//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Happiness Is Simple/The Death of Harmony // Story: The Fall of Opaline // by Admiral Producer //------------------------------// ACT 1A: Twilight’s Story Part 1 ENTRY 2 November 20, 2029 The city of Canterlot is said to be the largest city in the history of Equestria. That is not entirely true, of course, but it is home to the most change, aside from Ponyville of course. It is historically the capital of the entire nation and it is where my mentors Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled with benevolence and grace for centuries. Celestia rose to power alongside her sister after she proved that she could raise the Sun all by herself. This was a miracle to witness and it marked the end of the old era of unicorns raising the heavenly bodies as a collective. Following the decision, the sisters moved to Canterlot, but still kept their castle in what would eventually become the EverFree Forest as a summer home. Since then, the city has endured it all and always came out on top. Even when Luna was banished to the moon, Celestia took it upon herself to rule the land alone, assuring the ponies that everything was going to be okay. She kept the land safe for a thousand years until my friends and I came along. We vanished the evil Nightmare Moon with the power of friendship and brought back Luna. The two sisters reconciled and that became the first of many tests for my eventual ascension. Even when I became an alicorn and took my place amongst my idols, the work was still not over. But who ever said it would be? “Fillies and gentlecolts! May I present to you for the very first time…PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!!!!” My friends were there for me, however, and assured me that whatever happened, we’d get to it together. And we certainly did. No matter what challenge came our way, we always succeeded at it. After I became the ruler of Equestria, I thought that life would begin to get a little easier now that all the major threats had been neutralized. However, I’ll be the first to admit that life hasn’t been quite smooth sailing. First off, having to run a kingdom can really suck when you’re unprepared. It’s been more than 10 years and I still don’t know how to answer when delegates from the other nations ask me about trade disputes and taxes! I personally see the new trade deals with the hippogriffs and the Abyssinians a dream come true for our economy, but some don’t see it that way, mainly the elites. Every time I sit down with the griffons, they would hound me over and over about providing free resources to Griffonstone! It’s like oh my gosh, mine your own gold if you want a new currency!! I hope telling stories in exchange for 20 bits doesn’t become part of our culture. One time, I called in Spike to quell a shouting match between Queen Skystar and King Pharynx about who has the best looking subjects. I still don’t know how that relates to anything I discussed with them, but he was able to tell them that their subjects both look good and he loves…hitting on both. Needless to say, that just made it worse. Way to go, Spike. Fortunately, it wasn’t all bad. I had my moments of doubt, but one thing always excited me and made me look forward to the next day despite the daily grind. I always planned in advance with eagerness as the date for the annual Council of Friendship meeting drew near. It was always a special time when my friends would visit. We only got to do this once a moon with everypony being so preoccupied with their own jobs. On this day, however, we put all that aside. I always tout it as an official meeting of business, but really, it’s just a time where we could relax and be ourselves. I had my personal guards handle the delivery of Luster’s letters this time around. Yes, of course I make her send me letters. Celestia made me do that and I turned out fine. Besides, the stuff she ends up learning always puts a smile on my face whenever I read it. Today’s friendship meeting was certainly something special indeed. Rainbow Dash threw her hooves up in the air as a sign of frustration. “No, Applejack! I’m not adding mandatory detention to the Wonderbolts Academy curriculum!! This is supposed to be fun!!” “If ya want to train them recruits, you need to tell them they can’t sleep in class!” Applejack shot back. “Big Mac whipped me with a belt in my youth whenever I ever thought to do that!” “He did WHAAAAAAAAT?!!!!” Rarity’s mouth dropped open in horror. Fluttershy fainted. “Wow!!” Pinkie Pie remarked. “Who knew Big Mac was such a control freak?” “IT’S FAMILY TRADITION!!!” Applejack roared indignantly. “WELL I CALL IT FILLY ABUSE!!!!” Rarity shot back. “Hey hey!!” Twilight chimed in. “I’m sure we can sort this out calmly. Rainbow Dash, explain to me again what happened.” “3…2…1…NOW!!!” With a determined look on her face, Luster stared at the assembled six boulders out in front of her. Her horn emitting a yellow glow, she picked up the rocks using her magic and spun them through the air in rapid succession. She then released them from the bubbles one by one. The rocks fell towards the ground in a thousand pebbles which formed perfect figures of the Mane 6 in different poses. Twilight turned towards her in shock. “Advanced transfiguration!!! Luster, you did it!!!!” “I did it!!!” Luster was grinning from ear to ear as she jumped up and down with joy. She had already passed her friendship test, but this was the final challenge before her ascension. And she had not only passed, but excelled. This was the happiest