Fluttershy had not wanted to get out of bed that morning. She was in pain, one of the joys of being a pony her age. She knew today was the day she had been waiting for, however, and knew she must get up. She stood on shaky legs and trotted over to her bathroom, slowly fixing up her hair into the bun she wore it in nowadays. She found her pills and took the ones she needed to help ease the pain, ignoring the rest. She heard a clang downstairs and smiled to herself, apparently her helper for the week was up already.
She made her way to the stairs and spread her wings, lifting herself up and fluttering down the staircase slowly. She didn't want to risk walking and taking a fall, after all. When she got to the kitchen she peeked in and smiled at the bright red pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail.
"Zap Apple, you're up early," Fluttershy spoke in her soft, and now creaky, voice.
"Oh!" he dropped a pan in surprise and turned, drooping his ears a bit. "I was going to surprise you with breakfast, meemaw."
"Such a sweet boy," she smiled and stepped forward, nuzzling the teen colt's cheek gently. "I know you'd rather be out bucking apples than stuck here caring for sweet little animals, and an old lady."
"That's not true!" the colt said indignantly, cheeks flushing. "I like being here with you."
"I'm glad," she smiled and kissed the colt's cheek gently. "Please, feed the animals for me. I'm not very hungry, and today I visit the cemetery."
"Going to visit mamma and mam?"
"And everyone else, of course," Fluttershy smiled softly at the teenaged colt.
"I still miss em," he said sadly, hanging his head. "Do you still miss grammama, meemaw?"
"Of course I do," Fluttershy smiled sadly at the colt. "It's ok to still miss them. You love them very much, and they loved you. But all you have to do is look up to the sky to know they're watching you. Take a walk in the apple orchard and know they're all around you."
"Never really thought about it like that," Zap Apple smiled at the thought, gently nuzzling Fluttershy's neck. "Thanks, meemaw. I'll go feed the animals now."
Fluttershy watched the strong colt head off. She was so proud of him, and all her grandchildren, really. Though Zap Apple wasn't technically her grandson, but Rainbow Dash had the colt late in life, and he just picked up calling her meemaw like all the other Apple foals did. She turned away from the kitchen and took the handle of a small basket in her mouth, stepping outside her house and slowly picking flowers to fill the basket. She never went without flowers to leave on the graves of her dearest friends. Once the flowers had been picked and set carefully into the basket, she stepped back into the house to add a few more things to take with her to the cemetery.
Once everything was ready, she found Zap Apple out back and gave him a little nuzzle and kiss to the cheek.
"Don't get the animals too excited now," she told him fondly, knowing he liked to rough-house with some of the larger, capable animals. She still kept quite the variety, after all. "I love you. I'll tell your mamma and mam what a good boy they raised."
Zap Apple smiled brightly and nuzzled Fluttershy briefly.
"I'll try to be good," he promised, laughing. "See you when you get back, meemaw!"
Fluttershy smiled and turned, heading away from Zap Apple and picking up the basket again, making her way to the cemetery. She really couldn't believe she outlived all her friends, some days. she always expected to be outlasted by Applejack or Rainbow Dash. She still remembered the party where they'd all made a pact....
* * *
A much younger Fluttershy had been one of the first to arrive at Sugarcube Corner for the grand farewell party. She knew she should be so very happy for her friends, but she was still quite sad as well. Their group was going to be split up! She had gotten so used to the six of them being together all these years, and the thought of them ever parting never really crossed her mind. Oh, she knew it would happen eventually, but she'd never wanted to face that 'eventually' could become a reality.
"OHMYGOSH THIS IS GOING TO BE SO FUN!"
The volume and rush of Pinkie's voice startled Fluttershy, leaving her standing there blinking in shock. She shook her mane a bit to straighten it and gave Pinkie a little smile.
"Oh..um, yes. Yes it is," Fluttershy bobbed her head in a nod.
Pinkie Pie was slowly taking over Sugarcube Corner, and in fact, it was practically hers now. The Cakes were getting older, and spending more time with their children. They were perfectly happy to let Pinkie Pie manage the shop, and she was doing well. Pinkie would definitely be staying in Ponyville. And of course, Applejack would never leave Sweet Apple Acres.
"Are you excited? I'm excited!" Pinkie was bouncing around the shop on all four hooves, and somehow managed not to knock anything over.
"I am, yes, just a little..." Fluttershy was interrupted when the door burst open, Rarity standing in the frame posing fabulously.
"Hello, darlings! So glad to not be late, I was simply giving Applebloom some last minute pointers! Oh, this is simply wonderful, Pinkie Pie! I absolutely love the decor you've put up!" Rarity trotted into Sugarcube Corner, taking in all the lovely, glittering ribbons and decorations. Sugarcube Corner had been practically transformed.
"Well, duh! This is the last time we're all living in Ponyville together, silly-nilly! It has to be big!"
"Well howdy everypony!" came Applejack's familiar voice, stopping in the doorway and standing in her familiar hooves-crossed pose, smiling at her friends.
"Hey guys!" Twilight stepped up beside Applejack, grinning brightly.
"Yay! We're all getting back together with everyone watching!" Pinkie Pie bounced in place happily.
