//------------------------------// // Final Goodbyes // Story: Why Humans should never be allowed in Equestria // by Rainbow_Dashtruction //------------------------------// (When reading, make sure you have time to read this chapter and the epilogue In one go, they really are designed to be read like that.) The air stood still for a moment as James sat on his knees over Rainbow Dash, her body sprayed limply over his lap. After a few moments, Scott slowly walked up behind James. “What do we do now” said Scott, James didn’t respond for a moment, before he snapped to focus. “I don’t know” said James without turning around. “With Rainbow dead we won’t be able to escape if we activate the bomb” spoke Scott, speaking as fast as he could, franticly pacing around the room. “I know” “And now the portal is closed and we can’t go home and WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!” “I don’t know” James voice remained level, his eyes never leaving Rainbow Dash’s corpse. “I…I…I just need a moment to think of something” said Scott, finally calming down, walking away to sit in a corner. “I can’t leave her here Scott” “What?” asked Scott, looking up. “I can’t leave her here” “What do you mean you can’t leave her here, you were fine with everyone else being killed, hell, I haven’t seen you show any regret throughout this entire dam apocalypse you started!” yelled Scott, his voice becoming louder and louder. “I just can’t leave her here” James’s voice finally gave way to his sadness, but not one tear fell. James could try and keep his sadness bottled up throughout his life, masking his emotions underneath an asshole persona. But when James finally had his emotions break through, he didn’t become a crying mess of tears and my little Dashie fans. He just… he just didn’t feel like talking anymore. Scott looked at his broken friend, standing still over the limp mare. He was just staring at the corpse, wishing she would suddenly spring to her hooves and scream how she was just screwing with James and was a really good actor. But that only happens in bad Disney movies. “We need to get out of here” said Scott. “What is the point?” said James, turning his head slowly to Scott. “What do you mean?” “These lands are dead thanks to us, there is nothing left for anypony or…” James’s head turning back to Rainbow Dash, “Anyone” Scott knew he was right, there was nothing left to do, the world was going to be destroyed by the zombie apocalypse. Few would survive and even then, what is the point of living a life of hardship and terror. They had had a chance to save Equestria and now it was over, their escape plan dead. Unless someone could find a way to kill the zombies. “Get out of here” said Scott quickly, James spined his head around to face Scott. “I’ll activate the bomb, you just go” James opened his mouth to say something, but realised that Scott had made his decision, and there was nothing left to say. Except… “I won’t leave her” “Then don’t” replied Scott quickly. James understood immediately. He walked over to Rainbow Dash, and sliding his arms underneath her, lifted her length ways in front of him with both arms. To anyone watching, it would have appeared like James no longer felt her weight as he did last time he tried lifting her. But they would be wrong, as he felt all of her weight upon him, he felt the entire weight of the universe crashing down upon him, but he no longer cared. “I just keep wondering, what will be the look on his face when he sees us with guns and crossbows pointed at his face as he leaves those doors, what will be the last look on his face before we kill him” James slowly walked out of the room, slowly left the castle which this entire adventure had led up to, slowly left the place where the very reason he had stayed in this world had died. When he reached the door, he turned back towards his friend who he would never see again, and uttered one last word. “Goodbye” Scott had watched his friend leave him, the last person he would ever know leave him. He wondered if there really was a heaven, and if there was, did this universe have one. He wished he had asked Celestia that before she died, he wondered if this would have comforted him, made the decision he made easier, maybe the belief that he would go somewhere after this would have removed that sense of darkness inside of him. But the duo had never much cared for religion. Scott wondered if James would have done the same as him, if the circumstances had been reversed. James turned his head forward and walked his slow march away from his friend, his only friend, as he walked through the corridors of Canterlot castle. He wondered about what he would do when he left the Castle, what he would do. He wondered if there was anything left for him, whether his life would be worth living afterwards. He wondered if it would be better to just end it all, finally be released of the pain