> The World Between Us
>  by Starburst Gleam
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Tragedy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Elements of Harmony rested in the Tree of Harmony. The bearers had a new power, which they used to defeat Tirek, and countless other monsters. Pinkie Pie, element of Laughter, had affectionately called it the Poofy Power, based on the fact that their manes and tails became significantly more... Poofy. Twilight Sparkle, element of Magic, preferred to call it the Rainbow Power. But whatever it was called, it had never faced an enemy like this.

Made up of evil forces, it was known only as the Id. A giant wall of shadows, ready to suck out every last drop of good and happiness in a pony. The six element bearers were only protected by the power they held. But it was wavering. The Id had targeted them, knowing of the elements power. Their plan of taking off bits off the edges was blown out the window as it surrounded them, forcing them to put up a shield in an effort to stop it. 

"Twilight, what do we do?" Applejack, Element of Honesty, stood steady, holding her ground in an effort to stave off the Id.

"I- I can only think of one spell that might do it." Twilight's voice was faltering. She wanted to find another way.

"Well what is it, we need something right now!" Rarity, Element of Generosity, looked nervously at the wall of blackness before them. 

"But- there's less than a five percent chance of a survival, and-" She was cut off by Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty.

"What chance of it getting rid of the Id?" 

"Eighty Six..." 

"Then it's worth it. You're an alicorn, you're sure to survive!" Rainbow flew around in the small bubble of safety, attempting to sound as sure of herself as she could.

"I- I'm not sure I want to" Twilight said under her breath. 

"Twilight. We've all been through so much with you. Princess Celestia said this is the biggest enemy we've ever had to face. We have to destroy it." Rarity turned around the purple alicorn, with a look of sheer determination.

"Twilight, we've got to do it." Pinkie Pie, more serious than she had ever been before, gave her a nod, showing her agreement. 

The rest of the group, though somber and quiet, all voiced their vote. Except for one, pale yellow pegasus.

"Fluttershy, dear?" Rarity walked up to the element of Kindness, who had her head down in fear.

"I... I want to save Equestria... But I don't want to die..." Her voice trembled.

"It's okay Fluttershy... But we have to." Applejack looked up to the looming presence of the Id, reminding the group of how little time they had.

"Okay."

"I-I guess this is it. If I survive, I-I'll tell everyone how brave you all are." Twilight blinked furiously, trying to stave back tears.

"It's okay Twilight. Could you tell my family, that I'm sorry I didn't come back, and that I'm so proud of Apple Bloom..." Applejack walked up to comfort the princess, who was taking note of the message, yet dearly hoping she wouldn't have go deliver it. Was she being selfish, for wanting either everyone to survive, or all of them to perish? 

"Could you tell Sweetie Belle and my parents that I said goodbye, and Melody and Blues, I love them?" Rarity shook her head, attempting to put on an air of pride, yet still biting back tears.

Twilight just nodded, mentally imagining herself making these conversations.

"Tell Scoots I'm sorry I missed her big show"

"Give Pumpkin and Pound a big hug from Auntie Pinkie, and Mr and Mrs Cake too, and Mum and Dad, and Marble and Limestone, and Gummy, and tell Cheese I'm super duper sad for missing his big party" Pinkie Pie tried to smile with each name listed, trying desperately to show what her element entailed.

"Take care of all my animals... And my family..." Fluttershy's message was the quietest of them all, and the one that brought almost all of them close to crying. 

Twilight went over each message again and again, to ensure she wouldn't miss a word, or a name, so that she wouldn't forget a single part of it. Just in case she had to do it. 

"Okay girls. I love you all." Choked sobs came from Twilight, a tear dripping from her face, as her horn glowed brightly, preparing the spell. She had intended for that to be it. The final words in the matter. But it was not. The final words came from Pinkie. And they crushed all five who listened deeper than any last messages had before.

"Girls... I'm scared." 


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Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fought the Id valiantly. They had seen with their own eyes the bearers of the Elements of Harmony surrounded by the dark mass before them. They had, since then, operated on the belief they had perished. Celestia however, held out hope. She knew the six would not be beaten just like that, and hoped that they would figure out a way to best it. Her hopes were rewarded when a large pillar of rainbow light shot into the sky.

Pink, Purple, Blue, Orange, White, and Yellow. 

The two Princesses paused as the Id stopped fighting, moments before a wave of pure positive energy burst from the centre of the rainbow, enveloping the Id, and destroying it. To the left of the Sun Goddess, Luna grinned, mentally adding another enemy to the list of the great feats the Six had accomplished. But Celestia watched the rainbow, high above the sky. It was wavering. Before her eyes, the yellow beam suddenly shut off. As if someone had pulled a light switch. Then the white disappeared from view. The remaining four beams stood valiantly, until the bright pink light disappeared. Celestia attempted to fly closer, to help, to do something. But the sheer force kept her from venturing and further. She prayed for the remaining three lights. The purple shone strongly, but the blue and orange wavered, until one slowly vanished into the air.

Only Purple and Blue remained when the spell finally wore off. 

Celestia and Luna sped towards the centre, finding six small bodies in a circle. The large, white alicorn scanned, looking for signs of life. Only two showed it. 

"Sister, Take Twilight and Rainbow to the hospital, immediately." The Princess of the Night nodded curtly, teleporting the purple alicorn and cyan pegasus away, leaving Celestia with the four remaining bodies. 

There was no chance of resuscitating them. A magical scan showed their spirits had already left their bodies. She gazed sadly at the scene before her. Applejack, always so proud and strong, lay on one side of the circle, in between where Twilight and Rainbow had lain. Pinkie Pie's limbs laid outwards in different directions, yet her hair had sagged, no longer bouncing with the energy of life she had had. But the saddest scene was that of Rarity and Fluttershy. Best friends in life, and together in death. Rarity had one protective hoof around the small pegasus mare, who seemed so much smaller than she had seemed when she lived. Curled up in a ball, her face was hidden from view. 

Celestia created four blankets, gently wrapping them around the four former elements of harmony. She then teleported herself to a place she never liked going to. The morgue. 



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A rainbow, with six bands, straight up in the sky. Then the yellow collapsed down onto its bearer as she perished. Followed shortly by the white. The two lights left their owners as balls of light, floating through the sky, guided by some unknown force. The pink and orange soon fell as well, following the two leaders towards its new resting place. 

The four spirits flew across the land, in varying stages of grace. The first two stayed with each other, floating past the clouds, in perfect harmony with each other. The pink bounced off objects, despite the fact it can go through them. The orange split off from the rest, flying close to the ground  through the apple trees and farms. But all four went across Equestria at amazing speeds. All four converging at one place. The Tree of Harmony. It was here that the four spirits ventured into their respective elements. The pink bounced into a blue balloon, with a flourish that, if anyone were to witness it, they would be quite amazed. The orange flew into an orange apple more smoothly. The yellow and white flew around each other once more before separating, the former into a pink butterfly, and the latter a purple diamond. The four elements lit up for a moment, welcoming home another bearer.

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Fluttershy's spirit materialised into the pegasus pony she had been in life. Surrounding her was a large room, bigger than the biggest room in Celestia's castle. Above her, a large glass dome, with strained glass, full of different ponies, and some other creatures. Some she recognised, like diamond dogs, dragons and manticores, even a lone changeling. Others she did not, like one particular beast, who had a horn in the center of his head, like a unicorn, but further down, in between his eyes. He was a dull grey, and much more muscly than the average pony. Yet, every so often, one of the windows contained someone oddly familiar to her.

Fluttershy had barely any time to accustom herself to her new surroundings, when she realised that all the ponies and creatures in the glass windows above were around her. She saw hundreds of unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, with other creatures dotted in between. A small squeak was emitted from her, and right when she thought she was going to have to meet all these ponies, there was a 'pop' sound, and a flash of white and purple light, before a certain unicorn was standing beside her. 

"Rarity!" Fluttershy said happily, thankful for a familiar face. 

The pony in question looked very much confused, going through the same motions Fluttershy did. However, she lingered on the view of the glass dome much longer.

"Oh that glasswork is simply exquisite!" She said, before realising the huge crowd of creatures before her.

"Oh my." She then had a start of realisation, as if remembering what had happened.

"Where am I? Is this heaven?" A few ponies in the crowd chuckled, prompting a frown and louder voice from Rarity.

"Well? Fluttershy dear, do you know?" The pastel yellow pegasus shook her head, before there was another pop and a flurry of pink tumbled down.

