Thirty Minute Pony Stories

Where we challenge ourselves to write pony stories in thirty minutes. Prompts are posted daily. All safe for work. Now shut down. The blog remains as an archive.

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Hey, I was thinking of running a weekly prompt on Thursdays, using threads on the FimFiction TMP group instead of Tumblr. May I have your blessing, and could I get you to post something so that folks know to look for it?

By all means! Everyone, if you're desiring a TMP fix, Esle here has your solution, at the FIMFic TMP Group

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The End

Well, that's done. All twenty-seven stories we received, for this Final Prompt. Barring one particular outlier, that is the single largest amount of stories we have ever received for a single prompt. I am humbled by all of you, and all the well wishes and words you've said that I've read tonight. I hope my comments didn't degrade in quality as I went through the stories, but I suspect that's not what's important right now. What matters is moving forward, towards the future. You're going to still see a few posts on this blog in the days to come. Although we've ended our official operations, I still have some backlog things I need to take care of. The Master Prompt List, for instance, will be updated to contain all five hundred and eighty one prompts, and as some of those missed compilations, I'll be having to go back and create those. As such you'll see the occasional odd post here and there as I have time to finish this project. I have no estimates on completion for it as it is something I'll work on sparingly, but once it's finished I will make a post to let everyone know, as many of you have been asking for this to be done. At this point, saying anything more will pretty much just be repeating what I've already said. So instead, I shall echo the words from Q, in the Star Trek TNG episode that inspired this final prompt. See you out there.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt: "Ruining a Friendship" by Atosen

And the sun dawned on Pinkie's face. Rarity sighed and dropped into one of the bakery's seats, which drew their attention back to her. Pinkie squeaked, "But Rarity, I never -- How did you know?" "Because I'm in love with you too," said Rarity. "Both of you. That makes these things quite obvious." Applejack's head turned sharply, and Pinkie's face lit up again, now seemingly brighter than the sun. "Oh! Does that mean --" She looked back at Applejack, seeking confirmation. "All three of us?" Rarity smiled. "No, darling. If my eye is right ... All six of us." ---- Twilight rolled her eyes as Applejack started grumbling again. "I don't get why the dress has to be so dang long." "Tradition, darling," said Rarity. "It is a wedding." "Tradition nothing. Somepony could trip." "Please, I put a lot of effort into the design of these gowns. I made certain that we won't trip. Think how that would look!" "How it would look? That's your concern? Rares, frankly, I think it would look a lot better if we had pies in front of us. 'Cause I'm hungry. That cake was huge but it was mostly air!" "Did someone say pies?" piped up Pinkie, and Twilight threw up a magic shield just in time. Pies and cakes began flying all across the hall. It seemed half the guests had had baked goods secreted away, ready to throw. That segue of Applejack's had been clumsy; Twilight knew immediately that this had been planned. Another clue was Applejack collapsed with laughter as baked treat after treat struck Rarity and her wedding dress. And Twilight watched, with a growing grin, as Rarity's outrage turned into vengeance and she flung herself on top of Applejack, smothering her in pie and trying to drag her to the ground. Moments later Pinkie dropped onto the couple from somewhere, giving both of them sloppy kisses. Rainbow swooped down next, and Twilight and Fluttershy followed. The food fight continued unabated, but to the six brides, the rest of the world faded away. There was only hugs and kisses and laughter and far too much pie on their faces. And Twilight reflected, as she wrapped her wings around the ones she loved, that once they'd had something great -- but it had made way for something fantastic.

----

Comments by Kyronea:

Hee, Atosen, I didn't quite expect you to take my suggestion! And yet you did, and you wrote a wonderful story with it, a remarkable story, the best way to end out this massive marathon of stories submitted to this final prompt, with, what else, but Omniship? The way their friendship kept fraying more and more... oh my goodness Pinkie crying over the whole cheerleading in particular got at me so hard. They grew so jealous of each other, and yet... they didn't need to be. Because they could be together instead. Atosen, you are one of the best submitters this blog has ever had. I'm grateful you were willing to finish your story, and I want to thank you so much for all you've done. Thank you.

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The Final Prompt: "Closing the Book" by Midnight Herald

Twilight’s hoof trailed across Rainbow’s sloppy mouthwriting, a faint smile on her face as she read the entry one last time.

It really hurts, coming home to your closest friends and seeing how much they’ve grown and changed, and how much you have, too. But I’ve learned that if you open yourself up to them and talk, you’ll be amazed at the ponies they’ve become. And that, even though they’re different now, they still love you just as much, even though you’re different, too. They’ll always be your friends. Always.

Rainbow had been the first to truly leave Ponyville, on a three year tour of the glove with her other Wonderbolts. She still dropped by in between classes of cadets at the Wonderbolt Academy. The discipline and respect she’d learned in their capable hooves had turned her into a more humble, secure mare, but the fiery drive for greatness and boastful antics that had defined her in the old days never really went away.

Next had been Rarity, to nopony’s surprise. She’d held out as long as she could in Ponyville, citing Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy as perfectly good reasons to run business in Ponyville, but she’d eventually gotten an offer to open a boutique in Manehattan. She’d been about to decline when the rest of them held an intervention. And so off she went.

Twilight smiled at her elegant script adorning the next page.

Even when miles separate friends, they can still be close. Although it’s easy to forget sometimes, a good friend is only a letter away, always willing to help. With good friends at your side, no matter where you are, you are never truly alone.

Tracing the faded ink, Twilight remembered … Rainbow Dash breaking down in silent tears as she laid eyes on Fluttershy’s adopted filly, before flying out the window and almost out of Ponyville. It had taken all of Twilight’s strength to catch her, and all of Twilight’s wits to find out what was truly bothering her --she had missed too much of her friend’s lives, and was going to quit the Wonderbolts forever. It had taken three days for her to see that dropping her life’s ambitions would hurt them much more than her regular absences...

And the mad dash to help Rarity through a scandal involving an affair with her assistant and the resulting drop in sales, working tirelessly on brilliant designs and schmoozing with the worst of high society, pulling her weight as a princess in small leaps and bounds and, eventually, creating a much, much larger scandal to help Rarity’s die out. Five years later, she and Applejack were still banned from ever buying fireworks or heavy cream in the city of Manehattan.

A knock sounded on the Library door. “It’s open,” Twilight called out, running her hoof one more time across the thick, off-white paper. The front door creaked open, and Twilight underlined her mental note to grease the hinges before she left.

“How’s everythin’ coming along?” Applejack asked behind her. Twilight’s ears flicked and she stood up, weaving her way through the maze of boxes and sacks to greet her old friend with a nuzzle.

“I got distracted reading our old friendship journal,” Twilight admitted, half-guilty. “Thanks for checking in.”

Applejack just chuckled, a warm, raspy sound that sent warmth pulsing through Twilight’s chest. “Figured somethin’ like that might happen,” she answered, grinning. “I wouldn’t blame ya for draggin’ your hooves, though.” Like everything in the Apple family, Applejack’s smile was age-worn and well-loved. And yet it shone with the same bright authenticity Twilight had come to expect, and Applejack’s gaze was even and kind, her neck strong and unbowed as she looked up into Twilight’s face.

It had seemed a lifetime ago that Twilight had been shorter than Applejack, if only by a few inches. But lately Twilight had been growing into her new body, with longer, graceful legs and a neck that arched, swanlike. Her wings didn’t seem overlarge anymore, either. It still felt strange, tilting her head down to see Applejack’s face. It probably would continue to feel strange for years to come, if she ever got used to it.

“The lovebirds said they’d be by to help you pack the chariot,” Applejack said, moving to a pile of books. “How many of these are yours, Twi?”

Twilight glanced at the spines, looking for the little embossed stamp of her Cutie Mark she put on all her personal collection. “All of them.” She felt silly having to double-check, but she’d been spending so much time learning other things lately that she’d lost most of her internal card catalog for other, living memories.

Applejack stacked the books expertly into a half-full box before folding the top in on itself and sitting back and looking at the mess around them. “T’be honest, you got further than I thought you would,” she remarked, swivelling her head around happily. Twilight almost raised an eyebrow, almost threw some sass. But she knew Applejack knew her and her habit of selective procrastination all too well. So she just smirked and smacked Applejack lightly with a wing.

They spent a few minutes picking up the last odds and ends that lay scattered around the immaculately-swept floor, throwing them in wherever there was room. By some unspoken agreement, they were fairly silent.

Another knock at the door, much quieter than Applejack’s had been, interrupted Twilight’s battle with the last box. The top just wouldn’t close. With a sigh, she lifted Smartypants out and set the doll aside, to be dealt with soon. “Come in, Fluttershy,” Twilight called, and the door creaked open again.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie trotted in and looked around the library in wonder. The walls had been scrubbed clean and the many nail-holes from picture frames had been spackled over. The books sat square on their shelving, and most of the boxes had been stacked together for easy loading.

Fluttershy wore her age with the same easy grace as she wore anything, and Pinkie’s eyes still shone with the youthful joy that made her such a wonderful friend. Fluttershy’s wings drooped the tiniest bit in sorrow as she took in the vast emptiness of the library. Pinkie’s tail wrapped itself tightly around hers, and it got better, but Twilight could still tell she was bothered. They all were. Of course they were.

Twilight hugged them both tightly, her jaw clenched with emotion, her forelegs and wings tight, as if she could express her multitude of feelings with a strong enough embrace. Hugging Applejack was just as intense, their pelts rubbing together, Twilight’s limbs quivering against Applejack’s solid muscle. Then she stood back and smiled, watery.

“This isn’t goodbye,” she insisted, looking each of them in their slightly teary eyes. “If you need me, Canterlot’s only a train ride away.”

The three of them nodded, although Pinkie had on a sad, complicated little smile that spoke what they all were feeling.

