> The Friendship Equation
>  by thestargrazer
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> Day One: Isolation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was laying on something cold and hard, her fur unable to protect her from the chill in her stomach. Feeling around, she realized she still had four hooves - but how she knew she was supposed to have that many was beyond her understanding. She tried to open her eyes to take in her surroundings, but her eyelids felt heavy, impossible to lift. Her legs were also weak - she gave her all to standing up, but all she managed was roll on her right side, and this maneuver left her panting. At least her belly didn’t feel freezing anymore. She heard a faint, rythmic beeping sound.
She tried to remember. Where was she? How did she get there? And most importantly: who was she? The only thing she could recollect was a flash of rainbow lights, and agony beyond measure. Just remembering it made her bones and flesh ache, as if she was set on fire.
She slowly opened her mouth, the movement taking much more energy from her than it was supposed to. She breathed in, deeply, and heavily. The air was chilly, dry, and made her throat itch, but she resisted the urge to cough, and called out in a small voice - the only one she was capable of making.
“Is anypony here?” she tried asking, her voice failing six times in three words. For seconds that felt like hours, there was no answer. But then, the voice of a stallion, deep and rough, surrounded her, and filled her mind with blackness.
“You’re alone… everypony has left you, you know it’s always been that way.” A chill ran through her spine, as the voice continued: “You’ve neglected them, and now they are far away. You are deserted, alone…”
With that, the black feeling lifted from her brain, and - as the stallion said - she was really left alone. She couldn’t tell if she fell asleep or passed out, but when she came to her senses, she felt a bit of energy has returned to her. She opened her eyes.
She was in a great, lightless hall. She squinted her eyes, making out some of the barely visible details. The room was made of white marble, with nondescript stained-glass pictures and golden cressets adorning the walls. None of the torches were lit, and the sky was pitch black beyond the windows. The beeping continued, and it seemed to have been coming from beyond the colorful glass panels. There was a long line of crimson a few feet from her - she crawled over it to realize it was red carpet running on the marble tiles. A feeling of warmth emerged from it.
She laid there, flat on her stomach, resting after such an exhausting activity, and as she did, hoofsteps approached behind her. She turned her head around, and saw a young mare, with white coat, violet, twirling mane, and a blunt horn protruding out between her locks. The newcomer seemed oddly familiar, though the mare on the carpet couldn’t place the memory.
“Close your eyes, relax your heartbeat,” she began, coming closer and putting a comforting hoof on her back. “I’m sure you gave your best, darling, which was more than anypony ever asked for. You can rest now, leave it all behind. I’ll be here for you, and you’re not alone now.”
Just as the mare on the floor decided to comply and closed her sore, tired eyes, a loud bang sounded and made her eardrums cry out in pain. Her eyes flashed open, and the image of what seemed to be a gray or perhaps light blue equine with a set of two small wings, and messy, multicolored mane entered them. She looked at the white unicorn with an expression of frustration and annoyance.
“How could you tell her to chill and leave it be?” the pegasus yelled, then turned to look at the dazed pony on the carpet. “Can’t believe you’re givin’ up, that’s not your way! Now get up, there’s a lot to do. You’re not really that tired, are you?”
As the colorful mare moved in to give her a helping hoof, the realization that she was fully rested hit her. She got to her hooves, and took a few wobbly steps. Her aide looked at her proudly, while the other mare just smiled, gently.
“Y’all leave ‘er alone now!” came a thick-accented shout and the sound of horseshoes clapping on marble from the direction of one of the windows. The orange-yellow, freckled pony seemed to have appeared out of thin air, or stepped off from the stained glass painting. She came closer, then pushed the pegasus away from the one she was helping.
“Who are you ponies?!” the wobbly mare bursted out as loud as she could, not being able to take it anymore. “And where did you come from? Why are you here?!” The orange earth pony looked in her eyes, so close she could count her freckles, and began speaking.
