It was a long while before Diamond Tiara had finally cried herself out.

The shadows had shifted significantly, and the pair merely sat in silence as they watched the lake. William felt a small sense of satisfaction as he held the sniffling filly in his arms, although he knew it for what it was. It hadn’t been him to make Diamond Tiara feel any better at all, even if he wanted to – she had simply cried for so long that she couldn’t anymore.

He tried to cling to it, though it vanished as quickly as it had come. It acted as a momentary dam between the horrible reality that faced him.

Silver Spoon was gone.

He hadn’t even known her as well as Diamond Tiara did – regardless, her loss still stung him like a backhanded slap to the soul. It just felt so unfair, so completely and irrationally unfair. After all he had done to try to save the filly, then she dies of food poisoning?

Something about it didn’t quite sit right with William, and he was stiff as he held Diamond in his arms. He lost himself in dark thoughts, still as the bench beneath them as he stared out over the lake with her.

“Thank you.”

“What?” William blinked, furrowing his thin brows in confusion. “Thank – sorry, what?”

“Thank you for always being there for me,” Diamond Tiara wiped her eyes on his shirt (to his mild horror) and rested her cheek on his shoulder to wrap him in a weak hug.

“Oh. Er,” he cleared his throat uncomfortably, the sudden intimacy causing him to tense up even further. “You’re – you are quite welcome, Miss Tiara.”

“You don’t have any idea how much it matters to me.” she sniffled again and hugged him tighter, rubbing her cheek against him. “Don’t – don’t leave me, William. Don’t you ever, ever leave me.”

She was an obstinate brat.

A selfish one, even in her time of mourning, Diamond Tiara was still attempting to throw around whatever influence she could for her own gain. It made the flare of anger roil in William again, until she began crying softly again. He instinctively patted her on the head, uncertain of just how one was supposed to provide support to a crying filly.

Perhaps her words weren’t for her own personal gain.

Maybe, just maybe, Diamond was just very, very loney.

A shame. That such a pretty one would always be so angry.

“… Yes, Miss Tiara.”

“Th-thanks, Will.”

“You are quite welcome, Miss Tiara.”

William waited patiently at the door, bracing his knuckles to rap on it again.

The time he had been requested to leave his own home (or as Applejack put it, ‘play outside’) had long since ended, more than double the initial time requirement. It was nearly midday by the time he finally returned home, his heart and mind heavy.

At first, he had considered making the trek to Sugarcube Corner…

But Pinkie Pie wouldn’t be there, of course.

It was Fluttershy who finally pried open the door, and William watched her do so painfully slowly and with caution, just barely poking her head out enough to see who it was.

“Oh. Um. H-hello, William,” Fluttershy blinked tiredly. “Back so soon?”

“It has been four hours, twelve minutes, and twenty-six seconds,” William replied with a bland stare. “I can hardly say my return has been timely.”

Fluttershy balked at him in amazement, her eyebrows rising a little.

“Oh, my,” she shook her head. “That’s very impressive. How can you tell time like that without a watch?”

Wordlessly, William pointed past her to the clock hanging on the wall behind her.

Fluttershy flushed deeply, pushing the door open to allow him entrance. To be honest, he was amazed that they were still carrying on with Rainbow Dash’s group therapy. He briefly wondered if it would take all day… every day.

They were all still gathered around on chairs and the sofa, although from the looks of plates and cups, it had turned more into a tea party than anything else. Albeit, a tea party where everyone looked thoroughly depressed. Precisely what had he missed that made them all look so somber?

William cringed internally when Pinkie Pie began waving him over with a friendly smile, lighting up the moment he returned.

“Heyya, Will,” she patted the cushion next to her. Pinkie sat beside Rainbow Dash this time, but made sure to scoot closer to the pegasus in order to make room for him. The clatter of the others having lunch of what appeared to be finely carved stalks of celery decorated with dabs of cinnamon was a bit distracting, and he assumed that the little faces on them were probably Pinkie Pie’s idea. She offered him one, which he politely declined. “Have fun outside?”

“That would insinuate that I have been playing, Miss Pie,” William stated quietly, folding his hands in his lap. “I do not play.”

