CHAPTER 17a
I couldn't focus on anything but the road ahead of me, and Pinks. She hadn't moved at all, asides from slightly shifting around on my back from my movements, as I was galloping at full speed. I couldn't think of anything but her survival.
"This is why I never wanted to be around anypony, Pinks! This is what happens when you're close to a pony like me... You get hurt. I'm staying away from everypony after this. I can't let anypony else get hurt." So I'd made my decision. Save Pinks, move out of Sugarcube Corner, and avoid any and all ponies.
"Oh no!"
"Is that Pinkie Pie?"
"What happened?"
"Why is he carrying her?"
"Did he hurt her?"
I just barely heard the voices of passerbys, and that last one hit me hard. I did hurt her. Sure, I wasn't the one DOING it, but it's my fault the gang went after her. Indirect, but still my fault. I didn't worry about that, and kept pushing.
"Please be OK, Pinks... I don't know what I'll do if you aren't."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beep, beep, beep, beep...
I was sitting in the hospital, watching Pinks, waiting. It'd been four hours since the escape, and Pinks' condition seemed to be slowly worsening. I felt my stomach wrenching and turning, and I didn't know whether I was going to cry, scream, or vomit, or a combination of any of the three. I knew then how Pinks felt when she was sitting here while I was out cold from the Manticore attack.
"Sir, you should leave. We'll contact you when- Oh, it's you." Nurse Redheart stepped back a bit. "Pinkie was here waiting for you... I guess you're in that position now, huh?" I nodded solemnly. I wasn't in a talkative mood at that moment. "Well... I'm hoping for you. I hate to tell you, but she's in really bad condition. Multiple lacerations, deep bruising, internal bleeding... We'll need a miracle for her to pull through."
And that did it. I ran to the bathroom, and started to blow my lunch and breakfast out into the toilet. I sat on the floor, and leaned against the stall. I felt a bit better, but I was still worried sick. Literally.
"Are you OK, Shadow?" Nurse Redheart stood there, and was staring at me.
"Yeah, I'm fine... This is the stallion's room, you know." I gave her a little smirk, and she blushed slightly and backed out of the door. "Ugh... Get it together, Weaver. She'll be fine. She's Pinkie Pie, after all. Nothing could ever happen to her! As soon as you go out there... She'll be just fine..." I smiled a little bit, and started reflecting on our short time together. I remembered when we first met, how I avoided her, and when she found me hiding in between those rocks outside of town... And when I moved into Sugarcube Corner. "Oh man... I've really bucked up this time. There's no way she'll like me after this kind of incident. But I don't care... As long as she's OK, I'm happy. I leaned back and sighed. I felt a lot better...
"Hurry! She's gone critical!" I jumped up and almost threw the bathroom door off of it's hinges. I ran into Pinks' room, and the heart monitor was going crazy.
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep...
"Sir, you need to leave!" A doctor tried to push me out of the room, but I shoved him back.
"There's no way you're getting me out of this room! She's my marefriend, and I'm sticking with her through this whole thing!" I stomped on the ground, and the doctor rolled his eyes.
"Fine, but don't interfere with anything." He stepped up to Pinks, and I took a good look at her. She was breathing quickly, and she'd broken out into a cold sweat. The doctors started doing various types of magic, and being an earth pony, I didn't recognize any of it. The heart rate monitor slowed down every time they cast a spell, but immediately sped back up.
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep...
"Clear!" ZAP.
Beep, beep, beepbeepbeep...
"Clear!" ZAP.
Beep, beep, beep... Beep..." It was starting to slow down. I felt myself go cold, and I started sweating.
I felt the world shrink around me, and I just stared, and everything seemed to go into slow motion. I saw the line on the heart rate monitor flatten out.
Beeeeeeeeeeep... I just stared. I wanted to cry out, I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. All I could get out were incoherent stutters. I looked at Pinks. She seemed peaceful, almost happy in death. The doctor approached me, and the dreaded words that no-one ever wants to hear from a doctor reached my ears.
"I'm sorry. We did all we could..." He walked away, leaving me to my emotions, which eventually caught up to me. I collapsed to the ground, and started wailing.
