Without Pinkie Pie around, Ponyville seemed at once more quiet and more productive. The sounds of parties diminished and, eventually, Ponyville became a quiet, yet friendly town.

However, there was one place left in Ponyville which could not be considered quiet—Rarity’s boutique. The place was always flashing and booming with music as clients entered in spades. Rarity, after all her time in the fashion industry, had finally struck gold when an exhibitor from Canterlot showed up at her doorstep, promising her that he could popularize her dresses and suits all around Canterlot.

He delivered on that promise and more.

In just a decade, the Carousel Boutique grew from a little two-story shop to a five-story megastore with expansions planned across Equestria. Rarity, unable to keep up with the work, started to pass down her tricks of the trade, drilling her eager, bright-eyed students in the ways of color-coordination and fashion.

Throughout Equestria, Rarity was known as a designer of the best fashions money could buy—her stores became a business empire and, with the funds, Rarity upgraded her stores and gave wherever she could—passing ponies on the street, down-and-out ponies, and children especially.

However, through it all, Rarity stayed rooted in Ponyville, running the other stores through mail and other communication—the people running the other outlets were trustworthy enough.

And it was in Ponyville Rarity passed away, thirty years after Pinkie.

Rarity was in bed, infirm, when Fluttershy came to her. Her face was no longer sterling, but dimpled with lines and wrinkles. She’d offered to make Fluttershy tea, all the while trying to deny how sick she was.

“Rarity,” Fluttershy told her. “Please, I really don’t need any tea. And you’re sick—you shouldn’t be up and moving around.”

Rarity scoffed at that! “I may be old, dear, but that does not mean I have an excuse to mistreat my guests—especially not old friends! Now please, darling, sit down and allow me to brew the tea.” She tried to move, but winced and leaned back. When Fluttershy gave her a look, she giggled. “Okay, okay,” she said, nodding—her purple curls had long since gone grey, and they bounced at her sides. “Perhaps I shouldn’t be making any tea.” Her eyes grew curious.

“Now, darling, you must tell me how you’ve managed to stay looking so young all these years! And why you’re wearing that cloak, for that matter—black is not your color at all.”

Fluttershy was so used to telling the story by this point that she did it almost mechanically, running through all the details with perfect recollection.

“Oh, dear…” Rarity said. “That must have been terrible, darling! Though I suppose it does explain that odd banner we found near Pinkie…We knew something was wrong when Celestia so cruelly turned us away, but…when Twilight presented her theory about you being Death, well…we all supported it so that we would have something to support. How…” She choked. “How did you get through something like that, Fluttershy? I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible it was.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s…” The words became hard to find. “It was hard at first. Extremely.” She sat down on the edge of Rarity’s bed.

“When I first became Death and I was told to go and take Old Bones to the Ever…I didn’t know what to think. I wanted to think about how terrible it all was. In fact, that’s what I thought.” A little smile crossed her face. “Nothing was right anymore. I watched all of you from the sidelines. It was nice, knowing that you never forgot about me, and were always hoping I’d come back…even after you moved on.

“But I think…I think once Rainbow Dash passed on…something changed. But I’m sure you don’t want to hear about all that, Rarity. Suffice it to say, I’m okay now.”

Rarity sighed. “Fluttershy, I’ve lived for dozens of years, now. I know when a pony is hiding her feelings. I know more than a few ponies with baggage they need to get off their shoulders.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to rebut, but stopped. “I…yes, Rarity, I’m not telling you everything. But…is it alright if I don’t want to? I’ve come to terms with all that. I’m sorry if you wanted to hear the whole story.”

Rarity raised her eyebrows. “But, dear…” Her eyes darkened a little. “I want to help you, Fluttershy. Things have been so quiet…nopony has needed the Elements in so long, and with my career, I haven’t had a spare moment with one of my old friends for at least a decade.” She chuckled. “Indulge an old mare, would you?”

After a time, Fluttershy nodded. “Alright, Rarity,” she said, “I just…for the first several years, it was hard. I would lie alone in my room, staring at the ceiling and constantly hoping that things would change. And for a while, the only thing that changed was what I wanted.

“First, I wanted to get my life back. I wanted Angel back, and Hector, and I wanted to go to the spa with you again. I wanted to watch Rainbow Dash do her tricks knowing that she could see me. But once you all took your trip to see Princess Celestia…I realized that wasn’t going to happen. And no matter how long I waited, the bitterness wouldn’t leave, no matter how many times Blanche told me it would fade.

“Second, I just wanted to have somepony to talk to besides Blanche. It didn’t matter whether he was telling me something encouraging, or telling me to get moving; his words never got through to me. I just wanted Twilight or Pinkie to ask me how I was doing.” Fluttershy closed her eyes. “I wanted the boring things in life again.

