Sonata de Equestria

by MyHobby

Fourth Movement: Part 1- Friendship's Finale

Friendship's Finale

Twilight Sparkle woke up to soft sheets and warm sunlight. She was covered with bandages. A blood bag hung beside her bed, feeding life into her body.

Her mouth tasted like puke.

There was a skitter of claws on a smooth floor. The familiar voice of Spike called out through the hallways. “Guys! Guys, she’s awake! Come see!”

Twilight waited in silence. As she looked around, it became clear that she was in Ponyville General, the town’s hospital. She had a room all to herself. Flowers decorated the windowsill, and “get well soon” cards were piled high next to her bed.

Ponies filed into her room. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy followed Spike. They all spoke at once, their voices lost in the din.

“Ugh,” Twilight croaked. “One… Water.”

“Sure thing, Twi.” Applejack produced a paper cup with a straw sticking out of the top. “Anythin’ else you need?”

“Speak… One. At. A. Time.”

“Of course, Twilight.” Rarity stepped forward. “First of all, let me say you’ve improved marvelously over the past few weeks.”

“Weeks?” Twilight said.

“Yeah, we found you all frozen in the palace. The one in the Everfree!” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down. “Well, I guess the ponies around town found you when they investigated the forest. They said there was this huge storm that scared away all the windigos! What a funny coincidence!”

Twilight’s lips cracked as she smiled. “Yeah. Crazy.”

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “You got your smile back!”

Twilight sipped at her cup. “Something like that.”

“We gotta send a letter to Celestia and Luna.” Rainbow Dash checked the bandages on her bad wing. “They’re gonna go nuts over you being okay. And alive.”

Twilight blinked. “Alive?”

“Well, you know…” Rainbow Dash snuffled hard. “It was kinda scary for a minute or two.”

“We’re so glad you’re alright,” Fluttershy said. “Now it really feels like a victory.”

Twilight tilted her head forward. Spike adjusted her pillow. She couldn’t help but notice that he seemed as tall and as long as a full-grown pony. “The Crystal Empire?”

“Gone.” Applejack took her hat off her head. “When the Crystal Heart got smashed—”

“Boom,” Pinkie Pie said.

“—the whole place just froze over. We thought it was the windigos at first. But they never got that far north.” Applejack turned the window and basked in the warm sun. “After the tower fell, both sides of the fight just stumbled back. The crystal ponies lost the will to fight after seeing their city fall, and Sombra’s five armies didn’t have any commanders telling them what to do.” She shrugged. “Celestia took charge and forced a truce.”

Spike rested his claw on Twilight’s foreleg. “The crystal ponies moved south with us. The griffons sailed back home, the diamond dogs ran to their burrows, and the timberwolves just crumbled after Sombra left.”

Twilight slurped at her water until it was gone. “Did you find Sombra?”

Nobody spoke until Spike crossed his arms. “We found him in the castle, too. Frozen solid, like you. But he was deader than dead. Reports say he ‘succumbed to internal trauma.’”

“Kinda weird.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “You expect villains like him to go out with an explosion or something.”

“We tried that already,” Applejack said. “Didn’t work.”

Rainbow Dash pointed at Applejack. “Point.”

“And the windigos?” Twilight asked.

“Celestia and Luna have been traveling around Equestria,” Fluttershy said, “teaching ponies how to cast the Hearth’s Warming Spell.” She pointed out the window. “It’s going well, so far. Even if…”

She pursed her lips. “Even if Manehatten and Fillydelphia were lost completely.”

Twilight stared at her empty cup. She passed it to Rarity, who tossed it into a waste bin. “Thank you all. For sticking by me.”

“That’s what friends do, Twilight,” Fluttershy said.

Applejack nodded. “That’s what family does.”

Twilight stretched her forelegs out. “I love you all.”

One by one, they gathered into the biggest group-hug Twilight could recall having been a part of.

---

“Is this really necessary, princesses?”

Celestia glared down at the severed head of Discord. “Necessary, prudent, preferable; the list goes on.”

Discord scoffed. “Come on, you’ve tried to keep me imprisoned twice now. What makes you think this time will be different?”

Luna brushed her mane out of her eyes. “Because this time we’re going to lock you up in the deepest vault we can find, with the largest locks we can forge. You are going to be shoved so far down into the depths of Equestria, legends will drift into myths, and myths shall dissolve into ideas. You will be so utterly buried that even the memory of you will be forgotten.”

Cadance nodded. “As it should be.”

Discord let a manic grin cross his face. “You can’t keep me cooped up forever. I will break free, you know that. I’ll have my time to cause chaos again.” He turned his eyes upward. “Who knows? Maybe I can influence the next Sombra.”

He called out to the six mares standing behind the princesses. “What do you say, Fluttershy? Care to become the next evil overlord?”

