I awoke with a start. Sweat covered my pink coat, which put a pungent odor into the air. My chest was rising and falling with such a great force that if Gummy was on my chest, he’d be sick by now. I raised myself off of whatever surface I was on and scanned my surroundings. My mouth fell open due to the surprise of what I saw.
Somehow, I had found myself sleeping in the Everfree forest. The dark foliage around me was lit up by the moonlight, which allowed me to partly see. My vision was still hazy due to being groggy, but I could feel myself coming to my senses. I let myself stay perfectly still, mind my chest, and just relax for a moment. As I had hoped, the fierce movement of my chest began to slow, and my body heat returned to normal. My coat still felt sticky from the sweat, but I could live through it. I had been to plenty parties where I had gotten sweaty before, so it is not such a big deal. I giggled to myself softly as I thought of this one party where I had gotten soo messed up on candy that I passed out. It kind of felt like it does now, actually.
My mind was lit up with a shocking revelation that brought a smile to my face. Yes, that’s it! I had only partied last night and got messed up, and crashed in the forest I giggled to myself again, happy to find and answer. I am so silly sometimes! After my giggles found their way out of my chest, I looked out into the forest once more. I looked out into the darkness, and felt a low hum of fear within myself. I looked down to the ground and closed my eyes. The thought that was going through my mind was,
“I told the girls that they could laugh at the ghosties to make their fears disappear to help them... I never thought I would have to face the darkness alone.” I looked up into the darkness of the forest once more, readying every nerve in my system. “I have to do this.” I thought again. My breathing became erratic due to the fear racing through my body, which caused my hooves to begin walking on their own. Within seconds, I was in the very darkness that caused all my fears of the dark to come alive. I had my eyes closed once I reached the dark shadows under the leaves of the trees. My mind raced, but I began to think of every happy thought I could muster.
“Twilight... Rarity... Dashie.. AppleJack... Fluttershy.. parties... candy.. Gummy... they’re all waiting for me back home..” My head then suddenly shot up at what I had said to myself. “They were all waiting for me”. I suddenly felt very selfish. What if my friends were looking for me!? I was probably worrying them sick!
This was enough to cause my confidence to skyrocket, as I began to run through the shadows to find myself back to Ponyville. As I ran, I felt like I was weightless for whatever reason. It was an odd feeling, but it didn’t really shock me. I sometimes felt like this after I woke up, but somehow, this was different. I literally felt like I weighed as much as a feather does. I didn’t really pay much mind to it, as is what normally happens with me. I usually just go with the flow of things, which always seemed to work for me, so why stop now?
I somehow knew that I was getting ever closer to Ponyville. Through the darkness, I somehow knew where I was running. I could feel it in my heart, I just knew that I was going home. My heart began to burn with a fiery passion as I thought of returning home, knowing full well that I needed to make it. Even though I had serious thoughts racing through my mind, a smile crept across my face. I was going home, and I was going home soon! Ponyville, here I come!
***
Right away, I knew something was weird with the ponies in Ponyville. As I ran out of the forest, I saw Fluttershy outside of her cottage. I felt a bubbly feeling of happiness race through my body as I ran to her, ready to greet my friend once more and to tell her I was fine. As I got closer to her, I felt a weird feeling in the air. It’s as if there was an odd tension around her, but I couldn’t understand why. Then, a wonderful idea popped through my mind light a light bulb turning on, lighting up the corners of my mind. If I was to show Fluttershy I was alright, it should be with a surprise! Everything is always better with a surprise!
I could hardly hold in my laughter as I dipped low and slowly walked behind my pink haired friend. Step by step, my excitement rose even higher. I couldn’t wait for this surprise, it is sure to scare her real good! Within seconds, I was right behind her body. I slowly rose up to my hindlegs as I rose my hooves in the air and screamed with all my might, “Surprise!!!” I fell over and began to laugh the second I did this, expecting to hear a shrill cry of surprise. Instead, only silence. I rose up off of the ground to face Fluttershy, who was not even looking at me. She was tending to her chickens, as if she did not hear me at all.
I rose my eyebrow in surprise, not knowing how to react to this. My mind was racing as I stared up at her. Was she really ignoring me!? After I was lost in the forest? For however long? The thoughts racing through my mind began to go a thousand miles a minute. I picked myself off of the ground and made my way in front of her. I placed my head directly in front of her and said, “Fluttershy?” To my annoyance, she did not answer again. She was still pretending I wasn’t there! Although from right here, it looked as if she was crying. She had a faint sparkle in her eye, and she wasn’t smiling. Was she sad because she was ignoring me?