"Pinkie Pie?!" Fluttershy looked curiously at the jumble of pink lying before her. 

The pink pony had not landed on all four hooves like the two before her, but rather had rolled over and come to rest in a position one can only describe as 'gymnastics gone wrong'. However, she soon righted herself, untangling her legs, and immediately seeing the sea of new faces before her.  

"Woah! That's a lot of new ponies! And... Other creatures. Hello! My name is Pinkie Pie! I'll just have to get to know all of you by having the biggest party ever!" Her bright blue eyes then honed in on a pony right in the front of the crowd.

"Hey, do I know you? You seem familiar." She ran up to the pony, a small, pale orange pegasus, with a short, red and dark orange mane, that covered one of her blue-green eyes, bearing a cutie mark of two bright yellow stars. She started laughing, surprising the bouncing pink pony before her.

"I ought to seem familiar, you're an element of Laugher too!" It took a moment for this to sink in, and there was a loud gasp from the most recent bearer of the 'happiest' element. 

"You're an element bearer too?" Rarity walked up to the pegasus, before peering at the ponies surrounding her. 

"We all are. The afterlife is for all ponies, but we get a sort of rest stop. A place for just us."

"So everyone in this room used to hold one of the elements?" Rarity's voice held an air of wonder. She'd heard all sorts of theories about the afterlife, but a place for element bearers? Unheard of.

"I just said that. My name is Starburst, Element of Laughter. I would introduce you to everyone else, but there's so many of us, and we have eternity so there's no rush. So I'll introduce you to the other five in my group." Starburst gestured to the ponies behind her, and five stepped up. 

It was obvious to the three new ponies that this happened often. Well, Starburst seemed to be the go-to guide. 

"This is-" Starburst's introductions were interrupted by one last pop sound, and Applejack appeared, looking dazed and very confused. 

"Alright. What's going on?" She walked up to Fluttershy, who had stayed close to where she had arrived.

"These are all previous element bearers." She explained softly, feeling quite overwhelmed, as one might be in her situation.

"Really? That's incredible!" The orange earth pony was shocked.

"It's true! I'm Starburst, an element of laughter. And these are my friends." The pegasus was taking the whole situation in stride, gesturing towards the other five ponies that had stepped forward. 

"My name is Lily Pad. I'm Starburst's little sister, and I was the element of Loyalty" A pegasus, with a pale violet coat, and a baby blue and yellow mane, longer than her sisters, in tight curls, with a water lily cutie mark, stepped forward. 

"You look a lot older than Starburst!" Pinkie Pie burst out suddenly, earning a shocked look from Rarity and chuckles from the two sisters. 

"We can change our ages. We don't do it often, but Star likes to be younger than I am." Lily Pad rolled her eyes, smiling. Starburst was quick to defend herself.

"Because being old is boring. Contrary to what you may believe, adults eat less chocolate." Three of the newcomers looked confused, but Pinkie Pie nodded her head knowingly. 

"Anyway, I'm Maple, element of Generosity" A stallion with a burnt umber coat and short, scruffy amber mane, with three maple leaves on his flank, bowed his head.

"Well hello there Maple! I am Rarity. Oh my! I don't believe we've all introduced ourselves! How rude. So, I am Rarity, Element of Generosity, this is Applejack, Element of Honesty, Fluttershy, element of Kindness, and it's quite obvious what Pinkie Pie's element is." Gesturing to each pony, the white unicorn frowned slightly upon seeing Pinkie on her back, playing with the top curl of her mane. Starburst was also playing with it.

"Well, those two are definitely the same element." Maple said, watching the two ponies play with Pinkie's mane. There were murmurs of agreement from some, and giggles from others.

A pegasus stallion, with a pale grey coat, light orange-yellow hair, and three swirls of paint for a cutie mark, stepped forward to continue the introductions.

"I'm Etch, element of Kindness." Here, Fluttershy made an eep sound, nervous of meeting one of her predecessors.

"Come on Fluttershy, say hello" Applejack gently nudged the shy pegasus towards Etch, who stood patiently, with an understanding smile.

"Um... Hi." It was barely heard, but Etch didn't seem to notice, nodding happily.

"Hello Fluttershy. Don't worry, it took me a while to get settled, but I'd be happy to help with any questions, no matter how small." 

Fluttershy's ears pricked up, as if thinking of something that she had wanted to know a long time ago.

"Um... Are there animals here? Like, bunnies?"

"Not here exactly, in the normal afterlife. But you can go there easily!" Etch sensed that there was someone the yellow pegasus had lost and wanted to see, and based on her cutie mark, it wasn't a stretch to think it might be an animal. 

Sure enough, Fluttershy looked happier than she had before. Angel Bunny had been gone a few years, and she had always wanted to see him again. Granted, she didn't think it would be so soon, but what was done was done.  

"Oh Fluttershy how lovely! You'll get to see all of your critters" Rarity smiled for her friend, glad to see her happy. In her head, she made a note to find Opalescence as soon as this little tour was over. Looking over Applejack, she could see a look of disbelief. Perhaps the farmer was making plans to find Winona. Pinkie didn't have to worry, Gummy was still alive and well, somehow. 

Many ponies had predicted he wouldn't last as long as he had, with all the sugar she would feed him. Rarity had a start of realisation. They had died, were meeting ponies from centuries ago, and we're making plans to visit their lost pets. Why wasn't she sad that she was dead? Was it just impossible to be sad in the afterlife? Perhaps Starburst or Maple knew. She would have to ask when the introductions were over. 

"I'm Koratan Carrot, element of Honesty, glad to meet you all!" Applejack's eyebrow raised at this new pony, her own predecessor. She had the bright orange, wavy hair of a Carrot. She was an Earth pony, and her coat was the same shade as the current leader of the Carrot Clan. Her cutie mark was the titular Koratan Carrot. Definitely an ancestor of the Apple's biggest rivals.

"Are you part of the Carrot family?" The orange pony asked. Koratan eyed the Apple, seemingly noticing who exactly was another bearer of her element.

"Yes. I am. Are you part of the Apple family?" Applejack nodded, noticing for the first time her Stetson was no longer on her head. 

"Where's mah hat?" She asked. Koratan looked a bit taken aback.

"We don't really wear clothes here. Umm, are you okay... Rarity?" The white unicorn had fainted.

Well, she would have if she could in the afterlife. Instead, she fell to the ground dramatically.

"No clothes? Oh what will I do with myself!" She wailed, and more than a few ponies stepped back.

"Is she going to be ok?" Starburst looked over at Pinkie Pie, unsure of how to handle this. Many ponies had come through the elements, but Rarity was a whole other league. 

"Oh yeah, she'll calm down soon. Like... Now!" Sure enough, Rarity picked herself up, fluffed her mane, and attempted to act as if nothing had happened. 

Rarity had always been dramatic, but over the years, had mellowed out slightly. Slightly. She was still prone to crying out over minor details, but only had one fainting couch now. A few ponies were wondering if Generosity had picked the right pony. Many had wondered over the many years the six friends had been together. They were always proved wrong, for although Rarity could be selfish, she knew it, and had always tried her hardest to overcome it, and prove to everyone she could live up to her element. She succeeded, in a way. When the story of what happened in the Id became common knowledge, many regarded Rarity's actions a final act of generosity, willing to give herself up for everyone. Anyone who heard of her final action, laying a hoof over Fluttershy's small body, regarded her as one of the strongest bearers, even above Twilight. 

"Anyway, we must continue" The white unicorn had lost all focus for the last introduction, as she was busy devising a way to somehow get fashion into the afterlife. 

"Um, okay. I am Rosemary, Element of Magic" A pale cream unicorn, with a long, mint green mane and a sprig of rosemary as a cutie mark, bowed at the four newcomers, despite two not paying attention, one busy hiding behind her own mane, and the last ruefully looking at the others in disappointment.

"And I think that concludes the introductions for now! You'll have plenty of time to meet everyone else later, but does anyone have any questions?" Starburst got up from poking Pinkie's mane (in an attempt to discover the reason behind its poofiness) and looked at each bearer in turn, pleasantly disregarding the fact that she had told them just enough to send one into a panic, another into a rush for this to be over, another into the mother disappointed in her children's disregard for manners, and the last was simply being herself, which involved not paying attention. 

