//------------------------------//
// Then there was five, then... 
// Story: Fluttervile 
// by Aiet 
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Chapter twenty six:


“Then there was five, then...”

Dolorem should have known. Before him everyone grew old as time wore on but him... he looked like he aged only a few years since he first came here. He saw how rainbow dash became tired as her body began to fail. She started to have wrinkles and it got to the point to where she couldn't even fly any more. And now he stood in front of a doctor with anger. It wasn't his fault but he needed someone to yell at.
“what do you mean I have to watch her die?” the doctor backed away from him a bit, he understood it was hard to see someone you love pass on. Dolorem watched it four times already. And now... rainbow dash was leaving him. They stood out side her room and he had tears in his eyes.
“we've ran every test we could on the both of you, magical and medical. It's just her time to go... as for you we don't know. We can't figure out why you age so much more slowly.” dolorem couldn't believe it. He would have to watch her die. He calmed him self down and went into her room. She looked at him with a sad smile but he couldn't return it. He pulled a chair next to her bed and cried into his hands. He was losing her... and there was nothing he could do.
“sweet heart come here.” she spoke softly in her aged voice. He looked up and then crawled in bed with her. He held her but not to tight.
“I'm sorry you have to go through this but I love you. And I want you to know I'll be waiting for you. But I want you to promise me something.” he looked into her tired wine colored eyes.
“no matter what... I don't want you to kill your self. I want to see you on your own time. Promise me.” he watched her and he knew he had to.
“I promise. I love you so much rainbow dash.” they hugged each other as his tears finally stopped.
“I love you too.” they laid down and she drifted to sleep. He couldn't, he listened to the rhythmatic beeping of her heart monitor. He listened as it beeped until... a long drawled out tone filled his ears. A doctor slowly came in and went to turn off the machines. He left dolorem who was holding rainbow dash to him. After some time he let her go and walked out the room where three other mares were waiting.
“she's... gone.” he looked at them. They too had grown old but their bodies were not as worn as hers. rarity began to cry as applejack lowered her hat to her chest and dipped her head. Pinkie just smiled with tears, she knew she was at rest. Dolorem left the hospital and went home. He shifted through pictures of the family he once had. He sat on the cloud bed that had held the warmth of their bodies. Now it was cold. And all he could do was cry.

“The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.”

The next day they held her funeral. Even twilight was there and she brought some one with her that was a bit younger then her. Dolorem was in front of her coffin on his knees, resting his head on the wooden case. He stood and placed his hand on the coffin, to be near her one last time. His heart was heavy with grief and something pushed at the edges of his mind. But it never came. It left years ago with some one else. He would keep his promise to her. He would live... but he hoped not for long. He watched as ponies walked by and placed flowers on the coffin. He saw the cutie mark crusaders, all grown up with their lives. He quietly watched everyone pass by her coffin with sad faces.
“do we tell him?” a purple unicorn stallion with a mane of brown lose curls stood next to twilight, the same one that came with her. She shook her head glumly.
“no but go to him.” he nodded and slowly made his way to dolorem. He watched as they lowered her body, another lost to him forever, and everyone started to slowly leave. The purple stallion stopped besides him and reached out. He hugged him tightly. Dolorem didn't know who he was, tears running down his face, but he was to numb to care. He pulled away and watched him with his sad brown eyes. Twilight told him of this human. He always wanted to meet him but not under these circumstances.  He turned and went back to twilight, she had tears in her eyes. They turned and left, dolorem was the only one there as he stared at the grave that held his love. He hoped he would see her soon, he didn't know what he would do with his life now. He thought about the one who hugged him. He didn't know him but something felt familiar about him. Twilight never went to him, she couldn't. now he lost his wife... for the second time. Maybe she could tell him but she didn't know when. He had enough to deal with and she didn't know what he would do if he knew. For know she and the stallion would keep it to them selves. No matter how painful it was to her. The stallion looked back one more time as they loaded into the Pegasus carriage. He may not have been responsive but he knew. He wounder. He trusted twilight, he had to. Because he didn't have a choice. Dolorem stay late into the day at her grave. She was now covered with dirt and... gone. He cried more and for some reason he thought about that stallion. His hug.

“Oh dry the glistening tear that dews that marshall cheek. Thy loving children here in them thy comfort seek. With sympathetic care, their arms around thee creep. For oh they cannot bear to see their father weep.”

