PART 2: TRAGEDY:
Several days after Rainbow Dash's last breakdown and AJ's near sleepless night, the events were all but forgotten. Life went on as it had for several weeks.
Every morning, AJ would wake and make breakfast for her and Dash. She would bring the breakfasts to Dash's room and they would eat and talk about what Dash could do. The doctor had told the ponies that when Rainbow Dash had healed to a point, they would install a pacemaker in Dash's heart, allowing her to become physically active again. Now it was just a question of what she would do. They would talk about potential hobbies and capabilities until they were finished eating, then AJ would leave the room and start her work around the farm, while Dash would either read, take notes, or sleep.
Sometimes, Rarity or Fluttershy would visit and bring gifts. One day, Rarity brought Dash a large, light box.
"It's made just for you, ailées une." Rarity said. "Don't open it until you're on your feet again. You'll love it."
Every other day, a doctor would come to do a check-up on everything and refill the IV if needed. It was clear that Dash was healing quickly. Bandages would come off, revealing near-healed skin. The heart monitor would stay steady, showing a healthy, calm Dash. Soon, they all knew, would be the last operation Dash would require. For everyone, it seemed like life was going well again.
It would not last...
One night, AJ was in her room, reading an Ingalls Wildheart novel. Big Machintosh had taken Apple Bloom and Granny Smith to town to buy feed for the animals and get some ice cream as a treat, so it was just AJ and Dash, who was presumably asleep in her guest room downstairs. As AJ read, she continued to think of what Dash could do. Dash had volunteered several times to help around the farm and AJ had almost taken her up on her offer. However, Twilight said that would not be a good idea, since Pegasii were weaker and of a lighter build than Earth Ponies, so she may not be able to do most things around the farm, like applebuck or fix broken machinery. AJ had thought of giving her calmer things to do, like sort the apples or feed the animals, but she knew that the overly active pony would grow bored quickly if given menial tasks like those. No. There had to be something for an ex-Pegasus to do around Ponyville. Something that would keep her on her feet and challenge her every day... A sport maybe? Hmmm... AJ and Twilight would have to ask around tomorrow...
Downstairs, AJ heard the door open and close. "The group must be back." she thought, her attention still on the chapter. She would finish that chapter and go to sleep, never realizing the trouble Dash was now in...
Dash was lying in bed in her dark, trying to sleep... but unable to. She was too excited. The heart monitor gave proof of that. Today, the doctor had said she's made an almost complete recovery. Now that her body could stand the risk, tomorrow she would be moved back to the hospital for a pacemaker implant. Then, at long last, she would be able to walk again. More than walk. Run, dash, jump, leap, somersault, everything she could do before... except fly. She quickly pushed that last part out of her mind. Twilight and the doctors had told her nothing could be done about that, so there was no point in starting that again. Being an Earth Pony would be fun. Maybe she'd become better friends with the others, since all but Fluttershy normally walked on the ground, so she would see what they saw. Yep. It was all looking up for-
She heard the front door open and close.
"Applejack's family must be back now." she thought. "Wonder what kind of ice cream they..."
Wait... She didn't hear anything. Normally people made noise when they came home, especially if they had brought things home with them, but she couldn't hear anything from the front room or the kitchen. Just an eerie silence...
"Big Machintosh? Apple Bloom? Applejack? Hello?" Dash called out, quietly. No answer. The heart monitor sped up slightly.
"...Weird." Rainbow thought. Maybe they were just being quiet, since it was dark out and-
The door to her room opened. Dash turned her head in hopes of seeing who it was, but the door shut as quickly as it was opened.
"...Applejack? Hello?" she called out into the darkness. Curse the lightswitch being on the other side of the room...
She heard a scuttling across the floor. A mouse? ...No, mice couldn't open doors.
"Is that you, Apple Bloom?" she called again. "Look, I am bored and would to play later, but if you jump out and scream, Applejack will probably kill you. So just go back outside and-"
She heard a giggle, high-pitched, but too old to be a filly.
"Applejack..." Dash said, her tone of fright now turning to one of annoyance. "I knew it was you. What's going on? Is this a surprise party or what? And is this the best time to throw it? Couldn't it wait until after the doctor-"
Dash was suddenly cut off by the feeling of a tight cloth strap, binding her arms and upper torso to the bed.