Suddenly, Fluttershy slowly turned around and began to walk back to her cottage. I quickly raced up beside her and said, “Fluttershy? Hellooooo?” I poked her side with my hoof, to no response again. She just continued to slowly walk to her home, and opened the door. I thought I could hear a soft cry of what sounded like crying, but her door closed so quickly that I could not tell. I called out to her, “Fine then! I’ll come back later, when you’re ready to talk!”
I turned away from her home and said to myself, “What is her problem...?”
***
Today was certainly a strange day. First Fluttershy was ignoring me, and now the ponies in Ponyville weren’t even acknowledging my existence. Usually when I walked through the town, ponies would greet me from all directions. Now when I waved at ponies, they seemed to look just pass me. After a few instances of this occurring, I started to become frantic. My hoof waved at ponies with such a force that it split the wind around it, causing a shrill sound to happen. Still, ponies did not pay any attention to me.
I was starting to panic. My chest was rising with the same force that it was in the forest, and I was becoming sweaty again. I started to quickly scan the area around me, looking for any sign of acknowledgement from anyone. Even Cranky Doodle ignored me, when he usually just tells me to go away. Now he just simply walked away, without even looking back.
I was close to screaming in frustration. Why was everyone ignoring me!? Soon I was running around buildings, yelling as loud as I could that the Parasprites were attacking again. Still, no response from anypony. They were all minding their own business, and going throughout their daily lives. I dropped to the ground in anger and lifted my head toward the sky. I needed to get this out, I just had to. I screamed as loud as I could, “Why is everyone ignoring me!?”
I felt a small amount of relief to get some of my frustration out, but could still feel the anger within me. There has to be a reason that everyone was ignoring me. And I was determined to find out exactly what that was, no matter the cost. The only pony who came to mind to help was Twilight, the smartest unicorn in Ponyville. I was so excited by this idea that I shouted, “That is such a great idea! Twilight ought to know what is happening!”
I scanned the area after I said this, hoping someone could hear that statement. Still, there was no response. Sighing in frustration, I started my slow trot towards Twilight’s house.
***
The moment I reached Twilight’s tree, I began to knock on her door quickly. I wanted answers, and I wanted answers now. To my surprise, as I knocked on the door, not a sound was made. I thought this was odd, but I didn’t think much of it. Twilight must of put a spell on it or something. I simply could not afford to panic again like I did back in town. I had to understand what was going on, or I would simply go mad.
Tired of attempting to knock on the door to no avail, I put my hoof on the door and attempted to open it. As I tried to turn the handle, I was surprised to feel nothing but air. I felt confused, not understanding what was going on. I looked down at the handle and put my hoof on it again. I couldn’t believe what I saw for a moment. As I touched the handle, I saw my hoof go straight through the solid object as if it was nothing. At first, I felt numb as I saw this. I couldn’t really do anything but just stare at my hoof that was inside the handle.
All at once, my entire body jolted to life. Panic rushed throughout my entire body as if lightning struck me. I screamed as loud as I could and dropped to the floor, putting my hooves to my eyes. I was trembling and shivering, the absolute shock of the situation becoming too much. I couldn’t move at all. I was immobilized, numb to the entire world. Thoughts were once again racing through my mind like the fastest pegasus flyers, so I could not find a grip on a single one of them. I just allowed myself to have my freakout on the ground, letting every amount of today’s shock to exit my system. I felt tears start to well up in the sockets of my eyes, but I kept them tightly shut.
The tears soon found a way to escape anyway, their salty texture burning my eyes. I simply stayed on the ground and allowed myself to cry, the fear from this entire situation releasing itself. I continued to tremble and cry for what seemed like ten minutes before I heard a voice above me say, “Pinkie... are you ok!?”
I quickly looked up, my eyes bloodshot from crying. I stared straight into the eyes of Twilight, who was staring right back. We stayed like this for a few moments before I whispered, “You can hear me... see me?”
Twilight then raised her eyebrow as she stared at me. “Uhm, Pinkie, how exactly could I not hear or see you? You are making such a noise out here you woke both Spike and I. We were up all night studying for my latest project. It is actually an interesting theory that I came up with that involves-” As Twilight went on with her speech on her late night studies, I could simply no longer hear her very well. I felt an intense happiness rise within me. All I could think about was that I was no longer seemingly invisible to everypony around me.
Before Twilight could finish her speech that I wasn’t even listening to, I wrapped my hooves around her neck and began to cry again. I could hear Twilight question what I was doing, but I didn’t care. I just held her tight, afraid that if I let go, she would begin to ignore me as well. Twilight allowed us to stay like this for a few minutes before she backed away from me. She has a look of extreme caution, probably just as confused as I was. Before I could say anything, Twilight asked me if I wanted to come inside. I nodded quickly as she let me walk into her home. Hopefully, I would now find the answers to what was going on.
