She finally got her Cutie Mark; it was a single red apple, but she was just as proud of it because it reminded her of you. I really do wish you were here to see it.” Finally she shifted to Fluttershy. “Oh Fluttershy, I really do wish you were here to see your cottage. After you…moved on, a couple who had secretly admired your love for nature for years were inspired to fix it up and transform it into what it once was; a place of refuge for animals of all kinds. They even have a pony-made cave for injured dragons. You would be so happy and probably a little scared too.” As she finished what she had to say to each of them, she felt her eyes cloud up with tears again. But she suppressed the will to give in and blinked them away, promising she would not worry her friends with her tears. She looked up at all of them again and couldn’t dare look at their innocent stares. If only they had known the horrors of what she had done, they would not be smiling at her so. “You know,” she started, her voice cracking with emotion, “It’s just that the future is just getting dimmer and dimmer, but the past, even the darker parts, keep on shining bright. I…I just wish I could be with you!” She could feel the tears coming for a third time and before she broke into another spasm of despair, she turned slowly and started down the hill again. Albeit her exhaustive efforts to keep her emotions from flowing out, the melancholy leaked from her eyes and stained the dirt and grass below. She could not stop here, though. She still had a few more people to visit. As she looked back one more time, she hoped that wherever they were, her friends were living their dreams. She turned away and slowly trotted back to the edge of the forest before using her magic to teleport. With a bright flash and a crack she evaporated into nothingness. She appeared with a whoosh on the steps of Canterlot Castle, looking up to the regal balcony of the throne room. The guards let her in without delay and she traversed the labyrinth of corridors to get to her destination, an easy task as she had memorized the layout for the entire castle over the years. When she reached a familiar set of wide stairs that preceded an ornate door, she went up the steps and to the door, which opened when she was a few feet from it. Inside laid a familiar chamber, which was bathed in the glowing light of the sun, and now being occupied by only one pony. “Twilight Sparkle. My Dear Friend,” said a soothing voice from the back of the chamber. “Princess,” said Twilight, her voice saturated with relief at finding her mentor in the throne room unoccupied with other business. “Aah! You need not address me with such formalities Twilight. Just call me Celestia. Please,” the sun goddess said, her expression illustrating her distress at her favorite unicorn’s label for her. “Sorry…Celestia, but it’s been some time. I just really wanted to visit you and…Luna,” Twilight explained quickly, but anguish edging into her voice at ‘Luna’. “Yes. It really has been too long. Come and sit with me. We can talk in peace.” Twilight made her way over to where Celestia was sitting and sat down on a wooden chair next to her. Twilight immediately noticed Celestia wasn’t sitting on her golden throne, which was covered in dust like its sister throne next to it, a deep blue lapis lazuli throne. The princess had still not recovered from what had happened to Luna, evident by the end of her vibrant mane, now almost gray. “Well, Twilight, I think I should apologize for not doing this earlier. I wanted to tell you something, but I didn’t have the heart to after what happened to your friends.” “No need to apologize, Celestia. I am at fault too. I should have come earlier. But I’m here now, so I just want to ask you something. Are you alright?” The question had clearly caught Celestia off guard. After her sister’s death, she was guilt and sorrow stricken, but all anyone else could worry about was political matters. No one had stopped to ask her if she was alright. They always assumed she was a cold ruling machine with no emotions for any pony whatsoever. It didn’t help that most people thought she was a tyrant. She only bottled up her emotions, so that people wouldn’t be frightened. Because if a “goddess” was crying, who knows what chaos would ensue? She had not even had a chance to cry because of the hell she had to go through to keep Equestria stable. At the sight of her old student asking her with sincere care and affection whether she was alright, a thousand years of held back heartache and burning sorrow burst out as she crashed down onto the cold floor with a puddle of bitter tears forming around her. “I-I’m s-sorry, T-t-twilight. It’s-” she started, but cut herself off when she felt the tender touch of a hoof around her waist. The violet unicorn had pulled Celestia into a hug, her eyes watering at the sight of her mentor and friend. “It’s ok. I know how it feels. When I met my friends, I felt like I had known them for a thousand years. Don’t feel bad. Not showing emotion like this is just a part of being someone as powerful as you. Please don’t cry princess. It just makes things so much worse,” the unicorn cooed. When Celestia calmed down, she wiped the tears from her face and gave Twilight a grateful nuzzle, which the purple pony returned happily. Their eyes met for a moment, and a silent message was sent between them, a message not of words but of unbridled emotion, a beam of happiness, sadness, regret, knowledge, wisdom, and friendship being exchanged between them. The 2 mares had come along so long in life that they had no need for words in matters of friendship. They simply enjoyed the fortune of being alone in their company without any distractions like in the past. “You know Twilight, even though I am much older than you, sometimes I think that you’re just as old as me. You really do know me quite well,” said the sun princess stoically, slowly strolling onto the royal balcony looking over the rest of Canterlot with Twilight following. “Well we have had some time to get to know each other prin-Celestia. But I still miss our Sunday tea. So much has changed…” replied Twilight, her voice full of nostalgia over her calm past. “I can tell you out of personal experience that things come to change, even things that seem everlasting. It saddens me to see today’s ponies so much darker than those of years past, but that is just because of all the events that have befallen Equestria, something that is unavoidable.” “I know that from experience too, although I really wish that I didn’t, if it meant I could take it all back. I look back and see a carefree young mare who doesn’t know what’s coming. Doesn’t know that when it hits, it will shake her world. I want to sit her down and talk to her. Tell her how things are. But I can’t and I am where I am because I didn’t. But the signs of age are really catching up to me now. That young mare is gone.” “You aren’t alone there Twilight. I really wish I could turn back the clock as well, but I cannot. As you can probably see, but are politely not mentioning, I have given in to age as well.” “Don’t be silly. You look just as-” she started, but stopped when she finally took time to pay attention to Celestia’s appearance. She had truly fallen from her past beauty. Her formerly flowing bright mane now lay flat and dulled by time, the original blue, green, purple, and pink instead replaced by monochromatic shades of gray tinted by a little color. The princess’s once beautifully snowy coat was now nothing more than a drab pallid white. Even her wings, which long ago were a wonder to behold in their majesty, were ruffled and disorganized, feathers sticking out at awkward angles throughout the appendage. All of these features combined, Princess Celestia no longer held her implied sense of power and kind authority. Now she looked more like an old mare due past her time. “Surprised?” said Celestia languidly, “You see I am perceived as immortal, but I am not truly forever-living. You should already know that through your studies. We Alicorns possess unfathomable amounts of power, which is our source of long life. The magic surrounds our souls in a cocoon that slows time itself, and in extension aging. You probably guessed this when you found the source of your own long life as the magic ingrained in your soul by the Elements.” “But even though we have so much power, there is a reason for it; we are meant to do things that not even ten thousand pegasi and unicorns could not do. We are meant to move celestial bodies. Although it may not show, this is a task that strains our magical ability to an alarming extent. Something a normal unicorn would worry about. But with our massive magical potential, we can shrug it off. But as you can see, when push comes to shove, no one can avoid time’s effect. I may be able to slow my travel to my final destination, but I cannot stop it completely.” “What do you mean Celestia? What path?” Then Celestia turned to Twilight and looked straight into her eyes, conveying that what she was about to say might upset Twilight. “It cannot be avoided my dear Twilight. I am dying. And I feel my time is approaching quickly,” she said, with considerable difficulty and pain. “W-what? B-but you still have a l-lot of magic. Y-you can’t die!” stuttered Twilight, stunned by her mentor’s announcement. “You as well as anyone knows that death is a part of life, just as pain is a part of happiness. My dear friend, I believe that the time has come for you to move on in your life without me,” said Celestia still able to maintain her stoic tone. “Leave you?! I would never!” Twilight replied frantically. “Twilight. You have turned out to be an exceptional mare beyond comparison. I am so proud of what you’ve done and all the people you’ve helped. But it occurs to me now that unlike so many of my students before you, you have become adept in the most powerful magic that exists. And that is of course through your studies in ponyville that you have mastered the magic of friendship, the value of happiness and love. It is with a proud heart that I can tell you that you are no longer my student. Twilight, you have become something much greater. You have learned all you can from me and in return I have learned quite a deal from you. For that, Twilight, I thank you deeply.” “B-but…I’ll always be your student! You have ages more wisdom than me and can always teach me something. Please, I still want to be your student…” Twilight said, her face frozen in an expression of anguish. Twilight couldn’t hold herself back as she ran forward to her mentor, wrapping her hoofs around her in a hug. “Please don’t leave me! You…you were like a….second mother to me after my mom p-passed away when I became your student. You looked out for me and treated me like your own. You may have been a little jealous that my friends in ponyville were getting so much attention from me, but you will forever be my very first best friend. Please…” the violet unicorn pleaded. Celestia looked down on her old friend and couldn’t help but think about their relationship for the first time in a few years. “And you were like a daughter to me, Twilight. You changed me for the better. You reminded me so much of…her” the princess thought, for some reason unable to put her thoughts into words. She closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her face onto the cold marble floor below. When she opened them and looked down to Twilight, she did not see an aged mare, but a small filly bawling her eyes out over her mother’s death. “At least some things never change, Twilight. You will always be that little filly to me.” She thought, hugging Twilight closer. When they finally parted, Twilight looked up to her mentor with a look of gratefulness unable to be manifested in speech. Twilight wished she could stay longer, but she still had 2 more stops, both in or near Canterlot. She stood to leave and looked back to her mentor, her second mother, her friend, Celestia. “Thank you for everything. I really can’t put it in words, Celestia. Thank you,” she murmured, only loud enough for Celestia to hear. Celestia nodded and watched her former student push the doors to the throne room open and exit into the wide corridor past it. Twilight’s next destination was one that she was apprehensive of going to, but it had to be done. She used her magic to teleport away to the north side of the castle and materialized with a pop, landing softly on a smooth and beautifully dark azure pathway, cobbled with what dark blue marble. Ahead of her was a courtyard with a single discernable feature in the center of it, a grove of blue trees lining the far side in a crescent shape. Ch 3: SaviorReunion Ch 3: Savior By Rlogic1994 Twilight sighed as she caught sight of the grove. For her, this visit was going to be one of the most difficult. After Luna had sacrificed herself to save Equestria, the details of how it happened were muddled, partially because the blast knocked almost all memory of the event from every pony near it. But in the discrepancy of what happened, the public unjustly assumed the pony closest to the princess at the time was responsible, and this pony was Twilight Sparkle. Twilight had always been effected by others’ views on her, so naturally when people started blaming her, she started to believe them. It ate at her day and night if she could have done something to save one of her closest friends from death. She fell into a circle of bitter arguments with herself over what she could’ve done. The only reason this burning desire to know what could have been did not consume her was that she was engrossed in her work as ever, unable to suppress her workaholic tendencies. But now that she was retired, those thoughts bubbled to the surface again. But this time, instead of thinking of how she could have saved Luna, she came to accept that she couldn’t have. And moreover that Luna gave her life for a reason, not just to save Twilight. She gave her life for countless others, who are to this day and forever more grateful for her sacrifice. Now all Twilight had left to do was actually visit the princess of the night. The unicorn trotted along and made her way to the courtyard. In the center stood a beautiful sapphire blue crystal plate, on it was a crescent moon made from the whitest marble Twilight had ever seen. Around the slab were a whole language of runes and ancient symbols etched in patterns on the cool rock cobble. She made her way up to the slab and bowed respectfully. The slab itself was much more beautiful up close. It was made of a special stone called ceruleite. It was very difficult to find, but when it was put in the moonlight for long enough, it retained an unmatchable midnight blue. Almost exactly the same color as Luna’s coat. The gems that made the moon were set into blindingly white marble behind. Each gem was engraved with a different rune, all of which Twilight could recognize. They all spoke of her achievements and her failures, for Luna was never one to shy away from her sins. After the Nightmare Moon event, she had a press conference and told the public the truth about what had happened. Then Celestia joined her and they both told the tail of how Luna was transformed into a beast of malice. Twilight was there for every minute of it, so she remembered the feeling of surprise she felt when she realized that Celestia had more part in Luna’s transformation than people thought. Celestia had emphasized the fact that it was partially her fault, but most people just took it as the princess’s normal generosity. The story was sad and Twilight recalled that all who listened were at least watery eyed if not crying by the end. It truly was sad, but also beautiful, because it had a happy ending; two sisters, two friends, finally forgiving each other. “Hello Luna. I really didn’t know what I was going to do if I ever met you again. I couldn’t think of anything to say to you. Everyone blamed me and I believed them! I just couldn’t let go of the fact that one more of my friends had been taken away from me. And you really were my friend Luna, One of my best, like a sister who always watches out for me. I still remember the day you gave me my starting money for my research project and I am as grateful for it now as ever. But when I