One Day More
By: TailsFox88
Based on the story Steel Soul by Masterweaver.
It’s highly recommended that you read that story before reading this one.
The air was crisp, as it usually was this time of year. Most of the birds had already travelled south for the winter, leaving the world still and silent. The barren trees stood, almost sad looking, a testament that the Running of the Leaves had just passed about a week ago. The ground still stood dry and brown. Snowfall wouldn’t begin for at least another week in Ponyville. All in all, the entire area seemed to speak only a single word. Death.
Very fitting for a graveyard, Sweetie Belle thought to herself silently.
The gate groaned a sad song as the lone visitor strode sadly into the field of memorials. The mossy stones, aged by years of nature’s tears, stood guarding the path the unicorn trod. She didn’t stop to look at them however. She couldn’t bare the memories associated with each one; memories of a lifetime lives so very long ago.
Sweetie Belle alone made this same trip every single year. It wasn’t always this way. Other ponies used to make this journey with her. Originally, all of Rarity’s friends came along as well, but as the years passed by, slowly one by one, they quit becoming visitors and soon became residents. After that, there was still Scootaloo to come with her as well. But time eventually claimed her. Time eventually claimed everypony.
Everypony that is, except for Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle trotted forward, her head hanging low. She didn’t want to see any of the new residents from her last visit, especially not any names she might recognize. She didn’t need to look to see where she was going. She had walked this same path a hundred times before. She probably could have made the trip with her eyes completely shut, and still have known exactly where she was at any time. Besides that, the memorials she was here for seemed to almost call to her, drawing her in.
She made her first stop at the space reserved for the Apple Family. Near the front was Granny Smith and her husband, a stallion that Sweetie Belle had often heard the elderly mare talk about, but had never met before. Still, she had heard the stories from the older mare. She could go on and on reminiscing about how he’d spend all day out plowing in the field, the way that he could buck a dozen trees with a single kick, and his deep melodic voice singing on the porch on a cool summer’s evening. Even though Sweetie had never known the stallion, she still felt as though she knew him simply from those stories alone. When Granny Smith passed on several years later, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but feel that she had lost two ponies very important to her that day.
Behind the graves stood several more, but Sweetie Belle was only interested in a few. She stopped next the first two sets, marking the resting place of the two older Apple siblings: Big Macintosh and Applejack. It had always been assumed that Big Macintosh would be the one to solely inherit his parent’s farm after their death, but when he saw how much the old place meant to Applejack, he invited to share it with her instead. Talks about splitting up the land were quickly thrown out the window, as they settled on being co-owners and equal partners in managing the farm. Sweetie Belle watched the two of them labor side by side for many years to follow, bringing the farm from relative obscurity to become the largest and most well-known orchard in all of Equestria. Even to this day, their respective great grandchildren continued the tradition of sharing the land as equal and the fruits of their labors.
Fluttershy was also buried there, right alongside her husband. It had come to no surprise to anypony when Big Macintosh and Fluttershy finally were wed. The two were so similar in their quiet timid ways. Not to mention their shared love for nature. The only ones who were probably surprised by their courtship was themselves. Still, with a lot of nudging from friends and family, they had eventually realized their own feelings and come together.
Sweetie Belle couldn’t have been happier for Fluttershy of course. She regarded the mare as a sister. The pegasus and Rarity had always been close friends for starters, but beyond that Fluttershy had always been there for Sweetie. She was always more than willing to host her house for a Cutie Mark Crusader’s slumber party, and even despite her easily frightened nature, she was willing to stand up against all odds in the three filly’s defense; Even against a Cockatrice. (Sweetie Belle could never forget that act.)
But there was still more than that. Fluttershy had been the one who really helped Sweetie to find her special talent. The unicorn filly had been walking towards the clubhouse, absent-mindedly singing some little tune that she had come up with in her head. The yellow pegasus just so happened to have been passing by in the opposite direction and heard the melody. Recognizing the unicorn’s hidden talent was easy enough, but convincing her to get past her stage fright was much more difficult. Especially since the older mare wasn’t much better in front of crowd’s to begin with.
