Higher

by sentinel28a

Farewell to a Friend

It was a good funeral, Twilight Sparkle reflected, as funerals went. She admitted she didn’t have much to relate it to.

Certainly there was quite a turnout. Rainbow Dash left no will (which seemed rather typical of her, Twilight thought; Twilight had her will in a safe in Canterlot, annotated by possession, who it was to go to, and in what quantity), so no one had any idea if Dash would’ve preferred a private ceremony or a public one. It was Fluttershy who made the decision: as she pointed out, Rainbow Dash was a heroine to all of Equestria, and therefore it wouldn’t be fair for it not to be public. All of Ponyville and a good portion of Canterlot was there.

Twilight wasn’t sure what to expect; what few funerals she had been to, she had been just a filly at the time. It was set up in a field, not too far from Dash’s cloud-home, under the open sky. An expected thunderstorm was cleared away by the pegasi. A bier was set up next to a podium where the eulogies would be said. Though Twilight knew that Rainbow likely wouldn’t have liked long speeches, there were so many who wanted to say something that finally Princess Celestia herself had stepped in, limiting it to the Elements of Harmony.

Rainbow Dash’s body lay in a casket on a bier, the casket half-covered in the flag of Equestria; per Spitfire's request, Celestia decreed that Dash would be given the full military honors that she would have wanted. Rarity had done well by her friend: Dash was dressed in a tailored Wonderbolts uniform, with a shimmersilk cape and the golden wreath she had worn to the Grand Galloping Gala. For the first, last and only time in her life, Rainbow Dash was a full-fledged Wonderbolt.

Twilight was unsure of what to do. Fluttershy took one look and fled in tears. Rarity was maintaining her composure, but her puffy eyes showed that the act of dressing her friend’s body had taken much out of her. Applejack had stood vigil over her friend since dawn, dressed in her best, her hat respectfully left behind at Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie Pie walked up to the casket, reached out, smoothed Dash’s mane, smiled a smile that could break anypony’s heart, and whispered something in Dash’s ear. Then she walked back into the audience to comfort Fluttershy. Aside from stoic Applejack, Twilight was alone with her friend.

“Well,” Twilight said. She didn't know what to say. Rainbow Dash was dead; her friend would never respond. Looking down at her, Twilight was tempted to yell at Dash to wake up. The mortician had done a wonderful job in his preserving magic; Rainbow Dash could lay out in the open for years and never deteriorate. Of course that would not happen, as pegasi cremated their dead and mixed it with the rainbows to honor them. Twilight knew her mind was trying to lose itself in details, her standard defense mechanism when she did not want to confront something. Disgusted, Twilight forced herself to look directly at Dash’s face.

There was nothing scary or gross about it. Rainbow Dash looked like she was asleep. In sleepovers and such, Twilight had noted that Dash tended to sleep with half a smile, a smug expression that hinted towards Dash’s prankish disposition. That smile was there, as if Dash was about to open her eyes and stick her tongue out or something. She was so alive that Twilight impulsively reached out and touched her friend’s brow with a hoof. She drew it back as if stung: Rainbow Dash was as cold as the snows above Canterlot. It so unnerved her that she left the bier and walked back into the crowd. Distracted, Twilight wasn’t watching where she was going, and collided with somepony…that was not a pony at all.

“Gilda?” Twilight was stunned to see the griffin standing there.

“Twilight Sparkle.” The voice was as haughty as ever, though tinged with sorrow.

“Um, hello. Thank you for coming.” Twilight remembered her manners.

“Thank you for having me.” Gilda looked uncertain for a moment. It had been almost three years since they had seen her last, and the parting was not on good terms. Gilda obviously realized it as well. “Twilight Sparkle, I know what happened the last time I was in Ponyville was…not a good thing.” She looked pointedly at Pinkie Pie and scowled; for her part, Pinkie was ignoring the griffin. “Still, Rainbow Dash was my friend in flight school. I never…I could never really hate her. When I heard what had happened, I…” Gilda faltered, and Twilight was surprised to see tears in her eyes. “She was my friend too.”

Twilight reached out and touched her clawed forefoot. “Of course she was, Gilda. You’re welcome here.”

