//------------------------------//
// Act I Chp. 7: The Aftermath 
// Story: Path of Damnation 
// by Lucidenn 
//------------------------------//

Princess Twilight Sparkle looked back down to her hooves, trying to sort out the mess of her thoughts midst the battlefield they'd made of the Shadow Realm's replica of the Golden Oaks Library. It would seem other Twilight liked giving straight answers as much as Sombra himself did. Make a choice? Wasn't she choosing between good and evil? Hadn't her choice been rather obvious by her attempts to eradicate her evil side? Hadn't it? No, the fact she'd acted so violently had only proved her actions more evil than her counterpart's in their battle. Maybe she was missing something.

Twilight looked up to try and pose the budding question in her mind, only to find with utmost surprise that the other Twilight was gone now, along with the rest of the library. She lay alone on a flat and endless plane of wood with nothing but darkness meeting the horizon. Frowning, Twilight fought off the feeling of displeasure rising inside her. Other Twilight had specifically said neither of them would leave the Golden Oaks Library until "the merger", so either she'd been lying, or somehow this still counted as "inside".

Standing up with a quick stretch, Twilight chose a direction at random and began walking forward. The steady rhythm of her paces would help her to think, and if such a thing as luck existed in this realm than perhaps she would in time locate Other Twilight as well. As expected, her steady walking regulated her breath, and in turn brought tranquility to her thoughts. Now that she had the chance, Twilight quickly did what she did best and made a mental list, grouping together all the information she thought relevant to her current situation.

First and foremost was the reason for her being in this seemingly endless chamber. She'd come down here to "become whole" as Other Twilight had put it. This was her purpose, her goal. The question was how to reach that goal. Solution: Make a choice. So far her actions had not furthered her progress to reaching her goal, so obviously she was doing something wrong. Only fools did the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Thus, to reach her goal she must first understand what she was doing wrong in the process of making a choice. There were only three logical possibilities:

1). There was something wrong in how she was selecting her choice. Probability: High. Her battle with Other Twilight had been all but an exemplary display of choosing good instead of evil.

2). She did not understand correctly the difference between the options for the choice, and hence could not properly make the decision. Probability: Low. Twilight was very certain of her understanding of Good and Evil, and the differences between the two.

3). She did not understand the choice itself. Probability: Unknown. What if perhaps the choice was not so simple as Good vs Evil as she had presumed it to be? In that case, it would raise the question of what exactly it was she would need to be choosing if not those two.

Secondly, Twilight grouped together the mass of memories and experiences she'd accumulated throughout her life. All of the trials she'd overcome with her friends, all the small things they would do for her to show they cared, and what she would do for them in turn. Then, there was Sombra. By every definition she knew, he was undoubtedly evil, yet still she'd fallen for him, for that kindness and love behind his hatred. Her goal had been to listen and understand, but she hadn't bargained on falling in love with the pony behind the darkness, regardless of his countless crimes against ponykind. Because of her love, her beloved mentor was now laying in a crater in Ponyville, a thought that still pained her with waves of guilt. But she'd had to do it, they were going to kill him, so she'd made the choice to save his life, and by extension chosen him over her friends and family.

She regretted that it had come down to that, but in her heart Twilight knew she would not hesitate to do it again despite how much the thought continued to pain her. So distracted was Twilight her musings, she did not notice it when she walked straight into another pony, nearly knocking them over in the process. Startled at the unexpected contact, Twilight focused upon the pony in front of her only to find herself staring straight back into her own magenta eyes.

"Watch it!" Exclaimed Other Twilight, "It's just about to get to the good part."

Looking past her double, Twilight saw a virtual crowd of blurry and indistinct ponies gathered in a rough semi-circle that she was standing on the edge of. Pushing past the specters Twilight stopped at the front row only to freeze in shock as she recognized the scene playing out before her, only this time she watched as a spectator and not from Sombra's point of view. Before them was a hospital bed, and on it lay a winged purple mare, lovingly cradling her newborn foal. This was exactly the same as her love's first memory that she had experienced, except for a few minor differences. To the side of the bed stood the proud father of the foal, none other than fully grown Sombra himself, and it was not his mother in the bed, but Twilight instead.

Mind blank and legs weaker than jelly, Twilight struggled to remain upright. A foal? The idea of starting a family was far from an alien concept to her, but she wasn't even married to Sombra yet, and ohmigoodness would she even be a good mother? How would she raise a foal when she was already an exile from her own home, how would she ever provide what a foal deserved, how could...

