Loyalty
Rarity and Twilight arrived at the hospital only minutes after the doctors managed to shoo Fluttershy’s children out of the patient’s room. The scene proved far less chaotic than either of them had expected. They quickly gathered that the doctors had prepared for Fluttershy’s arrival in advance. This had not been a surprise to them.
“I do wish you’d told us earlier,” said Rarity. “How bad is it?”
“Bad,” said Macintosh. He sat beside Fluttershy’s hospital bed. She was tucked into the snow-white sheets from the neck down.
“It wasn’t always this bad,” said Fluttershy. “It was only a matter of time, though.”
The door flew open, and Rainbow Dash rushed inside. “I came as soon as I heard,” she said. “What’s the—oh.” She stopped as she caught sight of Twilight. “I’ll come back later.”
“Please stay,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t have much time left with you two. I’d rather you didn’t spend it fighting.”
Dash opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it. She edged her way into the room. “So what’s even happening?”
“They say it’s my kidneys,” said Fluttershy. “They’ve been getting worse for months, now. I wanted to stay on the farm as long as I could, but now…”
“So how long are you stuck here?” asked Rainbow.
“Weeks,” said Macintosh. “Maybe months.” His eyes never left Fluttershy’s.
“Until the end,” said Fluttershy.
“What, you mean you’re not even trying to fix it?” said Rainbow Dash.
“They can’t,” said Fluttershy. “The doctors said there’s no way to fix a dying kidney. All they can do is make me comfortable.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” said Rarity. “We would’ve been there for you.”
Macintosh looked up for the first time. “You were.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I don’t like everypony worrying about something you can’t change. We wanted to keep it to just the two of us for as long as we could. This way, I got to live a normal life for a little while longer.”
“Twilight,” said Rainbow, “you could turn—”
“No.”
“But if—”
“Let’s not do this,” said Twilight. “Not here, and not now.”
Rainbow Dash stared at her for the space of a long breath. She turned and left, slamming the door behind her.
Twilight sighed in frustration. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy.
“No, it isn’t,” said Twilight.
“No,” agreed Fluttershy. “It isn’t.”
Twilight closed her eyes and titled her head upwards, letting the sun’s warmth wash over her face. The hedge maze of the Canterlot gardens was in full bloom, nearly overpowering her earth pony senses with a barrage of life energy. Her awareness was sharpening as her control over her powers grew, and there was no end in sight. It was warm and bright beneath the noontime sun.
“You picked a good day for this,” Cadence said. She was curled up on the sweet grass, not far from the remains of the lunch they had shared.
“Celestia outdid herself this time,” Twilight said.
“She’s always impressed me, the way she can make each day fresh and beautiful.”
Twilight nodded. Now that she could appreciate the skill and power it took to control the sky, Celestia’s talent was more awe-inspiring than ever. “Did you ever learn to control the heavens?” she asked. “I’ve never seen you do anything like that.”
“No.” Cadence stood up and stretched. “My talents are different. You cosmic princesses have never been able to do what I do, either. Even Celestia can’t control or understand love at my level.” She walked to the hedge and plucked a lustrous yellow blossom.
“Then maybe you can help me. How do you handle it when somepony you love is dying?” Twilight opened her eyes and went to Cadence’s side. This was the real reason she had asked Cadence to come. “I’ve watched a lot of ponies die, and it’s never easy, but now it’s different. I’m not just watching, this time. I could save Fluttershy. I feel responsible for what’s happening.”
“You aren’t,” said Cadence. “Ponies die, eventually. You can’t stop every bad thing from happening, and it wouldn’t be good if you did. It’s like being a parent, in a lot of ways.”
“Wait,” said Twilight. “I thought you didn’t have children.”
“Not for a very long time. You wouldn’t know of them, probably, although you may have heard of Nocturne Sonata.”
“The Nocturne Sonata? Founder of Flankashire and father of Star Swirl the Bearded?”
“He had three other children, too,” said Cadence. Her gaze was fixed on her flower. “They were all special, even if they don’t have books written about them.”
Twilight stepped away from the hedge. “How old are you?” She had always assumed that Cadence was roughly her brother’s age, but in retrospect Twilight wasn’t sure where that idea had come from.
“I was born during King Sombra’s reign. I don’t make a habit of telling ponies. It puts too much of a barrier between us. I couldn’t live apart like that, the way Princess Celestia does.”
“And Princess Luna.”
Cadence grimaced. “I don’t think that sort of distance is good for Luna. I’ve talked about it with her, but you know how she is. She won’t even give up that silly dialect of hers. Her sister’s holding herself apart, so she’s doing it too, any way she can.”
“But we can reproduce. I was wondering. Except our offspring are mortal, and so we’d outlive—oh. Oh! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’re talking about the happiest decades of my life.”
“But still, at the end… I mean, I’m having a hard enough time watching Fluttershy die.”
“I won’t pretend it didn’t hurt.” Cadence turned, putting her back to the hedgerow. She released her blossom, letting it drift to the carpet of half-decayed leaves beneath the hedge. “You know how much it hurts when somepony you love dies, and of all the deaths I’ve seen, nothing comes close to my own children. I have to be… very careful. It’s been a century and a half since I last gave birth, and I still don’t feel ready to go through all that heartache again just yet. The hurt fades, though. You remember what you were like when Shining Armor died?”
Twilight nodded. “I was a wreck. Dash and Pinkie had to drag me out of the library just to get me to the funeral.”
“I wasn’t much better,” said Cadence. “I’ve lost five husbands, but never anyone quite like him. How does it feel now, though?”
“I miss him when I think about him,” said Twilight, “but mostly I’ve moved on.”
“Exactly,” said Cadence. “It’s no different now that you’re immortal. Ponies you love will die, and it will hurt, and you’ll recover, and you’ll find new ponies to love. Mortal or not, that’s what life is.”
“Does it ever get any easier?”
“No. It doesn’t. Every time it happens, I remind myself that the good times outweigh the pain, and that there will be more ponies in the future. It’s true every time, but… well, you can guess how much that helps in the moment.”
“In my experience, the only thing that really helps is time.”
“Yes,” said Cadence. “Time. We have a lot of time.”
