//------------------------------//
// One Last Game 
// Story: One Last Time 
// by Jhoira 
//------------------------------//

Pinkie smiled as she hopped up on the table, waving her hoof in the air, smiling. "Let's play a game!" The rest of the group chuckled, Pinkie's obvious attempt to lighten the mood accomplished exactly what it'd set out to do.

"Ok Pinkie, what game?" Twilight smiled up at her pink friend, happy to see her friend being her old friend happy again.

"Hide and seek!" The girls giggled, they had had some epic hide and seek games back whent hey were younger, they could do a bit of that again.

Rarity smiled, glancing at Applejack. "Okay dear, but we should put a time limit, say ten minutes? I don't think we want to spend that long hiding from each other today!" 

The other girls murmured in agreement and Pinkie nodded. "Okay! But you two!" She pointed at Applejack and Rarity. "Can't hide together! We already know you're a couple we don't need to find out again!" 

Rarity flushed crimson at the reminder of a certain event in the past. "Now I'll have you know you're all misremembering the event!"

Applejack snickered along with the rest of her friends. "No they're not sugar cube, they caught us smoochin'."

Rarity hissed at Applejack, "you're supposed to be on my side!" After a good chuckle at Rarity's expense, the group split up with Pinkie acting as the seeker. She was by far the best hider and seeker, and it being quick didn't make it any less fun so they figured that they should let Pinkie go. After only four minutes Pinkie had managed to find everyone except Fluttershy. She even caught Rarity and Applejack smooching again, something that Rarity insists she was doing just because if she's going to take flak over an event she at least wants it to have happened.

"Where do you think Fluttershy is? She's good at hiding today!" Pinkie felt like she'd searched the whole castle twice and couldn't find hide nor hair of the yellow pegasus. Everyone else shook their head, they hadn't seen her after they all left the main room. "Well, looks like she won! Let's go call her!" Pinkie took in a deep breath and the rest of the group covered their ears for the coming "FLUTTERSHY YOU WIN! COME OUT!"

The voice echoed around the hall for a few moments before dying away as the yell echoed through the halls of the castle, they waited for a few minutes but nothing happened. Pinkie Pie shrugged and then they all heard a sniffle, the girls looked first at Applejack then Pinkie, causing an indignant retort from Applejack. "Hey! I ain't cryin'! I'm good now."

Pinkie hopped up and down, smiling, a genuine smile this time. "I'm okie dokie this time! For reaisies! Pinkie promise!"

They frowned looking around for the sound before Twilight looked up. "Wait..." She spread her wings and flew up to the root remnants of her old library tree, sighing loudly. "Fluttershy! Shame on you!" She frowned and flew back down with a sniffling Fluttershy carried in her magic. "Now how was that fair Fluttershy? You should feel bad, you were hoping we'd go off and then you could move somewhere else to hide weren't you?"

Fluttershy just sat on the floor, sniffling and shaking her head, trying to wipe her tears away as they came but not accomplishing anything particularly workable in the process. Twilight blinked, maybe this wasn't about her cheating...? Twilight cantered up to Fluttershy as the rest of the girls gathered around. "Hey, Fluttershy...? What's the... HRK!" Twilight let out a most unpleasant sound as she was grabbed around the neck and pulled down, squirming in the other mare's grasp as she motioned over. "Help... Can't... Breath..."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack rushed over and managed to pry Fluttershy's forelegs off of Twilight, and Rainbow Dash taking over Twilight's place, only with Fluttershy's forelegs around Rainbow Dash's shoulders, not her neck. Fluttershy continued her quiet crying into Rainbow Dash's shoulder she looked around to the other girls who just shrugged, they didn't know what the matter was but it was apparently Fluttershy's turn to break down. They just had to wait for her to finish and then let her speak her peace. Fluttershy being Fluttershy had more in her than Pinkie or Applejack. Eventually, Fluttershy eventually managed to calm down enough to speak, sniffling loudly. "What... What if you all leave me...?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head, slightly confused. "Uh... But... Fluttershy, we're all going together..."

