> Loss
>  by Pwnyta
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Standoff
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 1: Standoff






        Tick, tick, tick, tick. The sound was magnified a hundredfold in the pure white unicorn’s head. She was pacing a hole into the wooden floor, her hooves clopping on the ground at the same pace as the annoyingly loud gears in the old-fashioned wooden clock hanging on the wall over the entrance. She flipped her curled, purple mane out of her face to give the clock another glance, as if repeatedly looking at it would turn the minute hand back to the time she had scheduled to meet her daredevil of a friend. The unicorn mumbled as she looked at the window, searching the skies for a certain pegasus who seemed to enjoy defying the purpose of setting up meeting times. She gave up with watching the clock and headed outside. Perhaps the warm morning air would help stall the flow of time.

The light blue-coated pegasus Rainbow Dash was happily flapping her wings, clearing any trace of a cloud out of the sky. The schedule in Ponyville called for clear skies all day, and while Rainbow Dash was late to creating the cloudless morning, she certainly wasn’t worried about getting punished by those who ran the Ponyville division of the weather factory. Her speed alone allowed her to make up the work in no time at all. She contently sighed as the wind blew through her multicolored mane, cooling her off as she bucked the last cloud into nonexistence. She smiled as she examined her work, and looked down at the large clock in the town square. It was almost nine-thirty in the morning. She was a tad late for her meeting at the Carousel Boutique. 

Shrugging it off, she quickly flew towards the landmark building, well known in Ponyville for its complex patterns and defined carousel shape that clashed with the basic cookie-cutter style of the buildings and houses that made up a greater portion of the town. As Rainbow caught sight of the building and began flying down towards it, she noticed the white pony who owned the boutique pacing in the doorway, looking about as fussy as could be. She landed a few yards in front of the unicorn, whose coat was a flawless white and whose mane was a beautiful deep purple and styled absolutely perfectly, as was usual to expect from Rarity.

        “Rainbow Dash! You are late AGAIN!” Rarity whined as the blue pegasus approached her. Rarity gave the tomboyish pony a scowl that would scare a filly, but Rainbow simply smirked and chuckled.

        “Aww, calm down. I’m here aren’t I? Now let’s get this done so I can hurry up and get back in the sky! I have a lot of flying to do today,” Rainbow replied to her with a wink, a comment and action made only to make the unicorn even angrier, but Rarity brushed it off. The dressmaker led the still chuckling flier into the main room of the boutique, which was of an almost carnival-like style. Despite the theme, the room still had an air of high society in it, with dresses lining the wall.

        “Now, Rainbow, I am making this dress for a very, very important client out of Canterlot. You and her are about the same size, give or take a few pounds,” Rarity explained, walking up to the dress and feeling the fabric in her hoof. Rainbow frowned at the last comment, probably a little prod from her friend for showing up late. “What I need for you to do is to put on this dress, CAREFULLY, so I can fit it appropriately. Oh, I really do appreciate your help, Rainbow,” Rarity finished. The pegasus did as she was told, slipping into the dress, making sure not to tear any of the material before standing up onto a raised platform surrounded by mirrors. The unicorn donned her bright red glasses and began her work, needles in her mouth and a measuring tape wrapped around her neck as she began to critically examine the dress as it draped over Rainbow’s body.

        About an hour into the whole project, Rainbow’s impatience began to surface. Standing still was so hard for such an active mare. The pegasus began fidgeting quite a bit, despite Rarity’s constant objections. Just as the unicorn was about to stick a pin, Rainbow readjusted her position to get a better view out the window, causing the fabric in Rarity’s hoof to tear. The dressmaker’s eyes went wide and her stomach dropped almost as fast as her jaw.

“Rainbow! Look what you’ve done!” Rarity yelled, cradling the freshly frayed fabric in her hoof like it was a precious pet that had just passed on. Rainbow looked at the fabric with a look of non-concern, then shrugged and went back to looking out the window. Rarity’s eyes pierced the back of Rainbow Dash’s skull as she gave Rainbow the look of death. “Now I have to go and find a patch for this! Stay here, and don’t cause any more trouble! HMPH!” she yelled as she stomped out of the room. Rarity was fuming, almost red with anger. How could that dumb mare be so careless! She thought to herself as she opened up the door to her inspiration room. 

However, all train of thought was lost as she looked into the room. Bolts of fabric lie half unraveled on the floor, string, ribbon, and jewels were scattered about the various tables, and crumpled papers of failed designs were overflowing in the trash can. Oh, my, this place could use a little tidying up. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Rainbow can wait a bit. Besides, she deserves it for creating this horrible disaster! The unicorn decided to herself. She closed the door behind her and set to work.

Rainbow Dash, in the meantime, was starting to get extremely impatient and bored. She paced around the main room, trying to be careful not to drag the dress, but she stopped caring after a few minutes. Rarity was taking far too long to fetch a patch of fabric. In fact, she was more than sure that Rarity had sidetracked herself with another project and had completely forgotten about her. The bored pegasus looked outside at the day fading away before her eyes. She felt extremely restless standing indoors doing nothing. Ugh! I just want to go out and fly! What a waste of a day! Whatever, Rarity will get it done even without me, the pegasus thought to herself as she began to take off the dress as carefully as she could. She was sure she heard fabric tear a few times in the process, but after a quick, careless inspection, she approved of what she was leaving behind. She did, however, notice that the base of the dress seemed to be quite dirtied up from having been stepped on. I’m pretty sure Rarity cleans these off before she ships them anyways. The pegasus thought as she attempted to place the dress back onto the mannequin from which it came. After a couple of attempts, she just half folded it and tossed it onto the platform, then headed towards the main door of the boutique.

She opened the front door and stepped onto the landing outside. Rainbow gave a look back into the room as she reached for the door handle. A trace of concern crossed her mind. Is it really okay for me to just leave like this? Well...Rarity was the one who abandoned me halfway into this project, she thought as she made her decision and closed the door behind her, then took of into the clear blue sky, embracing the lukewarm air as it breezed past her face, causing her the whip side-to-side behind her. She quickly veered off towards the treetops of the Everfree forest, the second-thoughts of abandoning her friend.

Rarity finished the job as quick as she could. She wiped a little bit of sweat from her forehead and looked at the clock. Uh oh! I went a little overboard. I left Rainbow alone for half an hour. I really hope she didn’t destroy anything, the white unicorn thought to herself as she grabbed a patch of matching fabric from a shelf. She left her inspiration room and went out into the hall. “I’m extremely sorry for the wait Rainbow my dear, but I had a large mess in the previous room and I just had to cl-” she stopped the sentence short, losing her concentration on the levitation magic, causing the fabric patch to float to the floor. Her masterpiece laid there, balled up and ruined with Rainbow Dash nowhere to be found! She felt hot, angry tears well up in her eyes as she slowly walked towards the dress, picking it up carefully, noticing all the tears, dirt, and general ruin caused by that careless blue pegasus. She gritted her teeth as she replaced the dress on a mannequin and went back into her inspiration room for more supplies.

~`~`~`~`~

        The lavender mare Twilight Sparkle flipped to the last page of her book with her magic. She read through it quickly and sighed before closing the book altogether and placing it back in the shelf from where it came. What a beautiful fairy tale, she thought to herself as she stretched out and got to her hooves. She looked at the clock by the front door. It was quarter to seven in the evening. She decided it was about time to head over to Pinkie’s party at Sugarcube Corner. She was already fifteen minutes late, but the bookworm just could not put down such an engaging tale. 

Twilight went to check on Spike, opening the door to their shared bedroom. The baby dragon was fast asleep in his little bed, snoring every now and again and mumbling to his dream. With a little smile, she quietly closed the door and went back down into the main library, turning off the lights and heading out the door. The air had significantly cooled, while still being pleasantly warm that evening. The unicorn trotted slowly through the town, observing the various ponies as they went about their enjoyment for the night. Though she did not live far from Sugarcube Corner, she did enjoy walking at a slow pace, making the most of her time to enjoy the sights of the town. Despite having lived in the town for over a year, she still had her moments of enjoying the peace and quiet of small town life, as opposed to the robustly bustling hustle of Canterlot. As she arrived, she noticed the door to the little homely bakery was wide open, welcoming anypony who was curious enough to pop their head in as they passed by. Twilight took the open invitation and walked right in. Her friends were scattered about the room, and a lighthearted tune was playing. Twilight felt it right to go make her presence known to the host. She found the pink pony mingling by the punch bowl. “Hey Pinkie!” she said to the bright pink earth pony as she used her magic to fill a cup with punch and hover it over to herself. The party host turned to face her, grinning from ear to ear as usual.

        “Heya Twilight! Guess what?! You’re not the last pony here for once!” Pinkie said. The statement confused Twilight. Did she seem to make a habit of being the last pony to every party without even knowing? “Yeah, Rarity isn’t here yet. That silly filly, she’s going to work herself to death if she keeps up the pace she has been at lately!” Pinkie finished with a slight giggle and a smile. Twilight shrugged. She wondered what Pinkie truly thought of her always showing up late, unintentionally or not, but the dominating thought in her head right now was what was taking Rarity so long. Her fellow unicorn always liked to be on time to everything. It was a mystery to the librarian, but she figured with how vocal Rarity is, she would find out the reasoning behind the tardiness when the dressmaker finally arrived. She joined Applejack and Rainbow Dash and began to mingle.

        About twenty minutes later, a very ruffled Rarity walked in the door. Her hair was tussled, her coat was matted, and her brow was furrowed as she bared her teeth in rage. She spotted Rainbow Dash hovering a slight bit off the ground near Twilight. All Rarity saw from that point was red as she stomped up to the light blue pegasus, ignoring Pinkie’s welcome. Rainbow looked at her as she approached, and the stuntmare’s demeanor went from happy to concerned almost automatically. She brushed her hair with her hoof and swallowed air nervously. She knew what this was going to be about.

        “You! How dare you! You are the most inconsiderate, rudest, worst pony I've ever met!” Rarity yelled into Rainbow’s face. The pegasus flinched a bit and the party went absolutely silent. “Because of you, I had to spend the better part of my day remaking that entire dress! It isn't even fitted! There's no way i'm going to make my deadline! All because of you!” she continued yelling. At the last comment, Rainbow’s face went from a look of worry to an angry frown.

        “Hey! Now wait just a second! If it weren’t for you deciding to clean up and fix just about every little imperfect thing you see, then you would have come right back to where I was waiting! I waited thirty minutes while you were off probably making sure a table had an absolutely perfect amount of sunlight hitting it!” Rainbow retorted. The two ponies got into each other’s faces, practically growling at each other in frustration and anger. It took the strength of all the other four ponies combined to space them apart.

        Twilight and Pinkie pushed Rarity back a little bit, while Fluttershy and Applejack pulled Rainbow Dash. “Now, everypony calm down. Regardless of what happened, we are all here to have fun and enjoy Pinkie’s party, not ruin it,” Twilight pleaded with the two angry mares.

        Rarity shot Rainbow a look of poison before looking away. “I will gladly enjoy the party; however, I will not be speaking to this ruffian until she gives me a proper apology for ruining all of my hard work and my entire day!” Rarity said, angrily pointing her hoof at Rainbow, but refusing to look at her any further.

        Rainbow returned the look, the only difference being she kept her eyes locked on Rarity. “Oh! Ruin your day?!  You’re the one who decided to completely forget about me! I deserve the apology for having to be bored for so long!” Rainbow retorted. Applejack and Twilight both gave her a strange look about the point she was trying to make, but she ignored them and pressed on. “I will also be more than happy to have fun. So long as that OCD unicorn stays as far away from me as possible,” she finished before finally breaking off her stare and flying off to a corner of the room, joined only by an absolutely frightened looking Fluttershy.

        The rest of the ponies looked to each other about how to deal with the suddenly tense situation. “Well now that that’s solved, let's party!” piped up Pinkie Pie, breaking the short bit of silence. Twilight rolled her eyes and Applejack frowned as the pink pony hopped over to a record player and put the needle on the disc. Upbeat party music began playing as the six ponies attempted to get everything back into a normal mood, despite the ominous, awkward air that now hung in the room.

        However, the night ended rather early after the whole conflict. Despite Pinkie’s attempts to get everyone excited and riled up again, everypony felt rather awkward having to choose sides between Rainbow Dash and Rarity when it came to things as simple as conversation. After an hour or so of the awkward mingling, Fluttershy left, soon followed by Applejack. Rarity and Rainbow Dash tried to leave at the same time, starting another conflict and yelling match between the two. Once Pinkie Pie and Twilight broke up that fight, the two left quietly. Twilight apologized to Pinkie and went home herself.

        As she tucked herself into bed, Twilight wondered what had gotten into those two. They usually cooperate quite well when Rainbow helps Rarity with her dressmaking. She is the first pony of all of us she calls when she needs a favor. Well, hopefully it will all be worked out soon, Twilight thought as sleep overtook her mind.

~`~`~`~`~

        The next day, Twilight was sitting at a table outside of the local café. She had a small book with her, but she continuously kept looking up and about, anticipating somepony. She spotted Rarity walking up to her at a quickened pace and waved to her, putting the book back into her saddlebag. The perfectly white unicorn reached the table, again looking as immaculate as she always seems to, if not a bit brighter today. “I’m so sorry, dear. Fluttershy and I decided to spoil ourselves at the spa this morning and we ran a little over,” she explained, taking a seat opposite the lavender bookworm.

        Twilight smiled “That’s quite alright, Rarity. With how… umm… stressed you looked last night, you definitely deserved it,” she said, giggling a little as she finished the sentence. Rarity giggled as well, remembering how rough of shape she was in last night. The smile quickly turned into a scowl, though, as she thought back to the reason as to why she was so stressed yesterday.

        “That horrible, no-good excuse of a pegasus,” Rarity spat out, looking down at the table. The sudden mood change shocked Twilight. Rarity was not known for holding grudges even into the next day. “If I weren’t so skilled and dedicated at making the best dresses that I can create, that stupid mare would have just ruined my entire image across all of Canterlot! Can you imagine? Me having to tell my client ‘I’m sorry I can’t finish the dress you ordered for your concert tomorrow. My friend decided to go and ruin it!’ Hmph! Some friend Rainbow is, abandoning me when I asked for nothing but a simple favor. Lucky for her, I am the most skilled dressmaker in Ponyville. Having pulled an all night sewing marathon last night, I managed to finish the dress and get it shipped off to my client this morning right at the deadline. If I hadn’t, that brute of a pegasus would be looking for a new friend right about now,” Rarity ranted. Twilight tried her best to speak on the topic, but was struggling for the words.

        “Can I take you order?” said the waiter as he approached the table. Twilight breathed a silent "thank you" to him for having absolute perfect timing. Both unicorns ordered a small hay sandwich and some tea. As the waiter nodded and left them to their privacy, Rarity looked at Twilight, expecting a response. The lavender unicorn processed her argument as quickly as she could.

        “Now, Rarity, Rainbow was probably rather brash and unfair to you by causing you all that trouble, but what about you abandoning her?” Twilight asked. Rarity adjusted in her seat at this statement. “It was really nice of Rainbow to help you out and all, right? But then didn’t you leave her by herself in a rather uncomfortable getup while you went off and begun another project? How long exactly did you leave her?”

        Rarity looked off to her side. She knew Twilight was right, and she knew the answer she was about to give would confirm it. “Uh, about thirty minutes,” Rarity replied. The look on Twilight’s face confirmed Rarity’s thoughts. “Oh well. I suppose I do owe her an apology,” she said, fidgeting with her hooves on the table. The waiter showed up then, dropping off their sandwiches and tea. “But I deserve an apology just as equally,” she finished, picking up her sandwich and taking a small nibble out of the middle.

        Twilight swallowed the bite she had taken. “Yes, and you know that Rainbow is probably looking for you right now to apologize to you. She is the Element of Loyalty, after all,” Twilight said, “She realizes when she is wrong rather quickly and is good about fixing the situation or apologizing. By tonight, you two will be the best of friends again!”

        “I certainly hope so, I certainly couldn’t imagine doing some of the work I do without Rainbow’s help,” Rarity said as she levitated the cup of tea to her lips with her magic. She took a sip of the delicious honey and chamomile mixture. She squealed as she swallowed the warm liquid. “Oh my, this tea is by far my favorite! Anyways, as I was saying, between our friends, it seems only Rainbow would be fit to do the kind of work I have her do, as impatient as she is. Twilight, you would be the next pony I ask, but honestly darling, you just do not have the body to support modeling like Rainbow does.” Rarity ranted on. 

Twilight frowned about the criticisms. Looking down at her flank, she did notice it wasn’t quite as muscular or well defined as Rainbow Dash’s. Twilight started making mental notes about needing to be more active and work out more instead of just reading like she always did in her free time as she felt her cheeks begin to flush. She decided it best to ignore the criticisms and shook them from her head as she looked back at her friend who was wiping her brow with her hoof.

“Whew, it sure is blazing hot today, isn’t it?” Rarity said. She began to feel a little bit flustered, like she had run a marathon without breathing. It felt like even her fur was turning red.

Rarity’s comment confused Twilight for a second. “Not really, Rarity. It’s absolutely perfect out,” she replied, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

“I don’t know. It just seems so humid and hot. I’m sweating like we’re stuck in the middle of that heat wave from last summer again. On top of that, I just have this stupid lump in my throat. It’s hard to breathe. I must have tried to eat this delicious sandwich too fast,” she said. Rarity picked up the cup of tea with her magic, downing about half of it in order to try and clear out whatever was blocking her throat. She noticed Twilight was beginning to look worried.

“Oh, don’t worry about me, darling, perhaps it’s just... it’s just… just... ” Rarity could not complete the sentence. She clutched a hoof to her chest, feeling a great pressure. Her eyes went wide as she took heavy, labored breaths to try and get precious oxygen into her body. Twilight stood up and walked over to her, putting a worried hoof on her shoulder.

“Rarity, are you okay?” she asked. Rarity tried to nod, but couldn’t. All she could focus on was the pain. It was a pain she had never felt before. Her entire body had started going numb. She looked at the sandwich and cup sitting in front of her. Her vision was blackening around the edges, getting darker and darker by the second. Rarity reached her hoof out to support herself on the table, but felt the darkness overtake her body. She went limp and unwillingly let gravity take over.

“RARITY!” Twilight shouted as she attempted to catch her friend. Rarity’s outstretched hoof managed to spill her cup of tea as she fell out of her chair. The brown liquid spilled and stained her side and flank as Twilight supported her head, preventing it from hitting the ground. Twilight felt her jaw and stomach drop, absolutely confused and shocked. She had no clue what had just happened to her friend, but no matter what she did or said, Rarity was no longer responding to her.

       “Somepony! Anypony! Help!” she cried out, as several bystanders looked on at the scene in worry.

> Chapter 2: Recovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2: Recovery






        The multicolored-maned mare grumbled, knocking on the wooden door for a third time. She knew it was pointless, Rarity usually never opened her shop on the weekends, and even more rarely stayed in when it was closed. However, the pegasus persisted. She had a cloud of guilt hanging over her head since she had left the party the previous night. The light-blue coated mare knew that she had wronged her friend quite terribly, and would stop at nothing to apologize and help her out further if she needed it.

