//------------------------------// // Guilt // Story: Discord Takes His Friends to the Afterlife // by Zennistrad //------------------------------// With a simple snap of his fingers, Discord had transported Twilight and her friends out of the park, and into what was apparently a residential area. There, rows upon rows of fanciful houses dotted the landscape, with designs that ranged from simple to extravagant, from cozy little homes to towering mansions to bizarre feats of architecture like nothing that existed in Equestria. There was a house made out of ice cream, a house made of rounded white orbs and baubles and encased within a glass dome, and even a house that resembled a giant pipe organ. “Impressive, isn’t it?” said Discord. “Here in the hereafter, you’re free to live in whatever kind of house you like! Within reasonable limits, obviously, but the home of your dreams can finally become a reality here.” “Wow!” said Pinkie. “That’s amazing! That means I can live in a house like Sugarcube Corner, only it’s actually made of gingerbread!” “Just as long as you remember not to eat the foundations, Ah reckon,” said Applejack. “Yeah, but in my dream house all the parts you eat will grow back!” Pinkie replied. “It’s win-win!” “Yeah, yeah, stop dallying!” said Rainbow. “Is Fluttershy’s house nearby, or what?” “As a matter of fact, it is,” Discord replied. “Right over there, even.” Discord pointed over to a small space between two houses, one shaped like a gargantuan trumped propped upright on its bell, and the other a massive building grown from crystal spires. There in the dead center was a tiny, cream-colored cottage, so unassuming compared to its neighbors that Twilight wouldn’t have even noticed it had Discord not drawn attention to it. It was a spitting image of Fluttershy’s old home, the patchy grass roof and surrounding foliage covering it in green, as though the building itself were a living, breathing organism. Seeing it here, in the Elysium, Twilight could feel her breath being taken away. It was no different from what her home had always been, and yet... there was a new feeling seeing it now, a feeling like a gentle hearth’s fire that warmed every crevasse of her body, or the soft embrace of a friend. “Well?” said Discord, “shall we?” “Discord, wait!” Twilight called out. “You... you don’t think Epona really meant it when she said we’d lose our memories, do you?” “Well, obviously. She wouldn’t have gone out of Her way to threaten me to keep me quiet otherwise,” Discord grumbled. “And I can tell you from personal experience that Epona takes Her threats very seriously.” “Oh,” said Twilight. Her eyes turned towards the ground, and she felt her ears flatten themselves out. “I... I was afraid of that. It’s just... why even do this if we won’t remember anything? Why would Epona make us forget?” “Well, Twilight, Ah can’t rightly speak for Her,” said Applejack. “But think about what would happen if word got out that Discord took us to the afterlife. If Ah’d known he could do that, Ah’d have asked him to take me here a long time ago, and Ah reckon a lot of other ponies would do the same. Considering what Epona said about them there boundary between life and death, Ah can’t imagine how that’d end well.” “That... does make sense when you put it like that,” said Twilight. “Still, I just... I don’t know. It just feels wrong, knowing that we’ll go on like this never happened.” “So what?” said Rainbow. “I don’t care if I forget. I still want to see Fluttershy again anyway.” A soft sigh pushed itself out of her lungs. “Besides, I... I have to tell her. She’ll remember that, even if I won’t. I-if it’s not for us, we’ll visit for her, right?” Discord’s lips pressed into a thin smirk. “Mmm. Whatever makes you feel better.” Rainbow didn’t answer. Her eyes drifted towards the clouds below, and she took in a deep breath. Her eyes narrowed as she stared forward, towards the simple wooden door of the cottage. Slowly, Rainbow took a single step forward. When nothing bad seemed to happen, she exhaled a puff of aether, and began to slowly walk towards the cottage. The others followed after her, their eyes never leaving Rainbow’s body. Everything about her movements oozed tension and anxiety. Rainbow approached the door, and with a shaking hoof, gave a series of three solid knocks. Time itself seemed to stretch into infinity, its silence grasping and clawing at the atmosphere. Finally, the door opened. Behind it, Fluttershy stood, translucent and glowing with the light of her soul laid bare. “Hello, can