Retirement seemed to lift a weight off Twilight’s shoulders. For the first time in her very, very busy life, she no longer had any responsibilities. She didn’t have to raise the sun, moon, deal with friendship problems in Equestria, or even paperwork. Even as a filly, she’d always been hard at work, studying magic and other things. Now… she was so carefree. One thing that didn’t change, however, she was still a book worm. Whenever she wasn’t spending time talking, relaxing, and laughing with her friends, she’d be reading a book.
Now, she just had her friends and the time they all had left in this world. But Twilight was still worried.
After a year of being away from Canterlot, the former princess woke up one morning to light coming in from the sun as Luster rose it instead. Twilight yawned and got up before looking in her mirror, receiving a surprise. Her mane and body had returned to their original form while she had slept, no longer flowing and sparkling with magic. She’d shrunk down to the size she’d been before her transformation to back to the same size as her friends.
Twilight got to her hooves. One day life would leave her, but she would always be with her friends. They would all be together in the next world, and be able to reunite with all their other friends and family that had passed on as well. Some might take a long time to catch up with her like Spike, but that would happen one day.
She made her way down to the same breakfast table where she and her friends had their morning meal every day.
“Oh darling, your mane is back to normal!” Rarity exclaimed.
"And you're smaller!" Pinkie said.
‘Well, it had to happen at some point,” Twilight said as she sat down between the former fashion designer and party pony.
“Ah well. Its still lovely,” Rarity said as she ran a hoof through it. “You don’t have a single gray hair yet and I’ve a full head.”
It was true, the purple had all but vanished from Rarity’s mane now. The other girls had started to grow gray as well.
Twilight sighed as she saw this and gazed down at the table. Who knew how long it would take for her to catch up with her friends age wise? True, Celestia and Luna had grown gray rather quickly. But they’d been a thousand years old, so it might have happened quicker for them? Even now, Twilight might still be faced with being the last of her friends to pass after giving up her immortality.
“What’s wrong, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
Twilight lifted her head up. “It’s just, I gave up the crown so I would be able to pass on with all you. But what if it has some lasting affects that keeps me younger for a while? What if I still remain around for ten, twenty years after you all are gone?”
“Twilight, its okay for you to live a little longer than us!” Fluttershy said as she stroked the still immortal Angel bunny, the only pet she’d been allowed to bring with her to Silver Shoals.
“No!” Twilight screamed. “Ever since I learned I had immortality, I had nightmares! Nightmares where I was putting flowers by all your graves while generations of ponies went by! I don’t want that to happen, even if its for just a few years!”
“Darling please speak at a lower volume!” Rarity said with her hooves raised gently.
Twilight looked around, noticing with a blush that several of the old ponies here had looked over at her outburst. Others with hearing problems had failed to notice.
“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “It’s just so terrible to think about. You girls made me who I am today. Without you, I never would have become a Princess at all.”
Fluttershy nodded as she looked at Angel. “My love for creatures is what makes me who I am. Angel has always been my favorite, I’ve wanted him to stay with me all my life. So Discord simply snapped his fingers every few years and he’d grow young again.”
There was a pop as Discord himself appeared, looking worn out.
“Yes, so simple for me. To be able to make that coarse old bunny young again with a mere snap of my fingers.”
He looked over his shoulder at the other elderly ponies, but they paid him no mind. Ever since his public offer to make everypony in Equestria immortal, many of them had been chasing after him asking for him to make them young again. Even though the ones here at Silver Shoals had given up months ago, there were still ones that gave him trouble.
The draconequs looked away from the other elders and back to his wife. “Anything for my love,” he said, picking Fluttershy up.
“I love you, you chaotic sweetheart.”
Discord sighed as he stroked the fading pink mane. “Well, I suppose I can’t force you to accept immortality if you don’t want it. I just hate the idea of losing you… all of you. My friends.” He looked around at the other five.
Twilight and the others nodded. Discord used to be the most annoying of their friends, but now he was one of their best. Now they were all used to the oddities that often came with him.
“We all love you, Discord. Even if your chaos can be a bit obnoxious,” Applejack said.
