Memories of Friendship

by Fluttrick

Memories of Friendship

A dull silence filled the room of the tree house as 5 mares gathered around Twilight's bedside. All their eyes filled with deep remorse and sadness as they stared at the withered dying scholar, and their best friend in all of Equestria.
"Well girls, I guess this is how it ends huh?" Twilight said in a hollow voice.
None of them responded, too lost in their emotions to think of a reply. Just as tears began forming Apple Jack cried out.
"No Twi, this isn't the end. Ya'll are gonna get better an' we'll all leave here happy and together forever. Ah promise ya'll, ah really do-"
"Stop that right now Apple Jack!" Twilight said in an assertive voice, tears welled in her eyes as well. "Please Apple Jack, don't, don't lie to me before I die. Don't lie for my sake, because I know you can't keep that promise, and there's no point in saying otherwise."
Another period of silence followed.
Again interrupted as Twilight gave a light cough then began in a withered voice.
"Remember the first time I met each of you?"
They all nodded glumly.
It was as if a dark cloud had overtaken them, taken away their features. What made them individual, what made them the elements of harmony, what made them her friends. And Twilight wasn't going to stand it.
"All of you! Please stop this, I don't want you all to be like this, especially before I die!" She shouted.
The 5 mares looked to one another for support before Pinkie began.
"Sorry Twilight, and I know that I'm the element of laughter, but..." Her lips began to tremble as a stream of tears flowed freely from her eyes. "BUT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LAUGH AT A TIME LIKE THIS! You're, going to die, and I'll never see you EVER AGAIN! FOREVER!" Pinkie wailed and pulled Twilight into an embracing hug.
The other ponies around looked at the two, deep in thought, and on the brink of losing it.
"Oh Twilight dear, I'm so sorry!" Rarity exclaimed. "All this time, ever since I met you, all I'd been doing was talk talk talk all about fashion and fame, not what truly mattered. But, you Twilight, you showed me what it meant to be a real friend. Thank you Twilight." And then Rarity joined Twilight and Pinkie.
The sound of sobs and cries now filled the tree house as Twilight's time grew ever so shorter. Her breath began to quicken and her heart began to race.
"Girls," Twilight began as the two backed off from the long embrace. "All this time, I, I just wanted to say. Thank you. Thank you all for being the best friends a pony could ask for. For being there for me when times were tough," She looked to Rainbow Dash, who replied with a short hug. "When I was feeling down or lonely," Twilight looked to Fluttershy, her frail conscious and weak emotions were getting the best of her, but she ran to Twilight for another hug. "And you too," Twilight used her horn, which glowed with a purple aura, lifting a now teen dragon onto her lap. "You too Spike!" Twilight said as she embraced in a hug with the dragon.
As the two released, Twilight looked to the 5 mares and Spike, who'd joined them, into one big crowd in front of her. She then looked to her side table. One item sat there, A frame, with one picture, her most precious treasure.

Then looked to her friends in present time. Two things, she wasn't there beside them, the other, they all wore sad faces. Feeling death's grip on her quickening, the purple unicorn made her final request.
"All of you," She grabbed their attention. "Can you all do one last thing for me, please?" They all nodded without hesitation. "Smile." Her voice faded. All her best friends, together. That was the last thing she saw before her heart stopped beating and her breathing ceased.

