For Auld Lang Syne

Chapters

The Beginning of The End
Life Moves On
Family Ties
Ignorance is a Bliss
A Royal Pain
Moving On Up

The Beginning of The End

For Auld Lang Syne

Prologue
&
Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

MLP: FiM Fic by Mr.Dependable

“Even at our birth, death does but stand aside a little. And every day he looks towards us and muses somewhat to himself whether that day or the next he will draw nigh.”
Robert Bolt

Prologue

A Cyan pegasus rested her frail and battered body against the old weathered apple tree. A brisk autumn breeze lazily swept over the hills and through the orchard. There was a time when the tepid gusts would have been welcomed by the fragile being, but those days had passed, and now it sent a harrowing shiver down her spine. The Cerulean sky, that she had so comfortably been enjoying, was finally falling to the cascade of fiery oranges and reds that streaked across the heavens.

She stared up and down the massive tree, letting the memories it brought of a long ago time warm her core and explode across the inside of her eyelids. It had grown so much grander then when she used to spend her afternoons leisurely napping after a long session of flying. She looked at the unnatural mound of dirt that lay just 2 feet from her aging body. A fresh tear fell from the stale eyes that used to be so filled with life and energy… but now, now they seemed to lack the ever-present spark that used to live at the back of her pupils.

She recalled everything she had ever done, all her friends, family… or lack of it, and the moments they had shared together. The lump in her stomach rose to her throat as a wave of distain washed over her aging body. She turned and looked at her friend, and with a fresh string of tears streaking across her wrinkled face like a river through a serene mountain range, she uttered two words.

“I’m ready..."

******

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

The death had taken everyone by surprise. While no pony was left asking why it had happened, a sense of sorrow and despair had fallen over the usually bustling village as they mourned their lost friend. It was true that Big Mac was the strongest colt in Ponyville… if not Equestria, but even the brightest light burns out after time has had its way. And for the stallion, that seemed to have spent every day tending to the fields of his families orchard, years of relentless work had brought back the time on his mortal clock.

The service, while simple, was serene and calming, just like Big Mac and Fluttershy would have wanted it to be. Each pony in the crowd was calm a quiet, though sombre as they recollected upon how each of them owed the workhorse a great deal of gratitude. Everypony felt for Fluttershy, it was a well-known fact that they had been the closest couple in Ponyville, if not Equestria, and they all wondered how hard the reality of the loss had hit the most timid pony they knew.

******

The couple seemed to be a match made in heaven, the calm and quite Big Macintosh paired with the meek and loving Fluttershy. The two had instantly made a bond unlike any pony else in Equestria. Their divine love catered to both decadence and moral perfection, which is believed to be the undisputed factor of how long their marriage had lasted. They never fought, not a quarrel nor a dispute to be heard in all 40 years of their stellar matrimony. Through out their time together they had created a picturesque family, with the couple being the proud parents of a female Pegasus and a male Earth Pony named Skylight Shy and Big Red. The two young foals, brought up with the most understanding and compassionate parents, sprouted into the most mature and well-behaved ponies in Ponyville. Both took after their parents with, the young colt following his mother’s footsteps into the care and doctoring of all animals, and the filly deciding that her calling in life was to help out around Sweet Apple Acres.

Many a-pony would see the family out on a picnic, or meandering around at the fair. It was welcomed sight for many of the ponies in Ponyville, the two spouses swooning over their children and each other. There always seemed to be at the least a small smile plastered on their faces as the trotted into town, and the family always made it a habit to say hello to any pony who was lucky enough to walk by. Their children were enrolled in Ms.Cheerilee’s class, and they always seemed to be happier and filled with more anticipation to great the school day each morning.

However, while joyous, the years had been fast, and thought were filled to the brim with new activities and adventures for the family, they were short.

As years grew, so did their children and it became apparent that time, for the old lovers, was starting to catch up. The first to leave was Red, deciding that with his mother in Ponyville, his talents were required elsewhere. In a shower of tears and emotions he packed his bags and said goodbye, and left for Seaddle. While he wrote home every week, and spent the cold winter months in Ponyville with his parents, without Big Red, Fluttershy and Big Mac were never the same.

Seeing the sombre emotional state of her parents, Skylight promised that she would stay by their side until the end. But even she could not hold herself from enticement of curiosity, as she wondered what else she could be doing. Eventually the promise broke, at the hands of a handsome Stallion who owned a ranch in Appleoosa. While it warmed their heart to see their daughter maturing and finding a family of her own -- Deep down, in the recesses of their bodies, the pain they felt when their son had left was beginning to make itself present once again. However, they still had each other, and that was the major playing factor into the following years of successful marriage. Fluttershy continued to care for her animals and Big Macintosh was out at Sweet Apple Acres almost every day, but not without Fluttershy’s barrage of good wishes and emotional waterfalls.

******

Years passed and ponies came and went. Everyday held a new adventure, despite the aging ponies bodies restricting nature. Fluttershy still made it a habit to get together with Rarity at the spa, which she enjoyed much more than her quiet and shy demeanour would lead you to believe.

“I really do appreciate your company Fluttershy” Rarity quirked one day, “I never really feel like I’ve told you how much I value our friendship”.

“Oh… you really don’t need to”, the timid pony responded, “you’re much to k-kind… I- I mean…”

Rarity was quick to interrupt, “No Fluttershy, I can not let you revoke my appreciation. Every week we get together… and all I ever do is talk, I just assume that you’re fine, and that you never have any problems…”, she sighed, “sometimes it seems like you’re the one who should be the element of generosity, so willing to give up your time on a silly old thing like me…”

Fluttershy was taken aghast; she had never heard Rarity speaking so critically of herself. She took a moment to compose herself… and then let the barrage of complimentary ballistic missiles fly.

“Now listen here Rarity, I may be a mare of few words but there is one thing that always gets me talking, and that is when I see a friend of mine in trouble. I know you might think that way, but not for one second have I ever resented coming here. You have given to all of us so much over the years that I have no doubt in my mind that you have earned your element… but only i-if you agree”.

Rarity always admired Fluttershy and her uncanny ability to be more than kind in a situation of emotional pain, and as soon as she was finished with her monologue she snapped back to her old self.

“You know Fluttershy” Rarity whimpered with tears creeping down her cheek, “you always know just what to say”.

******

And so the years continued, Fluttershy making sure that she spent time with her friends, animals, and most importantly Big Mac. She felt as if her husband was her priority, the last of her family who lived in Ponyville. Every lunch she would make her way to Sweet Apple Acres and watch as her knight in shining armour worked hard through out the long demanding day. Days ripped by like pages out of a notebook, and it became apparent to Fluttershy that her faithful partner was wearing down. As she watched from her vantage point, high up in a cloud, she could see Mac stop, look around to be sure that no pony was watching and collapse onto his flank as if he was releasing the years of physical strain in one simple motion. Although it hurt her more than anything in the world, she couldn’t help but watch.

He would never tell her, but Macintosh was starting to feel the effects of his age. The stiff rusty pain of arthritis had manifested itself in his rear legs from years of bucking and pulling the massive corroded plough. The stoic colt was constantly in pain, and fighting as hard as he could to hide it. Not even Applejack, who could spot something wrong with her kin in an instant, was able to notice the faltering steps of the big workhorse as the days lingered by. He preferred it this way though, letting everyone else live their lives without worry, never once thinking of what would be best for himself.

******

Eventually the pain of watching her sweet heart grew unbearable, and Fluttershy confronted him and confessed to her lunch times spent observing her husband. It was a cold winter evening, and the fire was casting a flickering glow throughout the living room of the small cottage that Fluttershy had manifested herself in so many years ago. She had been sitting comfortably in the arms of Big Macintosh as he rested his sore body against the comfortable couch in their living room. The space was warm and a cup of tea was producing a copious amount of steam, and the calming silence was enough to make the most rambunctious filly pause and sit.

Fluttershy hesitantly broke the silence with a question she had been mulling over for the past 3 months.

“What’s wrong?” She asked meekly as the startled colt looked down at her.

“I’ve…” she paused, “I’ve been watching you work for the past few m-months now”, she whimpered, “I-I’ve seen you i-in pain… I guess… you d-don’t seem to b-be able t-to w-work… and you… you’ve been so quiet…”, her voice getting more and more unsure as she questioned what she was saying.

“Never mind, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked… I hope you’re not mad… you’re mad aren’t you… I’m sorry I’ll l-leave now… if that’s what you want”

Big Mac gazed into her eyes lovingly, “Now look here” he said tenderly “There is no way in Luna or Celestia that Ah would ever be cross with you... if anything you’re the one who should be cross with me”.

“Wh… What?” asked a surprised and bewildered Fluttershy.

“Ah’ve been so darn fixated on making sure that Ah ignored the pain and kept going, Ah thought it was the best thing for both of us. After all Ah didn’t want to get yah worried or nothin’, Ah just kept quite and to mahself pushing through each day. But what Ah didn’t realize is that maybe, by doing so, Ah had actually hurt the ones Ah wanted to protect.”

Fluttershy was astounded; this was the most she had heard him talk in one go than any other time at all. She quietly whimpered as she squirmed closer to her affectionate spouse, and started to nuzzle his big burly chest with her soft cheek. Big Mac kissed the top of her head as she started to weep.

“I miss them Mac…” she quietly sobbed as a torrential rainstorm of tears flooded down her cheek and onto his chest. “I miss our babies… I know they’ve got their new families, a-and I’m happy for them… but I miss the picnics in the sun, the trips to the orchard in autumn for the corn maze, I-I miss everything… and I guess… I guess most of all I miss being together.”

He tried his hardest, but not even Big Macintosh could keep from shedding a tear. He usually tried to keep a calm and assertive demeanour, but his wife’s words had hit home. Within moments he too found himself silently sobbing as he realized he would never be able to enjoy those moments with his family again.

“Look here Shy, Ah know that ya might miss them. And Ah know that we might not get to enjoy those moments again. But yall still have those memories… and that’s what makes them so special… they’re yours.” Big Mac felt a lump in his throat as he comforted her, “And Ah promise you, that Ah will not abandon you… Ah will be here for you forever and always.”

Fluttershy took a break from her weeping and looked up into his eyes, as a smile started to tug at the side of her mouth.

“Forever?” she whispered

Big Mac lent forward and planted a tender kiss onto the lips of the Pony he had shared an unfaltering love for 38 years with. He looked back down at her with loving eyes, and spoke only one word. A word that was wrapped in the softest of tones and dripping with emotion. A word that on it’s own would mean nothing, but coming from his lips it was wrapped with most care anyone could give.

“Eeyup”.

And so they came to a consensus, to make sure that Fluttershy and Big Macintosh never had to feel alone again, she dropped her duties at her veterinary clinic and moved everything to Sweet Apple Acres. Not only were there copious amounts of animals to tend to, but she was also able to watch over her precious husband.

In the morning they would walk together and discuss what they planned on doing throughout the day. When they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, they’d reluctantly go their separate ways, but not before making their love for each other redundantly clear. Fluttershy would open her office in the barn, which was so generously offered to her by Applejack, and fed and tended to all the animals she had in her care. Big Mac would either hitch himself up to the plough and get to work on turning the soil, or would grab the cart that contained the weathered half barrels they used while apple bucking. They’d spend the rest of the morning painfully dealing with miscellaneous chores that needed to be done, and at lunch would meet on the porch and tuck into the picnic that Fluttershy had spent much time meticulously creating. In the afternoon Mac would head back out into the hot afternoon sun, but not without the aid of his wife. They would work together for the rest of the day, Big Mac bucking trees or sowing seeds with Fluttershy never more than 10 meters away tending any animal that required her scrupulous and caring attention. At the end of the day when the sun dipped behind the horizon, they would bid their farewells to the rest of the Apple family, and begin their trek home to the cottage. All the while indulging on what each other’s day was like. Eventually they would stumble into their house, bones aching and knees shaking. Fluttershy would do her best to work the kinks out of the colts back while in turn he would start a fire and cook dinner while she relaxed on the couch. Each day ended with both of them in each other’s arms, lazily nodding off as they recalled all the momentous times they had spent together over the past 39 years.

And so they lived everyday like that, from morning till dusk, week after week, month after month. They truly cherished each other’s company, spending each moment together as if it were more interesting and intoxicating then the last. They kept living like this until about a month after the summers sun had started to make itself less present along with the warmth that it brought.

******

It wasn’t a particularly special day, the sun had covered the field in a blanket of heat, and mirages played tricks with your eyes as you looked off into the horizon. It was most likely the last day of immense heat before the invading army of frost and snow found their way to Equestria, and encased it in a capsule of chilling weather and long nights.

Fluttershy had loyally followed Big Macintosh out into the fields after their picnic lunch on the porch of the red house at Sweet Apple Acres. She drifted away from her husband to investigate a flock of geese that had majestically landed in the orchard a few rows over. While indulging upon the structure and design of their bodies she heard a dull thud as something heavy hit the soft earth. The thud was also accompanied by a bellowing cry, not a sorrowful heart felt cry, not one filled with joy at the thought of something pleasant, but one of pure twisting pain and shock. Startled by the horrendous bark of agony, the geese scattered, deserting whatever form they had held before they landed. In that moment Fluttershy’s heart sank deeper than any other time in her life. Herself and Macintosh were the only two ponies working out in the orchard today; Applejack and her own child were inside sorting the apples that had already been picked.

“M-m-mac?” she called out praying with all her might to Celestia for the strong colt to reply with his trademarked “Eeyup”.

But nopony returned her call, only an unsettling silence was present as her heart sank deeper into the recesses of her stomach.

“M-mac” she said slightly louder as she carefully trotted towards his last known bucking tree.

“Are you all ri…” She stopped, because what she saw had confirmed her darkest fears, what she saw was anything but all right.

Like a serpent from within, her stomach launched itself into her throat. And with sudden bolt of speed and adrenaline she pushed her aching old body to the limit, hoping she could make it to her wheezing husband in time.

He was lying up against one of the many uniform trees, and it’s trunk while, straining under the weight of his heavy muscles, stood firm and supported the sick colt. Fluttershy had moved at a speed that even rainbow dash would find impressive and planted herself at the side of her heavily breathing husband.

“M-mac, what happened… w-what’s wrong…”, she probed as tears began to well in her eyes.

“I-I knew I should have stayed w-with you… this is my fault, I should have been here… I’m so sorry” she wept as her husbands breaths drew weaker and weaker.

Big Mac struggled and with what little strength he could muster, tilted his head towards Fluttershy and wrapped his hoof around her shoulder. It had become clear to the delicate Pegasus that her husband of all these years was finally making his last encore. She shuddered and let out a long wail as she burst into tears.

“Shhhhh…” he comforted, trying to calm his wife, “It’s alright… calm down… this ain’t yah fault…” as his own tears started to fall.