I help—” Her greeting was cut off by her own astonished gasp, followed by a pair of cyan forelegs tightly wrapping around her midsection. Though she had at first gone rigid from shock, in time she found herself reciprocating the gesture, pulling Rainbow in as they shared their mutual embrace. Fluttershy’s hooves rubbed gently against Rainbow’s back, offering soothing words to Rainbow as she cried gently into Fluttershy’s shoulder. When Rainbow finally pulled away, she looked deeply into Fluttershy’s eyes, her own eyes still moist around the edges. “I... I’ve missed you so much.” “I know,” said Fluttershy. She returned Rainbow’s gaze, her own eyes reflecting her friend’s sadness. “And I’m sorry that I left you so suddenly. I... I know it must have been hard for you. I’m so sorry I never got to say goodbye.” Rainbow sniffed slightly. “Y-yeah... me too.” Fluttershy’s gaze went upwards, towards the others, before resting on Discord. Her brow furrowed, yet the corners of her mouth seemed to twitch both upward and downward, as though unsure of which direction they would move. “Discord, did you bring my friends here?” Discord grinned. “Well, I promised I wouldn’t come to visit again before they arrived, didn’t I? I just so happened to send them here before I myself stopped by. So consider that promise fulfilled.” “Oh,” said Fluttershy. Her ears folded against the back of her head. Her hoof pawed gently at the clouded ground, and she bit her lower lip. “You... you didn’t, um... you know...” Discord pressed his hands against his hips. “No, I didn’t kill them. Honestly, Fluttershy, what kind of friend do you take me for?” Fluttershy jolted slightly, letting out a soft ‘eep!’ “N-no, it’s not that! It’s, just um... Well, it’s just that I’m not sure how else you’d bring my friends here without upsetting the archons. I don’t know if the rules apply to you, but I’m pretty sure other ponies aren’t supposed to here unless they’re dead.” Another silence hung over the aether like an albatross, and a series of glances were exchanged among friends. “...Well darling, it’s funny you should mention that,” said Rarity. “We, er... we actually met the one in charge when we came here. She told us we only had thirty minutes to visit before returning to the world of the living... and as if that weren’t unfortunate enough, she also told us we won’t remember ever being here.” For the briefest moment, Twilight could see Fluttershy’s pupils dilate. “Oh,” she said. “W-well, um... it’s still nice to see you? I-I mean, there’s no question about that, really it’s just, um... this is all really just so unexpected.” “Do you think we can hurry up and move things along?” said Rainbow Dash. “There’s... well, a few things. I have a lot I want to say, and I want to make it count while I still can.” “R-right, of course,” said Fluttershy. She turned around and stepped inside, holding the door open. “Come on in. I’ll be happy to have you stay for a while.” Rainbow Dash was the first to enter, hurriedly trotting past the door and into the cottage. Twilight followed the rest of her friends as they entered, and as she passed through the door, she saw Discord hovering just behind her. She and Fluttershy both shared a look before turning back to him, undoubtedly thinking the same thing. “Aren’t you coming?” said Fluttershy. “Well, I’d certainly love to,” said Discord, “but given that this will be the only time your friends will ever be able to see you before they kick the bucket themselves, I figure I’d leave you to share some quality time of your own. I wouldn’t want to distract you with my usual antics, after all.” Fluttershy’s lips pressed into a frown. “Well, that’s very thoughtful of you, Discord. But aren’t you worried it might be a while before you get a chance to see me again? I mean, I know it won’t be that long a wait for you, but given this is the third time you’ve tried sneak back up here despite our agreement, um... w-well, I’m just guessing you might not like waiting that much.” Discord flashed a grin, his teeth inexplicably gaining a swirling, pastel, candy-like coloration. “Not to worry, my dear! I promised I wouldn’t return here until after your friends arrived. Your friends have already arrived here once, ergo any time I return in the future will be after they’ve arrived.” With a snap of his fingers, a scroll with a lengthy contract appeared in the aether before him, written in rainbow-colored ink in letters that shifted and swirled with every passing second. A stamp hovered before before it, and pressed onto the scroll’s surface, leaving behind a seal with Discord’s grinning image giving a thumbs-up. “Therefore, as you can quite plainly see, I have lived up to my end of the contract.” Fluttershy shot Discord a disapproving glare, but the gentle twitches at the corners of her lips betrayed her true feelings. Before long, she had broken out into a light, airy giggle. “Oh, you!