out of sight, lingering in mind

by Julyah

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 3118

This story takes place a few years after the episodes stop running.

The mane six, and their last words and breaths, in applejack's view.

Published 2012-04-03 22:54:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-04-03 22:54:01 UTC

Chapter 2, The speed craver

Rainbow was next on death's list.

The old timer.

I would miss her.

Anyway, me and pinkie were planning another picknick at fluttershy's, (that was what we called her graveplace.) and so we called rarity first.

“heya rarity.” I said into the reciever. “me and pinkie were just gonna go and have another picknick at fluttershy's! I think its supposed to be next saturday.”

“sunday!” pinkie hissed into my ear.

“next sunday, I mean.”

“oh, how funny!” Rarity replied. “I cannot make it on saturday, but on sunday I certandly can!!!”

“great. Be there at... 6?”

“wonderfull! I'll bring the plates, like usuall!”

“bye”

“bye!”

I placed the reciever into the phone thingy.

“Rarity can come!” I told pinkie.

“Ohhh! Super!” pinkie exclaimed. “now all we need to do is invite Twilight and Rainbow Dash!”

We called them both, Pinkie called Twilight first. I listened to what pinkie said, since I could not hear Twi.

“hiya Twilight!”

“studying? On what?”

“cool! Hey listen, me and AJ are planning a picnic at fluttershy's! Wanna come?”

“next sunday, at 6.”

“awesome!!! cya there!”

Pinkie put down the phone.

“she can coooooome!” pinkie sang.

“yay!” I cheered, as pinkie dialed rainbow's number.

The same, one sided conversation went on, exept Rainbow was training.

“she can coooooooome!” pinkie sang again. “now, we are all gonna be there!”

This saddened me.

“yeah, all but fluttershy.” I took my hat off and covered my nose with it, looking at the ground.

“hey,” pinkie said softly. She touched my chest with a hoof. “shure, shes out of sight, but definitly not out of mind!” She said gently. “she will be there with us.” Pinkie smiled a great smile.

I mimicked her, feeling better.

The picknick was fun, up untill the moment.

Glasses were floating around, two surrounded in the aurora of magic, the other three, in a hoof.

It was a happy time. Up untill, of course. It happened.

I was watching her.

Rainbow Dash smiled, unaware of me watching her like a hawk, as she picked up another fried apple and put it in her mouth. She sat back, chewing.

Then she started to cough. Slowly, from her tail to the tip of her ears, her colour faded.

“guys!” I screamed, over the hacking and coughing.

They all looked at me, then my pointing hoof, then Rainbow Dash.

Twilight ghasped. Then, she took controll.

“Rarity. Clean the picknick up. Make it clean, you know who's graveyard this is. Applejack. Go over and comfort Rainbow Dash. Pinkie, go and get somehting to put rainbow on. Like a stretcher. Ill teleport to the hospital and get a nurse. Everyone, GET TO WORK.” She hollered.

In a flash of pink, she was gone.

“you heard the pony, do your job!” Rarity sceamed. Instantly pinkie dashed away. Rarity's horn, and the food were instantly surrounded by a blue aurora, then the food started flying into a basket.

I ran over to rainbow.

“Rainbow, listen to me. I know you cant talk, but listen to me when I say your gonna be fine. Twilight and pinkie left to go get help. We love you, and we neejya to hold on, just for a little bit okay,?”

Rainbow nodded. I started petting her. Her mane was soaked with sweat, despite the cool weather.

Twilight and a pink nurse appeared, cantering over to Rainbow.

Twilight looked rather frazzled.

“wheres pinkie?” She hollered.

“over here!” pinkie answered, dashig in from behind a bush. On her back she carried a stretcher with a comfortable-looking blanket.

Using their magic together, Rarity and Twilight lifted Rainbow onto the stretcher. While me and pinkie did the straps on it, Rarity put the blanket over Rainbow.

They raced to the hospital, me at Rainbows side the whole time.

I would have liked to say she died in true honor, as a pegasus, but that would be a lie. She died on the way to the hospial.

