It was a cloudy day at Sweet Apple Acres. The sun had been hidden behind a layer of gray for days. Ever since the incident occurred, it was as if the sun had decided to hide itself away from the Apple family. All that was there to greet them was the same dreary scene, day after day, for the past week. Not a single ray of hope touched Sweet Apple Acres once the despair set in.
Not only was the sky a dreadful sight, but also everypony residing at Sweet Apple Acres. The incident had struck a heavy blow to everypony there, Applejack especially. Since it happened, Applejack had become aloof, refusing to talk to anypony about how she felt. As a result, she immersed herself into her work, often working long into the night.
Big Macintosh was struck the hardest. His productivity slowed to a crawl as he started spending most of his time in his room. He may not have talked much to begin with, but the incident seemed to have killed his spirit. For the time he wasn't in his room or working, he could usually be found in town, drinking away his troubles.
It was a blessing from Celestia that Apple Bloom wasn’t there when it happened. She was young, and neither Big Macintosh or Applejack knew how it would have affected her mentally. But at the same time,they felt that Apple Bloom had a right to be there when it happened. After all, Granny Smith was just as much a mother to her as she was to the rest of them. In the end, they decided that it was better that she had been spending the night with Sweetie Belle when it happened.
There had not been such a large gathering of Apple family members since the last family reunion. From all over Equestria they came to pay their respects to Granny Smith. From Las Pegasus to Manehattan they came. All who came brought with them flowers for the casket. Most, however, could not stay for the actual funeral, but still came for the visitation. It just went to show how much Granny Smith had touched each of them over the years.
On the day of the funeral, it was another day when the sun was kept away by the gray clouds above. The pegasi had done their best to clear the sky the day before the funeral, but to no avail. Still the clouds remained in the sky, and still the sun was hidden away from the ponies who needed it most.
Every pony that arrived for the funeral was out by the barn. They all gathered around the casket, all of them on the verge of tears. All except Big Macintosh, who was already silently sobbing. Big Macintosh was hugging his sister, Apple Bloom, as she softly cried onto his chest.
Braeburn was there as well. He was one of the first relatives to arrive. He arrived the day of the day before, the day of the visitation, and stayed the night. However,he was not the only relative to stay the night at Sweet Apple Acres. There were many relatives who stayed the night, and in order to make accommodations, Braeburn bunked with Big Macintosh.
After everypony had finished talking and took their seats, Applejack made her way to the podium that was placed in front of the casket. She stood there, emotionless, as she looked at all of her relatives who made the trip. But something was different about her. She was not wearing her brown stetson hat. The one she always wore wherever she went.
“Can I have your attention, please. We are going to start now, seeing as how ya’ll are all seated.
“We gather here today to pay our respects to one of the most important ponies in our lives. Over the years, she managed to touch each of us in a different way. From her kind words of advice to her caring nature. She will be missed, but she will never be forgotten.” Apple Jack paused for a moment to gather her words even though she still showed no hint sadness. “ Ah would now ask if anypony would like to come up to the stand and share what Granny Smith meant to them.”
At firstn nopony came up to the stand. They all were too sad to move. By the time Applejack had finished her speech, everypony in attendance was in tears. It was as if the clouds above themselves were pouring down upon the audience. Drenching their faces with the tears that were trailing down to the ground.
The first pony to come to the stand was Big Macintosh. He had gotten his tears under control before he made his way up. When he arrived at the podium, he started to shake. His tears were beginning to well up once more, and he was fighting a losing battle to suppress them. Finally, he succumbed to his sadness once more, unleashing even more tears. He made an attempt to speak, but was unable to say anything. He then decided it would be best to return to his seat.
The next pony to take the stand was Braeburn. He approached the stand with a sad demeanor, however he had yet to shed a tear. When he reached the stand, he cleared his throat. He froze for a moment, as if the words that were forming in his head were starting to bring out his inner sadness.
After he had regained his composure,he spoke, “Granny Smith was one of the sweetest ponies I ever met. When I was younger, she would occasionally look after me. During that time I would also play with my cousins. Whenever we had a fight or an argument, she would always have us make up. Afterwards, she would bake us one of her apple pies. She never took sides,but she always resolved our conflicts peacefully. I will miss her more than anypony could ever know.” As Braeburn finished his speech, his true feelings finally came to light. He broke down in tears, sobbing at the loss of one he cared so much for.
After several more relative took the stand, it was time for the burial. Big Mac, Applejack, Braeburn, and Uncle Orange stood up and made their way to the casket. They then each took their positions and lifted the casket. As they made their way to the gravesite, Applejack started to lose her composure. Tears began to form in her eyes, but she managed to push them back. After she pushed back her tears, she regained her composure and resumed her normal pace.
*** *** ***
After the burial was complete, everypony made their way back to the house. Even though they were all sad, they wanted to forget about their sadness with food and drinks. Not that anypony could blame them. Why would anypony want to retain all of their sadness after a funeral? Is that what the recently deceased would want? To continue grieving, and eventually let it ruin their lives. No, they would want them to carry on with their lives.
Instead of returning to the house with the others, Applejack stayed behind. She stood over the fresh grave. The only thing she could do was stand there. Some time passed, and the clouds that dulled the sky began to cry. It was a gentle rain that slowly enveloped Sweet Apple Acres.
While the others were back at the house, drinking and having fun, Applejack stood out in the rain. She didn’t flinch when it started. Instead, she embraced the rain. She tilted her head back, to stare into the heavens above, and put on her stetson hat, which she had not worn since before Granny Smith died in her sleep.
As the rain came down, a bit harder now, she began to cry. She no longer held her feelings in. Now she embraced them as the rain fell around her. Her tears mixed with the rain as the fell from her cheeks, landing on the grave of the one she loved.
She spent about ten minutes at the grave, crying the entire time. After those ten minutes had passed, she brought her head back its normal position. She had managed to release all of her pain in ten minutes of uninterrupted crying. She turned and started to make her way back to the house to join the others.
Before she had trotted ten steps, she spoke, “ G’bye, Granny. Ah’ll miss ya.”