So they started small. Fluttershy, a rather excellent singer herself, started to give private lessons to the fledgling star. In all honesty, there wasn’t much she could teach Sweetie Belle; she was already an incredible musician. But the lessons helped Sweetie to get comfortable singing around another pony. Eventually, Fluttershy started inviting others to come over and listen, unbeknownst to Sweetie. They would hide away upstairs listening to the young mare practice, getting better every day. They sat back and listened as the small tune Sweetie had hummed that morning grew and blossomed into a beautifully woven melody that pierced the very deepest corners of their souls. Imagine Sweetie’s surprise when she heard applause coming down the stairs after one of her practice sessions.
After that day, Sweetie Belle knew what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to see ponies faces light up the same way that all of theirs had that day, and it was all thanks to Fluttershy’s encouragement. Sweetie wanted to do something to honor the pegasus’ efforts. So when Rarity started designing Sweetie’s cutie mark for her, she made a small request; a small pink and yellow butterfly be added amongst the musical notes. Of course, she could never tell Fluttershy that the mark was added intentionally, but seeing the pegasus’ face light up every time Fluttershy saw it, was good enough.
Sweetie Belle turned to the next Apple family tomb, this one for one of her closest friends. Unlike her siblings, Applebloom decided not to pursue a future in apple farming. Actually, it was thanks to Sweetie Belle that she had discovered her true talent. Sweetie Belle had finally agreed to give her first performance in front of a large audience. Applebloom, noticing the fear Sweetie showed in the idea of standing in front of everypony decided that she would do something nice for her friend to help calm her nerves. She started work immediately, building the most magnificent stage you’d ever seen. Not sparing any details, she made sure that everything was perfect. The main stage itself was constructed using the finest oak giving it a dark gleam. The supports and backdrop were built with a much lighter elm giving a nice contrast. All around the borders, Applebloom painstakingly carved images of her and her friends engaged in various crusading activities, with Sweetie Belle singing right in the center.
Initially, she tried to keep her gift a secret, but something that large was bound to get noticed early on. At first, several ponies disliked the idea of having such a young filly building something so prominate in the middle of town. However, as the stage started to take shape and they could see its true beauty, they quickly changed their tune. Everypony became eager to help in any way possible, whether that was donating materials, or giving advice on the décor. Of course, Applebloom was happy to have the help, but she still insisted that she do most of the labor. After all, it was her gift, and she wanted it to be just perfect.
When she finally, set down her hammer and declared it done, perfect really was the only word to describe it.
That stage would eventually become a Ponyville landmark. After Sweetie’s initial (and quite successful) first performance, the mayor asked Applebloom if she would be willing to donate the stage to Ponyville, with compensation of course. Applebloom was more than happy to oblige, and pretty soon ponies from all over Equestria were coming to her, asking for her to build something for them. It didn’t take long for her to realize that not only was she really good at what she was doing, but she also loved doing it, more than anything else in the world. Sweetie Belle wasn’t there when Applebloom finally realized this, but was the one of the first to find out, once Applebloom came to show her and Scootaloo her Cutie Mark.
Even though Applebloom never became an Apple farmer like most of her family, she was still an Apple at heart. She never did leave Ponyville, instead choosing to set up her shop just between Sweet Apple Acres and the main part of town. She built it herself of course, and was thrilled at the future ahead of her. She had every right to be. By all accounts she was going to live a long and happy life.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t always agree.
She was too young when she died. (Though by Sweetie’s standards, everypony died far too young.) She had started showing the signs of illness early on, but she was an Apple. Stubborn as a mule, she refused to acknowledge the problem until it was too late. Sweetie Belle had been at a rehearsal in Canterlot when she heard that Applebloom had collapsed on her way home from the farm. She rushed back to Ponyville as quickly as possible, and made it just in the nick of time.
Sweetie Belle could still remember those last moments together. There was a solemnity in the air, especially from Applebloom’s older siblings. It had only been a couple of years since Granny Smith had passed on, and it was obvious, they weren’t ready to lose another family member. Scootaloo was there as well, and for the first time Sweetie could remember, the brash Pegasus was visibly crying. Strangely enough the only pony who didn’t seem to be upset about the whole ordeal was Applebloom herself. She kept joking how ironic it was that it was illness that finally got her. “Ain’t an apple a day supposed to keep the doctor away?” she’d say with her weak voice and broad smile.
