'The sky, it's so clear today... There's not a single cloud in the sky.'
That thought... it stings me... it's been bugging me for hours now. I know fully well why there aren't any clouds and I don't know why I keep reminding myself. I know, looking out over Ponyville, that Sugarcube corner is empty. I know, watching Canterlot, that the castle is desolate. And I just know that there will be no pegasi left in Cloudsdale. I try to push the thoughts away, but that's easier said than done. All my life I've done nothing but thinking, it's just impossible for me to not think, to halt my wondering, to stop concentrating on anything and simply clear my mind. I decide to preoccupy myself instead and get my mind focused on something else.
"Trixie, I'm going to gather some more food from the village, I'll be right back."
She only harrumphs in response before turning away from me. I know that I'm the last pony she would want to have around her but she must also realize that we need each other right now.
'Well, at least with me stepping out for a while she'll be able to have her precious alone time,' I think to myself as I walk away.
'Thinking back, I was actually pretty lucky to have come across Trixie when I did, and I must admit, I didn't really expect us to get along as well as we're doing right now.' I chuckle at the thought. You really can't call it getting along but I'm not lying either. She chews my head off for everything I do "wrong" while I give her flak for being... well, being Trixie! Not much has changed in that respect actually.
I walk through Sugarcube corner, searching for little bits of still edible snacks. I manage to scrape together a number of cupcakes, a few carrots and some nuts.
'If it weren't for Trixie, I'd be no better off than the rest of the village. She nursed me back to health when she found me and she kept me fed when I couldn't do so myself, I owe my life to her.' My hind hooves and torso are bandaged with her magician's robe. It was the only thing she had on her at that moment, and even though it took her a good twenty minutes to decide, she actually managed to part from it.
I notice an umbrella hat resting on the Cakes' store's counter. I walk in to get it and put it on. A thought comes to mind and I head for Carousel boutique.
It didn't take long for me to find what I was looking for, a purple piece of fabric. 'It lacks the star pattern, but... it'll have to do!' Using the tools I find in the workroom I shape the fabric into a cape... well... to the best of my abilities to do so anyway. 'There, that should do!' I think as I stuff some of the nuts in my mouth. I'm well aware that I should be rationing my food, but... well, let's just consider it a little reward for a job well done. I decide to hold on to one of the cloth scissors and I put it into my saddle bag, who knows, it might come in handy.
On a short detour I pass the Everfree forest entrance... and the cottage that lies before its boarders. It was always so crowded and full of life but I guess no one could have predicted what would happen, and chickens and bunnies were no exception to that. It feels awkward to even walk around here. 'Come to think of it, I'm not even sure why I'm here. It's not like I expected to find any food, or anything at all for that matter.'
From the corner of my eye I notice a single, ornamented, butter yellow feather in front of a mirror. 'That must be Fluttershy's first feather,' I realize. Fluttershy had once told me about this pegasus tradition to save the feather first malted after one's coming of age, to give to somepony special, but now she'll never get the chance to do so.
'There's nothing in this place that she valued as much as her animal friends... Maybe this is for the better, maybe she had no choice but to join them,' I try to convince myself.. I lift the feather from its small stand and carefully fix it between the umbrella hat and my head. I walk back out and I notice a cloud mansion off in the distance.'I should probably go get Rainbow Dash's feather too.'
'Ugh... this place is disgusting!' I know it's Dash's house, and that she has never been particularly tidy, but the scents of rotting food combined with those of sweaty clothes are really getting to me, so I quickly snatch Dash's aviator goggles from their stand and gallop out of the mansion. 'I'm sorry Dash, but I'm not going to look for that feather under "those" conditions.'
With the goggles hanging around my neck, I head back to Trixie. As I walk back I start to see the memorial stones we had set up across the path. It's a little project she insisted on doing. It was what kept us here to begin with. We stuck around to make sure everypony who was left in Ponyville and Canterlot had his or her own grave. My hooves are still sore from all the digging that Trixie insisted we'd do manually, but it was worth it, I'm sure all of them would appreciate the work that we put into it. 'Though, to be honest, for a few days now I've gotten the feeling that Trixie didn't do this just as a courtesy to those who've died, not that it really matters though, but... it does seem weird, why stick around and bury an entire village if you don't care anyway and we really should be looking for ways to survive?' But the thought gets pushed to the back of my mind as the scenery changes from memorial site to apple orchard.
Having replaced the nuts I've eaten with some of the apples that weren't spoiled yet, I take in the inside of the barn. The first thing I notice is the piles upon piles of rotten apples. 'It's amazing how quickly food spoils when there aren't any earth ponies around.'