think of what to say to you now, only one thing comes to mind,” she said calmly, her soft voice brimming with melancholy, “I am truly sorry for what happened. I know that you don’t blame me, but I do. I need to apologize to you for my own peace of mind and so that I can be convinced you will rest peacefully.” “You would be happy if you saw how much people love you and are grateful for what you did that day. They even have an entire day dedicated to you. It is the only day that Celestia doesn’t raise the sun. So that everyone can see your unmatchable beauty of the night. You always did wow me with them, you know. Every time I looked into those obsidian skies, knowing I had seen it before, I get a renewed sense of awe and wonder as if it was the first time I’d ever seen the stars and the moon. After what happened I’m grateful too. But the world seems that much emptier without you, and I don’t doubt Celestia seems the same way. I guess I just m-miss you so much.” Twilight could feel her body shaking to give in to her emotions, but the last thing she needed was for Luna to worry about her. She needed to be strong like the princess was when she gave her life. But strength was never her strong suit, so her knees buckled and she kneeled down in front of the tombstone, sniffing and blinking tears out of her eyes. Why was she so weak when it came to things like this? Why could she not take control of her emotions? But as she thought more about it, she changed her opinion; she had a right to let her emotions get to her. She let go and let the tears roll down, filling the little grooves of the runes on the floor. “Why did this have to happen? Why did you have to die for Equestria to be saved? Oh Celestia, I can’t ever forget that day. It hurt so much, Luna. I just can’t even say. And I’m not talking about the blast! You! Your crumpled body! There was so much blood! I can’t get it out of my head…and when I tried to help it only-only-only made things WORSE! I was so useless. I couldn’t even heal a couple broken bones and some cuts! I couldn’t stop you from dying and I couldn’t stop my friends from leaving me either! I just…” she blubbered on, soon slamming her hoof into the cobble with frustration. She couldn’t hold back her cries over her friend. Although Celestia had too many duties to help Twilight with any of her projects, Luna had always been happy to, her less daunting schedule allowing another adventure with Twilight to be squeezed in. She had always helped Twilight if the unicorn ever asked, always available for advice and consoling. In her later years she became enormously generous to many people, any trace of Nightmare Moon’s malice gone from her soul, leaving a mare who wanted to heal and not destroy. It had been so many years since it happened, but Twilight still couldn’t think about it without a spear of anguish stabbing into her heart. It wasn’t just that she was gone, but that she had been Twilight’s first friend that wasn’t meant to be by fate. With Celestia, she was her teacher, so they were bound to be friends, especially with Celestia’s fond attitude about Twilight. With her friends in Ponyville, she had been destined to meet them and become the Element of Magic. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy that she had met them. But still, she had yet to meet a friend of her own. Luna was the first friend she made out of her own choice really. And they had become quite close, sending each other letters and talking through dreams often. “Just like sisters,” thought twilight fondly, recalling the fact that Celestia became ever the busier as time went on and new problems arose. So with less time to spend with Twilight and Luna, the two met up and became friends quite quickly, with their many common interests. It was only about a year into the war with Discord that Luna started to fight on the battlefield. Her first letter to Celestia was addressed partly to her sister and partly to Twilight. She had changed. She was more decisive and her tone when she spoke, as the letter spoke her voice with magic, she seemed like she was infinitely tired. She always seemed more wary, as if she was in danger of being murdered every second. Others would have struck her down as paranoid, but Twilight and Celestia, having known her better, recognized she was just scared. It may be surprising that something could scare an all powerful Alicorn who had lived for thousands of years, but Twilight knew that the Discord they were fighting this time was much more sinister. When they had seen him in his weakened form when he returned the first time, they had seen nothing, absolutely nothing, of the devastating horrors that had ravaged the world when he had returned full power. Sometimes when she closed her eyes Twilight could still see the blood red flames and the screams, those horrible echoing shrieks. And the faces of all who had fallen, their cold eyes pierced Twilight and looked into her soul, as if judging her for her sins. It was only after Discord was gone and her good friend had died did she realize how lucky she had been. Like with all things, she had only realized the worth of peace and her friends when it was all too late. “It was too late. It will always be too late,” she pondered solemnly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in to calm herself before continuing. But she was not very frantic anymore; she had been humbled by the war and her loss. She was not the lively mare who once learned a new lesson every day. She was an old pony, filled with regret, hoping to find solace by taking a journey to finish what she had started. She got up off the floor slowly, wiping the last of the tears from her face. She used her magic to reach out to an object in her bag, a parting gift for Luna. It was nothing special, but it had meaning between them. It was a beautiful deep blue lily, made completely from pure magic fibers, which made it glow and shimmer with mysterious beauty. Its stem was made from the same material but thorns stuck out at random points. Twilight had made it with only the thought of Luna in mind. She thought that the radiant flower represented Luna perfectly, as a beautiful flower, but one that also possessed thorns. But even the magic flower that she had spent many sleepless nights slaving over did not feel like a proper repayment for the Alicorn of the Night. So Twilight concentrated her magic and didn’t cast any spell in particular. What she did do was let her own emotions flow through the air towards the tombstone in a magical wisp of energy. When she looked up to the tombstone, it seemed to shine as if moonlight was reflecting off of it. It was the best she could do, so Twilight was happy with it. She stayed there for another hour before reluctantly getting to her hoofs to leave. But before she did, she touched the tombstone one last time before turning. As she walked down the hill, she thought about her next destination, a hill west of Canterlot that had a perfect view of Ponyville, Cloudsdale, Canterlot, and the lands beyond. It lay at an even higher altitude than Canterlot, just below the clouds. She concentrated her magic again and vanished with a flash. She reappeared in front of the hill she had been thinking about with a low crack. Ch 4: Assistant Ch 4: Assistant Reunion Ch 4: Assistant By Rlogic1994 Twilight rocked back and forth a little bit, disoriented by the spell from such frequent use. She let her eyes refocus, her desired destination ahead. She sighed and started the slow trot to the top of the steep hill. Slowing down on the slope, her old mare hooves retained only some of her former strength. When she arrived at the top, she was practically out of breath. But when she saw what was perched atop the bump of earth, she stopped panting. Before her lay a slab similar to Luna’s except it was much larger, several times the size of an adult pony. It was made from beautifully polished marble, tinted with reds and yellows as if it were on fire. On the front face of the slab was a mural of stunning gems, a mass of purple and green. From up close it was difficult to discern what the mural was supposed to be portraying. But Twilight knew all too well the figure decorating the stone. It was her favorite dragon assistant, depicted in his adult body as he had been before…it happened. Below the mural was a list of his achievements, a block of text engraved into the stone. And at the bottom his greatest achievement was carved in larger letters set with fire rubies; they read “A dragon of Virtue and A dragon who changed the lives of so many”. Rarity had put all her effort possible into it, helping as much as possible with all the expenses and planning for the solemn event. With the others she had visited, tears came so easy, but for Spike, things were different. She had a different friendship with him than with the princess, her friends from Ponyville, or anyone else. They had a connection from Twilight’s raising the dragon since she hatched him. She did it all by herself, too. She had originally taken on the responsibility as an experiment to see if she could apply her knowledge of dragons, a result of her avid appetite for all genres of literature. But as time went on, Spike became more than an experiment. To her, he became like a little brother who depended on her to always take care of him. And she always did care for him, always did have his back. No matter what happened she would always help him if he ever asked. She had held him in a caring embrace every time he was upset or angry, and all else melted away, all his anger and emotion. In that one moment their friendship stopped time. But he was destined to grow up one day. Even with his short stature and age, he had been matured by the events and lessons learned in Ponyville. Twilight remembered the day it struck her that he wasn’t like her little brother anymore. He was taller and more muscular. This was a result of the magic in dragon growth. Twilight had learned that all creatures no matter how large or small possessed some kind of magic. Unicorns were one of few who could actively manipulate that magic, but others like the Pegasi could manifest magic in flight, the feeling of which cannot be duplicated by any magical flight device. For dragons, their magic was split among several traits, depending on the species. For Spike’s race, there was considerable magic in growth. If a dragon of his species was malicious and greedy like his many brethren in Draconia, born into a world ingrained with fighting and materialistic want, then he or she would grow into a large beast of solitude, only caring for his or her treasures. But if a dragon of Spike’s race lived a virtuous life, rare because of the tumultuous nature of the dragon homeland where most dragons dwelled, then he or she would grow into a more pony-like form, majestic and peaceful. Spike, having had the benefit of being somewhere other than Draconia, had taken the latter path. The day she realized how much he had grown was burned into her memory. It had been a month and a half into the war with Discord and she had been reading some military reports late at night. He had come down from his bed, having outgrown his basket. He looked up at Twilight sheepishly, now as tall as Twilight. “Yes, Spike?” she had said, looking at him through her reading glasses. “Twilight…um…I need to talk to you,” he murmured quietly. “I’m always here to talk. Whatever it is I’m sure it’s fine to talk with me about it,” she replied, smiling back at him. “I…wanna enlist for the REA,” he said, gaining more strength in his speech with each word. “What?! What place could they have for a young-” she started. “I’m not a baby anymore! I’m old enough to enlist. And what place would they have? Well I’ll have you know I talked to Big Mac, and he said he can talk his Major into giving me a spot. He told me my fire breath could actually help,” he snapped back. “Fire breath, Spike? I don’t think a little wisp of-” she started, only to be cut off by Spike again, who had gotten up. The dragon walked to the balcony and looked up to the stars. Then he opened his mouth and let out a wave of green flame into the cool night air. He came back inside and sat down across from Twilight’s desk chair. “I didn’t want to tell you cuz I thought you wouldn’t let me work here anymore incase I sneezed and burned the whole library down…” he said, suddenly very interested with his feet. “Well that wouldn’t have been a problem! I could’ve used my magic to solve that problem. You should’ve told me, Spike. Well anyway, I won’t let you go. I don’t care what you say. Even though you’re a dragon, it’s too dangerous and I’m your guardian, and I say no,” she said with authority. “You’re overreacting Twilight. I mean colts weaker than me are going and you’re worried about me? Whatever, Twilight,” he growled, huffing and stomping back to his room. His growl had caught her off guard. As he grew older, his voice had gotten a little lower and when he got angry he sounded almost like the creature he had turned into on his birthday years before. But she couldn’t help him growing up; it was only part of life. They argued about it for two nights after that one and on the third night, when Twilight came up with some hot chocolate to cheer him up and she pulled off the covers of his bed, she did not find her dragon friend, but some pillows and a note. It read: Dear Twilight, I’m sorry but I can’t just stand by and watch other people go off to war and fight. I just can’t stay. I’m not just doing this for Equestria, but Princess Celestia herself. It was only because of her that I became part of the magic test when you hatched me. And because of her I was able to have the life I did in Ponyville. I can’t thank her enough for that, but this is a start. I have to go. Please don’t cry for me. You know I hate to see you sad. Don’t worry, no matter what happens, I will find come back. I will come back home. With love, Your best assistant, Spike Despite Spike asking her not to cry, she sobbed herself to sleep for the first time of many to follow. She couldn’t even imagine her little Spike in war. If he got hurt Twilight didn’t know what she would do. What if he… “No! You can’t think like that Twilight. He’s strong, he’ll make it. And he’s never broken a promise before, so he’ll be back,” she thought to herself. A few months later, Twilight herself joined the fight. She had too much to worry about to try and contact the dragon. A year and a half passed, and Twilight was able to get a date of military recess that matched up with the rest of her friends. She had chosen the date carefully to be a few days before Spike returned home. Pinkie had wanted to prepare a huge part for him. After their tearful reunion and talking about what had happened to each of them, they started planning for Spike’s surprise party. They had all the streamers and decorations up and found hiding places for everypony to hide. They were prepped and ready to jump out and surprise their dragon friend. When they heard him turn the doorknob and enter, they jumped out to yell “Surprise!” at him. But his surprise was met equally by theirs. Standing in the doorway of Sugarcube Corner was not the little dragon that Twilight remembered. Standing there was a much larger dragon, almost the size of Big Macintosh, maybe even bigger. He was on all fours and looked more pony-like, just as Twilight had read in her book on dragons. His body was riddled with scars and one especially nasty one trailed down the left side of his face. He also had full grown wings, an effect of going the virtuous path. He had retained his green and purple color, but he looked so much more mature than Twilight imagined he could. As always in an unfamiliar situation, Pinkie was the first to break the silence in the form of a tackling hug, welcoming, in her own words, “her big Spikey wikey!” After that things got better and he told us all about his adventures and dangerous missions. For someone who Twilight remembered as a baby who was scared by the word peril, he seemed to have his fair share of it. It was also that night that she had found out Spike was named an ambassador for Draconia. Although many of the dragons there lived in cold solitude and greed, they honored one of the only dragons in hundreds of years to