Lonely Mountains

by TadStone

Sunshine and Rainbows

Sunshine and Rainbows

Sunshine. The weather condition associated with happiness and laughter, times to play outside, times to have fun with your family.

It couldn’t be more inappropriate, more wrong, for the small crying filly.

They shouldn’t even be able to do the job properly without... her. Her mentor, the fastest mare in history, her new-found mother, although she had never brought up the courage to actually call the mare by that title.

The weather should be grey and soggy. It should weep as much as all the ponies surrounding her, but then the order to clear the sky had been issued by the highest power in Equestria, Celestia herself.

The solar ruler was the one to blame, not just for the atmospheric conditions. She had proposed the mission. She had sent the filly’s mother away.

And now, nothing was left but sorrow. A Pinkie Pie without a puffed up mane, hairs nearly dragging on the ground, head held low. Not a single word had left the normally never quiet and overjoyed pony for two days straight.

Next to her stood Fluttershy, or rather, what was left of her, a yellow and pink lump, the hollow image of her former self from only two days ago. By now, she should be dehydrated, a never-ending stream of hot tears running down her cheeks.

Rarity didn’t fare much better, showing up unkempt in public for the first time in many years, but that wasn’t even the worst part about her appearance right now, the remains of two-day old makeup smeared all over her face. No fancy dress enhanced her beauty today, only a hastily thrown together piece of black lace around her neck.

Applejack was no different than Fluttershy, weak limbs supported by the big, red stallion that was her brother, her Stetson pressed to her chest in a painful cramp. She had refused to eat since the news had reached her door.

And then there was Twilight, deep rings under her eyes, hair standing off in all directions, Spike right by her side. It was rumoured that Celestia had found her mere hours ago, wailing in a dark corner of the forbidden wing of the Royal Library, books about necromancy thrown all around the place. Knowing Twilight, it was probably true.

As bad as all the others were affected, it was the little filly whose fate was worse than that of all the others. She felt alone standing in the huge crowd, if standing was the right word to use. The only thing keeping the filly up right now were her two best friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, locked tightly against her flanks to her left and her right. They hadn’t left her since the news had spread to them, ignoring all other tasks at hoof and speeding to her as fast as possible. The same was true for Aegis, standing behind her right now, who had been the unfortunate dark envoy.

Scootaloo had refused to speak to any of them with the exception of her recurring pleas to just leave her to die or heartfelt howls that sounded more like a timberwolf than a pony. Not that she had found the strength to listen to them anyway, sometimes observing what was going on around her, but never for long.

Dr Staple had no luck either, talking over two hours to her without much progress. The news hadn’t fully sunken in yet, but it had reached her nevertheless. It was tearing her apart. One part of her ready to follow her mother on the spot, the other part not believing the recent events.

However, the scene before her did not leave much room for interpretation. A 6 feet high marble monument had been erected on a peaceful meadow not far from the centre of Ponyville and near the border of Sweet Apple Acres. The pure white stone had been chiseled into a huge lightning bolt by skilled unicorn masons. The front side was adorned with a colourful cutie mark: a cloud emitting a tricolour red, yellow, and blue bolt.

The intricately carved inscription read no more than three words:

Rainbow Dash

Loyalty

There was no inherent meaning linking the existence of the sculpture to a definite truth, but there was no mistaking the open coffin and the hole in the ground. Between thick oaken planks lay a beautiful mare, her rainbow coloured hair arranged into a coiffure combed more neatly than she had ever worn alive. Her expression was peaceful, as if she was smiling about an untold joke no one else in the audience got.

The morticians had done a great job hiding the huge, deadly penetration wound at the back of her head, showing the pony as intact as possible. Only a large cut underneath her left eye remained as the reminder of her violent death.

The Element of Loyalty had been placed around her neck one last time, the other elements resting on a display right behind the casket in between an ocean of freshly cut flowers.

Many captains of the Royal Guard stood at attention throughout the perimeter, each grouped with a squad of choice members under their command, all of them wearing matte black dress uniforms made of a heavy cotton fabric. Mourning badges had replaced their normal emblems, showing an equalized white five-pointed star on a black background on their chests.

Regular spears had been substituted by flagpoles, each soldier bearing the Equestrian flag, replicating the motif of two alicorns circling the sun and moon a hundredfold, the colourful fabrics flying in the soft breeze wafting over the funeral party.

None of the assembled ponies had been forced to be here, all had chosen to pay their respect to Rainbow, the first casualty to die in the service of the country for many years.