The second thing that catches my eye is the Stetson hat resting atop one of the piles. I levitate it towards me and take a seat on a cart. I don't know why it happens now, or rather, why it hasn't happened before, but the realization hits me. 'It took all of them by surprise, didn't it? They never saw it coming, and for that matter, neither did I... I was just lucky enough to not be around at that time and I guess the same holds true for Trixie.' I lie down on the cart and drift off to sleep for a few minutes.
With the feather and the umbrella on my head, the goggles around my neck, the cape around my body and the hat, scissors and food in the saddle bags I walk up to Trixie. 'I can't shake the feeling that I'm forgetting something.' She takes sight of me and instantly bursts out into flat out, condescending laughter. 'Control yourself Twilight, you need her to survive.' My mind is telling me to do one thing but my body is strongly considering to disobey. I take off the cape and throw it over her face.
"There! That's for you!" I quip at her as she withdraws her laughter and fixes the robe in the fashion she usually wears it. "And don't destroy it like your first one!" I add as I wiggle my hind hoof in front of her face.
"Well, I wouldn't have had to destroy it if you knew how to lift a rock," she defiantly returned with a smirk on her face.
"Ugh... whatever! Are you finished yet?"
Her smile disappears. "Yes, I just set up the last six memorial tablets over there. Are you going to tick those off your list too?" She sarcastically asked. I've been keeping a checklist of who we've buried in my head, it was my way to not forget who I am, to not lose myself in this insane situation. Trixie, naturally, took this as something entirely pointless and kept pestering me about it.
I walk off to the memorial stones without responding to her. It takes me a while to tell what she wrote on the first stone, she had terrible hoofwriting and carving text into a stone isn't exactly easy. Eventually I manage to make out the name she has written on it and I rest the Stetson hat on the tablet.
Applejack Smith
I try to think of some parting words but the best thing that I can muster up is,
"Y'all keep buckin' up there sugarcube..."
I walk to the next one and take out the scissors.
Rarity Belle
"Darling, you know nothing will stop you from being fabulous..."
I take off the goggles and lay them in front of the next tablet.
Rainbow Dash
"You were always more awesome than the Wonder bolts..."
I put the umbrella hat on Pinkie's stone.
Pinkamina Diane Pie
"You'd better throw parties for everypony while you're there!"
I hold the yellow feather up in front of me.
Fluttershy
"I couldn't think of anything you'd want with you, so... I hope this is okay..."
I set up some rocks next to the memorial stone and carefully wedge the feather in between them.
'Wait! Did Trixie say "the last six"?' I count the graves surrounding me and indeed, there was one more memorial than I had accounted for. I try to make out what it reads, but this is truly Trixie's hoofwriting at its best (or worst, depending on how you approach it). I squint my eyes in a vain attempt to randomly have the scribbles make sense. Then, suddenly, the realization hits me like a brick wall. It was the one friend I had forgotten about before,
Spike Sparkle
I burst into tears. "Spike, I'm so sorry. I... I..."
My weeping overtakes my ability to speak. Trixie walks up to me.
"He was your assistant and scribe, right?" she asks as she holds up paper, a quill and a vial of ink. I simply nod in response and she puts the items next to Spike's tablet. She clears her throat and gives her parting words to my assistant.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't know you, nor does 'The great and powerful Trixie' really care for that matter. But I can't have your friend break down on me right now. Sparkles here saved my life, and I may be of grandness but I can tell when I need someone to survive, besides, she needs me. So thank you for looking after her so far, Celestia knows, she can't look after herself! But that task is now mine."
Her words, while slightly insulting, were inspiring. She managed to lift my spirit to the point of stopping my crying. She watched me over and shortly after decided to get back to business.
"Now, Sparkles. While I was busy with the Wonderbolt site I noticed they were one pegasus short, and I realized something. You've kept a list on all the ponies, did you notice any other ponies missing?"
I had to think deeply for a while before one name did in fact pop up in my head. "Yeah! I never came across princess Luna's name, but... why would that matte-..." I cut mid sentence as I realize what Trixie is heading at.
"Exactly, Sparkles. Princess Luna and that Wonderbolt might still be alive if they weren't here, and the princess is an alicorn, so if we can find her, that at the very least means we could have a steady supply of food again!"
I nod in confirmation. "Okay, then let's go look for them. We're finished here anyway."
As the sun starts to set we walk away from the ruins of Canterlot, from the now ghost town called Cloudsdale, and from the depressing graveyard site named Ponyville. 'I leave this place behind me, and I'm not looking back!'
