Loss

by Pwnyta


Chapter 6: Tragedy

Chapter 6: Tragedy

        The rose slowly floated down, gently landing in front of the small, lightly polished headstone. The light purple aura that surrounded the small flower disappeared with a small, inaudible pop. The magical aura faded around the purple horn that belonged to the lavender unicorn. She gave a small sigh, smiling as she sat back on her haunches. A soft breeze passed through the cemetery, welcoming cooling relief from the blazingly warm morning air as the sun beamed down across all of Equestria that day. Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and let the breeze run through the bangs of her mane and ruffle the crème-colored dress that hid her lavender body that day. She gave a small tug at the pink ribbon that wrapped around her neck, making sure it was still tied into a perfect bow.

        The dress was a favorite of hers. She thought back to the birthday party at Canterlot Castle the day she was given the gift. Rarity had seemed very hesitant to let Twilight have the dress, probably thinking it was not elegant enough, but the librarian loved it. The purple mare smiled to herself. The dress, although quite possibly one of Rarity’s simplest designs, had become her most successful and best selling dresses after the group had crashed the posh, high-society party that had been going on in the castle garden that day. Ever since the birthday party, Twilight had come to cherish the dress above any other item she possessed. She wore it for all sorts of events, proud of the bond of friendship between her and her fellow unicorn. Since the fateful day, she also made sure to wear it every time she went to visit Rarity’s grave, a weekly tradition she had developed once she had mostly been able to finally accept the fact that her fellow unicorn was gone.

        “I don’t even know where to begin! This week has been just simply crazy,” she began talking aloud to herself while focusing her attention on the headstone. The weekly visit was Twilight’s chance to gossip with her close friend, something she loved about their previous routine of meeting at the café. Though it took a little getting used to not having someone to respond to her, the lavender mare loved the conversations she had with Rarity. Once again, she had someone she could open up to and dispose of all of her feelings and frustrations; something that, for some reason, she seemed only comfortable in doing with her fellow unicorn.

        “Well, I have a ton to do today,” she said as she began to wrap up her one-sided conversation. “I’m meeting Applejack for lunch! You would be proud of how proper she has become compared to how she used to be. I think we could even convince her to wear a dress again! It must be all that time hanging around Sweetie Belle. Speaking of her, she has been trying to take after you for a while now. Still no cutie mark, though,” Twilight said through a grin. “It was nice talking to you! I’ll see you next week, Rarity,” she finished with a grin, standing up. She twitched her hips a bit to allow the dress to fall naturally back across her hind legs before giving the headstone one final smile and turning to walk out of the cemetery.

        In the month and a half since the tragedy, Ponyville had mostly returned to normal. The town square was buzzing with life on that particular day. Carts lined the cobblestone streets, with dozens of ponies selling varieties of colorful fruits and vegetables, premade meals and snacks, various forms of cooking equipment, and flowers in full bloom that were more colorful than a rainbow. Twilight slowly trotted down the path from the cemetery, enjoying the sights and sounds of the busy community. It seemed like everypony was out and about that day, the lavender mare having to squeeze through several crowds at some particularly popular stands.

She took in a deep breath of air through her nose as she passed Sugarcube Corner. Mmm, that smells like apple and cherry tarts. It seems like Mr. and Mrs. Cake have really outdone themselves this time. They smell better than usual!  The librarian thought as she licked her lips, craving the baked goods. She decided to pay the bake shop a visit later and restock her supply of desserts for her home. She quickly cantered past, picking up her pace in order to resist the urge of the tantalizing sweets taunting her nose with every breath.

She made her way down the rest of the street casually, finally reaching her destination, a small stand set up near the town hall. One of the most well known vendors in all of Ponyville, the Sweet Apple Acres stand was a beautifully handmade design, with engravings of apples running along the sides and large, green, wooden wheels. The juicy, delicious fruit sat shaded by a small white and green striped canvas cover, a custom-made apple display sitting atop, with a small horseshoe welded to the front. Behind a stack of bright red apples stood an orange mare, her blonde mane mostly hidden by a brown leather cowpony hat, with most of the exposed hairs tied into a loose ponytail. She recognized her friend almost immediately and waved her over, a smile across her face.

