Prologue
Wings ruffled. Her smooth feathers straightened out. She pulled tight the strap on her saddle bags.
"Honey, I don't understand why you can't just take the train."
She started packing. Carrots, apples, blankets, a book.
"Its just how I choose to do it. I'm the fastest flier in Equestria. Why are you so worried? I do this every year."
Too heavy she thought. She dropped the book and buckled her bags shut. With one last tug she was ready to go.
"Just be careful. We'll miss you."
They nuzzled each other. A loud clippity-clop roared down the stairs.
"Mommy! We'll miss you!"
She hugged her two little fillies close.
"I'll miss you, too. Be good for your father and I will see you at the Summer Sun Celebration."
The two fillies nodded madly.
"Alright. I'm off. Love you!"
With that she turned and trotted out the door. The cool morning air greeted her. The sun was hugging the horizon. She took a deep breath. She raised her flank and with the greatest of ease soared up into the sky. Her wings were broad and strong. She flew with perfect form. She looked back to see her family at the door waving goodbye. She smiled, waved back, and was gone.
Her long purple mane trailed behind her, her wings beat fast and hard.
"Daddy, why does mommy always leave early for the Summer Sun Celebration?"
"She has something she has to do, you'll understand someday."
"I hate when you say that!" one of the fillies pouted.
The other one perked up curiously. "Dad, is mom really the fastest flier in all of Equestria?"
He looked down at her. "Of course she is, no one can catch Scootaloo."
Scootaloo shot out above the green fields north of Ponyville. She couldn't quite see the outline of Canterlot in the distance. It was a long flight, not one most ponies are willing to make. To Scootaloo, it meant a lot more than the challenge. It was a chance to think, to be alone with her thoughts in the clouds. A gust of wind lifted her a few feet higher and rustled her mane.
She kept her breathing even, her wings angled perfectly, her head forward. She shut her eyes. She began to drift. Hooves flat, nose into the wind, even out the rhythm, adjust for every little thing. Feel the breeze, the clouds, the rain, the sun.She was remembering Rainbow Dash. She promised herself never to forget every moment they spent together. Rainbow taught her not just how to fly, but how to command the sky. She flew, perfectly still, as though the sky moved around her, eyes shut, drowning herself in nostalgia.
The train rushed by below. It huffed loudly, hurriedly returning to Ponyville to pick up more anxious ponies trying to get to Canterlot for the festival. She didn't notice. She was in lost in her thoughts.
The sun climbed high in the sky, and at its climax began to crawl back down. The shadows shrunk away and began to regrow. The air was hot and still. She was almost there. Scootaloo opened her eyes to see the grand city laid out before her. She ducked and weaved a bit, and started flying up the cliff face above Canterlot.
She spread her wings and landed lightly on an outcrop. It was decorated with flowers and precious stones. On its far edge was a statue, carved out of a single enormous piece of stone. It sat in line with the horizon.
Scootaloo dropped her saddle bags. She had forgotten to stop for lunch. She trotted to the carving. Her eyes were moist already. She cleared her throat. "Hey guys."
The carving consisted of six ponies. One shy, smiling warmly on the far right side. Her wings were tucked in tight, her curly mane covered one eye. On the far left was a particularly cheery pony with a huge grin and puffy hair. Beside her sat a confident unicorn with a long, well kept mane and perfectly curled tail. Her eyes seemed to flutter, even made of stone. Opposite her stood a strong looking mare with a friendly hoof outstretched. Her cowgirl hat sad just a little crooked. Next in line was a another unicorn, standing tall with a big smile and straight cut bangs. In the middle of them all, standing on her hind legs, was a pegasus. Her face wore the expression of confidence.
Scootaloo bent down to read "In memory of the six greatest friends Equestria ever had. Couldn't be any more true." She sat with a thump, and wrapped her tail tightly around her hooves. She admired the carving. Every pony in it. They were her friends, from a long time ago.
