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// One Last Breakfast 
// Story: One Last Time 
// by Jhoira 
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After greetings, hugs, and other general welcomes the six were all seated around the friendship map with large piles of pancakes in front of them. Smiling as they had a rather iconic breakfast staple for them. It was always pancakes, they were good and easy to make, so they tended to get made a lot. Pinkie, however, had taken a bit of a different spin on the simple pancake, hers was piled high with whipped cream and super sugary fruit and berry syrups, as well as said fruits and berries. Rarity couldn't help but stare in pure astonishment. "Pinkie Pie! That... Don't do that to yourself, darling! You'll hate yourself to..." Rarity stopped herself then grinned a bit. "Pass the syrup and whipped cream dear, I'm going to make myself a castle."

After a moment all their friends realized exactly what first Pinkie, then Rarity had realized and they were all clamoring for the whipped cream and syrup. Thankfully Pinkie had come prepared with sweets galore, pulling more and more of the required condiments out of her mane. Five of the six friends were all having a grand old time, the only one being melancholic was Applejack. While she too was participating in making a pancake plate more decadent than most desserts she was obviously not having a great amount of fun with it, though even when sad she wasn't going to pass up eating that much sugar with no regard to what it would do in the future.

The loud sound of happy chewing as everyone shoveled pancakes into their mouths filled the air. Even the normally proper Rarity couldn't pull off polite eating with the monstrosity of pancakes that she'd made, so she abandoned manners with the rest of them and just dug in. Applejack was eating, but not with the enthusiasm of the others, Rarity had decided to let her mate be for a while, to see if she'd get herself out of the funk or needed some coaxing. The other elements were too busy with eating, and playing with their breakfast, to notice their woe betided friend, until Applejack just couldn't take it anymore. "Really!? No one is going to address why we're all here!?"

Rarity couldn't suppress a sigh as the others looked at Applejack. She hadn't expected Applejack to do that! She'd thought she was going to brood a bit then start enjoying her friends, or at the very least find a more diplomatic way to bring up what was bothering her. But then again Applejack was honesty, to the point of being completely blunt at times. She got up walking over to her mate and reached up a hoof, gently running it through Applejack's mane and cooing to her mate. "Darling..."

Applejack pulled away harshly, though she didn't say anything the message was quite clear, she'd had enough of Rarity's meaningless comfort, they were dying and no nice words would change that! Applejack glared around the table, making eye contact with each of her friends in turn, practically challenging them to disagree with her. Though they met her gaze steadily none of them were willing to contradict her, at least that's how it was in Applejack's mind, really they were all just too dumbfounded to respond. They had only very rarely seen Applejack snap or get angry with Rarity since their romantic relationship had started.

However, when Applejack came to the last pony around the circle, Rainbow Dash was no so sacrosanct. She nodded to Applejack. "Ok AJ, we're here because we're all dying today, how about that?"

The rest of the group groaned lowly. Of course, it had to be Applejack's old rival who answered her, couldn't be Fluttershy or Twilight, or even Pinkie Pie making a joke, it had to be Rainbow Dash just throwing down the gauntlet in front of Applejack. One that Applejack seemed happy to pick up. "Exactly! We can't all just sit here and pretend that it's a normal day."

"Of course it's not a normal day! Look at what we're eating!" Rainbow Dash motioned to their mountains of sickly sweet food. 

Applejack growled lowly in response, "not what I meant."

"I know! But we're all having a good time, enjoying each other's company and you gotta be a sour puss!" Rainbow Dash scowled at her friend, she really didn't like when Applejack was a pill like this.

Fluttershy said quietly, "girls..." drawing no attention from either of the arguing ponies.

"Oh yeah? Well ignoring the fact that we're all dying isn't being a sour puss! It's being a realist ya flighty mare!" Applejack had had enough of the happy go lucky, 'I don't have any responsibilities to worry about' mare lecturing her on being happy with death. If any of the others could read minds they could have told Applejack that wasn't really what Rainbow Dash had said but sadly none of them possessed that ability.

It was Twilight's turn to try and make peace between their friends, raising her voice slightly. "Girls, really we can..."

"Flighty am I!?" Rainbow Dash roared, jumping up on the table, thankfully missing her tower of pancakes in the process. "What kind of flighty mare makes it into the Wonderbolts? Becomes the leader of the Wonderbolts!? I'll have you know I worked my butt off to get there! I made it in! I made it to the top! I didn't fail at anything!"

