1. (TLC) True Loyalty and Courage
Scootaloo gasped in awe, the radiance of the blade which Rainbow Dash held shining in her eyes as the high sun shone upon it. Her eyes like stars, her zeal rushing like a river. The blade with a pair of circular handles so that hooves could fit through to hold it. The handle itself was a beautiful whitish silver color, while the lightning bolt-shaped handle guard was a glistening golden. The large, zanbatou-like blade had a wavy blade but was connected to a straight blunt edge. The blunt edge was an iridescent glass, hard as steel, while the blade was a neon flash of rainbow colors. This was Rainbow's prized Rainblade. She got it specially made for her by Lyra, who had taken up the art of blade making, much to Bon Bon's dismay. She immediately tried to touch it, but Rainbow snatched it back and laughed. A stray cloud had covered the sunlight, and the wind whistled through the tree leaves above. Scootaloo looked up, and saw a group of pegasi foals flying not too high up and playing with one another.
"You wanna play with them too, don't ya Scoots?" Rainbow Dash asked the filly, who nodded in assent. Rainbow chuckled, using the Element of Loyalty to transform the blade into magic to store it within itself. "C'mon, and hold on tight, 'kay?"
"Whoa!" Scootaloo exclaimed, jumping onto Rainbow's back and hugging her from behind. "I have the coolest sister ever!"
"Aw, I appreciate that, lil' sis'," Rainbow laughed. "I guess ponies can't help but be drawn in by my awesomeness!"
"You need to be about, 20% cooler!" Scootaloo said jokingly as Rainbow took off to the skies to follow the fillies.
Rainbow laughed again. "Look at who's talking! You're the chicken here!"
Scootaloo joined in with Rainbow's laughter as they caught up to the flying foals. The group consisted of Rumble, Zipporwhill, Cheery, and Chip Mint. They all happily waved to Scootaloo and Rainbow, asking the filly if she and Rainbow wanted to join.
Scootaloo and Rainbow enjoyed their time together, as Rainbow took up trying to teach her how to fly, and though Scootaloo could not get much off of the ground or stay up long enough, she still tried as hard as she could despite the challenge. This spot in the forest was the same spot they came to every weekend to train. Scootaloo knew she needed more wing strength to be able to fly, but she simply did not have it right now. Rainbow promised she would be there when she finally got it. She felt that day would be soon.
"I'll never give up, Big Sis'! Someday, I'll become great like you! Everypony knows this.." she said after she face planted from a flying attempt. She dug her hoof into the dirt, and picked up the dirt, scattering it in the air. "Even the ground, this same ground I was cursed to tread upon all the days of my life, can fly longer than I can. I want to show everypony that I'm better than dirt!"
Rainbow hugged Scootaloo, as tears were clouding her eyes. "Say no more Scootaloo... Someday, I know it! Someday, you will be able to fly. And that is the day you earn your own Rainblade. I got Lyra to consider makin' you one too... then, we can both protect Ponyville and Equestria with our awesome skills!"
Scootaloo began to cry too. She wanted to tell Rainbow that it was Sweetie Belle who helped her come up with the quote, but she was afraid it may ruin the moment. Sorry Sweetie Belle, but you're gonna have to go unaccredited.
Scootaloo watched on as Rainbow fell from the sky, clinging on to her Rainblade with her right hoof. She ran to where Rainbow would fall, but came to a lake, in which Rainbow fell in. "Rainbow Dash!" she screamed, jumping into the water and swimming down to her adoptive sister and pulling her up as hard as she could, managing to drag her out of the water. Rainbow coughed, spitting up water, dropping the Rainblade as she did so. "Big Sister! Are you okay?! What happened?!" Scootaloo, pat her back, helping her get the water out of her system.
"Scoots, what are you doing here?!" Rainbow shouted at her with anger. She stood back up and spread her wings, her eyes darting in all directions. Her Element began to shine brightly, and the Rainblade began to do the same. "Hurry, you have to run!"
"What?" Scootaloo questioned, looking around as well, until a sudden cluck and kakaw caught her attention and scared her behind Rainbow. "Sc-Scoots... runs from nothing!"
"Don't fuck around, Scoots! This is serious! You really gotta get out of here!" Rainbow ordered her, pushing her away, and Scootaloo fell over on her face. "Please, don't make me do this..." Rainbow began to choke up. "I don't want anything to happen to you... just...--"
"But...Big Sis'... I..."
