Chapter 1
The unending rain kept the grass a soft, mushy mixture of brown and green. The six friends surrounded the coffin, readily set in place to be lowered into the ground. A good crowd showed up, making Twilight a little happier on this gloomy day. A large crest depicting a cloud with a rainbow bolt was engraved carefully to the slightest detail on the top of the coffin, splashed with water.
A single rose for each of the six friends, including Spike, rested upon it, accompanied by their many tears accumulating.
Without Rainbow Dash, the group felt as if they were a puzzle with one finishing piece lost under the couch of life. Without her sarcastic remarks and spunk to brighten up their day, what were they to do? Twilight was one of the first to questions these mysteries when she had heard something had happened to one of her best friends.
She was minding her own business, reading in the treehouse, when a knock came to her door.
"Spike, could you get that?"
Spike complied and did so. When he opened the door, his expression changed from his normal warm smile to a look of confusion as Twilight heard him and somepony else whispering outside. Spike had taken a step out to speak with this mysterious figure, and after a few minutes had passed, Twilight placed her book down and made her way to see what was up.
"Spike? You okay?" she asked, opening the door and peering out into the vacant Ponyville street.
"Twilight, over here..." Spike ushered as Twilight caught sight of him. The stranger he was speaking with turned out just to be Pinkie Pie, though her appearance seemed different as well. Her hair was down, a clear indicator that something was wrong in the world. Twilight's confusion raised.
"Hi Pinkie, what's wrong?"
When Twilight had woken up that morning, it seemed to be just an average day. No giant digs smashing Ponyville, no dragons atop mountains breathing smoke into the air, and no Discord doing anything chaotic. She was dreadfully wrong.
The news hit her pretty hard, it was like a shot that the nurse forgot to pull out. You expect it to hit you the hardest in the first seconds, then a relief when it was all over, yet this was only the beginning. She couldn't remember if she had immediately cried, but she knew for sure that she felt faint and had to have Spike and Pinkie help her back into the house.
That seemed some time ago, but it was only a week and a half.
Now, gathered together as one family, they watched Dash slowly moved down into the cold ground, each hoping that there was some afterlife where she could soar the skies freely forevermore.
Twilight kept her eyes on Dash's cutie mark on the coffin.
No pony but Applejack and maybe Apple Bloom truly knew what happened to Dash that fateful morning. Twilight was aware that the three of them were out spending time collecting apples for the next harvest, yet when Applejack was asked what she saw, she would turn away and say "Ah'd think ah like to not talk 'bout that right now."
Even while Dash was alive, though in critical condition, at the hospital that same morning Applejack didn't disclose any details in the matter. Apple Bloom could only do as her sister said and keep her moth closed for now. Poor thing, so young and already experiencing these horrible things, Twilight thought. She showed up to the funeral with her sister.
Twilight had a good idea of what happened to Dash, but couldn't be sure until Applejack spilled the beans sooner or later. Dash was always trying to impress her friends, and maybe tried a little too hard that morning, slipped up, and got in a terrible accident. It was something Twilight didn't want to ponder, but at least it shut up the annoying voice in her head whenever it came along to nag her about the mystery.
As the coffin reached the bottom of the six foot hole, all the ponies listened to the final words of the speakers and departed. The six friends walked in the rain silently, each separating to their houses when their street had passed.
The only ones who were left were Twilight, Spike, and Rarity.
"It's hard to swallow," Twilight said to the both of them in hopes that one would say something and break the awkward silence.
Rarity volunteered, "Yes, dearie... But she's in a better place now. I don't know what I'm going to do with all these orders for dresses I have added on to this. Maybe I should take a vacation from work and close up the shop the rest of the week. What do you think, Twi?"
"I think it's a great idea, Rarity... Spike, Fluttershy, and I are going to go to Dash's home in a few days to collect some of the things she left for Spike and I in her will," she said, a merciful smile across her face with lazy eyes. She hadn't slept for days and kept Spike close to her more than usual. She never knew how venerable it felt to not have Dash around.
"Yes yes, dear. I'll have to go soon as well, she left me the dress I made for her; the one for the Gala. She also left me a few things here and there, which I'm so ever thankful for. Rainbow Dash wasn't always the most... Erm... Generous of givers as you know," she trailed of with a copy cat smile.
"Twilight, let's get home before a storm starts," Spike announced in the awkwardness.
"He's right, Rarity. I'll see you very soon. Please take care?"
"Of course, darling. You too," she smiled and they hugged goodbye, then she went to Spike and whisked him up in a hug as well. Twilight could tell Spike enjoyed that hug more than anything.