“Yeah, at least your little stunt at Luster’s Coronation only caused YOU trouble!” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh that was joined by the other girls.
There were loud footsteps followed by a grunt as Spike squeezed himself through the door which he barely fit through now.
“Morning Spike!” Twilight said with a smile.
The larger than ever dragon didn’t bother sitting down in a chair as all the ones at Silver Shoals weren't strong enough to hold his weight.
“Hey ya, old girls,” he said glummly.
Rarity sniggered. “I know I’m old darling, but do you have to rub it in!”
“Why the long face, Spike?” Applejack asked.
“I know what will make you cheer up! A cupcake!” Pinkie reached into a random spot to pull one out, only to find none. “Shoot! I don’t work at Sugarcube Corner anymore! I miss my cupcakes!” she grumbled.
“Spike? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.
Spike looked down in sadness. “It’s just something Ember said at Luster’s Coronation a year ago. I’m gonna live for a long, long time.”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, dragons do live for thousands of years.”
Spike shook his head. “But that’s the thing! I don’t want to live for thousands of years!”
“Huh?” all of the ponies exclaimed.
Spike sighed as he looked at Twilight. “You didn’t want to either, Twi. Because it meant you’d outlive all your best friends. Well… except for me, I suppose.”
Twilight felt a tinge of guilt. She hadn’t thought of that.
“Oh, Spike I didn’t mean to make it look like you didn’t matter to me!”
“No… I understand. All of them are my best friends too." He sighed. "I’d be sad if I had to wait for thousands of years before seeing them again. I wish… I wish I could give away my immortality the same way you did.”
“It's not immortality Spike. That’s your natural life span,” Twilight corrected. “Mine was given by magic.”
Spike shook his head. “I don’t care. Celestia said herself, she watched generations of her friends go. I’ve already seen your parents, Granny Smith, Shining Armor, Cadence, and a lot of others go. I've always been the kind of dragon to live life to the fullest. But I don't want fullest to mean I have to watch ten, twenty or however many generations of friends go!”
Twilight walked up to her adoptive brother. It felt strange looking up at him like this. She’d always been bigger than him. But now that she was back to her ordinary pony form from before her “Celestial” transformation and he’d grown up so much, he was now the larger one. This forced her to put a hoof on his knee rather than his shoulder to comfort him.
“I know how you feel Spike. I’m still a little worried I might outlive my friends,” she confessed.
Discord sighed as a tear appeared in his eyes."Well, the three of us could outlive all the others. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm full immortal so I definitely will unless...ooh! I have it! There is a way we dont have to suffer through that!"
"How?" Twilight asked.
“I could bind all our lifeforces together. So that when the time comes for one of us, then all the rest will follow. I will pass on as well.”
He comically turned himself into a ghost.
Fluttershy looked at him with wide eyes. “But… Discord…”
“It’s alright, Fluttershy. You are not willing to live for thousands of years by my side. I’m not willing to live a life without you. You taught me friendship and love. All the magic and chaos could not replace the love I have for you, I learned that when Tirek betrayed me. This way, Spike, Twilight and I will have no fear of having to outlive any of you and carrying your loss for thousands of years.”
Twilight grinned. “It’s perfect! But Spike-”
“No Twilight! Don’t try and talk me out of it! We’ve all been connected since the day I was born. The six of you got your cutie marks on the day I hatched! It’s been our destiny to be together. I’m your number one assistant, brother, royal adviser, friend, always. I’m going to stick by your side no matter what. If you’re not going to live for thousands of years after our friends, neither am I! I'm with you until the end.”
Twilight had no retort. She sighed. Sad as it was, she understood how Spike felt. The former ruler of Equestria then looked at her friends.
“Everypony in agreement?”
They all nodded. Fluttershy did so, sadly. Even though she didn't want Discord to die, she would have felt the same way in his position.
Twilight smiled. “Well, I think this is how I would want things to end. I certainly don’t want to outlive all of you. I’m sure that Luster will be a good ruler.”
