If Only There Was More Time
Gloomy days don't pass by Ponyville that often. Most of the days there are as cheerful as they can get. The sun's shining, fillies playing games, wildlife thrives, and the most delicious treats you can ever get from Sugarcube Corner are fresh out the oven with Pinkie Pie giving you the most heartwarming grin. You can't ask for a more perfect day. Regrettably, today is not one of those days. In fact, it's quite the opposite really. Dark and thunderous clouds hang overhead, fillies look out the window with the saddest of eyes, the bakery is closed due to multiple shortages, and even the plants seems to be filled with pain in their roots.
A young filly with her cotton candy pink and lavender coated mane was galloping as fast as she could through the harsh rain. Sweetie Belle, with suffering in her eyes, couldn't feel the rain. She couldn't feel the icy wind hitting her coat. She couldn't feel the constant stream down her face She couldn't feel anything. Completely numb to the touch. The only thing she felt worth feeling of right then was the love of her dear sister. The love that she had felt for her entire life and was the only thing that was of most importance.
"Please hang on Rarity!" Sweetie Belle screamed through the downpour, "Please don't leave me!" The only thing coursing through her mind was the memories of her and Rarity. The times where they laughed, hugged, argued, cried, and played together. Even the times where she felt she could never speak to her again for were replaying in her head, because all those moments of her life were what bonded her and her sister so greatly. However, memories hurt to remember in dire situations. The tears that expel from them feel like the torn pieces from the heart.
"Why does this happen to anypony?" Sweetie Bell wondered. "Why does the most painful thing in the world have to happen ever?" Question stormed though her head as fierce as the storm hung over herself. Thunder roared and lightning smacked the rooftops of Ponyville's buildings. Sweetie Belle could have sworn at one point she had seen somepony standing on top of the hospital approaching her.
She arrived at the hospital soaking wet and freezing. "Sweetie Belle!" a familiar voice called out to her. Pinkie Pie rushed over to her with a concerned look on her face. "I know where Rarity's room is. Follow me." Hearing a name from somepony Sweetie Belle knew that was admitted to the hospital always gave her a stabbing pain in her chest. More tears ran down her face as she followed Pinkie Pie down the hallway.
"I know I'm Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle," Pinkie assured herself, "But this is a time where even some of the happiest things in Ponyville can't bring a smile to my face. This is one of those times. I'm sorry Sweetie Belle. I wish there was something I could do."
"Don't be sorry!" Sweetie Belle snapped back, "She's going to be okay! You hear me?!" Pinkie Pie was shocked by the tone of voice Sweetie Belle had produced. Pinkie had a tear come from her eye and continued down the hall with silence being the remainder of that discussion. Hospital hallways never felt comforting to Sweetie Belle, no matter how much the hospital was meant to make you well again. You always went to the hospital feeling terrible whether being treated or just visiting, but sometimes you leave the hospital exactly the same, or worse.
Pinkie Pie never cared for hospitals either. The last time she was here she had given a bad batch of brownies to Octavia and Vinyl. Both of them got food poisoning and had to stay in the hospital for a few days. Pinkie felt terrible afterwards and offered them a huge party after they had gotten better. They accepted, but ended up not eating anything that Pinkie Pie had thrown in their direction.
Somepony started crying profoundly somewhere down the hall. "Rarity," Sweetie Belle thought and started galloping towards the cry. She got to the room finding somepony else hugging a pony in the bed, although the pony in the bed didn't seem to be returning the hug. Sweetie Belle started to tear up and kept going on down the hallway.
"Where's my sister, Pinkie Pie? Where is she?"
"She's in this room right here, Sweetie."
Pinkie Pie opened the door to the room. Sweetie Belle found her sister motionless on the bed. "Rarity! Rarity!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed setting her front hooves on the bed looking at Rarity.
"It's alright, Sweetie Belle. She's just asleep," the orange pony known as Applejack confirmed. "She's been sleeping all day."
Sweetie Belle looked around the room, finding Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, all with glum faces.
"How come nopony told me? Somepony tell me!" Sweetie Belle yelled with anger.
"We...we didn't know if you were going to be able to take the news," Twilight spoke with the worst guilt a pony could feel, "Rarity told us herself not to tell you. She found out about a couple months ago. She became diagnosed with a terminal heart disease. She didn't want to get admitted to the hospital since she knew about what was going to happen. Tonight was the first night she's been here since she found out. None of us wanted you to worry."
"We're...so sorry, Sweetie Belle," Applebloom stepped up along with Scootaloo.
"You guys, too?"
"Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo started choking on her words, "Please forgive us."
Sweetie Belle looked down at her sister. "Look at all these tubes," Sweetie Belle thought miserably. "Why does she have to have all these? Why did this have to happen to her? She doesn't deserve it!" She started crying onto Rarity's chest, the other ponies started to tear up as well. Fluttershy put both her hooves around Rainbow Dash's neck and began to sob. Rainbow stroked Fluttershy mane and looked down biting on her lower lip in suffering.
"How come this had to happen to Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Out of all the ponies. I would have rather it been me in that bed."
"Don't say that Dash!" Twilight cried, "Nopony should have to be in that bed right now!"
