Apple Jack to Apple Bloom
Dripping with anticipation, ah raced to the land of the Stallions, the land of Earth.
Heaven.
Ah was granted one time, one visit, and ah was ready to use it. Ah had to. The others would be using their visits today ah reckon, but if they didn't, that'd be okay. Neither 'O them would tell about there visits, if they got one in that is.
Grinning ear to ear, ah raced to my dear sister.
"Apple Bloom, there ya are! I been lookin' everywhere for ya girl!" Ah sobbed happily, resting my hoof on her back in a warm embrace. She sighed happily.
"Me too sis! Me too! Ah'm sorry ah haven't contacted you in awhile, ah know ah could but Scootaloo wanted to watch o'er the clouds and Sweetie over her sis." Ah smiled, quickly trying to stop the quivering in my lips as joyful tears entered my eyes.
"You haven' fun? Here ah mean." She nodded, her grin growing bigger.
"Oh yes, yes sis yes! They gave me my Cutie Mark cause I didn't have one yet, see? See?" She pointed to her flank, where clouds rested, a golden sun coming out from behind them. It looked as if an expert painted it.
"Sweetie got a different one, and so did Scoot! Ya see? We did it after all!" I smiled wearily, "Where are the others?"
"Oh, Sweetie went somewhere and Rainbow Dash, who promised to come every day, wanted to talk to Scoot alone."
Everyday? I guess that's an advantage of a Pegasus.
Ah smiled and continued to talk to my dear Apple Bloom.
Rarity to Sweetie Belle
Trotting through the clouds, I allowed my curls to bounce freely, the warm breeze flowing through it softly. "Sweetie, Sweetie Belle? Apple Bloom? Scootaloo? Anypony?" I called around, wishing for an answer with all my shining heart.
"At once, the fire came
It could not be tame,
Oh no...
Oh woe...
It took down pony after pony,
Searing through with a crony.
I wish that flame would have stopped, yes I do
Ooh, ooh
But thanks to it, I'm here now,
WAHOO!"
I heard a lyrical and lovely voice singing above me, turning my head to look up I saw a beautiful young mare, her hair in glorious locks. Her Cutie Mark was simply divine! A simple music note, golden and free, it moved with her music, creating scenery as it went. It conducted flames, bright oranges seemed to paint themselves across the her flank, the note made sure they did.
It was magnificent
Beautiful
Glorious!
Unreal.
Looking closer at the mare, I saw it was my dear Sweetie! Her eyes locked on mine for a second, confusion clouded her eyes but not her voice. Recognition passed through her eyes as she finished her sentence and leaped down from where she stood, the cheers of a dozen angels followed behind her.
"Rarity!" She giggled, embracing me. "Hi!"
I blinked before returning the embrace. She giggled happily. "Did you hear me Rarity?"
"I did. You were magnificent."
"You really think so?" Tears of happiness swelled into her eyes.
"I do."
"Thanks!" She looked back towards where she was singing.
"I'm the Singer now, I create the melodies for the angels to live by. It's hard work but I love it." She pointed to her flank. "Did you see my Cutie Mark?"
I nodded.
"You just have to see Apple Blooms and Scootaloos!"
I shook my head, my mane flowing in the wind.
"I cant, this is a one time visit. And I came to see you."
She smiled happily, though her eyes told of a great sadness from deep within.
"Oh, well...Dawn's fast approaching, I have to get back to my job."
I looked up at the far up cloud. How was she going to get back up there? She didn't have wings.
Sensing my question, she leaped into the air, gliding gracefully through the air. Halfway to the cloud she called out to me, "See you when you join me Rarity!"
As she reached the cloud and began letting out more melodies of peace that came afterwards, Smiling, I wiped a tear from my eyes. My dear sister, my dear Sweetie, was the one to sing for all the angels to hear.
I'm so proud.
Rainbow Dash to Scootaloo
"And that's why I cant go back kid. I mean, I can, but I don't want to." I smiled at Scootaloo, happy. She nodded.
