Two days after the ball, and when Rainbow Dash was considering soon leaving the domain of the northern griffons, she got to see how they conducted a funeral. Greely, the elderly castellan of House Stormwing, had quietly passed away. Rainbow Dash was planning on paying her respects to him before leaving in search of another adventure. She had spent a good deal of time here and had helped out already, and these griffons weren’t going through anything like some of the other places she had been so far on her journey. It was simply time to leave and try and find more excitement elsewhere. Like what she had always been doing.
These griffon Houses never really seemed to contain the kind of adventuring she was looking for in the first place. It had ended up being more of a side-trip than anything. Rainbow Dash didn’t regret her time here but enough days had passed and the rest of the True North was still out there before her.
But she was getting ahead of herself. It was time for the funeral and she should keep herself focused on that.
Galia led her brothers, sisters, and Rainbow Dash down deep below the castle and into the depths of the thin mountain while four servants carried the white blanket wrapped body of Greely between them. Rainbow Dash didn’t know what their final destination would be but she hoped they got there soon. It was dark down in these passages, just barely lit up by torches. Maybe they had a cemetery or crypt down here where they buried the bodies of the members of House Stormwing that passed away? She could just ask Galia but everyone else was being quiet right now so it probably wasn’t the proper time.
Rainbow Dash had already pretty much invited herself along to the funeral in the first place. When Galia woke her up and told her what had happened and what they would now be doing today she decided to tag along too. It was out of genuine respect for Greely too though. She only knew him briefly but he had been nice to her, he seemed pretty cool so this was the least she could do.
The procession continued down and down more flights of stone steps inside the mountain, the walls were left as unsculpted rock with only a single torch placed for each set of stairs. She wasn’t sure how far down they had gone yet. Maybe ten stories worth. Either way these mountains were tall enough that it still would’ve counted for close to the top of them, they were probably still in an area thick with clouds. Since Rainbow Dash was at the back of the group while they all walked in two lines to the right and left of Greely’s litter she could look up and see the faces of Glaive and the others as they walked along. Glaive’s own face was relatively blank, almost introspective as if he was deep in thought. Gale wore a sad frown, Glenn and Gordon the same, Genna looked to be thinking hard too, her brow was deeply furrowed, and lastly Gwenyth looked upset but Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure if it was over Greely’s passing or her having to do this now.
She couldn’t see Galia’s face but she imagined the “matriarch” was pretty despondent. She knew the two of them liked each other and got along well. And they were family, Rainbow Dash didn’t want to meet the creatures who didn’t get depressed at something like this.
Eventually they reached the bottom of the stairs down into the mountain and turned a corner down an archway. Rainbow Dash’s internal sense of direction said they were now walking north. There couldn’t be a lot of space to go before they hit the wall of the mountain now. She tried to stretch her neck and peek ahead but being the shortest creature here that didn’t really work too well for her. She’d just have to wait for something else to happen or for Galia to announce wherever it is they were. Her wings fluttered restlessly by her sides but she stayed on the ground, not wanting to do something that might not be appropriate during a funeral procession.
Something did come up soon though, they went past another large archway and came into a room that was actually carved and had more lanterns hung up along the walls. There seemed to be a large wooden door built into the northern wall that must lead outside and the two servants placed Greely’s still wrapped body down in front of it. The servants then went to the sides of the rooms where two large clay pots stood, pulling off the wooden lids they started fishing around inside for something while Galia took a deep sigh and turned to face her siblings and Rainbow Dash.
She looked as bad as Rainbow Dash had thought. Heavy bags were under her eyes and all the life seemed drained out of her.
“We can say our last goodbyes to Greely now and then send his body on its way,” Galia said to all of them. “I don’t mind which of you starts first but I’ll finish up.” Her eyes swiveled over to Rainbow Dash. “You can just watch and see how our burial ceremony goes, as our guest you don’t have to do or say anything if you don’t want to.”
Rainbow Dash frowned and looked at Greely’s wrapped body. “Uh, no, I’ll say something too I guess. I’ve got a few words I can say.”
Galia nodded and watched as the servants finished up getting what they needed out of the large pots and brought them back over to Greely. Some kind of canvas sheets of some sort, Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure what they were until the servants actually started tying them around Greely’s body and fluffed them up. That’s when her eyes widened as she realized what was going on.
Parachutes… they’re putting parachutes on him. Rainbow thought as she looked at the big wooden door.
It was clear now. Their “burial” ceremony was a burial at sky. That wooden door would open up right out on the side of the mountain and Greely’s body would be sent floating away. She looked at the parachutes, judging by the size of them and Greely’s weight he should fall at a steady pace towards the ground far below, coming to rest peacefully at some point as long as the wind didn’t get him. So that’s what they did with their bodies up here? Give them one last flight. She could appreciate that kind of thing.