"This isn't funny, Applejack!" Dash cried, as she struggled against the cloth. The heart monitor started to pick up speed. Another strap enveloped right above her knees. She felt a tug as an unseen force tied the strap firmly underneath the bed.
"Applejack!" shouted Rainbow Dash, now approaching panic.
Suddenly, the light turned on.
"BOO!" cried a voice. Rainbow Dash looked in the direction of the lightswitch and her eyes shrank to the size of dots.
Pinkie Pie...
She was alive...
She looked slightly different than the last time Dash saw her on that night... Her hair was long and unkempt, growing past her shoulders almost down to her rump. She had a large purple bruise on one side of her jaw, clashing with her pink tint, which was noticibly greyer than Dash remembered. But this was Pinkie Pie. And she still had that look in her eyes...
"Hi there, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie said cheerfully. Her voice sounded slightly deeper and muffled due to the bruise. "It's been a little while, hasn't it? Almost feels like years, right?"
Dash stuttered for a moment, unsure of what to say or do, then she opened her mouth.
"HEEEEEE-" she started to scream, before being silenced by a wadded-up white cloth forced into her mouth.
"Ah ah ah." Pinkie chided. "Sorry, Dashie. Tonight, we're going to play the quiet game. We're not going to have anyone ruin our playdate this time."
Dash continued to scream and thrash against the cloth as much as she could, but Pinkie had done a thorough job. She was held fast to the bed, almost too tight to properly breathe. The heart monitor was racing.
"'How did I get here?' you're asking?" asked Pinkie Pie, taking Dash's screams for a question. "Simple, actually. First, I looked in the hospital for you, but you weren't there. Seems like you left about a week ago. Guess I didn't do a good enough job last time... I knew that Applejack was your best friend, next to me, and I knew that you'd want to be somewhere where you can think about more things for me to do to you, so I figured you'd be here. Doesn't take Twilight to figure that one out..."
Inside, Dash died. How could she have been so obvious? Ditzy Hooves would have been able to figure that one out! ...But how could Pinkie Pie be here? AJ told her again and again that she died when AJ came to the rescue. But here she was! Pinkie Pie. In the flesh!
Dash continued to scream, muffled.
"Now you're asking 'How did I get out of the boring white place?' Well..." Pinkie grinned. "It was easy as... Pie!"
Heavyhooves returned from his break and planted himself back in his chair. Pinkie Pie was still in the corner she had chosen since she first came, her back toward the window. A few minutes later, Doctor Pathos entered.
"Ah, you're back." Pathos said to Heavyhooves. "How's our patient?"
Heavyhooves groaned. The doctor asked this question at least 5 times a day and it had been the same answer 5 times a day. "The little psycho's still in the corner, asleep. Probably going to stay there forever..."
The doctor looked at the figure in the corner and nodded in agreement.
Only too late, when they realized the bundle hadn't even stirred in hours... Too late, when they finally entered the room to examine the bundle... Too late, did they find out that, with the help of a broken glass, a pen, an orderly new to the ward, and a feigned injury, had Pinkie managed to kill the orderly, play "dress-up", and escape the hospital, unnoticed by everyone...
Unnoticed... until too late...
"It feels so good to be back!" Pinkie exclaimed, while Dash attempted to thrash. "I mean, I've felt bored before, but that was just about the most BORING place I've ever been to. They don't even give you any cupcakes there! Just juice. Plain, boring, apple juice. Don't get me wrong. Apple juice IS good, but when you have it all the time, it loses its taste, you know what I mean?"
She took a scream from Rainbow as a "Yes."
"I'm glad you agree! You see, that's why I came back. You're such a good friend to be around. Now we can be together in your final hours of your life. ...At least, I hope its hours. So many just die before I enjoy myself. It's annoying."
The heart monitor picked up speed, causing a rapid amount of beeping. Pinkie's eyelids lowered.
"And speaking of annoying..." she said, turning toward the machinery. "Dash. You know we can't play the quiet game if your toys make too much noise. I'll just have to take them away from you until we're done."
She strolled over to the heart monitor and IV drip. Dash screamed in protest as Pinkie grabbed the wires.
