Autumn stood with her head held low as she stood at the graveyard on the outskirts of Ponyville to the north, she was dressed in an elegant black dress as she stood next to a tiny gravestone. Pinkie stood near her, a hoof on the mother's back as her straight mane hid her face from view. Rarity stood next to Twilight on the other side of the gravestone where a tiny green pegasus sat on her haunches, tears poured from her bright yellow eyes as she sobbed openly and hard into her hooves. The ponies surrounding the small hole in the ground all wore black and all were silent as Big Mac and Mr. Cake carried the foal sized casket with low heads, however despite the occasion the sun overhead was only slightly overcast and Rainbow Dash landed beside Twilight. "There weren't enough rain clouds within a four mile radius for it to rain, this is all I could do." She lowers her head as Twilight waves her away and lays a hoof on the back of the grieving filly at her hooves. She shut her eyes as the stallions stopped near the hole, her own glowing and lifting the casket into the hole in silence. Autumn choked on tears caught in her throat before wailing in pain, her hoof gripping her chest as the bawled in the presence of the town . Pinkie Pie hugged the mare into her chest, tears in her own eyes as she attempted to comfort the mother, her own lips trembling.
"Does anypony have anything to say before we proceed?" Twilight's trembling voice broke the silence but she didn't let the ponies around her see her cry.
"Wait T-twilight can I…" The green filly spoke up, causing Twilight to look down at her. "I want to put something in with her.."
"That is not my call Yellow Rose," Twilight eyed Autumn who sniffed hard and lifted her head from Pinkie Pies chest and nodded at the filly who nodded in return. She walked up to the hole and pulled a bright purple rose from under her tiny wing.
"Berry Mint," The filly looked down into the hole, Big Mac and Mr. Cake ready with shoves near a dirt pile as they waited for the filly to finish her goodbye to her friend. "You said I couldn't grow any flowers, that my black hoof was to bad. Well I wanted to show you this at school but you weren't there." The filly tried her best to fight back her incoming tears before swallowing them. "It has been three days since then and it was still alive so I want you to have it." She dropped the rose into the hole, watching it fall onto the wooden box and walking away with her ears low against her head when it hit the lid.
Once the grave was full the ponies scattered after leaving their regards with the now silent mother, Twilight and Pinkie staying with Autumn until the ponies around them were gone. "I thank you for allowing me to inspect her body before we buried her, I took though notes and I will try to find the cause of death." Twilight bowed her head, staying that way until the mother gave a tiny nod without speaking.
"Twilight, leave her be." Pinkie finally spoke up, having not left the mares side. "She just lost her only filly and now you want to bombard her with this." Twilight was shocked internally at how mature Pinkie was being about the situation but she only lowered her head in shame, she had no idea what to say to the mare who had just lost her world three days before. She nodded and backed away from the two mares, looking over her shoulder as Autumn moved in front of the grave stone and laid on the freshly turned dirt in silence.
Spike looked up as Twilight slammed the library door behind her, he had a gem necklace where the rubies matched Berry Mints coat. "How did it go Twilight?" Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle beside him, not having it in their hearts to go to the burial of their friend.
"It went." Twilight walked up to her desk and used her magic to open the folder placed on it, several papers covered in writing and small drawings.
"Twilight," Applebloom stood up and walked up to her. "How did she die? Do y'all know?" She stared up at the unicorn, desperate for answers.
"No Applebloom but I am going to find out. I-" She stopped, hearing knocking on the door before Spike got up to answer it. When he opened the door the light blue pegasos with curled pink mane stood in the doorway, her dark sunglasses hiding her face as they did the day she arrived.
"Evening Miss Sparkle." The accent on the mares voice was a sweet sound the the unicorn's ears who had only heard sobbing that morning.
"Oh Night Bell, well it is only the afternoon but good evening." She smiled and set the papers down before turning to the mare.
"Is the burial of the filly over? Did I miss it?" The mare stayed outside the door, Spike looking up at her glasses and smiling at the thought of Rarity that crossed his mind.
