The skies over Ponyville were gray and cloudy. Applejack wasn't sure if Rainbow Dash didn't feel like clearing them, or if she just wanted it that way right now. Applejack liked it anyway, it matched her gray, dreary mood.

It had been a week since that sad day, and at first everypony on Sweet Apple Acres had been busy as bees. There was family to see to and feed, friends to talk to, and, of course, a grave to dig. But now the funeral was over, and the farm was back to normal. Except that Granny Smith wasn't there.

That hole filled Applejack's whole heart. Everywhere she looked reminded her of Granny, every minute she listened for Granny's creaky old gait. She could see Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom listening just as hard as she was, but they all knew Granny was gone forever.

Things weren't much better in the rest of Ponyville. Ponies didn't die often, so Granny's death hit everypony hard, especially ponies that were close to the Apple family. At first the whole town closed up for the funeral, but shops had begun to open. Carousel Boutique was still closed, and Rarity had drawn all of the curtains. The Cakes had reopened Sugarcube Corner, but Pinkie Pie was noticeably absent from the counter and everywhere else in town. The library had remained open the whole time, though Spike made sure that everyone who came in was extra, extra quiet, and Twilight Sparkle was no where to be seen.

At Fluttershy's cottage the birds had been kindly asked not to sing and most of the animals were tending themselves as well as they could without bothering her. She would never turn away an animal in need, but any animal who went to her left crying, unable to stand seeing her big eyes well up with tears constantly.

And of course as life began to go on, it did so under the thick gray rainclouds which Rainbow Dash hoped were sending the message to Stay Away. She really didn't feel like talking to anypony right now.

Rainbow Dash laid on top of a cloud, trying to think of something to do. She didn't feel like flying, and she didn't feel like going to town. She didn't even want to read. She pulled Tank up onto her stomach and cuddled him. Well, she cuddled him as well as a pony could cuddle a tortoise.

She didn't even notice the pegasus who landed next to her until she heard a friendly voice say, “Hello.”

She turned to glare at the intruder, a pony she had never seen before. The strange pegasus had a bright white coat, with black hooves and a black mane and tail in a spiky style resembling her own. Black eyes lined with very thick black lashes stared at her, and the new pony smiled, and said again, “Hi.”

“Hi. What do you want?” Rainbow Dash huffed. She knew this was no way to greet a new pony, but this was no time for a new pony to come to town. The sooner she figured that out, the better.

“Well, I wanted to find out about this weather. Are you in charge?” The pony said, looking at the field of gloom they were standing on. As she turned around, Dash saw her cutie mark, some kind of black symbol like an upside down teardrop connected to two crossed sticks.

“Yeah. Gotta problem with it?” Dash said, trying to sound tough, but her heart wasn't even in that.

“Not really. I mean, it has to rain sometimes. But I'm new here, and I was hoping for a sunnier day.”

“You came at the wrong time,” Dash sighed.

“I don't think so. My name is Greener Pastures.” She said, smiling gently and sitting next to Rainbow Dash.

Dash looked her up and down. “Isn't that kind of a weird name for you?”

“Think so? What's your name, then?”

“Rainbow Dash.” She said, tossing her multicolored mane.

Greener Pastures laughed, “It suits you. . . these clouds don't, though.”

Dash frowned. “Look, you're new here, so you don't know. We had- there's been- somepony-”

“Died?” Greener Pastures said, easily saying the word that Dash couldn't spit out.

The word made Dash cringe. “Yeah.”

“I know. Granny Smith. That's why I'm here.”

Dash's mouth dropped open, and she hopped up. “You knew Granny Smith, and you know she's gone, and you want a sunny day?”

The idea seemed like an insult to Granny, and to the Apple family, and to Rainbow Dash herself. She was suddenly furious with this new pony butting in without caring about anyponies feelings.

Greener Pastures was calm. “I met Granny once. But she didn't seem like the kind of pony who'd like a gray sky.”

“She wasn't.” Dash agreed, the anger quickly replaced by that awful sad feeling. “But I do, right now. It just doesn't seem right for the stupid sun to be all bright and the stupid sky to be all blue when Granny's not here.”

“Then how will the apples grow?”

Dash frowned. She knew it was selfish to keep the skies gray, but she wasn't about to admit that to this pony she barely knew. “Apples need rain, too.”

Greener Pastures nodded. “Yes, they do. Everything needs rain. Just like everypony needs to be sad sometimes. And everypony dies someday. But too much of any of those things is bad, for apples and ponies and everything else.”

“Look, there can't be too much sad when somepony-” Dash still couldn't say that word. She looked to Greener Pastures, hoping she'd say it again.

Greener Pastures just looked at her expectantly. After a minute she prompted, “When somepony. . .?”

“Dies,” Dash whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She threw herself on the raincloud to hide her face, and Tank gently nudged her mane.

Then she felt a front leg around her shoulders, and Greener Pastures said, “It hurts when somepony dies, but if it hurts so much that the sun can't shine, and the apples can't grow, and ponies hide themselves away from each other, then it goes on hurting forever. No pony wants that to happen when they die.”

“It won't be like this forever!” Dash said, looking up and sniffing, “At least, I hope it won't be like this forever.”