"Don't worry, Dashie. We'll have more fun than these can give us." With a sharp tug, Pinkie yanked the wires off Dash's chest and the IV from Dash's arm, leaving the needle lodged in Dash's vein. The monitor gave a flat-line for several seconds before Pinkie unplugged it.
"So annoying... Now, where were we? Oh yeah." She turned back to Dash. "I think it's time to start playing our games, don't you? ...I thought so. I admit, this isn't anywhere near as nice as the bakery cellar, and I do miss my dress that I worked so hard to make... but beggars can't be choosers, can they, Dashie?"
Rainbow Dash could barely hear her. The fright of meeting a nightmarish figure she thought was dead combined with the sudden disconnection of the machines had sent her into shock. Dash was in agony. Her heart beat irregularly, stopping several times for split seconds. Her eyes rolled back as she breathed rapidly.
Not seeming to notice, Pinkie continued. "Well, I enjoyed talking to you, but I can't keep you waiting forever, so..." She walked to the door to the room, slowly opened it, grabbed a box of tools from around the corner, and closed the door again. "Let's begin."
She opened the box and felt around inside for a second, before pulling out a scalpel.
"Let's start with your cutie marks again, shall we?" She walked over to Dash, scalpel at the ready. She put a hoof just outside Dash's cutie mark area, placed the scalpel on the other side, and...
"Dash? Are you ok? I thought I heard something downsta-OH MY GODDESS!" AJ screamed. She had come down the stairs after hearing some movement coming from Dash's room. When she opened the door and found Pinkie leaning over a barely conscious Rainbow Dash, her body froze in fright and confusion.
Pinkie turned around and glared at AJ. "JACKIE!" she shouted, outraged at having been interrupted again by the farm pony. "HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT OUR PLAYTIME AGAIN? IF YOU HAD JUST BEEN PATIENT AND WAITED, I'D HAVE PLAYED WITH YOU NEXT, BUT NOW I GUESS I'LL JUST HAVE TO PUNISH YOU!"
Pinkie lept at AJ. AJ, still in shock, didn't even try to move until Pinkie had knocked her down. Pinkie raised the scalpel over AJ's eye and brought it down, but AJ, having regained composure, grabbed her arm before it could make contact. Both ponies strained in their locked position, the scalpel only a foot away from AJ's face. Pinkie was strengthened by her insanity, and AJ didn't know how much longer she could hold the arm away. The scalpel inched toward her as a smile grew on Pinkie's face.
Summoning every last bit of strength, AJ quickly grabbed Pinkie's arm and twisted. There was an audible *snap* as Pinkie's wrist cracked. With a cry of pain, Pinkie dropped the scalpel. Taking advantage, AJ pushed Pinkie off with her back legs, sending her flying across the room into the back wall and landing Pinkie on her back.
AJ grabbed the scalpel and launched herself at Pinkie, pinning her to the ground. She pressed the scalpel against Pinkie's throat. It was time to do what she should have done when this all began...
Pinkie glanced at the scalpel and then back at AJ. "...Applejack..." Pinkie said, mournfully. "This isn't you. You don't want to do this. We're friends, remember. Best friends..."
For a moment, AJ hesitated. Even though Pinkie had somehow gone horribly wrong, they were still friends.
"Remember all the good times we had? All the places we went? All the adventures?"
...Yes. AJ remembered... She remembered their first adventure, when Pinkie got them out of the spooky woods and taught them to laugh at their fears. She remembered when Pinkie threw a party for her because she saw her as a hero. She even remembered when a half-awake AJ helped Pinkie make muffins... which ended up with half the ponies in Ponyville getting food poisoning, but, looking back, even that was funny. Everything Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and friends had done and had planned to do flowed through her mind. Her grip loosened ever so slightly. Pinkie tensed with anticipation.
...Then, AJ's mind went to a month ago, when she learned exactly what Pinkie Pie was doing, and reality came crashing back down.