Before Twilight could drive her train of thoughts right off a cliff in her panic, the illusionary new mother spoke adoringly to her newborn. "Hello my little one. How I love you so." And with those words, she reached down with her right wing and tickled the tiny foal with her feathers. Unable to resist, the little one bubbled over with giggles as it reached up with four tiny hooves trying to catch the playful feathers. All the worries that'd been running Twilight's mind into overdrive just a second prior were banished to be replaced by an ache in her chest and a wistful sigh. Seeing her there, illusion or not, playing, laughing, and filled to the brim with love for her very own little one brought a longing ache to her heart that Twilight hadn't experienced before. Illusion Twilight looked happier than she'd ever been in her life, and right now as the real Twilight watched on, she couldn't help but wish with all her heart to be in that mare's place, doing the same exact thing.

The scene changed again, this time to a small and humble abode that looked entirely too familiar. Two little foals raced circles around a table, shrieking in laughter. Sitting at the table the illusion depicted Twilight once more, trying to read a newspaper and ultimately failing as she watched her two little ones scamper past her hooves. From the front door strode the unmistakable figure of their father as he removed a grey and battered hat that had been covering up his distinctive horn. Spying an opportunity, the two bundles of energy and mayhem raced from under the table to tackle their father, overjoyed to see him home again for the day.

"What a lovely little scene this is, isn't it?"

Twilight nearly jumped right out of her skin. She'd been so enthralled watching the illusion before her that she hadn't noticed Other Twilight sneak through the crowd to stand just to her left. Trying her best to regain her composure, Twilight turned back to the illusion and sighed longingly.

"Yes, it is. Could Sombra and I really have this life?"

"Well I certainly suppose it possible. After-all, countless families get started by running away from an old place to settle down somewhere far away and new, just like Sombra's parents did."

Twilight nodded slowly, hope for such a happy future filling her like a hot air balloon, at least until Other Twilight's last few words fully registered their meaning sunk in. Just like Sombra's parents...oh, oh no. There was a reason that house looked so familiar, she had seen it before and knew it well, not from an illusion, but from memory.

"Indeed." Continued Other Twilight, "Sombra's parents made it all the way to an obscure village of crystal ponies in the north, got to build themselves a nice house they could live comfortably and quietly in to raise their family. What's to stop you from doing the same?

From the illusion the roar of an angry mob grew loudly like the sudden onset of a storm. Fearfully, Twilight gathered up her foals and gave Sombra one last kiss before racing back into the kitchen. Sombra meanwhile faced the buckling door of their home with a snarl. With one final creak it caved in, and he was swarmed with a mass of ponies carrying torches and other makeshift weapons. Sombra fired lance after lance of spellfire into the crowd of ponies bursting into his home, but soon he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of bodies pressing through the door that stabbed him time and time again, not stopping even when he ceased his struggles and crimson blood stopped pumping through the hundreds of wounds scarring every surface.

"No, no it can't end like that, it wouldn't! This wouldn't happen."

As the Twilight in the illusion was roped out of the sky and set ablaze, just like Sombra's mother, Other Twilight turned to the purple alicorn and asked her one simple question. "Why wouldn't it?"

"Because..."

The crowd around them materialized, becoming distinct ponies leering in hatred as into the center was dragged the smaller of the two little foals, held by none other than the mob leader.

"Do you honestly think that just running off and pretending that you two could simply start anew would be so simple? Sombra is still the evil tyrant who enslaved the Crystal Kingdom, and you're still the traitorous princess who turned her back on her country. So tell me, why would this not happen, why would it be any different?"

"Be-because.."

The mob leader held the terrified and sobbing foal aloft for all to see in one hoof, and in the other he held a wicked knife hungrily gleaming in the torchlight. Twilight wanted to look away, she knew what was about to happen and she could not bear the thought of watching it happen to her little foal, even if it really was only fictional. But there was nowhere else to look, all around her were ponies chanting for death to the demonspawn, cheering for a murder most bloody and heinous. They'd first called Sombra by that, when he was but a foal as well, and still he would be know as an actual demon for the evil he had wrought through the rest of his life. What really would keep ponies from coming full circle and calling his progeny the same, from treating them the same?"

"I ask you this again Twilight Sparkle, have ponies really changed all these years? Are they any different from these villagers who banded together to murder the outsiders in their midst, or the countless villagers that turned Sombra away with disgust afterwards while he remained enslaved to the cause of all his hatred and misery? Just look at Celestia, at your very own friends for proof! They did not stop, they did not listen to you, they merely decided Sombra's fate for him and were resolved to take his life in the righteous name of doing good by destroying evil. So answer me this! WHY WOULD THIS NOT HAPPEN TWILIGHT?"