In her last minutes she looked up and smiled saying her last goodbyes to her friends. Then she told them that she didn’t want to see them for quite a while, but eventually a long time down the road, they had to promise to come and find her. Sweetie Belle cringed every time she thought about that promise. She had kept the first part, perhaps a little too well, but she had yet to fulfill the second part.
A part of her wondered if she even could.
Moving on, Sweetie stopped in front of a large memorial. Unlike the others, this one did not have any ponies buried underneath it. Rather it was placed here to honor the two Elements of Harmony that whose resting places were elsewhere: Twilight and Pinkie Pie.
In all honesty, Twilight had never really been a big part of Sweetie Belle’s life. It wasn’t really her fault though. Sweetie Belle had always been too afraid to get close to Twilight. She was just too observant and far too curious. Not to mention she had a direct relationship with the Princesses. Had Sweetie and Twilight spent too much time together, Twilight would have started to notice oddities about Sweetie Belle. Once she had questions, there would be no stopping the mare until she found answers. And who knew what sort of experiments she would have wanted to preform once she discovered Sweetie’s secret.
Still, it really hurt having to try and avoid her all the time. Sweetie overheard Rarity and Twilight talking about her once. Twilight couldn’t understand why Sweetie hated her so much or what she had done to make her feel that way.. Rarity attempted to explain that Sweetie didn’t really hate her, but Twilight was smarter than that. She knew that there was something between the two of them, and it upset her. Sweetie wanted to rush in at that moment and console the lavender unicorn, but she didn’t. She couldn’t. She just sat there, hidden in the shadows, letting Twilight cry and feel guilty for something she had never done.
Even before Twilight died, Sweetie always regretted that choice.
Pinkie Pie on the other hoof was an interesting one. For starters, she was one of the few ponies who actually knew Sweetie’s secret. She had been the one to help repair her injury that led to the shocking discovery. In the years that followed, she had also been a huge help in Sweetie’s life. Whenever something went wrong, Pinkie Pie was always there to help sort out the problem and help fix it. She even started calling herself “Doctor Pinkie Pie” around Sweetie, much to the confusion and probably, fear of her own friends. Of course, Pinkie never told her friends what she meant by that. She had made a Pinkie Promise to never reveal what Sweetie was, and if there was one pony you could always trust with a Pinkie Promise, it was her.
With Pinkie’s help, Sweetie was able to get a good understanding of her own internal workings. Not enough that she could ever create another sentient robot mind you. Not even Pinkie Pie could explain how Sweetie Belle’s mind functioned properly. Still, she learned from the pink pony how to repair and replace her own parts when they broke down. She still needed Pinkie’s help whenever she wanted to “grow”, but outside of that she soon was almost as good with fixing herself as Pinkie was.
Even after that though, Sweetie Belle still maintained a good friendship with Pinkie. It was nice having somepony that she could actually talk to about her problems. Pinkie never judged her for what she was made of, only on her spirit. Although Rarity helped her the most over the years, in reality, it was Pinkie that helped her to get through those first initial moments. She helped her see that Sweetie wasn’t just a hunk of mindless metal, but an actual pony. And whenever, the unicorn doubted her own existence, Pinkie was always there for her.
At least, until she died that is.
Although the monument held memorials for each of the Elements of Harmony, Sweetie didn’t stop to look at the remaining members here. After all, everyone other than Twilight and Pinkie had their own tombstone to pay respects to here. She turned and walked over to her next stop. A rather large one compared to most of the others in the small cemetery. Of course, what else could you expect from Rainbow Dash?
Sweetie Belle didn’t know much about Rainbow Dash, other than what she saw from her friendship with Rarity and Scootaloo. The pegasus had always seemed to be in too much of a hurry to really stop and pay attention to the young Unicorn. At least, not unless it involved Rainbow getting praised. To be completely honest, Rainbow was much too brash and arrogant for Sweetie to really enjoy being around too long.