Now he was alone. The others were there for him but now... he lost his entire family. He lived every day hoping it was his last, never making it so. He didn't know what to do any more. He was all alone in a world that once held so much love. So much warmth. No it was a cold empty husk... like him. The days dragged on painfully slow and he stayed the same. He never seemed to age, except from the stress. He didn't know how much longer he could make it. But he couldn't brake his promise. Besides the house, the pictures, and the memories, it was all he had left of her. It was the only thing that kept him in this world. He sat by him self in the living room of the cloud house that he once called home.

“Without a family, man alone in the world, trembles with the cold.”

Life would not get any better for dolorem. His name would haunt him for his unnatural, unexplainable long life. Some years later he know stood at rarity's funeral with sweetie belle and her family. It was later followed by applejack's then big mac's and he stood with applebloom and her family also. One day he received a letter. Twilight was dying. He made his way to Canterlot, to her place in the palace. She lay in her bed with shallow breathing. The same stallion from before stood besides her. He went to her side and she smiled. Again he could not return her smile, it would be a lie.
“thank you for coming. Before I go I wanted to show you something.” she nodded at the stallion and he turned to something covered. He pulled it back to revile a mirror, seven feet tall and five feet wide. Complete. Whole.
“you can go home.” he turned to her with tears. She worked for years after she left and finally found the rest of the mirror. But she couldn't tell him, he had a happy life. But know he had nothing. She offered him a chance to go home.
“this is my home.” she looked at him surprise but she understood. She held out a hoof and he placed it in his hand.
“dolorem...”
“twilight...” and with that her last breath left her lips and... she was gone. In her will she wanted to be buried with the rest. The graves that held friends and family. Dolorem watched again as another was lowered in the ground, gone forever. And soon after that it was pinkie pie. Dolorem sat with her in the hospital crying, it seemed that was all he did lately. Even on her death bed she looked like she could zoom across a mountain... but she couldn't not any more. She had dolorem come closer and she spoke.
“I know it's hard on you and you feel it's got even worse but I want you to do something for me... smile. It's been so long since you smile. A smile makes the world go around and right know yours is frozen with grief so please. Smile.” with that she was gone, a smile had her lips. The smile that never seemed to go away. But he couldn't smile. He couldn't ever smile in this life again. It would be hollow and a lie... like him. And now he stood at a funeral again and they lowered her body into the ground. Pinkie pie. Applejack. Rarity. Twilight. Rainbow dash. Rivet. Marble. Diamond. Fluttershy. He was alone and they were all here in front of him gone. He couldn't take it any more. He moved away. Princess Celestai gave him a place at the palace and a job. He would spend how ever long his life was there. Celestai would watch him and knew his pain. The pain of watching everyone else fade away while you were forced to stay behind with the grief. The pain of remembering. Luna would visit his dreams... if he had any. His sleeping mind was a black void that held nothing. It was his escape as nothing followed him there, not even his memories. Time went on, leaving him behind. Celestai had other pupils come and go, he never met them and never knew how many it was. He didn't care, he didn't want to. And one day Celestai came to him
“I am sorry to tell you this but... spike is dying. He lays at his finally resting grounds in the mountains. Go to him.” and so he did. He made the trip to the large cave that held an enormous dragon. The purple of his scales was dull and his green spikes drooped. His eyes were fogged over and his breathing shallow.
“dolorem?” he turned his head and sniffed, he was blind. He laughed as he met him.
“there's no way. But I can smell you.” dolorem went to his large head and placed a hand on his snout.
“yeah it's me guy.” spike smiled, he didn't know if it was real or not but he was happy.
“I missed you and everyone else. I'm glade I got to see you one last time.” even spike knew as he laid his head down. Dolorem stayed with him until... he stopped breathing. With his last breath went the last soul he ever knew. The last one that lived a mortal life... unlike him. Dolorem took a claw that fell out from his hand and went to Ponyville. He passed “The beauty of two worlds” and the spot that a blackened house once stood. He buried spike's claw with the graves of his past. Know they were all here. He went back to Canterlot. And waited. And waited. He forgot time, it didn't matter to him any more. Time stretched on until it finally left him with hands that started to wrinkle and a body that grew tired. Dolorem didn't know how old he was, he never kept track. What was the poin?. To other humans he look like he was in his late fifties but he was beyond that. But still he was no closer to dieing from his age. He still had to suffer by the sands of time.

“I don't grow old. I grow experienced. And with the passing of time you see it at the ending coming closer. I see it as just another adventure into the unknown.”