Twilight was sitting next to Applejack's bed, reading a book. She was supposed to be at some sort of royal event in Canterlot, but she had decided that she was going to spend as much time as possible next to her friend. As she heard Applejack's deep breathing, she thought about how far behind she was with her work. She'd probably have to do an all nighter again.
After a while, Applejack slowly gained conscience. "Is that you, Twilight?" she said with a hoarse voice.
Twilight closed her book and touched Applejack's hoof. She knew that the cowgirl pony couldn't see well anymore and had a bit of a hearing problem, "yes, it's me. How are you doing?"
"Oh, you know me, I'm mighty fine, sugarcube," Applejack laughed a bit before starting to cough.
"Are you really ok?" asked Twilight.
"Yeah, I am fine," said Applejack after her cough had died down. "You know, you shouldn't spend so much time with this old mare. You have duties to fulfill."
"It's my day off."
"Crapola. You'll have to lie better than that, but thank you."
Twilight couldn't help but smile at being discovered. "You were always good at discerning the truth."
"Well, I AM the element of honesty, after all. Not that you are a particularly difficult pony to figure out."
"Boy, that Elements of Harmony thing never came up again, did it? Remember how all those adventures we had?"
"I sure do. I do have a theory about it."
"So, do I."
"Tell me yours first."
"I think Celestia somehow arranged the whole 'adventure' thing."
"Nah, I like my theory better."
"What is it?"
"I think we just were young mares and happened to be in the right place and at the right time for such things to happen. Then we grew up and became adults and had to deal with other things. I, for one, am very grateful to have had the opportunity to live all those adventures with you and the other girls. Those are some of the best memories I'm taking with me."
Twilight nodded, "I think I like your theory better. I'm certainly going to keep those memories in a special place as well." She sighed and added, "I'm glad to have met you and spent all those years together."
"Me too, sugarcube."
"I wish your grandfoals were here more often. I guess they still haven't learned to appreciate time with loved ones." While they weren't really Applejack's descendants, Twilight and Applejack always referred to them as if they were.
"Oh, I don't mind. They're young and have things to do. Why would they want to spend the day at the house of a sick, ol' mare? They need to live their lives, you know?"
"I guess you're right, my friend."
"Plus, I lived mine and I'm satisfied with how I lived it. I just wish I could have been out there bucking trees until my last day instead of being in bed most of the time. At least Applebloom could walk by herself until she died."
"Well, she had a long and fulfilling life, so I don't feel that bad about it."
"We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders..." sang Applejack.
"...on a quest to find out who we are," joined Twilight.
Applejack giggled a bit. "I'm looking forward to see her again, and Big Mac, and Rarity and all the girls."
Twilight knew that Applejack was certain about an afterlife. They had already spoken about the subject and she knew better than to question Applejack's belief in her condition. It's not like she had figured out the answer herself anyway. "Who do you want to see the most?" she asked.
"My husband."
Twilight's eyebrows rose. "Really?"
"Yeah. I know that you barely knew him. Heck, you probably don't even remember his name. But you know what? He was the only one who truly made me feel special. He loved me like nopony else in the world. He wasn't particularly smart or strong, but he was a good stallion and when he embraced me, I felt like everything was just right. That's not something you forget once you've experienced it."
"It's a shame that you didn't get to spend more time with him. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm going to see him again soon, and Big Mac, and Applebloom, and my parents, of course."
Twilight nodded and smiled. "And I'm sure they're all waiting to see you, too."
"Shucks, now I'm sad."
"Oh, I'm sorry my friend, I should have asked you such a question."
"No, no, it's not about that. I'm sad for you."
"For me?"
"Yeah, I'm going soon and I'll get to see all our friends. I bet Pinkie is going to throw a party and we'll get together and have fun. Maybe Rarity would finally have created the perfect outfits for us and we'll wear them at the party. It'll be nice to talk to Fluttershy now that she's not so shy anymore and she has more free time, not having to take care of a family and all. And Rainbow will just be there, being awesome as always. But you, you'll never get to see them again, and I'll never get to see you again."
"We don't know that for sure. But even if that's the case, someone needs to stay around and take care of your family. I mean, look at how many foals, grandcfoals, and great-grandfoals Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Shy Flower had."
"You know, I love all those foals like they were my own."
"Well, you certainly took care of them as if they were. And you kept the farm running all by yourself when everybody moved out. That was a lot of hard work for just one mare."
"Yeah, but I wanted my foals to have education and to follow their own calls. Don't get me wrong, I loved the farm and I got my cutie mark because of it, but it's not for everypony. It's a lot of hard work in the sun and the trees never give you a day off. I want my foals to have a better life than mine."