“I’ll get this down,” Galia said as she walked up to the door. There was a lever on the left side of it that she had to crank a few times but eventually the heavy door fell down and opened up into the open sky, letting the air in while it became a slightly downward facing ramp that Greely’s body could be slid down.
Rainbow Dash had to raise a hoof to cover her face a moment as the cold air rushed in before the currents stabilized and then it was only a steady breeze. Cool wind ruffled her feathers and her mane as everyone got prepared to say what they needed to to Greely before they sent him away.
A sigh came from Glenn and he stepped up beside Greely’s covered body and placed a talon on it. “I know we never quite measured up to what you wanted but I promise we’ll get better. You were always patient with us, more than we deserved even, and you always took your role seriously. It may not look it just now but you’ve left House Stormwing in good talons, you can rest easy now.”
That was all, and as he walked away Rainbow Dash shot him an approving smile and nod.
Gwenyth actually came up next, possibly just to get it over with, and also laid a talon down on him. “Goodbye uncle, rest well now.”
It was short but she did sound genuinely somber so Rainbow Dash gave her a smile too.
The others then came out and said their pieces too with Rainbow Dash silently watching and listening along. It was an understated but sweet and respectful affair. Rainbow Dash had been to a few funerals back in Equestria and usually they had a lot more ponies at them and a lot more crying. This was different but no less valid a form of grieving and honoring one’s dead.
Glaive was the last, besides Galia herself, to come up and speak to Greely and Rainbow Dash found herself intently leaning in to see what he had to say.
“Even with us, our parents, and our older brother not making it easy for you you still always did your duty as castellan well. You stayed here at our sister’s side and acted as the steady rock she needed while our family was in turmoil. You tried to guide the rest of us and you always could silence us with a single word when we acted out of order. And you deserved to see yours and Galia’s efforts pay off, I wish you were still alive so you could see me become the heir to House Stormwing that you always wanted. Things will change around here for the better. Thank you, uncle.”
He patted him with his talon and stepped away, giving a curt nod to Galia.
She regarded him with a much more positive expression than she normally did. A little bit of the fatigue and weariness had left her eyes.
“Okay,” Galia said after taking a steadying breath. “Thank you, all of you, for your words. Rainbow Dash? You wanted to say something now too?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash nodded and walked up beside her and Greely’s body. She felt a little uncomfortable doing something so personal—that only his direct family members had done so far—but obviously it wasn’t an issue to them. She cleared her throat and placed a hoof on the covering over his body. “No speech from me or anything, I only knew you for a couple days and we only talked once or twice, but I wanted to tell you that I thought you were a pretty cool dude.”
She looked back at Galia with a raised eyebrow and got a small grin in response. Looks like she managed to not make a fool out of herself or offend them. Taking a few steps back she joined up with Glaive and the others so Galia could do her thing and then Greely’s body could be sent away.
Galia took a long look at the wrapped up body before gently laying a talon down on him and affectionately stroking the sheet before stopping. She took another great breath and closed her eyes, hanging her head low to speak. “Greely… I have so much more I wish I could say to you that I wont get the chance to anymore. You meant a lot to me, you’ll always mean a lot to me, and I hope you really knew just how much. I’ll keep doing the best I can out of respect to you. I… honestly feel like I knew you better than my own parents and brother, and I think I had a closer relationship with you than them. I’m going to miss you a lot.”
She took her talon off of him and looked over to the two servants. They acted at once, each going to one side of Greely and grasping his covers. They were pulling open the parachutes and making sure they wouldn’t catch on anything or get tangled up and not open when his body was pushed off the ramp. Working with them, Galia steadied Greely’s body and started him down the ramp while Rainbow Dash and her siblings came to look. They were all going to watch as he flew off down the mountains one last time.
His white-clad form drifted off the ramp without much more effort and dove down for a moment before the wind caught under the parachutes. Now with the two of them holding up his body he slowly and slowly floated down into the mists, only swaying slightly thanks to the fortunate weather today. Perhaps nature was being respectful too. All of them stood in the doorway and watched the body as Greely went on his last flight, they watched until he disappeared completely and then even for some time after. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure what to feel right now. She knew eventually she’d be making her last flight someday. Just hopefully not a day that was coming around anytime soon, but if it did happen she’d like to go off in a way like this.
Not even death could stop her from flying. That’s what she wanted to say.
