The grey skies poured a steady stream of precipitation upon the lavender alicorn as she sat in front of the grave. The headstone read:

The dates underneath indicated a lengthy lifetime, and yet still far too short for Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash was the last of her five great friends to die, and perhaps because of that, it hurt the most. The rain trickling down her face concealed her tears though, just as the prismatic pegasus had intended. ‘I don’t want to see tears at my funeral. I was awesome, and that’s what I want you to remember,’ she had said on her deathbed. The weather ponies had ensured that a steady rain would fall on the cemetery to fulfill her final wishes.

So Twilight recalled her friend’s life – her rise through the ranks of the Wonderbolts, her missions flown in the service of Equestria, her marriage and the foal that resulted. Her strength when her husband was killed in action. Her appointment to the captaincy of the Wonderbolts. Her semi-retirement as a trainer right up until failing health finally claimed her life. But she never neglected her friendships with Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.

Twilight was the last of the Mane Six, as they had been tagged by general populace. Having saved the kingdom so many times made one quite notorious apparently. Sometimes Twilight wondered if becoming an alicorn princess had stolen some of the fame that her friends had deserved, but they had never begrudged her. Certainly Rainbow’s ego had more than coped. She was going to miss her friend’s brash personality. She was going to miss a lot of things about the pegasus, even her stupid pranks. In some ways, Rainbow Dash had struck Twilight as a female version of the alicorn’s husband, Free Agent. Her love of life and free spirit had appealed to Twilight just as Free's had done. She wondered what might have happened if she had never met Free and Path.

Twilight took in a deep breath and sighed. “Goodbye, Rainbow Dash.” Her final farewell. This chapter in her life was closed forever, but it would live in her memory for as long as she lived, and for an alicorn, that would be for a very long time. The Alicorn’s Curse, they sometimes called it. To watch your friends grow old and die while you continued on. They were wrong.

Twilight turned away from the grave to see all the ponies, griffons, changelings, and dragons who were patiently waiting for her to make her final parting. Herdmates, children, and friends – so many friends. She smiled softly. Life was not about waiting for your friends to die; it was about making as many as you could to fill your days with the joy and camaraderie that only came from those friendships. As they came over to join her, she was filled with the strength of those bonds.

The weather ponies took the cue to clear the rain-clouds, and a rainbow split the sky in final tribute to her friend. As the graveyard lit up with sunshine, Twilight knew without a shadow of a doubt that friendship was not only magic, but it was also eternal.

This is my take on the Alicorn's Curse. Yes, the death of her friends would be sad, but even sadder would be if she had never made any more friends since those first five. That is not what the Princess of Friendship is to me.