“Yeesh.” Pinkie held up her hooves, desperate to lighten the mood. “Who died?”

“Silver Spoon.”

It fell silent shortly afterwards.

“That’s-that’s not funny,” Pinkie Pie said gravely, her mane beginning to droop a little. It disturbed him just how completely silent it was, and threw him off. The constant noise of chirruping birds and wind, the sounds of life in general were what he had accustomed himself to for the past few hours, which only served to make him even more noticeably uneasy.

“Nor is it a laughing matter,” William nodded quietly. “Miss Tiara informs me that it was due to food poisoning. The funeral shall be held this evening. Mother?” he turned his head to the shocked Rainbow Dash. “If it is all the same to you, I should wish to attend the event at seven o’clock sharp.”

Rainbow Dash was utterly wordless for a long moment, and Pinkie Pie bowed her head solemnly beside her.

“… Yeah. Yeah, we can-can go tonight, Squirt.”

“Thank you, Mother. If you do not mind,” he pushed away the plate of celery, not hungry in the slightest. “I would care to retire to my chambers for the time being. Good day.”

And with that, the boy silently stalked down the hallway with all of their eyes locked onto his back the entire way, until he finally and noiselessly locked himself within the sanctity of his bedroom.

William sat on the edge of his bed, small black journal clasped so tightly in his hands that his knuckles began turning white.

His hands shook slightly as he stared at the cover, dully glaring at it as he thought.

A light pinging noise alerted him, making him jolt. He sat up straight immediately, listening intently for the source of the noise. Had it been Rainbow Dash? Or perhaps it was Pinkie Pie, she had stayed after all the others had left.

But once again, William heard the noise from close by and recognized it for the sound of gravel on glass. Peering cautiously out his window and seeing nothing, he quickly lifted it and examined the surrounding area closely.

Obviously not closely enough, as the moment he stuck his head out the window, an unfortunately large pebble struck him across the forehead.

William dropped the windowsill and caused it to slam loudly, which muffled his yelp of pain.

“Will?”

William rubbed his sore forehead bitterly, casting a dry look out at the horrified Scootaloo, who covered her mouth with one hoof sheepishly to hide back a guilty half grin.

“I apologize,” he replied to Rainbow Dash’s concerned call loudly without turning away from the orange pegasus. “I… dropped something! All is fine!”

It was quiet for a few moments, and he could have sworn that Rainbow Dash stood just outside his door. However, a couple of moments later, he heard her quietly conversing with Pinkie Pie in hushed tones, and he turned his attention back to Scootaloo.

This time cautiously ensuring that the window was propped open, William nodded politely to the breathless filly, who was nearly clambering in the window at this point.

“Heyya, Will!” Scootaloo grinned at him excitedly. “Where’ve you been? AB and Sweetie said – hey, what’s up with the suit?”

William carefully lent her a hand to climb in through the window, and he self-consciously brushed and straightened his black attire.

“Miss Sparkle was kind enough to ‘lend’ it to me,” he replied in a dull murmur, and it took her a second to realize that he was embarrassed. “The woman’s explanation of magical transmogrification still manages to astound me, I’m afraid. Such an anomaly is perplexing, to say the least. I find it fascinating, still.” William rambled on, hiding something beneath his pillow.

“You mean when Twilight and the others were here?” Scootaloo watched him pacing nervously, confused. “They told me you weren’t here…” she said doubtfully.

“Got back a short while ago,” William said distractedly, wringing his hands as he paced.

“That doesn’t explain what the suit’s for,” the irritated pegasus grunted pointedly, making herself comfortable on her bed. She was growing more suspicious by the minute, and it was clear that he was attempting to disguise something. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing!” William said too quickly, clinging to his own hands uncomfortably. Scootaloo stared at him, and he let out a whistle of stress and agitation through his teeth.

“… There is to be a funeral shortly.”

“Yikes,” Scootaloo winced sharply, a sliver of guilt rising. “Sorry, Will. I didn’t know,” she rubbed her foreleg ruefully, unable to meet his gaze. “Was it somepony you knew?”