“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” The distant pounding on her front door went on and on. It had been going on for some time, and ignoring it didn’t seem to make it go away. “I know you’re in there, Aunt Dash. You don’t have anywhere else to be.” Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself and curled up tighter on her bed.
There was the sound of a door opening, and hoofsteps approached through the house. “Stars above,” came Crabapple’s voice. “You live in here? It’s like an empty warehouse.”
Rainbow Dash hauled herself upright and made her way out of the bedroom, blinking against the afternoon light streaming into her living room. Crabapple was staring at the solitary couch that was the room’s only decoration. “This must be where furniture comes to die.”
“Hey, Crabs,” said Rainbow. “What’s going on?”
“You’re pulling a disappearing act,” said Crabapple. “Ponies down in the world are starting to worry.”
“You’re worried about me?”
Crabapple shrugged. “Pa is. He doesn’t have wings, though, so guess who has to come after you instead? Unless you wanna head down and talk to him, that is.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. Flying all the way down there to have a talk like that was not her idea of fun. “Today’s not a real good day for it, Crabs.”
“Thought so. That means you’re stuck with me, then.” He plopped himself down on the couch, frowned, and tried to shift into a more comfortable position. “Stars and snails, what is wrong with this thing?” He kicked a throw pillow to the floor and curled up in the newly vacated space. “Look, I don’t do subtle. Get your tail down there while Ma’s still alive.”
“You don’t even care why I’m staying up here.”
“You want compassion, go talk to Pa. Better yet, talk to Ma. All I care about is that you’re busy wallowing in something or other while Ma is dying. You’re not gonna do this to her.”
“Did she say anything about me not being there?” said Rainbow.
“Are you joking? Of course not. You could set the old bird on fire and she still wouldn’t complain. She’s noticed, though, believe me.”
“Alright,” said Rainbow. “I’ll go visit sometime.”
“Sometime? Sure, no rush. She’s got all the time in the world, right?”
“I said I’d go. You’re being a jerk about this, even for you.”
“You can’t expect somepony with a name like Crabapple to be a popular character, now, can you?” Crabapple settled himself more firmly on the couch. “I’ll just stay here until you go visit. That should be no problem, since I’m sure you were planning to go real soon.”
There had been birdsong, she remembered, and flowers. She had been walking alongside… alongside someone she loved very much, she didn’t remember who. She remembered contentment. Everything had been perfect.
It didn’t last. She drifted towards wakefulness, and the dream tore into wisps of half-remembered comfort. The complaints from her failing body grew more insistent. It wasn’t quite painful, at least not yet, but the pervasive weakness never left her limbs and chest, and her stomach teetered constantly on the brink of nausea. She was bearing it well, growing accustomed to the aches almost as fast as they worsened, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to give up and go to the hospital, never to leave.
She tried to hold fast to the last shards of her dream, to clasp them to her breast forever. She lay there, in that half-aware state on the border of sleep, for how long she didn’t know. The dream was nearly gone, but she was warm and comfortable. After a minute or an hour, a hoof gently shook her shoulder.
Fluttershy blinked her eyes open. These walls were unfamiliar, and this bed was not her own. She recognized only the face of the pony before her, but that was enough to set her at ease. “Where are we?” she asked.
“The hospital,” said Macintosh.
“Oh.” The memory clicked into place. She had been here for two weeks, almost. “That’s right.”
“Good dreams?” asked Macintosh, as he had every time she woke up here.
“Maybe. I don’t remember.”
“Somepony here to see you.”
“Who?” Fluttershy pulled herself into a sitting position. “Oh. Hello, Rainbow Dash.”
“Hey.” Rainbow was half-leaning on the doorframe. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay,” said Fluttershy. “I’m more worried about you.”
“Stars and thunder, you mean it.” Rainbow Dash made a sound that was three parts laugh and one part sob. “Even now, you’re still gonna watch out for us. If you put half as much work into taking care of yourself…”
“That wouldn’t do much good, now.” Fluttershy’s ever-present headache started to assert itself, but she refused to acknowledge it. “Thank you for coming by.”
“Yeah. Sorry it took so long.” Rainbow Dash went to Fluttershy’s bedside.
“You’ve been hiding.” It was a statement, not an accusation.
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash puffed herself up. For a moment, Fluttershy thought she was going to argue, but Rainbow deflated. “I guess. Yeah, I kinda was. I don’t really like all the…” She waved a hoof, encompassing the hospital room. “You know.”
“I know. It’s hard for everypony. You don’t have to deal with it alone, though. Your friends are there for you.”
“Well, Rarity’s there,” said Rainbow Dash. “Pinkie’s in Fillydelphia, and Twilight? Not so helpful.”
“Don’t have to be that way,” said Macintosh.
Fluttershy nodded. “I don’t like seeing the two of you fight like this. Can’t you forgive her?”
“Honestly?” said Rainbow. “No. Not while she’s gonna stand by and let you die.”
“Please don’t do this because of me,” said Fluttershy. “I lived a long time. I just watched my grandson get married. Dying is okay, now.”
“Is it? If Twilight came through that door right now and said she’d turn you into a princess, wouldn’t you be happy? I mean, maybe you could do it even without her help. I can try to find a way.”
“I’m not afraid of dying. I know this life isn’t the end for us. It can’t be.” Fluttershy rested a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “What’s happening now is natural. What you’re feeling is also natural, but it’s not Twilight’s fault. Please don’t take this out on her.”
Rarity levitated the wine bottle and filled her glass for the second time. “Are you sure I can’t pour you a cup, darling?”
“Yep,” said Center Stage. In the dim candlelight, she could pretend they were the only two ponies in the world. “Doc says I’m not supposed to touch the stuff. I swear, it’d be easier if she just gave me a list of things I can still eat.”
“In that case,” said Rarity, “I shan’t have any, either.” As delicious as it was—and it was a deliciously dry chardonneigh—there wasn’t much point if she couldn’t share it.
“Don’t even think about it. Maybe I can’t drink anymore, but they won’t stop me from watching my wife enjoy herself.”
