//------------------------------// // Prologue: It Pours // Story: Between the Sun and the Stars // by Twilight Glimmer //------------------------------// The first drops of water were beginning to fall. They sky has been a dark and somber shade of grey for hours, but it hadn't been raining, until now. And the residents of Ponyville were just as somber as the weather. The streets that were normally bustling with life were quiet and still, as if no one had ever lived in that town at all. It was a sad day indeed. The fifth elemental bearer was being laid to rest in the gardens outside of Canterlot Castle, which meant that Princess Twilight, the sole monarch of Equestria, was the only one left. Except, Twilight didn't feel like much of a princess today. After watching Rainbow's casket slowly be lowered into the ground, she left the burial service and made a beeline for her bedroom. Moving fast enough to not give anyone time to ask questions but slow enough to not alarm anyone who noticed her. Everyone who happened to spot her avoided eye contact and didn't say a word. Everyone, except for her. "P-princess Twilight?" The voice resonated through the royal chambers. The speaker knew that she wasn't supposed to pry in the private sectors in the castle, but she also had learned that you should never let a friend suffer in silence. "Luster..." Twilight stood up and looked over at her door. Her student was noticeably concerned, and Twilight knew she shouldn't be surprised to see her there. Luster had always been a worrier, it was just who she was. "Princess... I, uh, I wanted to ask if... you were okay. Because I know how hard it is to l-l-lose someone really close to you." Luster tried to get through the last sentence without choking up. The sadness she felt over not only the death of someone she looked up to, but also her mentor being in such a distraught state reminded her too much of... "I'm okay, Luster, really I am," Twilight said, not meeting the pink unicorn's gaze. "I'd just prefer to be alone right now, if you don't mind." Luster knew deep down that something wasn't right, but she wasn't exactly in a position to disobey her Princess, so she relented. She wordlessly closed the door and made her way down the chamber stairway, through the Great Hall, and into the private garden, a place she had grown familiar with due to all the years she had spent as Princess Twilight's personal student. It was rare for her to be out here alone, though. She sat in the covered section as she watched the rain pour down. She watched as drops touched each and every one of the flowers without missing a single petal. Sure, the rain made things inconvenient sometimes, like when you're trying to have a picnic and the sandwiches get soaked due to a lack of foresight, but without the rain, all the flowers would slowly wither away and die. After all, the slight inconvenience of having to throw away a lunch is worth the sight of a thousand beautiful blooms after the storm passes. Luster sighed as she picked up a nearby botany textbook and began to read. Twilight stared out her bedroom window, the day's events still brewing in her mind. She slowly walked away towards her bed when she noticed something on the covers. Taking a closer look, she quickly realized what exactly it was. "Rainbow's element necklace..." She picked it up with her magic and gazed at the empty spot where the gem representing Loyalty was once placed. Tears started welling up in her eyes as her thoughts began to turn on her. "Why did this happen?" "Why wasn't I there when she died?!" "I could have helped. I-I could have done something!" "Why didn't the doctors do more to save her?!" "This is all my fault!!" She sobbed for what seemed like hours, not responding to any of the knocks at the door, she could only think about Rainbow Dash. All of the laughs they had shared, the things they taught each other, the memories they made, up until the last one. *** "Help?! What do you mean I need 'extra help'?" "Rainbow, please. We both know your health isn't as good as it used to be and I'm worried that something may happen to you and you're going to be able to get help in time." "So what? You want me to move to Shady Shoals like Celestia and Luna?" "It doesn't have to be a retirement home, you can move in with a relative or even live in the castle with me. I have plenty of-" "And how come you're worrying about me all of a sudden? You weren't even this worried when I broke both my back legs in that flying accident all those years ago?" "Rainbow, you were younger then, and you had Scootaloo around to help. But I can't ask her to move in with you permanently. She has a family to worry about now." "I can take care of myself!" "I know you can, but would you please just-" "No, Twilight. Why don't you get your own life in order before you worry about mine?" "And what is that supposed to mean?!" "You know exactly what I mean by that!" "Rainbow, I swear to Celestia I hope you're not going there..." "Oh, you bet I'm going there. Have you seen the tabloids lately? They're all saying the same thing! Ever since Shining died you hardly ever leave your private space in the castle for anything except for mandatory public events, and even then you've been missing quite a few of those lately, haven't you? Is this really what you're doing now? Going around trying to fix other ponies lives so that you don't have to fix your own?" "Rainbow... I-I-" "You know what? I don't care about your status, leave my house! You can banish me to the sun if you want to, but you're no longer welcome in my home!" "Fine! I'm sorry for ever trying to help you!" "You should be! Go cry some more if you want to, but don't come crying to me!" *** It hurt. It hurt so much. But Twilight couldn't muster up the strength to weep anymore. She thought about going down to the cemetery now that the commotion had settled down, but she knew that wouldn't really solve much. She picked up the necklace and put it away in the box with all the others. Even though the physical elements had been connected to the tree for quite some time now and they didn't really mean much anymore, Twilight couldn't help but feel emotional. They were what brought them together, what kept them together. A tangible token of their friendship. But that was all they were. A token. She stepped into her bed and let her thoughts freely flow once more. "I just wanted to help..." Twilight said as she looked up at the ceiling. Nothing could have saved her. No one knew what had happened to her. Her death was at best an accident, at worst a consequence of her tactlessness as well as Rainbow's stubbornness. "That's what I'm supposed to do, help ponies with things. It's what I'm good at. I'm the Princess of Friendship, after all. But... now that all my friends are d-dead... What am I good for?"