"How do we get into the other afterlife, with all the animals?" Fluttershy was uncharacteristically eager to get away. She didn't want to be rude, but by Celestia, there were thousands of critters she had to meet. Or was it re-meet? She didn't care.

"Oh, there's a portal out there. We can go after I've answered all the questions." Starburst, pointed in the direction of the portal, and the yellow pegasus took one look and became more agitated. 

"Do we have parties here?" Pinkie suddenly appeared next to Starburst, eyeing her as if this were the most serious of matters in history. The orange pegasus treated it as such.

"Oh yes. There are about five hundred elements of Laughter here-"

"Five hundred?!" Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy stared at Starburst. Five hundred Pinkie Pies? They'd been ready to blow when there were about fifty clones of her. But five hundred? Some who have probably been here for mellenia? Images of thousands of pranks being pulled on them at the same time flooded their minds, and the three wondered if it was possible to go back to the real world. 

"Yup! Five hundred and seventeen, now that you're here." Starburst seemed completely oblivious to the inner horror the three were having, and to the maniacal grin on Pinkie's face. Oh, this was going to be better than when she, Rainbow Dash, Celestia and Discord had all gone on a massive pranking spree across Equestria. It took Hoofington weeks to get all the custard off their buildings, and Luna still jumped whenever she heard a bouncing sound. 

It was obvious the same thought had occurred to her three friends.

"Oh no Pinkie, none of that!" Applejack put her hoof down firmly.

"We're going to have to put her on a pranking limit." Rarity whispered in the earth pony's ears, who nodded curtly.

"Please no." Fluttershy looked absolutely horrified.

"Yeah, so anyway, we have parties all the time, and wait til you see all the pranks Gumdrop can do! He's amazing! Did you know there are so many pranks you can pull with a unicorn, and..."

Starburst continued rambling to Pinkie, whose grin got wider every second. The other three had had their worst fears realised. They had often wondered what it would have been like if Pinkie were a pegasus, or a unicorn. Now there were both. And five hundred and fourteen others of various races. For eternity.

"Don't worry, you can avoid most of the pranks if they get pulled on you enough. It's the unicorns you gotta watch out for. One second of looking away, and they got you." Koratan looked around knowingly at the crowds of ponies, knowing that mixed in somewhere, five hundred and fifteen were currently doing who knows what. And that could mean anything. An-y-thing.

"I think you'll find Pinkie is like that as well. She doesn't even need one second." Koratan gulped. New elements of Laughter were always untested. 

And they all loved pranks. 

Everyone else had to be prepared. It was an occasion for joy when a new bearer arrived. It was also an occasion of worry when said bearer was Laughter. There was a reason Starburst was the greeter. She instantly recognised her fellow element, and gave everyone (pony or otherwise) enough time to gauge the level of danger this new pony possessed. Never since Gumdrop had the danger metre gone this high. Gumdrop himself, hidden in the crowd, was already devising a plan to have the most epic. Prank. Ever. 

At least until his next one. Hah. In his lifetime ponies thought he couldn't go further. Centuries of observing other pranksters proved them wrong. He considered himself the biggest prankster in history. Pinkie would soon challenge that title. In the afterlife, mellenia after this story, the day the two decided to put their rivalry aside, ending the years long pranking war, everyone had breathed a sigh of collective relief (not other elements of Laughter, they had all taken sides.). The day they all teamed up was considered one of the most horrific events ever experienced in a dimension without fear. 

Eight ponies watched two of their own chat together about pranks, whipped cream, balloons, and sledgehammers. 

"Umm, Starburst? I have a question."

The pegasus was suddenly right next to the unicorn. Years of Pinkie doing it meant she didn't react, though a bit of her was worried that everyone single element of laughter there could do it too. 

"Yes Rarity?" 

"Can we watch Twilight and Rainbow Dash somehow?" The other three started listening immediately. Starburst took a moment to reply, as if fingering over her answer.

"Yes you can, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea. Spirits are susceptible to emotions in the real world, and you might find it gets a bit overwhelming. It hasn't been long since you died, and it's bound to be pretty raw." Some of the other ponies looked away. Apparently, more than one had gone into the real word soon after their arrival here.

"I want to. I want to make sure they're okay." The unicorn was adamant. Despite Starbust's better judgement, she had to be a good guide.

"Alright. If the rest of you want to come, just follow me." 

The pegasus walked away from the crowd of ponies, towards a small, light purple door with etchings carved into it. She looked around, seeing all four newcomers had followed. 

"Okay. When we find the other two, it will probably be really sad. If you feel like you're going to cry, don't worry. It goes away after a while. We'll end up outside the Tree of Harmony. No one can see or hear us after we leave the cave, except other spirits. So don't try. We can go anywhere, and if we get seperated, just concentrate and try to hone in on our signal. If you really can't find anyone, just go back to the Tree." Starburst looked a bit sad, which was concerning, since no one had looked sad since they got there. 

Worried maybe, but not sad. The happy atmosphere from before seemed gone. As if all the emotions from the real world, the world of the living, was seeping in through that door.

"Okay. Let's go." 

Starburst opened the door, revealing a little window into the world. It only showed the cave the Tree of Harmony rested in, and Starburst walked though, followed by her four companions. 

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Princess Luna sat down awkwardly in a chair. These things were designed for normal-sized ponies, and though she used to be smaller than her sister, she had recently had a growth spurt of sorts. 

It was her job to watch over the two remaining Element Bearers until they were stable. While her sister took care of the four who perished. A sad day for Equestria. A terrible day. Yet, there was the miracle of Rainbow Dash surviving. The spell Twilight had used was designed in the  Civil War many thousands of years ago. It was used by unicorns who had been sent to run into enemy bases... And blow it up. Twilight had modified the spell to draw on the elements, so that other, innocent creatures were not harmed, but it had the same effect. 

Twilight surviving was expected, but Rainbow surviving was not. If anypony were to survive, Luna would have though Applejack or Pinkie Pie. Applejack for her superior strength, and Pinkie for her peculiar abilities. However, it was Rainbow Dash, and the theories on why would be speculated and torn to bits for centuries. 

"Excuse me Princess, but I'm afraid visiting hours are over. They're both stable, and I'll send for you immediately if there are any changes." A white earth pony, with the head band that signified a nurse, bowed at the dark blue alicorn, before gesturing to a sign that stated visiting hours ended when the sun went down. 

Luna hadn't even realised her sister had lowered the sun. 

"Oh, thank you." The Princess left the room, though two of her own Guard were allowed to stand outside the ward. The patients were what remained of the five hundred and eighteenth group of Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. (1) 

Luna walked outside, and quickly raised the moon, not caring that she has been behind schedule. Who cared? Not her. A much more tragic event had occurred. She could already see in the distance, a huge crowd gathered around the Princess' castle, despite the late hour.

The Princess of the Night debated on whether or not to teleport into the castle, but knew that the crowd would only continue. Best to answer any questions she could now. However, she made a mental note to not give out the names of those who perished, before their families could be contacted. Perhaps not saying any had perished for now would be a good idea.

Upon arriving at the edge of the crowd, more than a few reporters shoved microphones, tape records and notepads at her, without giving her a chance to speak.

"What happened today?"

"Where did the Id go?"

"Where are the Elements of Harmony?"

"Silence!" Fanning out her wings, she tried to look as regal and important as her sister always did. Luna was a much more, casual type princess. She made an effort not to use the Royal Canterlot Voice, as apparently she still used it far too much.

"Today has been a confusing event. Thy Sister and I are working to repair any damage. Rest assured, the Id has been defeated, and will not trouble us ever again. Please, wait until tomorrow for any further questions." Dodging any mention of the Elements of Harmony, Luna flew up and over the crowd, and went into the castle, with reporters and confused citizens tried to push their way in.

Thankfully, the guards were well-used to this, and Luna had not a single pony make it through to heckle her. 

Luna walked up to her room, where her chief hoofmaiden, Artemis, was sorting through shampoo bottles.

"Oh Princess! What a great day! The Id has been defeated, and- Princess? Have you been crying? What is wrong?" The dark purple unicorn looked up at Luna, concerned. 

The Moon Princess looked thoroughly haggared. Most ponies outside would not have noticed the stains on her eyes, but Artemis had an extremely keen eye.

"The other hoofmaidens are where?" Artemis has been Luna's chief hoofmaiden for a long time. She knew many of her employers secrets, and had always kept them well hidden. Some of the others, not so much.

"In the kitchen, having dinner. I thought I would prepare for when you came back." 