Rainbow dash was burried next to fluttershy, her cutipe mark, also engraved at the top of her tombstone. It was quite a happy thing that they were next to each other. I bet fluttershy woul have appreciated it.

We still often had our picnicks next to the graves and the apple trees that grew all around.

Chapter 3, The fashionista

The next was rarity.

I remember the time when we had a sleepover at twilight's library. That was before we sorted our differences. We were bother mean to each other. But, then we decided, 'hey. How about we just ignore our differences and be friends?'. I liked that idea. A lot.

I was in her boutique when it happened.

“oh, Applejack!” She was saying “im just now starting the new fahsion line, western styled! I shall call it... Out by the prarie. Can you model it for me? I would ever so like it if you did! Your perfect for it! I can tell!”

I was honored. “why, of course rarity!”

Rarity squealed and jumped around.

“heres the first one. Tell me what you think.” She said, blue aurora surrounding an outfit that I kind of liked. She fitted it onto me. It felt really soft and warm, and i thought it looked really good on me.

“why, rarity. Im the element of honesty, and I gonna tell you no lie what it think of it.” I looked at her, just in time.

She was falling from the little caurosel she was on. I galloped over, my blood pumping, and sprang. I caught her just in the nick of time. She was already grey. It must have happened when I was saying I was the element thingy.

I rushed her to the hospital on my back. On the way, pinkie was bouncing along the road and singing, and when she saw me, she grew quiet. In a flash, she was there next to me, bending slightly, as if to say 'I can help, put half of the weight on my back.' So I slid half of rarity on my back, and together we ran to the hospital. On the way, I told her what happened and why I was dressed all fancy.

“it looks real good on you.” she said. “do you like it?”

“I think that is is the best fancyest outfit I ever did see.I love it.”

“you should tell her then!” said pinkie.

I frowned sarcastically. “now?”

Laughing, we reached the hospital. Then we grew quitet.

As soon as we walked in, there was a ghasp, and rarity was taken off our shoulders.

She regained conciousness righ when they put her onto the hospital bed.

She looked very weak.

Poor rarity.

Anyway, rarity woke up, and then she saw me and rememberd what she made for me.

“so -cough- applejack. How do you like -cough cough- the outfit?”

and I said, “these are the best, fanciest clothes I ever did see. I love them. I love them soo much.” tears came to my eyes.

“well, ” said rarity “you can -violent cough- keep them. Where -wheeze- im going, I.. wont -pause- be needing.. them”

and she closed her eyes.

Twilight arrived at the hospital right after rarity left. On mine, Pinkie, and Twilight's request, she was burried next to Rainbw Dash and Fluttershy.

The miniature graveyard was beautifull this time of year; there were tiny pink flowers instead of apples. They seemed to want rarity to go off with a bang. Or maybe they wanted to honor her skills by giving tiny, pink buds.

Of course, we still had our picknicks of three.

Yet, I sometimes went there alone with the outfit, to walk along the pink buds and green leaves, a unicorn and two ceirtan pegesi lingering in mind.

Chapter 4, The party animal

Pinkie left us further after that, almost 2 years after.

It was the middle of winter.

In the middle of winter, I had my walks, but Twilight and Pinkie and I had no picnicks.

It was a frosty day. Freezing cold. All of the remaining Elements of harmony were huddled in my house, tucked up in warm blankets and reading fingr-licking-good boks infront of the roaring fire.

It would have been a good winter.

If pinkie had'nt left.

Anyway, so i decide to look outdsie into the howling snowstorm, to see just in case there were no wondering little filles, maybe half frozen on the sidewalk. Well, I could'nt. The dam door was snowed in. I couldnt open it one crack. It was pretty funny, because that meant my friends were forced to stay here untill maybe even spring.

Luckily we had enough food.

So, for three days we stayed cooped up.

One day, I got up to go make some sandwiches. Whistling to myself, I wrestled the mustard bottle open.

I heard a thump, like someone fell of a chair, And then an 'oh no...' that came from twilight.