“I’ll be back when I can,” Twilight promised, “But I don’t know when that will be, or how often.” The three of them nodded. Outside, Twilight’s carriage landed. This was it. She floated the journal of friendship over to them. “I think … I think this belongs in Ponyville,” she choked out past her thick tongue. Then she lifted a stack of boxes and walked out the door, towards the waiting guardsponies. Canterlot awaited her.

 -------------------

Thanks for running this blog as long as you did. It's been a great help to my writing, state of mind, all that. So thanks.

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Comments by Kyronea:

Oh these friends, the numerous ways they could live out their dreams and separate. Dash missing them all as hard as she did brought a tear to my eye. Fluttershy adopting a filly isn't something I expected though! Nor was Twilight and AJ's scandal in Manehattan. I can't even imagine what they did with those fireworks and heavy cream to cause such a ruckus. The story gives me the impression the ponies are all much older too, some twenty or thirty years older at that. I wonder if that's worrying at Twilight's heart, making her fear their death by old age while she lives forever. Midnight Herald, you have been one of the longest running submitters on this blog, submitting to tons of prompts and endlessly bringing us joy with your stories. I want to thank you super tons for all you've written, and all you will write after today.

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The Final Prompt: "New Begining" by Gullible-Cynic

It was getting late in the evening when Rarity and Rainbow Dash stumbled into their house located in the most upscale neighbourhood of Canterlot. In truth it was actually Rarity’s house and Rainbow had been using the guest room across from the master bedroom for the past four years, but neither had felt the need to bring that up for the past three. They had not spoken much on the trip home, each lost in their own thoughts of their latest adventure with their friends.

As Rainbow started making her way up to her spartan bedroom Rarity spoke up. “Would you like to join me for some tea Rainbow?”

Rainbow turned to look at Rarity and blinked in confusion for a second. “Umm, its late and I’m pretty tire Rares, you probably are too. We’ll talk tomorrow ‘k?” Rainbow forced a smile onto her face.

“Please Rainbow, we need to talk about what happened.”

Rainbow grit her teeth. “We saved the world. Again. Everypony is safe, nopony got hurt. Its a win. Nothing much to talk about.” Rainbow turned back to the stairs, stomping her hoof on the first step, cracking the tile. “Oh, Celestia… I’m sorry Rares, look, I’ll pay for that, but I really dont want to talk right now.” She hung her head and sighed. She knew bed would probably going to have to wait now.

Rainbow sighed. Turning back she found that Rarity was sweeping the ground with her front hoof. To the casual observer it was a rare nervous habit. Rainbow knew better, she was upset too. Rainbow turned around “Sure Rares, I’ll even have some tea, don’t think cider will effect me much anymore.”

“Thank you, I’ll join you in the lounge in a moment.”

Rarity normally had normally insisted that tea should be had on her balcony overlooking the Canterlot waterfall. Rainbow made her way to the lounge and made herself comfortable in her favourite chair. Though not quite as welcoming as her bed, it was one of her favourite spots in the house and she was grateful for Rarity’s gesture.

A minute after Rainbow had settled in Rarity entered the room her, levitating a teapot and two teacups. No saucers. “This is really getting to you too, isn’t it?” asked Rainbow.

Rarity set the tea and sat down on the loveseat across from Rainbow. “Oh, you must think I’m just ever so selfish and egotistical and ungrateful and …”

“Vainglorious?” suggested Rainbow

“Twilight’s word-a-day calendar?”

“Its the gift that keeps on giving.” Rainbow said with a smirk.

“Be that as it may, I think that one describes both of us Dear.”

Rainbow snorted, not quite a full laugh, but it was a welcome relief.

“At any rate, I do feel simply awful worrying about my career when yours is so, well … uncertain.”

“No, its pretty certain. Its over. Twilight and Pinkie are thrilled, AJ and Fluttershy dont really care. But for me?” Dash shook her head and let out a breath. “I’ve always wanted to fly with the best. I’ve been a wonderbolt for five years. Been captain for a month. Done ten shows since then, each one better than the last. But now, I cant keep flying with them, its not fair to them, not to mention not safe. So I can be a desk Captain with the occasional solo act or quit.” Rainbow tried to levitated her tea to her. After failing to do much more than rattle the cup she grabbed it with her hooves and took a sip. “When are the coronations?”

“Two months from now. Princess…. er, Celestia has scheduled a single mass coronation for all six of us. Personally I think its to prevent subjecting Canterlot to six Alicorn level Pinkie-parties in a row.” Rarity said a bit more brightly, gossip always help pick her up.

“Its going to change things for you too, isn’t it? Being a princess I mean.” asked Rainbow

“I’m afraid so. Ponies will too easily claim that I'm using my status to promote my works. And truth be told, I’d never be sure if my wears really are standing on their own merits or just riding my coattails. And I was doing so well too! Two shops in Canterlot, two in Manehatten, a new is opening in Baltimare next week!”

Rainbow nodded, she was actually looking forward to the grand opening of that one. “All good things come to an end I suppose.”

Rarity stretched her wings a bit before taking a sip of her tea. “Oh, like you I have options, I could continue to create under an assumed name, in fact I likely will for awhile, but …”

“Its not quite the same?” suggested Rainbow

“Exactly. Whats the point of being the best if we are no longer allowed to compete?” Rainbow raised her tea cup at this a took a swig. Rarity was too focused on her developing rant to notice the faux pas. “And don't even get me started on the effects to my personal life! Finding a worthy Prince has been difficult enough, now, NOW I’m going to have to fend of all sorts of ‘suitors’. I suppose I should just abandon such a notion outright. Celestia seems to do fine on her own. That another dream thats going to end tonight. Seems like the occasion for it, doesn’t it?” Rarity’s eyes had begun to well up by this point.

Rainbow quickly left her favourite chair and joined Rarity on the loveseat. As Rainbow wrapped Rarity in her wings Rarity began to cry. Sofly. Quietly. After a minute Rarity’s breathing deepened and she started ruffling her wings. Rainbow took this as her cue to loosen the hug, but she didn’t completely let go.

“Rares you really need to let me teach you how to preen.” said Rainbow

Rarity snickered at this. “And I should show you the basic of Unicorn magic.” Rarity rested her head on Rainbow’s shoulder for several minutes after this, each enjoying the calm.

After almost ten minutes had past Rarity turned to look Rainbow in the eyes. “Rainbow, what are we?”

“Friends Rares.” Rainbow broke eye contact and shrugged “Two of the best friends that ever were.”

“It seems you and I are going to be around a long time. I for one would like to make that journey with somepony that will never leave me ‘hanging’ as it were.” said Rarity “Come its bed time. End of the day.”

----

Comments by Kyronea:

I don't believe you, Rainbow. I think you're lovers, or are about to be. Why find a Prince, Rarity, when you have another Princess? Becoming alicorns is certainly one way things could go for the Mane Six. A small part of me wants it to happen to them; the rest of me wants their immortality to be granted by other means. In any event, thank you, very much, for submitting. I know you did not submit often, but I am glad you chose to submit to this final prompt.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt, "Death of a Feeling", by Tlantzn.

Sweetie Belle stood in the center of Rarity’s love.  She could feel it, a physical thing, and it burned like a shower turned up too hot. 

She could stay there forever.

She shrugged and tossed a hoof toward the door with a noncommittal motion.  

Rarity kissed her on the cheek.  Hesitated, pursed her lips, and opened them, but nothing came out but sound.  No words.

Sweetie quirked an eyebrow and gave a half smile. 

Rarity said, “You know I shall anything for you... of course.  No matter what might happen, or where you may be.  I shall come.” 

Sweetie nodded. 

Rarity said, “I shan’t keep you longer.  I should like to ask you to be good, but” – she gave a giggle that went on just a little too long – “ponies will be ponies, and I cannot be completely square, can I?”

She didn’t look like she was done talking.

“Promise me, darling, that you shall remember where you are from, and who you are, in all that you do?  And… never let your innocence truly die.”

Sweetie Belle let her smile unfold wide.  “I will not.”

Outside, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom joined her as they left Ponyville, summer sun glinting off the sheen of their bare flanks.

----

Sweetie Belle stood in the waiting room of a company store in a town half a continent away. 

“This job will pay well enough for your time, Sweets,” said the stallion in red-orange livery.  “In advance, to finance your expenses.”  She could see his muscles strain as he set the bags of bits down. 

“Conversely, I have no ability to guarantee it will be easy.  I have, of course, no need to demand your full attention, as your safety and that of our caravan will be one and the same.”

She nodded.  The years had been kind to her; her quarters rippled with muscle, and the sharpened edges of her hooves gleamed.  She knew the dangers he spoke of.

When they left that town, she felt her cheeks flush and her tongue sour and thought her horn might spark. 

She turned to look at her side, then turned back in disappointment.  Scoots and Apples spent hours trying to cheer her. 

---

Three bandits lay in front of them, beaten and docile.

Sweetie Belle threw her mouth open, arched her neck and hurled her triumph into the heavens. 

Scoots said, “Ya did fine.  Goods are safe.”

Apples said, “Looks like we’ve got prisoners.  She snorted.  Cutie Mark… warden-pony?” 

The rush hit her like a drug.  She hated them for their ineptitude.  She hated them for not being more in number. 

She loved herself in that moment.  She never wanted it to end. 

Scoots said, “What’re you doin’?”, and sounded worried.

Apples said, “What would Rarity think?” 

The first bandit just said, “Why?”

Sweetie Belle said, “The old life has to die for the new to be born.”

The bandit said, “Where will I be born?”

Sweetie laughed.  She brought her hoof down and felt the crack, saw the blood rush.  She didn’t look at her side; she could feel the mark appear.

Somewhere, far, far away, Rarity cried without even knowing why.    

