Violets are Blue Chapter 13
The smell of fresh rainfall filled the cool morning air of Canterlot, sweet and refreshing with a slight hint of underlying melancholy. Just enough to wet the ground, tiny puddles formed all over the city overnight. The birds did not chirp, nor did the bustling sounds of the city’s marketplace reverberate through the city streets in an effort to fill the uncomfortable void that had taken over the city. Ponies remained in their homes instead, doing their best to avoid the rainfall that was sure to be present throughout the day.
In Canterlot’s south cemetery, the massive willow tree at the crest of the hill stood taller than ever. Its long, dangling branches swayed majestically in the gentle breezes that passed over the many gravestones littered throughout the grounds, providing a special centerpiece to all of the ponies who had come to mourn that day. Although hailing from Ib’xian folklore, ponies from both the Ibex Empire and Equestria believed that wherever a willow tree grew, a ghost would be present as well. In a cemetery with a willow tree, its presence was only more substantial for ponies to make their visit to see their lost loved ones, if only for a chance to see them once more.
Carbon sat on the hill leading up to the lumbering tree, its shadow casting over both him and the four grave stones that lay in front of the pegasus. The three to the left still remained the same, marking the resting spot of Carbon’s parents and sister, but the one to the far right was fresh. Free from weather damage and moss, the freshly carved stone lay decorated in flowers, vines, and a little heart present at the peak of the headstone. More importantly, however, was the writing engraved that read, “Here lies Lilo, beautiful wife. You’ll always be by my side.”
Staring at the stone, Carbon’s eyes traced over the markings and words for perhaps the hundredth time that morning. All of the ponies who had come to see Lilo earlier had long since left; Chrysalis having royal duties and Naroke having to return to her shop. Sky Runner stayed the longest after the other two left, but eventually she, too, departed when she felt the need to return to her sister. With a hug and a kiss on the cheek, she trotted down the hill and pushed her way past the gates.
Now left alone in the cemetery, nothing stopped Carbon from getting the time to say whatever it is that he wanted to say to his fiance. With his cheeks still wet and his wings drooping at his side, he cleared his throat and padded his hoof on the ground.
“I, um,” Carbon started quietly, “I told you that you would always have a place at my side and… and the side of my family.” He paused, but when no answer came he sigh. “I already miss you, Lilo. We had so many plans for when we would grow old together. Do you remember that? How some nights we would just sit in front of the fire for hours on end, describing all of the ideas we had for when we would become a pair of old fogies.
“R-remember how we planned to one day visit Voltenice?” Carbon’s eyes searched the gravestone, but they fell when he again didn’t get a response. “We… we wanted to visit the annual carnival that takes place all of the time. Wear the masks, watch the fireworks, dine on the delicious south Equestrian food. Then we would visit the Doge’s Palace and take a look at all of the great architecture through the city. Would would meet the ponies there, take gondolas.”
A slight breeze kicked up, rustling Carbon’s main and the fresh flowers that lay at the base of Lilo’s gravestone.
“We also wanted to take a trip cross country, just you and me on hoof from one corner of Equestria to another. Do you remember that? We wanted to stop in all of the major cities along the way. Stalliongrad, Hoofington, Manehatten, Fillydelphia.” He shuffled his hooves and looked at the ground. “There were so many ponies we would meet, all sorts of different lifestyles spread out through the whole country. We would get a big taste of the melting pot that this country is known for.”
Several drops of rain fell onto Carbon’s head and he sniffled. His heart felt heavy and his nose warm.
“But now that you’re gone…” Carbon said. “All that we planned for, all that we longed for, the two of us. A changeling and a pegasus, in love and against the rest of the world, ready to show that these two worlds could coexist.” He reached out with a hoof and touched the headstone. “It isn’t fair, Lilo.”
Silenced soon followed as Carbon slumped against the headstone, laying his atop the peak and sobbing to himself. The rain gradually picked up around him, falling more in earnest as time moved on. Carbon’s feathers became as soaked as the grass around him, and his mane fell around and molded to his face.
After what seemed like half an hour, Carbon finally took himself from the gravestone and shakily rose to his hooves. The flowers he brought for her no longer held their beautiful splendor, now soaked and listless.
“I’m leaving Canterlot, Lilo,” Carbon said. “I need to get away and… well, have some time to clear my head. After everything that has happened in this city, I can no longer bear to look at it anymore. What used to be a city of imagination and beauty has turned into something dark, twisted, and angry.” He cringed as Lilo’s headstone seemed to take on a few years of weathering all at once. “I don’t know where I’ll go or if… I’ll ever return, but there is one thing that I want you to remember: I will love you forever, Lilo. I will never forget you or what you gave to me. You are the beauty that I still see in my eyes, and for what it’s worth, I think we married each other from that moment inside of the sandwich shop.”
Taking one last long look at Lilo’s headstone, Carbon turned and walked down the hill towards the gates of the cemetery. The rainfall intensified even more, water drops raining heavily all around the city and filling the noiseless void that had taken hold. Just as Carbon closed the gates behind him, the first leaves of autumn broke free of their branches and floated to the ground.