Thinking the worst, I blasted into the room, shouting “what, what?”

Twilight pointed to pinkie, motionless on the floor, grey.

“oh no...” I echoed her.

“Oh, applejack, this isnt good. We cant get out of the house. Well just have to watch over her. Give her a good last hour.”

So, we picked her up, put her on my bed, lots of blankets. We gave her the best head pillow I had, and she wore up smiling.

“-cough- Im gonna die, arent I?”

I nodded, smiling but tears streaming freely.

“I need to tell you guys something before it happens.”

Me and twilight leaned in close as she whispered her last words.

“-cough- theres a present for each of you, I hid them in the stove.”

And with a chuckle, she smiled and died.

The presets were a new quil, inkwell, and book for twilight.

The inkqell was decorated with miniature figures of luna and celestia, rising the sun and the moon. The quil matched the inkwell. The book was actaully a journal, and on the cover there were three baloons, matching in colour and sise Pinkie's cutie mark.

My present was a hat, embroidered with balloons the same as on twilight's Journal. Inside the hat was a note. It said:

Dear Twilight and Applejack.

I kinda had a feeling that my time was coming. I could feel it. I was hoping that I could tell you about these, if I didint, then SUPRISE!!! I love you two, too much for words. Ill tell the rest of us that you said hi, up in heaven. Please burry me next to Rarity, as we have been doing for the past few years of sadness. Like I said, I knew my time was comming.

Infinite hugs and parties,

Pinkie pie. :D

Twilight's journal contained the same letter.

Later that spring, we were dressed in black as she placed a pink coffin in the hole. The pink aurora that surrounded it went out, and we said our final farewell.

Then we burried her, Put the tombstone and sat down for a picnick with our 4 friends.

Chapter 1, The animal lover

Suprisingly enough, Fluttershy was the first one to go.

She was the eldest.

She died a peacfull death, though. It was only of old age.

I remember when it happened.

I was working the farm, winona at my side. She barked when she heard my friend Rarity approach.

“settle down there, Winona. Howdy, rarity.” I greeted.

When rarity came closer, she just stared at me. She inspected my hat, then my mane, then the soft soil underneath her.

“its... fluttershy.” She said as quietly as the yellow pegasus she was talking of.

“im right there with ya.” I said as I undid the plow behind me. I fiddled with the straps, and then along with Rarity, I galloped to the hospital. We ran next to each other, tears falling on the road we trod on.

The past week, fluttershy was not doin' so well. There was a way to tell when it was the last few days of a pony's life. It made it easier for them.

Anyway, we got to the hospital. All the my friends, and a bunch of animals were in the room. Fluttershy coughed as me and Rarity came in. She was laying on a hospital be, the sheets up to her neck. She did'nt look so good. Her coat was almost grey. Her hair had many strands of grey in it. We could all tell she only had a couple of hours left.

“ap-” Fluttershy was interrupted by another cough. “applejack. Come here.”

I walked over to her and kissed her forehead.

“yes, shugarcube?”

“you- youre here.”

“yes I am.”

She closed her eyes and smiled.

“thats good.” she kept her eyes closed.

Tears came to my eyes.

She opened hers.

Her big, blue eyes bore holed into mine. Fluttershy let out a big breath, as though she had been holding one her whole life.

She closed her eyes, saying.

“I love my 5 best friends.”

And then she lay still.

Her cemetery was in a beautifull forest. It was the one she had fallen into when she got her cutie mark.

She had a beautiful grave, on the top was her cutie mark, made out of flowers. Me and the remaining four often had picknicks next to her grave, there in the forest. We would place food on her grave, as if she would eat it. Angel ate it for her.

Chapter 5, The studious one

My last friend, my faithful twilight was the last to leave. (besides for me.)

It was late summer.

We were in her library, were she once more handed me the book on organized orchards. I smiled and sighed.

I tossed the book aside.

“im good” I told her.

“yeah well, yo- OUCH.” She cut herself of and fell off the ladder she was perched on.

