In the sky, in the sky?
I do NOT own or copyright anything! This fiction is based off an inspiration from this youtuber for this song! All credits should go to Hasbro for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the youtuber for the song cover respectively!
Celestia's Sun has shifted noon and it smiled down on the lands below brilliantly, but not much can be said for a small cottage near the Sweet Apple Acres. It was unnervingly silent currently due to lack of bird chirps, water splashing or even a sound of movement at this point of time. Instead, it held a thick and heavy somber atmosphere.
Animal of different species crowded together with friends and family to pay respects for their dearest friend. Fluttershy frown. She carried a rectangular box in her mouth. Angel has been sleeping on Fluttershy's back snugly, but in actuality he was too distracted to come to terms of losing someone very important which nagged him to sleep.
Fluttershy lead her gloomy animal friends out of the cottage to a proper burial at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. There was nothing wrong with burying the dead around Fluttershy's cottage at all; but Fluttershy believed that burying the dead in the open field would not only fertilise the soil, it would also assured her that their spirits can roam free.
Although, it was slightly uncommon having deaths when Fluttershy was around to nurse them back to health. But this animal's death was enough to reassure her that she hadn't failed, but merely a success. It was a testimony to how Fluttershy's nursing ability is and by that, the critter managed to survived a disease that reached its lethal point around a month ago.
Fluttershy sighed. When the critter first came, he was one of the most stubborn critter that Fluttershy knew. It reminded her of Applejack. She didn't knew how he managed to get almost every of her animal friends to mourn for his death. The last time Fluttershy check, after one of her animal friends passed away, he didn't get that many audience for his burial. It was mostly just friends and family. Not only that, most of her animal friends don't get along very well as the others.
Releasing another longer sigh, Fluttershy and most of her animal friends have finally crossed the edge of Sweet Apple Acres and to an open field. It stretched as far as a pony eye could see. The grass were half as tall as a mice. The breeze blew fast and gently against her fur.
It was dirty work, of course, trying to dig a tile sized hole with only her hooves; the other animals were grief stricken to help out. It had taken lesser than five minutes to dig, put coffin in, and bury it back up. Once fluttershy was done, she took a few steps back to where her animal friends were.
The whole month went by very quick while nursing the critter. Fluttershy didn't really have that much of a relationship with him before he died. Neither did she have that much of a close relationship with her other animal friends. The closes relationship Fluttershy ever gotten was her pet Angel.
During her time free time when she was not nursing him, she took mental notes of how helpful and dependable he was. Fluttershy didn't know why, but it reminded her of Applejack's dependability. Fluttershy also observed that Angel had taken granted of him for three quarter of the month. But somehow he managed to get Angel to realise his grave mistake and from then on, they both have gotten stronger in terms of friendship.
By now, Fluttershy had slumped down onto her belly and stared aimlessly on the horizon. The only sound she could hear was the constant rustling of leaves and frequent sniffs from her animal friends. Why do pony and animals have to die? Fluttershy sigh deeply. She didn't want to go into deep thoughts about her friends passing away in the future. Fluttershy closed her eyes to help with the headache about thinking such things.
That continued for a while longer until she heard a musical instrument from a distance.
Fluttershy carefully navigated through her animal friends as silent as possible. Being noisy is the same as being mean and disrespectful. As soon as she go though the crowd of animals of different species, she could make out the sound of the instrument belonging to a piano. The sound seems to becoming from somewhere in the middle of the crowd of trees. Fluttershy trudged through the canopy of trees until she heard it was clearly a piano being played. Not only that, a soft and familiar humming was heard too.
Fluttershy noted it sounded a bit sad but yet, happy at the same time. It was weird that they somehow being executed perfectly. Fluttershy quicken her pace and maneuver past the trees. Soon enough, Fluttershy reached to what might be considered mystical. The clearing wasn't particularly large, but the lighting made it seemed like it was very spacious and even more magical than anywhere in Equestria.
But what caught Fluttershy's attention was a pony wearing a black lounge suit that seemed to end with two long 'tails'. And that pony was Applejack. She realised that Applejack wasn't wearing her custom made stetson hat. Fluttershy listened and watched in amazement as Applejack fluidly played the piano and hummed calmly.
