Having left the curtains open, Twilight Sparkle left herself open to the direct assault of the rising sun. Struggling to snap to consciousness from the world of the dream, Twilight eventually got to her feet. Her mane was bedraggled, and her eyes could not have seen a worse night. She had fallen asleep, sometime between the hours of four and five, although she couldn’t have known that. Her eyelids were still heavy, and the spot where she had been crying was evident in Frost’s small red rug. Casting a last, wistful look on the portrait of herself standing with Frost Nexus on his graduation day, she took the doll by the neck and said to the both of them, “Let’s go, Professor CleverBrain, it’s time for breakfast.”

Almost as if on cue to her snapping back to reality, her five friends were there at the doorway, all looking equally worn out as she was. Had Twilight been any more alert she would have realized that they got barely as much sleep as she did.
“Y’all comin’ down to breakfast, Twi?”
“Sure, I’ll be there in a second. Sorry for not coming back to my room. I got caught up in memories and fell asleep here.”
“Of course we understand, dear. Just remember, we’re all here for you. If there’s ever anything you need, you can always come to see us.”
“Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Honestly.”
“M-Maybe before the service today we could do something to take your mind off the matter?”
“Yeah, Twi! Let’s go down to Pony Joe’s. A good doughnut always cheered you up after a bad test result, remember?”
The smile she gave was less than sincere. It was as transparent as a pyrex tube, but none in the group dared call the purple mare out on it.

In the end, they all trotted down the stairs, to greet an equally shaken Moondancer and Sunlight Sparkle.
“Good morning, buttercup. Did you sleep well?”
Of course she hadn’t. It was as clear as Celestia’s day. No, clearer than that. The only way she could’ve had a worse night was if she was up all night fighting manticores. It was just a ruse to try and tuck the sadness under the rug – small talk for the sake of small talk, as it were. Nopony was fooled, but then again, nopony needed to be. It was extremely evident what the mood around was, and it was for the best that everypony kept quiet to let the situation cool itself over. After all, strong as we may be as individuals, it only takes a small trigger to shatter the collective strength of a group.
“Here you go, darling. Eat up. Here are your servings as well, girls.”
The five ponies were not as aware of the significance of bacon and pancakes as Twilight Sparkle. Had the situation been any different, her asking for mint frosting would have made all sentient beings within a nearby radius declare her as insane, but considering the recent transpirations of events, an educated guess led the group to realize that it was his favourite dish.
“Listen, Twilight, you don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to. Like Rarity said, we’re all here for you.”
The older Sparkles just looked at each other, impressed that the multi-coloured Pegasus had the bravado to speak up in an atmosphere as heavy and tense as this.
“I… I just don’t know how to deal with this. If you girls don’t mind, after this, I’d like to take you all somewhere, then I can tell you all everything.”
“That’s for the best. My grandma always told me, “Pinkie, you can’t keep your sadness bottled up! You gotta eject it everywhere!” You just take your time, Twilight.”
For the first time since arriving in Canterlot, the magical mare suddenly felt a lift. Not incomparable to the world coming off her shoulders, she could breathe for the first time in a while. It had truly sunk in at this point.

Her friends were all there to help her through.

“I guess I should start with where we are and why we’re here before I start talking about him at all.”
Knowing full well to keep quiet, the rest of the group simply allowed Twilight to finish.
“When we were young, Frost didn’t like going outside. He wasn’t good at making friends, and his sportiness left a bit to be desired. However, he enjoyed tranquillity, and with a personal request to the princess, I allowed him unrestricted access to this courtyard. It’s the quietest place in Canterlot, and he and I would often come here when he was home to talk and muse on various subjects, whether it be my slowly improving cooking, or another of his ridiculous pranks in the dorms involving duct tape and soda cans. I would daresay this was where he was at his happiest – this was his realm.”
She trotted over to a bench, one that was well worn and admonished with lashings of blue and red paint. In a motion that seemed rehearsed, like clockwork, Twilight threw herself into a lounging position on the bench, leaving enough space for another pony to sit beside her, opposite in position. It was then that it dawned upon them – this motion had been rehearsed. She did this all the time with her brother.
“I was only seven years old when Frost was accepted into the Military Academy. By that point, he had already earned his cutie mark for ice magic, and would soon master the art of swordplay. I was admitted into the Princess’s care the year after. Up until then, we had a great relationship – most of his spare time would be spent with me. He would teach me new magic spells he picked up. Help me with any problems I had at kindergarten. Occasionally crack jokes. He was just like any other brother. Always there, and always good to be around. Reflecting back now, I really had it good then.”
Each taking a seat near the storyteller, the dragon placing himself on the same bench as her, the ponies listened in with great intent.