Rainbow screamed at her. "JUST GO!!!"
Scootaloo got up, and slowly began to back away from Rainbow Dash, but was stopped in her tracks by a scaly body partially covered by feathers. She slightly jumped, nearly screaming, but she was taken by the mouth and held up close by a bird-like arm. Two draconian wings spread out in front of her, and Rainbow ran towards her. Scootaloo was too scared to move, and even to think. She did not know what was going on, and neither did she try to process it.
"Let her go, you monster!" Rainbow shouted, as the beast, a griffin half cockatrice with orange and red scales and white feathers. He had the head of a griffinic chicken, and the body of a cockatrice with some griffinic traits thrown in as well. His two front legs were more like arms, and his hands had poseable thumbs. His back legs were too griffinic, and had the lion feature to them. His tail was a draconian tail with fur instead of spikes and was tipped with a fuzzy ball of fur. His wings were also, as stated before, draconian. His goatee was that of chicken's flesh, and his head had a short mane, white in color. His eyes were red, and his pupils were very thin.
"Who are you anyways?" Rainbow demanded to know. Pointing her Rainblade at him as an aura of rainbow magic began to emanate from her body. "You better answer me, you damned... whatever the hell you are!"
The griffin cockatrice answered rather slyly, flashing his long draconian tongue and lightly licking Scootaloo's ear before he did it, resulting in the filly's soft cries for help, "I am Bawlk Pultree. Equestria's newest worst nightmare! I will raise against ye an army that has mastered your silly little magic tricks. We are the Dracogriff. We are a legion of hundreds strong! An army that can defeat you sissy ponies with a mere look in our eyes."
Scootaloo could see the rage building up in Rainbow's eyes, as the aura grew fiercer. The Element of Loyalty grew brighter, and Rainbow's mane began to turn lighter as well. Rainbow appeared in front of Bawlk and kicked him in the head, launching him near to a tree, but he still held on tight to Scootaloo, who now was screaming.
"Dammit squirt, shut up for one second!" Dash cried, following Bawlk and kicking him high into the air to prevent him from crashing into the tree with Scootaloo in his arms. "Dammit! Let go of her!!"
Bawlk laughed as he still held Scootaloo, who was squirming helplessly. He noticed the rage painted on Rainbow's face. "Maybe if you give up that sword and the Element... I'll let your little friend here go free. But you'll also have to give up your liberty to join me."
"Don't pull that bullshit on me, you chickenshit," Rainbow gnashed at him. "Do you think I'd jeopardize my country and my friends in anyway like that?!" She whipped herself at the griffin, swinging her sword at him at every edge he could not use Scootaloo as a shield, but this resulted in Scootaloo being whipped around as well. He dodged swiftly, though Rainbow's swings were supernaturally quick. She really knew how to handle that sword, but more so her body's movements as she handled it. It scared him that such graceful movements could be executed, and he knew that she was trying to get him in places in which he could not try to use Scootaloo as living protection.
He dodged a swing, and ended up with his arms holding Scootaloo high in the air, and taking advantage of this, Rainbow Dash kicked his arms, knocking the orange pegasus filly out of his arms. She was facing the ground from her kick, and spinning herself in the air using her wings as turbines, Rainbow performed the smoothest upwards slash ever seen by the eyes of any of them before. Much to her surprise, Bawlk's draconian skin could take the slash, and only a deep scratch was left, and a little blood trickled down. Rainbow wasted no time and went to save Scootaloo as she fell down to the ground.
"Oh no you don't, you blue fast bitch!" he shouted, pumping his wings through the air, sending himself darting down like a hawk so he could dig his claws into Rainbow's back through a kick. Rainbow found herself pushed into Scootaloo, but still managed to catch her and land on her back before they both hit the ground. The Rainblade was dropped, slashing itself into the ground behind Rainbow and Scootaloo.
Bawlk dropped down with a cackle, until he heard in the far distance an approaching upcoming of hooves hitting the ground. He cursed the time under his breath and picked up the Rainblade. "Ha! This fine sword will do for now," he said with a hiss. He pointed the sword at Rainbow, who held Scootaloo as tight as she could in her forelegs and turned over as Bawlk gave her forty slashes to the back, laughing triumphantly as he relished in the pitiful screams and cries to the two pegasi.