“That I doubt…but thank you nonetheless.” Gilda moved off to sit on the periphery of the crowd. Applejack spared the griffin a withering look, but said nothing. There were other former enemies here: Princess Luna, trying to fight down yawns and looking as if she could use several days’ sleep, was in conversation with Rarity. Discord also sat on the periphery, never far from Fluttershy. Everyone else avoided him, out of equal parts fear and hatred; even Celestia, Twilight had noticed, started at the sight of him. It was at Fluttershy’s insistence that Discord be allowed to attend. For his part, Discord admitted that he regarded Rainbow Dash as a worthy adversary, and it was the least he could do to honor that. Twilight’s gaze fell on Trixie, sitting towards the front. Trixie gave her a nod and a smile, her magician’s hat placed respectfully next to her. Twilight nodded back, returning the smile. She was as wary of the other unicorn as Celestia was of Discord, but she would not dishonor Dash by being cross with the charlatan magician.

You could at least magically throw her cape over her face.

Rainbow Dash’s voice was so real that Twilight whirled around to face the bier, half-expecting to see her friend get up and point. It was all a prank, and you fell for it! She could hear Dash’s raucous laughter so clearly. Twilight smiled, and sighed. If only it was true.

The briefest of wind chimes sounded, clearly across the glen. Twilight took her position in the front row, where the other Elements and Dash’s family sat. Dash’s mother had passed away years ago; Rainbow almost never spoke of her. Her father Bifrost was there, scarred and sitting at attention, every inch the former Royal Equestrian Air Force captain that he was. Twilight had met Bifrost on several occasions. He was a tough pony, but one that was clearly proud of his daughter, and it was obvious that Dash worshiped the clouds her father flew through.

The ceremony passed in something of a blur; Twilight was so bothered by the voice she had heard that she could not focus on much else. Celestia said a few words, praising Rainbow Dash’s bravery, and to Twilight’s surprise, mentioned the near-disaster of the last Grand Galloping Gala. It brought a needed laugh, which was what Celestia intended. Pinkie took the podium next, and talked for nearly ten minutes, all of it funny: the Element of Laughter lived up to her name. Twilight knew Pinkie would do that, and knew Rainbow would approve. Hey, it’s okay, she heard that voice again. I don’t want anyone to cry. Have some fun, dammit! I would!

Rarity declined to speak, not trusting herself. Fluttershy tried, but broke down three sentences into her eulogy. When Applejack started forward, however, Fluttershy waved her off, set a determined look on her face, and finished what she had to say without further interruption. It was a poem she had written, a beautiful one about friends and the sky and fun and the freedom of flight, and by the time it was over, there was not a dry eye in the glen. Bifrost’s lip was trembling as he bit it to keep from weeping. Twilight noticed Glida crying unashamedly out of the corner of one eye, and tears were running down Celestia’s muzzle. Even Discord dabbed at his eyes, then looked around quickly to see if anypony noticed.

And yet Twilight still could not find it in herself to cry. No one noticed, but she was the only one who was not.

Next it was Applejack’s turn. Twilight saw Applejack look at a group of note cards she had stuffed down the front of her gown, then leave them behind. Her speech was halting at first, as Applejack searched for the right words, but she warmed to her subject and brought the crowd up again. Tears dried and there were muffled chuckles, then outright laughter as Applejack related a story about how Dash had tried to buck apples through wingpower. Twilight laughed too; she remembered that, and it had ended in Rainbow Dash being covered in supersonically smashed applesauce.

Then it was Twilight. Learning her lesson, Twilight had left behind a stack of index cards at the library; instead, she had practiced with Spike for hours. The little dragon, acting as an usher, gave her a thumbs-up as she mounted the podium. Spike was holding it together: though his eyes were moist, he was determined to be there for his friends.

To her horror, as Twilight stood in front of the huge crowd, every word she had practiced vanished from her brain. Her mouth opened and nothing came out. Near-panic seized her. She saw Celestia’s head come up, curious as to why her favorite student was not speaking, and Twilight’s heart hammered in fear.

