The Changing of the Guard
The drums and trumpets echoed off the castle walls as the ponies gathered in the courtyard garden centering the Canterlot Castle. I could hear them outside the window. They were carrying her body to the center of the court, where the statues of the celestial sisters stood. I was supposed to be down there right now. I thought I was ready to be down there right now. Unfortunately for everyone down there, I couldn’t be down there right now…
I just couldn’t…
I was supposed to be the one, the one who placed that stupid ribbon on her...
I was supposed to be the one who gave her the speech to send her on, the one which would forever immortalize her memory and her honor.
It was supposed to be me who was down there. Showing my own courage, bearing my own soul to the ponies who were supposed to believe in me to lead them into the next generation… Oh, Celestia… I knew this would be hard...
I took a deep breath and looked into the mirror that hung on the wall. My new officer’s coat, I’ve had it for almost as long as I’ve known her and when I was given the coat, I knew this day might come, but it was too soon. I didn’t have time to prepare myself for this kind of weight, this sort of punishment. I could swear, it felt as if my stomach had exploded and my heart had taken its place. It’s sickening to think that my commander, my leader… my friend… was dead and in a box, prepped and prepared, ready for the next step to happen.
If she could be ready for it. Then why can’t I? “Why can’t I be as strong as she is?” My eyes shot back open. I looked at myself in the now shattered mirror. My hoof had a little blood dripping from it and a dull pain sang out from my hoof, it had gone completely through the mirror and had hit the wall behind it.
Slowly, I withdrew my hoof and limped to the sink to clean it out. So stupid. So, so stupid. I began pulling the glass shards out of my skin but just then a knock came to the door. Shouting through my clenched teeth, “Comin’!”
No one entered.
“COMIN’!” I tried again, and the door cracked open.
“Did you say coming or come in?” asked the familiar voice. Twilight Sparkle opened the door the rest of the way open, slapping the dresser behind it lightly. I just rolled my eyes and focused on the glass lodged in my hoof.
It didn’t take her long to realize what had happened, she suddenly appeared standing next to me as a purple fog disbursed from around her. “Rainbow Dash! What did you do!”
“C’mon Egghead, can’t you figure it out just by looking around,” I growled at her as I swept my bloodied hoof passed the rest of the room as if I were presenting the grand prize at the Cloudsdale Young Flyer Competition. “I punched a mirror and that’s it!” I said, angrily biting the air with the final word.
“You were expected to be downstairs in the courtyard nearly fifteen minutes ago! Don’t you see how important this is? Don’t you see how important it is that you are there to accept Spitfire’s place as commander of the Wonderbolts? She’s your friend. She’s your leader! Why aren’t you able to set your personal emotions aside for something like this?”
“Because!” I began trying to fight back, but if I couldn’t defeat the demon in my head without punching a mirror, how could I possibly answer Twilight’s question. “Because…” I tried again, this time quietly looking at the ground.
I could hear Twilight’s sigh, probably a mixture of frustration and understanding because she wrapped her hooves around my neck and pulled me tight for a brief moment before she pulled away and lifted my chin so we were eye to eye. “Look Rainbow, I know you have your reasons, I understand that. But denying Spitfire her honor isn’t the way to handle this. We can talk to Celestia or Luna or even Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy about it after this whole ordeal is done and over with. I promise we will help you through this.”
I couldn’t help but smile, tears burning the corners of my eyes. I quickly wiped them away before focusing again on my hoof. “Well, before I can go down there, I’ve got to finish getting ready… which means getting this glass out of my hoof.”
Twilight smiled and took my hurt hoof in between her hooves. Using her magic she quickly withdrew the pieces of glass and dropped them on the sinks edge. “This might hurt a little, but I’m going to use a healing spell, it’ll only work on flesh wounds and bruising, I learned it a long time ago…”
I nodded and watched as her a mystical mist engulfed her horn. Almost immediately, though, the cuts, scrapes, and bruises covering my hoof had begun to sting. It felt like I had stuck my hoof into the middle of a campfire, so I could exactly stop myself from wincing and almost pulling my hoof to my chest to cradle it.
“Almost done,” she said, slipping her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. obviously, she never learned to break that old concentration habit she had… chewing on her tongue. I’m just surprised she hasn’t bit it off yet.
My hoof suddenly just stopped hurting. I lifted it out of Twilights hooves and looked at it in pure amazement. “How did you…” I stopped myself looked at Twilight, waved my hoof as I turned towards the door, “Screw it. Magic.” I said as I found my way into the hall.
Twilight flew out after me and landed in a short gallop. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“Well, I already punched something and hurt myself, so... yeah, I’d say I’m ready. At least as ready as I’m ever gonna be. Right?”
“Uh, I suppose…” she looked at the ground, her mouth leaning towards one side in deep thought. Suddenly she jumped out in front of me and stood with her legs and wings spread. “But Rainbow! Do you know what happens if you mess up this speech?!”
“I dunno, something about unlucky spirits of departed Wonderbolts… ghost mumbo jumbo? Yeah, when Spitfire had been explaining all this to me, I really kinda couldn’t concentrate on her words.”
“And why not!” she growled as if I’d offended her mother, or worse, her teacher.
“I… uh… I had to pee, yeah, that was it.” I could feel it, a fresh blush washing over my face. I closed my eyes and pushed passed Twilight, “Now will you stop slowing me down, I’m already late as it is!”