“Howdy, Twilight! You’re looking mighty fancy today,” the cowpony said to the unicorn. Twilight blushed a bit. She wasn’t too used to being out casually with the dress on, but she was glad that it was being noticed. “Lemme just get a few things finished up,” Applejack said.

        The lavender unicorn nodded and browsed the stand. She sniffed at the fruits laid out before her, their natural sugars permeating the air around the stand. She loved the tangy smell of the green apples, the scent making her stomach growl in protest as she realized how hungry she was. As if she had heard the protest from Twilight’s insides, Applejack untied her apron and stepped out from behind the stand, now being guarded by the big, bright red stallion Big Macintosh. Twilight wondered how the extremely soft-spoken stallion would manage to perk himself up enough to sell apples to passing clients. The thought made Twilight giggle a little.

        “Ready to go Twi?” asked the orange cowmare. The unicorn nodded her approval and the two friends walked off towards the café.

        “I have to know, Applejack. How is he going to manage selling apples? I don’t think I’ve heard him speak more than two words at a time,” Twilight asked, motioning towards the stand behind them. Applejack gave a small laugh

        “Big Mac doesn’t need to speak to sell apples. Seems like just having him there is enough to attract our customers, if you get what I’m saying,” the cowmare replied with a wink. Twilight gave in to another fit of giggles as she pictures hundreds of mares flocking to the Apple family stand just for a chance to see Big Macintosh.

        The two friends arrived at the café and took a seat at an outdoor table. The wind from earlier had died down, leaving only the few clouds in the sky as any form of protection from the blazing sun. Twilight wiped at some sweat on her brow, regretting having not gone home to change out of the dress before continuing on with her day. Applejack promptly removed her hat and placed it on the makeshift haystack chair beside her, before sitting down and unfolding the napkin on the table and laying it across her lap. The unicorn smiled at the impressive display from her friend.

        “So, Applejack, what caused this change in manner from you?” she asked with a bit of interest, leaning forward across the table.

        “Well… I suppose it’s from spending all that time with Rarity’s family. A right proper bunch they are. I guess it rubbed off on me,” Applejack explained with a raised eyebrow. “Why? You don’t like it?”

        “No, no. I didn’t say that. I just never would have imagined you acting a bit like Rarity,” replied Twilight with a smile. “Just don’t overwork yourself. I know you like helping out and all, but two jobs can be really stressful on a pony, and you are doing two of the hardest jobs in all of Ponyville. Remember what happened when you tried to handle the entire apple orchard by yourself?” she asked, a bit of concern in her voice.

        “No need to worry about me Twi. I got lots of time to relax. Heck, I barely do anything over at Carousel Boutique anymore. Sweetie Belle and her mother got the store running smooth as a freshly greased wheel,” Applejack said, shrugging off the worry Twilight presented. “All I know is that it’s good to see you getting back to normal after everything that’s happened to you,” the orange earth pony continued, giving her friend a gentle smile.

        Twilight grimaced a bit, staring down at the table, her eyes tricking her into seeing memories of the past few weeks play across the tablecloth like a film. Her thoughts turned to Spike and how he was living up in Canterlot. She missed her assistant much in the way a mother misses a child when they first leave home. Even though the two had begun to exchange letters, she still hadn’t been able to work up the nerve to ask him if he would return soon. Twilight shook the depressing thought from her head.

        “I’m glad too. But if it weren’t for you, Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, I’m not sure if I ever could have been able to get over it,” Twilight said, returning a bright smile. “I’m not sure I could have ever been able to figure it all out without you all.”

        “Aw, shucks Twi. You know we are all here for each other. Always have been, always will be,” replied the cowmare. She raised an eyebrow in thought. “But thinking about it, I don’t think I’ve seen Fluttershy lately,” she continued. “I wonder where she’s been.”

        “She’s probably busy with all the animals she cares for,” replied Twilight. “I was going to go pay her a visit and have some tea with her late. Care to join us?”