        Rainbow Dash gave up trying at the Carousel Boutique. She turned and kicked off the ground, spreading her wings and flapping to build up speed and propel herself into the air. It was time to search the entirety of Ponyville for her friend. However, almost as soon as she reached the town square, her curiosity got the best of her.

        A crowd had started to build outside of the small café in town. Rainbow Dash wondered what the commotion was all about, as she didn’t notice anything odd about the café from the air. The pegasus flew down and landed softly on the ground just a few yards from the gathering, then approached on hoof, noticing a large amount of chatter going on between several groups in the crowd. In the sea of multiple colored ponies and manes, she managed to spot her bright pink friend.

        “Pinkie! What’s all the commotion about?” she asked the party pony as she trotted up to her. The grimace Pinkie Pie gave her as she turned her attention to Rainbow did nothing but cause concern for the pegasus.

        “I heard a pony collapsed her earlier, Dashie. They had all sorts of emergency ponies looking at her and finally took her and the other pony she was with off to the hospital,” Pinkie explained, her demeanor extremely polarizing from her usual upbeat, bubbly personality. “From the way everypony is describing them, it sounds like the two ponies were Twilight and Rarity. I’m really worried, Dashie,” the pink earth pony finished. Rainbow felt like her body had turned to ice at the statement. The thought of one of her friends hurt, sick, or worse made her nearly collapse herself.

The rainbow-maned pegasus took off into the sky. “Pinkie, go find Fluttershy and meet me at the hospital!” she yelled back to her pink friend as she flapped her wings as hard as she could, flying towards Sweet Apple Acres.

~`~`~`~`~

        The orange cowpony lifted her back legs off the ground, found her balance point, and thrust them into the tree right behind her, causing it to shake violently. The last five apples that remained attached to the branches came free from their stems, and the blond earth pony maneuvered herself around the tree with great agility, catching them in the basket attached to the saddle that was strapped to her body. She took a deep breath, wiping the wet evidence of her hard work from her brow and inspecting the trees. She had managed to clear out her entire section before noon, a new speed record from what she could remember.

She smiled and quickly trotted back to the barn, excited for the prospect of having a large portion of the day to enjoy for herself. Once she reached the barn, she quickly marked off the section she had completed on a paper hanging attached to a clipboard by the door, then entered and emptied her load into a separate bin marked for processing and cleaning. The earth pony removed and hung her saddlebasket over the side of a small separating fence along the wall of the barn and trotted out, closing the door behind her.

As Applejack did so, a flash of light blue landed less than a foot in front her face. “APPLEJACK! Rairty or Twilight is in trouble and they’re at the hospital! Come on, we need to make sure they’re okay!” Rainbow said as fast as she could. The sudden appearance of her friend caused the cowpony to jump back a few feet and yell in surprise.

“Gosh dang it, RD! Next time you think it’s a good idea to surprise me like that, I’m gonna give you a right hoof to yer face!” the orange mare scolded her friend with an angry look on her face. The look quickly changed once she noticed the worry that was present on the pegasus’ face. “Now, calm down sugarcube. What’s happenin’ to Twilight and Rarity?” she asked.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax a little. “Somepony at the café in town collapsed. Pinkie told me that the way people were describing it, the pony was either Twilight or Rarity,” she explained.

“You certain?” Applejack asked, now worried, but hoping that maybe Rainbow’s story would change or she had simply misheard her.

“Absolutely certain! We need to hurry and get to Celestia National Hospital and make sure they’re okay!” the multicolored-maned pony said. Her orange friend nodded in agreement and she took off into the air, flying as fast as she could towards the medical center, with the cowpony galloping on hoof right behind her.

~`~`~`~`~

        Twilight Sparkle sat in the middle of a line of padded chairs that were all backed against the wall. She stared at the off-white tile on the ground, counting the small black specs that lay indented into each tile, breaking apart the sea of endless blank color. Her insides were tied up in more knots than a sailor learns in training. The pale pink walls of the room didn’t offer much comfort either, and the stale, sterile air she took in with every breath only further reminded her of the artificial environment she was in. The librarian still could not process the grave images she had been witness to less than an hour ago. The thoughts continuously pushed themselves to the front of her head as she pictured every terrible outcome that could occur from this scenario.

She broke her nearly hypnotic staring contest with the floor, stretching her neck out and looking around the room. She was sitting next to two larger unicorns. The stallion with a familiar shade of white fur was comforting the pink furred mare, both of their faces filled with a mixture of fear and worry. The lavender unicorn wasn’t quite sure what to say, or if she should say anything at all to the dressmaker's parents. She bit her lip in hesitation and decided it would be best to just stay quiet.

She looked off towards the opposite corner of the room, where she noticed three fillies. The group that was infamous across Ponyville for their antics, the Cutie Mark Crusaders as the liked to be called, were all huddled together. The yellow earth pony and the orange pegasus were doing their best comfort the white-coated unicorn, Sweetie Belle. The poor cotton candy-maned filly was doing her best to give her friends a smile, but Twilight could tell from the insincerity that the only thing on her mind was her elder sister. The lavender mare stood up to go and join the three young fillies for a bit when she heard the main door to the hospital open.

“Twilight!” said the combined voices of her cowpony and stunt flier friends. Twilight looked over and was able to crack a small smile as the light-blue coated mare flew through the lobby and wrapped her arms around her neck. The orange earth pony trotted up and smiled to her friend, relieved she was safe.

“Thank the heavens you’re okay, Twi,” said Applejack, with a small sigh of relief. The knowledge that one of her friends was safe made her feel a bit better, but she was still uneasy. If Twilight is here, that could only mean that the pony that was in trouble was...

“Where’s Rarity? Is she okay?” Rainbow Dash asked loudly, finishing Applejack's thought. Every pony in the waiting room looked up at the mention of Rarity’s name. The pegasus felt her insides twist up as she recognized all of the ponies gathered at the hospital, none of them being the white unicorn she was searching for. “She’s not… She can’t be! Please tell me she’s okay!” Rainbow begged Twilight.

The lavender mare looked down, upset that she couldn’t give her friend a full answer. “We don’t know, Dash. The doctors haven’t said anything to us. She is still back in the emergency room as far as we know,” Twilight explained. Her voice cracked a little, but she was able to hold in the tears. She had to remain strong for her friends and her fellow unicorn’s family.

Rainbow looked like she had just flown three aerial marathons straight. She collapsed into a chair and covered her face with her hooves and sighed, her emotions finally catching up to her frantic pace. The orange cowpony walked up and wrapped a leg around her rainbow-maned companion. “C’mon now, RD. Rarity is strong, she’ll be fine. I bet she’s on the other side of those doors there makin’ sure she looks right pretty for all of us. You know how upset she gets when she isn’t lookin’ absolutely perfect,” Applejack said, attempting to comfort her friend.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy trotted into the open door right then, only to be greeted by the grim sight of the waiting room. All of their friends sitting here with worried, upset looks on their faces meant only one thing in their mind. Twilight’s quick explanation of events further confirmed their feelings. Pinkie Pie went to join the fillies in their corner, the trademark smile and chipper personality no longer in existence in her being. Fluttershy, meanwhile, sat down next to Rainbow Dash, emulating her fellow pegasus’ position in the chair, and becoming the first pony of the group to shed tears.

“I… I just saw her earli… earlier. I’m sorry. I wish I co… could have done something,” she sobbed as she hid her face behind her hair. She didn’t want her friends to see her crying. Twilight patted her on the head. It was all she could think of to do to comfort the frail animal caretaker.

“This isn’t your fault, Fluttershy. I was with her earlier too. There’s nothing we could have done. We just have to hope the doctor can help her out,” Twilight said to her yellow friend, but it did nothing to calm down the jumpy pegasus. As if right on cue, the doctor trotted out of the double doors leading to the emergency room. The earth pony stallion’s dark-blue fur was covered by a white coat, and the stethoscope around his neck held his well-aged, gray mane pressed down against his neck. His flank was mostly exposed, and his coat was cut short to reveal a cutie mark of a stethoscope. He approached Rarity’s parents, and Twilight trotted up to listen in as well.

“Hello everypony. I am Doctor Goodheart. I’m the lead doctor of the team currently taking care of your daughter, Miss Rarity. This is a scary time for you all, I know, but I am pleased to share some good news with you. Your daughter did suffer a cardiac episode, but with a combination of medicines and some blood thinners, we were able to break up and free the clots,” he explained, as Rarity’s parents visibly relaxed with every word he spoke. “However I do have some bad news. In order to prevent a similar or even more life threatening episode, your daughter will have to be on medication for the rest of her life. I also suggest she find a less stressful job,” he continued, flashing a small, gentle smile towards the dressmaker’s parents.

“Oh, thank you doctor!” Rarity’s mother exclaimed. “Can we go see our daughter?” she asked.

“She isn’t awake quite yet, but yes, I will allow you all in for a short time to visit once she wakes up,” the doctor replied. He turned to face Twilight. “You and your friends are also more than welcome to visit her after her family,” he said. With that, he curtly nodded and went back through the double doors into the emergency room.

For the first time in what felt like hours, the lavender mare no longer had knots encasing her insides. She felt the smile curl up across her face. Her friend was going to be okay! She happily trotted over to her friends to share the great news.

After another hour, the doctor came out and fetched the white unicorn’s family. After a few quick goodbyes to their cotton candy-maned companion, the other two fillies quickly left the hospital, happy they could help to comfort their friend. The five friends all trotted near the double doors and waited impatiently for a chance to finally see their friend. Despite the improved mood amongst the friends, however, the grim air still hung in the waiting room. The Elements of Harmony were going to see their friend in the worst condition she had ever been in, and each pony was figuring out quite how to process that fact in the back of their head.

Finally, after several long, grueling minutes of waiting, Rarity’s family walked out. Despite having smiles on their faces, Twilight could tell how emotionally worn out they were from the day of conflicts. The librarian herself felt like she could stand to sleep for an entire day with how drained she already was. As she waved goodbye to her fellow unicorn’s family, she followed the other Elements through the double doors. They were led to a small room near the end of the hallway with the door partially closed.

“Before you go in, keep in mind she is under the influence of a few medications, so she may not be entirely responsive. Try to keep this visit nice and short. We would like her to get some good rest,” the doctor instructed the group of friends before finally pushing the door open. The small room had a window on the far wall, and several machines all surrounding the small bed.

Lying on the bed was the Element of Generosity. Her usually pristine purple mane was tangled and messy, like she had just been awakened from a thousand-year sleep. The unicorn had clear tubing wrapped around her head, going into her nostrils. The monitors surrounding her bed all had cables leading to various parts under her sheets, no doubt attached to some parts of her body. Other equipment held bags of liquid suspended in the air, the plastic tubing leading to a needle that was stuck into her foreleg. Rarity opened her eyes, which were so bloodshot that the unicorn looked evil. She manage to give a smile to her friends as they all piled into her room.

“Rarity! We’re so glad you’re okay!” Twilight said as they all approached the dressmaker.

“Yeah, Rarity, you gave us a right good scare,” Applejack added, taking her hat off and placing it on the table by Rarity’s bedside.

“I can’t wait until you’re all better again! We will have to throw a party to celebrate your recovery!” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down a little bit.

“Um, Rarity, I’m happy you’re okay… please get better soon okay?” Fluttershy added quietly.

Rarity's smile grew even brighter as she took in the well-wishes of all of her friends. “Thank you, everypony. I really do appreciate you all checking up on me. Though, I will NEVER let you see me looking this horrid ever again,” she replied to all of them. Everypony chuckled at the dressmaker’s joke, happy that she could stay so lighthearted through such a traumatic event.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was still standing at the back of the room, still looking quite solemn. After a short while of her friends conversing, she swallowed a bit of air and stepped forward between Twilight and Applejack into Rarity’s sight. She began her apology to her friend, “Hey, Rarity… I’m very happy you’re safe… Um, I just wanted to say I’m so-”

“Rainbow, dear, I know that we do have to talk, but now is not the time or the place. We can discuss what we need to later,” Rarity interrupted. Rainbow had a very frustrated look on her face. She grunted before turning around and walking out of the room as tears welled up into her eyes.

After a slight bit of confusion about the new episode of conflict between their friends, the rest of the Elements turned their attention back towards Rarity. They all spent a few more minutes giving the white unicorn their well-wishes and sharing a few laughs before saying goodbye for the day and shuffling out of the room.

“Twilight, wait one second,” Rarity called out to her fellow unicorn as she was about to close the door. Twilight nodded to Rarity and told the others to go on ahead without her, then went back into the room, closing the door behind her. “Twilight, I just wanted to thank you for everything today. The doctor told me if it weren’t for you being able to tell them how I reacted, and what symptoms I exhibited, I never would have had a chance to make it today,” she said. 

Twilight smiled as her eyes glistened from the water welling up inside of them. The white unicorn reached her hoof out, and the lavender mare moved in and wrapped hers around the dressmaker’s neck. They embraced in a long hug,  as Twilight felt the first set of tears roll out of her eyes since the initial incident. “I’m just glad you’re okay, Rarity,” Twilight said as she pulled away, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Get better as soon as you can, and we can make up that lunch that we missed,” the librarian told her friend.

“I look forward to that, especially that tea. It was delightful! I just hope I can clean it out of my fur,” she said, lifting the covers slightly and frowning down at the mark on her flank still dirtied by the spill. Twilight couldn't help but grin. The two unicorns said a quick goodbye, and the lavender mare left, closing the door behind her.

The librarian left the hospital and breathed in the warm evening air. She looked up towards the setting sun, relieved that the tragedy of that day found a way to have a happy ending. She headed back to her library, enjoying the air as it began cooling down around her while Celestia’s sun gave way to Luna’s moon. As she arrived back at the library, she was confronted by her baby dragon assistant.

“Twilight! I heard something happened to Rarity! Is she alright? Does she need my help? What can I do?” the purple dragon said in a panicked voice, grabbing onto Twilight’s fur and pulling impatiently. Twilight simply giggled at him.

“Don’t worry Spike. She’s in the hospital, but she’s fine,” Twilight explained as the baby dragon gave a huge sigh of relief, releasing the unicorn from his grip.

“Oh thank goodness. I couldn’t imagine what I would have done if I found out something really bad happened to her,” the dragon sighed in relief, causing another giggle from Twilight.

“Tell you what, Spike. I’ll take you to see her tomorrow, how does that sound? But right now, all I feel like doing is sleeping. Today was way too emotionally draining,” Twilight said. Spike liked the idea of visiting Rarity the next day. He went back to his normal duties around the library as the lavender unicorn locked up and went up to her bed. She opened her mouth and let out a large yawn as she crawled under the sheets, barely having enough time to pull them over her body before her mind drifted off to sleep.

~`~`~`~`~

        The next morning started early for the lavender mare as her dragon companion woke her early. She yawned and rubbed any traces of sleep from her eyes as she checked the clock. She frowned, noticing that Spike had managed to wake her up at the exact minute visiting hours at the hospital started. He sure is eager to go visit her she thought to herself as she dragged herself out of her bed and magically levitated a brush through her mane to clear it from any snags and tangles.

        The unicorn finished her morning routine and headed down into the kitchen where she found Spike sitting at the table, a claw bared, working on a small jewel. The lavender mare shook her head. “How long have you been up working on that?” she asked the baby dragon.

        “All night!” he replied. The unicorn put a hoof on her face and shook her head at how ridiculous her assistant was being.  “I’m just putting a few finishing touches on it. It’s a gift to Rarity,” he said, holding out the jewel to show it off. It was a small, deep blue sapphire. Inspecting it closely, Twilight noticed that the lines the dragon had carved into it made it resemble one of the diamonds on Rarity’s cutie mark. She was impressed, to say the least.

        After double checking to make sure she was properly groomed to go into public, the unicorn and the dragon left the library and headed towards the town square. The air was a bit chilled that day, causing several of the streetside vendors to remain closed for the moment. However, the duo managed to find a decent flower vendor and paid for a bouquet of various colored flowers for their recovering friend. The unicorn levitated the flowers with her magic, and the duo headed off to their destination.

        They arrived at Celestia National Hospital, a relatively medium sized building just on the outskirts of the town square. On the outside it was a square, bland building, quite easy to ignore or miss if you weren’t looking for it. A small statue of their Princess of the Sun stood on either side of the main doorway. As the duo approached the doorway, they noticed Rarity’s family walking out.

        “Hey there! How is Rari… ty?” she tried to ask as the family pushed past her, practically ignoring her. Twilight noticed that all three of them were hanging their heads. That’s odd… maybe they had to tell Rarity about having to find a different job and got yelled at, she thought to herself. She shrugged and exchanged looks with Spike before heading into the waiting room.

        As soon as they entered the waiting room, they noticed Doctor Goodheart waiting by the emergency room doors. “Ah, Miss Twilight Sparkle?” the doctor asked. Twilight nodded as she approached.

        “Hello, Doctor. This is my friend Spike. We came to visit Rarity, we have a couple of gifts for her,” Twilight replied to the doctor. He gave the duo a grim look.

        “You had better come with me to my office,” Doctor Goodheart said, pushing open the emergency room door. Confused, the unicorn and dragon obediently followed him down the hall, quickly walking past the room Rarity was in. Twilight gave the room a glance through the cracked door as they passed. She noticed the bed was empty and remade, and all of the equipment and machines were gone. Oh, I bet they moved her to a different recovery area, the unicorn thought as she continued past and into the small office.

        Twilight and Spike took a seat in two chairs situated in front of the desk. The room had a sense of intimidation in it, with several small bookshelves filled with medical references, and frames filling the walls with degrees that the doctor had earned both honorably and through his own personal knowledge. He sat down in his seat and rubbed his eyes with his hooves. Twilight now noticed how physically tired the doctor looked. It was as if he had been awake all night.

        “Miss Sparkle. This is going to be extremely tough to take,” the doctor began, gaining the full attention of the confused unicorn and dragon. “Last night, we lowered the dosage of blood thinners and medications your friend Rarity was on as was scheduled for her treatment. She responded well to the change, and it seemed as if we were going to be able to release her in a couple of days,” the doctor continued. “Unfortunately, we had some major complications last night. Several pieces of the clot we had broken up in her heart had managed to travel through her bloodstream freely flowing. By lowering the dosage of the medications, we increased the chances of those clots getting lodged in other veins or arteries in her body.

        “Your friend Rarity suddenly lost quite a bit of function in the middle of the night. She crashed and went into full cardiac arrest. It turns out the clots had travelled and lodged themselves into several parts of her brain. Rarity suffered from several simultaneous strokes, shutting down and killing a lot of her brain and body function. Unfortunately, we couldn’t revive her even to a vegetative state. She passed away in the early hours of the morning. I’m sorry,” he finished, giving the unicorn and dragon an extremely sorrowful look. The flowers Twilight had been subconsciously levitating fell to the ground as her concentration broke, as did the sapphire in Spike’s hand. Both of their mouths hung open, absolutely shocked at the news.

        “What… but… how? She was fine yesterday? How could that happen?” Twilight stammered. Her mind was completely numb as it overloaded trying to process the information. Spike had his face in his hands, sobbing loudly. The doctor stood up and walked over to Twilight’s seat, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

        “I’m sorry, Miss Sparkle. It is a complication that can arise randomly after any cardiac event. If there was any way to prevent it, we would have made sure Miss Rarity was still with us right now. Unfortunately, it is something that can not be foreseen. You have my condolences, and I can offer you and your friends the hospital counseling services free of charge if you need someone to talk to. I wish I could do more for you,” the doctor said.