Half of Ponyville was present as well as many of the Canterlot and Cloudsdale elite. What should have been a display of many hues of fur and hair was turned into a black ocean, most guests wearing a black scarf or dress.

Unsurprisingly, all communication had been reduced to low whispers and sobs, even the birds kept quiet at the request of Fluttershy, cloaking the grassland into an unreal but unsurprisingly fitting atmosphere.

Only Celestia herself found the strength to break the silence of this day, slowly walking up the narrow aisle in the centre of the mass of ponies, Luna trailing directly behind her, and a slip of parchment hovering over her head. She didn’t need amplification as she started to speak, the natural force of her voice traveling far enough over the meadow.

“My little ponies, today is a day of great sorrow.

“We mourn the loss of a fellow pony. She was a good friend, a family member to some of us, and a great hero of this nation for all. She had saved Equestria more than one time together with her friends. She had helped to rebuild the Crystal Empire anew and free the crystal ponies from Sombra’s curse.

“She had done many deeds for this country and our community, big and small, every day. It is up to you to decide which one holds the most value to you.

“Some of you will remember her for her part in reforming the police forces of our nation, others for taking in a helpless foal without thinking twice. Yet others will remember her for her flight skills that found no match, not even in history. I fear the Sonic Rainboom has left this world again with her.

“For me, I am reminded of her actions everyday by the presence of my beloved sister who I had to miss for a thousand years.

“Rainbow has brought harmony and friendship to us all, let us continue her work, united. The Element of Loyalty will rekindle for a worthy successor, but she will be missed forever.

“I have seen many great ponies grow up and befriended most. It never gets easy to give a last goodbye to the ones you loved, not even for one who has seen as many deaths as I had to endure throughout the centuries.

“It is the ponies remaining in this world that motivate me to always press on. I want to see the future generations grow up, the heritage of my friends improving the life of every next generation to come.

“But no matter what your motivation is in life. No matter how harsh life seems to be on days like today. No matter how long your own life is going to last. Remember, it is the duty of the living to always carry on.

“For all of us, life has to continue in some way. Not just for yourself, but also for the other ponies around you, and for Rainbow. We are the ones who have to continue in her legacy.

“Knowing Rainbow, if she could speak to you right now, she would only ask you for one favour. Rainbow has left behind a foal. Even if you can’t give much, please help the filly through these hard times. Help her to grow into the great mare Rainbow wished her to become. Please... Make Rainbow proud of us...”

Celestia had to step back, tears clouding her vision and a big lump in her throat blocking any new attempts to speak.

Luna stepped up, taking her time to gently caress her sister’s neck with her own head before continuing for her.

“Rainbow died in a foreign country, protecting families she had never known. After so many things we had asked her to do, it was one too many.

“There are many words to describe feelings, some recently emerged, some long forgotten for all but a few. None of them are fitting for a situation like this.”

Luna walked up to the coffin, pausing for a seemingly long time in silence in front of it, looking at the body in front of her. A single tear ran down her cheek, a small smile crossing her face as memories flashed back through her head.

“Goodbye, Rainbow, for the eternal night is too dark to see for the living, even for me.”

With soft hooves, she removed the jewel around Rainbow’s neck, levitating it to a small table where a brand new set of flight goggles was waiting, polished glass shimmering in the bright sun contrasted by black frames. It was the kind only issued to members of the Wonderbolts.

Celestia took them carefully, placing them onto Rainbow’s head, correcting the coiffure to a messy state on the way.

“Wherever you go, you might need them,” she whispered to her dead friend low enough that only her sister could hear.

On a silent unspoken cue, the remaining five of the once six friends moved forward, each pony following its own unsteady pace. Scootaloo followed in their wake, dragged by the supporting fillies by her sides, rather than walk on her own.

One by one they passed the coffin, leaving a last gift and a few words, before returning to their places in the congregation of mourners.

Twilight left a book, a present that was meant to be hoofed over as a surprise to welcome back the hard working mare from her trip to the north: an autographed copy of the latest Daring Do that Rainbow had impatiently waited for, released only last week.

Lacking the usual strength of her lips, Pinkie left a single uninflated balloon that was soon joined by a rainbow coloured sweatband Rarity had kept for the mare’s birthday, but no longer felt the need to keep hidden in her closet.

Black lilies, intricately woven into a wreath, served as Fluttershy’s last parting gift, contrasting with the shiny red apple she placed onto Rainbow’s hooves along the flowers. The second gift had originated from Applejack, whose muscles no longer reacted in a proper way after polishing the fruit all night in a monotone and steady motion, matching her repeating thought processes.