"Everyone watching?" Twilight frowned, looking around. "Who's watching?"
"Oh, you know!" Pinkie raised her hoof above her head and waved it around. "Once everypony shows up for the party!"
Before Twilight or the others could respond, there was a loud "YAHOOOO!" and then the sound of a crash, before both Twilight and Applejack were hit from behind, both crying out in surprise as they were sent skidding into the middle of Sugarcube Corner, one big pile of pony, purple and orange limbs tangled with cyan blue.
"Oops, sorry..." Rainbow Dash managed to mumble sheepishly from the bottom of the pile.
Twilight and Applejack managed to untangle themselves slowly. Twilight stood and tried to straighten her mane a bit while Applejack simple rolled over on top of Rainbow Dash and bopped her hoof lightly on top of Rainbow Dash's head a few times.
"Ya make the Wonderbolts and yer still crashin about?"
"HEY!" Rainbow Dash cried out, cheeks flushing.
Applejack laughed and kissed the side of Rainbow Dash's muzzle affectionately, getting to her feet. Rainbow Dash flushed even more and stood, hoofing at the floor a bit, wings twitching a bit.
"Aww, don't do that AJ! You know what it does..." Rainbow Dash mumbled.
"That's why Ah do it sugarcube," AJ chuckled.
Rarity delicately cleared her throat, bringing attention to the rest of the ponies, causing both AJ and Rainbow Dash to blush.
"Yes, well, now that that charming...reunion...is taken care of, I do believe congratulations are in order, Rainbow Dash!"
"Yeah! GO RAINBOW DASH!" Pinkie jumped into the air, waving her limbs eagerly and hopping in an ecstatic circle.
"Pinkie...you're so RANDOM!"
And so the six friends had a huge, happy farewell party, with all the ponies of Ponyville popping in and out of Sugarcube Corner to say goodbye to the friends that were leaving, wishing luck to Rarity and her new Canterlot Boutique, congratulating Rainbow Dash on achieving her dream, and wishing Twilight well on her new appointment as one of Celestia's newest wizards.
As the party wound down, the six close friends were once again alone. They were sitting together around a table, relaxing after the rather wild party. Rarity managed to look perfectly unruffled, sipping her drink daintily. Applejack was leaning on Rainbow Dash tiredly, and Twilight's mane was all disheveled, having done her spastic little dancing most of the night.
"Anypony need their drinks refreshed?" Pinkie Pie said, looking perfectly happy and energetic.
"Oh, up, no...thank you..." Fluttershy murmured, stifling a yawn.
"Okie-dokie-lokie!"
Fluttershy looked around the group and felt sad. There would be no more of Pinkie's spontaneous partying with the six of them together. No more random visits, adventures. And she could tell it wasn't just going through her mind. The others seemed to slowly be drooping a bit as well. The only one who seemed perfectly perky was Pinkie.
"Well girls..." Twilight began carefully. She gulped when everypony's eyes turned to her and idly tapped the edge of the table with her hooves.
"Ain't nopony wantin' to say it, huh?" Applejack piped up quietly. "Tonight we part ways."
"You would be the one to say it, Applejack," Rarity said kindly, pushing her drink away and sighing quietly, giving the orange Earth pony a soft smile.
"We can still visit," Twilight began softly.
"YEAH! And I still have my cloud house, duh! I'll be comin' here often when I'm not with the Wonderbolts! After all..." Rainbow Dash paused and coughed into her hoof, blushing. "You're here, AJ..."
Applejack chuckled and bumped her shoulder against Rainbow Dash. "Ah know Ah ain't losin you fer good, sugarcube."
"It...won't be the same....." came Fluttershy's quiet murmur, followed by a little sniffle. "We won't all be living here together again, and we all know it's a big trip to Canterlot to do every day...I...sorry..." Fluttershy ducked her head when everypony looked at her, hiding behind her mane.
"Oh, darling..." Rarity rested her hoof on Fluttershy's side, trying not to tear up herself. She was about to speak again when...
"OH!OH!" Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed. "I GOT IT! WE SHOULD ALL GET BURIED TOGETHER! THEN WE'LL ALL BE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN!!" Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves together, grinning brightly. She paused and looked around at all the shocked stares. "What?"
The other five eventually picked their jaws up off the table and looked around.
"Well, you know..." Rarity paused, tapping her chin with her hoof. "That...actually is not a bad idea..."
"Ah reckon so....y'all ARE like family...."
The others nodded slowly, and even started to smile. Rainbow Dash just shook her head, still in a bit shocked by the sudden outburst.
"Pinkie....you...are...so...RANDOM!"
* * *
Fluttershy couldn't help chuckling to herself softly and shaking her head at the memory. What a night that had been! And really, she was so happy Pinkie came up with the idea. She never would have thought of such a thing herself! And having the rather....morose...thought at a party? Well, it was something only Pinkie Pie could do. And not even realize it was morose, of course!
She paused and looked around, suddenly realizing where she was. She'd walked all the way to the cemetery and hadn't even realized. She lowered her head and set her basket down by the first set of graves, letting out a soft smile.
"Well girls, I'm here!"
