The wind swept my mane aside as the cold air bit at my cheeks. The winter snow was starting to come down thicker and thicker and I knew that I wouldn't have much more time left to finish this, but I couldn't bring myself to step away. Even the Princess of the Night has her weak spots, but this one was the worst.
A tear escaped my left eye as I tried to hold my emotions in. I knew I was alone, but I wanted to keep my dignity as best as I could, more as a promise to myself and those in front of me than anything. Those ponies would have been strong for me had they been in my place, and I was going to stay strong for them no matter how badly I wanted to let go and break down right here and now. It was just another normal Wednesday for most of the ponyfolk, but it wasn't going to be the one day I gave up on, regardless of the circumstances.
The graveyard was covered in a thin layer of snow by now with visibility starting to worsen by the approaching storm, and I told myself that I needed to get going before I got lost in the drifting white powder. Their graves waited patiently in front of me, silently asking for empathy and respect, which I was keen to give. I walked up to the first in the row set aside from all the others and prepared to start my long journey down the row.
The name on the first grave had been worn away from years of weathering and time, but the medals hung around it were still attached by a long-ago-cast spell, although their surfaces were faded substantially. A pair of goggles had been attached to the stone and a few dying flower petals still clung for dear life at the cold unforgiving earth, trying to stay alive as long as they could in a dead man's land.
The picture of a cutie mark at the top of the headstone, although not as sharp as when the grave was fresh, still resembled a lightning bolt charging from a cloud. An inscription, long forgotten by most of the visitors of the graves told of her tails as a Wonderbolt and her undying loyalty to her friends, no matter what came between them.
"Goodbye, Rainbow Dash," I quietly whispered to the grave, pulling my scarf tighter around my shivering neck, "the fastest flyer and most daring athlete the Wonderbolts has ever had the pleasure of seeing."
I took a step to the side, moving slowly down the line to find not a headstone, but an old Willow sticking out of the ground. The beautiful plant had grown so much taller since I was there to help pick it out and plant it. The branches were barren due to the harsh weather outside, but the tree was as healthy as it could be. Long ago it had been locked in a state of immortality thanks to a spell that my sister had cast on it. not a single branch had been damaged in the decades that it had stood proudly over the earth below.
The body that resided beneath this wonderful creation of nature would have been pleased to know that even in death, she had helped give new life to one last thing. She had always been thinking about others since I had known her, and she never had anything mean to say or mean-spirited. She had accepted even the most evil of creatures into her heart as a neighbor and good friend. Her kindness knew no bounds, and I made sure that, during her funeral, she had the best services Equestria could offer, even getting my sister to give a prayer of respect before she was buried. Her cutie mark had not been put into the tree like the others, but if anypony were to pass by the grave site in the summer, they would be greeted by butterflies and squirrels, and even the occasional rabbit.
"Farewell Fluttershy," I sobbed, putting a hoof on the trunk of the willow, "I will never forget what you did for me when I returned. Your animal friends always remind me of you, and you will forever stay in my heart."
The wind picked up a bit and the snow came down harder and harder, starting to pile up on the tops of the graves in front of me. I closed my eyes and cast a shielding spell around the headstones so that while I was there they would still be visible. I lifted my hoof from the tree and felt another tear escape my eye, but I sucked in my gut, lifted my head and moved on to the next gravesite in the line.
The next headstone offered a flowery and illustrious slab of stone whose beauty matched that of nature itself. A trio of diamonds resided in the top of the stone, glowing with a soft magical blue light from the three blue crystalline gems. She was always a fashionista, and during her final days, she wore the most magnificent dress created when she was still young and active. She had even caused a fashion upheaval in Canterlot after the line of dresses inspired by the beauty of it.
She had shown like a star in space, and she even had the honor of having a star named after her posthumously. Now her name was alongside those of Starswirl and Merlin up in the heavens above. I had missed her generous attitude, especially during my nieces wedding. I laid down a single rose in memoriam for her. She was lovely, and she deserved to be treated so, even now that her home was the dirt below. It almost brought a smile to my face when I complained that she wouldn’t like being put into the ground because her issues with mud.
“Rarity,” I said, forcing some more magic into the blue, stone, diamond shapes on her gravestone to make them shine as she once had, “I will forever keep you in my heart. I’m sorry that you had gone out so soon, but at least you went out with a bang.”
