Rain.
It poured like the heavens had opened up a floodgate and sent torrents of water cascading down from the skies. But that didn't matter. None of it did.
For the umpeteenth time, Twilight found her eyes straying towards the headstone in front of her. Polished, onyx stone—cut from the finest obsidian. Even with rivulets of water running down its immaculate surface, it shone with an inner light. Rarity would have approved. Indeed, Twilight shaped it with her in mind.
“Now, now darling. The surface must be exactly right to catch the sunlight. A headstone it might be, but there is no reason that it cannot be fabulous.”
At least, that was what Twilight thought she would say. She hung her head low, reading the words etched on the hard surface.
Rarity
With all our love.
954 - 1066 CA
Lightning flashed in the distance, whispering cruel, cruel jests into her ears.
“Ha, Twilight!” it seemed to echo. “Princess of Friendship. What Friendship can you offer now?”
“Rarity lived a good life,” Twilight mumbled.
“Says you! But can you truly believe that in her last dying days? When you stared into that aged, wrinkled face and rheumy blue eyes? When you grasped her limp hooves? You truly believed she was happy?”
“Shut up.”
Hideous laughter flitted at the edge of her hearing, mocking her. Taunting her.
“Sweet, naive Twilight. Friendship is nothing but a lie. A poisoned chalice to comfort these mortals living out their dreary lives.”
“Shut up!” Twilight pleaded.
“Why should we? After all, we were your friends!”
Lightning flashed again, illuminating the graveyard with a brilliant flare. Even without turning her head, Twilight knew what lay beside Rarity’s grave:
Four more headstones.
Each made of different material. Each had been laid at a different time. Each had a different name inscribed on their surface. But all bore one thing in common. They all held Twilight’s closest friends.
Applejack’s death was an unfortunate accident. Or so she liked to tell herself. Twilight knew the real reason why the Apple family kept their distance after the funeral. She could never look at dragons the same way either.
Rainbow Dash’s demise was more poignant. Captain of the Wonderbolts. Star pegasus of Equestria. All that couldn’t save her from the Great Storm of 1032. Nature proved to be the true savage master of the sky.
Fluttershy had lived a quiet life as senior animalogist of Canterlot Gardens. That didn’t save her from the ravages of disease. She died gasping for breath with water-filled lungs.
And Rarity...
Rarity held on the longest. Ironic, really. Twilight expected her fashion-conscious friend to end her life young, as she once confided to her during a drunken spell. But Rarity proved to be made of sterner stuff than most other ponies, outliving even Big Macintosh. But in the end, she too sucummbed to time.
“Why...?” Twilight felt her tears mingle with the rain washing down her face. “Why do I have to be the one chosen to live on?”
“Because you’re a selfish, selfish pony, Twilight!”
“No! I didn’t choose this.”
“Lies! All lies!”
Her knees buckled under the verbal assault. “I loved them... I loved all of them,” she whispered, folding her ears flat against her scalp.
“Then... join us. End your torment.”
Twilight perked up. Just a little. “Join... you?”
“Yeesssss...”
A spoon hovered into view. Even in her delirious state, Twilight knew it was a little absurd. A spoon wasn’t an efficient tool for ending a life. Her life. Then she realised her resolve was already faltering.
“I...”
“Do it!”
“I... I can’t!” Twilight cried.
The spoon floated closer. Then it did something unexpected. It gave her a solid thwack on the head.
“Twilight! What are you doing?” a youthful voice pierced the cloud of gloom that had settled in her mind. It sounded really familiar too, though she couldn't quite pin the owner of the voice.
“Just leave me alone!” Twilight moaned.
“Ugh, do we have to do this every time?”
Twilight didn't bother answering. She wished whoever it was would just leave her alone to contemplate ending her own miserable existence with a spoon. Then all thought of suicide fled her mind as her entire body was suddenly enveloped in a rush of ice-cold water.
The headstone in front of her vanished. Like it had never existed.
The rain stopped as well. Like it never rained.
“Jeez, Twi, your episodes are getting worse,” the voice said again. This time however, Twilight recognised it. Or rather, her. She groaned and rubbed her suddenly aching head. The sounds of happy wildlife registered dimly. The warmth of the sun tickled her back.
“Is it really that bad, Scootaloo?” Twilight said, pulling herself to a sitting position, noting that she was on soft ground.
“You were contemplating suicide with a spoon. I’d say that’s a little more serious than a bellyache,” Scootaloo replied. Twilight could almost see her smirk in her mind’s eye. It didn’t do anything to stem the flood of embarrassment that now threatened to overwhelm her.
“Please tell me Shining didn’t see this,” Twilight said with a small groan.
“Lucky for you, I found you first.” The pegasus... no... alicorn filly trotted into view and offered a hoof.
Twilight smiled faintly and grasped the proferred hoof. Slowly, painfully, she pulled herself up. Her swollen belly found itself assaulted with a mighty kick from the inhabitant within. A not-so-gentle reminder that her foal was close to birth. She winced a little. Why Trixie insisted on so many foals—this being her twenty-second—she would never know. Nor could she fathom why everypony put up with her “episodes” as they liked to call it. Though maybe her accidental casting of the alicorn spell had something to do with it.
“C’mon. Perhaps this time, you won’t be so eager to forget your medications,” Scootaloo said with a grin.
“You bet. The last thing I need is for Rarity to find out that I hallucinated her death. Again.”
Scootaloo broke into another fit of giggles at the mere mention of Rarity. “Princess Rarity would be most displeased to hear of her untimely end.”
“Anyway, why are you here?”
“You forgot, didn’t you?” Scootaloo stopped and struck what Twilight thought was a poor imitation of a Royal Guard. “You are cordially invited to the wedding of Princess Fluttershy and Princess Applejack. Princess Apple Bloom shall officiate the ceremony, as Princess of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
“Heh, turning into a Princess gotten to her head,” Twilight said with a small chuckle. “Inevitable, I suppose.”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “You know no idea, Twilight. Personally, I dig the horn. No more picking things up with mouths anymore.”
Twilight giggled. “Glad to know somepony actually liked it.”
“Hehe. Now c’mon! Let’s go before Princess Rainbow Dash gets impatient and decides to try her magic again.”
The sound of laughter of the two alicorns filled the glade again. Soon enough, however, they were gone as well.
The only sign left of their presence left was the unmarked grave that lay beneath an apple tree. A simple six-sided star was carved into the tree itself.