Pinkie Pie bounced her way through the party with one of the biggest smiles she'd ever worn. She had to keep smiling, couldn't let herself stop for even a second. Almost nopony here was smiling, so she had to bring enough happiness to fill the whole farmhouse. It was an exhausting job. Particularly when she didn't feel like smiling herself.
Maud had insisted Pinkie needed to decorate “like a going away party.” For the first time in her life, Pinkie Pie had been the one to ask for permission to use subdued decorations. For the first time in her life, she had been refused.
So instead of black and white, her family's old farmhouse was decorated with an explosion of color. Since it was Maud's going away party, she'd used rocks as a theme, bringing in cartloads of crystals, glittering geodes, and every other beautiful thing. There was rock candy, and rock music, and everything else related to rocks Pinkie could think of. Colored rock-shaped ice floated in the punch like an underground river, and she paused to take a sip, tasting her super-secret special recipe she'd made for so many cheerful and uplifting occasions before. I might have to come up with a different recipe after this. I don't think I'll want to taste this again.
Most of the other guests looked as uncomfortable as she felt. Her own friends were no exception, or at least the friends who could make it. Fluttershy had come as much on Maud's request as Pinkie's, and had her own sinister guest waiting in a cage behind the farmhouse. Rainbow Dash was probably getting hopelessly drunk celebrating Gilda's last night with the griffons. Twilight was still desperately searching for a cure they all knew she wasn't going to find. Applejack was at home with her family, spending her last few hours with her brother before Dirge's necromancy caught up with him. At least Rarity had made it.
But Pinkie Pie didn't blame any of them for not coming. They had their own loved ones to remember in their own way. But why does Maud want to celebrate my way?
Maud seemed like the only pony in the whole house who was enjoying herself. Granted, her expression hadn't actually changed all night, at least not in any way a pony less familiar with her than Pinkie was could discern. Maud seemed to be making more of an effort to socialize with her many friends and well-wishers. Pinkie would've laughed to see so many conversations where Maud was the pony who sounded cheerful. Compared to the tears she saw from everypony else, anyway.
How can you be so happy? You're going to be dead tomorrow! Repeatedly this year, Pinkie Pie had heard horror stories about the way others affected by Dirge's spell had dealt with their fate. But at least anger, depression, and denial all seemed like natural reactions. To watch a pony so accepting of the whole thing… It's like she was never excited about living in the first place.
"This party is fantastic, Pinkie," Maud said from behind her, causing Pinkie to jump a foot into the air, squealing with surprise.
She landed facing the other way, eyes still wide. "Sorry, didn't see you behind me! Thanks! I'm glad you like it!"
How had Pinkie found her way into the back of the dining room, all alone? Not to cry where nopony could see, that was for sure. Pinkie Pie would never do that.
"What's wrong?" Maud asked. Her tone never changed, but Pinkie could tell she was concerned. Just like Maud could always tell what she was feeling. It came from how closely they'd grown up.
"N-nothing," Pinkie lied. "You came to one of my parties, why would anything be wrong? This is perfect! Everypony is having such a wonderful time!" Another lie, that one more obvious than the first. "Why wouldn't ponies be excited to come to a party where you die at the end? Why wouldn't a pony be just super-duper excited to lose her sister best friend forever before daytime. No reason! No reason at all!"
Maud gave her the flattest of her flat looks, eyes narrowing. Then she reached forward with a hoof and pulled Pinkie into a hug. That was when Pinkie Pie started crying. She sobbed her way through muddled words of apology, sobbed through her worries about how the family probably blamed her for Maud dying and just didn't want to admit it. The way she blamed herself for Maud's involvement, when her sister had nothing to do with Dirge. The words kept coming, spilling out of Pinkie Pie's mouth until she'd used them all up.
She slumped to the floor, her mane falling flat around her shoulders. She didn't care to move it, didn't care to see through the pink to the world outside. A world that, tomorrow, wouldn't have her sister in it.
Maud held her. She didn't rush her to finish, didn't even speak as Pinkie emptied her eyes and her heart. She remained still, patient, until her sister had finally finished. Then she cleared her throat, lifting Pinkie's head with one hoof so she was forced to look into her eyes. "Listen to me, Pinkie," she said, her tone final, absolute. "None of this is your fault. When a beautiful dolomite breaks off and rolls down a mountain, I don't blame anypony that it's turned to gravel. If it lands on somepony's house, it isn't the fault of the engineer who decided to put it there."
"But—"
Pinkie winced as she felt a hoof jammed into her mouth. It tasted like dirt.
"I'm not finished," Maud said. "Pinkie, you've been the best sister ever. You brought light into our family when none of us knew anything but rocks. I liked the rocks, but sometimes the colors are nice too." She glanced briefly up to the streamers and banners on the ceiling, approving. "I don't expect you to understand tonight. Maybe you won't even believe me. But I won't die upset. I'm not worried about the end of this party, I'm not afraid." She smiled, or as close to a smile as Pinkie had ever seen on her sister.
But then again, this was also more speaking than she'd ever heard from her sister at one time. "I don't even resent the one who did it," Maud continued. "I don't know why he thought that hurting ponies would fill the holes in his life... but I'm sorry for him. Sorry that he didn't have a sister like I did, who could have shown him that there was another way."