“YES IT IS” she yelped “I-IF I HAD BEEN HERE I WOULD HAVE NOTICED, I would have been able to get you in before… this hap… before this happe…” she couldn’t complete her sentence as her sobs became more and more violent.

“No Shy… it isn’t… yah… yah couldn’t have stopped this... There are things in life… that even someone like you can’t fix. Ah’ve been walking… in the shadow of death for some time now… and we… we both know it…”

He paused as his wife collapsed onto him in a fit of tears and sorrow. He brought her into a tight hug with tears streaking down her face and onto his shaking chest.

“You… have made these… last few months so very special… even more so than the years we spent… together… in no way can Ah be more thankful for what yah done”

“M-mac…”, she interrupted

He hushed her with a soft kiss as his breaths became more and more irregular and painful.

“The only thing… Ah wish ah could do… was keep mah promise… and Ah’m afraid…” his eyes began to shake as he struggled with the words he was trying to say.

“Ah’m afraid that… that Ah’m abandoning you… the very thing… Ah promised Ah wouldn’t”

Fluttershy wiped her eyes, and fought back the tears as best she could. It was her turn to comfort the one she had loved for so many years.

“You aren’t Mac” she whimpered, “In fact, you’ve done exactly the opposite, you aren’t abandoning me, because I’ll always have our memories…” she shuddered as her defences to the army of sorrow began to fall, “I’ll always have you right here” as she took his hoof and placed it on her chest directly above her heart.

Big Mac started to wheeze as the moment of truth grew closer and closer.

“Remember, the time we went to the fair…” Fluttershy asked as a smile started to manifest itself on her tear stained face.

“And Skylight got her hair covered with cotton candy… and the time we went to the zoo and that poor tiger everypony thought was trying to eat them, just had a popcorn kernel stuck in his throat. And you and Red went and helped him get it out”

“Eeyup” whispered Big Mac

“I’ll always remember those” she replied.

Macintosh closed his eyes and let the memories of his time spent with his loving family warm his heart. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and Fluttershy hugged tighter as she felt his chest rise a fall slower… and slower… and slower. She held him tightly nuzzling his neck and trying to console his shivering body. Big Macintosh, using the last of his strength leaned closer to his wife, his lover, his spouse, his friend, his Fluttershy and pressed his quivering lips against hers… before gently slipping away in her arms.

Fluttershy rested her head on his still chest, letting the tears fall. The memories of their life spent together running like a movie behind her eyelids. She wailed and shuddered and let her emotions run free. He was gone; her husband had finally left his painful tormented body and had crossed to the other side.

She stayed like that, wrapped in her Macintosh’s cold lifeless arms until night came. Until Applejack called out to them, and she remained silent. Until Applejack found, to her horror, her dead brother wrapped in his lovers arms. And until she found her dear friend… poor Fluttershy with tears streaming down her face, singing a song she knew all too well.

“Hush now quite now

It’s time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now quiet now,

It’s time,

To go,

To bed…”

End of Chapter One

Authors Note:

Hello everyone, I assume that if you’re reading this, you enjoyed my story enough to make it to the end. This is my first fan fic and I’m not going to lie, I cried at the end while I was writing this.

All sorrow aside, I would just like to thank you and let you know that this is only the first chapter in what I hope will be a 7 or 8 instalment. Please let me know what you think and follow me if you want to read more.

P.S.

I do not currently have an editor, so if you find any mistakes or you would like to offer, P.M. me and let me know.

Thanks!

Mr.Dependable

Life Moves On

For Auld Lang Syne

Chapter 2: Life Moves On

MLP: FiM Fic by Mr.Dependable

January 24th 2012

“Life is eternal and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.”
Rossiter W. Raymond

Chapter 2

Rarity was pacing back and forth in the rustic living room of Fluttershy’s small cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest. It had been almost four hours since any of the Elements had seen their friend, and they all feared for the worst. Skylight and Big Red had long since departed the quaint town of Ponyville. It had pained them to be leaving without saying goodbye to their mother, but life paused for no-pony. So, they reluctantly left their hometown, and started the long journey back to their own families far away.

“Rarity, come sit down… you worrying isn’t going to bring her back any faster,” piped Twilight, “the best thing to do right now is stay calm and just hope that she’s okay.”

“Oh Twilight,” thought Rarity, “even in a situation with extreme emotional stress you still manage to keep a level head. Oh, how I envy you.”

And it was true, Rarity’s age had affected her mind greatly, and the stress of her dearest friend being somewhere alone at night was more than unneeded. Fluttershy had hated the dark ever since Rarity could remember, and her mind couldn’t help but jump to the worst possible conclusion. She halted her sideways march as a wave of nausea flooded over her, and nearly brought her tumbling to the ground.

“Careful there Rarity”, advised Rainbow Dash, “you’re looking a little faint, why don’t ‘cha sit down?”

Rarity mumbled as she made her way to the stretched couch across the room. The nausea attacks were not a situational side effect, in fact she had had them longer then she could remember. She wasn’t worried though; it was more of an inconvenience, really. While they were intermittent, they never lasted for more than ten seconds, and before she knew it, she was able shake herself back to reality.

“Thank you dear, I’m just worried… that’s all.” she said gratuitously, as she tenderly sat on the soft couch.

“We all are Rarity, but like I said, it’s just a matter of staying strong and keeping your mind clear. Everything will sort itself out,” reminded Twilight.

The five friends sat in awkward silence, and the grandfather clock in the corner slowly counted the seconds away. Applejack’s eyes found their way to the minute and hour hands on it’s marble face. She wiped away the dried tears from her eyes, and decided it was time to leave.

“Well, Ah guess Ah’ll see ya’ll ‘round… Ah need to get back to Sweet Apple Acres and catch some shut-eye… Ah gotta lot more to do ‘round the farm now…”

“Okay Applejack… we understand.” said Twilight, “Before you go… if you… ever need someone to… talk to, we’re right here”

Everypony in the room nodded their head in unconditional agreement, and Applejack felt a lump begin to form in her throat. While she had tried to keep a brave face in the wake of her brother’s death, she often found herself awakening with tear stained pillows, and a brick in her gut.

“Thanks yall, but Ah’ll be fine,” she said as she quickly turned around to hide her misty eyes, “Ah’m more worried ‘bout poor Fluttershy, wherever she is.”

Even though she had tried to hide her growing emotions, everypony in the room could tell that she was anything but fine. Twilight shot Rainbow a worried glance, and as if she had communicated to her telepathically, Rainbow nodded her head, and stepped closer to her clearly distressed friend.

“Hey AJ, I’ll walk you home. It’s awfully late, and the last thing we need is another missing pony.”

Applejack said nothing, but replied to her proposal with a deep nod, before heading for the door. With that, the two mares left the cabin on the edge of the Everfree Forest, and began their journey back to Sweet Apple Acres.

******

Three hours had passed since Applejack and Rainbow Dash had departed, and a worn out looking Pinkie Pie had curled up into a tight ball in Angel Bunny’s old basket. Twilight and Rarity glanced at each other, and sighed gratefully; Pinkie Pie had never really been close to Big Macintosh, and while she was glum at first, she had quickly snapped back to being her normal, random self after only a few hours. She had returned from the kitchen shortly after AJ and Dash left, and continued to talk the others’ ears off until fatigue began to set in, and she finally fell asleep in the disused basket.

“It’s getting late Rarity,” stated Twilight, as she gazed at the clock for the fifth time in the past minute.

“I promise, if she’s not back here by morning, we’ll look for her, but we really should get some sleep. It’s what she’d want us to do.”

Rarity glanced at the door, wishing with all her might for Fluttershy to come walking through it. But, it was no use; the door stayed silently still, and she let out a disdained sigh, bowing her head in defeat. Twilight gingerly shuffled over to Pinkie Pie and, using one of her multiple spells, lifted the sleeping pony into a wagon that Fluttershy had left by the door.

Unwillingly, she tried to get up from her comfortable chair, but Rarity was forced to sit back down again as another nausea attack shrouded her vision. This one was different though; unlike the usual short sporadic waves, this one lingered on.

Twilight heard a gasp, followed by a dull thud. She quickly turned around, and shrieked when she saw Rarity lying comatose on the couch.

“Rarity! Are you all right?”

The question was redundant, because as soon as the words left her lips, Rarity had fought back the dizziness, and shakily brought herself to her hooves. She fought to clear her mind, but her thoughts had transformed into a fog of confusion. Somehow, in the midst of her bewilderment, she was able to emit a broken sentence.

“I’m fine. I just feel a… little ill, I… I think the stress has gone to… my head”.

“Can you make it back to your boutique?” probed Twilight.

Rarity closed her eyes, and massaged her temple as she sat back down on the couch. She thought for a second, before speaking again.

“I think… I’ll stay here, and wait until Fluttershy gets back… It’s much too late for me to be out walking like this… Go on ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow”.

Twilight’s face contracted, as she thought to herself. She considered the pros and cons of leaving her friend here alone, and delicately analyzed every detail. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that it would be best, if someone were waiting at the cottage if... No, when Fluttershy returned.

“Well, okay. Goodnight Rarity. Try to get some rest, and we’ll come find you tomorrow morning.” she said as she departed.

Rarity sighed, and shut the door, as Twilight tugged the old wagon down the gravel path in front of Fluttershy’s house. A sense of dread filled her heart as she thought about the predicament she currently found herself in. She knew poor Fluttershy had taken it hard; considerably harder than most would. She had predicted that something like this would happen, especially after Angel Bunny had passed on. The bunny’s death had left Fluttershy a blubbering mess, and that was just a pet. Rarity had heard many tales of ponies who died mere weeks after their affectionate others had passed. Some would say that they passed on simply because of a broken heart. As she solemnly shuffled around the interior of the warm cottage, she couldn’t help but wonder if Fluttershy had met a similar fate. Rarity fought her dizziness, which was yet to subside, and turned off the last light. She lit a candle, and placed it in the front window, just in case Fluttershy came home in the night. Finally, she curled up on the couch where she had been lounging moments before, and let the nausea and worried thoughts sway her off to sleep.

******

Fluttershy stumbled through the orchard, as the sweet melodious tune of “Danny Boy” wrapped itself through the trees and snaked its way around the rolling hills that surrounded the farm. The reality of her loss was still hitting home, and the hole in her heart was larger and darker than darkness itself. She had left as soon as they closed the coffin, after the final departing wishes. She hadn’t talked to anypony after that; not even her two children, Skylight and Big Red. She simply lacked the energy to care. She gazed up into the gloomy, grey sky, and a cool autumn breeze played childishly with her long, flowing mane. She had lied to Rarity earlier; lied to all her friends, but, unlike her usual-self, the deception did not bother her in the slightest. For the first time in her life, the kind thoughts had drained from her mind, leaving nothing but a gaping vacuum that sucked up any happy or sympathetic thought.

Her hooves left the soft, churned earth of the orchard, and landed on damp grass. She halted, and began to reminisce about everything: From the warm summer evening that Mac had proposed to her, to the day she had became the proud mother of two of the most-gorgeous foals in all of Equestria. Her children. Macintosh’s children. Her throat and lungs began to burn as she neared the top of the knoll, and she was eagerly awaiting the relief of reaching her destination. She stopped, and turned around; even on the most dreadful of days, the view from the hill was stunning. Sighing, she turned around, and faced the stone slab that sat just a few paces away.

The undertakers had worked fast, but then again, Fluttershy had been out wandering the orchard, trapped in her memories for almost two hours. She bowed her head, and lay down with her back resting against the cold stone. The clouds began to spit rain, drenching Fluttershy as she sat with her late husband. She wished be with him. Her longing was so immense, that she prayed to slip away from existence, right then and there. For hours, she sat, remembering, before finally falling into a fitful sleep; a sleep she hoped would lead her into her loving husband’s embrace.

******

A white blinding light brought Fluttershy out of her dreams as she fluttered her eyelids. Surveying her surroundings she noticed that where she awoke was not the same as where she had fallen asleep. There were no tress, no hills, and there certainly wasn’t any grass. At first she concurred that what she was standing on were clouds, but further investigation proved that it was something foreign. She blinked again in stupor as her bewilderment continued.

“Fluttershy?” she heard.

It sounded like… no it couldn’t be… Mac? She whipped around to see the unmistakable silhouette of a large workhorse standing in front of a clichéd bright glowing orb. Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat, and she leapt into the air pumping her frail wings as hard as she could. The black outline of her husband grew as she pushed herself more and more, the longing to great him burning inside her.

She let herself drop to the ground and continued her race, cantering as fast as she could. With the gap closing between her and her lover she let a volley of tears stream from her eyes and down her face.

“MAC!” she cried with joy as the shadow, which was her husband, slowly began to fill with colour.

She threw herself into his arms and nuzzled his neck, taking in the familiar scent of his body. For what seemed like hours she cried in his arms, letting his embrace reassure her overflowing emotions of joy. She had been granted the one gift she would give the ultimate sacrifice for.

“I’m here Mac” she whimpered, “I’m here with you… and… and…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence because Mac interrupted before she could utter anything else. He held her tighter and whispered something into her ear. Something, which dropped the equivalent of an atomic bomb into the bottom of her stomach.

******

Fluttershy woke with a start. The clouds had cleared, and the sky was twinkling with millions of tiny bright stars. Her heart plummeted as she recollected her dream. How she had come so close to being with her husband again, before getting thrown back into reality. The one word that Mac said, had managed to send her flying back to earth, and was still ringing in her ears.

“No”.

She had no way of telling how long she had been asleep, and she had no desire to know. Moments after leaving her slumber, she realized that she was still curled up against Big Macintosh’s head stone. Cursing aching joints, she pulled herself up onto wobbly hooves. Dirt fell off of her back in clumps, as she struggled to rise. Her head retreated into the masses of hair, which was her mane, and uttered three words.

“Wait for me…”

She gazed longingly at her husband’s grave before turning away, and letting the abnormally bright moon guide her along the path to solace; down the path home.

******

Fluttershy observed from underneath a willow tree, as Twilight struggled to pull a sleeping Pinkie Pie, in what she recognized was her old wagon. Waiting until they were out of sight, she trotted down the embankment and onto the path that led to her cottage. Twenty minutes of winding paths and overgrown foliage later, she rounded the last bend, crossed over the bridge and stepped up to the front door. She gingerly pushed it open, ancient hinges squealing as the door creaked open. Her house was pitch black; save for the magnificent pattern a lone candle left in her front window. Through the flicker of the light, she saw a silhouetted figure sleeping on the couch; her couch. Fluttershy suppressed a shriek of terror, before mustering enough courage to take a closer look. She sighed in relief as she realized it was simply Rarity, whom had taken refuge on her couch. Fluttershy managed a half-smile, and walked to the cupboard to get Rarity a blanket. She cautiously placed the duvet on the sleeping unicorn, before making her way upstairs to her bedroom.

