//------------------------------//
// Carry on 
// Story: Fluttervile 
// by Aiet 
//------------------------------//


Chapter twenty five:


“Carry on.”

Diamond leaned over and kissed her mother good bye while rivet sat next to her and cried. Rainbow dash watched in tear as dolorem hugged her. Marble cloud laid peacefully in the hospital bed as she hugged her daughter. Applejack had a hoof on rarity's shoulder as she sobbed and pinkie was quiet.
“dad could you take diamond home?” dolorem nodded and walked forward as she gave her mother one last hug. Everyone left with him and left the two alone. Rivet cried into his hooves and marble spoke smoothly.
“don't fret my love. I'm only leaving for awhile and it will be a blink of an eye when I see you again. But here it will be many years and I want you to spend them with our daughter and our family. Don't cry.” she pulled him to her and held him.
“please don't leave me.” he laid beside her and cried. Finally he calmed down and he held her tightly as they fell asleep. He would wake up much later but she wouldn't. The doctors would have to pull him away from her still warm body and he would weep. It grew on her heart and finally took her away. There was nothing that could be done. He didn't understand. Why did she have to be taken away? He would do anything, give his life to her, anything to have her back. He had to stay strong for their daughter and he had to raise her so that she would know her mother loved her with every part of her being. Dolorem understood his pain and he used it in a carving. He wouldn't let rivet see it, maybe later in life. It was a wooden bust of marble and like the one of fluttershy, it captured every detail of her. He hid it with the other after treating it so it would last and got ready fro the funeral.
“daddy, I miss mommy.” rivet was brushing his daughter's mane and stopped with a sad smile.
“I know sweetie, so do I.” he hugged her and continued to get her ready. She went peacefully in his arms, no longer having to suffer. It would hurt for a long time but he would move on and raise their beautiful daughter. Many ponies made it to the funeral, she was buried next to fluttershy and it was rivet who asked his dad if they could, giving their condolences they looked at her opened casket. He felt numb as he watched them lower her body in the casket into the ground. They planed on spending their life together but things happened, dolorem knew. That night after tucking diamond into bed rivet would cry himself to sleep. He didn't understand and he wanted to but he knew his daughter needed him more then ever right now. With time the pain slowly faded away and he could live his life with his daughter. They spent more time with his parents and diamond understood her mother was gone. She was now six and growing fast. Life was ok again but rivet still felt the pain. He would visit the cloud platform that still had her painted sculptures and his floating flowers. There was a plaque that read “The beauty of two worlds: The art work of Marble Cloud and the flying garden of Rivet Orchid Pati” in black letters. It made his heart ache when he came here but it reminded him of all the great memories they shared together. He would be fine. It was now a year since her death he could wake up peaceful. His parents and his daughter got him through the entire deal and he was stronger for it. But still more was to come.
“grandpa can we have ice cream?” diamond sat at the table in the cloud house rubbing her eyes. Dolorem turned to her and chuckled.
“but it's breakfast time.” she gave him puppy dog eyes and he smiled.
“don't tell your father.” he gave her a small bowl of vanilla ice cream and she giggle. Rivet was walking in as she finished the last of it.
“really dad?” dolorem just smiled and shrugged.
“she's my granddaughter. I have to spoil her.” rivet smiled and rolled his eyes. He walked to his grinning daughter who was trying to hid the bowl.
“come on sweetie time to go home. Give grandma and grandpa a hug good bye.” she hopped to dolorem and into his arms, hugging him tightly. Then she went to find rainbow dash. Dolorem turned to his son as she left.
“how you holding up champ?” rivet looked a little said and sighed.
“ok. It gets a little better each day but still...” diamond rushed into the room with a big smile and a lollipop in her mouth.
“ohk dadth wef cans got.” rivet smiled and shook his head. Dolorem stopped him before he left.
“hey why don't you get her settled and come back here. It's about time you knew something.” he nodded and they left. It was getting cold in this late fall day. They went inside and the house was a little cold.
“ok sweetie I need you to stay here. Grandpa needs me real quick, will you be ok all alone?” she nodded her head so fast he thought it was going to break off. He chuckled and hugged her before leaving. She was excited to have the house all to her self even if just for a little while. Rivet flew back to the cloud home and passed his mom in the air, she was going for food. Inside dolorem was sitting on the couch as rivet came in. he sat on the couch with him and dolorem turned to him with a solemn face.
“it's about time I told you how I came here and about... fluttershy.” rivet listen intently, he always wanted to know. And so with a deep breath and a heavy heart he told his son of his haunted past. Rivet couldn't believe the horrors he lived through and by the end in the late afternoon he felt like crying. Crying for his father's pain. Now he understood his father's scared body.
