Chapter seven: Remember the dead

It felt good to dream of nothing. It was a brief respite from waking up with a day filled with the fact that two of my legs were in casts. My father had cracked my front left leg at the radius. My rear left leg’s tibia was also broken. Both legs had stable fractures. Dad also knocked a U-shaped bruise on my forehead, but that would be the first wound to heal.

I never thought that being a member of the Mane Six would result in so many injuries. Spike told me that nobody else got a scratch. Lucky me.

Flashbulb, my morgue assistant, was taking care of the few dead that came his way. That’s why I love this town. No more ritualistic murders. No mob hits. Just natural causes and accidental deaths.

I did have one issue, however. Once word got out that Nightmare Moon was defeated, ponies around here were wondering when Rainbow Dash’s funeral was going to be. I wanted to know more than anyone because I wanted to arrange and attend her funeral. After avenging her death, it would seem almost cowardly if I didn’t do those things.

The doctors told me that it would be at least four months before my casts would come off. Not to mention the physical therapy I needed to get back into shape. The only way I could even leave my room was on a gurney.

Since I needed help just positioning my bed-pan right, I couldn’t give any of the hospital staff my tombstone stare and demand they take me to the morgue. Flashbulb assured me that he would oversee Rainbow Dash’s funeral preparations. It would have to be a closed-casket event, obviously.

I sent word to Princess Celestia requesting that her air-chariot be used to fly me to the funeral.

I had my books to help pass the time. (But not dad’s family history book. I had that tome of forbidden knowledge hidden in my mattress at home.) There were a fair number of visitors, too. It’s nice to know that I wasn’t quite so scary to these folks any more.

After a week, the funeral was ready to go. I was waiting for my gurney to arrive, when Princess Celestia arrived in my hospital room. She closed the door with a swipe of her ever-flowing tail. I saw two palace guards outside my room.

“The doctors are telling me you are doing well, Equus,” she said.

“As well as can be expected,” I replied, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed about my busted limbs. “I kind of stink at being a Mane Six member, though.”

“Do you know why I chose you to take the Element of loyalty?”

“I was available?” I tried to shrug, but my broken leg’s cast made it look as if I had an itchy back instead.

“Hmm. Well, that’s the second reason. It’s easy to be loyal when everypony loves you. I know not only about your family’s sordid past, but also your recent life. I know you’ve had a hard time getting people here to even look you in the eyes for very long.”

She sat down and looked at me. I gave her my undivided attention. She continued, “To be loyal in the face of people fearing you, dodging you? That takes true commitment in the face of adversity. True loyalty.”

“Well, that’s..true enough. I guess. I won’t be much good in a fight for a few months, though.”

Celestia smiled. “That won’t be an issue. The Mane Six’s job is to face the foes the regular army can’t fight. Equestria should be fine until you get back.”

My eyes popped. “Back? Uh...I stink at this, Celestia. I nearly died the first time I got in a fight and got crushed like a cheap toy the second time.”

“Twilight Sparkle is the leader of the team and she gets far too frazzled when things don’t go according to plan.” Celestia laughed a little as she ticked off the flaws. “Fluttershy has bravery issues. Muddy roads make Rarity shiver with fear. Spike is only a child. Don’t get me started on Applejack’s temper and stubborness.”

She got up. “What I’m trying to get at is this; nopony alive is without flaws. You are shy, small and inexperienced with combat, true. But you are also gifted with a sharp intelligence and a drive to do what’s right, even with demons in your dreams and ghosts in your face.”

The Princess walked towards the door. “If you really want to quit the Mane Six, I suppose I can’t stop you. But consider this; Rainbow Dash is avenged. You helped that happen. What else can you do with the Mane Six by your side? After all, anyone can be more than what they are.”

“That’s true,” I replied.

“There will be a sky-chariot waiting for you outside. We’ll arrive at the funeral together. Do you have a eulogy ready?”

I nodded. “Yes. I hope it’s good enough. Princess?”

“Hmm?”

