//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 (Last day) // Story: Living and Dying in Equestria // by TwilightsmyMare //------------------------------// I woke up. Stretched painfully, my back sore and stiff from the unfamiliar couch. What a lousy night, I barely slept without Twilight by my side. As I pulled myself into a sitting position I found myself face to face with Twilight, she was sitting, waiting for me patiently, her eyes a bit red. We both spoke at once. "I'm sorry." We both smiled at our awkwardness. "You first Twi." I offered. "No, no. You can go first." She replied. I smiled, she was so beautiful. "I was a jerk Twi. I'm so sorry." I said, taking one of her hooves in my hands and squeezing it gently. "No you weren't! I was the one being difficult. It’s not your fault. I'm sorry." She said, hanging her head dejected. I gently lifted her chin up to look in her beautiful eyes, tears forming in their corners. "Don't be sorry Twi. No regrets." I whispered, wiping her tears away. She moved up to me putting her head over my shoulder as I wrapped my arms around her hugging her tightly. We held each other for a few minutes. "Well... I guess we had better go. Zecora asked that we get there early." She said with a final sniff. "I guess... We don't have to walk fast though." She smiled up at me and shook her head slightly. I went up and gathered my few belongings. My outfits Rarity had made for me would certainly be a conversation piece back home. And they would be a memento so I packed them up. My bag of bits I had earned here wouldn't do me much good back home. I would have to give it to Twilight if she didn't need them she would know some pony who would. I patted my pocket to make sure my letter was still there. I had nothing other then that, just my memories of this amazing time. I would never forget. Spike was still asleep, I wouldn’t disturb him, he’d had it rough enough the past couple days. I met Twilight at the door my bag of clothes slung over my shoulder, the bag of bits clinking on my belt. We started walking towards the edge of town, side by side my arm draped over her shoulder as we had done hundreds of times since I arrived. Her fur was as soft as ever, every time she looked back at me over her shoulder I felt my heart shudder. I had to tell her... My track record for telling Twilight I loved her was zero out of a hundred so far. Somehow I would get it out before I left. We reached the edge of town far too soon and began walking down the path into the Everfree forest. "Twilight, I..." This is it. I can do it. She turned to me. "Yes...?" "I... I..." Just say it! "Yes...?" Her beautiful eyes stared right into mine. "I'm going to miss you!" I blurted out. Coward! Idiot! Ahrrrgg! Her eyes turned overcast for a moment. "Oh... I'll miss you too." We resumed walking as I mentally screamed at myself. The forest was getting thick as we traveled; I knew I was running out of time rapidly. Another half of an hour and we would be at Zecora's. "Twi. I really do want to tell you something. I'm just not sure how." I began again. She turned to face me. "You don't have to hold anything back Rick. We’re friends, best friends right?" She said with a small smile. Friends... Right, maybe I was making a mistake. All telling her would do is make our last bit of time together awkward... To hell with it! If I was never going to see her again I didn't want to lose this one last chance. "Twilight. I L..." My confession of love was interrupted suddenly by a savage roar from the forest beside us. Through the underbrush burst a huge creature its large tawny lion head backed by a powerful body, two large batwings on its back and a long segmented tail with a stinger at the tip. A Manticore! Twilight had told me about them before, and we had looked them up in her books. She had even told me about a time when shy little Fluttershy had befriended one. This creature clearly was not looking for friends. Its mane was ragged and its powerful body shrunken, its ribs clearly showing. Its wings were tattered and clearly of no use to it, its tail thrashed about angrily and its eyes were wild. It saw us, and in its eyes I could see hunger. I pushed Twilight behind me quickly and hurled my garment bag at it. "Run! Just run!" I shouted. With a roar it bound after us as we ran straight into the forest ducking around trees, trying to put any foliage we could between us and it. We should have headed straight for Zecora's. Twilight also could have easily teleported us away, but our adrenalin was pumping and we just weren't thinking clearly. We just ran. I kept glancing over my shoulder trying to keep myself between the Manticore and Twilight. The forest slowed it more then us because of its huge body but still it gained, its overwhelming hunger giving it strength. The inevitable happened... As we squeezed through a thick copse of trees my foot caught on a root sending me sprawling. Twilight was ahead of me and out of immediate danger thankfully. As I struggled to my feet I glanced back to see the Manticore stuck in the thick copse but its long tail swinging towards me from between the trees. I turned trying to get out of its reach, as I did I was struck suddenly from behind knocking me sprawling. No stabbing pain though, did it only strike me with the blunt end? I quickly turned over and found Twilight lying unconscious beside me, a large puncture mark in her side from the Manticore’s stinger, its edges already blackening from the poison. She took the attack meant for me... No! I quickly glanced at the Manticore and saw it was still entrapped tearing at the trees, its rage hampering it from simply backing up and circling the copse. I scooped Twilight up and began running in what I hoped was the direction of Zecora's. She could help... She had to. Tears blurred my vision as I ran, the Manticore’s roars of anger and frustration echoing behind me. I had no frame of reference, no landmarks or even direction, I just ran. I could feel Twilights heart beating as I held her tightly, each beat seemed slower then the last. I was at the point of collapse, but forced myself to keep going, my pace barely a jog. Finally bursting through the trees onto the path; I fell to the ground on my back gasping for air, Twilight still in my arms. Glancing up at the sky I could see the sun was high in the sky, had so much time passed already? I pushed myself back to my feet, half running, half staggering my way down the path to Zecora's door. I slammed into it with