Friendship is Forever

by pabrony

Voices

"Honestly, Twilight," exclaimed a neurotic Rarity, "I heard Applejack tell me that her and Rainbow Dash would 'have the cider ready' for me when I returned to for my next visit to her grave. I thought only you would be able to communicate with each of us in the afterlife. How was Applejack able to talk to me?"

"I don't know," acknowledged Twilight, who was perplexed by Rarity's story. "Even though we're linked through the Tree of Harmony, the spell used in the Hall shouldn't have allowed Applejack or Rainbow Dash to be able to talk to you."

"I'm just... so... shaken over this. I haven't even gone home yet," Rarity replied as she continued to tremble from her ordeal. "What do I tell Lonely? That I'm going to die within the next moon? He's going to think I lost my mind, darling."

Nearly an hour later, Rarity had finally calmed down enough that she was comfortable to go home. As the castle doors closed behind her, she was blinded momentarily once again by a bright light.

"Rarity, everything will totally be fine. Ain't nothing to worry about," said a voice that sounded exactly like Rainbow Dash.

Rarity froze in her tracks. Are Applejack and Rainbow Dash really trying to talk to me?

---

Rarity galloped into Carousel Boutique at a high pace and slammed the door closed behind her as soon she was inside. She pulled the cloak off as she gasped for air since was out of breath from not just high-balling it across Ponyville, but also from hearing things that weren't there.

"Honey, is that you?" hollered Lonely Heart as he approached the front of the building. "How was your visit to Applejack's grave?"

A look of terror came across Rarity's face just at the mention of Applejack's name.

"Rarity? Are you ok?" Lonely Heart asked, concerned about Rarity's frame of mind.

"I-I don't... I don't know, darling," Rarity hesitated as her body continued to tremble in fear.

Lonely Heart slowly approached his wife so that he didn't startle her anymore than she already was. Rarity jumped at the mere touch of him wrapping his hooves around her, which made Lonely even more concerned.

"Honey, please tell me what happened," Lonely Heart softly begged.

"Ev-everything was... was fine un-until I left the-the grave site," she stammered. "I-I told Applejack th-that I would... would talk to her in-in a few weeks. A couple of-of minutes later, I-I heard App-Applejack tell me... that..."

"Shhh..." whispered Lonely Heart calmly. "Take your time. There's no rush."

Rarity began to sob uncontrollably and it was enough to get the attention of their now eleven year old filly.

"Mama? What's going on?" asked Happy Hooves as she walked into the room.

Lonely acknowledged his daughter by saying, "I'm trying to find out right now, sweetie. Something happened this evening when your mother visited Applejack's grave."

He then turned to Rarity and asked, "Is it ok if Happy hears what happened or is it something that she shouldn't hear?"

"Sh-she should prob-probably hear this," Rarity continued to studder. "It kind of affects all... of us."

"Ok then, honey," Lonely Heart told her. "Go ahead and finish your story whenever you're ready."

Rarity took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself and continued her story, "Well, I heard Applejack tell me that... that she and Rainbow Dash... would have the... cider ready when I came back in a couple weeks."

Happy Hooves just stared in shock at what her mother said, while Lonely Heart responded, "Honey, you're just stressed from the workload we have and your mind is wanting Applejack to be around since you were the last pony she saw before she died."

"That's what I thought too," Rarity told him. "And Twilight reassured me that's what it was but the instant I left her castle, I swear I heard Rainbow Dash tell me everything was going to be ok."

Happy Hooves' look of shock slowly transitioned to an expression of fear as she began to walk slowly to her studio upstairs unnoticed.

Is Mama really going to be dying in a few weeks? she thought as entered the room with tears in her eyes.

A lavender aura surrounded a 6 hand by 4.5 hand canvas as Happy Hooves levitated it onto one of her easels, setting it up in a portrait orientation. For as long as she could remember, the only way she knew how to deal with any type of fear or stress was to start painting. This time was no exception as she levitated a stick of charcoal to lightly divide the canvas into five sections. She knew what she was putting in the center section but what was going in the other four sections, she had no idea yet.

Meanwhile, downstairs Lonely Heart finally got Rarity calmed down enough to sit on the couch to pick her mind some more.