“It's not going to stop hurting right away. I don't know how long it'll take, Rainbow Dash. But if you clear the clouds so that the sun can shine, that'll make it less sad. And every day after that, things will hurt a little less.”

Dash sniffed. “I can do that.” She pushed herself up, and nodded, “I can clear the sky, if that'll make it less sad.”

“I think that it will. Would you like some help?”

Dash laughed a little, “I do not need help clearing the sky. I'll have it done in no time. No, half of no time. 3/8ths of no time, really.”

“Okay then, I'll leave you to it.” Greener Pastures said, smiling as she lifted off and hovered a few feet above the clouds. “I'll see you later.”

“Seeya around.” Rainbow Dash said. She smiled and shook her head at the crazy pony who thought she might need help clearing the sky. She was still smiling as she took off, cutting a line through the clouds, the wind in her hair and the sun on her back. Celestia's sun shone down on Ponyville for the first time all week.

The sunshine made everypony in town smile a little, except for Rarity. Rarity didn't notice, she was in her dark room laying in her bed. Every time she tried to move she felt the absolute anguish of her emotions flood back. It was all just too much for her, she couldn't imagine how Applejack endured it.

She heard a knock on the door and ignored it. There was a closed sign up, after all. Some ponies were so rude.

The knocking continued. Rarity sighed, and called out, “We are closed. Please go away.”

But whatever pony was on the other side of the door couldn't take the hint. They just kept knocking.

Finally, Rarity pulled herself up and nearly started to cry at the thought that some pony was worried about a new dress at a time like this. She put one hoof in front of the other all the way to the door, and threw it open. “I said: We. Are. Closed!”

A unicorn she had never seen smiled at her gently. “I'm sorry. Is there a better clothing store in town?”

Rarity's eyes flashed. “No. There is not. But as I said, we're closed. I am the owner and I am in mourning.”

“Hello, In Mourning. I'm Greener Pastures.”

Rarity's mouth dropped open. Then she shut it firmly, and said through gritted teeth, “My name is Rarity, and what I meant was that a very dear friend has passed away.”

“I know that. I was just trying for a little humor,” said Greener Pastures, as she calmly walked past Rarity into the shop.

Rarity stomped her hoof. “Well it isn't funny! Nothing is funny right now!”

The new unicorn paused in front of a rack of dresses. She cocked her head to one side. “Nothing is funny? Anywhere?”

“Nothing is funny here. Making fun of a pony who's upset at a loved ones death certainly isn't.”

“You're right, that wasn't funny. I'm sorry,” Greener Pastures said. “But I'm sure there are funny things happening somewhere. Do you have anything in black?”

“I am completely sold out of everything in black. Everypony in town bought something for the funeral.” She looked the white unicorn with the black hair and hooves up and down. “Besides, black will make you look absolutely pallid.”

Greener Pastures smiled. “I'm sure I'll find something. You know, I know of a place where no pony wears black to funerals, they wear lime green with pink polka dots. Whole crowds of mourners in polka dots.”

She casually used her magic to flip through the racks. “And they sometimes whisper, if someone shows up in the wrong outfit, 'can you believe she couldn't be bothered to wear polka dots to Uncle Joe's funeral?' You can't tell me that's not a little bit funny.”

At the thought of a crowd of crying ponies dressed so garishly, Rarity unwillingly gave a little snort of laughter. She quickly composed herself. “Everypony does things differently. Where did you say you were from, Ms. Pastures?”

Green Pastures glanced at Rarity. “I didn't. And everypony doesn't really do things differently. Mostly they do them the same. Wear something you'd never usually wear to prove to every other pony how very much you miss the pony who died.”

A simple black vest floated off the rack and Greener Pastures tried it on. Then she looked right at Rarity. “But the thing is, everypony knows that you're sad. Everypony knows how much it hurts to lose somepony. You don't have to prove it.”

“Of course you don't,” Rarity huffed. That annoying pony had the vest laying wrong, so she magically adjusted it. “But if you are sad, there's no point in hiding it.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “And you're right, there's no reason to hide it, or to prove it. Like, if you opened your shop then everypony would still know that you're sad, and you know that they're sad, and maybe it would make you feel a little better that you're all sad and no one has to do anything silly to show it. Like wearing polka dots.”

Rarity was surprised that she found the tiniest bit of relief in the idea. Of course everypony knew that she was sad. They would still know that if she opened her shop. There really was no reason for silly dramatics unless she was trying to show off, and there was nothing less sophisticated than being noticed trying to be noticed.

“That doesn't look as bad on you as I thought it would.” Rarity said gently.

“I love it. You're very talented.” Greener Pastures responded with a smile. She floated a small pile of bits through the air to a small table.

Rarity tossed her mane and smiled a little. “Yes, I know.”

Greener Pastures laughed, and nodded as she walked out of the shop. “I'll see you later.”

“Please, stop back again.” Rarity called after her. It suddenly hit her that she had no idea where Pastures had found that vest. She was sure she had nothing left in black.

Rarity stepped outside and magically flipped the sign around to open. She smiled as she noticed that the gray clouds were gone and the sun was shining down.