        Twilight felt her emotions begin to take over her body. Her vision blurred and she blinked as she cleared the tears, letting them roll down her cheeks, staining her fur. She turned and hugged Spike in an attempt to comfort him.

        “Spike, I know this is going to be very tough, but I need you to do a task for me,” she said through a cracked voice. After a few seconds, the dragon wiped his eyes and nodded slowly. “Go and find the other girls. Tell them to meet me at the library. I should be the one to break the news to them,” she explained. Spike simply nodded again, rendered speechless from the shock he had just suffered. He stood from his chair and slowly shuffled out of the office, gasping for breath between each sob.

        As soon as Spike was out of the office, Twilight buried her face into the doctor’s coat. She cried loudly as the doctor attempted to console her. She didn’t want to believe it at all, but she knew with every pat on her back and each kind word from the doctor that it was true. The only thought that ran through her mind was Rarity is gone... forever.

> Chapter 3: Goodbye
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3: Goodbye






        Twilight Sparkle walked slowly out of the hospital with her eyes on the ground. She raised a hoof to her face and wiped away the last few tears from her bloodshot, swollen eyes. It had taken a while for the doctor to calm her down enough to let her go home. The cool morning air had been replaced by the heat of the afternoon as Celestia’s sun hung high in the sky, and the thought of not being able to ever see Rarity again had not fully been processed in the unicorn’s head. She sighed and started to slowly walk back towards the library.

        The lavender mare trudged her way through the town square of Ponyville. Many business owners were now out, attempting to sell their goods to anypony who passed by. There was happy laughter and chatter coming from the outdoor patio in front of the café and around the shopping area. Twilight felt rather uncomfortable walking through the square. She seemed extremely out of place in a world where everypony was happy and the day was nearly perfect. Everywhere she looked, she could think of a memory with Rarity that forced her to suppress a fresh set of tears. She picked up her pace through the square, keeping her head down in hopes that nopony would stop her for a conversation. She couldn’t bear to have to share the bad news with anypony but her friends at the moment.

        She arrived back at the library, looking in the window and seeing four other ponies standing around talking and waiting. Twilight felt all the energy drain from her legs. She couldn’t stand the feeling of knots tying tighter in her stomach. How would she possibly be able to form the words to bear the news? She paused for a minute at the doorway to her own house, staring at the small golden handle. What do I even say? How can I possibly explain it to them… she thought to herself as a fresh set of tears covered her vision. The unicorn’s mind drifted back to the previous day. She felt guilty that she was the last of her friends to talk to or see Rarity alive. Why was she so special? Why did she deserve to be the last one to see their fellow Element with her beautiful blue eyes open and happy?

        After a couple of minutes to regain her composure the best she could, she pressed down the handle and let the door slowly open by its own weight. The other four ponies in the house looked to see who it was and centered their attention on a distraught-looking Twilight. She looked at each one of them, noticing the amount of concern and confusion displayed on each of their faces. She could hear the muffled sobs of her assistant upstairs behind her closed bedroom door. The librarian felt terrible for the baby dragon. He had never gotten the chance she had to see her fallen friend one more time.

        The orange earth pony approached her first. “Twi, what’s the matter?” she asked. “Rainbow and Pinkie here said Spike needed us to come here for you.” She explained. “Did something happen? Are you okay?” The purple pony looked at all of her friends. She felt a large lump form in her throat, and her stomach twisted into an unbearably heavy knot.

        “I went to visit Rarity this morning with Spike and she… well… she…” Twilight had trouble with the final part. She knew she had to tell her friends but she couldn’t bear having to be the one to bring them the upsetting news. She felt her emotions overtake her once again. “She died last night!” she finished, sobbing. Silence overcame the entire room. No one moved or reacted as the words sunk in.

        “W-whaddaya mean she died?” asked the cowpony, breaking the few minutes of silence.

        “Yeah, Twilight. Didn’t the doctor say she was fine yesterday? I’m even preparing her get well party,” said the bright pink pony with a hint of confusion in her voice.

        “This… can’t possibly be true!” yelled the rainbow-mared pegasus.

        Twilight simply shook her head as she wiped at her wet-furred cheeks. “The d-doctor told me it w-was a c-complication. H-he said there wasn’t any… anyway to save her. I’m s-sorry everypony,” the lavender unicorn stammered through her sobs.

        “No! Why?! I don’t believe it,” Rainbow Dash yelled, slamming a hoof against the wall closest to her. Tears had filled her eyes, but they didn’t manage to veil the rage that was blazing through them.

The yellow animal caretaker was the first to join Twilight in fits of sobbing.  She was unable to form the words she so 
badly wanted to speak. I… just saw her yesterday… she was perfectly fine, Fluttershy thought as she felt her own legs give and she collapsed to the ground. Her fellow pegasus flew over and wrapped a hoof around her neck, embracing her in a hug.

“It can’t be true… it just can’t,” the blond pony said as she walked over to join the two pegasi on the ground. She began to blink away the tears forming in her eyes as well. Her fellow earth pony followed suit, missing her trademark grin and bubbly personality. Emptiness seemed to reflect from the party pony’s eyes as she took a seat a wrapped a hoof around her friends. Shock had practically silenced the motor-mouthed mare.

“I’m sorry everypony…” Twilight repeated silently as she stood in the doorway. She hung her head, knowing how badly she had hurt all of her friends. As much as she didn’t like having to bring them the worst news of their lives, she knew that it was best that she told them. She slowly walked over and joined the remaining Elements of Harmony on the ground as they all silently cried.

~`~`~`~`~

        A few hours had passed before the group had all managed to settle down. However, a very heavy air still hung around all of them. Twilight came out of the kitchen carrying a steaming tea kettle in her mouth. The shock of that day still rendered her unable to concentrate well enough to use her magic. She walked around the circle of her silent friends, filling each cup with the same potent honey and chamomile tea that she had shared with her fellow unicorn on that fateful day. The lone unicorn sat down at her spot and sipped at her tea. She wasn’t sure what to say to break the silence. No one knew what to say at all. She looked at all of her friends’ downtrodden expressions. This truly was the worst day of all of their lives.

        Knock. Knock. Knock. The sound was that of a hoof hitting wood. The strange trance that had enveloped everyone was suddenly broken by the loud noise. Twilight stood up and walked over to the door, opening it. Standing in front of her was a large white stallion and his pink mare wife. Twilight, a little shocked, stepped back and allowed them to enter.

        “Hello Twilight Sparkle,” began Rarity’s father as he scanned the room, “oh, I see all of you are here. Good, that will make it a bit easier. I just wanted to thank everypony for being with our daughter until the end. If there’s one thing our Rarity loved, it was spending time with her friends. I’m sure she was very happy to have seen all of you together one more time before she passed,” he continued.

        “O-of course, sir. We all loved Rarity very much. Can’t imagine what it’s gonna be like without her ‘round here no more,” Applejack said, standing up and walking up to meet Twilight. Rarity’s mother began to cry, burying her face into her husband’s shoulder.

        “Oh, my, we had better be quick. I came here to tell you that we are having the funeral tomorrow afternoon. It would mean a lot to us if you would be there,” he finished as he tried to console his wife.

        “We will be there. There’s nothing that will stop all of us from saying goodbye,” Twilight said to the couple. They gave each other a confirmatory nod before the husband turned and led his wife out of the library, Twilight slowly closing the door behind them.

        “Well, I guess that confirms it,” the orange cowpony said, hanging her head as she let go of the last string of doubt in her mind about the situation. Upon hearing those words, the group broke down into a fresh fit of tears.

~`~`~`~`~

        Twilight watched as her group of friends slowly walked out of the library. She sighed as she closed the door behind Fluttershy, the last of the demoralized ponies to leave. The unicorn gave a heavy sigh and slowly trudged upstairs, drained from the horrible day. She opened her door to find Spike laying in his bed, seemingly asleep, clutching the sapphire he had made for his pony crush. As cute of a sight as it was, the mare could not manage to form a smile that day. She walked over and knelt down next to the dragon’s bed, wrapping her hooves around her assistant’s neck and embracing him tightly. The dragon stirred, surprised by the sudden contact.

        “Oh Spike, I’m so sorry, I know how much she meant to you,” Twilight said to her friend as she pressed her muzzle against his back. The baby still wasn’t willing to speak, but the rubbing of his hand on her furry leg was all the confirmation she needed that he was listening. “I feel so terrible you weren’t with us yesterday. It would have meant the world to her if she got to see her favorite dragon one more time,” the mare continued, feeling one more set of tears beginning to roll out of her eyes. “Come sleep up in my bed tonight, Spike. I don’t want to be alone,” she finished.

        The baby dragon was taken aback by the request. He sat up and faced his pony friend. His eyes were swollen, the undersides crusted with dried tears. He had a sad look upon his face as he examined the lavender mare. After a few seconds he nodded in understanding. He stood up out of his bed and followed the unicorn to her bed. With a little assistance, he climbed into her bed and rolled over under the sheets. Twilight followed him and tucked the sheet in behind her. She wrapped her arm around the baby dragon and closed her eyes, feigning sleep as she felt the dragon’s rhythmic breathing slow down as he entered slumber.

        The mare ran through the past two days’ events in her head. She couldn’t believe that only yesterday, he closest friend was alive and very well, complaining about completing dresses on time. How could she ever face life without her friend? The unicorn closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the picture frame sitting on the dresser near her door. After a few seconds, she finally was able to create the levitation spell necessary to bring the object into the air and over to her. She grabbed a hold of it with a hoof as she let the spell dissipate.

        The photo within the frame was of the Elements of Harmony together as a group. Each one was dressed in their unique, handmade dress for the Grand Galloping Gala that was held during Twilight’s first year in Ponyville. The unicorn sighed as she remembered the trouble that they had all put Rarity through to make those dresses, along with the abominations they had suggested as well. Her fellow unicorn had taken the whole thing in stride, however, a feat of patience that impressed even Twilight. She truly was the Element of Generosity, Twilight thought to herself as she put the picture on the bed stand next to her, facing her. I just wish we had one more chance to talk; she finished thinking as her mind slowly drifted off towards dreamland.

~`~`~`~`~

        Several birds had landed on the windowsill and chirped loudly outside of the circular window of the bedroom. The lavender unicorn stirred awake at the penetrating noise. She rubbed at her eyes, which were extremely sore from all of their work yesterday. As her vision came into focus, she noticed she was staring at the picture from the night before. Everypony had a large smile on their face, unaware of the disaster each one was going to face during the celebration. Best night ever, indeed, Twilight thought to herself as she focused her attention on Rarity. She looked absolutely regal in her dress, with its dark purple shawl wrapped around her neck, matching well with her pearl white fur. Each frill of the light-purple and gold dress was set absolutely perfectly and the crown of jewels that lay just under her horn was a perfect complementary piece. Rarity always knew how to design the perfect dress for any pony in any situation.

        The lavender unicorn sighed as she shook Spike gently to wake him. The baby dragon grunted as he awoke from his sleep. He noticed a letter sitting in front of him, probably as a result of a hiccup overnight. He handed it back to the mare as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Twilight took the letter with her magic and broke the seal, unfurling it.
        
My faithful student,
        News has been delivered to me on the death of your friend, Rarity. I am extremely sorry to hear about your loss. If there is anything you need from me at this time, simply write to me and I will reply posthaste. Remember, Twilight, I love you and cherish you and your friends very much, and I will do all in my power to make sure you all make it through this hard time. I will see you later today, for I will be speaking at Rarity’s funeral at the request of her parents. If you would like to talk afterwards, feel free to seek me out.
                                        With much love,
                                        Princess Celestia


        Twilight clutched the letter close to her body. Being able to see her lifelong mentor was exactly what she needed at this time. She read the letter aloud to Spike before hugging him and helping him out of the bed. Twilight relieved him of his usual duties by preparing breakfast for the day, giving the dragon the day to rest for what would become quite possibly the most upsetting experience of his life. She stepped outside, stopping at the front step and looking down at what lay in front of her.

        On the ground was the Ponyville Times daily newspaper. The front page was adorned with a large picture of Rarity, posing in front of several dresses from her store. Her head was turned slightly to the side, showing off the natural curl of her mane just a slight bit more. The headline read “Local, celebrated Element of Harmony dies tragically.” Twilight felt her eyes fill with liquid once again. She used her magic to pick up the newspaper and unfold it to read the article:

        Early yesterday morning, the well-known dressmaker Rarity died of complications from a cardiac issue she had suffered the previous day. Sources at the hospital have explained that the complication was one that can arise from the use of blood thinning medication in order to clear a clot. By not completely removing the clot from the body, the risk exists that the clot would travel and lodge itself elsewhere in the body. This is most likely what caused the death of our young owner of the Carousel Boutique.
        Rarity was well known for her talent in designing jewel-adorned dresses and outfits for Equestrian celebrities. She, along with several of her close friends, represented the Elements of Harmony in order to stop the conflicts that have troubled Equestria several times during the past few years, most specifically the crises involving Nightmare Moon and Discord. Rarity herself stood for the Element of Generosity. Anypony wishing to pay their final respects can do so at her funeral, which will be held at Ponyville Cemetery this afternoon. Please turn to page 14 for a five-page memorial, including a look at the life of Rarity as she made a name for herself among Equestrian elite.


Twilight sighed as she folded the newspaper. She had to prepare for the funeral, and now was no time to make herself more emotional by reading further into the article. She carried the newspaper inside and put it on an empty space of a bookshelf near the door.

        “Hey Twilight,” said a familiar male voice, “um… I’m ready if you are.”

        Twilight smiled at her friend. “Oh, Spike, it’s so nice to hear you talk again,” she said to her dragon friend. She trotted up and gave him a quick hug. Unfortunately, it didn’t cheer his mood up.

        They headed out in the direction of Ponyville Cemetery. The sky was a dull gray, as rainclouds covered the sky. From what Twilight remembered, it wasn’t supposed to rain for several more days. I really hope that Rainbow wasn’t the cause of this, she thought to herself. It would be an absolute disaster if it rained during Rarity’s funeral. Along the way through the town square, the lavender mare looked towards Carousel Boutique. She took notice of the closed sign hanging in the window. She looked away as she felt her emotions working their way up again. I guess we will never see the other side of that sign again, the mare thought as she picked up her pace, rounding a corner and leaving the boutique out of sight.

        The purple duo arrived at the cemetery a few moments before the beginning of the funeral. Through the gates, she could see the crowd gather around a small clearing. She was surprised at the size of the crowd. Rarity seemed to have more reach than she presented, as Twilight recognized multiple famous celebrities, music artists, and some of the richest ponies she had ever heard of sitting in the audience. Twilight quickly walked through the aisle that was split down the middle of the crowd.

She found her friends already seated towards the front, with two empty seats bearing reserved signs. Applejack turned and spotted the lavender mare. She waved her over, and then embraced her in a large hug as she approached and took her seat with Spike. Twilight looked to the end of the aisle and saw Princess Celestia sitting in a seat, her eyes focused squarely on the ground. Even the ruler of the land of Equestria seemed to look severely impacted by the loss of the dressmaking pony. The chatter began to die down as the small hired orchestra began to play a somber melody.

        Five unicorns all began walking slowly down the aisle, carry a large casket. Everypony turned their attention back towards the group as they moved forward. Almost military-like, they hovered the casket with their magic towards a small platform at the front of the audience, setting it down gently before turning in unison and walking out of sight to the side. The casket was a bright pearl white. It almost looked like it was shining despite the heavy cloud cover in the sky. On the side it was adorned by three diamonds, organized and cut into the shape of Rarity’s cutie mark. The same pattern was found along the cover of the casket.

        Another unicorn, dressed in a black robe, approached the casket. Using his magic, he unlocked the top and opened half of the casket, revealing Rarity’s upper half to the crowd. Wails of agony could be heard as people began to lose control of their emotions at the sight of the deceased pony. The five remaining Elements all began to have tears fall down onto their cheeks, staining their fur. Rarity lay in her casket, eyes closed. The unicorn simply appeared to be in a state of slumber. Her face held a serious look to it, one that her friends saw when she was fully concentrating on one of her projects. Her mane was, once again, styled absolutely perfectly, and her fur coat looked flawless. No one would expect anything less of Rarity, even in death.

        Princess Celestia stood from her seat as the black-robed pony walked off to join the pallbearers on the side. She approached a platform and turned to face the audience, giving it a quick scan before focusing her attention on the five remaining Elements sitting in the front row. She cleared her throat and began to speak.

        “Today we are gathered in mourning of a young, very prestigious pony. But mourning does not just mean that we grieve, but also celebrate her life. Miss Rarity had her life cut extremely short, but in the time she had on this planet, she managed to affect the lives of everypony that is here today. Not only was she a great businesspony, but she was a wonderful friend.

        “I have only met Rarity a few times, but in the times I had, I was touched by how kind of a pony she was. She represented our Element of Generosity very well. She always put her friends’ needs first, and she was extremely thankful for every little thing that she earned or was given throughout her life. Rarity was quite the handful for her friends at times I’m sure, but in the end, she always managed to do the right thing.” The princess finished her speech. She looked back at the Elements. She was saddened by the sight she was greeted by. Twilight and Fluttershy both had their faces buried in their hooves, sobbing quite hysterically. Applejack and Rainbow Dash tried their best to calm their friends, but the Princess could see the tears flowing freely from their eyes as well. Pinkie Pie sat with her head down. Her normally curly hair was flattened today, adding to her sad expression. She was not anything like the party pony that she was known to be.

        Princess Celestia was silent as she moved forward and stood by the casket. She looked down at the former Element. “Rarity, you were truly an inspiration to us all. Your giving nature, combined with your strong personality made you a wonderful pony to grace this world. I consider myself blessed to have known you,” she said aloud for the crowd to hear. With that, the tip of her horn lit up as she looked skyward, and a beam of light shot out from it. The beam travelled straight up into the sky, scattering a small hole into the cloud cover. Through the hole, sunlight beamed downwards hitting the casket. The casket was illuminated, the pearl white almost blinding. The diamonds lit up a brilliant blue, reflecting a blinding light into the audience. 

The princess faced the audience as the light of her magic died down. “Anypony who wishes to give Rarity a final goodbye may do so now,” she said as she stepped away from the casket. She walked by the five Elements and took her seat. The audience began to shuffle and form a line. One by one, they laid flowers on the ground in front of the casket, paying their final respects as they continued on past. There wasn’t a dry eye that left the cemetery that day. The five Elements stayed in their seats through the whole ordeal, comforting each other. When the rest of the audience had finally dissipated, the princess stood up and faced the five girls.

“I’ll give you all some time to say goodbye before I fetch the burial crew to finish the ceremony,” the princess said before walking off. The girls sat in silence for a few seconds before they all stood up, each fetching a flower from the rose wreath that hung on a stand by the side of the casket. They formed a line of their own, with Applejack at the front. 

The orange earth pony stepped forward, placing the flower inside the casket across Rarity’s front hooves. She wiped tears from her eyes. “Rarity we-we’re gonna miss you. It w-won’t be the same without any of your beauty or personality to l-liven the group up,” the cowpony said through sobs. She bowed her head to her friend before walking forward towards the exit of the cemetery.