Twilight followed at a small distance behind me, just far enough that we couldn’t speak in just a normal indoor sort of voice, it was honestly beginning to aggravate me. She’s always having mood swings like that, getting upset over the smallest of details and stupid stuff only she would find a reason to worry about.
Finally, we reached the courtyard’s entrance. I paused, just inside the doorway, where no one out there could possibly catch a glimpse of me, Twilight stood at my side, “You have to go in first, Rainbow. I was just sent to find you.”
“Thanks for the encouragement, Twilight,” I said with the flattest voice I could muster up.
“Not a problem!” she chirped, oblivious of the discouraging thoughts she just implanted in my imagination.
I pushed the door open and walked out into the sunlight which warmed the cobblestone path leading out and winding briefly through and around many different kinds of flowers. I couldn’t help but think of the history this garden held. Even before the six of us first stepped into it. The garden had a common name, it was called the Everfall Forest. Though it didn’t have any trees in it, the flowers that grew here were enchanted, they never died. They never wilted, and never lost color. The reason for it being called the Everfall Forest was simple, the flowers shared the color spectrum of a fall forest.
Though its colors clashed with that of my own, I didn’t feel as though I stuck out amongst them as the ponies watched me approach them. My pace slowed as I took a deep breath. Twilight talking a spot to my right, she nodded and I nodded in return.
All the ponies surrounding us simply watched in silence as I walked passed them. As I approached the coffin that stood in the middle of the clearing beneath the statues of the princesses, I finally took a shattered breath and looked down.
Twilight had taken her spot next to Celestia and Luna behind me. Cadance and Shining Armor, along with the girls stood off to my right. And the Wonderbolts I was now responsible for were standing together with their heads bowed off to my left. “Please help me get through this…” I whispered taking a firm breath to help calm myself.
I straightened my shoulder and looked across the cloud of faces and bodies spread out across the Flowerbeds. “I stand before you today to honor the great leader we all knew was tasked with our protection. This warrior stood in the face of danger and flew through the dangerous storms to ensure the safety of all that stand here today. I am here… Here to honor her memory. Here to honor Commander Spitfire. It falls to me by her choice, to be the one to place this final medal in its proper place. The medal which only the most honorable of ponies will ever possess. The medal of Eternal Courage. She earned this achievement when she gave her life to protect all of Equestria against the changeling army. It was her who defended this castle and all those within its walls, and it was her who lost her life doing just that. She paid the ultimate price. She gave her life to preserve everything she fights for. Now her burdens fall to my shoulders and her honor becomes that of mine. If I fail myself, I fail her too… But I promise you here and now, I will not allow that to happen, I will fight for my Wonderbolts, I will give every feather and every hair in my mane for this city… for all of Equestria!”
With my heart leaping to my throat, I gulped as my tongue turned to sandpaper. Tears streaming from my eyes and down my cheeks, dropping and soaking into that of Spitfire’s neck. I took a shaky breath and looked over the fallen commander. Her mane was neat and organized, shampooed and freshly washed. Its tips dampening the coffins velvet interior. Her wings were folded to her side and her hooves were folded at her hips, just below her navel.
She was dressed in her commanders uniform including every badge and emblem she had ever earned in her Wonderbolt career. The one she had just added stood out amongst the variety she was adorned with. The emblem depicted a pegasus head and wings holding a glove in the air.
I looked up at the crowd again. They were in tears, a low woeful mist of noise echoed across the Everfall Forest. “As beautiful as this forest, it’s in the service of duty that Commander Spitfire-” I paused for a split-second, fighting the urge to choke on the very words I spoke. “had given her life. Now, it is in this same line of duty that I take her place as the Commander of the Wonderbolts. From this day forth, my duty is to the wonderbolts, and my honor… my honor will give me the courage I need to face any danger and defeat every foe that stands in the way. Like the flowers that surround us here today, the courage Spitfire showed and the honor that we now share will live on forever more.”
With that, I bowed and turned towards Princess Celestia. She wore a calm sorrow filled smile and simply nodded, “Are you ready, Rainbow Dash?” she asked in her sweet all-knowing tempo.
“I believe… I am…” She smiled and stepped towards me, bowed and placed the tip of her horn over one of my shoulders. She then took a step back and Luna did the same to the opposite shoulder.
Luna looked down at me and smiled, “You’ll do great things,” she whispered before stepping back into her place.
Celestia looked out and addressed the surrounding audience. I turned and took a seat behind Spitfire’s coffin. The crowd quieted, “Rainbow Dash has accomplished many things in the short time she has been with us. She was the lead manager of the Ponyville weather team, She later became the bearer of the Element of Loyalty, an honor given to only the truest of hearts and purest of souls. Shortly after that, she won the Young Flyers Competition where she first met her childhood heroes, the Wonderbolts. It was also the first time she successfully initiated her trademark flying technique, the Rainboom, which she used to save her friends as well as Spitfire herself. Over the years, Rainbow Dash went on to break almost every record the Wonderbolt Academy had and continued to set new records. It was there that she rose through the ranks and is now officially the Commander of the Wonderbolts!” Celestia and Luna and even Twilight bowed, followed almost immediately by the surrounding audience, including her friends and her new family.
“I’ll never forgive you...” I whispered as quiet as possible as I looked down at the mare I will always love.
I smiled and let the words slip from my lips to be caught in the wind. “I love you.
Author's Note
This story was inspired, written, edited in about four hours. ^^ I was amazed at the outcome and simply had to share it with you all! <3 Hope you enjoyed this tale of mine.