“Dinner is served.” Sunstone came in from the kitchen, levitating two plates of a light floral salad, and set them on the small oaken table between his parents. “Happy anniversary, you two.”
“Oh, yes.” Center Stage inhaled deeply. “Smells great. What would I do without you?”
“Learn to cook, probably,” said Sunstone. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t let you two have the night to yourselves. I was going to be out with Honeycrisp, but she needs to take care of her mom. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it.”
“See?” Center Stage called at Sunstone’s retreating back. “We were right! You two do have a lot in common!”
Rarity sighed. “Please, darling. What’s happening to Fluttershy is no laughing matter.”
“Everything is a laughing matter!” Center Stage spread his forelegs with a dramatic flourish. “Either you laugh—”
“—or you go insane,” Rarity finished for him. She had heard him say it often enough. “Maybe I need to go a little mad, this time.”
Center Stage’s grin faltered. He put his hoof on Rarity’s. “I’m going to miss her, too.”
Rarity stared at her plate. “Considering my health, I didn’t think I’d live to see this.” She poked a fork at her salad, holding it with her magic rather than move her swollen legs. “I’m sorry. Tonight is supposed to be a happy night.”
“Can I be happy that you did live to see this? The world is a much nicer place with you still in it.”
Rarity felt a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “I must say I prefer it this way, too.”
“Yeah! Plus, if you were gone, I’d have to make my own suit for the Summer Sun Celebration, and we both know how badly that would go. How’s that coming along, anyway?”
Rarity felt herself relax as she started talking about her latest project. Center Stage always knew how to cheer her up, even when Rarity knew exactly what he was trying to do. The wine was excellent, the salad was better, and the company best of all. The evening was every bit as magical as Rarity had hoped.
It lasted for hours, but it seemed like no time at all before it was over. Soon enough, the two of them were making their way upstairs, towards their bedroom and rest.
They had only gone up four steps when she fell. One moment she was leaning on her husband as they climbed, the next her hooves were sliding out from under her. Her chest slammed into the hard wooden lip of a stair, sending a lance of pain through her body. She tumbled down the rest of the short fall and landed with her right hindleg twisted under her. Rarity’s world shrank to a small lump of agony.
When she regained her senses, Sunstone and Center Stage were standing over her. “…said they’d go get a doctor,” Center Stage was saying. “She should get here soon. I hope.”
The line of burning pain across her chest worsened every time she drew breath. Her hip hurt even worse. Looking down, Rarity saw her leg sticking out at an unnatural angle. She tried to ask what was happening, but all that came out was an incoherent moan. Center Stage knelt down beside her. “I’m sorry, my jewel. I’m so, so sorry.”
“It’s my fault,” said Sunstone, pacing back and forth. “Sun and Moon, I should’ve been there.”
“Nopony expects you to watch her every moment,” said Center Stage. “It’s not as though you’re her mother.”
“Not your fault,” Rarity croaked. “I fell.”
“I dropped you, you mean,” said Center Stage.
“Not your fault,” Rarity repeated.
“Can you move?” said Sunstone.
Rarity tried to put her hooves under her. A stabbing pain ripped through her rear hip. “Aaah!”
“Probably not, then.” Center Stage put his forehooves on her shoulders, gently holding her in place. “Hold still. Help will be here soon.”
Crabapple was in the hospital when the princess arrived. He was a real sweetheart, Fluttershy knew, even if no one else saw it. For all his gruff words, he spent almost as much time at Fluttershy’s bedside as his siblings. Her son was all bark and no bite.
The princess appeared in a burst of incandescence that made the antiseptic hospital room glow like the dawn for half a moment. Crabapple hopped back and Fluttershy froze momentarily, but Macintosh only blinked as Celestia materialized.
“Oh!” said Fluttershy. “Hello, Princess.”
Celestia beamed. “Good evening, my little ponies. It’s so good to see all of you.”
Crabapple recovered himself quickly. “Most ponies knock,” he said.
Celestia half-turned towards him. “Oh, I like this one.”
“You’ve met,” said Macintosh.
“Have we?” said Celestia.
“We have?” said Crabapple.
Fluttershy nodded. “You were two years old when I took you to visit the palace.”
“Oh!” Celestia smiled. “I remember. You bit my sister, as I recall.”
Crabapple blinked. “I bit a princess.”
Celestia nodded. “She thought it was adorable. Eventually.”
“Hah! Priceless.” Crabapple shook his head. “I bit a princess!”
Fluttershy would have loved to listen to them go on, but she knew that wasn’t why Celestia had come. “You’re here to say goodbye,” she said.
“Yes. We’ve had some wonderful times together, Fluttershy. Equestria is a better place because you were in it. I’ll be sorry to see you go.”
“Oh. Thank you. It’s been nice.” Fluttershy took a moment to steady herself as a wave of nausea washed over her. They were coming more and more frequently, but this one passed quickly. “I’m so tired, though. It will be good to rest.”
“Not just yet, you won’t,” said Crabapple. “There’s still some life in you.”
“If there’s anything I can do for you, while there’s time,” said Celestia, “you’ve more than earned it.”
“Just take care of my friends, is all. They’re going through a hard time.”
“Of course.” Celestia nodded solemnly. “I take care of all my ponies.”
“Twilight, too,” said Fluttershy. “I know she’s a princess, but she’s still the same Twilight she always was.”
“I’ll watch out for her. Don’t worry.”
“Good,” said Fluttershy. “That’s good. Now… excuse me, Princess, but I’m very tired. I think I need to rest.”
“Hi, Honeycrisp.” Sunstone stood before a workbench covered with fastidiously organized rows of pliers, drills, files, and brushes. He was working on a bronze hoop of just the right thickness to slip over a pony’s foreleg. It was studded with settings for jewels, although only a few had been fitted with lapis stones so far. The order was overdue, thanks to the time he’d spent at his mother’s side in the hospital, but Miss Bon Bon had been very understanding. The doctors said Rarity should be able to leave the hospital in a few weeks, although it was anyone’s guess whether she would walk again. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today. What’s the occasion?”
Honeycrisp nodded a greeting. “I came to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” Sunstone gave her a blank look. “I don’t understand. I thought you were enjoying this.”