"Oh yeah, such a greeeeaaaat accomplishment!" Applejack didn't usually use sarcasm but she felt that one was warranted. "You were born with some of the luckiest skills around! Literally, no one else can make a sonic rainboom, that's not through training, that's through sheer dumb luck! You're not a self-made mare, you're just a lucky, lazy mare who doesn't know the definition of a hard day's work! Or why someone wouldn't wanna die!"

Three of the four observers blinked in confusion, that last bit really didn't fit into the general fight that Rainbow Dash and Applejack were having, the argument had started there but they were well past the subject of death now. Pinke was, however, trying to distract the two, and not thinking about their arguments. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash! Look at me!" She waved her hooves and produced a sparkler from her mane. "Lookatme! Lookatme! Lookatme!" The two fighting mares were having none of it.

"Yeah!? I never said I wasn't lucky ya hayseed! But I am a self-made mare! I did the work, I graduated from the academy, I put in all the hours, I put in all the work, I became the best of the best on top of my natural abilities! Even if I couldn't do the sonic rainboom I'd be the leader because I put in all the work! It's not like you! You never had any ambition Applejack! You just lived in that backwater farm your entire life! You didn't care about making something that mattered!"

Applejack sneered at her friend. "Oh yeah, something that mattered? I'm so sure that years from now you'll be remembered for your fast flyin'! For your abilities to make rainbows and tornados, for your skill at flying through circles in front of crowds! You may have accomplished these hard, amazing feats, you may be the fastest that there has been, or even ever will be! But after you're dead that won't mean anything!"

Rarity stepped forward, raising her voice. "Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Stop this! This should be a time of love and..."

They both turned their glares onto Rarity and yelled. "Shut up Rarity!"

Applejack snapped her head back at Rainbow Dash to give her an even more withering glare. "Don't talk to my wife like that!"

"You just did you hypocrite!" Rainbow Dash yelled back.

"She's my wife!" The argument was getting heated with Applejack yelling even louder to drown out Rainbow Dash, the rest could only stare on helplessly as it spiraled out of control, except Pinkie still trying to use spectacle to derail the argument.

Rainbow Dash scowled at Applejack. "Oh yeah, is that one of your "accomplishments"? You bagged the prettiest mare in town? What're the rest of your accomplishments!? You managed a farm that didn't need managing? The farm's been there for what, a hundred years? You didn't accomplish anything either Applejack!"

Applejack raised herself up to her full height and, metaphorically, hurled herself over a precipice that none of them would have ever thought she'd have dared to do, or been hateful enough to. "I raised a family! Maybe if you weren't so focused on being the best you could have too!"

The entire room froze, Pinkie stopped trying to distract them, Twilight stopped trying to control Pinkie, Fluttershy nearly fainted, and even Rarity froze, her attempts to calm and control her mate stopped in the moment that Applejack did the unthinkable. Rainbow Dash couldn't have foals after an injury she received while being a Wonderbolt. Rarity took a few steps back, she half expected Rainbow Dash to outright attack Applejack, while Rarity had every intention to try to stop it, her being in the middle of it would only make it worse as Applejack lashed out in the defense of her mate if Rarity was in the danger zone.

Rainbow Dash did indeed lunge forward at Applejack, all the girls saw it in slow motion, but couldn't seem to act fast enough to stop it. Neither Rarity nor Twilight could get a firm grasp on Rainbow Dash with their magic to hold her back. Rainbow Dash had had every intention of going for the other mare's throat, metaphorically speaking. But in that last moment as she closed in on Applejack she saw it. She saw that it wasn't anger reflected in Applejack's eyes, it wasn't passionate hate, it was fear and despair. Rainbow Dash saw the unshed tears glistening in her old friend/rival's eyes, and she knew that she could be angry with Applejack for bringing that terrible event up and throwing it at her, but she could also understand, and pity her friend's pain. And more importantly, she could forgive her. Rainbow Dash had felt a similar pain that Applejack would never understand, Rainbow Dash couldn't have foals. But also Applejack was feeling something that Rainbow Dash couldn't, Applejack was losing her foals.

Applejack had lowered her shoulders slightly ready to barrel over the pegasus coming at her only to be brought up short, she didn't feel hooves hitting her shoulder, Rainbow Dash had missed!?... No... Applejack stiffened as she felt Rainbow Dash slip forelegs around her shoulders and pull her into a tight hug. As the rest of the group stared Applejack couldn't stop herself, starting to sniffle gently, only to have all her emotions break free and she started to sob loudly as she heard Rainbow Dash say quietly. "I understand AJ."