become a Warrior of Virtue as they had put it. Hearing about all his accomplishments and honors, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little longing for her little dragon assistant. Twilight also remembered that it was that night that Rarity had brought him aside in private to talk to him about his feelings, which had not dimmed at all. She took him more seriously now that he was basically an adult. When she told him that there were a multitude of reasons the relationship would never work, he took it with imponderable humility and agreed with her, saying that the thought of it was enough to keep him going. They became closer friends after that, the awkward issue of feelings having been dealt with. He helped her with anything she asked of him, whether it was lifting some heavy boxes or protecting a shipment of gems. All was going well until that horrible day. Spike had gone with the fashion pony on a trip as a body guard to Draconia. Rarity took on the challenge of making dragon clothing and thought it was a good investment. But although Spike had immunity from dragons because he was an ambassador, he did not have any such protection from the Diamond Dogs, who had grown from 3 mutts to several wolves, lupus minors, and other canine creatures. The Dogs ambushed them just inside the boundary of Draconia, far from the jurisdiction of the Equestrian government. Spike, being the valiant knight, told Rarity to run and get back on Equestrian soil. Rarity reluctantly left with her caravan crew, escaping and entering Equestrian lands an hour later. Spike was not so lucky. When Twilight had received the telegram from the Princess to meet her in her private study, Twilight knew it couldn’t be good. “Twilight…I am so sorry to tell you this. Spike…” Celestia started, unable to finish the sentence. “Spike what?!” Twilight asked desperately. “Spike was ambushed by the Diamond Dogs inside Draconia and…he didn’t make it…” she replied, her last words hitting Twilight like wrecking ball. She didn’t even say anything. She just closed her eyes and fell to the ground, her mouth slack and eyes distant. She just couldn’t believe it. Spike was always so strong and brave. She remembered all the times he had held her when she was distressed as she had held him when he was a baby. He had always been there for her, through thick and thin. When the tears came, they came hard and fast. She didn’t even hold back her moans of despair. She didn’t even respond to Celestia’s tender touch, beckoning her to let the Princess help her. She just broke down completely, not caring who saw her tantrum of sobs and anger at the Dogs. After she had pulled herself together, she had gone after the Dogs with a vengeance rivaling that of Nightmare Moon herself. Before Celestia could stop her, Twilight ended the lives of 4 Lupus minors, 5 mine dogs, 6 wolves, a rogue dragon, and a Lupus major. She had single-handedly, in a fit of incomprehensible rage, eradicated the pestering Diamond Dogs. In doing so, she also scared every pony in Equestria. Even Celestia was surprised by Twilights outburst of anger. But she understood Twilight enough to know she shouldn’t confront her about it. After that Twilight spiralled into depression. It was only after Rarity had returned and started nightly visits with Twilight to talk did she come out of her dark haze. Rarity blamed herself for it completely in a way that was different from her usual drama queen attitude. She truly believed the little dragon had died because of her. But Twilight knew that Spike had died for his own pride and valor. Rarity apologized to Twilight countless times, even pleading to Twilight not to hate her. But Twilight had no hate anymore, just an empty feeling of sadness. She just wanted her friend back. It was actually in these talks that Rarity had started to open up about Spike as well. She admitted that in the last year or so, she had come to a realization. Spike’s love was not unreturned in her. She realized she actually did love him. But she never said anything, because she didn’t want to hurt him. Rarity had never married because every stallion she had ever had a serious relationship ended up hurt. And of all the people she didn't want to hurt, Spike was near the top of the list. That was the first night that Rarity uncharacteristically broke down into a shaking mess and Twilight finally came out of her haze to comfort her old friend. Twilight opened her eyes and snapped back into the present. She was only a few feet from the shimmering swirl of gems. She didn’t cry this time; she didn’t shake; she didn’t whimper. She just sat down where she was and looked at her old reflection in the polished stone. Then she spoke, not so much with sadness, but more with an unexplainable quality of care and affection that only two old friends can have. “Oh Spike. I am so proud of you. You know I used to curse my luck for the things that happened. Losing you and then Rainbow and then one by one, everyone just seemed be gone from my life. I hated my life. But you know, nearing the end of my life, I am glad to have lived it. I am glad to have lived as friends with you. I thought that the death of my friends would make me alone, yours especially. But, now that I think about it, you never really left. Because you were and will always be in my memory. I can never forget you Spike,” she said in a doleful tone, unable to hide her depression over her dear friend’s death, “I can’t forget you for all the help around the library to the nights when you took care of me when I cried over the nightmares from the war.” “I really don’t think thank you can even suffice. I just wish you were here. I miss you so much and these days more than ever. My study is so empty without you picking up my mess or dusting off the shelves. It may not have seemed like much to you, but those small things meant the world to me. Every time I was afraid or sad and I heard your dusting, I remembered that you would always be there for me and my thoughts just melted away. I’m sorry you have to see me like this. It’s just I can’t…” She trailed off and let her eyes close, imagining the little dragon hatchling in her arms trying to wrap his arms around her in a hug. She saw in her head all the times he had helped her, all the times that their friendship had gotten stronger. She couldn’t think about that now. She couldn’t try and bring back those memories now. If she did, tears would fall. And Twilight knew how much Spike hated seeing her cry. She remembered the last thing he had told her before leaving with Rarity. His last words to Twilight before turning to leave: “Please don’t cry for me.” She fought her instincts and fought her emotions; she would not cry in front of Spike. She did not want to worry him in his rest. She calmed herself a little more and levitated her third gift from her saddlebags onto the chilly granite platform before her. It was a beautiful Dragon Fire gem, which are said to change colors in the presence of a dragon depending on who that dragon lives for. But what meant more to her was what she had wrapped it with. It was his old blanket, the first thing Twilight had made for him with magic, for which he paid her back with a big hug and a drawing of Twilight he had made. As she recalled this fond memory, the gem started shining bright, its regular pink color swirling and changing. It was so bright it blinded Twilight. When she finally looked up, she felt warmth engulf her heart. When it had stopped glowing, the gem displayed its new colors, all the colors that represented his friends. But the biggest wisp of color was a purple and violet one with a streak of pink running through it. He truly was a dragon of virtue; he lived only for his friends. She lay there for a while longer before getting up to leave. She had one last journey to make. She concentrated her magic one more time and disappeared. With a snap she landed shakily on a grassy plateau with a sea of wild flowers and bushes. But what Twilight was looking for was near the edge of the cliff; a lone oak, towering above her with engravings that were almost invisible. It was a set of initials that littered the wide trunk of the tree: AJ, RD, TP, FS, R, PP, S, C, and L. Ch 5: RequiemReunion Ch 5: Requiem By Rlogic1994 Twilight Sparkle looked forward to the lone tree, closing her eyes and sighing before making her way to the tree. When she had reached a spot under the tree where 9 planted flowers were placed in a circle, 7 already decaying and the other 2 wilting, the memories hit her. This was the last spot that all of her friends had been together alive and well. It had been almost 50 years now, but the memory was still fresh in her mind. “Yes, the past really does only get brighter,” she thought to herself. It had been Twilight’s idea for them all to take a day off, Rarity from her dressmaking, leaving her apprentices in charge, Fluttershy from her animal work, leaving the job under control of her visiting relatives’ protection, Rainbow from her work with the Bolts, having retired by now she only helped train the members, Applejack from her apple bucking, her brother and sister certainly adept enough to hold the farm for one day, Pinkie pie from Sugar Cube owner, Mr. and Mrs. Cake gladly taking charge of the shop for a day, and Twilight herself, from her research and studies. Even Celestia and Luna came, leaving the administration under the control of their advisors, whom the princesses had a great amount of trust in. Spike had been doing odd jobs and body guarding off and on so he was free without problem. It was one of Twilight’s happiest memories. It was a simple affair, just a picnic on the plateau, which had a majestic view of the lands below. They had all ate a batch of Pinkie Pie’s world famous Party Popper cupcakes. They all got a hefty serving of Applejack’s finest reserves of Cider. It was a great day, and nothing went wrong for once. No need to bolt off to save Equestria from danger or to tend to Royal business. It was just a day for friends. They talked for hours, about each other’s lives, about changing times, about pretty much everything. That small meet up was the first time Celestia and Luna could let their regal attitude slip in years. They were both so grateful for it, too. For once Celestia laughed and smiled without covering her mouth in the “proper” manner. And Luna did not have her usual cold grace about her, now free from the eyes of the judgmental critics. It was the best day Twilight ever had, but was now no more than a fond memory among a sea of bad ones. She ran her hoof across the bark of the tree feeling each of the initials that they had carved into the tree. They had each promised that they would return to that tree one day, engraving their names in the wood as a signature on a contract. But the day of their second meeting never came. Things came up in each of their lives that drove them apart, even though they did not want to be separated. And as they drifted farther and farther, the prospect of another picnic faded and vanished, just a pipe dream in the back of their minds. The happiness and bliss they had felt that day was no longer a luxury they could afford, so they never tried to meet up again. Except of course at each of the 6 solemn funerals, some of the worst memories Twilight ever had. Never again did that happiness and joy emerge from the sea of sadness and regret that had entered her life. Never again was she truly ever as happy as that day. And now Twilight had returned. But even though she was alone on that earthen platform, she was with all her friends. They had not broken the promise. They were all still with her, so when she returned to that tree, it was like they were all there smiling and laughing again. She could see them when she closed her eyes, old mares looking back at her with smiles and laughing at the old days of their youth. But it was too late, as it always was. Twilight remembered that they had all vowed that when they returned they would cross their names out. Twilight closed her eyes and materialized a thin sharp sheet of purple magic. The slash she made cut through her name, crossing it out into an unrecognizable scratch. She looked at the other names and hesitated to cross them out as well. “One day soon, we will all be together. Then we can cross out our names together,” she pondered hopefully. She used her magic to undo the slash she had inflicted upon her name, leaving the scribble that she had made years before. As she looked at the 9 decaying flowers, she realized that this was the end point of her journey to see her friends again. She had set out with a goal: to let her friends know that she had not forgotten them and that they would be with her always. She had accomplished this task, so now what? She sat down at the foot of the tree, looking out over the edge of the cliff to her Equestria below. She could see Cloudsdale, now even more massive a city, billowing clouds the size of mountains setting the foundation. There was an air-tram port visible, shuttling pegasi at several hundred miles an hour to their destinations. The industrial sector was visible too, as Cloudsdale wasn’t just a rainbow manufacturing city anymore. All kinds of products were sent out from the furnace lit grimy catwalks of the factories. To her right was Canterlot, not much change in its look. But Twilight knew that was a lie. Beneath the exterior, Canterlot had become a less friendly place than in years past. Freelance journalists and photographers ready to catch anyone’s flaws or misstep. Crime bosses bribed guards to look the other way. It made Twilight sick to think of Canterlot, her home as a filly, as full of scum. Below her was Ponyville, now the one of the biggest city in all of Equestria, seconded only by the massive Manehattan. Above the former small town was an amorphous cloud of smog fogging up her vision of the city. It was no longer Ponyville to Twilight. The Carousel Boutique, once the tallest building in Ponyville, was now shrouded in the shadows of skyscrapers. It was no longer a close knit small town, but a bustling cutthroat business city. Twilight refused to believe it was Ponyville. But she knew, from personal experience, that things change. Even though she did not like the look of the new future, she accepted its effects; more people had jobs and less people were on the streets. Even administration had gotten better with the Grand Council of public elected officials representing different parts of society. Twilight was surprised when Celestia chose to convene the council, but now realized that she was just setting up a better government environment for when she was gone. She knew nothing of the ponies elected, but she trusted that they knew what they were doing. Twilight knew very well that she and her friends were from the old world, one vastly different from this one. And that tomorrow, a new world would form, with new ponies and new ideas and they would be left in history. And because the world of tomorrow was a new world, it deserved to be governed by new ponies and structured by new ideas. It was only natural for her generation to be replaced by the new one, as she and her friends had replaced their elder generations. But this by no means meant that they had lost any respect for the past generations. In fact, they honored them more than anything, because with each generation, a new layer is built on the beautiful tower of accomplishments of previous worlds. She knew all this, but it was still unsettling for her. She was unsure of the future of this new world, whether it would turn into the bright society that it seemed to promise or a world bathed in misery was beyond Twilight. She only hoped that the right decisions would be made. There would be mistakes, of course, and many of them. But the true sign of a bright future is the ability of a society to blow through the roadblocks of failure and become more than just a country or a nation, more than just ponies. They had a chance to start over with this new world, a chance to restructure the world at will. But what they did was out of Twilight’s hands, for her journey was over, and this new generation’s journey had just begun. And what an adventure it will be for them. As she contemplated the future of Equestria, she failed to