"Ok honey," Lonely started as he gently rubbed her back with his right fore hoof. "What do you want to do about this? Do you want to see a doctor and get checked out to see if there's anything wrong?"

"Well I guess it couldn't hurt now, could it?" Rarity told him. "If I have something wrong then at least it can..."

"Y'all ain't gotta go ta no doc, Rares. Yer fit as a fiddle."

Rarity's pupils shrunk to the size of pebbles as she began staring into space. Lonely Heart had to shake her four or five times before she finally responded by wrapping both forelegs around his neck and squeezing him hard, nearly choking him.

"Applejack... just talked to me again," Rarity whispered softly. "Please tell me I'm not going crazy, darling."

"Honey, how about you go talk to Twilight again in the morning. I can keep an eye on the shop until you get back," Lonely said as he continued to comfort his wife.

"I'm so scared..." Rarity whispered, trembling.

---

"Rarity?" Twilight asked as the fashionista walked into the library with her mane in shambles. "Are you okay? You look terrible."

"It's been a long night, Twilight," Rarity replied, still shaken from the night before. "I left last night and as soon I was outside the castle, I heard Rainbow Dash's voice. Later I heard Applejack's voice again while Lonely Heart was calming me down."

"Hmmm," Twilight thought for a moment. "Your experiences might actually be connected to the Hall of Elements. I could still say that it's your psyche connected to what happened at Ponyville General eleven moons ago if you were only hearing Applejack. But seeing how you're hearing Rainbow Dash also, there must be something else going on. I'll take a trip to Canterlot tomorrow to have a talk with them and find out what's going on."

"Thank you, Twilight," responded Rarity as she gave the Princess of Friendship a hug.

"Anything for a friend," Twilight told her as she returned the gesture.

---

"Happy? Are you in here?" Lonely Heart said he quietly walked into her studio.

As he looked for his daughter, who had been acting odd since Rarity told them about her graveyard experience last week, he noticed that one of Happy's easels was covered with a sheet. Curiosity set in as he alternated between looking at the easel and checking Happy's favorite hiding spots. After checking all her hiding spots, Lonely approached the easel and lifted the right corner of the sheet for a peek at the hidden painting.

Lonely Heart was both surprised and troubled at what he saw. The bottom right corner had himself, Happy and Rarity in a loving embrace. Rarity was in between him and Happy Hooves, transparent with a golden glow behind her and tears on her face.

Is this a memorial painting? he wondered as he dropped the sheet and left the room, with mixed emotions.

He went to her bedroom to look for her there and found a note that read:

Papa,
Went to Ruby's for the day. Mama said it was ok before she went to see Princess Twilight. Be home before Luna raises the moon.
Love,
Happy

Maybe this will take her mind off Rarity's condition for the day, he thought, somewhat relieved.

He headed downstairs to the front of the boutique where he was greeted by his sister-in-law.

"Have you seen Rarity today?" she asked him. "She was supposed to meet me at Sugarcube Corner for brunch but she never showed up."

"Well, she left for the castle this morning to have her daily talk with Twilight," Lonely told her, scratching the back of his head. "She didn't tell me about anything else she had planned."

"I'm a little worried about her, especially with her hearing voices on a daily basis," Sweetie stressed.

"Let's split up to look for her," Lonely said to Sweetie Belle. The two of them discussed where they would search so they weren't overlapping before they left on their search.

---

"Rainbow Dash, I need a model for the diamond studded, gold dress for the Hall Of Fame show tonight," Rairity begged. "The coloring of your mane will just make it dazzle under the runway lights."

"No way!" Rainbow Dash replied annoyed. "Besides there ain't a fashion show tonight anyhow."

"And just how do you know that?" Rarity said, raising her voice. "I have all the show dates memorized, especially the Fashion Hall Of Fame show. Considering this year I'm finally going to be inducted after 40 years of hard work creating outfit after outfit for high profile ponies. I know it's happening tonight"

"Sorry take break th' news ta ya, Rarity," Applejack chimed in. "But Rainbow's right. There ain't no show tonight."

"You mean it's been cancelled and no one told me?" She panicked. "What am I supposed to do with all the dresses I made for it?"