        Applejack nodded. “You bet your sweet apples I would,” she said immediately. The idea of being able to indulge in some of Fluttershy’s herbal tea was enough to make even Applejack drop everything she was doing. She felt her stomach grumble a bit. Rubbing it with a hoof, she made a small grimace. “But right now, I’m mighty hungry. What’s taking that dang waiter so long?” she asked, looking around for the server. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at her friend’s actions. No matter how proper you become, you’re always going to be the same old Applejack the unicorn thought to herself as she began looking over the menu.

~`~`~`~`~

        Applejack pushed the small, last bit of sandwich into her mouth and quickly chewed and swallowed. She made an approving noise before wiping her mouth off with a napkin. “You know, Twi, I never realized how delicious these daisy and dandelion sandwiches were here. No wonder that’s the only thing you ever order,” she said, very content with her finished meal. The unicorn laughed as she levitated her cup up to her mouth and finished off the lukewarm tea that remained. After a short conversation, the two mares paid and left the cafe, heading towards the outskirts of town, where the Everfree Forest began and where Fluttershy’s cottage resided.

        “I haven’t really seen Fluttershy around too much since the funeral,” Twilight started. “Hopefully she enjoys our surprise visit. I even brought a few herbs and leaves to brew,” she continued, looking down at the small pouch hanging from her neck. “I hope I brought enough for three.”

        “She’ll make it work,” replied the orange earth pony. The two walked through the town square, which had gotten considerably busier since that morning. They made their way through to the road heading out of town, able to see the small cottage. From a distance, the little cottage blended into the forest, the yellow glow from the windows being the only give away of the unnatural landmark with its green, leafy roof. The top half of the door was always open, an invitation to any of the pegasus’ animal friends that wandered by looking for care or an extra bit of food. Twilight frowned as they crossed the bridge that separated the cottage from the rest of Ponyville, both of the friends stopping to take in the sight that beheld them.

Something seemed really off that day. Animals were scattered around the grounds, freely roaming and grazing wherever they pleased. The cottage appeared like it had been abandoned, twigs and branches seeming like they were going to fall out of the roofing. Much of the grass around the cottage was unkempt, with bald spots where animals had overgrazed.

The two mares gave each other a concerned look as they hesitated to make their next step. It was rather unbelievable that Fluttershy would ever let her house end up this way unless she was out of Ponyville for an extended period of time. After a moment, they continued on their path, slowly making their way to the door. Twilight gave a concerned look as she peeked her head inside a slight bit, looking around for any sign of their timid pegasus friend.

“Hello?!” she called out as loud as she could, knocking on the door below her. From upstairs came a muffled scream followed by a small crash. Twilight flinched at the sudden noise. After a moment, the sound of hooves clambered down the staircase just in front of the door.

“Oh! T-Twilight… um… y-you surprised me,” the pegasus stuttered as her eyes went wide, recognizing her friend. The pegasus looked around rather nervously, noticing Applejack was right behind her unicorn friend. She reflected her house in an unkempt manner. Her cotton candy pink mane was messy, with frayed ends popping out at random points. Her bright yellow coat was matted in a few places, and the grace with which she managed to carry herself was missing.

“Uh… are you okay Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, her concern for her friend only rising. In the relatively short time she had been in Ponyville, she had never seen her friend like this. She pushed open the door and walked in, approaching her friend, with Applejack trailing right behind her.

“Y-yeah… I mean, yes… It’s surprising to see you two… um… I mean, it’s nice… What’s the occasion?” Fluttershy said, still not quite over the surprise of her guests. She gave a quick glance upstairs before turning her attention to her friends, welcoming them into her house. Her blue, innocent eyes darted nervously around the cottage. Twilight shook off her suspicions. It’s probably just Fluttershy acting like Fluttershy, she thought to herself as she flashed her friend a smile.

“I brought some tea for us to try,” she said as she stepped into the cottage. “Would you mind brewing it for us? You know how to make the best tea!” she continued. Applejack nodded vigorously in agreement, a smile across her face as she could practically taste the drink already.