----

Comments by Kyronea:

More like Cutie Mark murderers. Goodness, that's an awful cutie mark for them to get! I can understand desperation, but... I'd rather have hoped they wouldn't turn into killers. A loss of innocence, and almost a loss of my lunch! Tlantzn, you've been a long time submitter, and your stories have always been quite unique. Reading your unique spin on the FIM world has always been entertaining, in one way or another. Thank you muchly.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt: "Just Like You" by catalystscradle

When Scootaloo closed her eyes, she could almost see the spectacle as the Wonderbolts pulled off their new trick to the delight of the stadium full of cheering ponies below. She pictured Rainbow Dash punching through the sound barrier, filling the sky with an explosion of color as the other trailed her, wrapping flames and lightning around her rainbow wake. She could just imagine herself being there, staring up at the sky staring up at the sky as her hero flew by. Upon opening her eyes, however, the teenage filly was met only with the sight of the the blank ceiling tiles above her bed. She picked up the letter which she had been clutching to her chest and read through it letter once again, even though she practically knew it by heart already.

Scootaloo always knew Rainbow Dash was destined for greatness. Rainbow Dash was the most awesome pony in all of Equestria, and Ponyville could only contain so much awesome. But now, as a member of the Wonderbolts, she could travel all around the world and wow ponies everywhere with the high-flying, death-defying stunts. The Wonderbolts gave Rainbow the opportunity to share her greatness with the all of Equestria, and Scootaloo couldn’t be happier for her.

With a sigh, she rolled off of her bed and slid the letter into a drawer in her desk. Dreams of Wonderbolts and sonic rainbooms still in her mind, she trotted down the stairs and grabbed her helmet and scooter.

Stepping out onto her porch, she donned her helmet, and took off down the streets of Ponyville, the warm summer air rushing past her wings as she sped down the main thoroughfare. Scootaloo looked up at the clear blue sky. These days used to be her favorite; with no clouds for the weather ponies to clear, it would have been the perfect day to catch Rainbow Dash practicing her stunts.

Scootaloo skidded to a halt, nearly passing her destination, the local skate park. She and the rest of the crusaders help build it after she got tired of getting yelled at for riding through the market. It wasn’t much – a halfpipe, a few rams, and a couple of rails – but she held fond memories of the place. After all, this is where she got cutie mark here so many years ago. She recalled how excited she was that day to show Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo made her way over the the halfpipe and, positioned herself at the lip with her scooter. If there’s one thing Rainbow Dash her instilled in her, it was that being awesome didn’t come easy. It was something you had to practice at everyday. And today, awesome was trying to finally perfect the triple backflip, 360 twist. She launched herself down the halfpipe, and coming up the other side, she kicked off the ramp, launching herself into the air. She buzzed her wings to and tucked her body inward to increase her speed of rotation. As she felt herself reaching the apex of the jump, and then coming back down, she extended her body, and shuffled her hooves to line her wheels up with the ramp.

“Yeah!” she shouted as she touched down, the adrenaline of landing a new trick, rushing through her veins.

“Wow, that was so cool!”

Scootaloo turned to see a little teal pegasus filly clapping her hooves. Scootaloo smiled and waved at the kid, then went back through her practice routine, with some standard jumps and grinds. With every trick she landed, she could hear the small filly cheer. After a few minutes, Scootaloo stopped, wiped some sweat from her brow and turned to the filly.

“Hey kid,” said Scootaloo. “Not that I don’t mind the audience, but don’t you have anything better to do on a day like this?”

“Well, um, you see,” the filly paused. “I just moved here from Los Pegasus, and I saw the skate park, and thought, wow, I haven’t ever seen anything like that, but I’ve never seen anyone use it even though I come by everyday, but then today I show up and see you and wow! You’re like this, and zooming over there, and—”

Scootaloo let out a laugh. “Okay, I get it.”

“But I can leave if you don’t want me here,” the filly replied, her eyes lowering to the ground.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” said Scootaloo. “Catch!”

The filly caught Scootaloo’s bright red helmet in her hooves, and gave it a puzzled look.

“You wanna learn how to ride a scooter?”

“Do I ever!” she shouted and she ran over to Scootaloo.

——-

“Hey, you did great, kid,” said Scootaloo. “Keep working at it and someday, you’ll be as good as me.”

The filly’s eyes widened. “You think so?”

“If you practice, yeah.”

“Oh, I will, everyday!” she responded. “When I grow up I wanna be just like you!”

Scootaloo smiled. “You know, when I was your age, I said the exact same thing about an older friend who used to live around her.”

“Did it happen?”

“Huh?”

“Did you grow up to be just like her?”

Scootaloo wrapped a foreleg around the filly’s shoulder, and pulled her into an embrace.

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

[Thanks for running this blog for so long.  While I didn’t always have time to submit stories, I always had a fun time when I did, and I enjoyed reading everyones’ submissions.  Best of luck with everything.]

——

Comments by Kyronea:

Oh my goodness, Scootaloo… Scootaloo, growing up to be an inspiration to this little filly, just like Rainbow Dash was to her, once upon a time. I imagine this filly will be all the more awed to learn how Scootaloo knew Rainbow Dash personally, and maybe even awed that Scoots is a best friend of Sweetie and Bloom, if either of them are famous as adults. This story brought tears to my eyes, it did. Catalystscradle, I’ve always loved your stories, and it’s wonderful to see you still working on writing. Sometimes I feared you had stopped, given how rarely you submitted, and yet you came back for this final prompt. Thank you, so much.

[thirtyminuteponies]

Final Prompt: "Flim Flam Final" by nikkinicolep

[[Today seemed a perfect point to write the end of my Flim Flams On The Farm series, which began here when I still went by nikkisartcorner and continued here, here, and here. Thanks very much for this opportunity - I'm glad I got to write for this final prompt!]]

It was over, and Applejack didn't feel nearly as satisfied as she'd always thought she would.

In fact, she realized as she stared up at the near-finished cider machine, it hurt. At some point, she'd stopped waiting for Flim and Flam's good behavior to end. She'd stopped waiting to see their angle, their con.

She'd started seeing them as a part of the farm.

And then the good behavior was over. She'd come into the barn to call them to supper, and she'd seen them working on a new Super Speedy Cider Squeezy Whatever, and it all came crashing down.

Flim had tried to interject, tried to answer her as she raged.

Flam had simply stood silent, letting her anger wash over him, ears tipping ever further back as she shouted over Flim.

And in the end she'd run both of those no-good, two-faced, flim-flamming conponies off her farm.

For good.

"Hey y'all, I brought...."

Apple Bloom trailed off as she entered the barn and saw Applejack standing in front of the machine. The filly had her saddlebags on, the pouches brimming with tools, and for a moment she stared wide-eyed at her sister.

"Surprise?" Applejack echoed. "Y'mean t'tell me ya knew about this?"

"Sure did! We've been workin' on it for weeks!" Applebloom trotted forward, looking up at the machine with pride. "See, Flim an' Flam pointed out how we really do run short on cider, an' yer friends can't take days off every fall t'help! So we were improvin' their old design, so Big Mac can run it instead a' magic, an' we pick an' sort th' apples - Flam says the apple-sucker-thingy bruises too many anyhow - but it'll still up our output lots! Just like th'contest only we don't gotta call Twilight an' th'others t'help!"

"That's what they told ya, huh?" Applejack muttered hollowly. She looked up at the machine, absently reaching over to ruffle Applebloom's mane.

Then she frowned, ears coming up as she looked the contraption over again.

Treadmill, just like Big Mac's cider press.

No magic receptors.

No apple-sorting window.

Just the treadmill connected to a variety of gears leading to the press instead of directly to the press itself. A generator - she'd seen one before, including magical ones.

No magic here, though. Just pure horsepower.

An improved Earth-pony run press without a trace of magic needed.

Applejack made a low, choked sound and wheeled on her hindlegs, tearing out of the barn at full gallop as Apple Bloom called after her in puzzled plaintiveness.

What have I done?

***

She caught them a few miles out of Ponyville. The twin unicorns had been walking in resolute matched step, heads lowered; they looked up in unison as she ran out in front of them and then slid to a stop, dust floating about her as she turned to face them.

"Wait," she gasped out, flanks heaving from her run. "Wait, please."

They exchanged a glance but remained still, holding their silence as they waited for her to catch her breath.

"I... I... listen, boys. Bloom came into th'barn an'... an' she set me right. I never... I shoulda... I shouldn'ta... I...."

She lowered her head, eyes burning as her hat slid over them.

"I'm sorry." A bare whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Another moment of silence.

Then Flim lifted her chin with a forehoof, his own voice a bare echo of its usual chipper tone.

"Why my dear - I wouldn't have listened to me either!"

"And quite frankly, I wouldn't have believed me if I <i>had</i> listened," Flam added, head tilting. Applejack smiled a little at that, swallowing hard.

"I... well that's... I just... can y'all ever forgive me?"

"Weeeell, that depends," Flim drawled out, a cheeky glint returning to his eyes. "Can you ever forgive us for riding in uninvited, playing up the cider shortage, and trying to con you out of the Acres?"

Flam snorted; Applejack stared at them both a moment before snorting as well.

"I let y'all back on my farm, didn't I?"

Both unicorns chortled, nodding.

"That you did," Flam said. "And really, Applejack - do you really need to ask?" He offered a hoof, Flim echoing the motion; after a moment Applejack nodded, rearing up so she could take both their hooves at once.

"I guess not. Friends?"

"Friends," the brothers replied in unison. Applejack smiled, and the three started a leisurely walk back to Sweet Apple Acres.

***

"Do y'all really have t'go?"

Apple Bloom pouted, offering the twins her biggest, saddest eyes. Flim and Flam took a full step back at the sight before chuckling nervously, both nodding as Flim spoke.

"I'm afraid we do, my little appleseed. Winter is wrapped up, spring has sprung, and the deal was until we were back on our hooves besides."

"Traveling's the way for a pair of charlatans like us," Flam added.

