//------------------------------// // The Final Party // Story: Smile! // by Pizzema Forte //------------------------------// Cheese sighed as he set a bundle of flowers before the opened casket. In a pink coffin lied a pink earth pony. Her eyes were closed and her fluffy, pink mane curled and bounced all around. Still, she was smiling. Her smile was bright and cheery like it always had been. She looked so fragile, so delicate, and so beautiful that way. The stallion returned his attention to the setup he’d made. There were several rows of chairs for the audience. He was standing on a wooden stage. There was a podium in the front for ponies to speak up if they had a few words to say about the deceased mare. He was sure quite a few ponies would. She was pretty popular around town. There were also some flowers bordering stage. He chose pink roses. They reminded him of Pinkie’s color and true beauty. Cheese looked down at the watch around his hoof. It was tightly strapped on and was his only piece of clothing aside from a black bowtie he wore around his neck. The time was half past noon. The event would start around one that afternoon. He still had time before the event. Although he still wasn’t completely sure how he’d put a smile on their faces, he knew there had to be some way. Anything was possible. With a long sigh, the stallion walked up next to the opened casket and stared at the beautiful mare. He felt his eyes wetting at the sight of Pinkie Pie. A tear managed to make its way out and roll down the stallion’s face. Planning that funeral was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He was given two days, and although he could have planned it within an hour, it still emotionally tore him to think of the little details. Overall, the event was very simple. Flower vases boarded the chairs and stage. The casket was placed on the stage and opened for all to view. The funeral was being held in a little, unoccupied park. The natural surroundings were a little more peaceful to be around and it gave the ponies more room. The stallion leaned against the table supporting the opened casket. He felt his heart breaking. “Pinkie…” he said in a whisper. “I know making ponies smile means a lot to you…and I want to respect your wished, I just… hope I don’t disappoint you. I really, really want to make you happy…” he sighed. “Please don’t be upset if I can’t make them smile… I’ll try my best… Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” The stallion smiled as he put a hoof up to his right eye. With Pinkie’s request sent in his heart, he started thinking of all the things he could possibly say to perk up the depressed ponies… By five after one that afternoon; the entire front row was filled up with ponies. All of them wore some kind of black attire. Most had thrown on nothing but a hat or tie. One little, white unicorn had a black dress on with lace and ribbon. Her mane was done up in a beautiful bun. Next to her sat an orange earth pony with nothing but a black hat over her sloppy, blonde mane. Next to that mare was one with a dulling, rainbow mane. She wore a black tie. Cheese sighed as he remembered throwing a bash for her. That was the very first day Pinkie met him… He also remembered the pegasus who sat next to Rainbow Dash. She had a beautiful, light pink mane and large, teal eyes. On the very end there was an alicorn, who hadn’t seemed to age a day since he’d first seen her. She too wore a black dress. Her mane laid flat like it always had. All of Pinkie’s dearest friends were fighting back tears as they sat there, thinking about their gone friend. In a further back row, there was one of Pinkie’s sisters, and Pound and Pumpkin Cake. Behind them was a small cluster of ponies Cheese didn’t recognize. They must have been good friends of Pinkie, though. Although the stallion was increasingly unsure of himself, he knew he had to push through it. He’d never had difficulties with stage fright. His biggest fear was not fulfilling Pinkie’s wishes. “Can you believe Pinkie Pie actually wanted Cheese Sandwich to host her funeral?” the cyan mare asked the pegasus next to her in a rather harsh tone. “I…I don’t know…” Fluttershy replied quietly. “I-it was just something she wanted…I guess...” “Yeah, but why’d choose a total goof-off for a serious event?” Rainbow was nudged by an orange mare to her left. “Will ya quite it? Pinkie Pie specifically requested Cheese for a reason! Can’t ya jus’ respect her wishes?” The pegasus folded her hooves and grumpily looked away from Applejack, “Sorry… I was just sayin’!” The trio of chatty ponies shut up as