The treehouse was very quiet for a little while, as it is in any household after a funeral, Twilight thought. The couch was warm near the fireplace which Spike had just set. They both sat next to each other for a while in silence, Spike keeping his eyes shut and murmuring to himself.
"Spike, you okay?"
"Wha- oh, yea. I was just talking to myself... I miss Dash a lot and I was just saying a few words on her behalf..."
"It's no problem, Spike. Don't be embarrassed. I miss her a lot too, but we will get through this," she said to him, putting a hoof on his shoulder. He smiled and leaned up against her side.
"I'm glad you're being so optimistic, Twilight. If you lost it, I thought would to."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... Death and what comes after is a subject of... Particular choice."
"Again, Spike," she said, giving a moody giggle, "what do you mean?"
"I'm just saying, you're really smart, it just never cared to ask or maybe it's none of my business, but I would think you didn't believe in what comes after death."
"Are you saying you don't think I believe in the after world?"
"I guess... Please don't be upset! Everypony gas their own opinion!" Spike said, sitting up quickly.
"I'm not offended Spike, come back here and lay with me," she smiled.
"Sorry Dash's departing has just got the gears in my mind moving. I'm feeling very philosophical I guess."
"Do you believe in an afterlife?" Twilight quickly asked out of curiosity.
"To be honest... I don't know for sure. What I do know is that what you do here in Equestria is what's most important because that's what ponies are going to remember you by."
"That's a very mature thing for you to say, Spike, I'm proud of you," she cooed.
"Aww be quiet, Twi'!" he playfully flicked her side.
"Do you still wanna' know if I do?"
Spike almost forgot, "Oh! Sure," he finished.
"I guess you could say yes and no. I know that something has to happen, right? The universe can't just stop existing just because you die. The world keeps spinning, yet you aren't really there anymore. Maybe we travel to some other dimension or just become a ghost. I don't think that there is some wonderful place waiting for us when we pass, but I'd rather have something happen than nothing!" Twilight concluded, moving her gaze to the fire.
"Now that's something to think about."
Spike and Twi kept talking throughout the night, seeing that neither of them were going to get any sleep. Twilight had been crying the entire week and a half this had been happening, and there were no more tears to spare after the grand finale of water works at the funeral.
She was just glad Spike bad there with her, not wanting to let him leave her sight for a moment. As long as her friends stuck together, she knew that they would be fine and Dash's memory would remain with them forever.
A few days later...
The morning sun rose as the roosters sang throughout Ponyville. The water was almost completely dried up from last night, Twilight noticed. Spike had fallen asleep on her side some point into the night and the fire had died out along with him. The quiet town lay dormant for some time, but once the shops began opening around nine, Twilight forced herself and Spike off the couch to head to Dash's home.
"Are we meeting Fluttershy at Dash's place today?" Spike asked, riding atop Twilight through the streets.
"Yep, hopefully she will be there by the time we arrive, we won't be able to get in the house otherwise."
Twilight had always thought that Dash would be the least likely to leave the six of them. Yes, her hobbies were dangerous and her personality was always ending up with her firing with somepony due to her sarcasm, but she really thought Dash could handle herself.
"I hope she is, I want to see how she held up last night. Dash's passing is really sad, but seeing Fluttershy unhappy just makes me want to throw up," Spike added.
Twilight couldn't agree more, and when they arrived at Dash's house, Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. They waited a few minutes, then it turned to twenty, then a half hour and still no sign of Fluttershy.
"This is weird... It's not like her to not show up without telling us before hand," Spike looked around, confused. He checked a nearby bush and returned: "she's not in the bush."
"No, really?"
"Just trying to help," he said raising both his hands and showing his palms.
"I'm teasing you, but where could she be?"
Suddenly, a little squeak of a voice came from above them. It came from a window in Dash's cloud house. Fluttershy's head poked out the hole.
"I'm up here, guys!" she said, floating down.
"What were you doing up there, Fluttershy?"
"Just looking around and collecting some things Dashie gave me, so very kind of her," she responded.
Fluttershy looked a little different... Maybe it was the expression on her face or her stature, hut Twilight could tell she was hiding something. Spike on e other hand wasn't paying too much attention to how Fluttershy was acting, and more about how she was holding up.
"How are you, Fluttershy?" he asked.
They chitter chattered for a while, and to Spike's delight, she said she was doing relatively well.
"That's good to hear," he said, smiling.
"Please please come in, the both of you! I'll lower down the house for you," Fluttershy flew up to the house and broth it down with ease, light as a feather.
The trio entered the house and Twilight removed a list given to her by Dash for the things to collect. While they were packing up certain things, Spike did his own thing, looking at some if the pictures of Dash in the hall. He starred at them for a long time, but Twilight thought it best to just leave him alone when Fluttershy inquired her about him.