"Besides - we've got farms to visit, wares to peddle, and our Fantastic Fruitjuicer to show off to orchards across Equestria."

"Fantastic Fruitjuicer?" Applejack asked.

"We're still working on a name," Flim admitted.

"I see." Applejack nodded a little. "What about 'Perfect Produce Presser'?"

Flim and Flam blinked, exchanging a glance.

"Say, that's good," Flam said. "Perfect Produce Presser. That's a winner!"

"Now then, no fretting, Apples," Flim said. "Our stay is ending, but - that just means the next one'll come all the sooner, Miss Applejack allowing."

"If y'behave," Applejack said, giving them as stern a glare as she could muster. Both grinned at her, and she grinned back.

"And who knows?" Flam said. "We sell a few PPPs, and maybe we'll buy our very own Flim Flam Fields for you to visit."

"All right," Apple Bloom said. "If y'promise."

"We promise," the brothers chorused.

A hug from Apple Bloom, an exchanged hat-tip with Applejack and nod with Big Macintosh, and a theatrical bow to Granny later, Flim and Flam hitched themselves to their new wagon and made their way out of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Ready for the next big road-trip adventure, Flam?"

"Ready, Flim."

"It was nice, though. We'll have to go back sometime."

"Be nice to be welcomed back somewhere, sometime."

"Oh yes. But for now - we've got a world of ponies to show a world of perfect pressing! Now, about the problem with orange peels...."

----

Comments by Kyronea:

Tis good to see you had one final chance to bring it all together, too! Flim and Flam, reformed, better ponies than they were when they tried to scam Applejack. AJ giving them a second chance was a wonderful thing. While I'm not entirely sure I understand her bias against magitek, I can at least get a part of why it made her so angry to see them potentially throwing it all away. And then she forgives them again afterwards. Nikki, you've been a long time submitter, and I want to thank you tons for all of your hard effort and work in submitting the wonderful stories you write. Thank you.

[thirtyminuteponies]

Final Prompt: "Dear Mom and Dad" by True Blue Spark

Dear Mom and Dad,

Hello again! I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last letter. If I thought Celestia kept me busy back when I was her student, well, that’s nothing compared to these diplomatic missions. I can’t go into too much detail about what we’re doing right now, but I really think I’m winning over the tengu we’ve met out here. I’ve been doing this for months, but it’s still hard to believe no pony has ever set hoof in these countries before me. But it’s exciting, too. And you’d think I’d be nervous about making a good first impression, but I’m really not! Making friends is the one thing I don’t ever doubt I can do.

Speaking of friends, I’ve been hearing from mine on a daily basis. It’s a good thing we’re not trying to hide, because the constant flame belches would make that impossible! Gosh, where do I start? Rarity is still keeping in touch with you, right? She told me once that she’d treated you to dinner after a particularly good quarter. She’ll probably come by again soon; her newest line is flying off the hangers faster than she can sew! Although she’d probably have more time to work if she weren’t constantly writing to a certain assistant of mine...

Rainbow Dash just wrote the other day. She and the Light Rays just carried out another daring rescue over Vanhoover! At this rate they’ll replace the Wonderbolts as Celestia’s go-to rescue flight team. It’s also nice to hear that Scootaloo’s rising like a hot-air balloon in their ranks. She may have been a late bloomer, but she really bloomed. They’re heading back in the direction of Canterlot right now, alongside Sweetie Belle’s national tour, so maybe you’ll be able to meet up with them too.

Last I heard from Pinkie Pie, she was spreading her special brand of cheer in Las Pegasus. I tell you, if there’s anypony in the world busier than me—besides the Princesses, of course—it’s Pinkie. Starting new Sugarcube Corner franchises and running her own party-planning business at the same time? I don’t understand how she does it! Of course, there are a lot of things Pinkie does that I don’t understand. But she’s one mystery I’ll always enjoy exploring figuring out.

And Applejack has been expanding Sweet Apple Acres again. It’s hard to believe that she and Fluttershy are the only two of us still living in Ponyville permanently. But if I had to pick two ponies that would never leave, it would be them. It helps that they make an absolutely amazing team. Fluttershy handles the animal and Applejack the vegetable; athey need is a mineral expert and they’d understand everything! Sorry, little in-joke there. Do you know, from the latest figures Celestia has sent me, Sweet Apple Acres alone is responsible for reducing hunger in Equestria by 17% last year? I couldn’t be more proud.

Look at this letter. Five paragraphs about other ponies and only one about me! I suppose it’s not surprising, though. It’s been years since we parted, but I think about them every single day. Spike and I were just talking about it last night. We both miss the time when all seven of us lived in Ponyville, never went more than a week without hanging out together. Sometimes when I’m sleeping under the stars in uncharted lands, I wish those days had never ended.

But they have ended. We’ll never be those young ponies we once were. We’ve grown and changed, and our lives have led us in different directions. I used to think we’d stay together forever, but that was a little naive. Then I started to hope we’d settle back in Ponyville when we’re old and retired, and you never know, maybe we will. But the truth is, we don’t have to.

It’s not our physical location that makes us friends, any more than it was the Elements of Harmony back when we still wielded them. The connection we share is something much deeper than that. And no matter where our paths take us, no matter how far apart we are, that connection will always stay strong. Bonds of the heart can never be broken.

It’s getting late; I should turn in. I’ll write again when we reach the kappa colony up ahead. I love you both, so much, and Spike sends his love too. Take care!

— Twilight Sparkle

-----

Comments by Kyronea:

Oooh, I do love seeing this picture of the future for the friends from Ponyville. Rarity's business thriving, naturally, but Rainbow Dash leading a new wing, the Light Rays? That's not something you usually see. Good to see her doing right for herself by making something better than the Wonderbolts. Pinkie Pie is going to wear herself out by the time she's forty at the rate she's going, though. AJ and Fluttershy almost sound married from the sound of how Twilight talks about them. Twi herself as a traveling ambassador, constantly visiting new places... these ponies are all still the best of friends, staying in contact, with hope. It's beautiful, tis. True Blue Spark, you've been a long time submitter to this blog, and I want to thank you super bunches for this story and all the others you've written over these past couple of years. Thank you.

[thirtyminuteponies]

Prompt the Last: "Anew" by CHeighlund

GDocs link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zkrpCtmIWvqoY4hZfAMBySbIgETQAOKHnpkVP49VMDc/edit?usp=sharing Story after break. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Twilight’s hooves pounded against the ground as she ran.  One thought kept her going - that if she could get to the Tree of Harmony, it still might be possible to turn things around, to drag victory from the jaws of defeat.  Despite the conditions around her, the losses of her family and friends, she still held out hope.

    Twilight tore through the devastation that had once been the Everfree Forest, dodging beasts driven to a viciousness beyond wild by the Nightmares’ magic, looking frantically for something, some marker or path indication that might lead to the Tree’s location.  Nothing familiar remained, however, and in the end, she simply ran blindly, hoping against hope to arrive at her chosen destination.

    After what seemed like days, Twilight finally arrived at the base of the Tree of Harmony.  She was just in time to hear the terrible crash it made as, battered and broken by the Nightmare-infested monsters she’d been running from, it fell, toppling to the ground and shattering.  One by one, the lights of the Elements embedded within it slowly flickered, and as they died, Twilight felt a part of her die as well.  In her shock and despair, she never even saw the brutal claws which rose up above her, sweeping downward.

    At the sound of the voice, Twilight looked up in confusion.  It had almost sounded as though the wind itself, whispering through trees that no longer existed, was speaking, and for a moment, Twilight was unable to find the speaker.  A gentle cough called her attention, however, and she turned around.

    Behind her stood a stallion.  By appearance, he was technically an earth pony - neither horn nor wings graced his form.  Despite this, he was taller than Princess Celestia, with a mane whiter than the snow, and a hide that looked as though it might have been cast from reddish gold, rather than flesh and blood.  A pair of saddlebags, a bright yellow-white, were laden across his back.  “My dear?”  the stallion asked, and Twilight looked to the ground.

    “What good will it do?  It’s too late.  Everything’s hopeless.  It’s all over.”

    “Perhaps,” the stallion said, bending down to Twilight’s level.  “But please, I would still like you to come with me.”  Slowly, Twilight let herself be chivvied into standing up, not really looking at anything, as the stallion started to lead her away.

    They’d gotten about fifteen steps before Twilight realized something was out of place.  She turned back, looking at the ground behind her.  What should have been an ash-covered, broken wasteland was instead a verdant field, green with new grass and shimmering with the flowers of early summer.  She then looked down to herself, noting the absence of recent injuries and old scars.  It didn’t take her long to figure out what that meant.  “I see,” she said, looking up at the stallion.  “I was right.  It really is all over.”

    “That, I think,” he said, “depends on your point of view.”

    “What other point of view is there?”  Twilight’s voice was dull, her eyes dim.  “I’m dead.  Even if there was something that could be done, it’s too late.  I can’t do it.”   A last little gleam appeared in Twilight’s fading eyes as her tears began to reflect the brilliant sunlight around her.  “I failed them.  The Nightmares have won, and everypony in Equestria and the entire rest of the world will suffer because of it.”  She plopped down again.  “There’s not really much of a point in my continuing.  Just leave me here.”

    “No, daughter of my heart.”  The stallion gripped Twilight, gently but firmly pulling her once more to her feet.  “As I said, that depends on your point of view.”  The stallion began walking forward, drawing Twilight along in his wake.  ”Yes, Twilight Sparkle, you are, as you say, dead - at least as you knew it back there.  But do you feel dead?  Really feel it, I mean, underneath the pain you feel?”

    “How am I supposed to answer that question?”  she asked, her feet moving mechanically.  “I don’t know what being dead feels like.”

    “Then would you be willing to consider that, just perhaps, you might be alive, if not in the way you are used to?”