“It is Miss Spoon’s funeral.”

Scootaloo fell off the bed.

“What?” she spluttered in abject horror, scrabbling back atop the bed. “But – but – when…?”

“Miss Tiara informed me that it was food poisoning,” William sat down on the edge of the bed between Scootaloo and his pillow, and clasped his hands together to keep them still. “I believe that there may have been some form of exterior motive.”

“Jeez,” Scootaloo ran a hoof through her shock of mane in distress and despair, her wide eyes locked onto the floor. “Jeez. Oh, jeez. Oh, jeez. Oh, cripes,” she breathed over and over, hardly able to accept it.

Scootaloo shook her head eventually, her eyes stinging.

“I mean, I didn’t like Silver Spoon,” she cleared her throat. “But… but… I mean, jeez, Will. Just… jeez.”

“I believe that you would greatly benefit by expanding your vocabulary,” William retorted dryly, but his voice was soft and humorless.

“I believe that you’re busted,” Rainbow Dash’s voice made them both jump, and this time it was William who fell from the bed. He hastily jumped to his feet, tidying his hair and straightening his modified clothing with a steadily reddening face.

“Care to tell me why Scootaloo is in my house? Again?” Dash looked down at him from the doorway expressionlessly, and he fiddled with his hands. When he failed to speak, she stole a glance at the window and back to the surprised pegasus. William could spot a snickering Pinkie Pie lurking just behind Rainbow Dash, which only served to make him even more flustered.

“It’s – it was all me,” Scootaloo held up a hoof and hung her head in shame. “It’s not Will’s fault, Rainbow Dash, honest. I just – just really wanted to, uh…” she ran a hoof through her mane again, her own cheeks growing pink. “Just really wanted to talk to Will, is… is all…” Scootaloo mumbled, her head dropping with every word until she was lying flat on the bed and covering her eyes with her hooves.

Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head, sharing a whisper with Pinkie Pie that William couldn’t quite hear.

“Next time I catch you, you’re getting thrown out,” Rainbow Dash half frowned, letting a long breath out through her nostrils. “Understood?”

“Yes, Miss Dash. I understand,” William nodded somberly, his face slowly draining of color as he clasped his hands behind his back.

“What?” Dash blinked, narrowing her eyes. “No – no, Will, not you. I was talking to Scootaloo.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but once more it only came out in a slurred, nearly hysterical apology.

“Should – should I… go…?” Scootaloo pointed back toward the window uncomfortably, which made Pinkie Pie snort for some reason before trotting off back down the hall.

Rainbow Dash grinned and patted them both on the heads.

“Just use the door next time. ‘Kay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Scootaloo nodded profusely, beaming back at her to match her sad smile. Rainbow Dash sighed again and slowly closed the door behind her, traipsing deliberately away. Her smile slowly faded as she walked, her face drooping a little as her heart became heavier.

“Like worm and hook, aren’t they?” Pinkie Pie snickered, giving her a little peck on the cheek.

“Poor colt,” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Poor, dumb colt. He never stood a single chance.”

William was rather surprised by the turnout to Silver Spoon’s funeral.

He stood in silence beside Rainbow Dash, and what appeared to be nearly half the town showed up to mourn the loss of the grey filly. A single black unicorn with a perturbingly familiar skull and bones Cutie Mark was held in charge of conducting the funeral pyre, which blazed brilliantly against the night sky as a low orchestra of brass instruments was played.

A short service was held, in which many ponies paid their respects at the fire, each with a murmur or two before moving on. After Applejack placed her hat back on her head with a grim, mournful nod, he and Rainbow Dash stepped toward the blaze.

Within, William spotted the still burning closed casket between some of the bundles of sticks.

He was overcome by a suddenly powerful urge to jam his hand inside to pull it out, to scream that Silver Spoon was not really dead after all – she wasn’t, she couldn’t be. It was a fleeting fancy of denial, however, and he slowly placed his hands back in his pockets before burning them.

It was apparent that he was supposed to say something, and he could feel other eyes on him as they bowed their heads.

What was he supposed to say at a funeral, especially to someone who couldn’t even hear him?