notice the sun had started to fall towards the horizon. She watched the red orb sink towards the horizon, thinking about her own life doing the same thing. It was at this point that in the quiet serenity of the plateau and the breathtaking view of Equestria that Twilight started reflecting on her life. She thought about all the things she had done that she was proud of and the fact that they were outnumbered by things she was not proud of or just didn’t care about. Ponies had always proclaimed her as one of the greatest ponies of all time, but Twilight was not so sure about that. She had ruthlessly murdered the Diamond Dogs, coldly refused help from several hopeful research parties, angrily snapped at anyone who had doubt in her research, and had drifted away from her friends. She was far from great. She closed her eyes and thought about what really mattered to her. When she opened them again, her own mind answered her. Before her were her friends at the peak of their youth, strong and brave. But among her friends was a pony who Twilight had not seen in a very long time; in the middle of the group was Twilight herself in her own youth, a look of complete joy across her face. Their smiles melted the old mare’s heart. “If only…” she thought. But their smiles were ignorant, for they had no idea of what the future would hold. The old saying really was true; ignorance is bliss. She closed her eyes again and thought about what she would do now. When her eyelids parted, she saw before her a frightful mare. She had a gray mane and a lighter gray coat, with no cutie mark. She had a carnivorous looking mouth and no eyes. Then a sudden realization hit her; it was a reflection of her. The mare had the same hair with the highlight and the tail, her body looking exactly like Twilight’s. The mare before her was a monochromatic version of herself. Twilight tried to look into the mares nonexistent eyes, to get an explanation of the vision. The mare did not say anything except five words. “It is time, Twilight Sparkle,” the voice said, holding an uncanny resemblance to Twilight’s own voice except it had a quality of rustling leaves and wind to it. She nodded and closed her eyes again. When she opened them for the third time she was alone again. She returned to her reflection on her life and life in general. She knew all too well that life is like a river. It flows in only one direction. Everyone in the world was just driftwood at the mercy of the current. And inevitably, one day each of them will wash up on the shore of their own dreams and expectations and be held suspended in time for a moment to look back on their lives. Only at this moment right before the end do we truly realize what defines us, who we really are. The mask that we wear for the world shattered, we see in our minds’ mirror our true form. The question is whether we will like what we see or not. And Twilight was happy with what she saw. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t beautiful. But it was her. She accepted her life with all its flaws, finally at peace with the events that had transpired in her life. But even though the visions were only her imagination, Twilight had learned long ago that imagination isn’t unreal; it’s just your heart’s way of telling you the truth. And so, Twilight lay her head down against the tree and crossed her hooves. In her last swan song, she focused her magic and emptied the energy of her soul into the world around her, a final parting gift to the ever changing nature surrounding her. She took one final breath and let go, becoming one with the world around her in true Harmony, her last smile forever etched across her face. Ch 6: EpilogueReunion Ch 6: Epilogue (by popular demand of readers here and my other prereaders) By Rlogic1994 It was warmer in Equestria. The Bearers were gone but not forgotten. The Royal Sisters were not swallowed by history either. They were gone from the world but lived on in the thoughts of others. They lived on in the spirit for all that Equestria stands for: loyalty, generosity, happiness, honesty, and kindness. Even though the 5 ponies that embodied these qualities left the world many years ago, the magic of friendship that was embodied in the sixth pony lived on and kept the other five alive. It was a true example of the power of the Elements of Harmony. The sun and moon now moved on their own, the souls of the 2 Alicorns who had once driven them now residing within each celestial body, their immensely powerful spirits moving the orbs now. The governing of Equestria had been taken over by a Grand Council of young ponies, all of whom were shaping the future of Equestrian politics with their innovative theories and ideas. The Wonderbolts were running shows again, shops were opening up again, and markets were bustling again. People had regained hope; hope that maybe this new generation of ponies could lead them as well as Celestia had for thousands of years. It was the same hope that had brought together ponies during the Discordian wars, the same feeling that kept them one under the weakening power of the Princess in her last years of life and the many attempts on her life by other races. This hope was unstoppable and would never stop growing. It was what made Equestria the great nation it is today. Relations with other countries were at a high point, even the Griffins hesitantly signing a treaty for the border to be settled between the two lands. It was a time for the birth of new ideas and a new world all together. But what of the Elements people had asked. Who would be the bearers if another danger emerged? The original bearers, now all together under the memorial in the former Everfree forest, were no longer available for consulting. So a new quest for the bearers started. Maybe some pony in this new generation could be a new bearer. Maybe a pony like Fluttershy, kind and selfless in every way, always willing to help. Or maybe like Rainbow Dash, headstrong and loyal to the end, always fighting for her friends. Maybe there was a pony like Pinkie Pie, laughter and fun always an option for her. There could be an Applejack among the young ponies, unwaveringly honest, always telling the truth no matter what the circumstances. There might be a Rarity among them, generous beyond measure, giving clothing to people for free all the time. And maybe even a pony like Twilight Sparkle, a master of the Magic of Friendship, forever together with her sisters, resting peacefully beneath the granite tomb. Maybe one day ponies would be found and would step forward to fill the positions. But these were more than just positions; they were more than just important spots to be filled. The Elements of Harmony are a group of ponies who know the true meaning of love and friendship and have unmistakable character that embodies the spirit of Equestria. In this way, as long as new Bearers are found, the original Bearers will not cease to exist. They will not die. Because they live through these young mares and stallions, their magic will endure forever. RavampingSo I basically wrote these in one sitting and released chapters on several-day intervals. So i thought I would submit to EQD but i thought of a similar story, but basically make the 1st chapter into several. More focus on her friends and such. Basically each chapter for each of her friends. That was my original idea but a friend said to add the other chapters about Celestia and luna and such. Basically i'm gonna make a new story. I'll just call it the Reunion. I will write all the parts again but with more care. DONT RUIN THE ENDING FOR READERS ON TEH NEW STORY
Ch 1: FriendsReunion It was colder now days in Equestria. The fall of years past had been tinged with a certain friendly warmth that was now absent. It was most likely a result of Princess Celestia's waning power that had been set in motion by her valiant sister, who had sacrificed her life to destroy Discord once and for all. But these grave matters did not pester a certain violet unicorn's mind. Twilight Sparkle walked slowly down the winding path through the Everfree forest, now so much more diminished by Discord's ravaging rampage all those years ago. She trotted steadily determined to get to the top of the mound of land up ahead. To her left and right, the trees were set afire by autumn colors. Reds and yellows painted across the canopy, while a dead brown mass of leaves lay below the beautiful plumes above. The grass was wildly overgrown, weeds and wildflowers visible everywhere. Over the canopy, the Castle of the Two Sisters was visible in its ruined and decayed splendor. It was a fitting place for the mare to meet her friends. This was where they truly became the Elements of Harmony. She smiled slightly at the happy memory. But much had changed in all of them; it had been nearly 25 years since all of her friends had met up. She had not met with them in so long because she had not the heart to hurt them by coming after so much time had passed. This had to be done. This was most likely her last chance. She finally ended up at the foot of the hill and started her gradual ascent of the bump of earth. When she had reached halfway up the slope, she stopped wondering if this was a good idea. There is no turning back. She proceeded to ascend to the top of the hill and was greeted by the faces of her friends. Fond memories emerged of each of them as she moved from one appearance to the next. Rainbow Dash's smiling face reminded her of all the times she had been pranked by the rainbow mare. But the smile also reminded her of the day she was accepted to the Wonderbolts. Twilight and her friends had been so proud, and she had a great career with them. She was the only pony ever to do a double sonic rainboom. Twilight still remembered the day Rainbow had descended from the skies in a dive faster than usual and higher up than usual. Then there was the ever astonishing joy of watching her figure explode into a spectrum of every color that existed. But as Dash kept diving with an ear-to-ear grin, she accelerated once more. A second explosion, unlike anything twilight had ever seen. A halo of imponderable color and intensity burned through the sky, leaving a trail of fiery rainbows behind. When Rainbow Dash had met up with her 5 friends later, she had told them that she just remembered that she would always have her friends who loved her and she let go. Their memory was what drove her, and what gave her the spirit to keep going after the first rainboom. She was so great at flying. She never wanted to stop, always trying to beat her last performance. After she had retired, Twilight and her friends couldn't bear to see the broken spirited mare. Not after the accident in the Canterlot Air Show. Next was the ever ecstatic face of the pink party pony Pinky Pie, her smile reflecting the great birthday party she had thrown for twilight. She was always the life of every party she threw, always capable of cheering up any soul. Twilight remembered the day she went to Canterlot when she was put in charge of the Grand Galloping Gala. Twilight stifled a chuckle at the thought of the affair. There were still stains in the drapes of the great hall. But her smiling face also reminded Twilight of the day she was proposed to. The stallion was just like her, a bubbling personality as if his entire life was a party. With her new husband's connections in Canterlot, They were able to get a party planning company running called The Party Pie. He didn't even care that his name wasn't represented in the name; he was happy to be with Pinkie. Their company was still going and had planned some of the most epic parties in history. She retired in ponyville a few years ago. It was sad seeing her at her very last party. It didn't have the same happiness that usually filled the air. The determined face applejack brought back memories of all the overworked days the orange pony had gone through. Applejack never knew when to take help, Twilight remembering the time when she had tried to single handedly take on all of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight remembered the day she had gone off to war when Discord came back. Rainbow Dash she would go, but the Wonderbolts were a serious morale boost for Equestria, and the captain of the team couldn't just leave. It was sad seeing the orange pony leave, Big Mac and Granny Smith as the caretakers of the farm until she returned. The last time Twilight saw her was at Granny Smith's funeral, an affair even sadder by the sight of the orange pony, her body riddled with scars and scratches. She looked tired, as if she was sick. She said she was fine, but her eyes looked as if they hadn't had sleep in years. Twilight looked up again to her friend's face, her face having been sunk by the poignant memories. Her look also reminded Twilight of the time Applejack had saved her from that manticore on the way to Fluttershy's cottage, receiving a nasty scar from the affair but happy to help her friend. Only after that did Twilight realize her friend would never buck a tree again because of her condition. Fluttershy's kind face looked up at her to the right of Applejack, her soft smile reflecting years of taking care of all kinds of animals, even Spike when he got a horrible case of draconitis. Draconitis was a horrible condition, making the small dragon's eyes bloodshot and his scales pale with decay. It was the first time Twilight had cried for so long. It had scared her deeply, the thought of losing one of her closest friends who she had raised from infancy. Fluttershy had been so tender and loving with him, but she was like that with all injured living things. She had even gone into the deep corners of the Everfree Forest to get supplies for treatment of the disease. Twilight remembered her scratched face when she returned from her adventure, as she had run to the Yellow pegasus's side to help. But Fluttershy would have none of it, a rare show of her authority. She attended to Spike first, slowly making the brew for the dying dragon. Only after this had been done did she let Twilight heal her wounds. Even Fluttershy had changed over the years. She had enrolled to help the Canterlot remapping unit in mapping out the Everfree. Fluttershy returned from that mission scarred deeply from something and was never the same again. She still cared for her animals, but there was an emptiness that had not been there before. The last time Twilight had seen her, she looked unnaturally at peace and still. Then looking back at her was the regal faced Rarity, her polite smile showing her love of all that is proper. Her smile bringing back the memories of all the dresses she had mad Twilight try on and wear over the years. Everyone was so proud the day she finally got her dream when Hoity Toity gave her a piece of his company in his will, which the purple maned pony renamed Rarity's carousel. Twilight didn't really know why, but the name was a hit. She had become huge in only a few years. Even though she had grown apart from her friends, she still helped them if they ever asked. And she always used to send them free dresses with notes saying things like "Try this on, dear! You'll look absolutely marvelous!" And they always were marvelous. But the stress of high society and the cut throat fashion industry got to her. She became more and more frustrated by the slightest thing. Twilight recalled the day that she saw Rarity's name in the news after she had made her last dress and had retired to a better life of calm. Looking at all her friends she realized they hadn't changed on bit, although showing a few signs of age. Each of their faces still held the same youth that Twilight remembered had been so distinct in all of them. Even though she had not seen them in so long, the ponies in front of her were still her friends, even if the door had shut on the chance to apologize long ago. But recalling these memories brought a sudden flood of emotion to her. The latch on her heart that was holding back all her regret burst open in a fit of tears and vain apology. "I'm so sorry! I-I really am! Please don't be mad! I just-I just couldn't face you girls again. I thought that too much time had passed and that you would be angry!" she sobbed hysterically, shaking her hoofs in a pleading manner, "I just couldn't find the heart to come, even after all that had happened. I thought that if I d-did then I would relive what happened all th-that time ago. I just can’t forget the look on all of your faces. Every time I saw one of you, I couldn't take it and I-I-I turned my b-back on you! I j-just..." She regained her composure for a moment so that she could do what she had come to do. She called upon her magic and levitated her gift out of her saddle bags and placed it in front of them. It was an enormous fire ruby, glistening with the engraving she had done with her own hoof: "Always Sisters and Always together". It had with a single perfect white lily placed inside it, its petals enchanted to forever be suspended in flawless beauty. The second the heart shaped jewel touched the rock below her, she broke into another fit of tears, only able to get out a few word as she finally caught sight of the engraving in the granite below her shaking hoofs. "I'm so sorry I never said goodbye!" she cried with a voice full of pain and regret and sorrow. Below her sobbing face, was an inscription in granite that had hurled Twilight into a spiraling descent of absolute depression. "Here lay the Elements of Harmony. All kind beings to the end All sisters in friendship All loved by those around them All keepers of balance in Equestria May their heavenly souls lie in peace and harmony"