"That's where you're wrong my friend. Your life is one of the most beautiful and wonderful I've known."
"That's very sweet of you to say. And you take care of my farm, will you?"
"I will. Thank you for leaving it to me. I still think it should go to one of your family members instead."
"Which one? The one that came everyday to help me? What's his name? Applenopony?"
"Ok, you got me there."
"I'm sure you'll take care of it while you find a good use for it."
"I don't know. I might just hire someone to keep the apple trees as they are, even if they aren't harvested."
"That'd be as good a use as anything."
Twilight stood up, approached the bed, and embraced Applejack.
"I love you, my friend."
"And I love you too, Twi. Can I ask you a favor?"
"Anything you want."
"When I die, can you make sure they make me wear my old hat in the casket?"
Twilight walked up to a closed in the bedroom, opened it and took an old, worn cowboy hat from it.
"Why wait? You might as well wear it now," she said as she placed it on Applejack's head.
Applejack's smile grew wider. "Thanks Twi, you're the bestest."
*****
"A message for you, Princess."
Twilight looked up from the parchment on the desk that she had installed in her temporary office in Applejack's house. She took the envelope that her assistant, a white Pegasus named Looby Hooves with a muffin cutie mark, handed her. He didn't have magical breath like Spike's but he could fly relatively fast between Ponyville and Canterlot.
"Thank you, Looby. You can go back to the castle now."
Lobby gave a little bow and left. Twilight broke the royal stamp that sealed the letter and read it.
Princess Twilight,
I hope you are doing fine. I am writing to let you know that I've decided to take Flurry Heart as my new pupil and she will be moving to Canterlot to live in my castle. I'm sorry to deny your request to have her live with you but as you must be aware from the months that she stayed with you, she just doesn't have the discipline or talent that you had and needs closer guidance than what your duties can offer. I've already gotten permission from Princess Cadance and Flurry Heart herself is looking forward to living here. Both of them are going to Manehattan to get new outfits for her before coming here. Of course, you'll be able to visit Flurry Heart, provided that your visits don't interfere with her studying schedule.
On another matter, please keep me informed of Applejack's condition. I would like to visit her but I fear my presence would cause unnecessary commotion in town and affect her already weak condition negatively. Despite what you may think, I care deeply for my subjects, even more so those who have been my Bearers of the Elements of Magic. When Applejack's time comes, I would like to come and give a small speech, but I don't know if it would be appropriate. You are closer to her family than I am and I would appreciate your advice in this delicate matter.
Yours Truly, Princess Celestia.
Twilight crumbled the paper and threw it in the garbage can. She sighted and continued working.
It was almost dawn when the nurse that Twilight had hired to take care of Applejack came into the office.
"Princess Twilight, I think it's time."
Twilight got up from her chair and followed the nurse. She went into the bedroom and saw her friend. Applejack was quiet. It was hard to see her chest going up and down as she slowly breathed.
"She has been sleeping all night long, but her breathing and her pulse have gone way down. I don't think there's any point in trying to wake her up," said the nurse.
Twilight approached the bed and touched her friend's hoof. "Good-bye, my friend."
Applejack lips curled up a bit, almost imperceptibly. She gave then her final breath. She was 102 years old. Outside the window, a beautiful day broke.
*****
Applejack was buried in Sweet Apple Acres, just like she had asked. Her funeral was simple and over two dozen ponies, plus their foals showed up. Shy Flower said a few words for her aunt. Twilight found the small speech simple and sweet, nothing fancy or complex, much like Applejack.
At Twilight's advice, Princess Celestia made a short visit but gave no speech. The ruler of Equestria knew exactly what to say to the family and how long to stay, showing her good taste and tact. On the other hand, Flurry Heart wore a fancy dress that was more suited to a night club than a funeral. Twilight had to interrupt Flurry's talk of how handsome the young stallions at Manehattan were in order to tell her in no uncertain terms to take off her dress and behave appropriately . Twilight knew that Princess Celestia could have prevented Flurry from wearing such an outfit but she suspected Royal Alicorn was making a point.
Right before leaving, Princess Celestia got a few moments alone with Twilight, which she used to inform her that Princess Luna had visited Applejack the night before and they had said good-bye to each other.
"Since Princess Luna had said good-bye already, she didn't feel the need to come," said Princess Celestia.
"I understand."
"I will be leaving now, as per your suggestion. I know that you may want to talk about Flurry Heart, but this is not the occasion for it."
"Thank you for taking my opinion into account. I think it made a difference for the family, but you don't have to leave so soon."
