The Last Surprise
Five ponies and a dragon sat around a table. A crystalline table with seven seats around it. Their faces mournful as they gazed at one chair with a star on it. There was a prophecy uttered years ago and despite their efforts, it came true, leaving the friends without her.
"Do ya'll think she's lookin' down on us?" The orange asked, her wizened face betraying everything. Holding things back were never her strong suit.
"I do believe so, darling. If not, she's always in our hearts." The white one said, her mane still gorgeous despite losing all of its color years ago. But her smile was always the brightest.
"Pinkie, why are we here again?" The blue one fluttered her wings anxiously, her face really pained. She never really got over losing her.
"To celebrate the one year anniversary, silly filly!" The pink one bounced up and down, ignoring all the cracks and creaks. She kept on laughing all this time, many wondered how.
"Oh, uhm, not to be rude or anything, but why…? If you don't mind that is." The yellow one hid behind her whitened mane. It wasn't shyness, oh no, it was the anxiety of being somewhere with memories. Painful ones but beautiful nonetheless.
"I think it's a grea-great, great ide…" The purple one burst into tears. She was his most treasured friend after all.
The five friends comforted him as best they could but deep inside, they knew it wouldn't be enough. They ached too, their hearts calling out for the seventh, their leader. Her. It took a while, but enough tears were shed and a tentative but thankful smile was given.
The rest of the day was spent preparing for the special event, a true Pinkie Party. Everypony in Ponyville was invited and it was going to be a sight to behold. The pink one was not holding back, gathering all of her party contacts to make this one the bestest one of them all!
She got so frantic that the other started to notice… things. The way she paused to soothe her back, her smile that seemed too wide to be genuine, or maybe it was the way she kept on forgetting things. It got too much for the others to bear so they grabbed her and brought her back to the table.
"What was that for? I'm sooooo close! I just need to invite Vinyl, remember her, girls? Oh, and the balloons, the streamers, and the cake from the Cakes!" Everypony winced and then the pink one's mane deflated. Her look went from joyful to depressed. Everypony knew that the two had passed on long ago. Sugarcube Corner was never the same without them. "I forgot again, didn't I?"
"Darling, it happens. We're getting old, it was bound to happen." The white one tried to play it off with a laugh, but it was too lack-luster. Nopony bought it. Now it was the pink one's turn to cry, and once again, the six friends were there to comfort.
***
The final preparations were complete and everypony started to gather. Friends old and new came from all over to celebrate their friend, her. The showing was immense and the six smiled through tears, some more prominent than others. Everycreature brought gifts, some more… colorful than others, but all were special. They cared enough to bring them, so they were deemed special.
The orange one brought the catering, premium fruits from her family farm. It is still going strong after all these years and will continue to be strong. She was sure of it. If there is an Equestria, ther will always be Apples.
The yellow one brought the music, songbirds, descendents from her original choir. She still grieves for her longtime avian friends. They weren’t the only ones, but her friends were there to help her through it. Atop a hill lay several tombstones, all commemorating her furry friends, the largest one for a particular white one.
The white one brought the costumes, all hoofmade from her boutique. Her prized pupil and friend was now running the business and she wouldn't have it any other way. She really had come a long way from since wanting to become a pony herself and it warmed the white one’s heart thinking about her journey.
The blue one brought the entertainment, the team she trained herself. Loops in the skies, daring stunts, and contrails in the sky. She was proud, there was nothing else to it. She stayed there for a few more minutes, marveling at how flexible they were, something her joints would never allow her to do.
The purple one stood there, greeting everycreature from afar. He knew them all. It was his job under her and for not one second did he ever hate it. What he would give to see her just one more time. Perhaps read a book together, but just seeing her smile would be enough.
The pink one smiled a sad smile. She brought the party, the creatures, her friends, together. She watched them laugh, have contests, eating and drinking, socializing. It warmed her heart to now that after all this time, they were all still friends. That was enough, wasn't it? Then the aching slowly faded away. Her vision slowly went dark. The floor was coming up to her, was it supposed to do that?
"Pinkie?" That was Dashie, wasn't it? The pink one smiled, she could always count on her.
"Pinkie!" There was a rush of hoofsteps as her friends gathered around her. The pink one gazed upwards with a peaceful expression, the darkness slowly being replaced by a warm brightness.
"Surprise?" She chuckled weakly and gave her most beautifulest smile. "Guess it's my time to go, I'm sorry girls. I'll save a cupcake for you, okay?"
"No, no, no, no no no." There was crying, the pink one didn't know who it was. Then there was silence.
She opened her eyes.
Then blinked them.
"Hello Pinkie Pie, how have you been doing?"
"Twilight? What a surprise! I'm doing great! In fact, better than great! I feel like I could race Dashie again!" The two friends walked off into the white void, their voices echoing around, getting lost. But that's okay. Everything is okay.