"Uhhh, what dresses?" Rainbow asked as she looked behind her friend.

"Why the dresses..." Rarity said as her eyes opened wide in disbelief. "Wh-where did they go? I could've sworn they were right here."

'Rarity?' A voice called out. 'Rarity, are you ok? Say something please? 'Rarity?'

---

Rarity opened her eyes slowly and saw a terrified look on her husband's face. She lifted her head to try to see what was going on but Lonely Heart stopped her.

"Don't try to move," he said softly. "The medical wagon will be here shortly."

"The-the medical wagon?" Rarity asked weakly. "Why... why do I need that?"

"Honey, do you know where you are?" Lonely asked with concern.

"I... I'm... I don't know," she told him as she tried to remember.

"You're at Applejack's grave," Lonely told her. "I found you here about 15 minutes ago."

"What?" Rarity responded as her eyes shot wide open in shock. "But... how... I don't even..."

"Shhh," her husband said as he continued to try keeping her calm. "We're going to get you to the hospital and get checked out but I need you to stay still and calm."

The medical wagon arrived a few moments later to take Rarity to the emergency room for evaluation. After being checked out and given the all clear, Rarity was discharged from the hospital with strict orders to relax. Lonely Heart slowly walked beside Rarity to keep pace with her as they walked home from the hospital, stopping from time to time so Rarity could rest. They were almost home when Rarity froze solid.

"Sorry 'bout th' dresses, Rares. We needed ta git rid of them b'cause y'all were gittin' confused 'bout where ya were."

"What?" Lonely Heart asked cautiously. "Who was is it now? What did they say?"

"It-it was Applejack. She..." Rarity trailed off.

"It'll be ok," Lonely reassured her. "We can talk about it later if you want."

---

Bewildered at what happened to her earlier in the day, Rarity laid in bed trying to collect her thoughts. She didn't even remember going to the grave site, let alone passing out on the ground.

Was that a dream I had today? she wondered. It seemed too real for it to be a dream. The sounds. The smells. Rainbow Dash's unwillingness to-Rainbow Dash? Was that really her and Applejack?

"Mama?" Happy Hooves quietly said. "Can... can I show you something? It's in the studio."

"Sure thing, dear" Rarity acknowledged. "Give me a moment."

Rarity eased off the bed and followed her daughter to her art studio. Happy showing off her latest masterpiece wasn't anything new, but Happy stuttering when she wanted to show her paintings was.

Lonely Heart was already in the studio waiting for them with a concerned look when they walked through the doorway. In the center of the room was the covered easel that he had taken a peek under earlier in the day.

"Mama, Papa," she began nervously. "I-I've been, uh, well... you see, how do I put this?"

"Happy, we're not going to be mad at you," Rarity remarked as she hugged her daughter. "Just relax, take a deep breath and tell us what you want to tell us."

Following her mother's advice, Happy took a deep breath and continued, "When you told us about what happened last week, I-I got scared we weren't going to be a family no more..."

Lonely interrupted her speech by telling her that they would always be a family, no matter the circumstances. This elicited an emotional response from his girls he wasn't prepared for as they both broke down in tears.

"So I... I came upstairs and... and..." Happy paused to wipe the tears from her face before continuing, "...and I started this painting that... that... well was about you Mama."

Happy grabbed the sheet with her teeth and gently pulled it off to reveal the most beautiful painting either of her parents had ever seen. It was divided into five sections, the center was diamond shaped with Rarity in the gown she wore to the latest gala with jewels of all shapes, sizes and colors painted in the background. The rest of the canvas was divided equally into four sections.

The top left section showed Rarity with her friends at a picnic together, the top right had Rarity hugging Sweetie Belle as she held a trophy, the bottom left corner had the three of them posing together with the five alicorn princesses and the last section was the one Lonely saw earlier.

"That's a beautiful painting, Rarity. It-it's actually bring tears to my eyes."

"That thar would be nice ta have above th' fireplace, Rares."

"Thank you, darlings," she whispered with tears running down her face. "It's nice you can see it."

"Who are you talking to, Mama?" Happy asked, confused.

The question snapped Rarity back into reality. Did I just talk back to my friends out loud? she thought.

