Links in a Chain

by Touch the Sky

Epilogue: The Morning Always Comes

Rainbow Dash's body was buried beside those of her friends, so that six gravestones stood side by side. But the six were never forgotten, and there were many tributes left on the graves.

Spike accompanied Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom to the graves one morning in springtime, and they planted a bush or sapling on each grave.

Applejack's grave naturally bore an apple sapling, while Rarity's had a white rose bush. Twilight's grave was adorned with a hawthorn sapling, Rainbow Dash's featured a colourful red stapelia bush, and Pinkie's had a plant none of them recognised; Scootaloo had seen it as she flew over the Everfree and had taken a cutting of the bush, which had lovely, bright pink flowers.
Fluttershy's grave bore a simple cherry tree.

Scootaloo already had her cutie mark, a lightning bolt, white against her flank, after she had flown so fast in her fruitless attempt to save a falling Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo had blamed herself for Rainbow Dash's death, but found solace in cloudbusting and stunts. Once, when privately re-enacting her dive after Rainbow Dash, she managed to accidentally pull off a Sonic Rainboom, and she took this as a sign that her hero was watching over her and egging her on.

Applebloom had consoled herself by pretending, with a vivid imagination, that apple trees in the orchard were the snake which had killed Applejack, and with her talent for applebucking had found her cutie mark: a shiny apple with an apple blossom beside it. She still liked to paint and design, but she pushed this into a back seat as she focussed on becoming as good an applebucker as her big sister.

But it was not until a year later that Sweetie Belle finally found her cutie mark. There was to be a festival to remember the six original ponies of the Elements of Harmony, and with a lot of encouragement from her friends, she sung a song of her own creation before the whole town. Though she took fright and had to flee and hide halfway through the song, she gained a glittering microphone and musical note for her cutie mark.

Six ponies living in a town on the other side of Equestria had taken up the Elements, and though their names would go down in the history books, they would never go down in legend like those of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash would.

And whenever Spike or one of the others missed them, they would always remember Twilight's words at Fluttershy's funeral:
'Though it may seem dark now, the morning always comes.'

Author's Note:

So that's the end. If you've stuck with this story, thank you.

Not the most original idea, but I wanted to see how I could handle tragedy.

Please give me your opinions!

Comments

[The ancient one]

Good sir, I do believe your icon is splendid.

[Phantom Wolf]

I don't like how some random six ponies became the new elements. The new elements should have been Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Spike, Pipsqueak, and Dinky. (Or the cake twins instead of Pipsqueak and Dinky) Would have been more poetic.

[Zytharros]

Well done. This was a very enjoyable fic. Sad, yet solid. Applause is given.

2411065
It would have also detracted from the legends they became.

[rainboom101]

Oh my god, I can barely see to type. That was an amazing story, very well written. Well done. So sad.

[Touch the Sky]

I struggled to write this without tearing up.

>>Still Wearing Black : I honestly missed this Did not mean to imply Fluttershy didn't care. I like Spike, and Fluttershy did care, but this story was kind of centred on the Elements.

>>Phantom Wolf: I did think about the Crusaders taking over as three of the Elements, but that would have needed a backstory as to how they fit their elements
And as Zytharros said, it would detract from the legendary...ness of the original six.

[captainlink]

It was a great read, and very well written. A very good tragedy story.

[Touch the Sky]

A sequel about what? I thought the only other Element bearers were the princesses.

[Transivity]

2412029 before them were some other ponies from Canterlot, Celestia had taken the element of magic but the other elements weren't her.

[Miss Destruction]

I'm so sad to much tears are drizzling down my face

[stenalik]

I want to drown somepony in my tears

[Papillon Rose]

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to read this when I was already depressed. Oh man, I need a cupcake.

[miseta22]

this was awseome!!!! amazing detail!

[Outcast4Ever]

best... story... ever

[Trouble Cleft]

I cried so hard... but this was amazing

[ShatteredHeart]

i have been looking for this story for so freaking long cause it made my mentor cry when she read it and she hardly ever cries

[Lord Of Dorkness]

An interesting story, but I have to admit I can't imagine the Elements being that... well, dickish to be blunt.

Still, thanks for writing it. It was an interesting if dark take on the whole: 'Twilight will not outlive her friends' thing.

[Touch the Sky]

7041964

I hope you know this was a heck of a long time ago and only the second story I ever wrote. It wasn't even based on the Twilight immortality thing because it was written way before Twilicorn... also in answer to your first point, yes, I know.

[Lord Of Dorkness]

7042161

Fair enough. I'm going through my bloated 'read later' list, so I missed that context.

Good on you for being ahead of the curve in that case.

[Crystal Moon]

This is really good. But also really sad I enjoyed it.