Then, as if Rainbow Dash was at her side, she heard that sardonic voice again: C’mon, Twi. You got this. Her mind instantly cleared. Twilight smiled, and began to speak.

“Sorry. Just had to gather my thoughts.” A nod of reassurance from Celestia. “Today, we say goodbye to our friend Rainbow Dash. But is it really goodbye?” Twilight shook her head. “No, I’m not getting into theology. I’m talking about memories. She will live forever in those.

“You’ve watched us stand here and speak about our friend. I can’t add anything to what Pinkie, or Fluttershy, or Applejack have said. It’s all there. And as much as I would like to be eloquent, Rainbow would insist on…” Twilight chuckled. “Actually, she’d say, ‘You egghead, don’t bore them to death.’” Abruptly, Twilight realized what she had said, but it was exactly like something Dash would say. The crowd laughed. “So I won’t.

“We’re all going to miss Rainbow Dash. Dashie lived her life at full throttle, not wasting a second of it. If she seemed like she slept a lot, it was because she was always moving so fast—making sure that Ponyville had sunshine or rain when we needed it. It was her job, and she was proud of it. She boasted to me that she could clear the sky in ten seconds flat. Well, she lied—Rainbow never knew this, but I timed her that first day. She did it in nine seconds.

“That’s what I’ll remember about Dashie to the end of my life. I was new in Ponyville. She reached out a hoof in friendship, even if she did cover me in mud and then almost drown me in rain to clear it off. Sure, Dashie could be arrogant. She carried some of her pranks too far. But she never meant it. Dashie didn’t wear her emotions on her flank, but she loved all of us. How many of us owe our lives to her? Many. Maybe even all of us. I know I do, on several occasions.”

Twilight knew she could talk for hours, but also knew that this was not about her. “I have so many things I want to say, but Rainbow would want me to keep it short. So I will. Scootaloo told me the other day that Rainbow Dash died doing the thing she loved. I hope that, when my time comes, I can say the same thing.

“I leave you with this: Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty, but in my book—and I have many…” Twilight paused for the brief laughter “…Rainbow was also the Element of Courage. We should not mourn that Rainbow Dash died. We should be thankful that she lived.”

Twilight trotted off the stage. There was silence in the crowd for a few moments. Then she heard the thumping of hooves. It was Trixie. Gradually others joined in, then the entire crowd cheered and the ground shook with their hooves. Discord, Gilda and Spike contributed with clapping. They were not cheering Twilight Sparkle; they were saluting Rainbow Dash. They were cheering her, celebrating a pony’s life in a roar of approval that, no matter where she was now, Dash had to have heard.

And deep down, Twilight Sparkle knew that she did hear. Ya did good, Egghead, the voice said, and Twilight added her own cheers.

Celestia quieted the crowd and concluded the ceremony. She then nodded to Shining Armor, who had made the journey from the Crystal Empire. He called the guards to attention: there were six of them, one for each one of the Elements of Harmony, all pegasi. Half were dressed in the gray armor of Luna’s Nightwatch; the other wore the golden armor of the Royal Guards of Celestia. With their teeth, they drew off the flag, then, at the softly-barked orders of Shining Armor, folded it with precision. Once it was done, it was given to Armor. He pivoted in silence, making one quarter turn every two seconds. When he faced the crowd, flag balanced on one hoof, he set it down atop Scootaloo’s back and head. Even folded, it was bigger than the filly, but Scootaloo—who wore an immaculate red cape with the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ logo stitched on it—solemnly walked forward. She knelt before Bifrost. Her voice was tiny and quiet, but it carried nonetheless over the crowd. “On behalf of a grateful nation and the Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight Sparkle, I present you this flag in honor of your daughter’s service. She will always be honored amongst us and remembered.”

Bifrost nodded. He took the flag in one hoof. Slowly, the guards, Shining Armor, and Scootaloo rendered a salute. A single tear drifted down his cheek, but he returned the salute. At that moment, with a roar, the Wonderbolts arrived.

