Chapter 3
She didn't see the point in going to bed. It wasn't as if she was going to get much sleep, anyway. Even if she did, her dreams would only distract her.. That's all they were, really. They were nothing more than an illusion, a fantasy brought on by her imagination, of what she wanted to be real. She knew that her dreams only showed her what she wanted to be real, something she could never have. She sighed dejectedly to herself as she slipped into bed, her bedsheets and comforter providing her with warmth. The room was somewhat chilly. Oddly enough, her bed provided her with some comfort, but it wasn't enough to relieve her of the guilt and hurt that consumed her day and night.
She sighed, slipping a hoof underneath her pillow. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She had no idea how she was going to fix the damage that she'd done. As far as she knew, none of her friends knew that she'd had a hoof in Spike's demise. While it would have been better to keep things that way, if only to save face, she knew that the truth had to come out eventually. She couldn't just let them wallow in their ignorance regarding Spike's death. She was sure that Twilight, being the crafty unicorn she was, was already starting to piece together the puzzle. After all, Rarity had been the last one to see Spike alive, and she was sure that Twilight had noticed that Spike's demeanor had changed soon after her rejection of him. He had become sluggish, more socially withdrawn, and had begun sleeping longer hours, and been in a more depressed state of mind. Surely Twilight had noticed that something was wrong and she had more than likely asked him to explain himself why he isolated himself from the group. Given his depression, Rarity doubted that he had given Twilight anything resembling a response.
It took a little over seven minutes, but she finally managed to get to sleep. She just hoped that her dreams tonight would be just as pleasant as they had been in the past.
***
Rarity found herself being pulled. It wasn't forceful; it was more like gliding. Looking around, she found that she was being pulled by way of a couple of stallions while snow fell from all directions. She was seated, quite comfortably, mind you, in a chariot. Looking over the side of the chariot, she noticed that she was a long way off the ground. Turning back around, she jumped upon spotting Spike sitting beside her.
He smiled brightly at her. “Having a good time?”
“Oh, um . . .” She took another moment to look around, then smiled back at him. “Why, yes.”
His smile, if possible, brightened. “It's kind of cold out tonight. You want some hot chocolate?”
She watched him bend over and pull out a tray that held a tea kettle and two teacups, seemingly from nowhere. He poured a cup for her first, then for himself, and gave it to her. She took it in her hooves. Steam mixed with the sight of her breath when she exhaled. She looked over at him to see that he had already downed his entire cup and was pouring himself another. She finally took a sip of the hot chocolate herself and a satisfying sigh escaped her mouth. Of course, the hot chocolate was in complete contrast to the chilly weather surrounding them. The warmth of the beverage spread from her mouth down to her hooves.
The next thing that Spike pulled out was a little more believable, seeing as how it was entirely plausible. He lifted a leg and tugged a thick wool blanket from underneath his seat and gingerly wrapped it around her, pulling her close so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. “I hope you're having a good time.”
She smiled up at him. “Oh, I am, darling. I am.” She sighed contently and snuggled up closer to him. She lifted her cup to her mouth to take another sip of hot chocolate. “This hot chocolate is simply splendid! Where did you get it?”
“Applejack. It's an old family recipe.”
“Hmm. I'll have to ask her to share the recipe with me sometime.” She felt him put his arm around her, tightly pinning the blanket to her body. Everything was so blissful that she could have easily fallen asleep if she wanted to. But wait. She was already asleep, wasn't she? Was any of this real? Or was it all in her head, like her previous imaginings had been? Perhaps. At the moment, she didn't care. She was too busy enjoying herself to think about it. Even if it was just her imagination, she was so at peace here that she didn't want to leave. Had she had her way, she wouldn't have. Even though it was just her and Spike, she was content.
***
“Rarity . . .” Sweete Belle shook her older sister once again in an effort to get her up. “Rarity, get up already! I'm hungry.” At least this time she got a response, but it wasn't the response she was hoping for. The most she got was a mutter and a waving hoof, Rarity's way of saying, “Just five more minutes. Leave me alone.” Well, Sweete wasn't going to have any of that. She might not have been very skilled at magic, but that didn't mean she wasn't a novice when it came to it. Her horn glowed.
Rarity cried out in a panic and made a desperate attempt to grab onto her pillow or anything that would keep her from floating off the bed. It was futile, however, as she was suddenly plummeted onto her bed, only to be levitated up towards the ceiling again. Repeatedly, she was bounced up and down upon her bed. There was only one way out of this. “Okay, okay, I'm up! I'm up!”
