Chapter 16: fallen brothers
EQUESTRIA-PONYVILLE
The royal army were walking into the streets of ponyville as princess celestia and Luna walked forward in front of the group. Everypony saw them and ran to there side cheering for there return, princess celestia looked at everypony with a sad smile on her face.
Mayor mare noticed this as she looked at her with worry "princess celestia..is everything alright?" she asked her princess celestia then shook her at her.
"no...everything is not alright mayor" she said "if i may...I would like to cast an audience with all of you". Mayer mare nodded as she then prepared the podium for her, spike came out of the crowd and hugged twilight's leg, "twilight your ok!" spike shouts as he looks up at her.
"yeah...were alright spike" twilight said in a upset tone spike titled his head at her "what's wrong?", before she could speak she hears princess celestia's voice.
"attention everypony".
Twilight then looks down at spike "your about to find out" everypony then walks up to the podium to see princess celestia and princess Luna with there heads down. Everyone gathers around to hear her speak. She then looks at everyone to see them smiling and cheering for her and her sister, she glances over to the side to see dillon and rainbow dash walk into the crowd and stand next to the cutie mark crusaders.
She starts to speak:
"I would like to thank you all for welcoming us all on our return. Our battle with night shadows army was successful" everypony stomped there hoofs in joy at her words, she then continues to speak after they finish cheering.
"we stood strong and triumphed over them with ease and rescued my sister Luna" everypony stomped again in joy everyone except scootaloo who was looking at the three humans up on stage and looked to her side and looked at dillon who had his head down and his eyes close, she then put her hoof at her chin.
"were is Clayton?" she thought.
Princess celestia then held her head down slowly "but...even though nopony was hurt in the ordeal...we did lose someone" she said as tears started to come down her face. Princess Luna then started to cry as well as the main twelve, shining armor, and princess cadence.
Everypony's smiles then faded as they heard this.
"we...we lost someone that we can never see again...sniff...w-we...we lost c-Clayton" everypony was silent. Miss cheerilee then put her hoof over her mouth as she then looked at her fillies that all heard this, "oh no...but we just saw him only today...how...why would anypony want to do that to somepony" she thought as she then glanced over to her right to see the cutie mark crusaders mouths drop to the ground.
"Clayton" scootaloo said as she started to shed tears she was crushed to hear that he was gone, since the first day that he walked into the class room early in the morning she had a huge crush on him and was so happy that she would see him again from his personal matter but she never expedited this. In her heart she felt like it was destroyed like someone had stabbed it with over one hundred needles, she had never felt so sad in all of her life.
Princess celestia then whipped her tears from her face "sniff...h-he was killed in battle...but he used the last bit of his energy to defeat the dark armies commander with one strike...but he then succumbed to his wounds and...sniff" she couldn't finish as she was crying.
Her sister then stood in front of the microphone and spoke for her sister.
"after he...used the last of his energy to finish off his enemy...he gave in to his wounds and...passed away" she finished as she then held her hoofs up to her face crying. The boys then walked them both off of the podium as dillon then walked up to the stage and cleared his throat.
"he may be gone...b-but he shall live on within all of us...so w-we will host a funeral for him tomorrow" he said as he walked off and stood over with the rest of his friends, everypony then started to cry and hold there heads down for there loss. Spike then held his head down and whipped his tears as he then hugged twilight's leg tightly.
Everypony then started to leave with there heads held low, the ponies that knew him were devastated, the ones that didn't felt heartbroken for the ones who knew him, the fillies were crying as they went home as they knew that could never see there friend again, the only pony that still stood in the center of the field was scootaloo.
Scootaloo was sitting on the ground crying her eyes out she was hurt that she could not see the human that she grew to adore so quickly in a day, she was completely crushed and broken.
The main twelve now the main eleven all went home with there heads held low. Rainbow dash watched all of her friends leave for home as she then heard crying, she turned her head to spot scootaloo as she then walked over to her and sat beside her.
"scoots?".
"Clayton".
Rainbow dash then pulled her into a hug.
"sniff...Clayton".
"shhhh. I'm right her scoots".
"I want Clayton".
"I know. I want him back too".
They both held onto each other crying.
THE NEXT DAY
Everypony was depressed after hearing about clayton's death. Someponies tried to cheer each other up while some were trying here best to put it aside until the funeral began, spike was walking out of a shop with a bag at his side as he then turned to the shopkeeper.
