As always, Braeburn waited patiently for Ditzy at the train station. He stood there, grinning widely. However, when Ditzy didn't respond with a smile of her own like she normally did, he had a hunch that something was wrong. She would wait until they arrived at his house to tell him. Braeburn hated to see Ditzy like this, they walked home and every time he would glance over at her he would feel a wave of confusion and pain as she looked towards the ground in thought.
Ditzy never had to deal with death before, or at least, doesn't remember having to. She wasn't sure how to cope with it, but Braeburn was there for her, and she felt a little less devastated knowing that.
They walked past the bakery on the way to Braeburn's house, and for the first time, Ditzy didn't delight in the aroma of her favorite baked goods. Instead, they made their way home at a slow and somber pace. It seemed like the whole world slowed down, birds stopped chirping, markets were empty, and even the energetic colts and fillies that played in the town center weren't there.
They arrived at Braeburn's house shortly after. Ditzy never changed her expression, her eyes still locked on the ground. Braeburn was worried, He leaned down towards Ditzy an asked her what was wrong. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and told him before looking back down crying. He was shocked, it had only been a few months since he had seen Raindrops, and he had seen Ditzy every day day since. Braeburn looked at Ditzy and felt his own heart aching. They sat there in a loving embrace, losing track of time. Neither one was quite sure of how long they stayed like that, but that didn't matter to them. The whole world felt empty to her now, with Braeburn the flickering flame that gave her the warmth and comfort to keep going.
The funeral was a couple weeks later. The couple seemed like unwelcome guests. They received stares, and were the subject of whispered conversations. They felt out of place. It was bad enough that Ditzy had lost her friend, but now she had to deal with this. The only people there who really cared, happened to be Applejack and Big Macintosh. They've already heard of Ditzy's relationship with their cousin, and personally welcomed it. They walked over to them and shared memories that seemed to ease the pain.
Ditzy kept her emotions under control for the first half of the service. But then, it suddenly hit her, her best friend was dead. She obviously knew this, she had witnessed it firsthand. But, it was then, that the stark reality hit her. She couldn't hold it any longer, and broke out crying. Embarrassed, she hung her head, looking away not wanting to have yet another reason to be talked about. Braeburn was there, and caringly escorted her back home after the funeral. There really wasn't much to talk about, but the silent understanding and compassion that radiated from Braeburn made Ditzy even more glad that he was there. Ditzy got over her friend's sudden passing by knowing that if it wasn't for her, she might not have mustered up the courage to talk to Braeburn in the first place.
Ditzy had taken a leave from work over the fall, she would return during the holiday season to help with the amount of orders that were made during that time of year. It was now the beginning of October, and all of the residents of Appleloosa were getting ready for Applebuck season, all except for Braeburn. He stayed by Ditzy's side the entire time. Not once did he leave her to tend
to the orchard, he felt that others who weren't dealing with what Ditzy was feeling, were more than capable of taking his place. He stayed with her everyday. If she needed something from the store, he would go get it. If it was cold at night, he would be her warmth. Braeburn didn't mind one bit, in fact, he enjoyed it. He loved Ditzy, and knew that she loved him back.
It was Braeburn that kept her going, she coped with the loss of Raindrops with his unconditional love.