Rarity instantly, now that the danger was over trotted over and nuzzled up to Applejack, cooing to her gently though making sure not to get in the way of the hug. Fluttershy also, though a bit hesitantly, flew over and gave both of her close friends gentle nuzzles. She'd always been extra close to Rainbow Dash, but marrying Applejack's brother and living with her and both their families on the farm made her get very close to Applejack as well. Twilight and Pinkie both approached but kept a slightly further distance. They were all great friends but even among close friends some were closer than others.

Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash rubbed Applejack's back, Rarity cooing to her mate with gentle loving nonsense sounds. Applejack shook her head, she thought she'd gotten his out of her system this morning with Rarity but she hadn't. "I don't want to leave them Rainbow Dash..." The rest of Applejack's friends stood in silence as she continued to sob quietly into Rainbow Dash's shoulder, the only other sound, Rarity's gentle cooing to Applejack. After a few minutes, Applejack pulled herself together, though still sniffing and on the verge of tears. "I-I'm... I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash smiled sadly as she pulled back from her friend, she could forgive Applejack for something said when she was hurting so much. Rainbow Dash lifted a hoof and hit Applejack on the shoulder. "That hurt Applejack. But you're hurting more aren't you?" Applejack hesitated but nodded nervously. She wouldn't have liked to say that to Rainbow Dash, that she was hurting more than the other pony, but Rainbow Dash had said it. Rainbow Dash retreated slightly, letting Rarity take over hugging her mate and nuzzling her, rubbing her back and continuing her cooing. Rainbow Dash looked to the side, saying quietly, "you..." her voice broke and she had to start again. "You were right anyway AJ."

Everyone stared at Rainbow Dash, even Applejack raised her head from Rarity's shoulder to stare at her. Rainbow Dash blushed a bit, scowling at all her friends. "I didn't mean that way!" Her friends nodded but still looked confused, and she let out a small sigh, still not making eye contact with any of her friends. "It makes sense that Applejack is having a worse time than me... Every... Most everyone I want to see are either in this room, coming with me tonight or waiting for me on the other side. I mean besides Scootaloo..." Rainbow Dash was interrupted by another hug, thought his time from Fluttershy, pulling close into her and hugging her hard, at least hard for Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash smiled and returned the hug before finally meeting Applejack's eyes, saying softly. "I forgive you."

With a collective sigh of relief, the tension drained from the room. Applejack nuzzled back into Rarity, hiding her tears of relief, after the moment of anger had been over she was afraid that she'd spent the last day of her life destroying one of her oldest friendships. Rarity continued to pat Applejack on the back until the Applejack finally pulled away from the white unicorn, and returned to her seat, sniffling gently but seeming to build her pancake barn with actual gusto, having, at least mostly, gotten that out of her system. She understood that she wasn't the only one hurting, and Rainbow Dash was right, she had plenty of family to see on the other side as well, and eventually, her foals and grandfoals would come to see her as well.

Slowly Fluttershy, Twilight and Pinkie drifted back to their seats and started up their breakfasts again. On the way back to her seat Rarity took a small detour, giving Rainbow Dash a gentle peck on the cheek, whispering. "Thank you, darling." With an awkward clearing of her throat and a jerky nod, Rainbow Dash flew up to land back in her seat, starting to eat her breakfast again. Rarity smiled, letting out a quiet sigh of relief, that was almost a giant destruction of what had been a long life long friendship, and it would have just been Applejack and Rainbow Dash, because everyone would have had to take sides.

Taking sides would have ended with Rarity and Applejack leaving, possibly also Fluttershy but Rarity doubted it. Though Rarity wouldn't object to spending her last day with her family, she would have been devastated if she had had to leave her oldest friends. She gave Rainbow Dash another smile, that pony was more sensitive and empathetic than she liked to let on. Rarity didn't go back and sit down, she tugged her plate over next to Applejack, still holding her half-eaten pancake castle. Applejack raised an eyebrow at her and Rarity cracked a grin, saying more than loud enough for everyone to hear. "Well, I do need a place for my servants to live darling!" Ahh, there it was, there was what Rarity had been wanting, her friends' laughter. She didn't want to end on a sad note. They all would enjoy a happy breakfast together, one last time.