Pinkie Pie stepped forward next, placing her rose right on top of Applejack’s. “Oh Rarity, n-nothing is going to seem right without you. P-parties just won’t be as b-beautiful without your touch,” said Pinkie before she broke down into tears and slowly shuffled off, covering her muzzle to suppress the sobs.

The yellow pegasus stepped forward next. She placed her rose into the pile and sobbed, trying to wipe her eyes the best she could. “Rarity… um… I’m so sorry… I wish I could have helped…” she managed to squeak out before moving forward, following her friends out of the cemetery.

Rainbow Dash moved forward next. She added her rose to the top of the pile and examined Rarity. The light-blue pegasus couldn’t summon the words she wanted to say. All she could do was stare helplessly as she let the tears blur her vision. She blinked the salty substance out of her eyes as she trudged forward past the casket and towards the gate.

Spike moved forward next. Tears flowed freely and easily from his eyes and down the scales on his cheeks. He looked at Rarity for a few seconds before his stomach could take it no longer. The dragon moved forward and stood on his toes, placing the small sapphire he had crafted on the pillow besides her head before he ran away, his sobs audible until he was past the gate.

Finally, Twilight stepped forward, using her magic to gently place her rose with the pile. She looked down at her fellow unicorn as tears clouded her vision. She wore a sad expression on her face. “Rarity… Well… I’m so happy to have known you, even if the time was so short. There was so much I still wanted to say to you. I wanted to tell you about Canterlot Castle, about growing up in magic school, about what it meant to me to have you in my life… I guess it will just have to wait until we meet again. Thank you for everything you’ve given me. Be it the memories we share, or even something as simple and wonderful as our friendship. Goodbye… Rarity,” she managed to choke out. 

Twilight closed her eyes, causing tears to be forced out of her eyes and down across her cheeks, dampening the fur on her face. She began concentrating with all of her power as her horn light up. After a few short seconds, she let out a loud grunt as a popping noise formed in the air. The unicorn opened her eyes and before her hovered the golden necklace adorned with a blue diamond. She gave a small smile as she placed the Necklace of Generosity around Rarity’s neck. The lavender pony stepped back in order to examine the body one last time as she felt a fresh set of tears well up into her eyes.

“That was a beautiful goodbye, Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Celestia said to break the silence. The purple mare was surprised by the shadow that enveloped her as the princess approached from behind her. The librarian turned quickly, facing her mentor and bowing her head.

“Oh, Princess, why did this have to happen? Why was there no way to stop such a tragic thing from happening? She was way too young to be gone,” Twilight pleaded to her mentor. Celestia simply bowed her head and wrapped a hoof around her student’s neck, pulling her in close.

“Nopony will know why things like this happen to such wonderful ponies, and there certainly is no way to prevent it,” Celestia explained. “But just remember what I said during the funeral. While we mourn for her death in sadness, we should also celebrate all of the great memories we have with her. Based on the letters you have written to me, it seems you had many wonderful memories you shared with Rarity. I have to go for now, Twilight, but always remember that I am simply a letter away. If you have anything you need to say at all, don’t hesitate to write to me,” she finished. The princess took a few steps away from her student and looked down at her, giving her a warming smile. Princess Celestia kicked off the ground and expanded her wings, flapping a few times as she sailed off into the sky that was now tinted orange by the setting sun.

Twilight stood there a few minutes more, letting the tears freely flow down and drip to the ground. She didn’t want to leave; she wanted to stay there with her friend forever. But the lavender mare knew that it was time to have her friend laid to rest. She gave the casket one more look before slowly walking out of the cemetery, never to see her fellow unicorn again.

The librarian arrived back at the library and slowly trudged up the stairs. She opened the door to her room to see Spike lying in her bed, already in a deep slumber. A small damp spot had formed on the dragon’s pillow from the time he spent sobbing before he finally fell asleep. Twilight gently lifted her assistant’s head and moved the pillow, replacing it with hers. She quickly replaced the pillowcase and placed the pillow back on the bed before crawling under the sheets next to Spike. She looked at the picture of the six Elements that still sat on the bed stand, letting the tears continue to fill her eyes. She sobbed for an hour before her lack of energy forced her body into a deep sleep.

> Chapter 4: Sisters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4: Sisters







        The orange cowmare stirred awake. She could feel cool dampness where her cheek made contact with the pillow, the remnants of crying herself to sleep. She rubbed at her eyes, feeling a little bit dizzy from having barely slept through the night. She rolled over and squinted as she looked out her window. The sun could barely be seen through the thick layer of clouds that enveloped the sky, but it was bright enough to blind the mare. Her eyes suddenly went wide. Oh shoot! The sun! I’m late! Applejack thought as she struggled to throw the sheets off of her body and work her way out of bed.

        The tardy farmer dashed her way out of her room and down the small set of stairs, nearly tripping over her red-maned sister in the process. The earth pony hurried her way over to the barn, which was only a few feet away from her home, grabbing and quickly strapping on a saddlebucket. She galloped through the green sea of trees, spotting her older brother a little ways off in the distance. She made her way to the muscular, red stallion as quickly as she could, stopping for breath only once she had reached him.

        “Sorry I’m late, Big Mac,” she said, gasping to catch her breath from the sudden sprint. The red earth pony turned away from his work to face her. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut short as the blond pony continued her thought. “Should I start here? Don’t worry, I’ll catch back up to you in a jiff,” she said rather quickly. She turned her back to the tree closest to her and put her weight on her front hooves. When she found balance, she thrust her back legs into the tree as hard as she could. However, it barely caused the tree to rattle. “Whoops, I guess I’m a little tired today,” the orange mare said with a nervous laugh.

        Big Macintosh just stared at her, rather surprised by his sister’s sudden appearance and action. “Applejack, ya know ya don-“ he started in his slow drawl.

        “Don’t worry about me, Big Mac. I just slipped,” Applejack interrupted. She brought her legs up and kicked back into the tree again, this time more effectively. The leaves and fruit hanging from the branches managed to shake free. The cowmare began dancing around the tree in an attempt to catch the falling fruit. However, she managed to cross her front legs and tripped, falling to the ground and landing face-first with a loud thump! Bright red apples fell to the ground around her as she looked up nervously at her brother.

        “Uh... Oops,” she said as she gave her brother a nervous smile. The red cowpony looked at the sight around him and shook his head, tossing his strawberry blonde mane side to side.

        “Applejack, ya don’t have ta worry about workin’ today,” he said in his usual slow drawl. The orange mare gave him a confused look as she stood up.

        “Whaddaya mean? We got half the orchard to harvest still and we’re already gettin’ too far behind,” the orange mare argued.

        “Ya had a might rough couple of days. Ya’rnt in the right mind ta do this right now. Ya don’t even got your hat with ya,” he explained. Applejack became aware that she wasn’t wearing her trademark cowpony hat, and felt her cheeks flush as she realized how big of a rush she was in the morning. “Go an’ get some rest,” the stallion said as he trotted forward and began picking apples up with his teeth, flinging them into the buckets strapped to his own back. The blond pony opened her mouth to argue but decided against it.

        “I suppose you’re right,” she sighed. Her thoughts quickly ran through the events of the past two days. She turned away from the red stallion and started back towards the barn as tears began to well up in her eyes. Big Macintosh looked on as his sister trotted away. His face showed worry for his sister, but he knew she would figure it all out for herself. He shook the thoughts out of his head and went back to work.

        Applejack freed the strap holding the saddlebuckets to her back. She looked down at the ground where fresh wet spots were forming from the tears falling from her cheek. She let out a sad, heavy sigh and slowly walked out of the barn, closing the door behind her. A chilled wind blew through her mane as she began a slow trot back to the house.

        The little yellow filly watched from the window as her sister trudged her way home. Apple Bloom frowned. she had never seen her sister act like this before. Even after the loss of several major crops a few years ago, her sister was far peppier. She watched in silence as her sister entered the house and shuffled upstairs without so much as a word to her. Apple Bloom got down from the windowsill and followed her sister up the stairs.

        Applejack sat down on her bed and sighed again. She let the tears freely fall out of her eyes and roll down her cheeks. At least he knew I wasn’t ready to handle work today, she thought to herself. She felt a small nudge on her back and turned to see her little red-maned sister sitting on the bed behind her, pushing with her head.

        “Um... Applejack... Are you okay?” the little filly asked her sister when she noticed she had got the blond pony’s attention. She had a worried look in her large orange eyes. The cowmare forced a smile for her sister.

        “I’ll be okay eventually,” the orange pony replied, “I just need something to take my mind off it for a while.”

        Apple Bloom gave her sister a huge grin “Oh! I know! Let’s go into town. That should right cheer you up!” she said excitedly. Applejack nodded.

        “Y’know, that’s not a bad idea,” she said, rubbing her sister on the head roughly, messing up her mane. She wiped the tears from her eyes and followed her sister out of her room. This time, she made sure to grab her hat. 

~`~`~`~`~

        An air of sadness had enveloped Ponyville. Once news had spread about the death of Rarity, the town seemed to have lost the excitement that usually buzzed about. The mood was as gray as the skies that day as Applejack and Apple Bloom entered the town square. A lot of the magic that seemed to keep the town in good spirits was gone, as if trapped in the sky by the clouds that seemed to wrap the town into a dome of depression. Apple Bloom’s ears dropped, regretting the idea of coming to town. Even though most of the street vendors were out, none of them seemed to be focused on making sales. All of them, in fact, seemed to be lost in thought or in a fit of depression. The two sisters walked through the town square together, staying relatively silent as they took in the upsetting scene.

        “I guess Rarity seemed to be in touch with a lotta people,” the elder sister said to break the silence. She looked down at her sister and smiled. “No matter, we came here to have some fun and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do!” She said, hoping to cheer up the little yellow filly. Apple Bloom returned a sincere grin.

        “How about some food? I’m starvin’!” the red-maned sister said as she began to run towards the first cafe she spotted. 

        “Woah there, how do you expect to pay for anything around here?” Applejack countered, stepping in front of her overly excited sister. The filly shrugged and looked down at the ground.

        “Um... Well, you have a few bits with you, dontcha?” Apple Bloom asked. Her mouth spread into a sly attempt at an innocent smile as she widened her eyes in hopes of her sister saying yes. The orange earth pony put a hoof up to her head and rubbed her temple, groaning in frustration.

        “Let’s just go to Twilight’s. She’ll probably have something good to eat since it’s right around lunchtime,” She said, turning in the direction of the library. Her sister followed suit, a little disappointed that she didn’t get her way.

        The library was a beautiful landmark in the town. An ancient tree perfectly preserved, frozen in age through unicorn magic, hollowed out and filled with books dated through all sorts of time periods in Ponyville and Equestrian history. It gave the word “bookworm” a new meaning, as did the pony that inhabited and kept up the library. Applejack and Apple Bloom wiped their hooves and knocked on the front door. A few seconds later, they heard the pony inside as she clammered down the stairs in an  uncharacteristically loud manner. The door flew open in their faces, leaving them with a stunned look on their faces.

        “Spike?!” the purple unicorn yelled in their faces. Her eyes went wide and filled with disappointment as she realized that the two ponies standing, looking shocked, in front of her was not her dragon companion. Her mane was tangled, messy at her bangs and matted along her neck. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, evidence of extensive crying she had been doing that day. She stepped back as she let her head hang, allowing her guests to enter the library The two earth ponies gave each other a confirming look of confused worry before Applejack stepped forward into the library and put a hoof around Twilight’s neck.

        “Twi, what in the hay is wrong?!” the cowmare asked her friend, giving her a sympathetic look. “Where’s Spike? Did something happen to him?”

        “He-he’s gone! He left!” she yelled hysterically as she broke down into fits of sobbing, her legs giving way beneath her. The earth pony’s eyes went wide as she reflexively reacted and grabbed her friend around the chest, slowly helping her to the ground.

        “Now, calm down, sugarcube. Where did he go? Is he okay?” Applejack asked again, a tinge of panic in her voice. She had never seen Twilight act like this before, not even when she had to break the horrible news about the loss of their friend. She looked at her sister, who still stood outside of the open door, her eyes wide with fear. Her focus went back to Twilight, whose sobbing was now muffled as she had her muzzle pressed against Applejack’s chest. The earth pony stayed silent, listening to and feeling the gasping breaths her unicorn friend was taking. The cowmare simply stroked her friend’s mane to show compassion, as she was too stunned to do anything else to comfort the hyterical librarian.

        After a few moments, Twilight took a few deep breaths and allowed herself to calm down. She looked at the earth pony with heavily saddened eyes, taking a moment to form the words in her head before she spoke. “I woke up this morning with Spike, but he was still unwilling to talk and he still had nearly no energy. He was moving like a zombie around the house. I offered him the day off and decided to do his chores for him. He simply went back up into our room and shut the door, so I didn’t think twice of it. I went out to pick up some groceries so I could make him a meal and cheer him up, and when I returned, I found this note on the bookstand,” she explained. 

She activated her horn, which glowed with a faint purple aura. Applejack looked behind her, noticing the same aura appear around a parchment of paper lying on the ground. It gently lifted off the ground and floated towards her, like a small wind had picked it up. Once it reached the two ponies, it hovered in front of the orange mare’s eyes. She noticed how short and concise it was as she began reading it line by line aloud.

Dear Twilight, my best friend,
        The past two days have been horrible on both of us. I thank you for all of your support since we found out what happened. Unfortunately, it has been a little too much for me to handle. There’s too many painful memories for me to deal with right now, especially knowing that I can never see Rarity’s beautiful face agin. I’m very sorry to do this, but I am returning to Canterlot Castle until I can sort through my feelings. Ponyville is just too much for me right now.
        I hope to see you again soon...
                                Your assistant and best friend,
                                                        Spike

The note floated down to the ground as Twilight’s magic weakened. A new fit of hysteria was beginning to overtake her. The orange mare pulled her friend into an embrace to comfort her, making hushing noises to try and calm her down. Even the yellow filly had begun to rub Twilight’s fur on her back.

“You’ll be okay sugarcube. He’ll be back before you know it. The little guy will miss you too much,” the cowmare said in a soothing voice. She felt Twilight nod and gave a little smile as she continued to stroke the librarian’s mane. After a short while, Twilight had managed to calm down. She decided she wanted a little bit of alone time to figure things out. Applejack respectfully agreed, and the two sisters departed the library. Apple Bloom had remained silent through the ordeal. As the door closed behind them, however, she gave a tug at her sister’s tail.

        “Applejack... um... Would you mind if we went to Carousel Boutique?” the filly asked. The cowmare felt her stomach twist into knots at the mention of her friend’s old shop. She knew that Apple Bloom asked because she wanted to see her friend Sweetie Belle. Rarity’s family was staying at the Boutique for a few weeks to clean up and decide the fate of the store. After a moment, she nodded to her sister and they began the short walk through the town.

~`~`~`~`~

        The sign hanging on the door still read “closed.” Applejack stared at it in a trance, wondering about how the day that it last read “open” had gone. The orange earth pony rarely visited the store, having no need for an expensive and fancy dress outside of the disastrous trip to the Grand Galloping Gala. Regret crawled into her mind as she grimaced. She wished she had decided to come around the store at least a few more times in the past, if only just to say hello to her friend. Now I’ll never get that chance... she thought to herself in guilt. 

The cowmare knocked on the door a few times before removing her hat, revealing her blond mane. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a white, mustached unicorn. His short, brown mane was slicked back loosely, a few strands falling wildly. He gave a blank stare to the two earth ponies from Sweet Apple Acres. “Can I help you?” he asked after a moment.

“Hello sir, I’m Rarity’s friend, Applejack, and this here is Sweetie Belle’s friend Apple Bloom. We just wanted to come and see how ya’ll were doin’,” the orange pony explained. The stallion nodded in response. Applejack could tell upon a second of inspection that the poor unicorn hadn’t slept all night. His eyes seemed to have lost their color, evidence that the shock of the whole incident had yet to wash itself out of his system.

“Well that is nice of you. Sweetie Belle is upstairs in... erm... Rarity’s room,” he replied, his voice cracking as he mentioned his late daughter’s name. He stepped out of the way so the two farming ponies could make their way inside. Apple Bloom trotted towards the staircase and proceeded upstairs to visit her friend. Applejack, however, stayed downstairs and began examining the room. She presumed it was preserved just the way Rarity had last left it, as she recognized the trademark organized chaos that her dressmaking friend was so well known for when she was working on several projects at once. She could hear the clock ticking loudly, wondering how it never drove the unicorn crazy when she worked.

“If you don’t mind me askin’, what do ya’ll plan on doing to the store?” Applejack said after a few moments of silence between the two. The stallion shrugged and looked at the ground. He gave a small sigh before answering.

“We’re not entirely sure yet. My wife has some skill in dressmaking, but it is nowhere near our daughter’s quality,” he explained, “We might sell the store. It all depends on how the next few weeks play out.”

The earth ponys eyes widened and filled with fear. “But... You just can’t do that,” she stammered. The stallion gave her a confused look as his head cocked sideway. She thought for a second, choosing her next words wisely. “This store is a big part of Ponyville. Rarity made a legacy from this store, and I think it should be kept well alive. If you need help, the Apple family is more than willin’ to lend you a hoof,” she pleaded.

The unicorn nodded in understanding. “It’s good to see how caring Rarity’s friends are,” he said with a small crack in his voice. Applejack could see a familiar shine in his eyes, indicating the tears that were about to flow freely from them. She couldn’t imagine the pain he was experiencing right now. The orange mare put a caring hoof on the stallion’s shoulder to comfort him, but was unable to form any words that could make him feel better. After a moment of the awkward silence, she decided to go upstairs and check up on the two fillies, giving Rarity’s father the privacy he needed to calm himself.

Applejack had never been in Rarity’s room. She pushed the door open and looked around. The high vaulted ceiling reached a peak at the midpoint, as if it truly was a carnival tent. The circular room was rather barren when compared to the rest of the store. There was simply a four-posted bed up against the wall near the door, with two dressers and a mirror sitting on the far side of the room. A closed door lead to what the cowmare assumed was a closet. On the bed laid the familiar yellow filly holding her white-furred friend in her hooves. 

The unicorn with the cotton-candy colored mane had a depressed look on her face that Applejack thought no pony that young deserved to be wearing. Her mane was at a loss of its trademark curls; instead, flattened down with loose ends sticking out at random points. The orange earth pony had a grimace on her face as she approached the two fillies and propped her two front hooves on the bed, kneeling down on her back legs so she was at eye level of the two young ponies.

Apple Bloom looked at her sister in desperation. She had no clue how to cheer up her friend. Applejack gave her a calming look before locking eyes with Sweetie Belle. She gave the little unicorn a smile the best she could as she racked her brain for an idea of what to say. 

“How are you holdin’ up?” she asked. She regretted the words immediately as the tears flowed from the unicorn’s large emerald eyes. Sweetie Belle buried her head back into the purple bed sheets that she lied on. The cowmare couldn’t stand to see the little filly in such a state. She felt her own heart breaking at the sight as she let a saddened expression overtake her face. She started patting the little white filly’s head as she tried to think of ways to cheer her up. A thought worked its way into her mind, her eyes widening as she considered it. She looked down at the upset filly and smiled

“I got an idea. How about you come along with me and Apple Bloom? We’re gonna pay somepony a visit,” she said. Sweetie Belle looked up, sniffling. She gave a slow nod as she agreed with the idea. The orange earth pony held out her hooves and helped the little unicorn off the bed and onto her feet. The group departed the room and headed down into the storefront. Applejack gave a quick explanation to the stallion before the three left the Boutique. 