Sweete Belle smiled and she slowly lowered her sister back onto the bed.
Rarity groaned. “Quite a demanding little pest, aren't you?” She mockingly glared at her little sister, a smile letting Sweete know that she was only playing.
Sweete smiled back. “That's what sisters are for.”
Rarity got out of bed and began making it. “I suppose so. You could always think of a way to wake me up more peacefully, you know.”
Sweete pouted. “But that wouldn't be as much fun.”
“For you, maybe.”
Sweete giggled.
Rarity sighed. “I really wish you hadn't woken me. I was having the loveliest dream.” Her stomach growled. “On the other hoof, I am somewhat glad you woke me up as early as you did.” She looked over at the clock on her bedside table. It was only seven in the morning and she let out an annoyed groan. “Then again, maybe not. Anyway, I'm hungry. What say you and me go down to the kitchen and fix something. What sounds good?”
“Pancakes.” The littlest unicorn jumped up and down happily. The sight reminded Rarity of Pinkie Pie.
“Very well, then. Pancakes it is.”
Honestly, Rarity was in no mood for cooking, or eating for that matter. If it would make Sweete happy, however, she was more than willing to look past her own needs to make her little sister happy. So, the two of them worked together to make pancakes. Rarity made the batter and Sweete poured the batter onto the pan. At one point, Sweete had attempted a flip, which hadn't ended up being successful. She had manged to do the flipping part, but the pancake itself had ended up on top of Rarity's head, part of it being pierced by her horn. The sight had made Sweete giggle and, despite her mood, had made Rarity chuckle to herself as well.
After a warm breakfast, Sweete was off with Applebloom and Scootaloo to play in the park, leaving Rarity to her own devices. She promised Rarity that she would be safe, then dashed out the door.
It was an odd thing for Rarity to go through. For the first time in her fife, she didn't feel like sewing or making dresses. She blamed her depression due to Spike's passing being the cause of this. She didn't want to do anything but lie in bed and attempt to return to her dream. What was it about again? Oh, blast it all! She'd gotten so distracted by making pancakes and her odd sullen mood that she couldn't even remember what her own dream had been about! And it had been such a wonderful dream, too. Or had it? She couldn't recollect. She couldn't help but wonder how the others were doing without Spike around. She was sure that they were all just as miserable as she was. They had to be. It wasn't possible for them to be moving on with their lives after the tragedy that had struck their family. Even if they had managed to move on with their lives, there was no guarantee that they didn't stop to reflect on Spike's passing and their feelings regarding it.
Twilight was certainly going through hell trying to get over her number one assistant's passing. She had told Twilight herself that Twilight needed to give herself time to grief. She hoped that Twilight was taking her words to heart and taking at least a little time out of her day to grieve.
***
Applejack had been worried about Rainbow Dash since the day of Spike's funeral. It seemed that the rainbow-maned pony had been one of the most displeased regarding Spike's passing. Aside from Applejack, she had been the only one outright glaring at the tombstone as the coffin was being lowered into the ground. The two of them hadn't spoken much since then. Come to think of it, the Mane Six hadn't interacted much at all since that day, and Applejack couldn't help but be curious as to how Rainbow Dash was holding up regarding the recent events.
After a quick visit to Twilight's to have the cloud walking spell performed on her, it was off to Rainbow Dash's. She had to stop and stare at Rainbow Dash's home. This was really the first time that she'd gotten the chance to actually see her friend's home.
It was quite beautiful, really. The cloud served as the foundation for the home. A few feet away from the home itself was a fountain that shot up rainbow-colored water. At various points along the home were waterfalls of rainbow-colored water. The home itself was the same color as Rainbow Dash's coat: cyan blue. The home was about two stories and a little bigger than Applejack had expected.
The only issue that Applejack saw was actually getting up to the home. She supposed that the best option would just be to call for Rainbow Dash and hopefully, the cyan pegasus would pick her up and carry her up to her home. Taking a deep breath, she shouted Rainbow Dash's name. She expected that she'd yelled loud enough for half of Ponyville to hear her. She waited patiently and when there was no response after two minutes, she tried yet again. She cursed under her breath when she received no response. Rainbow Dash was either ignoring her or was too depressed to come to the door. The only other way to get up to the porch would be to have somepony throw her up high enough for her to reach it. This plan would have worked had there been anypony around to actually do the task.
She looked up when she heard a creak. Rainbow Dash slowly drifted down to her level. “Hey, Rainbow. How are you doing?”