Showers of rain poured down upon Equestria the day of the funeral. Rows and rows of ponies, from all around Equestria came together that day, all broken and saddened at the scholar's death. Black clothing, silence, dark clouds, and rain. It was as if all of Equestria were burdened by the loss of death.
5 ponies stood in the front seats, heads hung low, and tears, mixed with rain, dripped down across their faces. Pinkie's hair was flat, Rainbow's colors seemed faded, Rarity was without an umbrella causing her once fashionable mane to be soaked and hanging. Fluttershy, with her weak heart and even weaker ego made quiet whimpers of despair every now and then, clinging to Angel for support then sobbing into his snow-white pelt. Apple Jack held her stetson in her hoof as she silently let tears fall freely and shook her head with the occasional muttering of the word 'no' then followed by more tears.
Throughout the funeral, where many tears were shed and many words from Ponyville citizens and even ponies from all over Equestria, from Canterlot to Hoofington, they stepped up one by one to the stand to speak words of the deceased unicorn, the way she affected their lives, the way she helped them overcome problems, until it finally came to the last 5 ponies.
Rarity was the first to step up to the stand, looking less lively than before and not a care in all of Equestria about how she looked in front of the crowds and crowds of ponies around.
"Fashion, fortune, fame. All meaningless," Rarity closed her eyes for a moment, letting a tear fall freely to the ground. "without, without her. Twilight, my dearest friend. Ever since she came hear, ever since I'd first glimpsed upon her, I always pestered her about beauty and high classes of ponies. But, no matter how long or how annoying I was, she would always listen and remain patient, without one complaint. And I believe that is what made her the most generous friend I'd ever met. That is all." She said plainly as she looked to Rainbow Dash who stepped up in her place.
"Twilight, oh Twilight," Rainbow Dash cried toward the unicorn's coffin. Her limp, still body remained, the expression on her face peaceful with a small smile. "I'm so sorry, all those times I called you an egghead and a braniac! I'm so sorry." The pegasus mare cried into her hooves, but shortly after began again. "You were always there for me, even though I made fun of you for who you really were, a friend. And most certainly the most loyal friend and pony in all of Equestria I've ever met. I just wanted to tell you that, and to say this. Thank you Twilight. For giving me this," Rainbow looked to her friends. "And helping me realize that I was never really aiming for a place with the Wonderbolts because it was my dream, but because I wanted attention, friends. Thank you Twilight."
Wiping away a tear, Rainbow hovered to her friends and her place was soon taken by Fluttershy, who was barely holding back tears as her lips trembled with anxiety and sadness.
"T-Twilight Sparkle was a g- great friend and I just wanted to s- say that, that," Then she lost it as her sobs erupted across the crowds of ponies. Hyperventilating she said. "I- I- can't do this." She muttered as she cried into her hooves and retreated to her small crowd of friends who patted her on the back in support.
Just then, Apple Jack stood up, her face straight and her eyes stripped of any tears as she trotted up to the stand and began speaking. "Ah know many of ya'll here probably didn't know Twilight as much as we did, or spend as much time with her, but ah want all of ye t' know that she was true always true to her every word and most of all true to her friends. She always came clear to me with everythin' you could imagine, and ah knew ah could trust her every single time. Thank you Twilight for always being true to us. That's all everypony." And with that she stepped down and joined her friends.
Nopony else decided to speak, as the ceremonies took place and Twilight's coffin was lifted by 4 ponies dressed in gray clothing and black hoods. As the coffin was buried and the tombstone was placed everypony dropped a rose and left silently. Then there were the, as they were now called, mane 5 who stood by the grave the longest. There was nothing much left to do, but wait and mourn, that is until finally, Pinkie Pie spoke up.
"You know, I never thought about one of us dying, especially not when we're all young fillies. I mean, who'd have thought this would happen? Though, I feel kind of....." Her voice trailed off leaving the other 4 anxious for an answer.
"Feel kind of what?" Rainbow Dash finally blurted out.
"Kind of...happy." Slowly, Pinkie's hair began to lighten up, but not exactly inflate.
"You know what girls, I admit, I have that feeling too. How strange?" Rarity said.
"Yah, me too." Fluttershy said quietly.
"It's like, like-" Rainbow began but was interrupted by Apple Jack who exclaimed.
"That part of me, that I thought I lost was never really, jus', jus'-" Now Pinkie interrupted.
"Playing hide and seek, cause who doesn't love hide and seek!" Her mane now back to normal.(Well, in Pinkie's standards of normal.)
"And that there's more than just grieving and mourning ahead. Actually dears, I think that-" Surprisingly Fluttershy cut her off.
"It would be betraying Twilight, who brought us together and formed our friendship." The group all nodded in agreement, more cheerful and less gloomy.
"Hey, how about we have a big Big BIG party over at the library. It could be all book themed just for Twilight! How about it!" Pinkie exclaimed aloud.
"Wouldn't have it any other way Pinkie Pie." Apple Jack replied as they all headed off to the library,
As if by magic, a sparkle rained upon them as they left, but they didn't seem to notice. A reminder of their dearest friend, who helped them achieve friendship at its best, who was none other than Twilight Sparkle, the element of magic. The one pony who truly represented to magic of friendship.