And Scootaloo, she didn’t bring anything but herself, which was exactly what she wanted to leave. She wanted nothing more but to curl up and lay herself right beside her mother. There was no sense left in staying alive. Her life could only get more miserable. Not that there was much room left downhill.

The thought of a thick layer of earth cloaking her pain was wonderful, but her so called friends would not allow that, and she was well aware of that. They had vehemently denied her that wish every single time, always stating that she was too important for them and other nonsense. They surely would not change their minds now.

More feathers than necessary spun through the sky as Scootaloo bit down on her wing, drawing blood under the surprised and shocked voices of many bystanders. The filly didn’t even notice them, nor did she see Aegis and Twilight hurrying towards her or Celestia’s discreet signal to one of the army paramedics nearby. Blanking out her surroundings and most of her own self, like she had done during the past few days, she spat a wad of feathers into the coffin.

Satisfied but unhappy with her task, happy feelings being eradicated out of her life forever, she gave way to the two pairs of caring adult hooves leading her to the side. Scootaloo would have liked to stay, the throbbing pain in her oozing limb finally offering her an excitation that closely reminded her of being alive.

She hated her former friends. They took away all that she had, all that she had wanted. They didn’t respect her wishes. All she could do was to sit down and repress any unwanted activity in her brain, a task she had hardly mastered.

A numbing agent took her beloved pain and the rulers of this country took the pony she loved most. The last images of Rainbow burned themselves into the filly’s retina as they closed the heavy casket, using hooves instead of magic as was tradition.

“While most pegasi belong to the sky,” Luna began in a majestic voice, addressing all the gathered ponies at the same time, “great heroes have been honoured in the soil of this proud nation since time immemorial.”

“Find rest until the end of eternity,” the sisters spoke in unity, enveloping Rainbow’s container in a blazing swirl of cobalt blue and yellow as they lifted it in silence into the prepared earthen destination. Shovels of fresh soil followed the casket, slowly adding to the moist layer covering the grave. In her mind, Scootaloo could feel the weight of the earth piling up on her, stretching thin the last strings of sanity to the point that they finally snapped.

“Don’t take her away! I need my mommy!” The high pitched wail echoed through the air and hearts alike as the filly broke free of Twilight’s grip, speeding over to the hole on short but fast legs.

Things never went the way she wanted them to be. She couldn’t fly, she couldn’t have a family, and now she couldn’t even die the way she wanted to, a force field surrounding her mere inches before her goal. Life wasn’t fair to her, and all she could ever do was hammer against her boundaries like she was doing right now as more and more dirt separated her from her mother.

If front hooves didn’t work, maybe strong hind legs could. In a fast, smooth motion, she spun around, kicking the magic like an apple tree, only more forcefully. To her surprise, something did work, but she wasn’t sure what. Energy surged through her body, a red, ominous glow engulfing her from head to toe.

One more blow from the filly sufficed, and the magic blocking her way broke, shattering into a thousand shiny pieces. For a short period of time, her mind was free, reaching out beyond the borders of her body, transcending into a plane of pure darkness lit by a rainbow coloured speck in the distance.

She called out to it, shouting into the distance, mind and lungs on fire from exertion, but no words left her, silence pressuring painfully on her ear drums. She tried to run, but all progress was lost immediately, circles of darkness spreading through the room every time she took a step.

The other pony’s presence was pushing towards her, entwining with her, but not fully making contact, their minds separated by some kind of invisible, impenetrable wall. White glowing tears fell into the darkness, illuminating nothing on their fall to infinity.

She tried to surge forward, only to be dragged back again, comfortable warmth encompassing all of her being, luring her back to reality.

“Scootaloo”

The word was written in the air, white sine-waves superimposing and merging into blotchy letters, the filly hearing and seeing them in a joined sensation.

“Scootaloo”

It was there again, only stronger, painting the horizon in all directions.

“Scootaloo, look at the sky.”

She recognized what was tugging on her. It was Sweetie, tightly wrapped around her body. She was back to the harsh reality of the living world. Opening her eyes, she saw the last rays of red light diminishing, retreating to a glowing necklace shaped like thunder. Could she really have...

She had no time to answer that question, the soft snout of her unicorn friend nuzzling her cheek, pushing her vision from the freshly filled grave of her mother to the most impressive flight display she had ever seen.

Most of the pegasi had left the ground, now flying in a giant V-shape low over the meadow. Royal Guards and Wonderbolts led the formation at its peak, followed by a multitude of civil ponies, the perfect straight lines dissolving into chaos with the most inexperienced fliers. But that didn’t matter. What was important was the conspicuously empty space which should have been the second row leader... Which should have been Rainbow...