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Goodbye

The bat pony lieutenant had only managed to get Rarity to the castle steps when she lost her legs beneath her. He was forced to huddle with her on the steps as she sobbed bitterly.

“Ma’am, you’ve been granted a pardon.” He said softly, thinking that perhaps she had not understood the sentence handed down to her in the manner in which it had been handed down. Unfortunately, his words did not stem her sobbing, in fact, she wrapped her forelegs around his neck and hugged him close, weeping into his shoulder. The bat pony didn’t know what to do, such displays of emotion were near unheard of among bat ponies.

The two of them sat there long enough for one of the night watch carriages to be brought around before Rarity ran out of tears to cry and finally regained her composure.

“Thank you…” she murmured in a voice hoarse from all the crying, “It’s been decades since I had a good cry.” The lieutenant nodded and nothing more was said as he helped her into the carriage. He sat next to her as the other bat ponies, harnessed to the carriage, took off, and they left Canterlot behind.

The flight went quietly once Rarity has explained where they were to land. Rarity looked at the floor of the carriage with that unfocused stare and for the most part did not move while the lieutenant looked over at her time and time again, but kept his silence as long as she was going to keep hers. Luckily the flight was mercifully short from high in Canterlot down to a small hill just outside of Ponyville dotted with a few gravestones.

Rarity was jostled out of her trance-like state when the wheels touched down. It was still morning yet, and the grass shimmered with dew as she stepped down onto it gingerly.

The feel of grass beneath her hoof, she had almost forgotten it.

“Lieutenant, I understand if you have to watch me. All I ask is that you do it from the carriage, I’ll be close enough for you to see.” Rarity said as she situated herself on the ground. The bat pony nodded, but Rarity had already began to walk towards the stones.

This little graveyard had not existed when she had been arrested, but she had seen it so many times in the magic of her prison that she found where she was going with hardly an awkward glance. She found the one she was looking for easily enough, it was one of the two tombstones that faced out from the hill, towards Ponyville, rather than the other way around, it had been one of the first to be placed here.

The first tombstone read.

Sweetie Belle
Loving Wife
Loving Mother
‘Sorry Button, I ran out of Lives’

Rarity’s vision went blurry with new tears she was just barely able to hold back. She looked at the tombstone next to Sweetie's and had a small laugh.

Button Mash
Loving Husband
Loving Father
‘It’s okay Sweetie, I did too’

Rarity turned back to her sister’s grave with a small, melancholy smile playing on her lips, “Good morning Sweetie Belle…” She started, her voice cracking as she tried her hardest to maintain her composure as tears began to stream down her cheeks again.

“You don’t know who I am, but I know who you are. I could never forget a sister like you. You grew up to be such a lady, I was… I am so proud of you.” Rarity’s words were broken by a hard sniffle, and she was forced to look up at the sky and calm herself before she could look at the tombstone again and continue, “I won’t waste our time with wishes. I just wanted you to know…. You have a sister, and she loves you very much. I wanted you to know, I was watching you, every day. I laughed with you when button proposed. I was excited with you when you got the news. I cried happy tears with you when she was born, and wept with you when she…”

“I cheered for you every time you went on stage. I… I…” words failed her as she dropped her head and lifted her hoof to place it gently over Sweetie Bell’s engraved name, “I love you so much Sweetie. I want you to know, the answer to that question you would ask yourself all the time. It’s yes. You were a wonderful mare; you were a great wife, and a perfect mother. You made everyone around you so very, very happy; even the sister you didn’t know you had.”

Rarity took in slow, wavering breaths as she tried to be strong. It was the last time she would ever see Sweetie, and she couldn’t break down! Not now.

A hoof touched Rarity’s shoulder. She hadn’t even heard the lieutenant approach, “I’m sorry miss, I would grant you all the time you need, but the princess ordered only fifteen minutes.” He said as softly as he could. She nodded as she took her hoof back, kissed it, and placed it back on Sweetie’s name.

“Goodbye.” She whispered before she got to her hooves and followed the bat pony back to the carriage.

They were quickly climbing back into the air and Rarity looked over the side, watching that tranquil little hillside until it was completely out of sight.

“I hope it was enough time.” The Lieutenant offered as Rarity sat back down inside the carriage and her eyes fell back to the floor once again.

Rarity didn’t answer. Of course it wasn’t enough time, but it wasn’t his fault, the time she needed, the time Sweetie needed, had passed years ago, and back then Rarity was nothing but a cold statue in the dark.

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