The illusion surrounding them burst into pure black flames, tinted purple at the very tips, and was slowly ripped apart and consumed by the fire. When all had been cleared away and the fired burnt out from lack of anything left to consume, a lone purple alicorn stood upon a flat field of barren wood stretching off in all directions to infinity. This alicorn stood tall and strong, easily the same size as the Princess of the Night now. Jutting a full foot out from her skull was a slender horn, and her wings were as proportionally large and grandiose as those of the Princess of the Sun. Similarly, her mane and tail billowed with a magical wind all of their own, brighter and more vibrant in color than they had ever been before. Queen Twilight opened her lime green eyes that billowed with dark power, and spoke her answer.

"Because I will not allow it."
*****

The world is filled to the brim with thousands of different sounds, filling the air with the whispers of the wind and the song of life. From orchestras of beautiful music to the simple thrum of a river running through its bed, sound exists in variety as great as life itself. What few understand however, is that for every sound matches a particular kind of silence, and just like sound the silence can be comforting or fill you with dread. This is the silence that met Applejack and Rainbow Dash as they rushed into the only home they'd ever known.

The sun had risen a third of the way into the sky that morning, but it was only visible as a faint glow behind the clouds of ash choking the sky. White powder covered the ground several inches deep in all directions, and it muffled even their frantic galloping completely. So complete was the lack of sound that the blood pumping through their veins was a maddening drumbeat. A deceptively peaceful landscape, devoid of all but the two ponies becoming increasingly desperate for some sign of life as they approached the skeleton of town hall. Finally, from the clouds of ash emerged familiar figures consumed with quiet argument.

"What in Tartarus where you thinking not telling me Celestia? If I'd but known I..."

"If you'd but once asked, you would have been informed. This war is a year old and you haven't even shown yourself until today. But you are right, Luna and I could not have known for certain until now, but warning you of even the possibility could have saved many lives last night."

Discord wore an uncustomary frown, and reluctantly nodded his head in acceptance of the princess's words. He didn't like that it was just as much his fault as it was her's, but that didn't change the truth of the matter. Taking notice of Rainbow Dash and Applejack appearing out of the haze, Celestia continued, never letting her eyes waver from the scared pupils of her two precious subjects. "We must amend that mistake, but later. There is much that must be done here first, and once that is completed, we will inform you of all we know."

"Princess! We came as soon as we heard about the attack! Please, please tell me is mah family alright?" Applejack could be as stoic as a rock, and just as sturdy, but the fear in her eyes and the quaver in her voice betrayed the panic she was barely holding at bay. Rainbow meanwhile seemed simply dazed, constantly looking around for something recognizable of the home she'd left behind.

"Your family is in the hospital brave Applejack..." and as the mare took a sharp intake of breath, Celestia quickly curbed her terror with the rest of her sentence. "Worry not, they are being treated for very minor injuries, mainly first degree burns and smoke inhalation. They took no part in the battle that happened here last night." Applejack's sigh of relief was short-lived at best as Madam Mayor trotted up to them.

"Princess, the damage report you requested has been compiled. In total, forty-five ponies are either dead or MIA. Town Square and the surrounding quarter mile have suffered complete structural devastation, but that is nothing compared to our agricultural losses. 128 Zap-apple trees and 259 assorted apple trees are completely gone as if they were ripped from the ground, roots and all. From the nearby farms to Sweet Apple Acres a total of 2 acres of carrots, wheat, and oats are missing. All the rest has been burned to the ground, nearly 20 acres of food has been lost. From this data it would seem that Ponyville's agricultural wealth was the real target of the attack, and Twilight was merely the distraction to buy her forces enough time to loot what they could."

"They did what!?" First her home was converted to a war zone, her family was alive (thankfully) but not unscathed, and now everything that made Applejack who she was had been pilfered and destroyed by those heartless brigands? She was having a very bad day indeed, and it only got worse from there.

"Where are our friends? Twilight wouldn't just attack the town as a distraction, for her to have been here herself she must have been going after them, are they ok?"

The strained mask Celestia wore nearly cracked. "Loyal Rainbow Dash, I'm afraid to say that you're correct, the other element bearers were indeed her targets while within town. Thankfully, with the help of Discord, we've discovered the location of both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, and safely retrieved them. They'll be just fine."

"And Rarity...?"

Celestia took a deep breath, pulling from a reservoir of strength deep within to be able to maintain eye contact with the pegasus. "I'm so sorry my little pony, she used the last of her life force to teleport the other two to safety. Generous to the end, Rarity gave her life so that her friends could keep theirs."

