Keeping a Promise
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The sun had sunk half-way below the horizon and was spreading it's violet and orange rays across the land. It shone brighter than anything else, but it seemed to shine on one lone alicorn and dragon sitting atop a hill. The alicorn was Equestria's newly crowned princess, a lavender one with violet eyes, an indigo mane with one pink stripe, and a star shaped cutie mark plastered on her flank. She was supposed to wear her tiara and formal clothing whenever she left the castle, but not today. No, today she didn't care about what she wore or how she looked, she just cared about being at that hill. In front of her were 5 tombstones, each one with an inscription that made her sad, but today she was happy. She carefully read each one and remembered how each funeral went down.
Rainbow Dash
Dear friend, amazing flier, Element of Loyalty. We send her out, with a boom.
The alicorn smiled, her friend's last wish was to be sent out with a bang, as radical as it sounded it was honored. They had the Princess give Spitfire of the wonderbolts enough speed to pull off a sonic rainboom to honor Dash's last wish. It was magnificent, but it did not help ease the pain, only remind everyone there that it would not happen again. Everyone had left after a while, not being able to stand the pain anymore. Rarity had to take Fluttershy home due to the fact that she was decimated. The princess' couldn't bear to see her friend like that, and it was worse when Pinkie Pie had deflated and lost all sense of fun. Applejack wouldn't even talk about it, and when someone brought it up she immediately ran from that spot not looking back. The alicorn hadn't left the grave like the others did, she stayed until the sun was half-way down the horizon, like today.
Her reverie however, was interrupted by her dragon companion.
"I miss her so much, Twilight. I just wish we could'a had more time." He was tearing up, but he shook them off as he laid a rainbow colored lighting bolt across the grave, the alicorn now know as Twilight was also tearing up as she spoke, choking on the words.
"So do I, Spike, so do I..." the princess now turned to the next grave, and placed three balloons on it. Each had differentiating colors, one being a light blue, another being yellow, and the last another light blue. She read the grave inscription, trying not to break down.
Pinkie Pie
Dear friend to all, party legend, Element of Laughter. She wanted one last party, to say goodbye.
Twilight started to let some tears fall, she remembered Pinkie's passing. She wanted to go right next to Dash on the hill. Her last wish was to have a goodbye party, and for everyone to laugh and have fun. There was a party as she wanted, everyone had enjoyed it and left after the funeral, but not Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy, no they had one last parting gift for their friend. Applejack brought the party cannon to the top of the hill, Twilight having modified it for an appropriate send off. Applejack pulled the string and watched the fireworks. The blast converted into loads of confetti and streamers colored with vast shades of the rainbow. Balloons also sprouted from the cannon, contrasting with the sun's grace and forming a rainbow of vibrant colors, Twilight thought that it was the most beautiful thing ever, and it only reminded her of the two friends she had lost. Everyone had left again, leaving Twilight next to the two graves.
She stayed there until the sun was half past like at Dash's funeral, she remembered the last rays of sunlight beaming off of the star in the distance. It was so close yet so far, it didn't warm her up though, she just wished that it wouldn't have happened.
This time she was shaken from her memory by a sniffling from beside her. She looked over to see Spike letting the tears fall, not holding back.
"She would have loved the party we threw for her...I still have her cannon you know. I fire it off everyday, when your out and about on royal business."
Twilight was now giving it her all not to let the tears fall, she just couldn't take it anymore. It was sheer will power that enabled her to look to the next stone.
Applejack
Dear friend, great sister, Element of Honesty. She wanted it simple.
They needn't put anything on the stone, for the item was already there. Twilight looked up towards the tree on the hill. The tree as Applejack would call him, Bloomberg, was a tree Applejack had loved. It was only right that he should be on the hill with her. Twilight remembered the funeral as well.
It was after a storm, the clouds had cleared up and the sun was peaking out. The clouds had masked the star itself but the lightrays were sneaking in, looking like heavenly lights shining on the stone. Only AJ's closest friends and family were there. To make matters worse, it was held on the day of the 'Apple Family Reunion'. Applejack didn't want anything fancy, which is just like her. Rarity was trying to console a distraught Fluttershy, while Applebloom said her final goodbye to her sister. Big Mac was next and he said goodbye before walking up to Twilight.
