Yo, what’s up?
…
W-What?!
…
You’re kidding me…right?
It was awkward sitting there at his funeral. Rainbow Dash shifted about, desperately trying to make sure that this was real, and not some sort of evil nightmare.
But, to Rainbow’s dismay, it was real. All of it.
Finally, the lector for the funeral walked up to the microphone cleared his throat.
“And now we have one of his best friends, Rainbow Dash, here to say a eulogy.”
Before she knew what was happening, Rainbow’s hooves began to move in a sort of military fashion, the long black gown her friend Rarity had made for the funeral trailing behind her and her neatly combed mane swinging in front of her eyes.
Gingerly, Rainbow stepped up onto the podium, taking it all in. His family’s eyes were tearing up, looking expectantly at Rainbow and waiting for her to begin.
After a few more moments of awkward silence, Rainbow cleared her throat.
“H-Hello, I’m Rainbow Dash,” she started, looking around at the crowd of ponies here to say their goodbyes. “I was one of his best friends,” she continued awkwardly. Finally, Rainbow gathered up the courage to begin her well thought-out eulogy.
~~~~~~
I remember our first encounter as if it were yesterday. I was younger then and oh, so naive about life. He was much older than I was, and very sure of himself; as he had every right to be. He had seen it all and to him, I was just another try hard. Of course, my cocky attitude did nothing to suggest otherwise. But there was a certain...charm to him, only shown to those who were in his circle of friends, which, of course, I wasn't.
I had just finished practicing a routine and was talking to some friends of mine. Apparently he heard me say something that prompted him to speak up and snap at me.
“If you ever want to fly like us, then you had better lose that innocence and naivety before you’re eaten alive out there!” he snarled to me, already fed up with my antics.
Yeah, not the best introduction.
~~~~~~
A few months later, the only interaction we ever had would be him shooting daggers at me whenever we passed each other. Finally, I had had enough of these cold gestures.
“What the hay have I ever done to you?!” I demanded.
“Look, kid,” he started harshly, “you go about looking as if you own the skies. Well guess what, kid; YOU DON’T! I've been flying decades longer than you have!” His switched his tone to a softer one. “Look, kid, I know your type. Just because you work in this industry, you think that you’re suddenly large and in charge. You have the drive, kid, I’ll give you that, but you don’t have the discipline to go any farther then you already are.”
This type of talk was unknown to me then, but later, I realized that this was it, the foundation of friendship, one that could break even the roughest of storms.
There were, however, some hiccups along the way.
We were doing a decent job of clearing the clouds when some pony asked me for some help.
“Rainbow, we’re short a pony today, how’d you like to help out?”
I grinned, beaming with pride knowing that this was a chance to prove that I actually knew what I was doing, and was good at it. “You wanna know how to clear a bunch of clouds at once, huh? Sure, I can help you out. Some pony recently just taught me, too.”
Turns out I wasn't as good as I let on. An hour later, I hovered, fed up and exhausted upon having gotten nowhere in my efforts.
That’s when he approached me with a friendly manner. “You look like you could use a bit of help, Rainbow,” he said.
My face turned red, embarrassed. “No, I’m fine. I just learned how to do this, it’s just a bit difficult. That’s all,” I assured him.
“I know, but you’re taking a lot of time and I just thought I-”
“I SAID I’M FINE, DAMMIT!” I shot back, surprising him.
With hindsight, I would have never have said that. I almost had the technique down, and was a tad on edge (okay, a LOT on edge). That outburst, however, would continue to haunt me throughout our friendship. He would always bring it up anytime he needed to get a point across, mostly when I was being stubborn and thick headed.
~~~~~~
I knew him for a total of seven years, and in that time I felt myself changing, maturing and doing things out of new-found self-confidence. He helped me move into my own place when the roommate I had kept on using drugs and telling me I was amount to nothing, when I was the one paying the rent and working. After a particularly bad fight, I packed up my things and left. He was the one who not only helped me settle into a new home in Ponyville, but into my new job as the weather mare there. In fact, if it wasn't for his help, I would have never met my new best friends here in Ponyville. I remember when we used to go fly to the theater and watch movies together. It became our hang time, and I can speak for both of us when I say we loved it.
I owe him the world. Had it not been for him, I would have never met the ponies I know today and I wouldn't be the confident and mature mare I am now.
I knew he was sick. Two heart attacks and a stroke left him in constant pain, and it really didn't help that he smoked as if it was going out of style. His kidneys were failing and soon it hurt to do anything together, knowing that he was in agony whenever we did. At least I can take solace knowing that he isn't in pain anymore.
~~~~~~
I was sitting in my house on New Years’ all alone, just thinking about what the new year would bring. Work was unusually slow nowadays and this morning I was told that I have no work. Eventually I picked up the Daring Do book I still haven’t gotten to reading and started the book until I heard a knock at the door.
Quickly, I opened it, only to see that it was his brother. He was looking solemn and, when I looked closer, I could see that he had been crying.
Thinking nothing of it, I just casually greeted him. “Yo, what’s up? How’s your bro, I haven’t seen him in a while. He called me the other day to wish me a happy New Years’. How is he?”
His brother gulped and inhaled deeply. “I-I don’t know how to say this,” he started, and my smile faded. “-but, um, he...he died last night.”
"W-what?! You’re...you’re kidding me...right?”
~~~~~~
After that, I just sat down at my table and cried. After I was done crying, I took out a quill and some parchment I borrowed from my friend Twilight and started on this very eulogy.
You know, I have a very different outlook on life than others do, but I can say this: we all die eventually, buy why worry about that? Life is meant to be lived, so why not live it the best you can? Because you never know, you might not live to see tomorrow.
And I can honestly say that if he were here, he would say he had the best life he could have had. Thank you.
~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash, tears welling in her eyes, finished the eulogy and stepped down from the podium, quickly taking a seat. She stole a quick glance at his family and gasped, watching as the tears from their eyes dripped to the floor.
Yo, what’s up?
…
W-What?!
…
You’re kidding me…right?
Dedicated to Jeff Taylor, my best friend. May he rest in peace.
Author's Note
Ok; so first off this really is how my friendship with Jeff started and ended up. I chose Rainbow Dash as me due to her nature. You see I met Jeff while I was just starting out as a deckhand on sport fishing boats. Me the new guy who though he was the shit; and he being the salty old man with decades under his belt. Trying to type this in that context is a bit......hard to do, what with replacing being a deckhand with flying. The world works in strange ways; and my friendship with Jeff proves that.
RIP JEFF TAYLOR
Also I am literally typing this not even 2 hours after I got the call saying he died last night.