There were four of them, spread out in a formation that reminded Twilight Sparkle of the human world, and a spread hand. Spitfire was in the lead, Misty Fly to her right, with Soarin to her left. On the end, in the fourth position, was Derpy Hooves; because of operational requirements of the service, Spitfire was only able to bring three Wonderbolts, and needed a fourth. Derpy had volunteered, much to the consternation of Ponyville, who worried that the walleyed pegasus wouldn’t be able to fly straight, but there she was, holding position and keeping up with the faster pegasi. As they passed over at a thousand feet, Soarin abruptly shot upwards, climbing out of sight.

Without warning, Twilight Sparkle began to cry.

She didn’t know why. It didn’t make any sense. The missing pony formation was something the Wonderbolts did on occasion, to honor the military dead of Equestria’s history; it wasn’t even the first time Twilight had seen it. Twilight had asked Celestia when the princess had arrived earlier why she was not crying when everyone else could barely keep from doing anything else. Celestia had replied that everyone mourns in their own way—which was expected—and that Twilight would cry, when the time was right.

She had not said that it would be so unexpected.

As if a dam was breaking, Twilight’s tears flooded from her eyes. No one could hear her sobs over the roar of the Wonderbolts’ passing, and no one was paying attention to her, all eyes on Soarin living up to his name. Twilight struggled, but there was no stopping it now. It was all she could do to keep her hooves.

Spike was the first to notice. He tugged on Fluttershy’s wing, who gasped. That got Rarity and Applejack’s attention, and Applejack gently but firmly kicked Pinkie. They all saw Twilight then, her flanks heaving as she sobbed. “I’m…I’m so sorry…” she forced out. “I don’t know…”

“Ah, sugarcube,” Applejack remarked, and they gathered around her. They touched hooves, withers, wings. Twilight felt the love and magic of their friendship, and it helped, but the tears continued to flow. “I’m trying…trying to be strong,” she whimpered pitifully, “for Dashie…I just…I don’t know…I don’t know anymore…”

“You don’t have to be strong for us right now,” Rarity said. “Let us be strong for you.”

Author's Note:

So much for updating sooner. Sadly, job requirements got in the way of getting this out sooner, and it took me at least another day and a rewrite before this chapter satisfied me. (Originally it was going to be told in flashback from Twilight's POV, but it didn't read as well.) I hope it was worth the wait.

Not much has been said of the Mane Six's parents, other than Twilight's (and even then, mostly in the IDW comics); it's fancanon that Applejack's parents are dead. We did see one of Dash's parents in the Equestrian Games episode, so I made two assumptions: that it was Dash's father, and that her father was a REAF veteran. We all try to follow in our father's footsteps, unconsciously or not, so it made sense that Rainbow Dash's love of the Wonderbolts was because of looking up to her dad. Somewhere it was mentioned that her dad's name was Bifrost, so I went with that.

One more chapter after this, an epilogue. No promises, but I'll try to get it out sooner...

Comments

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

Wonderful chapter; you really know how to make a gal break down and bawl, don't you? Well, you did me, but only someone with absolutely no heart or feelings whatsoever wouldn't have been deeply touched by this.

And I feel that I have to make one comment about AJ's parents being dead being only fancanon. I know that Lauren Faust isn't connected to the series anymore, but I believe that she said recently in one of her FAQs that, to her mind, them being dead is canon, and that the two shooting stars at the beginning and end of Season 3's Apple Family Reunion ep is a tribute to them.

[Seether00]

[BBkat]

Somewhere it was mentioned that her dad's name was Bifrost, so I went with that.

Really? Must have been in like the comics or something, I'm sure I'd remember hearing a name like that in the show. Tis a cool name though(big ol' rainbow bridge from Norse mythology).
I thought it was a fanmade name till I got to the author comments.

[Valhuir]

For those who have ever seen it, the USAF performing the Missing Man formation is, and always will be, incredibly moving, despite simply being a flyby variation. It's not the act, it's what it represents, and it's suddenly hitting Twilight. She'll never be able to watch it again without crying, based on myself and others who have experienced a funeral with one.

[Darksonickiller]

No we don't all try to follow in our father's footsteps because I never got to meet my father he left before I was born I don't even what he looks like all I know is his name.........anywho oh the feels nice chapter.

[sentinel28a]

3784235 You're absolutely right. I based it on personal experience.