Chapter 8- Almost Leaving
Sleep is dragging me deeper and deeper into the void of darkness, but I must keep fighting it, if I stop I will be trapped in darkness forever.
Beside me, Soarin’ is groaning in pain, although I hate hearing him like this, I am also thankful to know that he is still alive. I can’t lose him, not yet. We’re going to get through this, I know we are.
Every square inch of my body is cold, ice cold. It stings as if there is a monster biting icicles into me. It burns as well, I am so cold that I have begun to feel warm, better. That’s better. Soon we will be free, I would be free even sooner if I just let go now. Maybe I should just... Let... Go...
****
The world around me is sweet and warm; the sky is a cotton candy pink as the white clouds dance across it gracefully. I look around in confusion as I realise that I am on a cloud myself, the softness of it envelopes my body, keeping me safe.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it Dashie?” A voice beside me causes me to jump, snapping me out of my trance.
I turn towards the source of the familiar voice, my eyes widen in shock to find Soarin’ lying beside me, a sad smile sitting across his face.
“What’s going on? Where are we?” I whisper in fear.
Soarin’ shrugs and stares up into the sky. “I’m not too sure, I don’t know if you’re dreaming or drifting away from me Dashie, you won’t wake up when I call you.”
“B-but...” I frown in utter confusion. “How are you talking to me?”
“Maybe you’re making it up as you go along. I don’t know why we’re here Dashie; I just want you to wake up.” Soarin’s voice is strained and I wince at the pain he’s in.
I look at him and slowly lift my hoof towards his light blue cheek, I reach out to touch him but the world around me shudders and shakes, warping around my touch. I gasp and pull my hoof back in shock. This really isn’t real.
“I’m afraid to wake up, Soar. It’s so beautiful here,” I whisper and look around at the perfect clouds and the cotton soft grass sitting peacefully below our cloud.
“But I need you Dashie, I really need you here.” He pleads, reaching out to touch me before pulling his hoof back when he remembers that we cannot touch.
I frown and look at the stallion beside me. “But maybe I’m just imagining that you need me. What if I wake up and you don’t want to hang out with me after all of this.”
Why am I freaking out about this? I never normally care when a stallion never wants to see me again. But Soarin’ is different. I have been with many stallions before in my life, but Soar is the only one who has understood me. I know that I am not actually with him, but he’s amazing to have even as a friend. If he doesn’t want that after all this, I don’t know what I’d do.
“Just have a little trust, Dashie, please...” he whispers and looks deep into my eyes with his brilliant emerald ones. “Just wake up, for me.”
I look around me once more, and look at Soarin’ before nodding slightly.
The world around me ruptures and everything fades to black.
****
“Dash, Come on. Wake up,” Soarin’s voice whispers hoarsely.
Wincing as the world begins to focus around me again, I look up at the silhouette of the Wonderbolt leaning over me.
“Hey, I’m here, I’m okay.” I try to comfort the Pegasus who is now sobbing over me.
Wrapping my wings around his shoulders, I pull Soarin’ down so his warm body is lying slightly across my chest and I begin to stroke his mane repeating the same words over and over again: “I’m okay, we’re gonna be okay, I’m here.”
Soarin’ continues to sob and I pull him closer, wishing I could do something more but I feel helpless. I stroke his mane as his sobs begin to die down slightly and he tightens his grip around me. We lie there in silence for a few moments, Soarin’s body lying over mine, our wings around each other.
“Sorry about that,” Soarin’ whispers sheepishly, clearly embarrassed with how he acted.
“Shh, it’s okay, I’m sorry for doing that to you.” I continue to hold Soarin’ close to me, so close that I can feel his heartbeat over mine, so close that the heat from his body is radiating into mine.
Soarin’ goes to roll off of me, but I tighten my grip around him before whispering, “Not yet, don’t go yet.”
Soarin’ stops moving then and we just lay in silence for a few moments. Sweet, blissful silence.
“What happened, Dash?” Soarin’ murmurs, his breath hot on my shoulder.
I shudder slightly at the sensation of it before going on to answer. “I was drifting, I was about to let go...” I pause, contemplating whether or not I should go on. “But you were there, and told me not to let go. You told me to wake up, so I did.”
Soarin’ shifts so he is sitting upright against the wall of the cave, I can barely see him but I it seems as if he is holding his hoof out towards me, so I crawl over to him, my body still weak from hunger. It seems as if when I do not have Soarin’s touch, I am not distracted from the pain, but when he is close by it seems to dull down a bit.
“How long more do you think we can last, Soar?” I croak as I settle down against his soft coat.
Soarin’ frowns slightly, a small bit of fear registers in his eyes. “Probably a day, at the most...”
I wince as I press myself up against him. “They’ll find us, I know they will.”
As if our prayers were being answered, in the distance we hear the rustling of rocks coming closer and closer towards us.
“Oh my gosh!” I rasp in joy.
Fleetfoot’s voice comes into the cave, although it is very muffled. It’s as if she is standing at the other side of the Gorge.
“Soarin’? Dash? Are you around here?”
More rocks move, but Fleetfoot probably hasn’t even reached the original entrance yet, she’s going to give up before she reaches us.
“We’re in here!” I try and yell, but my voice breaks slightly.
Soarin’ stares at the pile of debris through the darkness. “Fleet! Help!” His voice comes through slightly louder, but it sounds as if it hurts an awful lot.
“Wait, Spit! I heard something!” Fleetfoot calls out, and more rocks begin to move.
Spitfire’s voice seems to appear out of nowhere, her voice is strained and more tense than usual. “This isn’t another false alarm is it Fleet?”
I swallow thin air in attempt to dampen my mouth before calling out again, “Spitfire, We’re here.” My voice screeches painfully, I know that it isn’t loud enough; it is coming out as barely more than a whisper.
“Soar, I can’t...” I swallow some more air, but I’m gaining nothing from it.
Soarin’ gently touches my cheek with his hoof, telling me that it’s okay without needing to utter a word.
More and more rocks seem to move and they each grow louder and louder. They must be near the cave entrance now, they must be.
“I don’t know Fleet,” Spitfire sighs sadly, “I think it’s another false alarm. I’m sorry. We should try somewhere else.”
Tears fill my eyes as I scream as loud as I possibly can. My voice is burning and my body feels weak, but I keep going, I keep going until my voice gives out completely and my body falls limp against Soarin’.
Tears continuously stream down my pain stricken face, as I wait and see if we’ve been heard, I pray and pray. Soarin’ and I are both silent, barely breathing as we wait. This is our last chance to get out, if they leave now we will never be found.
“They’re in here!” Spitfire yells out, “Call the air ambulance, now!”
Everything seems to be moving faster now, the rocks fall quicker as they grow louder and louder. More ponies voices fill the air around us as I cling on tightly to Soarin’, my heart pounding harder than ever.
“Don’t leave me, please,” I whisper to Soarin’ through the darkness.
“I won’t. I promise,” he replies.
Suddenly, a bright patch fills the cave and I squint into this strange bright light. Daylight. Spitfire’s face appears in the gap along with my friends as they continue to tear through the rocks that are trapping us from the outside world. I hear a few gasps of shock as ponies see the state which we were in and I wonder if we really look that bad?
As I cling onto Soarin’, I allow myself to finally drift off, knowing that we will both be okay.