//------------------------------// // Tea For Ever // Story: Let Me Go // by Shakespearicles //------------------------------// Time marched steadily on as it always does. All things change. Pinkie Pie's grandfoals passed. Her great great grandcolt died without a foal of his own. His sisters took on the names of their husbands. The last of the Pie name passed out of the living history. Pumpkin Cake's grandfilly didn't not have the love of baking her ancestors had. Sugarcube Corner's land was sold to a development company and turned into a strip mall. Rarity For You Inc., the last of Rarity's legacy, folded and was rolled into the conglomerate that bought the boutique chain. The Apple family held out the longest as a cohesive unit for generations until the combination of a drought and a wildfire left the orchard with little more than ashes. The remaining Apple clan moved to Manehatten and founded a company to develop technology for communicating long distances via electrical signals through wires. Much of old Ponyville, including the town hall, was destroyed by a rogue tornado. The old construction was replaced with modern materials and designs, changing the entire appearance of the town. Only one thing was left untouched: The small cottage near the edge of the Everfree Forest. Decades turned to centuries. Technology accelerated. Motorized carriages became commonplace. Airship travel made the world smaller every year. The entire continent was connected under the rule of the two alicorns: Princess Twilight Sparkle of southern Equestria, and Princess Flurry Heart of the northern Crystal Empire. The two leaders met often, keeping up on the events of the world, and each other's lives. Their regular meetings were rolled into the Council of Friendship, along with Spike, and The Hornless Alicorn, as some called her, or The Immortal Pegasus, or The Witch of the Everfree. But she preferred just 'Fluttershy'. They gathered in the castle courtyard. It was cold in the mid-winter, but it was the only way to allow space for Spike, who was now the size of a small house. "The snow has made keeping the northern train tracks open a real chore," Flurry Heart said. "It'll take a miracle to get them clear before the spring. But the Empire can manage on its own for a few months." "Speaking of miracles," Spike said, "Any news on Discord?" "Oh, I haven't spoken to him in years," Fluttershy said, looking just as young and vibrant as the other two alicorns, despite also being several hundred years old. "When was the last time you saw him?" Twilight asked. "It was a couple years ago when I was visiting Manehattan..." Fluttershy stepped out of what had used to be Rarity For You. It was a cafe now. She didn't care for the coffee they served, but she always made a point to stop there whenever she was in the city. She stood on the street corner, waiting for a taxi. The din of horseshoes on cobblestone had been replaced with the droning of carriage engines. The perpetual smell of exhaust hung in the air of the city streets. Most of the citizens never noticed it anymore. But Fluttershy could never get used to it. Perhaps it was what made the coffee taste bad. Fluttershy turned to the pop of what sounded like a firecracker. The tire of a carriage popped as it was driving down the road. The screech of rubber skidding on road filled her ears as the carriage lost control and careened towards her. The bright headlights blinded her, and she froze in terror. The vehicle made a deafening crash as it slammed to a dead stop, as though striking the trunk of a tree made of solid steel. The windshield looked like a spider's web from where the driver's head had struck it. He laid still against the steering wheel. Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked at the front of the car, folded in on itself like a taco around where Discord stood, calm as a cucumber, between her and the smoking wreck. He looked down at her with the same sad eyes he always had whenever they met like this. Fluttershy didn't say 'thank you' anymore. She just glared at him. There was nothing left for her to say to him. There were no more angry words or attempts to reason with him. He didn't say 'I'm sorry' anymore either. They both knew he didn't mean it. She just stared at him and waited. After a long minute, he snapped his fingers and vanished off to... wherever he went while he 'kept an eye on her', and waited to rescue her again. Another note in her death journal. "How many times is that now?" Twilight asked. "Fourteen," Fluttershy answered. "That I know of." "You should try talking to him again," Flurry said. "He's not going to change his mind," Fluttershy said. "You know how stubborn he is. Everything else changes, but he never changes." Fluttershy looked exasperated. "Every day I go out into the world. And I don't recognize any of it besides my cottage. Even this castle was rebuilt after the real Grogar returned. It's like a dream that I can't wake up from. Oh- speaking of dreams!" Fluttershy lit up for a moment. "I had a dream about Pinkie Pie, and Sugarcube Corner the other night! I swear I could smell the cakes! Do you remember what Sugarcube Corner used to smell like?" "I do," Spike said. "A dragon's nose never forgets. There's nothing else in the world that ever smelled like Sugarcube Corner baking in the morning." "Do you remember, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. A single tear rolled down Twilight's cheek. "I'm afraid I can not recall the smell of Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy," she said. "It has been so, so long." A funeral for a dragon was a rare thing. Even more so for a hero of Equestria. The service for Spike, the Brave and Glorious drew in mourners from every corner of the known world to the dragon lands. The drake died at the tender young age of nine hundred and two, survived by his wife, Dragon Lord Ember and their many heirs. To die such an ignoble death for a dragon, something as simple as Scale Rot left untreated. Ember