With a yell of fury, AJ buried the scalpel blade in Pinkie's neck and slit her throat. Blood gushed from Pinkie's wound, as Pinkie thrashed in pain. She tried to scream, but that resulted in an additional river of blood erupting from her mouth. It pooled on the ground around the two ponies. Through this, AJ could only hold her down as the blood splashed both their bodies. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the blood flow slowed to a trickle. Pinkie stopped thrashing and her eyelids began to droop, severely weakened from blood loss. A few seconds later, her eyes closed and her body relaxed, dead.
Finally dead...
AJ released her grip on Pinkie's body and stood back. Furious of both Pinkie's actions and what AJ had just done, she started to kick the corpse.
"THIS IS FOR YOU!"
*kick*
"THIS IS FOR YOUR CUPCAKES!"
*kick*
"THIS IS FOR RAINBOW DASH!"
*kick*
"AND THIS IS FOR- Oh goddess! Dash!"
AJ recoiled in fear that through the encounter with Pinkie Pie, she never checked on Rainbow Dash! Racing toward the bed, she quickly examined the injured Pegasus. She wasn't breathing. Oh goddess, she wasn't breathing! With hooves almost as fast as lightning, she plugged the machines back into the wall and into Dash and pushed the Panic button.
The heart monitor continued to flatline.
In desperation, AJ hammered on Dash's chest and breathed into her mouth in an attempt to get her heart to beat again... but to no avail.
Rainbow Dash, the former fastest flier in all the land and AJ's best friend, was dead...
The realization finally hitting her, AJ lifted Dash's corpse, held her close to her own body, and began to weep as her friend's body cooled. "Dash... I'm sorry..." she sobbed.
The paramedics were there a few minutes later, followed by AJ's family.
The rest of the night passed speedily for AJ. The guards showed up shortly after the paramedics to examine the area. Dash and Pinkie were both taken to the hospital, where they were pronounced Dead On Arrival. The guest room was sealed off as most of the guards examined the area. The other guards questioned AJ in another room, asking her where she was, how this started, and why she did what she did. AJ, still traumatized from the event, answered them as best as she could, breaking into tears several times in the process. When the guards finished examining the room and got the answers they liked from AJ, it was decided no further action was nessesary. AJ had killed in self-defense against an intruder who had already killed a member of the household, so no criminal action stood to be pressed against her. The guards gathered their items and left the house only 3 hours after they had shown up, leaving AJ and family alone. AJ never felt so alone...
The next month was the equivilant of hell to AJ. The event had left her mentally and emotionally wracked, torn apart by the facts that she had lost a friend and killed another. She tried to fill her mind with other things, like work, but her mind wouldn't let her forget what had happened... Big Machintosh had suggested that he hire some help so AJ could calm down, but AJ wouldn't have that. Not even the incident that transpired would keep her from her duties. But when AJ, in her frustration, damaged several young saplings, AJ was all but locked in her room until she could work through the tragedy. And that's where she stayed...
Every day and night, the events of that night would flash through her mind. "...Dash...Pinkie... I should have been there sooner..." Her friends would come over to try to cheer her up, but they would be quickly brushed off by the miserable Earth Pony. Eventually, the visits stopped, allowing AJ to be alone with her misery. She would stay in her room, only to come down for meals, sinking into depression.
Apple Bloom tried to cheer her up one day by baking some delicious baked goods. Sadly, Apple Bloom had to choose cupcakes... When she innocently presented them to AJ, she was rewarded by the tray being knocked out of her hooves by a disgusted AJ, sending Apple Bloom running out of the room, crying. That just hurt AJ even more. But what could she do? There was nothing she could do... She couldn't change the past...
One day, Twilight showed up at her door.
"Applejack?" she asked, knocking on AJ's door.
"Go away!" came a destressed voice from inside.
"Applejack! It's been more than 3 weeks since that night and you're still upset? You know, we missed you at the funeral. That could have helped."
"Ah didn't go because Ah already saw Sugarcu- Rainbow Dash dead! Ah don't need to see her again! Please leave me alone!"
"Look," Twilight said, getting annoyed. "I just came here to tell you about the memorial dedication at the end of the week. They're dedicating a statue in the park to everyone involved in the tragedy. This could be your chance to tell everyone about your friendship. About how you feel. About-"
The door opened a crack, revealing a soggy-eyed Applejack. "Ah'm not going, so there!" she snapped, before slamming the door again.