"So, you volunteered to be our guardian? You're not coming every day?"
I chuckled sadly, casting my gaze over towards the seemingly endless clouds. I knew beneath them was my home, everything. Beyond that were the ponies I had grown to love.
"Well, now why would I come everyday if I can live here?" Scootaloo looked me straight in the eye and said boldly, and coldly,
"Everyone else will be upset that you left. They wont even know it was your choice. And I'm sure Sweetie and Apple Bloom told their visitors you promised to visit everyday. What if they think it's some kind of Pegasus advantage? They don't know Rainbow! They don't know you're our guardian, they don't know we could be assigned one. They don't know you left your life, your friends, everything behind to be with them. What could have happened to you? You could have been part of the WonderBolts. You could have been the best flier in Equestria. THE BEST Rainbow! But now," She turned her head to avoid my eyes. "You'd rather spend eternity with some kids who got their Cutie Marks because they died."
I looked at her golden wings with a halo above them, the wings flapping softly and slowly. She continued to avoid my eyes as she talked.
"What will everyone say? Think? They'll think you died of natural causes, not of free will. Why would you ask Celestia to do that Rainbow?!" She choked up and looked into my eyes, tears streaming from hers. "Why?"
Sighing, I took her into a warm embrace. A small grunt of surprise escaped her lips.
"Because I cant imagine a world without you kid. I just cant. Life without you would be the death of me." I removed her from the embrace, still holding onto her gently. "I love you kid. I do."
She gazed at me before turning away for a moment for rushing back into my arms.
"You idiot!" She cried. "You soft hearted, yellow bellied, mushy gushy, idiot!" She sobbed, but happiness gleamed in her eyes.
She knew I loved her.
That's all that was important.
Patting her back softly, careful not to hit her wings, I comforted the pony I loved more than anypony else.
"The others will be fine without me, promise. They'll forget about me soon." Scootaloo sobbed openly into my arms.
"No one could forget about you..."
I smiled and held her tighter, allowing her tears to dampen and soak my coat, turning my Cyan blue into darker shades.
"They will eventually."
Celestia
Finishing the writing in the book, I signed my name indication it was official. It could be revoked at anytime, the guardianship, but not for awhile. Twilight Sparkle, my ever so faithful student, would walk in tomorrow and say, "R-Rainbow Dash is...She..." And sob. Her friends with her. Apple Jack and Rarity would be confused, but secretly know, though they may not realize it. "You'll be missed," I stroked the place of Rainbow Dash in the picture sent to my by Twilight Sparkle. "But you've got to do what you want to do. Live free, Die free, be free."
Rainbow Dash would know her place as Rainbow Maker for all the world soon, Tear Drop would signal his end, allowing Rainbow Dash to use her speed and talent to cause thunderous rainbows to erupt through the sky.
"Tear Drop..." I thought of my former student from so long ago, the gray Dapple stallion who had trained as a magic pony, but in the end died a Pegasus at heart. His horn was taken away at the gates of Heaven, replaced for the wings of a Pegasus. Ever since that day, so long ago, she had controlled the rains that came from the clouds the Pegasus made. His eyes were still fresh in my memory, always cheerful. A shimmering gold, with a hint of amber. He would have a companion now. A mare.
Named Rainbow Dash.
I closed the book and sighed, a tremendous weight still hung on my shoulders as I thought of the Mane Five.
No longer Six.
"In the end," I whispered. "Loyalty goes to those loved most."
I stacked the book, shelving it away, hiding it from my memory. Forever it would stay, but granted the good memories would be there too.
Forever and always with a tinge of sadness.
I labeled the book, memories seeping from it,
-Rainbow Dash
As I looked towards it, a golden cover caught my eye.
-The Cutie Mark Crusaders
So young they all shared one book.
So sad, they were only here for a heartbeat, Rainbow for a blink of an eye.