and guilt he was feeling as his footsteps echoed the hallways. He wondered if the circumstances had been reversed, would he have done the same as Scott. He wondered many things as he walked down the Canterlot Castle, but he never considered leaving Rainbow Dash behind, and continued to walk through the hallways with her in his arms. Scott’s only friend was gone, along with Scott’s doubts, he had nothing left to lose, and to bail out would be to live a life not worth living. He turned towards the pile of flare guns he had behind him. He started picking them up and firing them off the balcony every minute or so, illuminating the night sky, causing a roar of the zombies below to start, and get louder and louder by the minute. The light of day that streamed through the windows as faded as clouds began to cover the sun. James walked down the corridors, he was nearing the entrance to the Canterlot Castle. The building was designed to look impressive and keep people inside feeling safe and secure. All it made James feel was the feeling of bad memories that surrounded him and threatened to crush him under their weight. He wanted nothing but to leave this place. The roar of the zombies had grown loud, just as the plan had predicted. The zombies beating on the castle doors, struggling to get their way through the barricades Scott had made. The wood splitting as it forced the tidal wave of undead from entering the castle. Scott could only wait for the horde to stream in through the corridors and consume him, tearing him apart. He picked up the magnum James had abandoned on the floor, and prepared to face the horde. The group stood on either side of the drawbridge to the Canterlot Castle, aiming their guns and crossbows forward towards the open gate of the Castle. The mobsters on the right facing the castle, the guards on the left, with the mob leader standing in the middle with his revolver, twitching from excitement as he would finally get revenge on the asshole who had ruined him. His happiness could not be described as the figure of James holding Rainbow emerged from the shadows of the Castle. James walked onto the drawbridge, the weapons following him as he got closer, his head slightly down as he slowly walked towards the men. He did notice them, he just didn’t care anymore. The ponies on the sides started to get confused expressions on their faces until they saw Rainbow Dash’s dried blood caked mane. As James started to walk in between the two factions, the mob leader suddenly got on his hind legs and pressed his revolver against James’s forehead, causing him to raise his head directly into the mob leaders. James saw an unrelenting fury in the pony’s eyes. The pony saw James’s blank expression, bags having formed under James’s eyes. “Goodbye” said the pony. The shot rang out throughout Canterlot, birds fluttering away in fright as the gun was fired. The mob leader fell to his left, the mobster having shot his leader dead, James did not thank him, he didn’t even visibly acknowledge him, he just kept walking. But the mobster knew why. For when they were expecting a monster, an asshole to leave the Canterlot Castle, instead they were met with a boy. A boy who had seen too much, a boy who had suffered worse than any of these ponies. They were met with a boy who had risked his entire life to save theirs, and lost everything. A person who had nothing left to lose in every possible way. And they could not let him die for something as futile as revenge for something that was in all rights an accident. They saluted him as he walked off into the distance. The doors were sent flying off their hinges as the zombie horde poured in to the Castle, Scott started running and firing behind himself as they chased him. They were faster, but he had been a fair distance down the corridor when they had broken through, and stood no chance of catching him. When he reached Celestia’s balcony, he activated the bomb, and threw it into the crowd as it raced up to him. He desperately fended the horde off with his gun, and just as they began to overwhelm him, the bomb exploded, sending a gigantic fireball towards Scott. James had walked for hours before he finally stopped, dropping to his knees and placing Rainbow Dash in front of him. In the distance he heard the explosion, a faint clap in the distance. Rainbow Dash hadn’t been kidding about the bombs power when it was infused with Nightmare Moons magic. The fireball consumed half the mountain, but James didn’t see it, he just kept on staring at Rainbow Dash. The zombies were dead, the few that survived would be later killed without the chance to harm by the surviving guards. James wished he could feel relief, but all he felt was dread. His first and last friend was dead, having sacrificed himself for Equestria. A single tear landed on Rainbow Dash, as James slowly said a few words to her. “It’s over Rainbow, its over”