"A tragic thing has occurred." Luna sat down, and Artemis automatically began fixing up her mane, wiping dirt off her face, and listening intently.

"The Bearers destroyed the Id, but they used a spell that was designed to explode the nearby vicinity." Artemis gasped.

"Why would they do that?" 

"They had no choice. Twilight had modified it so that it used their Rainbow Power, but it  did the same thing, just less deadly to normal ponies outside the epicentre." 

Artemis polished Luna's hooves silently.

"Unfortunately, they had to amplify it a hundred-fold to destroy the whole monster. It drew on their power, and their energy." Another small gasp came from the dark purple unicorn.

"Four of them perished. Twilight survived, being an alicorn, and it is truly a miracle that Rainbow is still alive. But the other four..." Luna sighed sadly.

"Oh Princess, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have-" 

"No Artemis, it's fine. The four died to save Equestria. You are the first pony other than the nurses at the hospital who know, and they have all been told quite clearly not to tell anypony." 

"But still, I-"

"Artemis. I need to tell somepony. The masses out there are demanding answers I am not willing to give them. Celestia will be the one to tell them. But I will most likely be the one to tell their families." Luna went over the list of ponies she had to tell to Artemis.

The Apples, likely the whole clan, but Applejacks immediate family first. 

Rarity's mother and father, and her little sister. And her husband and child.

Pinkie's family, along with the Cakes, and probably the rest of Ponyville. And Cheese Sandwich. 

Fluttershy's parents, and Discord. Luna dreaded telling Discord the most. 

Then of course there was Twilights family and Rainbow Dash's family who needed to know of their conditions. 

It was bound to be a tragic, tearfilled day. And she was going to have to be the instigator. She would have to get started now. First, to the Castle of Friendship.

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"Oh! I hadn't thought of how Discord would react! Oh Discord!" A sobbing Fluttershy was watching the exchange between Princess and hoofmaiden. The somber mood in the air was affecting them all, but Fluttershy was the most hurt. She was rivalled by Rarity though.

"Oh my poor little Melody! Having to grow up without her mother! And what will Blues do!" The spirit was horrified for her family, only just starting to grow, but stopped by this event. 

"Cheese will be so upset, he said he'd have the biggest party ever planned for when I got back!" Pinkie was trying desperately not to cry.

Applejack didn't say a word, instead choosing to be a silent comforter for her friends. She had her own sorrows, so she worked through them by helping her friends. 

Starburst, to her credit, recognised that the four would be best off working out their pain by themselves, with each other. She had not had that luxury, being the first of her group to perish, but she would give it to these four. Friendship was a powerful thing, even in death. She knew that more than most ponies.

She stood back, watching Luna curiously. This pony had been a previous holder of the element of laughter. Yet that connection had been broken a long time ago. Starburst had once gone into the real world, when it had been a thousand years since the last element bearer had ever arrived. She wanted to see what was taking so long. After all, she didn't want to be out of a job. 

She found two alicorns, wielding three elements each. It had been quite amazing. The one wielding Laughter, Loyalty and Honesty though had looked different. Younger. She supposed even magical immortals aged, just very slowly. 

The alicorn got up and left. Starburst looked over at the four ponies. She wondered if she could still feel the elements in the Princess. Closing her eyes, she focused, searching the world for the presence of the elements. She could feel two pulses, from Magic and Loyalty. The two still alive. She could also feel two other pulses, much weaker. The connection had been broken, but they still held on to a residue of its magic. They could no longer use it, but it was there. That was nice to know. 

If they ever came to the Tree, she would have to try and contact them, once again. 

"Hey Starburst, Ah reckon we're ready to go back now." Applejack tapped the Pegasus on her shoulder, and gestured to the other three, who were all still very sad. 

Yes. Getting them back would make them feel better. She hated seeing them sad. Like her. At least they had each other to comfort them. She had had no one. Absolutely no one.
> The Sorrow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia left the morgue quietly. No one had seen her teleport in, though it gave one pony working there quite a fright. 

"Princess Celestia! What are you doing- Oh... Four of the bearers?" The teal stallion recovered from his shock, noticing the four small bodies with Celestia, and recognising them as some of the biggest heros in Equestria.

"Yes. They defeated the Id, but at a great cost." Levitating the bodies to tables, the stallion rushed to find four body bags to hold them until the proper procedures could be undertaken.

"What will be done with the bodies?" 

"I will leave that up to their respective families to decide. Thank you for doing this, Mr..." 

"Bunker, you Highness." 

"Mr. Bunker. Thank you. I'm sure I will be back in a few days. Good night" 

"Good night Princess"

Celestia left the morgue saddened. She was no stranger to death. The feeling of grief had not yet sunk in, but the Princess knew it would come. It always did. A few hours, perhaps even a few days. Then it would strike, and the pain of another lost, another she could not save, would hit her full force. She knew it would come again. Four souls lost. Four so dear and close to her. 

They had done a great many things, had served Equestria for many years. They had been able to cheer up a group of disaster-stricken ponies by simply being in the room, and their names were known to all. They had had their own lives, their own families, their own futures. 

Cut short. 

Applejack would miss her sister's wedding.

Fluttershy would never return to her beloved animals, or Discord.

Pinkie Pie would not see the twins sixteenth birthday party. Nor would she get to plan it.

Rarity's daughter would not remember her mother.

Four lives had been taken, but many more had been affected. Their families, the two other Bearers, the whole of Equestria. Celestia wondered briefly about the Tree of Harmony, the day she had come there and heard a voice. A voice who claimed to be a previous Bearer of Laughter.

She wondered briefly if she were still there. If the others were too.

But first she had to figure out how to tell Equestria four of their greatest heros had died, saving them all.

----------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna teleported to the door of the Castle of Friendship. She looked up at the castle, which was basically a library with a throne room and some basic ammenities added in. She had decided to inform Twilight's and Rainbow Dash's family first. But now that she was here, she was not sure she could go through with it. 

But she had to. So she knocked. It had barely been thirty seconds when a familiar purple dragon answered, yawning.

"Oh, hey Luna! How you been... You okay? You look more serious than usual," Spike's eyes widened, "Is it the Id? Is Twilight in trouble?" 

"The Id is defeated, but-" 

"Oh, thank Celestia. Wait, what's the but?" A frown crossed Spike's face, finally realising something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"Twilight is in a serious condition. She is currently stable, and is expected to recover," Luna paused, to check how the dragon was taking this in.

Spike was standing in silence, trying to understand what was happening. If Twilight, the alicorn, was in a serious condition, what of the rest of them?

"What about the others?" Was all he said.

"Rainbow is worse off, though she too is expected to recover..." Spike had begun to fear the worst, Luna could tell.

"What about the others?!" His eyes were starting to glisten with tears. Oh. Luna had forgotten his childhood crush on Rarity.

He had grown past it, but some feelings never died. 

"I am afraid they perished." She need say no more.

Spike had already left the room, leaving Luna standing the doorway.

One visit down, too many to go. 

----------------------------------------------------------

Heart Beat sighed. She was, for possibly the first time in her working career, bored. Watching two ponies who were both completely unconscious. They were important, which was why she had been told to abandon her other patients for other nurses to take care of.

Of course, she knew the Elements of Harmony. She recognised two of its bearers, one also being a Princess of Equestria. Luna had told her the story, and that it had to be secret. It would be easy to do that, this is a private wing. 

But she had been used to running back and forth to check on an entire wing of ponies. She hadn't worked alone, but being downgraded to just two was a bit of a shock.

She had checked and rechecked their vitals, walking in between their rooms like clockwork, read over their details, and just sat and watched for movement for what seemed like hours. How long had it been since the patients had been dropped off to her?

Two hours.

From outside the wing, two guards heard the muffled sound of a head meeting a clipboard.

Heart Beat wished it were her break. Here at the Royal Canterlot hospital, they had enough employees that they could clock out of shifts if they were tired. There were rules on it, many rules, so much so that most just stayed til the end of their shift. 

But she was getting desperately bored. Nursing had always been an on the ball job, and she had wished for a quiet shift. Now that she had it, she wanted the hectic, rushing about from yesterday.

After reading over the details for Princess Twilight Sparkle - again - she sat down, defeated, in the waiting chair. 

She looked over at the purple alicorn in the hospital bed. She didn't look all that injured, but very pale. Apparently, a lot of her energy had been drained defeating the Id. Heart Beat didn't know the specifics, but they didn't matter to her.