“Unlike these two, Ah’m gonna be completely honest with ya. We are ya, and y’all are all of us,” she stated with the most serious look in her grass green eyes. Beyond sincerity, the reflection of a very confused dark-colored unicorn was to be seen in them.
“But… I don’t understand. Is this some dream?”
“Some dreams can be truer than reality.”
The dark unicorn reached out with a hoof, touching the earth pony’s chest, feeling soft, warm fur. “You look so real, I can even touch you…”
“We are as real as you imagine us.” the white unicorn added. 
“We don’t have time for small talk!” The colorful pegasus interrupted, sounding impatient, and flying around in circles overhead. “We have to get back and make them pay!”
“Pay for what?” the three earth-bound ponies asked together.
“I don’t know! Let’s find out!”
The distant beeping continued as they set out to investigate through the seemingly endless marble hall.
> Day Two: Pain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It began as a soft, unintelligible whisper at the back of her head, followed by a minor migraine. But as they - and time - went on, it built up strength and volume, to the point where all her muscles and bones felt as if on fire, and she even understood the words.
“I am pain…” it was the male voice she first heard when she came to her senses in this place. It continued: “I am real, I’m not a dream… not like this three.” The agony peaked, blacking out her vision. She shut her eyes and tried to scream, but all she could do was whimper. “I’m the chain around your neck…” She fell to her knees and clenched her teeth.
Her three companions all started speaking at the same time. She couldn’t make out anything from the voices mixing with the whispers. She grimaced and - while gritting her teeth - forced some words out of her mouth. “One… at… a time… please.”
“We have no time for this! Get up, your pain is only in your head anyway!” said the pegasus sharply, then proceeded to lift the agonizing pony up from the carpet where she curled into a fetal position. The beeping could be heard more often than before.
“Hold it, Nelly!” the earth pony tried to pull the pegasus away by her tail. “Her pain’s as real as it can be, but time’ll heal it surely.” The dark-furred unicorn started weeping on the floor, while the white-coated one dropped down next to her, held her head and stroked her mane, whispering soothing words.
“Ssh, it’s okay, daring. Your pain is only temporary. It’s going to be over soon, and you’ll feel much better.” As she spoke, the beeping’s frequency rose ever higher.
“Don’t you see?” came the whispering again, “You’re dying, and you’re going to die alone!” Though she couldn’t open her eyes anymore, she felt the presence of the three ponies fading, becoming weaker as the darkness surrounding her gained power. She mustered all her strength and pumped one single word out of her throat.
“No…”
“No?” the whisperer sounded surprised.
“No.” She could still feel the pain, but something even more powerful sparked in her, bleaching away the darkness that built up in her agonized brain. She somehow stood up, “I will not. Die. Alone.” With that, she reached out blindly and pulled the almost-faded figures of the three ponies into a hug. “I have my friends around!”
With that, the darkness vanished completely, and so did her pain. The beeping sound ended - a continuous whistling took its place. She opened her eyes to see the earth, unicorn, and pegasus ponies hugging her, but also eyeing her worriedly.
“This can’t be.” yelped the multi-colored pegasus. “You’re far too strong for this to happen!”
Suddenly, the whistle stopped, and there came silence.
“An’ now ya’ lost it.” the orange pony stated.
> Day Three: Burial
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“What do you mean I lost it?!” she jumped back from their embrace, and looked at the earth pony suspiciously. “What exactly did I lose?!”
The white unicorn tried to move closer, saying “Nothing, everything is…” but the pegasus interrupted her, shoving her to the side..
“Not fine! Something bad has happened!” She gave the next word a strong emphasis. “Meaning we have to move quickly and find out what’s going on!”
“Ah’ll tell y’all what’s happenin’.” the freckled mare finally got herself to speak, looking at the floor. “That sound was showin’ ‘er heart beatin’. Now it stopped. Guess what that means.” She lifted her head, looking at the three with the face of a pony who just confessed to killing another.
