I Remember When
I’m going to see Applejack today. Her long life has finally caught up to her and, well, it’s almost time for her to go. I know it, she knows it, the doctors know it—in fact the only one out of the loop seems to be Applejack’s own body, which stubbornly keeps on going every time I bid Applejack farewell and she tells me she may not see me the next day.
Frankly, I’m glad I even get so much time to spend with her lately. We—the six of us, I mean—were young when we first met. We got close really quickly, and for a time it looked like we’d all be inseparable forever. We’d had discussions on exactly how long our friendships would last, especially when I got these wings and became a princess, but youth blinded any sense of mortality we had and we never dwelled on the topic for long. Days turned into months turned into years, though, and, sure enough, things changed.
We all did stay the best of friends, there’s no doubt about that. As we grew, though, our lives demanded that we make more of ourselves than just friends, and it didn’t always involve being together. Having saved Equestria multiple times, anypony might think we’d already lived a lifetime way back then, but there was still so much more ahead of us.
As I walked slowly to the Ponyville hospital, I began to look back…
“Live fast, die fast,” is what Rainbow Dash told me one day before a Wonderbolts show where she’d be attempting a brand new and particularly dangerous aerial stunt. The idea was to dive toward the ground to gain speed and break the sound barrier while changing direction as close to the ground as possible. The resulting explosion would create an impressive crater but leave the pony unharmed—if she could manage to pull it off. Of course, she did. Rainbow was the best flier Equestria had ever seen. The stunt didn’t worry me. It was what she said that did.
I became convinced that Rainbow Dash truly meant to go by those words and I’d see her death as part of a headline disaster, that the first thing many ponies would say about her is that she was gone too young, too soon. She made her name as a Wonderbolt, becoming a lieutenant, then the captain of the entire team once Spitfire retired. Her ever-climbing fame and prestige fed her ego something fierce, and while she had so much strength, so much bravado while in the sky or in front of a camera, only I, the other Elements, and that little Crusader of hers could see something in her eyes that nopony else could—caution.
Rainbow Dash was hard-headed, but she wasn’t an idiot. A softer Dash existed whenever she wasn’t being the center of attention, especially as she began to age. She cared for Scootaloo as the filly entered adolescence and adulthood, supporting her as she pursued a career in mechanical engineering. Scootaloo’s machines helped a lot of ponies, foals and grown-ups alike, and they continue to be helpful today, as does Scootaloo herself. If Rainbow Dash’s career as a Wonderbolt wasn’t the most important thing to her, her sometimes-sister-sometimes-daughter most definitely was.
Eventually Rainbow did retire. By eventually, I mean that the last record she set was being the oldest still-flying Wonderbolt in history by more than a decade, but she did put up her flight suit. Needless to say, due to her fame she was able to live quite comfortably on a legendary Wonderbolt captain’s salary. She taught a flight class every once in a while and even cleared Ponyville’s clouds on days when her wings didn’t hurt too much.
Then, one day, Scootaloo was going around town to me, Fluttershy, AJ, and everyone important to Rainbow Dash that the legend had passed. Peacefully, in her sleep, as Scootaloo told us. As loud as the pegasus’ life was, her death was very quiet. I remember seeing Scootaloo that afternoon. She wasn’t bawling or angry. She was just somber and still stained with motor oil from her garage.
Rainbow’s funeral was quite ceremonious. The Wonderbolts are, after all, a military unit, so dignitaries of all sorts—myself included—were in attendance. I remember speaking through tears while giving my eulogy for her. I had been similarly sorrowful when my parents and brother passed, but Rainbow was the first of the Elements of Harmony to die. She was the first severance of that bond we’d made all those years ago. She was part of something Equestria had never seen and may very well never see again, at least in such a form. I should have been more professional, but I’m sure Celestia, Luna, and Cadance forgave me.
I remember the times when Rarity only had three shops around Equestria. All of them did well thanks to her discerning eye both for clothing and for ponies. It didn’t take long, though, for other Equestrian cities to demand centers to buy her fashion from, and in time Rarity’s small business became a company. She employed thousands of ponies all across the country whether they be staff in her stores, seamstresses and artists in her workshops, or ponies dealing with finances, business deals, and logistics in the home office in Ponyville. In fact, due to Rarity’s influence, several towns and cities that saw clothing as only a luxury were able to afford fashion, and today many more ponies wear clothes regularly than when we were younger.
