//------------------------------// // Passing the Torch (Applejack) // Story: Pony Poetry Vol. 1 // by GjallarFox //------------------------------// "Life is not a race," the Rainbow once told me. "But rather a marathon relay. A run through the dark, with naught to light your way but the torch you pass." I suppose she was right. I've been racing through life, eager to move forward. But I've completely disregarded the fact that I have a set distance to run. I never slowed down to run with someone. So when I heard Rainbow died, I realized my greatest mistake. The only one I've ever kept pace with tripped before she could pass the torch. And now I realize that my torch is dead. I've reached the end of my run. I've finished faster than I wanted to. But now that I'm done, I think I'll take a nice long rest, and pass my unlit torch. ------ A sharp wailing filled the hospital, reaching my ears faster than those of the doctors and nurses that were crowding my space in the Maternity Ward. My body was shaking from the shock of giving birth to my first foal. I felt a bit clammy, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to hold my foal. I took as deep of a shuddering breath as I could, trying to calm my nerves and out-of-control brain. It was difficult, but I got my heart to slow down. The doctor holding my foal exited the room, taking it somewhere I didn't know before I even knew if it was a colt or a filly. I wanted to holler at the old stallion, but I knew that my foal would need its shots. Not to mention the fact that doctors don't let ya see your foal till it's peed. I never questioned why. After about ten minutes, I saw the doctor returning with my foal and a proud grin on his freshly washed face. He pushed his way to the forefront of the crowd around me and called out, "It's a colt!" I never would have believed those old mothers'-tales. I used to be skeptic of those stories. How could I have? I was naïve before that moment. But as soon as that bundle reached my hooves, I knew. I looked down to see his face was absolute calm. He had a cyan coat and magenta eyes just like... Rainbow... I thought to myself. I always did wish Rainbow could see my firstborn foal when I had him. But she ran off and got herself killed. Now I just miss her like nopony's business. After all. I never got to tell the one pony I could be my truest self around how I felt about her. But that door has been shut for well over a year now. I guess it was my fault for never saying anything, or not being blunt enough with my hints. "Congratulations!" Rarity's voice squealed into my train of thought, halting it. All four of my remaining friends entered the room, bright smiles plastered on their faces, save for Pinkie, who's smile was wider than her face would allow. I didn't question it. This was Pinkie. "What's his name?!" Pinkie asked, literally bouncing against the floor and ceiling. I thought about it for a moment, before I realized three crucial things I wanted in my son's name. One, I wanted to stick to the family tradition, and name him after an Apple. Two, I wanted to have an affectionate shortened name for him, like my own; AJ. Three, I wanted to instill my memory of Rainbow into my son. The name came to me like a dog to a pony offering kibble. "Rainbow Jester," I blurted out, earning a full chorus of surprised gasps. "My little RJ..." Rarity smiled, placing a hoof on my shoulder. "It's beautiful." "Rarity, with y'all as my witnesses, I choose you to be RJ's godmother. I know you'll bring him up right should something happen to me," I croaked out. * That night, I had insisted on holding RJ through the night so I could comfort him should he wake. But truth be told, I wanted to tell him my story. Especially the bits with Rainbow. I stayed up long past midnight, knowing this was my last chance to spill my guts out to anypony. No sooner did I finish than a nurse walk in to check up on us. I whispered for her to take the baby so I could go to sleep. When she left with RJ, I closed my eyes, accepting what my body had been screaming at me since his birth. Some ponies say you see your life flash before your eyes before you die. Some say you meet Death itself. Some say that you see a light. I didn't see any of those things. I laid my head down, and fell asleep, knowing that my life ahead was but a dream. And as I drew my final breath, I thought of Rainbow, and smiled.