//------------------------------// // 5 Moving On // Story: Post-Graduate // by C_F_G //------------------------------// “W-what? No, I couldn’t have. You had to have the Elements of Harmony, AND the blessing of an alicorn, AND you were the Element of Magic.”  Twilight crawled to her feet, practically squealing as her mind began to spin. “Remember the Battle of the Bands? When our Magic melded to defeat the Sirens? That was essentially what Celestia did to me to initiate my Ascension! And your geodes- the fact that you all were the representation of an Element of Harmony, and your traits were so strong and mixed frequently with Equestrian magic… I think your geodes might literally have been this world’s Elements of Harmony!” “That doesn’t make any sense, Twilight! The elements were-”  “I know! The elements were destroyed! I just- I don’t- this is so exciting!”  Twilight began hopping around, acting as though she was once again a filly, jubilant in a way she hadn’t been for decades.  As quickly as her excitement swelled, it was deflated. “Oh…” “Yeah, Twilight. My geode is gone…” “...and none of you are friends anymore.” Sunset looked down, suddenly very interested in her grimy feet. “Yeah.” She sighed, turning to look at Twilight. “So… what now?” Silence.  “I mean… I don’t know what to do,” Sunset continued, “If I’m an alicorn, I’m even more dangerous, Twilight- I can’t get back to my friends, I can’t do anything while this world’s version of me is alive. I’m going to go mad if I spend another decade alone in here…” Sunset sank back down to her rear, bringing her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms around the knobby joints. She buried her face in the crooks of her elbows. “I can’t do this anymore, Twi.” Twilight shot her a look of sympathy, scooping the old blankets from the floor and plopping down besides her friend. She slipping an arm over Sunset’s shoulder, pulling the blankets around the pair tight. “Sunset, we’re- we’re not that different, now.” Sunset let out a weak laugh, lifting her head just enough for her gaze to pan across the crumbling room. “Twilight, please.” “Seriously, Sunset. You know that there is a significant time dilation across the portal, right? “Sure.”  “You were here for four years, Sunset. I was practically an infant when you crossed over. It’s been two decades for you… but nearly 80 years back home.” Sunset looked to Twilight, disbelieve written across her brow. “Ei-eighy years? Then… my parents... “  Twilight nodded, tightening her embrace. “My friends... Pinkie, Dash, AJ, Starlight. All gone. Rarity isn’t far behind, and Fluttershy… she doesn’t recognize me, doesn’t remember any of our adventures. I’m just another muzzle in the rotation of nurses that keeps her comfortable. Even with Discord’s help- did I tell you about him? He’s good now- she just… can’t remember. Worst of all? I have no one to replace them. I was the Princess of Friendship, but I didn’t actually make any other friends. I just clung to my group, the only ponies who had ever broken me out of my shell. And now that they’re gone…” “You don’t know what to do.” Sunset whispered. “I holed myself up in my castle, reading and writing and doing everything I could to ignore the fact that everyone I’ve ever loved is gone.” They sat, basking in the gentle glow and quiet roar of the shop heater.  “Sunset, come back with me.” The immortal teen sighed, leaning her head against Twilight’s shoulder  and staring off into some distant space beyond the ceiling. “I don’t think I can, Twilight. After what I did… I can’t face her.” “Sunset, she wants to mend things with you! Every time I crossed the mirror, I came back to her, nervously asking question after question, mostly about you. Sunset, she blames herself.” “But what if she-” “It doesn’t matter what she thinks! I want her to be happy, but… Our friends are gone. And I’m sorry Sunset, but this-” she frantically gestured around the room “and what I do, this isn’t any way to spend eternity. And it will be eternity, Sunset. You’re not going to find the kind of magic it takes to kill an alicorn in this world.” “It’ll just end up the same, Twilight. What am I supposed to DO, over there, forever?” “Sunset, until I came over to find everyone, I hadn’t slept for months. I’m doing a job meant for two, after all.” “A job meant for two?” “My title isn’t Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. It hasn’t been for some time. It’s just Princess Twilight.” “Like…” “Like the Crown. The Canterlot Gazette calls me Princess Twilight, The Lone Crown… But I can’t stand it. I don’t even do much work, anymore- I’ve rebuilt the way Equestria works, made it more efficient. The Crown isn’t needed for much. Just ceremony and keeping time.” Twilight shrugged off the blanket and pulled Sunset to her feet, the emaciated girl too shocked to resist.  ____________________________________________________________________________ The two stood shivering outside the statue in front of Sunset’s old high school. She stared wistfully at the building, happier times running before her eyes. Twilight motioned to her, but Sunset hesitated, her hand kissing the rippling stone, as she turned to look over her shoulder. Twilight snuck her hand into her bag, and pulled out the picture frame. She considered it for a moment, nuzzling the wool of her jacket, before pressing it into Sunset’s hand. Sunset turned it over, a tight smile rippling across her face as she traced over the beaming visage of her old friends.  “Thanks, Twilight.” She unzipped her jacket and slid the frame into an interior pocket, biting down against the bitter cold that effortlessly cut into her breast through the tattered shirt.  “Twilight, I’m still scared.” “Don’t be. Friends drift apart, Sunset. It’s just what they do. People lead their own lives. They” she pointed to the picture “haven’t forgotten you. They haven’t forgotten the good times. They haven't stopped loving you, Sunset. But they’ve still gone. Your friendship lasts through the ages- even as you lose contact, even as those friends fade away.” Once again, Twilight grasped her friend’s hand.  “We’ll always have our memories, Sunset. We won’t forget the lessons we learned, or the fun that we had. Through that, our friendships remain. And sometimes-” She pulled the pair towards the portal, each laying their hand against the stone. “Those friends can reconnect, can keep making new memories, learning new lessons. Those friends can help each other, can fix each other. Now come on, Sunset.” The tired girl nodded, gulped, and took her first step across the portal.  “You’ve got a sun to raise.”