Ch 2: MentorReunion Ch2 By Rlogic1994 She sobbed into the ground for nearly an hour, having collapsed in a heap of tears moments after bursting into a fit of sadness. Only after this agonizing hour of despair over her lost friends was she finally able to look up at her friends’ faces, immortalized in enchanted marble and gems. They all looked so happy to the unicorn, so unaware of the future. She got on to her hoofs, still wobbly at the knees, and started talking to them. “Well…I really wish I had come earlier. I really didn’t realize how much I missed you until now. I really do miss you girls, even though this is the first time I’ve come back. Sometimes I get depressed because of it, but also because I am cursed to outlive you. My Element gave me long life, but it’s been so empty without you girls at my side. Even with my research facility running smoothly and making leeway in new fields of magic, I can’t help but feel alone. But I shouldn’t burden you with my sorrow, I should tell you girls what’s been going on with your legacies,” spoke Twilight, her voice still edged with shaking sniffles of anguish. “Rainbow, you should be here to see you’re little sidekick. Scootaloo’s the captain of the Wonderbolts now. She’s just like you. She even got her first sonic rainboom a few years back. She still does memorial shows for you every year on the day…it happened. And they’re beautiful, so amazing. I talked to her after one of the memorial shows, and she was crying. Both for her love of you and happiness that you were at peace.” She now turned to Pinkie Pie. “And Pinkie, you should see The Party Pie now! It’s been booming for so long now and Celestia even made them the official planners for the Grand Galloping Gala every year. I still go every year, if only to remember better days.” She shifted to Rarity. Rarity, you would be proud of your legacy. It truly is, as you probably would have put it, fabulous. Things are in full swing and dresses are being sold by the thousands. They still use your designs. You always had the best sense for things. Then she turned to Applejack. “Sweet Apple Acres is doing amazing as well, Applejack. Applebloom’s doing so well with it! She’s just like you, stubborn and an extremely hard worker. She finally got her Cutie Mark; it was a single red apple, but she was just as proud of it because it reminded her of you. I really do wish you were here to see it.” Finally she shifted to Fluttershy. “Oh Fluttershy, I really do wish you were here to see your cottage. After you…moved on, a couple who had secretly admired your love for nature for years were inspired to fix it up and transform it into what it once was; a place of refuge for animals of all kinds. They even have a pony-made cave for injured dragons. You would be so happy and probably a little scared too.” As she finished what she had to say to each of them, she felt her eyes cloud up with tears again. But she suppressed the will to give in and blinked them away, promising she would not worry her friends with her tears. She looked up at all of them again and couldn’t dare look at their innocent stares. If only they had known the horrors of what she had done, they would not be smiling at her so. “You know,” she started, her voice cracking with emotion, “It’s just that the future is just getting dimmer and dimmer, but the past, even the darker parts, keep on shining bright. I…I just wish I could be with you!” She could feel the tears coming for a third time and before she broke into another spasm of despair, she turned slowly and started down the hill again. Albeit her exhaustive efforts to keep her emotions from flowing out, the melancholy leaked from her eyes and stained the dirt and grass below. She could not stop here, though. She still had a few more people to visit. As she looked back one more time, she hoped that wherever they were, her friends were living their dreams. She turned away and slowly trotted back to the edge of the forest before using her magic to teleport. With a bright flash and a crack she evaporated into nothingness. She appeared with a whoosh on the steps of Canterlot Castle, looking up to the regal balcony of the throne room. The guards let her in without delay and she traversed the labyrinth of corridors to get to her destination, an easy task as she had memorized the layout for the entire castle over the years. When she reached a familiar set of wide stairs that preceded an ornate door, she went up the steps and to the door, which opened when she was a few feet from it. Inside laid a familiar chamber, which was bathed in the glowing light of the sun, and now being occupied by only one pony. “Twilight Sparkle. My Dear Friend,” said a soothing voice from the back of the chamber. “Princess,” said Twilight, her voice saturated with relief at finding her mentor in the throne room unoccupied with other business. “Aah! You need not address me with such formalities Twilight. Just call me Celestia. Please,” the sun goddess said, her expression illustrating her distress at her favorite unicorn’s label for her. “Sorry…Celestia, but it’s been some time. I just really wanted to visit you and…Luna,” Twilight explained quickly, but anguish edging into her voice at ‘Luna’. “Yes. It really has been too long. Come and sit with me. We can talk in peace.” Twilight made her way over to where Celestia was sitting and sat down on a wooden chair next to her. Twilight immediately noticed Celestia wasn’t sitting on her golden throne, which was covered in dust like its sister throne next to it, a deep blue lapis lazuli throne. The princess had still not recovered from what had happened to Luna, evident by the end of her vibrant mane, now almost gray. “Well, Twilight, I think I should apologize for not doing this earlier. I wanted to tell you something, but I didn’t have the heart to after what happened to your friends.” “No need to apologize, Celestia. I am at fault too. I should have come earlier. But I’m here now, so I just want to ask you something. Are you alright?” The question had clearly caught Celestia off guard. After her sister’s death, she was guilt and sorrow stricken, but all anyone else could worry about was political matters. No one had stopped to ask her if she was alright. They always assumed she was a cold ruling machine with no emotions for any pony whatsoever. It didn’t help that most people thought she was a tyrant. She only bottled up her emotions, so that people wouldn’t be frightened. Because if a “goddess” was crying, who knows what chaos would ensue? She had not even had a chance to cry because of the hell she had to go through to keep Equestria stable. At the sight of her old student asking her with sincere care and affection whether she was alright, a thousand years of held back heartache and burning sorrow burst out as she crashed down onto the cold floor with a puddle of bitter tears forming around her. “I-I’m s-sorry, T-t-twilight. It’s-” she started, but cut herself off when she felt the tender touch of a hoof around her waist. The violet unicorn had pulled Celestia into a hug, her eyes watering at the sight of her mentor and friend. “It’s ok. I know how it feels. When I met my friends, I felt like I had known them for a thousand years. Don’t feel bad. Not showing emotion like this is just a part of being someone as powerful as you. Please don’t cry princess. It just makes things so much worse,” the unicorn cooed. When Celestia calmed down, she wiped the tears from her face and gave Twilight a grateful nuzzle, which the purple pony returned happily. Their eyes met for a moment, and a silent message was sent between them, a message not of words but of unbridled emotion, a beam of happiness, sadness, regret, knowledge, wisdom, and friendship being exchanged between them. The 2 mares had come along so long in life that they had no need for words in matters of friendship. They simply enjoyed the fortune of being alone in their company without any distractions like in the past. “You know Twilight, even though I am much older than you, sometimes I think that you’re just as old as me. You really do know me quite well,” said the sun princess stoically, slowly strolling onto the royal balcony looking over the rest of Canterlot with Twilight following. “Well we have had some time to get to know each other prin-Celestia. But I still miss our Sunday tea. So much has changed…” replied Twilight, her voice full of nostalgia over her calm past. “I can tell you out of personal experience that things come to change, even things that seem everlasting. It saddens me to see today’s ponies so much darker than those of years past, but that is just because of all the events that have befallen Equestria, something that is unavoidable.” “I know that from experience too, although I really wish that I didn’t, if it meant I could take it all back. I look back and see a carefree young mare who doesn’t know what’s coming. Doesn’t know that when it hits, it will shake her world. I want to sit her down and talk to her. Tell her how things are. But I can’t and I am where I am because I didn’t. But the signs of age are really catching up to me now. That young mare is gone.” “You aren’t alone there Twilight. I really wish I could turn back the clock as well, but I cannot. As you can probably see, but are politely not mentioning, I have given in to age as well.” “Don’t be silly. You look just as-” she started, but stopped when she finally took time to pay attention to Celestia’s appearance. She had truly fallen from her past beauty. Her formerly flowing bright mane now lay flat and dulled by time, the original blue, green, purple, and pink instead replaced by monochromatic shades of gray tinted by a little color. The princess’s once beautifully snowy coat was now nothing more than a drab pallid white. Even her wings, which long ago were a wonder to behold in their majesty, were ruffled and disorganized, feathers sticking out at awkward angles throughout the appendage. All of these features combined, Princess Celestia no longer held her implied sense of power and kind authority. Now she looked more like an old mare due past her time. “Surprised?” said Celestia languidly, “You see I am perceived as immortal, but I am not truly forever-living. You should already know that through your studies. We Alicorns possess unfathomable amounts of power, which is our source of long life. The magic surrounds our souls in a cocoon that slows time itself, and in extension aging. You probably guessed this when you found the source of your own long life as the magic ingrained in your soul by the Elements.” “But even though we have so much power, there is a reason for it; we are meant to do things that not even ten thousand pegasi and unicorns could not do. We are meant to move celestial bodies. Although it may not show, this is a task that strains our magical ability to an alarming extent. Something a normal unicorn would worry about. But with our massive magical potential, we can shrug it off. But as you can see, when push comes to shove, no one can avoid time’s effect. I may be able to slow my travel to my final destination, but I cannot stop it completely.” “What do you mean Celestia? What path?” Then Celestia turned to Twilight and looked straight into her eyes, conveying that what she was about to say might upset Twilight. “It cannot be avoided my dear Twilight. I am dying. And I feel my time is approaching quickly,” she said, with considerable difficulty and pain. “W-what? B-but you still have a l-lot of magic. Y-you can’t die!” stuttered Twilight, stunned by her mentor’s announcement. “You as well as anyone knows that death is a part of life, just as pain is a part of happiness. My dear friend, I believe that the time has come for you to move on in your life without me,” said Celestia still able to maintain her stoic tone. “Leave you?! I would never!” Twilight replied frantically. “Twilight. You have turned out to be an exceptional mare beyond comparison. I am so proud of what you’ve done and all the people you’ve helped. But it occurs to me now that unlike so many of my students before you, you have become adept in the most powerful magic that exists. And that is of course through your studies in ponyville that you have mastered the magic of friendship, the value of happiness and love. It is with a proud heart that I can tell you that you are no longer my student. Twilight, you have become something much greater. You have learned all you can from me and in return I have learned quite a deal from you. For that, Twilight, I thank you deeply.” “B-but…I’ll always be your student! You have ages more wisdom than me and can always teach me something. Please, I still want to be your student…” Twilight said, her face frozen in an expression of anguish. Twilight couldn’t hold herself back as she ran forward to her mentor, wrapping her hoofs around her in a hug. “Please don’t leave me! You…you were like a….second mother to me after my mom p-passed away when I became your student. You looked out for me and treated me like your own. You may have been a little jealous that my friends in ponyville were getting so much attention from me, but you will forever be my very first best friend. Please…” the violet unicorn pleaded. Celestia looked down on her old friend and couldn’t help but think about their relationship for the first time in a few years. “And you were like a daughter to me, Twilight. You changed me for the better. You reminded me so much of…her” the princess thought, for some reason unable to put her thoughts into words. She closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her face onto the cold marble floor below. When she opened them and looked down to Twilight, she did not see an aged mare, but a small filly bawling her eyes out over her mother’s death. “At least some things never change, Twilight. You will always be that little filly to me.” She thought, hugging Twilight closer. When they finally parted, Twilight looked up to her mentor with a look of gratefulness unable to be manifested in speech. Twilight wished she could stay longer, but she still had 2 more stops, both in or near Canterlot. She stood to leave and looked back to her mentor, her second mother, her friend, Celestia. “Thank you for everything. I really can’t put it in words, Celestia. Thank you,” she murmured, only loud enough for Celestia to hear. Celestia nodded and watched her former student push the doors to the throne room open and exit into the wide corridor past it. Twilight’s next destination was one that she was apprehensive of going to, but it had to be done. She used her magic to teleport away to the north side of the castle and materialized with a pop, landing softly on a smooth and beautifully dark azure pathway, cobbled with what dark blue marble. Ahead of her was a courtyard with a single discernable feature in the center of it, a grove of blue trees lining the far side in a crescent shape.