"Stop! STOP HURTING MY BIG SISTER! Please! PLEEEASE!" Scootaloo shrieked, she broke out of Rainbow's hold and began to kick Bawlk's legs as he stood over Rainbow Dash, who was all too surprised at Scootaloo's actions to do or say anything. "How dare you! You think you can just come up here and whip up me and my big sister, and get AWAY ALIVE with it?!"
"SCOOTALOO!" Rainbow cried, as her eyes were again clouded by a newly forming, salty ocean of tears. She stood up, shaking like the beaten and bloody pony she now was, and began walking to Scootaloo and to hold her tightly in an embrace. Scootaloo looked at the red, rusty blood covering their bodies, and it traumatized her. Feeling Rainbow Dash shake like she was, hearing her broken and torn voice, seeing her destroyed state. Scootaloo did not even know who she was looking at anymore... This was a Rainbow Dash she had never seen before. "You have nothing else to show me..."
This caught the filly by surprise. "Wh...What do you mean, Big Sis'?"
Rainbow choked, taking off her Element and putting it onto Scootaloo. "No matter what... you will take flight, lil' sis'... no matter what comes to you, you gotta endure... All that big talk you did, I thought you only did it cuz of me... but today, you've proved what it means to be the Holder of Loyalty..."
"But Rainbow...Big Sis'..."
Rainbow tried to snatch Scootaloo away from Bawlk, but he pulled her away from Rainbow's forelegs and kicked Rainbow onto her back. He turned to Scootaloo and slashed her across the chest with the Rainblade, leaving a rainbow flame burning the cut flesh lightly. Scootaloo, now on her back as well, felt the blood running from her chest and began to sob loudly.
"You two are some persistent little COCKroaches, aren't you?!" Bawlk shouted, as Rainbow punched him in the face and tried to do so again, but he slashed at her with the sword. Rainbow stopped the blade with her other foreleg and headbutted Bawlk as hard as she could.
"You just leave her alone! I'm your opponent, you chickenshit! If you wanna kill me, kill me! Leave her be!!" Rainbow screamed, staring him directly in the eyes, forcing him to cast her into the stone transformation spell. Her body slowly began to convert into stone from her hooves up, and the stone exterior put crushing pressure on her body.
Bawlk felt his magic reserves drop significantly, and he noticed that even holding the Rainblade had become a challenge for him. He looked on to the approaching crowd of ponies in the distance, and resolved to use the rest of his strength to make for an escape. "Until we meet again... Filly. That Element of Loyalty will soon be mine! Dracogriff will rise! Equestria will fall!"
He took off, and a group of six pegasi took off to take him down. They could not keep up with his speed, but one; Lightning Dust. She got close enough to jab at his tail, but he swiftly u-turned and slammed the blunt edge of the Rainblade into her abdomen, launching her into the other pegasi as if they were bowling pins. Several unicorns made sure that they captured them all and lowered them safely.
Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six rushed to Scootaloo, who had crawled to Rainbow after she had fallen from the pain of the petrification. "Oh no! We're too late!" she cried, as she crouched down by Scootaloo and tried to pick her up with magic so somepony could take her to safety. But, Scootaloo fiercely resisted, and clinging on to Rainbow's body. Seeing this drove everypony to tears.
"No! Please! Let me stay with her until it's over... Just please, Miss Twilight!... At least... let me be there for her in her last moments!" Scootaloo screamed, as Twilight let go and Scootaloo curled closer to Rainbow, sobbing softly.
Rainbow coughed and placed her hoof upon the Loyalty, bringing from it Scootaloo's very own Rainblade. Lyra happened to be in the group, and she ran to the two and crouched down by Rainbow, with a worried look in her eyes. "You guys... His name is Bawlk Pultree... he claims to have an army, and he may attack again..." she wheezed, coughing up blood as the stone began to crush her lower organs. She cried out in pain, squeezing Scootaloo tighter and now crying like a foal. "I'm... I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop him, and Scootaloo got hurt! I'm sorry Scootaloo! I lost the Rainblade to him as well... I'm so...so sorry, Lyra. And, I won't be able to be the Element of Loyalty anymore... I'm sorry, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy... I'm just a failure of a pony..."
