Applejack watched as Twilight walked in to the waiting room her head held high, but her eyes glued to the ground.

“Sorry I took so long everypony.” The alicorn said, she turned to Applejack “It’s your turn now, you should probably hurry, you only have twenty minutes before visiting hours end, and again I’m sorry I took so long.”

“S’all right Twilight.” The orange earthpony replied.
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Pinkie Pie stared up at the ceiling before sitting back up and continuing to read the book titled Sherlock Homes and the Case of the Kidnapped Mare, it was one of the many books in a mystery series that Pinkie had gotten into after a certain train ride to a baking contest. Although this was her first reading of the book she found it hard to focus on the tale after hearing the news.

“Pinkie?”

“Oh Applejack!” the young pink mare squealed as her friend walked over to the hospital bed. “I almost forgot you were coming! Please tell me you brought a cupcake with you, I know the nurse said I shouldn’t be eating any sweet stuff but the food here isn’t very good and I’ve been here for so loooooonnnnng!”

“I’m sorry Pinkie, I didn’t bring any cupcakes.”

“It’s alright AJ; I shouldn’t be eating that stu-.”

“But I did bring this!” Applejack held up a large, round, chocolate chip cookie. Pinkie Pie gasped happily and grabbed the sweet out of Applejack's hoof and was about to gulp it down in one bite before her friend put a hoof out to stop her.

“Take it easy there sugar cube you know the doctors don’t want you to upset your stomach by eating to fast”

“Oh, that’s right.” Pinkie said and brought the cookie to her lips and began to nibble as slowly as she could, which was still pretty fast.

“Oh and Maud sent you this in the mail.” Applejack handed her a brown box and Pinkie put the half eaten cookie down and opened the box. The first thing she saw was a letter.

“Dear Pinkie…” She read out loud “Everyone says hi and we hope the nurses are taking good care of you. Mom is planning to come see you but we don’t know when she’ll get there. In the mean time we hope you enjoy these.” Pinkie Pie set down the note and looked in the box again. She smiled as she pulled out five rock candy necklaces and another bag with more candy, string, and a sewing needle. Pinkie sighed.

“It’s good to know family’s there for you.” She said with a warm smile.

“It sure is,” Applejack replied before smiling back and saying “Cousin.” The two mares laughed as she said this.

“Oh Applejack!” Pinkie giggled, “We never found out if that was really true or not!”

“It doesn’t matter to me, Pinkie, you’re all family to me. Blood or no blood, it doesn’t matter.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Quick!” Applejack urged in a hushed voice. “It must be the nurse! Hide the sweets or she’ll take them away!” Hurriedly Pinkie Pie stuffed the candy necklaces back in box and shoved the rest of the cookie down her throat. The nurse walked in.

“Miss Applejack.” She spoke in a rather low and robotic tone. “Visiting hours are now over, I must ask you to leave.”

“Alright, thank you.” Applejack turned to the young pink mare in the bed. “Goodbye…”
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In the waiting room Rainbowdash was sitting silently with tank on her lap, running her hoof across his shell. Twilight was using her magic to play with a few pencils she had and sitting next to her was Rarity, who just stared down at the floor. And Fluttershy was weakly crying on Discord’s lap as the draconequus soothingly stroked his claw through her mane. When Applejack walked in everyone looked up.

“Well everypony,” she sighed “Time to go.”

“There, there it’s alright Fluttershy,” Discord cooed to the yellow Pegasus mare, “We’ll come back tomorrow to see her again.” Fluttershy nodded and wiped away her tears doing her best to stop crying. But there was still the fear that nopony dare spoke.

If she was here tomorrow.
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Maud sat next to Applejack in the large field staring down at the freshly buried dirt.
“Did she use the candy we sent her?” the gray earthpony asked in her dull tone.
“No…” Maud sighed and sniffed before replying.
“I’m sorry I have to go.” Applejack didn’t look up as the mare trotted off. She just kept staring at the cold stone slab, and the inscription that read:

Pinkamena Diane Pie
1988-2014
Keep on smiling

She knew it would hurt, it hurt when her mother died, it hurt when her father left them for a mare with a pretty flank but somehow it still hurt just as much. Maybe it hurt even more this time around, but what hurt more than anything was this time there was something she could have done about. She should have told her to sit down when she said her chest hurt, she should have gotten her to the hospital faster, to her there were so many things she could have done to save her friend, but what was the point of all that guilt. What did it do other than cause more pain? After all everyone dies eventually and she died happy knowing all the joy she spread. Wasn't that all we could hope for in the end? To die happy.

Applejack got up, stretched her legs and started walking up the hill. It still hurt her, it would be a long time before the hurting went away, but she would try to smile again she would would miss her but she would let her go. That was what
Pinkie Pie would have wanted, so she would do it, for her.

Author's Note

Well this is my very first story so please don't kill me if it sucks (hides behind crate). Anyway as far as the story itself goes I was tiered of reading stories were the main character can't get over a death of a loved one and spends the whole story sobbing about so I decided to make a story were the main character is affected by the death but doesn't let it ruin her life but instead accepts it and continues to live life knowing that that's what the deceased would have wanted. Also I just wrote the part after the grave stone just to meet the word count, I don't like it and I understand if you don't like. I hope you enjoyed and please give me feed back. Stay lovely and have a nice life.

P.S. A lot off you are complaining about the fact that I don't say how Pinkie Dies, and that really bothers me because that's not the point of the story, it's about how a character deals with the death of a friend and the emotional impact, not about the death itself.