Fluttershy flicked on the light, and draped her black dress over a large wingback chair in the corner. She paused at a picture hanging on the wall; a framed portrait of her in the arms of Big Mac. She smiled; the picture had an uncanny resemblance to one of the famous country singer Johnny Colt and his wife June Canter. Mac had loved Johnny Colt- he knew more about him than anypony in Equestria, and had memorized every word of every song. As awkward as his obsession was at first, Fluttershy eventually came around, and learned to love the stallion’s deep soothing voice. She recalled many nights spent with Mac in the living room, listening to “Foalsom Prison Blues” until she, turned blue in the face.

The yellow mare felt a tear slide down her face and navigate its way past her growing smile, as she reminisced about all the memories she had taken for granted. With a shuddering breath, she reached for the dusty record, which sat in a case in the corner of the room. She brushed of the film of dust, and stared at the signature that Mac and her had managed to score while at one of his last concerts.

“To Fluttershy and Big Macintosh,

The only two ponies with a love for each other stronger than ours.

Sincerely,

Johnny Colt and June Canter”

Making her way to the record player she kept by her bed, Fluttershy tilted the cover, and let the record slide onto her hoof. However, there was something else in the record sheath: An envelope, with her name written in Macintosh’s handwriting on the front.

Fluttershy placed the record on the track, and dropped the needle on the record. The vinyl scratched and skipped as the diamond point tried to find the groove- both figuratively and literally. She turned the letter over tenderly in her shaking hooves; part of her wanted to rip it open, but another part told her to put it back in the cover, and leave it be. As the unmistakable bass line for “Foalsom Prison Blues” began, she cautiously lifted the envelope’s fold, and pulled out two pieces of paper. One was a hand written letter, and the other looked like a receipt or a bank statement. Fluttershy began to read with quivering hands, her mind narrating the letter in the unmistakable voice of her husband.

My Dearest Fluttershy,

If you’re reading this, I’m afraid the worst has happened. I know I wasn’t one much for words, but I needed to say one last thing before I left.

I know it may be hard. I ain’t going to blame you if you’re angry with me for leaving, but there’s something you should know. My life changed so much when I met you, I was so happy I couldn’t possibly comprehend that I would ever feel this amount of joy again. Then, you up and said yes to me when I asked for you to be my wife, and I, once again, felt so overjoyed at the thought of you being mine for ever.

Everything we did seemed to be a new adventure. As long as you were with me, I was happy. And then one day, I learnt I was going to be a father, and 11 months later, I was standing in front of the three ponies I loved the most in the world.

We grew old, and though they moved away, we still had each other. Every single day I loved you more then the last. And when the moment came that I realized I didn’t have much time left. I decided it was best to make sure that you would be happy without me.

I started putting some money aside, and eventually, I had enough to leave you something that would keep you going. You always talked about opening up a veterinary school, but we were always tight on cash, so it always got pushed to the back of our minds. Well, Fluttershy, I did it! The permits are all there on the second piece of paper. You have Ponyville’s permission to open your own school!

Now, there’s one condition to this, and it’s going to be my dying wish. I want you to keep living. I want you to be happy. Don’t let me slow you down; I’ll always be there for you whether it’s in the soul, in the mind, or in the heart.

Keep living, Fluttershy, and remember, I will love you forever and always.

‘Till we meet again, I’ll be waiting

Your Husband, Big Macintosh

******

Rarity slowly pulled herself out of a restless sleep. To her surprise, there was a blanket carefully draped over her body. She let a sigh relief slip through her cracked lips and realized what had happened. The candle that had been set in the front window was carefully snuffed, and the sound of record static could be heard from the upstairs bedroom. Fluttershy had come home.

Careful, as to not wake the sleeping mare, Rarity delicately ascended staircase to the master bedroom. Fluttershy’s dress was hanging on a chair, and photo albums were strewn all over the floor like fallen leaves. In the middle of her bed, surrounded by a minefield of memories, lay the sleeping Pegasus. Johnny Colt albums lay in a pile beside the record player, which was skipping, as it had reached the end of its playlist. In the yellow pony’s hooves was tear stained, hand written letter, which was accompanied by a permit of education that was registered to Fluttershy.

Rarity gently sat on the edge of the bed, and felt tears well up in her eyes, as she saw what Big Mac had written.

“Rarity…” said the sleep-drunk Fluttershy, “you’re up… What’s wrong? Did I do something? Were you too hot under the blanket? Oh, I’m sorry-”

Rarity smiled as she wiped away the tears, and looked into her friend’s eyes.

“Not at all my dear. You did absolutely nothing wrong.” reassured Rarity, “Let’s get up, and get dressed. I think we’re all in need of a good spa day.”

She chuckled as she brought Fluttershy into a tight, friendly hug. Her best friend was coming back, and though it may take some time, she would eventually come to terms with life, and do exactly what Big Mac wanted her to....

Live.

End of Chapter Two

Author’s Notes:

Thanks for all the great responses guys. I decided that I’m going to make this story much longer and give it time to build the characters. It’s going to be about 8 or 9 chapters long now.

I decided that this week we’d have a happy ending, however as you can see there is heavy foreshadowing for conflicts that will happen in the next few chapters.

I have a LOT of schoolwork to do, so don’t expect anything for possibly the next week and a half or so, but I’ll update my blog if any important news comes up. I’d also like to thank RazedRainbow, who has agreed to help me with my stories. He’s a great writer and you guys should go check out his page if you already haven’t.

I also received quite a few requests for a separate story, which dives deeper into the Flutter/Mac love story. I’ve left a few holes in the story that I’ll delve into in the next story.

Once again, if you have any ideas, noticed any mistakes or would like more explanation, leave a comment, P.M. me and let me know. Other than that please rate, comment and track and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Mr. Dependable

Family Ties

For Auld Lang Syne

Chapter 3: Family Ties

MLP: FiM Fic by Mr.Dependable

January 28th 2012

“March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path.”
Khalil Gibran

Chapter 3

Applejack’s head was pounding; the afternoon sunlight slicing through her window felt like a thousand tiny daggers jabbing at the back of her eyes. She looked over to her right, and saw her dearest friend Rainbow Dash soundly sleeping beside her. The two friends had arrived back at the farmstead just past one in the morning, and Applejack, with the company of Dash had dived into a crate of her strongest alcoholic cider. Throughout the rest of the evening she sat and cried, while Rainbow, who usually wouldn’t be caught dead in a situation of emotional conflict, tried her best to console her grieving friend. Rainbow had always had a sweet spot for Applejack, ever since they met. The cyan-coloured Pegasus knew athletic talent when she saw it, and respected AJ greatly for it.

Applejack winced, and crawled out of bed, the cacophony of snaps and pops reminding her that she wasn’t the pony she used to be. Gingerly stepping towards the door of her bedroom, she decided to let the Pegasus sleep, and wake her when breakfast… or lunch, was ready. The pictures hanging on the wall seemed to mock her as she shuffled towards the stairs- Each of them smiling, capturing a moment in time when they were all together. One specific photo made her stop and observe the scene it portrayed. It was one with all her family standing in front of the symbolic sign that stood above the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. Her father had a gentle smile tugging at the side of his mouth where a wheat stem seemed to have made a permanent home. Beside him was Applejack’s mother, who had died shortly after giving birth to Apple Bloom. Underneath her father’s front legs stood a young Applejack, and beside her, with his arm around Granny Smith, was Big Mac.

The picture had been taken years before Apple Bloom was born, and it struck a chord in Applejack’s heart every time she looked at it. The memories of her past coursing through her mind faster than the coming and going of Zap Apple Season. Granny Smith had left a long time ago, and poor Apple Bloom, well, she decided it was time to find a new life shortly after. She departed in the middle of the night, leaving nothing but a solitary note, with instructions on how to make Zap Apple jam.

Applejack turned her head, and continued down the hall towards the stairs. She stumbled at the top, and frantically tried to find her footing. She made it half way down before her hoof slipped, and she came crashing down louder than a Sonic Rainboom. Pulling herself to her hooves, she walked towards the kitchen, and groggily reached for the fridge.

She lugged out a half-empty bottle of milk and some two-day-old apple pie. It wasn’t much, but she hadn’t really found the energy to do any mundane tasks in the wake of Mac’s death. Applejack turned on the oven, and let the apple pie warm up for a couple of minutes while she cautiously poured the milk into two glasses.

As the aroma of the pie filled the house, she could hear the muffled creaking of her bed, followed by a dull thud. Rainbow was up, and there was no doubt that she would be downstairs and ready to eat almost anything that Applejack had prepared in the blink of an eye. It warmed her heart that the Pegasus still had an unconditional affection towards the orange mare. It had been over twenty years since they had last been together; before they both decided to go back to old ways. While they had done their best to keep their relations under strictly-friendly terms, there had always a soft spot for the cyan pony in the farmer’s heart.

“Morning Applejack,” said Rainbow with bags under her eyes, “Mmm, smells good. Apple pie?”

“Would it be anything else?” Applejack couldn't help but smirk at the bleary mare.

Rainbow Dash chuckled, before her face suddenly went stone cold; memories of the previous night flooding her mind

“Do you think Fluttershy came back?” she asked.

Applejack let out a hearty sigh before answering.

“Ah don’t rightly know… She looked as sad as an apple in a basket o’ pears yesterday.”

She paused before carefully mulling over her next sentence.

“Ah suppose we should go and find out…”

To be frank, Applejack despised the idea; she didn’t want to trek all the way to her sister-in-law’s house, only to find out that she had died, or was still missing. She didn’t think she could take another loss, especially so soon after Mac. But she knew, that it was the morally right thing to do; if she had come home she would need all the support she could get.

******

Twilight was sipping a cup of herbal tea when Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrived. She didn’t even notice their entrance, she was to busy trying decipher the situation she found herself in. When she had arrived twenty minutes earlier, she was taken aghast by Fluttershy’s new found happiness. When she probed to find the answer that she was so eager to hear, she was ignored, and offered a cup of tea by the unnaturally-boisterous Pegasus.

Rarity was sitting beside her, and even she looked like there was nothing amiss with Fluttershy. Twilight had no idea what had occurred the night before, but she suspected that it had something to do with Mac.

“Heya Twi… What’s goin’ on?” asked Applejack, as she too spied her abnormally chipper friend.

Twilight sighed, and took a long sip from her tea; shaking her head.

“I have no idea” she replied, dully.

“Applejack! Rainbow!” squealed Rarity, “I’m so glad you’re here, we were all just about to leave and go to the spa!”

Applejack couldn’t decide whether she was horrified or pleased that Fluttershy had made such a quick recovery after such a depressing event.

“That sounds…” AJ was trying to be convincing as best she could; a process made all the more difficult when one has no idea what’s going on. “Uh...Delightful.”

Rainbow wore the exact same, bewildered expression. She had known Fluttershy longer than any one else, and she knew that she possessed the most delicate soul in all of Equestria. Yet here she was, acting as if nothing even remotely bad had happened.

“Fluttershy… are you sure your okay, what’s going on?” she queried.

“Oh, am I startling you… do you need anything… I didn’t ask… I’m sorry, anyway I’ll tell everyone when we get to the spa,” Fluttershy replied.

Everyone looked at each other, including Pinkie, who was sitting back in Angels basket chewing on a cupcake, and shrugged. That would have to suffice for now.

******

Fluttershy was on the verge of tears again, as she elucidated upon the events of the previous night. However they were tears of happiness and acceptance, rather than tears of bitter remorse and regret. She had gone into excruciating detail, describing word-for-word the letter that her husband had left for her.

Rarity lay contently on a massage table across from Twilight and Rainbow Dash. She was more than happy for her friend, and was thankful that she was able to find solace in such a dark moment of her life. Unfortunately, Rarity’s joy was interrupted by another nausea attack. The waves of momentary confusion were getting closer and closer together, and their severity was rising. While they used to tag along with physical or emotional situations, Rarity often found herself doing absolutely nothing before being sucked into a vortex. Her eyesight narrowing and her mind spinning, she tried with all her might to push the worry from her mind; desperately attempting to convince herself that her problems were simply a side effect of the steam. However, in the back of her mind, she knew that it was steam- steam fueled by scalding paranoia.

“What if it isn’t nothing?”

“Rarity?” her thoughts were interrupted by the high-pitched voice of Pinkie Pie, “You’re looking a little confuzzled there. You okay?”

“Oh, yes, dear.” she struggled to sound convincing, “Just the steam, it’s a little over powering”

Pinkie Pies elderly face twisted with confusion, but she shrugged it off, and confirmed her acceptance of Rarity’s lie with her favourite saying.

“Okie Dokie Loki”.

Rarity turned her head as Fluttershy finished narrating the events from the previous night. Her eyes were red and tears streaked down her face, but the smile that pulled the wrinkles around the edges of her mouth warmed Rarity’s heart.

“Fluttershy, we’re so thankful that you’re feeling better. We were all so worried about you,” complimented Twilight.

“Ah concur,” added Applejack, “Ah’m not going to lie, Ah was sad when Mac... left, but Ah was more worried ‘bout you than anything else. Now that Ah see you’re getting better, Ah think Ah might just be fine mahself!”

The head masseuse stopped, smiled at Rarity, and spoke up in a thick, German accent,

“Miss, your session ist up, how vill you be paying today, shplit bills? Or all of zem togezah?”

“Oh, would you be a dear, and put it all on my bill please… Just charge it to my account.” Rarity said without faltering.

Everypony’s jaw hit the floor; they all knew that Rarity was unstinting. But what she was offering, what she told the masseuse would cost her well over a thousand bits.

“Rarity!” spouted Rainbow, “Are you crazy? That bill’s more expensive than front row seats to the Wonderbolts!”

“Yeah, are you loco in the coco?” added Pinkie.

“Quite the opposite my dear, I just decided it would be nice. Besides, think of it as a big present from me to Fluttershy,” quirked Rarity as she signed the cheque.

She questioned her actions, while her friends got up and directed themselves to the change room. Did she really need to do that?

“Of course I did”, she told herself, “they are my friends, and I need to remind them of such.”

But, as she pursued her closest acquaintances, she couldn’t help but feel confused herself.

******

2 Years Later

*DING*

Pinkie Pie’s head shot upright in anticipation when she heard the familiar sound. The Cakes’ oven, though old, still got the job done, and the bell that went off whenever the timer ran out was possibly her favourite sound in the entire world. Some ponies had music, others had reading, and Pinkie had cupcakes. For some reason, their enticing aroma and intoxicating flavour always soothed the pink mare’s soul.

She slipped the oven mitts onto her hooves and prudently opened the oven door. A wave of heat blasted onto her face, as if it was welcoming Pinkie, once again, to its home inside the ceramic tomb. She cautiously reached into the oven, grasped the handles on the side of the tray, and carefully extracted the delectable pastries.

“Ahhhh”, she said wafting the aroma of her favourite treat up to her snout.

