Distant Epilogue beginning, Draft 2. · 7:36pm Jun 2nd, 2014
Time marches on inexorably. Every morning the sun rises on a world that is a little different than it was the previous morning, and those small changes add up quickly. Most beings are bound to the flow of time and barely notice those miniscule daily changes as they happen, only noticing the aggregate effects with surprise and in hindsight. Most can change with their world and remain fairly comfortable until their time comes to an end. For a certain few beings, however, the amount of time allotted to them is so great that it feels as if the world is changing without them, or that time takes more than it gives in return. Such feelings can cause the immortal and the long-lived to withdraw into tight-knit groups and shut out the world at large, unless they can find something in the world worth caring for.
Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and duly elected Mayor of Ponyville, woke up one morning wondering, as she often did these days, whether she honestly cared enough to face the day. Recognizing the feeling, she forced herself to get out of bed and walk to the window to survey her little city. For Ponyville was a city now, since the passage of years and the attraction of living under the watchful eye of Equestria’s most accessible Princess and her amazing crystalline tree-castle had conspired to turn what had once been a small farming town into a fledging metropolis that hoped to one day rival Canterlot and the Crystal Empire for beauty. Most of the buildings had changed, but the most important landmarks had been left virtually untouched. The tall, gazebo-like Town Hall, or rather City Hall now, still stood in the middle of the market square and remained the location for most of the day-to-day civic business, allowing Twilight the comforting illusion of separation between her private space and work. There was Sugar Cube Corner, now the humble world headquarters for the growing Cake Confectionary empire, with a plaque out front declaring its historic value as the home of the Element of Laughter. Carousel Boutique stood out like a jewel in the fashion district, its new owner working diligently to keep its reputation for perfecting trends alive. Somewhere in the distance, hidden among a multitude of relatively new buildings, was the five measly acres that remained of Sweet Apple Acres, now more of a living museum than the crucial cornerstone of the community it used to be. They still grew the Zap Apples at least. Cloud houses floated high above the ordinary buildings, but none that Twilight could see had the decorative rainbow fountains she still expected to see. Here and there she could see ponies emerging from their homes and apartments on their way to work. Each and every one of them looked to her as a leader, but she didn’t know them all that well.
Twilight turned away from the window not feeling much better. She was supposed to be the Princess responsible for spreading the Magic of Friendship across the land, but she felt that the number of beings she could count a real friends was greatly diminished, and all but one of those friends lived far away from Ponyville. Time and age had claimed the five mares who had shared the power of Harmony with her, along with nearly two generations of Ponyville citizens and other ponies she knew from Canterlot and other places. Spike was still around, ever loyal and helpful and quite a bit larger than he used to be, but he was only one dragon and he felt the losses almost as strongly as Twilight did. He was always good for a pep talk whenever Twilight was feeling down, so Twilight resolved to go down and visit him for breakfast.
I'd go on, but I'd be getting into spoiler territory. I have got to finish my current fics...
Yes, you do need to finish your current projects.