Rarity’s love life is something that sticks out when I think about the pony she was. Suitors came and suitors went. Rarity was by no means a fleeting mare, she just had a bit too much luck when it came to finding ponies she was “destined to be with.” It wasn’t until the Cutie Mark Crusaders were old enough to begin living their own lives that she finally found the one she would stay with for the rest of her life. Interestingly enough, he was right by her side the entire time. Well, my side, really, but Spike’s boyhood crush for Rarity became more of a feeling of respect and admiration for who she was. As his view toward her turned more formal, however, she was the one who became starry-eyed as he grew and matured into a strong, disciplined, and mature adult dragon. The saga of watching Rarity court Spike over several years was one I and the other Elements had a front-row seat for. We didn’t interfere, as after that long whatever was between them was strictly between them—though I admit some bits did exchange hooves between the five of us when certain words were said or certain milestones crossed.
I’ll never forget the day Rarity broke the news that she was pregnant. I was as confused as I was elated. How it happened was beyond me, but sure enough, one year later a healthy baby dragon-pony hybrid (which I dubbed a ‘kirin’ after the legends of the eastern lands beyond our kingdom) was born, and Spike and Rarity loved her more than the most priceless gemstone in all of Equestria. That daughter of hers now runs Carousel Corp. with the same ingenuity and passion for fashion that her mother once did. As for Spike, his role as my assistant got much more official when he reached adulthood. He is now my exclusive royal advisor, when he’s not royally advising his daughter to insanity.
Rarity’s stores and offices closed for two entire weeks when she died. Her generosity knew no bounds, and there were few that she touched with it in her life that forgot that. As per her request, she was buried in a casket sculpted from the largest diamond she ever found. It was something she told very few ponies about, because even though she was known to indulge in luxury, knowing that she had such a magnificent stone hidden away for her own use may have irreparably damaged her company’s reputation if it was revealed before her time. The casket was sealed shut by Spike and their daughter’s dragon fire, and due to the sheer value of Rarity’s grave it is still protected by Celestia’s royal guard even today.
Pinkie Pie was always unpredictable. I thought I had her figured out once, but then she proceeded to baffle me for the next few decades. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Pinkie wasn’t as ambitious as Rarity when it came to economic ventures. Several times Rarity offered to expand Pinkie’s party-planning business or patent her pastry recipes as Rarity’s fashion parlors prevailed across the land. Pinkie always declined though, insisting that there was literally nopony that could plan or throw a party like she could and her recipes were impossible to replicate anyway. Such a decision did ensure that Sugarcube Corner would remain successful for, well, let’s just say I had a muffin there this morning.
The Cakes’ kids run the place now. I mean Pound and Pumpkin Cake’s kids. When they grew up they both left town for opposite sides of Equestria, married, and came back to Ponyville with foals of their own intent on picking up where Pinkie had left off when she retired. I chuckle a bit when I think back on the little family feud the twins had on which of them would be in charge. There’s just something amusing about twenty-somethings calling dibs because one of them was three minutes older.
Before that, though, Pinkie was a pony powerhouse. Ponyville grew, but when it still had just the tiniest smidgen of that “sleepy small town” feel, Pinkie was sure to let every new resident know that the place they were settling down in was anything but. Sometimes ponies would come to Ponyville from other Equestrian cities or even beyond the kingdom just because Pinkie was hosting a particularly large shindig. One of these ponies who came some time ago was Cheese Sandwich, Pinkie’s rival-turned-friend who we hadn’t seen since they met for the first time during Rainbow Dash’s birthday. How many years ago was that, now?
Anyway, Cheese made a return just to visit Ponyville and check up on Pinkie Pie, but a single night turned into “indefinitely.” Apparently Pinkie begged him to stay. Some major chemistry happened between them and they began dating. One year later Pinkie had her first foal. The first of seven. Cheese and Pinkie were so busy with their growing family they didn’t even get married until after her fourth was born.
Luckily for the rest of Ponyville, Pinkie was much mellower once she became a mother; therefore her children weren’t hyper-energetic mini-Pinkies. Most of the time they weren’t, anyway. Pinkie put just as much love into her husband and children as she did into her parties and pastries, so it was no surprise that as Pinkie’s kids grew up and spread across Equestria they proudly carried her name with her, making sure everypony knew who she was—and reminding those who she had already met what she had done for them, no matter how small.
Pinkie Pie was such an integral part of Ponyville, the Elements of Harmony, and all of Equestria. Few ponies she touched with her joy and laughter ever forgot her. As such, when she died, her funeral turned out to be the largest one Equestria had ever seen. Nearly one hundred-thousand ponies attended her memorial service, though, of course, only her children, myself, and Applejack, Spike, and Fluttershy saw her buried. I royally decreed no large-scale celebrations to be held for a full month in the wake of her passing. Then I declared her birthday a national holiday, to be annually celebrated with all the energy, vigor, happiness, and laughter she was able to give us all.