Rainbow Dash yawned and lifted a hoof to rub at one of her eyes. “Hi, Applejack.” She bent down to stretch. “I've been doing okay, I guess.”
“Would it be all right if I come inside?” She looked up at Rainbow Dash's wonderful home yet again.
“I suppose so.” She picked up Applejack and soared up to her home, landing on the porch. She gently pushed the door open and invited Applejack to go in first. The farm pony smiled warmly at her and walked in.
Rainbow Dash's home wasn't as tidy as Applejack had expected. There was overturned furniture, broken pictures, feathers and cotton all over the floor. Some pictures weren't even broken, just sitting askew on the walls. There were several bottles of cider lying along the floor, as well as many empty packages of food. Applejack gawked at the mess.
Rainbow Dash gave a nervous chuckle. “Heh. Sorry about the mess. I guess I haven't been feeling so well after all.” She started towards the kitchen. “Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to eat?”
Applejack came out of her trance and shook her head. “Thank you kindly, but no thank you. I'd like to talk to you.”
“In that case, I'll fix us some cider.” She walked over to a machine that was in the kitchen. She retrieved two mugs from the cabinet above the stove and pressed down on one of the levers of the machine, filling the first mug up with cider. It had been a machine that the Apple family had worked on together and had given to Rainbow Dash as a birthday present so that she didn't have to wait in line during cider season and could have cider whenever she wanted. It seemed as if Rainbow Dash had been abusing that kind of power as of late. Applejack was actually kind of surprised that Rainbow Dash wasn't drunk off her hindquarters.
The two of them sat down on the living room couch, their mugs of cider placed on the coffee table.
“So, RD, how have you been holding up?” Applejack took a moment to look around the room. “Not very well, I reckon.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No, not very well. I can't sleep. Oddly enough, I've had a spike in my appetite lately, whatever that means.”
Applejack chuckled. “I think it means you've been doing a little bit o' binging for the past few days.” She playfully poked Rainbow Dash's slightly distended stomach.
“Yeah, okay, so I've put on a couple of pounds. So what?” She glared and snorted, blowing Applejack's mane to the side.
Applejack gave her a concerned look. “Sugarcube, are you sure you're okay? I don't feel right about leaving you here by your lonesome. I don't want you doing something you'll regret.”
Rainbow Dash tapped a hoof against her chin in thought. “I have been feeling kind of lonely lately. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get out of the house for a while, get some fresh air.”
Applejack hugged her. “Wonderful! While you're out, we can check up on Rarity and the others, see how they're doing.” She took a swig of her cider.
“Sure thing.”
“If you want, I'd be more than happy to help you clean up this mess.”
“We can do that later. Right now I feel like stretching my legs.” She hunched over and allowed her wings to come to life. “What do you say to a little race, for old times' sake.”
Applejack smiled and tipped her hat. “Sounds like fun.”
“On your mark, get set, go!” Rainbow Dash said this so fast that Applejack barely had time to understand what she'd said before she was flying out the door.
“Hey! Get back here! You cheated!” Applejack took off after her.
Rainbow Dash laughed happily as she sprinted down the dirt road. Even though Applejack was still miffed about her cheating, she couldn't hide the smile on her face upon hearing Rainbow Dash laugh so gayly.
***
“Thank you, come again,” Pinkie Pie said happily to the customer. She handed him his box of goodies and watched him walk off. She smiled brightly when she saw Fluttershy come up to the counter. “Hey, Fluttershy! What can I get for you?” She wiped off the counter with a cloth.
“Oh, um . . .” Fluttershy bent down to look at the various sweets that lined the shelves. “Oh, my, they all look good!” She stomped her hoof in frustration. “Oh! I can't choose. What would you recommend, Pinkie Pie?”
“Ooh, that's a toughie. Hmm. Well, we have strudel, turnovers, eclairs, sweet rolls–”
“Whichever you think is the best is fine.”
Pinkie Pie chuckled. “In that case, I'll give you one of everything.”
“Oh, uh, okay. H-How much will that be?”
“It's on the house. You really look like you could use some sweets in your belly.” She filled a bag with one of everything from the shelves and pushed the bag towards the cream-colored pegasus. “Enjoy!”
Fluttershy smiled gratefully and took the bag in her mouth. “Thanks. I'm sure I will.” She set the bag on the floor and gave her friend a serious look. “You seem pretty upbeat considering everything that's happened recently.”