They walked back into the town square. Applejack took them on a small detour to a vendor selling flowers. She bought the three most beautiful crimson roses she could pick out before the group headed down towards the cemetery. The group was silent as they walked through the open iron gates and down along the dirt path. The cowmare led the two off the path down towards a headstone with freshly overturned dirt filling the ground in front of it. She gave a small sigh as she read her friend’s name engraved on the headstone. She looked back at the two fillies behind her, both sharing a similar look of deep depression. She stepped back and knelt down between them, wrapping her front hooves around each one.

“Figured she might appreciate her sister bein’ her first visitor,” the orange earth pony said as she looked into the unicorn’s light green eyes. The little white filly took in the thought before her eyes brightened up a bit. A small smile crossed her mouth, the first since the terrible shock she recieved when she went to visit her sister in the hospital. Her emerald eyes filled with grateful tears as she took a rose in her mouth from Applejack. She stepped forward and laid the rose across the dirt. She wiped at her eyes with a hoof before giving a deep sigh.

“Hi sis... um... I miss you...” she started, the first words she had spoken since the terrible incident. She had no clue what to say to her sister, so she simply let the words flow as they came to mind. “I still haven’t gotten my cutie mark, but that’s okay. Maybe I’ll get it soon. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom have tons of ideas, and I’m sure I’m good at one of them. I’ll be sure you’re the first pony I tell when I do,” she finished. It wasn’t a graceful conversation, but it was the best she could think of. The cotton candy-mared filly smiled and sniffled, knowing it was one of her favorite conversations with her sister. She turned back towards the two earth ponies as they also approached the headstone, laying down their roses and paying their respects.

After a few moments of silence, Applejack rubbed the top of the little unicorn’s head while Apple Bloom gave her fellow Cutie Mark Crusader a hug. She embraced the showings of comfort, wrapping her hooves around her friend as well. The group held each other for what seemed like hours before Applejack stepped back and looked into the darkening sky. “C’mon you two. We still got one more thing to do tonight,” she said. The two fillies gave each other a look of confusion before following the orange earth pony out of the cemetery.

~`~`~`~`~

        The sun was well set once the group reached Sweet Apple Acres. The land was pitch black, a result of Luna’s moon being unable to penetrate the thick cloud cover. Applejack led the group into the barn, grabbing a saddlebucket and filling it with various materials before lighting a latern and leading the group into the apple grove. They walked to a spot where the trees were thick enough that neither the barn nor the town could be seen before Applejack stopped. She began to set up a tent while the two fillies ran around and played in the darkness.

        After a few minutes, the cowmare had managed to get a fire roaring as well. The light cast scary shadows across the surrounding trees while the three ponies grouped together around the fire, simply spending the time to be mesmerized by the dance of the flames. Applejack, sitting between the fillies, wrapped her hooves around them and brought them in close.

        “Y’know, Sweetie Belle, the Apple family here are extremely close with one another,” she began to say, choosing her words carefully. She looked into the eyes of the small unicorn, barely able to make out the tinge of green as the fire’s orange light flickered in them. “You remember back around the time of the Sisterhooves Social? When me and Apple Bloom were more than willin’ to let you run the races with us? Well, we still consider you a part of the Apple family, y’know,” she continued. Applejack noticed a small smile beginning to form on the unicorn’s face. “Basically, what I’m trying to say is, you still got sisters in us, Sweetie Belle. You’re welcome to the farm anytime, as a part of the family” she finished. She rubbed the top of the red-maned filly’s head. “Ain’t that right Apple Bloom?” she asked with a smile towards her sister.

        “Darn right!” the yellow filly replied, beaming towards her friend. The unicorn was at a loss of words. She had a smile across her face and tears flowing from her eyes. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Applejack.

        “Thank you!” was all she said, but it was all she had to say. Applejack felt a sense of relief as she put her hooves around the little white filly hanging from her neck. The deep depression the filly was in earlier was long gone, and the orange earth pony was content that she was able to help make that happen.

        As the night wore on, the three ponies got tired. They extinguished the fire and all crawled into the tent, making their way under the blankets that lie on the cold ground. The two fillies fell asleep first while Applejack simply lay in silence, looking up at the top of the tent. I hope we can take good care of your sister for ya she thought for Rarity, while images of the dressmaker crossed her thoughts. She felt tiredness wash over her as she rolled over and closed her eyes, finally succumbing to sleep. Subconciously, she lifted a hoof and put it around the shoulder of a dreaming Sweetie Belle who lay next to her, holding her close through the night.
> Chapter 5: Apology
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5: Apology







        Ding! The faint noise caused the light-blue coated pegasus to stir from her sleep. She lifted her head from the pillow to investigate the noise, looking around the room for anything that had fallen or been misplaced. Her eyes still clouded with sleep, she shrugged and buried her head back into the soft cloud pillow, pulling her sheets up over her nose. She readjusted her body into a more comfortable position on her side, letting her exposed wing fall lazily across her body. She closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep once again.

        Ding! The pegasus grumbled. The doorbell’s ring echoed through her home until the sound finally faded. Rainbow Dash turned over onto her other side, sighing. She secretly hoped that the pony at her door would give up, go away, and start searching for her elsewhere in Ponyville. She kept her eyes glued shut as tight as she could comfortably, refusing to give up the darkness her eyelids lent her, keeping her oblivious to the day that continued on beyond them. The multicolored-maned mare enjoyed staying in bed in her house. It allowed her an escape from the constant reminders around the town of what had happened just a short time ago.

        Ding! Ding! Ding! The consecutive rings resonated through her house, causing the pegasus to sit up with a frustrated scowl across her face. “Calm your flank! I’m coming!” she yelled out as she opened her eyes and wiped at them. She hit the mattress with her hooves in frustration before kicking the sheets off, leaving them crumpled at the end of the bed. She spread her wings and flapped them in a lazy fashion, lifting herself a few inches from the ground and guiding her through the hall towards the front door.

        She heaved a sigh as she grabbed the handle and pushed the cloud door open, revealing a bleak, gray sky cast out in front of her as far across Equestria as her vision would allow her to see. On the steps in front of her were two fellow pegasus. The closest to the door was a white-coated stallion. His wings were unfurled to their full length, at least twice the size of Rainbow Dash’s, giving him an intimidating and demanding presence. His mane was a bright yellow, cropped short to allow for minimum need to style it, a task that was hard for any pegasus to accomplish. He wore a blue coat emblazoned with the logo for the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, with a small white patch on the right side of his chest with the single word “HEAD” in black across it. His cutie mark was a dark gray cloud with three bolts of brilliant yellow lighting shooting out from it in zigzag patterns.

        Behind him stood a mousey-looking pegasus mare. Her coat was a light shade of pink, a shade pale enough to mistake for white from a distance. Her mane and tail were a dark purple, each strand styled into elegant curls, flawless enough to rival even Rarity's. Her eyes were hidden behind a large, round pair of glasses. Her cutie mark was a small trio of red hearts, each one with a pair of wings attached to them, as if they were going to come to life and fly right off her flank. A clipboard was attached to a device around her neck, and she held a small pencil in her mouth, scribbling down notes, oblivious to the situation that stood before her. 

        The rainbow-maned mare felt her eyes widen as she recognized the importance of the two ponies that stood in front of her. “S-s-s-sir!” she stammered, before clearing her throat. She took a breath to regain her composure. “Hello, sir, it’s an honor to have you at my doorstep” she said, feeling a pit in her stomach beginning to form.

        The stallion simply smiled at her and stepped forward. “Miss Rainbow Dash, is it?” he asked hypothetically. “It’s a pleasure to meet the prized pegasus of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, however, I’m saddened that it is under these circumstances,” he continued, shaking his head and looking at the ground for effect.

        Rainbow Dash knew what the visit was about already. She could feel the pit growing with each passing second as the conversation continued. “What do you mean, sir?” The pegasus feigned ignorance. She decided it best to let the head have his moment of importance considering the circumstances.

        “Please, Miss Dash, no need for the formalities. Call me Thunderhead. You’re just as much an equal in my eyes considering the hard work you do every day for the weather factory and the ponies of Ponyville,” he said before clearing his throat. “But that’s beside the point. I’m here today, Miss Dash, to discuss your lack of performance in the skies of Ponyville these past few days,” he began to explain, giving her a stern, intimidating look.

        The mare felt her shoulders sag a bit, consenting to the point that her superior was making to her. She looked up in the sky again, hoping that magically the clouds would have dissipated. “I’m very sorry si-Mr. Thunderhead. I’ve just been feeling a bit down about what happened to my friend and I guess I haven’t been paying attention to my duties as much as I should have,” the pegasus said in an attempt to explain herself. She felt a large hoof come to rest on her shoulder. She looked back towards the stallion that stood in front of her.

        “Miss Dash, we completely understand the tragedy you and your friends must be going through after your loss. Be that as it may, you cannot keep using it as an excuse to avoid your duties,” he said. Rainbow felt her eyebrow twitch at the statement. The idea of someone calling it an excuse did not sit right with her, but she pushed it aside, simply thinking of it as a poor choice of words by her boss.

        “It has been over a week since you have even touched the clouds around Ponyville. If I remember correctly, every one of those days has called for a sunny, cloudless day,” Thunderhead continued.

        Rainbow Dash hung her head “I know sir, but-” she began before being cut off.

        “But nothing, Miss Dash. I understand that something can be upsetting, but it can’t cause you to neglect your job,” he said. He gave her a stern look before breaking his pause. “I, myself, had to deal with the hardship of the Manehattan weather disaster. If I let it get to me the way you’re letting this get to you, then I’m not sure I could have ever become the head of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory,” the stallion finished, an accomplished look crossing his face.

        The multicolored-maned mare felt her face transform into a look of pure hatred and anger. She stepped back, glaring at the weather factory head. “Now wait here just a minute!” she started, the anger causing her voice to increase in volume. The stallion simply ignored the looks and pressed on through the scolding.

        “Miss Dash, I am afraid that if you do not pick up your act and make sure the weather stays on schedule, starting tomorrow, you will be searching for a new job,” he concluded, closing his eyes, and giving her a look of superiority. This did nothing other than simply anger the mare more.

        “How dare you compare something so trivial to what I’ve gone through!” she yelled, causing the weather head to open his eyes in surprise. She stepped forward, right into the stallion’s face. His aura of intimidation gave way to that of fear. He took a step backwards, putting himself at a comfortable distance from the mare. She began to bare her teeth, narrowing her eyes at the yellow-maned stallion.

“You know what else?! Keep the job! Good luck with a replacement. It’ll take ten ponies to do the job I do!” she screamed at him. The light-blue coated pegasus kicked off the ground and flapped her wings furiously. She flew off towards Ponyville, pumping her wings as hard as she could, putting as much distance between her and the insensitive stallion as possible.

The small, pink mare stepped towards her boss. She gave him a worried look, dropping the pencil from her mouth and into a holder on the clipboard. “Should I put up a notice for the job opening in Ponyville?” she asked the stunned stallion. He blinked a few times blankly off towards the distance.

Thunderhead bowed his head and sighed, rolling it from side to side. “No… No, she’s right. We would have to hire ten pegasi to take care of Ponyville the way she can. Well, at least ten,” he responded, with a smile. “We will give her a few more days. Come along, Heart Flutter. We should be getting back to Cloudsdale shortly.” With that, the pair of pegasi took off into the sky, quickly gaining altitude and bursting through the clouds before turning a course towards the large city in the sky.

~`~`~`~`~

        The rainbow-colored mane whipped back and forth against the light-blue back of the pegasus, objecting to the speed of the wind flowing through it. Her matching tail trailed behind her, holding on to her flank for dear life, appearing as if it would dislodge at any moment. Rainbow Dash simply ignored it, grinding her teeth together as she worked through the frustrating thoughts in her head. She pumped her wings up and down, continuously building speed as she soared quickly over the rooftops of Ponyville. How dare that stupid stallion! I have half a mind to fly right back there and kick his flank!  How can he ever compare such a thing to Rarity being gone! The pegasus thought as hot, angry tears began to well up into her eyes. She slowed down her pace and began a path towards the ground as she wiped at her sad lavender eyes.

        Rainbow Dash landed with a few quick steps before slowing down to her normal walking speed, letting the remainder of her rage dissipate with the tears as they dried up from her eyes. She gave a small sigh as she looked at the dirt path in front of her. A small squeak of surprise made the pegasus look up. A pink earth pony stood in front of her, one of her front hooves hanging in the air as she was interrupted from her next step. Her blue eyes were wide, as was normal with the hyperactive pony, but they were filled with surprise until she recognized the pegasus that stood before her. The pink pony put her hoof down onto the ground and gave her friend a wide smile.

        “Dashie! I’m so happy you could drop in on me today!” Pinkie Pie said in her normal bubbly fashion to her friend. The pegasus rolled her eyes and turned away from her friend, walking towards the town, but the party pony didn’t take the hint. “Where are you going Dashie?” the pink pony asked as she bounded towards her friend. The rainbow-maned mare felt a tad annoyed at her fellow pony’s overactive personality especially considering the circumstances.

        “Now is not the time, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash grunted towards her friend, picking up her walking pace a bit to try and escape. The party pony persisted, however, bouncing up and down a small bit behind the pegasus. The light blue-coated mare felt extremely annoyed by her earth pony friend, finally stopping her walk and closing her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed in an angry manner.

        “Pinkie, how can you be so happy?” she asked hypothetically, stopping and turning around to face the party pony. Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and sat herself on the ground, a smile plastered across her face. She looked at her pegasus friend with her wide, blue, innocent eyes.

        “Duh! Because I want to be!” She responded with a giggle. “How can you be so angry, Dashie?” she shot back as her giggles turned into a full out laugh. The pegasus gritted her teeth as she began to bare them towards her friend in anger. How can this stupid pony be so stupid?! She thought to herself as she stepped towards her ignorant friend. Pinkie Pie simply smiled blissfully at the act of intimidation.

        “I’m angry because we just lost our close friend, if you didn’t forget,” Rainbow Dash replied with a hint of hate in her voice. The party pony simply blinked, her expression unwavering as she awaited the rest of the pegasus' explanation. “And for you information, I’m angry because I lost my job!” she continued, her voice teeming with anger.

        “Oh Dashie, of course I didn’t forget,” she replied, giggling. “But I do find it a bit silly that you decided to lose your job. Do you need help finding it?” she asked, turning her head from side to side, feigning like she was looking for something. After a moment, she turned to face her friend again, her innocent eyes displaying a bit of ignorance towards her rainbow-maned friend’s anger.

        “No, Pinkie, I don’t need help finding it. It’s lost because I got fired,” Rainbow Dash growled, “and for someone who didn’t forget, you sure are a little bit too happy about it right now.”

        “Well of course I’m happy! I’m always happy! Why aren’t you happy, Dashie?” the earth pony replied with a smile. The pegasus couldn’t take it anymore. She screamed into the air and stepped into the face of the pink pony that stood before her.

        “I’m not happy because I never got a chance to apologize! I tried to at the hospital and she wouldn’t let me! I let Rarity die without being able to tell her that I didn’t mean to upset her!” Rainbow Dash yelled into the earth pony’s face. The pink pony stood unfazed by the whole reaction, simply blinking while holding the smile that ran across her lips during the whole outburst

        “So go and apologize, silly!” she replied to the pegasus. She giggled at the stunned look that had come across the multicolored-maned mare’s face. “Duh!” she said one more time, rolling her eyes as she turned and bounced away from her friend, continuing on with what she had been doing before she was interrupted.

        Rainbow Dash sat herself down on the ground in a shocked silence for a few minutes processing what her party pony of a friend had said. Despite the carefree attitude about the whole situation, the light-blue mare couldn't help but think that the earth pony was right. She felt her brow furrow as she pawed at the ground before she stood up. She kicked off the ground into the air, heading back into town. She had a friend to visit.

~`~`~`~`~

        Rainbow Dash landed in front of the oversized gateway, its two pillars dwarfing the pegasus. She looked up at the engraved stone archway supported at the top that informed her of the cemetery that lay before her. After a few seconds of hesitation, she walked forward, her hooves giving their last loud clops before stepping onto the soft, nearly silent, dirt path. She followed the path, looking from side to side as she made her way through the silent resting area. During the funeral, she never took the time to observe the natural beauty of the area. Trees with long, wispy branches hanging low towards the ground gave the appearance of eternal mourners, sitting over various gravesites, crying tears of green as the wind caused leaves to occasionally shake themselves from the branches.

        The endless pasture of green was only interrupted by the occasional grey or black headstone that sprouted from the ground erratically. Many of the slabs were beginning to show their age with cracks, while some had pieces broken off altogether. Rainbow Dash wondered if her friend’s gravestone would reach such a state when everypony else had moved on from Ponyville. She shook her head from the thought as she stepped off of the path and towards a short row of headstones.

        Rarity’s grave lay a few yards from the path. The pegasus was careful to not step on another gravesite as she made her way towards her friend’s resting place. Grass had begun to sprout from the overturned dirt, creating a mixture of bright green and subtle brown. The gravestone that stood behind the dirt and grass mixture was a bright white, the marble-like textures the only flaws in the large stone slab. Engraved into the face of the large stone was the name of the dressmaker, with the three small diamonds set in the same design as her cutie mark. The light-blue mare stopped at the edge of the overturned dirt. She examined the gravesite closely, a small sniffle from her being the only break in the overwhelming silence that the cemetery provided.

        “Hey Rarity,” the mare said, kicking a front hoof casually as she looked down at the ground in front of her. Her mind felt blank when it came to say next. How do I talk to someone who isn't here? She asked herself. She looked around the graveyard, scanning for other nearby ponies, hoping she could copy what they were doing to honor their loved ones. She quickly learned she was the only one in the pasture as she focused her attention back to the resting place that lay before her.

        “So… um… I’m not sure how to say this,” she continued. Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip. She had never tried to apologize to anything but a pony standing in front of her before. She scanned the gravesite up and down one more time, giving a loud sigh. She could feel her stomach knotting up with every passing moment, kicking her hoof even more to distract her from her feelings. She blinked her eyes a few times, feeling the warm wetness as it began to bubble up beneath her eyelids.

        “I’m… well, that is…. I’m here to say…” she tried again. She blinked a few times to clear her vision as tears began to fill her eyes as they had so many times in the previous week. Rainbow Dash felt her legs grow shaky. She dropped down onto her knees, bowing her head and gritting her teeth before finally giving in to her emotions.

        “I’m sorry Rarity! I’m so sorry. I never meant to cause you any trouble,” she yelled out, sobbing loudly as she buried her head in her front hooves. “You were right! I had no right to leave you like that,” she continued hysterically. Tears flowed freely down the pegasus’ cheeks, wetting her fur and turning them a darker shade of blue. She looked up at the gravestone one more time, sniffling as more tears blurred her vision.

        “I w-wish I could go b-back and change t-things. I-I would h-have s-stayed and helped y-y-you,” she sobbed into the ground. She grinded a hoof across her face in an attempt to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they only seemed to be replaced. She could feel her eyes swelling from the constant flow of salty liquid from her body, but she ignored it as she continued to sob loudly. Her mind was jumbled with thoughts.