***
Twilight lead me to her room and looked at me once more. She still had her look of caution and worry, which sort of hurt me. I felt kinda bad that she was worrying so much about me, but I really needed answers. She asked me to sit on her bed, and much to my pleasure, I did not fall straight through it. I guess I would need to ask her about that too. A thought passed through my mind, which quickly made a smile appear on my face. What if Twilight just put a spell on the knob to keep people out because she was sleeping? It makes sense! I began to giggle out loud, which got me a stare from Twilight again. I said my apologizes for weirding her out, which was returned with a nod of her head.
“It’s ok Pinkie, I just need some answers. Why exactly were you creating such a scene outside, and also, for that matter, why were you crying?” I turned my head to the floor as she asked her questions. I had no idea what to tell her. I was freaking out in the town because I was being ignored... how exactly do I tell somepony that? But, I knew I needed to say it. So I looked back up at her and said, “I am being ignored by everypony. I tried to talk to Fluttershy, and she completely ignored my existence. I even tapped her, and she still ignored me. But she isn’t the only one. The ponies in town are also ignoring me. Not a single pony is noticing I am around. Even Cranky Doodle ignored me too! I don’t understand it Twilight!”
I started panting after I said all of that in one breath, glad to finally tell a pony my troubles. Twilight kept her gaze of confusion as she replied, “They are... ignoring you? Is that it?” As I was catching my breath, I started to think about the incident with Twilight’s door and door knob. Now seemed like the best time to ease my thoughts and just hear she put a spell on both of them. I allowed myself to catch my breath, and replied, “Well, what made me freak out was that when I knocked on your door, it made no sound. And when I tried to touch the doorknob, I passed straight through it! It was so weird! But you put a spell on it, so I completely understand why it happened now!”
I smiled back at Twilight, expecting to hear that my suspicions were true. Instead of hearing a simple agreement, Twilights look of confusion stayed apparent on her face. To my great displeasure and shock, she replied, “Pinkie... I didn’t put any spell on my door.” I simply stared back at her. Like it was outside, I felt completely numb for a few moments. I attempted to mutter something, but all that came out with gibberish.
Just like it happened outside once again, my body reacted to the shock of the situation all at once. I felt like screaming and crying, but before I could do anything, Twilight ran up to the bed and hugged me softly. The tears that threatened to release itself began to flow from my eyes to her coat, and I could feel the wetness it was causing. Twilight just continued to hold me softly, letting me release my emotions in a safe manner.
After the shock of the moment left my system, Twilight pulled away slowly. She now had a look of absolute worry, which caused my stomach to drop. I could see that my situation was effecting her just as much as it was affecting me. She quietly said, “Better?” I nodded my head and looked down at the ground, letting the situation sink in. This was truly happening. I had no idea how to explain the door now. Suddenly, a spark of hope rushed through my mind. I was with the smartest pony in Ponyville, Twilight is sure to know what to do! A smile spread across my face as I looked at her again. I quickly said, “Twilight, do you have any idea what is going on? Please, I need to know.”
Twilight sighed softly as she turned away from my gaze. I was disappointed for a moment, but I understood why she did so. She was just as confused as I was. I put a hoof on her shoulder, which caused her to turn back towards me. I smiled at her and said, “Look, it’s ok Twi. I know you’re just as confused as I am. But you can still figure this out, right? I mean, you’re the smartest pony I know!”
Twilight sighed again then smiled softly. She nodded her head and said, “I can certainly try, without a doubt. But I don’t know what we’re going to find out.” I nodded quickly and replied,
“I need to find out Twi. I’ll do anything.” Twilight then nodded back at me and began to walk toward her bedroom door. She called back to me, “First, I need to find a book. Come on Pinkie, we have work to do.”
***
Twilight lead me to her library to search for a book to get a clue what was happening to me. She let me sit in her chair, which I didn’t pass through either, much to my happiness. I laid back in her chair and watched Twilight go through book after book. The pile of books on the floor soon swelled in numbers, the ground now covered with their hard covers. I could hear Twilight sigh in which sounded annoyance, which brought a frown to my face. What if she wasn’t able to find anything that could help me!? What if I was going to be stuck trying to find out!? I could feel panic begin to rise in my chest. I couldn’t take much more of this suspense much longer. Books just continued to fly onto the ground, which just caused more panic to rise.
Just before my sanity could break once more, I heard the patter of small feet to my right side. I turned my head to see what was making the sound to see Spike, who was yawning and stretching. Seeing the cute little guy forced a smile across my face, which kept the panic at bay. I called out to him, “Hey Spikey!” When he did not respond to what I said, I raised my eyebrow. Was he ignoring me as well? I stepped out of the chair and walked over to him. I stepped directly in front of him and repeated what I had said moments before, but still he ignored me. It even looked as if he was looking directly through me. I felt the panic that was kept at bay from my smile start to rise once more due to Spike’s actions. I turned back to face Twilight, who had apparently walked up beside me. She looked down at Spike and said, “Spike, do you see Pinkie here?”