Ch 3: SaviorReunion Ch 3: Savior By Rlogic1994 Twilight sighed as she caught sight of the grove. For her, this visit was going to be one of the most difficult. After Luna had sacrificed herself to save Equestria, the details of how it happened were muddled, partially because the blast knocked almost all memory of the event from every pony near it. But in the discrepancy of what happened, the public unjustly assumed the pony closest to the princess at the time was responsible, and this pony was Twilight Sparkle. Twilight had always been effected by others’ views on her, so naturally when people started blaming her, she started to believe them. It ate at her day and night if she could have done something to save one of her closest friends from death. She fell into a circle of bitter arguments with herself over what she could’ve done. The only reason this burning desire to know what could have been did not consume her was that she was engrossed in her work as ever, unable to suppress her workaholic tendencies. But now that she was retired, those thoughts bubbled to the surface again. But this time, instead of thinking of how she could have saved Luna, she came to accept that she couldn’t have. And moreover that Luna gave her life for a reason, not just to save Twilight. She gave her life for countless others, who are to this day and forever more grateful for her sacrifice. Now all Twilight had left to do was actually visit the princess of the night. The unicorn trotted along and made her way to the courtyard. In the center stood a beautiful sapphire blue crystal plate, on it was a crescent moon made from the whitest marble Twilight had ever seen. Around the slab were a whole language of runes and ancient symbols etched in patterns on the cool rock cobble. She made her way up to the slab and bowed respectfully. The slab itself was much more beautiful up close. It was made of a special stone called ceruleite. It was very difficult to find, but when it was put in the moonlight for long enough, it retained an unmatchable midnight blue. Almost exactly the same color as Luna’s coat. The gems that made the moon were set into blindingly white marble behind. Each gem was engraved with a different rune, all of which Twilight could recognize. They all spoke of her achievements and her failures, for Luna was never one to shy away from her sins. After the Nightmare Moon event, she had a press conference and told the public the truth about what had happened. Then Celestia joined her and they both told the tail of how Luna was transformed into a beast of malice. Twilight was there for every minute of it, so she remembered the feeling of surprise she felt when she realized that Celestia had more part in Luna’s transformation than people thought. Celestia had emphasized the fact that it was partially her fault, but most people just took it as the princess’s normal generosity. The story was sad and Twilight recalled that all who listened were at least watery eyed if not crying by the end. It truly was sad, but also beautiful, because it had a happy ending; two sisters, two friends, finally forgiving each other. “Hello Luna. I really didn’t know what I was going to do if I ever met you again. I couldn’t think of anything to say to you. Everyone blamed me and I believed them! I just couldn’t let go of the fact that one more of my friends had been taken away from me. And you really were my friend Luna, One of my best, like a sister who always watches out for me. I still remember the day you gave me my starting money for my research project and I am as grateful for it now as ever. But when I think of what to say to you now, only one thing comes to mind,” she said calmly, her soft voice brimming with melancholy, “I am truly sorry for what happened. I know that you don’t blame me, but I do. I need to apologize to you for my own peace of mind and so that I can be convinced you will rest peacefully.” “You would be happy if you saw how much people love you and are grateful for what you did that day. They even have an entire day dedicated to you. It is the only day that Celestia doesn’t raise the sun. So that everyone can see your unmatchable beauty of the night. You always did wow me with them, you know. Every time I looked into those obsidian skies, knowing I had seen it before, I get a renewed sense of awe and wonder as if it was the first time I’d ever seen the stars and the moon. After what happened I’m grateful too. But the world seems that much emptier without you, and I don’t doubt Celestia seems the same way. I guess I just m-miss you so much.” Twilight could feel her body shaking to give in to her emotions, but the last thing she needed was for Luna to worry about her. She needed to be strong like the princess was when she gave her life. But strength was never her strong suit, so her knees buckled and she kneeled down in front of the tombstone, sniffing and blinking tears out of her eyes. Why was she so weak when it came to things like this? Why could she not take control of her emotions? But as she thought more about it, she changed her opinion; she had a right to let her emotions get to her. She let go and let the tears roll down, filling the little grooves of the runes on the floor. “Why did this have to happen? Why did you have to die for Equestria to be saved? Oh Celestia, I can’t ever forget that day. It hurt so much, Luna. I just can’t even say. And I’m not talking about the blast! You! Your crumpled body! There was so much blood! I can’t get it out of my head…and when I tried to help it only-only-only made things WORSE! I was so useless. I couldn’t even heal a couple broken bones and some cuts! I couldn’t stop you from dying and I couldn’t stop my friends from leaving me either! I just…” she blubbered on, soon slamming her hoof into the cobble with frustration. She couldn’t hold back her cries over her friend. Although Celestia had too many duties to help Twilight with any of her projects, Luna had always been happy to, her less daunting schedule allowing another adventure with Twilight to be squeezed in. She had always helped Twilight if the unicorn ever asked, always available for advice and consoling. In her later years she became enormously generous to many people, any trace of Nightmare Moon’s malice gone from her soul, leaving a mare who wanted to heal and not destroy. It had been so many years since it happened, but Twilight still couldn’t think about it without a spear of anguish stabbing into her heart. It wasn’t just that she was gone, but that she had been Twilight’s first friend that wasn’t meant to be by fate. With Celestia, she was her teacher, so they were bound to be friends, especially with Celestia’s fond attitude about Twilight. With her friends in Ponyville, she had been destined to meet them and become the Element of Magic. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy that she had met them. But still, she had yet to meet a friend of her own. Luna was the first friend she made out of her own choice really. And they had become quite close, sending each other letters and talking through dreams often. “Just like sisters,” thought twilight fondly, recalling the fact that Celestia became ever the busier as time went on and new problems arose. So with less time to spend with Twilight and Luna, the two met up and became friends quite quickly, with their many common interests. It was only about a year into the war with Discord that Luna started to fight on the battlefield. Her first letter to Celestia was addressed partly to her sister and partly to Twilight. She had changed. She was more decisive and her tone when she spoke, as the letter spoke her voice with magic, she seemed like she was infinitely tired. She always seemed more wary, as if she was in danger of being murdered every second. Others would have struck her down as paranoid, but Twilight and Celestia, having known her better, recognized she was just scared. It may be surprising that something could scare an all powerful Alicorn who had lived for thousands of years, but Twilight knew that the Discord they were fighting this time was much more sinister. When they had seen him in his weakened form when he returned the first time, they had seen nothing, absolutely nothing, of the devastating horrors that had ravaged the world when he had returned full power. Sometimes when she closed her eyes Twilight could still see the blood red flames and the screams, those horrible echoing shrieks. And the faces of all who had fallen, their cold eyes pierced Twilight and looked into her soul, as if judging her for her sins. It was only after Discord was gone and her good friend had died did she realize how lucky she had been. Like with all things, she had only realized the worth of peace and her friends when it was all too late. “It was too late. It will always be too late,” she pondered solemnly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in to calm herself before continuing. But she was not very frantic anymore; she had been humbled by the war and her loss. She was not the lively mare who once learned a new lesson every day. She was an old pony, filled with regret, hoping to find solace by taking a journey to finish what she had started. She got up off the floor slowly, wiping the last of the tears from her face. She used her magic to reach out to an object in her bag, a parting gift for Luna. It was nothing special, but it had meaning between them. It was a beautiful deep blue lily, made completely from pure magic fibers, which made it glow and shimmer with mysterious beauty. Its stem was made from the same material but thorns stuck out at random points. Twilight had made it with only the thought of Luna in mind. She thought that the radiant flower represented Luna perfectly, as a beautiful flower, but one that also possessed thorns. But even the magic flower that she had spent many sleepless nights slaving over did not feel like a proper repayment for the Alicorn of the Night. So Twilight concentrated her magic and didn’t cast any spell in particular. What she did do was let her own emotions flow through the air towards the tombstone in a magical wisp of energy. When she looked up to the tombstone, it seemed to shine as if moonlight was reflecting off of it. It was the best she could do, so Twilight was happy with it. She stayed there for another hour before reluctantly getting to her hoofs to leave. But before she did, she touched the tombstone one last time before turning. As she walked down the hill, she thought about her next destination, a hill west of Canterlot that had a perfect view of Ponyville, Cloudsdale, Canterlot, and the lands beyond. It lay at an even higher altitude than Canterlot, just below the clouds. She concentrated her magic again and vanished with a flash. She reappeared in front of the hill she had been thinking about with a low crack.