“Oh, I did, believe you me. Next time I’m around, reckon I’ll drop by and see if you’re still available. Still, it’s time I was moving on. I got a ship to catch, and it ain’t gonna wait for me forever.”
“What, you mean you’re leaving town?” Sunstone went from confused to incredulous. “With your mom the way she is?”
“I don’t plan on waiting around for her to die. The rest of the world ain’t stopping. I’m glad I got to see her when I did, but I ain’t built to stay in one place. Ma understands.”
“Does she?”
“As well as she ever understood me.” Honeycrisp shrugged. “Some apples fall further from the tree, is all. Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know.”
“Right.” Sunstone set down his tools. “I can’t convince you to stay, can I?”
“You know me better than that.”
“I guess I do. Well, I enjoyed the time we had. It was…” He searched for the right word. “Fun.”
“It sure was.” Honeycrisp grinned. “You oughta have fun more often. There’s a big world waiting for you out there, you know. Anyway, I need to get moving. My train leaves before too long.”
Sunstone watched as Honeycrisp walked out of his shop and out of his life.
Twilight Sparkle gazed into the depths of the heavens. She was using the same reliable telescope that had sat on the library’s balcony for a lifetime and more, but she saw nuances that had been invisible to her eyes even a few months before. It reminded her of the grandfather clock in her childhood home. It had always been a thing of beauty, and as a foal she had spent hours entranced by its legs’ steady motion. One day, her mother had taken the clock apart to show Twilight how it worked. The two of them went over every spoke and gear before putting the clock back together. Twilight’s love for the old device had doubled on that day. Thereafter, every time she looked at its face, she imagined the harmonious choreography of its inner workings. She looked at the night sky in the same way.
There was a knock at the front door, far below. Twilight looked up, still suffused with the peace of the stars. She teleported downstairs with an idle thought, opened her door, and froze. Her calm drained away in an instant.
“Twilight.” Rainbow Dash stood outside, bouncing from hoof to hoof as if she wanted nothing so much as to turn tail and run. Her eyes were red, although she had wiped away the tears.
Twilight scowled. “No. I can’t do this again.” She pushed the door shut.
Rainbow’s leg shot forward. She winced as her hoof caught between door and frame, holding it open. “Twilight, please! I have to talk to you. It’s about Fluttershy. Please. It’s important.”
Twilight hesitated. She had never heard anything like the plaintive note in Rainbow’s voice. Seeing her friend… seeing her former friend looking so broken should have made Twilight feel superior, but instead it just felt wrong, like when Pinkie Pie had refused to attend her own fortieth birthday party.
She relented, releasing the door and letting Rainbow Dash push it open. “Okay then, for Fluttershy. What is it?” She kept one hoof on the door, ready to slam it shut again.
“You know what it is! She’s dying! Please… please don’t let her die.”
“You know better than that,” snapped Twilight. “That gift isn’t for everyone.”
“I’m not asking you to do it for everyone!” Rainbow Dash was shouting. Her wings quivered as she fought the urge to flare them outwards. “I’m asking you to do it for Fluttershy! Please!” Her voice broke. “Please. Just Fluttershy. Only her. She doesn’t deserve to die.”
Despite herself, Twilight felt her heart soften. “I’m sorry. I really am. I can’t do that.”
“You can! You have to!” Rainbow Dash sank to her front knees. “Please. You were right. About everything. It really is for the best, and I just didn’t want to die. You’re right. I’m selfish, I’m a coward. You should, you should let me die. But please, not Fluttershy. Not her, too.”
Twilight looked away. “Get up,” she said. “You look like a fool.” There weren’t many ponies outside the library at this time of night, but the few passers-by had stopped to stare at the spectacle.
“And what does Fluttershy look like? You’ve seen her, Twilight. It’s much worse than…” Rainbow’s voice choked off. She took several deep breaths before she could speak again. “It’s much worse than this. You can save her. Please.”
“You know I want to—”
“Then do it!”
“If I start down that road, I’ll never be able to stop,” said Twilight. “Pretty soon we’d have dozens of princesses, maybe even hundreds. How would we rule Equestria then? It would be chaos. That’s more important than any one pony.”
Rainbow Dash crawled forward and clutched Twilight’s foreleg. “Please, Twilight. I’ll never ask you for anything again. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll tell everypony you were right. I’ll leave Equestria, you won’t ever have to see me again. I don’t care. Anything. Just, please. This is Fluttershy I’m talking about. Don’t let her die. You can’t let her die.”
“What about my duty to Princess Celestia? What about my duty to all of Equestria?”
“What about your duty to your friends?”
“That’s ENOUGH!” Twilight’s voice rose to a shriek. She couldn’t take this anymore. “You know how this works as well as I do! I can’t do everything I want to!” She seized Rainbow Dash in a telekinetic grip and shoved her away. The old pony fell to the grass in a tangle of legs and wings, letting out a sound that was half shout, half wheeze. “I have responsibilities now that are bigger than us! This is what has to happen!” Rainbow Dash lay gasping in the dirt. The crowd had grown beyond a dozen ponies. “Now get out of here before you disgrace yourself any more than you already have.” Twilight slammed the door.
It had been only a few days after Honeycrisp left that Fluttershy’s condition took a turn for the worse. Now, Golden Apple stood vigil beside the bed where her mother dozed fitfully. Macintosh sat next to her; Golden Apple hadn’t seen him away from his wife’s side since coming back to Ponyville. The sun was almost down, so Golden Apple was expecting Crabapple to arrive any minute and take her place. They were making sure at least one of Ma’s children was present at all times, just in case.
The door flew open, but it wasn’t Crabapple who came through. “Aunt Goldie! How is—”
“Hush, dear. She’s asleep.”
“Sorry.” Apple Sprout had the grace to look abashed. “How is she?” he asked, quieter, as Honey Pie came in and shut the door.
“Not good,” Golden Apple whispered. “She’s not awake very much, anymore. I’m glad you’ve come. I know this isn’t what you wanted to do with your honeymoon.”
“There’s nowhere we’d rather be, right now,” said Honey Pie. “I was so worried we wouldn’t make it in time.”