"you take care spike".
"don't worry I will".
"and tell your new friends I said hi".
"I will".
"I'm sorry to hear about what happened to one of them".
"yeah...me too".
He then walked back to the library as he opened the door he saw max and twilight holding each other while in a curled up position on the floor. As he closed the door he put the items into the kitchen and walked over to the two and sat next to them, spike then looked at twilight her hair was in shambles, her eyes were red from crying all night with max, and she held on to max as if her life depended on it.
Spike was sad to see her like this as he walked over and held on to the two.
APPLEJACK'S HOUSE
"applebloom please calm down Hun. Everything is gonna be ok" sam said.
Applebloom cried "no it's not!".
"applebloom sam and I know how much Clayton ment to ya. But we have ta be strong".
Applebloom only cried more.
Sam and applejack were both upset they didn't want to see applebloom like this, she had been crying all night non stop ever since yesterday. Granny smith and big Mac walked into the room walking over to the three.
"come on dear. Ya have ta be strong. I know that your upset about losing ya friend but ya have ta be strong for him".
Big Mac put his hoof on her shoulder "granny smith is right. You got to be strong. It's what your friend would want".
Applebloom whipped the tears from her face as she then laid her head in sam's lap as everyone moved in holding each other.
PINKY PIE'S HOUSE
Jack and pinky pie were both sitting outside watching the other poines go by. Jack was holding pinky pie's hoof as she was inside his hoodie with him to get warm since rainbow dash had made the weather cold as ice just like her heart when she lost the most wonderful thing in her life. pinky pie's mane was straight and her pink color was faded as she only snuggled herself into jack's chest while inside his hoodie.
Mr and mrs cake looked out the window and stared at the two in worry, mr. Cake sighed "oh I just can't stand to see them like this hunny bun" ms. cake Nodded in agreement "yes I know dear. I've never seen pinky pie like this before. why would somepony do that to another pony and not feel guilty for what they did?" said, just sighed "I don't know dear. But if anypony can do something like that and not feel any sort of guilt what so ever then they must not have a heart".
She nodded as they both then heard the front door open to see jack and pinky pie walk in. Pound cake and pumpkin cake looked at them as they walked past them with depression in there eyes pound cake then flew over to them as they walked upstairs, as he stopped flying he crawled over to them.
They were laying in bed staring at the celling as pound cake flew up onto the bed and Sat on jack's chest. As was still looking up at the celling pound cake then hovered over his face smiling trying to cheer him up, "oh hey little guy" jack said as he picked him making pound cake giggle.
Pinky pie then turned her head to see the two, she then leaned up and stared at them as they played. Pound cake was poking jack's face as he was giggling making jack smile a bit, pinky pie started to smile a bit as she kept watching the two play.
"awww that is so cute" she said. Then just as she said that jack then leaned over and kissed her nose. She then started to smile more as she kissed him back on his nose they then laid each others heads on there shoulders and sighed happily. Jack then patted pound cake on his head lightly to which he smiled with joy, "thanks buddy".
RARITY'S HOUSE
Rarity and Corey were sitting on the couch while watching sweetie belle making something that they both could not make out. Rarity sighed "this is just so upsetting. I just can't believe that he's gone" she said as she held onto Corey's arm sighing.
Corey then stroked her mane as she kept holding onto him, she sighed as she snuggled her head on his arm, sweetie belle then poked them both as they looked at her.
"yes sweetie belle?" corey said.
"I umm made this for tonight".
She then pulls up a small piece of paper with a drawing of her friends and Clayton together. Corey takes the picture and looks at it and shows it to rarity, "hey darling look at this" rarity then looks at the picture in his hand. "awww sweetie belle. That's so sweet" she says as she then pulls her up and holds her into a hug as Corey then holds them both into a hug.
RAINBOW DASH'S HOUSE
rainbow dash was in her bed with scootaloo in her hoofs as she looked over at the foot of her bed to see the wonderbolts jacket that Clayton gave her.
She sighed as she lowered her body under the covers, as she started to close her eyes she started to cry herself asleep again.
"I miss you so much".
She looked down at scootaloo and kissed her head making her smile a bit as she whispered to herself.
"Clayton".
Rainbow dash then sighed quietly as she laid her head on her pillow and looked over on the other side of the bed to see it empty, heartbroken that she can never see her lovers smile again.