“He spent four years at the academy. I would see him every now and again and we would talk and chill out like siblings do. I never noticed anything wrong. He always seemed a little uneasy when we were outside, half in his own little world, and half trying to block everybody else out. He was gifted, and he did all that he could to make the most of it. He excelled in his studies and his training. He enjoyed learning more about whatever he could. He loved putting things to the test and coming out on top. Looking at the photos of him recently, he wasn’t too bad-looking either.”
The brightness of her words belied the true tone of her message. Of course, it was only a ruse to calm her nerves before she let herself go again. She was setting up a safety net, as it were.
“I strived to be like him. In my studies, I hoped to become as skilled as he was. He wasn’t just my brother, he was my inspiration.”
To Twilight, she was basically pouring her heart out, talking about something that had never been talked about before. She was revealing everything about the great stallion, as she was one of the few ponies that knew him as more than “The Glacier Prince”, or “The Frozen Hero.” What few friends he had still saw him as a superior, still saw him as one of the Great Knights of Equestria. Twilight knew him on a personal level, but thinking about how shallow her knowledge was – how it was only full of childhood memories as opposed to a true sibling relationship – broke her up inside. It was as the tears started flowing once more did she realize it was time to let this go.

“I’m disappointed with myself. We promised when he joined the Praetorian Guard that we would maintain contact in writing. Of course, I hadn’t anticipated on the events with Nightmare Moon and me moving to Ponyville. That said, he hadn’t replied himself for a short period either. I don’t want to blame him, but we both drifted apart. That’s what I regret the most.”
“T’weren’t nopony’s fault, Twi. He probably had his reasons.”
“I know, but I’m still sad that I was his sister – I’m one of the few ponies who should know him best, and yet my knowledge is as limited as any other pony’s, barring a few childhood memories. We never spent time together once he joined the Guard. I only saw him three or four times at family reunions. I hadn’t seen him in a year by the time I moved to Ponyville. I hadn’t heard of him again until my parents’ letter. It’s… It’s like… He’s not even my brother anymore…”
“Oh, don’t say that, Twilight… I’m sure he had his reasons for not maintaining contact. H-He was probably busy or something. I’m sure he still cared for you and wanted to see you as much as you wanted to see him… Victim of circumstance and all…”
Twilight’s friends all started to surround her – all ready to comfort. It was clear she needed it. None of them knew how hard it was to lose someone who was both so close yet so far. All they could do was stand beside her.
“I-I just want to see him again *sniff* I just want to tell him how much he meant to me… How much I miss him… *hic* Why did it turn out like this?”
There were no words that could effectively convey anything more at this point. A simple embrace and a few minutes was the best solution.

