//------------------------------// // The Worst Party // Story: Immortality // by IGIBAB //------------------------------// Four silhouettes were standing in the midst of the great Canterlot cemetery. Four alicorns, alone, mourning in silence in front of three tombs. One of those alicorns, the smallest one, was the most forward. She was looking at the last stone added. On the two others was written the names of her parents. They had been there for some years, now. The pictures had slightly lost their colours. It was the duty of a child to bury his parents. And the son and the daughter of those good unicorns had been there to do so. And it was, maybe, the duty of a little sister to bury her big brother. Carefully levitating a bouquet of flowers, she deposited the wreath on the third granite slab, just under the smiling photo of that great white unicorn. "Goodbye, BBBFF," said Twilight, containing her emotion and her tears, although her voice was troubled. "You were the best brother someone could ask for." The purple alicorn moved back a little, her eyes still fixed on the grave of her brother. Now, she didn't had a family anymore. And that feeling going through her, that penetrated her heart, she knew what it was. It was loneliness. "I-I... I would like to be alone for a moment," asked princess Cadance, who had trouble speaking. The three other alicorns stayed silent and disposed of themselves. Cadance walked to the grave, her eyes wet with tears, before collapsing on it while crying her lost husband. The princess of love, which had just lost the latter. Outside of the graveyard, the three princesses were waiting. A little further away, their guards stood there, also in turmoil. "Why didn't you say it was this hard...?" Asked Twilight, her broken voice full of a bitter blame. Celestia and Luna closed their eyes, understanding. They knew that this question would come up one day. "Losing everyone I hold dear... You knew how I would feel... So why?" "Would you have accepted to become a princess if we had warned you?" asked Celestia softly. "No," answered the alicorn categorically, sniffing her own tearful fluids, "Of course no. Why did you transformed me if it was to inflict all this upon me?" Her tone was begging. At this moment, the two elderly princesses understood that Twilight wanted, more than anything else in the world, to go back in time and refuse her title, to live a normal life. But it was too late. So Celestia gently passed a wing over her, to comfort her, at least a little. "Equestria needs its princess of friendship," she delicately said to her ear. "Look at everything you've done and everything you'll be able to do. We knew you would suffer, but beyond your pain, you bring so much to this country and its inhabitant. Your sorrow avoids so many others." "We would understand if you hated us," continued Luna, also covering Twilight's back with one wing. "We didn't let you choose, but one day, I'm sure you will understand that this decision, painful for us as it is now for you, was a necessary evil for this country." "It's a burden that we all carry. No offspring, every attach bound to disappear. To provide for Equestria, we must each loose so much." Twilight couldn't hold it in any longer. She let her pain loose. "How can you endure it...? Tell me how do you do..." She was imploring them. She was begging them to give to her that solution, that allowed the two great alicorns to never cry. But it didn't existed. The only way was to get use to it, provided that it was even possible to get use to that. To their great regrets, Celestia and Luna were unable to help her. Only time could. Celestia's former student would suffer, for years to come. The pain would fade, but never entirely. Cadance appeared, walking out of the graveyard, staring at the ground without really seeing it, absent. Without any word, she left the place and the other princesses followed in her steps, with a dead silence, joining their guards. Back in Canterlot, the now widow left for the Cristal Empire by the next train, without saying a single sentence, nor changing expression. Twilight went back to Ponyville the same way. She didn't had the will to use her wings. Looking by the window of her wagon, she saw the verdant landscape of Equestria pass before her eyes, under a bright sun. Yet, everything seemed dreadfully bland. Wherever she would lay her eyes, there was only grey, obscurity. Her heart sank every time she saw something familiar. Here a bunny was cheerfully skipping around under a wild apple tree. There, in a small pond, lived a family of tortoise. In every object or living creature, she was seeing her own past. And in this scenery, a face appeared. Her face. That purple face, with a violet stripped mane, and a horn proudly enthroned at its top. By the deformation of the window – and the shimmering colours that overlapped it – her face appeared without that terrible mark left by time and memories. It wasn't the wrinkles that had gone away, no, she unfortunately never had some. It was that expression of permanent regrets, those emaciated features, that left room to this still young head. She had the impression she was facing a Twilight from the past. "You don't have wings, you..." She whispered to her reflection. "You can still live with your friends... Without worrying about anything..." The expression in her reflection seemed to change. Its eyebrows frowned, its head tilted slightly and a slim compassionate smile seemingly appeared. Twilight looked away. No one could change the past, lamenting was useless. That's what she was trying to convince herself, day after day. "Ponyville station! Five minutes stop!" The princess only paid but little attention to the controller announcing the stop and she got out of the wagon, without noticing the ponies that were still looking at her, despite the years. A princess always impress the population, even more so when this princess is walking with her head down, dragging its hooves around. "Twilight!" Suddenly pierced the distraught