"No, you're not..."
"I couldn't stop the enemy, and he got away with one of our most powerful magical weapons... and it's all my fault... Can't you guys see? I'm a big, fat... failure!!!"
"NO, YOU'RE NOT!!!"Scootaloo headbutted Rainbow Dash, gritting her teeth and even drawing blood from the head clash. The ponies all gasped at her actions, and were in disbelief that she would do such a thing. "No...No, you're not... You're the most awesome pegasus... the most awesome pony I've ever seen! I pictured your last moments with you bragging about how you kicked our opponents ass, but was I wrong?! Are you just gonna lay here and mope about how you couldn't stop him?! We still kicked his ass, Rainbow Dash! He had to retreat because of this, or else he would've stayed and fought us ALL! You know you're awesome, Big Sis'... I know you're awesome... Your friends know you're awesome! WE ALL KNOW YOU'RE AWESOME!"
There was silence. Rainbow Dash's eyes spurt blood from her tear ducts, and the stone was reaching her heart and lungs now; the pegasus pony screamed in pain, twitching violently, but forcing herself to stop. She turned her head, as Scootaloo stood weakly, but fell once again. She turned her head back to Scootaloo, smiling brightly. "There are some of those who can fly, Scootaloo... and some who can't... But, you don't need wings to fly... All you need is you... You, Scootaloo... You always thought you couldn't fly, but what I was looking for was more than some stupid ability to levitate using your wings... You're wings may be weak, but you've got the strongest, most stubborn head I've ever had the blessing to bear witness too... I may be able to do a Sonic Rainboom, but you... You, Scootaloo.... You can change hearts... You're gonna go far, lil' sis'... I love you--" Rainbow looked past Scootaloo and to her friends. "Guys... Scootaloo may seem weak, but she's the strongest filly out there! Even stronger than me! She even has her own Rainblade and the Element of Loyalty to prove it! But... she could be about 20% cooler, so Lyra, you and Bon Bon or Sweetie Drop, whatever the hay her name is, why don't you two teach her how to use the Rainblade? Twilight, girls, you girls take her up for me, and teach her how to be the Element of Loyalty. This lil' filly here is as loyal as a dog... She deserves this Element more than anypony else... don't let her small size fool you... She's got some guts." She then looked to Scootaloo again. "I will tell you this last thing Scootaloo... when you see Bawlk Pultree... tell him the one who will take him down is you. And that there's only room for one chicken around here! Haha! And also... take good care of Tank and Tank Jr... They respond well to those with massive levels of Loyalty, because... they know you'll never turn your back on them..."
Scootaloo gave Rainbow one last hug. Unable to say anymore, she said the first thing that came to mind. "Please... die with a smile... Do I have to say something,... awesome, again?"
Rainbow chuckled. She pat Scootaloo on her back as she finally gave up her spirit. "You already have... Lil' Sis'..."
With no more resistance from Rainbow, the petrification was sped up and then completely covered over her body. A magical rainbow sprouted from Rainbow's body and arched across the sky, drawing in storm clouds rather quickly. Scootaloo's flank began to shine, and it gave birth to her cutie mark, a rainbow with two clouds under it. One cloud was light, the other was dark. The rainbow also only had three colors; red, blue, and yellow.
Scootaloo tried to hold back her tears, but could not, and the clouds cried rain down too as soon as her first tear hit the ground.
Applebloom laughed at Scootaloo wiping out in a puddle of mud, but then she jumped in as well, and she and Scootaloo began laughing together in unison and throwing mud at one another. Sweetie Belle approached them and sighed, shaking her head.
"You two... I'm pretty sure you'll both get a cutie mark in making yourselves look like slobs!" Sweetie Belle scoffed at them.
"Ew... You must be spending too much time with Rarity, Sweetie Belle," Applebloom guffawed. "I believe ever so surely that the effects of a mud bath can benefit the skin more than it makes it look dirty!"
"Are you mocking my sister's style? She's..." Sweetie Belle just stopped and sighed, jumping into the mud with them.
"How's it feel? I bet it feels good, don't it?" Scootaloo asked her.
"I've done this before! I'm not grossed out one bit! You guys think just because I'm related to Rarity means that I'll be all prissy and Canterlotian like she is. Heck no! I'm bad to the bone!"