A pang of guilt rain through her bones, and she let a hearty sigh rattle her lungs and shake her throat. While Big Mac’s passing hadn’t really made an impact on her, it were the implications of his death that left a bad taste in her mouth for almost a year. While her friends were still with her and, hopefully, healthy, she couldn’t shake the thought that it wouldn’t be for long. It was true that they were getting older, and that’s what Pinkie hated the most.

She reflected on the time her friends had held a surprise party for her, and she thought they had all moved on, past their friendship. The dread she felt then was lingering in her gut now. Since then Pinkie had deduced that her biggest fear, her only fear, was time. Growing old seemed to be the biggest offender of this; taking friends and family, and in the end, leaving nothing but loss.

Pinkie yelped as the heat from the tray penetrated the thick cloth on her hooves, and snapped back to her usual self.

“These cupcakes will be just the thing tonight! Everyone will think they’re scrumptious… is that even a word? And if so, why does it sound so weird? Scrumptious… scrumptious… that reminds me! I need to buy more milk…” she thought.

Random thoughts raced through her mind as she grabbed a pink, square box, and methodically placed each cupcake inside. Pinkie gasped when she remembered she had forgotten to put the daffodil-coloured icing on the baked treats. However, she was baffled when she looked down and saw that, at some point during the time she had been lost in her thoughts, she had, in fact, put the icing on. Bewildered, she opened the cupboard, and put the tube of sugary paste back on the shelf.

With the freshly packaged cupcakes hanging from her mouth by a strand of thin twine, she disembarked, locking Sugar Cube Corner’s door behind her. The Cakes had long passed on, and seeing as Pinkie had taken up residence on the top floor, they left it to her in their will. She was sad at first, but their generosity, and the presence of her friends, had helped her continue on.

Pinkie skipped down the cobblestone path, and let out muffled ‘hellos’ and ‘good afternoons’ to any pony that passed by. She hopped past the Grande Stallion restaurant, and bounced around the street vendors, before finally rounding the bend to Rarity’s boutique. It had just passed five in the evening, and the sun was dipping behind the rolling hills. Pinkie knocked her head against the weathered door of the Carousel Boutique several times before letting out a muffled call.

“Reeritee, mm heer!”

The door swung open, and the pink pony was welcomed by the soft murmur of multiple conversations. As she walked in the front door, Pinkie wondered why they were hosting a party at Rarity’s place instead of Sugar Cube Corner.

Rarity wouldn’t tell her friends, but her nausea attacks had reached the point where it became almost unbearable to go anywhere without suffering from at least one. So, she had created an excuse; an effective ruse as to why the party should be held at her petite boutique.

Pinkie shrugged and thought, ‘a party’s still a party’, and walked over to the buffet that Rarity had meticulously created. Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight were conversing by an extravagant floral display, sipping from crystal glasses. Fluttershy was sitting on a bench by herself, waiting for Rarity to return from greeting the newest, and most energetic guest. Pinkie skipped past a cascading ball gown, and placed the parcel of cupcakes on a table, which was covered by what looked like a bed sheet littered with potpourri. She turned around, surveyed the scene, and let her old mind run through what would be the most strategic plan of action to get the real party started.

******

It was past midnight, and the party - if that’s what you could call it - was starting to wear down. To Pinkie’s dismay, the parties that she used to throw were no longer a tangible feat. While she still had enough energy to power Equestria for a decade, her aging friends did not. And while she was busy trying to get everypony to dance, her friends just sat and sipped from the much-too-fancy punch bowl, and ate extravagant snacks. She felt a pang of sorrow strike her heart, and she returned to her seat, reflections of her thoughts earlier that day forming in her head with frightening clarity.

Applejack sat across Rainbow at a knee high coffee table, which was surrounded by a semicircle couch. She was busy discussing the lack of productivity of her new farm hands, assisting her exuberant explanations with colourful metaphors. Half way through her burn of a certain pony named Dusk Moon, a solid knock came from the door. She paused and looked quizzically at Rarity, as if to say…

“Who in the hay could that be?”

But before she could even begin to speak, the door swung open and there in the doorway, was Rarity’s sister, Sweetie Belle.

“Eeeeh!!!” shrieked the glamorous pony as she brought her younger sibling into a tight embrace. “I didn’t realise you were visiting! Why didn’t you tell me? Do you need a place to stay? How are you?”

“Okay, calm down Rarity”, intervened Twilight, “let’s give her some breathing room. She’s obviously come a long way”.

Sweetie Bell had matured like a fine wine since Rarity had last seen her: Her mane was done up into a tight bun, and she was wearing a formal blue work dress.

“Rarity, it’s so good to see you!” she swooned in a snobby Manehattan accent.

“I was in on business trip, and determined it would be a pleasant surprise for you if I, dropped in”.

Applejack’s heart sank into the recesses of her gut as she saw the conversing siblings. While Apple Bloom had left over twenty years ago, she still missed the special bond that she had had with her sibling. Every year, on the anniversary of Apple Bloom’s departure, Applejack would sit on the front porch and wait. She’d wait from the rise of Luna’s eerie white moon, to the arrival of Celestia’s glowing golden sphere. Every year, rain or shine, she waited for her sister to come home and for them to be together again. But each year was filled with the same disappointment and empty feeling as the last.

Rainbow Dash had already gotten up, and went to greet the suave, smooth-talking business pony, leaving AJ alone with her thoughts. The orange pony shuffled out from the bench she was sitting on, and grabbed her cup of punch. Bowing her head, she listlessly glided to the back door, with memories of her younger sister clouding her mind.

The door slammed shut behind her, silencing the energetic conversation between her elderly friends and Sweetie Belle. She looked up into the sky as she sat herself down on the slab of concrete that acted as a step for the back door. The night sky was beginning to cloud over, save for the odd hole which provided a natural window into oblivion.

“Oh Apple Bloom… Where are you?” she whimpered.

While she had her own child, Applejack knew she couldn’t replicate the bond she had shared with her sister. All the trophies that she and Apple Bloom had won in the golden years, were displayed in a mahogany hoof-built case in the living room. A picture of the two ponies when they were much younger was set in the centre of the grand exhibition of sisterly love. The photographer had caught the two ponies mid-laugh, both doubled over with one foreleg draped over the other’s back, and one hoof clutching their sides. Every time Applejack looked at that photo, her stomach churned, and she couldn’t help but feel that her sister’s departure was, somehow, her fault.

“Hey, AJ…”, intruded Rainbow Dash, “You alright?”

Applejack looked down at the dark-brown earth and half-heartedly kicked a small pile of twigs and leaves.

“It’s about Apple Bloom, isn’t it?”

The orange mare raised her, head and looked at the cyan Pegasus, as a succession of pops and cracks went off in her neck like a machine gun. She saw something in the eyes of her friend that she hadn’t observed in a long time. It wasn’t noticeable at first, but further investigation into Dash’s dark pink eyes revealed a spark of genuine worry for her friend.

Applejack sighed.

“No RD… Ah’m not alright.”

Rainbow Dash stepped forward and dropped her old body onto the ledge beside AJ with a hearty exhale.

“Seein’ Sweetie Belle… it got me thinkin’… ‘bout things. Things Ah hoped Ah’d gotten over a long time ago.”

Rainbow twitched, her friend’s dark and moody demeanour was beginning to worry her. Dash had known Applejack for a copious amount of time, and her listless and defeated aura was manifesting itself more then it should.

“After Granny Smith died… Ah did mah best to raise her, but… there just wasn’t enough time in the day. She musta been a might lonely all bah herself. Ah never really realized how much time she spent with her ‘till she left. And Ah... Ah can’t help but think that Ah might’ve had something to do with it.”

Emotional support was not Rainbow’s area of expertise, and instead of putting herself out on the line with a risky comment, she remained silent.

“Before it happened… Ah always found time ta spend with her, but… but there was just so much to do! Ah just shoved it off and kept working. Ah never really thought that Ah might be ignorin’ her too much or anything. Ah just kept buckin’ working... Ah guess Ah don’t blame her for leavin’…”

Applejack let out a rattling and throaty cough, startling Rainbow.

“You know I’m not very good with these emotional speeches or anything, AJ, but I’m going to give it a go.” Dash paused, “There wasn’t really much you could do in that situation… I mean, it’s not like you could just drop everything and spend every minute of the day with her.”

“Yeah… but Ah didn’t even ask if she was okay, how the whole situation was for her.”

Rainbow looked up at her distressed friend, and wrapped a caring hoof around her back, drawing her closer than she had in a long time.

“There are some things in our lives we can’t do AJ, and one of them is going back in time. Sure you can wish and hope that you could change what happened, but in the end you’ve just wasted minutes that you could’ve used to change the future.”

A smile played at the lips of Applejack’s mouth as she nuzzled closer to her old friend; her old lover. Something about her words made her content. While she hadn’t swept into some massive monologue of how it wasn’t her fault, she was somewhat happy she didn’t. Applejack was never one for sappy stories, and she could usually tell when somepony was lying through there teeth. However, her friend’s casual statement was one of pure honesty, and she felt somewhat gratified.

As if on cue with the end of the sentence, a muffled shriek of horror resonated from inside the boutique. The two ponies shot upright, and turned towards the door as bricks shattered their stomachs, simultaneously. The sound of galloping hooves could be heard, drawing closer to the door. Several seconds later it crashed open, and an apprehensive looking Twilight stood in the doorway, gasping.

“Come quick…” she stammered between breaths, “Som... Something's happened to Rarity… it’s bad... really bad.”

End of Chapter 3

Author’s Notes:

Hi Everypony,

I honestly didn’t expect to get this chapter out so early, but I’ve been going through a bout of depression and spent one long night writing out chapter 3. I hope you like cliff hangers!

I’m also starting a new story soon so keep your eyes peeled for that one. I’m not going to reveal to much, but it’s going to be specifically about Rainbow Dash, and possibly her favorite dream coming true.

Anyway, I’ll probably get started on chapter 4 after this, I spent most of today dealing with school work and got most of it knocked off my list. You’ll probably see that this weekend... if not sooner.

Once again, favorite, watch, track, rate, comment, etc. etc. Let me know how it is, find any issues P.M. me. Remember to check out Razed Rainbows channel, he’s my editor and he’s got some pretty awesome stories.

Have fun!

Sincerley

Mr.Dependable

P.S. Whatever you do, DO NOT READ THE RAINBOW FACTORY, it will ruin your perception of Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo for ever, if not a very inconvenient amount of time.

Ignorance is a Bliss

For Auld Lang Syne

Chapter 4: Ignorance is a Bliss

MLP: FiM Fic by Mr.Dependable

February 1st 2012

Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me out of myself.
Harold Brodkey

Chapter 4

Applejack and Rainbow Dash followed Twilight as she led them back into the boutique. Sweetie Belle was sulking on a chair with Fluttershy as Pinkie Pie tried her best to figure what was going on. Applejack knew what was happening as soon as the white and purple unicorn came into view. The left side of her face was distorted; drooping as if the muscles had been turned to putty. Her left pupil was massively dilated while the right eye remained normal. Applejack had seen this before; one of her farm hands had suffered a stroke right after Cider season, and she knew the severity of the situation.

“Alright yall, calm down…” she said without falter, “Twilight, get Rarity onto her right side, she’s having a stroke and we need to make sure the blood doesn’t pool in her brain.”

Twilight wasted no time, and swiftly, yet carefully, rolled Rarity onto her side, while Applejack looked towards Fluttershy. Sweetie Belle’s face was as pale as a ghost; her eyes were wide and bloodshot, and she held onto Fluttershy as if her life depended on it.

“Fluttershy, get Sweetie out of her, she’s suffering from shock, take her to the kitchen and try your best to comfort her.” She said before quickly turning to Dash.

“Rainbow, Ah need you to fly as fast as you can… Go get help, go to the hospital and tell them that Rarity’s had a stroke, and that the ambulance should meet us just outside of town.”

Rainbow was already in the air, fighting aching joints as she raced out the front door. AJ turned to Pinkie who had a worried look plastered on her face; her eyes frozen on the white unicorn’s crumpled form.

“Pinkie Pie, Ah need you to go upstairs, and get me Rarity’s blanket, and two long polls, we’re going to make a stretcher so we can get her outta here.”

Pinkie Pie disappeared up the stairs in a flash. Applejack sighed, and made her way to Rarity’s side. Twilight had left to get fetch a pillow or cushion of some sort, leaving Applejack and the stricken unicorn alone. The orange mare looked down at her ill friend, and felt her throat tighten up like a noose for the second time that evening.

“Dammit Rarity…” she said with disdain in her voice, “We’re too buckin’ old for this…”

******

The doctor stepped out of the repulsively white operating room. The smell of antiseptic and sickness flooded the six ponies’ noses. It had been almost an hour since they brought Rarity to the hospital, and each one of them was waiting with bated breath.

“Well…” the jet-black maned doctor began, “she’s stable… but I don’t know for how long. I recommend, with your permission, we get her into a CAT scan immediately.”

Sweetie Belle removed herself from her traumatized state for the first time since her sister’s collapse, and said in a bitter and cold tone.

“Just…Just do what you have to to make her better.”

The doctor sighed deeply before replying to the distressed sibling’s remark.

“I can’t promise to make her healthy… but I can promise that we’ll find out why she had a stroke. She’s at top priority, but it’s still going to take at least forty-five minutes before we have any results. I recommend that you six go to the cafeteria, and try to get something to eat. This is a very emotionally distressing event, and it’s important you keep your energy up. Don’t worry, I’ll send a nurse to get you when we have completed the tests.”

Sweetie Belle waved the doctor away, returning to her sullen and silent disposition. The five friends all stared at each other with worried looks as Sweetie Belle hung her head and sobbed silently.

“Sweetie Belle…” intruded Fluttershy, “Do… Do you want to go get something to eat?”

The unicorn remained silent, but agreed to Fluttershy’s question by getting up from her chair, and shuffling towards the hall. Without saying a word, the rest gathered themselves together, and listlessly followed Sweetie Belle to the Cafeteria.

As Fluttershy pursued her friends, she dipped her head and let a solitary tear slide down her face. While she knew they were getting older - if they weren’t old enough already - she never expected to be faced with a situation like this. She understood the severity of a stroke; in fact she had witnessed a countless amount of clients’ animals die on her examination room table because of them. Fluttershy tried her best to suppress the growing fear for her friend. However, like a serpent from the deep in search of food, it manifested itself in the front of her mind, and held strong

******

The cafeteria was empty, which wasn’t surprising considering that it was half-past three in the morning. The only sound to be heard was the gentle humming of the vending machines, which sat on the opposite side of the room. The main running lights were turned off to save power, and the dim red glow of the fire exit sign cast elongated eerie shadows across the room. The only other ponies that had been in the cafeteria left long ago, a couple of doctors who were on call; pulling the grave yard shift. Cups of machine-made coffee littered the top of the table like fallen leaves, and silence swallowed the group of ponies with the chilling frost of reality.