"Hey Twi, do ya think you could do me a favor?"
"Sure Big Mac, what did you need?"
"I want to plant Bloomberg here seeing as he's her favorite, and I thought it would be nice."
"Yeah, sure thing."
"Thank ya Twilight."
"N-no problem."
Twilight was now starting to let the tears fall. She would have kept going if it wasn't for Spike again.
"Bloomberg was always her favorite, he does make the hillside look amazing, I would give him a good ol' buck for Applejack but..." He looked down at the ground as he trailed off. Twilight saw this and turned around towards the tree, preparing her hind legs. Spike looked up to see Twilight hit the tree with enough force to shake 3 apples from it's branches. She looked over at Spike and said
"For Applejack..." Spike nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"For Applejack." Twilight smiled and looked over to the next grave and felt the tears grow heavier, but she blinked them away.
She looked over to Spike, who pulled out a fire ruby, like the one he had given Rarity when he went on his spree of destruction. He walked over and put it on the grave, holding back the river of tears behind his eyes. Twilight read the gravestone and fell on her haunches, the weight of sorrow too great for her to stand anymore.
Rarity
Dear friend, Loving sister, Element of Generosity. She wanted it to be elegant.
Twilight's memory now shifted to Rarity's funeral, It was as she wanted it, the place was designed to an extent. Streamers were hanging from the tree branches in a 'U' fashion. They were purple, and to top it off there were ribbons tied and hung from the bark. Twilight and Fluttershy had worn their Gala dresses that Rarity had designed for them. Rarity was not in hers though, she had said 3 days after Applejack's funeral that she didn't want to go in a dress. She wanted to go as herself, no dress nothing keeping her natural beauty hidden. Fluttershy wasn't crying, she had stopped a while ago. She looked old and frail, it was something Twilight knew was a consequence of time.
Spike was there as well, and he did something that still made Twilight cry today. Spike walked up after the funeral, in his claw he had Rarity's necklace that held the fire ruby he had given her. He set it on the grave and put it under a dirt mound, saying that in time, the ruby would grow to enormous size and shine beautifully like Rarity would. Twilight had shed many tears that day. Spike had matured so much since then. It shocked Twilight to an extent, that her surrogate brother had grown up.
Spike said few words, wanting to spare himself the pain.
"That gem is still there you know, I promised my self that I would never dig it up again."
Twilight simply nodded in understanding and moved on to the last stone. She moved forward and read the inscription as she laid down her item. The item she had was a flower from the Canterlot Gardens. It was a Lillie that shone with the sunlight.
Fluttershy
Dear Friend, Stare Master, Element of Kindness. She wanted it to be quiet.
Twilight's brain summoned one last ounce of strength to remember Fluttershy's funeral. It was on the same hilltop where the other's were buried. Only one pony was there, the rest being animals and a dragon. Fluttershy didn't want to draw attention, and she got what she wanted. What shocked Twilight was the fact that Discord had shown up. Twilight will never forget the face Discord had made when Fluttershy passed. He was downcast, he formed to take the shape of a regular pony who had a bright yellow mane and a red coat, with no cutie mark. He wasn't saying much, and mourned heavily over the loss of his first and only friend.
He shed tears heavily and left a while after the sun had started to set, as did all the other animals, except Twilight. She walked up to the graves of all her friends, and made a promise. And again she was shaken out of her memory by Spike. He nudged her until she looked at him. And he asked her a question that she always knew the answer to.
"Twilight, why do we keep coming here if all it does is bring us pain?" Twilight stood up and looked at Spike, the dragon was awed by how heroic she looked with the sunlight hitting her. He could only see the side that had the light hitting her face and body, she was looking at the horizon. Spike could clearly see a lone tear roll down her face.
"I made a promise. I promised that I would remember them and never forget. And I intend to keep it." Spike asked again to clarify her answer a bit more.
"For how long?"
Twilight smiled and kept staring at the horizon, tears now starting to stream down her face.
"Till the day I die." The dragon grabbed the alicorns hoof in his claw and the two siblings watched, as the sun set below the horizon.