Pinkie Pie shook her head. “It's true. There are some days that are dark and lonely, and sometimes I do feel sad. But then I remember that my friends are there to show that it's really not so bad.” She grinned. Her smile seemed to be too big for her face.
Fluttershy frowned. “Pinkie Pie, we had a very close friend just die. Doesn't that make you feel the least bit–”
“Excuse me!”
Both mares looked to see a stallion glaring at the two of them.
“Could you two please continue this conversation some other time! I would like to get my order before sundown!”
“Here you are, sir,” Pinkie Pie replied, stretching out a bag for him.
The stallion grabbed his bag and snorted in Pinkie's face before turning and storming out of the store.
Fluttershy nodded her head, agreeing with the enraged stallion's statement. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation some other time, Pinkie, when you're not working, that is.”
“Of course, Fluttershy! If it's convenient for you, I'll be at your place this afternoon.”
“I'm supposed to have Rarity over for tea this afternoon. Perhaps maybe at a later time, if that's okay with you. I mean, if that's not a problem, that is.”
“Can do!”
“Okay. So, I'll see you around seven.”
“Sounds good to me. I'll bring dinner. We'll make a date out of it.”
Fluttershy swallowed. “A date?”
***
Rarity let out a sigh of relief upon spotting Fluttershy coming out of Sugarcube Corner with a bag of sweets in her mouth. “Fluttershy, darling, there you are!” She trotted over to the yellow pegauss and began walking alongside her. “Are you all right, dear? We haven't talked in so long. We really should go to the spa again sometime. It's so rejuvenating! It really feels like all of your problems are just melting away.”
Fluttershy smiled at the idea. “That sounds wonderful. Do you still want to have tea with me?”
“Why, of course, dear. Lead the way.” After a short silence, she asked, “So, have you spoken to any of the others since the . . . uh, 'incident.'”
“Yes, I just got done talking with Pinkie Pie. She seems very happy considering the circumstances. But, she's the only one I've been able to talk to. I haven't been out of my cottage in such a long time. I just came into town today to get some food. I've been so depressed lately that I can't seem to find the energy to do anything besides feed myself and my animal friends.”
Rarity gave her friend an encouraging smile. “Believe me, Fluttershy, we all know how you feel. Don't worry, though. I'm sure things will turn around . . . in a year or so.”
“Oh, goodness. I don't think I can wait that long to feel happy again.”
“Don't fret.” She nuzzled Fluttershy. “If we can survive being brainwashed and turned against each other, petty arguments, and instances of selfishness and neglect, we can certainly get through this.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Wonderful! What have you got there?” She pointed to the bag in Fluttershy's mouth.
“Oh, just some sweets I picked up from Sugarcube Corner. I'd be more than happy to share with you.”
“I don't normally partake in sweets, but since it's lunchtime and I haven't eaten anything yet, what's the harm? Like a couple of sweets are going to hurt.”
***
“You know, in hindsight, I should have stopped after that eclair,” Rarity groaned.
Fluttershy chuckled. “Don't worry about it, Rarity.” Using her head, she helped Rarity sit up. “It just means you have good taste in food.”
“I suppose you're right. A nap should do the trick in quelling my upset stomach.” She took a sip of her sweet tea. “So, you say that you haven't been out of your cottage in quite a while?”
Fluttershy sat down in front of her friend. “That's right. Why do you ask?”
“I've been thinking about Twilight lately. Do you think she's having just as hard a time as us, even more?”
“It's possible. The two of them were very close, like brother and sister even. Of course Twilight would be devastated about his passing.” She shook her head slightly, her pink mane swaying to and fro. “I've been trying to figure out what could have caused him to want to end his life so abruptly. I'm sure the others have been trying to figure it out too, Twilight doubly so.”
Rarity nodded in agreement. “Quite right. It makes absolute sense that she would want to find out why her closest friend since fillyhood would want to off himself.”
“Do you think she's figured it out yet?”
“I don't know.” At least I hope not, she thought.
“We should go visit her sometime, make sure she's okay.”
“Excellent idea, Fluttershy. But,” she cringed as another shoot of pain ran through her stomach, “it'll have to wait. You wouldn't mind me taking a nap here, would you?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “Of course not. You can sleep in my bed. It's time for me to feed my animal friends anyway, and then I'll find something quiet to do so you can rest.”
“Thank you ever so much, dearie. Wake me up in an hour or so, would you?”
“Okay.”
