Say goodbye to my friends
It was the last object on Twilight Sparkle’s final checklist. Out of all the things she did today, this was the hardest. She hurried through the streets of Ponyville as the sky was slowly being torn asunder. One more pony, she only had one more pony to see before she could let it end. She wouldn’t be in such a hurry if her farewell to Rainbow Dash wasn’t so passionate. She didn’t regret it though. It was just one more precious memory to take to the other side.
Gasping for breath, Twilight reached her final destination: Sugarcube Corner. She opened the door to find both Mister and Missus Cake huddled in the corner of the room, their children gently sleeping in their forelegs. Walking through the bakery, she heard quiet sobbing coming from the married couple. The sight almost made Twilight break down right there. Not yet. Now’s not the time for tears. She headed towards the stairs leading to Pinkie’s room when a strange sound drifted into her ears. It was… laughter? At the top of the stairs Pinkie’s door was slightly open with light streaming out of it.
“Pinkie?” asked Twilight as she opened the door. In front of her was the same thing she saw whenever Pinkie was involved: a party. At least, a party was in construction. Off to the side a record player was playing an upbeat jazz tune. On one of the walls a game of Pin the Tail on the Pony was set up. The ceiling had both streamers and balloons hanging from it. Near the center of the room, Pinkie was adding the last bit of frosting on a cake. She looked up at Twilight just as she finished.
“Hi Twilight,” said Pinkie in a cheerful tone. “You’re early! That’s great, you can help me. I’m not really finished with the decorations. I still have to hang up the banner. I didn’t have a ‘It’s the end of the world’ banner so I had to use the ‘Congratulations on the new job’ one instead.” Pinkie smiled at Twilight as she entered, confused at the sight.
“Pinkie, there’s something I have to say to you,” Twilight began. “Something very important so I want you to listen for a bit.”
“You’re not going to say you love me are you?” inquired Pinkie with her head tilted. “Because I’m pretty sure you already said that to Dashie. And based on the moans I could hear from here, she felt the same.” A giggle escaped Pinkie’s mouth as she poured fruit into a punchbowl.
“What?!” exclaimed Twilight, a blush on her face. “That’s now what I wanted to say.”
“Well what did you want to say?”
“I wanted to say goodbye. And, well to thank you for the time I’ve…”
“Silly Twilight,” Pinkie interrupted. “You’re supposed to say goodbye when the party’s over. The party hasn’t even started yet!” As hard as Twilight tried, she could not stop the tears from falling.
“How can you say that?” she asked trembled. “How can you just make a joke about me and Rainbow? How can you prepare for a party? How can you smile and laugh while the world is ending?” A silence fell on the room. Twilight was looking at Pinkie tears staining her face. Then for the first time that Twilight could remember, she saw something in Pinkie’s eyes. Something she had never seen from Pinkie.
“That’s easy Twilight,” said Pinkie with a hollow voice. “It’s because I’m scared.”