"Yes, it was very early this morning. It lasted a bit longer than planned but I was not about to think about that with the mother nearby, please do come in." Twilight walked up to her and smiled, the mare smiling faintly and walking into Twilight's home.
"I am not much of a morning mare myself," She chuckled and took off the glasses from her face, tossing her mane to the side as he fell into her eyes. "I did wish to send my condolences to the mother myself but maybe a letter would be a bit better?"
"Wow miss you eyes are beautiful!" Sweetiebelle ran up to the mare, the other two cutie mark crusaders following suit and giving their own compliments.
"Ya your feathers on your wings are super soft!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she reached up to grab the mares wings.
"And your mane is super pretty to miss!" Applebloom batted at the cur near the mares neck, Twilight smacking her hoof into her face in embarrassment over the fillies.
"Oh well thank you, you fillies are as stunning as Luna's moon itself. You shine like the stars that light up the night." She smiled down at the fillies, the three blushing at the mares buttery voice and compliment. She looked back up at Twilight as she unfolded her wings for the fillies to play in her feathers.
"A letter might be the best approach but if you do insist on voicing it I say give her a few days." Twilight removed her hoof from her face and gasped at the mares face, the mare tilting her head with a confused look. "Oh my apologise but I don't think I have seen a mare with two different colored eyes, it startled me at first." She smiled her apologies before the mare chuckled.
"It startles most ponies at first but my eyes are very sensitive to light, I tend to stick to the night time to avoid my eyes hurting or bleeding." The mare leaned down for Sweetiebelle who was been trying to see her eyes clearly, she looked at the white filly as she crouched down for her.
"They are even prettier up close!" The filly exclaimed, the mares right eye a dark crimson red and her right a light lilac purple. The cutie mark crusaders pushed together to inspect the mare who laid on the floor, to be at the fillies height a bit better.
"So who are you lovely fillies?" She smiled, Twilight sitting on her haunches as the excited and now hyper fillies clambered over themselves to meet the new pegasus.
"I'm Sweetiebelle, I'm Rarity's sister." The white unicorn touched her chest as she spoke.
"And I'm Applebloom." The yellow filly jumped and kicked the air as she spoke, causing her odd looking new purple bow to bounce with her mane. "I'm Applejack's sister and the future owner of Sweet Apple Acres." Sweetiebelle rolled her eyes and sighed.
"As if Applebloom, you really think Applejack would let that happen until you are way way older and she can't buck apples?" Applebloom glared at her friend, her cheeks red with embarrassment.
"Would y'all shut up, I will own the farm one day. Granny Smith said so!" Twilight sighed at the girl's argument as the orange pegasus spoke up.
"And I'm Scootaloo! Rainbow Dash is like my older sister." The three clapped their hooves in excitement before yelling loudly.
"AND WE ARE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" Twilight's ears laid against her head as the mare chuckled openly.
"Well nice to meet you little fillies." She smiled at Twilight as she wrapped her wings around the three. "They are the most adorable little fillies, their sisters are so lucky to have such delectable munchkins." She stood after folding her wings once more at her sides. "Now you three run along, I wish to get to know to the town's librarian please." She used her right wing to gently push the three girls back over to their necklace project with the baby dragon before turning her attention to Twilight. "From what I heard on my way here a death at such a young age is a rare occurrence here." Twilight nodded and put a hoof to her chin in thought.
"It is weird, that is why I asked Autumn to let me inspect her body without autopsy of course." She stood and turned back to the papers on her desk, Night Bell standing beside her. "But I meant to ask, why did you move to Ponyville?" She looked at the pegasus.
"Country life has always seemed so rich in pony interaction and so calm." She smiled at the unicorn. "I am a pony who likes slow town life, and when I heard there was a fashion designer in town I wanted to move here. I have many old dresses that could be spruced up a bit, they have seen their days." She turned her attention to the books that surrounded them. "I also heard a lot about this library, I heard you have a lot of old Equestrian books. From the times where the nation had just come under Celestia and Luna's rule, before Discord took over."