"NO! WHY?! WHY?!" I started slamming my hoof on the floor, and a few nurses stopped to stare at me, but I didn't care. "WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO DIE?! WHY HER?! WHY CAN'T IT BE ME?! SHE NEVER HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THIS! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS!" I was choking on my own breath, and I felt my voice starting to go from the yelling. But nothing was registering in my brain but her. The pink mare who tried to help me turn my life around, and it cost her her own. "It's not fair... She just wanted to help me... She just wanted to be my friend, and then even more than that... And look what it got her... I'm so sorry Pinks... I should have protected her. I should have never gotten so close... Why didn't I listen to myself? My better judgement told me to stay away, but my heart pulled me close, and it killed her..." I tried to stand up and walk away, but instead, I found myself next to Pinks. I just stared at her, the tears a steady stream down my face. It was as if she were sleeping. "I'm sorry." I whispered, as if I would wake her up if I were too loud. I kissed her forehead, and left the hospital.
(Stop the music)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I slammed my suitcase closed. Mr. and Mrs. Cake stood at the door, watching me pack the last of what little possessions I had away, ready to leave.
"Are you sure you want to go? Pinkie would have wanted you to stay..." Mr. Cake looked stressed, so I decided to not lash out at him for using that against me.
"I'm sure, Mr. Cake. I can't stay here. It's my fault she's gone. I'm surprised you want me to stay. I practically killed her. I'm leaving Ponyville, and nopony can stop me. I don't know where I'll go, but I'll find something." I headed out the door, when Mrs. Cake stopped me.
"I found this in the freezer. Pinkie must have forgotten to give it to you..." It was a cardboard cake box, with a big, heart-shaped cake inside of it, with crude depictions of me and Pinks sitting together, with a large, red heart above us. I remembered when Pinks and I both yelled "Surprise." The cake must have been her surprise for me. I felt a tear roll down my cheek, but I turned around and kept going out the door.
"Keep it. I can't take it." I started off at a walk down the road, but eventually broke into a full gallop. I passed the town gates, and came to a crossroad. I decided to just head off in a random direction. I looked back at Ponyville one last time, remembering all of the friends I'd made. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity... And Pinkie Pie. That list was one short, thanks to me.
"Goodbye, everypony."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Two Weeks Later...)
(Third Person)
Twilight paced back and forth, the rest of her friends that were left stood in the Library with her.
"Where could he have gone?! I don't understand! And where's Pinkie been?!" Twilight had been cooped up inside, searching all over for Shadow with a tracking spell, and contacting anypony she knew outside of Ponyville, hoping they had seen him. No luck. When she mentioned Pinkie, everypony cringed.
"Twilight... Pinkie's... She's..." Rainbow Dash looked at the floor, unable to say it.
"What? She's what?" Twilight looked at all of them, and they gave her a look that she didn't understand.
"She... I... I..." Fluttershy completely lost it, and broke down right there. Rarity tried to console her the best she could.
"It's alright, Darling... She's happy where she is now..."
"What do you all mean?!" Twilight glared at them, and Applejack stomped angrily.
"Don't Ya' get it? She's dead!" Even she started crying then. Twilight fell onto her haunches. She hadn't spoken to anypony much, and everypony she did talk to got extremely upset on the topic of Pinkie, but she thought Pinkie had just run off to look for Shadow, not this.
"No... That must be why Shadow ran off... And Pinkie was the only pony who ever loved him... He's been missing for two weeks, right?" Twilight went pale after saying all of this. Everypony else stared at her for a minute, and they all paled as they realize what may have happened. Then, Spike walked inside, holding a newspaper, a blank expression on his face.
"Read this." He slapped it down on the table, and they all leaned in to read.
"Young stallion found dead on outskirts of Pennsylmaneia. Black coat, white hair, yellow eyes, no Cutie Mark. Multiple stab wounds to the neck and chest area, believed to be self inflicted."
Everypony just stared at the line, and read it over and over again.
"No..." Rainbow Dash backed away, shaking her head.
"It can't be..." Twilight felt the tears welling up in her eyes.
"He couldn't have..." Rarity fell onto her haunches and stared off into space.
"He... He's gone too. He couldn't live with it. Ah' guess that's jus' how it is." Applejack sat down on the sofa, and kept on talking. "He seemed so happy... Ah' guess Ah' was wrong in thinkin' that. But... There's some good in this."
"APPLEJACK! How could you say such a thing?" Rarity's eyes were wide with shock.
"Jus' think about it fer a minute. Who else is dead that was real important to him?" Everypony tried to understand what she meant, and then it dawned on them. Everypony stood up, understanding the small sliver of good in this, deep in their hearts.
"They can be together forever."
Author's Note: Before you all grab the torches and pitchforks, look at the title. See how it's Chapter 17 "a?" That's right, THIS IS AN ALTERNATE ENDING! I'll have the next chapter up soon, don't worry. I'm sorry, but I had to do this. It just came to me.