my back and fell inside clutching Twilight protectively to my chest. "Zecora!" I hoarsely yelled. She was there in an instant, concern in her eyes. She quickly noticed the wound in Twilights side and touched her hoof to it. Bringing it to her mouth she tasted and quickly spat. She galloped away to her potions while I lie there holding Twilight, trying to catch my breath as her heart slowly beat. "Nononono... Don't you leave me Twi." I whispered in her ear. Zecora came back a potion held in her mouth, she dropped it into my hand and I uncorked it and poured it into Twilight’s mouth, making sure she swallowed it all. Zecora laid her head on Twilight chest, listening intently to her heartbeat. "Is she cured? Is it alright?" I asked desperately. Zecora shook her head sadly. "This only slows the spread, I fear it has gone too far for my skills, soon she shall be dead." My world collapsed. I held her close praying, denying, trying to think of anything… "Surely there’s a potion you can make...?" I began, Zecora just shook her head. "Ponyville Hospital then?" She paused a second but shook her head again. "This can't happen! Twilight! There has to be something... Anything!" I begged. At that moment Twilight stirred, her eyes fluttered opened and she looked at me. Her hoof came up and gently caressed the side of my face. "No regrets..." She whispered to me as her eyes rolled up into her head and she lost consciousness again. I held her tightly tears streaming down my face still trying to think of something. "Celestia!" I finally came up with it. Zecora looked at me thoughtfully, and then nodded slightly. "Her magic is up to par, but it is too long, too far." "I have to try." I struggled to my feet. "Stop." Zecora retrieved a potion and tossed it to me. "This will banish your fatigue, I pray you will succeed." I drank the potion without hesitation. It burned like fire going down; its heat quickly enveloped my extremities banishing my weariness. With a nod to Zecora I began to run. I ignored everything around me, all that mattered was to get to Ponyville as fast as I could, get a Pegasus chariot crew and ride for Canterlot as fast as we could. I concentrated on her heartbeat, ba-bump run! Ba-bump faster! Ba-bump FASTER! As I ran into town; the potion was beginning to wear off. My legs felt like they were made of lead, but I kept going ignoring the pain as well as the shocked looks of the ponies in town seeing me carrying Twilight through, I didn’t have time to explain. Arriving at the chariot rental place I burst through the door. "I need to get to Canterlot NOW!" I gasped. The mare at the desk just stared at me; I grabbed my bag of bits and emptied it on the desk awkwardly holding Twilight with one arm. "Take it! I don't care. It’s a matter of life and death! NOW!" She squeaked and yelled into the backroom. Two Pegasus stallions came out and led me over to a chariot which they quickly hooked themselves up to. I would have rather had Dash and Fluttershy pulling us. But I had no time. They took off, their wings beating mightily. "As fast as you can. Please. Celestia’s palace." I begged, collapsing down on the chariot floor. “Please Twi, please, please fight it! Your strong. Don‘t leave me, I can‘t live without you. I don’t want to leave you. I love you! I should have told you sooner. I‘m so sorry.” I whispered in her ear as I held Twilight, her heart beating slower by the minute. Why did it take this for me to realise I couldn’t leave Equestria… Leave Twilight… I didn’t want to live without her, couldn’t live without her… Faster, faster! I silently begged. To their credit the Pegasus’s were flying hard and soon we approached the city of Canterlot. They flew down right at the palace steps as they collapsed exhausted I jumped out feeling slightly refreshed by the flight and ran carrying Twilight to the entrance. "HALT!" The two guardsmen spoke in unison blocking my passage. "I need to see the Princess right now." Maybe they recognised Twilight or they could just see the desperation in my eyes but after a moments hesitation one of them stepped aside while the other opened the door and escorted me inside to the royal court where the Princess was. We burst through the doors shocking those assembled into silence. "Celestia!" I screamed hoarsely as I staggered forward my strength all but spent. "Clear the room." She commanded, stepping down from her throne as her guards herded everypony out she quickly approached, her horn glowing as her magic pulled Twilight from me. I collapsed back sitting on the floor watching her carefully. After a few moments she gently lowered Twilight back into my embrace. "Princess..." I begged. She shook her head sadly. "Too late… The poison has reached her heart. I'm sorry, there are limits even for us." "There has to be something! You and Luna together?!" "I'm sorry human. It’s too late. The best we can do now is make her comfortable. Follow me." As she turned to go; I could see tears forming in her eyes. "No." She turned back to look at me. "What!?" "No! I won't let her die like this. There has to be something you can do!" I could see something in her eyes, apprehension? Fear? A chance? I offered the only thing I had. "My life for hers." "That’s not how it..." She began. "Take my life and give it to her, take the poison from her and transfer it into me! Tear my heart out of my chest and give it to her! Anything! Please Princess... I... I love her." She stared at me for a moment, and then she nodded her head slightly. As she stepped forward she closed her eyes; her long horn began to glow. Suddenly she thrust it between Twilight and I. It stabbed through my chest into my heart with surprising ease, the pain was overwhelming, but somehow I remained conscious. I coughed, spitting up blood. The Princesses eyes opened, blazing with pure light, her glow surrounded Twilight and I and as my blood flowed freely from my chest over Twilight I felt her shudder in my arms. Her heart had nearly stopped beating, but now I could feel it beat with renewed vigour as mine slowed to a crawl. Suddenly her horn as well blazed blindingly with magic, her eyes flew open, they too burning with pure magical light. I managed to bring up my hand to caress the side of her face once; those glowing orbs of light turned and seemed to focus on me. I smiled at her weakly and finally managed to choke out the words I had been trying to say for months. "I Love You Twilight..." Darkness overtook me. Well at least I managed to tell her... … .. .