They Move on Tracks of Never-Ending Light
Decay
Part Three – They Move on Tracks of Never-Ending Light
Thyrai
The warm morning sun on Rainbow's coat was a pleasing contrast to the chilly dew of the morning. The air carried the sweet smell of spring, welcoming the return of new life to Equestria. Birds chirped and sang from their roosts, and a rich floral aroma from fresh flowers happened by from the breeze. The aged balcony floorboards creaked lightly as she breathed. It would be a perfect day to laze around and wait for the world to go by.
She kept her eyes closed as inched closer to the body in front of her, smirking to herself as pleasant memories of the previous night crept into her mind. Embrace reassumed, she gently stroked a hoof across the purple unicorn's coat. Tendrils of pain rippled through her hoof and into her foreleg. The magic holding her together was fading, and fast.
Rainbow did her best to ignore it by watching Twilight sleep. Her lavender chest lifted and relaxed lightly in blissful slumber. Her coat was much softer than Dash's own, likely because to her less physical occupation. It was almost like gossamer, soft and groomed to near perfection. She wanted to hug her tightly again just like last night, but after a short deliberation, she decided that didn't want to wake her. Not yet, anyway. Just lying with the beautiful lavender unicorn in her forehooves was enough. She never wanted to let her go.
Rainbow moved her muzzle closer the back of Twilight's mane. That very same purple mane she'd obsessed over since she met her. It accounted for many sleepless nights; and of which many left her wide awake in bed, covered in sweat and panting fiercely. She’d had feelings for Twilight for the longest time, and not just because of her looks. The bookworm had a sort of charm to her that drove Rainbow nuts. Truth be told, she was too nervous to ask her out. It was a constant irritation that she wasn't as brave as she thought she was. Admittedly, it was impressive that Twilight had the courage to make the first move. Though she wasn't nearly as socially inept as a certain yellow pegasus, Dash certainly hadn't expected the egghead to be so bold. And such a good kisser.
Her muzzle made contact with the back of Twilight's mane. But something was off. It was matted and sticky with something much thicker than the sudor from last night's affair. Her usually fragrant perfume was dwarfed by a now pungent aroma that made her feel sick all over again. The sensory cacophony drowned the spring air in a disgusting, fetid aura.
Blood.
Rainbow's eyes snapped open, she jumped and reeled back against the tree, her back smacking against the bark with a blunt thunk. Breathing intensified as she looked with disbelief of the sight before her. It wasn't the dew of the morning that soaked them, but a mix of blood and bile. The fluid drenched the entirety of Twilight's back and mane.
Twilight shifted slightly, jerked awake by the sudden movement. “Mmm...Rainbow?”
“I...” Dash began, but no further words came. She remained pressed against the tree as Twilight lazily rolled over and brushed the haze of slumber from her eyes.
“I-I'm sorry...” Rainbow managed, barely audible even to herself. She could feel herself beginning to tear up as anger and embarrassment began to rage inside of her, pulling at her eyes as the furnace of emotion boiled beneath.
“Hunh?”
Twilight turned around on her flank, her eyes growing wide as she saw the blood caked on Rainbow's coat. “what is..?” Her gaze flickered to the blood-drenched floor, and she gasped in horror.
Rainbow slid down the tree and sank down onto her haunches, unable to support herself. “I didn't mean... Twilight... I'm sorry. I'll clean... clean it up.”
Twilight had already jumped to her hooves and had raced over to the pegasus, grabbing her by her withers in desperation. “We need to get to the hospital. Right now.”
Dash's sensitive nerves screamed out in agony at the sudden grapple. Pulling away violently, she gave a sharp yelp as her skull cracked against the unforgiving bark of the tree. Her vision filled with millions of phantasmal stars, distorting the world before her.
Twilight's expression turned to the purest shock, “Dear Celestia, I'm sorry!” Rainbow merely groaned in response, rubbing the new injury with a forehoof. “I'll to send a letter to the doctor, we’ll get you better. Just hold on.”
A resolve appeared in Rainbow's eyes as they locked on Twilight. “No.”
“Wh-?”