Fluttershy’s eyes flickered open. Macintosh leaned in and nuzzled her. “Good dreams?”
“Good morning, dear.” Fluttershy smiled up at him.
Golden Apple leaned in close. “Ma. Guess who’s come to see you.”
“Is Honeycrisp back?”
Golden Apple froze with a brittle smile on her face. She wasn’t sure how to answer. Disappointing her mother at this stage just seemed cruel.
Apple Sprout stepped forward. “Hi, Granny.” He carefully embraced Fluttershy’s fragile body.
“Oh, Sprout. It’s so good to see you. I hope you didn’t come all this way just for me.”
“We have news for you,” said Honey Pie. “You’re going to be a great-grandmother.”
Macintosh coughed. “That was fast,” he said. Apple Sprout blushed, but his grin didn’t fade.
“That’s so wonderful.” Fluttershy fought a yawn. “I wish I could see her.”
“You will.” Apple Sprout clasped her hoof with both of his own. “It won’t be too long. You will.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy said vaguely. “Good.” She settled back into the bed. Her family watched, unwilling to disturb her, as Fluttershy drifted back into sleep.
The day of the funeral was warm and bright. Puffs of cloud speckled the noontime sky. Birdsong filled the air in the lush green meadow where the mourners had assembled. At the center, a lightless hole gaped open like a wound in the world. The coffin sat unmoving in the darkness.
Twilight stood beside the pit, her stomach a riot of grief and guilt. Fluttershy’s absence burned like a hot coal, but she could not cry. She had spent too long anticipating this, she realized. Twilight had argued that Fluttershy’s death was necessary, and now that she had convinced herself, the cool, logical core of her mind refused to mourn. Twilight could not forgive herself for that.
Beside her, Macintosh had no such problem. He was sobbing silently, his face a portrait of the heartache Twilight was unable to let herself feel. He looked lost, even dazed, as though he could not quite understand what was happening.
Twilight laid a comforting hoof across Macintosh’s withers. “I’m sorry this had to happen,” she said. The words were hollow and inadequate, but she made herself say them anyway.
“Ain’t your fault,” Macintosh said. Twilight felt like he had read her mind. She glanced to the edge of the crowd, where Rainbow Dash still lurked on the fringes, as she had throughout the funeral.
Reluctantly, Twilight walked from the grave, making room for Pinkie Pie and the rest of the oncoming mourners. She looked back to Rainbow Dash, who watched with a face like an unmarked tombstone. Twilight turned away, then changed her mind. She felt like she had lost two friends, lately, but one of them could still be regained. Twilight changed course and went to Rainbow, steeling herself to withstand the accusing glare.
“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “I haven’t been a good friend. I walked away when you needed me most, and… and…”
Twilight trailed off, transfixed by Rainbow Dash’s glare. Twilight had gazed into the mad eyes of Discord and beheld Nightmare Moon’s leer with all its jealousy and spite. She had faced down the boundless rage of the First Dragon and the changeling queen’s all-consuming hunger and the emotionless void that was the King With No Face. None of that prepared her for the contempt she saw in Rainbow’s eyes right now. Twilight stood transfixed, too shocked even to step away.
The two of them stayed that way for half a minute. Finally, Rainbow Dash broke the stillness. Without breaking eye contact, she spat at Twilight’s hooves. Rainbow turned her back and stalked away, leaving Twilight Sparkle alone with the crowd.
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And that is why you're not a princess, Rainbow Dash.
I think Twilight is being pretty mean. Fluttershy, out of all the mane six besides Twi, is pretty fit to be a princess. but Twilight is being so mean to RD, yet she is doing the right thing.
I'm so sadddd
Man, I really really like this. Although, Twilight's arguments always seem a little weak whenever she argues with RD. She's pretty smart, I feel that she could justify herself a lot better than "Soon everybody will be Alicorns and it will be chaos." That's quite a leap of logic.
It's monday the 22nd, not Tuesday. Or do you mean Tuesday?
no,rainbow dash has not been a good friend at all.
Oh jesus. That 9th paragraph from the end, my heart hurts. Oh my gosh this is so sad and so perfect. Can't wait for Chapter 4. Keep up the good work.
2458219 But the chaos would be glorious. I'm all for it! At least we'd have time enough to sort it out.
Oh damn, Dash. Damn.
Its very well written. I really like your writing style and am glad to see the quality has continued to stay high.
Twilight and Celestia seem to represent logic while Rainbow Dash represents emotion. All of them are right in their own sense. However, I also feel that the element of loyalty, who would feel the deaths of her friends the most, should also stay loyal to the ones that are still alive, such as Twilight.
2458234
Fixed, thanks.
2458293
I kinda feel like she's got her loyalty in order of priority. If she can wrench some help for her friends that are busy dropping like flies out of Twilight, then she'd probably work on an apology for Twilight. I suppose if she's the last one left at the end (looks like Rarity is next, which will just leave Pinkie Pie and RD on the death list) maybe she'll give it up and make amends with Twilight as her last act. Or the element of loyalty may be more complex than that, I mean, see Griffon the Brush off for instance, where she essentially cuts ties with an older friend she feels is no longer worthy of loyalty. Or it's possible she could just lose the element of loyalty. Evidently Celestia and Luna embodied some or all of them at one point, and no longer, so that's a thing.
It is a classic Catch-22. Saving them will cause large problems down the line, not saving them will cause a different set of problems from Dash dissolving them friendships and Twilight living with the regret for eternity.
As the Princesses have pointed out, it is the downside to being an immortal Alicorn that Twilight has to watch them grow old and die. On the other hand, Dash's grieving is making things harder on both sides of the debate.
2458199
indeed she is,but not everypony can be a princess,even if they are fit to be one.
2458199
Out of all the Mane 6, Fluttershy is the least fit to be immortal, or at least, second only to RD.
Her psyche is totally unfit to endure countless successions of friends and family dying on her. It would be Nightmare Moon all over again.
the feels...
What happened with Rarity? She fell and broke something, but then there wasn't anything else on that situation... At her age, it's a bad thing of course, but what's happening? Is she next, or did she somehow pass, unnoticed?