“After the funeral, I was hoping to visit Pinkie Pie. I have something to tell her.”

She looked at me as if mushrooms had sprouted from my nose. “Are you sure you want to travel that much in your condition? I suppose I can set up travel arrangements.”

As she opened the door, she smiled at me. “You are driven, I must say.”

It took a little while to get me downstairs and to have the gurney strapped into my sky-chariot. My doctor muttered something about me having my brains scrambled from that hoof-print smacked onto my head.

The winds were mercifully calm on the trip to the graveyard. At a distance, it looked like a cloud of ravens were descending on the funeral, but as I got closer, I realized it was at least a hundred Pegasi from Cloudsdale. They were all dressed in black, even the Wonderbolts.

Both I and the Princess parked in a nearby lot. The castle guard-pegasi unstrapped my gurney and moved me alongside her. There were hundreds of ground ponies and unicorns, many of whom wore black bands around their front legs out of reverence.

The crowd split apart as we waded up to top of the hill. There was the casket. Oak with brass handles. The tombstone read “Rainbow Dash--Always in Flight” The birth and death dates were there, with far too small a number between them.

I wasn’t the first to speak at the podium. That was reserved for Rainbow’s parents. Then came the Mane Six, with Spike not being able to say much, as this was his first funeral. Princess Celestia gave a pretty good eulogy.

When I was wheeled around to the podium, I fumbled with my notes, ignored the pain that was slowly ganging up on me and began. “It’s important to not dwell on how someone died, but on how someone lived. Rainbow Dash lived brighter and higher than most ponies I’ve known.I think she knows just how much we all love her. She never stopped fighting for us and we’ll never stop fighting for what she believed in. She believed in loyalty, in friendship, in all of us.”

I tried to adjust my legs, to reduce the pain. Wincing, I struggled to wrap this up. “I hope that others have more to say about her. She deserves every word.” I looked at the casket. “Goodbye, Rainbow Dash. You are never far from any of us.”

You weren’t that far from me when dad nearly killed me, I thought. I knew that could never slip out, so I waved the guards over to wheel me away.

Spitfire, Dashie’s old boss, gave a pretty good speech, as did a dozen others. It took about an hour for the funeral to wind down. I think Dash would have liked this; she always did enjoy being the center of attention.

In spite of Celestia’s best efforts, I wasn’t able to leave for Manehatten until the next day. A nurse accompanied me on the train. Trueheart, I think her name was.She kept up the regiment of pain-meds, which made the trip far more tenable.

When we both made it to the Kirkbridle Institute, that grey Pegasus, Steel Jacket, was a lot more polite to me this time. He was so eager to please me and get me straight to Pinkie Pie, he accompanied us to a side door to a rear court-yard.

It was a nice place to relax, considering the locals. Trees lined the high walls, Lush green grass, rose gardens, it was almost like a vacation resort. In the shade of one of the largest trees sat Pinkie in her wheelchair. The cuffs were gone along with the head-bandages.

She was reading the newspaper when she spotted me. Her large blue eyes bugged when she saw the state I was in. “Yeesh, did the Ponyville train mug you for your wallet?” she asked.

I chuckled. “It feels like it.”

When Nurse Trueheart parked me, I waved her away. “I need a few minutes alone, all right?”

She smiled, trying to not look at Pinkie.

“So, Pinkie Pie, how are they treating you?”

“Eh, pretty well. I’m eating much better food and I got relocated away from the screamers and really scary ponies. That creepy orderly got canned, too. I’m not so doped up, either.”

When we were alone, Pinkie tapped the newspaper headline. “Mane Six sends NightMare Moon back to the moon!”, it screamed.

“It was Moon that took control of me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so. I’m so sorry about all of this.”

She tossed the paper to the ground. “You know what really stinks? I can’t ever go home again, even though I didn’t kill anyone. The paper never said anything about my getting possessed. Not that anyone would ever buy that excuse. I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter. Everyone’s life matters,” I said. Even my dad’s life mattered. Once.