What matter to her was that Twilight had moved. 

Not very much, just a slight tilt of the head, and to an untrained eye it could look as if it was just gravity kicking in a bit late, but Heart Beat knew instantly that she was beginning to wake up.

Finally, some action.

----------------------------------------------------------

Starburst brought the four new bearers back to the Tree. Back to the afterlife, whereupon arriving, they cheered up considerably. Everyone else had only gathered for the arrival of the four new bearers, and now the large domed room was considerably more empty than before.

"We do a lot of different things. A lot of us like to go to the normal afterlife to hang out with our family." The orange pegasus explained. 

"I'd like to do that." Fluttershy said quietly.

She was not quite smiling yet, as the remnants of the visit to the living world had not quite relinquished their hold. But she felt much better, and they all had agreed to wait a little bit before going out their again. 

"Then let's go!" Starburst flapped her wings and began flying low above the floor.

Soon enough, they came to a large door, similar to the one that led to the real world, only this one came in a deep maroon colour. Starburst didn't hesitate to walk right through, followed closely by four ponies who all had family and friends they wished to see.

There was a bright flash, and they all came to rest in a field. It was dotted with patches of flowers, and ponies and other creatures all roamed, in groups and by themselves.

Applejack watched in curiosity as a changeling greeted a small group of ponies, including a small filly.

"Ah don't get it. Why is there a changeling here?" All the stories of the Great Beyond she had heard only included ponies and animals. Not changelings.

"Well, changelings are just as sentient as we are. There aren't many here, most choose to go to their own afterlife. I don't know what it's like there-"

"There are other afterlifes?" Rarity's eyes widened.

"Oh yes, plenty. This is the main one for ponies, and there's the Element Bearers world of course, but a lot of other species have their own. We can all travel freely in between them, but usually non-bearers stick to their own afterlife. And only Bearers can go to the Bearers world." Starburst waved a hoof as if it were no big deal. 

"Do they have parties here too?" Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared from who knows where next to her fellow element. She didn't even flinch.

"Yup!"

"That's all I need to hear." Pinkie Pie then disappeared, off to find the closest party.

"Anyway, so, where are the animals?" Fluttershy's eagerness from before had returned, and she was scanning the ground and sky for any of her critters.

"Oh, they're everywhere. If they're your pets, they'll probably find you before you find them." Starburst's statement was confirmed as two bundles of white, and one of brown and white, rushed from who knows where in the crowd and pounced upon their owners.

To say it was a happy reunion is an understatement to say the least.

"Winona! I missed you too girl, so much!" Applejack, despite her face bring quite smothered in dog drool, was grinning and hugging her beloved pet more than she had ever hugged her in life. Which, mind you, was a lot.

Winona barked twice, before returning to licking her owner as much as she could. 

For the other two, it was a more quiet affair, though just as joyous.

"Oh Opal! Have you been a good kitty? I missed you so much and poor Sweetie was crying for days." Unlike Applejack and Winona, it was Rarity who was smothering her cat with kisses. 

Opal, instead of lashing out and scratching her as she might have done before, simply purred loudly, for she did indeed love Rarity, and had truly missed her.

"I missed you so much Angel! No, I didn't replace you. No pet could have ever replaced you! Yes, Harry is still fine. No, I never did find Mr. Squeaky, I'm pretty sure he ran off with his girlfriend." Fluttershy and Angel batted off questions and answers faster than the others could comprehend, if they had been listening. 

Starburst watched the three reunions happily. She would be keeping an eye on Pinkie Pie, but knew there was only a limited amount of trouble she could cause. Pranks, sure, but everypony there could avoid them if they see the warning signs. If not, well, at least no one could get hurt. Because it was impossible. 

She then looked behind the small group, where she saw quite the sight.

A large group of animals, flying, running, crawling and whatever else they could do. Coming this way. 

"Oh Fluttershy, dear. I believe the rest of your critters found out you're here." Rarity looked at Angel, who had a very smug look on his face. 

Applejack looked, gaping, at the hoard of animals before them. Starburst's pupils had become tiny dots. She had seen a great many things, but this was a lot of animals. 

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was standing there with the biggest grin on her face. Which remained when the animals descended, and for quite a while she could not be seen under the crowd of animals.

"Oh hello Jerry! I know, I know, oh don't worry. Patricia! Hello!" 

"This could take a while." Rarity said flatly, as Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared, holding three balloons, two cakes on her mane, and a hammer in her mouth. There were also sprinkles in her tail.

"Oh look! Hey guys, why do Fluttershy's critters have so many weird names? Like Jerry?" Pinkie spat the hammer onto the floor, smiling as Rarity and Applejack had another confused look on their faces.

"Why, I never did wonder..."

"You're right Pinkie!"

"Oh that's nothing. One of the previous bearers of Laughter is named Victoria! And her sister is named Alexandria!" Starburst stood proudly as the other three gasped.

"How peculiar!"

"Their parents must have been weird."

"Oh yeah, they were crazy. I mean, seriously. Victoria? How weird." A tan coloured pony with a white, mane suddenly appeared next to the group. Apparently, this was Victoria.

"I was the laughing stock of the kids when I was a filly. Lexi got off better. I mean, no one messed with the most magical unicorn in the town, but they all laughed at me." 

"Oh, how awful!" 

"It was, until I told Lexi and she kicked their flanks! Hah!" Victoria and Starburst laughed, sharing a hoof bump. 

"Oh. Well. Umm. I-" Rarity was at a loss for words.

"Don't worry about it." Victoria flipped her mane back, laughing. 

"Victoria here was the element of Laughter seven hundred and eighty three years before me. And I was the element of Laughter about nine thousand and four hundred years before you." Starburst pointed at Pinkie Pie, smiling.

"Wait, who was the first element of Laughter?" Rarity looked a bit confused, but was mostly following what was happening here.

"Oh, I reckon it's Chancellor Puddinghead! Right! Right?" Pinkie Pie looked extremely sure of herself.

"Oh no. Puddinghead isn't even her real name. Anyway, the first element of Laughter was Surprise. She's a blast, I can get her over her-" 

"NO!" Everyone looked at Applejack, who was now blushing furiously.

"I- Er, I mean, it's okay." 

Three Laughters shrugged, Kindness was busy, and Generoisty and Honesty secretly felt that they could hold off meeting anyone named Surprise for now. 

"Well, all right then." 

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, watching Pinkie, Starburst and Victoria chat about... Laughter stuff. Rarity had offered to help Fluttershy organise her critters in a line for her to say hello to. 

It had certainly been a strange day. If Applejack had been on the other side of the equation, if she had not died, she would be sad. But here she was not. She suspected it had to do with the afterlife simply being a happy place. 

Then why did she feel so drawn to the real world, where she still felt pain?

----------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna checked the address. No, this was the right place. Just like it had been every other time she had looked. 295 Cumulus Lane. 

Where Rainbow Dash's parents lived. 

As far as she knew, Rainbow had not talked of them often. Some suspected it was because they were abusive. Luna suspected it was because Rainbow feared their stories might outshine hers. 

Knocking on the door, it was merely a second before it was opened by a stallion, who looked like a carbon-copy of a Rainbow Dash if she were male, with the only difference being he had bright green eyes. He did not look tired at all, despite that fact that it was night.

"Oh, hello Princess Luna, come in!" He stepped aside, allowing her in.

Her theory was instantly proven correct. Medals and trophies lined the walls, and various certificates took up an extreme amount of space. No wonder Rainbow Dash loved to win so much. Perhaps she just wanted to live up to her parents achievements.  But on one wall, there were a great many newspaper clippings, all articles on the achievements of the Elements.

"Hello, Mr Rainbow Skies. Is Wind Gust here?" Luna sat down on a cloud couch, quite amazed that the house managed to stay up, with all the awards. 

"Oh yes, she's just upstairs I think. Wind! Princess Luna is here to see you!" The pegasus smiled warmly at the Princess.

Definitely not a broken home.

"Oh, I need to speak with you both." Rainbow Skies raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.

A pegasus mare flew down from upstairs, and it was quite obvious the only thing Rainbow Dash had inherited from her was her magenta eyes. Wind Gust had a soft, sunset orange coat, and her mane was a solid midnight blue, which was much longer than her daughters, and wavy. (1)

"Why hello Princess Luna!" Wind Gust smiled brightly, making Luna shift uncomfortably in her seat. This could be awkward.