Lots of arguments for and against, but my personal opinion is that Twilight's not using the full force of her argument, not that Dash is in a frame of mind, or really... intelligent enough... to understand the long-term ramifications of Twilight starting to break the natural order. Doesn't really help that Celestia/Cadence are a bit lazie faire about it all.
I'm glad Celestia showed her face. Fluttershy and all the Mane 6 are more than just a fraction of the sea of ponies that have passed by Celestia. They returned one of the lights of her life, Luna, back to Equestria.
2458355
Arguments about the ethics of making them immortal aside, I don't think it's just a matter of making Dash see what she's talking about. I know I for one, even IF I presented with an argument that made me absolutely agree with Twilight's case, don't think I could just go "oh, okay then, I guess I'll just wait for mine and my friends' inevitable deaths that will come in the next few weeks/months". Self preservation shines through everything else. Call it selfish, but being an atheist that doesn't have any warm and fuzzies about what will come after, I can't help it.
Rainbow Dash entreated the wrong princess. She had a better chance with ANY of the other three.
Mmf. I've already said my piece on this debate. Celestia is wrong, Twilight is wrong, Rainbow Dash is right. I only hope Twilight will realize it before she has to bury any more of her friends.
That said, I wouldn't say anybody is being a bad friend. Short of actually re-evaluating their stances on the issue, they're acting very well. I can't blame them for that. Introspection is hard! I think it would be best if Twilight and Celestia re-examined the issue and figured out that they're mistaken, but if they're not going to do that... Well, they're doing pretty well.
Life is a catch-22, doesn't matter what choice you make. You'll have positives and negatives regardless of what you choose. Dash seems to believe there's a magic bullet solution, there isn't.
2458453 Yeah, not dying is always a pleasant idea at first. But, I believe that after a century, since humans and ponies don't seem to live much longer than that, one would have had many years to see everything to the point that upon death, one would be satisfied. You wouldn't have to watch as your original values that were instilled in the generations after you became soured by misinterpretation and corruption. You'd pass on with the belief that you had done your very best and those after you could carry on your legacy.
"Pretty soon we’d have dozens of princesses, maybe even hundreds. How would we rule Equestria then? It would be chaos."
Um, no. Just because you're a certain race does not mean you have to hold a certain occupation.
2458457
Well, I mean, technically there is a sort of magic bullet solution. Magical alicorn and all that jazz.
2458471
It's kinda funny. If you talk about suicide, people are all like "oh no don't do that over such a small thing! Life is too precious!" But if you talk about immortality, suddenly everyone is advocating it. "Oh what if you get bored or feel bad about times changing! Clearly it's better to be dead!" I mean, I like dark humor and often joke with my friends when we're bored with nothing to do that it's "time to kill ourselves", but jeez.
2458494
See, that's their state religion, "harmony". They imprisoned Discord for a thousand years for being wacky, of course ponies should die for the sake of preventing chaos!
2458324
That's pretty much all I could say. Things are not going to be easy either way. That's all I dare say as well... things might get worse from here, from the tone I'm picking up.
2458331 Fluttershy said that she believes n reincarnation as any type of animal, so I think that she wouldn't be very affected by seeing generations of ponies dying, she would become a good princess of kindness or nature.
2458519 Sorry if it came across with the whole "suicide" vibe. My whole point is that mortality gives someone a goal to strive towards before they're gone. It gives the limited time a sense of greater purpose.
I just want to start by saying that this is a masterfully written story. I had not thought I would be so moved by this scenario, one that seems to have been tossed around too generally throughout the fandom lately. This story has done what many of the others like it (comics, artworks, videos etc.) have failed to do. It made me feel something for real. I felt like there was enough to really make me sad rather than just pull at my heartstrings because the creator was killing characters that I held near and dear to my heart. I love the interwoven families that you've given them. I love the characterization of all their children and grandchildren and I love how they are becoming characters in their own right in this story, because all too often the children of the mane-six are just bad knock-offs of their parents with no real character traits that are their own. My only problem with this story was Twilight. I feel that after her long life (84 years? I don't remember from the previous chapter) she should be a little wiser, a little more understanding and perhaps a little more prepared for this. Although, I want to say it doesn't distract me from the story. I understand her outbursts and her eventual retreat into herself during the fight in this chapter. She probably has been avoiding this concept until her friends actually started dying and now has to come to terms with it. I also really liked that she went to Cadence for help with this matter and I love that you gave Cadence a little bit of a back story. Okay, now that my critique is out of the way, discussion! (I love that you put questions to think about at the end of your chapters! It's fun to comment and to see what others are thinking) . I think neither of them have been good friends. Rainbow is asking something she knows Twilight won't give her and is just being stubborn. I understand her, but find her actions harsh and her lack of comprehension towards the situation offsetting. I think it is right in her character, so no problems there. It's just this is a side of Rainbow we don't often see, so desperate and afraid; because under all her spit and vinegar, that is the bottom line, she is afraid of losing herself and her friends. This is no surprise as she is Loyalty after all! I find Twilight's manner to be very cold towards Rainbow, I think this is chalked up to the fact that she doesn't know what to do in this situation and that is going to mess with her, Twilight always knows what to do, right? Right?
I think this story comes less down to what choice Twilight makes (seriously, she is not going to make them all princesses, it's completely illogical. While they have all saved Equestria and are all heros and great ponies, probably some of the best ever, they are not (none of them) fit to rule. Also this isn't a country with a council of rulers, it's a monarchy for crying out loud!) than how her friends, Rainbow in particular (since the rest of them seem to understand that life and death happen naturally and changing the natural order is wrong) deal with the consequences. That was long!
Sorry! I really love this and can't wait for more! Also, be warned when you tell people to discuss, you get people like me who come in and BAM nearly write a paper on it! Good work!
2458539
I meant it more in jest. Sorry if that didn't come across.
2458494 She means that there would be lots of immortal ponies, and it would be unfair to make some ponies immortal while letting the others die.
Like when your brother gets a video game for Christmas and you get clothes.
Two down 3 to go. I bet Rainbow's death scene will be wrenching. Can't wait.