"Maybe not, but I need to be alone for a while," said Princess Celestia, avoiding Twilight's eyes. "You see, when you are the leader of Equestria and so many ponies look up to you, it's advisable not to be seen crying."
Before Twilight could answer, Princess Celestia extended her powerful wings and flew away. Her guards were caught by surprise and ran as discreetly as they could to get Flurry Heart in the Royal Carriage.
Once Princess Celestia and Flurry Heart were gone, the ambience of the funeral became more relaxed, just like Twilight had predicted. The day was beautiful and it was hard to stay sad or to leave. Slowly, the ponies sat around under the apple trees and talked about Applejack, but also about their plans, jobs, relationships, and foals. Eventually, some of them brought out food and cooking utensils from the house. Foals ran around while stallions and mares had something to eat and engaged in friendly and simple conversations. Twilight found it touching that the funeral was so full of life. Above them, the sun shone beautifully over the top of the apple trees while a nice breeze made the day even more delightful.
*****
"Any more cake, Princess Twilight?" asked Apple Pie as she offered a plate to Twilight, who was sitting by herself at a table.
"No, thank you, Apple Pie, I'm full. But congratulations on the birth of your grandfoal. You're a grandmother now!"
"I know. Just between you and me, I wish the girl had finished school before getting pregnant. I'm a bit worried about that."
Twilight looked tenderly at Applebloom's daughter. Apple Pie was now 60 years old and her hair showed a few threads of silver already. Her fur was orange like her late aunt and she had worked for years as a pie baker, not very different from the party pony she was named after. Twilight knew that Apple Pie was looking for a bit of wisdom from her. She had slowly realized that ponies came to her not because she was a princess or an Alicorn, but because she had experience and had seen many facets of life.
"There is no need to worry at all. No matter what happens, everything is going to be alright, one way or the other. I learned that from your aunt, you know?"
"Oh, did you? I still miss her. I should have spent more time with her. She was such a great mare."
"Indeed, she was. I miss her too."
"Also, thank you for giving a job to Anansi. It's ridiculously hard for a zebra to get a job in Ponyville. Do you think he'll be up to it? He has no idea of how to run a farm."
"He's a good stallion and he truly loves your grand daughter. He and Apple Shy will run the farm as well as Big Mac and Applejack did. And if they don't know something, they can always look for it in a book at my castle or ask me for advice. Do not tell them, but if they do as good of a job, I'll let them have Sweet Apple Acres in a few years."
"That's very generous of you. I really appreciate all that you're doing for my family."
"Well, you're my family too, in a way. And I'll do it only if they prove to be worthy of the place. I promised to Applejack to take care of the farm, after all."
"Of course, I understand. Thank you very much for your words, Princess Twilight. I feel more relieved now. Do you mind if I go see if the other guests are ok?"
"Sure, go ahead. You know what? Leave the cake here. I changed my mind."
"Sure. If you need anything else let me know."
Twilight watched all the young foals run and play around as she ate her cake. They reminded her of her own foalhood, tucked away at home, always with her head in a book. The foals around, in contrast, were as varied and colorful as the characters in the stories she had read, each one with distinct personalities.
Twilight noticed a young blue colt that made the adults laugh with sarcastic impersonations and biting comebacks. Not far from him, a young orange unicorn pretended to take care of her stuffed animals. Her tone of voice was strong and she was making certain that no breaches of discipline would be tolerated and they'd better follow her rules if those animals knew what was good for them. Almost outside of the circle of ponies, a young and shy pink pegasus also played with her stuffed toys in absolute silence, dressing them in rags that she obviously thought were the fanciest and most elegant of dresses. And in the middle of everything, there was the baby of Apple Shy and Anansi, a baby zorse, the very first of his kind in Equestria, who would grow up in an apple farm, bucking trees and working hard.
A light pull on her wing shook Twilight out of her observations. She turned around to find a young red Earth colt, who was known for both his racing skills and his quiet, stoic demeanor. He had in his hoofs an old book that was open to show a page with an old picture of a blue Pegasus with rainbow colored hair.
"Excuse me, Princess Twilight," said the colt, not without some nervousness in his voice. "But I'm a big fan of Rainbow Dash and my mom told me that you actually knew her. Is this true? Can you tell me a bit about her?" He looked at Twilight with big eyes.
Twilight patted the chair next to her, indicating the colt to sit down. "It's true, I really knew her. She was the most awesome pony in Equestria. Let me tell you all about her. Did you know that she rediscovered the Sonic Rainboom all by herself when she was just a little filly?"
The colt jumped on the chair and said "Really? Please tell me more, Princess Twilight."
Twilight thought a bit and then smiled "Sure. But it's Twilight, just Twilight. No more of this Princess business."