"Hello Wind Gust. A marvellous home. You see, I am here about your daughter" Rainbow Skies once again raised an eyebrow, while Wind Gust chuckled.

"What has she done this time? She's a hero of Equestria, sure, but she's still the accident prone daughter I know." Wind Gust seemed unaware of the Id, which was probably helped by the fact that news tended to come a bit late to Cloudsedale. 

Quite evidently, Rainbow Dash did not keep in touch with her parents.

"You see, today she and the other element bearers were fighting the Id. They managed to defeat it, but used a very dangerous spell." Both parents were quiet. Their smiles had faded.

"Rainbow Dash is alright, albeit unconscious. She is expected to recover fully in a few months time" The two pegasi breathed a sigh of relief, happy to hear their daughter was alive.

Luna wondered, how much did they care for their daughter, as she did not speak of them, yet they apparently still made time to keep up with the things their daughter was doing, if the newspaper clippings were any evidence. 

"What about the other five? Are they alright?" Wind Gust looked quite hopeful, unlike the look of disbelief that had been on Spike's face when Luna told him. 

"Twilight Sparkle is alive, in better condition than Rainbow Dash. Being an alicorn, that helped." Luna paused, trying to delay the inevitable. The two ponies looked at her expectantly.

"The other four are not, I'm afraid. They defeated the Id, and it was a miracle Rainbow Dash survived." Wind Gust put a hoof over her mouth, and her eyes sparkled.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe it... Oh my poor Dashie. She and Fluttershy had been such good friends..." Wind Gust trailed off, and her husband laid a protective hoof around her.

It painfully reminded Luna of Rarity and Fluttershy, and the way Rainbow Dash always protected her friends. 

"Thank you Luna, for telling us in person. We are thankful our daughter has survived, but, if you please..." Rainbow Skies glanced at the door. Luna got the message.

They had not the worst news, yet they still reacted as if they had. Their only child survived by a miracle, but it hit them as if she had not. Luna still had five parents and family to talk to, and delaying it would not make the task any easier.

----------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia teleported inside the castle, into her room. She was always the one who dealt with the public, so she was the one who was to tell the public about the deaths of four of Equestria's greatest heros. 

But before she could do that, she had to assess the damage the Id did. Not physical damage. Mental damage to her little ponies. The Id sucked out positive energy, leaving just the negative. It was a reversible act, but one that took an extremely long time of relearning how to have fun, as Pinkie Pie would have put it. Only they were without the advantage that innocent foals were born with, an inner love for fun. That would be sucked out by the Id.

Stepping out of her room, she hurried to her throne room, where her guards had thankfully stopped any citizens from entering. The only ones there should be the only ones with important information. 

She was bombarded by these ponies shouting too many things to comprehend at once.

"Be still, my little ponies." They were still.

Unlike her sister, who used louder methods, Celestia could silence a crowd with barely a whisper. It had been a while since she had used the Royal Canterlot Voice. Doing it to Luna didn't count. 

"Now. Today has been an extremely tragic and confusing day. Those with information regarding the damage the Id has caused, over there. Those with information regarding the general populace, over there. And those who have pressing problems that need to be solved, over there." Ponies shuffled into these three areas, leaving only a few who were not part of any group. Celestia's assistant, Raven, would see why they were here.

In the meantime, Celestia moved to the group of ponies with pressing problems.

Walking up to the first pony in the mangled line they had somehow formed, she prepared herself for a very long night.

"What is it?" The pony in front of the line, who had a camera slung over his shoulder, bearing the mark of The Canterlot Times, stepped forward.

"How are we supposed to run the story of the defeat of the Id? Can we get interviews with the Bearers?" 

Celestia groaned inwardly. This is what the guards considered important enough to stay in the throne room? 

"I'm afraid the Bearers are unavailable, but run the story like it happened. The six of them  defeated the Id and saved Equestria." 

"Alright." The pony left the throne room, snapping pictures. 

"Next?" Another pony stepped forward. It was one of the nobles.

"How is this attack going to affect the Court of Day, I have a few proposals I would like to get done, and-" The noble continued to ramble on, while Celestia glanced at the line.

A few of them looked genuinely worried, but the majority looked impatient and stuffy.

She would have to go through them all to get to the real problems. Then she would have to move to the other two groups. 

In order to move things along, she seperated the groups further. In the 'pressing problems' group, any nobles were moved to a serpate room. It made them feel important, and if any nobles had any actual pressing matters, they would be brought back to Celestia. The rest would be given vague answers and sent off. 

Any reporters were also seperated and told the terms for any stories. Interviews for the bearers were not happening was the main point. Celestia told the guards to strees the fact that they had just saved Equestria, so they should be entitled to time to rest and recover, instead of answering questions. It got across to most of them. The few who didn't get it were promptly kicked out.

Everyone else Celestia got to go through herself. What fun. 

----------------------------------------------------------

Darkness. Blackness. Were they the same thing? Twilight couldn't tell. (2) 

She tried to move around. Everything was stiff, she could barely move anything. Bits and pieces of light snapped around in her brain. It hurt. Squinting, the lights around her settled into one image, though blurry and prone to swirling around. 

She felt so exhausted, like everything had been drained out of her. Which it had been. Where was she? What had happened? 

Twilights eyes, still squinting, could make out the blurry shapes of various equipment. One of them, a large white shape with an orange-red blob on top, was moving.

"Princess? Don't try to talk. Blink if you can hear me."

She was a princess? Oh yeah, she was a pretty pony princess. She had been for a while. She and her friends saved the world. A lot. Her friends. She blinked (somehow) and Heart Beat smiled.

"Oh good. Alright, don't move, you're very weak, and Luna said it will take at least a few days before your energy is completely restored." 

"Oh, ok. Thanks." That is what Twilight tried to say. Instead it came out more like the sound of a dying cat. 

"I said don't try to talk." 

Twilight tried to sort out her thoughts. Everything was murky and disorganised. Why was in the hospital? Had Rainbow Dash smashed into the castle again? Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash! She had been worried for Rainbow, and for her other friends. They had been doing something dangerous. Which was normal. But this time was different. If she, the alicorn pony princess had ended up in hospital, with her energy depleted, what had happened to her friends? Were they still alive?

The events of two hours before came flooding back, and the worry for her friends lives took over her as she fell back asleep. She didn't know it was already too late for most of them.

> The Hardship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna teleported to Canterlot. She had forgotten about Twilight's parents until she went through the list of ponies she had to talk to. She suspected it would go down similar to Rainbow Dash's parents. 

"I'm sorry for the late hour Miss Velvet" Twilight Velvet looked like she had stayed up, for there were bags under her eyes, and she looked very worried.

"Is Twilight alright? I've heard all sorts of stories, reporters came knocking, I had to kick their flanks to get them to leave." 

"Twilight is fine. She is unconscious, but will make a full recovery. I'm afraid it is the others we must talk about." Twilight Velevet's eyes narrowed.

"What happened." Was all she said.

Velvet stepped aside, allowing Luna to come in. Her husband, Night Light, was sitting on the couch. Both had witnessed what had happened, and both had stayed awake. Neither knew of the conditions of the bearers.

"Princess Luna! Are you bringing news?" Night Light stood up.

"Yes. Bad news, I am afraid." Night Light's ears fell, and he set back down.

"Firstly, Twilight is fine. She will be one hundred percent recovered in about a month, and it may take a bit less than that, since she is an alicorn." The blue unicorn breathed a sigh of relief. Twilight Velvet stood silently, waiting for what came next.

"Out of her five friends, I'm afraid only Rainbow Dash survived" there were two gasps.

"Oh no..." Night Light wiped away a tear, and his wife looked distant, trying to comprehend what came next.

"What sort of spell did they use?" Luna grimaced. Two unicorns, both scholars. She should have guessed one of them would ask.

"An explosion spell, modified to use their Rainbow Power." 

"So it destroyed their enemies, but not innocent bystanders." Twilight Velvet connected the dots quite easily.

"But why did they..." Her husband trailed off, not very eager to hear the answer.

"It drew on their power, and their energy to make the blast. It completely drained them." 

Twilight Velvet sighed sadly. Her eyes glistened, yet no tears fell. 

"Thank you Luna, for coming to tell us. I'm sure we are not the last you have to deliver this news to?" Luna nodded, taking the hint to leave. 