    Twilight thought about the issue for several minutes, a part of her noting absently that they had entered into a grove of trees as they walked.  “What does it matter?” she finally asked.  ”Even if I’m some kind of alive, it’s not alive there, where I can help!  So what good is it?”

    “Well, Sugarcube, some of us might happen to be a bit happy about having you here.”

    Twilight looked up in shock at the familiar voice.  She watched in awe as Applejack stepped out from behind one of the trees, followed a few seconds later by Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity.  “You guys…”  Twilight shook her head, trying to dislodge her disbelief.  “You’re here…”  Twilight turned her head to the ground.  “I’m sorry,” she said, memories of their broken and torn bodies flashing before her eyes.  “I did this to you.  If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be alive and well in Ponyville.  I lead you to your deaths.”

    “No, little one, you did not.”  Twilight turned, confusion on her face, at the stallion’s words.

    Applejack stepped over to Twilight, slipping a comforting hoof around her Twilight’s shoulder.  “What he means, hon, is that the way things happened, we’da died anyway.  You didn’t kill us, Twilight.  You gave us somethin’ worth fighting for, worth dying for.”  Nods from the other four echoed their agreement with Applejack’s words.

    “But that… that doesn’t help them, everypony else.  They’re still stuck back there in torment.”

    “Untrue.”  Twilight spun in terror as the word burst forth from the stallion’s mouth with the force of a hurricane.  “You were the last,” he said, more gently, “and now the time is at hand.  No more innocent blood shall be spilled.”  Carefully, the stallion shrugged his saddlebags off, allowing them to fall open, and their contents spilled out, the oh-so-familiar gems winking in the light.  “My hoof was stayed until no more could rise to your world’s aid, but you were the last, Twilight Sparkle.  Will you follow me, and join me in retaking your world from the darkness which has claimed it?”

    “The...the Elements?  But how?  The tree was shattered, destroyed!  How could they be here?”

    “There is a saying in your world, little one - ‘All good things must come to an end.’  It is both true, and false, in its own way.”  The stallion looked down at Twilight, his eyes burning with an inner flame as they stared into her own.  “Your world was touched by the darkness from whence the Nightmares were spawned, Twilight Sparkle.  Nothing in such a world can last forever, whether good or ill.  But another saying, less often uttered, is true as well.  All things may come to an end, Twilight Sparkle, but no good thing is ever cast aside.”

    The stallion nodded to Twilight again, nudging the star of the Element of Magic toward her.  “I ask you again, Twilight Sparkle.  Will you join me?”

-----

Comments by Kyronea:

I'm not entirely sure who this stallion is, but given the situation, I don't see the Mane Six having any other choice. They died, after all, and if they don't take advantage of this opportunity, then they might as well dwell in the pony afterlife and forget about everyone else back in the world. Leaving Equestria Doomed to Darkness is not a thing any of them would ever do willingly, so I think the only answer to his question that Twilight will ever utter is "Yes." CHeighlund, I want to take this time to say you're one of my favorite submitters. When you first started submitting I knew you were going to produce some special stories, and you have. Plenty of them, at that. Not just the interweaving narratives I mentioned before, but also your singleton stories like this one. Little flashes of goodness that give us a brief bit of a larger picture, always leaving us craving more, wanting to see more, to read more. Thank you so very much, CHeighlund.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt: "Horsecrush," by journcy

It is a truth commonly acknowledged that letters, as a rule, do not fall out of the sky of their own volition. Thus, it may be easy to understand why, when a letter did just that, Fluttershy was both startled and alarmed.

  Thunk.

  "Wh-wha?" Fluttershy said, rubbing her head. She looked down, and saw a piece of paper folded into a square lying on the ground below her. She glanced up--no, no pegasi in the sky--around--nopony who could've thrown anything that far--and then back down at the paper. At a loss, she picked up the square and unfolded it. As she did so, a large and relatively heavy rock fell out of the slip. Fluttershy rubbed her head again. Flattening out the paper, Fluttershy glanced over it.

  Pinkie Pie has a crush on you.

  Fluttershy blinked, and read the paper (the letter, she supposed. Or perhaps it was more of a note, considering it was only one sentence) again.

  Pinkie Pie has a crush on you.

  + + +

  "...and it said, 'Pinkie Pie has a crush on you!'" Fluttershy finished.

  "It said what?" Twilight asked.

  "I was just as confused," Fluttershy said. "Especially since Pinkie and Rainbow have been, um, dating, well..."

  "Almost as long as we have!" Twilight finished, looking up from the book she was reading.

  "Um, yes," Fluttershy said. The two were in the Golden Oaks Library--Twilight sitting on a cushion reading a book, and Fluttershy standing a few paces back from her, having just arrived from the Ponyville market--where she had been before her trip was interrupted by the topic of conversation.

  "What do you think we should do? Should we talk to Pinkie? Somepony might be spreading rumors about her! Oh, that would be just awful!" Fluttershy said.

  Twilight's brow immediately furrowed, and she glanced back down at her book.

  "Twilight?" Fluttershy said, looking at her marefriend.

  "Oh--um, yes. I--I suppose we should talk to her. To Pinkie. About the note. Letter. Rumors. Is it hot in here?" Twilight said, using her book to fan herself hastily.

  Fluttershy looked at her. "Twilight, did you write that note?"

  Twilight stopped fanning herself, looking honestly bemused. "What? Oh, no, I--I just..."

  Fluttershy looked at her again. "Just what?"

  "Well, I, um... You see... I... I have a crush on Pinkie Pie." Twilight blurted out, the words smashing together as they left her mouth.

  Fluttershy opened her mouth, and then closed it, and then opened it again, and then said, "I have a crush on Rarity." She said it very slowly, in such a way that it sounded almost dream-like. Then her pupils contracted in terror, and she immediately fell to the floor, hiding behind her hair.

  Twilight went through an emotional traffic wreck, going immediately from embarrassment at her admission to confusion at Fluttershy's reaction to further confusion at her words, and then finally to caring, seeing the state of her marefriend before her.

  "Oh, Fluttershy... Um, don't worry," Twilight said, getting up and taking a few steps towards the cowering mare. "I'm not angry or anything. It would be kind of silly for me to be angry, seeing as I just said, well."

  Fluttershy poked an eye out from under the pink mass of her hair. "I--I guess you're right. That would be kind of silly, wouldn't it?"

  Twilight smiled at her. "Yeah, it would. But I think we have something to talk about, don't you?" Her voice grew softer, gentler. Fluttershy nodded, and slowly rose to her hooves.

  + + +

  Pinkie snapped to attention.

  "Huh? Who's there?" she said, blurring the words. She looked around the room--the back kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, where she was playing with the Cake Twins--searching for the source of the noise that was the cause of her distraction.

  "Pinkie Pie! You back there?"

  Oh! Twilight! Pinkie thought. "Yeah! I'm in the kitchen!" she called.

  A couple seconds passed, and she went back to flying Pound around like an airplane. Soon enough, Twilight and Fluttershy trotted into the room, their hooves clicking on the wooden flooring.

  "Oh, Twilight, she's busy, we should just go and never come back--" Fluttershy said, shrinking away.

  "What? Never come back! Why would you never come back?" Pinkie said. "And anyway, I can play with Pound and Pumpkin and talk to you girls, too! Whatcha wanna talk about?"

  "Oh. Well, um." Fluttershy stammered.

  "Well, Fluttershy got this, um, note," Twilight said, "And we just had a bit of a talk, and then we thought, 'oh, we should go talk to Pinkie Pie!' So now we're here!"

  Pinkie stopped juggling alphabet blocks--or, more accurately, the alphabet blocks froze in midair--and said, "Ohh, I see." She then resumed juggling.

  Twilight looked from Pinkie, to Pound, to Fluttershy, to Pumpkin, back to Pinkie, back to Fluttershy, and the finally at the rest of the room, before settling on her hooves.

  "Do... Do you wanna see the note?" Twilight said.

  "Sure!" Pinkie replied, upside down. Twilight pulled it out and levitated it over to her, dropping it on the floor beneath her head. Open.

  Pinkie looked down at it, and fell over.

  The Cake Twins giggled.

  Pinkie did not move.

  "Oh gosh, Pinkie, are you alright?" Fluttershy said, rushing over to her friend. It was immediately evident that Pinkie was totally fine; however, she avoided Fluttershy's eyes, a nervous grin on her face. "Pinkie?"

  Pinkie just grinned, her eyes darting around.

  Then, in a blur of pink, she was gone, with nothing but a  "Gotta go bye!" left behind.

  That, and a note on the front desk to Mr. Cake saying that she was really really sorry but she couldn't watch the Twins for the rest of the afternoon after all.

  "...well that could've gone better," Twilight said, her heart rate slowing. Fluttershy only nodded, still staring at the place where Pinkie had been. "Do you think we should go talk to Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy kept nodding. "Fluttershy?"

  "Oh! Sorry. Yes, we... We should probably go talk to Rainbow."

  + + +

  "Aww, Pinks, I'm sorry..." Dash said.

  "But why did you tell her?" Pinkie said, hanging onto her words like a rope off a cliff.

  "Well, I didn't, really, since I gave her a letter, but--"

  "You told her," Pinkie said, smushing her face into Rainbow's.

  "Yeah, alright, I told her. I just thought--it seemed like you really liked her, and Fluttershy's been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember--I dunno, it seemed like something might happen. I dunno what. I guess it was kind of a stupid idea, now that I'm thinking about it. But I really was just hoping to make you happier, Pinkie! I swear," Dash finished.

  Pinkie harrumphed, doing a 180-turn. She harrumphed again, doing another 180-turn. On the third harrumph, and the third turn, Dash caught her by the shoulder and spun her back around. "Are you mad at me, Pinks?"

  Pinkie smiled. "No! Not really. I know you were just trying to help. But I thought, since you broke your promise--even if it wasn't a Pinkie Promise--then I might as well at least pretend to be angry."