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You’re not mad at him?” “Oh, no, of course not!” said Fluttershy. “You know he’s always been like that. I don’t think there’s a single rule that he hasn’t found a way to bend in his favor. I really do admire how he can think outside the box like that.” “Glad to see that somepony here appreciates my talents,” said Discord. “Perhaps I’ll drop by sometime later and see if there’s any thing else I can do to make your afterlife more interesting. I’m sure eternal bliss can get awfully boring after a few eons. But for now, I shall bid you lovely ponies adieu!” He stood onto his legs, and gave a deep bow that bent his body at an angle larger than ninety degrees. Then, in a flash of light, he was gone. With Discord gone, Fluttershy turned to face Twilight. As Twilight looked into them, Fluttershy’s eyes seemed to twinkle gently in the warm, omnipresent light. It felt like it had been ages since she last saw them. Fluttershy let out a cough, its sound oddly muted due to her lack of breath. “So, um... why don’t you come in with the rest of us? I’m sure I can make some tea for everypony before you have to leave.” Twilight smiled. “That sounds wonderful, Fluttershy.” ———————— Inside, Twilight and her friends had joined Fluttershy in a perfect replica of her old living room — her “afterliving room,” she had called it. It was a simple room with cozy furnishings and quaint decorations, with only a single coffee table set up for the occasional tea party, set low enough to the ground so that any ponies present would be sitting on the floor. Despite the circumstances, everyone had remained unusually quiet as Fluttershy carefully prepared a tea set and poured a cup of chamomile for each of them. Fluttershy, for her part, seemed to take notice of this quickly. As everyone sat at their places and sipped their tea, she stared back, her contemplative look gradually eroding into worry. “What’s wrong? You’ve all been awfully quiet. I-I mean, I’m not complaining, it’s just...” “Heh.” Rainbow gave a single laugh, though its dull and muted abruptness made it instantly clear that it was forced. Her teacup remained completely untouched, sitting idly on the table just in front of her. “Looks like the tables have turned, eh? Never thought you’d be the one telling me to be louder.” “I... I guess?” said Fluttershy. She looked around the room, and her brow furrowed. A sharp breath pushed past her lips. “Look. I know it must be hard to see me like this, knowing it’ll only be snatched away. Just... try not to think about that right now, okay? I’m here with you, and that’s what matters.” “But it’s just so strange though,” said Pinkie. Her mane sagged slightly, without losing any of its usual curl. “I came here thinking we’d all be happy to see you, but now I don’t know what any of us should be feeling. I’m all for living in the moment, but this?” She shook her head. “It’s... different. It’s not like a party where you eat too many of those little cheese blocks they serve on toothpicks, and then wake up regretting everything the next morning. There won’t even be anything left for us to regret when we’re done.” “Fluttershy’s right though,” said Twilight. She leaned over and placed her hoof against Pinkie’s shoulder. “We came here to see our friend. There’s no sense in wasting what little time we have.” A very loud cough pierced the aether. Twilight’s head spun around, and she saw Applejack loudly clearing her throat. “Er... Funny you should mention that...” Fluttershy turned to meet Applejack’s gaze. “You want to see your parents?” Applejack remained silent. Her eyes turned toward the ground, and she shifted in her seat. “...Yeah. Ah do. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great seeing you again and all that, it’s just, well...” “It’s okay,” Fluttershy replied. “I understand. I won’t keep you any longer if you want to go visit them.” “Right. Thanks,” said Applejack. She got up and stepped back from the table, still leaving her tea untouched. “Ah’m sorry for leaving y’all so suddenly, it’s just...” Her words faded before they could leave her throat. Applejack screwed her eyelids shut, a tiny trickle dropping from the corner of her left eye. When she opened her eyes again, she looked straight at Fluttershy. “...Do you know where I can find them?” Fluttershy nodded. “Just head out the door and turn left. You’ll find their home a few blocks down and to the right. It’s just like your farmhouse, so you can’t miss it.” Slowly, a smile crept its way up Applejack’s lips, yet there remained a distinct crease of unease atop her brow. “Thanks, Shy. ‘Preciate it. And... Well, before Ah go, I just want to say that I’m real happy you’re doing well for yourself. Shame Ah won’t get to see more of you while Ah’m here, but... Ah just want to you know how much it means to us to see you’re alright.” Her eyes glided briefly over Fluttershy’s body. Or rather, the lack thereof. “Well, from a certain point of view, Ah suppose.” “Yeah... thanks,” said Fluttershy. Though the serenity of her smile didn’t fade, Twilight suddenly noticed that it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It... it means a lot to me that you came here.” Applejack walked over to Fluttershy, pulling her body into an impromptu hug. Though Fluttershy was at first startled, in time she returned the gesture. When they at last pulled away, Fluttershy gave Applejack another warm smile. “I’ll see you soon,” said Fluttershy. Her eyes went wide when her mind seemingly caught up to what she had just said. “U-um, I mean not too soon, I hope.” “Now, don’t you go on worrying about that,” said Applejack. “Ah’d say it’s inevitable that Ah’ll come back to meet you someday. Just a fact of life, Ah reckon.” “W-well yes, but—” Applejack placed a firm hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Listen, Shy. You’re in the afterlife. This here’s your eternal happiness, and Ah don’t want you to go about spoiling that for our sake. Leave the fretting for those with lives to fret for, y’hear?” “Alright, if you say so,” said Fluttershy. “But I really think you should get going now. It’s hard to keep track of the time here, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have much left in the Elysium before you, um... get booted out.” Applejack’s hooves shifted idly on the floor. “...Yeah, you’re probably right. Hard to say goodbye so soon, but... well, Ah reckon there’s no point dawdling.” She turned around and made her way out of the living room, giving one last wistful glance over her shoulder as she left. As she made her way beyond the hall and out of sight, Fluttershy gave her one final wave. With the farmpony gone, Fluttershy turned to face the others, her eyes drifting to the ground. She gave a heavy sigh, carrying loudly through the aether even without any breath behind it. Her lips curved downward with a deep crease of her brow, her entire face sagging. “Fluttershy?” said Rarity, “Is something wrong, dear?” Fluttershy’s ears twitched. She turned her head up, and pressed her lips into a smile. “Oh, no! Nothing at all. It’s... it’s great to see you all, as I said. I couldn’t be happier to have you here.” “That’s great!” said Pinkie. “I mean, can you imagine how weird it’d be to end up in paradise for the rest of eternity and not be happy?” Fluttershy cringed. “U-um... yes. That’d be very weird. Definitely.” Fluttershy gave another dull cough. “But enough about that! How have you girls been doing? I, um... haven’t really tried to look.” “Look?” said Twilight. “What do you mean?” “There’s a place called the Astral Observatory where we can observe our living friends and family through telescope,” said Fluttershy. “I haven’t bothered with it so far. None of the archons have explained to me how it wouldn’t be an invasion of privacy.” “Oh,” said Twilight. A number of images came to her mind of her grandparents seeing things she’d very much rather they not see. She very quickly pushed that thought away before it could linger for too long. “Well, now that you mention it, we’ve been doing... alright, I guess?” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “You guess?” “It’s... been difficult,” Twilight admitted. “Trying to adjust, I mean. We were just at the estate sale for your old cottage before Discord took us here.” “All these ponies came and bought all your stuff!” said Pinkie. “And some of them weren’t even ponies I knew! And I know everypony in Ponyville! It was super uncomfortable!” Fluttershy hesitated before answering. “...I see. W-well, I hope it hasn’t been too hard.” “We’re... well, we’re certainly trying not to,” said Rarity. “But... I’ll admit, it was difficult not to let it affect us. There’s really no denying how much you meant to all of us.” “Ah,” said Fluttershy. She flinched away, the persistent glow of her form fading visibly. “I... I see. I figured you wouldn’t be taking it that well.” There was a sharp pounding noise as Rainbow Dash’s hoof struck the table, eliciting a small ‘eep’ from Fluttershy. “Okay, that’s it,” said Rainbow. “Something’s definitely going on with you.” “Going on?” said Fluttershy. “I... I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing going on, really! I, just, um... w-well, you see...” She paused, letting out an imitation of a breath. “...You wouldn’t believe me if I said nothing’s wrong, would you?” Twilight looked into Fluttershy’s eyes. There was a dullness to them that wasn’t there before, accentuated by the deep lines of melancholy folded into her brow. “Fluttershy,” said Twilight, “we’re your friends. If there’s anything at all that’s bothering you, you can tell us. We’re right here to help you through it.” Fluttershy turned her eyes away, avoiding making direct contact. “But you won’t be,” she muttered. “And... that’s the problem. None of you will be here.” There was another pause. Twilight stared at Fluttershy, the rotors within her mind turning rapidly as she caught up to the statement. Her chest felt heavier the more that she thought about it. “Fluttershy, what are you saying?” “There’s no need to act like you don’t know,” said Fluttershy. “I can tell you all miss me a whole lot. And... and I know that I must’ve really hurt you by leaving.” “What!?” Rainbow Dash blurted out. “Fluttershy, that’s not true!” “You don’t need to lie to protect my feelings, Rainbow,” said Fluttershy. Her eyes drifted momentarily towards Rainbow’s wings, still ruffled and covered in bits of loose down. “I can tell you’ve been taking it harder than anypony. You look like you haven’t groomed yourself in days.” “Wha...” Rainbow Dash froze. She took a glance back at her wings, sucking air through clenched teeth the moment her eyes landed on them. They were an absolute mess, certainly in no condition for her to be performing any athletic feats. “I... alright, maybe preening slipped my mind for a few days. But so what? That doesn’t mean anything!” “Yes it does!” The room fell silent. All eyes stared pointedly at Fluttershy. Following her outburst, she was left quivering at the table, glowing streams of ethereal liquid trickling down the corners of her eyes. “I... I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. “I didn’t mean to yell. I just... I don’t know. I was so happy at first to get a chance to see you all again, but now can’t stop thinking about it. About how I...” She paused briefly, a small ‘ulp’ coming from her throat. “...how I abandoned you.” “What?” said Rainbow. “Abandoned us? That’s ridiculous! I know you’d never do that!” “But that’s exactly what I did!” Fluttershy countered. “By dying and leaving you all behind in the living world! By forcing you to endure all of that pain and loss before any of you were ready for it!” Her words were forced out through quiet, choking sobs, reflexively mimicking her former body. “And it isn’t just you! A-all the animals I took care of must be devastated! Angel never allowed himself to be fed by anypony other than me, how could he possibly live knowing that I’m gone?” Twilight’s jaw hung loose. She reached out, moving to offer a comforting touch, but stayed her hoof as another sob interrupted her. “And... and my family! How could they possibly deal with this? I hadn’t spoken with my brother in months, and now he’ll never get a chance to speak with me again for as long as he lives! A-and... and my parents! I can’t even imagine how devastating it must be to have to outlive their own child! A-and it’s all because... because I... I...” Fluttershy didn’t finish her sentence. She slumped over, leaning her head on the table as she descended into uncontrollable sobbing. Her teacup was knocked over by a stray hoof, and she didn’t even seem to notice as it spilled over, soaking into her mane and coat. With every second that passed, Twilight felt a sharp nail being driven deeper and deeper into her heart. What happened next didn’t even require thought. She moved without hesitation, joining her living friends as they sat up from their places, moving to Fluttershy’s side. They came in closer, pulling her into a shared hug, letting the warmth from their bodies mingle with the gentle incandescence of Fluttershy’s soul. She wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash, letting the frazzled cyan pegasus hold her in close embrace as the others huddled closely beside her. “I... I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. “It’s all my fault. A-all my...” Rainbow nuzzled Fluttershy, whispering softly. Tears freely flowed down her own cheeks as she held her embrace. “No, don’t say that,” she whispered. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.” Fluttershy pulled away. Her eyes stared deeply Rainbow’s, glistening softly as they held their mutual gaze. “B-but...” Rainbow gently reached forward, her hoof wiping off an ethereal tear from her eye. “Fluttershy, please. Don’t cry. I don’t blame you for what happened. None of us do.” Fluttershy’s nose twitched. There was a dull noise that sounded vaguely like sniffing, though more so like a gentle whistle of the breeze. As she scooted back, she sat within in a circle of friends, her eyes moving to meet all of them in turn. She turned her head towards the ground, ears pressed flatly against it. “It doesn’t matter. I left you, and you were all hurt because I left,” Fluttershy said. “I... I was just starting to accept my fate, and what I did to you. I’ve been seeing a therapist about it ever since I arrived. I just... I never thought I’d have to meet you all face-to-face. At least, not so soon.” Rarity let out a gasp. “Fluttershy! A-are you saying that we reopened old wounds by coming here?” “What?” said Fluttershy. “Oh, goodness, no! Please don’t feel bad about it! There’s no way you could have known! It’s not your fault!” “Well, sure,” said Pinkie. “But the same thing’s also true of you, isn’t it?” Fluttershy blinked. “True of me? What do you mean?” “I think she means that you couldn’t have known either,” said Twilight. “At least I don’t think you did. It happened so quickly, but we wouldn’t have gotten a chance to ask you.” Fluttershy shook her head. “No, it’s true. I couldn’t have anticipated it myself. I just... I don’t know. I... I guess I do know it’s not my fault, but it sure feels like it is. And I just don’t know how to deal with that.” “Well... would it helped if I told you myself?” said Rainbow. “I, uh... I know it’s a long shot, but I really do want you to be happy here. This is your afterlife, after all. Do you think you could try to be happy?” A slight flush appeared on her face as she spoke. “For... for me?” Fluttershy’s pupils dilated slightly, a slight pink coloration appearing on her muzzle. “O-oh... W-well, um... I...” She pawed at the ground with her right foreleg. Slowly, her lips began to curve subtly upwards. “I-if it’s for you, then, um... I guess I can try. It... it really does mean a lot, hearing that from you.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. Her blush intensified, spreading outwards from her cheeks. “I... y-yeah. I guess. I, uh... I...” “Oh?” said Fluttershy. “What is it?” “I-I... I... I... Y-you see, there’s this... I’m sort of... W-when we met... I-I... Y-you... M-me...” As Rainbow continued to stammer, her face turned so red that it lost any last trace of its prior blue coloration. Watching her attempt to express her feelings, Twilight couldn’t help but giggle slightly. “It’s okay Rainbow,” she reassured. “None of us are judging you.” “H-hey! Shut up!” Rainbow shot back. “This is hard, okay?” “Um,” said Fluttershy. “W-well... About that, actually. I think I—” Fluttershy’s sentence was suddenly cut off. It was a sharp gasp, one that cut through the aether like a hot knife. “Rainbow!” Fluttershy cried out, “You’re fading!” “Huh?” said Rainbow. She looked back, and let out a yelp when she saw that her own body had taken a translucent character. With each second that passed, it became less and less substantial, fading further and further into nothing. “Oh dear,” said Rarity. “Do you think this means our time is up?” “Aww,” Pinkie groaned. “But there’s still so much fun we could have had together!” Twilight’s eyes darted across the room, across all of her friends in succession. She raised a hoof in front of her, noticing that she was fading more slowly than the others. She felt her chest clench at the sight of it all, and the familiar sensation of her ears pressing against the back of her head. “Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “If there’s anything you want to say, say it now. This will be your last chance.” “R-right. Of course.” Rainbow’s voice quivered slightly, emitting a tiny ‘ulp’ as she swallowed. She took in a deep breath, and then looked Fluttershy square in the eye. “Fluttershy. Listen. I... I think I love you.” The words fell heavy and thick, so simply stated, yet