//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: True Friends // Story: Longevity // by toad180 //------------------------------// Longevity Chapter 1: True Friends It was a dark grey and stormy day, a light rain filled the sky. A flood of black umbrellas with ponies bearing black suits and dresses under them, the muddy road as they made there was toward the burial plot. There was no noise to be made other than the gentle rainfall that persistently hit the ground, never stopping. Celestia herself showed at this dreadful occasion, to excuse her soul from a seemly endless eternity inside a lifeless body. As the casket was lowered into the ground and muddy dirt being shoveled back into the earth as they buried it. Twilight Sparkle looked up at the cloudy, grey sky as a single tear slowly made it's way down her face, as her last true friend, one of the element bearers, was never to be seen again, but not forgotten. As the members of the party for the funeral left, Twilight and Celestia stood there and stared at the grave, motionless. Celestia gently expanded a wing around Twilight and was the first to break the silence. "I never wished for this day to come, nor did anypony else I am sure. But you know that we must move on even if it is hard. We must be strong Twilight, and never stop moving." Grieved Celestia, quivering slightly. Twilight just stood there, with hollow, seemingly lifeless eyes. Celestia lowered her head, and slowly turned around and walked away, leaving Twilight to return to her royal duties. After some time, Twilight turned around and walked away, looking back once at her friend's graves lined up perfectly in a row. ------ When Twilight arrived at her home, she opened the door only to be greeted by a certain purple and green young adult, dragon. "Twilight, I..." Started Spike as he looked up at Twilight with red, puffy eyes and a weak, plastic smile. "Not now Spike, I just want to be left alone." Whispered Twilight, with a quivering lower lip. "Oh, uhh, ok..." "I'm sorry Spike, I just haven't had the best of days." Twilight walked over to the window, while magically grabbing a random book off of the shelf next to her. When Twilight sat down on the cushion and opened the book, saw it was about friendship, and propelled it across the room with a loud thud, and broke down sobbing with many wet tears dripping down her face. ------ Twilight awoke to find herself in bed with Spike laying down beside her in a large dragon shaped lump. Twilight walked down the stairs to the kitchen and looked in the cabinet for some cereal, and heard Spike walk down into the kitchen with her. Twilight sat in a chair and poured the cereal and milk into a bowl, as Spike started to speak. "I am really sorry I couldn't come to the funeral, Twilight." Spike said after a large silence "I just couldn't take another." "It's fine Spike." Replied Twilight with a sigh "I just don't understand why I get to live for an abnormally larger time than the average life expectancy of a pony. I mean like, I know that I have Longevity running in my family, but look at mother and father, They only lived to fifty, just two years longer than normal. And look at me! I am right her right now living WAY longer than I should be! I AM SIXTY FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE! THINK OF APPLEJACK, SHE LIVED FOR FREAKING SIXTY ALONG WITH ME! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO LOSE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS WITHIN THE SPAN OF JUST FIVE MONTHS?! WHY COULDN'T MY FRIENDS LIVE AS LONG AS ME?! WHY SPIKE?! WHY?! IT'S NOT FAIR THAT I AM THE LAST ONE OF MY FRIENDS! IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" "Twilight! Calm down! You know that your friends lived long, happy lives!" "Why... W-why-y-y-y?" Twilight fell on the floor into a fit of sobbing, until Spike picked her up and gently placed her in her bed. Moments later the door bell rang, and Twilight insisted on getting up and answering it. When she opened the door she found Shining Armor and Cadence waiting outside. Shining Armor looked at her for a split second with tears in his eyes, then immediately hugged his sister. "I am so sorry Twilight, I know how hard it is for you." Shining Armor said through tears. "When mom and dad died I just wanted to hide forever and never come out. But I knew I had to move on." "Heh, funny. Princess Celestia said about the same thing to me." Said Twilight, weakly. "W-Would you like to have something to eat? I have some soggy cereal that I was about to eat when you knocked." "N-no thank you, we had breakfast before we left." Said Cadence, quivering as tears rolled down her eyes. Twilight, Shining Armor, Cadence, and Spike sat at the table sipping tea as Twilight ate cereal. Spike was the first to say something. "Twilight, I do know how hard it is to lose a friend, no, multiple friends. They were my friends too you know, not just yours. Do you know how long and how hard it was for me to get over Rarity's death, only for Pinkie Pie to die almost immediately after? Practically all of my friends have died. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in the freak 'accident', Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, does my sadness mean anything to you? Or does it only matter because they were 'mainly' your friends?" "Spike, I" Twilight started. "No Twilight. It doesn't matter anymore. They are all dead and gone now. Lets just move on and forget everything." "No, Spike, Twilight, I don't think you should forget anything." Said Cadence with a glowing horn and a deep voice. "The times that you had with them were wonderful, you must cherish them always and never forget. For all you know this could be your last day Twilight. Heck, for all I know this could be MY last day. So, lets just all stop this senseless bickering and get on with our day." Twilight, Spike, and Shining Armor sat there staring at Cadence, dumbfounded, with their jaws slack. ------ About two hours later Shining Armor stood up. "I am sorry, Twilight, Spike, but Cadence and I must take our leave of you, for we shall be late for the train back to Canterlot if we wait any longer." Said Shining Armor, as Cadence stood up with him. After many goodbyes Shining Armor and Cadence left for the train. Right after they left, Twilight went upstairs and lied down in her bed and eventually, drifted off to sleep. Twilight was awoke to the sound of the doorbell of the front door, only for Spike to go down and get it. Spike opened the door to find Princess Celestia, with her head hung low. "Hello Spike, I need to speak to Twilight." Said Celestia, in a quivering voice. Once Twilight and Celestia had sat down at the table in the kitchen, Celestia looked up at Twilight. "I am so sorry Twilight, but you know that train that your brother and sister in-law left on about an hour ago?" "Yeah, but I don't see why you have to apologize, it's just a train." "Twilight. While the train was running around a turn, the engine room suddenly caught fire and made the train go at an unreliable amount of speed. Soon after the train de-railed and combusted. Taking your brother and sister in-law with it."