Pinkie Pie was dipping in and out of consciousness on a bench that was surrounded by candy bar wrappers. It was a wonder, to Twilight, how she had managed to fall asleep with all that sugar coursing through her system. She surveyed the room and spied Applejack and Dash huddled together over in the corner, where two large wing-back chairs and a modern looking couch surrounded a glass-topped coffee table. Moving on, her eyes landed upon Fluttershy, who was desperately trying to console Sweetie Belle, who was currently stuck in the second stage of the “seven stages of grief.”

A turquoise nurse pony who had silently made her way into the room interrupted Twilight’s focus. It appeared nobody else had noticed her entrance, so Twilight took the liberty of listening to what she had to say alone.

“We’ve finished the tests… right now she’s resting in room 205 down the hall. The doctor’s there, and he told me to come and get you.”

Twilight gathered herself, and before turning around to get the others said a quick “thank you”, and sent the nurse away. Going from group to group, she told everypony that the doctor had finished the tests, and that they were aloud to go visit. One by one, each of the ponies who had taken up temporary housing in the way of hospital cafeteria furniture, made their way down the hall towards Rarity’s room.

As they drew closer, the doctor from earlier stepped outside to greet them.

“Hello Ladies,” he began, “We finished the tests, and we have some good news and some rather bad news… in fact very bad news.”

He took a moment to compose himself before continuing on.

“When we did the CAT scan, we found the source of the stroke… We found a large mass, which we thought, at first, was just a misreading of the machine. However it wasn’t. It’s a massive tumor, which originally manifested in her inner-ear, and has now spread to her cerebellum and brainstem. Did any of you girls notice anything wrong with her in the past few years?”

Twilights heart sank: She had read about cancerous tumors, and how dangerous they were. While some of them were dormant, the majority were malignant and killed anypony who was unfortunate enough to be diagnosed.

“Well there is one thing…” whimpered Fluttershy, “About 15 years ago, she started complaining about nausea attacks… She said they went away after a week, but we often caught her swaying back and forth, and even collapsing at some times.”

The colt in front of Twilight tried to hide his dismay, but she could see a flicker in his eyes that indicated that things were very bad.

“Ladies, I’m so sorry… In fact, it is a mystery to me why she’s still alive, but... Rarity doesn’t have much time left. There are procedures we can try, if that is consoling to any of you, but we need her consent first. Right now she’s resting, and I highly recommend we let her sleep. If you come back tomorrow at around four, we can discuss possible plans of action, but right now, you should go home, get some sleep…” he paused and took a deep breath, “…and prepare yourselves.

Twilight turned about-face, and sternly marched down the hall towards the entrance waiting room. Her mind was a scrambled mess of emotions; which made things considerably harder for the fast thinking Unicorn to analyze and strategize. She ignored the desperate pleas of her friends, and shrugged off Fluttershy when she came barreling towards her, trying to get her to stop and wait. She kept marching through the dimly-lit cafeteria, stormed past the reception area, and barged through the set of double doors that led outside. In her mind, an epic battle was playing out between emotional instinct and strategic action; both sides were well-equipped, and dug in for a long and ferocious fight. She was so focused on the war raging in her thoughts that before she could comprehend what was happening, the door to the library stood in front of her. Peering down from above, like a gate into the inner sanctums of hell, the wooden monstrosity mocked her. Behind the door lay the answers to many questions, the solutions to equations and problems that she faced on a regular basis. But yet, the remedy for the biggest problem she had at the moment was not included in her vast arsenal of knowledge. While she could try her best, the only thing she could do with time and death, was sit and watch as they grasped a firm hold around the necks of her friends and suffocated them into submission.

Spike was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the nights depressing events. Twilight envied his ignorance at the current moment, as she spiraled into a pit of self-pity and depression. She had always thought of what time would bring, and she had told herself not to worry; that there was plenty of space between then and now. But, seeing her friends getting older and sicker - watching Fluttershy mourn the loss of her husband. It all made her realize the inconvenient truth: Everything she desired to avoid, was inevitable. A spark of rage flashed through her; A filling feeling of ferocity that was unusual for the usually calm and caring unicorn.

‘It’s not fair!’ she roared at the raging storm that was quickly forming in her mind.

All they had done… All the good they had done was nothing but dust in the wind. She gazed at Spike once again, but this time she felt a pang of regret and sorrow flush away the bad thoughts. At that moment, she realized that even she would die some day; Even the strongest of wills eventually succumbs to the massive forces of minutes, hours and days. She grasped the fact that the poor dragon who regarded her as a mother would be alone. Spike, though about sixty years old, aged much slower. While Twilight and her friends were reaching old age, Spike was just entering his pre-teen years. How was he going to survive; alone? How was he supposed to recover after outliving all his friends and family? Twilight twitched, and she snapped her head to the cedar pedestal that stood between two of the bookshelves. She gingerly edged closer, and did something that always reassured her in times of need. She used her magic to lift a long extravagant feathered quill, and began to write…

Dear Princess Celestia…

******

Rainbow Dash’s wings pumped methodically as they carried the light boned Pegasus towards the murky dreary sky. The moon had retreated behind a blanket of sinister clouds, which threatened to release a profuse amount of precipitation. A waterfall of melancholy drowned the pain of her throbbing joints as her streamlined body streaked across the sky expeditiously. Worrying was not her forte, and the consequences of such an encumbering emotion were much too enervating for her liking. While she cared acutely for her friends, sometimes the burdens they carried were so grand, that they would glissade over onto her plate. The current crisis with Rarity was much more critical then her usual conflicts, and it affected her considerably more then she would care to let on. The fast paced life of a member of the Wonderbolts was taxing, and required you to draw a curtain on past lives. While Rainbow had discovered a loophole, many days were spent practicing and rehearsing choreography... And ignoring her friends. Now that her striking career as the captain of the ace, air-performance squadron was over, she began to question her actions and decisions in the past. While the extravagant life of a celebrity was awe inspiring, the calamity of Rarity’s stroke was nagging at her morality.

The Grecian cloud fortress protruded from the horizon in front of her; magnificent columns constructed purely from condensation growing larger and larger. As she approached her home, she began to contemplate the chaotic evening, and the events that took place. The last she had seen and or heard of Twilight was when she was hastily escaping the tense confrontation with the doctor. It was understandable, but yet, deep down Dash knew something was amiss, and there were ulterior motives behind the purple unicorn’s actions. Mutual feelings were had about Pinkie Pie, who had managed to somehow stumble her way to a gurgling creek just outside Ponyville, which was in an entirely opposite direction of her abnormally-pink home. However, when confronted, she seemed just as confused about her location as Rainbow had. And Fluttershy, the delicate and elegant soul, was taking a beating much beyond its threshold. While Rainbow and Fluttershy had the oldest friendship, their relations had boiled down over the years. They still retained the titles of each other’s substitute sisters, but the bond had weakend, and Dash noticed a growing one between the marshmallow-white unicorn, and the timid pegasus with the intense demure. After loosing Macintosh, Dash had expected massive repercussions, and internal damage that would leave scars that would never heal. However, with the assistance of Rarity, she had almost fully recovered; even to the point where she had opened the veterinary school she always dreamed of. Now that the driving force behind Fluttershy’s recovery was terminally ill, she had no way of knowing what would happen next to the delicate heart of her oldest friend.

******

Rarity sat in a dinky wheelchair waiting on the monotonously toned doctor. All but Sweetie Belle were faithfully waiting by her side in anticipation for the doctor to fill the gaps of information. In retrospect, Rarity never expected something so abrupt and crude from a professional’s mouth. However, years of tedious work and delivering news that would bind people to their death must have desensitized the entire situation to him, and in a way Rarity felt pang of pity for the cold stallion. Everything about him seemed mechanical, as if inside his head were tiny cogs and springs; like it where some kind of antique clock.

“Ms. Rarity, it seems that from this point onwards you have two options…” he said looking up from his clipboard, “…the first one being to continue on like you are now, if you choose this option, I’m sorry, but you’ll have about five weeks left.”

The doctor shuffled a pile of miscellaneous papers in his hooves like playing cards before taking off his glasses.

“And the other option?” quirked Rarity, slightly annoyed at his lack of sympathy.

“The other option is...Chemotherapy. Let me warn you, though. While this might prolong your fight, it will be painful, and the side effects will be taxing upon your body. Not to mention that at your stage it is highly unlikely that the treatment will be successful.” He concluded.

Twilight sighed with disgruntlement behind Rarity before asking a question everyone was thinking.

“And… what side effects would these be?”

The doctor shot Twilight daggers with his eyes, annoyed with the fact that the knowledgeable unicorn was probing for standard information.

“Well… the first step that will happen is you will go into surgery. There we will install a port, which will feed the chemicals needed directly into your blood stream. These will stop the cancerous cell replication, along with normal cell replication. This is where things get hairy. The most common side effects include appetite change, general aches and pains, weakness, vomiting, loss of weight and hair loss.”

The last lines, ironically, made Rarity contemplate her decision the most. Her beautiful mane, which she had obsessed over for her entire life, would be destroyed; removed by the chemicals that were going to save her.

“Once again,” continued the direct doctor, “there is only about a 5% chance that this will cure you.” The doctor took a quick, raspy inhale, before speaking once more, “Is that what you want to do?

Rarity thought as hard and as long as she could in the several seconds she had before the doctor would become, once again, impatient.

“Yes…”, she replied bluntly.

The doctor shook his head methodically, rubbed his temples and sighed.

“Very well… We’ll book you an appointment tomorrow. If at any time you want to stop the treatment, we will remove the plug and send you to a cancer recovery resort.”

Rarity glared at the indifferent colt across the desk from her, and said abruptly.

“I presume that I will be doing many things but recover there… won’t I? So, doctor, tell me… once I am checked in, what’s my due date?”

The lack of compassion and worry in her voice perturbed her friends. None them knew how to respond to her appalling bluntness.

“Well from that point onwards… you’ll have anywhere from a week to two months.”

A look of pure horror sparked behind her eyes. It really boiled down to choosing the lesser of two evils. But if there was a chance. If there was the smallest glimmer of hope, a north star to her shepherds, she was willing to try.

So with a moment’s hesitation, she reached outwards with her shaky magic and signed the form that would leave her life in the hands of fate. While the pen scratched the paper, Rarity cursed her past self. If she had known, if she had just seen a doctor when her nausea attacks refused to subside; when sharp pains that jabbed at the back of her head began to accompany her spells of dizziness... They were wrong. Ignorance was as far from bliss as possible.

******

“How… How long has she been out there?” whimpered a sorrowful yellow Pegasus.

The head nurse who, unlike the doctor so many weeks ago, seemed to genuinely care for the dying unicorn, sighed, and turned away from the large stained window which overlooked the bewitching gardens and placid lake that lay beyond. It never got easier for him - watching them come into his care and withering like a clipped rose. Only a handful of his patients were blessed with the opportunity to leave this bucolic place. While beautiful and lavish on the outside, the implications of being sent here were enough to cast anyone into a deep pit of despair.

“Since this morning… Nine o’clock, or so.” Quivered the saddened colt.

Rarity had come into his care two weeks after beginning her Chemotherapy. At first, the elderly unicorn had been tenacious towards the side effects, doing her best to fight the taxing byproducts of the treatment. She remained vigilant while her weight took a drastic leap off of a ten-meter diving board into a pool of sick. She held her head high while the aches and pains of chemicals eroding her innards manifested themselves in every simple movement. She even tried, in vain, to keep her hopes up while her mane, the glorious lush flowing mane that she had prided herself upon, began to split, and die and fall from her head. Eventually, the psychological and physical torture became too much for the already weak unicorn, and, deciding that the small chance of recovery was not worth the suffering, she ceased the treatment.

When Fluttershy had come to greet her after what she presumed were weeks of torture, she was horrified at what she saw. The mare whom had once been the definition of beauty and youth had aged more in two weeks than in her entire life. Crows feet stretched across her face like cracks in dried, hard desert sand. Her once lavishly adored cheeks were hollow and concave. Her hair, or what was left of it, hung in thin, stringy clumps of dulled purple mess; like seaweed splayed across a craggy shore. Her ribs protruded gruesomely from her sides, and her eyes… Her eyes were the most horrifying of them all. Beady, yet sunken into her skull, as if they were dogs hiding in their kennel, trying to escape a ferocious beating. But all of this, all the pathetic traits that she currently carried, were remedied with two simple factors. When Fluttershy stared deep into her friend’s eyes, past the misty and clouded over pupils, she saw something… something that made her forget the horrors her friend must have gone through: Determination. Even in the darkest hour, where doom lingered just above her head like a precariously perched anvil, Rarity was determined. Determined to meet the face of death with courage and strength. The twinkle in her eyes, and the soft, weak, yet somehow strong smile playing at the sides of her mouth, showed Fluttershy that she wasn’t scared.

The next few days for Rarity were spent sedately wandering the various rooms of her boutique. Dresses she had spent days, if not weeks, making latched onto memories of a specific time of her life like a leach. The gala gowns, the sapphire disco suit, the full spectrum fall clothing line; all captured moments of her life like as if they were in a crystal ball. In her mind, she was mentally preparing herself to say goodbye, but in her heart, she screamed in agony. Years flashing before her, decades of her life now only taking minutes to remember. She wasn’t ready; there was one more thing she needed to do.

On a dreary Monday morning, while the grey gloomy clouds skipped by, dancing on the wind, a carriage pulled in front of the Carousel Boutique. On the side, in mature Victorian styled script, was the name Duck Lake Cancer Recovery Clinic, followed by the sickeningly ironic motto, Building Hope for a Better Future. Two handsome young colts, dressed in ghostly-white nurse scrubs, trotted to the front door, before beckoning the ill unicorn to take a step closer to death. The past few days, life had been kind to Rarity- as if it were taking pity upon her battered soul. She allowed herself to give the quaint shop she had made her home a disdained glance; a tear, fueled by the cold burning of reality, departed her eyes and stained the ground where she stood. The curtains on her life were being drawn closer and closer together, all the while blocking out more and more from her life. She gave one last curtsey to the world she had come to call her own, and with the assistance of the two colts took her seat on a soft cushion, which was filled with death, sorrow and bereavement. She gazed longingly as her town streaked by outside the window. The shops, the street vendors and the carts, the cascading flower baskets and cobble stone paths all seemed to be waving a sorrowful goodbye.

Finally, the last cottage on the edge of Ponyville retreated behind a knoll, and Rarity, with tears streaking down her face turned the page in the book of her life to the final chapter, and began to read.

******

Fluttershy had employed herself to Rarity’s care the moment she left the Hospital. The initial shock of seeing her friend in such a state started a fire beneath her heart, and while she couldn’t stop the inevitable, she could help make Rarity content. Even after a few days off of Chemo, she began to see drastic changes for the better. Her body was beginning to retain the fat it needed to fill the skin, which hung loosely on her bones like towels on a clothing line. Her demur to go out like a ragdoll greatly aided in Rarity’s recovery. Her mane began to grow back, and after a week, with the help of Unicorn witchcraft, was at half the length it used to be. The colour, which had drained from her face like water from a bathtub, began to make itself present once again. And her eyes, which had made Fluttershy overly sympathetic towards her best friend, no longer churned her stomach whenever she looked at them. It was a counting game now, days ticking by, and not a moment of Fluttershy’s current life was spent not worrying about her closest friend.

