PAST

Decades had passed since Twilight had asked Starswirl to remove her immortality. It was common knowledge throughout Equestria at this point. Although everycreature loved Twilight, they knew her reign would be a lot shorter than that of her predecessors. However, you wouldn't have been able to tell by looking at her. By now, whilst all of her friends had started showing their grey hairs and wrinkles, she had started to resemble Celestia and Luna, complete with her astral mane, with not a grey hair in sight. She knew she would still outlive her friends, but the thought no longer scared her as much. Her days were numbered, just as theirs were.

However, nopony could have predicted just how few days that would be.

But, before I get to how they all died, I suppose I should tell you how they all lived first.

Twilight's life had been pretty much exactly how you'd expect: she kept herself busy with her royal duties, and, even though she had left her post as headmare of the School of Friendship, she was definitely a regular presence there. Of course, she had decided pretty early on that she was going to pick her successor from the students, so she needed to be there as often as possible. She caused quite a stir when she announced the pony in question, because, in another diversion from the precedent set by Celestia and Luna, she chose a stallion. He was a young Pegasus, like Cadence had been, but, not only would this be the first time in Equestria's history that they would be ruled by a stallion, he would also be the first male Alicorn ever. But, over the years, Twilight had stopped caring about the 'status quo', so she really thought nothing of it.

As for the others on the Council of Friendship, they each had their own stories to tell. They all still taught at Twilight's School when they could, but they kept themselves busy with their own things as well. Rainbow Dash had been the Captain of the Wonderbolts for many years, and then retired to become their Chief Instructor. She still lived in Ponyville, though, but the flight to Wonderbolt HQ was hardly a challenge for the seasoned speedster. Applejack also hadn't changed all that much either, as she still ran Sweet Apple Acres with the rest of her family. The two of them had gotten married shortly after the Council had formed, with Twilight officiating, and they had been happily married ever since. They had no children to speak of, but they kept themselves busy enough by themselves, although they did sometimes foalsit Big Macintosh's grandson from time to time.

Speaking of Lil Cheese, Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich had certainly made a name for themselves in the party planning industry, with clients as far as the Changeling and Dragon Kingdoms, and even Klugetown, among other places both within Equestria and beyond. Pinkie and Cheese still lived in Ponyville, but they had left Sugarcube Corner in favour for a nice detached home on the outskirts of town. But they still visited the famous bakery often, either to visit the twins or to order supplies for one of their parties.

Fluttershy's animal sanctuary had grown immensely over the years, and it was now hailed as the biggest sanctuary in all of Equestria, past or present. It was also the only sanctuary of its kind to house beasts from the Everfree Forest, which was definitely helped by its proximity to the infamous woods. But she had never been selective about the animals she took in. If it needed help, she helped it. End of story.

Other than that, and to no surprise to anypony, she had lived a rather quiet life.

…Well, as quiet as you could get when you were married to the God of Chaos.

The oddest of odd couples officially lived in Discord's dimension, which certainly would have caused challenges if her friends wanted to pay her a visit, but Fluttershy spent more time in her regular cottage anyway. Arguably the biggest surprise of the couple's life, however, was their children. Interspecies couples weren't unheard of in Equestria, especially since Twilight's reign began, but this was a mortal Pegasus and an immortal draconequus GOD, which most certainly was unheard of. Yet, somehow, they made it work. They had had three children, the oldest of whom was a dark yellow Pegasus with a short magenta mane. He didn't share many details with his draconequus father, but he made up for it with his mischievous personality. He himself had had foals of his own with a unicorn mare, and Fluttershy was always happy to care for her two grandfoals. The other two offspring of Discord and Fluttershy were twins, a boy and a girl. These two, however, were hybrids: half pony, half draconequus. Well, they more closely resembled the draconequus side of the equation, just with a few more pony attributes than their father, including certain features from Fluttershy. They all shared their mother's love for animals, and they helped out at the sanctuary whenever they could.

Rarity was the only one of them who had moved away from the small hamlet, instead opting for the big city of Manehatten. Her boutiques had spread across Equestria, with her most recent branch opening in Trottingham. However, that was not all she had going. 'Rarity's Boutique' was her pony-only line, but she had also started another chain called 'Rarity's Creature Comforts' which was for everything except ponies. That chain had grown as rapidly as her main store, and now every city that had a Boutique also had a Creature Comforts, usually right next door. There were also specialised stores for each individual species in each of their respective kingdoms, so Rarity was quick to be ranked among the Top 10 Wealthiest Ponies in Equestria. She had yet to find a significant other, but she found that she didn't really mind. The boutiques kept her occupied enough, and that was just how she liked it.

But, of course, the one thing they all had in common was their monthly reunions as the Council of Friendship. Sometimes it was just the six of them, sometimes Spike, Starlight or Discord joined them, and even the founding Cutie Mark Crusaders or the next generation of Element bearers* made the occasional appearance. Most of these meetings were purely casual, for them just to catch each other up on what they'd gotten up to since last time; others were more substantial, when a threat or a map summons needed to be dealt with, but these were much less frequent.

However, it was at one such meeting when things went horribly wrong.

And I'm afraid that's where I'm gonna have to leave it for now. I know, I know, I put this story on hiatus for almost a full year, only to come back with a chapter that's nothing but fluff, filler and setup, AND I end it on a cliffhanger! I fear that, even though I've broken through my writer's block (finally), I've no clue where I want this story to go anymore. But, I suppose, that I'll just write the same way I've always done: by going with the flow and just seeing where my imagination takes me. I have a general idea, so at least there's that.

*= I didn't know how else to group Sandbar, Yona, Ocellus, Smolder, Gallus and Silverstream together, so I went with that. I couldn't exactly call them the Student 6 or Young 6 when this story is set decades after the end of Season 9. I'll try to figure out what their Elements would be if I deem it necessary for the story (which right now, it isn't).

I don't know when I'll be releasing the next chapter, and I won't set any schedule for it yet, not until I get back into the swing of things. Just keep your eyes out, and you'll see more chapters for this soon. And, with that, I'll see you in the next chapter! Ciao for now!

OnTheSpectrum