“I'm not going back.” Rainbow announced sternly, vainly attempting to cover her mouth with a hoof as she let out a cough. Blood sprayed across her foreleg and dribbled down onto the floor. A bit of blood caught in her throat induced a gag, serving to cause another fit of coughing. Sanguine liquid leaked in a steady stream from Rainbow’s mouth, branching off into several tiny rivers down her chin and spilling out down to her chest and legs. Twilight tried to give some futile assistance, but was pushed away by the hacking pegasus.
“We have to go! Now!”
“No, Twilight!” Rainbow wheezed. “I'm not going to waste away in a hospital bed!”
“They can help you!” Twilight softened. “Please go... for me.”
“We both know I... I don't have much time left.” Rainbow sniffed. “And a hospital isn't going to change anything. Come on, let's get away from here.”
“But I... they can find a way.. to heal you.”
“That's not true and you know it.” Rainbow convicted through gritted teeth. “I don’t care about the pain. I just want to be with you.”
---
Twilight cried for what seemed like hours wrapped in Celestia's embrace. She didn't hold anything back. If somepony heard her hysterical weeping from miles away, she wouldn't care. It felt like nothing else existed except the pain in her heart. In fact, she didn't want anything to exist anymore. The unbearable blaze of emotion rattled her mind so much that she sometimes forgot what she was crying about. Though she tried, she couldn't restrain herself. The whitewashed hospital walls were collapsing in on her, slowly squeezing the life from her body. Suffocating. Unbearable, searing pain.
“No... No, no...”
Through deep sobs, she could only muster that one word from the depths of her wracking mind. A word of false solace. A word she could use to will away the cold grip of reality from her soul; to deny her corporeal existence and dismiss the whole thing as a bad dream. It had to be another nightmare. Only this time, she couldn't wake.
Agonizing time passed as Celestia held her student. Her silence was finally broken once Twilight's sobs began to dissipate into a soft cry. The unicorn began to release her grip slightly. “I'm sorry, Twilight. I'm so sorry.” the princess cooed softly.
“N-No.. Please.. No... She can't be... ”
Celestia's cloudy eyes met with Twilight's own bleary gaze. “I'm sorry Twilight. I'm so sorry.”
Twilight buried her head to the princess's alabaster chest. She couldn't look up. She couldn't look at the dying pegasus. Another surge of emotion rushed through her. She did her best to bite back another flow of tears; taking short, rapid gasps for air. “W-w-will she ever wake up?”
“I... don't know.”
---
Twilight tentatively peered down from the cloud they were perched on. Granted, her magic was powerful, but being a unicorn in the domain of the pegasi still made her uneasy. The expansive horizon included a scene of Ponyville, Canterlot and the infinite reaches of the Everfree Forest splayed out beneath them.
After a short cleanup of themselves and the library, the bullheaded pegasus and reluctant unicorn set off to the outskirts of Ponyville. 'Last night was kinda cool, but you've gotta see this!' Rainbow had said. Her eyes were lit with a burning desire, much like the times she would talk about joining the wonderbolts. Twilight couldn’t turn her down. Not only was Dash absolutely adorable when she wanted something, but she knew she was right. The hospital could only make things worse.
Dash had tried to hide the agony she'd been feeling, but it was all too obvious. She'd winced in pain with each hoofstep she took on the way. She was clearly in desperate needed medical attention, but they both knew Dash would never let go of her pride. As if Twilight hadn't hated herself enough for not being able to cure her, a period of self-loathing pricked at her for not learning any painkilling magic.
“Scared?” Rainbow quipped playfully. Her voice had become scratchy once again.
Twilight retreated back to one of the cloudy bulges, plunking down beside the lovably arrogant pegasus. “I don't think I'll ever get used to it. Heights aren't exactly my area of courage.” Twilight grinned, “last time I was up on a cloud was when you won the Young Flyer's competition. ”
“Oh yeah, that was a snap.” Dash bragged with a nervous shuffle, “I never doubted myself for a second.”
“That was right after the whole incident with Pinkie Pie and the hydra, wasn't it?”
“Heh, yeah. We sure did a lot back then, didn't we? I mean we saved the world. Twice.”