“No, thank you,” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Drat.” Discord’s yellowed eyes darted between the princesses. “Well? Let’s get it over with.”

Twilight Sparkle limped forward, supported on either side by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She shut her eyes and ignited her magic. Together, the Elements of Harmony shone with power. The Rainbow of Light streaked forward, showering Discord’s head.

He was once again turned to solid stone, his face frozen in an expression of dull resignation.

Celestia gave her head a firm shake and turned to Twilight. “How are you holding up?”

Twilight grinned as she wobbled on her legs. “No bad, considering they almost had to amputate.”

Rainbow and Applejack gently set her down in the grass. She looked around at the castle courtyard. “How are the repairs coming?”

“The tunnels the diamond dogs dug were filled in,” Cadance said. She lay next to Twilight and nuzzled her. “I think the rest of the castle is going to take a while to fix. It’s too expensive right now.”

Twilight nuzzled her back. She looked in Cadance’s eyes for a bit. “How are you holding up?”

Cadance looked up. Luna and Celestia were talking with the others about the price of stained glass windows and silver candlesticks. “Luna’s my mom. I don’t know what to do about that.”

Twilight eased her forelegs out from beneath her. She tugged at a bandage with her magic. “What do you want to do about it?”

Cadance shook her head. “What can I want? I’ve had mother figures. She’d be just another one atop the pile.”

Twilight flicked an ear. “But she’d be the one.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Luna said.

Twilight and Cadance’s heads snapped towards the little unicorn. Luna bowed her head. “I’m not your mother. I’ve never been a mother. I just gave birth to you.” She shuffled her hooves. “But if you would be willing, I would like to learn how to be one.”

Cadance rubbed her eyes. “We should talk later.”

Luna paused. She turned and walked off, heading for the rubble of the old library.

Cadance grinned a shallow smile Twilight’s way. “There’s another thing that we’re rebuilding. We’re working with private collectors to put together a new Royal Library.”

She slowly got to her feet. “Oof. I think I need to go for another jog around the castle. All this stress is making me put on weight.”

“Talk with you later, sis,” Twilight said.

“See you then, sister.”

---

Spike sat on the battlements of the castle walls. He stared out over the Everfree as Caterlot’s mages set the sun. His legs dangled in midair, kicking absently.

“It’s a gorgeous sight,” a voice said from behind him.

His claws reached out to dig into the masonry. He turned his head as his eyes grew wide. “Rarity! Hi. I thought you’d be inside.”

“I was.” Rarity leaned on the wall beside him. “Then Twilight and I noticed you weren’t there. Since the poor dear can barely walk, I volunteered to look for you.”

“I’m fine. I’m fine, thanks.” Spike half-smiled. “You can go inside and tell Twi I’m okay.”

“Oh, there’s time for that later.” Rarity let her curl hang over the edge as she looked down. “I wanted to say ‘thank you.’”

Spike twiddled his thumbs. “For saving your life?”

“And everypony else’s!” Rarity touched his shoulder. “Without you, there would not have been a victory in the Crystal Empire, I assure you!”

Spike looked at his claws. “I had to become a monster. How can that be a good thing?”

Rarity sighed through her nose. She crossed her forelegs and placed her elbows on the battlements. “Well, it certainly produced good things. If something can do good things, can it be truly evil?”

“Bees pollinate by accident.” Spike smiled, but it fell away when he caught Rarity’s perplexed expression. “Sorry. Bad joke. Twilight really doesn’t like bees.”

“Bees may pollinate by accident,” Rarity said, “but you were very, very deliberate about what you did out there. You chose to rescue me, and Rainbow Dash, and all the others. It’s wasn’t instinct that put you between the falling palace and your friends.”

“But what does that mean if I need greed to grow?” Spike slid down from the parapets and sat beside Rarity. “If I need to be selfish to grow, and I’m growing now, doesn’t that mean I’m getting more and more selfish?”

Rarity turned around. She scooted closer to Spike. “Were you, during that entire battle, thinking about yourself?”

“Well, I was kinda worried about falling off that cloud—”

“Seriously, though,” Rarity said. “Who were you thinking about?”

Spike scrapped a small furrow into the stone. “You.”

Rarity placed her hoof over his hand. “Perhaps you are greedy for your friends. Perhaps if you guard us jealously, you fulfill the requirements for dragon growth.”

She leaned close to him. “Perhaps greed will grow a dragon, but generosity helps them mature.”

Spike’s other hand snuck around and grabbed the tip of his tail. “How can we know for sure?”

“I don’t know that we can. But I know one thing…” Rarity stood up and held her hoof out to him. “You’re missed at the party.”

Spike stood up. He held out his arm, and she rested her leg in the crook of his elbow. “I dunno if you could call it a party.”