“And so, dear friends, we are gathered today, to mourn the passing of Major Frost Nexus, Captain of the Praetorian Guard. A young stallion, in his prime, with unquestionably the brightest of futures ahead of him…”
It had been a few hours since Twilight’s outburst. It could have been said that she was feeling better, but she didn’t want to take chances. Most of the military ponies had come and gone, and it was now a restriction to friends, family, and any invitations given. Most notable amongst the crowd were the Princesses, Miss Octavia, and one other smaller alicorn stallion.
“…And so, to give the final obituary, the pony closest to our hero, his sister, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight’s legs froze in place, her eyes widened to solar diameters, and her brain utterly capsized. She was not expecting this; in fact, she had barely recovered from the past day and a half altogether. In what could only be described as blind panic, she searched the hall for any comforting face. Everyone was already looking at her, expecting her to walk up to the centre of the stage and deliver an obituary. Her parents could only nod and give a weak smile. Princess Celestia’s warmth was as comforting as ever, but still could not give her the strength she needed. He friends behind her only looked on with worry, and a slight sense of “we’ll be here for you”. With a sigh and heave, she began the slow-yet-shaky walk to where she would deliver the final speech. Endless thoughts flurried through her mind. She could barely pick out a coherent sentence from her inner blizzard. Nothing.
“Good afternoon, everypony. I’d like to start by apologizing for my appearance – as you can guess, it’s been a rough few days.”
Taking a few more seconds to clear her throat allowed her to gather her thoughts.
“I’m honestly not sure where to begin here, but I would just like to shed some light on what my brother was to me. And I’m sure it will be different to what others thought of him.”
Just tell them what you told the girls.
“The first memory I have of him was of him taking care of me while my parents were out. Before he even considered the military, he was a great brother. While we did end up clearing the fridge of ice-cream, he kept me in check and made sure I went to be and everything on time. Years later, he would teach me my first magic spell – teleportation. Of course, all of his magic was homebrewed arcana, so he had a bit of trouble teaching me at first, but I’m proud to say that I’m the only bearer of one of his original spells. We used to go catching butterflies. He would help me with any problems in kindergarten. I used to watch him do his training when he realized what he wanted to do with himself. I was witness to his cutie mark appearing that fateful day when his magic went awry and sent a freak snowstorm on Canterlot that day.”
Realizing she was getting off track, she cleared her throat again, now with her thoughts clear, Twilight was able to lay a coherent track of thinking.
“To most ponies, he was simply a knight. The first non-alicorn pony in the Praetorian Guard. The only member of the Power Nine to maintain a ground-based relationship with the people. He was a natural hero the everypony. But to me, he would always be a brother first. He was always there for me, and I loved him for that. I looked up to him in everything I did. From when I was young up until I lost contact, he would guide me through whenever I was lost.”
A small moment’s pause to allow everything to sink in.
“He was more than what he seemed. All until the end, I have faith in my heart that he was a loving, caring pony, with a normal life like any of us. It just so happened that life had dealt him an important card – one which he had to play first. This is what I would like to end this on – he was a loving brother first, national hero second.”
A gentle applause resounded within the halls. Twilight’s words had affected everypony who heard. Awestruck, as if in death, any respect for him had tripled.

“I know that must have been hard. You okay?”
“I guess so… It was difficult at first, but I’m glad I got that off my chest without crying this time. I don’t know if I’m fully over it yet, but this helped.”
“Excuse me, Miss Twilight Sparkle?”
The alicorn stallion she spied at the beginning of the ceremony approached her as guests were mingling and talking. His light brown fur accentuated his white mane almost perfectly. By his haunch was a sword, not unlike the one Frost carried. His shoulders wore gold plating, but what armour he wore was minimal. His glasses reflected the fading sunlight from outside, perched in front of a pair of eyes that had seen more and experienced too much.
“Y-yes? How may I help you?”
“My name is Aether Flow. I was a comrade of your brother. We were roommates and good friends during the Academy years, and we both graduated into the Praetorian Guard at the same time. And throughout that time, until he was assigned captain, I was his partner for most missions.”
“I’m pleased to meet you. Thank you for coming.”
“I’m afraid there is something that had been kept from you. In your brother’s final days, I was one of the two ponies that he would even keep contact with. I tried to talk him out of his research, telling him his plan could never work. He asked me to help him develop the spell, but I declined, as I feared for his own wellbeing – something he clearly disregarded at that point. Of course, I was one of the closest beings to him through his life. You likely don't know me due to the main tie being military based, but I would go as far as to say that I was his best friend. Despite this, even I had no idea what was going on through his head - I didn't know him at all.”
Twilight remained silent, absorbing all this information with deathly regard. Aether was one of two ponies who knew Frost in his final days – his period of madness. The other being Princess Celestia, no doubt. She had a lot to ask him, but this was not the time.
“Before the day he overloaded himself on magical energy, he gave me something. He told me to pass it along to you if he didn’t make it.”
His saddlebag rested only on one side, as the right was blocked by a sword. From it, he produced a wooden box, simple in design, but with elaborate carvings along the exterior, locked with a silver mechanism.
“I’m afraid I must take my leave temporarily at this point, but I promise I shall return within a few days in time for the burial. If there is anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact me. I wish you the best.”
Twilight could do naught but nod. The situation wasn’t shell-shocking, but it was something she had also not expected. A well of mixed emotions broiled inside of her, but she maintained her composure enough to say “farewell” to the stallion. His intentions were pure, and his aura was one of peace, but Twilight couldn’t help but feel something was strange.
“Before I leave.”
He didn’t turn back to face her. His wings were already outstretched, and he was ready to take off. Any words here wouldn’t have meant much, but what he said would shake Twilight by quite a large amount.
“When he handed me that and told me what I have told you… His eyes changed. They went from deranged and sleep-depraved to peaceful and tranquil for a split moment. I thought you should know that.”