Maud finished, let her go, pulled away. There was silence between them for nearly thirty whole seconds. Longer than Pinkie Pie could even remember staying quiet at one time.
Then she felt a little of the spring come back in her mane. "I'll visit you," she said. "Every year, just like always."
"Good," Maud said. "I will miss our conversations... but rocks don't talk as much as ponies. You'll understand." Maud reached into her pocket with her teeth, setting something down on the dining-room table beside them. A well-worn pebble, though Pinkie Pie knew it was a very specific rock. "I want you to take care of Bolder. He eats rock food at six AM and six PM. Don't be late, or he'll get cranky." She removed a box of rock food from her dress as well. "This is the brand he likes. He's very picky."
"Sure." Pinkie felt tears streaming down her face again as she picked up the rock in her teeth, tucking him away where she kept everything else she might need. Nopony else knew where that was, and Pinkie wasn't telling. Not even her sister. "I'll remember. I'll m-make a list, like Twilight does. Then I can look at it, and I'll remember."
"I know you will," Maud said, turning away. "There are more ponies here waiting to say goodbye. You will be here when it’s done?"
"Yeah," Pinkie said, though it wasn't what she wanted to say. "Until the end."
Pinkie Pie spent the remainder of the party being a good host—the best host she could be, under the difficult circumstances. She did her best to make sure everyone was enjoying the occasion as much as she could. But considering what they were here to "celebrate"... this would probably go down in history as Pinkie Pie's worst party ever.
Despite Maud's pleading, not very many of the guests stuck around for the party's morbid conclusion. A few of her colleagues from the university were still here, though Pinkie suspected their interest was more academic than friendly. Other than the two older professors, only Pinkie's own family and her two friends were present, all gathered together in the farmhouse's large dining room, all the furniture pushed aside. Fluttershy had already done her work, erecting a tall screen that obscured her cage and what it contained. She crouched near it even now, whispering reassuring things.
From beside her, Rarity leaned close to Pinkie, whispering into her ear. "You couldn't persuade her against this... positively uncouth course?" she asked, watching with the same horror as the other ponies in the room.
"Nope," Pinkie Pie responded. "Maud was preeeeeety sure she—" But she didn't finish, as Maud walked slowly over to the other side of the room, where she could see them all.
"Ponies," she said in her flattest, most emotionless voice. "You all know what will happen when the sun comes up. I have decided not to allow that to happen, and to choose my own... death." She paused, looking over to Pinkie and the rest of the family. They were all crying now—but the time for objection and persuasion was over. Not even their father had managed to convince Maud to change her mind. "A cockatrice is waiting in that cage. It will petrify me. Princess Twilight says the effects of the curse will make it permanent when the sun rises."
She paused, turning to look in the direction of the screen.
Pinkie wondered if Fluttershy had taken the curtain off the cage yet. For once, she didn't bounce over to look.
"Some of you know I had a will prepared years ago, after Nightmare Moon came to Equestria. I wanted to become what I loved when I died. I have already given specific instructions for where I am to be buried, so I can experience all the stages of the rock cycle for myself. If the princess is right, and the curse does work... please follow the instructions I left."
She sat down on the ground, folding her legs under her into a comfortable, resting position. Then she closed her eyes, tucking her head up against her chest. "Fluttershy."
Pinkie Pie could barely hear anything through the sound of her own sobbing. She reached out towards her sister, but didn't move from where she stood. Pinkie Pie knew from her time living beside the Everfree Forest that petrification itself wasn't permanent. Fluttershy could coax the cockatrice within its cage to reverse the process, as politely as she was speaking to it now. Everypony could be wrong! The curse could be tricked, it might not find her!
Her sister was so gray to begin with that Pinkie Pie could hardly tell the difference as the cockatrice's petrification magic crept up her body. But her dress changed, no longer reflecting the light of the candles the same way. Her sister didn't look up, didn't say another word as the spell traveled up her body.
Pinkie could hear one last sigh of exhaled breath, and in that breath, hear Maud's final emotions. Peace, acceptance, contentment. Then she was still.
"It's, um..." Fluttershy emerged from the side of the screen, before folding it up. She lowered her head respectfully to Pinkie's parents. "We'll b-be here to reverse it in a few hours. Once the curse is over."
Pinkie Pie herself was the first to speak, pulling Fluttershy in for a hug. "T-thanks for doing that for her, Fluttershy. You don't know how much it meant to her."
Fluttershy herself seemed a little shaken, but she returned the gesture anyway. "O-of course, Pinkie. I hope it works." She lowered her voice to a quiet mutter. "I wish Zephyr had talked to her. I wish he'd... t-talk to me."
Pinkie Pie let go. "Maybe all those bits he spent paid off?" she suggested, though she didn't sound hopeful. "Maybe he'll escape too. Just like... M-Maud will."
"Yeah," Fluttershy responded, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "Maybe he will."
They wouldn't know until morning. Pinkie Pie didn't have much hope—her Pinkie Sense hadn't suggested any unexpected good fortune with three twitches of her tail and an itchy left hoof. Unless that happened, she had a pretty good idea what would be waiting for them in the morning.
It wouldn't be good.