Before, when entering Ponyville the silence of the desecrated landscape had been complete enough that the blood rushing through their veins had been a thunderously throbbing beat. Now, there was nothing but emptiness, hearts clenched tight in disbelief, a world standing still, a picture of time frozen upon a single frame where meager sunlight broke through to light upon two broken friends and a princess drooped under the weight of the world.
****

King Sombra slowly drifted into consciousness as the morning sun rose higher in the window. Arching his back, he stretched out all four limbs until a satisfying crack could be heard reverberating around the room. A wonderful rest for an equally wonderful night's work. Settling back into the comfort of his silken sheets, he turned over to face his still sleeping Queen. The morning light had caught her mane just right today, and each strand glimmered with beauty. In fact, her whole body seemed to be radiant with a heavenly glow, one that only made him love her all the more. Love, such a strange emotion to be feeling again, one that he'd long since thought forsaken him; yet here he was with the mare who had shown him it was still possible, and then given him a second impossibility, a family.

With a slow, deliberate stroke he ran his hoof from her muzzle all the way down her slender neck and back again before leaning in to kiss her on the forehead, just beneath the root of her horn. Then he nuzzled up close to her, letting his neck drape over hers, resting in the nook formed by her shoulders. This position gave him a perfect view of two sets of curious eyes, attached to two naughty little unicorns up far sooner than they should have been. Heads cocked to the side in perfect synchronization, they piped up together the same question. "Why are you squishing mommy?"

"With a coat this purple? I was hoping to get grape jelly" he deadpanned.

Thrilled by this idea, they eagerly volunteered their services. "Can we help!?"

"Hmmm, well I suppose you two can add that little bit of squish more that we need."

"Unless you want something very vital of yours to go 'squish' you'd better reconsider your answer honey." Came the muffled threat beneath him. Arching her head up to look over Sombra's mess of a mane, Twilight gave her foals a faux grumpy glare. "What are you two doing up this early?"

"Makin' gwape jelly!"

Twilight's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Shrieking with laughter, the fraternal twins scampered away to their room; quite pleased with themselves and the mischief they'd helped their daddy with.

Chuckling at his foals antics, Sombra dissolved his wife's stony indignation with a swift kiss and winning smile. "Good morning beautiful." He cooed. Trying her best to hold onto her indignation, and failing, she relented to his smile and punched him lightly in the rib cage for his impudence. "Good morning to you too troublemaker. Did the foals have fun last night? How did it go?"

"Even better than we'd hoped, though it was admittedly a tad disappointing that the zebras put up so little of a fight. They all live in what barely passes for semi-permanent tents or huts, we'd razed the capital in half an hour and spread far and wide across the plains from there with barely any resistance. Our fiery pet certainly enjoyed itself at least. What its sword and whip didn't incinerate, just being close enough to the beast was enough for all that dry grass to catch flame"

"And the foals?"

"They had a blast, Opal was quick to dispatch the zebra shamans that dared attack them. She even showed them the major weak spots that zebra and pony anatomy shared, much to their delight. You made an excellent choice in that one dearest."

"I'm glad to hear it, now how much damage do you estimate we did to the zebra territory?"

With a smug grin, Sombra puffed his chest out slightly in pride. "Near total. I took the liberty of enchanting the flames around us to be extra resilient to water and earth. Based on how far the flame had spread already before we left and how quickly it continued to do so, I estimate that not a single blade of grass was left untouched."

"Excellent, that's one less ally for Equestria. Let's check the Collector for results now that the world knows what we are capable of."

"Mmmm, but the bed is so comfortable this morning." Sombra stalled.

Twilight shook her head in exasperation and gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. "Come on, we've got a schedule to keep to." And with that she dissipated into a black shadow that whisked through the glass pane of their window."

Sombra simply sighed in defeat as he grinned to himself and followed her outside. The day that mare didn't adhere to her schedules and checklists would be the day Discord willingly watched paint dry, and enjoyed doing so. At the very tip of the castle spire, in the chamber that once hid the crystal heart during his previous rule, he met his Queen who was already running checks upon the floating prism of obsidian crystal there. Shaped like an oblong double pyramid, the giant octohedron thrummed with power. Invisible to all but the eyes of masters in the dark arts, threads of purple-green mist drifted through the open archways, connecting to the uppermost tip of the floating crystal.

"What are the fruits of our labor love?" Sombra inquired.

Without looking up from a checklist she'd procured from only she knew where, Twilight absentmindedly responded, "The Collector has received a 2000% increased input since last night, which is still slowly increasing. You were right, collecting the negative energy from the world is translating to a significant power source. The largest contributor is fear, at more than 80% of the total input and responsible for almost 50% of the dark magic generated. This level of intake means we could replace the crystal heart as a power source for our barriers within a few years. That, combined with the amount of agricultural gain we obtained from Ponyville, should ensure a smooth transition to the 2nd generation units and beyond."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure of that 'friend.' It would seem you've left a certain variable out of your calculations. Hhmmm?"