Twilight nodded her head in agreement. “And we crashed a royal party.”
Rainbow giggled. “Yeah, and how about the time Fluttershy totally lost it on that dragon!”
”And the situation with the parasprites, what a mess that was.”
Rainbow gave a contented sigh. “We've had a lot of awesome adventures together. I only wish we could have had more.” Rainbow continued, “you know, I wasted so much time thinking all that counted was how cool I looked to everypony else. Making it to the Wonderbolts was the only thing I wanted to do with my life, but now.. It seems so worthless. All that really matters is who you meet along the way. I guess friendship really is magic after all.”
A small, pained smile found its way onto Twilight's face. “You always were a smart pony deep down, weren't you?”
Dash waved a passive hoof, “yeah, whatever.”
Twilight lowered her head and kissed Rainbow. Her cyan mouth still carried the metallic taste of blood, but she payed no mind. Moving in for an embrace, Dash visibly flinched in pain as their bodies made contact. Twilight recoiled. “Sorry.”
“No, it's fine. Come on.”
“But-” Twilight was cut off as Rainbow hugged her tight and gave her another kiss on the lips. They held it for a long time before they released reluctantly. Twilight lay her head on top of Rainbow's neck in a tender nestle. The two of them remained there alone on their own little cloudy empire, enjoying the mere company of the other as the overhead sun began to wane.
“Hey, Twilight?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. For everything.”
---
Ponies that happened by gave shocked and occasionally fearful stares at the goddess and her student as they trotted along the winding country road out of Ponyville. Celestia had decided that sobbing in the hospital room was not going to get them anywhere. Twilight needed some air, anyway. She'd spent the entirety of the week in her library studying, or in the hospital waiting.
Celestia had seemed to regain much of her lost composure as they continued along the path, Twilight suspected she did so as to not create a stir among the citizens. Maybe she did it as preparation, to steel herself for the conversation they both knew was coming. Perhaps both.
They travelled in silence for a long while as they slowly trotted down the rocky dirt path. Twilight took it upon herself to count each of the octangular-shaped stones along the way. Thirty-seven so far. Pointless mental stimulation was a habit she'd developed as a filly. Granted, it didn't serve much of a purpose at all, but at least it helped keep her mind off things.
The sun had already begun set by the time they found themselves in Sweet Apple Acres. Luna's moon slowly crept up on the horizon as they continued, providing vague illumation for the path ahead. The tree branches cast long shadows upon the ground, their convoluted fingers spanning out like a road map to some busy city.
“Twilight...” The princess started finally, “I know what it's like. I know the pain you feel now feels unbearable; like somepony is kicking you in the chest and won't stop. And I know it's even harder because she's still alive.” Twilight felt a tear run along her cheek, but managed to keep herself from breaking down again.
“It's a cruel joke.”
“My student, you must understand that these things happen. We cannot control life, only how we choose to make our way along its journey. Rainbow's flame is going out. Everyone has their time, but hers was far sooner than anyone could have expected. It's beyond tragic, but the only thing we can do is carry on.”
Celestia's words were a burning iron to Twilight's soul. She could feel her face becoming unbearably hot with emotion. “But can't you heal her? Is... Isn't there some kind of magic that can take it away?”
The alicorn's expression darkened. “Magic is powerful, Twilight, but it is not more powerful than death. Believe me when I say that, if I could, I would never go through the suffering of seeing generation after generation of ponies close their eyes for the last time. As much as I wish it were, magic and life are entirely separate energies.”
Twilight sat down, her legs had become too wobbly to stand any longer. Celestia joined her and wrapped a wing around her student, hugging her close. “But there is one other magic. The magic of those who have come before us and the legacy they leave behind. How they've influenced us and made us who we are. Your friends will come and go, but there's always a part of them that stays behind.”
Twilight sniffled as tears rolled down her cheeks once again. “Does... Does it ever get easier?”