Fluttershy accidentally stepped on a twig. Fortunately, Applejack kept playing the piano. Unfortunately, Applejack caught Fluttershy spying on her. Fluttershy saw that Applejack seemed to be calling her over, which she reluctantly did. On her way there, Fluttershy glanced around her surroundings one more time. This time, there was clearly a tombstone, no, 2 tombstones in front of Applejack. Fluttershy mentally gasped that she have intruded on what might be Applejack's recital.
She just kept her eyes glued onto the gravestones, all the while she stood beside the piano bench to the left of Applejack. Fluttershy flinched when part of the music was suddenly cut. Fluttershy snapped her attention back to see that Applejack had offered a hoof onto the piano bench while the other hoof kept playing the tune.
Fluttershy blushed and accepted the silent invitation. Applejack pulled Fluttershy up onto a sit beside her. Fluttershy didn't realise that she was blushing or even turning into a deep shade of red, neither did Applejack. Applejack resumed playing the piano. Fluttershy looked at how Applejack's hooves were moving and pressing the keys very meaningfully. Not long after, Applejack decided she had enough warm-up and wrap everything up soon.
(All credits goes to http://www.youtube.com/user/adrisaurus)
Fluttershy wanted to questioned who's gravestone was Applejack playing the recital to. But she stopped when she heard the song beginning to take flight. Fluttershy almost couldn't recognised Applejack's voice. It sounded much more refined that usual from her accent. Then the chorus came.
Will the circle be unbroken...
Fluttershy felt a wave of sadness mysteriously coursing through her mind simultaneously as Applejack sang the first few words but something about it felt happy too. Fluttershy begin to gradually tear up as the song continued. Fluttershy looked at Applejack with tears in her eyes that were ready to burst into a steady stream at any given moment. She couldn't help but smile when Applejack noticed this and smiled at Fluttershy. Another blush went unnoticed. Applejack closed her eyes as the song reached the chorus the second time, Fluttershy joined.
...By and by, by and by?
Fluttershy paused and let Applejack continue her song. Fluttershy wondered about songs she sang childishly when she was younger. She snicker at the thought. She wondered about the hymns she heard and songs other ponies sang, it still is a mystery how she somehow knew the lyrics just like every other song she sang with her friends. Fluttershy tried to examine the tombstones that Applejack was performing for. She realised it was Applejack's parents.
Is a better home awaiting...
Applejack smiled warmly at Fluttershy after the chorus went by. Fluttershy smiled almost motherly. The blush still remained. Fluttershy exhaled warmly and remembered the times she spent with her family by the fireplace while they told her stories of great adventures her father usually came up during her younger life in Cloudsdale. Although now, Fluttershy's tears became a slow and steady stream of tears. Although the lyrics implemented that her parents passed away, which is not true, it still made her cry in joy when she remembered her parents' occasional visits.
...In the sky, in the sky?
Fluttershy felt her head was starting to feel heavier for reasons unknown to her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on Applejack's shoulders as gently as possible. Fluttershy made a mental note to apologise to Applejack for making her fur wet later. Fluttershy listened as the piano stopped for a moment while Applejack's voice still remained dominant.
Now the lyrics made Fluttershy begin to tear up even more. She thought of everyone she loved moving on to a happier place. Fluttershy thought of all her animal friends passing away one by one which made it painfully depressing. Fluttershy sniffs certainly caught Applejack's attention that Fluttershy was hurting. Applejack leaned her head against Fluttershy to comfort her, seeing that she can't exactly use her hooves at the moment. Fluttershy's coat would have turned into a tomato if she kept blushing.
Fluttershy smiled happily when the lyrics came: 'will it be complete one day', Fluttershy felt joyous that one day, she will get to be with all her friends again in a better place. She could feel that the song is coming to the end soon, and so Fluttershy got closer to Applejack that it left barely space in between them. Fluttershy opened her eyes one more time and tilted her head back to get a look at Applejack. Fluttershy noticed Applejack was crying, probably at some point during the song. Applejack returned the smile. She would cherish this romantic moment in her heart forever. Before Fluttershy could contemplate why she thought it was romantic, the last chorus came.
...In the sky, oh in the sky?