The spotlight never did suit Fluttershy. Compared to her friends there are few accounts of any feats of hers, poignant statements she made, or awards she’s earned. Rarity became rich, Rainbow Dash became famous, Pinkie Pie became well-known across Equestria and beyond, and Applejack continued Equestria’s greatest family dynasty. Fluttershy mirrored none of those things. The best part about her was that she was perfectly fine with that. Short of the occasional mission or adventure she would go on with the rest of us, Fluttershy was most often home, if not in Ponyville for an errand or two. There were no huge goals she wanted to accomplish. There were no fantasies of being spoiled in luxury. As a pony surrounded by all sorts of greatness all her life, I was frequently humbled by just how great somepony could be by being small.
When we were younger, Equestria had a welcome period of peace with no evils threatening to end all life as we knew it. During this time, while the other Elements of Harmony were busy cementing their names in the history books, Fluttershy quietly attended Cloudsdale University to earn a veterinary degree. It would be the longest time she would spend away from Ponyville in her entire life. When she returned, she went right back to her cottage, although a sign reading “Fluttershy, D.V.M. Veterinary Services” with some clinic hours now stood on a post on the path to her house.
Fluttershy’s social anxiety never did improve much, but she was stable and content with life. As long as she was happy, so were her friends and loved ones, including me. That said, given her typical recluse demeanor you can imagine my surprise when I stopped by her cottage one day and noticed she was very fat with foal. At that time, I hadn’t seen Fluttershy in a while, having been on a goodwill tour outside of Equestria and subsequently dealing with the near secession of Vanhoover and the Surrounding Areas (the rebel group wasn’t very good with names). In this absence, Fluttershy had met, begun dating, and became pregnant by a yet unnamed stallion. Or mare. Fluttershy was interested in both and modern magic makes foals from parents of the same sex very possible. I, nor any of my friends for that matter, were aware that Fluttershy was in such a committed relationship, however by the time I found out it was apparently over and to her dying breath she never revealed who her daughter’s other genetic half came from.
Fluttershy’s daughter, though, was incredibly precious to her, and much like Rarity and Spike did with their daughter, she worried over her constantly. Many a night I was woken by Fluttershy’s soft but urgent rapping at my castle door where I would find her with foal in hoof asking to make sure her baby was okay because she coughed more than twice or felt the teensiest bit warm. While Rarity’s child became somewhat of a rebel due to the coddling, Fluttershy’s little one essentially became a slightly more outgoing version of her mother. She was the sweetest thing, and took under my wing just as much as she did Fluttershy. She earned her cutie mark after declaring to me she wanted to be a teacher like I had been to her. Knowing her personality I knew she wasn’t fit for the huge lectures I gave at my castle or in Canterlot, so instead I put her in Cheerilee’s tutelage. Cheerilee was aging, and by the time she was old enough to retire Fluttershy’s daughter was able to take up her mantle at Ponyville Schoolhouse. Fluttershy was endlessly proud of her daughter.
Though she would likely tell somepony otherwise, Fluttershy lived a very low-stress life from the time I met her into her old age. In a morbid sense, I find it fitting that Fluttershy was among the last of the Elements of Harmony to pass. The day of her death was just as quiet as she was. I remember waking up and just knowing that she would not be sharing that morning with me. In fact, Applejack and I met up at her house just after the sun had begun rising without even planning to. Somehow, we just knew that she was gone. We carried her body to the meadow behind her cottage, just at the edge of the Everfree Forest, where she spent so much time in her life. Before we even had a chance to strike a spade to dirt, though, the earth that knew that this pegasus belonged to it accepted her. In a display of magic I hadn’t seen around Fluttershy since she became the Element of Kindness, her body glowed and thick vines sprouted from the ground, cradling her as if we had just transferred a foal to waiting hooves. The vines continued to encase her until she was the heart of the bundle. The vines kept growing and branched out, hardening and sprouting leaves as they did so. As instantly as it formed, the tree that Fluttershy became burst into floral bloom, scattering petals all across the meadow. I felt more calm than I ever had in my life. I looked to Applejack and knew that she was feeling the same.
A plaque commemorating Fluttershy rests in front of her tree, which Applejack dubbed very simply the Tree of Kindness. That tree, the meadow, her old cottage and much of the Everfree Forest are now part of the Ponyville National Park which sees thousands of visitors every year. Fluttershy’s daughter and grandchildren, too, visit it annually, sometimes even more often. I’ve met them on their visits on more than one occasion, and I swear I see a new flower bloom every time they come.