Twilight's eyes barely flicked away from her checklist long enough to register the messy amalgamation of taxidermist's spare parts lounging atop the Collector before she had resumed her work once more, not even deigning to acknowledge the draconequus's presence. Completely unfazed by Discord's sudden appearance, King Sombra stepped closer to the Collector and gave his surprise guest a polite nod.

"Welcome to our home Discord, we've been expecting you for quite some time now."

"Expecting me? Oh my and here I thought I'd have to worry for forgetting my manners and showing up unannounced." Replied Discord as he rolled out a spiraling red carpet for himself leading from where he perched upon the crystal down to the floor. Then, he promptly used the side of the Collector as a water slide instead, sending droplets of water splashing everywhere and gouging the side of the crystal as he slid down and off of it. Before his cloven hoof could even touch the floor, Twilight had already regathered the displaced matter and repaired the Collector all without looking up from her scroll.

"Oh no, not at all. Your allegiance with the princesses obviously puts us at conflict, and as our barrier can hardly stand up to a being capable of changing reality at a whim, we knew you would show up at one point or another. What we would wonder is why you've waited till now to grace our halls."

Discord chuckled humorously, a nasty gleam in his topaz eyes. "Oh you know very well what brought me here. She almost died last night but luckilyy managed to survive. I'm here to make sure luck has nothing to do with it next time."

Sombra grinned in return, flashing his impressive fangs to the Lord of Chaos. "And how exactly do you plan to do that? You're not exactly the type for diplomatic negotiations, are you my friend? Or perhaps you've come to kill us both and permanently end the threat to this special pony of yours? That'd be a refreshing change, you've never been willing to get your claws dirty with blood before."

Discord's grin disappeared, to be replaced by a snarl. "It just so happens there's a very persuading reason in front of me to change my ways."

"If that were the case..." Interrupted Twilight as she stood up and turned to the two of them, rolling up the finished scroll and tucking it away as she did so. "Then the only blood you'll get on your claws is that of Fluttershy's."

"Is that a threat friend?" Discord spat; as if the word was poison in his mouth when associated with her.

"A promise, dear Discord. You see we are well aware of the infinite ways you could interfere with our plans, or even directly oppose us in combat, and that is an inconvenience we'd rather avoid if possible." She continued, ever so slowly striding forward so that Discord was placed directly between her and her husband. "So we've taken appropriate precautions to persuade you to sit this war out."

Lifting her right fore-hoof, she turned it over to reveal a delicate butterfly carved out of the clearest of crystal. A soft pink light eminated from within, flickering like a heartbeat. "This artifact represents a spell I placed upon Fluttershy last night, what I hold here is a representation of her life force.If anything were to happen to it, I'm afraid dear Fluttershy would suffer from a very unfortunate cardiovascular arrest."

With a flash of light, Discord had taken the crystal into his lion's paw and was investigating it with a gem appraiser's monocle-sized magnifier. "Such exquisite craftponyship. Very high quality indeed, but the life source is copyrighted so I'm afraid my hands are tied, I'll have to confiscate this on behalf of the original owner." And with a touch from his claws it flew away towards the sun, reborn as a monarch butterfly.

With a look of exasperation, Twilight lifted her overturned hoof a hair higher and the butterfly crumbled to dust, reappearing as crystal in her grasp once again. "Pay attention Discord, I said this was merely a representation of the spell, a symbol, nothing more. You'd have to be able to strip me of all my power to break the spell from my grasp, and not even you are capable of that."

Discord harrumphed and crossed his arms in grumpy annoyance. "So you just conjure this pretty little trinket and expect me to cease all action against you simply because you claim that it could kill her? Hah! That's a pretty weak bluff if I do say so myself."

Nonchalantly, Twilight simply shrugged. "Well, if that's the way you feel then this holds no more value to me." With a slight tilt of her hoof, gravity greedily claimed the butterfly and sent it tumbling downwards. A mere moment before it struck the hard crystal floor and shattered into oblivion, reality restructured itself and instead it came to rest upon a soft bed of downy feathers. Silence reigned supreme as Discord avoided eye contact with either of the monarchs. Ultimately, he acquiesced, glaring directly into Twilight's eyes.

"Fine. But mark my words Twilight, I'll be watching." With a creak of old and rusty hinges, he pulled the front half of him open like a strangely carved door. Just before he could stomp through, Twilight stopped him with one final demand.