day of her life. ENTRY 7 October 10, 2031 Today is the day Luster became an alicorn, as well as graduating from my studies. I had been training her for this day for the entire time she’s been under me, yet even now it feels more like a vivid dream. None of us had expected it to happen so soon. The ceremony was bittersweet for all of us. We celebrated with lots of cake from Sugarcube Corner and partied it up with the best music. Luster knew she would have to get the hang of being an alicorn at some point, but I assured her that all she needed to do now was be herself. At the end of the day, she was still my faithful student whenever she wanted to be. To cap off the festivities, we all gathered up together in a giant cluster as Stygian took a group picture of all of us. “Smile…” Stygian instructed them. “On the count of three, say ‘For Equestria!!’ One, two, three!! GO!!!!” “FOR EQUESTRIA!!!!” Everypony shouted, throwing their hooves up into the air. Happiness is simple. Like Luster’s first flight, soaring through the nighttime sky with Rainbow Dash leading far out in front of us. I was guiding her the whole way through, with her holding onto me as tight as she could for support. As we got higher and higher above the castle courtyard, I could see her panicked and frightened expression gradually morph into that of great excitement and elation once she finally opened her eyes. It was at that moment where she finally let go and put her wings to work. Suffice to say, she found it easier than she initially expected. All I told her to do was copy my movements. She laughed and giggled as her wings flapped against the breeze. It was a magical time for all three of us, time away from the castle. We flew as fast as we could in an attempt to outfly her, even though it was fruitless in hindsight. She wasn’t captain of the Wonderbolts for nothing after all. The wind blew through our faces and our manes as we increased our speed. I remembered Rainbow describing the adrenaline she felt while flying. She was certainly right. We had a blast. We swooped through trees and spun through clouds, clearing them in the process. As we emerged from a large cloud bank, we whooped and cheered for joy. It was something we never wanted to end. It was a time of great bliss, a time to just unwind and embrace who we were. But the thing about happiness…it could vanish in a heartbeat. Twilight ran as fast as she could through Ponyville in a mad rush, the wind beating down on her as she did so. She couldn’t be too late. She couldn’t let her friends handle the situation on their own. They always did these things together. As she raced by the crowds of scared ponies, her heart pounded in her chest. She panted rapidly as she forced her body to keep going. She had flown all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville on her own as the Friendship Express was down. She ran faster and faster as she began to detect the the scent of smoke and fire. No. She couldn’t be too late!! She had to save them! Why did they exclude her?! By the time she reached the burning Ponyville Hospital, the flames had consumed the entire top half of the building. An entire assembly of doctors and patients were gathered in front as firefighters tried their hardest to douse the fire in as much water as they had in their arsenal. “What happened here?!” Twilight demanded angrily. “Where are my friends?!!” Nurse Redheart turned towards her. She could barely speak as she was shaking all over from fear. “P-p-p-p-p-princess, a-a-a p-mental patient went rogue and s-set the hospital ablaze!! We tried to restrain him, but he was too strong for us!!” “H-he took the poor foals hostage!!” Doctor Stable added in a shaky, trembling voice. “Your friends are in there rescuing them!!” “WHAT?!!” Twilight couldn’t believe it. Her friends had gone on a life-threatening rescue mission without her. But why?! Why did they leave her out? She could’ve gotten the foals out quicker. Did they not trust her? “No! No!! GIRLS!!!!!!” More questions raced through her mind as the panic resumed. The more the flames continued to consume the hospital, the more the doctors continued to cry out in anguish. The fire chief was barking orders to his subordinates to grab more hoses and buckets the situation kept getting increasingly grim. “Alright!! SPRAY!!!!” The chief ordered. “The Council of Friendship are in there!! We must save the building!!” “I’m trying, sir!!” His second-in command said as he sprayed the east wing, which was almost entirely consumed. “WELL TRY HARDER, BLAZE!!!! I’M NOT PAYIN’ YOU TO FUCKING TALK!!!!” “Let me in there!!” Twilight yelled. “I need to save my friends!!” “No!!” The chief shouted at her. “You’re our Princess!! If you go down, we all go down!! We can afford to lose them, but not you!!” “As Princess, I help my subjects!! Hey, are you listening?!! Chief Firedusk, listen-“ “SPRAY!!!!” More hoses attacked the building, yet this only served to make the situation worse. The fire increased and it wasn’t long before the entire left side was consumed by the plumes. After a little bit, however, the flames seemed to recede from the pressure of the water. But it was only for a moment. As the flames settled down momentarily, a thick cloud of black smoke remained in its wake. The ponies all held their breaths as they awaited what was to come next. Chief Firedusk looked on in disbelief. “That…can’t be it. Keep your hoses ready, boys!! Spray ‘em good should she start up again!!” Twilight watched with deep concern on her face. So far, there was no sign of her friends