She sniffed, wiping her face with her hoof. She looked up at the pegasus in the middle. "Sorry Rainbow, I always tell myself I'm not going to cry when I come here."
"I really don't think she would mind."
The voice startled Scootaloo. She lept to her hooves and spun around. Pastel colors flowed in the wind. She bowed to the mighty alicorn before her.
"Oh please, Scootaloo that isn't necessary" Celestia said. "I'm out on my own business." Scootaloo noticed she didn't have her usual guards with her.
"What are you doing here my dear? Shouldn't you be with your family getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration?" Celestia asked.
Scootaloo sighed. She did feel a bit guilty for leaving her family every year to come here. "I come here to remember. I promised myself I would never forget, not a single thing." She looked up at the carving.
Celestia smiled warmly. "That's a noble thing to do. Rainbow Dash would be proud. She would be very proud of the mare you have become."
"I hope so."
They were quiet for a moment.
"Why are you here Princess?"
Celestia smiled again. "I come here to remember, too."
"I can't imagine what it must be like to be immortal. Living for so long, wouldn't it be lone..." she caught herself. "I'm sorry princess, forgive me for being so forward."
Celestia examined the carving closely. "Ponies come and go. Every year I stand before hundreds of them and raise the sun, and every year I see new faces, and some I don't see from years before. I will never forget the first Summer Sun Celebration that I raised the sun to see a crowd of ponies I hardly recognized."
She turned to Scootaloo, lifting her head with her hoof. "And you know what, their love and their life lives on within my heart."
"Your heart must be pretty full."
A tear rolled down Celestia's cheek. "It is." She looked again the carving. She reached out with a single hoof and placed it upon the unicorn's head. "But sometimes even I begin to forget. My favorite student. We were friends for so many years, but still there are days that I find it hard to remember her face."
Scootaloo whimpered. She was crying, cursing her emotions under her breath. The wind blew, the air was getting colder. The sun was setting behind the carving on the cliff. Its shadow grew long, covering the two ponies standing beneath it.
Scootaloo felt something come over her. She looked up. Celestia's wing rested on her back. The mighty bringer of daylight was crying, too. She looked with earnest at Scootaloo.
"It's moments like this that are most important, taking time to remember those we've lost. This way, even an immortal princess like myself can keep the fire of friendship alive in my heart, no matter how far apart I might be from those I love."
The wind blew again, rustling their feathers, carrying flowers off the cliff, drifting down into Canterlot.
"Celestia?" Scootaloo looked up at her princess.
"Yes dear?"
"Thanks."
"No, thank you Scootaloo. You've kept Rainbow Dash's legacy alive, and you might even pass it down. One of your fillies has a mighty pair of wings I hear."
The two ponies sat quietly as the sun drifted below the horizon. The cool darkness of night crept over Equestria. Canterlot was beginning to come alive with the sounds of ponies kicking off their parties.
"Celestia, do you think you could stay here with me?" Scootaloo asked.
Celestia grinned, "I was going to ask you the same thing."
Together, they sat and remembered the six greatest friends Equestria ever had.
Epilogue
The golden sun rose over the horizon. The cheers of hundreds of ponies filled the air. Celestia, silhouetted against the brilliant morning sun, burned bright orange. Scootaloo had seen it many times, but never like this. This time was different.
She looked the other direction, back at the crowd of ponies. She saw it as Celestia saw it, ever year, for thousands of years. Her eyes searched for Ganny Smith, for Rainbow Dash and AJ, for mister and missus Cake. The crowd was so unfamiliar to her. So many years had gone by, so much had changed.
"Oof" the wind was knocked from her pony chest.
"Mommy! You're missing the sunrise!"
She looked down at her filly, she was smiling ear to ear. Scootaloo smiled, too. Her heart burned. For all her friends, and her family. Past and present. She stole a glance up the cliff side at the carving far above.
"Never forget" she whispered to herself. She shut her eyes, the sun was warm against her coat.