they heard a stallion at the podium clear his throat. The entire crowd gave the stallion their attention. This is it, Cheese… There’s eleven ponies here… If you can get each one to smile just once… That’d be enough for me to go home satisfied… Maybe that’d be enough for Pinkie to go home satisfied… “Hello…” the stallion started nervously. The crowd stared up at him with large eyes. Most were glistening with tears. “As you all know, we’re here to celebrate the life of a dear friend of ours; Pinkie Pie.” Cheese swallowed a large amount of saliva that gathered in his throat. “When I received a letter from Pinkie, explaining the task, I was actually very nervous for many reasons… Planning this was a depressing task, but over the past two days, I’ve realized something; why would we mourn over the death of our beloved friend…? Instead of crying over our loss, we should relish in all the moments we had with her… She was an amazing friend, and we should all be thankful for the amazing years she’s given us…” He sniffled, trying hard to hold back the tears. “Pinkie Pie was a mare of many talents, and she should be honored as such. Let’s not think about the pain we’re in now, but the joy we’ve had through all the years.” Cheese’s green eyes scanned the crowd, searching for smiles. The first smile was from Pound, who knew his goal. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Cheese Sandwich smiled back. One out of eleven… It was then a slight chuckle came from the front as Twilight remembered something rather particular about the party pony. Fluttershy smiled as her friend giggled. Three… Good… Only eight more left… For a good thirty seconds after the most recent smile, Cheese saw little to no more smiles in the small audience. In fact, a couple ponies were sobbing to themselves. The stallion felt his heart slowly breaking. He knew that wasn’t what Pinkie would want to see at her funeral. “Well… is there anypony who’d like to say a few words about Pinkie?” At first, nopony spoke up. The area was quiet and filled with an awkward silence. Soon enough, a gray hoof in the back of the crowd shot up. Her eyes were dull and her mane was flat. The stallion nodded and trotted down the stairs to give the mare as much room as she needed. Gladly, the mare made her way up the stairs and to the podium. Her voice was gentle and a bit shaky when she spoke. “Pinkie Pie…was my sister. She and I did a lot of stuff together as foals…” A smile appeared on her face. Cheese smiled as she continued. “We would mostly just work the rock farm, but sometimes she’d come up with these crazy ideas that would always end in trouble…” The mare sighed. “She really was something… She was a great sister and an amazing friend to me. Honestly, she made me smile more than any other pony who ever lived… She will always be remembered by me, and chances are anypony else who’s met her…” Not knowing what else to say, the mare made her way down the stairs and took a seat back where she originally was. A cyan mare in the front row didn’t hesitate to immediately rise from her seat and make her way up to the podium. Her pink eyes were glistening with tears. Her ears fell flat against her head and her heart thumped in agony. She looked at the ground as she spoke. Her voice was quivering. “To be honest… I always thought I’d be the first to go with all the stupid stunts I’ve tried. I never thought it’d be her…” Tears began to overflow in the pegasus’ eyes. She raised a hoof and wiped away the droplets. “I used to not appreciate her enough… I-I sometimes thought she was annoying…a-and I wish I had the chance to g-go back and fix everything…t-tell her how much she meant to me…I remembered how she used t-to m-m-make me f-feel better even when I didn’t want her to…” Rainbow took in a large breath and panted out her words. “I just. Never. Imagined. This would. Happen. So soon!” With that, the heartbroken mare ran off the stage with tears spilling out of her eyes. Well… No smile there… Cheese frowned and observed the crowd from where he stood. It was then another mare from the front row stood to her hooves. She trotted around and to the side of the wooden stage. She stepped up the stairs and slowly made her way to the podium. When she reached her destination, she faced the crowd with a frown on her face. She respectfully removed her black hat from her head. Her voice seemed to be stronger than the previous ponies’. She still, however, was holding back tears. “Ah… Ah was real close ta Pinkie Pie… The first day I met her… She’d come from Sugar Cube Corner to gather some apples…” The mare chuckled and