“If I was released, how long do you think it would be before someone decides to Avenge Rainbow Dash and kill me, huh? It only takes one of them to end you. I found that out the hard way.”

Pinkie sighed. “So did Dashie.”

I looked around. When I was sure that we were alone, I scooted along my gurney to get closer to her. “Listen, Pinkie? There’s some things I’ve got to tell you. I need you to trust me, all right?”

“Uhh, okay. What’s the news?”

“When I was fighting Nightmare Moon, I was nearly killed. When I got knocked out, I ended up near death. But someone was waiting.”

“Who? Starswirl the bearded?”

“No. Pinkie, it was Rainbow Dash. She told me to tell you something.”

She looked at me, eyes blinking as she processed what I said. “You must have been dreaming.”

“Just listen. She said, ‘Pinkie, I know it wasn’t you that killed me, it was Nightmare Moon. I have always loved you.'”

She scowled at me, teeth gritting. “I guess you think I’ll believe anything, huh? Little miss flat-hair, she’s got a bag full of crazy and she doesn’t mind sharing!”

I held up my good front hoof. “Just let me finish, please!”

“No. Nuh-uh. At least the new orderly doesn’t make fun of me. Guards!”

“No! SHH! Dash also told me to tell you this. ‘I will always love you and I will be waiting for you..'”

“GUARDS!” she screamed.

“'...my little sugar-bear.'”

She was stunned into silence. Her mouth hung open.

In a very small voice, Pinkie asked, “What did you say?”

“Sugar-bear.”

“Oh.” Tears began to pillow in her eyes. She held her hooves up to her mouth. “I never told anyone that. That was Dashie’s special nickname for me. When we were lovers.”

She began to sob, quietly at first, then in gasps. Her back must have been killing her, but she didn’t care. Pinkie grabbed my good front hoof. “Oh, thank you! Thank you for telling me this.”

“It was her idea. Dashie figured you needed a boost in this place.”

She nodded, wiping the tears away. “Yeah, that’s Rainbow Dash, all right. Helping people, no matter where she is.”

Steel Jacket and Nurse Trueheart ran over to us. They both look puzzled. Not wanting to piss me off again, Steel Jacket asked me, in as delicate a tone of voice as he could muster, “Is every-thing all right?”

Pinkie’s hair began to poof out a bit as she replied, “Yeah. We’re good. Give us a little while, huh?”

I looked at them, but not with tombstone eyes. “You heard the lady.”

They looked at each other, shrugged and walked away.

Seeing Pinkie’s fur color brighten to the light shade I saw when I first moved to Ponyville was a treat. She was right about one thing, unfortunately. She could never be safe on the outside. As long as she was insane and locked up she was sheltered from retaliation.

And yet...

One of the skills I have as a mortician is making busted up bodies look great for open-casket funerals. I can change fur-colors, hair-styles, that sort of thing. And even killers get forgotten.

Maybe in a few years or so, Celestia can relocate Pinkie Pie somewhere far away from this miserable place. A tiny town on the coast, perhaps, with new pony colors and a new name. Surprise was a good alias. It’s better than being a prisoner for life, especially for something she didn’t do.

That would be the least I could do for her, if it helped her walk away from the graveyard.

Which is something I, as the last member of the Mortis family, am sworn to do. My family name can be anything I want it to be now. No more loyalty to Nightmare Moon. No more ritualistic murders. Just me and what I want to do.

Celestia was right; anyone can be more than what they are.

My name is Equus Mortis. I am Ponyville’s only mortician and coroner.

But I’m also a member of the Mane Six.

It’s a good start.

Author's Note

Actually, it's the end. Of this story, at least. If I can find something else for little Equus to do, that isn't warmed-over stew, this site will be the first to get it.

The soundtrack of this chapter is Gazelle Twin-Never let me go (If this elegant song doesn't break your heart, you have a
chunk of obsidian for a heart and I don't want to know you.)
Atrium Carceri-End titles. Suitable song, suitable title.

Well, It's been a blast writing this grimdark. I hope you folks liked it. Keep whistling past the graveyard. ;)