//------------------------------// // Chapter LIX: Every Tear a Waterfall // Story: As I'm Falling to Pieces // by Pinkamena Diane Pie //------------------------------// Chapter LX: Every Tear a Waterfall The nine of them were sitting in the car. Nopony had anything to say. There was no reason to say anything. They all knew what they were going to do, and why they were going to do it. The only pony that might have questions was Pinkie, but she kept quiet as well. Lightning was sitting in the driver’s seat, Cora next to him. It felt unnatural. It felt wrong for him to be sitting here. He should be here, laughing and making jokes. Anything that would help them get through the long trips they used to take. Lightning looked over at Cora, and she nodded. She knew what he was feeling. They had been driving for almost a day, and they would be driving for a lot longer than that. The sun was already dipping below the horizon, but Lightning didn’t want to stop. He just kept driving, staying on the line he had memorized from the maps. Soon, he was the only pony awake in the car. As Luna’s moon rose in the sky, he could feel his eyelids falling, but he kept them open, and kept on driving. ***** Cora was the first to wake. She could feel the car still moving under her. Looking up, she saw Lightning at the wheel, eyes almost shut, bags under his eyes. She gently touched his arm, enticing a jolt from him. She smiled softly and turned the wheel slightly. The car dropped off the road, slowing down. When it came to a stop, she got out and walked to the other side. She opened the door, gesturing Lightning to get out. He shook his head. But she shook her head, walking up and embracing him. She understood why he was doing this. But he didn’t have to do it by himself. She broke the hug, and Lightning almost fell out of the Buggy. Cora walked him over to the passenger side, and he crawled in, eyes closing as soon as he sat down. She smiled and walked back to the driver’s side. When she got in, Lightning was already asleep. She pulled the car back on the road, and drove off into the dawn. With the sun slowly rising, the others woke as well. Once again, nopony spoke. It seemed to be an unwritten rule. Nopony would talk until it was over. Cora’s eyes never left the road, and her mind never left their goal. Slowly, the land began to turn from the parched yellow, to a dull green. The air began to feel less dry. Clouds, real clouds, awaited on the horizon, and they knew they were getting close. Cora reached over and gently shook Lightning’s shoulder. He looked up at her and she pointed to the horizon. He looked, taking a deep breath as he did. It was almost time. ***** Three hours later, they arrived. Stepping out of the car, they looked around. The hills and ruins of what used to be San Foalsisco surrounded them. What was left of the morning fog was rolling over them. A muffled sob came from Celia, but she kept her poise. Lightning started to look around, looking for the correct spot to do this. Off in the distance, what had been the Golden Stable bridge rose out of the water, rust and vines clinging to it. Finally, he found a perfect spot. He walked back to the car. He pulled the tap up, revealing a single crate. He opened it with a key that he wore around his neck. Inside, a beautiful vase sat. All the colors of fire and life had been painted on it, and it seemed to blaze and shimmer as he held it. But the fire didn’t hurt, as it hadn’t hurt him. Lightning walked back to the others, the vase held in his front hooves. He pointed to where he wanted this to happen, and started to walk. The others formed a line behind him. They climbed the hills, all energy going towards this one task. The sun was beginning to drop again, and Lightning knew it was almost time. Finally, they climbed the last hill, and reached the spot. A sheer cliff dropped off towards the water, a hundred feet below. This mountain looked over all of the city, and out into the ocean. And Lightning knew, that when the sun set, it would light this mountain with all the colors of fire. He wanted to give him a good death, after such a terrible life. Looking at the others, he unclamped the top from the vase. Inside, grey dust and ash swirled, upset from their climb. He reached inside, pulling out a hoof-full. He let the wind carry away the stray ashes, while leaving some still in his grasp. “Phoenix Fire.” he said, voice choked. “You were my first true friend. The times we shared were the best I ever had. If there was some way that I could get you back, I would do it. I just want to be able to see you again. To tell you what an impact you had on me, on all of us. But I will never be able to say that now. All I can say is this. Goodbye, my best friend.” He raised his hoof, letting the rest of the ashes leave with the wind. He turned and handed the vase to Cora. She took it and walked up to the age of the cliff. She reached in and pulled out some ashes. “Phoenix. The first time we met, I saved your life. And you didn’t trust me.” she started, her voice thick. “But so much has happened since then. We had grown as friends. We shared our time, and our laughter with each other. The times we spent together, I will always cherish. One day, we will all see one another again. But until then, goodbye.” She let the ashes go. she turned, eyes watering, to Rainbow, who took the vase. “I just wish we had more time to spend together.” she said. “I don’t think any of us had ever met a pony like you. You were funny, and smart, and a brave fighter. It is terrible that you had to be taken away from us so soon. There were so many things we could have all done.” She released more ashes. “I hope to see you again someday.” She wiped her nose on her elbow and handed the vase to Fluttershy. She looked panicked, but to the vase anyway. “Phoenix...ummm..” Her mouth was moving, but there didn’t seem to be words coming out. Her eyes were filled with tears, and some had already spilled over her cheeks. Lightning walked over and put his arm around her shoulders. She nodded, pulling out more ashes. After, she handed it to Twilight. “It is the most terrible thing that you had to taken from us. You were an amazing friend, a loyal fighter, and a loving husband. Fate seemed to be smiling on you. But, I guess all smiles turn to frowns. All the times that we just sat and laughed. To take that away from this world, it is wrong.” She pulled out more ashes and cast them into the wind. “You were one of the best ponies I knew. We shall meet again.” She took a deep breath and handed the