“twilight!” I yelled.

I was too slow, and so I didint catch her, But she did land ontop of spike's old bed, so she was fine.

(when spike grew to big for the library, he moved into a cave just north of ponyville. Twilight and Spinke visited. A lot.)

Anyway. She fell ontop of the bed, rubbing her stomack.

“oooohh. It hurts...”

“Dont worry twi, ill getchya to the hospital.”

“no” she croaked. “AJ, if you dont mind, I would like to die under the old apple tree, next to our friends.”

So, I smiled as the tears welled up in my face.

So, me supporting her, we slowly made our way to the park. I was very sad.

When we finnaly got to the tombstone of pinkie, she collapsed, sweating and grey.

A tear fell from her face.

“applejack, lets dig my grave” she said.

“beggin your pardon?” I thought I had'nt heard her right.

“lets do it.”

And so we did.

Digging her grave, we worked untill the sky turned bronze.

And then, a deep twilight colour.

Thats when my last friend left me.

She was breathing heavily, lying next to me and watching the stars wink at us.

I turned my head and looked at her.

She did the same, and said, “AJ, dont ever think this was your fault. Have fun with the rest of your life. Its my time.” She turned her head to look up at the stars, but I sat up.

Tears cascading down my face, I screamed. “NO! You cant leave me, twilight! You cant leave me!”

I leaned oevr her, as she withdrew a husky breath. “dont... blame yourself...” she managed to whisper. “I love you, you... were alwayes my sis.. sister...”

And she slowly winked at me.

Then her eyes closed again.

She sighed.

“I am... In peace...”

Chapter 6, Me... The farmer.

And so, I lay underneath the tree now, grey and in pain.

But I am not alone. My friends lay next to me, 'In peace.' As twilight had said.

It hurts, everywhere.

But in a way I am glad, my life was beautifull, a gift. I had fun.

I replay small memories in my head about my other friends.

When rarity came closer, she just stared at me. She inspected my hat, then my mane, then the soft soil underneath her.

“its... fluttershy.” She said as quietly as the yellow pegasus she was talking of.

“im right there with ya.” I said as I undid the plow behind me. I fiddled with the straps, and then along with Rarity, I galloped to the hospital. We ran next to each other, tears falling on the road we trod on.

Fluttershy. Such a peacfull soul. So nice and kind. I can wait to see her again, i was missing her.

Using their magic together, Rarity and Twilight lifted Rainbow onto the stretcher. While me and pinkie did the straps on it, Rarity put the blanket over Rainbow.

They raced to the hospital, me at Rainbows side the whole time.

Rainbow dash ah, the dardevil. I smiled at the thought. She could'nt wait to see me, to race again, and have me kick her flank.

“so -cough- applejack. How do you like -cough cough- the outfit?”

and I said, “these are the best, fanciest clothes I ever did see. I love them. I love them soo much.” tears came to my eyes.

“well, ” said rarity “you can -violent cough- keep them. Where -wheeze- im going, I.. wont -pause- be needing.. them”

and she closed her eyes.

Ah, Rarity. Cant wait to tell her about how much I love the dress. She will beam with pride and say “oh, its nothing dear.”

“-cough- Im gonna die, arent I?”

I nodded, smiling but tears streaming freely.

“I need to tell you guys something before it happens.”

Me and twilight leaned in close as she whispered her last words.

“-cough- theres a present for each of you, I hid them in the stove.”

And with a chuckle, she smiled and died.

Pinkie. She might just throw a party in heaven for me when I come. That will be fun.

A tear fell from her face.

“applejack, lets dig my grave” she said.

“beggin your pardon?” I thought I had'nt heard her right.

“lets do it.”

And so we did.

Digging her grave, we worked untill the sky turned bronze.

And twilight, I bet she has her own library in heaven. Shell show it to me when I come!

And, under the apple trees, I died. Thinking of all the happy animals and rainbows and dresses and parties and books there will be in heaven.

Alone but not.

In pain but not.

Sad but not.

Unpeacefull but not.

THE END.