“I’m sorry.”

And that was all he could manage to say.

It wasn’t a long service, but it felt as if it dragged on for hours and hours. William spotted Diamond Tiara crying quietly with between her parents, but fought against the idea to stand by her side, opting instead to remain with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo, however, did appear to have words for Diamond Tiara – surprisingly, along with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

He felt Rainbow Dash’s hoof resting on his shoulder, and she quietly said “Let’s go home, Squirt.”

William nodded dimly, before shaking his head.

“Actually,” he cleared his throat nervously, eying around for a certain unicorn. “I-I have one last matter to attend to. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Shake a leg,” Pinkie pushed him forward gently. “We’ll wait up for ya.”

He nodded in silent gratitude before beginning his search for the black unicorn with the grey mane, his sights on Silver Spoon’s parents long since lost.

Eventually, he found the unicorn stallion watching over the blaze with a small smile, which put William on alert.

Why would anyone be smiling like that at a funeral?

“Excuse me,” William coughed into his hand directly behind the unicorn, causing him to start and slowly whirl around toward him.

“Oh!” he beamed down at the boy, a thin but unexpectedly melodic voice greeting him. “Hullo! You must be the Rainbow colt. Heard all about you, I did,” the unicorn stuck out a hoof genially, allowing William to shake it. From what William could detect, the stallion possessed a mild brogue in his voice, which only put the boy even further on edge for some reason. Perhaps because it had been so completely unexpected.

“My name is William,” he shook the black hoof quietly, before staring directly into his baleful grey eyes. “I couldn’t help but notice your…” he nodded toward the stallion’s Cutie Mark of the crossed bones over a pony’s skull, and the unicorn nodded.

“Hm? Oh, ha ha!” he shook his head. “I get that all the time. Th’ name’s Sunny. Sunny White, Ponyville undertaker and general biological disposal manager.”

“That sounds like an overly fancy term for someone who gets rid of bodies,” William stated bluntly.

“… Where’s your mom?” Sunny frowned, looking down on him again and furrowing his brows.

“I actually had a question for you,” William blurted quickly, distracted as he was by the stallion’s Cutie Mark. Usually, a pony’s Cutie Mark was symbolic of their name. He could find nothing sunny at all about the skull and bones, oddly.

“There’s no magic in the world that can do that, son,” Sunny said darkly, assuming an angry, almost sad frown.

“What?” he blinked in confusion. “No, I-I wanted to know about Miss Spoon’s parents.”

The undertaker nodded in relief after a moment, and replied “Long gone. First to leave, actually. I guess they just didn’t want to stay; it’s pretty understandable, the death of a foal is always harsh enough as it is.”

“Were they acting… suspicious, at all?” William pried, suddenly paranoid that someone were watching him.

“Suspicious?” Sunny scratched his chin with one hoof. “Uh, I don’t think so. I mean, I guess. Maybe? Look, I’ve got – hullo, Carrot! How’s the missus?” he waved friendlily before turning back to William. “I’ve got a lot to do as it is. If you’re looking for somepony to blame, my sister does these great self-help books on dealing with grief that I think you could use. Pretty cheap, too.”

“… Did you just try to sell me a self-help book at a funeral?” William balked, unable to completely comprehend what had just occurred.

Sunny only shrugged, the sad look growing on his face again.

“Gotta make a living somehow. Seriously, though, Yolk could make a killing with her books-”

“You should consider rephrasing yourself,” William crossed his arms unhappily, looking around for Scootaloo to abandon his quest altogether.

“Look, bucko, if you’re not – afternoon, Mister Worthy! – if you’re just going to waste my time, at least be entertaining. Try juggling, or something.”

And with that, Sunny White left William both flabbergasted and utterly outraged simultaneously. The unicorn trotted off to the other side of the pyre, keeping it in check and smiling friendlily at more of the ponies.

“Have a nice night, Filthy! Hope to be seein’ you again real soo- oh, wow. No, no, sir. That’s not what I meant! That’s not what I meant!”

