The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
Twilight waited impatiently at the designated meeting spot - a canyon with a roaring river beneath it - and strained her eyes for any signs of her friends. She sighed, realizing that they had all either ignored her or chosen not to come.
"Hiya, Twilight!" shouted a certain physics-breaking pony.
Startled, Twilight turned to face Pinkie and was quickly embraced by her old friend. Twilight released her and stepped back, noting her friend's appearance out of sheer habit. She looked better than she had after the... incident with the Cakes, but still had that slight melancholy appearance about her. Pinkie's hair was still a bit flat, but she had definitely perked up upon receiving Twilight's letter.
"It's so good to see you, Pinkie."
"You too!"
Pinkie bobbed from side to side, anxiously waiting for the others to arrive. A small voice spoke quietly over Twilight's shoulder.
"Um... hi, Twilight."
Though she was more shocked at the pegasus' sudden appearance than Pinkie's, Twilight betrayed no signs of her fright as she slowly turned around and wrapped Fluttershy into a tight hug.
"Hi, Fluttershy, I'm glad you came."
"Of course I came, what kind of friend would I have been if I hadn't? It's partially my idea, too."
Grinning widely, Twilight nodded her assent. "That's right, and a very good suggestion it was, too. I'm... actually a bit embarrassed that I hadn't thought of it myself."
"Don't feel bad, Twilight. It was Pinkie's letter that reminded me, really. She was the one who originally told you all about it, and I figured she'd be on board with it."
Pinkie suddenly jumped in front of Fluttershy, causing to her to wince in fear. "And you were right, Flutters! I can't believe I'd forgotten about it!"
A familiar orange mare and a cerulean pegasus appeared on the horizon, chatting amiably to each other.
"Hey!" Pinkie yelled to them. She jumped up and down, waving both hooves in the air. "Over here, AJ! Come on, Dashie!"
Both ponies looked surprised. Glancing at one another, they let out a laugh and ran to the rambunctious earth pony. Rainbow enveloped the Pinkie and the rest of the girls in her good wing.
"Hey guys, what's up?"
"Howdy, everypony."
Pinkie's eyes shone, and she scrunched up her face. "D'aww, you two look so cute together! I'm going to call it the RainbowJack! No, wait, the AppleRainbow! No, wait..." The perfect term suddenly dawned on Pinkie, and she visibly brightened. "AppleDash! Yes! That's it! AppleDash!" she sang, prancing around the couple, both of which facehoofed at the whole ordeal.
"Hey, Applejack?"
"Yeah, Rainbow?"
"Same old Pinkie." Both started laughing, the others quickly joining in. All of a sudden, Twilight froze, panic gripping her.
"Where's Rarity?"
A hush fell on the group of ponies. Fluttershy looked slightly uncomfortable, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other without saying a word. Pinkie had a huge grin on her face.
"Don't worry, she'll be here!"
"Pinkie... there's no way you could possibly know that!"
"Yes, there is! Didn't you read the last chapter?"
"What?"
"Never mind, you'll see! Rarity should be here in a few minutes!"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Sure, Pinkie, sure."
"Hello, my little ponies."
"Princess!" five voices shouted in unison, their owners bowing low.
The princess of the sun chuckled. "Rise, my little ponies. I have come to wish you luck. I realize that you have been planning this for some time, but I can assure you all that you have my full support in this endeavor."
Twilight hugged her. "Thank you," she whispered into her mentor's ear. "It means a lot to us that you are here now." She fell silent, allowing a single tear to fall, before stepping back and returning to her friends.
"Luna sends her regards," stated Princess Celestia, "but she had more pressing matters to attend to. She regrets that she could not be here, but instead sends you all her best wishes."
Fluttershy smiled. "That's okay, Princess. She knew that we would understand."
Celestia beamed before adopting a somewhat amused tone. "Discord... also would have liked to be here, considering where you are going, but I refrained him from doing so, seeing as how he has yet to patch up the hole he created in the throne room."
Rainbow smirked. "Oh boy. What did he do this time?"
"Apparently, he thought it was good idea to light a bathtub full of peanut sauce on fire. Unfortunately, the incendiary capabilities of said peanut sauce proved to be catastrophic."
Applejack guffawed. "Oh, shoot! He was makin' peanut bombs? Ha-HA!"
Celestia gave a polite smile. "Yes... anyway, he's fixing the damage as we speak." Celestia paused, head tilted in thought. "Oh, that's right! He wanted me to give this to Pinkie Pie," she remembered, producing a fluffy, pink cloud.
Pinkie gasped in shock. "For me? Yes yes yes!" She danced around in ecstasy and cut through the cloud, causing it to spill chocolate milk from its inside. Wallowing in the delicious dairy product, she cheered wildly. The others laughed, and even Celestia cracked a smile.
"Hello, girls! Oh, you all look marvelous!"
"Rarity!" The fashionista was quickly bombarded by five multicolored ponies, and she fought valiantly for a breath.
"We were worried that you weren't going to be here," remarked Fluttershy.
"Yes, well... I had indeed considered it, but I've broken free of my selfish lifestyle," said Rarity proudly. "I'm ready for the journey-" She paused and pulled out a pair of fancy sunglasses. "-Of a lifetime."
"Yeaaaah!" shouted a bulky albino pegasus from nearby.
Celestia cleared her throat. "My little ponies, I believe it is time."
They nodded, and Twilight stepped forward. "Goodbye, Princess. You probably won't hear from us again, so I guess this is it." She nuzzled her teacher, who returned the gesture. "Thank you for everything that you've done for us, Princess."
"Not at all, my most faithful student. Take care of your friends for my sake."
The purple unicorn smiled. "Of course, Princess."
As the other equines said their last goodbyes, a skinny pegasus in a swell hoodie approached Twilight. "Take care of yourself, Twilight."
The mare in question raised an eyebrow. "Do I... know you? You look familiar."
The red-maned pony shook his head. "We've never met, but I caught wind of your plan from a gray mailmare. Just... watch out, okay?"
Twilight shrugged. "Will do!" she replied.
The stallion released a breath. "Thanks. Good luck!" he called, flying away.
"Twilight!" yelled Rarity. "We're ready!"
Snapping out of her daze, Twilight pivoted to face the alabaster unicorn. "Okay, then. Everypony ready?" she asked, receiving nods all around. "Alright, Rainbow. You first."
The pegasus nodded and approached the edge of the canyon. Inhaling deeply, she flapped her wings once, twice, and dove straight down. Twilight nodded. "You're next, AJ."
Applejack backed up and took a running leap off the edge. Fluttershy then flew down, much like Rainbow had. Pinkie, ever the enthusiastic one, cartwheeled to the edge and did a backflip over the side. Rarity was next, performing a graceful dive as she leapt from her position.
Twilight pushed her mane out of her face, and shared one final glance with Princess Celestia, who merely nodded and flew away, presumably to check on Discord's progress. Twilight sighed, steeled herself, and jumped.
When the child-like view of the world went, nothing replaced it, but that doesn't mean it ever left.
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river
Forever and ever