He scanned the room with his eyes, to which I saw they passed right through me. He then said, “Uhh... Twilight, Pinkie Pie isn’t here. Is she hiding or something?” As soon as he said this, I felt my stomach drop. My mouth fell open as I looked straight at him. I wanted to scream to try and get his attention, but somehow I knew that this would not work. I simply walked away from both of them and stepped into the corner of the room. I laid down on my stomach and looked straight down at the floor. As if my body knew I was losing hope, my hair fell down to my sides. “Straight as a board” mother used to call it. My hair always seemed to become straight whenever I lost hope in the world. I never understood why, nor did my parents. It’s as if my hair had emotions of its own, which makes as much sense as this entire situation. But if this was really happening to me, then anything is really possible. I felt like crying again, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I just felt like staying quiet and still, to just stay in this corner for a lifetime. Seems appropriate in this situation. If I am ignored by everypony, and even Spike, what point is there anymore? No more parties, no more friends, no more fun. All I have is loneliness... It’s my birthday party all over again. I can feel the pit of despair within me start to swell and grow. The hell that I had faced that day was now back with a vengeance, something that I could not stop. Not even Twilight could help me anymore... Twilight! I completely forgot she was still searching! I felt a small ray of hope run through my entire being. Twilight hadn’t said she didn’t find anything yet. Maybe... just maybe there is a chance. I picked myself off of the ground and turned my head to see Twilight headfirst in a book. But this time, it was different. Instead of reading it near her massive wall of books, she was at the table I was sitting at. I trotted over to her and looked over her shoulder. I quietly said, “Did you find anything Twi..?
Twilight turned to face me and nodded, a serious look on her face. She then turned back to the book to read. We both stayed quiet for some time after, until suddenly Twilight broke the silence. “In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased pony or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, life-like visions. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance.
The belief in manifestations of the spirits of the dead is widespread, dating back to animism, or ancestor worship in pre-literate cultures. Ghosts are generally described as solitary essences that haunt particular locations, objects, or ponies they were associated with in life, through stories of phantom armies, ghost trains, phantom ships, and even ghost animals have also been recounted.”
After Twilight read this aloud to me, I felt my inside become pudding. My bones began to give out, as I collapsed to the floor. The last thing I remember before my eyes closed was the soft voice of Twilight saying, “Pinkie...”
***
What am I exactly. Who and what am I. Pinkie... I am Pinkie Pie. That much is for certain, I haven’t lost that. But what I used to be... that may be gone. I believe I may be a new Pinkie Pie. The old Pinkie is gone. This is the new her. I don’t remember what happened. I don’t know what is happening to me anymore. I have been thinking this as I laid in Twilight’s bed. I awoke shortly after she placed me here, but ever since I have not been able to sleep. The thought of what Twilight had read to me was stuck within my mind. Was she trying to tell me that I was... a ghost? There is absolutely no way! Ghosts don’t exist! I only sang that old song Granny Pie sang to me to keep my friends happy. I was truly scared the entire time in that forest all those years ago, but if I showed that, we surely would of been lost in the forest forever. And now, the ghosties were me. Was it possible to giggle at myself? If I could, I would surely disappear, just like the song. Maybe that would be for the best now. If I truly was... dead, then it would be best for me to go. Now the thought of death replaced every thought in my mind. I was dead. I don’t know how... I don’t know when. But I died. All I can remember is that I was at a party.. and now I am a ghost. How could this happen to me...
Tears began to flow down my cheeks once more. Seems I cry more now than ever since I turned. Oh Celestia, why am I thinking like this? I shook my head quickly to pull myself together. Why am I thinking like this, exactly? Twilight did not say that I actually was a ghost... I passed out before she could tell me exactly what she thought. She only read that piece in the book! She probably didn’t realize she was reading out loud... yes, that’s it! She was only reading out loud. No reason to be so scared Pinkie... Twi will figure everything out. Twi will fix everything... everything...
I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. I stayed in this position for quite some time, a few minutes seeming like an hour. I simply just sat. After about an hour, I heard Twilight’s bedroom door open. I opened my eyes to see Twilight looking very strained. Her mane was a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot. I stared at her in shock. What the hay happened to her? I quietly said to her, “Twi.. you look terrible. What happened?” She smiled at me as she came closer.
“You were up here all night Pinkie. I’ve been working on what is going on. for you. I told you I was going to figure this out for you.” Her smile then widened as she said this, which made a smile spread across my own. I muttered out, “Y-you found something?” She nodded in return. “Follow me Pinkie, we have much to talk about.”