Celestia suspired gently. “No. It never does. They say time heals all wounds, and it's true to some extent. Time will heal the some of the sting, but the scar will always remain.” The princess looked up to the moon before continuing, “but I guess that's for the better.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“Scars are a permanent memento of our past. If they heal, their stories are lost.” Celestia continued, “There will always be a place, a scar, in your heart and in the hearts of her friends. The magic of friendship is one that never fades away.”
Twilight leaned in closer her mentor as she stared across the landscape of innumerable apple trees. The moonlight spilled across the valley, bathing the landscape in the pale whiteness of nightfall. The wing wrapped around her offered a tranquil sanctuary from the frigid air, and from her own thoughts.
“Princess, will you stay with me tonight?”
Celestia smiled down at her, “of course I will.”
---
Rainbow laid her head back into the cradle in Twilight's neck, snuggling closer into her forelegs. Her eyes had become dark with illness, the spectral coward of disease was visibly taking a toll on her ravaged body. “What do you think it's like? You know... when you die?”
Twilight lifted her head from the rainbow mane. A tear shimmered in the corner of her eye. “I... are you sure you want to talk about this?”
“Yeah, I'm curious.”
Twilight released a saddened breath. “Well.. To be honest... I don't really know. I don't think anypony does. I’d always thought that it would... be sort of like...” the lump in Twilight’s throat prevented her from finishing. She didn’t want to cry. Not again.
Rainbow's gaze alighted over the horizon, a sincere look of contentedness crossed her eyes. “I always imagined that the lights in the sky would shine and take me home. To a place where I could see my mom and dad again, and where I wouldn't be sick anymore.”
The tear in her eye moments ago finally let go and rolled down Twilight’s cheek. Rainbow didn’t seem to mind the ensuing silence, as she cuddled even closer into Twilight’s embrace. There they stayed, watching the sunset and wishing to be nowhere else in the world.
The field of Equestrian clouds across the skyline had been set ablaze with the the burning redness of the waning sun. The great Equestrian vista shared in the glory of the last rays of its light. Golden orange sun shafts lit Rainbow's face, caressing and illuminating each of her features. She looked completely calm and placid. The sunlight had a way of erasing the pain that was so visible on her face only moments ago. A complete serenity shone from the mare of Twilight's dreams.
Rainbow turned her gaze over the expanse; to the picture-perfect sea of conflagration. “It's awesome, isn't it?”
Twilight leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Yes, it's beautiful.”
Dash smiled as she lowered her rosy eyes to the world for the last time. She was exactly where she wanted to be. The sky had always been, and forever would be her home. She was truly ready to go now. Ready for one final adventure.
“...I love you, Twilight.”
---
'till next time,
~ Thyrai
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First! I look forward to reading :)
Awww.... Good job
This made me shed manly tears of manliness. So goddamned sad, broski.
Dude...this tugs at the ole heartstrings...to be in Dash's situation...i don't want to think about it...I'ma go cry in a corner now.
YEAAAH A NEW CHAPTER
this made me cry manly tears
ah who am i kidding i cried like a little bitch
Ouuu damn im gonna cry now
sooo awesome
And then it turns out it was all a practical joke
ROLL CREDITS
Ah who am I kidding, she is gonna die D:
Celestia lay a curse upon you, you magnificent weaver of words! You've written something so well that I cried! WHHHYYYYYYY DAASSSHHHH!?!?!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
a epilogue will be nice :D
I think I might be the only one who was detached emotionally enough not to cry. Just barely detached enough.
In the words of Glados: You are a horrible person...
I would love an epilogue to this :)
This story has been very moving so far, my eyes are stinging right now
I would be crying if I weren't coughing right now. Excellent story, almost don't want it to end.
Like Celestia said, we can't control life, just the simple actions and winding roads we take that define our journey.
this made me sadder then ive been for a long time....no really,i probly havnt been this sad since i read that fic where pinkie died of dieabeetus....(what was that fic btw? i cant remember the name lol ><)
all in all though,it was a good story....though a fricken sad one
i've only read the comments and i feel like crying
I'll add to the calls for an epilogue
Dammit...Dammit, dammit, dammit. I really have to stop reading these things. Seriously. This is throwing me into a blue funk. But why do I keep doing it? Maybe just because it's so well done.