"...Applejack. Look, I'm sorry. I know what this must be like for you, but we you need to forget about it and move on. If you come to the service, maybe-"
"AH SAID AH'M NOT GOING!"
"...Alright. I tried. But think about this: Was Dash a blubbering bundle of blue breed weeks after what Pinkie did? No. She learned to accept it. You've done nothing wrong, Applejack. Get over it."
Twilight stood in the doorway for a minute, then, hearing no reply, walked out of AJ's house, leaving AJ leaned against the door, unsure whether to cry, break something, or... No. She couldn't. Twilight didn't understand. Two of her best friends had died on that night, one by her hoof and one by what-might-as-well-have-been her hoof. How could anyone understand that? She couldn't get that off her chest. Not now... Not ever...
She couldn't take any more. It had been several weeks after the incident, but the image was still there. Her hanging over a dead Pinkie Pie, the bloodied scalpel still in her hand, while Rainbow Dash laid in bed, dead, because AJ hadn't gotten to her in time. It wouldn't go away! It was her fault and she knew it! No matter how much people told her it wasn't her fault, she knew the truth! It rung in her head every second. "YOUR... FAULT! YOUR...FAULT! YOUR...FAULT!" She couldn't work, she couldn't read, she couldn't even talk to her friends! She could only think. Think about what she had done.
...But it would end tonight... It would all end tonight!
AJ, now almost a skeletal figure from her worries, carefully tied the noose made from her bedsheets around her neck.
No longer would she have to worry about what had happened. The image would leave her mind forever!
She tied the other end to her bedpost, pulling on it to make sure it was taut. Didn't want anything to interrupt her.
She smiled as she thought about what she was doing. She was a disgrace to ponies everywhere. She couldn't even save one friend, just kill another. She deserved to die! Every molecule in her body agreed.
She trotted to the window and looked down.
...Yes. Her room was high enough for the task. She would have no trouble at all...
She briefly considered leaving a note, but brushed it off. They all knew what was wrong with her. They knew why she was depressed. They knew... but they couldn't help her... They would miss her...but only for a little while. Then they would continue their lives, innocent of everything that had happened. That's what happened in this town. They would forget.
But AJ would not forget. This town was no longer for her. Nothing was...
"Goodbye." she growled to the air, then jumped out the window.
...IT DIDN'T SNAP! HER NECK WAS SUPPOSED TO SNAP WHEN SHE REACHED THE END OF THE NOOSE! THAT WAS THE PLAN!
AJ hung at the end of her noose, her body dangling in the air. Despite a very painful tug, her neck remained intact, still in one piece. Now AJ had to suffer as the handmade rope slowly tightened around her.
As she tried to loosen the rope, the pointlessness of her actions flashed into her mind. What was she thinking? What was she trying to do? Her death wouldn't solve anything!
She tried to scream for help, but the rope wrapped itself around her vocal cords, and she couldn't manage any more than a short *squeak*. Her hooves grasping the rope, she struggled for breath as the pressure in her head grew.
"Applejack, Applejack, Applejack..." a familiar voice chided. Applejack stopped struggling enough to see a blue shape float in front of her.
...Rainbow Dash!
...No!
It was Rainbow Dash, but severely decayed. Her skin was full of holes, exposing greenish muscle and bone. Flaps of skin hung off her exposed ribcage, showing a maggot-infested heart that still beat. Her front legs were covered in mold, while her back hooves displayed huge blisters. Her cutie marks were intact, but the thunderclouds seemed to being raining blood. Rainbow stared back at AJ, her left eye dangling out of its socket. She grinned, revealing a mouth of worms and flies.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, cheerfully. "Trying to fly? Crazy! You can't fly. ...Come to think of it, I can't fly either, but that's not stopping me!"
AJ, still struggling with the rope, noticed that although Dash was moving as though she had wings, her back was still bare. The stubs where her wings were oozed blood and pus down Rainbow's sides.
Dash floated closer to AJ. If AJ had a little air, she would have vomited. "...Wait. I know what you're doing! You're trying to visit us, aren't you? You don't want us to leave, so you're coming to, right?" Dash's smile turned mockingly tender. "Well, thank you, Applejack. I couldn't ask for anything better from a friend. She's a true friend, isn't she?"