William stared at them both in disbelief, feeling as if his poor mind had taken all the bludgeoning in a single day that it possibly could. Perhaps that was why his head felt a bit dull since he had to say goodbye to Scootaloo and during the long trek home.

He genuinely suspected that his brain would begin to melt should it suffer any more unpleasantness, but he wasn’t certain whether this latest development was unpleasant or not.

“For… how long?” William asked, looking back and forth between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

“Well…” Pinkie slid a hoof behind his shoulder on the sofa and ruffled his hair as he sat between them. “I guess that depends. I’d love to stay with Dashie; with all my heart, I would. But we really thought that we should at least ask you about what you think, first.”

William scratched his head uncomfortably, thinking. He didn’t mind if Pinkie Pie were to live with them – after all, he did like Pinkie Pie an awful lot. But all the time?

“… Does this mean that you’ll be making breakfast from now on?” he inquired. “Because Mother has a tendency of badly burning meat byproducts.”

Pinkie Pie stifled a wild giggle, at which Rainbow Dash only raised an eyebrow wryly. Pinkie managed to finally clear her throat, and speak through her titters.

“You’re talking to the mare who bakes for a living, kiddo.”

After a moment, William shrugged.

“I don’t see why not,” he said.

“So… you don’t mind?” Rainbow Dash asked quietly. “It doesn’t… bother you, at all?”

“Of course not,” William sniffed knowingly. “I think it’s wonderful to have the addition of Miss Pie.”

“See?” Pinkie lightly punched Rainbow Dash’s shoulder with a hearty grin. “Told you. Nothing to worry about.”

“Well,” William began, hiding a yawn with his hand. “There is the issue of sleeping arrangement. I don’t mind if you have my bed, if you want it. I can sleep on the floor.”

Pinkie d’aaawed and gave him a little hug, rubbing her cheek on his head. “If you aren’t just sweet as seventeen pounds of sugar. But I’ve already got somewhere to sleep, Will, don’t worry about me.”

“Oh.” He nodded tiredly, looking back to Rainbow Dash. “Very well. Mother? I shall continue to bed presently. I have very important investigations to begin tomorrow,” he struggled to speak through his yawning, and Rainbow Dash pulled him into a light hug with her wings before kissing him on the cheek.

“Of course you do, Squirt. Take your flank to bed, before you keel over, already.”

He nodded dimly, tottering off and leaving the two sitting silently for a while.

“… I don’t think it’s really sunk in,” Rainbow Dash whispered after the house had been absolutely noiseless for a long time, rubbing her own eyes with her wingtips.

“Give him a little while,” Pinkie nuzzled against her neck with a soft kiss. “He’ll figure it out. He’s a little off, but he can be a pretty smart colt,” she giggled, playfully kissing her under the chin again before straddling the slyly smirking pegasus.

“I know. Just like his father.”

Pinkie froze.

She stared up at Pinkie Pie, who looked away from her, hurt.

“… You know I meant Discord… right, Pinkie Pie?”

When she didn’t answer, Rainbow Dash started up – only to be gently pushed back down by Pinkie Pie, who turned her sad gaze back to meet her.

“Pinkie. I’m sorry.”

“No,” she shook her head, resting her muzzle into Dash’s neck and exhaling slowly and heavily. “I know who you were talking about, Dashie. I – I mean, it’s just…” Pinkie strained, and her voice started to crack.

“You think I’m trying to replace Discord with you,” Rainbow Dash slid her hooves onto Pinkie’s back, and took her silence as an answer. “No, Pinkie Pie. It’s not because I don’t think that Discord is ever coming back. You don’t have any idea just how much you mean to me.”

Pinkie sighed against her, Rainbow Dash nuzzling her own chin and making her grin.

“I love you, Rainbow Dash.”

“You and me both,” Dash snickered in false arrogance, before smiling and meeting Pinkie’s kiss with another. “I love you too, Pinks.”

“You think he’s asleep by now?” Pinkie asked, playfully tugging at her ear with her teeth.

“Ooh, I hope so. We’re gonna wear this couch out,” Rainbow Dash grinned seductively.

“Damn straight, we are.”

It was only a matter of minutes before the two of them were fast asleep in each other’s embrace.