She turned around and started her descend to the library. She may be descending into a room, but I was doing much more. I was descending into truth. I was going to find out what was happening to me, and what to do. I was ready to face my fate.
***
Twilight told me what I was afraid to hear once we made our way into the library. I indeed, had died last night. Somehow, I managed to stay on the living plane after my death. The thing that Twilight did not understand, as she said, was that my body was already gone. The only thing left on Equestria was my spirit. The reason I couldn’t open her door myself was because I had to be invited inside, like the vampires in the old tales. Seems as if all legends follow this rule, and I had become a legend. I was now a ghost.
Twilight also had an idea why she could see me. She told me that last night, before I showed up, Spike and Twilight were working on an experiment while studying, and an accident happened. Twilight had spilled a chemical, which ended up being ingested into her system due to her mouth being open. The only side affects that happened to her were a scorched, so she thought, but now she had discovered something much different. She had allowed herself to see different planes of existence with her eyes, as well as hear the voices of the dead. She did not know how long this was due to last however, so she doubted that they would have much time together, as to be safe. Twi explained to me that the reason she believes my spirit stayed behind is because I still have something to do before I go into the world beyond. I asked her what that could be, but she only replied that I have to find this out myself. Deep down, I had an idea what it could be.
“You’re spirit was so strong that it stayed behind just to say goodbye to us...” She then began to tremble, which started to scare me. I have never seen Twilight cry until now, so this was a whole new situation to me. She seemed so weak right now... so defenseless. It made me feel horrible. I pulled away from her, much to her confusion I could tell. I smiled at her softly, and kept my hooves on her shoulders.
“Twi, listen. Please don’t cry for me. I’m obviously going to leave the world soon... that much I can see already. But please, you need to smile for me. I don’t want your last memory of me to be hazy because of tears. Remember me for who and what I was. Pinkie Pie, the party pony who loved to see you smile. Now please, smile for me Twi.” Twilight put on a smile for a short moment, but then started to cry again and pulled me into another hug. She whispered into my ear again, but this time I heard her clearly.
“I’m never going to forget you Pinkie...”
***
After Twilight and I calmed down, she told me her plan to help me say goodbye to our friends. She took me over to her blackboard that she had pulled into the room sometime during the night, and showed me a bunch of gibber jabber that she had worked on. She told me that it all meant she had found a way for ponies to see ghosts without any sort of ritual. It took her hours last night, and even a visit to Zecora’s in the woods to understand how to make it work. Twilight even joked I was out so long, she would have shopped for more books if she had the need to. It made me smile to see her joke around in this situation, Celestia knew I needed it. I was due to leave the living plane pretty soon, which was very hard for me to grasp. A good laugh is exactly what I need to keep my spirits up. I could even feel my hair start to curl itself again, which was a good sign. If I am going to leave this world soon, I want to go out as I lived, as the happiest pony in the world.
Twilight took me to her desk, which held the potions that our friends were going to drink. There were four of them, all tinted with a shade of blue. They bubbled softly in their containers, showing that they had also been carbonated. Carbonated drinks in Equestria were really rare, so it surprised me. I hadn’t seen anything like it since the Gala. I kind of wondered how exactly Twilight did it, but I took my mind off of it. Now was the time to get to my friends before it was too late, and I disappeared from Twilights eyes as well. It’s time to say goodbye to the world. At least now, I was ready to accept it with a smile, the way I had always wanted to go. Twilight put a hoof on my shoulder as we prepared to leave the house. She frowned and stared at me, as if she was seeing me for the last time. Well... she was seeing me for the last time. I smiled back at her with a small grin and said, “It’s best to smile through bad situations.. right Twilight?”
I could see she had tears in her eyes, but she smiled back at me. She said quietly, ‘Right Pinkie.. with a smile.”
***
As to not scare our friends too soon, Twilight made me stay outside of Fluttershy’s house. She had already gathered all of our friends and got them into Fluttershy’s home to talk to them about what was happening. Of course, I could hear loud talking within the walls of her house, but I did as Twilight told me. No use in going inside right now anyway, my friends wouldn’t see me. I simply sighed as I sat outside, becoming bored. I somewhat wished deep down that none of this was actually happening, and that this was all a dream. I looked out into the beauty that was Ponyville, and felt sadness creep up inside of my heart. I realized that I was never going to see this place ever again. All the fun times I had, all the places I went to, every single party, all gone. There would be nothing else for me anymore. All that was going to happen is I was moving on to the next world, whatever that meant. Everything I knew for certain was that everything that used to make me Pinkie Pie was gone, and it wasn’t going to come back. I have lost everything now. My life is quite literally over. There is no going back anymore. I was done with this life...
