The field of upright stones went on for what felt like forever, their shadows stretched out across the gently sloping hill. Trees reached into the orange light of the setting sun, softly swaying in the hushed breeze. They hardly stirred, as if they were somehow worried about breaking the solemn silence with the rustle of their steadily waving boughs. The ground sat littered with dead and dying leaves, though pathways had been cleared to make neat lines through the standing stones, through which laid gravel trails.
Rarity's hooves crunched along the pathway, her head down, pace slow. She turned to look at Applejack, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"It's quite beautiful this time of year, isn't it?" Rarity said, voice soft as a silken veil upon the muzzle.
"Yup. Real pretty. Love this time'a year," Applejack replied, her voice just as gentle, though a bit more upbeat than her friend's.
They walked slowly, side by side, along the winding pathways, not in any hurry to get anywhere. It was simply nice to stretch their legs and spend the slowly fading afternoon together. The autumn trees kept them company with their golden brown and blazing orange foliage. Dying though they were, the leaves were nonetheless beautiful.
"Fall's always been m'favorite season. Granny's, too. S'hard t'beat th', what'cha call it? Th' 'picturesque vistas of autumn'? Y'all were always better at them fancier words thah'n me," Applejack remarked, looking up at the trees and their slowly cascading leaves.
Rarity chuckled, a blush creeping across her face. "I believe I said something to that effect, yes. I must admit; autumn's really grown on me over the years, too. It has so many gorgeous colors to pull inspiration from. Why, they even remind me of you."
Rarity's horn lit up and a crunchy orange leaf came floating up between them. It wasn't quite the same hue as Applejack's coat, but it was still pretty close. Just a few shades off.
"Aw, shucks." Applejack reached out for the leaf, but it quickly slipped free of her hoof, carried by the fall breeze, joining countless others like it in a whirling dance through the field. She shrugged, grinning. "Can't hold onto 'em forever."
They went on in silence for a little while, Rarity listening to the crunch and crackle beneath her hooves, the whispering of the wind, the far off song of evening birds. The sun was just a sliver of orange peeking over the horizon, lengthening her shadow and those of the stones around her. It really was picturesque. The weather was nice, too. Not too chilly, only a smattering of rain the prior night, the wind a tender caress rather than a bothersome gale more common to summer storms. Yes, it was the perfect scene.
Finally, they took a turn down a side path weaving between a column of stones. Some looked fresh, others were ancient, but they all stood together in equal silence. Rarity came to one in particular, stone new and lacking wear. The pack across her back quietly jostled as she sat down in a patch of green. The last vestiges of the previous night's rain dampened her backside, but she didn't mind. It was cool upon her fur. The aroma was nice, too. Always was after an autumn sprinkle. She pulled in a deep lungful, eyes closed, and let it out in a slow, shaky exhale.
"Y'all goin' t'be alriah't?" Applejacked asked, her tone much quieter now, words easing into Rarity's ears like liquid velvet, like falling rain. She opened her eyes and looked over at Applejack, smile subdued yet still there.
"Somehow, I will be. I'll... survive," Rarity held back a sob, her throat hitching. Applejack reached out, wiping away a tear from her cheek. The trail down her fur went on.
"Y'all better be. Y'got Sweetie Belle lookin' up t'ya, an' our friends, too. Y'all're strong, Rarity. Real strong. Th' strongest pony I ever knew, an' y'all can bet Ah'll always be here for ya." Applejack's smile was comforting, though it couldn't hide the mare's own pain. Rarity could see it in her eyes, bold as the setting sun.
Again, they went silent for a while, Rarity's cheeks growing ever more wet with falling tears. It was hard to keep it together, but having Applejack by her side kept her grounded. Even so, the sobs in her throat grew more demanding. Her withers hitched as she once more lit her horn and pulled the carefully wrapped bouquet out from her bag. The wrapping quietly crinkled as she laid it out across the freshly laid dirt, right at the head of the stone. The fall colors stood out against the dark earth, golden brown and blazing orange. She'd made sure they'd match their favorite time of year.
The sun slowly set, shadows growing longer, light slowly dimming. Rarity let her mind wander, through memories old and new, through the good times and the bad, along the winding road of her life up until this point. Applejack was present for most of it. There, by her side, supporting her in her every endeavor. Rarity couldn't imagine a life without her.
Another quaking bout of tears wracked her, head dipping low. Her tears marked the dirt with their tiny beads as they fell in ever greater amounts from her chin. Applejack put a foreleg around her, but the ebbing sun and growing night made it feel cold against her body. She nonetheless leaned into the embrace. Even though it felt chilly, it still gave Rarity strength, still helped her pull herself from the yawning pit of sorrow she fought against every day. It was why she came here, to feel that embrace, to spend time with Applejack. They'd always been together. Why would that ever need to change?
That last thought made Rarity's withers heave again, because she knew the answer, and it terrified her more than anything.
It was dark now. Quiet. Even the wind had tapered off, allowing the nights its blanketing silence.
"Rarity," Applejack said, her voice a gentle nudge in the darkness.
"I know," Rarity replied after a long moment, clearing another tear from her cheek. Many more remained.
"I'll miss you."
"Ah'll miss you too, sugarcube."
Rarity breathed out a shuddering sigh. The embrace around her shoulders slowly pulled back. She looked over into the gloom at her side, into the night stretching out across the field. Autumn-scented ambience held her.
She sat alone among the stones.