would go on to say that he had really died of stubbornness. The dead dragon king laid upon an obsidian slab, poised to be slid into the burial volcano. After two days of calling hours, Twilight, Flurry and Fluttershy watched as the last of the mourners came and went. Despite being listed among those Spike still called his friends, Discord was not among them. Ember bid the visiting ponies a final farewell before tending to the final ceremony for her husband. Before his sons pushed him into the lava, Spike received one last visitor. They hadn't played Ogres & Oubliettes since Big Macintosh had died centuries ago. But Discord had held onto the campaign book and all the notes. He set the tiny book in the crook of the massive dragon's arm, and left the twenty-sided die in his claws. It burned along with the rest of his body as it slid beneath the magma. "Sorry, Garbuckle," Discord said. "We never did defeat the Squizzard and save Shmarity." Almost everypony underestimated Spike's role as an ambassador and adviser to the princess. Everypony except Twilight, herself. She knew better than anypony else just how much he did. But she kept up his good work with foreign relations. She would never have suspected that the greatest threat to Equestria would come from within. Fluttershy received an urgent summons to come to Canterlot. When she arrived, the castle was already on high alert. Ponies ran in every direction. Twilight was at the center of it, directing them until her eyes fell on Fluttershy. She ran over to her and ushered her along with herself. "Twilight, where are we going!?" "The dungeon!" "What!?" "It's- It's not the dungeon anymore it's just a cellar. We just need to get underground!" "What's going on?" "Equestria's under attack! A cell of terrorist unicorns have started detonating Mega-Spells!" Twilight turned to one of her aids. "Where is Princess Flurry!?" "We don't-" "Detonation!" another shouted over the crowd. The others went quiet. "We just got a report of a detonation in the Frozen North! Princess Flurry- the Empire it's... it's just gone!" Twilight didn't even have time to cry. Her security guards unceremoniously shoved her along, pushing her towards the way to the cellar, along with Fluttershy. The cellar was cramped and poorly lit. What had once been prison cells had been turned into storage space. One in particular was lined with shelves of bottles. Twilight led Fluttershy into the small room of wine where they hunkered down. "Mega Spells?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded. "What is that?" Twilight looked at her, and then just stared off into nothing. "The folly of ponykind," Twilight said. "A storage vessel of pure magical energy, released all at once." "What does the spell do?" she asked. Twilight just shook her head. "It's not even a spell. It's just raw, unfocused magical energy. Magical capacitors have always been a part of practical magical applications. To help a caster put extra energy into a spell's power. But the bigger they are, the more dangerous they are." "Why?" "Magical energy is just like any other energy. Too much in one place, when released... it transfers that energy into the matter around it. The ground, the air, and ponies. Make one big enough and fill it with enough energy, then you could destroy an entire city. Of course nopony was ever crazy enough to do it. Until now." Tears ran down Twilights cheek as she thought about the loss of the Empire, and Flurry. "Is this the end?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight hadn't the heart to disrespect her friend by humoring her this time. "I think so." Twilight leaned her head back against the rack, bumping against one of the bottles. She turned and looked at it, taking it off the shelf with her magic. She grabbed a couple of glasses out of one of the ration kits. The label on the bottle was worn and dull with the passage of time. But Fluttershy could just barely make out the name. "Sweet Apple Acres?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded. "The last batch of cider that was bottled by Applejack herself," Twilight said. "I was saving it for your..." she trailed off. "For when Discord 'changed his mind'. I was going to have a drink of it then." She and Fluttershy looked at the huddled masses of ponies in the makeshift shelter. "I suppose we'd better have it now," Fluttershy said, taking one of the glasses. Twilight pulled the cork out of the bottle and smelled it. "It has aged wonderfully," she said. "Then it suits us," Fluttershy said. Twilight poured the cider into Fluttershy's glass and then her own. She set the bottle down and lifted her glass to hers. Twilight didn't know what to toast to. It didn't matter much to either of them in that moment. "To-" In a flash, everything went white, like a camera had gone off, but it was just bright and it stayed that way. It was blinding bright yet Fluttershy could still see. The cider in Fluttershy's glass flash-boiled and then the glass itself melted right out of her hooves. The last thing she saw was Twilight sitting in front of her glowing iridescent bright before she, herself, evaporated into dust. And then the blast wave hit. Everything that was on fire around her was instantly propelled sideways as supersonic winds rushed past her. Molten pieces of the castle careened off the invisible barrier surrounding her as the entire structure was swept clean off the face of the mountain until nothing but the sheer bedrock slab of the mountainside was left, glowing red hot under her hooves. And yet she was left unharmed. Everything, the entire city of Canterlot, everything was just gone, swept up along with the rest of the ash into a billowing mushroom cloud rising up into the upper atmosphere. Nothing remained but the small, yellow pegasus. Another blast came from the valley floor as Ponyville was swept away in a similar fashion. Fluttershy saw the entirety of the devastation from what used to be Canterlot. She flew down towards the devastation