Still, despite her personal feelings for the pegasus, Sweetie couldn’t overlook all the good in the pegasus. Sure she was narcissistic most of the time, but she was definitely not self-centered. Loyal to death, whenever any problem came up that made her chose between herself and her friends, her friends always came first. Even when given the chance to fulfill her lifelong dreams, she set those aside because it wasn’t the right time. Her friends needed her.
Buried next to her, was the result of the most selfless act the mare had ever done, who also just so happened to also be one of Sweetie’s best friends. Scootaloo was one of the bravest ponies Sweetie Belle had ever known. It was no secret that the young pegasus had a hard life. Her father left her and her mother shortly before she was born. Then, only a few years later, her mom passed away as well, leaving the orange filly an orphan. All alone, she was taken from her home and brought to a strange place away from everything she knew and loved.
Any ordinary pony probably would have become bitter and angry from such a turn of events, but Scootaloo was extraordinary. Despite everything bad that happened to her, you’d be hard pressed to find a more upbeat pony. Of course, she had her moments, everypony did, but generally speaking she didn’t let anything get her down. Not her parents. Not her inability to fly. Not even being the last pony in class to get her Cutie Mark. Nothing could bring down the pegasus.
Her unwillingness to let life get the better of her paid off in the end. Although it took her a while, she found that she had a knack for preforming crazy stunts. Looking back, it should have seemed obvious, since she was always the one coming up with insane ideas on how they could earn their Cutie Marks. Like her idol, she started training to become a stunt flyer, a dream that one day she would eventually realize.
She even got the family that she always dreamed of. When the time was right, she was adopted by Rainbow Dash, and was able to enjoy a relatively normal fillyhood. She eventually found love, though dense as she was, it took her a while to realize it. She used to ask her friends why it was that Featherweight was always following her everywhere, and was constantly taking her picture. Sweetie and Applebloom never told her, figuring it was more fun that way. Besides, she eventually did figure it out. It only took Featherweight kissing her on the bridge in the middle of the park on a moonlit night with a dozen red roses for her to finally get it, but at least she finally did.
The two of them got married and moved to Cloudsdale. She performed with the Wonderbolts, and he worked as a professional photographer for the group. Together, they had seven children (Sweetie still had a hard time believing that number). Eventually the two of them retired and moved back to Ponyville to finish their lives together.
It was once said that there are three great powers in the universe: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. Looking back on Scootaloo’s life, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but agree.
Sweetie Belle herself had never married, though she had come close once. When she was much younger, she had fallen for a young stallion. Pipsqueak was his name. He was an absolute gentlecolt, highly refined in his mannerisms. It didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes as well. He always had a good story to tell, usually about high adventure on the open seas, or traveling about to some far off distant land. Sweetie Belle could listen to him tell his tales all day long, going about with his adorable Trotingham accent. It was inevitable that she fell for him.
It caused her great joy when she found out that he felt the same for her. Their courtship was relatively short, before he proposed. Plans were set in motion immediately. Rarity wanted to make sure that it would be a wedding of the highest class, even to rival that of the Royal Wedding, while Pinkie Pie had wanted it to be... slightly less classy. Still, either way, the young pair was didn’t care how it happened. They were in love, and nothing could pull them apart.
At least, that’s what Sweetie Belle had thought, though maybe hoped would be a better word to use. As much as she wanted to ignore it, or pretend that her secret would never be an issue, she knew that that was an impossibility. He’d notice things, and would start to ask questions. Questions she would have to answer. It was inevitable. He’d eventually find out the truth. She had to tell him beforehand. Besides all that, he deserved to know.
And so she told him. Of course, he didn’t believe her. How could he? It was far too ridiculous of an idea to be entertained. So she showed him, pulling back the curtain to reveal the winding gears underneath. Initially, he was surprised. Surprise quickly turned to confusion. Confusion quickly turned to fear. Unable to grasp the truth just revealed to him, he left. He had told her as he was going that he just needed to clear his head. That he’d return as soon as he had figured things out.
He never did.
Sweetie Belle stood over the small grave. Here Lies Pipsqueak, it read. There was another name written next to his, some mare that Sweetie Belle had never met before. As much as she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to hate them. Not the stallion who’d run out on her all those years ago, nor the mare whose name was etched where hers belonged. She didn’t blame him for never returning. He had deserved better after all. What sort of life could he have lived married to a machine? Never able to have children. Growing older while she couldn’t age. Not ever really knowing if the pony he gave all his love to, was really even truly capable of loving him back in return.