“But that couldn’t happen, either. And once Blanche gave me that talk…I think maybe that was the first time I ever decided to listen. I tried to toughen up, and not like my run-in with Iron Will…I wanted the strength and courage of you all. I felt like it was what I needed to keep going. Then Dash passed.

“Really, I wasn’t sure of what to do, then. I think once that had time to sink in and stop stinging, I stopped being bitter and started being scared. Every day for me, no matter what I was trying to enjoy—listening to birds, watching animals play—I would wonder who was going to go next. I was so scared that I would check my list and find another name on there I recognized.

“And like I told you, I did. But I think after Applejack passed on, I stopped being scared. Pinkie helped me reinforce that. I realized there was nothing else I could do about it. It was okay to be scared, but that didn’t mean spending every day paralyzed.” She smiled and opened her eyes. “I knew that no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop the flow of time. And those feelings from before faded.”

Rarity nodded. “Lovely, dear,” she said, “Do you feel better?” Fluttershy nodded. “Good then.” Rarity hugged Fluttershy tightly. “Do not ever forget us, Fluttershy, please. And remember—if you ever feel sorrow, don’t be afraid to speak to us as though we were still here. I assure you, we’ll be listening.” Rarity lay back on her pillows. “Alright,” she said. “I am ready, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy bit her lip. “Are you sure, Rarity?” Her voice wavered slightly.

Rarity nodded. “Fluttershy,” she said, “I lie here with no regrets. There will be nopony to inherit my legacy, but that is fine. The world will remember me as a diva, a mogul of the fashion world—but more important, they will remember me as a mare who refused to change her methods, no matter how busy the work got. Every one of my students takes their time with the craft, and I have never let something shoddy escape my notice. I am an icon, Fluttershy.” She smiled, the gesture full of a strange irony. “I am ready.”

And with that, Fluttershy removed Rarity’s soul. Almost immediately, Rarity got what she wished—youth. As she floated up to the Ever, her big blue eyes now lacking crow’s feet and her lips free of laugh-lines, she blew a kiss to Fluttershy, vanishing for the final time.

After Fluttershy’s disappearance, Rarity’s focus went into her work in order to stave off her grief, setting her on the path to Equestria-wide fame. After a time, her obsession with her work overtook her feelings, and instead of being an outlet, it became an even larger passion.

Rarity’s death was given attention on a national scale—there was hardly a pony in Equestria who didn’t know about it, and those who didn’t soon found out. Mourners gathered outside her boutique, and they gathered all around for a candlelit vigil. Rarity’s death nearly eclipsed her life. Her legacy was remembered for many years to come.

Beneath her shallow exterior, Rarity was a pony who cared, above all else, about the quality of her craft—she became an icon on her own terms. She followed no trends, preferring to set them, instead. In the end, Rarity made two choices.

She chose to pass when she was ready, and chose to never be forgotten.

With four of her friends gone, Fluttershy was intimately comfortable with the once-painful reality of their passing. Only one pony remained—Twilight Sparkle.

The Princess’ number-one student of magic continued learning about the magic of friendship wherever she could, and when she had no lesson for the week, she would write Celestia about how her life was going.

Eventually, she gave up on her search for Fluttershy—without the aid of the Princess and with no leads to go on, Twilight found herself at a loss. She grieved for a time, but soon after Applejack’s passing, the unicorn realized that finding Fluttershy was a fool’s errand.

Twilight lived a quiet life, one spurred by neither monetary gain nor fame. She married at a reasonably young age, to a stallion named Honor. A pegasus, he was naturally full of vigor, and loved to get Twilight out of the house, when work permitted. He came from a town further to the south, and worked as a notary. His name was a joke to him, one he loved sharing with other ponies.

It wasn’t long after she married that Spike decided to leave the library. His ultimate place in life came as Equestria’s ambassador to dragon country, a perennial help to the Princess. He wrote letters to Twilight and her husband nearly every week, always about how the sight of other countries and sub-countries fascinated him.

When Twilight was asked to further her position in Canterlot by becoming its chief instructor of magic, she respectfully declined, far too attached to the little town of Ponyville and her library.

The two of them fostered a family there, a few years after their wedding. Two colts proved to be quite a bit for them to handle, and they were happy with just that. They were energetic, incurably curious little colts, and their parents loved them dearly.

Once they’d left, one becoming a bookkeeper for a prestigious history hall in Canterlot, the other to become a gardener, Twilight and Honor continued their life, the latter passing far before the former.

With Honor gone, Twilight resigned herself to spending her days out and about as much as she could, being friendly and helpful to the townsfolk, trying to keep herself busy. At night, she would alternate between staring out the window, at the stars, pointing out constellations under her breath, and rereading every book in the Ponyville library.
Ten years after Rarity’s death, Fluttershy visited her, bringing things full-circle.

