Winter’s Howl
Chapter 22: Mournful Cries
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Snowstorm bowed his head, water dripping off the ends of his soaking wet mane. His quiet tears were masked by the falling rain and water from his coat. He closed his eyes tightly, tears continuing to drip from his muzzle as his father’s casket passed his stance. Snowstorm felt a gentle wing drape over his side. Opening his eyes, he turned to see Rainbow’s, filled with tears and sympathy of her own. Snowstorm leaned his head against Rainbow’s, using her support to challenge the mental and physical exhaustion that weighed down his heart and body. As the casket finished it’s silent, solemn march, it was set down upon the soaking grass of the Ponyville graveyard.
A kindly old mare, the one who had helped Snowstorm purchase his home stood upon a small platform and began to speak.
“Friends, family, citizens and guests, we are gathered here to honor and mourn the passing of a truly great stallion. Sea H. Mist, a loving husband, father, and protector of his family has found his place amongst the truly great hero’s of Equestria, in our princesses’ immortal palace.”
Snowstorm listened as he sat, silent in personal mourning.
“When ponies of such stature must fall by the hoof of those so diabolical, we doubt the true sprit of what makes this land great and bring with it only more anger.”
Snowstorm felt anger at the mere hint of Shadowstorm at such an honorable pony’s funeral, but continued to listen.
“But we must remember that rage cannot win our hearts! While our desire for justice and the writing of wrongs may burn as what is right in our minds, this will only fuel the blizzard of our land’s history. An eye for an eye makes all of Equestria blind, my little ponies. I ask that you remember this, and focus your thoughts to the great things this stallion has accomplished in his life, not the heinous acts of others which removed him from it.”
Snowstorm listened intensely now, clinging on the words of the mayor as she spoke.
“Remember him as he lived, neigh as he passed.”
Snowstorm thought back to all of the things Sea Mist had done for his family, providing a home, food, clothes and love when he received nothing in return. He had lived a truly remarkable life, and accomplished much, but it was still not his time to go.
Scootaloo leaned against Snowstorm, less emotional.
“I…I didn’t know Dad all that well…do you think you could tell me more about him? Where did he grow up?”
Snowstorm sighed and looked at his sister, “He did a lot of great things, too much to tell you about here. We can talk about him later…but I would like to say a few words. Will you come with me?”
Scootaloo nodded as the two approached the stand from which the mayor spoke, stepping up to face the small crowd of ponies before them.
“Hello everypony…Sea Mist was a truly great stallion, and I am proud to call him my father. He lived an incredible life, overcoming hardships such as poverty, illness, and raising me,”
The crowd gave a small chuckle.
“I have no words which can describe how grateful I am for what he did for me, and knowing that within a heartbeat, he’d do it all again for my little sister here, makes me even more astounded at his generosity. A piece of him will always live within those who he has touched, and he will never be forgotten.”
Snowstorm stepped down, allowing Scootaloo to face the crowd.
“Um…Hi, everypony…um, I haven’t ever spoken at anything like this, and I don’t really know any of you who aren’t from Ponyville, but…I only knew Sea Mist for a short time, yet in that time he effected me more than any other father figure I had…he took me into his home at the drop of a hat, and never gave it a second thought. I wish he would have been with us to watch me grow up, but I know that from Celestia’s eternal palace, he will watch, and be within my heart to help me grow. I loved my dad, and I know that he now rests in peace.
The entire crowd of ponies was now in tears at hearing such touching words from a mere filly. Icicle sobbed louder than the rest, half from grief, half from the pride she now felt in her children.
Scootaloo stepped down, an uplifting feeling as she felt the words which weighed down her heart be released into the crowd before her. She saw Rainbow standing in the crowd, smiling, tears brewing in her eyes.
A machine was hooked to Sea Mists coffin, raising it above the ground before hovering it above his grave. The rosewood casket was slowly lowered into the earth, and eventually came to a rest against the bottom of the grave. Ponies surrounded the opening in the ground an began to toss in flowers, showering the casket in a beautiful display of bright colors to contrast the black they all wore. As the coffin became buried in the colorful shower, earth began to fall in around the coffin. Finally the vivid life of the flower’s petals was buried amongst the cold, dark soil.
Snowstorm stood by the grave and watched as a small, little tombstone was placed in the ground,engraved with a simple epitaph of his beloved father:
“Here lies Sea H. Mist. Loving Husband, Father and Honored Stallion. May he rest in peace 1964-2011”
Snowstorm laid a wreath of roses upon the stone and whispered,
“I love you Dad…I just wish I could have said it sooner…”
Rainbow, Scootalo and Icicle leaned amongst each other as the rest of the crowd dispersed.
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Snowstorm had buried Stormshadow on his own accord. When he spoke to the Ponyville police about the incident, reports revealed he had been banished from Equestria long ago for the murder of a bartender, and was instructed that should he return, he would be put to death subsequently. His death would hold no charges to Snowstorm or Scootaloo, but they would also not provide him with a funeral, as Equestrian life insurance went only to citizens of Equestria. Stormshadow now laid in an improper grave in a distant part of Sweet Apple Acres, underneath a dead apple tree.
