//------------------------------// // (66) Our life: Apologies // Story: The nature of the beast. // by Kintra //------------------------------// -----Eclipse (5:57) ------- Love…Love is something that many ponies have yet to know… I don’t mean a quick peck and an almost sincere “I love you” I mean true love. Something that makes you cry, laugh, and bleed over the ones you love. But be happy doing it. No matter how much they push against you, you stand back up. Because you love them. No matter how many times they mess up, you're there to comfort them. And you never ask anything in return. All you need is their affection. I’m glad to be in love. I’m glad to know love. And I pity those who don’t embrace it. I had sat on the couch with mist until Light fell asleep. We hadn’t said anything. After Luna left, we didn’t need to. So we just sat. I rested my head on hers. She just hummed a cheery little tune. It was beautiful. It had no real rhythm, but it was pretty all the same. When light had fallen asleep. I decided it was time to go. “Mist, I’m gonna go and talk to everypony. You mind taking Light? It’s…Kinda important that I get the apologies out of the way. A lot of hugs must be given.” She laughed as her magic enveloped the sleepy Light. Picking him from my lap so I could move. I quickly leaned over and kissed her horn before standing. She placed light down back on the couch were I just was. And smiled at me. “Go say sorry. I don’t know why, but I know you won’t stop until you do.” I just smiled at her, another quick kiss to the horn and I was out the door. First step is the closest; I turned around and walked to the back of my house straight to rainbows. Once I was positioned properly under her home I called out to her. I waited a few minutes before deciding she must not be home, so next stop Rarity. The walks between houses here never take long; almost every important house is on the same side! It’s really convenient. I walked up to the carousel boutique door and silently opening it. I caught the bell of course. That thing annoys me. I shut the door silently and walked into the crafts room to find rarity asleep on the table. Her hair was everywhere, seriously frazzled. I walked over and gently picked her up cradling her in my arms I carried her upstairs to her bedroom. Placing her in her bed I tucked her in and gave her a quick kiss on the head. “Sorry you weren’t awake” It’s amazing how much I had grown to love and trust these girls. I left the room to find sweetie belle looking up at me with tears in her eyes. I bent down and offered my arms to her; she ran in and hugged me. I picked her up and carried her downstairs so we could sit on the couch. “You all right sweetie? It’s okay, I’m here, and I’m a good guy. You can tell me.” Don’t know why I had to say I’m a good guy. She kept crying into my chest so I just held her until she calmed down enough to talk. I just smiled warmly at her until she sat back and looked at me. “R-r-rarity… W-w-ouldent stop working… S-s-she just kept crying, s-s-saying you were dumb f-f-f-or running off…” I smiled and hugged her. “I am dumb, I am. And I did run off. But not anymore. I’m here now okay? So no more crying rarity. She just thought I wasn’t coming back. But it was silly of her to think that. And you tell her that in the morning. You tell her she’s a silly head for thinking I was going anywhere.” She just nodded as I held her. Poor girl was stressing out over seeing her sister stress out! I sat there for a good ten minutes before sweetie belle passed out. I checked my watch; it was only 6:00. Early sleepers. Or crying makes ponies tired. Doesn’t matter. I carried her up to her room, tucked her in and kissed her good night. I didn’t care. These girls were my family. All of them. I stepped out and left to boutique, I was sure to close shop first though. After rarity… Twilight. I got there pretty quick, a knock on the door followed by a very tired sounding “Come in.” Was all I needed. I stepped into the now seriously wrecked library. It was amazing the amount of crap this girl had scattered. She was reading a book on the ground. Facing away from the door. The moment I stepped in she waved a hoof. “If it’s not really important can we reschedule? I’m kinda trying to help save a friend’s life…” Drama queen. I walked up behind her and picked her up into a hug. She screamed on the way up which caused spike to run downstairs to find me twirling twilight while she laughed non-stop. “Eclipse! Put me down!” she managed to squeeze that out between chuckles so I stopped and put her down, Took me a moment to catch my balance as well. But I did and then I sat next to her pulling the still dizzy pony into a hug. “You need to stop being a jerk Twi. You knew zecora was caring for me, so you needed to care for yourself. You can’t just shut down every time something happens, to me or to anypony else. The greatest gift for somepony is being remembered; don’t live for them, live for yourself in their memory. Okay?” I poked the tip of her horn as she nodded. “Good, Now… You need to reshelve.” She laughed. “Yes, eclipse… I know. I… I know. That’s all that matters.” She sighed