I sighed once again, but a sob was caught in my throat. I felt tears rise to my eyes once again, sadness beginning filling my stomach. The realization that I was going to lose everything I loved was becoming too much. I was truly leaving this wonderful place. I was leaving Equestria. I was leaving Ponville. I was leaving my friends...
The last thought that went through my mind is what threw me over the edge. I began to severely tremble and shake, and I dropped to the floor. I held my head in my hooves and cried harder than I have ever cried before. I was done with life. I was leaving everyone I loved. My time was done. I can’t leave everyone... but I am being forced to. I don’t want to leave! Why is this happening to me!? Why did I die... why did I have to go. I will never know this answer... as will no one else. Pinkamena Diane Pie is going to leave, and no one will miss her...
I stopped crying for a moment, and just sat still. My eyes shot open as I thought about what I just said. Why was I thinking this way... Twilight wouldn’t be doing all of this for me if she wasn’t going to miss me! Maybe... maybe ponies will remember me. Yeah, that’s it Pinkie. That’s the right idea... you will be missed by your friends. That is all that matters. Your friends... your friends. You need to say goodbye to them before you disappear forever...
As if the world heard her mental requests, the door to Fluttershy’s opened, and Twilight stepped out. She had bloodshot eyes once more, which told me she was crying again. She muttered something, but a sob cut her off. She turned away and motioned her hoof towards the door, not being able to speak. I understood her pain, so I just simply walked past her and into Fluttershy’s home, ready to face my fate.
***
Never before had I seen so many ponies cry in a single room. The moment I stepped inside, I was surrounded by a sea of tears from my friends. From Rarity to Applejack, all I could see were crying ponies. They were each saying something to me, but as they were all speaking, I could not understand a single word they said. I could feel tears rise to my eyes as well, but I did my best to keep it in. If I started crying, then it would truly get bad. I need to stay strong for my friends, like I did in the Everfree forest so long ago. Among the crying ponies was Twilight, who separated the group of ponies. She was taking charge, even in our time of crisis. I felt a tremendous amount of respect for her for this, as we would not be able to get anything done if it stays as is. Twilight called out to the group, which caused each pony to stop talking. Twilight then slowly began to speak,
“Listen girls. Pinkie... Pinkie may be leaving us soon. But we need to stay strong for her. Yes... we’re going to miss her. We all are. But like Pinkie told me not too long ago... handle any situation with a smile. It makes everything so much easier... right Pinkie?” She smiled back at me with tear filled eyes, and I nodded my head in return. I cleared my throat to keep myself from choking up and said,
“Girls... obviously I stayed for a reason. I cannot stand the thought of leaving you guys now... but leaving without saying goodbye just wasn’t going to happen. You girls were the entire reason I was able to stay happy for so many years. I am so grateful that Celestia blessed me with such amazing friends. I don’t think there is anyone else in the entire world I would rather be with right now. The reason I lived my life so happily was because of you guys. And now since I am leaving... it’s just fair to be here for you all. I love all you so much, and even when I pass on, I will never forget the gift you all gave to me. You each gave me something that cannot be replaced. Your friendship. I will remember all of you, even if the next world is far away. Nothing will get me to forget, ever. That is a Pinkie promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” As I did the movements for my promise, I could see my friends were now crying harder than they were before. I sort of expected this to happen, so I was prepared. I slowly walked up to each of them and gave them all a hug. Soon, I wasn’t just hugging a single friend, we were all together in a single group. We were a group, and our group was losing a member.
As our group hug broke apart, Twilight spoke up once more. “We should all say something to Pinkie before we go. I already had my turn... so who wants to go?” Out of the group, the first who walked up was Applejack. She took off her hat slowly with her hoof and took a look at me, a small smile on her lips. She said to me,
“Pinkie, yah’ were one of the cookiest ponies I evah me. No mattah the situation, yah were always there ta’ lend a hand. I ain’t ever going to be forgettin’ what you’ve done for me Pinkie. Given me a reason ta’ smile, even when there ain’t nothing to smile about. Thank yah’ Pinkie.” She then walked up to me without a word afterwards and hugged me tight. I whispered in her ear that I loved her, and that she will always be my friend. She then walked away, and her position was replaced by Rarity. Rarity was usually the most composed pony in our group, but that had certainly changed now. Her mane was matted and her eyes were red from crying, which really took me by surprised. I honestly never knew she cared this much. Then, she began to speak.