"I, uh, wasn't talking talking to anypony. Hehe," she lied. "Lonely, can you watch the store tomorrow? I'm going to visit Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy after my daily talk with Twilight."

---

Rarity slowly opened her eyes as she heard a pounding on the front door of the shop.

"Lonely, can you unlock the front door? I seem to have overslept," Rarity shouted.

But there was no response.

'Happy has school today so she can't unlock it. I guess I'll have to answer the door with my mane a total wreck,' she thought as rolled out of bed.

Rarity unsteadily began heading for the front door when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She looked above her and Lonely's dresser to see the painting of her that Happy had made a couple weeks ago.

'Did Lonely move this when I was asleep?' she wondered.

Rarity levitated her hairbrush over to herself and began brushing her mane as she continued to walk toward the front door.

"I'm coming! Just a moment!" Rarity hollered as the pounding continued.

'Where is Lonely at? He always watches the shop if I oversleep'

She got to the bottom of the stairs and set her hairbrush on the sales counter. She stopped short, however, when she saw the pictures beside the door. They weren't the normal family pictures that hung there but smaller versions of Happy's collage. The pounding continued as she stood there, baffled at the pictures. Rarity light up her horn to open the door but when it finally opened, nopony was there.

'What is going on?' Rarity asked herself.

"How much cider y'all want?" a distinct voice said.

"I'll have as much I can handle," said another voice.

"How much ya want, Rarity?" the first voice said.

Rarity, struck with fear, slowly turned around to verify the voices she heard. Sure enough, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were standing in the middle of the shop with two cases of Special Reserve Sweet Apple Cider. Applejack and Rainbow Dash slowly walked up to Rarity and embraced her tightly, attempting to comfort her.

"Wh-what's going on, darlings?" Rarity whispered as she began crying. "I... I'm so confused."

"You're with us now, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said as tears formed in her eyes.

Rarity jumped back in shock. "Wha... Whe... Am I..."

"Dead? Yes y'all are," Applejack told her as she removed her hat. "That's why Happy Hooves' painting has replaced all of yer pictures in the shop."

"But I-I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to... to her and Lonely," Rarity sobbed. "I told her tha-that loved her when I tucked her in but I..."

"Me and Applejack are here to help you make the transition easier," Rainbow said softly. "We've been talking to you for the last few weeks trying to get you ready, not terrify you."

"How long have I been... been... been dead?" Rarity asked between sobs.

"Only a few minutes, sugarcube. When y'all opened the door, that's when ya passed on," Applejack replied.

Rainbow came up to the other two ponies carrying a trio of cider bottles on her right wing.

"We understand that you're scared. I was eight years ago. AJ was last year," Rainbow told her as she handed out the bottles. "But on the bright side, you didn't suffer. I mean, you saw the shape I was in and Applejack was so weak from her heart attacks. You come to us in your sleep, peacefully."

"If ya want, Luna might be able ta let ya say g'bye in their dreams," Applejack told her.

Rarity thought it over a moment and then surprised her friends saying, "No. It's going to be hard enough. If go in their dreams, it'll make it that much worse. Besides, I think Happy accepted it weeks ago, judging by her painting."

The three friends each drank their cider bottle they had in their hooves before walking out the front door together.

Author's Note:

I decided that Rarity had enough suffering between learning she was sterile, multiple depressions and AJ and Rainbow talking to her, that a peaceful death her sleep would be most fitting.

Also for those that don't know, a 'hand' is used to measure horses and one 'hand' equals four inches.

Comments

[Uncle Bob]

Awww... and here I thought she was gonna take her own life in a fit of schizophrenic delirium but hey, guess that would probably have required a "dark" tag. Either way, it was a really good chapter and I can totally see how this made you cry. As you wrote "Author´s note", she deserved atleast a peaceful death with all the shit she has endured over the years. Guess this will be answered in another chapter but are the voices only connected to the "Halls" or is it a constant thing in your version of Equestria?

[pabrony]

8039267

Guess this will be answered in another chapter but are the voices only connected to the "Halls" or is it a constant thing in your version of Equestria?

Kind of a combo of both.

[Frankie2]

Yep. A pattern.

[Golden Fang Ryu Shenron]

NOOOO!