After getting cleaned up, the fillies went on over to the milkshake shop, where they ordered milkshakes. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were there, but the fillies merely exchanged eye contact, and the bitch fillies walked away from the area with their heads perked up and tails slightly arched.
"Can you believe them!?!" Sweetie muttered. She took one big gulp of her milkshake in anger, but was then cursed with brain freeze. "OWWW!"
"Ha! That's what you get for being so... I don't know... Sweetie?" Scootaloo laughed, as Sweetie took her milkshake and tried to spill it, but Scootaloo took it back. "Hey! What has you so on edge today, Sweetie? Cat got your tongue? Cuz you... y'know... live with a cat?"
"Not helping..." Sweetie said with a deep sigh. "I just... I just wanna get my cutie mark already..."
"Duh, that's why we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! That's our goal! And we'll never stop till we get 'em!"
Sweetie shook her head. "Scootaloo... we're gonna be eight soon... We've been at this for too long... And we surely haven't been making ANY progress..."
"Well... what do you think your cutie mark will be?" Scootaloo was now trying to cheer Sweetie up with the thought.
"I don't know... And I don't think I ever will."
"It was worth a shot... I think my cutie mark will be just like Rainbow Dash's! I'll be all like 'I got my cutie mark, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!' And they'll be all like, 'Well, what is it? A chicken?', and I'll be all like, 'Nuh uh! It's a rainbow! And it means I can fly now!' Then I'll zoom over 'em and do a Sonic Rainboom so hard, it'll rip their cutie marks right off and give 'em to you guys!"
"I don't think it works like that, Scootaloo," Applebloom said as the waiter brought her a refill for her apple flavored milkshake. She took a sip and leaned on her pony elbows. "Something that awesome may never happen to us... even if it were a miracle..."
"Well then... what do you think you're cutie mark will be... Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked her.
"It's in my name..." Applebloom said solemnly. "Applebloom...Apple family... Everypony in my family has a cutie mark relating to apples! I don't think I'll even be able to get a cutie mark that's not an apple, girls..."
Scootaloo slammed her hooves on the table. "What kind of attitude is that?! What happened to our feisty attitudes? Our desire to get our cutie marks?! Am I the only one who isn't sulking about some darn flank marking?!" Scootaloo calmed herself down. "If you two want cutie marks, you gotta work for 'em... Nopony ever said that this would be easy, but it isn't as hard as you're makin' it out to be!"
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked to one another and smiled through their lost hopes. This made Scootaloo smile as well.
"You're right! We need to start comin' up with cutie mark ideas!" Applebloom exclaimed. "I think my cutie mark will be an apple and a quill! Or maybe rocket jets..."
"Rocket jets?" Sweetie Belle said with uncertainty.
"Y'know... cuz I kinda wanna build a flying apple that can collect apples from the tree without me havin' to buck 'em... Ain't that somethin'?"
Scootaloo laughed. "Why don'tcha build some rocket jets for me so I can fly while you're at it!"
"At least it makes more sense than your cutie mark stealin' idea!" Applebloom yelled, as the Crusaders all shared laughs.
"Yes Princess, we came as soon as we heard the crashes," Twilight told Celestia as she, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were in Scootaloo's hospital room. "When we got there, Bawlk Pultree had already begun the spell on Rainbow Dash... he even took her Rainblade."
"I see... and this brave little filly fought him too? Er... at least she tried to?" Celestia replied, looking to the orange filly, who was bandaged up around her head, chest, and partially around her hooves. "Is that right... Scootaloo?"
"I tried to stop him, but I couldn't... am I gonna get banished for letting him get away?" Scootaloo asked Celestia.
"Oh, of course not, you tried your best, right?" Celestia caressed Scootaloo's mane with her magic. "We will assure you that Rainbow Dash is avenged. We will go as far as possible to show that Bawlk Pultree he may have taken out one of Equestria's strongest, but he has not taken down Equestria yet! Don't worry Scootaloo, we will heed Rainbow's words, and we will train you."
"But Princess Celestia, she's only nine! We can't put that big of a task on her when she's so young!" Twilight cried, but Celestia silenced her.
"Was that not her final wish?"
"Yes, but you have to know--"
"Was that not her final wish?"
Twilight sighed, "Yes... Princess Celestia."