“Darling... I don’t really know what all I can say about you. You are one of the most random, eccentric, outspoken and crazy equine I have ever met. But you also hold your own in class and style. Even with your attitude, you were never rude to a pony you met, and kept your own even with the best of the best in canterlot. As Applejack said, you have taught me to smile and to treat others as I want to be treated. I will never forget you as well, Pinkie. A lady keeps her word, as well.” Like Applejack, she came up to me and hugged me tight, and I whispered I loved her. After she went back into the group, Fluttershy walked up. Her mane was matted as well, but she looked as if she had been crying the most. She picked her head up slowly and quietly said,
“Pinkie... you were like the big sister I never had. You were always the exact opposite of me, yet always knew how to take care of me. While I am quiet, you are loud. You can say anything you want, while I can’t. You have taught me so much on how to live my life, and to be a better pony. I don’t know how else to say goodbye to you Pinkie, other than I don’t want you to go...” She then tore her eyes down and trotted towards me and embraced me in a sudden hug. I could feel her sob against my hair, which was forcing it to become frizzy. I rubbed my hoof across her back as she continued to cry, knowing I can’t say anything to make her stop crying. Through her sobs she managed to say,
“Why do you have to go... why is it ending this way...” I hushed her quietly and whispered into her ear,
“Fluttershy, this is not your fault. Everything is ok now... at least I am able to say goodbye before I go. I’m going to miss you Fluttershy... even though I never did get to prank you.” I could hear my joke could work, or so I thought, as Fluttershy giggled softly and pulled away from me. The next and final pony who walked up to get in front of the group was Rainbow Dash. She looked at the group, then looked back at me. At first, it looked as if she couldn’t care less, which hurt me quite a bit. But suddenly, Dashie broke down out of nowhere. She sobbed harder than anyone else in the room and collapsed onto the floor. She was shaking severely bad, which caused me to run over to her side. I picked her up as best as I could as she cried, and she wrapped her hooves around me. Without her even saying a word, I knew exactly why she was crying. I simply rubbed my hoof across her back as she sobbed, the rest of the group simply staring at us. I looked down at her, and she looked back up at me. Dashie attempted to say something, but before she could finish, I said:
“I know.” She continued to stare at me for some time after, but then hugged me once more. We stayed like this for a short while, until she backed away from me. She must of brought herself together, she didn’t usually act like that. It made me smile that she did care that much though. I just really couldn’t stand breaking her heart now that I had to go. We all looked at each other once more, and embraced in one last hug. Our last group hug that we could all share as friends, as a family. Before I knew it, I felt myself become lighter, like I had felt in the forest which seemed so long ago. I stepped away from the girls, knowing what was soon to come. Piece by piece, I felt myself become even lighter. First I started to become transparent. I looked down at my body, and could see right through myself. Honestly, if the situation was any different, I would be excited right now. But, I was surprisingly calm as I knew my spirit was resonating with the next world. My friends looked at me one last time, and they all said their tearful goodbyes. Before I completely disappeared, I said one last thing to them. One last thing to the friends who made my life.
“Remember what I said girls. I will never forget you. And remember to smile for me, whenever you can. Bye...” And with that, I was out of their lives forever.
***
Epilogue
As I rose above the ground, I could see all of Equestria. I went straight from Fluttershy’s house to the sky above my old home country. From Appleloosa to Canterlot, I could see it all. I was fascinated by what was going on. I was curious as to what was happening to me, and what the next world was. I still remembered everything from my past life, but knew I was no longer Pinkie Pie. I was something else completely now. What it was, I would soon find out. For now, I was rising. I had no idea how much time passed as I was floating higher in the sky, but before I knew it, I was on solid ground once more. I looked around at my surroundings, now very confused. One moment I was floating freely, and now I was...
I then looked down, and to my surprise I saw I was standing on a cloud. But I was no pegasus pony. Earth ponies cannot walk on clouds... well, I guess they can now. I had to remember that I was no longer in Equestria, which would take some getting used to. I slowly began to walk across the clouds, curious to what I would find. It did not take long for me to see a giant gate appear before me, seemingly out of nowhere. It would've scared me, but I felt rather... peaceful up here. I turned my head to look behind me, but there was only vast emptiness. I then looked back at the gate, and to my surprise, it began to open slowly. Curiosity took the best of me, and I slowly walked past the gate. The moment I walked in, I could see the greatest single thing in my entire life. There was a party going on, all in my name. And everyone from Equestria was here! From balloons, streamers, cake, candy, everything that made my life have meaning was here. I could see my friends call me over from the center of the party room, which caused me to smile. If this is what the next world was like, then I will happily stay for the rest of my life.
***
A few years passed in Equestria after the death of Pinkamena Diane Pie. Her death had struck the hearts of every last citizen of Equestria, from the smallest filly to Celestia herself. A candlelight vigil was held in the Everfree forest, where Twilight Sparkle had told the Princess where she had woken up. The years after her death were hard on the country, but the tragedy had more of an impact in her closest friends. They continued to move on with their lives, but with the element of laughter gone, the danger level in Equestria was greater than ever before. Although there had not been an attack yet, without the sixth element, the country could truly be in danger. Thankfully, due to Celestias royal guards, evil had been kept from getting out of hand. This gave Pinkamena’s closest friends the time they needed to heal after their friend’s death. Rarity began her own fashion trend of Pink dresses out of inspiration of her friend, which led to her little sister Sweetie Belle to join the family business of dress making. The two sisters started their own fashion line in Canterlot, which had been Rarity’s dream for years. She only thanks Pinkie Pie for this feat, as she was the inspiration for it all.