The recovery clinic was decadent and exquisite, and the room Rarity had was much the same as the one back at the boutique, save for the sewing equipment. Each night, Fluttershy would sit with her as she fell into a fitful slumber, before making her own way home. Before she could comprehend the time spent at the clinic, a week had passed. Rarity, though originally perturbed at the thought of leaving her home, finally settled in for the final call. Afternoons at the spa together, trying to recreate forgotten times spent together on lazy afternoons. However, it wasn’t long before Fluttershy noticed changes in her friend’s comportment. There was a sever degradation of energy, and her pains had returned, causing many nights of turmoil and insomnia. Eventually the spa’s healing remedies lost their touch, and it became more of a burden for the ailing unicorn. Instead, she began to sit on the bench in the extravagant gardens, which overlooked Duck Lake. Each day, she spent more and more time sitting desolate and unescorted, requesting that Fluttershy leave her be.

The torment of watching her friend slowly decompose before her very eyes was twisting Fluttershy’s stomach into an impossible knot. Rarity was never really a pony-mare, and tended, in times of emotional distress, to push ponies out if they were not her closest friends. This lead to many failed relationships, and her obsession with becoming the next fashion celebrity of Equestria didn’t help. In the end, she had never found the perfect match, and opted to be alone, instead of with somepony who she couldn’t be open with. Fluttershy feared that somehow, in her protective nature, she had over stepped her boundaries, and ruined a friendship she had no time to rebuild.

“Can… Can I go talk to her?” she asked the head nurse.

His eyes were glazed-over, and a look of disapproval and disappointment splashed across his face. However, he motioned with his hoof towards the door, indicating that it was not an issue in his mind.

Fluttershy slumped past her friends, ignoring their volley of questions and continuing down the effusive hallway towards the courtyard. Sweetie Belle was standing beside a bed of azaleas, plucking the flower petals somberly. Fluttershy appeared beside her with distraught emotions plastered across her face like a mask. With out uttering a word they continued together towards what they feared would be the last confrontation with Rarity.

******

Fluttershy sat on the grass with her hind legs lazily slumped to one side. Her hair was parted and a lone strand played childishly in the wind. Sweetie Belle was sitting with her older sister, her head resting gently on her shoulder. The soft sun was inching closer to the horizon; spreading it’s marvelous, firy beams off of the reflective lake surface. Fluttershy observed as Sweetie Belles shoulders shuddered like an old engine starting up after a long cold winter. With a loving peck on the forehead, she arose from the bench and trotted towards the casually sitting pegasus at the edge of the garden. No words were spoken, only silence and presumed conversation were present. Fluttershy wearily rose to her hooves, her aching body begging her to sit back down again. She brushed of the imaginary crust that had set in on her joints and somberly stepped towards her friend.

“Isn’t the sun exquisite?” asked Rarity as Fluttershy tenderly sat down beside her.

Rarity’s mane was back to the way it used to be, with the odd exception of a stray strand of grey hairs. The ends were curled; similar to the time that she had sulked alone in her room after her friends insisted upon creating the monstrosities they called dresses. A soft royal red Kashmir and silk lined cotton bathrobe was draped around her like a mother protecting her child from the devilish cold.

“It rises, and falls each day… never once pausing, slowing down or resting. Constantly illuminating our world…” Rarity continued.

Fluttershy remained in disdained silence.

“It reminds me of a candle… sort of.” Began the white unicorn.

“I always thought that candles were just like a ponies life. In the beginning, they are meek and vulnerable, fighting to get the flame started. But then… Then it gets its chance, and while others might loose their drive and flicker out, they usually catch the wick and begin to burn brighter and brighter. Sometimes, they go out because of, unforeseen and unexpected events, like a window letting in a gust of wind. But usually… usually they burn bright and long. Then one day, it begins to reach the end of its wax. At first you don’t notice a difference, but gradually you see it get smaller and begin to flicker more than before. It continues to burn though, trying it’s best to grasp onto life and survive just a little bit longer. Finally, once the wax is gone and only a small portion of the wick is left, it accepts its fate and greets it with open arms. Flickering one last time before petering out.”

Fluttershy’s mind was in shambles, her heart ached and her stomach twisted. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the final curtain call for her friend. The sun had lowered more in the past minute, and the leaves lazily danced in front of them on the wind, performing their improved choreography.

“Tell me, darling, how is your school going?” Rarity spontaneously queried.

“It’s uhh… great…” began the confused mare, “we have five students so far and, we’re… we’re expecting more soon. We even have some new equi...” she drifted off; this was to be too much for her.

“Rarity, please… lets go inside. It’s getting cold, and late, and we’d hate for you to catch a c-” The white unicorn cut off her friend before she could finish.

“No Fluttershy… I’m afraid that the time has long passed… please talk… tell me how your school is.”

Fluttershy was shocked and timid, but not about to go out without a fight.

“Please Rari-” she couldn’t complete the sentence because she was interrupted once again, but this time more forcefully.

“Dear… Like I said, the time has passed…” Rarity paused, “All these years seem so insignificant don’t they? I never did hear anything about you during our spa days, even after that one afternoon you were so kind to me. Fluttershy, the spa days are done now… but there’s one thing I want you to do dear…”

She stopped, her throat was tightening and a pain in chest squeezed tears from her eyes.

“T-talk” she continued through shuddering sobs.

And so she did. Fluttershy talked, and talked. She discussed her school, her students. She talked about how happy she was that were so many people interested in the care for animals. She talked about how sometimes she would wake up crying because of Mac. She talked about how she would read the letter and everything would be okay. She talked about their friendship, as the gentle wind began to die down and subside. She talked about their memories as half of the sun descended behind the horizon and set fire to the clouds that were in the sky. She talked until the first star began its luminescent mascaraed in the most easterly quadrants of the sky. She talked until Rarity began to shiver and she pulled her dearest friend into the warmth of a loving embrace. She talked until the sun left only a sliver of its massive being to be seen on the hills across the water. She talked until Rarity’s breaths became more intermittent. She talked until the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon. And she talked until her closest and dearest friends breaths ceased, and her soul gently floated up into twinkling stars of the clear night sky.

End of Chapter 4

Authors Notes

Just read and enjoy…

-Mr.Dependable

A Royal Pain

For Auld Lang Syne

Chapter 5: A Royal Pain

MLP: FiM Fic by Mr.Dependable

February 8th 2012

“Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.”
Robert Frank

Chapter 5

Joyful banter of mixed conversations flooded the grand ballroom in Canterlot Castle. Complaisant waiters graciously floated between groups of respectable ponies, whom were so entranced by their upper class acquaintances that they didn’t notice the majestic entrance of the one they were awaiting. Like a wave washing through a burly sea, the audience of the greatly anticipated royalty, bowed their heads and halted any conversion in respect.

A booming authoritative voice flushed through the open and eerily silent room, which had been a hub of machine gun laughter and deceptively lighthearted small talk just moments before.

“ALL RISE IN HONOUR OF PRINCESS CELESTIA!” ordered the Royal Guard.

With an outrageous applause, the guests bestowed their gifts of gratitude upon the empyrean princess. Her mane and tail were a vast spectrum of cyan, turquoise, azure and light purple, which constantly flowed as if they were being gently tousled by a permanent breeze. A regal golden yoke, with a captivating amethyst centerpiece, hung diligently and boldly around her neck, accompanied by an awe-inspiring matching tiara.

Princess Celestia accepted their enthusiasm with an appreciative, yet deceptive grin. She had despised these formal gatherings ever since she was a filly, when her mother commissioned them. However, that was over 1000 years ago, and something that had been so firmly ingrained into the traditions and culture of the royal Celestial Empire, was not just going to simply disappear. While not as habitual and renowned as the Grand Galloping Gala, the Summer Solstice Soiree demanded her unconditional presence and bouts of chipper dialogue between Equestria’s more prominent figures. She sighed as the inconvenient reality nipped her behind the ear, and brought the fact that she would have to engage the aristocratic ponies in the ballroom bellow.

The stallions’ chiseled uniform suits were cold and unnaturally stiff. The mares’ stupefying dresses were spurious and did a mediocre job disguising the insecurities of the seemingly perfect guests. A frown of disapproval stretched more and more across her face with each step down the cascading marble staircase. It was so…

“Phony…” she thought to herself critically.

“Superficial…”

Everypony was so serious, so concerned whether they’d meet their quota for the next quarter, or how the political status of Equestria would affect bi-lateral trade with the Griffon’s, whom were just a short skip across the pond. It defied the definitions of a “party” to her, so much so that it was no longer worthy of the title. What was intended to be a blithe and lighthearted gathering was tainted by the heated debates that concerned politics, economy and even industrial espionage.

Celestia thought back to the first time she had remotely enjoyed one of these repulsive formal assemblies. It was when she was just a young filly, not much older than 5 years… how long ago that was. Her sister Luna, who sadly always seemed to play second fiddle to the divine heir to the “Throne of the Sun”, had only just turned 3. Her clumsy and undeveloped hooves had broken the cold tension that plagued their first formal gathering. Within minutes of her entrance, Luna had stumbled into a royal guard, knocked off his helmet that promptly fell onto her head, and in a fit of panic and aversion ran full speed into a royal tapestry. Now blinded by the helmet and draped in a heavy cloak of meticulously created artwork, she attempted to spread her wings, and free herself from the unknown bonds that held her down. The results of her efforts were a quick and painful tumble down the opulent marble staircase into the crowd below. When she was finally released from entrapment, she lept, as expeditiously as she could, between the legs of her mother, where she remained for the rest of the night. The by-product of her adorable misadventure was the complete change in tone of the Gala. Ponies laughed freely, and not once were topics of politics, economics or industrial espionage discussed. It was truly a party, something Celestia had not partaken in again for the next 1000 years… at least until she met Twilight.

An abhorrently fat stallion with a thick southern accent and a maladroit white cowpony hat shattered the royal equines complacent retrospection. His suit appeared to be bursting at the seems, and Celestia noticed the sickly sweet smell of cigars on his breath.

“Ah deah say yer highness, ya’ll look as pretty as a mink stole tonight.” He puffed between arduous breaths.

Celestia recoiled at the thought of this disgusting corporate man. It seemed that the minuscule amount of effort it took to compose a conversation was too much for this misshapen glutton. She paused before quickly replacing her shocked disposition with one of forced gratitude.

“Why thank you…” she said in coerced tone, “I do appreciate your… presence... at this… party…”

Each syllable of the sentence, she somehow managed to piece together without becoming nauseous, was forced and hypocritical. She didn’t appreciate his presence; he reeked of slimy business deals and edacity.

“Ah beg yer pardon, yer highness, bu Ah was wonderin’... Where is your sistah?” he began as a clammy smile tugged at the edges of his plump cheeks, “…Yah wouldn’t have happened to send her ta the moon again, did yah?”

The statement shocked and infuriated the princess. A flame burned behind her eyes as his words cut through her calm and clement demeanor like an intimidating claymore sword. Her stomach churned and her mind raced as rage flooded through the veins in her body, and pumped to each appendage. She glared at the horrid stallion that stood before her. With a sharp burst of aggression, she extended her wings, and advanced upon him while her brain rattled off a barrage of colourful metaphors - which she would have actually said if there weren’t any spectators.

“I may have granted you the honor of being my guest,” she said coldly and assertively, “But that does not give you the ability to degrade my family. My sister, if you would be so kind as to care, is currently dealing with a growing conflict that concerns orphaned fillies and colts. I suggest you leave promptly before I ask my guards to… “Escort” you out.”

The business stallion whimpered and slowly backed away from the raving princess as his ego and confidence receded. He stumbled before turning for the door and hastily galloping towards the exit.

Celestia shook her head in abashment as she realized that the entirety of the ponies in attendance stood in flabbergasted silence. While she was one for dealing with situations in the most diplomatic approach, there was one thing that even the calm and collective winged unicorn would not stand for. Most ponies still regarded her sister as a brute… a monster, despite her interjections. For some, the fact that Celestia was forced to exile her own sister to the moon was an understatement, and they deduced that she should have never been permitted back into Equestria. However, it was these notions that made Celestia contemplate and question her drastic actions just over 1000 years ago. Were they really mitigated? She would often find herself asking that question over and over. With one action, which was primarily brought on by fear, the princess had not only ruined Luna’s life and reputation then, but also in the future. No matter how pragmatic her arguments were, some ponies would never accept Luna’s return.

Celestia tucked her wings tightly to her sides as her cheeks began to glow red, and returned her thoughts to ones of peace and serenity. She was ashamed of the way she had brutalized the poor stallion, he had only been trying to fabricate a small chuckle from the obviously spiritless royal. In an act to redeem what little joy was left in the evening, Celestia detached herself from the crowd, which was just starting to pipe into multiple conversations again. She politely excused herself out through the stained glass patio doors and, and ventured into the lavish courtyard gardens.

The moon offered a pallidly lit path that guided her to the center of the royal oasis. Azaleas and yellow tulips blossomed like a coruscating sun, and constructed a similar pattern to the solar royal mark on her flank. This was her most esteemed location in the entirety of Equestria. The voluptuous cascading flower baskets and the saccharine scent of blossoming trees condoled her, and helped solve the most complex problems to remedy. She truly and unconditionally loved her sister, and it were these moments of desolation that required the special care of a kinsperson. Unfortunately, that level of comfort was unattainable, and she would have to make due with what she had at her disposal.

“Mam, there is a message for you…” interjected a gruff voice.

The stoic stallion that stood at attention behind her was equipped with platinum armor, which gallantly displayed the crest of the P.R.G. on his chest plate. The Personal Royal Guard were the elite of the elite, hand picked by the Master General himself. The crest featured a white and blue shield, split down the middle. On one side was the mark of Luna, a crescent moon sitting desolate in a blotch of dark purple that represented space. On the other half was a copy of the image that the gardeners had spent hours cultivating in honor of the princess, a very pagan styled sun. Sprouting from the sides of the elaborate outline of the crest were two wings, one white and one dark blue reaching around towards the heavens. On top of the shield rested two interpretations of Luna and Celestia with horns hovering just mere millimeters apart and a replication of both their crowns upon their heads. Finally above the two royal sisters was the pet of Celestia, Philomena. With wings outstretched, as if begging for the observer to embrace the fantastical bird, and a tail of fiery reds and oranges. The sleek aesthetically pleasing phoenix sat suspended above the two royals. Written in gothic script along the borders of the crest were the words Servire Et Tueri Est Sola Officium Muem Existance, which roughly translated to, To Serve and Protect Is The Sole Duty of My Existence.