I admit, there were a couple errors in sentence structure, and a couple passages that were missing a word, or something, but it really didn't take away from it that much. It's just...gah, I can't even talk about it any more. I'm going to go cry in a corner now.
41933
I believe that one's called Bittersweet, by Nukeiffum
I have to admit that at first I was surprised it ended there, but looking back on it, that is a good ending. Didn't make me cry, but then, no fic has yet, not even My Little Dashie.
However, yes, an epilogue would be grand
Great story.
suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/8382189/images/1267652475394.jpg
41952 AH! THANK YOU! i cant believe i forgot it ><
41952 oh damn,looks like it dosnt matter anyway cus noone seems to of uploaded it here & googledocx nolonger works for me so i cant read it there...can anyone upload it here? or atleast to pastbin & link me plz?
Why...why...WHY? It's such the "perfect" way to "end" something...leaving the reader wondering in their mind what happened. Reminds me of the book "Stuck In Neutral"; almost same exact ending...in a way. I know it's just a story and it's not real, but...geez, you know how to make a guy cry...that's for sure. I love Dash, and I love Twilight...this sucks. No, the story was good, but what happened/might happen sucks.
Somepony hug me......
Yes an epilogue would be an awesome edition, You are a great writer. Maybe on the next story you do a happy twi/dash? please? yes? awesome!
But seriously, very few writers of fanfiction can write emotions well and you nailed it on the head, i tip my hat to you sir!
42045 Well...at first...then I bawled like a little baby. I also swear I heard the scout somewhere saying 'Oh what? You gonna cry? You gonna cry now?'
Then I did.
Oh and Thyrai, it's not a good sign I'm not delivering a message for the herd, most were crying, some were pissed, and the rest looked like they were gonna kill somepony. Oh, Celestia! Run, RUN MAN! They're gonna kill you!
And now, I sign off!
Godspeed you magnificent bastard-BlazingShadowBrony
P.S. Epilogue please.
PLEASE! 
NOW!! 
41952
You are an evil, EVIL little man, and we love you for it.
s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/entries/icons/original/000/002/796/447px-Manlytears3.jpg?1275218057
Manly tears. Trevor haz dem.
~ Magical Trevor, Minstrel of Equestria
Me after reading Fading collors: Weho! finaly got done with the mushy stiff.
Me after seeing decay: NOT AGAIN!!
But anyway, that was real sad.. though i didn't cry from some reason.. does that make me a bad person?
But still, cool story ...i missed seeeing hugo just cause of this story.
You bastard, you made me cry.
but still, the story's beautiful and an epilogue would be a welcome addition.
(Please don't take the 'you bastard' part offensively, im just sad at how things turned out in the story.)
The comments make me feel like a tyrant
Such a nice story…………
NOOOOOOOOO! NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
JUST NO!..... NO! NO! NO!.....
no...... I just..... I.....
how could...... I can't....... th-the tears........................ I can't make them stop.....
Damn you..... you and your amazing story...... WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please, write us another some time. Manly tears are good in my pony fics every week or two (despite my reaction, I love you, man. Keep doing this).
42241 And the funny thing was that I was looking for a happy TwiDash ship, then this happened, and it was so good I couldn't stop reading.
/ 
Dude, in all honesty, write a book. I will buy it.
42217 I don't think your a tyrant, I cried so much at this its sad and beautiful at the same time but mostly sad
but its very well done and I thank you for that, please write an epilogue.
This is so sad.
But I need more! 
Manly Tears will always be shed. 
HA HA HA! A JOLLY GOOD READ!
i am no baby i only have many tears! ok imo go in the corner now
I don't usually cry whilst reading stories, but I caved during this one.
Very well written, but definitely the saddest story I've read thus far.
love it.....even though i'm now spiraling into a depression
Every time I read this, it's like a punch in the chest. It hurts. Yet I read on. It reminds me that life is short, and while I fear nothing more than it's end, that if I do nothing but sit in that fear it goes to waste. Life passes us by in the blink of an eye and in the end all we really have is memories, so go out and make as many as you can.
D: This was so sad!
Brilliantly well written too though :3
*sniff*