Final Lesson

by Strife

The Letter

Dear Princess Celestia,

An Oath was made by me those many years ago when I promised to write you a letter each time I learned something about Friendship. And here, in my last moments, I will honor that oath by writing my last letter … the final lesson learned.

Friendship is a common term, bonds frequently formed and broken by the daily lives of those around us. Yet … what is true Friendship? A thing of wonder and magic; a bond forged so strong that it cannot be broken. And we learned how true that is, even when faced with death.

War. An ugly thing. So brutal and unforgiving; why didn’t we see it coming? Yet as ugly as it is, all the masks we wear in our daily lives melts away and our true colors shine through the carefully laid barricades we build to protect ourselves. War. A measurement of what Friendship really means.

Fluttershy. She was the first to go; in the very beginning too. The Raiders attacked Ponyville without warning … getting out was hell itself. And yet the kind pony helped everypony she could escape, even staying long after the town was compromised just to get a few more ponies into safety. Right as we all left, she was shot down by a magical arrow. Those precious few seconds it took to help Rarity get free from the fence costed the yellow pony her own life.

Several days went by before Rainbow Dash was captured while she was scouting ahead. The Raiders tortured her and threatened to kill her unless she became a spy for them. In complete defiance, the cyan pony took the increasingly painful punishment without a single shout or whimper. She refused to betray her friends. Those Raiders made good on their threat, weeks later finally killing Dash. It would have only taken a simple phrase or piece of information to save her life, yet she paid the price and stayed loyal to her friends.

Wandering on was difficult, we suffered the loss of two of our closest friends. Although Pinkie Pie tried her hardest to lighten the mood. No matter how tough the times got, she was there to brighten the dark mood enough to keep us going … to keep us sane. Poor Pinkie, her bright outlook was just a little too bright. While on one of her ‘Morale Missions’, she drew attention to herself and The Raiders killed her mercilessly. Our travels were dark and silent without her bright smile and hearty Laughter.

In the course of war it is easy to lose yourself and get consumed by fear and hate. Many fall victim and throw away morales for the simple sake of survival. Thankfully, Applejack was still with us. She kept us in line and made sure we stayed true to ourselves no matter how difficult the journey was. If it wasn’t for her, we may not have kept our true values intact. A bit cruel when she got sick and slowly died in front of us. Twisted joke of life that the bravest and most honest of us gets taken down by something as mundane as an illness.

Ravaging all it touched, the war just wouldn’t end. Rarity and I kept each other close, sure to keep on going and keeping the spirit of our friends alive by honoring the time they were alive and the sacrifices they made for us. Then the bombers came. In the dead of night, the area was blanketed in toxic gas. We rushed to the supply station and Rarity gave me a mask. As the gas swiftly filled the air I asked why she didn’t put hers on. Even in the gas her coat glistened white as she said that mine was the last one … and that gas masks don’t compliment her complexion anyway. Before I could give her mine, the gas took its effect and she was gone in moments. In generously giving me the only mask left, she saved my life.

Yet, with all the sacrifices my friends made for me, I will not be spared. Here I lay bleeding, about to die. Only fitting it be in the ruined parts of Ponyville, the former Library … the place I still call home. As for this letter, it contains a lesson. My final lesson that I have learned. No matter what may happen, true Friendship cannot be broken. Not even in the face of death. A true friend will give all they have and then even more just to save you … to save a friend.

War. Cold, dark, and brutal; yet rays of light still glimmer like glowing stars. As long as true Friendship exists, there is hope. So please, Princess, share this lesson to everyone you can. No matter what happens, keep it alive and spread the magic of Friendship so that when the war is finally over, you can look around and have each other.

Your Graduate,
Twilig--

Comments

[Rarity95]

i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/KarRedRoses/MLP%20Miscellaneous/A%20MLP%20Meme%20Folder/Yes-thispleasesAJ.jpg

[Error 404]

War.

War never changes.

i78.photobucket.com/albums/j85/GeometriX_Images/war_never_changes.jpg

[leaderofstars]

while the faces of the those who fight in war change each time, the ugliness of and the harsh reality of war brings never changes.

[Taylorthepega]

This is so sad....

[Dark0592]

holy shit...this seriously brought me milliseconds from shedding manly tears...god I can only imagine what Celestia would like like when she read through it.

[TwinkieSpy]

I was okay until I read about Rarity's death. Heroic sacrifices get me every time...

[The Bearded Bear]

When I read the description, I was reminded of this song.
So beautiful. Almost made me cry manly tears.
Dangit, you did!

[Aegis Shield]

I'm not sure the point of this fic. You killed off one character in every paragraph for five paragraphs, did a rather cliche "final letter" format, and didn't seem to have an agenda beyond murdering the mane cast and leaving a sour taste in the reader's mouth. No hope for the future, and no, there's no lesson to learn here, despite what you may have written. This was just dark gratuity, and did not bring anything new to the table.

May you be chewed on by timber wolves!

[THAT_1GUY89]

though the players names, faces, and methods change. a grim death await all who stay on the field.

[Azlan]

380809

I completely agree. It is, however, decently written on the technical point.

[Foregrip Butterfly]

380809So, you just fail to see the point. "New Content", (if thats what your looking for go somewhere else), may not always be the best. If you place values and morals ahead of something new, you might find that one story can live on for generations to come.

[Wild Charger]

Manly tears were bled a tiny bit, selfless sacrifices always seem to get to me.
I enjoyed this short read, thank you for making it!

[Electric Mane Six]

I liked the idea, but it read like one of Wikipedia's plot summaries.

[DrunkenClouds54]

So it was , , , , , and . I see what you did there. But in all seriousness, this made me tear up a bit. It's a shame she didn't get to finish her name! A lesson was actually learned despite what others are saying.

[Lord-Sparda]

Rest in peace....... My grandchild...... Rest easily knowing that you can be with your friends once more........... Go now...... And cross this new divide.......

[Mal2103]

Rarity ..... that was ......