I reflexively sigh as I reach the doors of Ponyville Hospital. I’ve made it a habit the last few times I’ve come here, to brace myself just in case the first words I hear when the receptionist pony sees me is “Applejack is gone.”
This time, it doesn’t happen, but the receptionist does tell me to hurry to Applejack’s room. Her heart is failing.
I teleport to right outside her door. Having been there many times before, I could have teleported right inside her room, but I feared that doing so would give her a start that she couldn’t take. I knock and Applejack’s doctor lets me in. He is there with other ponies. I am not the first to arrive. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and her grown sons, Sweetie Belle and her daughter, and Applejack’s own son and daughter and grandkids are there, too. Upon seeing me, Apple Bloom runs to me and begins to bawl into my chest.
“Gosh darn it, Twi! She’s the last one. What’re we gonna do?” Applejack reaches out her hoof,
“Oh, hush now, sugarcube. Y’all know everypony has their time.” Just like she did when Apple Bloom was just a filly, Applejack’s words calm her little sister in seconds. Applejack’s eyes then lock onto mine. It feels like we exchange billions of words in just that moment. Tears begin to well up in my eyes as well as I go to hug Applejack for what I know will be the last time.
“I love you, Applejack. You’re the most dependable friend anypony could ever ask for,” I tell her.
“I love you, too, Twi. But don’t you miss me too much, else you’re gonna get wrinkles all over that pretty face of yours.” The room manages to muster up some laughs, though the context is bittersweet. I haven’t aged in decades.
Applejack looks out her open window.
“You can see Fluttershy from here. Almost like she’s wavin’ with that wind.” She takes a deep breath. Everypony in the room holds their own as if the air Applejack took in belonged to her and they were afraid of taking it away. The machine monitoring Applejack’s heart rate gives off an annoying beep to indicate the pony it’s connected to is getting weaker. I nod to the doctor and he shuts it off. We all know it won’t be needed for much longer.
“I don’t regret anything I ever did in life,” Applejack says. Whether she’s addressing herself or the ponies in the room I don’t know, but everypony stays quiet anyway. “I worked a farm that’s bigger and more fruitful than any Apple before me. I got to save the country I love again and again. I even got to be a ma to my very own little apple seeds. Right now I feel like I did back when I could still buck an apple tree. When it’s the end of a day and I know I’ve done good. When I know the next day’s gonna be just fine for all the ponies I care about. I feel like that, except with my whole life.” Applejack is quiet for another moment. The only reason we know she’s still alive is that she blinks slowly a couple times.
“I ain’t sure if there’s anything after this. If there is, though, I can’t wait to see Rares, RD, and all them again.” Applejack’s gaze goes from the ceiling to all the ponies in the room. I choke as I know this is her last look. Her hooves have already gone limp.
“Don’t none of y’all hurry after me. You still got lives left to live and ponies to make proud. Just promise me that when you go, you’ll be as happy as I am.”
Applejack closes her eyes, breathes in, and exhales. She does not repeat the process again. The doctor confirms no signs of activity, and calls the time.
I am now the last Element of Harmony left alive.
Apple Bloom loses it once again, as do the other Crusaders and some of their children. I spread my wings to embrace as many of them as I can. We stay like this for what seems like hours. When we finally feel like we can stand on our own again, the doctor begins discussing post-life plans with Apple Bloom. I say my farewells to the ponies—parts of my family—in the room, and leave the hospital.
The Elements of Harmony haven’t been needed ever since we surrendered them to the Tree of Harmony so long ago. The energy of them continued to fill all of us throughout our lives, but it never did feel like they had truly been lost once those lives came to an end.
Still, they haven’t had physical form since my friends and I bore them, which they tend to do whenever Equestria is in prolonged need of some major friendship magic.
I ponder this as I near my castle, but my train of thought is broken by a frantic-looking young mare, not much younger than when I was first sent to Ponyville, arguing with Spike at the front door about something.
“What’s going on?” I ask as I near them. Spike scratches his chin,
“She wants access to the Prophecies and Predictions section of the library, but she doesn’t have the royal clearance necessary.”
“Please, Princess Twilight! This is insanely important! The fate of all of Equestria depends on it!” the mare pleads with me. Her words echo in my mind, and the fire in her eyes is one I’ve never seen, but am all too familiar with.
“What is your name?” I ask her.
“Sundown Glitter. I’ve discovered something that may send Equestria on a road to complete ruin if we don’t stop it, but without the original prophecy there’s nothing anypony can do.”
“Spike, let her in and help her with anything she needs,” I say.
“What? Why?” he asks. Despite the circumstances, I can only help but smirk at him,
“I don’t think the Elements of Harmony are done quite yet.”