She would have to tell Shining Armour and Cadence soon too. At least they were far away, in the Crystal Empire. She could finish visiting those in Equestria, then see them. Hopefully they would not have heard by then. Twilight Velvet and Night Light had taken it about as well as she could have hoped. Perhaps though, they were just waiting for her to leave.

----------------------------------------------------------

"You want to go back already?" Starburst looked at Applejack, surprised.

"Yeah. You know, just to see if anythings happened." Applejack shifted uncomfortably, waiting for permission.

Starburst thought about it. Two of their own were currently unconscious, it made sense the four would want to check in to see if they've woken up.

"If you want to, you can. Same things I said last time though." Applejack smiled thankfully at the orange pegasus.

Wow, she was starting to sound like their mother. She thought back to when she had first arrived in the afterlife. She had been the last of her group to die, and she spent about a week just telling them exactly what happened after they died. Then they told her that they had been going out and keeping tabs on her anyway. 

"Do you still have to come with us?" 

"Probably. It is just your second visit." Applejack nodded.

It didn't take very long to find the three others. They were just about ten metres away, doing an awful job of pretending they weren't trying to listen. Starburst didn't mind. A little eavesdropping never hurt anyone here. 

"Alright girls, let's go." 

All four of them started trotting happily behind her. They were very eager to go back out. This had happened before, usually with bearers who were the first, or among the first of their group to die. There was usually a bit of space in between the first visit and the second, but hey, what can you do? They could do whatever they wanted here, Starburst was just supposed to show them the ropes, and warn everyone of incoming Laughters. The second point of the job, she was quite unaware of. Everyone else was though.

Behind her, the four were chattering away. They looked extremely happy for four ponies who'd died just hours before. Of course, everyone was happy here, but most of the ponies she'd guided (with the exception of a lot of Laughters) had been mostly sober throughout their tour. Quiet, thoughtful. But this group, the four of them had adjusted so quickly. Perhaps it was the fact that they were a group. She had heard stories of all six bearers arriving in one go, but since she had arrived, there had been no groups like that. The four mellenia gap between bearers arriving probably helped.

Perhaps a group just held better than the one or two on their own she had gotten used to. Were happier. Because they weren't alone. Being an element bearer was a dangerous business. If you died first, there usually wasn't anyone you knew waiting. Sure, meeting other element bearers is cool, but if you're first, and you don't know anyone else in afterlife, what would it be like? She had lots of people she knew to welcome her. Her sister, her cousins, her parents, her friends.

Starburst wondered if these four had anyone they knew here. They all had their pets, and Fluttershy seemed to consider them more important than any ponies that might have been there. Heck, she had only just finished saying hello to all of them a few minutes ago. Applejack had seemed much more sober than the others, and had looked around a lot when they had been in the ordinary afterlife. Perhaps she was looking for someone? 

Pinkie had tried to meet as many ponies as she could, who knows if someone she knew was among them. And Rarity? She just helped Fluttershy. Peculiar. 

Arriving at the portal, Starburst turned to look at the four ponies.

"Okay, you guys remember how to teleport and stuff?" They all nodded. Pinkie jumped right through the portal. It made Starburst smile.

"That's my cue to go." She walked in.

----------------------------------------------------------


Princess Celestia was exhausted. There were a lot of ponies in the throne room, and many of their questions were just repeating the same thing.

Where are the bearers?

Will we be okay?

Eventually, she had gotten sick of it, and announced that the bearers are completely unavailable, and will stay that way. No exceptions. That had gotten a decent majority of the 'Pressing Questions' group out of the throne room. Eventually she had wheedled it down to people with actual problems, like structural damage, injuries to family members. That she could deal with. 

The guards had become impromtu note-takers, writing down information given to them by ponies with information regarding the Id. Nurses, bystanders, one filly was even there, saying she could not find her brother. She was sent to fetch the rest of her family so they could organise a search party. 

Eventually, the throne room was cleared out, in the lovely time of about three hours. She wondered how far Luna would be in informing families of the Bearers fates. Knowing Luna, she would not be going through them quickly. Teleporting was quick, but waking ponies up in the middle of the night and telling them their daughters have perished or are unconscious requires preparation. Not to mention it might even take a while before Luna realises her duty. Celestia trusted her sister, but in a time of chaos, it is possible she got caught up with Twilight and Rainbow. 

But that was how it went. Celestia dealt with public affairs, and Luna went taking care of the internal affairs. She has faith in her sister that Luna would start without Celestia needing to tell her. Before she had been banished, Luna had done it before. When great generals fell, or simply when a hero died from his injuries. Celestia took care of recovering everyone else, and Luna got handed the job of informing the family. She wasn't sure how it came to be like that, but it was. 

Celestia even wondered if perhaps Luna would wait til morning. But that would not do. Even in places like Ponyville, rumours spread extremely fast. If the families did not hear by morning, no doubt someone would say the correct thing, thinking it just a rumour. That would worry them immensely. Better to tell the families now, so they needn't worry about rumours. 

Sitting wearily on her throne, she tried to decide what to do next. She would wait to tell the ponies about the bearers until after Luna returned. She could check in on the ponies the Id got to, but there was little she could do. None of them were ponies she knew personally, all citizens of Canterlot who had been in the wrong place in the wrong time. She could do nothing for them. Their families could though. She could check Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. But she would most likely be watched, and people would guess. 

No.

She had to sit on her throne and keep things in control. 

Celestia sighed, if only there were something she could do. But now she could only wait. Wait for Luna to be finished, so she could make the announcement. Ponies would be shocked, the gossip columns would go wild, and then Equestria would go into mourning. Then she, and the families of the four ponies killed, would have to plan the funeral. 

It saddened her to think of it. It would be a huge occasion. With four ponies, it would also be very long. It felt a bit wrong to have them separately. They had been together for so long, and they had died together. 

She thought of the Crystal Empire. Would the elements still work now that four of their bearers are gone? Celestia had wielded all six once, perhaps Twilight and Rainbow could take three each. But could they? Would they respond to just two owners, as they had to Celestia and Luna?

The Crystal Heart might be another option. If it's magic could be transferred to protect all of Equestria, they could have a backup plan. Currently, it only protected the Crystal Empire, but the Empire had grown exponentially throughout the past fifteen years. Perhaps its magic could expand. 

What of other nations? Would the Gryphon Kingdom attack Equestria in its time of weakness? Would some other enemy show up? The questions whirled in Celestia's head. This was a delicate time. She had to maintain control. Which meant more planning. She was sick of planning.

She had planned the attack on the Id. That had both failed and succeeded. She had planned attacks for all the monsters that had decided they wanted a piece out of Equestria over the past few mellenia. They had all worked, with varying degrees of success. She planned the day to day handling of the entire country. She planned bills, decrees, treaties. She had planned for her faithful student to become an alicorn. She had planned for her to make friends, and she had shipped her off to Ponyville when it became apparent it was not going to happen in Canterlot. She had planned for her to defeat Nightmare Moon.

She had planned for Discord to defeat Tirek. She had planned everything. She didn't want to anymore. She was sick of being the chessmaster. The silly games of messing with stuck up nobles in her youth was gone. But she endured. She continued the plans. Because she couldn't let her ponies suffer because she wanted to shunt off her responsibilities. She always had to keep up an air of control, of power. Because if anypony saw her crying, like she wanted to do, word would spread. She would no longer be the all-powerful princess they felt they needed. 

Perhaps she had already lost it, the respect of it given to the bearers. At the wedding of Shining Armour and Cadence. She hadn't defeated Crysalis. They had. Who defeated Tirek? Them. What had she done? She had played around with their lives, pushing them in a certain direction, hoping that once again, they'd find a way to beat the enemy. They had never failed her. Had she pushed too far?

No. This was not her fault. That final plan had been a plan built from desperation. Twilight and her friends had assured her. Told her not to worry. They had done this before. They would be alright.

Sitting, unmoving on her throne, blankly staring. Celestia replayed the moments. They had stood defiantly. The Id sensed them. Sensed the elements within them. It had pounced. They hadn't expected it. They were surprised. Mouths open, wings flaring, heads starting in shock. Things went from controlled to desperate very quickly. 

Celestia and Luna could not do anything. They could merely stall, getting ponies to safety, hoping, praying that they were still alive, that they had a plan, that they could defeat it. Which they did. The rainbow in the sky. It had been a proud moment. They had succeeded.