grew sadder as she remembered that day. “Since then, we’ve been very close to each other. We used ta share recipes ‘n’ such. Ah..can’t really remember too much from back then, but Ah’m sure we had a lot a’ great times together… Honestly, Ah wish she would have lasted longer…. Granny Smith always told me that death isn’t the end to yer life, it’s a start to a new one… Ah don’t know what it’s like when ya die, but Ah’m hopin’ Pinkie’s ‘appy….” The mare’s little speech earned not only earned a smile from herself, but from the alicorn in the front row, as well as the designer and a pony all the way in the back. If Twilight hadn’t already smiled, he could have counted five more smiles off. Alright...four more to go… Just make sure they smile and that’ll be it… Humbly, the mare placed the black hat back on her head. She walked away from the podium and made her way back to her seat. Cheese kept his eyes locked on the audience. Nopony else was budging an inch. He waited nearly twenty seconds before making his way back onto the large, wooden stage. He went over to the podium. “Is there anypony else who’d like to say a few words about our friend?” Awkwardly, the crowd looked around. A few ponies looked rather tempted, one being Pumpkin Cake. She twiddled through her orange mane awkwardly and kept making unsure glances at Cheese Sandwich, who allowed her a moment to think. At long last, she slowly got up from her seat. The stallion smiled and removed himself from the stage. Slowly, the unicorn made her way up the stairs with twisting and turning insides. Her emotions were a storm of confusion and depression. She made her way to the podium and looked at the audience. “Pinkie…Pinkie’s always been there for me…” she started in a crackling voice. “She was there for me when my mom died…” Tears started flowing from her eyes. “She was there for me when my daddy died… She comforted me the whole first week both times…. She gave me the best advice…” She sniffled. “She…She was my second mommy… I couldn’t handle it when my first mommy died…” The mare head tears running down her face. “Now… it’s like my second one is gone… I… don’t even know what to do now…” Quickly, the mare ran off the stage with tears rolling down her cheeks. Okay…Maybe you should have just gone on… As the mare left the stage, Cheese Sandwich climbed back up it. He went up to the podium and stared at the audience. “Is there…anypony else that would like to say a few words?” This time, there were no unsure glances or anything. After a few moments of no more volunteers, Cheese took the situation into his own hooves. “Well… I know it’s been a very saddening two days, but just remember one thing; Pinkie Pie would never want to see you sad like this. She would want to see you smiling with joy and beaming with love. That’s what she lived for. She didn’t die for the opposite to happen. Pinkie always told me to smile every day, and that a simple grin would get anypony through a tough time.” The stallion felt tears swelling up in his eyes as he began to have trouble practicing what he preached. “When you smile…you bring Pinkie back to life for one measly second… Now… If you’d like to say something directly to our beloved deceased, please come have a moment with her…” Slowly, the large crowd of ponies migrated to the opened casket. The line was orderly, and each pony whispered sweet messages to their dead friend. Cheese watched as the purple mare set a bouquet of pink pansies at the pony’s casket. A salty tear rolled down her cheek as she muttered a few words to the pony. Her ears flattened as she made her way down the opposite side of the stage. Her heart was broken in two as she approached the orange stallion, who stopped her in her tracks. “Twilight…” he started unsurely. “I’m so, so sorry for your loss… If you need anything over the next few days… don’t hesitate to ask… I think I need to rest here in town a while, anyway.” The princess simply smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind… thanks for doing this… I’m sure if Pinkie were still around, she’d love to see how much effort you put into this.” The stallion nodded her off and the pony went about her busyness. He watched as another mare came down from the stage. She wasn’t anypony he’d recognized, but she was still rather pretty. She had beautiful locks of a red mane and a white body. She had nothing but sadness in her eyes. Cheese Sandwich cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for your loss…” “It’s fine… Pinkie and I were really only business partners. She was still great to be around and fun to hang out with, though…” She