Fluttershy shook her head vigorously, whimpering. "But... But what if we don't go to the same place...? What if... I mean... Or we get lost...?"

Rainbow Dash licked her lips and raised her eyebrows at the others, she didn't really know how to help Fluttershy, she'd never had these issues. Twilight took a hesitant hoof and laid it on Fluttershy's side. "I... Well Fluttershy, if we get lost we'll be lost together at least..." Fluttershy let out a shuddering cry and Twilight immediately thought up a new tact. "Fluttershy, when we do go together, we will be together, we always will be together Fluttershy."

Fluttershy sniffled a bit as Rainbow Dash gave her a small squeeze. "And we'll work together to find our way through, I mean you don't think I'm gonna give up the chance to see Soarin and Tank again just to be lost do you? I love you girls but I mean come on, we all have people we'd like to see too!"

Fluttershy couldn't help but let out a small snort. "And... And you think I'll see Tree Hugger...? And my parents...?" Rainbow Dash nodded as she gently rubbed Fluttershy's back.

Rarity took a step forward. "Darling, I'm sure we'll see everyone we love on the other side. While not everyone... Agrees what exactly is on the other side." She tactfully ignored the fact not everyone believed that there was another side. "There is a pretty common stream that we'll see our loved ones, and it will be a most wonderful place, one well beyond the pleasures of this world darling."

Fluttershy nodded, and Applejack smiled, to step forward. "What I say is that it'll be a great big farm!" She glanced over at Rarity. "Well, with a nice little city nearby for all you ponies who don't know how great working on the farm is."

Fluttershy giggled gently as Pinkie took her turn. "And we'll all be back to our best selves. Those who're sick will... Will be healthy again... The old will be young again..." Twilight detached herself from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to walk over to Pinkie, giving the pink pony a hug. "And... And we'll all get to see our families again..." Pinkie buried her face into Twilight's shoulder.

Fluttershy sniffled but nodded, looking to the side. Rarity gave her an encouraging smile as she looked in her direction. Fluttershy closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a deep breath, sitting back slightly, Rainbow Dash hesitantly letting her go. She continued to sniffle as she smiled hesitantly. "And... And we will be going together tonight... So... So we can all look together, in case we do get lost...?"

The others nodded, smiling encouragingly at the other pony, Rarity walked up and gently stroked her friend's side. "Of course darling, we'll never leave you alone. You can wait for Big Mac with me and Applejack, and the rest of the family." Fluttershy smiled and sniffling a little, looking at Rarity, opening her mouth then closing it. "What is it darling?"

Fluttershy looked to the side before looking nervously back at Rarity, squirming a little. "And... And what if... You can't find... Everyone...?"

Rarity blinked, swallowing a little as they all knew that the word everyone actually meant Sweetie Belle. Rarity licked her lips to wet them before she spoke. "Well... Darling, we can trust that wherever they went off to they thought would be a better place than staying where we could find them... And... And that they're happy..." 

Fluttershy shifted and nodded, she hadn't wanted to bring that up but she couldn't not... She needed assurance... And she was pretty sure that Rarity missed Sweetie Belle more than anyone here missed anyone. To that point Rarity gave a small nod before going back over to Applejack and hugging her mate hard, burying her face in Applejack's shoulder. Applejack wrapped her forelegs around the other mare's back, cooing to her gently. Fluttershy looked at the two worried but Applejack smiled at her in return.

Rainbow Dash shifted, a little awkward since all her other friends besides Fluttershy were now hugging each other. Rainbow Dash smiled at her oldest friend. "So, you feeling better? We won't be leaving you anywhere."

Fluttershy giggled gently as she looked back at her cyan friend. "Hehe, I'm very used to being taken care of it seems."

Rainbow Dash chuckled and reached up, pushing her friend gently on the shoulder. "Oh don't be silly, we all look after each other. We're all here for supporting each other."

Fluttershy smiled. "Well you know we've all been silly over the years... This was my turn I guess." Fluttershy smiled and walked over to give Rarity a hug once she let go of Applejack. Rainbow Dash smiled in return, good, that was happier than she had feared it would end. It was good to see Fluttershy pull herself together, one last time.