emerging from the building. The smoke was the only thing present. She closed her eyes briefly and prayed for her friends’ safe return. “Please girls…” she prayed softly. “Come back…come back…come back…” She opened her eyes again at the sound of crackling fire. The flames were starting up once more and they were now more powerful now than they had ever been. “There she blows!! SPRAY THE BUILDING NOW!!!” “Girls…?” Right as Firedusk gave the order, the hospital suddenly exploded from the pressure in a thunderous display of orange light that blinded everyone in the nearby vicinity. The doctors and firefighters screamed as pieces of debris flew in every direction. Twilight could not believe her eyes. Her friends had been killed. At that moment, all the emotions she had been building up rushed to the surface and she shrieked at the top of her lungs in pure agony. Her hooves buckled and she collapsed to her knees, screaming and sobbing relentlessly. Why?! Why did it have to be them?! Why her friends, the ponies she called her family?!! Her world was crumbling before her very eyes, the ponies she had spent years with suddenly taken from her with no reason at all. At that moment, all she could do was scream. She didn’t even hear the calls from the firefighters and doctors to evacuate the area. Her eyes were glued to the sight of where the hospital once was. They say that Twilight’s screams could be heard for miles, a bellowing cry that shook the whole world on its foundations. Her screams shook the ground and tore the trees off of their roots. It shook the bottom of the ocean and caused massive waves on the beach. It was like the cry of a god, like the fury of an angry deity that wanted to take the whole world down with it. At the moment she experienced her loss, everypony felt it as well. As the smoke consumed her being, Twilight lay down on the ground and sobbed uncontrollably for the loss of her best friends. They were gone. And she didn’t even get to say goodbye. ENTRY 8 October 11, 2031 They say all the happiness you have ever felt in your entire life can be ripped from you in an instant. Well, that was how I felt at that very moment. I felt like I had been stabbed several times in the chest and resurrected over and over, just to feel that same pain again. My friends were everything to me. They were there for me when nopony else was. They taught me things that I will never be able to learn again from anyone else. How is it that I get to survive when none of my friends did? Why is it that I am cursed with the burden of living when I don’t deserve it as much as my friends and those poor innocent foals did? I can only feel worse for Cheerilee. This was her last year of teaching the Ponyville Schoolhouse before going into retirement. She intended to have these kids graduate with the highest honor imaginable. Those foals were supposed to go out and live long and healthy lives. They had such high aspirations and dreams. Little did they know though, their lives were to be cut short the moment they had all come down with the pony pox. As a ruler, I feel terrible for the loss of my subjects. But as a friend, it hits me in ways I am unable to accurately describe in words. I suppose both of us can relate to love and loss. All I can do is wait for the funeral. Then after that…maybe wait to live…maybe wait to die. All I can do is wait for an absolution that’ll never come. The sky above Ponyville was overcast and dreary that sorrowful morning. The clouds were an omnipresent shade of grey and clustered together around the usually bright and beautiful Sun. The weather ponies had made sure that everypony knew this was no time for lightheartedness and levity. Heavy rain poured down from the sky in an extremely loud, but rhythmic sound. Each drop hit the ground beneath it faster than the last as the precipitation intensified. Strong wind blew throughout the town, knocking any pony who wasn’t careful off their hooves. Ponyville had seen its fair share of strong winds before, but this was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. It was as if the heavens themselves knew this wasn’t fair. Cannons sounded in the distance as a crowd of ponies began to come into view, through the dense fog and hazy mist. They were walking slowly in rows of two, all wearing black suits and carrying umbrellas. The ponies all wore sad and angry faces, refusing to look at one another as they lugged five coffins behind them. The pink coffin had the emblems of two blue balloons with a yellow one above emblazoned on the top of it, a unique cutie mark to only one special pony. The blue coffin had a cutie mark of a rainbow lightning bolt beneath a cloud, belonging only to the fastest pony in Equestria. The orange coffin had the symbol of three red apples, a symbol of honesty and dependability. A white coffin had three blue gemstones in the center. It symbolized a type of generosity and selflessness that only one unicorn in the history of the realm ever displayed. Finally, there was the yellow coffin with a symbol of three pink butterflies. This was the tomb of the one and only Element of Kindness. The charred bodies had been recovered at the sight of the explosion and carefully wrapped in loincloth to preserve them for centuries. Leading the funeral procession was none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. To the right of her was a large purple and green dragon, known all throughout the Equine Territories as Spike. He was the official Friendship Ambassador and Twilight’s number one assistant. To the left of the Princess