Buckwheat lived in Appaloosa, well he did but he felt like he and what family he had left needed to move away from where the trauma had happened. Buckwheat sat at a lonely pair of graves, his parents were buried at his feet. Beside him sat his little sister sobbing away. Life wasn't fair, Buckwheat was very angry with the way life was going. His little sister was not like his earth pony form, she was a small cream colored unicorn with a sky blue mane with light pink highlight running in a single strip throughout her mane and tail. He felt like a perv eyeing her flank, her cutie mark was shield and from it came a shining balst of magic. She had learned from a young age that her strength was the shield spell and then having it morph into a beam of magic. "Well, Parma I got a job in Ponyville on an apple farm. It's all I can gwt for now. I know mom and dad are buried here and your friends are here; but our second cousin Braeburn pulled strings with Applejack and Big Mac. I know you are more adapted to city or town life but I promise you that one day we'll be back as soon as possible."
Eight Months Later
Buckwheat was pulling the plow when Big Mac asked, "I hear Parma crying at night still. Have you mourned properly? Ever since your folks passed on, you've been working twenty-four hours seven days a week."
"I need to be strong for Parma, I'll be fine! Besides I'm a grown stallion and stallions don't cry!" Big Mac could hear the sadness in the voice mixed with a rage for an unknown reason.
"Buckwheat! I am going to have you take the day off tomorrow and by order, you will talk to Pinkie Pie. That crazy mare has an ability to see where the hurt lies. She may help you with the pain within you."
Pinkie Pie & Buckwheat
Buckwheat sat in a corner booth of a bar. A few tables down he saw Berry Punch drunk as ever and yet dominating a chess game. His appointment walked in, Vinyl Scratch slowed the beats down and put on recordings of Octavia's music on for a bit. "So, Buckwheat tell me what is eating you? Big Mac alluded to you not properly mourning. Parma says that you have been blocking out conversations about your folks, and that have snapped a few times and yelled at her that they're dead and that she needs to move on."
"As I've told Big Mac, stallions don't cry! It shows that they're weak!"
"When a stallion cries at the loss of loved one............it shows strength in their affection and that they have a caring heart." The pair talked and Buckwheat never told Pinkie why he hadn't mourned. Deep down, he knew their parents' death was his fault. Many times he wanted to pass on and forget about his mistake.
Buckwheat sat waiting for the school to let out and he smelled the scent of sugar and cinnamon, turning his head he saw Pinkie Pie. "You can't keep the pain inside forever Buck, I know Berry Punch, she drinks all the time because of the pain she has from not keeping an eye on her niece, Cherry Berry's filly who died in drowning in a vat of grapes thst she was supposed to have locked the gate to. Whenever you're ready I'll listen." A few moments passed when Buckwheat spoke up.
"I was building a cart for my sister to use in a derby, I left a candle lit in the basement which opened up to a space below the deck, which also served as a rest space with lounge chairs. Well somehow the candle I guess fell over and the varnish, paint, and canvas lit up and mom and dad were so busy getting us out they failed to notice that where they stood was burned out and was collapsing. I turned as we had landed and heard their screams as they fell through and ended up burning to death! I should've been me that night. That's why I can't bring myself to mourn properly, I was their cause of death and I can't forgive myself. "
"I see...............Buckwheat, that was an honest mistake, it could've happened to anypony. Have you told Parma about how the fire started?"
"No, if I did she'd hate my ass till I died. I need somepony to take care of her when I'm gone for a bit. I won't be long just for a couple of hours." Buckwheat trudged off and Pinkie collected the CMC and Parma and she was walking along and thinking about Buckwheat. It suddenly dawned on her what he meant! She by luck ran into Fluttershy and she herself left the fillies with her as she bolted, unaware that Parma had given chase.
Cliffside
Buckwheat sat in the edge of Ghastly Gorge and enjoying a hay burger and contemplating his jump and replying his mistake and the things he had yelled at his parents two days before their deaths. He had been grounded and he was to build Parma a dery cart. He had said some really nasty and crass things about Parma. He breathed deeply as he finished his burger and stood he became aware of a shouting and turning he froze. Above him he saw a rainbow streaking the sky and several dots running toward him. He was sat and waited for the awkward conversation that sad to follow.
Surrounded by the Elements of Harmony, the Cmc and Parma teary eyed sat in front of him. He had finally explained what he was doing.
"Dang it Buckwheat! You could've told me how you felt! If I had known, I would have told you that I wasn't angry or blamed you! The reason that candle fell, was probably the the damaged shelf above it fell down..............because I placed a book on it just a few hours after you told me not to use it! If anything their deaths were my fault if we are to blame somepony. Please you're all I have left!"
Buckwheat looked at the precipice and then at the elements. The guilt still weighing him down he turned and jumped, Parma screamed as he leapt head first; this choice he suddenly realized as he had recalled that when Parma first joined the family he swore to protect her at all costs and with his life. He cursed himself as fell, suddenly he felt himself pulled skyward at a speed only certain pegasi could achieve. He saw on one side a rainbow mane, the other side was a dual toned orange and yellow mane. On firm ground he rushed to Parma and he just broke. He apologized for all of the times he was hateful toward her and told her what he had promised their parents when she had become a part of the family. Buckwheat finally broke down and cried. The group walked a few yards away to give the sinblings space and time to mourn in private.
"Well Crash, I gotta get back to cloudsdale, got a whole class of noobies to train." Spitfire went up ninety degrees and was gone. The others eventually went home, Applejack and Big Mac sent the CMC with Fluttershy and Pinkie watched as the Apples comforted the the sobbing pair. She even though never knew the parents, wept. Her Pinkie senses were telling her somepony else had passed on.