Before I could move on, I realized that my emotions were starting to well up again, and I needed to take a moment to compose myself before I could continue with this never-ending journey. Wiping another tear from my eye, I hardened my gaze and moved to the fourth headstone in the plot, and said a quick farewell to it. I didn’t know much about the pony that resided in the dirt beneath this particular headstone, but she helped me in ways I can never repay her through her friends. I saw an old Stetson resting on the headstone, presumably locked forever in position to commemorate the cowpony.
She taught me how to be social and I was always told of her undying honesty and her hard work on her family’s farm. Out of the few headstones here, her name was probably the most known, due to her legacy that has still lived on to this day. Her grandchildren are now the owners of the family farm, and they still hold the same values she did.
“You may not have been a big influence in my life, Applejack,” I said, picking up the Stetson that hung on the top of her grave and dusting the snow off, “but you’ve helped out so many ponies. I know you deserve a few words.”
Taking another step to the side, I closed my eyes and shivered from the blistering wind.that was nipping my ears. I opened them again to see the grave in front of me had the shape of three party balloons embedded into the cold stone. The pony that lay beneath had also not been a huge part of my life, but she had affected nearly everypony she had the pleasure to have known. She was the only pony who knew every single pony in Ponyville by name, and every time anypony would mention her, it would always be in good light.
She was known as the best party-thrower in all of Equestria, and my sister even hired her to plan all of my birthday parties. She always knew what to do and she always had a solution if something didn’t work out. Her nightmare night celebrations always managed to reach my ears through one way or another. Alas, her death was one of the saddest of them all. She never had anything to be glum about, and even on her deathbed I was told she was cracking jokes. I attended her funeral service with the last of her friends and never had I been so moved to tears through a song than the one the old mare had written for her own funeral. The happy lyrics just added to the grief.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie...” I whispered, remembering the full name that I heard from the funeral. “I will always think of you as the best pink party planner Equestria has ever seen.” I choked up at these words, not wanting to move any further. The five ponies had een too much and I wasn’t sure I could make it through another.
A few more tears escaped my eyes as my lip quivered. The snow around was starting to chill my bones, and I knew I needed to get to shelter lest I be frozen until the storm passed and someone found my body. I couldn’t bring myself to move. The entire reason I had come to the graveyard in the first place was now the reason I didn’t want to leave. I stared at the grave, now able to move a single muscle. I lost control and tears began flowing from my eyes as the wind whipped around me.
“The service was a good one today,” a frail voice spoke up from behind me. I pulled myself together slightly and turned to see an old grey pony with green eyes standing behind me. He was wrapped up tight in a brown coat and was holding a lantern with his magical green aura. He levitated the lantern over next to me and joined me in looking at the freshly-filled grave. “Was she a friend of yours, Princess?”
“An old friend, yes,” I replied to the unicorn, looking back at the grave embedded with a star-like shape at the top. The grave had been placed here next to the others only a week before in preparation for the unavoidable event.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Luna,” the unicorn said, not moving his eyes from the grave. He turned his eyes towards me and with a serious tone, stated, “Friendship is magic. I remember that saying.”
“It was her thing,” I said, reading the inscription that he had just said aloud. “I remember when she taught me that with the help of her friends.” I let a few tears escape despite the common unicorn standing next to me. “I’m sorry,” I said, turning my head away.
“I understand, Princess,” the unicorn said, picking up his lantern. “We all go through tough times when a good friend leaves us, but the important thing to remember is that we can’t dwell on it forever.” He paused for a few seconds with nothing but the whipping wind breaking the silence. Finally he spoke up again, telling me, “I’m going to close the graveyard for the storm, Princess. The worst is yet to come, so you might want to get indoors soon.”
He silently laid a hoof on my back and gave a slight nod as if to say everything was going to be fine. A few seconds of silence passed and he lifted his hoof off me, taking his lantern and heading for the gate. I stayed by the grave until I heard the metal clank together and the sound of hoofsteps fade entirely. I took a deep breath of the chilled air and made my decision.
“So long, Twilight,” I softly spoke to the grave in front of me, setting down the scarf that I had been wearing. The old unicorn was right. I couldn’t dwell on those who have passed, but I could pay them my final respects with pride. I stood up and looked down the row of graves with a forlorn look, silently wishing them all proper respect.
All in all... this was just another farewell.