Finally Galia thought it had been enough and she got everyone to back up from the doorway as she closed it again. “Alright, the ceremony is over, thank you all for your kind words to Greely. I’m sure he’d have been happy to hear them.” Her eyes found Rainbow Dash and she smiled. “You as well, I’m sure this isn’t exactly the kind of thing you wanted to experience up here but thank you.”
“I’m really sorry for your loss, and it’s just part of life so don’t worry about it,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well regardless we should get back up to the castle. I’ll need to start writing a number of letters to the other Houses to inform them of Greely’s passing,” Galia said.
“Allow me,” Glaive suddenly cut in, causing the others to look at him in surprise.
“You want to write those letters?” Galia asked incredulously.
Glaive stiffly nodded. “I meant what I said to Greely. I’m going to take things more seriously and work hard to become a worthy heir. The first step is doing work that the true Head of House Stormwing should be doing.”
“I… thank you, Glaive.” Galia said, stunned.
“No need to thank me. And I can’t exactly say I’m surprised by your reaction...” He muttered.
“Well I think it’s really cool!” Rainbow Dash said and flew over to him, throwing a hoof over his shoulders. “Buddy, you’re really coming up in the world, good on ya!”
“I don’t really want to congratulate myself just yet after all the time wasted and all the awful behavior, but I’m working on it,” Glaive said. He then reached a talon up and cleared his throat. “And Galia is right that we’ve been down here long enough, this is no place for any sort of grand discussion, let’s head back up the stairs.”
They did so, traveling much faster this time and making it back to the actual castle in relatively short order. The servants were dismissed and went off to do whatever else they needed to while Rainbow Dash’s group now stood in the hall right behind the front door of the castle.
“I’ll get to work on those letters immediately, I’ll be using our father’s office that you had been using, Galia.” Glaive said.
She nodded at him in affirmation before looking at the others. “Well after that I think we should all freshen up,” Galia said. “A bath is certainly in order, would you care to join us, Rainbow Dash?”
“Please say you will,” Gwenyth insisted.
“Uh, actually...” Rainbow Dash awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and looked away. “I’m kind of thinking of leaving. Like right now.”
The others all looked at her with surprise and confusion evident on their faces. Galia was the one who broke the silence. “But why? Is there something wrong?”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No, and that’s kind of the point. You all know I’m up here for big adventures and it’s pretty clear I’m not going to find any here. It’s been fun, I’ve seen and done some cool stuff, but I need to head out and get more excitement. Also I think I already helped out a little bit, so that feels pretty good.” She grinned over at Glaive, who grinned and nodded back at her. “And I think it’s kind of funny how now you seem concerned about me leaving compared to when I first got here. No offense.”
“You’ve been a good guest, and a break in monotony,” Galia shrugged, though there was the slightest hint of a blush on her face.
“Heh, anyways, I really do gotta go and I’m really impatient so I’m going soon,” she told them.
“I was hoping we could talk about my story some more but I don’t want to be selfish and keep you either,” Glenn said, wilting under the gaze Galia sent him when he mentioned his “story”.
“I know dude but you were already doing a good job, besides I’m sure at least some of your sibling can help you out with that,” Rainbow said to him.
“I wouldn't mind, actually,” Genna said. “If you need someone to talk to about whatever it is you’re writing you can come to me, brother.”
“Thank you,” Glenn said to her.
Rainbow Dash then turned her attention to Gwenyth. “And you. Stop being so stuck up and live a little. That’s Rainbow Dash’s life lesson and it’s like—the best advice I give.”
Gwenyth merely rolled her eyes.
“Since Glaive is new to working like this and taking his life seriously he’ll probably need someone to help him. That’s where I come in,” Gordon said proudly, puffing out his chest and walking to stand side by side with his brother.
That left Gale, who walked up to Galia with a knowing grin. “And I guess I’ll get married, like a certain someone should’ve already done.”
“Put a cork in it...” Galia grumbled and pushed her away.
Rainbow Dash held back a snicker and took another look over them. She didn’t spend a lot of time here and it was way more relaxed than the rest of her journey had been but she wouldn’t be forgetting these griffons anytime soon. “I’m gonna see myself out then. All of you take care of each other and keep being awesome!”
“You too! Good luck on your adventure,” Galia said to her.
“Good luck out there, Rainbow Dash,” Glaive said and waved.
Rainbow Dash saluted the rest with a self-assured grin and opened up the door leading outside. It was a nice day, the weather was good, and adventure called to her once more. Rainbow Dash instantly shot up into the sky and looked north. She knew she was going to be at the north pole soon, there wasn’t much more to go, what would she find there? How much more fun and excitement awaited her? On course to the top of the world, Rainbow Dash blasted away out of the northern griffon’s domain leaving a rainbow trail behind in the sky.