vase to Pinkie. Pinkie’s mane had drifted passed from her once happy curly hair back into long darkened pink strains of hair. Even her coat had shifted into a different shade, expressing her everlasting sorrow. She picked up the vase from Twilight and gave Phoenix her final words. “I-... I haven’t had much time to ever talk to you, or get to know you, but I could always tell every time I looked into your eyes you always had that... that... exciting jolt of energy. You reminded me of myself, before all of the chaos and the carnage. Always happy, excited, restless. It... It kills me to see somepony like you slip from our lives and drift into some place where we might all see ourselves again someday...” A tear slipped from under her eye, and down her cheek. Grief and despair was consuming her whole. She could barely take the pain anymore, gracefully letting go of the grip she had so tightly had in her hoof of the ash, she released and let the remains go with the wind. She turned and handed it to Applejack, who gently embraced her for a moment. When she let go, she walked and stood on the edge. “I knew you from the Bunker, Phoenix. I never talked to you until you left with Lightning. Now, that seemes like my worst sin. To lose a friend like you, after all you have done for us, is...heartbreaking. I was never able to say it, but thank you. Thank you so much. You saved Lightning’s life, at the cost of your own. That, I know, is your greatest gift to us all. I just....I wish that you could be here with us, just so that we could hear you laugh one more time.” she voice broke on the last word, and her head tilted towards the ground. The ashes slipped from her grasp. Lightning walked forward and embraced her. She buried her face in his mane, breaking down. Rarity walked forward and took the vase. “I don’t know what all to say.” she said, looking out at the setting sun. “I did not know you for long. But in those short couple months, I had no doubt that you were an amazing friend. When I couldn’t even walk, I was so depressed, you were there to make it better. You made life for me worth living. You made all of our lives a little better, and now that you are gone...I don’t know what we will do. When you left us, I think you took a peice of all of us with you. Now, we have to find some way to fill that jagged hole.” She let her ashes go. “Wherever you are now, I hope you are happy. You deserve that, at the very least. Goodbye, Phoenix Fire.” She turned. The only pony that had not spoken was Celia. She walked forward slowly, taking the Vase gently from Rarity’s grasp. “Phoenix...my beautiful husband. I...I can’t believe that you are gone. To have just gotten you back, and you have you ripped away from me again... it was almost more than I could bear.” She sniffed, then continued. “I just wanted you to know, even all those years that we were separate, I still loved you. I want you to know that. I never stopped loving you, and I never will. You gave so much to help make this world better, both for us and for our child. I feel that it is the worst crime that you won’t be able to see what your work brought to this world.” She stopped, tears falling down her face. “I lived my life alone before you. I had never let anyone get close enough to let me love them. But there was one thing missing from my life. And the one thing I needed was the one thing I couldn’t find. Then you crashed into my life that one day. You were such an amazing pony. You could make me laugh, no matter what was wrong. You could show me love, when there was only hate. No other pony could ever be like you. You were truly, one of a kind. And you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you, so much. And I miss you even more. One day, we will meet again. But until then, know that I will never stop thinking of you. Goodbye, my love.” She released her ashes and turned away from the cloud. Lightning walked forward and took the vase from her grasp. There were still some ashes. “I just have one more thing to say.” he said, facing the ocean. “Of all the things you did for us, I will never stop thanking you. Our time on this earth maybe be short, but you shone with a thousand of our lives. Nopony will ever live like you again.” He turned the vase upside down, letting the final ashes blow away into the wind. “Until we meet again, my dear friend. Goodbye.” The sun had set, and the moon had started to rise. The sound of somepony teleporting made them turn. Luna stood there, her eyes downcast. She had come to pay her respects as well. Her horn started to glow, and a beam of pure white light descended from the moon. It landed on the spot where Lightning stood. He could feel the the ground shook slightly, and he moves out of the way. Cracks spread in the ground, and small shoots started to grow. But as they reached their full length, white flowers started to appear along the stalks. Soon, the whole cliffside was bathed in a beautiful garden. Luna nodded at Rainbow and Lightning. Rainbow flew over and picked Lightning up, carrying him into the air. As the ground shrank beneath him, he could see a pattern in the flowers. Phoenix’s Cutie Mark, emblazoned into the earth. A lunar Phoenix, rising from the white ashes. But that was not all. Luna pointed them towards the moon, which had just fully risen. Engraved on its surface, were the names of each of the ponies that had died in the fight. At the very top of the list, twice as large as any other pony’s name, was Phoenix Fire. Rainbow dropped him down next to Luna. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She nodded slightly. Then she stepped back, her horn glowing. One last, haunting smile, and she was gone. Lightning turned back to the others. Celia was standing at the very edge of the cliff, hooves surrounded by flowers. She was looking up at the moon, eyes wide. She pulled something off her wrist. It was Phoenix’s wedding bracelet. She bent down and laid in in the middle of the flowers. It reflected the white light that the flowers were giving off. Gently, Lightning pulled her away from the edge. She seemed to move in a trance. They walked back to the car, still silent. Cora pulled Lightning away from everypony else. “What do you think is going to happen now?” she asked, her voice slowly returning to normal. Lightning looked up at the moon, its surface forever to hold the name of his best friend. They had so much to do to make the world right. But they knew they could do one thing now. He looked at Cora, a small smile spreading on his lips. “Anything. Anything that we want.”