Lyra walked into the room by sliding over the curtains. "Well, I've been here the whole time, listening in... and I couldn't help but remember that Rainbow left this little filly in the hands of Bon Bon and I... so I'll take up training her. After all, I did make her her very own Rainblade, but let's just call it the Cloudslayer, yes Cloudslayer sounds much more cooler! I thought to change Rainbow's sword's name to that, but it's too late now, am I right?"
"Miss Lyra..." Scootaloo said with a roll of her eyes and a deep sigh. She looked out to the setting sun, and noticed Celestia using her magic to set it. See got to witness Celestia setting the sun! It was so cool! The pain of losing Rainbow began to fade, and the desire to grow stronger was there. She would do it for Rainbow! That was her promise, no?
Lyra put a hoof around Scootaloo and leaned in to bump heads with her lightly. She smiled at the princesses and waved reassuringly. "As Equestria's leading, and only, anthrobiologist, I have learned how to handle weapons and objects like an anthropod would. And surely Twilight has seen and experienced this at multiple occasions! Just please, Twilight! Take me with you someday!"
"I'll... I'll think about it, Lyra..." Twilight sighed as she facehoofed.
Lyra cheered, but was told by Nurse Redheart to be quieter, for the patients around them needed peace and quiet to heal faster, and her shouted stunted that significantly. Lyra cheered quieter; she leaned in again to whisper in Scootaloo's ear, "Don't worry Scoots... I've been waitin' for a day like this! Some day..." She sniffled, as she comically had begun to cry. "Some day I knew... I would be able to teach a little filly how to sword fight!"
"Miss Lyra... You're weird..." Scootaloo said with an unsure look on her face and a rather solemn tone.
Lyra chuckled rather loudly and smiled at Scootaloo. "I won't push ya 'til you're ready! 'Kay, Scoots? Can I... call you 'Scoots'?"
Scootaloo blushed. She crossed her forelegs and continued to look out of the window. "Rainbow... Big Sis'... she called me that..."
Lyra blushed as well, scratching the back of her mane nervously. "I... I um... I understand if you don't want me to call you that, Scootaloo... I'll just call you 'Scootaloo'..."
"No...It's fine... Lyra... I actually needed that," Scootaloo said, as fresh new tears were rolling down her cheeks. She hugged the unicorn tightly, and then there was silence again. "Th-thank you, B...b...Lyra..."
Lyra scrunched her nose and shrugged, then hugging Scootaloo back. "I don't know what I did, but I can see we're gonna get along perfectly!"
Luna looked to her sister, then to Cadence and Twilight. "I suppose a bond is never truly severed as long as the love is still there, right?"
Celestia nodded in assent. "Alicorns, after the funeral tomorrow, we will immediatly hold a summit during the Passing party. Our strategies and plans must be set now, as I sense a war coming," she told the Princesses. She and the other Princesses nearly made their leave, but were stopped when Sweetie Belle and Applebloom ran into the room and jumped up on Scootaloo to hug her. They were crying too, as surely they heard the news about Rainbow's passing and came to comfort the filly as much as possible.
Only the sound of soft cries could be heard through the room, and the Princesses bowed their heads to mourn once again. Breaking out of the embrace, Lyra approached them with a look of determination in her eyes. "Lyra... what is it?" Twilight asked the unicorn.
"I could hear her screaming on the inside in our embrace," Lyra replied, quiet enough so the fillies would not be able to hear her. "That filly is severely unstable right now, and I fear that she may let her feelings get the best of her. What will I do? I mean, she possesses a great amount of magic in her body... If we do manage to allow the Cloudslayer to tap into that reservoir of magic right now, she may go insane from her feelings taking over so quickly! And if she's fighting the enemy, she'll end up getting herself killed! I've seen this done before, I know what I'm talkin' about."
"Even if that does happen, I'm sure you can stop it," Celestia replied, as the sun had now completely set. "And her Element can also keep her in check as well. I'm sure of it."
Lyra nodded and sighed in relief. "That filly..."
Twilight stepped forward, with a reassuring look on her face. "I think I have an idea... but I'll need for my friends to be able to join the Summit too."
"Fine," Celestia said in reply, then she rolled her eyes and blushed, "...um... Twilight?... could you get Discord to come too? Say, you find out where he is first."
"Don't worry Princess, I will!" Twilight answered. "You can count on me, Princess Celestia... Lyra... We can do this, for Scootaloo."