Ch 4: Assistant Ch 4: Assistant Reunion Ch 4: Assistant By Rlogic1994 Twilight rocked back and forth a little bit, disoriented by the spell from such frequent use. She let her eyes refocus, her desired destination ahead. She sighed and started the slow trot to the top of the steep hill. Slowing down on the slope, her old mare hooves retained only some of her former strength. When she arrived at the top, she was practically out of breath. But when she saw what was perched atop the bump of earth, she stopped panting. Before her lay a slab similar to Luna’s except it was much larger, several times the size of an adult pony. It was made from beautifully polished marble, tinted with reds and yellows as if it were on fire. On the front face of the slab was a mural of stunning gems, a mass of purple and green. From up close it was difficult to discern what the mural was supposed to be portraying. But Twilight knew all too well the figure decorating the stone. It was her favorite dragon assistant, depicted in his adult body as he had been before…it happened. Below the mural was a list of his achievements, a block of text engraved into the stone. And at the bottom his greatest achievement was carved in larger letters set with fire rubies; they read “A dragon of Virtue and A dragon who changed the lives of so many”. Rarity had put all her effort possible into it, helping as much as possible with all the expenses and planning for the solemn event. With the others she had visited, tears came so easy, but for Spike, things were different. She had a different friendship with him than with the princess, her friends from Ponyville, or anyone else. They had a connection from Twilight’s raising the dragon since she hatched him. She did it all by herself, too. She had originally taken on the responsibility as an experiment to see if she could apply her knowledge of dragons, a result of her avid appetite for all genres of literature. But as time went on, Spike became more than an experiment. To her, he became like a little brother who depended on her to always take care of him. And she always did care for him, always did have his back. No matter what happened she would always help him if he ever asked. She had held him in a caring embrace every time he was upset or angry, and all else melted away, all his anger and emotion. In that one moment their friendship stopped time. But he was destined to grow up one day. Even with his short stature and age, he had been matured by the events and lessons learned in Ponyville. Twilight remembered the day it struck her that he wasn’t like her little brother anymore. He was taller and more muscular. This was a result of the magic in dragon growth. Twilight had learned that all creatures no matter how large or small possessed some kind of magic. Unicorns were one of few who could actively manipulate that magic, but others like the Pegasi could manifest magic in flight, the feeling of which cannot be duplicated by any magical flight device. For dragons, their magic was split among several traits, depending on the species. For Spike’s race, there was considerable magic in growth. If a dragon of his species was malicious and greedy like his many brethren in Draconia, born into a world ingrained with fighting and materialistic want, then he or she would grow into a large beast of solitude, only caring for his or her treasures. But if a dragon of Spike’s race lived a virtuous life, rare because of the tumultuous nature of the dragon homeland where most dragons dwelled, then he or she would grow into a more pony-like form, majestic and peaceful. Spike, having had the benefit of being somewhere other than Draconia, had taken the latter path. The day she realized how much he had grown was burned into her memory. It had been a month and a half into the war with Discord and she had been reading some military reports late at night. He had come down from his bed, having outgrown his basket. He looked up at Twilight sheepishly, now as tall as Twilight. “Yes, Spike?” she had said, looking at him through her reading glasses. “Twilight…um…I need to talk to you,” he murmured quietly. “I’m always here to talk. Whatever it is I’m sure it’s fine to talk with me about it,” she replied, smiling back at him. “I…wanna enlist for the REA,” he said, gaining more strength in his speech with each word. “What?! What place could they have for a young-” she started. “I’m not a baby anymore! I’m old enough to enlist. And what place would they have? Well I’ll have you know I talked to Big Mac, and he said he can talk his Major into giving me a spot. He told me my fire breath could actually help,” he snapped back. “Fire breath, Spike? I don’t think a little wisp of-” she started, only to be cut off by Spike again, who had gotten up. The dragon walked to the balcony and looked up to the stars. Then he opened his mouth and let out a wave of green flame into the cool night air. He came back inside and sat down across from Twilight’s desk chair. “I didn’t want to tell you cuz I thought you wouldn’t let me work here anymore incase I sneezed and burned the whole library down…” he said, suddenly very interested with his feet. “Well that wouldn’t have been a problem! I could’ve used my magic to solve that problem. You should’ve told me, Spike. Well anyway, I won’t let you go. I don’t care what you say. Even though you’re a dragon, it’s too dangerous and I’m your guardian, and I say no,” she said with authority. “You’re overreacting Twilight. I mean colts weaker than me are going and you’re worried about me? Whatever, Twilight,” he growled, huffing and stomping back to his room. His growl had caught her off guard. As he grew older, his voice had gotten a little lower and when he got angry he sounded almost like the creature he had turned into on his birthday years before. But she couldn’t help him growing up; it was only part of life. They argued about it for two nights after that one and on the third night, when Twilight came up with some hot chocolate to cheer him up and she pulled off the covers of his bed, she did not find her dragon friend, but some pillows and a note. It read: Dear Twilight, I’m sorry but I can’t just stand by and watch other people go off to war and fight. I just can’t stay. I’m not just doing this for Equestria, but Princess Celestia herself. It was only because of her that I became part of the magic test when you hatched me. And because of her I was able to have the life I did in Ponyville. I can’t thank her enough for that, but this is a start. I have to go. Please don’t cry for me. You know I hate to see you sad. Don’t worry, no matter what happens, I will find come back. I will come back home. With love, Your best assistant, Spike Despite Spike asking her not to cry, she sobbed herself to sleep for the first time of many to follow. She couldn’t even imagine her little Spike in war. If he got hurt Twilight didn’t know what she would do. What if he… “No! You can’t think like that Twilight. He’s strong, he’ll make it. And he’s never broken a promise before, so he’ll be back,” she thought to herself. A few months later, Twilight herself joined the fight. She had too much to worry about to try and contact the dragon. A year and a half passed, and Twilight was able to get a date of military recess that matched up with the rest of her friends. She had chosen the date carefully to be a few days before Spike returned home. Pinkie had wanted to prepare a huge part for him. After their tearful reunion and talking about what had happened to each of them, they started planning for Spike’s surprise party. They had all the streamers and decorations up and found hiding places for everypony to hide. They were prepped and ready to jump out and surprise their dragon friend. When they heard him turn the doorknob and enter, they jumped out to yell “Surprise!” at him. But his surprise was met equally by theirs. Standing in the doorway of Sugarcube Corner was not the little dragon that Twilight remembered. Standing there was a much larger dragon, almost the size of Big Macintosh, maybe even bigger. He was on all fours and looked more pony-like, just as Twilight had read in her book on dragons. His body was riddled with scars and one especially nasty one trailed down the left side of his face. He also had full grown wings, an effect of going the virtuous path. He had retained his green and purple color, but he looked so much more mature than Twilight imagined he could. As always in an unfamiliar situation, Pinkie was the first to break the silence in the form of a tackling hug, welcoming, in her own words, “her big Spikey wikey!” After that things got better and he told us all about his adventures and dangerous missions. For someone who Twilight remembered as a baby who was scared by the word peril, he seemed to have his fair share of it. It was also that night that she had found out Spike was named an ambassador for Draconia. Although many of the dragons there lived in cold solitude and greed, they honored one of the only dragons in hundreds of years to become a Warrior of Virtue as they had put it. Hearing about all his accomplishments and honors, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little longing for her little dragon assistant. Twilight also remembered that it was that night that Rarity had brought him aside in private to talk to him about his feelings, which had not dimmed at all. She took him more seriously now that he was basically an adult. When she told him that there were a multitude of reasons the relationship would never work, he took it with imponderable humility and agreed with her, saying that the thought of it was enough to keep him going. They became closer friends after that, the awkward issue of feelings having been dealt with. He helped her with anything she asked of him, whether it was lifting some heavy boxes or protecting a shipment of gems. All was going well until that horrible day. Spike had gone with the fashion pony on a trip as a body guard to Draconia. Rarity took on the challenge of making dragon clothing and thought it was a good investment. But although Spike had immunity from dragons because he was an ambassador, he did not have any such protection from the Diamond Dogs, who had grown from 3 mutts to several wolves, lupus minors, and other canine creatures. The Dogs ambushed them just inside the boundary of Draconia, far from the jurisdiction of the Equestrian government. Spike, being the valiant knight, told Rarity to run and get back on Equestrian soil. Rarity reluctantly left with her caravan crew, escaping and entering Equestrian lands an hour later. Spike was not so lucky. When Twilight had received the telegram from the Princess to meet her in her private study, Twilight knew it couldn’t be good. “Twilight…I am so sorry to tell you this. Spike…” Celestia started, unable to finish the sentence. “Spike what?!” Twilight asked desperately. “Spike was ambushed by the Diamond Dogs inside Draconia and…he didn’t make it…” she replied, her last words hitting Twilight like wrecking ball. She didn’t even say anything. She just closed her eyes and fell to the ground, her mouth slack and eyes distant. She just couldn’t believe it. Spike was always so strong and brave. She remembered all the times he had held her when she was distressed as she had held him when he was a baby. He had always been there for her, through thick and thin. When the tears came, they came hard and fast. She didn’t even hold back her moans of despair. She didn’t even respond to Celestia’s tender touch, beckoning her to let the Princess help her. She just broke down completely, not caring who saw her tantrum of sobs and anger at the Dogs. After she had pulled herself together, she had gone after the Dogs with a vengeance rivaling that of Nightmare Moon herself. Before Celestia could stop her, Twilight ended the lives of 4 Lupus minors, 5 mine dogs, 6 wolves, a rogue dragon, and a Lupus major. She had single-handedly, in a fit of incomprehensible rage, eradicated the pestering Diamond Dogs. In doing so, she also scared every pony in Equestria. Even Celestia was surprised by Twilights outburst of anger. But she understood Twilight enough to know she shouldn’t confront her about it. After that Twilight spiralled into depression. It was only after Rarity had returned and started nightly visits with Twilight to talk did she come out of her dark haze. Rarity blamed herself for it completely in a way that was different from her usual drama queen attitude. She truly believed the little dragon had died because of her. But Twilight knew that Spike had died for his own pride and valor. Rarity apologized to Twilight countless times, even pleading to Twilight not to hate her. But Twilight had no hate anymore, just an empty feeling of sadness. She just wanted her friend back. It was actually in these talks that Rarity had started to open up about Spike as well. She admitted that in the last year or so, she had come to a realization. Spike’s love was not unreturned in her. She realized she actually did love him. But she never said anything, because she didn’t want to hurt him. Rarity had never married because every stallion she had ever had a serious relationship ended up hurt. And of all the people she didn't want to hurt, Spike was near the top of the list. That was the first night that Rarity uncharacteristically broke down into a shaking mess and Twilight finally came out of her haze to comfort her old friend. Twilight opened her eyes and snapped back into the present. She was only a few feet from the shimmering swirl of gems. She didn’t cry this time; she didn’t shake; she didn’t whimper. She just sat down where she was and looked at her old reflection in the polished stone. Then she spoke, not so much with sadness, but more with an unexplainable quality of care and affection that only two old friends can have. “Oh Spike. I am so proud of you. You know I used to curse my luck for the things that happened. Losing you and then Rainbow and then one by one, everyone just seemed be gone from my life. I hated my life. But you know, nearing the end of my life, I am glad to have lived it. I am glad to have lived as friends with you. I thought that the death of my friends would make me alone, yours especially. But, now that I think about it, you never really left. Because you were and will always be in my memory. I can never forget you Spike,” she said in a doleful tone, unable to hide her depression over her dear friend’s death, “I can’t forget you for all the help around the library to the nights when you took care of me when I cried over the nightmares from the war.” “I really don’t think thank you can even suffice. I just wish you were here. I miss you so much and these days more than ever. My study is so empty without you picking up my mess or dusting off the shelves. It may not have seemed like much to you, but those small things meant the world to me. Every time I was afraid or sad and I heard your dusting, I remembered that you would always be there for me and my thoughts just melted away. I’m sorry you have to see me like this. It’s just I can’t…” She trailed off and let her eyes close, imagining the little dragon hatchling in her arms trying to wrap his arms around her in a hug. She saw in her head all the times he had helped her, all the times that their friendship had gotten stronger. She couldn’t think about that now. She couldn’t try and bring back those memories now. If she did, tears would fall. And Twilight knew how much Spike hated seeing her cry. She remembered the last thing he had told her before leaving with Rarity. His last words to Twilight before turning to leave: “Please don’t cry for me.” She fought her instincts and fought her emotions; she would not cry in front of Spike. She did not want to worry him in his rest. She calmed herself a little more and levitated her third gift from her saddlebags onto the chilly granite platform before her. It was a beautiful Dragon Fire gem, which are said to change colors in the presence of a dragon depending on who that dragon lives for. But what meant more to her was what she had wrapped it with. It was his old blanket, the first thing Twilight had made for him with magic, for which he paid her back with a big hug and a drawing of Twilight he had made. As she recalled this fond memory, the gem started shining bright, its regular pink color swirling and changing. It was so bright it blinded Twilight. When she finally looked up, she felt warmth engulf her heart. When it had stopped glowing, the gem displayed its new colors, all the colors that represented his friends. But the biggest wisp of color was a purple and violet one with a streak of pink running through it. He truly was a dragon of virtue; he lived only for his friends. She lay there for a while longer before getting up to leave. She had one last journey to make. She concentrated her magic one more time and disappeared. With a snap she landed shakily on a grassy plateau with a sea of wild flowers and bushes. But what Twilight was looking for was near the edge of the cliff; a lone oak, towering above her with engravings that were almost invisible. It was a set of initials that littered the wide trunk of the tree: AJ, RD, TP, FS, R, PP, S, C, and L.
