Dispiritment
The two lovers sat against a tree silently on a grassy hill and watched as the sunset painted the sky crimson, their eyes still puffy from recent tears. Applejack and Rarity held each other like two mares clinging to life itself. In a sense, they were.
“Applejack, darling,” Rarity whispered just loud enough to be heard.
“Hmm?” Applejack responded with less than little enthusiasm.
“It’s getting a bit chilly out, don’t you think? Perhaps you would be more comfortable if we headed indoors.”
“Ya mean you’d be more comfortable.”
“In not so many words, yes, I would.”
In spite of the day’s occurrences, Applejack managed a chuckle. Not bitter or full of irony or hurt or spite, but an honest to goodness chuckle. “Always the drama queen.”
“But of course, dearest. And besides,” Rarity stood up and gazed lovingly at her wife,
“Old mares like us are always cold.”
These last words made Applejack stare at Rarity. Really stare at her. She was right about that much: they were old. Rarity’s once unbelievably vibrant, decidedly violet mane was now dull and plagued with grey streaks. The once taut flesh of her coat now sagged with age. Though Rarity had made her weekly visit to the spa just two days ago, her hooves seemed to lack polish altogether; proof that her aging body lacked even the capacity for luster. Still, as Applejack stared into her dazzling sapphire blue eyes, she knew she was staring into the soul of the same fussy, maddeningly particular, generous, beautiful mare she had always loved.
“Well Ah ain’t,” Applejack said while rising to stand beside her mate, “but Ah reckon if ya wanna head home, Ah could stand ta do it.” With those words, the two began the walk back to the family barn.
“The service was beautiful, was it not? I thought that Scootaloo’s piece was particularly touching.”
“Yeah, sure was.”
“Do you think that her little friend will be quite alright?”
“Ah don’t see why he wouldn’t be. Fluttershy said he’d probly outlive the lot of us, ‘cept maybe Twilight.”
“Darling,” Rarity began slowing and came to a complete stop, which made Applejack instinctively turn around and face her; a habit formed from so many years of dealing Rarity’s fastidious nature, “are you going to be alright?”
“Ah’ll be fine. Ah just need some time, sugarcube,” Applejack said, just a little too quickly.
“You never could tell a proper lie, Applejack. You two were quite close; it seems just last week that you two were sitting of the porch playing chess.”
“It was last week. Heh heh, now Ah know yer talkin’ about two ole mares. Ah couldn’t even imagine Rainbow Dash playin’ no chess back when we were young’ins. Then again she was always lookin’ ta beat somepony at somethin’. Ah guess it was only natural that once she started gettin’ to old ta’...ta’ do much else she took to the game.”
She wanted to hold back the tears. Applejack wanted to be alright. She had told herself that since they had all lived long lives full of happiness, that it was just their time to go and she was fine with it. But she wasn’t. The tears just...came. No. Not just tears, but huge heaving sobs signifying the complete breakdown of the proud orange mare.
“Oh Celestia, Rares! Ah just can’t…”
“Applejack.” Between the sobs of her lover, her own weeping, and the nature of the situation, it was the only word Rarity could muster. She grabbed Applejack and just...held her. Held on because it was all she could do. Their friend was gone. She wanted to say it would be alright, that at least they still had each other, but for how long? Soon, maybe tomorrow, maybe in five years, but soon, they were going to die. One would leave behind the other. It was inevitable. Death was inevitable.
The two wept until the sun was long gone and the moon and stars took it’s place in the sky.
Rarity let out an audible gasp as she beheld the light and beauty of the lesser luminaries.”I had no idea the moon was going to be full tonight. It’s positively radiant. Wouldn’t you agree, darling?”
“Yeah it sure is somethin’. Ya always did have a way of makin’ ev’rythin’ more beautiful.”
“And you always knew just how to butter me up, so to speak.”
“Rarity, we...we had a good run didn’t we?
“The best, darling. Of all the lives we could have lived, this was the. Best. Possible. Life.”
Next prompt: Run