“Pinkie Pie’s there,” Rarity said. “It’s a party.”

---

“You’re really leaving?” Rainbow Dash said. She lay beside Martial Paw in the gardens as the stars appeared in the sky. Their tails looped around each other as Martial rested his neck against hers.

“Not forever,” he said. “But Celestia needs someone to find out where the Alicorn Amulet came from. And then put it back.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “And the dagger. The one that cuts out hearts.”

“I think it’s in the griffon kingdom, actually,” Martial sighed. “Chances are that King Andean already knows where it is.”

“Well… well, you’re not going alone.” Rainbow Dash stretched her healing wing and felt a twinge of pain. “I’m coming, too.”

“I can’t ask you to do that—”

“You didn’t.” Rainbow Dash sat up and looked down at him. She gave him a wry smile. “But if you didn’t want to be stuck with me, you shouldn’t have become my friend.”

“Pfft.” Martial stood up and stretched his talons. “It’s a trade-off I’m willing to live with. But we’d be gone for a long time. You’d basically be giving up years of your life.”

“Not giving up, that’s silly.” She pushed her hoof against his chest. “You’re the one who gave up your life. I’d be able to come back here any time I wanted. They’d never let you back.”

“Between you and me,” Martial said, “I’m not too broken up about it.” His eyes took on a distant look. “I don’t know how my family will take it, though.”

“Oh gosh. Dinner with our parents would be the single most awkward thing ever.” Rainbow Dash opened her eyes wide and grinned. “Hi! I’m the mare your son committed treason for!”

Martial chuckled. “Hay, I’m the griffon who kidnapped your daughter and carried her off to a hostile country! We make out!”

They leaned against each other and laughed for a good, long time. Rainbow Dash gave him a peck on the beak. “So, what say we go inside and have some cake. Pinkie’s Pie’s gonna charge out of the castle and bombard us with streamers if we don’t.”

“I’m up for some cake.” Martial spread his wings. “I could carry you if you want.”

“Ah… let’s just walk.” Rainbow Dash flapped her left wing. “I like to fly under my own power.”

Martial wrapped his foreleg around her shoulders. “Even when you can’t fly by yourself?”

“You won’t be able to keep me on the ground after this thing heals up.” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Let’s just build up the anticipation or whatever.”

Martial looked up at the stars. “Never mind that it’s a beautiful night.”

“Hay.” Rainbow Dash smirked. “A little mushy stuff now and then never hurt anypony.”

---

Twilight sat beside Celestia along the wall. She found herself dozing on and off, but was always awoken by another one of Pinkie’s shouts of jubilee. She resigned herself to saving rest for later. “So what happens now?”

Celestia had just taken a large bit of cake. She turned to her faithful student and quirked an eyebrow.

“You’re not an alicorn anymore. You and Luna can’t rule forever.” Twilight licked a dab of frosting stuck on the end of her nose. “So what happens when you can’t anymore?”

Celestia swallowed the cake that had suddenly lost its flavor. “Well, there’s Cadance…”

Twilight tilted her head to the side. “Yeah, and she’d do great—”

“And there’s you.”

“What?” Twilight pushed back. “No. No, no, no, no. There’s no way for that to work. I’m not an alicorn. She’s been an alicorn since birth!”

“There are other ways to create an alicorn besides the Alicorn Amulet,” Celestia said. “You’re a leader, Twilight. You’ve been learning under my tutelage, and the next few years will continue to do so.”

“I’ve done so much wrong! Made so many mistakes!” Twilight pushed herself to her hooves and hobbled away. “This isn’t right.”

“Twilight!” Celestia trotted after her. “Wait! You’ll mature! You can grow if you just—”

Twilight stumbled out of the room, leaving Celestia behind.

“Well…” Celestia looked to the ground. “That could have gone better.”

Twilight lay down in the hallway to rest. The shattered stained-glass windows let the moonlight in, which glinted off the floors. The marble tiles felt cool against her injured skin.

“I know. Let’s make a new government. Like maybe a democracy! Yeah! A big, complicated democracy where I’m not solely responsible for the lives of thousands of ponies! Or better yet, let’s just go back to the tribe system. Every family for themselves! Work together if you want, but nooo obligation! Heck, maybe I’m feeling partial to total anarchy! Can’t see any way for that to go wrong!”

She covered her head with her forelegs. A warm hoof rested on her shoulder blade.

“You know, Sugarcube,” Applejack said, “you ain’t always responsible.”

“But when I am, ponies get hurt.” Twilight blinked back tears. “Ponies have died because I made mistakes. My own brother died. How can I lead a country with those things sitting in the back of my mind?”

Applejack rubbed Twilight’s back. “You could ask the princesses how they did it.”