“Who would have thought when we first met Starlight, her daughter would be the next Princess?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Every pony laughed. Discord then put a hand over his heart and pulled out a thread of light which grew longer as he continued pulling. He wrapped it around each of the necks of the ponies, bunny, and dragon before snapping his fingers. The thread vanished in a shower of sparks and all of them glowed slightly.
“Now, when one of us passes to the next life. All the others will as well.” Discord said.
“Thank you, Discord. The elements of harmony may be gone, but it’s our friendship that keeps us together. I’m glad I made friends with you, because now I don’t have to be afraid of outliving all the others,” Twilight said. “You’ve allowed us a happy ending. We won’t have to wait to be reunited after any of us pass.”
“Oh Twilight. I’m glad to hear you say that.” The spirit of chaos said as he hugged the lavender Alicorn. “And I thank you as well for being my friend. All of you. I know I can be annoying but I hope I’ve been worth it.”
Rainbow Dash laughed as she too hugged the draconequs. “This was definitely worth it!”
They shared a group hug, Discord wrapping his snakelike body around them, and Spike having arms nearly long enough to reach across them all.
____________________________________________
Years went by at Silver Shoals. Twilight’s appearance aged, her mane turned grey. Like her friends, she grew wrinkles. But she was happy for it, because it meant that she would one day pass on with all of them. There was now a new Princess of Friendship to take care of Equestria, and Twilight had every faith Luster would be up to the task.
Finally, the time came for one of them, and all the others immediately followed.
Twilight looked upon a bright area, all her friends beside her. But they were younger, looking the same as they were during their adventures long ago. Rarity was as beautiful as Twilight remembered, no grey hairs. All the others were likewise their younger selves that had helped Twilight save Equestria countless times. At Fluttershy’s side walked her beloved Angel bunny. Spike was back in baby dragon form. Discord had not changed, but that didn’t matter.
Looking ahead, Twilight saw a large crowd of all their friends and family that had already passed waiting for them. Celestia and Luna in the center.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Twilight.” Celestia said with a bright smile.
Twilight smiled and walked forward with her seven best friends toward the afterlife where almost all their others were waiting for them. Twilight was embraced by Celestia and Luna, then Shining Armor, Cadence, and her parents. Applejack ran straight toward her parents whom she hadn’t seen since she was a filly, Granny Smith was there too, but she looked younger. Likewise, everypony else was surrounded by the spirits of other friends and family that had passed and waited for them to come.
____________________________________________________
Luster Dawn, second Princess of Friendship, now with a flowing mane and larger body like the former rulers of Equestria, presided over the funeral for her mentor and Twilight’s friends. All of the ponies graves had their cutie marks displayed on the stone. Spike’s grave had a dragon etched into it, and Discord’s showed a symbol of random objects like talking fruits and things that made no sense. Among the crowd attending the funeral were the elderly Cutie Mark Crusaders, Lil Cheese and the cake twins, Garble, and Dragon Lord Ember.
Luster took a deep breath and spoke to her subjects. “The journey of my mentor, Twilight Sparkle, as well as her closest friends have come to an end. But even though they are gone, we shall carry on their mission and tell their story for generations to come. Whenever you need to be reminded of the importance of friendship, look back at their story and remember them. They will live forever in the lessons of the magic of friendship.”
Sweetie Belle sniffled when she approached the grave of her sister along with Applebloom and Scootaloo who also looked at the graves of Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
“Thanks-
“For-
“Being-
“THE BEST BIG SISTERS EVER!”
Lil Cheese could only sob at his mothers grave as the Cake Twins rubbed his back.
Garble and Ember approached Spike’s grave.
“Those ponies really made you soft Spike!” Garble said as some tears appeared in his eyes. “I’ll miss you, you little runt.”
Ember put on the biggest smile she could for Spike's sake if he was watching. “Goodbye, my first real friend. I hope you're happy with your pony friends. I also hope to see you again someday. I’ll make sure the Dragon Lands are filled with friendship in your memory.”
Though there were tears in her eyes, Luster smiled silently at Twilight’s grave.
“There will always be friendship, Twilight. It is a magic that will never die.”
Up in the sky, Twilight and the others smiled down on Equestria, knowing that even though they were gone physically, the magic of their friendship was eternal and would continue to spread across the land.