The door to the room opened. Dr. Stable held a clipboard up with magical glow, reading it over with what appears to be Rarity's profile.
"Isn't there something you ponies can do, doctor?" Applebloom uttered. Sweetie Belle looked up to the doctor.
Dr. Stable sighed and shook his head, "With the way things are going, I'm sorry to say that she does not have that much time left in her hooves. Her coronary artery blocked up too much. Not enough blood can be supplied to her heart."
Sweetie Belle looked from the doctor to Rarity, her heart feeling as if it'd been ripped out of her chest and stomped on. "Rarity.....please......don't go. Our mom's gone, our daddy's gone. I can't live without you, too." Sweetie Belle began to shed tears on Rarity's bedside. The worst thing anypony could ever hear in Equestria was a filly's cry of pain.
"S-Sweetie Belle?" Rarity uttered.
Everypony in the room looked up. "Rarity?" Sweetie Belle said with pain in her voice, "I th-th-thought--"
"No. Not yet, Sweetie Bell. You really do need to stop worrying so much for me," Rarity laughed, "There are going to be times now where all you'll have are your friends."
"But Rarity...You're the only family I have right now. I can't lose you."
"Take a good look there, Sweetie." Rarity pointed at Scootaloo and Applebloom. "They are the ones who will be there for you through the darkest of times. They will be there when you are in need. They will be your new family. Do you see who's in the room with us right now? Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy are all here with me because I know deep down in my heart they are my closest friends. They were there for me when I was in my biggest of troubles, now they're here with me for my last."
"Rarity..don't say that," Pinkie Pie started to cry.
" Y-yeah," Applejack started, "You'll get better soon. It'll just take some time. Then, we'll have a picnic. Every single one of us. Twilight will be there, and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Scootaloo, me, and you sugarcube. We'll all be there."
Rarity chuckled, "Applejack. You know as well as I do what's going on here. I don't have much time left." Rarity started cringing in pain.
"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle yelped.
"Don't worry, Sweetie. I'm still here. Hey, do you remember the times where I'd take you to go play soccer with all your school friends, and after we'd go back home and work on our monthly dress together?"
"Mhm," Sweetie Belle managed.
"Did you know that one of last year's dresses we worked so hard on were requested by Sapphire Shores herself?"
"Really? The one with the Emerald outlining, huh?" A quick smile flew across Sweetie Belle's face for a brief moment, only to be wiped away by the sight of hospital's machinery attached to Rarity.
"Yes Sweetie Belle. The dresses we worked on together got the attention of one of the most prestigious mares of Equestria, and I couldn't have done it without you."
Sweetie Belle just stared into Rarity's eyes. She couldn't hold back the tears drowning her eyes.
"Those were the happiest times I got to spend with you, Sweetie." Rarity started to cringe again. "Listen to me. You have to learn things on your own now. I'm not going to be here to help you with stuff you don't know about anymore. This is another reason why it is important to have your friends with you. Some things you just can't do by yourself. Do you understand?"
Sweetie Belle, tears gushing out of her eyes, could only manage a nod.
"Good. Applebloom? Scootaloo?"
"Yes, Rarity?" Applebloom and Scootaloo forced out.
"Please take good care of my sister. I know you two well, and you two are some of the best fillies here in Equestria. I don't think Sweetie Belle could have made better friends."
Applebloom and Scootaloo both started to tear up. "Don't worry Rarity," Applebloom said, "W-we'll always be with Sweetie Belle."
"I will always love you Sweetie. Always. I will always be in your heart no matter where I am, and you'll always be in mine. I want to thank all of you, by the way. All of you were the joy in my life that nopony else was, that nopony else could ever be. I could never have asked...for better friends."
The heart monitor flat lined. Rarity was gone.
"Rarity? Rarity! Please no! No, no, no, no, no! It can't be true! Please Rarity! Don't go!" Sweetie Belle cried out. The other ponies stood motionless crying, feeling the pain for the loss of a loved one. Agony fills the room as tears fall to the cold floor.
"Rarity! You can't be gone! You just can't be! Please! I need you!" Sweetie Belle felt the feeling again. The memories were coming back, the torn apart heart. Only this time it was worse; much worse. Sweetie Belle clung to Rarity. Everypony else hugged her as well, Applebloom and Scootaloo hugged Sweetie Belle. The doctor said they were like that for the rest of the day and the night after. Just holding onto each other.
After that day, most things went back to normal, although as most ponies know, the death of somepony will alter the lives of many. Sweetie Belle fell into a depression for about six months, but finally was able to get back on her hooves and realize that Rarity would not want her to be sad for the rest of her days. Applebloom and Scootaloo continued to be there for her, just like Rarity said they would. The other five ponies built a scrapbook in memory of their dearest friend, putting in pictures, poems, and other things that remind them of Rarity. Sapphire Shores even went to Sweetie Belle to pay her respects.
As time grew on, Rarity's death still had it's toll. The days seem to be stranger, the time goes by faster, and even the sunshine seems to have a fainter glow to it than before. Equestria has it's greatest moments, which means it must have its worse. Some things are never the same without that somepony; however, their life will not be forgotten.
