//------------------------------//
// The Funeral 
// Story: Ancestry 
// by Brony4Days 
//------------------------------//

                                                                               Chapter Two: The Funeral

Four weeks have passed since Spectrum's tragic death.  Rainbow Dash has never forgotten her mother since.
Spectrum's burial was to be in the Ponyville Graveyard, where Rainbow Dash picked because she was the eldest daughter.  Rainbow Dash rarely talks now, her friends know that she is in pain.  When it was Rainbow Dash's turn to speak in front of everyone who attended the funeral, she spoke.
"I thank you all who have attended...mom's funeral.  I'm serious, you people are great for attending...the funeral," said Rainbow Dash with reluctance, "Now, shall we?  Mom, I probably didn't know you enough, but yeah, you were awesome."
Rainbow Dash wiped a tear from her face, afraid her friends think she's weak.  Then she resumed. "Mom, if it weren't for you...I wouldn't be here.  Scootaloo wouldn't be here.  I wouldn't have met my best friends.  Mom, if it wasn't for you, I would never have told you that you were probably the closest friend and family member I ever had.  Thank you."
Many ponies, though they may have never known Spectrum, were shedding countless tears, as if Spectrum was one of their family members.  Rainbow Dash then solemnly walked out of the funeral, as if that event meant nothing to her.  Twilight Sparkle saw Rainbow Dash and then started after her.  Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity followed.  When Twilight finally caught up with Dash, she said while catching her breath, "Rainbow Dash, wait! Don't leave!"
"What do you want, Twilight?" Dash asked.
"I heard your speech, and you're right.  If it wasn't for your mother, we wouldn't have met you," Twilight said.
"You are one of the greatest ponies I've ever met," Fluttershy said, forcing a smile.
"And if it weren't for you, we would never get those cutie marks," Applejack said.
"Thanks for the compliments, guys, but it won't make a difference.  Mom's...gone..." Rainbow Dash said, and then started walking in another direction, ignoring the noises in the background.
"Wait!  Rainbow Dash!" a familiar voice said to her.
Rainbow Dash turned to face the pony and saw it was Scootaloo, followed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
"Oh...Scootaloo, I haven't seen you yet," Rainbow Dash said, slightly surprised.
"Is it true?  Is mom really....gone?" Scootaloo said, her eyes starting to tear up.
"It's.....true," Rainbow Dash said, with a large hint of reluctance in her voice.  She couldn't lie to Scootaloo since the evidence was already there.
Scootaloo said nothing but started to cry.  Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle then tried to calm her down.
"It's okay, Scoot', there's nothin' to be crying about," Apple Bloom said.  Then she looked at Rainbow Dash, whose face was pale than the usual blue, and said, "I'm sorry for this, Rainbow Dash."
"Don't worry about it Bloom, I can handle," Rainbow Dash said, even though the last three words she lied.
Then Rainbow Dash started to walk again, this time in another direction, not even stopping for her friends.  Then, when out of sight of her friends, Rainbow flew to her cloud home.

Rainbow Dash woke in the middle of the night.  She knew what happened.  She had another nightmare since the death.  Rainbow Dash slowly looked from left to right, the darkness and silence heavy.  There was a slight wind blowing, the only thing she could hear. "Why can't I just stop thinking about it?" she asked herself, puzzled.
Rainbow never again wanted to talk or think about her mother, but her mind refuses.  Rainbow then tried to count sheep, but it didn't work.  Then she tried to think about something other than her mother.  She searched her mind for something that can make her think deeply about, and she found it.  Her mother's last words. "Hmm...am I really from Hurricane's family?  I mean, mom did say it was-"
Rainbow's words were cut off when she heard a knock on the door. "What the?  Who could be awake at this time of the night?"
Though she didn't really believe the door was being knocked on, Rainbow trotted downstairs and opened the door.
She saw Fluttershy, carrying a basket on her mouth.  Fluttershy put the basket down on the cloud and spoke. "Um...hello Rainbow Dash.  I just wanted to see if you were okay...and I brought some tea I made myself for you."
"Thanks...Fluttershy...you didn't really need to visit me in a time like this.  And yes...I'm fine," Rainbow Dash said, a little bewildered that Fluttershy visited her in a time like this.
"Okay...that's all I came here for...sorry for your mother, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said, turning to leave.
When Rainbow Dash heard the words "your mother" she hugged Fluttershy tightly and started to tear up.
Fluttershy was a little frightened at first from the sudden movement, but then she started patting Rainbow Dash's back with a hoof.
"It's okay, Rainbow Dash, let it out."
Rainbow Dash quickly recovered, not wanting to be seen crying. "Fluttershy, I need to tell you something I haven't told anypony else."
"What is it, Rainbow Dash?"
"At the hospital, my mom said I...was a descendant of Commander Hurricane."
"Oh...that's quite impressive, Rainbow Dash, anyway, I have to go home now, if you don't mind."
Fluttershy flew out of Dash's cloud house and out of sight.  Rainbow Dash stared at the sky from the open door.  After telling Fluttershy about her own ancestry, the thoughts of Commander Hurricane were once revived. "Every Dash had a rainbow-colored mane and tail," Dash's mom had said four weeks ago.  Rainbow Dash remembered it, and this started a new question. "Does Hurricane have what my family has?  Rainbow manes?" Dash asked herself.  This sparked new questions, deeper than the question she asked.  Rainbow kept asking questions until morning.  Every thought of her mother was gone, and was replaced by new thoughts of Commander Hurricane.
"If I really was a descendant, that would have been awesome," Rainbow Dash told herself, starting to smile.  This smile is the first of the many smiles that happened after the dreaded four weeks of nonstop thoughts of her mother.  Because of this smile, Rainbow Dash is going to one of the greatest journeys of her life.  The quest to prove her descendance to one of Equestria's founders, Commander Hurricane.