after the second ball of fire drifted upwards into the sky. Ponyville was nothing but a blackened crater. The entire Everfree Forrest was utterly devastated, leveled down to the stumps. What few tree trunks survived were in flames. Amid all the burning embers and black ash, there was a single, solitary dot of green. Her cottage stood alone, completely unscathed amid the carnage. Fluttershy flew down to her front door and opened it. It was unlocked. Inside, Discord sat on her couch, clearly waiting for her. "Did you do this!?" she yelled. "I protected you and the cottage, yes," he replied. "Did you destroy Equestria!?" she screamed through her tears. "Of course not!" Discord scoffed. "Fanatical unicorns did. If it's of any comfort to you, they all died when they detonated their bombs." "It's not!" "Pity. Tea?" he offered. "Tea?" she asked incredulously. "TEA!? It's the end of the world and your response is TEA!?" "No, you're right. This really is more of a whiskey occasion," he said, snapping his fingers to bring a bottle of liquor into existence." "Are we all that's left?" she asked. "No no no!" Discord chided, pouring a glass. "Including you, there are..." one of his eyes spun around as he scanned the whole world. "... eleven hundred thirty five ponies left," he said. "We need to gather-" "Nine hundred fifty one have sever injuries and will be leaving us shortly. Seventy eight have internal bleeding and won't make it through the night. Another one hundred and four have already gotten a lethal dose of magical radiation and will be dead within two days." Fluttershy did the math quickly. "That still leaves one other pony!" "Sorry. He died while I was talking." "So we're the only ones left?" she asked again. "In a few days, yes," he replied. "What... what do we do now!?" she asked. "Pssh," He scoffed. "You think this is the first apocalypse I've ever seen? All you ponies did was wipe out society. Which is, by the way, overrated if you ask me." "Did you know this was going to happen!?" she asked. "Exactly this? In this way, at this time? No. But the end is inevitable for all things, Fluttershy. Of all the uncertainty of reality, that is the only truth I know." It was of no comfort to the mare. "Besides, look on the bright side, Fluttershy! This will give the world a break, and let the animals take over for a few million years. All we have to do is sit tight and see who rises up to become the next dominant species of the planet!" Discord said excitedly. He bumped her with his elbow. "Between you and me, I have my eyes on those primates." "A few million years?" she asked. "Oh, I know it sounds like a lot right now. But trust me. Just hang out with me and it'll fly right by before you know it. And then when the next species rises up, they'll look to you, their immortal, invincible leader! You'll get to be the ruler of the world!" "What, at all, makes you think that I would want that!?" she asked. He shrugged. "Nothing. I suppose I'm just projecting a bit." Fluttershy started crying. "Oh, come on, don't be like that!" he said. There was a knock at the door. "Let's see who that could be!" Discord opened the door. Outside was another copy of Discord holding a pizza. "Ah, delivery!" Discord said. "Be careful with that," The other Discord said. "You might want to give it a minute to cool down. It's a few million degrees out here." Discord closed the door and opened the pizza box. The pizza was already the perfect temperature, and her favorite toppings. It made no difference. Fluttershy was openly sobbing. "I watched Twilight evaporate right in front of my eyes!" she cried. "Oof. Okay, well, yeah, that's certainly not ideal. If it makes any difference, you being alive had nothing to do with any of this. The world is only better for you being in it!" "Why would you do this to me! I never wanted to see any of this!" "You got to hang out with Twilight her whole life! That counts for something, doesn't it?" "I don't want to go on like this! I miss my friends!" "I can bring them right back!" he said. He snapped his fingers. The table with the pizza was surrounded by her old friends, just as they looked when they all first met. "Pizza party!" "Fabulous, darling!" "Gotta go fast!" "Apples!" "Books!" Fluttershy covered her eyes and screamed. "Stop it STOP IT! Get rid of them! Those aren't my friends!" Another snap of his fingers and they were gone. "Discord! Please! Let me go! This isn't a world I want to live in anymore!" "Fluttershy, you know I can't do that." "Why!?" "Because I love you." "If you loved me, you'd let me go!" "No." "Then you really are a monster! I don't ever want to talk to you again! Get out!" she yelled. With a snap he disappeared. Whenever Fluttershy opened her fridge, there was always fresh food. Whenever she turned on her tap, there was good, clean drinking water. Whenever she turned on her light, there was power. She wanted for nothing. Naught but the sweet release of death. So she stopped eating. But she never hungered. She stopped drinking. She'd never thirst. She tie her leg to a boulder and throw it into a lake, but she never needed to draw breath. She bound her wings and tossed herself from a cliff and fall onto a giant pillow. Long she walked the the surface of the world, the whole of reality was her prison. Day unto day, unto week, month and year. Decades, centuries and millennia. What ruins there were left of the cities eroded into ash and dust. Over the eons the winds and rain wore down Canterlot mountain into little more than a molehill. The surf of the seas beat upon the shores, reshaping the coast into unrecognizable shapes. The sun in the sky slowly grew dimmer, and the world became colder. The sun burned out until it was little more than another star in the sky of eternal night. The world was a cold, dead rock, devoid of any life. Except for one, single, doomed soul. "Discord," Fluttershy said. The sound of her own voice startled her. She hadn't heard it in countless years. "I'm ready to talk now."