One Last Smile

by SFC Ponycron

Chapter Two

Wordlessly, they strode respectfully through the cemetery, stopping when the coffin was lined up on the other side of the rectangular spot in front of the gravestone. As they unhitched themselves from the carriage carrying their best friend, Fluttershy looked into the six-hoof deep hole in the ground. Unable to control herself, she pressed her face against the side of Rarity’s neck and sobbed uncontrollably.

“Why, Rarity?” she cried, her voice muffled by Rarity’s snow-white coat. “Why?”

“Sometimes there is no reason, my dear Fluttershy.”

The five mares looked up to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as they were flapping their wings slowly to land.

“Princess...” Twilight called out. She lowered her head.

“‘Tis a very sad thing to see a beloved friend pass,” Luna intoned, her eyes betraying the slight detachment in her voice. “Death waits for nopony and comes as it pleases.”

“My sister speaks the truth, unfortunately,” Celestia said solemnly, turning to regard the pink coffin. “Though you have seen what an impact she left on yourselves, and on Ponyville.” She smiled sadly and looked towards the entrance to the cemetery. Twilight followed Celestia’s gaze and saw her brother and sister-in-law at the entrance, trading awkward glances and looking towards where she stood.

“I shall go to them, Twilight,” Luna said quickly, and took off into the air before the lavender unicorn could argue. The silence was heavy while Luna talked with Shining Armor and Cadance, and it was a short while before Luna returned with the royal couple close behind.

“Oh, Shining!” Twilight cried as she ran to her brother and pressed her face to his chest. He wrapped a hoof around her neck in reply and glanced at his wife, who was embracing the others individually and offering whispered condolences, tears shamelessly streaming down her cheeks.

“Is that...?”

The rhetorical question trailed away as Princess Cadance pulled herself from Rainbow Dash’s forelegs and slowly approached the pink coffin on shaky limbs. She brushed her hooftip against the edge of the brightly colored casket.

“Oh, Pinkie...” She bowed her head and sniffled. “I...I’m...” She shuddered. “Good...Goodbye, Pinkie Pie,” she managed before turning back to her husband, her sobbing and grief returning full force.

“Go on, Twi,” Shining Armor said, his voice hoarse. Twilight nodded and turned to the coffin. Immediately, it was bathed in a magenta glow as it was lifted into the air with her magic.

“If I may, Twilight?” Celestia inquired as a golden aura mingled with the magenta, each taking one equal half.

“I as well,” Luna spoke, the indigo of her magical aura joining in.

“And myself,” Rarity continued, her light blue melding in as well. Effortlessly the four magically-inclined mares reverently settled Pinkie Pie’s coffin into the earth. As their magic faded from their horns, Applejack stepped forward and pushed piles of earth over it with her forehooves, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash following suit.

Once the casket was properly covered, all eyes turned to the tombstone.

Twilight looked to the cart and, with her magic, floated a quill and a scroll of paper towards her.

“I wanted to wait until now to finish it,” she said. “Does anyone else want to add anything?”

“Can you write down ‘a great prankster’?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight frowned, but nodded. The stone began to chip away on its own beneath the last line.

“What about ‘A Friend to All’?” Applejack asked. “Aside from Gilda and that one time with Cranky, Ah don’t think Ah’ve met anypony that didn’t take a shinin’ to Pinkie.”

“...The Buffalo Incident, perhaps?”

Applejack frowned. “They liked her, they just didn’t like her choice of music, Rare.”

“That’s true,” Twilight agreed, writing it on the scroll, the line being etched on the tombstone.

“Umm...”

“What is it, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

“Can you put in ‘Ponyville’s Premier Party Pony’?” the yellow pegasus asked.

“Yeah, you better put that one in,” Rainbow Dash agreed with a laugh. “Nopony knew how to party like Pinkie did.”

The lavender unicorn smiled wanly in agreement and wrote it on her scroll. She glanced around. “Anything else?”

The Princess of the Sun stepped towards Twilight. “There is one last thing that I would like to add, Twilight.” She inclined her head towards the scroll and quill. “If I may?”

Twilight immediately magicked the scroll and quill in Celestia’s direction, and the aura of magic seamlessly changed from magenta to gold. The snow-white alicorn thought for a moment before touching the scroll with her horn and bringing the quill to paper, writing with calm determination.

Twilight glanced at the tombstone and realized that her writing had been wiped clean, the slab of rock smooth and untouched, save for Pinkie Pie’s full name. As Celestia started writing, however, Twilight read the words and smiled sadly, glancing at the Princess of the Sun and thanking her for using her eloquence as a gift.

After a few moments, Celestia finished her writing. As five pairs of eyes read the writing silently, the full force of grief for Pinkie’s five closest friends hit them like a tidal wave. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash leaned on each other, Twilight stood between Shining Armor and Cadance, and Rarity and Applejack embraced each other, sobbing loudly and uncontrollably. Luna read the text on the tombstone and turned to her sister, giving her a sad but warm smile. Celestia nodded once in thanks, a single tear falling from her eye.