Bubblini Damien Berry. That was a name of the great pink party stallion that always made everyone around him smile. He always knew how much he meant to most ponies, especially his friends. No, not his friends, but his best friends. The friends he saw almost daily as if he was lost without them. He never took a single one of them for granted. He loved his family too, but this wasn’t a day that he felt happy to be with them. This was a day full of grief and sorrow. A day that imprinted a permanent scar on Bubble’s perspective of the ones he loves. Today was his parents’ funeral.

He trotted up to the open casket with a sigh, gazing upon what were formerly his mother and father. They were nothing but two bodies holding each other tight, ready for burial. It shattered his heart into millions of small fragments, not bothering to be put back together. He continued to sob at this site for a few lingering moments before he was pulled away by his friends. It was the last time he saw his parents, and he didn’t want to see them like this. He knew that his folks were much stronger than this, they just couldn’t be dead. But, they were.

He sat in that meadow, mane deflated, looking up into the skies above him. His heart couldn’t bear to think about doing anything else. This was the first time in his entire life like he felt truly alone in the world. There was no other family left for him to be with. Sure the Cake family acted and treated him as if he was their son, but that was different. This was closer to the heart. One pony did cross his mind a few times while he was deep in thought, one pony that recently lost his parents too. He continued to wait as his friends started to leave him alone one by one. Dusk felt that it was time for Bubble to cope on his own accord, considering he wasn’t really that great with dealing with death. Elusive had to be taken home because he couldn’t stop crying. Applejack and Rainbow Blitz had to leave because they had plans to fix up a few things around the barn, Blitz originally said he wouldn’t, but Applejack used his knowledge of his friend to get him to change his mind. This only left Butterscotch and Bubble Berry.

Butterscotch sat there quietly, but this time, it didn’t seem the same. Sure the yellow pony was always quiet, but he never looked so depressed. He looked even sadder than Bubble himself did. Tears were being shed left and right between the two, without any warning or signs of stopping. It felt like years of dead silence had gone by within these past forty minutes, neither one of them letting out a single sound other than sobs and cries. This changed abruptly when Butterscotch spoke up. He sounded a lot softer than his average calming and almost whisper-like voice, but it was still within ear shot of the saddened party pony.

“It’s times like these where you have no choice but to stay strong.” He began. “The times like these that you want to stay alone, to yourself. The times where you want to just lay down in bed, with your animals by your side, and yet not wake. I know what you’re going through Bubble, and it’s hard to deal with these sorts of things. You know, when I lost my parents and you stayed with me for two days just to make me feel better, ruining several of your own plans just for me… that was something that I will never forget. It made me feel happier, as if nothing was even bothering me to begin with.”

“Well, that’s because I know how much you get all sad and things so I just had to make you smile again. I worry about you a lot. All five of you are the ponies I care about the most. I can even say that now since-”

Butter cut him off. “Please, we understand the extraordinary things you do for us to make us happy. We all appreciate how much you care about us, and that’s why we love you. You’re one of the greatest ponies that ever lived Bubble, and I just wish…”

A long pause was taken before Bubble wondered what Butters was trying to say.

“You wish for what?” He looked directly into Butterscotch’s lovely wide and beautiful eyes. “You can tell me what you want to say, and if you want I won’t tell anyone.”

“Well… I… I just…” He continued to struggle with his words.

Bubble was now too focused on Butterscotch that he had completely forgotten what had just happened mere hours ago.

“I just wish there were more ponies out there like you Bubble… ones that can go from such a hyper and intense state back to a calm and caring state. I wish there were more ponies like you that could make everyone they look at burst into a ball of happiness. I just wish I was able to do that, and maybe if I could then I could help you the same way you did for me.”

Bubble turned to his side and reached out ahead of him. He latched onto Butterscotch and pulled him in closer, hugging him tightly. Tears started to soak the fur of the yellow stallion, his shoulder now being stained by the sadness of his dear friend. All he could do was hug back, caressing the back of the pink pony to soothe him. It felt nice to actually return the favor from when Bubble helped him through tough times, but somehow, it was different. Butterscotch didn’t have the experience that Bubble did on cheering up his friends. He felt a little scared and worried, as if he thought if he made a single wrong move that he’d be in trouble. But according to the signs being given off by the crying stallion gripping him tightly, he must be doing something right.

“Bubble, would you like to come back to my place? I could make us some tea if you’d like.”

Bubble eased his grasp and looked his friend in the eye. “Sure, I’d like that.”

Author's Note

OKAY THIS WAS ALL THERE WAS FOR THE TRAGIC PART, EVERYTHING ELSE FROM HERE ON OUT WILL BE ROMANCE!