"Yep, a true friend!" came another voice. A split-second later, another spectre came into view. Pinkie Pie! Compared to Dash, she almost looked alive. Her throat remained slit and blood poured out of her wound.
"I just want to play!" she said to Pinkie. "You, Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and me. All play together as friends! ...But now we can! You don't want your friends to leave. You don't want to forget all the good times we had. Thank you Applejack!"
"You said it, Pinkie!" replied Dash. "You don't want to forget your friends, do you, Applejack? Well, you never will. We'll be together forever!"
Through all this, AJ could only watch in horror. Her hooves slipped from the rope, allowing it to tighten even more. She gasped for air until there was no way for air to get through.
"Look, Dashie, she's just about here! Now we can have some fun!" Pinkie said, clapping her hooves.
"You want to be friends again, Applejack? Well, now we are. Friends forever!"
"Friends forever!" Pinkie repeated.
Pinkie and Dash started laughing an inpony laugh, the combined duet making a noise like the screeching of a thousand bats.
"NO!" AJ wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Her entire body felt drained and useless. She couldn't even move her arms to grab the rope. "Ah didn't want to do this..." was her last thought. Her neck finally snapped and her body went completely limp. Her world went dark... Applejack was dead, in what could be considered the last fatality of the Cupcake Massacre.
AJ woke up in her bed, screaming!
AJ sat behind the barn, sitting on a haybale with her chin on her hoof. The crescent moon shone down on her from the sky, its light a small comfort to AJ. It was only a few hours after the horrible nightmare and AJ couldn't go back to sleep. She had decided to get her first fresh air in weeks, so she had left her room and gone to sit down outside.
Now, she was unsure... Unsure of what to do with her life anymore. The dream was right. She couldn't obsess over that night any longer. It was destroying her. ...But, how could she let it go? Two friends were dead, her other friends probably hated her now, and her family was trying to get by without her help. Something had to be done, but what could she do? Her thoughts took her back to when Twilight was last over.
...The memorial service... That must be the answer... But she couldn't go... How could she? How could she go there and tell everyone her thoughts of everything that had happened...? It just couldn't-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy wings fluttering. She looked up to see a light-purple Pegasus slightly larger than she was landing in front of her. Then she saw the horn on her head.
Princess Luna?
AJ quickly tried to stand up, upsetting the haybale she was sitting on in the process. She stumbled over her own hooves and tripped onto her stomach, then quickly uprighted herself and bowed to the Horned Pegasus, who tried not to giggle.
"Princess Luna." AJ said, not looking up. "To what do Ah owe this great honor?"
"Please, get up, Applejack. There's no need to be formal."
Applejack stood upright.
"I was just flying over Equestia, making sure my nighttime reached everywhere, when I saw you sitting there." The princess continued to say. "I'm glad I caught you tonight. I want to talk to you about something."
"Yeah?"
"Applejack, I've heard about what happened. Pinkie Pie, the cupcakes, your friend, that night at your farm. Twilight's even said in her reports that you haven't been yourself these last few weeks."
Applejack gave her a puzzled glance.
"Yes, Applejack, I read those too. Celestia believes it will help me in some way... I just came here to tell you... I'm sorry."
"Yeah, you and every other pony in the world..." AJ replied flippantly.
"No, I mean I'm sorry, not only for what's happened, but for what you've been through. No pony should have to go through that. Not only the nights when Pinkie Pie appeared, but the time you spent healing."
"...Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash was the one who was attacked by Pinkie, not me."
"No, Applejack, everyone had to heal from that. Rainbow Dash, your friends, you, me. What Pinkie did affected the entire town. She took away loved ones. She broke families. She shattered the illusion that everything was alright. And worst of all, she hurt her friends. She hurt you."
AJ's eyes started to well up. She turned away so Luna wouldn't see.
"It's been hard for you, I know. All these weeks, everypony in Ponyville was waiting for Rainbow Dash to recover, because to them, she was a symbol of endurance, optimism, and strength. But she couldn't have done it without you. All the time you spent with her, talking to her, making her feel she had something to live for, it kept her going. You were important to her. You were one she looked up to. To her, you were her role model to keep her going."