"Oh and Discord? I suggest keeping this a little secret between us. After all, if the Princesses were to find out, they'd be sure to do everything in their power to break the spell." In the pregnant pause that followed, she placed her hoof menacingly over the crystal butterfly for emphasis. "And if they were to do that, I'll save them the time and break it myself. Understood?" With a glare mighty enough that it set the pillar behind Twilight on fire - and cold enough to simultaneously freeze the flames - Discord stomped through the door he'd made of himself and slammed himself behind himself, disappearing from the Black Castle forever.

Sombra chuckled quietly. "What a fool, he's so used to his own near-limitless power that he couldn't recognize a spell like that would be completely impracticable. It'd require so much energy to maintain that it'd be noticed immediately by the princesses and just as quickly disrupted. I take it the present you left for the pink one is going to remain a secret though?"

"Of course" she replied, "After the first disruption last night I had to make sure that even if those two didn't die that they would at least serve my purposes in life. Already Fluttershy's life is proving its worth in keeping Discord at bay, now it only remains to be seen how long it will take before Pinkie too becomes useful."

Turning to look out upon his empire, King Sombra took a deep breath and filled his lungs with fresh oxygen and pride. From up here he could feel the power he held over his land, no, over the whole world. The Crystal Empire's every move was three steps ahead, and at this rate the world would be kneeling to his family before his foals had even fully grown. An evil grin stretched across his face, eagerly anticipating the feeling of their conquest. "One day these fools will realize that their resistance is absolutely futile in this game of ours we play; and then they will see that their only winning move is not to play at all."
****

With every thud the earth shook just enough to gently rock the amber liquid in their mugs. Late afternoon was slowly coming to a close over Ponyville, and it wouldn't be long until what remained of the town was lit with the orange glow of Celestia's sun. Under the guidance of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the town's cleanup had finished faster than you could say 'winter wrap-up'. Unable to join her old weather team in clearing the choking clouds of ash from the skies, Rainbow had instead attacked the piles of white powder upon the ground with a fervor unseen and unmatched by the rest of the town. The whole way, Applejack worked together side by side with Rainbow to clear the ground just like they would with snow. Having lost so much, friends and livelihood alike, everypony would have understood if they'd found the pair trying to take time for themselves to mourn and recover. Yet they were the first to begin working, and worked harder than two dozen ponies combined with narry a complaint between the either of them; and their spirit inspired new strength in the hearts of all who saw them.

Of all the tears that splashed to ground that day, not a drop had come from either. Not when they'd heard the news, not when they'd visited their friends and family in the hospital ward. Not even when cleanup reached the charred corpse of Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack walked the rows of charcoal husks with the solemn silence of a graveyard. Not even now would they cry, as Rainbow and Applejack listened to the rhythm of hooves marching the eighth funeral procession that day. It wouldn't be long now till their wait was over, and they would need to take their place in the final funeral. Rarity's.

Two friends, two mugs of vintage apple cider clenched tightly between two sets of hooves and yet still untouched.

"What are we even doing here Aj?" Rainbow's voice was hushed and gruff, like lead weighed upon her vocal chords, making every word a struggle to push out.

Applejack didn't look up from her reflection in the cider, the foamy bubbles long since dispersed. "I think the idea was tah drown our troubles in alcohol soes we can stomach our way through this day."

"Not here here." Rainbow choked out, "It was us who enlisted to defend Equestria, us who are supposed to put our lives on the line to keep them safe." Her voice continued to crescendo, until Rainbow's mug crashed violently into the wall where it was thrown. Rainbow buried her head beneath her fore-legs and clenched her muscles, trying to keep it together. "It should be us getting put six feet under, not them, not Rarity.

Applejack stayed silent for a long time, still staring into her mug, looking for an answer, a reason, for anything and nothing at all. "I know Sugarcube. She didn't deserve this, none o' them did. It aint fair, and it aint right."

The soft clang of a bell rang through the empty tavern as another pony entered through the front. "H...hey girls."

Both AJ and RD looked up to find Pinkie standing there awkwardly, hair straight, limp, and lifeless. "Hey there Pinkie, care to join us?" Offered AJ.

She shook her head sadly. "Sorry, I just came to tell you that the ceremony is about to begin, Fluttershy's already there and... and I"

Fresh tears budded in her eyes as gentle sobs interrupted her. Without hesitation, she was pulled into a tight embrace by the ex-apple-orchard caretaker and the one-winged pegasus. Her friends continued to hold her close until the pain and the tears had subsided enough for her to talk. "I...I don't know what to do anymore. It hurts so much and when I'm not hurting I just feel so numb. What's there to laugh about in this? H...How am I supposed to feel happy ever again when...when, when Rarity was."