“M-my heart?” the darker unicorn’s face turned into a shocked one. “D-does that mean…”
She never got to finish that question, as something incredible distracted all of them: the Sun rose outside the stained glass windows, illuminating the white marble hall and filling it with its warmth. They all basked in the light for a few moments, then took a good look at each other and their surroundings.
There they were, a freckly-muzzled, orange earth pony with blond mane and grass-green eyes; a white unicorn, her hyacinth mane and tail done into pretty curls; and a sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail that probably never saw a comb. And lastly, there was she herself, lavender-colored coat, with dark blue mane and tail with one purple and pink stroke in each.
The hall itself that seemed endless in the darkness now still looked quite huge, but not nearly impossible to cross. It appeared that she first came to her senses at the foot of a giant golden throne, covered with the same crimson carpet that lead to a great wooden door at the other end of the room. She estimated it to be still at least a few hours’ walk to get there.
Suddenly, sounds - a mixture of crying and somepony speaking - started flowing in through the windows. All four of them rushed there and stuck their ears to the cold-feeling glass, to hear the voice of an elder mare.
“...ful student and loving friend. Let us mourn her passing, and remember her forever. Rest in p-” she was interrupted by somepony whose voice was very similar to the white unicorn standing in the throne hall.
“Princess, mind if I say a few words myself?”
“Of course not, go ahead,” came the response with a quiet sniff. The orange mare moved her head away from the glass to give the lavender unicorn a serious look and mouth the words “They’re talkin’ about you.” She then pressed her ear against the window once again, and listened to what was happening.
"Ahem." The daintiest of coughs punctuated the still air as she began: ”For all of us who had the warm and wondrous pleasure of knowing Twilight Sparkle, it goes without saying that she was a pony like no other, a pony anypony would feel privileged to have known.
She was, in her scholarly pursuits, so fabulously brilliant that the kingdom scarcely held a book she hadn't gotten her hooves on; and in magic, she shone brighter than a comet at dawn. But beyond the dusty old confines of her books, Twilight commanded the admiration of everypony who ever had a problem, because there never was a problem that unicorn couldn't resolve. Though... ”
She couldn’t finish her speech. A loud thud and ponies gasping was all that could be heard before the flood of almost-incoherent words filled the marble hall.
“NoTwilightyoucan’tleavenowyoustillhavesomuchtodopleasecomebackIpromiseI’llbakeyousevenofyourfavoritecakesifyoucomebackpleasepleaseTwilight-” the stream came to a sudden end, then the first mare to speak said:
“Girls, would you please escort Pinkie Pie to somewhere where she can relax?”
“Bu-” the crazy pony yelped, but was cut short by another mare whose accent was very similar to a certain orange pony’s.
“Ah’m mighty sorry y’all. Mah condolences.”
The rest of what happened outside was covered by the sound of dirt falling, slowly burying the stained glass windows. After a while, the shoveling’s noise stopped, and muffled hoofsteps and sobbing took its place. Then there was nothing but darkness again.

“Could somepony please explain to me what that was all about?” the dark unicorn whose name was apparently Twilight Sparkle stomped a hoof and looked angrily in the other three’s general direction.
“Some folks were out there, an’ they were talkin’ about you.” the orange earth pony replied calmly. “It sound’id like a fare-well.”
“I’m sure they gave you a nice ceremo-” Twilight didn’t allow the light-colored mare to finish the word.
“Don’t. Say. It. I’m not dead yet, am I?” she looked around, chalk-white under her purple coat. “I feel alive. Why would they bury somepony who’s still alive? This makes no sense!”
“Well, you gotta admit,” the multicolor pegasus inserted, “the heartbeat-o-meter stopping and the fancy speeches probably mean that you’re not, um, alive.”
“But,” she started, “if I’m dead, how can I be here, chatting? Or better yet, why can’t I remember how it happened?”
“Ah kinda think that’s up’ ta you to find out, sugarcube” responded the earth pony, with the other two nodding besides her.
“You three aren’t very helpful, are you?” Twilight riposted cynically.