sighed. “I hope she’s happy where she is… I mean, I know she is…” the mare then smiled. “Thanks for all this…” Three more to go… The stallion waited for the next pony. This one was taking a rather long time. Looking back, he saw none other than Rainbow Dash at the casket, sobbing sweet words into her beloved friend. Slowly, she placed some flowers on the casket and trotted offstage with tears swelling in her eyes. Slowly, the mare made her way down the stairs and to her seat. Just like the other two ponies, she was stopped by the funeral host. “Rainbow Dash…” The mare gave the stallion her attention. “Listen…I know you’re feeling bad about certain things, but I’m sure Pinkie forgives you… She’s not the kind of pony to hold a grudge.” The breaking mare wiped a tear. “I-I know… b-but she just… n-never got to apologize for the way I acted sometimes…” “Maybe, but I doubt Pinkie even noticed…” “How would you know?” she snapped in an almost angry tone. “You were barely even around her!” “Maybe so…” the stallion made an attempt to be stoic. “But… I remember how Pinkie always used to brag about you being a Wonderbolt at a picnic we had together once. She talked about how you were one of the most awesome and amazing ponies she knew…” The weakening mare smiled slightly. “R-really…?” “Swear it. She always boasted about you… I honestly don’t think she’s too upset with you…” Rainbow smiled and nodded to the stallion. “Thanks…” Alright…Two more to go… At that moment, Cheese was approached by Fluttershy. “I’m sorry for your loss…” She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Before he could say a word to her, however, she trotted off. An urge within him wanted to stop her, but he knew that if she really needed something, she would have given him a moment longer. After a minute more of waiting, another pony came down. This time, it was a unicorn in a beautiful, black dress. “I’m sorry for your loss…” Rarity turned her head. Her mascara was running from tears. “Oh… it’s not your fault. I’m just happy to see she’s moved on to that big party in the sky.” “Pinkie would have loved to know you’re happy…” Rarity nodded before trotting away. After waiting a long minute, two ponies came down from the stairs. Friends stick together, he supposed. “I’m sorry for your loss…” he said to the duo. Both ponies tossed him a smile before trotting away. Hmm… Guess they didn’t really want to talk… At least I only have to make one more pony smile… I hope that satisfies Pinkie… The stallion looked up to see only three more ponies at the casket. One was Pinkie’s very own sister, who was wiping away a tear as she set a bouquet of flowers at her sister’s casket. She trotted down the stairs with a heavy, shattering heart. “I’m so sorry for your loss…” Cheese Sandwich stated as the mare walked passed him. She turned her head to him and forced a smile. “Thanks… Pinkie was my favorite sister… I hope she’ll look after me until I can join her one day…” “Trust me…she will.” "Thanks..." The two nodded at each other before the gray-coated pony trotted away. As the dear sister of Pinkie trot off, Cheese turned his head. There were Pound and Pumpkin, mourning before the pretty, pink casket. They were both crying heavily as they stared at the pink pony. There she was, dead. Her body was but an empty shell that possessed no soul like it used to. “Hey, you two…” Pumpkin and Pound turned as they heard a quiet, sweet stallion voice from behind them. There, was Cheese Sandwich. “Do you need something?” “We need Pinkie back…” Pumpkin stated as if she were a little filly once more. Cheese didn’t know how to respond… The only thing they asked for was one of the few things he couldn’t provide. “Look… I’m sorry about Pinkie… I just know that being unhappy won’t get you anywhere…. If Pinkie were still here, she’d want to see you smiling…” “I know, but… I can’t help it…” Slowly, the stallion wrapped his hoof around the sweet, unhappy mare. Her heart pounded against her chest and she returned the generous hug. Her hooves wrapped around the stallion’s torso. She let her hot, wet tears fall onto the stallion’s soft fur. Her ever breaking heart was drowning in anguish as she let out her emotions more freely. Cheese Sandwich rubbed the mare’s mane and back, patting her shoulder softly. “There, there…” he repeated as her aching hearted grew tired. The little pony sniffled as she rested her chin on the stallion’s chest. Tears continued to gush out of her eyes. It was at that moment he knew one thing. On that very day, there was no possible way to get a genuine smile from the heartbroken mare.