Heck, if Cadence can stand losing her kids and her husbands, than Twilight should be a able to steel herself for the future. Being a leader means putting the future and the country before your friends sometimes. That's just the way it is.
2458585 It's cool.
Ok, small problem that seems to pervade the fandom, even after Magical Mystery Cure.
Being an Alicorn doesn't immediately make you a princess. They even called Twilight an alicorn before she was crowned a princess.
Alicorn != Princess
As to the question at the end of the chapter? Rainbow is trying to remain loyal to Twilight, but Twilight's brainwashed state isn't making it easy. Celestia is responsible for that.
Also, while we are given a sense of progress for families and events, has Equestrian science and civilization advanced any? In the show they have an understanding of radiation, enough for Xrays and hazmat suits. They can also heal broken limbs in mere days. They have computers even.
One would think their medical science has grown by now. Heck, they can do hip replacements. Why no discussion about life extension sciences? Are they secretly shut down by this Celestia and her blind views?
This version of Celestia really seems to have screwed over their society behind the scenes. All those rationalizations to why death is good and "Natural". Hah. In the show Ponies are freakishly anti natural. They move in and wreck ecosystems until said ecosystems can't function without them anymore. They control animal migrations. They control the seasons. They ship water for rain on an industrial scale. They manufacture snow. They help trees lose their leaves for winter. They can make apple trees grow in a desert and thrive.
They consider the Everfree with it's uncontrollable magic to be unnatural. Natural for them is a controlled environment.
They murder "Natural". Death isn't "Natural", it's cellular wear and tear because the parts can't be replaced.
i think the problem here is twilight is talking to others about her problem with dash, she needs to get the others to talk to dash about the problem.
2458293 Twilight and Celestia seem to represent logic while Rainbow Dash represents emotion.
I think you have it backwards. An argument isn't logical because it sounds grim and unpleasant. An argument is logical if and only if it is correct. Emotions often disguise themselves as reasons, and bad, wise-sounding arguments. Much "wisdom" is actually an emotional defense against reason that obscures it with vague metaphysics.
Depressing. Very... VERY depressing story. But it's an amazing story.
i still don't get why you people don't get the concepts, here. I've read FIVE of these "everypony gets old and dies" stories on here. I just read one earlier today that used a nasty twist at the end that deserved (but didn't get) the vitriol you guys are handing this author! and it ALSO used Alicorn Twilight, who refused the immortality that came with the Alicorning.
c'mon, people, mortality is what we all eventually face. it's just that SOME of us are a lot closer to it. How many of you people have already lost your grandparents before you even got to know them? I've been to eight or nine funerals already in my lifetime.
now that that's said...I think it will take Celestia herself telling Dash why they can't be promoted for her to get it through her thick skull. we all know people like that, and it's perfectly in character for Dash to act like this.
2458736
I think that combining the Singularity that I expect, and the magic in the show would really ruin both.
Perhaps they should be able to do the same things that we look forwards to in the real world, nonetheless, we have been hampered by both the predictions of our scientists in the past(whose great enthusiasm when interviewed waned as they became aware of reality), and the religious conviction that mankind is meant to live three score and ten.
Also, immortality is a dangerous road, especially in real life. Not the kind of buffed up-immortality that I expect Celestia, Luna, Cadence, or Twilight to have, but the ability to live forever is inherently dangerous to the human mind. We run into dementia, for the most part, as we approach ages where we might have to deal with such consequences, after that, if dementia is banished as is age, then what do we become?
Probably there would be a lot of monsters for a while, eventually we would get over it like any other phase.
But then, even in the best predictions for immortality here on earth, we are not gifted with the massive power that the Alicorns inherently have. If you are part of a race of supermen, when the men can depend on you to defend them, are you going to be pressed into such a service? I don't have an answer to that. I think that there will be a lot of twisted minds born in the next hundred years, perhaps more than ever before, nonetheless, immortality must be worth it. I would go for it. It can't be real though.
Immortality can never be real.
Gods must look up and see something above them, if humanity has the instinct, it will carry on to whatever we become, and no matter how powerful we can be, we will always look upwards, and pray for protection. Such is the weakness of the psyche.
2458494 They're not just unaging, they're totally unkillable and have constantly increasing power. Celestia's one mistake nearly destroyed the world. If they started doing it to everypony, there'd be chaos and everypony not immortal would probably die. At least, that's Celestia's entirely reasonable, evidence-based prediction.
2458878
Goddamn that has got to be the greatest quote I've ever read, and I found it on a website for My Little Pony fanfiction.
Also, for this chapter
replygif.net/i/759
2458889
Constantly increasing power? What do you mean by this? Learning new magic tricks? I think only the dedicated, high powered ones that are doing experiments with new spells are gaining new power, and even then I imagine only gradually. If you meant something else, you're going to have to enlighten me because I don't know what other way they're growing more powerful.
That seems like a bit of a dire prediction. In any case, not if they made ALL of them immortal like RD's suggestion. But of course maybe not all of them want to be immortal. I guess you'd have to weigh that against forcing everyone else that wants to keep on living to die for their sake. Not saying it's an easy answer, but then again, that is only with the worst case scenario.
2458226 Okay, if you're referring to the process as surrounded by something, you're right, but scientists tend to regard processes like this in perfect isolation, in order to have a baseline to which they can apply the surrounding variables, as it were. Also, exothermic reactions with decreasing entropy (like this one) will take place even in a hypothetical perfect vacuum, where there is nothing that can absorb the energy, speed up its movement and thereby increase entropy.
Compare this to a different reaction, also extremely exothermic: burning pentane. Out of nine molecules (one pentane plus eight O2-oxygen molecules), you get eleven - five of carbon dioxide and six of water. This reaction is both exothermic and increases entropy, so there are no hypothetical conditions under which it couldn't happen - as long as you've got pentane, oxygen and a push of energy to start the reaction (which is required by every reaction), it will burn, whether at .0005 Kelvin or at the surface of a star. This simply isn't true of the knallgas reaction - the balance between exothermia and entropy decrease will turn at some point (that point being when T x dS > dH). In this case, that point is almost ludicrously high, but it does exist. As a counterbalance, there are reactions that are endothermic, but increase entropy; those need a certain temperature level to start at all. Pour water onto carbon at room temperature, and nothing happens; do the same at around 1000 Kelvin, and they react to hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
2459015 It seemed pretty clear that in addition to learning new tricks through study, Twilight was getting stronger magically just by spending more time as an alicorn.