The ponies were all clad in black, and holding in their hooves red and white roses. Even Celestia was wearing black today. Circling around the altar where stood Princess Luna, who was wearing a dark, gothic styled dress adorned with black roses and thorn-like protrusions. In the crowd were many ponies from all over who had heard of Rainbow Dash; the majority were the pegasi of Cloudsdale. The Wonderbolts and the pegasi of Ponyville, both parties which had come to adore Rainbow Dash greatly, had also come to pay respects to her. Scootaloo took a space in the front row, accompanied by Spike, her friends, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Zipporwhill, who was with her father there too, and Nurse Redheart.
Zecora was walking up to the altar, also in a dress, but her's was instead a pure white. She had brung with her a book which she had set upon the top of the altar, and stood up upon her two hind legs to read what was in it. She closed her eyes and then closed the book as well. Luna looked to her, then to the approaching Mane Six, minus Rainbow, and they all were crying. Rarity's mascara had already run down, and the coming rain would wash it away completely soon. Fluttershy could barely stand and was the most hysterical of all the Mane Six. Pinkie had noticeably deflated. Applejack's head was hanging low. Twilight held her head up high, but her tears were far from being hidden. She looked up at the sky, and felt a drop of rain fall upon her head.
"Daddy... what happened to Miss Rainbow Dash?" Zipporwhill asked her father, who pat his daughter on the head and held her close. "They said they were putting her in the box... But Miss Rainbow Dash wouldn't like that... She likes to fly!" Zipporwhill's voice began to break. "Don't let Miss Rainbow go away forever in that box! Don't let her end up like Mommy! Daddy! Please!
"I'm afraid Miss Rainbow Dash has ended up like Mommy, honey..." her father said with a depressed tone. "She's sleeping, just like Mommy is... but don't worry... she's not alone. Even in that box, she has more friends with her than you can imagine..."
Zipporwhill turned to look at Scootaloo, whose head was hung low as she cried loudly. The rest of the Crusaders and Spike comforted her. "I... I don't know if Scootaloo knows that... Maybe I should tell her, right Daddy?--"
"Fillies and Gentlecolts!" Luna's voice boomed throughout the grave area. "We have brought you all together to collectively mourn the death of Rainbow Dash. Our previous holder of the Element of Harmony, and our best friend... We all know her as the brash, loud, gutsy pegasus who would never back down from a challenge. And I assure you she did the same in her passing moments. Rainbow was a mare who I can see a lot of you saying she had made an impact on your lives... She has, indeed... on all of our lives. She may have been prideful to no bounds, and fairly a bit too loud... but her individuality is what us ponies should strive for! She shows us that we all, though ponies collectively, are still different. We can come together to show our colors brightly... and she was a pony who did that quite well. She truly was a Rainbow... and I can rest assured a rainbow is what she wanted for all of us to be..." Luna could not hold back her tears anymore, she ran to her sister and embraced her.
The thunder cracked, and lightning flashed throughout the sky.
Zecora stepped up to the altar once again,
"The earth is what we came from... to which we will return humbly.
Born with the desire to reach higher heights, to reach the sky.
Some of us pass, others fail.
Others give up to push others through the hell.
We each possess the yearning to fly,
To spread our wings of courage and take to the skies.
We each know pain that we hold to us dear,
And to others we may want them to hear.
Go ahead, do not be scared.
There are some who will pull you down, impaired.
But friends will push you high...
Then you truly will fly.
The dead want us not to mourn,
As though our hearts are torn,
Though they return to the earth to die,
The immortal spirits live on, to take to the skies."
Scootaloo looked on to the crowd's solemnity. She thought of how Rainbow would react to this at her own funeral. She was disturbed at the thought that in Ponyville, in Equestria, there could even exist so much sadness. Even Zecora's poem did not lighten them up. Was it the fact it was Rainbow? Somepony that everypony adored? Was it the pouring rain? Scootaloo did not feel at all relieved from this ritual. It was alien to her. She had never once in her life come to a funeral, especially one for somepony so close to her. She wanted to scream, but not here... She made a run for the altar, running up the stairs and jumping upon the altar, using Zecora's back as a stool to stand on.