FLUTTERSHY'S HOUSE
fluttershy was busy tending her animals trying to make herself feel better, she hadn't see dillon all day and she was worried about him. "ohhh I hope that dillon is alright" she said as angel then hugged her hoof, she smiled down at him as she rubbed his head.
"aww thank you angel".
She then felt the other animals come around her and hug her, this made fluttershy smile as they were all trying to make her feel better as best as they could. She let out small tears as she smiled a bit, as she looked up she then saw dillon walk up to her still depressed and caring a the thunder cats sword of omens on his back.
"dillon your home" fluttershy said with a small smile on her face, dillon just stared at her as he leaned down and petted her head.
"yea...I had to go to the human world for a bit".
"what's that thing on your side?".
"oh it's one of my cousin's swords that he gave me a long time ago. I never really did use that much so I'm going to make it a grave marker for him here in equestria. Umm if that's ok", fluttershy smiled at him as she broke out of the animals embrace and held onto him. "I know that your cousin would like that very much".
"yea...I think so too".
CANDERLOT CASTLE
Luna was in her room staring at the sun setting. It was almost time for the funeral to begin she looked up at the sky seeing that it was almost dark and sighed.
"why...why did you have to go? Why did you have to leave us?...why?".
She kept thinking that over and over again Until she heard a knock at her door.
"come in".
Princess celestia walked into her sisters room and saw her out in the balcony looking up into the sky.
"Luna...it's time".
Luna then turned to her not saying a word.
"I understand how you must feel".
Luna walked over to princess celestia and looked at her with sad eyes.
"it's worse than that sister...far worse that you could know" she then walked out of her room with her head held down, princess celestia could only watch in sadness as her sister walked down the hall.
"but I do know how you feel...you lost the man that you fell in love with to death's grip".
She then walked out of her room and walked down the hallway to the outside of the castle.
PONYVILLE ROSE GARDEN
Everyone was standing in rows of four waiting for princess celestia and princess Luna to arrive. The main eleven were standing in the front of the crowd with the sword that dillon had brought from the human world stabbed into the ground, everypony had there heads held down with sad looks on there faces the fillies were the most upset, they were upset that they could never see there best friend again as he had promised to play with them as soon as he would return. The cutie mark crusaders were devastated that they could not see there friends smile like they did yesterday, applebloom and sweetie belle were wrapping there hoofs around scootaloo who was crying. She was crushed that she could never see Clayton again, she had a crush on him ever since she first saw him the other day...but now she could not believe that he had been killed, how her crush had been destroyed and taken from her.
Princess celestia and princess Luna soon arrived. Luna was wearing a black rose in her hair and a midnight dress as her sister wore a white and pink dress and had her hair in a pony tail. They were greeted by the main eleven as they all walked in front of them and turned around to face the large crowd. As the Main eleven stood next to the princess side rainbow dash walked up to the sword and placed her wonderbolts jacket over the sword and tied the sleeves around the sword.
As she finished tying the sleeves around the sword she then kissed the jacket as she then backed away from the made grave, as rainbow dash was finished with what she had to do celestia then started to speak.
"ahem..we are all gathered here tonight for a friend. A friend that we have loved and accepted into our lives despite his differences. He has shown his love and care for everypony here and we have given the same love and care for him" celestia then started to tear up, "b-but...we must be strong. We have to be strong...for him. It's what he would want...it's what Clayton would want us to do everyday. And so...we gather here tonight...to pay our respects...to him and pray...th-that he may watch over us all".
Princess celestia then raised her head down in silence as Octavia was playing her cello in the background trying not to cry as she played, everypony had there heads down and cried as they all paid there respects some of the fillies brought up flowers to the grave, some laid flower crowns over the jacket, and some put drawings next to the grave as well. Luna then levitated her black rose from her hair and placed it inside of the jackets pocket, she then lowered her head in silence as tears rolled down her face.
"we love you so much" Luna whispered "and we promise to stay strong for you".
NIGHTINGALE PARK
Vanish was standing in the war torn park with a look of rage and defeat in his eyes. His clothes were torn to shreds, he had cuts all over his body from fighting with Clayton, his sunglasses were broken, and his machete was broken in two. He stood there in the rain as the cold air hit his body as he stared at clayton's grave, vanish was enraged he was angry at his masters plan and he was angry at him because he took Clayton from him. Vanish then griped his broken weapon and gritted his teeth as he then looked at the grey sky and yelled in fury:
"NIGHTSHADOW!".