After Pinkie’s death, Applejack went back to her farm in despair. She began to think of ways to get her mind off of her friend but still keep her memory alive, to which she came up with the idea of a century. She went back to her farm after a long night of thinking, and began work on Equestria’s first Apple Cider business line, instead of a small family business. Granny Smith gave way to this on the one condition that each drink would be hoof made with the same love and care that the Apple Family had been doing for generations. The construction of this business led to Ponyville receiving a large cash sum, due to the debt Applejack owed to the mayor. The town of Ponyville was never a more prosperous place, due to the mind of Applejack.
Twilight Sparkle had been devastated after the death of her pink friend, so much in fact that after she went home later that night, she became buried in her studies more than usual. Her friends began to visit less and less due to the massive amount of work that Twilight was forcing upon herself, which was a mystery to every pony but her. After long years of working, Twilight revealed to the entire town and to her friends what she had been working on for all of the years Pinkie had been gone. Twilight had been studying a way to cure ponies of diseases using the magical powers that unicorns possess, and also from the tools that ponies were able to create. From her discovery alone, Twilight developed Ponyville’s first hospital to which terminal illnesses were treated, to which was a smashing success for the young equine. Twilight herself furthered the knowledge of medical science on her own, for the sole reason of helping anyone in need who had nowhere else to go. Since then, Twilights studies have been spread across the world, and students from all around the world now look up to her as a role model. She named her hospitals after her friend from years before, the “Diane” hospital.
Rainbow Dash was the most devastated out of Pinkie’s close knit group of friends. As Rainbow Dash admitted to her friends weeks after their friend’s death, she had a close relationship with Pinkie since they met, but never knew she felt much more for her friend. Once Pinkie had left, Dash had been left destroyed and heartbroken, and dropped her dreams of becoming a wonderbolt. She began to live her life in solitude, each day sulking in the darkness of her own room. From the help of her psychiatrist, Dash discovered that she did not blame Pinkie Pie for her death, but only herself. After she came to terms with what had really happened, Dash visited the Everfree forest once more. Looking into the dark depths, she remembered her friend once more, and what she told each other all those years ago. To smile for her. As Dash remembered these thoughts, she put on a smile. Finding herself once again, Rainbow Dash flew to the Junior speedsters academy in cloudsdale, and signed up to become a counselor. She now helps young fillies and colts fulfill their dreams, and to never give up on their friendship.
After the death of Pinkamena Diane Pie, Fluttershy wasn’t heard of again. Once her friends left her cottage, she was reported to be seen leaving Ponyville by the Cutie Mark Crusaders. A search was set out for her, but she was never found. She is presumed dead, but the best thoughts are out for her.
After years of waiting, Rainbow Dash ventured to the home of Fluttershy to see if she can find any clues to her disappearance. Celestias royal guard refused to search inside of her home for privacy reasons, as she was always expected to return. Dash had enough of the pointless waiting, so she decided to take matters into her own hand. She quickly reached the old home of her old friend Fluttershy, ready to search every nook and cranny for a clue. She felt a wave of nostalgia hit her as she looked around the old and broken chicken coop that Fluttershy used to tend to her chickens. It made her smile for a moment, until she decided to walk inside. The door slowly creaked open, causing the spiders, who made their home in the crevice of the door, to stir. She stepped inside and took a look around. The sunlight outside brought enough light for Rainbow to see the room perfectly, to which she began searching.
Dash searched all around the house, looking for a small clue to where Fluttershy may of gone. To her dismay, she could not find anything. After searching everywhere she could, she decided it was time to check the last room in the house. Her bedroom. Rainbow slowly stepped inside, ready to search once more. As she stepped in, she could see a note sitting on the center of the bed, while something on it caused it to shine in the sunlight. Dash walked up to the note and picked it up, and saw that the source of the glimmering was a dark red blotch. Dash did not know what to make of it, so she only began to read-
I didn’t mean for this to happen.
I didn’t know this is how it would all end.
All I wanted to do was to prank Pinkie like she had been doing to everyone else.
I didn’t know that everything would go wrong.
I killed her.
I killed one of my best friends.
I can never admit this to anyone.
I have to leave ponyville forever.
I can never return.
If anyone is reading this, never attempt to find me.
The same I hold for killing Pinkie is enough punishment.
Allow me to live my life in a living hell.
I’m so sorry Pinkie.
From, Fluttershy.