        What if I had stayed? What if I had simply just been patient enough to help her out? Would she still be here today? What if I had just apologized at the party? The rainbow-maned mare thought to herself as she was unable to speak any further. She looked up at the gravestone again, letting the tears run down her cheeks, muddying the soil below her. I wish I had the chance to know how you felt about all of this she continued to think as she closed her eyes, a painful grimace overcoming her face.

        It was then that a white leg wrapped itself around the front of the pegasus’ chest. She looked down, her eyes widening at the sight of the hoof that lay upon her. She gave a small gasp as she shot a look at the gravestone, hoping the words upon it had magically changed. However, her surprise quickly turned back to a grimace as she noted that the name and image had not changed upon it. She looked back down at the leg across her chest, noticing that it was now a familiar pink. She raised a hoof up to the foreleg and pushed it up towards her face, rubbing it against the fur on her face in silence, trying to gain what little comfort she could from it.

        “She heard you Dashie, and I know that she loved you no matter what happened,” Pinkie Pie cooed into her friend’s ear. She allowed the pegasus to turn around and wrap into a full embrace around her pink neck. Pinkie Pie patted the light blue mare on the back, running her hoof through Rainbow Dash’s mane a few times as she let her friend cry into her shoulder. “Knowing Rarity, she forgave you before she even came to the party,” the pink pony continued to whisper into her friend’s ear.

The words had a soothing effect on the pegasus. Her crying slowed gradually and eventually stopped. As she wiped away the last of her tears, she looked into the blue eyes of her earth pony friend, studying them. She felt the question surface in her mind as she took a deep breath to sigh before asking it. “Pinkie, how can you truly smile so soon after everything that has happened?” she asked her friend.

The party pony flash a smile to her friend, already expecting the question before it came. “That’s easy, Dashie. I know Rarity would be sad to know I couldn’t act like myself without her around. I still feel as bad as you are feeling, but as long as I act like myself, I know Rarity is smiling down upon me,” she explained. Rainbow Dash took a minute to absorb and think about what her friend had said. After a few moments, a smile began to come across her mouth.

“You know, Pinkie. You’re right,” she said. She took a step forward and placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder “Thank you, I really needed this today.” The two ponies smiled at each other for a moment before facing Rarity’s gravesite again. The sun had begun to set in front of them, casting an orange glow across the pasture. After a few moments of silence, the two friends walked back to the path and out of the cemetery, heading their separate ways.

~`~`~`~`~

        The sky was a flawless blue in Ponyville the next day. By the time Celestia had risen the sun, every cloud had been cleared away. The sun beamed brightly onto the town square, giving it a gentle and welcoming warmth and bringing about an air of joy as everypony seemed to have a smile across their face that day. Pinkie Pie stepped out of Sugarcube Corner and looked into the sky, a grin plastered across her face as she stared into the endless blue sky. Looks like a certain silly filly found her job again! The party pony thought to herself as she bounded into the town square to begin her antics.

A certain pegasus was absent from the festivities in the town that day. Her multicolored mane whipped through the breeze that was generated from the speed of the flight. She pumped her wings every now and then to maintain the speed she was going. Rainbow Dash had a look of determination across her face as the Cloudsdale Weather Factory came into sight. As much as she hated having to speak to the insensitive head of the factory again, she did have an apology to give and a job to keep.

> Chapter 6: Tragedy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 6: Tragedy






        The rose slowly floated down, gently landing in front of the small, lightly polished headstone. The light purple aura that surrounded the small flower disappeared with a small, inaudible pop. The magical aura faded around the purple horn that belonged to the lavender unicorn. She gave a small sigh, smiling as she sat back on her haunches. A soft breeze passed through the cemetery, welcoming cooling relief from the blazingly warm morning air as the sun beamed down across all of Equestria that day. Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and let the breeze run through the bangs of her mane and ruffle the crème-colored dress that hid her lavender body that day. She gave a small tug at the pink ribbon that wrapped around her neck, making sure it was still tied into a perfect bow.

        The dress was a favorite of hers. She thought back to the birthday party at Canterlot Castle the day she was given the gift. Rarity had seemed very hesitant to let Twilight have the dress, probably thinking it was not elegant enough, but the librarian loved it. The purple mare smiled to herself. The dress, although quite possibly one of Rarity’s simplest designs, had become her most successful and best selling dresses after the group had crashed the posh, high-society party that had been going on in the castle garden that day. Ever since the birthday party, Twilight had come to cherish the dress above any other item she possessed. She wore it for all sorts of events, proud of the bond of friendship between her and her fellow unicorn. Since the fateful day, she also made sure to wear it every time she went to visit Rarity’s grave, a weekly tradition she had developed once she had mostly been able to finally accept the fact that her fellow unicorn was gone.

        “I don’t even know where to begin! This week has been just simply crazy,” she began talking aloud to herself while focusing her attention on the headstone. The weekly visit was Twilight’s chance to gossip with her close friend, something she loved about their previous routine of meeting at the café. Though it took a little getting used to not having someone to respond to her, the lavender mare loved the conversations she had with Rarity. Once again, she had someone she could open up to and dispose of all of her feelings and frustrations; something that, for some reason, she seemed only comfortable in doing with her fellow unicorn.

        “Well, I have a ton to do today,” she said as she began to wrap up her one-sided conversation. “I’m meeting Applejack for lunch! You would be proud of how proper she has become compared to how she used to be. I think we could even convince her to wear a dress again! It must be all that time hanging around Sweetie Belle. Speaking of her, she has been trying to take after you for a while now. Still no cutie mark, though,” Twilight said through a grin. “It was nice talking to you! I’ll see you next week, Rarity,” she finished with a grin, standing up. She twitched her hips a bit to allow the dress to fall naturally back across her hind legs before giving the headstone one final smile and turning to walk out of the cemetery.

        In the month and a half since the tragedy, Ponyville had mostly returned to normal. The town square was buzzing with life on that particular day. Carts lined the cobblestone streets, with dozens of ponies selling varieties of colorful fruits and vegetables, premade meals and snacks, various forms of cooking equipment, and flowers in full bloom that were more colorful than a rainbow. Twilight slowly trotted down the path from the cemetery, enjoying the sights and sounds of the busy community. It seemed like everypony was out and about that day, the lavender mare having to squeeze through several crowds at some particularly popular stands.

She took in a deep breath of air through her nose as she passed Sugarcube Corner. Mmm, that smells like apple and cherry tarts. It seems like Mr. and Mrs. Cake have really outdone themselves this time. They smell better than usual!  The librarian thought as she licked her lips, craving the baked goods. She decided to pay the bake shop a visit later and restock her supply of desserts for her home. She quickly cantered past, picking up her pace in order to resist the urge of the tantalizing sweets taunting her nose with every breath.

She made her way down the rest of the street casually, finally reaching her destination, a small stand set up near the town hall. One of the most well known vendors in all of Ponyville, the Sweet Apple Acres stand was a beautifully handmade design, with engravings of apples running along the sides and large, green, wooden wheels. The juicy, delicious fruit sat shaded by a small white and green striped canvas cover, a custom-made apple display sitting atop, with a small horseshoe welded to the front. Behind a stack of bright red apples stood an orange mare, her blonde mane mostly hidden by a brown leather cowpony hat, with most of the exposed hairs tied into a loose ponytail. She recognized her friend almost immediately and waved her over, a smile across her face.

“Howdy, Twilight! You’re looking mighty fancy today,” the cowpony said to the unicorn. Twilight blushed a bit. She wasn’t too used to being out casually with the dress on, but she was glad that it was being noticed. “Lemme just get a few things finished up,” Applejack said.

        The lavender unicorn nodded and browsed the stand. She sniffed at the fruits laid out before her, their natural sugars permeating the air around the stand. She loved the tangy smell of the green apples, the scent making her stomach growl in protest as she realized how hungry she was. As if she had heard the protest from Twilight’s insides, Applejack untied her apron and stepped out from behind the stand, now being guarded by the big, bright red stallion Big Macintosh. Twilight wondered how the extremely soft-spoken stallion would manage to perk himself up enough to sell apples to passing clients. The thought made Twilight giggle a little.

        “Ready to go Twi?” asked the orange cowmare. The unicorn nodded her approval and the two friends walked off towards the café.

        “I have to know, Applejack. How is he going to manage selling apples? I don’t think I’ve heard him speak more than two words at a time,” Twilight asked, motioning towards the stand behind them. Applejack gave a small laugh

        “Big Mac doesn’t need to speak to sell apples. Seems like just having him there is enough to attract our customers, if you get what I’m saying,” the cowmare replied with a wink. Twilight gave in to another fit of giggles as she pictures hundreds of mares flocking to the Apple family stand just for a chance to see Big Macintosh.

        The two friends arrived at the café and took a seat at an outdoor table. The wind from earlier had died down, leaving only the few clouds in the sky as any form of protection from the blazing sun. Twilight wiped at some sweat on her brow, regretting having not gone home to change out of the dress before continuing on with her day. Applejack promptly removed her hat and placed it on the makeshift haystack chair beside her, before sitting down and unfolding the napkin on the table and laying it across her lap. The unicorn smiled at the impressive display from her friend.

        “So, Applejack, what caused this change in manner from you?” she asked with a bit of interest, leaning forward across the table.

        “Well… I suppose it’s from spending all that time with Rarity’s family. A right proper bunch they are. I guess it rubbed off on me,” Applejack explained with a raised eyebrow. “Why? You don’t like it?”

        “No, no. I didn’t say that. I just never would have imagined you acting a bit like Rarity,” replied Twilight with a smile. “Just don’t overwork yourself. I know you like helping out and all, but two jobs can be really stressful on a pony, and you are doing two of the hardest jobs in all of Ponyville. Remember what happened when you tried to handle the entire apple orchard by yourself?” she asked, a bit of concern in her voice.

        “No need to worry about me Twi. I got lots of time to relax. Heck, I barely do anything over at Carousel Boutique anymore. Sweetie Belle and her mother got the store running smooth as a freshly greased wheel,” Applejack said, shrugging off the worry Twilight presented. “All I know is that it’s good to see you getting back to normal after everything that’s happened to you,” the orange earth pony continued, giving her friend a gentle smile.

        Twilight grimaced a bit, staring down at the table, her eyes tricking her into seeing memories of the past few weeks play across the tablecloth like a film. Her thoughts turned to Spike and how he was living up in Canterlot. She missed her assistant much in the way a mother misses a child when they first leave home. Even though the two had begun to exchange letters, she still hadn’t been able to work up the nerve to ask him if he would return soon. Twilight shook the depressing thought from her head.

        “I’m glad too. But if it weren’t for you, Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, I’m not sure if I ever could have been able to get over it,” Twilight said, returning a bright smile. “I’m not sure I could have ever been able to figure it all out without you all.”

        “Aw, shucks Twi. You know we are all here for each other. Always have been, always will be,” replied the cowmare. She raised an eyebrow in thought. “But thinking about it, I don’t think I’ve seen Fluttershy lately,” she continued. “I wonder where she’s been.”

        “She’s probably busy with all the animals she cares for,” replied Twilight. “I was going to go pay her a visit and have some tea with her late. Care to join us?”

        Applejack nodded. “You bet your sweet apples I would,” she said immediately. The idea of being able to indulge in some of Fluttershy’s herbal tea was enough to make even Applejack drop everything she was doing. She felt her stomach grumble a bit. Rubbing it with a hoof, she made a small grimace. “But right now, I’m mighty hungry. What’s taking that dang waiter so long?” she asked, looking around for the server. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at her friend’s actions. No matter how proper you become, you’re always going to be the same old Applejack the unicorn thought to herself as she began looking over the menu.

~`~`~`~`~

        Applejack pushed the small, last bit of sandwich into her mouth and quickly chewed and swallowed. She made an approving noise before wiping her mouth off with a napkin. “You know, Twi, I never realized how delicious these daisy and dandelion sandwiches were here. No wonder that’s the only thing you ever order,” she said, very content with her finished meal. The unicorn laughed as she levitated her cup up to her mouth and finished off the lukewarm tea that remained. After a short conversation, the two mares paid and left the cafe, heading towards the outskirts of town, where the Everfree Forest began and where Fluttershy’s cottage resided.

        “I haven’t really seen Fluttershy around too much since the funeral,” Twilight started. “Hopefully she enjoys our surprise visit. I even brought a few herbs and leaves to brew,” she continued, looking down at the small pouch hanging from her neck. “I hope I brought enough for three.”

        “She’ll make it work,” replied the orange earth pony. The two walked through the town square, which had gotten considerably busier since that morning. They made their way through to the road heading out of town, able to see the small cottage. From a distance, the little cottage blended into the forest, the yellow glow from the windows being the only give away of the unnatural landmark with its green, leafy roof. The top half of the door was always open, an invitation to any of the pegasus’ animal friends that wandered by looking for care or an extra bit of food. Twilight frowned as they crossed the bridge that separated the cottage from the rest of Ponyville, both of the friends stopping to take in the sight that beheld them. 

Something seemed really off that day. Animals were scattered around the grounds, freely roaming and grazing wherever they pleased. The cottage appeared like it had been abandoned, twigs and branches seeming like they were going to fall out of the roofing. Much of the grass around the cottage was unkempt, with bald spots where animals had overgrazed.

The two mares gave each other a concerned look as they hesitated to make their next step. It was rather unbelievable that Fluttershy would ever let her house end up this way unless she was out of Ponyville for an extended period of time. After a moment, they continued on their path, slowly making their way to the door. Twilight gave a concerned look as she peeked her head inside a slight bit, looking around for any sign of their timid pegasus friend.

“Hello?!” she called out as loud as she could, knocking on the door below her. From upstairs came a muffled scream followed by a small crash. Twilight flinched at the sudden noise. After a moment, the sound of hooves clambered down the staircase just in front of the door.

“Oh! T-Twilight… um… y-you surprised me,” the pegasus stuttered as her eyes went wide, recognizing her friend. The pegasus looked around rather nervously, noticing Applejack was right behind her unicorn friend. She reflected her house in an unkempt manner. Her cotton candy pink mane was messy, with frayed ends popping out at random points. Her bright yellow coat was matted in a few places, and the grace with which she managed to carry herself was missing.

“Uh… are you okay Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, her concern for her friend only rising. In the relatively short time she had been in Ponyville, she had never seen her friend like this. She pushed open the door and walked in, approaching her friend, with Applejack trailing right behind her.

“Y-yeah… I mean, yes… It’s surprising to see you two… um… I mean, it’s nice… What’s the occasion?” Fluttershy said, still not quite over the surprise of her guests. She gave a quick glance upstairs before turning her attention to her friends, welcoming them into her house. Her blue, innocent eyes darted nervously around the cottage. Twilight shook off her suspicions. It’s probably just Fluttershy acting like Fluttershy, she thought to herself as she flashed her friend a smile.

“I brought some tea for us to try,” she said as she stepped into the cottage. “Would you mind brewing it for us? You know how to make the best tea!” she continued. Applejack nodded vigorously in agreement, a smile across her face as she could practically taste the drink already.

“S-sure… Can you… that is… would you mind starting a tea k-kettle on the fire for me?” Fluttershy asked, looking at both of her friends. Her sapphire blue eyes didn’t have their usual life to them that day. Instead, they looked rather void, as if the soul of Fluttershy had left her body, leaving nothing but an empty shell that walked and talked like her. The unicorn gave her yet another concerned look as she noticed this. A small pit began to form in Twilight’s stomach. “I have to run upstairs… that is… I have something I need to finish… Would you mind waiting for me… if that is okay?” Fluttershy asked her friends.

You’re acting crazy, Twilight. Nothing is wrong. Fluttershy is always like this, the lavender mare thought to herself. She shook the thoughts from her head. “Sure! Be quick though, we all know how quickly your kettle heats,” Twilight responded with a smile. The pegasus nodded and quickly trotted back upstairs.

“Um, Twi. Does something seem… off about Fluttershy?” Applejack asked as soon as she heard a door upstairs close. The unicorn turned to her friend, and shook her head.

“It’s just Fluttershy being herself, right?” she asked hypothetically. The orange earth pony thought for a moment.

“I s’pose you’re right,” the cowmare said. A smile came across her face. “I just can’t wait to have some of this tea!” she continued, practically licking her lips in anticipation. As if it had been waiting for the right moment, a loud thud scared the two friends into flinching away from the stairwell. Twilight stared up the stairs, the pit in her stomach growing larger with every passing moment. “What was that?!” Applejack said, exasperated.

Twilight bit her lower lip and thought for a moment. “Maybe she dropped something. I’m going to go and help her out with whatever she’s doing,” the unicorn said as she made her way upstairs. The orange cowmare, watched as the lavender pony knocked on the door and disappeared into the room. I hope everything is all right, Applejack thought to herself.

Right on cue, a loud scream pierced the air. The cowmare’s eyes went wide as she galloped up the stairs. She looked into the room, noticing Twilight backed up against a corner, her eyes wide with horror. She stepped into the room, looking side to side to investigate. The earth pony’s stomach dropped as she caught sight of what had frightened her unicorn friend. Lying on the ground near the bed was a large mass of yellow. The long, cotton candy mane fell innocently across her face. 

Applejack quickly galloped up, her eyes wide with fear for her pegasus friend. Fluttershy was moaning lightly with every labored breath she took in. The cowmare noticed several bottles of animal medications strewn about the floor and across the bed sheets. The orange mare was able to quickly put the situation together in her head.

“S-she… Fluttershy… w-wake up… g-get up… what’s w-w-wrong?” Twilight babbled, shaking in fear. Tears had started to fall from her eyes as she suspected the worst. She imagined someone calling her name. “I c-can’t… I… I really c-can’t…” she said nonsensically as the voice in her head got louder. She looked over at the cowmare staring her in the face.

“Twilight Sparkle!” Applejack yelled in the lavender librarian’s face. This seemed to snap the unicorn out of whatever trance she was in. “C’mon, Twi. Use your magic, get her on my back. We gotta get her to a hospital quick!” the cowmare ordered. Twilight sat against the wall, still afraid to move, hoping the situation would go away. Applejack ran up next to Fluttershy and stared at the unicorn, getting frustrated. “Now Twi! Right now!” she yelled as loud as she could. This managed to snap the unicorn out of her trance. She quickly nodded and closed her eyes, focusing a levitating spell on her pegasus friend. A light purple aura surrounded the timid, yellow pony, slowly lifting her in the air and moving her right above the orange earth pony. 

The spell broke as the pegasus lightly dropped onto the back of the cowmare. Applejack grunted as she accepted the extra weight, adjusting her balance. After a moment, she began to run at a full gallop down the stairs and out the door, running down the path towards Ponyville, hoping with every step that her friend still had a chance to be saved. Twilight Sparkle sat in silent shock for a moment, the only sound she could hear being that of the tea kettle which had begun to whistle downstairs. After a moment, the unicorn simply collapsed in the bedroom of her pegasus friend, covering her face and sobbing loudly for no pony in particular to hear.
> Chapter 7: Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 7: Life





        A sudden jolt scared the pegasus awake. Her mind raced trying to figure out what was going on, but blackness was all Fluttershy could see. What a horrible nightmare she thought to herself. The whole situation was just something she conjured up in her sleep. She attempted to sit up, but her body disobeyed. No matter how much she willed it, not a single part of her would move. That’s odd she thought with some concern. Fluttershy then realized what the blackness was. It wasn’t night time, she still had her eyes closed. The pegasus tried to open her eyes, but it was as if someone had glued them shut. She dedicated all the energy she could towards the small movement, but to no avail. The pegasus started to panic in her mind. Something was wrong, she knew it, but she wasn’t sure what.
        