“What?”

“Think about it. All their friends are gone. Either because they made mistakes, or because somepony else made a bad decision.” Applejack wet her lips. “But we’re here now because you made some right decisions.”

Twilight rested her chin on Applejack’s leg. “Why can I only think about those who aren’t here? Shining Armor, Lyra Heartstrings, and the others? I don’t mean to forget about you guys, I am so thankful you’re alright, but—”

“Twilight, you’re gonna learn that the good always gets outweighed by the bad”—she poked Twilight’s forehead—“up here.” She placed her hoof against Twilight’s chest. “But down here, as long as you keep those memories around…” She smiled. “It’s all good.”

She wrapped her forelegs around Twilight. “Maybe someday the good down there will seep up here. Spread the love. Then you can remember them; let them drive you to do better.” She squeezed. “Then you’ll be better. Stronger. Wiser.”

Applejack chuckled. “For what it’s worth, ah’d follow you into the Pits of Tartarus. Ah trust you to always do what you think is right.”

“What if what I think is right… isn’t right?”

“Well, then hopefully you’ll let your friends smack some sense into yah.”

Twilight giggled. “Thanks.”

Applejack smiled. “Ah know you can’t trust yourself just yet. But ah trust you. We all do.”

Twilight stood up. She leaned on Applejack’s side. “Maybe I should talk with Celestia and try not to raise my voice.”

“That sounds like a right smart idea, Sugarcube.”

---

“‘Cause we got hope
A bit of hope
It’s when you know there’s more to do
Than sit and mope!”

Pinkie bounded around the room and sang her heart out. She twirled around with Rainbow Dash atop a table, giggling all the while.

“When you achieve the victory
Take a look back and see
That you won because you
Held onto your hope!”

Jigawatt leaned over his punch, sizing Big Macintosh up and down. “So that’s how this whole thing got started, huh?”

Fluttershy nodded alongside Big Mac. “Yes. I would never have had the strength to carry on without his help.”

“You’re one o’ the strongest mares ah ever met,” Big Mac said. “Sometimes our strength comes from others.”

Jigawatt sighed as he dropped his wings to his sides. “How could I not give you my blessing?” He lifted his glass. “I look forward to getting to know you, Big Mackinac.”

Angel Bunny snorted as he munched a carrot.

Fluttershy placed a hoof next to her mouth. “‘Macintosh,’ daddy.”

“Macintosh, then.” Jigawatt shook hooves with Big Mac and held a steady gaze. “If you hurt her, I’ll have an entire battery of thunderclouds waiting to fry you to a crisp.”

“Ah sure hope so,” Big Mac said with a small smile.

“And we’ll never back down
From an adversary
And we’ll never give up
The morals that we hold”

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash linked forelegs with Martial Paw and Applejack and spun through the room.

“Though the road ahead may
Look a little scary
There is hope
For us in this life
An end to the darkness
And to the strife”

Luna tugged at Celestia’s tail. “Come on, enjoy yourself for just a moment!”

“I was never good at dancing,” Celestia said. “You go ahead.”

“Poppycock!” Luna wrapped her foreleg around Celestia’s torso. “Let’s show them how we did it a thousand years ago!”

“I ‘did it’ like a wingless duck!”

“Come Cadance, it is time for the princesses to dance!”

Rarity joined in with the dance while Spike sat next to Twilight. He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Hay.”

“Hay, Spike.” Twilight leaned against him. “It’s good to see you.”

“Kinda hasn’t been a lot of that, has there?” He wrapped his tail around her torso. “I don’t think I’m gonna be riding on your back any time soon.”

Twilight’s head dipped down. “I’ll miss that.”

“Yeah, but I still get to be your number-one assistant.” Spike pointed a thumb at his chest. “Messages dictated, letters sent, libraries organized.”

“We don’t have a library anymore,” Twilight said, “but I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Not just a sentiment,” Spike said. “We’re gonna rebuild. Ground-up, full makeover, total redo. It’ll be just like old times.”

He looked down at his tall body. “Kinda.”

“Yeah.” Twilight looked over to where Celestia and Luna were performing dance moves not seen for a millennium. Poorly. “There’s a lot of things that’ll never be the same.”

Spike stuck his claw into a nearby slice of cake and licked the frosting. “Not all of it’s bad, though.”

Twilight smiled as Pinkie waved at her. She waved back. “Fair enough.”

With everypony who could dance dancing, Pinkie Pie jumped up on a chair and belted out the final chorus:

“‘Cause we got hope
A load of hope
It’s when you know there’s more to do
Than simply cope!

“When you achieve the victory
Take a look back and see
That you won because you
Held onto your hope!”

Author's Note:

Thank you very much for reading this far! I hope you enjoyed the story.