  Dash smiled, letting out a sigh of relief.

  "But now you have to help me talk to Fluttershy and Twilight! And you have to tell them about your crush on Applejack!" Pinkie said, giving Rainbow Dash a kiss on the cheek.

  "My crush on-- How do you know about my crush on-- I-- Pinkie--" Dash stammered, blushing. Pinkie winked at her, and Dash gave up. "Alright, I'll tell th--"

  "Rainbow Dash! We need to talk to you!" Twilight's voice sounded up to the top of the building upon which Dash and Pinkie were sitting. Dash grimaced. Pinkie smiled a big grin at her, walked over to the side of the roof, and hopped down to the ground.

  Dash followed her, though she chose to use her wings rather than random outcroppings from the buildings beneath them.

  "Hey, Twilight. Hey, Fluttershy. Whaddya want to talk about?" Dash said, landing in front of the two, as well as Pinkie--who, Dash realized, was looking incredibly nervous. And interestingly enough, looking across at Twilight, Rainbow saw the same nervousness playing across the unicorn's face as on Pinkie's--though much more well concealed. Twilight had opened her mouth to respond to the question, but Rainbow cut in before she could answer. "Whoa, no way! Twilight, you have a crush on Pinkie Pie?"

  Twilight choked on the words she had been about to speak, and coughed loudly. Blushing, she said, "...maybe?"

  Pinkie looked like she was about to fall over.

  At that exact moment, Rarity and Applejack walked up to the group.

  "Oh, hello, darlings!" Rarity said. "Are Applejack and I missing out on some lovely get together? Perhaps a double date? My, Applejack," Rarity said, nudging her partner, "we're being left behind! Simply dreadful behavior!"

  "I'm... I'm not so sure that's it, Rare," Applejack said, assessing the situation before her. Dash staring at Pinkie, who was staring at Fluttershy, who was staring at Twilight, who was staring back at Pinkie... "May I ask what is?"

  "I'm not honestly sure I know at this point, AJ," Twilight said.

  Pinkie's leg twitched.

  Then her eye.

  Then her mane.

  Then suddenly her entire body was in the air, every part of her going all over the place, moving crazily--almost impossibly. And then, with a pop, she stopped moving as suddenly as she had begun.

  "A Doozy!" she cried. Everypony exchanged glances.

  "...Twilight, how about you start," Rarity said.

  "Aw, enough with the boring explanations," Rainbow said. She looked at Rarity. "Twilight has a crush on Pinkie Pie and Pinkie has a crush on Fluttershy." She turned to Applejack. "Say, AJ, do you have a crush on anypony?"

  Applejack's lips formed a no, but her eyes flicked towards Twilight as the word left her mouth.

  "Aw, please, I've heard that one before," Dash said, closing the distance between the two of them. She looked at Rarity again. "Oh, yeah, and I have a crush on Applejack." The last syllable left her mouth just in time for her lips to meet those in front of her.

  Rainbow broke the kiss. Applejack looked vaguely stunned.

  "Rainbow Dash, kiss my marefriend again!" Rarity cried, angrily.

  The group went utterly silent.

  "I-- Ha, ha-- I meant, ah..." Rarity looked around at the ponies surrounding her. "Oh, confound it. I may have... A... A bit of an infatuation with Rainbow Dash. Perhaps. Just a little?" Her voice squeaked.

  Fluttershy fell over.

  + + +

  "And that, little Sunlight, is how all of your mommies broke up and got back together on the same day!" Pinkie said, cradling the foal.

  "Did we really break up?" Twilight mused.

  "I didn't break up with anypony," Rainbow Dash said.

  "Nor I," Rarity chimed in.

  "I'd really rather we don't break up," Fluttershy said, walking in to the room.

  "What's this now about breaking up? I married all of y'all, and the Apple family doesn't take kindly to divorce," Applejack said, following after her.

  Sunlight just giggled.

[A/N: This story required an hour of planning and three different shipping diagrams. I can only hope that the result is worthy of The Final Prompt. Thank you, Kyro, and the other mods, for the work you've put in--for all of us! This blog will be sorely, sorely missed.]

-----

Comments by Kyronea:

Hah! I'll bet this required three different shipping diagrams to get it all together. Oh my goodness I love this to bits and pieces. The way they keep startling each other so much. The living with crushes even as they date each other in pairings. Rarity shrieking "Kiss my marefriend again!" rather than something one would expect from such an outrage. This is just brilliant. Totally worth the planning. I'm super glad you put in the effort you did for this one. Thank you so much, Journcy, for this and all of your submissions.

[thirtyminuteponies]

Prompt the Last: "Leaving," by CHeighlund

GDocs link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17ll0z06BzNR2G9TDmlsYiECoW1C-LXy46zzB5D3umHw/edit?usp=sharing Takes place in the same continuity as my prompt 553 story "Gifts", my prompt 560 story "Nerves", and my FFAF#9 story "Song".  As always, these should not be required to understand this story, but may make it a bit richer. Story after break. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bon Bon pulled the string tight, sealing the last package as best she could.  “I think that’s it,” she said, looking over the room.

Lyra looked over the room as well.  “Yeah,” she said, “I guess it is.”  She looked back over the room a second time, noticing just how empty it seemed.  It wasn’t, of course.  The bed still filled most of the room, the nightstand and mirrored dresser still stood there, but that was all.  There were no pictures on the wall, although discolored spots revealed where they had but recently hung, nor were there any little knick-knacks or souvenirs.  All of these had been packed away, as had the clothes in the closet, leaving it just as empty.  “You want to go through one last time, make sure you’ve got everything?”

“I think I’ll pass, Lyra.  If I’ve missed something, so be it.  I’ll ask you about it the next time I see you.”

“The next time… yeah.”

Bon Bon looked at Lyra, concern written on her face.  “Are you all right?”

The mint unicorn gave her head a quick shake, then nodded.  “Yeah, I’m good.  Just getting a little nostalgic, I guess.”  She turned toward her friend and former roommate, smiling ruefully.  “You’re moving in with Noteworthy, Bonnie.  I’m happy for the both of you, I really am, but, well…”

“Nope.”  Lyra picked up the tied package from the surface of the nightstand, levitating it over to where she stood and waiting for Bon Bon to step over to the door.  “Seven years, Bonnie.  You’ve been here for a bit over a quarter of my life.  It just feels strange to realize that, come tonight, that won’t be true any more.”  She shook her head.  “Heh, there I was, put in charge of Mom’s Ponyville rental houses, completely without a clue on how to handle things.  I think I’d been trying to do the job for all of a week when you came up and asked about the spare room rental.”  Lyra shook her head again, as if in disbelief.  “And you’ve been here ever since… up until now.”

“Yes.”  Bon Bon slowly stepped out the door, waiting until Lyra could step by, then closed it.  “Seven years… has it really been that long?”

“Sure has.  We settled into a good routine with each other, Bonnie.  I guess I thought it’d last forever.”  She paused for a moment.  “Well, except maybe during the you-know-what.”

Bon Bon snorted.  “The week after the royal wedding, you mean?  The one where you kicked me out for being a changeling?”  At the sheepish expression on Lyra’s face, Bon Bon relented.  “Dear heart, I’ve said it multiple times since then, and I’ll keep saying it as long as it takes for you to accept it - I forgive you for that.  After what happened to you at the wedding, the real surprise was that you let me back in at all!”

Lyra laughed.  “Yeah, I guess.”  A moment later, she broke the silence again.  ”That week was the longest period of time I can recall when you weren’t here, though.”  She stepped out into the living room, and placed the last package alongside the other four in the last load Bon Bon would be taking with her.  “I mean, it’s not like we won’t be friends anymore, but since you won’t be coming back here every night, things will be different.”

“I suppose they will.”  Bon Bon stared down at the floor in thought, then looked back at Lyra.  “Have you spoken to your parents about putting my… putting the spare-room-and-board rental back on the market?”

“I’ve talked to them about it, yeah, just not quite the way you’re thinking.”  Lyra looked up at Bon Bon.  “Mom’s agreed to dock the rental fee from my salary in exchange for getting to keep the room off the market for a while.  Maybe in another couple of months or so I’ll put it back on, but I’m not ready for that just yet.  I’m just barely ready to let you go, Bonnie.”

Bon Bon leaned over, wrapping her forelegs around Lyra and pulling the unicorn mare into a tight hug.  “I can tell,” she said, gently, “but you are anyway… thank you, Lyra.”

“Hey, we’re friends,” Lyra said, tears starting to shimmer in her eyes.  “If I tried to keep you here when you were ready to go, I’d be a pretty bad friend, wouldn’t I?”  She wiped her eyes with her hoof, then gave a weak smile.  “Now how about we discuss something else before I start both of us floating out the front door.”

Bon Bon gave a rueful grin.  “If that’s what you want,” she said, and both of them carefully turned their attention away from the task at hand, spending the next hour in gentle discussion.

Finally, a knock at the door caused both mares to look up.  The door slowly opened, and Noteworthy stepped inside.  Lyra couldn’t help noticing Bon Bon’s expression leaping as he did so, and the unicorn mare held her breath to keep from sniffling as the two lovebirds embraced each other.  Carefully, the trio gathered the few remaining bundles up and carried them outside, setting them in the cart Noteworthy had borrowed for the day.  Once the task was done, Noteworthy hitched himself back into the cart and waited as Bon Bon came back to speak with Lyra one last time.

“Here,” Bon Bon said, rummaging through her saddlebags until she pulled out her key to Lyra’s house.  “I don’t think this is really mine any more.”

Lyra took the key in her  telekinetic grip and weighed it in her thoughts for a few minutes, then slipped Bon Bon’s saddlebag back open and dropped the key inside.  “Keep it anyway,” Lyra said.  “Even if you’re not living here, my door is always open to you.  To the both of you.”