“S-sure… Can you… that is… would you mind starting a tea k-kettle on the fire for me?” Fluttershy asked, looking at both of her friends. Her sapphire blue eyes didn’t have their usual life to them that day. Instead, they looked rather void, as if the soul of Fluttershy had left her body, leaving nothing but an empty shell that walked and talked like her. The unicorn gave her yet another concerned look as she noticed this. A small pit began to form in Twilight’s stomach. “I have to run upstairs… that is… I have something I need to finish… Would you mind waiting for me… if that is okay?” Fluttershy asked her friends.

You’re acting crazy, Twilight. Nothing is wrong. Fluttershy is always like this, the lavender mare thought to herself. She shook the thoughts from her head. “Sure! Be quick though, we all know how quickly your kettle heats,” Twilight responded with a smile. The pegasus nodded and quickly trotted back upstairs.

“Um, Twi. Does something seem… off about Fluttershy?” Applejack asked as soon as she heard a door upstairs close. The unicorn turned to her friend, and shook her head.

“It’s just Fluttershy being herself, right?” she asked hypothetically. The orange earth pony thought for a moment.

“I s’pose you’re right,” the cowmare said. A smile came across her face. “I just can’t wait to have some of this tea!” she continued, practically licking her lips in anticipation. As if it had been waiting for the right moment, a loud thud scared the two friends into flinching away from the stairwell. Twilight stared up the stairs, the pit in her stomach growing larger with every passing moment. “What was that?!” Applejack said, exasperated.

Twilight bit her lower lip and thought for a moment. “Maybe she dropped something. I’m going to go and help her out with whatever she’s doing,” the unicorn said as she made her way upstairs. The orange cowmare, watched as the lavender pony knocked on the door and disappeared into the room. I hope everything is all right, Applejack thought to herself.

Right on cue, a loud scream pierced the air. The cowmare’s eyes went wide as she galloped up the stairs. She looked into the room, noticing Twilight backed up against a corner, her eyes wide with horror. She stepped into the room, looking side to side to investigate. The earth pony’s stomach dropped as she caught sight of what had frightened her unicorn friend. Lying on the ground near the bed was a large mass of yellow. The long, cotton candy mane fell innocently across her face.

Applejack quickly galloped up, her eyes wide with fear for her pegasus friend. Fluttershy was moaning lightly with every labored breath she took in. The cowmare noticed several bottles of animal medications strewn about the floor and across the bed sheets. The orange mare was able to quickly put the situation together in her head.

“S-she… Fluttershy… w-wake up… g-get up… what’s w-w-wrong?” Twilight babbled, shaking in fear. Tears had started to fall from her eyes as she suspected the worst. She imagined someone calling her name. “I c-can’t… I… I really c-can’t…” she said nonsensically as the voice in her head got louder. She looked over at the cowmare staring her in the face.

“Twilight Sparkle!” Applejack yelled in the lavender librarian’s face. This seemed to snap the unicorn out of whatever trance she was in. “C’mon, Twi. Use your magic, get her on my back. We gotta get her to a hospital quick!” the cowmare ordered. Twilight sat against the wall, still afraid to move, hoping the situation would go away. Applejack ran up next to Fluttershy and stared at the unicorn, getting frustrated. “Now Twi! Right now!” she yelled as loud as she could. This managed to snap the unicorn out of her trance. She quickly nodded and closed her eyes, focusing a levitating spell on her pegasus friend. A light purple aura surrounded the timid, yellow pony, slowly lifting her in the air and moving her right above the orange earth pony.

The spell broke as the pegasus lightly dropped onto the back of the cowmare. Applejack grunted as she accepted the extra weight, adjusting her balance. After a moment, she began to run at a full gallop down the stairs and out the door, running down the path towards Ponyville, hoping with every step that her friend still had a chance to be saved. Twilight Sparkle sat in silent shock for a moment, the only sound she could hear being that of the tea kettle which had begun to whistle downstairs. After a moment, the unicorn simply collapsed in the bedroom of her pegasus friend, covering her face and sobbing loudly for no pony in particular to hear.