"Really? Not many ponies are interested in those. They are in my bedroom, I have given them a fair read and they are a delight. The thought of old equestria sends chills up my spine, I would love to see it myself. All the old architect and literature, seems like heaven to a nerd like me." She giggled at the name she called herself before looking at Night Bell. "Any other reason you moved to little old Ponyville?"
She shook her head, mane bouncing as she turned to look at the fillies once more. "To work on my music and books, I like to get a feel for my environment before I write anything on paper. My next album is about small town life and my novel is about a group of fillies in a small country town."
"You write?" Twilight's eye lit up in excitement as Night Bell turned her attention back to her.
"I dabble in it yes, music and literature is my talent." She moved her wing and pointed to her cutie mark that was a music note behind a scroll with a quill wrapped inside it.
"We have a few popular music ponies in our town as well, have you ever performed?" She waved Spike over. "Spike please get us some tea, Pinkie says I should get to know ponies more and this seems like a good time for tea. I can look over my notes later, I need a bit of interaction right now."
"Oh why tea sounds delightful thank you." Night Bell smiled brightly as the two sat by the table in the middle of the room. "Yes I have performed, I have performed with Octavia before and she happens to be an old friend of mine." She smiles. "Vinyl and I have spoken but we see very differently and we have found it best to not interact."
Twilight nods and takes the tea tray from Spike as he brings it to the mares, using her magic to set it between them and levitate a teacup to Night Bell allowing her take it from her magic mid air. "Sugar or milk?"
"Two sugars please, no milk." Night Bell smiled and used a spoon to stir her tea as Twilight added the sugar cubes to her new friends tea.
"It is a shame you and Vinyl disagree, she is a sweet pony." Twilight added milk to her tea before adding one sugar cube.
"I don't see it as anything bad, just two ponies disagreeing on music which we have dedicated our practice to. Nothing more." Twilight nodded as Night Bell sipped from her tea cup before speaking once more. "No hard feelings occur between us, just an agreement to not interact musically."
"That is a peaceful agreement then, at least there are no hard feelings between you two." Night Bell smiled into her tea cup before she looked out a nearby window.
"Sunset already?" She sets her teacup down as Twilight looked out the window.
"Oh, it looks like it." She looked back at Night Bell who shut her eyes in thought.
"I should be going, I have only a few limited night hours in the fall. This was the last day of summer was it not?" Twilight nodded and stood.
"Well at least let me see you to the door." Night Bell smiled and stood as well.
"Thank you, though you don't have to." Twilight waved off the mares comment before turning to the fillies on the floor as Scootaloo holds up the completed gem necklace.
"It's finally done!" She exclaimed happily before looking at Sweetiebelle who found herself sniffling. "Hey, Sweetie what's wrong?"
The unicorn wiped her eyes on her hoof before mumbling. "We didn't finish it in time for her birthday.." The three fillies stared at the floor in silence after Sweetiebelles comment, Night Bell frowning and walking up to the girls.
"Now now, come and raise those chins." The three looked at her as the mare cleared her throat. "She wouldn't want you to cry, not now at least. She must be heartbroken to see you all cry like this." She leaned down and looked at the necklace in Scootaloo's hooves. "Why not put it on her grave? So she will see it and treasure it in the afterlife?" The three perked up and smiled, the mare wiping their eyes each in turn and turned back to Twilight. "Alright Miss Sparkle, I will bid thee farewell for the evening. It was a delight." The mare placed her glasses on her face once more as Twilight smiled timidly.
"Please, Twilight is fine. I'm not used to hearing ponies speak so formally, Luna does but it's in her nature." She opened the door for Night Bell who chuckled warmly.
"Natures are who we are Twilight, all ponies have different natures and some have natures you best watch out for in the dark of night." Despite the smile on the mares face Twilight felt chills sprint up her spine at the crisp coldness in the mares voice. "I bid you a good evening." She walked out the door, however Twilight felt a chill in the last warmness of summer's final hours.