"What's wrong with you all?!" Scootaloo screamed at all of them, catching all of their attention. "What do you think Rainbow would do at her funeral? She would be talkin' about how much more of an awesome and happy pony she is than all of you! You guys are even bummin' out Pinkie Pie! And she's the happiest buckin' pony in the buckin' universe!"
Everypony gasped. Zecora smirked at the pony's vigor. Her magical energy was out of this world.
"I always thought a funeral was supposed to be a celebration of death! A celebration! This isn't a celebration, this is only... a...a... sad fest of who can cry the loudest! I don't want to cry anymore! I don't want to see anypony else hurting over this... I don't like to see the ones I love crying... Hurting... feeling all of this damn pain! Isn't it bad enough that it's raining on us? That we lost her?! She would make this better... if only... if only she were here!" Scootaloo fell from Zecora's back, but the zebra managed to catch her before she fell.
"Surely somepony has a blessing, with you they should not be messing,
for the words I have said have fallen on deaf ears,
but your words, wise as they are, surely reach out farther than your peers."
Scootaloo hugged Zecora tightly, and the doves flew over the grave site. "Thank you, Lady Zecora..." But Scootaloo's tears had never halted either, as a matter of fact, they had only gotten worse as the rain fell.
After an extended period of allowing the words of Luna, Zecora, and Scootaloo sink in, the ponies watched on as Zecora and Luna lowered Rainbow's body and casket into a flower adorned grave which the Apple family specially prepared for Rainbow. Zecora lowered her down with a rope as Luna kept it straight with her magic. Scootaloo stood right next to the process as it happened. Her expression was blank, and the rain droplets were her tears now.
"Don't worry, Big Sis'," Scootaloo said, catching the attention of Luna, who had heard her. She saw that the Element of Loyalty around Scootaloo's next was shining dimly. "I won't ever lose my guts... I'll do it for you... And for you, I won't give up. No matter what happens to me. I'll beat the shit out of Bawlk Pultree... I'll do to him what he did to you... I promise..."
Luna sighed lightly, shaking her head. Is this what Lyra warned us about? she thought.
Lyra approached Scootaloo, who still held her roses over the covered grave of Rainbow Dash. She looked at a picture of the pegasus which was set by the tombstone and the plenitude of roses, and to her rose. Lyra put a hoof over the filly and caressed her head with her own. "I know what you mean, Scootaloo... I know that Rainbow wouldn't allow so much pain to fall on her friends either... But..."
"I'm sorry if I ruined everything, Lyra," Scootaloo replied, dropping her rose down. "Is everypony capable of changing so much in such a little time? Yesterday morning, I woke up happy to go play with Big Sis'... Everypony was so happy... but then... it all went to crap..." Scootaloo looked up to Lyra, as it now had stopped raining, and a rainbow arched across the sky. The bright sun was peaking through the dark, thundering, menacing clouds. "Will everypony ever be happy again?"
"Scoots... We all hold a little bit of pain in us," Lyra replied, looking up at the sky. "Just look up and see... It was raining not too long ago, but now the sun is shining, and Rainbow lives on through her symbol up in the sky. Isn't that exactly what your cutie mark is, Scoots?"
Scootaloo was entrapped by the sight, and she felt her pains being striped away from her. Now was relief. "Yeah... Lyra... I guess you're right about that... The sun does still shine, doesn't it?"
"Rain helps the plants grow just as much as the sun does," Lyra said. "It's funny how well the world reflects how our feelings are, huh?"
"Lyra! Scootaloo! Come on in the tent! The food is ready!" Bon Bon called out to them from inside the large tent where the real celebration took place. "You too will catch a cold standing out there for too long!"
Lyra turned to go back into the tent, pointing her head to it for Scootaloo to see. "Don't worry about the pain.... It's exactly like rain. It may rain all day, all night... but it will never rain forever. Remember that. But... happiness, as the sun, needs to let the rain takeover sometimes... but, no matter what, the sun will shine through the rain again. And only then can we be in harmony. That's what that rainbow means, Scoots. Now c'mon... I know you're hungry."
Scootaloo hopped on Lyra's back. She felt it flying were figurative for her, then it could be for everypony else. If that was the case, then Lyra could possibly fly better than Rainbow could. The two made their way to the tent, where Bon Bon held the flap open for them. She looked on at the sun in the sky and the rainbow, and then she sighed in relief.
