//------------------------------// // Funeral Service // Story: Eljunbyro // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// I expected hundreds of ponies, not thousands. It was supposed to be a quiet event, but absolute silent was impossible with the huge flood of equines who had shown up in massive droves. Their combined breaths and somber murmurs formed a dull roar that echoed against the building faces and rooftops of Ponyville. From where I was perched, I could see every street and alleyway full of darkly dressed, long-faced ponies. Off in the distance, growing in number, more and more streams of Equestrian life filed in to pay respect. It was unusually bright that day. The large tower was complete, and the dark aura from the chaos rift had been successfully sealed within the sarcophagus in the center of town. No less than forty feet from the location of the rift, a large object lay obscured beneath a big black tarp. Before this, Princess Luna stood. Several dozens of guards flanked her stage and patrolled the heights of Ponyville surrounding it. The attending ponies filed up, and from my vantage point, I could very easily catch the faces of those in the front. The Apple Family, I discerned in a heartbeat. My pulse quickened, and I quickly darted my eyes away from their faces and centered on expressions that were even more distraught. A mare with Twilight Sparkle's manestyle leaned against a tall, blue stallion. A guardpony with several medals across his uniform stood next to them, along with a slender, pink pony whom I could barely recognize. There was a gasping sound, and I gazed further along the crowd to see two unicorns with grave faces, squatting down on occasion so that they could console a thoroughly weeping Sweetie Belle. A few more paces away, I saw two mares with gray coats and straight manes. A familiar baby alligator was perched on the back of one of them. Despite all my searching, there was no sign of Fluttershy's family, but I was never too familiar with the pegasus' closest relations to begin with. My eyes darted further and further. I saw Cheerilee's face, brimming with tears. I saw Zecora, clad in a black robe and bearing a meditative expression. My vision traveled past an innocuous line of ponies in boring blue uniforms, and almost immediately my eyes snapped back. It took me a few seconds, but I recognized Spitefire and Soarin' from the crowd, clear as day. For some reason, my heart didn't skip a beat. I glanced beyond them and saw other ponies: the Mayor, Lyra, Carrot Top, Time Turner, Bon Bon, and even several ponies of the Canterlot elite. My breath left me as soon as Luna's voice boomed over the crowd. The Princess of the Night stood on center stage, her voice resonating, yet delicate. She spoke on behalf of her sister, Celestia, who couldn't afford to leave the sarcophagus for one second. She assured the crowd that she was in complete communion with the proceedings, and that her heart went out to the families of those lost to the whim of Discord. My ears drooped. Every time Luna spoke ill of Discord, I felt a jolt of pain shooting through my wings. The enchantment Luna had given me was still tingling through my feathers, and I struggled not to simply fly away from that scene and absorb myself in the glinting sunlight. I sat there on the rooftop, clad in my saddlebag and pendant, anchored to the words of Luna and the quiet sobs beyond. I spotted Twilight's mother once again. The mare was losing the strength in her legs. Her husband and the guard pony came in close, nuzzling and cradling her as her tears came out in undulating waves of agony. A few paces over, the two gray mares found it hard to see straight. Cheerilee trotted up to them, said a few quiet words, and gave them a pair of shoulders to lean on. In the distance, a plume of fire briefly lit the air in a green-tainted sob. I spotted Spike on the side of the stage, clenching his mouth shut as he held a pair of hands over his moist eyes. While observing all of this, hearing all of Luna's words, I remained silent. My eyes were dry and my nostrils flared with soft, even breaths. This was, however, before I turned away from the stage and looked once more upon the Apple Family. In the center of a huge cluster of reunited farm ponies, Granny Smith and Big Macintosh leaned against each other. Their long, sad faces served as a roof for Apple Bloom who lingered underneath. The filly clutched a green book to her chest, squeezing it tightly as she fought the urge to shed tears. She was only marginally successful, and soon her face grimaced in pain as several trickles of moisture ran down her face. Gazing at the fragile sight for a prolonged minute, My vision was just beginning to fog over—but then Luna's tone turned into something jubilant. In one blink, I was glancing beyond the stage. The alicorn made a declaration before the crowd, and then in a burst of telekinesis Luna removed the tarp from the tall object beside her. The crowd watched as a monument was exposed to the sunlight. Six bronze figures posed heroically before the stone masonry of the sarcophagus. I recognized five of the frozen pony effigies instantly. My heart sang and broke at the same time, and then a cold hush shattered through me at the sight of the sixth pony. They way it was situated, it was no more pronounced than the other five, however it was pointed eastward, its wings full spread as it bore a brave expression that challenged the horizon. With a deep breath, I hung my head, avoiding my own bronze gaze. I was residually aware of hundreds upon hundreds of ponies performing the same gesture to the statues in reverance. When a few sets of eyes finally darted up to the rooftop to gaze curiously at me, I almost wished I was frozen in bronze as well.