"Some role model..." AJ mumbled, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "Ah wasn't there when she most needed me. ...When Pinkie Pie came..."
"Yes, you were." Luna responded. "You were there to stop Pinkie before she struck again. You tried to revive her when you saw how badly she needed help, and you showed the world how much she meant to you by staying by her side until the guards arrived. Applejack, every pony in Equestia would give their cutie marks just to be you for one minute. You have done more for her than any of us thought possible."
"Well, now what?" AJ now openly sobbed. "She's gone. Pinkie Pie's gone. Ah can't do anything about it!"
"Yes, you can." Luna said, putting an arm around AJ in a sign of comfort. "You can let it go. It's over. It's time to move on."
"Ah can't!" AJ quietly shouted, turning toward Luna. "Ah can't forget how it all looked on... either night."
"Applejack. Everyone can. Everyone has. We all have times in our lives where something important shatters. It's understandable to take a little time to try to put the pieces back together, but we must all continue with our lives, if we're to continue living them..."
AJ thought back to what Twilight said the other day. "Was Dash a blubbering bundle of blue breed weeks after what Pinkie did? No. She learned to accept it." "...Ok, but how? How am Ah going to continue?"
"You'll find the answer to that yourself." said Luna. "Don't worry. It's not hard..."
Luna got up off the ground where she'd been sitting and spread her wings. "My sister and I will be at the memorial tomorrow. It would be an honor to see you there." Then she took off, leaving AJ to ponder the events of the night.
"...Ah'll be there." AJ whispered, watching Luna disappear into the night sky.
It seemed that all of Ponyville was there for the dedication the next day. Ponies and bronies and fillies and colts of all colors and sizes had gathered in the middle of the park, all dressed in dark colored clothing. A stage had been set up in front of a tarp-draped object, with several ponies sitting on the far side of the stage. Among them: Celestia and Luna, who were sitting on thrones brought from their palace, and Applejack, who was sitting next to several other ponies in chairs on the right side of the stage. Each one had a somber face as they looked down at the stage. Applejack guessed they were ponies who had also lost someone dear to them to Pinkie. She herself was visibly upset, but determined to get through this. The talk she had last night with Luna filled her with confidence that this was the thing to do to finally settle her mind. She had spent the entire night thinking of what to say, and now, she hoped that was enough...
The chatting crowd quickly hushed when Celestia rose from her throne and walked to the podium at the front of the stage. "Ladies and gentleponies." she began. "We're gathered here today to honor the memory of those taken from us in the Cupcake Massacre. For almost a year, a very disturbed pony had been tricking ponies into coming with her, then murdering them, slowly, and without remorse. Dozens were presumably victims, and it would continue to this day, had not a brave, young pony stopped her before she claimed her last victim: the Pegasus Rainbow Dash."
AJ gave a small smile in satisfaction that Celestia had agreed to keep Applejack and Pinkie Pie annonymous.
"She had been severely hurt and her wings had been removed, but the heroic pony was able to not only get her to safety in time, but stop the murderer before she could strike again. Despite her many injuries, Rainbow Dash healed quickly, thanks to the efforts of her friends, and for a time, it seemed as though she would make a full recovery. Then, tragedy struck... The murderer had escaped her cell at the Institution, taking another life in the process. She managed to find the residence of Rainbow Dash and would have begun her spree again, but the heroic pony was there and able to stop her. For good. Sadly, Rainbow Dash, because of her injuries and the insane pony's efforts, died that night, becoming the last victim of what will forever be known as the Cupcake Massacre. Today, we honor them with this statue to forever commemorate the victims of the massacre, so that we may all prevent something like this from ever happening again."
That was the signal for two Pegasi to lift the tarp from the shape, revealing a large, glowing statue. It was a golden cupcake with a golden bloody knife in it, sitting on a podium. A mural was carved into the podium, bearing the inscription "TO HONOR THE VICTIMS OF THE CUPCAKE MASSACRE", followed by a long list of victims. "Rainbow Dash" and "Pinkamena Diane Pie" were at the bottom of the list. The audience applauded as the statue shone in the daylight.
