The day had been dull, I mean really dull! No big clouds in the sky to deal with, no friends able to make it out of work. I was in for a bad day, tomorrow would mark a year. A year without Tom, and just after that would have been the two year anniversary of being together. That is if Discord hadn’t ruined everything!
I sat in my living room staring at the picture on the table. A human and a rainbow mane’d Pegasus mare looked back up at me smiling happily. I didn’t look at the picture as much as I used to, and Applejack had always told me that was a good thing. “Don’t wallow in the past where it can drown yah, just go back for a refreshing dip once in a while!” What a weird way of putting it, but it worked.
I having a refreshing dip in my memories now, and it felt good. The guilt that had filled me when I had first lost Tom was gone now. It had taken a while, but after the help of my friends, AND my new found pen pal Princess Luna, I had finally realised it wasn’t my fault! It was Discords completely, and so now I knew that, I could live my life again.
There was a hole though; a hole which I was sure would probably never be filled. Looking at my pictures tends to help; it almost makes me feel as though the emptiness in the back of my heart isn’t there for a while. But every now and then it’s
hard to look away and regain that horrible gaping hole, now was one of those moments.
I wouldn’t look away from our smiling faces. Me and Tom, together and happy. Maybe it was because of what tomorrow was, maybe I just missed him more today because I was particularly alone. I’d seen Spike and Rarity earlier, they made me happy to see them together. Almost as though me and Tom had made a difference to more than just each other’s lives. Change was coming, it was in the air.
Luna had spoke of it, dream spells were becoming increasingly more common, just like with me all those months ago.
Ponies would look into a glass orb and let a unicorn project their dreams into the globe for all to see, this was leading to a far more spiritual Equestria. More and more odd couples were popping up everywhere, not just in Ponyville or Canterlotte, but in Manehatten and Las Pegasus as well! Griffons and ponies, dragons and ponies EVEN A MINATAR and pony
couple had made some big news a few months back. The human of Equestria had left a bigger mark on the world than he could have ever thought possible!
I on the other hand, well I knew he’d set the world on fire! After all he’d made me feel as though I could do anything in the world! Someone like that doesn’t just go un-noticed! I leant forward and kissed the face in the picture. Tomorrow I’d visit Tom where he rested. I’ll spend the day there, and tell him about everything that’s been going on since my last visit. I’d like that, I’d like that a lot, and something told me that Tom –Wherever he was now, looking down on me- would like it too.
I glanced up at the time, It was just about 1:30 pm, jeez! So much time to kill! I decided to take a nap, I adjusted myself to lay down on the sofa. I fluffed my favourite cushion making it more comfy, then lay my head down. I fell asleep quickly, with the image of Tom and me at the gala just in front of my eyes.
I woke to the sound of howling wind, I looked out to see the sun was going down, but it was still reasonably light outside. Just my luck! Finally some decent weather to control, and I nearly slept through it! I jumped off of the sofa and headed for the door, I took one quick glimpse around the messy house. I can always clean up later... nahhh! Like that was ever going to happen! I shot out of the house like a bullet and flung myself into the gale!
Wind control is quite easy really. All you have to do is find out where the wind is coming from, then get above it, then swoop down fast enough so that when you curl back up again from going towards the ground. If you’ve built up enough
force to oppose the wind with your own shockwave, then the wind is easily cancelled out!
I flew for a few moments searching for the pockets of gust that would tell me which way the wind came from. Suddenly I sailed away with ease over Ponyville, far away from my house and closer to the church. Right, that was obviously going with the wind! So I turned in the air and struggled against the wall of air pushing against my progress. Yep! I definitely knew where the wind came from now!
I powered my way through the air current, and eventually broke free into calm and tranquil skies. This was the fun part! I curved through the air, and kicked my legs back hard. I was sent hurtling to the ground fast, the ground rushed to meet me but I didn’t falter. A bit further...just a bit further. I heard something over the rushing wind. I slowed out of surprise, and simply landed on the ground instead of curling away from it.
The wind seemed to die down slightly, almost as though it too, was listening out for the voice I swore I had just heard. Was that...no...it couldn’t have been... Maybe the thought of hearing his voice made me realise it, or maybe it was just because I was so close by. But I wanted to see Tom’s grave! Now! I turned and headed for the graveyard round the back of the church. I glanced up at the horizon just in time to see the sun’s last little sliver dip behind the earth, leaving Ponyville under the watchful stars of Luna’s night.
I moved between the headstones, silent and thoughtful. I’d made the journey a hundred times; I could do it with my eyes closed! Soon I reached the stone I knew bore Tom’s name on it and knelt before it. “Hey baby.” I said lovingly. “I know I said I’d come tomorrow, but I realised I just wanted to be near you a little while, I hope that’s alright.” As always, there was no response but It didn’t upset me, or at least not yet.
It was strange, sometimes I would visit the grave and I’d be filled with joy from just speaking to Tom as though he was there. Then at other times, I left feeling more miserable than I had been when I arrived, missing him and balling for him to
come back to me. I was in that in-between stage at the moment, between happiness and sadness, feeling a hint of both but not entirely one feeling or the other.
“I thought...” I began, it was easy to tell how I was going to feel when I left this time! The words caught in my throat for a moment, and my eyes grew out of focus for a moment, but no tears, yet! “I thought I heard you, calling me... I know it’s stupid, but I just suddenly felt as though I should...be here.” I looked at the stone as though it were his face. His beautiful, beautiful face! “I still haven’t found it yet...” I muttered disappointed to bring the news to Tom yet again! “That thing I love
as much as you loved me! I’m starting to doubt that something like that even exists!”
I stayed there in silence for a long time. “W-we... we all miss you! Applejack tries not to show it, so does Fluttershy, they always try to be strong in front of me these days. Fluttershy! Being strong! See what you end up doing?!” I laughed slightly at my lame joke. It would be better if Tom was laughing with me...
“Well, they all do... but... It feels so empty in the house without you sometimes. I think, even the house is missing you! If
that’s even possible!” I stayed there in silence, my voice crack again as I said the word that pierced my heart with ease! “E-even your clothes don’t smell like you anymore...they smell like...me.” I hung my head, but still no tears fell. Maybe this was a different type of sadness. But either way, with or without tears, it still hurt!
More silence, I sniffed and rubbed the end of my nose with the back of my foreleg. I coughed in a vain attempt to get a hold of myself, and stood. “Well... Ahemm! I’ll come back tomorrow; hopefully it’ll be happier than tonight! I’m sorry... I love you...always!” I turned and headed for the gate.
I passed a tree, something lay beneath it. It was probably just Stiffy the undertaker dozing under the branches. I didn’t even look up. The figure spoke to me from under the shadow of the great oak. “So...Where you headed now?” I didn’t look up, I simply watched my hooves moving forward one after the other.
“I dunno...nowhere I guess.” The figure’s tone changed, the voice was cracking slightly, and the voice was higher pitched than before.
“F-funny time to be going nowhere...” My eyes flew wide open! I whirled around and stared at the figure under the shade from the moon. He passed from the shadow and into the light of the night, he looked no different to when I last saw him.
His eyes were filled with tears, and his face was stretched into a huge smile as he gave a small laugh/sob. Finally, the tears came. I looked at him, through quickly misting eyes. I blinked hard and shook them away, determined to make sure they didn’t obscure my view of him, he might just vanish if they did! “T-Tom?” I breathed. His smile seemed to get even wider.
“Yeah baby, it’s me...”