“Thank you, Lyra.”  With that, Bon Bon leaned over to hug her friend goodbye, then turned and set out alongside Noteworthy.

Lyra didn’t head back inside until they were out of sight.

-----

Comments by Kyronea:

Lyra, I think, has a few more feelings for Bon Bon than she's fully willing to admit to. I dunno if she's jealous of Noteworthy finding affection in Bon Bon that Lyra never received, or if it's just about the fact that Bon Bon isn't quite as close a friend to Lyra as she has been these paste seven years. Whatever the case, I totes understand how Lyra feels. CHeighlund, you've written a number of wonderful, fantastic stories, and I love the way you weave them together into an on-going narrative. Thank you.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt: "Untitled" by Gojira007.

"Are we...sure...this is where Twilight is...?"

Fluttershy's trembling question echoed across the obsidian walls, as did the hoof-steps of her companions.  Even Rainbow had to walk; every curve of the structure was jagged, and there were spikes big and small poking out just about everywhere.  "Pretty sure, or else we wouldn't be here!" Pinkie said, moving between spikes as if she were made of rubber.

"But it's so...scary...." Fluttershy said with a gulp that quickly became a gasp as she nearly ran afoul of another jagged edge.

As they rounded the corner, a towering doorway came into view.  "Well, scary or not," Rarity said, "this is where she is."

"And that makes it where we need to be," Rainbow finished for her, flaring her wings a bit as they passed through the opening.

There were no more spikes.  It was simply one vast, smooth room, empty of all detail save one: a glowing pearl, clutched within a short pedestal that spiralled out of the floor.  It was almost like a flower.  Behind it sat Twilight, her wings open, her horn glowing, her eyes fixed squarely on the pearl.  "There you are, sugar-cube," Applejack said, approaching the alicorn slowly.  "We've been lookin' all over for you."

"It...?" the orange Earth Pony asked, peeking at the pearl itself.  

She looked only for a second, but in that time she could see...everything...in its clear surface.  Every place, every pony, every last thing.  Worst of all, she saw the very thing that had driven her and her friends to this place to begin with: the same obsidian that made up its walls, slowly spreading across Equestria, encasing everything it touched.  "...oh," Applejack mumbled, tearing her eyes away immediately.

"Twilight, you must put a stop to this!" Rarity said, stepping toward the pedestal.  "The Princesses are doing their best to keep the Ponies safe, but they can't keep it up forever, and if they don't...!"

"Nopony will be hurt," Twilight muttered, "They'll be kept safe.  Alive.  Forever."

"Um, Twilight?" Rainbow spoke up, "They'll also be trapped forever."

Though her eyes did not move, Twilight's ears did, flattening down against her head.  "That's the price..." she said, "that's what It told me.  To keep them safe...I have to keep them trapped...."

Pinkie nuzzled up against her side then, though Twilight gave no real reaction to it.  "Aww...you don't really believe that, do you, Twi?" the party pony asked, smiling as wide as she could, "That's just the mean ol' Beach Ball talking."

"...not a beach ball..." Twilight muttered, "'s the Orb of Clarity...."

"No, what it is is poison," Rarity said.  "It's taken your magic and made something terrible from it.  You have to break free of it, Twilight."

Fluttershy finally stepped forward, joining the others in what had now become a circle around the alicorn.  "You can break free, Twilight," she whispered, though each word came out so strongly even so, "We all know you can."

Still Twilight's gaze remained fixe, but tears had begun to form.  "No...no I can't...." she said, her words creaking and choked, "Because if I do...it will all come to an end, one day.  Equestria...our friends, our family...you...all of it will come to an end.  This way...I can keep everything safe.  Forever.  It won't end this way."

"Look, Twi," Applejack said softly, "all good things come to an end, eventually.  'S'just the way 'o' things.  But endings...they ain't s'bad, y'know?  They just...make way for new beginnings, is all."

Twilight felt a hoof on her wing then.  Rainbow's hoof, stroking gently.  "Yeah...I mean, my dream of being a Wonderbolt's over.  I don't need it anymore.  You helped me realize that.  It was an Ending, but...it made me stronger."

The alicorn's eyes twitched just a little.

"Oh yes, it's true," Fluttershy cooed, "Why, the day my life in Cloudsdale ended...it was really the first day of my real life!"

Pinkie giggled.  "And we all need an Ending on our backsides!  Where else are we gonna keep our tails?"

The alicorn's lips trembled.

"Darling...please..." Rarity whispered, "let it go."

And she did.

Her wings folded.  Her horn stopped glowing.  And she looked to all her friends, tears running down her face, even as she smiled.  

The walls began to crack and crumble, light pouring out from each new seam.  "Thank you, girls," Twilight said, "Thank you all...for everything."

And soon, the world was covered in light.

All was well.

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((I hope you all liked my last TMP story!  But, if I may take a moment, I'd just like to extend my thanks to the crew and readers of "Thirty Minute Ponies".  Through your creative prompts and support, I've not only been treated to many delightful stories, but I've also had the chance to really grow as a writer and tackle ideas I might otherwise have left alone.  I choose to take a page out of Dr. Seuss here, not being sad that this is over, but happy that it happened.  So cheers, and happy trails to you all. ^_^))

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Comments by Kyronea:

I don't know when you first started following us, Gojira, but I certainly noticed the results. No one else reblogged the compilations like you did. You endlessly celebrated the works everyone was creating, to showcase their achievements. It's great stuff. This story is really neat too. I love the way Twilight lost herself in this Orb of Clarity, her desire to protect everyone and not lose them being twisted into a horrible fate she was about to deal to them. Thank goodness her friends got through to her. (I was facepalming pretty hard at Pinkie's perfectly in character thing she said.) Thank you super much, Gojira007.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt: "Apple Family Traditions" by Mr. Valentine

A/N: Third of three stories. I should really thank you for this prompt. Each of these stories is an idea I've come up with before, on separate occasions, but which I didn't think I could get down satisfactorily in a thirty minute period, so I've left them aside. It was good to finally write the buggers.

--

Twilight mused, as she often had before, that there was a very interesting (not to mention lengthy) book to be written about Apple Family traditions. It seemed that there was some kind of small ritual attached to every stage of an Apple's life. Not that they'd call them rituals, of course. As Applejack would say, it was just the way things were done, and she wouldn't be the one to change that.

Funerals, of course, were no exception.

The family had come together from all over Equestria. Twilight and the others, as 'honourary apples', had been invited to the last Apple Family reunion, and that had been similar in many ways, with old friends and relatives who hadn't seen one another for years glad to take the opportunity to catch up with each other, and share the news of what each branch of the tree had been doing. But in other ways...

Take the dancing, for example. At the reunion there had been an impromptu band performing, including Applejack herself with a borrowed banjo, and the Apples had thrown themselves about the dancefloor, whooping and hollering with delight, and even the more formal dances where the couples formed into lines and the steps had been laid down generations before, had had a merrily rough and ready air to them, teetering on the brink of a joyous mess if a pony put a hoof wrong.

Dignified. That was the word. The dancing was dignified, but with a simplicity and a total lack of pretension that would have been completely alien to the Canterlot snobs that prided themselves on their own dignity. Of course, Twilight realised, it wasn't their own dignity that the dancers were concerned about.

“Respect,” Applejack had said earlier, when they'd still been planning for the funeral, “it's all about showing respect to the... the dead. It ain't about grieving. That's something we do on our own, in private, or with them that's closest to us. Grief's personal. In the end it's about our own loss. This is about Granny.” True to her word, no tears had escaped Applejack during the ceremony, and even now she was smiling as she moved through the throng, stopping here and there to share a word or a hug with an aunt or cousin, making sure everypony's drink was full or that they had something to eat. Last night she'd buried her face in Twilight's shoulder and bawled her heart out like a lost foal, but like she'd said, that was private.

A bonfire had been lit near to the barn, and ponies sat around it passing stoneware jugs back and forth and telling stories about the Apple Family Matriarch, some old, some newer, and mostly small things, like the time Granny had caught the teller stealing pie and spanked his behind, but then given him a big slice when she'd decided he was sorry enough. At the end of each story everypony would cheer and toast with their jugs, before starting the next.

Twilight stepped away from the fire and headed into the orchards. The oldest fields were naturally the closest to the house so she didn't have to go far. In the very oldest field, where the Apple Family had planted their first trees, was the mound of fresh soil where, earlier that day, she and the others had watched Big Mac carefully plant a tiny seedling, patting down the soil around it while the Apples all murmured in unison. Twilight had had to lean close to Applejack to hear.

“To earth we go, from earth we come again.”

“'tain't no mystery to it.” Applejack had explained as they walked back to the farmhouse to set out the food and drink for the evening. “The trees and the fruit keep us as we keep them. We care for our crops, and they help make us strong and healthy, so when we die with go back to the earth, and through the trees that strength gets passed on to the next generations.” She looked back at the tiny plant atop the mound of earth. “I reckon if that li'l thing gets even a bit of Granny's strength, it's gonna shoot up bigger'n Canterlot Mountain.”

Now, in the dark, barely able to see the newly planted tree, Twilight realised that she didn't really have anything to say. So she bowed her head, and hoped that somehow her feelings would be understood by someone who mattered.

She wasn't surprised when Applejack walked up next to her, and bumped a shoulder against hers.

“You okay, sugarcube? Enjoying the evening?”

“You know, I am actually,” Twilight said. “It's been good, I think.”

“Well, I'd hope so,” Applejack said, smiling at her. “Wouldn't be right to send her off with a lousy evening, right? Wouldn't be respectful.”

“No, I suppose not,” Twilight said. “Should we go back?”

“If you want to,” Applejack said. She nodded to the mound. No, Twilight thought, to the tree. “I'll be back to see you tomorrow,” she said.