voice of Spike. The small dragon trotted towards her, with worries on his face. Despite all this time, he had barely grew. He got up to the alicorn and seemed to forget what he had to say when he saw her utterly depressed look. He went in front of her face and looked her in the eyes. "Twilight, is everything alright?" He asked, while perfectly knowing the answer. She simply looked on the side, having absolutely no wish to talk about all this. Walking by him, she let out a quiet: "If somepony is looking for me, I'll be in my castle... But I'd rather be alone..." Spike looked at her going away, with a small, sad and compassionate sigh. But the thing he had to tell her suddenly came back to his mind: "Twilight!" The alicorn stopped and turned her head towards him. For a brief moment, Spike wanted to reconsider, to let her scatter her sorrow in peace. He didn't wanted to say what he had to say. Not now. Definitely not. Twilight would not be able to bear it. But he had to, even if it wasn't gladly. "It's... It's Pinkie..." he finally said, sorry for the alicorn. Twilight opened eyes filled with despaired, as she felt like her heart was failing. It was impossible. For pity's sake, no. Not in the same day. The happy pink mare was at the hospital. Accompanied by Rarity, Spike and Twilight. Lying in a bed, ironically the same bed in which Rainbow Dash had left this world, now decades ago. Three balloons decorated the room, two blues and a yellow one, probably inflated by what little breath Pinkie had left. Time had ravaged this joyful face, smiling despite it's apparent weakness, only lifting it great wrinkles. Her mane had become a grey pinkie and seemed to have deflated over the years. Her coat spotted the same loss of colours. She was old and it wasn't just her appearance. Her heart, worn out by so many years of parties and overexcitement, had just had a new attack. It was likely that this conversation with her friends would be one of her last. And that's why they were showing such upset looks. "Oh, don't be so sad," said Pinkie. "We had a lot of fun, didn't we?" Rarity and Spike answered with a small, sad and forced smile. Yes, they did had a lot of fun, particularly with her around. "Every party must end. Everypony goes home, each at a different hour." Pinkie philosophizing. It was pretty rare, although she had gained a tendency to do that at the end of her life, since she had more and more troubles exteriorising her emotions with over the top gestures. "And when you stay too long, you're bound to be sad seeing the others go," continued the old mare of Laughter. "But there will always be new people to come around and throw another one... So don't you worry, Twilight." The princess bit her lower lip to contain her tears, understanding what her friend meant. "What's the point in making friends if it is to see them go away?" asked Twilight, her voice shattered. "Because you're someone exceptional, Twilight. Your friends will be incredibly lucky to be ones, as we were. And also, times flies faster with friends, doesn't it?" Her comforting smiled managed to make the alicorn hold back her tears. "You too Pinkie," added Spike. "You are one of the most wonderful mare I know. You always know how to put the smile back on people's face." The old Pie opened two big hooves, inviting her friends to come closer, which they did. She closed her hooves in an immense and final hug, that even got a smile out of Twilight. "Thank you, friends... Thank you..." murmured Pinkie, holding them against her with all of her slim strength, closing her eyes, happy. Coincidence, the three balloons in the room, two blues and a yellow one, symbol of the pink mare's cutie mark, popped at the exact moment her heart stopped beating. Or maybe it was the suddenness of that sound that ended that old heart, worn out by all the energy this pony had and had carried around daily. Her hooves slowly fell off the side of Rarity and Twilight's coat, as in a slow motion, landing on the bedsheets, slightly creasing them. Even while shut, her eyes kept that joy of living, despite the fact the she wasn't anymore. Dead. Pinkie Pie, dead. It was the end of the joyful mare, jumping, hopping around and pulling out a party canon out of nowhere, spreading happiness and smiles wherever she went. No more Element of Laughter and maybe no more laugh at all, forever. At that moment, it was as if all joy had vanished from Equestria. The smile. An eternal smile engraved on her face. What a better way for her to go than while smiling? Her friends where smiling as well, for her. For this brave mare, who's one and only goal in life had been the joy of others. Twilight, Rarity and Spike stayed snuggled against her for a while, against that so warm body that would soon start to cool down. No party was thrown before the burial. But a lot of ponies showed up. Pinkie was still well known around town, even if her celebrity had did out a bit over time. The only family present was Maud's children, which were already ponies of certain age, as they came to say goodbye to the one they use to call "Aunty Pinkie" when they were foals. The rest, her parents and sisters, had gone before her. And it was a silence for mourning that had fallen on the small hill, under that tree where half of the Elements of Harmony already rested. Words had been pronounced, but everyone found that no sentences could express the pain cause by this loss. A part of Ponyville's soul had gone away with her, and everyone was feeling empty, as if missing that small spark of happiness usually always there, even in those moments. Four rounded stones, forming a third of a circle in front of the tree. The first one was starting to show some age. The tortoise was still on it. "R.I.P. Pinkie Pie - The Laughing", with the now usual inscription "Friend of the princess" that still sickened Twilight, around those famous three balloons, now grey forever. Two mares and a dragon. That is all that was left from their group. And the white unicorn was getting old as well, now.