as I let her go. She quickly hopped down as spike began gathering novels and documents, placing them back on the shelves. “So. Aside from coming here to let you know I’m alive! I need a favor.” She looked at me with an exasperated expression. “F…Favor?” I nodded. “I need a magic teacher.” She stared a moment before she shut down. “I don’t care eclipse, you broke her. You fix her.” Spike! Cruel. “Yea… Okay.” I stood and walked over to the stunned unicorn. I kneeled down next to her. Poked her a few times, that didn’t work... “Spike, can you go upstairs for a moment?” He sighed and went upstairs. Good boy, just a bit… stressed I think. I looked back at twilight. She was still staring at nothing. Although now at least she was sitting. “Twilight, I’m gonna touch your horn if you don’t come back to reality.” She didn’t respond, so I started rubbing her horn, you never really notice, but even when you’re not actively seeking to improve something, you do get better the more you do it. Her eyes had started rolling into the back of her head before she snapped out of it and gave me an evil glare. “I warned you I would.” She blushed and tried situating herself more comfortably. “Yea sorry about the mess.” She blushed again. “W-w-what mess. There’s no mess…” I laughed. “Hun, My mare friends a unicorn. Trust me. I know.” “Well….. Fine, Okay there’s a mess, still you want a magic teacher right? For what? Light doesn’t have a horn.” I smiled a little and shook my head. “No kiddo, not for him for me.” I sat in front of her opening both my palms as small floating balls of steady flame erupted from my hands “But…How?” I just shrugged. “Magic spark. I know, freaks me out too. Cool thing I learned to do while walking over here though, watch this.” I concentrated on one of the flames as it suddenly burst into pure ice. The flame ball fell into my hand, the once bright flame now a small fire-ice sculpture “That’s…Impossible. You… Wow! How do you concentrate it? Where is the focus point? I…I’m so confused…” I just laughed. Placing the small frozen fireball on her desk. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, get some sleep otherwise I may have to horn you some more.” She blushed and started pushing me out the door with telekinesis, which is more to say, she levitated me out the door. There was no trying involved. I started walking to sweet apple acres, no reason not too everypony was heading in so I figured I would start singing, Why not? “Silent in my insanity, I live safe inside my cell. In the darkness that surrounds me, I see my own special hell. Comfort in my suffering, feeling warm inside this pain. Fore wall’s coming down on me. Coming down again. Let you in, you come. You’re so fucking brave. A churned and lighted candle fell in my cold and empty cave. They tell you this is all the people need, bringing all that shit on me, leave me here to bleed.” I just finished the first half of the song when somepony poked me on my shoulder, I looked over to find rainbow floating not a few feet away. I stopped and smiled at her. “Morning sunshine. Want a hug and an ‘I’m sorry for making you worry’?” She broke into the biggest grin and flew into my open arms; I immediately started to carry her as we walked to the farm still. “You’re an idiot eclipse.” Wow, that sounds familiar. “Yes ma’am I am, good thing there are ponies out there who know this and point out my flaws.” She laughed and did her little neck nuzzles. Thankfully not a lot. “Eclipse… I just don’t get you. You’re so eager to put yourself in danger. Why?” I just shook my head; I knew she couldn’t see it. But still. “I don’t enjoy putting myself in danger any more than any other pony. I would just rather it be me in danger then them. You may not understand, and there may be no way to make you understand, but if I can give my life so another may live? If it’s one of you girls, or any of my friends? In a heartbeat. So no matter what happens rainbow, just know that whatever I do, no matter how stupid it may seem. I’m doing because I love you guys. And always will.” Rainbow looked at me and smiled. “You’re still an idiot.” I laughed. “Yea, I am. I won’t deny it. Now go home and get some rest if my day has anything to say about my recent meetings it’s that everypony is doomed to fall asleep on me.” She shrugged, (?) and then leaned back on my shoulder. “I’m okay with that.” … “Rainbow… No.” She sat up and looked at me. I couldn’t believe I was going to do this… “No. Get off, go home. I can’t love you rainbow dash. You will always be my friend, I respect and adore you. But I can NOT love you the way you want me to. I refuse to love you the way you want me to. I have a mare, one that I love and who isn’t entangled with five of my other best friends. I’m sorry rainbow, but unless some horrible incident happens that breaks mist and myself up while also freeing you from friend like obligations, I will never love you in that way. I am sorry. But I can’t.” I turned her around and set her on the ground. Then I stood and kept walking to sweet apple acres… I could still hear her crying… and I hated myself, I started crying as well… I just hope she can forgive me.