Then the yellow band shut off. Like a lightbulb. Everything came crashing down. Celestia supposed it symbolised that Fluttershy had died. Her spirit gone. Then Rarity. Then Pinkie Pie. Applejack held on longer. Clung to life. But she too, fell. Leaving just the alicorn princess, and a pegasus that still was clinging to life. 

No. She was done with the control.

"I'm going to my chambers." The guards nodded curtly. Celestia started walking. The pony who had been droning on for a while about who knows what gave a start of surprise.

"But Princess! I haven't finished-" Celestia interrupted. She was done.

"Write it down and send it." Done. She needed to be alone.

She needed to have some time to think. To sort out her thoughts.

She was done.

----------------------------------------------------------

Heart Beat watched Princess Twilight Sparkle. Not so much watched, as glanced back and forth every few minutes. She was recovering faster than she had expected. She'd woken up once, and since then had moved around a bit. Rainbow Dash showed no change.

It felt weird, being in charge of the health of these two ponies. If something happened to them, she would be to blame. She was suddenly important, a player in this game that the two had played so often. Now some of their ranks had lost. It also felt weird being in possession of this secret.

It had been made quite clear to her that this secret was extremely important. Which was understandable. If she told ponies four bearers were dead and the remaining two in the hospital, it would be chaos. If Celestia did it, it would be less chaos. 

She had only been a nurse before. She had saved lives, but it was her job. Lots of ponies did it. But now? Now she was caring for two of the most important ponies in Equestria. These two were on a similar scale to the Princesses. One was a Princess. The other, a Bearer of an Element of Harmony. A close confidant to a princess. Both got invited to any big event. Heck, they could show up at the door unannounced and still be let in. 

She wasn't sure how she felt about it. On one hand, she though she should feel honoured, happy. On the other, it was just another job, just slightly more urgent. Not that these two had any urgent medical needs. Both were just dozing away. 

Normally she would have clocked out. Returned to her home, her coltfriend. Not today. She wasn't clocking out until the morning. Which couldn't come soon enough. All the coffee in the break room was going to mysteriously disappear before the night was out. 

"Only eight more hours." Great, she was talking to herself. 

Eight hours. Three hours since they had arrived. It would probably still be dark when she left. Much had happened today. She could handle that. Multitasking was essential in this job. But now, the only thing she could multitask on were watching these two and attempting to make the worlds best cup of coffee. 

The purple alicorn made a groaning sound, moving over. Heart Beat watched carefully, monitoring vitals automatically. Nope. Not waking up again. Sometimes it would seem as if she were flitting in and out of consciousness, but had not opened her eyes since that one time she woke up. 

Taking a gulp of coffee, she pulled out a magazine from underneath the waiting chair. She usually didn't like reading them, the earth pony had never been a big fan of gossip on the latest Canterlot celebrities. But she was bored again. Here she was, with one of the most important jobs in Equestria, and she was bored. Reading a magazine, and drinking coffee.

Did that count as irony? Shrugging, Heart Beat continued to read, looking up every now and then to check on her charges. Not noticing the spirits watching in the room. 

----------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna stood on the doorsteps of Rarity's parents home. Sweetie Belle still lived with them, saving up to get her own apartment. Knocking on the door, it was not the curly maned unicorn, nor one of her parents who answered after a few minutes.

It was a quite sleepy Scootaloo, with a tousled mane and eyes that were only half open.

"Princess Luna?" Sleepily, the orange pegasus blinked, as if to confirm what she was seeing.

"Good evening, Scootaloo. I'm afraid I have grave news." That got her awake.

"What's wrong? Is Rainbow Dash okay?" Her wings flared, eyes wide in concern. 

"Please. Is Sweetie Belle and her parents here?" Luna stepped inside, walking past the worried mare.

"Yeah, Sweetie and I were having a sleepover," Scootaloo seemed almost embarrassed to admit it.

"We figured, you know, it would be fun. Like old times." 

"That's fine." It was good. She wouldn't have to tell Scootaloo by herself. Now both she and Sweetie Belle would have friends to comfort each other. 

"Could you please go wake them, I must talk to all of you." Scootaloo nodded, walking off into the house to wake the four unicorns. 

A few minutes later, the five of them were seated nervously in the living room. Luna was on a small couch, and Rarity's parents were on a sofa, with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle standing next to it. Luna knew what to say. Explain what happened, then leave. She'd already done it three times. But it didn't grow easier. Each time was a new set of faces she had to meet. To see their faces crushed. 

To tell them that either their daughter was dead, or unconscious. Without getting to say goodbye. It had only been three times tonight. She'd done it before. There were a few different reactions. Ones like Spike, running away to do who knows what. Don't want anyone to see them cry. Ones like Rainbow Dash's mother, beginning to cry right then. No questions, just grief. Then there were those like Twilight Velvet, who wanted the full story. Who wanted to know exactly what happened. There were those who denied it, those who got mad, those who just collapsed. 

There were four ponies in front of her. Which would they be.

"Princess Luna, did something happen?" Rarity's mother was worried. Not surprising.

"Is Rarity okay?" Sweetie Belle however, got right to the point. She had grown from when she had met her two best friends.

"What about Rainbow Dash?" As had Scootaloo. 

"I'm afraid I have bad news. The Six defeated the Id. However, they had been forced to use a very dangerous spell." Silence took over the room. Luna hated the silence the most. They were waiting.

Waiting for her to tell them. Waiting for the information they didn't want to hear. Waiting. 

"Out of the six of them, only Twilight and Rainbow Dash had survived." The reaction was immediate.

Scootaloo had a glimpse of relief cross her face, before it being replaced with shock, and grief. However, that tiny moment, that small split second had not gone unnoticed by Sweetie Belle. No. How could it be, that Scootaloo, who wasn't even related to Rainbow Dash, be able to have her friend survive, while her only sister was dead? How was that fair?

Her face contorted in a variety of emotions. Sadness, anger. She had the face of a pony who didn't know what to feel. Wanted someone to blame. Something. Anything. But she was a kind pony. She wasn't one to blame. Instead, she ran from the room, sobbing. Like Spike had. Her father followed her pitifully. Her mother stayed for a moment longer. She wanted answers.

"How did those two survive?" Her voice was quiet.

"Twilight was an alicorn, we think her enhanced strength and durability enabled her survival. Rainbow Dash was simply a miracle. We do not know yet why she is still alive." Luna's eyes flicked between Scootaloo and Rarity's mother.

Scootaloo looked torn. Rainbow had did it. Pulled off another miracle. But at the cost of losing four of her friends. What was she to do? She was grateful, yet saddened. She had to support her friend. Support Apple Bloom too. The Cake twins.

"What about Melody, and Blues?" Rarity's mothers eyes glistened with tears.

Melody. Rarity's young, not-quite-a-year old daughter. Blues, her husband. 

"I have not told them yet." 

"Then I will." This shocked Luna a bit. She had not heard of someone offering to tell someone else of a death.

She was the Princess. It was her job. 

"You do not have to." But Rarity's mother was adamant.

"No. It's my grandchild, and my son-in-law. I will tell them. Surely the others must be told." Luna nodded. She had no remark to that.

Second time in a row she had been told that she had others to tell. Others. Yes, the parents of the bearers were a strong bunch. They would have had to been. But parents are not supposed to outlive their children. 

"Very well. Good night." Luna had dismissed herself. 

There was little she could do. Little she had ever been able to do. She did not know them personally. She knew them, she had had conversations. But she did not really know them. They would help themselves better than she could. That was how it had always been. 

She came. She told. She answered questions. She left. They would find comfort in their friends, their family. Not in her. 

"Wait, Princess!" Scootaloo had stepped forward to the middle of the room.

Luna turned to face her. The pegasus still looked torn, unsure of what to do. Rarity's mother had left the room.

"Is Rainbow Dash alright?" The question could have a million meanings. But Scootaloo wanted to know how Rainbow Dash felt. Did she know yet?

"She has not yet woken up." Scootaloo's wings flared slightly. 

"Um, thanks Luna. I'm going to go see Sweetie now. Bye." Scootaloo looked conflicted. Upset. Confused. Grateful.

Unfair. It was unfair. Sweetie Belle thought it was unfair. Luna thought it was unfair. Unfair for the four who died, unfair for the two who survived. Unfair for their family, their friends. Unfair for Melody. Unfair for Blues. Unfair for Sweetie Belle. Unfair for everyone.

But the world was cruel, and enjoyed being unfair. It always had, and it would stay that way for a long time yet.