Sooo, every once in a while I think about the futures for the Mane Six.  They include, of course, Dash being a Wonderbolt, Rarity being a renowned designer in Canterlot with a successful store, and Twilight taking up residence in the castle, or always on the go doing her princess-y duties, and the like.  

And it makes me soooooo sad.

Because even though Applejack loves her farm and would never dream of doing anything else in her life, I have to imagine it would hurt to have at least three of her friends be far away.  I can't help but wonder if Fluttershy would open up to other ponies once half her friends are no longer near.  And Pinkie Pie, I'm not sure what will become of her. Because while she loves the Cakes and her friends in Ponyville, I feel like she would be torn between where to put her attention, and maybe be unhappy that she can't drop in on some of her friends whenever she feels like it.

It just makes me sad to think that while the others would probably be distracted in the pursuit of their dreams, A, Flutters, and Pinkie would be the ones who got left behind in their own lives.  And while they may love what they do, it probably can't compare to how life was when their friends were a stones throw away.

This makes me sad because, well, I lost almost all of my friends from moving to different states, taking the next step in their lives, or just losing contact with them because our lives got in the way.  Basically, my circumstances made me feel like I was left behind.  While that is the story of most people's lives, I don't want to think about it in my favorite fictional characters.  

They all have goals, and they are all working towards their goals - to deny them that is to deny them a part of who they are. And with that comes the time when they will eventually not all be in Ponyville anymore.  And while they hold powers by being best friends, and are very close with one another, I can't separate the reality of what has transpired in my life to the fictional lives of these ponies.

And that breaks my heart a little bit, because it's a sharp reminder that all good things must come to an end, and how painful it can be when it does.

I remember when I first got into the fandom, there was a comic where Twilight was sad, and one by one her friends came to cheer her up.  That was rather depressing for me to see.  I wished I could have had that kind of friendship.  I was very sad and lonely at the time (it's actually hard to think about now), and while I loved how the comic represented the group of friends, I was also bitter that I didn't have that.  I suppose when I think about the friends and their futures, that is the first emotion I go to. That's actually why I started writing fanfiction for ponies- because they had a friendship where they could be there for each other when things went bad.

In the future, when they are all living their dreams, and they need somepony else, will they be able to reach out to another pony? How can they see when another pony is so down that they need somepony to stop and tell them, "I'm here for you. Tell me what's wrong"?  When they are busy securing their own futures, will their thoughts of their friends go from, "I wonder how Rarity is doing?" to "Hmm, I haven't heard from her in a while.  Better send her a telegram"  to a passing thought when somepony does something that reminds them of her?  

I guess I've just seen how friendships can be easily dropped, and how hard they are to pick back up again. Especially when everything goes to hell. Especially when you feel like a burden on somebody else who is trying to achieve their accomplishments while you're struggling in the muck and mire of your own life.

And it's probably a reason why I like Appledash so much - since I know they will go their separate ways some day, I get sad to think of them as just friends.  With a relationship, Dash would have somewhere to come home to.  Which solves the equation for at least one of the friends who is going to go away to achieve her goals...

Yeah...

This is what happens when it's midnight, and I get too contemplative.

So...if anyone would like...replace my headcanon of the friends separating in the future by giving me something to look forward to?  I'm unfortunately stuck on this head canon, and I'd rather not be.