Ch 5: RequiemReunion Ch 5: Requiem By Rlogic1994 Twilight Sparkle looked forward to the lone tree, closing her eyes and sighing before making her way to the tree. When she had reached a spot under the tree where 9 planted flowers were placed in a circle, 7 already decaying and the other 2 wilting, the memories hit her. This was the last spot that all of her friends had been together alive and well. It had been almost 50 years now, but the memory was still fresh in her mind. “Yes, the past really does only get brighter,” she thought to herself. It had been Twilight’s idea for them all to take a day off, Rarity from her dressmaking, leaving her apprentices in charge, Fluttershy from her animal work, leaving the job under control of her visiting relatives’ protection, Rainbow from her work with the Bolts, having retired by now she only helped train the members, Applejack from her apple bucking, her brother and sister certainly adept enough to hold the farm for one day, Pinkie pie from Sugar Cube owner, Mr. and Mrs. Cake gladly taking charge of the shop for a day, and Twilight herself, from her research and studies. Even Celestia and Luna came, leaving the administration under the control of their advisors, whom the princesses had a great amount of trust in. Spike had been doing odd jobs and body guarding off and on so he was free without problem. It was one of Twilight’s happiest memories. It was a simple affair, just a picnic on the plateau, which had a majestic view of the lands below. They had all ate a batch of Pinkie Pie’s world famous Party Popper cupcakes. They all got a hefty serving of Applejack’s finest reserves of Cider. It was a great day, and nothing went wrong for once. No need to bolt off to save Equestria from danger or to tend to Royal business. It was just a day for friends. They talked for hours, about each other’s lives, about changing times, about pretty much everything. That small meet up was the first time Celestia and Luna could let their regal attitude slip in years. They were both so grateful for it, too. For once Celestia laughed and smiled without covering her mouth in the “proper” manner. And Luna did not have her usual cold grace about her, now free from the eyes of the judgmental critics. It was the best day Twilight ever had, but was now no more than a fond memory among a sea of bad ones. She ran her hoof across the bark of the tree feeling each of the initials that they had carved into the tree. They had each promised that they would return to that tree one day, engraving their names in the wood as a signature on a contract. But the day of their second meeting never came. Things came up in each of their lives that drove them apart, even though they did not want to be separated. And as they drifted farther and farther, the prospect of another picnic faded and vanished, just a pipe dream in the back of their minds. The happiness and bliss they had felt that day was no longer a luxury they could afford, so they never tried to meet up again. Except of course at each of the 6 solemn funerals, some of the worst memories Twilight ever had. Never again did that happiness and joy emerge from the sea of sadness and regret that had entered her life. Never again was she truly ever as happy as that day. And now Twilight had returned. But even though she was alone on that earthen platform, she was with all her friends. They had not broken the promise. They were all still with her, so when she returned to that tree, it was like they were all there smiling and laughing again. She could see them when she closed her eyes, old mares looking back at her with smiles and laughing at the old days of their youth. But it was too late, as it always was. Twilight remembered that they had all vowed that when they returned they would cross their names out. Twilight closed her eyes and materialized a thin sharp sheet of purple magic. The slash she made cut through her name, crossing it out into an unrecognizable scratch. She looked at the other names and hesitated to cross them out as well. “One day soon, we will all be together. Then we can cross out our names together,” she pondered hopefully. She used her magic to undo the slash she had inflicted upon her name, leaving the scribble that she had made years before. As she looked at the 9 decaying flowers, she realized that this was the end point of her journey to see her friends again. She had set out with a goal: to let her friends know that she had not forgotten them and that they would be with her always. She had accomplished this task, so now what? She sat down at the foot of the tree, looking out over the edge of the cliff to her Equestria below. She could see Cloudsdale, now even more massive a city, billowing clouds the size of mountains setting the foundation. There was an air-tram port visible, shuttling pegasi at several hundred miles an hour to their destinations. The industrial sector was visible too, as Cloudsdale wasn’t just a rainbow manufacturing city anymore. All kinds of products were sent out from the furnace lit grimy catwalks of the factories. To her right was Canterlot, not much change in its look. But Twilight knew that was a lie. Beneath the exterior, Canterlot had become a less friendly place than in years past. Freelance journalists and photographers ready to catch anyone’s flaws or misstep. Crime bosses bribed guards to look the other way. It made Twilight sick to think of Canterlot, her home as a filly, as full of scum. Below her was Ponyville, now the one of the biggest city in all of Equestria, seconded only by the massive Manehattan. Above the former small town was an amorphous cloud of smog fogging up her vision of the city. It was no longer Ponyville to Twilight. The Carousel Boutique, once the tallest building in Ponyville, was now shrouded in the shadows of skyscrapers. It was no longer a close knit small town, but a bustling cutthroat business city. Twilight refused to believe it was Ponyville. But she knew, from personal experience, that things change. Even though she did not like the look of the new future, she accepted its effects; more people had jobs and less people were on the streets. Even administration had gotten better with the Grand Council of public elected officials representing different parts of society. Twilight was surprised when Celestia chose to convene the council, but now realized that she was just setting up a better government environment for when she was gone. She knew nothing of the ponies elected, but she trusted that they knew what they were doing. Twilight knew very well that she and her friends were from the old world, one vastly different from this one. And that tomorrow, a new world would form, with new ponies and new ideas and they would be left in history. And because the world of tomorrow was a new world, it deserved to be governed by new ponies and structured by new ideas. It was only natural for her generation to be replaced by the new one, as she and her friends had replaced their elder generations. But this by no means meant that they had lost any respect for the past generations. In fact, they honored them more than anything, because with each generation, a new layer is built on the beautiful tower of accomplishments of previous worlds. She knew all this, but it was still unsettling for her. She was unsure of the future of this new world, whether it would turn into the bright society that it seemed to promise or a world bathed in misery was beyond Twilight. She only hoped that the right decisions would be made. There would be mistakes, of course, and many of them. But the true sign of a bright future is the ability of a society to blow through the roadblocks of failure and become more than just a country or a nation, more than just ponies. They had a chance to start over with this new world, a chance to restructure the world at will. But what they did was out of Twilight’s hands, for her journey was over, and this new generation’s journey had just begun. And what an adventure it will be for them. As she contemplated the future of Equestria, she failed to notice the sun had started to fall towards the horizon. She watched the red orb sink towards the horizon, thinking about her own life doing the same thing. It was at this point that in the quiet serenity of the plateau and the breathtaking view of Equestria that Twilight started reflecting on her life. She thought about all the things she had done that she was proud of and the fact that they were outnumbered by things she was not proud of or just didn’t care about. Ponies had always proclaimed her as one of the greatest ponies of all time, but Twilight was not so sure about that. She had ruthlessly murdered the Diamond Dogs, coldly refused help from several hopeful research parties, angrily snapped at anyone who had doubt in her research, and had drifted away from her friends. She was far from great. She closed her eyes and thought about what really mattered to her. When she opened them again, her own mind answered her. Before her were her friends at the peak of their youth, strong and brave. But among her friends was a pony who Twilight had not seen in a very long time; in the middle of the group was Twilight herself in her own youth, a look of complete joy across her face. Their smiles melted the old mare’s heart. “If only…” she thought. But their smiles were ignorant, for they had no idea of what the future would hold. The old saying really was true; ignorance is bliss. She closed her eyes again and thought about what she would do now. When her eyelids parted, she saw before her a frightful mare. She had a gray mane and a lighter gray coat, with no cutie mark. She had a carnivorous looking mouth and no eyes. Then a sudden realization hit her; it was a reflection of her. The mare had the same hair with the highlight and the tail, her body looking exactly like Twilight’s. The mare before her was a monochromatic version of herself. Twilight tried to look into the mares nonexistent eyes, to get an explanation of the vision. The mare did not say anything except five words. “It is time, Twilight Sparkle,” the voice said, holding an uncanny resemblance to Twilight’s own voice except it had a quality of rustling leaves and wind to it. She nodded and closed her eyes again. When she opened them for the third time she was alone again. She returned to her reflection on her life and life in general. She knew all too well that life is like a river. It flows in only one direction. Everyone in the world was just driftwood at the mercy of the current. And inevitably, one day each of them will wash up on the shore of their own dreams and expectations and be held suspended in time for a moment to look back on their lives. Only at this moment right before the end do we truly realize what defines us, who we really are. The mask that we wear for the world shattered, we see in our minds’ mirror our true form. The question is whether we will like what we see or not. And Twilight was happy with what she saw. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t beautiful. But it was her. She accepted her life with all its flaws, finally at peace with the events that had transpired in her life. But even though the visions were only her imagination, Twilight had learned long ago that imagination isn’t unreal; it’s just your heart’s way of telling you the truth. And so, Twilight lay her head down against the tree and crossed her hooves. In her last swan song, she focused her magic and emptied the energy of her soul into the world around her, a final parting gift to the ever changing nature surrounding her. She took one final breath and let go, becoming one with the world around her in true Harmony, her last smile forever etched across her face.
Ch 6: EpilogueReunion Ch 6: Epilogue (by popular demand of readers here and my other prereaders) By Rlogic1994 It was warmer in Equestria. The Bearers were gone but not forgotten. The Royal Sisters were not swallowed by history either. They were gone from the world but lived on in the thoughts of others. They lived on in the spirit for all that Equestria stands for: loyalty, generosity, happiness, honesty, and kindness. Even though the 5 ponies that embodied these qualities left the world many years ago, the magic of friendship that was embodied in the sixth pony lived on and kept the other five alive. It was a true example of the power of the Elements of Harmony. The sun and moon now moved on their own, the souls of the 2 Alicorns who had once driven them now residing within each celestial body, their immensely powerful spirits moving the orbs now. The governing of Equestria had been taken over by a Grand Council of young ponies, all of whom were shaping the future of Equestrian politics with their innovative theories and ideas. The Wonderbolts were running shows again, shops were opening up again, and markets were bustling again. People had regained hope; hope that maybe this new generation of ponies could lead them as well as Celestia had for thousands of years. It was the same hope that had brought together ponies during the Discordian wars, the same feeling that kept them one under the weakening power of the Princess in her last years of life and the many attempts on her life by other races. This hope was unstoppable and would never stop growing. It was what made Equestria the great nation it is today. Relations with other countries were at a high point, even the Griffins hesitantly signing a treaty for the border to be settled between the two lands. It was a time for the birth of new ideas and a new world all together. But what of the Elements people had asked. Who would be the bearers if another danger emerged? The original bearers, now all together under the memorial in the former Everfree forest, were no longer available for consulting. So a new quest for the bearers started. Maybe some pony in this new generation could be a new bearer. Maybe a pony like Fluttershy, kind and selfless in every way, always willing to help. Or maybe like Rainbow Dash, headstrong and loyal to the end, always fighting for her friends. Maybe there was a pony like Pinkie Pie, laughter and fun always an option for her. There could be an Applejack among the young ponies, unwaveringly honest, always telling the truth no matter what the circumstances. There might be a Rarity among them, generous beyond measure, giving clothing to people for free all the time. And maybe even a pony like Twilight Sparkle, a master of the Magic of Friendship, forever together with her sisters, resting peacefully beneath the granite tomb. Maybe one day ponies would be found and would step forward to fill the positions. But these were more than just positions; they were more than just important spots to be filled. The Elements of Harmony are a group of ponies who know the true meaning of love and friendship and have unmistakable character that embodies the spirit of Equestria. In this way, as long as new Bearers are found, the original Bearers will not cease to exist. They will not die. Because they live through these young mares and stallions, their magic will endure forever.
RavampingSo I basically wrote these in one sitting and released chapters on several-day intervals. So i thought I would submit to EQD but i thought of a similar story, but basically make the 1st chapter into several. More focus on her friends and such. Basically each chapter for each of her friends. That was my original idea but a friend said to add the other chapters about Celestia and luna and such. Basically i'm gonna make a new story. I'll just call it the Reunion. I will write all the parts again but with more care. DONT RUIN THE ENDING FOR READERS ON TEH NEW STORY