As they headed back to the house, Applejack paused and tipped her hat to a pair of trees close to the fence. “Ma and Pa,” she explained as they walked by. The ponies by the fire had started to sing about being 'Apples together', and Twilight thought she could hear Apple Bloom's clear voice weaving amongst them. Nearby, the musicians and dancers were starting to pick up the pace.

“Hey, Twilight?” Applejack said. “She was a heck of a mare, wasn't she?”

“She really was,” Twilight said, nuzzling the other mare's cheek. “She really, really was.”

“Come on,” Applejack smiled and started trotting towards the bonfire, “I feel like singing.”

----

Comments by Kyronea:

You know, this is the best way they could ever handle Granny's death. Hell, if the show ever decided to tackle this serious issue, this is exactly how I'd want them to go about it. A respect for Granny, shown in a celebration of life, of what she meant to them, of what she meant to everyone. It's beautiful. Mr Valentine, you've been a submitter for a very long time, if sparingly and sparsely. I wanted to thank you for this trio of interconnected tales, as well as for your submissions in general, because they've been a real treat. Thank you.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt: “One Last Bit of Angst” by Rawtooth

Author’s Note:  I don't know what to say beyond - thank you, thank all of you, for everything you've done.

~~~

“I had a dream about her last night.”

“Oooh, my dear, I am so sorry …”

“I- I had a dream about her, and it was the same one as before and I- I …”

“Pinkie, shhh-shhh, it’ll be alright, it’ll be alright.  Come here …”

“… I hate her …”

“Oh darling, no you don’t.  You wouldn’t be saying these things if you did.  A pony who hated her wouldn’t cry so many tears.  And they definitely wouldn’t dream about her.”

“… I don’t believe you Rarity …”

“I know Pinkie, I know.  Just … give it time.  Give it as much time as needed, we’ll all be waiting here for you, ready to help whenever you want.”

 ~~~

- the world had gone hazy seconds ago from the tears, and her sense of smell had followed in an unending stream of snot.  And no matter how hard she sobbed, Pinkie couldn’t breathe, her head swimming from lack of air.

Twilight was still smiling though.  Smiling, teeth shiny and white except where they were stained red with …

“No no no, Twilight, please no!”

Purple eyes closed lazily before opening again, like all Pinkie had done was wake her up from a nap.

“Oh Pinkie, it’s okay.  Everything’s going to be o-kay …”

The word stretched out for an eternity, but it was still gone all too soon.  Something hot and bubbling was coursing through her veins now, making Pinkie’s temples pound and teeth grind.

“No, Twilight, how could you say that?!  It’s too soon, we didn’t have enough time, it’s too soon …”

Words died as a gentle hoof, a trembling hoof, touched Pinkie on the lips.  And that smile, that same calm, crimson smile still on Twilight’s face …

“It is too soon Pinkie.  But we had a good time didn’t we?  We had a- a good party, right?”

Nothing now, her lungs couldn’t afford the air necessary for language.  Only a jerking of her head, frenzied and painful, could answer the unicorn’s question.

“Then it’s alright Pinkie.  After all, don’t … don’t all good parties … come to an …”

Her body was screaming for air now, but Pinkie stood still as a statue, unable, unwilling to breath for fear of missing the end of the sentence.

But the end of that sentence never came ...

 ~~~

“I had a dream about her last night.”

“Oooh, my dear, I am so sorry …”

“No, no Rarity it’s … it’s okay now.  Or maybe not now, but it will be, someday.”

“I’m happy to hear you say that darling, but may I ask ... what changed your mind?”

“It was something she said, something Twilight said, right before … you know.  ‘All good parties must come to an end.’”

“Yes, I do know.  And Twilight was very wise for a mare of her age …”

“Yeah, yeah she was.  Rarity, please don’t hate me or judge me for what I’m about to say.”

“Of course not Pinkie, I would never do such a thing.”

“I- I had a dream about Twilight last night.  She died in it.  But it was alright.”

----

Comments by Kyronea:

Pinkie, in the depths of trying to cope with Twilight's death... it doesn't surprise me in the least that she might shriek she hates Twilight, because Twilight left her and Twilight wouldn't have left her on purpose if she loved her because good friends don't abandon friends they don't die they don't stop living especially not right in front of their friends... sorry, got into a bit of channeling there. But I imagine that must've been what happened. Twilight died in Pinkie's dream, just as she had in the real world. This is a wonderfully tragic story, like all of your stories, Rawtooth. Thank you for all of your wonderfully rich stories, for being our friend, and for all of your help. Thank you.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt: "Necessary Chores" by Mr. Valentine

It'd been another good day at Sweet Apple Acres. Now, I may be biased, 'cause I think most of 'em are good days, but it'd been nice and sunny, the hit of my hooves against the trees had been as satisfying as ever, and every apple I'd sampled ('cause you've gotta check, right?) had been just about the juiciest, most delicious thing I'd ever tasted.

Again, I may be a mite bit biased here, but that's how it seemed to me.

Anyway, I'd had a mighty good day's bucking but it was getting time for me to clean up and start taking care of chores back at the house, so I headed on home, Winona dancing and barking at my heels.

When I got back to the house I saw Granny sitting in her favourite napping chair on the porch, and I waved to her. She didn't wave back, so I figured she gone and overslept again, and hay, who can say she ain't earned the right to nap as much as she likes, right? So I just chuckled and trotted on down to wake her up.

“Hey there, Granny!” I called as I got close up, but she didn't stir, and I slowed down, stopping when I got to the steps, 'cause I just knew.

I guess that it ain't ever gonna be a surprise when a mare as old as Granny passes. You get used to carrying the expecting of it in the back of your mind, you know? Hay, it'd gotten to be something we'd joke about from time to time, Granny telling us that if we ever acted up when she was gone she'd reach up out of the ground to clip our ears for us, and you know what? Even now I wouldn't be the least surprised if she did.

I pulled off my hat and held it against my chest, bowing my head. You've gotta show the proper respect, right? That's important. “Oh, Granny,” I said. “Oh Granny Smith.” I took a deep breath and put my hat back on. I reckoned I'd sit down and have a good cry later, but never let it be said that any Apple ever shirked when there were chores that needed doing.

Beside me, Winona looked up and whined. I ruffled her ears and gave her a kiss on the nose.

“You go play, hon,” I said. “There's stuff I gotta do.”

Winona scurried off, and I stepped up onto the porch. There were flies buzzing around and a smell in the air, and when I got up close I could see that Granny had done messed herself. It's just one a them things that happens, and there ain't no shame in it, but of course I wasn't gonna leave her there. Dignity, that's another thing that's due to the dead, maybe more than the living.

Gently as I could, I manoeuvred her onto my back and carried her into the house and upstairs, laying her on her bed. I stepped into the bathroom and came back with a bowlful of warm water on my back and a couple a wash-cloths in my mouth, and set to work cleaning her up. I started humming while I worked, and it took me a while to place the tune. Wasn't until I was finishing up and I was dropping the cloths back into the bowl that I remembered that it was an old nursery rhyme Granny used to sing when I was just a little 'un. Can't for the life of me remember what the words are, but I think I'll have to take a while later to look them up. I'd kinda like to know.

Granny's mane had started to come loose, so I decided to untie it and give it a good brushing. It was fine and dry, felt kinda brittle too, and it was a heck of a lot longer than it looked when it was all up in a bun so it took a while, but it looked kinda nice hanging all loose like, so I figured I'd untie and brush her tail as well. Granny had always said that she kept her hair tied up so it wouldn't get in the way when she was working. Well, I thought, I reckon you don't gotta worry about working anymore, Granny.

She looked strange like that, all pale with her hair down around her like a white cape, or something like that. She seemed smaller, and more frail then she ever had before, even when she wasn't feeling good and we'd all walk around on the tips of our hooves so as not to disturb her. But she looked peaceful too, you know? Real peaceful.

I gave her a kiss on the lips. “Thanks for everything, Granny,” I said.

I headed downstairs and wiped down her rocking chair, then cleaned out the bowl and threw the wash-cloths in the trash. I poured myself a cup of cider and sat down at the kitchen table, looking up at the clock.

Pretty soon I was gonna have to head on into town and tell Big Mac what'd happened, and then the two of us would have to decide how to break the news to Apple Bloom when she got home from school. But I had a little while yet.

Reckoned I had time for that cry now.

----

Comments by Kyronea:

Yes indeedy you do, Applejack. You have all the time in the world and more for that cry. Oh jeez Apple Bloom in particular is going to be so heartbroken. Her world is about to shatter. Big Mac is not going to be able to remain stoic either, not for this. The Apple Family, torn asunder. I'm looking even more forward to seeing what happens in the third story now.

[thirtyminuteponies]

The Final Prompt: "Good Night" by jaimeastorga2000

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Critique by Kyronea:

So requested, so shall it be granted! Firstly, I want to praise you taking on this story concept. Immortality breeding ennui and the pony deciding death is the only thing she has left is not a new concept, but it is a good one to explore again and again. I don't think I would have agreed with Twilight. In addition I love what you did with Cadance, how her fate is so whimsical and  yet so terrifying at the same time. I actually don't see too much that needs critiquing here. The story could probably bear a bit of slight slimming, to get across what it's trying to say more quickly. Alternatively more details could be fleshed out. Does Twilight even remember her friends anymore? How many times did they rebuild Equestria? Etc. But those are more the unanswered questions that the story raises for us to ponder, in a way I think is good. Like, Barding Gleam for example sounds like another incarnation of Shining Armor, suggesting that each rebuilt kingdom is but a slight variation on the last. Or maybe it just ended up that way because Celly was involved. What Celly will do now... who knows? Actually there is one other thing I want to critique here, and that is the lack of Discord. Say what you will but if Twilight and the other alicorns are immortal, so is he, and him not having a role to play here feels like an important missing detail. In any event, thank you tons for all of your writing, Jaime.