was a pink alicorn with a yellow and orange mane and tail. She had a rising sun for a cutie mark and orange eyes. This was Luster Dawn, Twilight’s former faithful student. The funeral crowd gathered in the town square, dispersing and reassembling into a wide circle around their leader as she took center stage behind a podium. Spike and Luster Dawn followed at her command, standing on opposite sides as her bodyguards. Everypony watched as Twilight removed her hood and raised her head up for the first time that morning, revealing her beautiful flowing blue and pink mane, as well as her tiara that was given to her by her mentors Celestia and Luna. She wiped away fresh flowing tears as her silently distraught demeanor was replaced by one of professionalism and stoicism, the look of a grieving friend replaced by the face of an emotionless and stern monarch. She adjusted her microphone and cleared her throat as she solemnly faced her subjects. “We are gathered here today,” Twilight spoke gravely. “To commemorate the life and legacy of Pinkamena Diane Pie, known here in Ponyville as the one and only…” She sniffled. “Pinkie Pie.” In the back of the crowd stood Pinkie Pie’s family, comprised of her sisters Limestone, Maud, and Marble Pie. They each wiped tears away after Pinkie’s name was spoken. “The embodiment of laughter,” Twilight continued. “Pinkie was committed to making ponies smile no matter what. It never mattered how a pony felt in any situation. Pinkie always knew what to say to make them feel better. As a ruler, I feel nothing but sorrow for the subject I have lost. But as a friend, I feel heartbroken and I feel pain. Pinkie Pie was amongst one of my first friends when I moved to Ponyville. She threw me a party in the Golden Oak Library welcoming me here. She got us out of the toughest situations. She taught me so much about friendship. I only wish I could’ve appreciated her much more.” Spike reached a claw out and put it on his guardian’s back as a show of comfort. “Today we also lose the embodiments of honesty, kindness, generosity, and loyalty,” Twilight went on. “As you all know, these monikers belong to Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, four amazing ponies who also tragically lost their lives in the burning hospital. They didn’t care what others thought. They rushed into that building knowing that it was going to kill them. Applejack was a trustworthy and reliable pony who always put her family above all else. Fluttershy taught us so much about finding courage in the face of adversity. Rarity taught us that sometimes all it takes is one single act of generosity to change a creature’s life forever. Rainbow Dash, for as brash and feisty as she was, had a heart of gold and a nerve of steel. She led the Wonderbolts proudly and stuck by us through thick and thin no matter what. The Elements of Harmony may be gone, but these ponies serve to remind us that they still exist in our hearts. We can do better. Together, we will learn to believe in harmony again.” In the front of the crowd, ‘Lil Cheese buried his face into his father Cheese Sandwich’s hooves. He had lost a mother at such a young age. It was surely going to affect him for quite some time. “Today we lose the elements once more,” finished Twilight gravely. “Today, we lose friends. And today…we lose a part of our family.” Once she finished, a white unicorn mare with a pink and purple mane and tail stood in front of the podium and began to sing a couple notes softly to the crowd. She sang from her heart and she sang from her soul a song she had personally written for the event. This mare was named Sweetie Belle and she was an aspiring songwriter. Once she finished and as if on cue, the rest of the assembled ponies began to sing in unison. They sang from their hearts a sad, but hopeful tune as the funeral workers lifted the coffins from the platforms and onto their backs, carrying it slowly towards its final resting place. The chorus intensified as the coffins were slowly lowered from the backs of the funeral workers and into the ground. As Applejack’s hit the bottom of the hole with a thud, the choir intensified further, getting louder and louder. The tune reverberated across the town square and could be heard all the way up in the sky. Twilight wiped more tears from her eyes as she finally let all her emotions out. Her friends had died, fading away to the great beyond. In one year, all her friends had been taken from her. The time of great harmony was ending. The Council of Friendship was officially no more. As Twilight sobbed relentlessly, the workers took the shovels in their hooves and began to fill the hole. The choir of ponies continued to sing, each flick of dirt followed by a heavy song note. This continued as all of the holes were filled up and tall gravestones were mounted into place. Finally, the crowd sang their last notes and the procession ended with Sweetie Belle hanging her head low and stepping away from the burial site. ENTRY 9 November 28, 2031 Love…loss. Friendship. What does that even mean anymore? I had already lost my friends in the accident and I’ll never have them again. Perhaps Luster had been right all along in her initial assessment of friendship. After all, friendship wasn’t permanent and you’ll only be hurt if you make them. Eventually, it all fades. It all drifts apart in a neverending sea of disappointment and regret. It’s times like these where I really begin to question everything that I was taught. For if friendships were always doomed to fade… Why even make them in the first place?