A blue hoof gently stopped her endless stream of words. Rainbows eyes looked straight into her friend's, recognizing exactly what she found there. She'd felt the same when she'd lost her wing. She was so lost and confused, and in so much agony. "It never get's better Pinkie, no matter what they say it never does get better. But life moves on, and slowly with time, you'll start to feel something other than the pain. Even in your darkest days, somewhere there is a light just waiting for you to notice it, just waiting to be cherished."

Pinkie sniffled and nodded in understanding. Now it was AJ's turn to pitch in. "And on a day like today, I know just the kind of thing we need, and its something only you can do Pinkie. Once we've laid Rarity to rest, let's throw her a great big farewell party. You remember how much she loved your parties, I think she'd really appreciate us throwing one special just for her, for all the memories and good times we had together. Think you can do that for her Sugarcube?"

A ghost of a smile touched Pinkie's lips, turning those corners upwards ever so slightly. With one last sniffle and a hoof rubbing away the last tears from her eyes, she gave a somewhat happy nod. "Yeah girls,  I think I can manage that. For Rarity." As the trio stood up to go join the others for Rarity's final moments above ground, Pinkie's last words echoed throughout AJ's heart.

"For Rarity."
****

On a hilltop just outside of Ponyville stood Equestria's greatest monarch. This would be the location for the final grave today, hoof-picked for it's view overlooking the rest of the town and the single weeping willow that crowned its peak. Here would be Rarity's final resting place. As she watched, a long black column emerged from the edge of the town, ponies by the hundreds wrapped in the black of mourning, cuing Celestia to nudge the sun a little closer to the horizon. She could not do much for the brave unicorn, but she could at least give Rarity the most spectacular sunset Equestria had seen come the finish of the ceremony.

Leading the procession by 20 feet was none other than Lulu herself, meticulously marching in her full battle regalia; a gleaming platinum star heralding a fallen hero. Next was what Celestia presumed to be Rarity's immediate family, a mare and a colt leaning into each other for support as they walked, and beside them a tiny unicorn filly with her head held high and lip firmly bit to prevent trembling. Behind them came a team of four stone faced ponies whom Celestia immediately recognized. In front and to her right was Applejack, adorned by a special black stetson and wearing a crisp black tuxedo. To Applejack's right walked Rainbow Dash, wearing a perfectly matching tuxedo to Applejack's and her one wing flared out slightly to balance out the weight upon her other shoulder. Behind them Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy wore simple black dresses, clearly mustering all their strength to keep putting one hoof in front of the other and help carry the precious cargo the four bore upon their shoulders.

With one corner placed firmly upon the shoulder of each of her closest friends, Rarity's coffin was a masterpiece of hoof-carved and polished mahogony. All along the bottom edge lay sculpted roses tied together by leafy vines, and on both the head and foot of the coffin  lay Rarity's cutie mark of three resplendent diamonds. As was traditional, the lid had been left off until she would be placed within her grave, so from her vantage point Celestia could clearly see into the cask itself. Rarity had been dressed in the very dress she'd worn to the Grand Galloping Galla, golden tiara and all, as beautiful as a princess lying there in the pure white silken cushions.

Behind them came the heartbreaking sight of young Spike who wore nothing but his grief, towing a small wagon bent under the weight of her gravestone. The young drake had spent the entire day creating it from a slab of marble, refusing to let anypony else touch it or otherwise aid him. It was painstakingly inscribed with letters of gold, and set with the very heart shaped fire-ruby he'd given her years ago. It had been a simple matter to imbibe the gravestone with a perpetual existence spell so that not thieves nor weather nor the crumbling touch of time would ever dim the beauty of his final toil of love.

The rest of the procession was made up of the remaining of Ponyville's citizens, a long column averaging five ponies wide. By the time Luna had reached her sister's side the last few stragglers were just leaving Ponyville's outer edge.The four remaining element bearers carefully lowered Rarity's coffin to the ground, perfectly lined up to the pre-dug grave and placed on the opposite side of Celestia from Princess Luna. It was time to give her address.

"Citizens of Ponyville, I thank you all for gathering here this evening to pay respects to a very special unicorn. Throughout my centuries of sovereignty in Equestria, I can honestly say that Rarity was truly a one-in-a-million kind of pony. Creative, visionary, and a lady before all else, she has time and time again put her life on the line to save our kingdom from destruction. She helped return my sister to me, stopped Discord's rampage, ensured the safe return of the Crystal Kingdom, and even helped reform Discord himself with the magic of friendship. Despite all of this, still Rarity remained humble, in her own special way, sticking true to her roots in Ponyville. That isn't to say she didn't have her faults, nopony is perfect. Vanity was a word that never strayed far from the minds of those thinking of her. What made Rarity so special however, is that these faults did not define her, did not hold her back. Instead she drew strength from her friends, and their love for her, and in doing so remained the most generous pony I have ever had the pleasure to know, right down to the end."