“I know it's hard. I've been through more then you can imagine but know it doesn't matter. I have your mother and I have you with your beautiful daughter.” rivet nodded and hugged his father, heading back home. As he drew closer he noticed smoke coming from the chimney that was added on. he flew faster. Scared. He rushed in to find his daughter holding a stick with marshmallows at the end into the fire. She turned and smiled at him.
“sweetie you can't start fires with out someone here. It's dangerous.” she looked sad as she pulled away from the fire, she didn't mean to make her father mad. He walked up to her and hugged her.
“it's ok. I just want you to be safe.” he smiled and grabbed some marshmallows for him self. They both had fun roasting them and soon it was night. He tucked her into bed and kissed her good night. He went to his bed and soon fell asleep. The fire crackled softly in the fire place. At the cloud house dolorem was sitting in the living room examining his leg. His son gave him the ability to walk again and he couldn't believe it still. Rainbow dash came into the living room sitting close to him.
“I'm so proud of him. He... fixed you both and even after marble's death he's still so strong.” he smiled at her and the kissed. They sat back relaxing and dolorem looked out the window. He saw black, not from the night because the sun was still slightly over the horizon, and it was coming from... dolorem shot up and to the hot air balloon. Rainbow dash was confused until she looked out the window.
“Daddy!” diamond was shaking her father frantically and he woke.
“sweetie what's...” he smelt the smoke and he jumped out of bed. He pulled her behind him and made his way out his room. The living room was in flames and they couldn't go that way. He backed up as the fire was spreading fast and then suddenly the roof collapsed. They were trapped in the hall way and rivet covered them with his wings.
“baby don't look.” dolorem ran hard and fast with rainbow dash in the air. The went as fast as possible to the burning house with fire fighter ponies already there. Several ran up to stop them.
“sir please step back.” dolorem was breathing hard.
“where's my son and his daughter?” the pony didn't answered and dolorem pushed him inside and ran to the door. He had to ram it open and inside was an inferno. He searched frantically for them and saw something behind the collapsed part of the roof. It was them and they weren't moving. He rushed forward and grabbed the beam that blocked they way. He used all his strength and finally moved it out the way. He went to them as the smoke was choking him. He pulled rivet onto his back and diamond in his arms. Out side rainbow dash was in panic as she waited. Then she saw them dolorem came out with the flames flaring behind him. The fire fighter ponies rushed forward and grabbed the two from him. But it was to late, the smoke had got them before the fire. Dash held them and cried while dolorem stood with her unable to believe it. He failed. He couldn't save them in time. They would pull rainbow dash away as they took their bodies and dolorem would hold her. They lost their family. After wards rainbow dash would spend every day at “The beauty of two worlds”. And dolorem would work. Now he had four. Four beautifully made wood and preserved sculptures of the ones he lost. His heart beat painfully in his chest. He would hold and love rainbow dash as they went through the many pictures of their past. The first day he came home. First day of school. His cutie mark. him sitting in side half a watermelon that he ate all by him self.  When he got married. Diamond brush's birth. Every memory the captured to hold onto in the physical world but it wouldn't be enough. Rainbow dash wanted her baby back. She wanted her granddaughter. She held onto dolorem and sobbed with him. Soon they would get ready for the funeral. They would stand again, for the third time, at the graves near the black husk that was a home. They would watch as their love ones were lowered into the ground, lost to them forever. Rivet gave him a leg and dolorem gave him a curse. The curse of his name. They would go home to a silent dinner and neither of them would eat. They wouldn't sleep that night, just spend it in each others arms. It was said time heals all wounds but to rainbow dash she felt there wasn't enough time in the world. She was thankful she still had her husband. She still wanted her baby and his but she couldn't. So she held on to him tightly. She couldn't imagine losing him too. Twilight received a letter and cried. He lost another love one. Now he had rainbow dash and she hoped it would save him. Even she thought the same. What would rainbow dash do if she lost him. Let us find out.

“We commit this child and this man to your keeping, oh lord. Their bodies have been taken from the shadow of far night. They have been released from all darkness and pain. The child and the man have gone beyond our world, they are forever eternal and ever lasting.
Ashes to ashes.
Dust to dust.
Why? Why are the innocent punished? why the sacrifice? Why the pain? There aren’t any promises, nothing is certain. All that is some get called and some get saved. She won't ever know the hardship and grief of those of us left behind. We commit these bodies to the void with a sad heart. But with in each seed there is a promise of a flower. And with in each death, no matter how small, there's always a new life. A new beginning.”