During her moment of admiration, Celestia became conscious of the implications of the P.R.G. soldier’s presence. While they were the private guards of the royals, they were under strict orders to never engage the family unless addressed by one, or if an urgent letter arrived in their private chambers.

“Shall I escort the Princess to her room?” he asked formally.

Celestia bowed her head in aloofness before waving away the uncomfortably deadpan stallion. She was perfectly capable of making her own way to her chambers, and the company of a guard seemed redundant in the well-protected palace. Besides, there was a small detour she was hoping to make unaccompanied.

******

A small fire crackled in an ornate fireplace and cast shadows across the dimly lit room. Candles were littered throughout the chamber, and a grandiose arched window overlooked the eastern horizon. The moon was still soaring high in the murky night sky, and the stars twinkled in uniform monolithic amicability. Fortuitous wooden doors made of solid oak and traced with gold leaf, stood proudly at the only entrance to the magnificent chamber. Despite their massive size and heavy appearance, Celestia was able to open them with minimal effort. Her horn glowed and small spark lazily twisted and looped towards the entryway. It splashed against the old wood, and dissipated across its elaborate finish; Instantaneously, the doors creaked open, permitting entrance to the royal abode. Celestia gave an urbane nod to the fatigued looking guard stationed at her door, and surprisingly, he smiled back and said good evening in a warm and welcoming tone.

Celestia adored her room; it used to be her mothers. She dragged hooves languidly across the soft wool carpet, which covered the entire room. “Alone again…” she thought as the princess set her baronial headpiece onto a soft royal-red cushion. In front of her on the table, was a single rolled scroll with the insignia of Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark on the front. The first thought that crossed her mind, after years of repetition, was that she had something new to report about the magic of friendship. However, the penny dropped when she realized that those messages had ceased twenty years ago. The penny became an anvil as she realized how long ago twenty years actually was, and deduced the age of her most faithful student. When the depressing anvil hit bottom of her stomach, it did so in time with the ominous *thud* of the heavy wooden doors closing behind her. Like a death contract being sealed with the shaky hands of a mortal, she couldn’t help but envisage the worst possible conclusions. The author of the private message, combined with the old age of the pony she had spent years teaching, dug up emotions that she had attempted to bury so many times before.

With a quivering heart, Celestia reached out with her magic and grasped the parchment tightly in her telekinetic hand. She stared apprehensively at the letter as time slowed and her hooves glided graciously through the air. With tentative steps she coasted towards the capacious violet cushion that rested before the fireplace. The princess collapsed onto the orbicular pillow and cautiously unraveled the veraciously composed letter.

What was imprinted upon the parchment had confirmed her deepest fears, and with a gasping sob, the feelings of sorrow she had tried to banish over a century ago, reemerged.

******

Luna trotted gleefully down the majestic and floridly decorated hallway towards her sister’s chambers. It had been a long and fruitful trip and she was eager to discuss the details with her only family. The Summer Solstice Soiree had ceased, and the last of the guests had departed almost an hour ago. Luna knew how much her sister despised those types of gatherings, and felt a pang of guilt as she realized that Celestia would have had to face the hordes of business ponies alone. She thought to herself, and made a mental note to apologize in the most forthright possible way. She rounded the last corner and continued down the corridor, which led to Celestia’s room. The private guard, who was stationed outside her door, dozed idly in and out of consciousness as his head bobbed rhythmically. Luna tsk’d loudly as a malicious smile spread across her face, and a plan began to impregnate itself in her mind. As inaudibly as she could, Luna tiphoofed her way to the side of the sleeping guard. With an insidious breath, she prepared herself for something she hadn’t performed in a considerable amount of time. With all her might she executed the loudest traditional Royal Canterlot Voice she had ever made.

“WHAT ART THOU DOING!” She bellowed.

The guard’s head shot upright and his eyes widened in sheer trepidation and shock. His hoofs shuffled and slid out from under him before he responded with a timid,

“Who goes there?”

Luna snickered and brought a hoof up to her mouth in an attempt to intercept the rising urge to burst out laughing. The guard, realizing what had transpired, cleared his throat audibly, while a carmine blemish materialized on both his cheeks. Then, with what little amour-propre he had left, returned himself to attention.

Still admiring her successful escapade against the slumberous guard, Luna opened the doors into Celestia’s chambers. However, her heart and spirits plummeted when her eyes registered the despondent scene before her.

The fire, which had been blazing radiantly, sat discarded and unattended to, and was now a pile of smoldering ashes that cast eerie shadows across the room. Only a handful of the copious amount of candles were still lit and burning. Papers, assorted furniture and miscellaneous fabrics lay recklessly strewn across the room. At first, Luna thought that her sister’s chambers had been ransacked; Celestia kidnapped while the guard had been off in his damned dreamland. However, her eyes adjusted to the dolorous darkness, and her gaze fell upon her sister’s comatose body laying in front what used to be the fire. As she gingerly navigated her way towards the fireplace, Luna noticed a rainbow of photographs that were old and faded on the left, and got progressively newer moving towards the right. She peered over her sister’s sleeping form, and made out four ponies in the left furthermost picture. The figures it featured wore massive smiles and waved at the camera boisterously, as if personally saying hello. Each picture had a different sized group, some as small as three, but never larger then the six who were captured in the frame of the picture that Celestia held tightly in her hoof. It was at that moment, when Luna was peering intriguingly at her sister’s display of history, that Celestia awoke from her slumber.

“Luna?” she said in a disturbing tone, “You’re back. How was the trip?”

She ignored her sister’s enquiry, and probed for an answer to the peculiar scene she stumbled in upon.

“Tia… what’s this?” she asked slightly perturbed.

Her sister sighed heartily before stiffly gathering herself onto her hooves. A letter slid off Celestia’s back, and flitted to the ground as she arose. The princess hastily snatched it up before Luna had a chance to observe what was inscribed on the piece of brown parchment paper, and began to restart the fire and candles. As the flames caught the fresh pieces of wood that were placed with the utmost of care, Luna could see a tear trickle down her sisters face, and make out the faint sizzles and pops as it connected with the scorching heat of the fire.

******

“It’s happening…” whimpered Celestia ambiguously.

Her sister sported a puzzled complexion as she tried to decipher what the saddened princess had just affirmed. Celestia knew this day was coming; in fact, she had experienced similar events many, many times before. However, each occurrence of the unfortunate event called “aging”, felt worse then the last. While she herself did not have to worry of growing old any time soon, the sacrifice she payed for her extended life was long ago determined to be much worse.

From the day she was forced to banish her sister to the moon, Celestia had attempted to fill the hole Luna left with the affection of a friend, or friends to be more precise. While they did their best, their friendship was never a perfect replication of a sisterly bond. So much so that she found herself staring into the night sky, haplessly pondering her actions, multiple times. All the while, her attachment to her new found acquaintances grew stronger and stronger, right up until the day they died, and she had to live on alone. The pain and suffering that Celestia went through was unequivocal to anything she had ever felt before. Her mother had not actually died. She had simply moved away, and just as Luna, she would someday return to the royal halls. Loosing a family member for a prolonged period of time was one thing, but at least they would return at some moment in the future. Losing someone to death was drastically different .

The years passed, and bonds grew strong and shattered between the Celestial ruler and a select few of her subjects. Each generation tore a progressively larger hole in the heart of the amicable princess as she desperately attempted to cling to the ones she loved for as long as she could. However, each group succumbed to the same unstoppable force, and left her in a pit of despair. Now, the current six she referred to as friends were reaching the same moment in time that she knew all to well. However, this occurrence was contra-distinctive to other losses. This time, she was not only bidding adieu to friends, but she was also saying goodbye the closest thing she had to a daughter.

“Do you know what it’s like to feel the pain of death Luna?” queried Celestia.

Luna was shocked at her blunt question, but began to put together the pieces of the puzzle, which lay strewn across the room. The photographs, the letter, the time.

“Tia…” she gulped, “… please sit down.”

The Princess consented to her sisters request and plopped herself down amongst the pile of photographs and letters which were littered across the cushion like fallen leaves. She began to speak.

“For the past one-thousand years, I’ve watched countless friends wither and die while I stayed young. The suffrage it brings is the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with. The worst part is each time it happens, the period we spent together feels shorter and shorter, but the bond grows stronger and stronger. Just now, when I’m beginning to get settled in with my new friends, when I forget the pain and sorrow that comes along with their death, time hits me hard in the face. It reminds me that... That they will die, and I will live. But this time, I’m loosing much more then a friend… I’m loosing the closest thing I’ll have to a daughter.”

Celestia broke down in to a fit of tears and overflowing emotions as Luna tried consoling her. She glanced at the parchment and as her own emotions began to break through the barrier that contained them, and she asked a question.

“…Twilight?” she whispered.

Celestia frowned as she realized that the day of her death was approaching too, and replied before she buckled under the poignant emotional cascade.

“No… Rarity… She’s very sick.”

Luna’s eyes welled up as she too began to feel the calamity of the situation set in. But at that moment she had an idea, a brilliant idea that could save, not all, but at least one of her sister’s friends… the one who mattered most. However, this scheme would require complete consent from both parties. With a burst of courage she welled up enough self-confidence to say the one thing, which decide the fate of Twilight Sparkle.

“The Royal Descendants Spell…” she cooed softly.

“If Lady Twilight agrees, she’d becomest like thy.”

Celestia bolted up right and shook of the tears that had engulfed her body like dust. She knew the implications of such a spell. While it would save Twilight, the rest of her friends would perish from old age. It was a momentous decision, and it was something that Celestia was unsure that she wanted to thrust upon her most faithful student. If she were to accept, Twilight would suffer the same emotional torment that she, herself, was forced to grieve through.

“I… I don’t know Luna,” she quivered, “It’s an awfully big decision. One that I can not make so quickly.”

Luna let a consolidating smile crack at the corner of her mouth.

“Thou don’t have to Tia. Take all the time thou needest. But what thine thinkest thou should do now, is write to her. Remind her and her friends that thou, too, are their friend. If what thou speakest is true about Lady Rarity, then thou should make every moment last.”

And so, in lieu with her sister’s request, Celestia re-commissioned the letters between her and her student. However this time instead of weekly they were to be daily. The letters cascaded back and forth, and it seemed that both parties were beginning reconstruct their shattered emotions. Each day was a new bright light, which shone high above their heads and boosted their morale. At least until the day that the news of Rarity’s departure materialized before Princess Celestia in the form of a brown parchment scroll. And instead of being marked with Twilight’s cutie mark, this scroll sported the insignia of Rarity’s diamond pattern.

End of Chapter 5

Author's Notes:

I don't like this chapter very much... It feels clunky and unfinished, yet I can't seem to write it in any other way. Sorry if it's not up to par. I promise next weeks chapter will be far superior... I guess it might be my lack of compassion/emotion right now. I learnt that a very good friend of mine passed on this weekend... it wasn’t really passing on for her, but more of a cruel and bitter reminder that our lives are not always in our own hands.

It’s got me thinking… my minds all shuffled together right now. I wrote sort of a confession/monologue about what’s going on in my mind., if you want to read it, It’ll be posted on my blog. Nothing romantic I’m afraid though if you’re searching for that, just an honest friendly goodbye.

You’re dependable friend.

Mr.D

Moving On Up

For Auld Lang Syne

February 14th 2011

Chapter 6: Moving on Up

MLP: FiM Fic by Mr.Dependable

“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.”
Khalil Gibran

Chapter 6:

Pinkie Pie trotted down the parched dirt path. The midafternoon Sunday sun scorched the earth, and each careless hoof-step she took landed on painful, scalding soil. A black dress was haphazardly draped over her back. The bantam area that the charcoal compilation covered was damp with sweat as it absorbed the summer’s radiant beams. One would never suspect that she had just partaken in a funeral — in fact it seemed as if she was just returning from a jovial picnic in the Sun. However, the depressing truth was that she had laid one of her oldest friends in the dry ground not more than 45 minutes prior. If that same person were informed of her participation in the funeral, they would be appalled with her blithe and carefree demeanour. But deep down in the recesses of her mind, down where Madame Le Flour and the rest of her rag tag team of insanity abided, feelings of sorrow, despair and worry were beginning to break free. Slowly but surely dismantling the meticulously fabricated masonry of laughter and happiness, which she had constructed so many years ago to keep them hidden away.

Pinkie shut her eyes and raised her head, letting the celestial orb pour it’s clement beams onto her wrinkled face and trickle down her aged body. She adored the summer, and ever since she was a small filly she could recall numerous hours spent joyfully participating in sundry games and parties that stretched into the early hours of the morning. The elongated days provided copious amounts of time for such activities, and as Pinkie had always said, the longer the party, the better it will be.

Yet there was one party she would never enjoy or become accustomed to. A party which always suppressed joyous tones and provoked ones of distress and disdain. It doesn’t take long for somepony to realize that the florescent pink pony despised any negative emotions. And at Rarity’s funeral, Pinkie Pie had never felt more out of place. At first she had attempted to cheer up the masses of listless ponies. However her efforts went unnoticed and she was cast aside as family and friends preferred to sit and be engulfed in the flames of despair and mourning. Being ignored might be nothing more than a pet peeve to the average pony, but to Pinkie, it left a lasting impression and corroded her soul and gnawed on her heart.

The image of her bright pink home, distorted by waves of heat radiating from the ground up towards the sky, materialized on the horizon. As the blistering heat sapped the last of her energy, Pinkie wearily approached her welcoming front door. Sugar Cube Corner was an old building, and was protected with Ponyville’s heritage program. While the project had its perks, it also had many disadvantages, one of which was no alterations to the original infrastructure. This meant that the instillation of a much needed air conditioning system was strictly prohibited. The resulting effect was a stuffy, aberrant and humid home.

Pinkie sighed as she shut the door behind her and let the cheery disposition slide down her face, hang on her nose precariously before falling and crumpling on the floor like a carelessly discarded scarf. She had feared of this day’s occurrence. She had feared the day she had to say goodbye to one of her friends. She had feared the beginning of the end.

Rarity’s funeral had been titled a “Ceremony of Life”, in a fruitless attempt to lighten the dreary mood. Extravagant and regal, it was a picture right out of a magazine. Lavish floral displays cascaded down the walls and soothing soft music resonated from hidden speakers. It was so beautiful; one would mistake the organization of the awe-inspiring features to be Rarity’s own work.

A ceremony of life… scoffed Pinkie, …that was no ceremony, it was like a funeral!

She paused and scowled at her own stupid thought. However, a voice in her head altered her critical disposition to one of sheer terror. The vocal uprising was one of pure insanity in the form of a French accent.

“Zat ees because eet was a funeral Pinkie…” said the harrowing voice of Madame Le Floure.

******

A blinding white spark erupted from the tip of the purple mare’s horn, before dauntingly sizzling out and falling to the ground. Twilight sighed heartily at her inability to perform what used to be a mundane task. With a frustrated snort, the old unicorn resorted to something that usually would have never crossed her mind, physical force. She pressed her back against the stubborn door to the library before pushing as hard as her old body would permit. With a splintering crack the door swung open and allowed Twilight to enter her home.