Bowing her head in respect towards the open casket, Celestia stepped back so that Luna could finish the commemoration.

"Equestria has lost more than an element bearer. We have lost a hero, a role model, and as I understand it a truly gifted seamstress. As we lay her to rest this day, I ask you all to open your hearts, and let your memories of Miss Rarity fill them. Remember her, not as the Element of Generosity now gone, but as the pony who lives on now within us all. A friend, a sister, and a daughter. May she find only happiness in the realms beyond, and may she rest in piece for all eternity knowing that she is loved."

With a bow of respect at the open casket, Luna lit her horn with power and gently, slowly, lowered the lid into place as Celestia took the gravestone and placed it firmly in the earth at the head of the grave. Together, they levitated Rarity into the ground and four friends took shovels in hoof to fill the hole back in with the piles of rich soil on either side. Soon the thump of earth falling upon mahogany formed a melancholy rhythm as Sweetie Belle stepped forth and sang her sister's eulogy.

"There once was a sea of sadness,
Silent and blue and alone
For when the day made way for darkness
Full and bright the moon shone.
Pure and brilliant she sparkled
A sight everypony adored
While the sea would watch on in envy
Reflecting a meager white clone.

Oh why did you have to leave me
My sister why couldn't you stay?
As you lay beneath your willow tree,
Hear my final 'I love you' I pray.

All through the night, the sea would sigh
Afraid mere reflection its fate
As far out of reach danced the moonlight
With nary a negative trait.
Thus when the moon reached far below
To pull the sea into its dance
The sea rebelled and retracted
Resolved to break free from its might.

Oh why did you have to leave me
My sister why couldn't you stay?
As you lay beneath your willow tree,
Hear my final 'I love you' I pray."

As the young filly sang, she could not keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks, nor could she keep the waiver from her voice each time she struck the chorus. Celestia watched with the deepest of empathy as brave Sweetie Belle forged onward, despite the agony of her happy memories.

She sang of how the moon and the sea fought back and forth, pushing and pulling for many years, neither relenting to the other. One day, the wind swept across the water and up into the sky, guiding both to look upon the beaches so that they could see the consequences of their tug of war. To their surprise, pools of life had formed, and new creatures had adapted to the rhythm of the sea's ebb and flow. It was then that the sea realized that despite it's jealousy of the Moon's seeming flawlessness, neither of the two could have created a new place for life like this, not on their own. It had only been through their push and pull with one another that the beauty of new life had been created.

She had come so far, but now, as she sang the final chorus Sweetie Belle broke down and wept halfway through; unable to continue past "My sister why couldn't you stay?" All around the little filly heads drooped in mourning and the shovels stopped their grave task. Rainbow had to look away, wiping furiously at water that had finally broken past the levies of her eyes and now flowed freely in streams down her face. Applejack had to pull the black stetson down over her face in an attempt to hide the same flood as Rainbow, biting her lower lip in anguish. The silence was heavy and oppressive, made worse by Sweetie Belle's sobs.

This would not be how the day ended however. From the crowd crept two more fillies; an earth pony with an over-sized black bow tied into her slightly-singed red hair, and an orange pegasus with a violet mane. Together they helped Sweetie Belle to stand again, smiling and embracing her before letting go and supporting the unicorn filly from either side. In harmony, their three voices lifted together to finish her song.

"Oh why did you have to leave me
My sister why couldn't you stay?
As you lay beneath your willow tree,
Hear my final 'I love you' I pray.

The moon, a powerful beauty
The sea, life's watery home
Each was a wonderous being
Each with their own path to roam.
Yet together their special connection
Made a single, mightier soul

Two parts, of one greater whole."

As the final notes of their song crescendoed, the setting sun clothed Rarity's grave in a halo of golden light, and in that single moment. That one magnificent span of time where the universe paused for breath, hundreds of ponies stood united with small smiles; hearts lightened by the sight of the trio of fillies banded together to turn a solemn ceremony into something beautiful instead. Sweetie Belle stood staring up into the boughs of willow tree, the ache in her soul salved by the love of her friends nearby, and a happy tear upon her eye that her sister had gotten a royal farewell that even she would approve of.

In that brief moment, two new lights, small and almost unnoticeable joined the sun's rays. Upon the grave, the fire-ruby glowed as warmly as a welcoming smile, and with the shimmer of magic a mark appeared upon the flanks of the unicorn filly. It was a tri-color swirl of violet, emerald, and sunset orange superimposed by a single note the fairest shade of sky blue.

"Goodbye big sis, I'll miss you."