***
Twilight let out a frustrated growl and tossed the book across the room. It was no use. She couldn't concentrate. She glared daggers at the book until her eyes fell on Spike's basket. Aside from tidying it up, she hadn't touched his basket since his passing. The blanket was neatly laid out and the pillow fluffed. She inhaled shakily and continued to stare at the basket. Why hadn't she gotten rid of it by now? Why wasn't she moving on with her life and furthering her studies? It was simple: she couldn't. Since she had hatched him, she had practically been like a mother to him, helping Celestia and her parents take care of him.
When he'd been old enough, he'd been permitted to go live with Twilight and her family. The group had treated him as one of the family. He would sit next to Twilight at mealtime and the two of them would talk and play when Twilight wasn't busy studying magic. It had been such a wonderful time, but also a sad one. Because she was so enthusiastic about her studies, she hadn't exactly bothered going out and making friends. Aside from Shining Armor, Cadence, Celestia and her parents, Spike was the only friend she had. Since they were older and had responsibilities, her family and teacher couldn't be bothered to spend as much time with her as they would have liked. It had been a very lonely and sometimes depressing childhood. She had luckily had Spike around to spend time with.
Now that he was gone, she felt as if a part of herself had been taken. Her spirit had been destroyed, her heart broken in two, her enthusiasm for anything crushed. How was she supposed to concentrate on her reading when all she could think about was her little baby dragon?
“Twilight . . .”
Her ear flickered. She turned her head, looking around. She'd thought that maybe she'd heard Spike's voice. Maybe she was just delirious from grief. Her mind was more than likely playing tricks on her. After all, she had literally lost track of time. She didn't know what month it was, much less the day. It could have been Tuesday, for all she knew. She hadn't been getting much sleep. Anytime she closed her eyes, all she could see was Spike's lifeless body lying in his basket, and her efforts to revive him had been futile, no matter how hard she'd tried.
Oh, Celestia, she missed him so much! Out of all her friends, Spike had been the most loyal, the most kind. Yes, in her circle of friends, Spike had both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy bested in terms of loyalty and kindness. He had never left her side, never failed to obey whatever she needed him to do. He was always eager to help, whatever she needed. Even when she'd strictly told him to stay at the top of the stairs when they'd been looking for the Crystal Heart, he had deliberately disobeyed her out of pure worry for her when she hadn't been responding to his calls. He had selflessly given up his precious gem to Rarity, even though he'd been saving it for his birthday. Though a mistake, he had selflessly devoted himself to Applejack after she'd saved his life, and he had selflessly offered to watch after their pets when they'd gone to the Crystal Empire to oversee the preparations for the Equestrian Games. She couldn't have asked for a better assistant. Scratch that. A better friend. He was more than just her assistant, and he'd proven that a number of times.
The library was a mess from where he hadn't been around to clean it. She supposed that she could always clean it herself, but she never had the energy to do so. She mostly spent her time, enjoying the warmth of her bedsheets, hoping that maybe what had occurred had just been some horrid nightmare, that any moment now she would smell the sweet scents of Spike cooking breakfast downstairs for them. But, no. The scents didn't come. Her hope was tarnished. She was alone. Sad and alone. She just had to accept the fact that, no matter which way she looked at it, Spike was gone and wasn't coming back.
Oh, sweet Celestia! If this was what it was like to lose a friend, then she surely didn't want to go through this again! She was going to have to go through the pain and suffering of having to see all of her closest friends pass onto the other side, whether she wanted to or not. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, all of them would eventually pass on, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it. Oh, how awful! She didn't think she could go through it another time, much less five! And her family would eventually pass on too, so there was even more hurt and pain to look forward to. Oh, goodie!
She sighed and collapsed on her bed, burying her face in her pillow. She slowly turned her head, hoping to see Spike snoozing there, his snoring echoing around the room. She saw nothing but an empty basket. She glared and angrily slammed her head against the pillow, breathing heavily as her emotions began to get the best of her. She finally stopped and simply buried her head in her pillow as she sobbed quietly to herself, her body shaking with each shaky sob. When would it end? It seemed that she couldn't go a day without thinking about him, how much she'd meant to him. If only she'd known how easily life could be taken away, she would have taken more time to tell him that she loved him. She hardly recalled ever saying as much to him. She was sure that he'd known how much she loved him, but he still deserved to be reassured now and again.
“Twilight . . .”
