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// Amazing Grace 
// Story: Amazing Grace 
// by nightwolf 
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Star stared at the improved headstone of her best friend Grace. After a week of pleading with her mother and with many shouted discussions, her father finally clued on to what was going on and gave Star expressive permission to do what she was arguing constantly with her mother about. Put a picture of Grace's cutie mark on the headstone. With Twilight's magic skills and Fluttershy's description, Star felt happy with the end product. Fluttershy came up behind Star.
"That's beautiful. She would have loved it" Fluttershy mused. Star looked into her eyes.
"She loves it. Not would have loved it. Loves it"
"Sorry. She loves it" Star had held tight to the notion that Grace could hear and see everything,a ghost, until she had gotten an answer that she wanted. It was a feeling deep inside her that although her friend had effectvily disappeared from the Earth, she was still there, invisible to pony eyes. Something still confused Star though. Why had her mother snapped like that? She asked Fluttershy.
"Oh...my. I think that it's because of the fact that she's quite a superstituos pony and has held tight to the belief that if a pegasus spends to much time near the ground or around pegasie that spend a lot of their time on the ground, like me, they either lose their wings of their cutie marks change. That's most likely the reason Grace had such a tight curfew as well." Star dropped her eyes to loom at a butterfly passing by her hooves. The exact one that Grace had on her flank.
"It's not fair. Why did this stuff have to happen?" Star was about to start crying, so Fluttershy started talking before she could get her first wail in.
"Well, I hold firmly to the belief that everything happenes for a reason. The storm cloud...must...must have been...angry!" Fluttershy said cheerfully. Star could only stare. She'd be doing a lot of staring at things lately. But something happened. The odd feeling like Grace was always there disappeared. Star looked around. It seems that Grace got the answer that she wanted. A stormcloud was angry? That was odd but if Grace was happy with it, so was Star.
"You gave her the answer Fluttershy!" It was Fluttershy's turn to stare. She gave Grace an answer? but she just let it go and smiled.
"Yes, I guess I did." Together, they walked to the music store, where a CD was waiting for them, two copies.
"I really can't believe that they actually did this." Star said to Fluttershy. Vinyl Scratch and Octavia had made a CD especially for Grace, at Fluttershy's request. As the pair walked back to the graveyard, they passed a few of Star's classmates, the ones that teased Grace about her being a blank flank in highschool. They silently joined the pair, feeling guilty and wanting to make amends. As this mini prossecion winded it's way through town, ponies stopped what they were doing and joined in. By the time Star and Fluttershy got to Grace's grave site, basically all of Ponyville was there with them, wanting to listen to the music. As Star put the CD in a waiting music player, she got the feeling that Grace was with all of them, including the bullies. As the the soft music played over the countryside, Everypony shed a tear. Except Star shed a tear of happiness. she looked at the cover of the CD. It had a picture of her friends cutie mark and had the title, Amazing Grace. How appropriate it sounded. Star tried the words, and found them to fit her friend exactly. So as the music came to an end, Star finally let go of all sadness, worry, anger and let it make way for happiness. As she looked into Princess Luna's rising moon, she said to herself
"Grace was an amazing friend. I am very thankful for that I knew her. I will cherish her name forever. Amazing Grace."

The End