I walked forward a few meters, really just not feeling like flying right now. Dad was right there walking beside me, he had never left, even if I had forgotten he was there for a little bit. I nuzzled his leg, but for some reason he didn’t look down at me.
I looked up at him and followed his gaze. To my right I saw another filly, around my age, crying in front of two grave stones. She was orange and had a golden mane, but she was sobbing so hard I couldn’t even see her face, buried in her own forelegs. She even screamed into the dirt a few times.
I looked up at my daddy again, him scanning over the graves. I kinda knew what he was thinking. It was what he always taught me. Nopony should ever be alone when they’re hurting. Without him even speaking up I knew my mission. I trotted over to her.
She screamed again into the dirt. Actually as I sat beside her I felt a little uncomfortable. Still I put a foreleg over her head, just like dad did for me when I started screaming. When I touched her, the golden maned filly suddenly looked up and straight in my eyes.
I did my best to smile, though I didn’t feel like doing that today. Still, this was what was right, so my dad always said, so- WHAM! The golden haired filly had wrapped her forelegs around me and started sobbing over my shoulder, almost knocking me over. As she sobbed, I read the grave stones. “Beloved son and father” the other “Beloved daughter and mother”. The names I didn’t know, but those messages I sure did.
“So…” I tried to say. “I… what’s your name?”
After a while, she finally stopped crying and got off me. “I’m sorry, di… di… didn’t mean ta’ ya know… do that.”
“It’s okay. What’s your name?”
“Apple Jack. What’s yours?”
“Rainbow Dash,” I said. I thought for a moment. Dad had tried to say something happy for me, so I tried the same thing. “I’m the best flying filly in all of Equestria- how about you?”
“Well… well,” she sighed. “I reckon’ I’m the best apple bucker this side of Canterlot mountain.” She smiled as she finished.
“You gonna be okay?” I asked.
“I think so,” she said, nodding. She pushed a small bundle of flowers closer to the graves.
I looked back at my dad. “Well, dad needs me again, I’ll be going.” I trotted back over to daddy, who wrapped a wing around me when I came back.
Apple Jack walked away from the graves after a bit, my dad just sitting there next to me, staring the same place I did. Apple Jack came over to us. My dad didn’t change where he was looking, but he did speak up. “My daughter didn’t bother you, right?”
“N-no… no, I just wanted ta thank her,” Apple Jack replied.
“You can tell us what happened if you like, it’s alright. If not, that’s fine too,” said my dad.
Apple Jack sat beside me, my dad’s wing between us. “There was an accident. They didn’ get past the train tracks fore it was too late.”
Tears started coming out of my own eyes, but I didn’t look away. I’m not sure if she was looking at me or what she was doing at that point, I was just looking at that place. All I know is her last question. “Why’re you here?”
“There was an accident, she didn’t pull up before it was too late.” I started sobbing, reading the stone above that place again.
“Here lies Fire Fly, beloved mother and daughter”.
Apple Jack pushed her way between me and my father as I started sobbing. She put a foreleg over my shoulders, and finally let me sob over her shoulder.
(***)
The memory finally stopped playing in my head as we kept walking. Scootaloo was happy when I picked her up from school, Apple Bloom by her side, yelling something about being sure they would find their cutie marks today in… I think tree climbing. Not even sure how you could make that pay but, whatever. I told Scootaloo I needed to take her somewhere, but Apple Bloom, apparently not expected home for a while, just followed, chatting away.
Finally we came to the place. I stopped, the two fillies stopping too. “Where are we Rainbow Da-“ Scoots began, but I gave her a stern look. “Sorry… mom. That’s so weird to say.”
I pointed ahead of me with my hoof saying “Well, ya see… I pulled some strings with Twilight. Took some doing. I know you never knew them, and none of us did either but well… I know how important this could be. No one is down there and all but still-“
I failed to notice when she left my side, but I looked up to see Scootaloo now crying at the tombstone marked “Beloved Mother and Father, though we never knew your names, we know you will always live on in the heart of your daughter, Scootaloo.”
My daughter started sobbing. She looked back at me and Apple Bloom. “It happened to you, it happened to her,” Scootaloo pointed at Apple Bloom. She then looked back at the grave. “Is it gonna happen to me again? You’re… you’re not gonna go someday too are you?”
“I don’t plan on it,” I replied. I meant to go on, but then I saw Apple Bloom run out in front of me and wrap her forelegs around my daughter. Scootaloo cried over Apple Bloom’s shoulder.
I watched my daughter and AJ’s sister. The memory started to play again.
(***)
After a while Apple Jack walked up beside me. “So… ya brought ma’ sister here?” she asked.
My eyes widened. “Oh shoot… I wasn’t thinking about that, she just followed us and-“ AJ raised a hoof to silence me.
“It’s fine. She has a friend who knows what she’s going through. That can be important, ya know?”
I looked at my best friend. “Yea, I do."
Author's Note
I know this story could stop at Scootaloo's scene, but I had to reach the minimum word count. Hope you all enjoy. Rainbow is my favorite, but AJ is best pony!