Still, a part of her heart was broken that day, one that not even Pinkie Pie with all her expertise could have repaired. One that still remained just as broken and hurt just as much to this day.
Celestia’s sun was just starting to set over the horizon. It was getting late, and Sweetie knew that she would need to be leaving soon to catch the last train out of Ponyville. Still, there was one last grave she had to visit before she could leave. Solumnly she walked over to the memorial. Even though it wasn’t large, it was possibly the most elegant. It was made from a single piece of pure marble. All along the edge were beautifully carved flowers. In the entire gloomy scene, it stood almost as a beacon of light.
Just like Rarity did.
Rarity had always been there. She was there when Sweetie discovered what she really was. She was the support when Sweetie was too afraid to perform. She was the one she celebrated with when Sweetie discovered her special talent. She was the shoulder Sweetie cried on when Pipsqueak left. She was the lighthouse in a sea of change, confusion, and fear.
Rarity never questioned Sweetie Belle’s existence. To her, Sweetie was just another pony. While for most, such a saying might have seemed rude, to Sweetie, it meant the world. Rarity never treated her like she was different, or some sort of freak of nature. She treated her as though she were her own flesh and blood, because in Rarity’s eyes, she was.
Of course, the two had their moments. They didn’t always see completely eye to eye on everything. But for Sweetie Belle that just made their relationship so much more real. She was more than just her older sister, she was also her closest friend.
Although, she knew it was inevitable, the day that Rarity died was the worst day of Sweetie Belle’s life. As age slowly began to take its toll on the mare, Sweetie Belle was there. For almost a week, Sweetie refused to leave her side. If only it had been in her power, she would have healed her or turned back time to stop this from happening. She even wished they could have switched places, giving herself up so Rarity could continue. Anything that could have saved her.
Still, just as there is no stopping time, there is no stopping the effects of it either. Rarity was gone. And no amount of pleading or wishing could change that fact. After the funeral, Sweetie sat by that tombstone for the longest time. Even long after everypony else had left, Sweetie remained.
For the first time since she had come in, Sweetie really took a look at the scene around her. There was nopony else around. Her only companions were the rows of stone pillars standing cold around her. She was alone.
She was always alone.
Up until now, Sweetie had done her best to control her emotions, but finally they got the best of her. Collapsing to the ground, she couldn’t stop the tears as they poured down watering the grass underneath her hooves. It wasn’t fair. Not to anypony. It wasn’t fair that everypony else had died before their time. It wasn’t fair that Sweetie Belle continued on, alone in the universe.
Somedays she almost couldn’t take it anymore. She cursed the day that she was given life. She wanted to fling herself off of a cliff and end it all. But she could never do that. Rarity wouldn’t want it that way. Rarity always wanted to make sure that Sweetie lived the best possible life that she could. Even on her death bed, Rarity was more worried about Sweetie Belle than herself. She made her little sister promise that she would not hate herself for what was happening. Rather, she would live her life the best that she could, and in all things, to be happy.
It was a hard promise to keep. There were years when the lonliness nearly drove her insane. Yet she couldn’t let Rarity down. Rarity had sacrificed so much for her that Sweetie was not going to let her gift go in vain. Rarity might not be here to spread her generosity anymore, but that didn’t mean that Sweetie Belle couldn’t do it for her.
As was her custom, Sweetie once again thought of the promise she had made to Applebloom all those years ago. “Come and find me,” she had said. Looking around at the sea of stone around her, Sweetie made that promise again. One day she would come and find them. All of them. One day they would all be together again.
She looked up at Luna’s moon, now fully risen, and bright and wonderful. Soon enough the night would be over and it would be a new day once again. Time would continue on. It always did. Tomorrow would come, and Sweetie Belle would be there to greet it. Eventually her time would run out, but until then, she would take advantage of the moment while she still could. She would live her life, always honoring those who helped make her who she was today. Gazing up at the moon, she vowed it once again. She would continue on.
One day more.