Celestia waited for the applause to die down before continuing. "Only a few have been identified out of the dozens that were thought to meet their demise. For those who knew these ponies, who had held them dear to their hearts, we are sorry for your loss."
Several ponies started crying, including two sitting next to AJ. AJ herself had tears well in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away.
"Here today are friends and family of some of the victims of this horrible tragedy, each with their stories of one or more of those victims. Please, let their stories touch your hearts and show you how much this disaster has affected Ponyville."
Celestia walked back to her throne as the first pony on AJ's row, a young lime-green pony about AJ's age, trotted toward the podium. Tearfully, she recalled her memories with a unicorn named Lemon Tart. The speech lasted about 3 minutes, after which the sobbing pony walked back to her seat and the next pony, a teal Pegasus old enough to be AJ's mother, took her place at the podium. She also told about her memories of a victim and walked back to her seat in tears. This continued on for at least a half-hour until finally, it was AJ's turn.
Wiping the tears from her eyes she had acquired from the stories she had heard, AJ made her way to the podium. She had not written anything down, so she hoped she could pull this off on her own memories. She stared at the large crowd, cleared her throat, and began.
"Rainbow Dash was my friend. Not just my friend, but one of my best friends as well, and Ah think Ah share that feeling with a few other ponies as well..." She looked over at where Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy were standing. Through teary eyes, they gave smiles of encouragement.
"Rainbow Dash was... a great flier. The fastest flier in the whole world. Ask anyone! She could zip through the air and do cartwheels and barrel rolls and clear the air of clouds faster than you could say 'Whoop-de-do'! Stuff like that's what's won her the Best Young Flyer competition and the best day of her life with the Wonderbolts. But that's not all she could do. She was one of the greatest athletes I've ever had the pleasure of challenging in an Iron Pony Competition, and boy could she run! She could run almost as fast as she could fly, if not as fast! Yep. She proved herself a tip-top competitor in everything life threw at her. ...Well, almost everything... Couldn't get her to pick apples iffn her life depended on it! And horseshoes... don't even get me started on those! ...But she was a good friend, loyal to her other friends til the end. Even when she lost her wings to Pi-er, the insane pony, she wouldn't give up. She would just heal up good and plenty and laugh and chatter when we came to see her. Rainbow Dash. She was a Pegasus that looked challenge in the face... and laughed! Now that she's gone..."
Here, AJ began to falter as she began to ask herself that question again. "What do Ah do now that she's gone?" Memories started to flow back into her mind of everything. The cellar, the hospital, the guest room, her time in her room, the meeting with Princess Luna. Everything... Now what was she going to do? ...It came to her.
"Now that Rainbow Dash is gone, things will be mighty quiet around Ponyville. Hopefully the new Pegasus hired to sweep the skies can keep up with what we folks are used to. But even though she's gone, her memory will still live on. She always practiced to be the best, and that's what Ah aim to do too. That's what everyone should aim to do. 'Failure' was a word not known to Dash. A word she didn't like. That should be true for everyone. Let Rainbow Dash be your inspiration! Run as fast as she could ever run. Fly as high and as fast as she could ever fly. Whatever you do that may be challenging, think of Rainbow Dash and how she met every challenge head on! Rainbow may be gone, but, by golly, make sure she's never ever forgotten! May she live on in our hearts and dreams forever! ...Thank you." The crowd burst into applause, many of them still shedding tears. AJ looked over the crowd... and smiled. Twilight and Luna was right. This was what she needed to do. She bowed and took her seat.
Several hours later, after the service had ended, AJ met up with her friends. "Applejack..." Twilight said. "That was... amazing. You couldn't have put Rainbow Dash a better way." "The speech was très magnifique." agreed Rarity. "You and Dash both are quite an inspiration!" "...Great job." Fluttershy timidly said, unsure of what exactly to say. "Thank you everypony." AJ said, smiling. "That was what Ah needed. That was what we all needed. Ah'm sorry Ah've been a little-" Twilight silenced her with her hoof. "Never happened" she said with a grin. "Just glad you're alright. ...Now, anyone want to go to the bakery? They've hired some new help and I hear she's almost as good as Pinkie Pie." Suddenly, an idea came to AJ. "Ummm... Twilight. Before we do that, could we..."
End of Part 2