Great. Remember that 104 year old great grandmother I told you about? She died. I'm flying up to washington to attend the funeral so there might not be an update tomorrow. As for why I havent updated lately, I've been jetlagged. Sadfic time.

Mourn the Lost

Being immortal was a blessing. You could see wonders that ponies would only dream of, you could watch civilizations rise to glory, watch society bloom.

But immortality was a curse. You could see horrors that only lurked in the deepest shadows of ponies' minds, you would inevitably watch civilizations crumble, watch society grow weak and frail with time only to be replaced by a new generation.

Celestia had grown immune to the pain that came with each generation. She turned her head away from death and stayed strong for her little ponies. She promised herself that she wouldn't let it bother her anymore, that she would continue to be the strong leader her kingdom needed.

So why was she crying? Feeling the tears flow down her face was such a foreign feeling.

Perhaps it was the affection she had come to feel for the elements of harmony. After so many years of being alone, the six ponies were perhaps the only ones she could consider friends.

Maybe it was because even though each holder had their own flaws, they always brought out the best in anypony.

Or maybe it was for the simple reason that because the elements were all connected, once one died, the rest would soon follow. The elements of harmony could only work as long as they were together, and once a single key element disappeared the rest could not survive.

Fluttershy had been the first to go. She died while trying to save her forest friends from a vicious wildfire. The others didn't die immediately. There had been an illness.

Twilight wasn't stupid. She had noticed that once Fluttershy died, the rest of the elements had become fatally ill. Every spell book she had couldn't help her. She had been the most intelligent unicorn in all of Equestria, but there was one thing that remained a mystery to Twilight Sparkle.

Death.

Celestia would never forget the last moments of her faithful student.

A burst of purple light appeared in front of the princess. In front of her, what used to be Twilight Sparkle lay shivering, wheezing.

"Princess-" she managed to cough out.

Celestia was immediately by her side, cradling her gently in a soft glow of magic. "Hush, my faithful student. Everything is going to be fine."

A large fit of coughing wracked the purple unicorn's body. She could no longer move. "Princess- Princess Celestia, I don't want to die."

"Everything is going to be fine Twilight. I swear it to you." The princess tried to comfort her student.

"All my friends. They-they're gone," Twilight looked her in the eyes. "Please Princess. I-I'm scared. Please- please don't let me-" another cough shook her body. "I don't want- I don't want to go. I'm so sorry Princess." The last word ended with a hiss and Twilight looked once more at her princess. Her eyes slowly went blank, seeing no more. A tear, unshed, lay at the corner of the unicorn's eye.

Celestia gazed out her window, into the sunset. She wiped her tears, looked at the picture they had taken after the Grand Galloping Gala, and walked out of her room.

Now was not the time to mourn. Her ponies needed her to be strong. After her duties were over, she would lay down her crown and cry for all the ponies she had lost to time.

And there you have it. I'm using LibreOffice so it doesn't count my words. I'll just wing it. I hope I haven't gotten rusty in my four or five day absence.

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