I don't think they can actually turn everyone immortal at once; they certainly won't be able to do that soon. They have to do one pony at a time and it takes Celestia's personal intervention *or* a fully realized set of Harmony bearers which they don't have. So in any reasonable scenario, you're going to have more mortal ponies being born than they can turn immortal, at least for hundreds of years until they've accumulated enough powerful immortals to speed up the process.
...I can think of a way they could do this safely, though. Turn ponies immortal before they die, then banish them to someplace so far away that they can never return. You can call it 'the afterlife'.
Got a bad feeling that if Twi and RD make up at all, it won't be until Dash is the only non-alicorn of the mane 6 left...
This is a hard thing to find a "good" solution for because it's not really something humanity has ever had to face.
I think it's best compared to "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas." The world is so close to paradise, but it can't quite be offered to everyone (in Omelas it is only a single individual who suffers, as opposed to the majority, but the kind of problem is similar).
The Omelas story doesn't really offer a solution either; some are upset by the injustice, but they know helping the suffering one will bring paradise crashing down. The title refers to the (few) people described at the ending of the short story, who refuse to accept the situation (but cannot in good conscious "fix it" either) and simply abandon the city, and the story ends with:
"The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas."
If you take the Princesses' claims that making more Alicorns would be a mistake as fact, then I think that the story is correct in saying that, if a solution exists, it is entirely beyond our understanding.
If you somehow weren't forced to read it during school, Check out the classic short story here: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/dunnweb/rprnts.omelas.pdf
2459111
I think you are right. We are going to see Rarity die in the next chapter, then Pinkie Pie after that. And it will be down to RD and Twilight.
Now at that point, either Twilight will give in and make RD an alicorn, or RD will die and Twilight will finally realize that she has lost all her friends that she could have saved.
Another great chapter! Can't wait to see what happens to Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and the rest of the gang. I'm loving this story so far, keep it comin'!
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(P.S. Woah. I was listening to my iPod whilst reading this when the song "Some Say" by Sum 41 came on. The lyrics match almost perfectly! It's, like, so crazy!
(P.P.S. Yes, I am one of those "unnecessary music suggestion" nerds...deal with it.
The reason it's not good to stop every bad thing from happening is so that they can grow from the experience. You don't get to say that when the bad thing is death.
I won't grab quotes from the conversation with Rainbow Dash since I'd want to grab pretty much all of it, but Crabapple is best new pony.
First thing Celestia's said I can get behind.
Even interpreted in the best possible light, that's still pretty awful. What has Celestia done to Twilight in these decades?
Going to give Twilight the benefit of the doubt and assume she means "how would Equestria maintain a government" and not "How would Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and I maintain our control."
And, again, obviously if the plan is to give as make anyone who wants it an alicorn they don't all have to be princesses. Or even involved in any kind of government. Things Twilight might realize if she stopped to actually think about solutions to these problems instead of giving up immediately.
Don't worry Twilight, in twenty or so years she won't be bothering you anymore.
Wrong pony is hearing this. There's a disgrace in this conversation and it isn't Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash is baring her soul and Twilight is annoyed. Despite what she said earlier she still manages to feel superior when looking at her broken former friend.
From the previous chapter:
Take your own advice Twilight. Then, now, and almost certainly in the next few chapters as well.
Even if she's accepted the idea, it's nice to see that Celestia hasn't misled her enough that Twilight still knows at some level how wrong that acceptance is.
Again, in the face of how Twilight has acted Rainbow Dash is showing an admirable level of civility.
All these alicorns spouting out this crap like it's some sort of wisdom or profound truth... it isn't just superiority, is it? Well, in Twilight and Celestia's case superiority and disdain for everyone else might be a part of it (or rather an effect), but for the root cause I'm thinking more and more that it's denial.
That's why they can't actually think about any of their shoddy reasoning. Not laziness or disinterest or lack of curiosity, but because they, all four of them, realize at some level that starting to think about solutions would require that they first admit their previous stance was wrong. And they can't do that.
Allowing death to continue has to be the right thing to do, because if it isn't than they've let all those ponies die for nothing. And they can't have let all those ponies die for nothing, because then they would be monsters. And they can't be monsters, so death has to be a necessary part of existence. QED.
That's so terribly, terribly sad on both a personal level for the alicorns and for the entire species.
The "death is what gives life meaning" tidbit that comes up in stories involving death has always irked me, and when that comes from immortals- Celestia in MLP fanfic- it's always come across as tacky to say the least. Couldn't imagine than an immortal with any kind of perspective at all could say that. But I never really made the connection that becoming immortal could increase denial of how awful death is. You've done a wonderful job of conveying that throughout the story.
Eagerly anticipating more.
2455020
If we're just going to look at the mane 6, then let's go one step further. Not only do I agree that all six of them could handle it, but if we're worried about alicorns losing it and causing damage, then Twilight is probably the least qualified of her friends to become an alicorn.
Twilight is the most mentally unstable of the mane 6. She's shown this on numerous occasions. With the power she had as just a unicorn she would have most likely destroyed an entire town were it not for outside assistance in Lesson Zero. She would have actually stopped time in It's About Time if she had the power and knowledge to do so. We've seen all of the other characters in stressful situations, and even breakdowns, but none of them ever actually wanted to do things that would put ponies in danger.
Unstable hardly begins to cover it (anyone who disagrees with this do an image search for crazy twilight and tell me that's the face of someone who can be trusted to stay sane for eternity). If I had to pick out one member of the mane 6 who would be most likely to lose their mind and endanger Equestria as a whole, it's Twilight. Tell me you can't see her cracking under the pressure of trying to make sure nothing bad happens to anyone anywhere in Equestria. I can see the others making mistakes, sure, but Twilight is inherently the most risky of the bunch.
Thanks for the follow btw
2459319 AAAAARGH I wish I were that good at writing comments. Twilight, I find your lack of loyalty disturbing.