“Nurse, quickly,” she heard a voice in the distance say. Fluttershy strained her ears to listen the best she could. “Pull that pump out! We have to get her intubated as fast as we can,” the mysterious male voice finished. The animal caretaker felt an unbearable burning sensation in her stomach. Her mind went numb from the pain as she could practically hear herself scream. But she knew the reaction was all in her mind. W-what’s going on? She thought as the sensation subsided. After a few moments, the burning pain returned, this time burying itself in her chest.
        
“There. We can try and counteract whatever has happened through injection. If she crashes again, I’m not sure we can bring her back,” she heard the male voice say.

Oh my… crash? Was I in an accident? Fluttershy thought to herself. She wracked her mind for any memory of what had happened as far as she could remember.
        
“Doctor, isn’t there a chance that this could interact with whatever else she has ingested?” a younger mare voice asked. Fluttershy could feel her mind begin to piece it all together. It came back to her in flashes. How upset she was about Rarity’s death. How she had avoided going into town. How she had wanted to put an end to how upset she was. How she released Angel and began ignoring the other animals. Finally, the day she finally worked up the mindset to actually commit the act. Twilight and Applejack’s visit had interrupted her, but she escaped from her friends to return to her room, swallowing a hoof-full of various medications she used to give to birds, beavers, rabbits, turtles, chickens, and any other animals who wandered into her care. She remembered collapsing, hearing her friends in their panic, and the bumpy ride all the way to the hospital.
        
“Yes, but that’s a risk we have to take. If she crashes again, I’m not entirely sure we can bring her back. We have to try and counteract the drugs she has already absorbed,” she heard the male voice reply. Her mind went silent as she tried to process the information. 

I-I guess I did it… Oh Fluttershy, you’re such a dummy, she thought finally, mentally scolding herself. Those poor ponies are trying to save to me from something I did to myself… I-I don’t deserve that… Her thoughts turned to her friends. What would they think? If these ponies helped her, would they even want to be her friends anymore? Fluttershy could feel the cold wave of the depression starting to sweep over her mind again. I.. I don't deserve any of this...
        
A loud series of beeps filled the room. Their deafening wails broke the doctor's concentration as he glared at the machine. "She's crashing again! Nurse! The paddles! Quickly!" he yelled out to his assistant. 

Oh... my... thought the pegasus. Her mind began to relax a bit as her thoughts became clouded. Memories running through her head jumbled together, losing any focus they had at all. Her final thought turned to Rarity, as she pictured a smile across the dressmaker's face before her mind finally went blank.

~`~`~`~`~

        The air in the waiting room hung thick and sterile. Air condition units could be heard kicking on in a vain attempt to circulate the sickening air. The hum of the units was the only thing that broke the silence. The orange cowmare shuddered as she felt the cool air blow against her fur. She stared at the floor with blank eyes, unable to comprehend what she had just gone through. Applejack rubbed at her eyes, hoping the action would awaken her from a terrible dream and that none of this was really happening. But as her vision cleared, she was greeted to the same view of the floor.

The cowmare looked up at the pegasus sitting across from her. She had to credit her winged friend for being the reason she made it here with any chance to save Fluttershy at all. Had Rainbow Dash not looked to the ground in the middle of her routine flight, Applejack might have been still fighting through the crowd at the town square. The rainbow-maned pegasus had spotted them and had flown in front of the cowmare, clearing a path for her to run through. Applejack felt herself shudder again as she wondered what would have happened had she not made it to the hospital as quickly as she did.

Ever since then, the wait had been nerve-wrecking and strenuous. Every minute that passed by without a doctor appearing through the doors to the emergency room made the pit in the orange pony’s stomach grow larger. Her thoughts turned to Twilight. She had left the unicorn by herself at Fluttershy’s cottage. She adjusted uneasily in her seat as she remembered the state she had left the librarian in. It had been nearly an hour since the incident and the lavender mare was nowhere to be seen in the hospital.

Applejack wondered if she should have gone back to Twilight once she had gotten Fluttershy here, but she shook the thought from her head. She wanted to be here to know how her timid pegasus friend was doing, and by leaving, she was risking not knowing until somepony else told her. She wanted to avoid another situation where she found out too late about the fate of a friend. I sure hope you’re alright, Twi, she thought, hoping that the thought would magically make its way to her unicorn friend.

The sound of creaky hinges snapped the mare out of her thoughts. She looked over towards the double doors to see the doctors. In one quick motion, she shook Rainbow Dash and galloped up in front of the doctor.

“Is she okay doc? She’s okay, right?” she asked frantically. The doctor gave a look to both of the mares standing before him. After a second to think about how he should break the news, he sighed.

“The good news is that she is alive,” he began slowly, as he quickly sifted through which details he felt were necessary to tell the friends in his mind. “The medications she took would have been somewhat harmless on their own, but together, they interacted with each other, which resulted in her collapse. Luckily, we were able to identify and counteract every medication she had ingested,” he explained, a small smile crossing his face for a second before he gave the friends each a stern glance. Despite trying to remain as neutral looking as he could, a sorrowful look betrayed his eyes. The earth pony and the pegasus both gave each other a worried glance before facing the doctor once more.

“Something bad happened, though, didn’t it? Doctor what happened? What’s wrong with her?” Rainbow Dash pressed, stepping forward a bit. The doctor let out another sad sigh. He decided it was best to give the mares the full, honest truth about their friend.

“The procedure didn’t go too smoothly. She crashed several times, and each time it was harder to bring her back. We fear that because the medication she ingested was interacting, the medications we gave her possibly interacted as well. While their interactions aren’t nearly as dangerous or fatal as the drugs she took herself, her body can’t handle that many chemicals at the same time, and several of her systems might have been weakened, damaged, or completely shut down. She went comatose near the end of the procedure. We aren’t sure how long she will remain that way, but if it’s for longer than a few days, she may not wake up at all. If she crashes at all while she’s in this state, I’m not entirely sure we could save her either,” he finished explaining. 

Both mares that stood before him had a sheen of tears beginning to fill their eyes. Neither of them asked him any questions or acknowledged what he told them. The news was upsetting, but he knew they deserved to know. He let out yet another sigh and put a hoof on each one of the mare’s shoulders. “If it hadn’t been for her friends being able to get her here so quickly, we may be having a completely different conversation right now. You two did a great thing for your friend. You gave her a chance to live. Now it’s up to her to seize that chance,” he said to them in a reassuring tone. “If anything happens to her, good or bad, I’ll make sure you two are the first to know,” he finished. Both of the mares nodded slowly. Neither of them were able to lift their heads high enough to look him in the eye. He took the notion as his cue to leave. He pushed the door open and walked back into the emergency room, leaving the two mares to their thoughts.

Applejack could feel her legs quivering. She felt as if she would collapse at any moment. She turned her head to the pegasus beside her, noticing her jaw hanging open. “D-does that mean…” Rainbow Dash started to say, before finding herself at a loss of words as she began to sob. The cowmare watched as tears rolled down the cheeks of her rainbow-maned friend.

“I don’t know Rainbow… I reckon that we’ll find out soon, though,” Applejack said as she brought her friend into a tight embrace as she joined her in sobbing.

~`~`~`~`~

        The pegasus moaned a bit as she stirred awake. A fog veiled her thoughts as she brought a hoof up to her head and rubbed at her temple. She slowly opened her eyes, the penetrating light stinging a bit. Hey… wait a second… she thought to herself as she blinked a few times, looking down at her forelegs. Her heart filled with joy as she realized she was able to move and see again. She reached a hoof up to her mane and pulled it forward, studying the bright pink color to confirm that she wasn’t dreaming. The hairs fell loosely through her relaxed grip as she ran her hoof downwards. She could feel a smile form across her face as she felt a warm rush of relief run over her body.
        
Fluttershy slowly stood up, her legs a little shaky, but otherwise able to hold her own weight. She looked back at her torso and extended her wings, checking to make sure they were still functional. After a few flaps, she was satisfied with the state they were in. She folded them back in and looked forward. She felt her eyebrows rise and her eyes widen as she took in the view of the scenery.
        
There was nothing but white as far as the pegasus could see. It was as if snow had fallen and buried everything around her, yet she didn’t feel cold. She looked down at the ground, confused at the solid state it was in. If this is snow… it’s the warmest and most solid snow I’ve ever been in… the yellow pegasus thought to herself in her confusion. She turned in a circle, confirming the same scenery in all directions. It gave her the sense of nothingness in the world. There were no buildings, no hills, no roads, and certainly nopony around as far as she could she.
        
Fluttershy spread her wings and kicked off the ground, flapping them a few times to propel her upwards into the sky. After a few quick seconds, she stopped and hovered, looking around off into the distance around her. The entire area seemed to be devoid of any other life as far as she could see. Her mind began to run wild with ideas of where she was or how she got there as she began to slowly descend downwards, landing with a soft thump of her hooves. She lowered her head towards the ground, a look of worry crossing her face.
        
“Um… Hello? Is anypony out there?” She quietly said, shifting her eyes from side to side across the landscape. All of the joy she had felt just moments ago seemed to have disappeared. After a few seconds, the pegasus started walking forward. She began to scan from side to side, hoping that the further forward she moved, the more the scenery would become familiar, or anything would appear at all. As she did so, she noticed a small break in the consistent white flow off in the distance. The figure was rather small, but it seemed to be moving forward towards her as well. Fluttershy picked up her pace to a quick trot.
        
“Hello? Um… can you tell me where I am?” she called out to the figure in the distance. She squinted as she got closer, trying to make out what the figure was. It was definitely somepony, but she wasn’t quite sure who. The pony seemed to have a white coat that almost blended in with the surrounding scenery, and a deep purple mane and tail. The mane was curled in a fashion that was rather familiar to the yellow pegasus. One she seemed to recognize almost instantly.
        
Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she let out a gasp, breaking into a full gallop towards the other pony approaching her. She was almost sure she knew who it was. The timid pegasus practically threw herself at the mystery pony, wrapping her forelegs around the white-furred neck.
        
“Rarity!” She yelled out as she felt tears begin to well up into her eyes out of the joy of seeing her lost friend. She tightened her embrace as if she was never going to let go of her friend. She felt a hoof pat her on the back and run through her mane.
        
“Oh my, darling, I know you miss me, but you’re going to choke me if you squeeze any tighter,” the dressmaker replied with a small laugh. The two ponies broke the embrace and Fluttershy took a few steps back, smiling at the sight of her friend. 
        
“I… um… never thought I would g-get to… see you again,” the pegasus said, her nervous joy coming through in her voice. “If you don’t mind me asking… where are we?” she asked, looking around once again.
        
Rarity simply smiled a bit before her expression became serious. “Unfortunately, we don’t get very long here together,” the dressmaker replied. “You have an important decision to make, dear. Whichever path you choose will lead you out of this place,” she explained. Fluttershy felt her eyes widen at the explanation.
        
“But… um… does that mean I’m…” she stuttered. Rarity shook her head as if she knew what the pegasus was thinking.
        
“Oh, no no no my dear. You aren’t dead. Far from it right now, actually,” she said in a lighthearted tone. “But you do have to make that choice. You see, Fluttershy, you are sort of in a dream. This isn’t a normal dream, though, dear. In here, your decision can affect your life,” she explained. The pegaus stood there shocked, a confused expression across her face. Rarity gave her a stern look.
        
“Now I must say first, I am extremely disappointed seeing you here, Fluttershy. I expected better of you. With friends like ours, how could you even think of doing something like this to yourself?” the dressmaker scolded her friend.
        
Fluttershy cowered down towards the ground. Her other friends hadn’t crossed her mind until just then. She wondered what they were doing, if they even cared about her right now. She felt a pit in her stomach as she began to wonder if they were mad at her or if they would even want to be her friend anymore.
        
“I-I’m sorry…” the pegasus whispered, whimpering a bit.
        
“It’s water under the bridge now, my dear. What you have to figure out now is what you want from yourself. That is why you are here,” Rarity finished explaining. She stepped forward towards Fluttershy and wrapped her forelegs around her. “It was very good seeing you again, but you have a decision to make. I hope that you make the right one,” she said. Rarity broke the hug off and stepped back. “I must be going now, I was here to simply deliver a message. See you soon, darling!” she finished, and with that, the dressmaker turned around and galloped off into the distance.
        
The pegasus watched her unicorn friend run off until she couldn’t make out her figure anymore before she looked at the ground. “I have been a rather horrible friend… maybe this is for the best,” she said to herself. She put her head down between her forelegs and closed her eyes, crying a bit. “Oh Fluttershy, you’re such a dummy… You don’t deserve friends like the ones you have. You’re lucky they’ve dealt with your antics for so long,” she continued to tell herself. Her eyes slowly opened as she let the words process in her mind.
        
I am quite lucky… to have my friends, that is she thought to herself. She stood herself up and looked around the vast open space once again. My friends have been able to help me through a lot of things… why would this be any different? I want to see my friends again. A determined look crossed the pegasus’ face. She began to gallop in the direction she was facing, hoping to find an exit. “There has to be a way out… I want to see them again… That is… I want to still be alive!” she said aloud to herself. As if those were some sort of magical words, the pegasus suddenly felt herself get extremely drowsy. She slowed to a trot before stopping her walking altogether. She blinked a few times as her vision narrowed before she finally gave in to herself and collapsed onto the ground.

~`~`~`~`~

        The pegasus moaned a bit as she slowly opened her eyes. The light blinded her as she attempted to blink her vision back, before raising a hoof up to her eyes and rubbing. As everything came back into focus, she noticed she was surrounded by four ponies. One was a stallion, who was frantically checking monitors. The other three were extremely familiar shades of orange, pink, and blue. The orange mare with the blond mane smiled at her.
        
“Welcome back, sugarcube,” she said softly, as joyful tears welled up into her eyes. Applejack lifted her hoof and placed it on the hoof of her yellow pegasus friend.
        
The pink earth pony stepped forward and wrapped her hooves around the neck of the bedridden pegasus. “Oh my gosh! I knew you would wake up. The doctors were all worried but I just knew you would, Fluttershy! I should be a doctor! I can guess these things better than they can! Oh, that reminds me, we just have to celebrate thi-” Pinkie Pie stammered before being cut off with a hoof to the mouth by Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus stepped forward, pushing the pink party pony back a bit.
        
“Calm down there, Pinkie. She just woke up,” she said simply, smiling at her fellow pegasus. “Glad to see you again.”
        
Fluttershy felt her eyes fill up with tears at the sight of her friends. “Oh… thank goodness… I was worried that you all hated me… that is… you all wouldn’t want to be my… um… friend,” she said after coughing a bit. The trio shook their heads simultaneously.
        
“Of course we want to be your friends, sugar,” Applejack said.
        
“Yeah! Are you crazy? Sleeping that long must have made you crazy if you think we wouldn’t want to be your friends,” Pinkie Pie added. The yellow pegasus gave a warm smile, the first that had crossed her face since the funeral. But it was quickly overtaken by a concerned look as she surveyed the room.
        
“Um… thank you all… but… I was just wondering… where’s Twilight?” she asked. The other three mares gave each other a look of deep concern. After a second, Applejack spoke up.
        
“Y’see, that’s something we’ll tell you when you’re feeling a little better,” she said, unsure of how to address the situation. A pit began to form in the pegasus’ stomach as the words of her friend ran through her mind.
> Chapter 8: Celebration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 8: Celebration






        A small wicker basket was gently lowered atop the welcome mat with a soft crunch. The orange mare opened her mouth, letting the attached string fall lazily atop the fruit that was packed into the basket. She gave a small sigh as she looked up from the basket, staring at the large wooden door in front of her. After a moment, she raised a hoof and knocked gently on the door, stepping back a bit. She hoped against hope that today her friend would answer the door, but after a few moments, there was no response. Applejack sighed again and stepped up to the door.

        “Twi? You alright in there?” Applejack asked loudly through the door. She waited again, yet no response came. “Can you at least give me a sign you’re doin’ okay?” the cowmare asked bluntly, as her patience at this tedious antic was wearing thin. After a few seconds, a thump could be heard on the other side of the door. She gave a small smile, relieved that her friend was okay. 

“Alright Twi, I’ll be back a little later to pick up the basket. You go on ahead and enjoy what I brought you,” she said as she turned and headed away from the door before pausing for a last attempt at a sign from her friend. “Hopefully you might feel up for talking later,” she added. She waited a few seconds for a response, but when none came, she headed away, her head hanging low.

~`~`~`~`~

        Applejack trotted up the dirt path leading towards the petrified tree at a slower than normal pace. It was a routine she had repeated every day for nearly two weeks, She consistently felt numb to the feelings that usually accompanied the trip to her friend’s home. Staring blankly towards the library, she listened to the sound of her hooves clopping against the soft dirt, before noticing a little bit of movement against the tree. Curious, she squinted, focusing on the door. From where she was, she could make out the undeniable purple mane and horn of the unicorn that resided within.

        Applejack felt her eyes go wide as she broke into a gallop. A smile crossed her face as she could confirmed the head of her friend poking out from the door in the distance. “Twilight!” she yelled, running as fast as she could.

        The purple head turned to see Applejack quickly approaching, but the cowmare watched in shock as her friends eyes widened and dropped the basket hanging from her mouth. The unicorn swiftly pulled her head inside, slammed, and locked the door.

        Applejack stared in amazement as her pace slowed. She walked the last few steps up to the door, raising a hoof up and knocking on the door. “Twilight! Please! Open the door. Talk to me,” she begged of her friend.

        “…no,” the unicorn replied softly through the door. The orange earth pony felt her jaw drop at the response.

        Applejack began to plea, “Bu-but Twi-”.

        “Go away!” Twilight interjected, frustrated at her friend’s persistence.

        “We just want to see you again,” Applejack countered.

        “I don’t want to see anypony again. It’s my fault both of our friends are dead. I don’t want anypony else to get hurt around me,” Twilight yelled back. The cowmare could hear the distress in her voice. She wondered if her unicorn friend was crying.

        “Twilight, Fluttershy ain’t dead. She’s perfectly fine! If you’d come out an’ visit with us, you’d see that for yourself,” Applejack stated, attempting to explain.

        “It’s still my fault they both got hurt!” the unicorn wailed.

        “I was there with ya when Fluttershy got hurt, sugarcube. It has nothing to do with you at all,” Applejack responded softly, hoping to calm down her friend.

        Twilight felt the frustration rise inside of her. She exclaimed out, “It did and it does! Go away, Applejack. Please, don’t come back, and tell everypony else the same.” She stopped for just a second to breath before finishing, “I’ve already sent a letter to the princess. I’m going back to Canterlot later this week. Until then, I’m just going to sleep. Goodbye.” The cowmare could hear a bit of anger in her voice as she stood there, stunned. Listening to the sound of hoofsteps moving further away from the door, she felt tears well up into her eyes. She turned away from the door and trudged forward, fearing that the short glimpse would be the last time she would see her friend.