Twilight’s passing came in the middle of summer, with the sun high in the sky and the humidity high. Ponyville’s landscape had changed little in that time—in fact, the only real difference between the town Fluttershy had known all those years ago and the current Ponyville was the residents.

When Blanche showed up to tell Fluttershy—who was, at the time, lounging in Rainbow’s old practice field—that Twilight’s time had come, the yellow pegasus nodded and smiled. Twilight was finally going to get to ascend to the Ever and reunite with the other Elements.

The walk over to the library was fairly long, and gave Fluttershy time to reflect. She thought about the tough ponies—Rainbow Dash and Sawgrass chief among them—and the easy ponies, like Little Mint and Rarity, and she wondered whether Twilight would make things easy on her. She was normally level-headed and kind, but Fluttershy hadn’t watched her much for the last thirty years, so there was just as good a chance that she’d grown bitter since the passing of her husband.

As Fluttershy pushed the front door of the library open, she heard a creak from the end of the room and a soft voice.

“Hello?” it called. “Is that Page Turner? Page, don’t just stand there! Please, come in, I was just reading an old favorite of mine.” Fluttershy took a few more steps in, spying Twilight rising from her rocking chair with a genial smile as she turned towards the door.

“…Fluttershy,” she said, little surprise in her voice, “you’re here.” She looked down a moment, then grinned. “It’s nice to finally see you again.”

Fluttershy nodded. “And you too, Twilight,” she said. “Do you…know why I’m here?”

Twilight nodded. “I always sort of had a feeling, Fluttershy,” she said, sitting back down. “But to think you were really Death, well…that’s something I had a tough time with.”

The yellow pegasus closed the door behind her. “I understand, Twilight,” she said. “I hope you’re not upset or anything…I wanted to tell you all, find a way to let you know, but…I was told not to. Even if I’d left a note or something, I just had no idea what might’ve happened.”

“Probably nothing,” Twilight said, “but I can tell you, if we’d known about it, it’s…pretty likely that we’d have tried to do something about it. That wouldn’t have turned out well.”

Fluttershy chuckled. “It would’ve meant a lot to me,” she said, “but you’re right. And I guess the Ever isn’t really something that can be ‘fought’ either.”

Twilight leaned back in her chair. “Very true,” she said, “but Fluttershy, why did they come to you? Ever since I saw that banner in Sugarcube Corner, I knew, but…that’s something that’s bothered me for a long time now. Why you?”

Fluttershy explained Blanche’s motives to Twilight, alongside a few of the details.

“Sounds like he was a pretty unprofessional pony,” she said, a caustic edge in her voice, “but I suppose what’s done is done.” She smiled. “I’m just so glad you’re back, Fluttershy, even if the circumstances aren’t completely pleasant.”

Fluttershy sighed and shook her head. “It’s been so long, Twilight…” she said, “but I feel like I still know all of you. Anyway, I wish we could talk more, but…”

Twilight levered herself up from her chair. “I understand,” she said. “I’m more than ready. This old brain of mine just doesn’t work as fast anymore.” She giggled. “I’m looking forward to spending time with the girls again, too.” She paused, then added, “When will you be along, Fluttershy?”

The pegasus pursed her lips. “I’m not sure, Twilight, but I’ll be there. Save a spot for me, okay?” Her eyes were hot.

Twilight shuffled forward and embraced Fluttershy—a few tears leaked from her eyes. “I will,” she said. “We’ll miss you until you get there, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy hugged the old pony back, starting to cry a few joyful tears of her own. “I’ll miss you all too, Twilight. Don’t worry, we’ll have all the time in the world once I get there.”

With the conversation between them finished, Fluttershy extracted Twilight’s soul, the purple pony’s horn lighting up with glee as she rose into the ceiling.

Twilight’s life could be described as hectic after Fluttershy’s leaving and Dash’s passing. She tried as hard as she could not to let her two friends’ departure follow her for the rest of her life, but her sensitive heart became tinted with grief. She kept up her letters as long as she was able, but eventually her correspondence with Celestia came to an end while she focused on her own life.

Twilight was also a devoted mother, making sure both of her children grew to love reading and learning, nurturing their innate talents and hobbies. With Honor by her side, Twilight seemed indefatigable, even in the face of heavy adversity.

And finally, having seen all of her friends, her children, and her husband off, Twilight became a teacher for Page Turner, a local mare with an interest in reading and books—she was slated to be Ponyville’s next librarian.

But as ordinary as Twilight’s life might have seemed compared to the adventures and romps of her youth and her visits to Canterlot, ponies around her could describe her life using only one word:

Magical.