their profundity echoing forever. With the floodgates finally opened, she continued speaking without stop, her feelings pouring out with every word that was spoken. With every breath, her eyes were further dampened by the unrestricted flow of tears, overwhelming in their raw emotion. “I-I know it sounds silly, but it’s true! Ever since I first met you at flight school! I’ve had these feelings all along, and I never knew what they meant until years later! A-and I finally figured it out, and I spent months trying to find the best way to tell you, and I... I...” And then, Fluttershy answered. She leaned in quickly, and gave Rainbow a soft, light kiss, right on the center of the lips. As she pulled away, she spoke two words that meant more than every book in Twilight’s library put together. “I know.” For seconds on end, everyone stood dumbstruck. Rainbow gawked, her face frozen and her jaw hanging loose. As her body edged ever closer to nothing, she managed to utter a single question. “You... you do?” “I, um... I actually felt the same way, believe it or not,” said Fluttershy. “You were so kind and supportive, and yet so strong and confident, and... I guess I always knew I wanted to be close to you. And one day I just... I realized that I liked you. A lot. I just never really knew how to say it.” Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. By then, Twilight could barely see her body at all; it was so close to invisibly that she almost had to squint to make it out. She held out a single hoof, tears streaming down her face freely as she tried to reach out to Fluttershy. “Rainbow,” said Fluttershy. Her voice was calm, yet it carried an unmistakable confidence. “I know you won’t have any memory of what I just said to you. But... I have a hunch that maybe, just maybe, you’ll hold onto what you felt here. And I don’t want you to feel like you’ve missed your chance, or that you’ll never be able to love again. I want you to feel like you can live. Like you have something worth living for. I want you to feel like you can find a pony who makes you happy. I... I promise I won’t mind if you date somepony else, okay? And as long as you’re happy, I’ll be happy for you.” Rainbow stared back, the last trickle of her tears falling away, dissipating into nothingness. Already, Pinkie Pie and Rarity had faded into invisibility, no trace of them left to be seen. Unable to speak, the corners of her mouth edged upwards, into a smile. She gave a nod, wistfulness reflecting in the last vestiges of her irises. And then Rainbow Dash was gone. Now alone, Twilight stood with Fluttershy. Even as she became more and more insubstantial, her entire body only felt heavier. As Fluttershy turned to face her, she looked her straight in the eyes, struggling to maintain eye contact beneath the weight of melancholy. “Looks like I’m the last to go,” Twilight muttered. “Just like in the living world.” She breathed in through her nostrils, the aether somehow straining to make it into her lungs. “Fluttershy... I don’t know if you’d realized this, but you’ll probably have to wait a long time to see me again. A-assuming nothing bad happens, I mean.” “Oh?” said Fluttershy. “I’m an alicorn,” said Twilight. “Nopony knows how long an alicorn’s natural lifespan is. It’s estimated to be about five thousand years, and that’s at the very least.” Twilight felt a wet trickle running down the path of her cheek. “It could be centuries before I see you again. Maybe even millennia. I... I’m not even sure how I could go that long without any of my friends. What will I do, Fluttershy? What should I do?” Fluttershy stepped forward. Her soul shone more brightly than anything Twilight had seen, yet its glow never once hurt her eyes. “But you won’t have to live without me. Because I’ll always be with you.” She reached out, and pressed a hoof against Twilight’s chest, leaving a soft indentation in her coat. “Right... here.” Twilight’s body trembled. The gentle sensation of Fluttershy’s touch spread from the point of contact, resonating through her until it harmonized with every part of her being. The warmth enveloped her completely, soothing the fatigue and sorrow until there was nothing left but a deep, profound sense of peace. The sight of Fluttershy’s cottage began to fade into a blinding white, and Twilight could feel the Elysium drifting further and further away as her existence was pulled back into the living world. Just as she finally slipped away, Twilight was able to utter one last sentence. “Thank you, Fluttershy. For everything.”