Unfortunately for Snowstorm, Rainbow, and Scootaloo, burying a body does not bury memories, and now every time they entered the room, they could not help but see Stormsahdow’s charred corpse, nor help but hear the wails of agony and fury.
Snowstorm and Rainbow lay next to each other, cuddling closely.
“I think I should move again…” Snowstorm said quietly, “I can’t bear the memories of this place anymore…it’s almost like it’s haunted.”
“I understand…when my folks passed I moved out ASAP, and bought the home I have now.” Rainbow replied.
“Which reminds me, when was the last time you went home?”
“Oh you know…back…before...” It suddenly dawned on Rainbow she hadn’t returned to her cloud home ever since Applejack had confessed her feelings for her. She hadn’t been home in almost two weeks. “Guess I should go check on things…”
Snowstorm laughed softly, “Whenever you want to go I’ll wait…”
Rainbow kissed Snowstorm, “No, you’ll come with me to help me pack my things.”
Snowstorm raised an eyebrow, “So sure I’ll let you move in with me huh?”
Rainbow giggled, “haven't I already?”
“Alright, alright. When were you thinking of moving?”
Rainbow shrugged, “Tomorrow soon enough?”
:(
damnit man, i think you could even make my brother cry, every time i read this, i get teary eyed, HOW DE FEK U DO DAT BRO!
Soon i might have to sue you for water damages on my keybored.
I choked up during the funeral scene for Sea Mist. I do like the idea of his children being strong willed enough not to let this tragedy get them down.
Then you have Stormshawdow buried at Sweet Apple Acres, which is like throwing pig shit at the Mona Lisa. You polluted the land.
Dude I work at a toy store and think there should be a Sea Mist figure in the MLP section. You made a character that only appears for a few chapters leave such a big impact, that takes talent.
From the ashes the phoenix shall rise. This story would make author Kurt Vonnegut proud if he was still alive 1922-2007.
Peace Out.
I would cry, but I can't cry.
74746
Well, in regards to Stormshadow's burial, I think it was symbolic of his being buried under a dead tree, and also, where else would I put him?
The everfree
=I *eye twitchs* im killing myself! *eye twitchs* *laughs madly* So that I can kill Stormshadow in the spirit realm! hehe... haHAHAHAHAHA!!! DIE STORMSHADOW!!! TIME TO GO TO THE SPIRIT SPIRIT REALM!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! *thinks* (he will pay for what he did to sea mist )
nuuuuuuu y did you make them move T_T. Still great story
i'm sorry everypony, i'm just too manly to cry
Dont worry guys. GlaDos is working on a cure for death. We'll have them both back soon enough. Stormshadow will be in more pain than the devil himself can bring to bear!
74780
Sixty hooves under.
You convey the sense of loss in this story very well. You do so in a way that only a good writer, actor, or person who has felt the pain of unexpected loss can. This story did not make me cry, but it did remind me of how I felt when people in my life have passed away. You have a great story here and I look forward to reading it in the future, but I hope that these characters becomes stronger through this experience because I want them to be happy. I want these imaginary characters that you have formed with your words to be happy.
Most stories have characters that people enjoy. You have created a story with characters that people can understand and related to in some cases.
Also the sex jokes make me laugh.
74780
The answers I wanna give is to put him in several black garbage bags and dump in a landfill in Manehattan. Another solution is to donate his body gift wrapped to a group of raging necrophiliacs, My last solution is to hurl his ass into the sun.
The Right Answer: is to cremate him and use his ashes to make something beautiful and useful out of glass and as one last fuck you to Stormshadow.and give the object to a dragon for their horde or you can take the glass object and drop it in the sea as part of an artificial reef.
the progression through this chapter.... wahhhh i want sea mist back he was so cool!
i could not cry during this but i did feel the emotion
Another great chapter. Rainbow sure doesn't like to be kept waiting.
MIND CRUSH! IN STEREO!!!!!
... Seriously though, as sad as it may sound, the only thing that almost got me to cry was the gravestone, and that's because it's almost exactly what's on my father's gravestone, except for the end-date, and it also has a verse on it...
I find this hard to fap to
75071
now that was just insensitive...
THE YEAR IS 2011 AND THEY DON'T HAVE BATTLEFIELD 3?! WHAT KIND OF A WORLD ARE THEY IN!?
THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE AN XBOX!
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
*sigh* if only I hadn't lost the ability to show emotion after the pinkie pie diabeaties fic...
There are very few stories that can bring me to tears, this is one of them
I would've used him as fuel for a bonfire no wait, that's too noble for him perhaps I should chop him up and feed him to the animals
stormshadow that is, not Sea mist
74823
i bet you were fucking sobbing for 30 minutes after you read this man...
75003
ikr
now i can finally say what i want to... fuck you stormshadow
a really moving chapter. I could really feel the emotion. Great work
Right when I started reading the funeral Dust in the Wind came on...it broke me down...cried like a baby
I don't usually cry.....
Oh man.. I can't remember the last time I shed an actual tear...
74749
I feel you bro...
No. I didn't cry. Not at all.