//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Adieu to a Friend // Story: To Love a Pet // by Creative Charmer //------------------------------// Everybody was both surprised and excited to see Sweetie Belle traverse down the steps to the vestibule filled with many cheery faces that awaited Sweetie's much anticipated return to her old self. After receiving hugs from her friends and parents, she and Rarity went on to explain Sweetie belle's wish to give a proper farewell for the companion she cared for so deeply. Everyone was more than happy to join in and help accomplish Sweetie Belle's heartfelt desire. After the passing of nearly two hours, everything needed had been arranged for Lester's apt send-off. Sweetie Belle truly wanted to say goodbye to her friend, and since she could not do so to Lester in person, the only other way for her to do so was give Lester a proper funeral: send him into the next world showing there were those in this world who cared for him. The funeral itself was to be held at the field where all the ponies liked to play with their pets; and Sweetie Belle loved ever so much playing with Lester here herself, so she believed it to be the ideal location for his vale. All of Sweetie's friends and family were so great for helping her set up this funeral service, and all were in attendance as well—even the pets of all the ponies had come to pay their respects for their fallen comrade. The time had come: everypony and Spike were gathered around the burial site, and Sweetie Belle herself stood at the head of the grave, as nopony was more fitting to give the eulogy then the dearest friend of the deceased porcupine. Sweetie Belle took a deep, cleansing breath. She didn't feel entirely ready for this, as she had never given a eulogy before, so thinking up all the right things to say wasn't easy. She had this fear inside that she was unfit to properly represent Lester. And having to give her speech in front of so many people didn't help. Sweetie looked down into the burial plot; her eyes fixated on the coffin which held the lifeless body of her companion. A single tear rolled down the side of her face—but soon after, this tear was followed by a tiny smile that appeared in the corner of Sweetie's visage, and t was right then that Sweetie belle knew exactly what to say. Sweetie Belle cleared her throat as everyone waited in anticipation for the filly's oration. "It's not easy. But then, it's never easy. Each and every one of us has someone we care about, whether it be friends or family, and we all care for them so very much. And that can make it so much harder when those we care about leave us. Lester was not just one, but both of those: he was not just a friend, nor a pet, but a true member of my family. I loved him, and he loved me, and we made each other's lives so much happier. It wasn't always like this, though: when we first met Lester was shy and scared, and trusted me no more than he would any other pony; but I saw he was in need of a friend, and I was more than happy to be that friend. It didn't take long for him to accept me as his friend, and it was then that he showed me the true Lester: the sweet, caring, and adoring friend he wanted to be. Ever since then, we had so much fun together: laughing, eating, playing; we played just about every day, in every fun place we could think of. Swimming in the lake; playing hide-and-seek in the forest; running through the field; or even just looking at the clouds. I'd never had so much fun in my life—and I don't think Lester had, either," Sweetie had been smiling during her whole speech, and even sounded happy as she spoke, which was more than uplifting for everyone to hear. "With times as good as these, I never even thought that they could ever end one day..." Sweetie Belle paused, raising the levels of anxiousness in her friends and family. "...but even though those times did end, I'm thankful they ended the way they did: with Lester having gained a friend before he left, and that I was lucky enough to have gained him as a friend," she looked back down at Lester. "Goodbye, Lester; I'm glad that we could've known each other, and I'll never forget the time we shared," Sweetie Belle stated as one last tear trickled down her face. A bow of the head was given by everyone as a show of respect at the end of the eulogy. Now that Lester's departing words were spoken, it was time for the ceremony to conclude. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Spike performed the task of burying the deceased. Sweetie Belle watched in silence during the entirety of their work, her face looking nothing less than impassive; but nopony said anything, as they felt it best to give her a moment to herself for the time being. After the burial was complete, a headstone with Lester's name carved into the front was placed over the grave. The ceremonial was complete, and Lester could at last rest in peace. Sweetie Belle walked up to the tombstone and stared at Lester's name. Several tears more emerged, and the filly shut her eyes in reverence for her passed companion. Rarity walks up next to Sweetie Belle, unsure of how her little sister felt. "Are you going to be all right, Sweetie Belle?" Momentarily looking towards Rarity, Sweetie Belle wiped the tears from her eyes, following this action by taking a small, cleansing breath. "Yeah, I think I'll be okay," she responds; albeit not sounding sad, she did not sound particularly happy either. There was clearly a fair amount of turmoil that had yet to settle in her mind. But, even with the response given, Rarity believed her sister's words. Sweetie Belle was tougher than she looked; and after how she dealt with Lester's death, she was even more so. As the sisters stood together, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy stood a short distance behind the two, each voicing their own thoughts on the incident. "I can't help but still feel bad for her." "Yeah, but I think her speech was very well done and very heartfelt." "Yes—very much heart-y it was." "She sure right cared for that porcupine," Applejack stated. "Definitely showed how much a pony and their pet care fer one another," she said, her friends nodding and concurring with her avowal. "...does anypony know where Rainbow Dash is?" Fluttershy asked. She and the others looked around, and soon spotted the pegasus behind them a short ways, with Tank standing in front of her. Rainbow Dash suddenly grabs her tortoise and hugs him tight, saying, "Don't you go anywhere," as tears fell from her eyes. The ponies were mightily surprised by this cordial show of affection by Rainbow Dash, and found it rather comical at first, saying how silly Rainbow Dash looked for worrying too much about her pet's future. But, it didn't take long for each of the ponies' amused faces to shift to faces of sadness and dread, each realizing the same thing that happened to Sweetie Belle's pet could happen to each of their own. In response to these thoughts, each of the ponies ran to their respective pets, cradling and cuddling the animal, not ever wanting to lose them. Apple Bloom approached Applejack as the mare held Winona tightly. "Ah don't think this is what ya'll were supposed tuh get from Sweetie's speech." "Whattya mean?" "Ah mean that Sweetie started lookin' happy once she stopped thinking 'bout all the bad things and started thinking 'bout the good times she had with Lester; and ah think we should all start doin' the same thing." "Yah, know: you're right," Applejack replied as her hold loosened on Winona. "But how'll we go about doin' that?" "By makin' some happy memories right now!" Apple Bloom then ran towards the field, shouting for Winona to follow her, to which the dog promptly obeyed. "Hey, wait for me!" Applejack shouted as she chased after her sister and pet. The other ponies and pets watched the trio begin their pony-pet playdate, and that was all it took for the rest of the group to join in on the fun; to stop worrying about the future and start enjoying their time together now. As the rest of the ponies and pets(including Sweetie's parents and Scootaloo) romped around the field, Sweetie Belle sat herself atop a nearby hillock as she watched the festivities. Spike walked up to Sweetie Belle, asking her if she wished to join the others. "No thanks," she replied. "But, do you think you could write down a letter for me, Spike?" Spike agreed, and pulled out a quill and scroll from his carrying bag as Sweetie Belle began her dictation: "Having a pet is a wonderful thing, and losing that same pet can be very hard to go through. But you shouldn't think only about your pet being gone, because when you do, it can only make your life unhappy, which makes everyone around you feel the same way. That's why it's important to remember all the great times you had with your pet, so you will always be happy knowing how much you loved your pet, and how much they loved you." Upon completion of Sweetie's oration, Spike wrapped up the scroll and sent it off to Princess Celestia with one shot of his flame breath. "Now then, let's go have fun with the others!" "Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed ecstatically, and then she and Spike run down the hill to join up with the ponies and their pets. As she is running, Sweetie Belle looks up at the clouds, slowly coming to a stop while Spike continued all the way down to the field. She stares intently at the cloud, as it bears an uncanny resemblance to Lester. After staring at the cloud for a short time, Sweetie Belle smiles, remembering the good times with her friend once more. "I'm glad we could be friends until the end, Lester," she says to the Lester cloud. Sweetie then resumes her way back down the hillock to join in on the festivities with the rest of her family and friends. Up in the clear blue sky, the smiling image of Lester's true face appeared over the cloud, happy in the knowledge that the best time in his life was spent with Sweetie Belle: the greatest friend he could have ever hoped for. THE END