There was that voice again. Or was it simply her imagination? She didn't know, and at this point she was too caught up in her emotions to care. Why?! Why had he done it?! Was he unhappy being with her? Was he depressed? Was somepony bullying him? There were so many possibilities of why he'd want to commit suicide. She'd read up on the symptoms of depression. She should have known that he was depressed based on his sluggish performance and the fact that he was crankier than usual because he hadn't been getting enough sleep. Why hadn't she confronted him, talked to him about why he was so sad? She'd done it with her other friends, so why hadn't she done it with him? It was unacceptable that she'd ruled him out. She should have been more careful, should have studied his behavior more closely to truly come to the conclusion that he was depressed. She hadn't done any of that. Why hadn't she?! If she had, she could have stopped this terrible thing from happening. One of the reasons why she couldn't rest was probably because that question was still lingering in her head constantly: what would cause him to want to kill himself? She didn't understand it. She'd always thought that he'd been happy living with her. Perhaps she was wrong.
“Twilight!”
Her ear flickered yet again and she sat up in bed, listening carefully. If her ears weren't deceiving her, she could have sworn that she could hear somepony knocking at the door. A visitor? Maybe this was a good thing. She could use some fresh air. She'd been cooped up in the library for far too long.
She was taken aback to find Fluttershy and Rarity standing at her doorstep. She hadn't been expecting them.
“Hello, Twilight,” Rarity greeted her warmly. “Doing any better today?”
Twilight gave her a puzzled look. “What day is today?”
“I'll take that as a no,” Rarity replied. “We just came by to check up on you and make sure that you were doing well.”
“I'm doing okay, I suppose.”
“You suppose?” Fluttershy asked.
“Judging by your appearance, dear, I'd say you're not doing okay.” Rarity pointed to Twilight's mane and tail. “You're an absolute mess. You know what? A bath would fix you right up.”
Twilight blushed. 'It has been a while since I've bathed. I suppose a hot bath does sound nice.”
“Wonderful!”
***
Admittedly, Twilight hadn't been so sure at first, but the hot bath was quite relaxing. She let out a sigh of content and leaned back against the tub.
“Arms up,” Pinkie instructed.
No sooner had Twilight done this was it that Pinkie began scrubbing underneath her forelegs, making the unicorn cackle in laughter. She had insisted that her friends help her bathe in order to get the spots that she couldn't reach, such as her back, rear, hind legs, and her tail, among others. They had started on her mane at first and had worked their way down.
“You know,” Twilight said, “I've been thinking. Maybe we should all get together sometime and talk about our feelings regarding Spike's passing. It may help us all cope better. If anything, it'll help us get some things off our chests.”
“I'm not sure I'd be comfortable talking about my feelings,” Fluttershy replied.
“Nopony's going to judge you, Fluttershy,” Twilight reassured her.
“That's right,” Rarity agreed with a nod. “I think it's a wonderful idea, Twilight! It would give some of us a chance to blow off some steam. From what I've heard from Applejack, Rainbow Dash is pretty miffed about the whole situation.”
“Believe me, so am I,” Twilight remarked, “but staying quiet about it isn't going to help anypony. We can only start to heal when we start talking about it and attempting to move on. We're not doing that by avoiding each other.”
“Mm-hmm,” Pinkie added.
“So, it's agreed,” Twilight went on. “We'll meet at some point to do a little bit of talking. When is a good time that's convenient for everypony?”
“I haven't been getting too much into my work lately,” Rarity told her. “How about this upcoming weekend, if everypony else is free, that is.”
“I'm free,” Fluttershy stated.
“Me too,” Pinkie Pie added.
“Okay, that just leaves Applejack and Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “Rarity, I need you to go ask Applejack if she can make it. Fluttershy, you do the same with Rainbow Dash.”
“I'll try,” Fluttershy said.
“Don't worry about a thing, Twilight,” Rarity assured. “Even if I have to hold her down, tie her up, and drag her to the library, I'll make sure that Applejack is at that meeting.”
“Do you think it's such a good idea to have it at the library?” Twilight questioned. “Having it at the place where he died could be a little too much.”
“Why don't we throw a party?” Pinkie Pie suggested. “It'll liven things up and get everypony more comfortable!”
Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “Hmm, that's not a bad idea.” She nodded. “Why not? With how depressed everpony's been lately, a party would be just the thing to liven up our spirits.”
“Whoo-hoo!” Pinkie did a back flip. “I'll get everything ready!” She trotted off.
“Hey, wait a minute,” Twilight called. “You still have to–”
“Don't worry, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, scrubbing at her friend's back. “Rarity and I can finish up here before going to tell the others.”
Twilight smiled gratefully and nuzzled Fluttershy. “Thanks.”