"I need to talk to you, Twilight," Fluttershy whispered to her friend and pulled her into Dash's bedroom.
"I do too, Fluttershy. You're acting... Different. Are you okay?"
"Me? Oh, um.. Yes I'm fine... But there's something I found in Rainbow Dash's room that I think you need to see."
"Oh? And what is it?"
Fluttershy trotted over to Rainbow Dahs's nightstand next to her bed and opened up the drawer, removing a small book. She handed it to Twilight and said nothing.
"Is this suppose to mean something, Fluttershy?"
"It's Rainbow's diary!" she whispered harshly.
"Oh... You weren't.... Reading it, where you?"
Fluttershy's lip quivered, "Well not exactly... I was waiting for the both of you to arrive at the house when I decided to start packing up the things Rainbow left me before hand... When I saw this in her room on her bed wide open."
"She must have forgotten to put it away before she went with Applejack, that's not a big deal."
"But it is, Twilight... I was going to put the diary away when a few words caught my eye on the page it was open on. I'm so guilty! I took it and began reading while you two were waiting for me outside!" she whispered even harsher than before, acting in a flutter-panic.
"Well I wont condone you, but you really shouldn't have, Fluttershy. It's invasion of privacy, alive or not," Twilight said, examining the cover of the diary.
"I know, I'm a terrible pony, but Twilight... I read some stuff in there that you may find very interesting..."
"... Okay..." Twilight trailed off in a question.
"Rainbow Dash loves- loved somepony."
Twilight didn't think to much about it at first, but Fluttershy continued.
"At first I always thought Rainbow Dash was one of this girls who was it into the whole 'dating scene', but what I read in there will make you want to cry, Twilight."
Twilight was now curious, levitating he book magically in front of her. She opened the book and began to read the first few lines.
"It's nothing out of the ordinary, Fluttershy!"
"Here, I think you should take it home and give it a good once over, I couldn't even finish half of it before you two showed up so I didn't get to any good parts," Fluttershy motioned, walking towards the door.
"Who do you think she loved then?" Twilight asked her departing friend.
"I'm not one hundred percent sure, Twilight... But I think it's-"
"Are we done yet?" Spike poked into the room, silencing Fluttershy.
"Yes yes! Of course we are," Fluttershy turned to Spike.
"Good, it's tough being in here, I think I need to go for a walk. Twilight I'll see you back at the treehouse?"
"Yes, Spike, but don't be out for too long," she said, still uncomfortable with Spike leaving her side again.
Fluttershy quickly turned back to Twilight, "Read it and we will talk later," then she helped Spike out of the house, leaving Twilight alone in Rainbow's bedroom.
After a few minutes of grabbing her new belongings, she departed as well. Walking back, Twilight starred at the book endlessly. What could get Fluttershy so riled up? Who did Rainbow Dash infatuate herself with? Why do I even care so much? She thought hard but couldn't come up with a real reason.
Twilight followed the trail leading to her home after a brainstorming session to calm her nerves. Twilit couldn't put her hoof on it, but she felt compelled to find this pony... What if they didn't even know Dash had passed? What if they didn't even life in Ponyville? Twilight needed a break.
It was tough to have all these scenarios rushing through her mind. When she reached her front door, she entered and sat back down on the couch, opening the diary and started reading a random page.
Dear diary,
Today I ate an apple, saw Rarity, and attempted a new trick I've been making up called the 'dash-bolt-dare dive'. It's a work in progress, but I think it's coming along nicely. I haven't gotten a letter from my love in a while, but he insist that I don't let any pony know about us until the time is right. I miss him soooooooo much!
Twilight though about what she just read.
"At least we know it's a male... That's a start."
Every time I get a letter or visit him once a month, he's always complaining about how it's too dark there and he wants to see the sun and open air... But he can't. I keep telling him that only bad will come of it, the big dummy. One day he'll just have to accept the fact that his time for flying is over!
"Was she dating a pegasus?"
I know, I know, I feel bad about doing it, but it's just too risky. What would the people of Ponyville think if he came to visit? They'd freak out. They'd see him as a danger when he's as gentle as a fly.
"A deformed freak of a pegasus? Jeez, Rainbow Dash, what are you saying?"
He says that one day he will come to me when I don't expect it, but I told him no and to stop being so stupid. They wouldn't accept him for who he is, neither would my friends for that matters they'd call me crazy... Am I?
The next page was ripped out, but Twilight could read a few words on the edge before being cut off-
He's so handso-
Too ho-
And if anyone kn-
Unacceptable-
I love hi-
He says-
Dragon-
Twilight stopped there.
"... Dragon?"