~`~`~`~`~

        A loud knock awoke the bookworm unicorn from her peaceful slumber. She opened her eyes slowly, moaning a bit as she looked up at the small clock that hung by the window. The sky was still dark, and her clock read that it was still before midnight. Groaning in frustration, Twilight threw her sheets off of her body with her magic, rolling to the side and stepping down off of the warm, comfortable bed. The visitor knocked at her door once again as the unicorn climbed down the stairs. She grumbled a bit as she stepped off the last step and walked up to the door, sitting down in front of it. She had a feeling it was Applejack trying to talk with her again.

        The offending hoof rapped firmly against the door for a third time, Twilight gritted her teeth at the mare’s persistence. “I told you to go away earlier, Applejack. Now go away!” she yelled through the door.

“Twilight Sparkle! You will open this door for your teacher at once!” the familiar voice commanded angrily. Twilight’s eyes went wide as she quickly stood up. She activated her horn, taking a hold of the door and pulling it open swiftly. Standing before her was the ruler of all of Equestria, Princess Celestia. Her normally soothing expression was now replaced by a cold, hard stare, causing the lavender unicorn to shrink back away from the doorway, intimidated. Why is the princess mad at me? What have I done wrong? Twilight questioned to herself as she watched her mentor make her way into the library. She racked her mind, trying to think of any recent magical accidents she had recently had.

 “I believe you and I need to have a few words,” the princess said, interrupting Twilight’s chain of thought as she used her own magic to close the door behind her. 

        Twilight’s knees buckled as she heard the click of the door lock. The fear of having upset her teacher had taken over, as her body began to shake. “I… I’m sorry Princess, whatever spell I cast… I-I’m sure it can be reversed again,” she pleaded to her mentor, burying her face in her forelegs. She had never heard Princess Celestia sound this angry at anypony in her life, much less herself, before in her life. The unicorn felt frightened for whatever punishment she was about to endure, even though she wasn’t entirely sure what she had done wrong. She could practically feel the Princess’ stare burning right through her.

After a few moments, she felt something brush against her mane. The unicorn tensed up immediately, fearing that the brushing would become a strike against her. But the brushing motion was gentle, and it continued. Confused, she opened her eyes to see the princess standing over her, nuzzling against her with her nose. Twilight felt her mind jumble, attempting to come up with every scenario in which her mentor could suddenly be so gentle after being frighteningly angry just a few moments ago.

“Calm down, Twilight. It’s all going to be all right,” the Princess cooed into her student’s ear. The words had a soothing effect on the unicorn, as a wave of relaxation washed over her, causing her to stop shaking.

        “B-but what have I done Princess? Did I miscast a spell? Did you happen to find one of my practice spots in Canterlot Castle?” Twilight babbled, still confused about that sudden visit by her mentor.

        “Practice spots?” Princess Celestia asked quizzically, raising her head back and furrowing her brow.

        “Err… Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said with a nervous laugh. “But what have I done, Princess? Why are you here?”

        “It’s not so much about what you have done,” Celestia began, “as it is what you are doing, Twilight.” Twilight swallowed dryly, suddenly understanding. “I received your letter earlier this evening. Do you remember why I sent you down to Ponyville in the first place all those years ago?” she asked her student.

        Twilight gave a slow nod, staring down at her teacher’s hooves. “Yes, Princess…” she said quietly.

        “You’re a good student, and friend, and I have been very proud of you, Twilight. You came to this town and managed not only to make friends, but maintain these friendships since you have been here. You even pleaded to me to let you stay here. But now you’ve chosen to throw away all of your friendships. Why is that?” the Princess inquired her student.

        Twilight felt guilt creep across her mind. “I… I don’t know, Princess. I was worried… My friends keep getting hurt or killed around me… I just didn’t want that to happen anymore…” Twilight explained.

        The princess shook her head and wrapped a hoof around the shoulder of her student, lowering herself to eye level with the lavender pony. “Oh, Twilight. You know it isn’t your fault these terrible things have happened to your friends,” Princess Celestia said.

        “Then why do these things keep happening when I’m around?!” Twilight said. Her voice cracked as she finally broke down into tears. “Two of my friends have gotten hurt right before my eyes, right in front of me! I just don’t want to cause anypony any more pain. I don’t mean for my friends to keep getting hurt, but it just keeps happening when I’m around,” she said, loudly and frantically.

        The princess shook her head. “Twilight Sparkle, you should know better than to think that is your fault,” she began to say. “It’s nopony’s fault that Rarity passed on. It is also nopony’s fault that Fluttershy chose to take those actions against herself. You had nothing to do with it.”

        “But…” Twilight began before being cut off by a hoof covering her mouth.

        “But nothing. I would have thought I taught you better than this. You shouldn’t blame yourself and you certainly should not turn yourself away from your friends. What would Rarity think of this right now?” the princess asked.

        Twilight grimaced, trying in vain to come up with a counterargument against her mentor. “I know… but…”

        “Twilight, your friends care about you. That’s why they’ve come by every day to make sure you’re okay. They’ve brought you food, gifts, everything you could ever imagine. All they wanted in return was their friend to come back to them,” Celestia began to explain. “Do you think Rarity appreciates you acting this upset over the whole situation?” she asked her student.

        Twilight bit her lip, hesitating. “No…” she said after a few seconds. The princess placed her hoof under her student’s chin, raising her head up and looking her in the eye.

        “You’ve been a great friend to your loved ones these past few years, and especially so during this whole incident. Now give them the chance to return the favor,” the princess said to her student with a smile. Twilight wiped at her eyes and nodded. “Now, Twilight Sparkle, I must return to Canterlot to finish up some business. But from what I understand, your friends have gathered at Sugarcube Corner. Why don’t you go pay them a visit?” The princess suggested as she stood up. Using her magic, she opened the door to the library and stepped outside, walking towards the small carriage that sat on the dirt path.

        “Um… Princess… Do you think they would still want to be my friends?” Twilight asked as she followed her mentor outside. The princess turned her neck and nodded to her student.

        “Of course they do. Why do you think they’ve gathered at Sugarcube Corner?” the princess replied with a wink. She stepped onto the carriage and signaled to the pegasus guards to take off. “Goodbye Twilight. I hope to get a letter filled with a very important lesson from you very soon,” the princess said as she was lifted into the night sky. Twilight watched her mentor as she was carried off into the distance. After a moment of hesitation, She closed the door behind her and headed down the dirt path towards the town square.

~`~`~`~`~

        Twilight stood in front of a darkened Sugarcube Corner and sighed. Maybe the princess was wrong… she thought to herself. She stepped up the landing and knocked on the door. She waited for a few seconds, but there was no response. A frown crossed her face as she looked around, searching for a sign of somepony being nearby. She stepped down from the landing and peered into one of the windows, squinting, hoping to catch the outline of something inside. Instead, she was greeted by an undefined blackness.

        She groaned and stepped back up, reaching her foreleg down to jiggle the door handle. But she was surprised to find that the handle turned with ease. Somepony left the door unlocked? She thought to herself as she pushed the door open. The moonlight illuminated the floor in front of her, but did little to brighten up the darkness of the little café.

        “Hello? Is anypony here?” Twilight called out. She received nothing but silence for a few moments until suddenly she found herself blinded by bright lights.

        “SURPRISE!” She heard multiple voices yell as she covered her eyes. The unicorn jumped back a step at the sudden surprise, letting out a small gasp. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the light as she blinked, allowing her to see all of her friends gathered around a table, bright smiles across all of their faces. 

Twilight was stunned for a moment as she took in the scene around her. She noticed a large cake sitting as the centerpiece on the table in front of her. Surrounding the table were pictures of Rarity. She looked stunning and impeccable in all of them. Twilight stepped forward, studying each picture. She stopped at the oldest one among the table. It was the picture of all of the girls in their Grand Galloping Gala dresses, posing in front of Canterlot Castle, excited to have their best night ever. For the first time in weeks, Twilight felt herself genuinely smile as her eyes glistened with fresh tears. The unicorn looked up at the banner hanging from the ceiling. In bright red lettering, it read:


HAPPY BIRTHDAY RARITY!





Twilight sat back as she felt tears roll down her cheeks. “I-I completely forgot… Today is Rarity’s birthday. How could I possibly have forgotten such an important date?” Twilight asked out loud. She felt a pair of hooves wrap themselves around her neck. She pressed her cheek against them and looked down, noticing they were colored with bright orange fur.

“Don’t you worry your sweet head, sugarcube. I bet she’s happy you managed to make it,” the sweet southern accent cooed into her ear. Twilight turned herself around in her friend’s forelegs and returned the embrace.

“I’m sorry Applejack. I didn’t mean what I said earlier,” Twilight said.

“Don’t fret it, Twi. I know you were just stressed out,” Applejack replied. “S’long as you stay here in Ponyville, we’ll all be happy.”

Twilight looked at all of her friends, noticing the look of worry on their faces. She assumed that Applejack had told the group of the news she had sprung earlier that day. 

“Um… Twilight… please don’t go back to Canterlot… if you don’t have to, that is,” Fluttershy said, breaking the short silence.

“Yeah! You can’t go because if you do I’ll… uh… You can’t go!” Rainbow Dash added.

“Please, please, please, please, please stay Twilight?” Pinkie Pie begged, giving her friend a sad look. Twilight looked at each of her friends in front of her as her mind flashed through various memories with the group. The princess was right. All they want is my friendship, Twilight thought to herself as she examined the worry that was plastered across all of her friends’ face. After a moment, she smiled again.

“Don’t worry everypony. I’m not going anywhere. I love everything I have here in Ponyville, and that includes the friendship you all bring me everyday,” Twilight explained. Her friends cheered in celebration.

“Oh my gosh! That’s great news! We have to throw a party! Wait, we’re having a party… Oh my gosh, a double party! This is going to be the best party ever!” Pinkie Pie stammered in excitement as she jumped forward and wrapped the unicorn in a tight hug. Twilight laughed at the antics of the pink earth pony. The rest of the group stepped forward and joined into the embrace.

“Come on everypony. We have a birthday to celebrate!” Twilight piped up after a few moments. The group broke their hug and began to enjoy each other’s company late into the night.

~`~`~`~`~

        Twilight stepped forward, her horn aglow with a purple, magical aura. The sun had just begun to peek over the hills ahead, illuminating the sky with a bright orange. The unicorn smiled as she lowered a bouquet of colorful flowers between a party hat and a slice of cake. She broke the spell that was levitating the flowers and watched as they settled down against the headstone in front of her. Twilight sat down in front of the headstone as her friends stepped up to join her. 

        “Happy birthday, Rarity,” she started to speak. “You are a great friend, and we are so lucky to have known you. We know that you will always be with us in spirit, but we will make sure it feels like you never left. We can’t wait to see you again!” she finished. Twilight felt tears as they began to flow into her eyes. But this time, she wasn’t crying from sadness. She was happy to be surrounded by the group of ponies that had been with her since her first day in Ponyville, and she knew that they would stick with her through anything until the end. The remaining Elements of Harmony were finally happy once more.

        As the group wrapped into one more group hug, a small group of clouds formed in the sky above them. The clouds slowly took the shape of three small diamonds, in a similar pattern to that of the cutie mark that emblazoned Rarity’s flank. The clouds held their shape for a few seconds before breaking apart and disappeared into the day.


The End


> Author Thanks/Questions Answered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Authors Thank You, Questions Answered





        As was stated in the title of this chapter, I would like to first thank everybody for their support while writing this story. To see this go from a small idea that sparked in my head on a random night out with friends all the way to its final product up here on FIMFiction is truly a blessing. Drafts were tossed out, late nights were had, and frustrations came and went with every word typed, but it was definitely worth it in the end! To wrap this section up, let me give some individual thank yous:

To FIMFiction: For hosting an incredible site. I’ve met some great people through the process of writing Loss, read some incredible stories, and definitely had a chance to improve my writing ability and it would have never been possible if not for this website and its members. Thank you all!

To Equestria Daily: For giving me the honor of having my story shared on this incredible MLP blog. I can’t imagine how much time I’ve wasted going through this site, and the content is always incredible, hilarious, extremely creative, or a combination of the three. It means so much to me knowing that the story was of a high enough quality to be shared to all my fellow bronies, and I can’t thank you enough for giving me such a great chance

To the readers: Even if you only read one chapter, it means so much to me to know that you looked. Everyone who commented on it or private messaged me to help me out along the way, thank you a countless number of times. I hope you all took something (other than a few tears) away from the story, and I really hope my story can help you learn how to cope if you ever are in a situation similar to our favorite Mane 6.

Last but certainly not least, to my editors/prereaders: If it hadn’t been for you, I probably would have put out a story that was on the writing level of a third grader. Seriously, I’m considering posting up one of the edited drafts that I got back from them once so you can see how much red ink there is all over it. Everybody would get a kick. Thank you all for helping make this story possible and of the highest quality it could possibly be!

So now that that is out of the way, on to the bulk of this “chapter.” I received a lot of questions throughout the writing of the story. A lot of them I wanted to answer so badly in comments, but it would have spoiled what was coming in the story. That’s why I kept pretty quiet and to myself. So I apologize to the long wait you all had to endure as I finished writing the story, but here are all of the answers to the more common questions I recieved:

Why write this story?
I’ve seen people comment about the various reasons as to why they thought I wrote this story. Some of the more prominent reasons was either for “shock value” or to “get attention.” Neither of these could be further from the truth.

I wrote this story in the memory of a dear friend who was killed in an accident back a few months ago. Having a friend ripped out of your life like that is one of the hardest things anybody has to deal with. To this day, I still find myself looking back and sometimes breaking down and crying. Me and my friends have all been able to cope, and several of my friends have done something to honor her memory or to help them move on (i.e. gotten a tattoo, donated stuff/money to a cause). This story was created as my way of honoring her memory, and to help me move on from the incident.

Every coping mechanism you read about is something I either went through, or experienced a friend going through. That is why the emotions in this story can seem raw and real at some parts. I don’t think I’m that talented a fiction writer, I just happened to experience what I wrote about.

But why the ponies? Why not a human subject matter?
My Little Pony is a show me and my friend enjoyed together. It was a huge bond that definitely strengthened our relationship and brought us closer as friends, as we managed to have our own little inside jokes and sayings, and we spent a lot more time together sitting around and watching the show. She even bought me my first little pony!

When it came to wanting to write this story for her, I considered both the human and the pony base for characters. After a couple of days of careful consideration, I chose ponies. Call it a cop out, but the decision was made on the basis that I could already just begin writing the main story without having to develop characters and go through a heavy amount of unnecessary set up. Plus, it just felt right using the one thing we strongly enjoyed together as a basis for what I wanted to do.

Who knows, as a project over the summer, I might humanize this story and add to the beginning to develop the 6 characters. That would be an interesting project.

Why was Rarity chosen?
As I said above, when I was drafting out the story, I was attempting to fit in the best coping mechanism for each character. On top of that I also was trying to find a way for each character to demonstrate traits of the lost Element. This was no problem for almost all of the characters. What I noticed in the show is that every character tends to show displays of having the other Elements inside of them, and (with the exception of a portion of the Discord arc) they are consistently able to display characteristics of their own element (Up to the point of the episode “Sweet and Elite”). I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but it is there if you pay attention. 

The exception to this rule: Rarity. She is quite an oddity to watch on the show. Not only does she fail to really represent all of the other Elements, she has a consistent problem holding true to her own (albeit she usually resolves this problem by the end of the episode in which the conflict arises). Short of Twilight dying, there just really wasn’t a way to write about Rarity coping and displaying traits of the lost Element without breaking her away from her developed character.



At what point in the canon storyline did you place this story?
This was a pretty important question that came up, and it ties into the question above pretty well. Due to the fact that I was writing the story as the 2nd season was airing, aspects of the characters and the show were changing every week. Heck, if you look back through this story and compare it to what it is today (the newest episode being “Putting Your Hoof Down”), you’ll notice several flaws in my character actions based on what they’ve developed into today. 

That being said, I picked a solid show stopping point and stuck to it. I picked the episode “Sweet and Elite” as this basis since it was the last episode in which Rarity had some character development before I started writing. So when looking at this story in comparison to the canon aspect of the show, that is where my story branches from.

Why did ____ cope like this? I think ____ would have been more fitting
Again, that is all something that I’m sure is up for discussion. The reason I chose each coping mechanism for each character is based off of what I’ve seen from them in the show. Each reaction seemed very fitting for each character based off of their personality. The only character I feel broke away from her set personality a bit was Twilight. I am a little bit disappointed I had to force her out of her character a bit in the last chapter, but I feel that looking at the story as a whole, I represented her quite well. Of course, let’s also not forget this controversy:

Why would you make Fluttershy attempt suicide? That’s disgusting/stupid/angering/etc…
Again, it wasn’t for shock value at all. Suicide is an issue that comes up following the death of a friend or loved one, and sadly, it was an issue that came up in the situation surrounding the death of my friend. I felt that with Fluttershy’s sort of feeble personality, she would fit the role the best to convey this. Something that should be remembered here is that someone who attempts or commits suicide doesn’t necessarily always act like themselves or give their friends any major signs or symptoms.

I was hoping that people would be able to take away from these two chapters that no matter how they seem after a tragic event such as the death of a friend/loved one, everyone needs as much support as you can offer. This was a major mistake by Twilight and Applejack when they spoke to Fluttershy in chapter 6. She was showing some very suspicious signs and they shrugged it off. Luckily, the outcome for her (reflecting the outcome of the real situation it was reflecting) was a positive one, but this is not always the case. I’m hoping readers can learn from the mistakes of Twilight and Applejack, and possibly even save a friend’s life if that ever arose in their lives.

As for the mental aspect of chapter 7, all I can really say is that I have never been rendered unconscious or comatose through injury, so I’m not entirely sure what or if a person can think if they are in that situation. I gave Fluttershy a live mind in order to show the internal conflict she continued to go through even after her suicide attempt, and to show how much just a simple thing like a will to live can make all the difference for a person in mental and physical distress.

What happened to Spike? 
I left this one wide open for interpretation on purpose, so feel free to create an ending for Spike in your own mind. Hey, if you write it down, feel free to send me a message with it, I would love to see what people think of how Spike ended up knowing that I, myself, didn’t create or consider an ending for him.

However, he does need a bit of an explanation. Spike was representing a coping mechanism that is a negative. That is, he left Ponyville because he didn’t want to be reminded of Rarity. This is negative because he wasn’t truly addressing his feelings. Instead, he felt like blocking them out, and by running away from Ponyville, he was taking a course of action to do so in a rather extreme way. The bad about this is the fact that these emotions could boil over and really hurt and affect the person coping like this. 

Honestly, anything can happen to Spike, which is why I didn’t conclude his story. He could eventually cope and move on, or he could do something more extreme, like attempt suicide a-la Fluttershy. That’s all up for you to ponder.

So there we go! If anybody has any further questions, feel free to shoot me a private message or leave a comment in the story. I’ll respond now, considering I can’t spoil a finished story. Again, thank you so much everyone who took the time to sit down and read, follow, and favorite the story. On top of that, thank you to everyone who helped spread it around a bit. I never imagined my audience would be this large, but I feel so honored that it did become this big. So with that, I close the cover on Loss.

THANK YOU ALL INFINITELY!

- Caffum