Twilight shuffled past the stoic bust of a pony, which sat in the middle of the room before making her self a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Spike had departed with a worryingly depressed Fluttershy at the request of Twilight, which meant she had the house to herself. Thoughts and suggestions fired off in the unicorn’s head as she rapidly analyzed her friend’s reactions to the debilitating event. Applejack, as her element of harmony would lead one to believe, was completely honest and open with her emotions. Even though the two mares never saw eye to eye on the majority of situations, they were still friends for over 30 years, and the shock of loosing somepony had tainted the concoction of pride in her soul. Rainbow Dash had a similar reaction to Applejack’s. While she never really understood Rarity’s fashionista life style, she too found it impossible to ward off the burning fire of mourning in her heart. Staying loyal to her friend, Dash had openly wept for the first time in years, over the loss of one of her oldest acquaintances.

However the two ponies which unnerved Twilight substantial more than the rest, were the only two ponies who denied their emotions. Fluttershy had fallen harder and farther than any of the other mane six when Rarity passed. Days of meticulous and unconditional care had lead to an attachment that no other could replicate. Even before Rarity’s final months they possessed a friendly bond wound tighter than any other pony’s in Equestria. In the few dilapidated days in the wake of her death, Twilight found herself laying awake, resting her head on a tear stained pillow. She had read a multitude of books, which went into scrutinous detail about the different aspects and characteristics of death in an attempt to ease the inevitable pain it would bring. However, when the impending departure of her friend occurred, the torment in her heart was something unequivocal to any other event in her life. Many a night, Spike would retire to his bed after wishing Twilight a peaceful slumber and the distraught mare would break into a fit of angst and remorse alone. Gut wrenching thoughts and memories would wreak havoc with her mind, as Twilight desperately tried to come to terms with what she tried to believe was just another mundane task of life. These rational thoughts were not shared by all though, and Twilight knew it.

Fluttershy had denied the comfort of her friends after Rarity died on the cold park bench beside her. For hours she just sat there, holding her deceased friends hoof while the stars twinkled, oblivious to the catastrophic event below. Eventually, the caretakers of the home were forced to separate the two, and ignoring the grievous sobs of protest from Fluttershy, Rarity was carted away. It was the suppression of the emotions, post death, which worried Twilight. If Fluttershy had openly accepted her feelings of sorrow and despair, the unicorn would have been much at peace herself. However, despite her persistent denial that the passing of her friend affected her, Twilight could tell that her yellow-coated friend was in torment.

When Mac had died, Twilight half expected the loss of his wife to occur not much long after. However, despite her predictions, with the aid of Rarity, Fluttershy had pulled through. Now… now the one Pony who the benevolent Pegasus had let in during her dire emotional situation was gone. And Twilight could not help but fear for the worst for her friend. When confronted, Fluttershy had shrugged off Rarity’s death like it was the passing of the spring or something uneventful along the lines of that. But, each night, when Twilight was tossing and turning in her unnaturally stiff bed, the eerie tortured howls of a debilitated yellow Pegasus, resonated against the cold un-affectionate buildings and streets of Ponyville.

The kettle squealed as its contents came to a belligerent boil. The comatose unicorn shuffled to the kitchen and lost herself in thought once again as the enveloping steam coiled and curved. She tilted the kettle and let the seething water flood the coffee filter and continue into the cup bellow.

While Fluttershy was a concerning issue, it was nothing compared to what she had read from Pinkie Pie. Twilight knew that the boisterous pony had a history of going completely bat shit insane when things took a turn for the worst. Now that old age was beginning to set in, Twilight couldn’t help but wonder what the implications of this stage in life were like on her friend. Whatever they were, she knew they couldn’t be good.

Twilight scowled as the water in the mug flowed over the rim and burnt her hoof. Silently cussing under her breath, she brought the throbbing patch of skin to the ameliorating saliva of her mouth. Twilight took this momentary lapse of concentration to let her own emotions flood through her mind. She had been so caught up worrying about her friends, and their own responses, that she had completely neglected her self. Now… now the sudden realization of loss hit her in the gut like the attenuating blow of a Ponyville Slugger. Her lament burst through the fortifications of her soul and drowned out any other thoughts than her decrepit friends. Tears tainted the still scorching mixture of coffee beans and water as her shuddering hollow sobs echoed throughout the desolate library. It really was the end.

Her lugubrious melody of wails and cries was interrupted by the tinny sound of metal gently flapping against wood. Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and with a stifling sob, and peered into the central room of the library. A plain white letter sat isolated on the floor in front of her door, as the mail flap gently and childishly swung back and forth in its fittings. Curious of the envelopes contents, the aged purple unicorn trudged through the flank deep flood of emotional waste. With shaking hooves, partially from her elderly status but primarily from her sorrow, she split the letter in a perfectly linear tear. She squinted her eyes and desperately tried to decipher the blurry lettering, and let out a disgruntled sigh as she pushed the glasses that sat precariously on the tip of her horn, down onto the secure grasp of her nose. With the script now legible, Twilight began to read the formal letter.

Dear Ms. T. Sparkle,

It has come to our attention that Ms. Rarity; a pony of whom you are closely acquainted with, has passed on. We extend our sincerest condolences for your loss, and understand that this must be a very difficult time.

Ms. Rarity came to our firm two weeks ago, before she was checked into Duck Lake Recovery Clinic, and requested that we help her write a will.

You, along with a few others are included in this will, and we request your presence for it’s reading this afternoon at the Carousel Boutique.

Sincerely,

Mr. N. Bronco

Bronco and Bolt Law Firm

Twilight let out a rattling sigh, as the lawyer’s overly affectionate response proved that he, in fact, did not genuinely feel sorry for her loss. Still, the contents of the letter were a request non-the less, a request that stemmed from her lifeless friend. Obliged to their friendship, Twilight glared at the clock, which read half past three, and solemnly began her trek across Ponyville to the Carousel Boutique.

******

A distressed looking Applejack and Rainbow Dash comforted Fluttershy as the unsuitably jovial chime of bells, which was strung above the Carousel Boutiques door, notified them of Twilights entrance. The interior of the dressmakers home was dull, and unnervingly devoid of life. Dresses sat half finished, and decrepit, a disheartening reminder that they would never again be touched by the professional hooves of their creator. Applejack, Dash and Fluttershy were indifferent to the purple unicorns entrance, and remained in their land of sorrow. Twilight paused for a moment before continuing into the room and sat beside her three friends as they insisted on ignoring her. For several moments nopony broke the unrelenting silence, and sat in melancholic unison. Eventually the emotional tension over came the noise less unicorn and she hesitantly asked a question.

“Where are the others?” she queried.

They didn’t respond, it was as if they were frozen in time and space itself. Applejack stared at the floor while Rainbow hummed silently to herself and Fluttershy’s old glaciated pupils quivered as she stared off into space. Twilight gulped and strained to gather enough courage to speak once again.

“Whe… Where,” she stuttered, “is everpony else?”

Fluttershy didn’t break her gaze, but timidly replied to her friends question in an almost inaudible tone.

“Spike and Sweetie Belle couldn’t come…” she said bluntly, “it would be to much for them they said. They were going for a walk they said…. A walk.”

Her flat and banausic tone was overly disturbing for Twilight, but it was nothing compared to her prose. Unnatural and morbid it seemed warped, like a door frame in the spring heat after an insidious rainstorm. Twilight recoiled slightly in horror and sank into the dark recesses of her mind in an act of mental self-defence. It was in these moments of social isolation, that she realised one pony was unaccounted for, Pinkie Pie…

“Ladies, if you’ll follow me” Interrupted a monotone suit clad lawyer who had materialized beside the trio.

The group lugubriously arose from their sitting positions, and pursued the neutral stallion. As they left the room and climbed the twisting stair case that lead upstairs, Twilight glanced back at the front door in desperation, hoping that Pinkie Pie would walk through at any moment.

******

The room once again sank into silence, as the four elderly mares sat opposite the dark brown stallion in Rarity’s old bedroom. He violently cleared his throat and dug into his briefcase before recovering an official looking bundle of papers.

“I’m sorry that the rest of your friends could not make it…” he began, “, but we cannot legally wait for them to arrive.” He informed.

He picked out three stapled packages from the pile of paper, and placed them onto the coffee table in front of them. On the front page, printed in typewriter font was the title.

The Last Will and Testament of Mme. Rarity

“Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to begin.”

Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow and Twilight nodded in silent solemn permission as he flipped open the booklet and began to read.

I Rarity, owner of the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville, Equestria, certify that I am of sound mental state and contractual capacity. I hereby revoke all other wills and codicils I may have previously executed. I appoint Justice Bronco, of Bronco and Bolt Law Firm, as executer of this will. I empower the executer to pay all of my funeral, debts, taxes and other expenses.

My dearest friends, I’m sorry that I am no longer with you. I truly wish that we could have lived and been acquaintances together forever, however it is obvious given the circumstances that life has other plans. I know that I do not have long left; the removal of what small chances I had at survival through Chemotherapy has secured my fate. However, I cannot leave without doing one last thing. One last display of generosity that I pray you will remember me for. It is now, in the shadow of my impending death that I write this, with the assistance of Justice Bronco, my last will and testament.

Sweetie Belle, my only sister. When mother and father died I didn’t know if we could make it through together. While we were siblings, it seemed that we never really were on level playing fields. However, despite my doubts you showed me pure benevolence and understanding. We had our quarrels and disputes, but no matter what, you would always come back to me. As you grew, I watched with glee, while you became a sophisticated and mature young mare. There were moments when the old “uncouth” Sweetie Belle would re-immerge, but strangely I found much more joy in experiencing those as opposed to the serious Sweetie Belle. I love you so very much, it is impossible for me to describe. To you, I leave my Boutique. Do with it as you seem fit, maybe you can incorporate it into your business? Take it and remember me. I will tell mother and father you say hello, and when your time eventually comes, I will be waiting with open hooves.

Rainbow Dash, my most loyal friend. While you never really understood my obsession with fashion, you still supported me throughout my escapades to become famous. Whether it was modeling for me while I was creating a new ensemble, or giving me the very “critical” constructive responses that would make my dresses “20% cooler”. You always stood by my side, and no matter how boring the situation, would give me your undivided attention. I always admired your intricate aerial displays, and I am proud to say that I was friend of the fastest flier in Equestria. To you I leave my fathers sporting antiques and collectibles that he left for me, and the dress I created specifically for you for the Grand Galloping Gala.

Applejack, my most honest friend. I’m going to be perfectly truthful and admit that we never really saw eye to eye. Your simpleton country life style clashed with my uptight urban desires. We always seemed to be quarrelling over one thing or another, whether it was my idiotic reluctance to do physical labor or your stubborn impulses to overlook crucial fine details. However, in the end we always made up, and I think it’s safe to say that after hours of digging through fortuitous walls of character and ego, we would come up with a friendship that would withstand the bludgeoning of a thousand storms. To you I leave my entire collection of self preening and grooming utensils, in hopes that maybe my persistent nagging served some purpose. I also leave you with, like everypony else, your Grand Galloping Gala gown.

Pinkie Pie, my most comical friend. There are numerous times were, whenever I was feeling down or upset your boisterous and upbeat tones would pull into the bright sunlight of happiness. Your parties and the foods that were implied were unparalleled to any others, and I always looked forward to them. I am genuinely going to miss the sound of your laughter more than anything else. It will be hard without you reminding me to giggle at the ghosties, and wherever I am headed, I know that I will need to remember that more than anything else. To you I leave my Martha Stirrup kitchen appliances set. They never really saw much beyond the occasional honey glazed ham, but I believe that they will be in good hands now. Along with the cooking wear, I leave your candy themed Galloping Gala ensemble.

Twilight Sparkle, the one who showed me the magic of friendship. There’s not much I can say about our relationship, but in a good way. When I think about it, the words I could use escape and hide somewhere far away. Our friendship itself was indescribable. Without you, without your ability to bind us all together I would’ve never had such an adventurous and fulfilling life. Everything I have made and become I owe to you one way or another. Thank you for showing me this. To you, I leave my surplus of novels and your celestial Gala gown made by none other than me. I know that my library may not be as impressive as others, but maybe, by some miracle you can find something that is worth my memory.

To my not-so-little Spikey-wikey. I knew all along dear. From the moment I met you I could tell from your flushed cheeks and slack jawed stare that you had a crush on me. At first I found it quite comical, and humoured your emotions. It was only after you started to move on, that I realised I had made a mistake. For years I took acts of benevolence for granted. When our friendship began to die, so did a part of me. I made the sudden and cold discovery that I needed you. Unfortunately it was too late, and while what you wished for could never really happen I still needed you. You were the closest thing I would ever have to a significant other, and I wish that I hadn’t abused your kindheartedness. To you I leave my entire cache of gems, with a certain red ruby sapphire as the grande prix. Think of it as compensation for all the years we should have spent together.

Finally, my closest and dearest friend, Fluttershy. I cannot begin to thank you for your kindness. Not once did you give up on me, even when things seemed the most grim you were always there. Whether it was over midnight emergency coffee or a pedicure during our weekly spa visit, I could always count on you to be there. If anything, I should be apologising. I have told you this before dear, but my conscience must reiterate, I never really heard anything from you. Even after Mac died, and I was so worried about you, I never sat down and really asked how things were. I pray that sometime I will get the chance to hear about your life, and how you are doing. I am afraid that it will most likely be my dying wish. I also leave you with the Grand Galloping Gala gown I made for you specifically in French Haute Coutour. Before I say goodbye though, there is one thing that I must ask you. I will be the second pony to request this from you but, please, keep living for me. I know how hard it will be, how difficult loss is, but I need you to move on and be strong, just like how you did for Mac. We will meet again, but until then I want you to continue to work at your school. Improve it to the best of your ability, and do so with the money, which I am giving to you along with your Grand Galloping Gala gown. Whatever I have left in my bank account, I want you to have. Use it to finish your dream, use it to remember me and continue on.

I hope that these last acts of generosity are enough for you to remember me by. The adventures we embarked upon, the memories we share will always be treasured in my heart and mind. I am going miss you all so very much, but like I have told Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle, we will meet again, and I will be waiting for each and everyone of you. I love you all so much, and I wish that we could have spent more time together. But like the changing of the seasons from fall to winter, or the gentle rhythmic crash of waves against a sandy shore as the tide recedes, I must fall to unstoppable forces and say goodbye. Take these gifts, remember our friendship and the times we spent together so many years ago. I do not know what awaits me, but our memories will keep me strong, just as they did during Chemotherapy. Whatever lays ahead, I will face it with the courage, love and magic of friendship you have all shared with me.

In Loving Memory,

Your Friend,

The Element of Generosity,

Rarity.

End of Chapter 6